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Scavenger created by:

Alexandru Negoita & Marquis Hartis

Worldbuilding, Art & Layout by:

Alexandru Negoita

Worldbuilding, Writing & Game Mechanics by:

Marquis Hartis
Additional Help:
Robert Adducci (design and worldbuilding)
Tim & James of Tabbletop Terrors

Teo Mechea (layout and art feedback)

1062 Kickstarter backers

Copyright© 2020 Shardstone, Alexandru Negoita, Marquis Hartis

Version 1.0

scavengerworld.net
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Table of Contents
Foreword - 5
Introduction - 6
World of Akara - 9
◇ Tarnak - 14
◇ Bataar - 46
◇ Kanuma - 54
◇ Mur - 64
◇ Akaran Mysticism - 73
◇ The Cataclysm or The Great Dying - 85
◇ Of Places Dead - 88
A World Torn Apart - 92
◇ On Entering Torn - 95
◇ Dal Ashta Outpost - 97
◇ Zenith People - 98
◇ Core City Ruin - 101
◇ Pannor Plains - 104
◇ Blightwoods - 112
◇ Samua Marshes - 120
◇ Tainted Valley & Places Untouched - 128
Scavenger Suite - 132
◇ Core Changes & Shardstones - 133
◇ Shard Listings - 138
◇ The Scavenging Peoples - 140
◇ Scavenger Paradigms - 153
◇ Paradigm Subclasses - 160
◇ Akaran Backgrounds - 165
◇ A Scavenger’s Lifepath - 178
◇ Scavenger Feats - 182
◇ Patrons & Expedition Experience - 186
◇ Scavenger Expedition Generator - 190
◇ Tools of the Trade - 194
◇ Bestiary - 198
Scavenger Index - 232
The First Scavengers - 234

3
 I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal, these words appear:
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1818)

4
 Foreword
A fter working for 15 years in the corporate
gaming industry, I inevitably got the urge
to give myself the chance to create and
explore a world of my own - something I’ve
been considering for quite some time before
but didn’t know how to even start.
Back in 2016 when I first decided to embark on
this personal project I had no idea what
amount of work and dedication it will entail. Of
course I wanted to create something original
and outstanding, but conveying ideas into vis‐
ual language is a difficult and often frustrating
process and the level of material required for a
project of this size was something that was be‐
yond my capabilities alone.
The moment of meeting Marquis was the cata‐
lyst the project needed in order to take real
shape, and since we first discussed and got ex‐
cited over the new world that was forming in‐
side our heads, we invested every minute of our
spare time into making this book happen, and
four years later it finally did.
The world was built organically around our
ideas and magic started to happen when we
put his words and my images together. I drew
inspiration from legends such as Brom, Moe‐
bius and others and together we tried to put
our own little pebble at the foot of the moun‐
tain of these titan’s body of work. Successfully
or not, you are left to judge.
My only hope is that Akara will inspire you to
discover its mysteries, both wonderful and terri‐
fying, and its inhabitants, and that she might
make you leave your reality at the door before
you enter.
Needless to say that without you and all of our
Kickstarter backers we could not have made it,
so thank you all for the tremendous support
and patience! We have many other stories to
tell in the future, and as Conan says in the 1982
cult classic:
“No one, not even you, will remember if we were
good men or bad. Why we fought, or why we
died. All that matters is that two stood against
many. That's what's important!”
With that I leave you to explore and (hopefully)
enjoy the world of Scavenger!
~ Alexandru Negoita, 2020
B ack in late 2017, Wizards of the Coast
announced a new setting. This setting,
produced by a 3rd party, was mystifying to
me; it was an alien-warped world that attracted
marauding explorers to its unknown depths.
The idea hooked me, and Andi’s art—though at
the time I only knew him as “Pandemonium
Art”—had me sitting in my chair impatient for
this new product release. And, still impatiently,
I waited for months and months, checking for
updates on Scavenger on their website until,
eventually, I got so fed up with waiting that I slid
into Andi’s DMs to see how I could help.
To be honest, I can’t believe it worked, but Andi
was excited to have some help with the project.
Together, we embarked on the long, hard road
of trying to publish our shared dreams.
Scavenger has evolved a lot in the two years I’ve
been working on it. It's been written and rewrit‐
ten time and time again; the rules have been
playtested, thrown out, remade, and playtested
again too. Hard as all this was, I can happily say
I enjoyed every moment of it. For me, there is
nothing quite as freeing as writing, or as stimu‐
lating and sacred as creating my own worlds. To
see that over a thousand people think that this
world is worth enjoying, let alone worth playing
in is for me to be living a dream that I never
want to wake up from.
In the pages beyond, I have done my best to
honor Andi’s amazing art. Each of his paintings
is an inspiration that compels me to discover
why these peoples are the way they are, or why
these buildings are shaped like this, or what se‐
crets some magic might lead to. My hope is
that, as you read through Scavenger, you will
see his art, the possibilities I have pulled from it,
and dream as we did of jeweled scavengers
traveling across alien savannas looking for
weird and wondrous things.
~ Andrew Marquis Hartis, 2020
5
 Introduction
This is a dying world. City-states are swallowed by
earthquake-torn ravines and mountain-drowning
waves. Beasts of the land once hunted lie dead in
their own extinction. Droughts years-long prelude
monsoons whose rages paint new coastlines
through their stormborn carnage. Yes. See it. Feel it.
Understand truly that this world, this Akara, is dying.
There is hope. Find it in Akara’s own Jade Jewel - that
great city-state called Tarnak, the Dark Spire. Under‐
neath that city’s rich aurora is a treasure of sanguine
shardstones whose lights warp reality at the whims
of the dangerous visionaries working them. Mined,
these shardstones, from an ancient Monolith at Tar‐
nak’s center - or rather, the impossible world it hides
within.
This is the World Torn Apart. Or Torn, as the Tarnaki
name it.
Near half a century ago the Monolith opened.
Through it went the first scavengers; daredevil expe‐
ditioners who in the early days had no such name.
Inside, they found a world alien in every way. There
and beyond stretched skies a hundred different col‐
ors, plains and forests warped and weird, ancient
cities, ancient cities far beyond anything any Akaran
had ever seen before, ancient cities emptied of their
ancient peoples, ancient cities powered by sanguine
shardstones.
This is the world in which you adventure. Cast from
your home or desperate to survive the growing Cat‐
aclysm, you take on the mantle of scavenger, find
your patron, and venture into the scarred Akara or
the bizarre Torn so that you can save your loved ones,
your people, your very world from the inevitability of
this Great Dying.

WHAT IS SCAVENGER
SCAVENGER is an artbook, a new cosmos to explore,
and a rules supplement for the 5th Edition of the
world’s most popular roleplaying game. In the pages
beyond, you will explore the dying Bronze Age world
of Akara and the utterly incomprehensible realm of
Torn as scavengers. Scavengers are desperates hired
for their invaluable skills sets to find anything they
can that will solve the riddle known as both the Cat‐
aclysm and the Great Dying.
Not all scavengers are good, and not all are so
selfless. Just as many are seeking treasure for them‐
selves, or secrets with which to gain influence, or
even just a way to peacefully escape what they be‐
lieve to be their coming doom. The scavenger
you play will need to decide for them‐
selves during their many expeditions
what it is they are truly looking for.
WHAT IS IN THIS BOOK
After this introduction section orients you in the
fiction, the following chapters, or tablets, are
presented in order.
The World of Akara. The planet called Akara is a
dying world where life clings to any hope it can
find. Four great city-states are discussed, as well
as the mysticisms that guide Akarans, strange
places found across the world, and the many
dangers spawned by the horrific Great Dying.
The World Torn Apart. Three unique adventure
sites in Torn are given for the scavengers to ex‐
plore, including the scavengers' likely home‐
base: the Dal Ashta outpost. Torn is a place large
beyond compare and only a sliver of what it has
to offer has been discovered. As the scavengers
unearth esoteric secrets, their gamemaster will
have the opportunity to create new regions in
Torn in which to explore.
The Scavenger Suite. Lastly, the Scavenger
Suite is presented for players and gamemasters
alike. Here you will find the mechanics behind
the Delphic shardstones, a small set of elegant
and streamlined rule changes for 5th Edition,
character creation guidelines, new back‐
grounds, and a bestiary containing many of
Akara and Torn’s most defining creatures.
SEVEN TRUTHS A SCAVENGER LIVES BY
The seven truths below guide all fledgling scav‐
engers as they embark on their first expedition.
Keep these in mind when exploring the rest of
this book.
Akara is a Bronze Age World. There is not
enough iron in Akara’s soil to allow for complex
metallurgy. Thus, bronze is the most advanced
metal that Akaran smiths can work. But bronze
is expensive. Most weapons, armor, and shields
are made from stone, bone, or the chitinous
hide of Akara’s many great insects. To have a
bronze tool is to have some prestige or backing.
Shardscience is Young & Powerful. Magic never
existed in Akara. Shardstones have changed
that. They were brought back by the first scav‐
engers as supposed gemstones of unrecog‐
nized worth. Since then have Tarnaki bloodcut‐
ters worked to puzzle out the shardstone’s
countless occult secrets. Much has changed for
Tarnak as a result, but the science is still young,
and no true scientific method has been devel‐
oped.
The Great Dying Looms Over All. Something
unknown changed within the last Akaran
decade. Massive extinctions have drained the
planet of its life. Massive extinctions of a
number of beasts have swept across Akara.
Earthquakes, tsunamis, sandstorms, droughts,
and hypercanes threaten the people. With so
many homelands lost, refugees flood the
remaining city-states in search of haven or
home.
Torn Was Once Inhabited. Torn is not entirely
devoid of life, and there is evidence that once
great civilizations ruled it. No one knows the
origin of these megalithic ruins, shard-powered
and construct-haunted as they are, nestled
between red hills underneath sunless skies. The
artefacts of these so-called Zenith People are all
that speaks to this lost culture. Know that
abandoned artifacts are far beyond what
Akaran shardscience has produced.
Only the Monolith Leads to Torn. Every city-
state wishes access to the Monolith, only to be
denied by Tarnak’s ruling council. As these
other city-states become more aggressive in
their demands, and as people flee their
homelands to join the relatively safer Tarnak,
relations worsen, and intrigues bloom like
desert-lonely flowers.
Few Peoples are Left to Fight. Once, a dozen
different peoples walked Akara. The modern
day Akaran and the Great Dying has killed most
of these people off. Only these same Akarans,
the secretive kith, and the four-armed morg
remain in force. These three estranged species,
once kept separate by their differences, must
come together as scavengers if they wish to
live.
Scavengers are Unlikely Heroes and
Traumatized Villains. Scavengers are the
desperate, the foolhardy, the brave, and the
dangerous souls willing to explore the dying
Akara and the alien Torn. They themselves
become strange over time, are left disturbed by
the things they see. Those that stay hopeful
scavenge until they die. Those that do not will
eventually retire, broken as the world from
which they hail.
7
8
World of Akara
The land is old, though none can put an age to it.
It stretches north until it hits the coast, east until stopped by a gate
of mountains. To the south, across a pair of seas, there is another
continent, green and rich in years past but now naught but ulti‐
mate desert. To the west begins the ocean and across that none
have been. Beyond those mountains where the wastes unfurl for a
thousand leagues and then a thousand more has no Akaran ever
been nor has any Akaran ever hailed.
Akara is the world and the continent both; the last place where life
may yet be. It is the cradle of civilization where the oldest cities now
lie in ruins; all save four whose future is measurable in uncertain
days. Tribal mobs, older than city and city-culture, still do travel,
though nature in its death throes is cruel and cold.
A thousand generations - that is how old the Akaran way of life is
said to be. There is no certainty on this matter for writing is only re‐
cent and the mystics of tribal mobs continue their oral histories no
further than this. What may have come before is lost to the past,
and for the modern day Akaran, who has killed most other ho‐
minids, who has crested the world and now is on their downfall,
only tomorrow is thought to matter.
Recorded upon this tablet of Muraneese stone is what is left of
Akara. If there is more, it lies in secret, awaiting the day it is scav‐
enged from the buried bones of a forgotten world.

9
THINGS KNOWN BY ALL AKARANS
What is listed below are those things known by all Akarans.

MEASURING DISTANCE
In Akara, there are three units of measurement. The hand, whose length is what it describes; the
blade, four hands long; and the dalham, or dal, which is a length of two-thousand blades.

SIGILS AS CURRENCY
Sigils are the universal currency of Akara. A sigil is worth one gold piece, should a scavenger be rich
enough so as to have true gold. The Jade is Tarnak’s sigil, carved from its namesake into a triangle.
Its face is the Monolith, the back the profile of the mythic Princess Ida. The Kanuman Sigil is a golden
coin with a square cut into the center and the Muraneese Majestic is a cut opal. The Bataash Shell is
an amber shell that belongs to a common sea snail. Tribal mobs trade exclusively in pieces of amber
hoarded from forest territories. Large amounts of currency are traded through papyrus records.

THE MANY LANGUAGES

Across the undaunted and primordial years, Akarans have constructed a complex web of languages
to fulfill ever-demanding duties.

LANGUAGES IN SCAVENGER
Language
Name Short Description

A code language developed by the baels of Kanuma, later modified by the Stygian
Ambara Serpents. A language with no written form. Words are often short, and how they are
said carries more meaning than the word itself.
There are no known speakers of the Ancient Tongue, the aptly named language of
Ancient the now extinct Zenith People. Its script is composed of highly sophisticated sym‐
Tongue bols. While some have managed to decipher bits of it, the language has yet to be
properly broken.
The various tribal mobs in central and coastal Akara have a startlingly similar lan‐
B!ayeh guage between them. Though dialects introduce a myriad of differences, all use
clicks and the same core sentence structure of subjects before verbs.

The secret language of Mur’s Dinashii seemingly has no connection with any outside
Dinadan language. Its unique sound involves expressive movements with both hands and
mouth, and it has no written script.

“E” Lan‐ This language has been discovered in the Sea of Myst, Ringmaze Isles, and other ran‐
dom places throughout Torn. Its name derives from the “E” symbol being used re‐
guage peatedly at the start and end of every communication. It has yet to be broken.

Here be the Kanuman’s mother tongue. It is a lyrical, poetic language, filled with
Kanuani metaphors and symbolism. Its script involves word placement so that a constellation
of words is made.

A morg’s language is limited by the shape of their jaw, thus becoming a variety of
Morgani grunts and huffs. Its script is limited; every symbol is another hand sign, each with
four different meanings.

The traditional language of Muraneese slaves and freefolk is, like Dinadan, a com‐
Murd pletely isolated and unique language. Its script is complicated, with thousands of
symbols used to communicate ever more specific ideas.
Kith speak a tongue that involves body language and honest emotional reactions
detectable only by their hyper-empathetic brains. It has no written form, and is com‐
Quo’woah posed almost entirely of compound words. Non-kith speakers have difficulty com‐
municating with kith due to the emotion-reading elements involved.

10
KANUMA’S CALENDAR
The Kanuman Calendar is how Akarans keep track of their passing days. Near four hundred years
have been marked. These years are referenced to as After Starfall (A.S) - the illustrious date where
Kanuma was founded. The current year is 393 A.S.
In a Kanuman year, there are three hundred days split into two seasons. The dry season lasts nearly
two hundred days while the monsoon season lasts the remainder. In the far north, things grow cold,
and the monsoon season lasts longer; south across the Bloodsands there are no monsoons at all.
Six months split the year. Their names are recorded as the stars brightest during those months. Each
month begins with a holiday celebrated for the first ten days. Below are those months, each with
fifty days, inscribed:
◇ Starbirth, when the new year is ushered.
◇ Serpent’s Coil, when athletic competitions are held.
◇ First Akarok, when many hunting seasons begin.
◇ Old Sun, when festivals for planting are held.
◇ Old Moon Sayun, when festivals of vice are held.
◇ Desert Flower, where festivals for harvest are held.
A date is recorded as <Day Number> of <Month Name> in the <Year Number> Year. For example, the
Sixteenth Day of Serpent’s Coil in the Two Hundredth Year A.S.

Language
Name Short Description
Bataar’s throat-singing language, in common speech, is quick, flowing, and filled
with witty turns of phrase. It lends itself well to song. The script is written in paint and
Ribbish with images. This paint-writing means that the colors used, down to the shade, trans‐
mits much information.
When Samua discovered the Samua Marshes, she also happened upon the now-
dead rulers of that place and their strange language. It was written in a script of dif‐
Samuan ferently sized vortices and circles intertwined with one another. The key to decipher‐
ing Samuan has yet to be developed.
This is a series of code-phrases used by the Scavenger Rings for secret communica‐
Scavenger tion, including leaving messages in Torn for directions or warnings. Scavenger Codes
Codes recontextualize words and ideas from other languages for their use, and also use styl‐
ized symbols to communicate their needs.
This is a language used by poor Tarnaki. It is a creole of Kanuani, Ribbish, and a smat‐
Tarnaki, tering of B!ayeh. Sentences are often short and to the point, and sometimes an entire
Dust sentence is simply a quick metaphor or image. Its script uses hieroglyphics and some
phonetic letters. It serves primarily as Akara’s trade tongue.

Tarnaki, A more sophisticated form of Dust Tarnaki used by the educated and well-to-do Tar‐
naki civilians. It has a unique sound originating in the back of the throat. Deep Tarnaki
Deep is used in courts, by Ivory Guards, and by officials. Its script is entirely phonetic.

A southern language from the Bloodsands region. With the disappearance of the
Green Empires, this language is thought to be almost entirely lost. It was a lilting
Usuo tongue filled with verse and brutal, mystical imagery. Its script was entirely written in
a textile writing system.
Womord was a language spoken in northern Akara, though most of its speakers have
disappeared with the Great Dying. Womord sentences worked by attaching an ever-
Womord growing library of prefixes and suffixes to words in order to construct a sentence. Its
script was composed of long, slashing lines.
Zazan was constructed by the Tongue and Hand to serve as a thieves cant universal
in Akara. To speak Zazan is to acknowledge one’s service to the black market. It is a
Zazan heavily encoded language that uses seemingly random sentences from other lan‐
guages to transmit its ideas. Its script, likewise, uses small pieces from every tongue.

11
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13
CROWNED BY THE AURORA
Heard in tribal song-stories and dancing on
the lips of journeyers is an idea: Tarnak is
crowned by an aurora. As fanciful as this may
sound, it is true. On certain nights a tapestry of
lights erupts in the heavens. They dance, twirl,
grind across the wine-dark sky, moon-bright,
bright enough to serve as a makeshift light‐
house for ships lost at sea.
Crowned by an aurora as it is, Tarnak was quick
to become Akara’s wealthiest trade-hub after
its establishment near 300 years ago. Its bor‐
dering of a channel connecting two seas - the
Songs and Stargazer’s Bay - ensured overflow‐
ing trade. Fields olive-ripe and oxen-tended,
natural quarries of limestone and laterite, de‐
posits rich in jade - these have all blessed Tar‐
nak with wealth hard to imagine.
Such wealth does not make Tarnak the par‐
adise many hope it to be. Bribes in jade and fa‐
vor turn officials into criminals. Merchants are
either victims or kingpins of vicious rackets
that plague the commons. Bronze daggers
gleam sea-green in orphan-orchestrated am‐
bushes. A Tarnaki proverb holds that your am‐
bition and cruelty are more valuable than
what's in your purse. Scavengers would do well
to listen to such wisdom.

BUILT UPON A SHARDSTONE

FOUNDATION
In a world about to end does the trade of gold
and gems disappear. Were it not for Tarnaki
shardstones - those sanguine, Torn-mined crys‐
tals that warp reality - even Akara’s Jade Jewel
would have crumbled. Almost five decades ago
the Monolith opened and the first shardstone
was scavenged. In those early days, the power
of that shardstone opened a door that could
not be shut for with this gem was magic cre‐
ated.
Only the uneducated call it magic. To the elite,
shardstones are a science, a mysticism, nobler
than alchemy or mathematics. The riddles they
have solved are the same that keep the Cata‐
clysm at bay. The waters filling Tarnak’s harbor
are kept calm (through shardstones cut and
implanted into the seabed), the food kept
growing (through shard dust mixed with soil),
the earth stabilized so that it seizes no more
(through shardworked devices implanted geo‐
metrically into the ground). Some of these feats
are not the workings of artificers. It is clear that
shardlight makes manifest the desires of those
that work it. A question is then asked: is it luck
that keeps Tarnak safe, or instead the luminous
desires of those that live there?

14
 AN AKARAN’S TALE

The account of Ma’She,

who sings of tragedy
The song of Tarnak different for me, different for
“
you. You Akaran hum a hymn clever, like moth color of
bark. But we kith know true. Both, I tell, so you know
true from lie.
Akaran say a ruler, Ida, come from land where star fall
to grave. Place who name Akaran call Kanuma. Ida had
root-bond with another who Akaran name Meldar. To-
gether they were spire, tall spire, and around them
grew forest great and pond deep, and monsoon were
gentle and kind to them, dry time short, gentle too. But
Meldar brother jealous of sunlight that Meldar had.
Brother no bond to brother, no bond to people. Name,
Ackn. Ackn the Bondless, dead leaf on wind, cold as sky
who know not sun.
In coldness, Ackn kill Meldar. Now bondless herself, Ida
ran from Kanuma and cross the Night Black - that wa-
ter Akaran call the Sea of Song - and to kith she arrive.
This is where story different, true but lie.
Ida came to us kith and found us worshiping Tul’Khu-
rak, as it older than all kith, and around it bloom life.
This is which Akaran call Monolith. Akaran tell it that
Ida come, seeing how green kith grass, how pure kith
stream, and she trade us star for Tul’Khurak. Ida say,
these silver ball pluck from sky, and each one will bring
fortune to kith for many wood generation. And that if
kith take star and go north, they find more fortune. So
kith give her land to live on. North, kith go. North where
there is nothing. When kith come back, Tul’Khurak now
Tarnak. In story, kith stupid, easy fool.
Kith tell it different. Kith tell lie no. And kith say Ida
come to us bloody as rock howler after hunt. Desper-
ate, she. Kith give Ida water. Food. Let her stay in home,
play with kith children. Ida disappear. She disappear af-
ter monsoon come and go. When she appear again, she
appear with lightning-loud Akaran who alight with vio-
lence. They beat us kith. They know us, how to hurt us,
because Ida tell them. Battle short. Kith clutch too pre-
cious to risk. Too much pain. So we give Tul’Khurak. We
leave.
That is how kith tell it. We share and save Akaran, and
Akaran kill and steal from us. For age of tree come and
go where we kith hidden in our wood. Now our wood
dying. We have nowhere else to go but here, home,
Tul’Khurak. Though Akaran betray, now no choice but
to hope Akaran now true.
”
15
16
17
THE MONOLITH
No building built by an Akaran’s hands has ever
been as the Monolith is. It predates Tarnak and
it predates the kith that once worshipped it and
for the many years it has stood it has stood
silent - until it was silent no more.
The day the Monolith opened near half a cen‐
tury ago was a day that the auroras blazed to
life during sunlit hours. A great shaking went
throughout the land. A storm had been blow‐
ing in and then it was gone, somehow
scrubbed out of the very sky it nearly filled. A
sound that was not music but instead a clank‐
ing, a pulsating, some even say a heartbeat -
that was the sound the Monolith made as its
base flared into a single entrance facing south‐
wards.
Those who first entered found themselves in a
dark hall. At the end of that hall there was light.
Beyond that light there was another world: a
World Torn Apart. Now the Monolith is guarded,
for it has become the source of Tarnak’s great‐
est wealth. From that strange universe there
have been brought creatures, artifacts, and re‐
sources who share no common ancestry with
anything Akaran. Most alien of all are the shard‐
stones who, through careful manipulation can
seemingly make the impossible possible.
In these times only scavengers can enter the
Monolith. They must be funded by a patron,
who has bought from the Council of Jade &
Progress after presenting their case a sigil
carved out of jade and bronze. This sigil must be
shown to the Ivory Guards in front of the Mono‐
lith. Attempting to enter without those sigils is
a violation of law so great that it only merits the
most severe punishments.
For scavengers, entering the Monolith is their
dream for the Monolith is the gateway to any
dream ever dreamt. Be granted entrance and
on the otherside find a world where your im‐
possible possibility awaits alongside the abnor‐
mal and the indescribable.
THE SEVEN JADES
Tarnak is split into seven districts. Together,
they are colloquially referred to as the Seven
Jades. Each district has its own name and pur‐
pose, and all seven are encapsulated by Tar‐
nak’s Grand Katar Wall.
The Seven Jades began originally as what is
now called the Old District, wherein dwells the
Council of Jade and Progress as well as a smat‐
tering of rich merchants and retired scav‐
engers. As the Old District expanded, it became
the current city of Tarnak. Now, with the Cata‐
clysm forcing more expansion, two slums have
appeared to its east and west: the Charred and
the Serpent’s.
THE GRAND KATAR WALL
The Grand Katar, named for the same weapon
to invoke honor, fear, and awe, stands forty feet
high and is made of sun dried brick. Each sec‐
tion of the Grand Katar is a circular tower con‐
nected by ramparts. To the northwest, north,
and southeast, the walls have three access
gates.
Gate of the Caught Sun
This gate, named for its importance in protect‐
ing Tarnak from Kanuma and for the rising sun,
lies to the southeast. The gate is painted black
with golden suns fixed into its front. Many of
these suns have, in recent years, been stolen by
the thieves of the Serpent’s Slum, earning the
gate a new name: the Gate of the Sun-Eater.
Gate of the Skarag
This gate, named for skarag-riding merchants
that both leave and come through it, is painted
jade with shard-red skarag images decorating
its face. This gate lies to the north, connected to
the Bronze District.
Gate of the Seven Lights
This gate, named for the aurora above Tarnak,
was once painted with seven different dyes.
When the Charred Slums experienced their
horrific fire a year ago, the paint was burned
from the gates, where it now sits peeling and
soot-covered. This gate lies to the northwest,
connected to the Dust District.
24
OLD DISTRICT
Underneath the Monolith’s shadow is where
Tarnak was first built. There, surrounded by the
Inner Katar Wall, lies the Old District - the seat
of Tarnaki power. It is an expansive neighbor‐
hood of old-style buildings, tall and thin just as
the Monolith is. Courtyarded in limestone, these
yards. Old District streets bordered by poles fit‐
ted with shardstones shed at night a crimson
light that illuminates the patrols of the Ivory
Guard and the predacious, nocturnal activities
of those who live here.
The atypical residents of the Old District are
what gives this place its flavor. The Council of
Jade & Progress, the most influential Scav‐
enger Rings, the Stygian Serpents, the base of
the Ivory Guard - these factions too rich to con‐
sort with the lesser Tarnaki have their own
world within the Inner Katar. All of them want
the same thing: unbridled access to Torn and
its alien riches.
To this end, the organizations of the Old Dis‐
trict are locked into a neverending information
war. They buy out scavenger rings and hold
hostage secrets vital for their rival’s success.
Common, this sabotage; a loss of status can be
the result of an expedition into Torn gone
wrong or a simple blackmail using one’s own
sloppiness against them. Though direct con‐
flict is banned inside the Old District, exile is to
these aristocratic souls a form of execution and
none wish to be pushed far from the Mono‐
lith’s bountiful promises.
Peel back the beclouding skin to see that the
Old District is festering with corruption. The
forces here have the means to save countless
lives across Akara with their amassed re‐
sources, but their eyes are set only on selfish
tomorrows.
Four Reasons to Visit the Old District
1. The scavengers need to find a patron and the
best resources belong to those native to the
Old District.
2. A rival scavenger ring has stolen information
from the scavengers and is looking for a bidder
in the Old District. They must find a way to out‐
bid them.
3. When a Tarnaki merchant is exiled from the
Old District, they hire the scavengers to steal
back their now-lost wealth.
4. Alongside their patron, the scavengers must
present their collected findings before the
Council of Jade & Progress to earn permission
for entering the Monolith.
SONG DISTRICT
Nestled on the confluence of the Sea of Songs
and Stargazer’s Bay is Tarnak’s port. From now
silent nations in the south there flowed teas
and foods unheard of; from the east, the west,
there the gold, the poisons, the colors, the
weapons of Akara’s city-states. Those days are
no more. On kuphars made from muddy weeds
do whole families spill out, adding to Tarnaki
overpopulation. They set sail again that same
day to fish the confluence that has been over‐
fished year after year. Waves remembered to be
blue as sapphire or green as jade now wash
against cliffs black with humanity’s detritus.
In honor of the district’s name, people sing
from the towers. Their voices resonate to‐
gether, confluence of sound to match the con‐
fluence of seas; even when the fights in the
congested streets turn into riots. Frequent
those riots where fish markets are looted, stalls
burned, brutal Ivory Guards beating the Song
District into order. Protestor screams marry the
melodies of silver pipes and lyres, go un‐
soothed, grow rancorous day after day.
Just off the shore, there is an isle. The Tarnaki
call it the Deadman’s Island. There, mystics
robed in green-slashed-yellow tend to the
dead sent by boat. The poor are cremated,
placed into clay urns, and buried in the shore.
The wealthy are interred in the halls of the
dead - sculpted statues that fill the island’s un‐
derground. Scribed into tablets over their
tombs are tales, stories, sent over with their
corpse muses. Rumor tells that these legends
spawn strange happenings at Deadman’s Is‐
land; that if one sleeps there, they can enter
the memories of the departed and learn what
they knew.
Four Reasons to Visit the Song District
1. Rumor has it a bael has touched down in the
Song District and is offering to buy out any
scavenger rings with their weight in goods.
2. Word spreads of a horrible riot. The scav‐
engers learn that someone they care about is
in danger of being assassinated or kidnapped
amidst the chaos.
3. A famous singer in the Song District has
made it known that anyone that can bring
them a song never before heard will earn from
them a shardstone artifact they themselves
made.
4. In order to find a hidden cache of treasure in
Torn, the scavengers must visit Deadman’s Is‐
land and sleep there in hopes of the interred
scavengers revealing to them in their dreams
the treasure’s location.
25
WINDPORT DISTRICT
The Eastern Constellation Wind blows hard
against Tarnak. This district, then, was named
for that very same wind as it makes the hot days
cool for the residents who live here. Here, Tar‐
naki call thin, multi-story towers their home.
Each floor belongs to another family, and each
tower is considered to be its own unique neigh‐
borhood. Though there are Tarnaki homes in
other districts, propaganda and fear have kept
them rooted largely in Windport; and even
here, safe in their towers, there is fear of the
sacai admitted daily from the bordering Ser‐
pent’s Slum.
This fear is put aside every ninth day of the
month when the New Market opens. In a mas‐
sive square that borders the gate to the Old Dis‐
trict does there gather every merchant inside.
In the New Market, anything can be found.
Weapons never before seen or thought of,
foods and drinks that have disappeared else‐
where in the world, even Torn Drugs, servile
flesh, and other, ever more illegal things too.
Matching the Sea of Songs in size is a vast gush
of tents of every color and stalls made from ev‐
ery wood and Ivory Guards pushing their way
through these Akaran swarms and now morg
and kith swarms too, all hoping to find some‐
thing to ease their doomsday anxieties.

There is another market square; one whose rep‐
utation calls to Tarnaki bloodlust. The Crimson
Square is dyed its namesake; the stones, crim‐
son, the walls, even the buildings. The market
days here are rare - only when an execution is to
happen. Many ways there are to die in Tarnak.
The Bronze Bull, where criminals are roasted
alive; the Honey Trap, where they are hung
from poles, slathered in honey, and left for in‐
sects to eat; and Sun-Slaying, where they are
strapped to a pole just outside of shade and left
there to wither under the sun. Sages have said
that to keep Akarans happy, they must be given
sacrifice. Here then is Tarnak’s ode to such a
brutal belief.
Four Reasons to Visit the Windport District
1. In need of resources, the scavengers visit the
New Market on one of the days it is open.
2. A special vendor only sells their valuable po‐
tions in the Crimson Square during Honey Trap
executions. The scavengers need these potions
for their next expedition.
3. A native Tarnaki family has hired the scav‐
engers to protect them at night from what
they believe to be murderous slum-dwellers.
4. The scavengers need a patron. Someone
from the Windport District has told them that
in exchange for goods to sell at the New Mar‐
ket, they will fund the scavengers.
THE TARNAKI SLUMS
Like herded skarag do sacai gather on the skirts
of Tarnak. They build slums from reeds, mud,
and animal skins; they know no rule of law save
their own so thus they live in a state of fearful
anarchy. Of these slums, there are two so large
the Tarnaki refer to them with their own names,
as if ironically they were districts themselves:
the Charred and the Serpent’s.
THE CHARRED SLUMS
Along the Great Katar Wall’s southwestern
length stretches the Charred Slums. Once they
covered the entirety of western Tarnak from
the Gate of the Caught Sun down to the trash-
blanketed seashore. Then came the fires. How
they started is a mystery still unsolved. Rumor
tells that the Council of Jade & Progress com‐
missioned the fire to remove the refugees.
Some say it was a freak accident caused by
shardstones. Regardless of the truth, the
flames decimated the Charred Slums whose
hope-filled people became little more than
kindling for disaster.
Large swathes of the slums are covered in ash.
Corpses, too. They lie half-buried and burned
into obliteration so that neither sex nor any
other inference can be made as to their iden‐
tity. Still, knowing nothing else, people live
here, amongst the pyre-ruin, the scorched so‐
journers. Pestilence rides through the slums.
Leprosy is common. It is a wasteland that Tar‐
nak tries to ignore for it cannot bring itself to
reckon what this may reveal about the city’s
own future.
Daredevils and desperates in the Charred
Slums put urns into the sea that wash into the
Song District. These urns are taken to scav‐
enger rings. The idea is simple: the urn’s con‐
tents is meant to be bait and proof - a job ap‐
plication of sorts. Included tools show exam‐
ples of a sacai’s skills or writings in now-hard‐
ened mud or paint on the urns images of what
they can do. To be lifted from the Charred
Slums into a scavenger ring is a dream, for it
means a chance at not only escaping but
fighting the Great Dying that led them here.
THE SERPENT’S SLUM
On the other side of the Gate of Seven Lights
stews the Serpent’s Slum. Tents and buildings
never before seen by the Tarnaki stretch and
coil for dals along the seashore. To enter this
place is to enter a new world where cultures
that may have never in their history seen an‐
other Akaran are here stitched together. Their
rustic ways, their rural beliefs, their tribalism
that pits them against one another: all of this
has made a city where blood feuds between
once warring nations now must be settled in
the face of greater disaster.
28
The Serpent’s Slum was given its name from
its unregulated wet markets. Tribal mobs have
always lived off the land. To this end, they have
brought with them great herds of animals
likely extinct anywhere else. These same ani‐
mals are unfit for their cages; they escape of‐
ten, and predators stalk the Serpent’s Slum
much to the joy of the mobs living here. Ask
any tribesmen and they’ll tell you that this
place reminds them of their home, that they
have no desire to enter Tarnak. For the most
part, this has remained true.
Ruling the Serpent’s Slum is a council of vari‐
ous speakers from the individual tribal mobs.
In mockery of Tarnak, they call themselves the
Council of Dirt & Bone. Unknown to them, their
relations with one another are much the same
as those who they mock; the Council of Dirt &
Bone rarely comes to a decision and ends each
meeting with everyone dissatisfied. This, too,
the people of the Serpent’s Slum enjoy, for this
too reminds them of home.
Four Reasons to Visit the Tarnaki Slums
1. The scavengers have found an urn from the
Charred Slums. Now they must find the person
who sent it, as their skills would aid them
greatly on their next expedition.
2. A refugee in the Dust District pays the scav‐
engers to go find their loved ones inside the
Charred Slums, even if all they can find is a
corpse.
3. In the Serpent’s Slum, the scavengers seek
out a tribe whose abilities at tracking can help
them find a rare creature that they’ve been
hired to find.
4. In the Serpent’s Slum, an animal now extinct
has been requested to be added to their pa‐
tron’s menagerie.
“I’m envious, you know. They have these
lights over there. In the Old District. Can
just walk around at night, no fear of what’s
hiding in the dark. Different world, them
people. A whole different Akara there.”
~ Kidu, of the Serpent’s Slum, on the Old
District’s night lights.
29
 AN AKARAN’S TALE

The account of Togorn,

Who Walked the Path of Silence
and Gazed Upon the Void

“ The morning I entered by the Gate of the Caught

Sun, surrounded by many intimate side streets that
flow into an immense open market, one of the finest I
have seen in my travels. Passed through the jewel mer-
chants and my eyes were dazzled by the varieties of
precious stones that I saw; they were displayed in the
hands of young sacai who stood in front of the mer-
chants, wearing rich robes and their waists wrapped
with sashes of silk, exhibiting the jewels. There, the
myriad of colorful shops and tents chaotically placed
around the vast square, contained by the old, crimson,
inner city walls. The smells coming from the spice ven-
dors, of flower leaves and scented woods, all competing
for the traveler’s noses and their pouches of jade.
I remember making my way through the crowds, the
many merchants of Akara gathered in this last place of
hope and desperation, Muraneese stone craftsmen,
Bataash poison makers, Kanuman stargazers, Tarnaki
spice dealers, all caught up in a frantic display of wares,
shouting, inviting, exchanging sigils, weighting them,
biting them, their skin darkened, burning and sweating
under the scorching sun. Smoke from the copper-
smiths. Dust from the stone workers. Smell of the green
leaf smokers. Gamblers, thieves, belly dancers, all of
them harassing the passerbyers with their goods and
skills, making it almost impossible not to leave a few
jades behind.
People in strange costumes were playing musical in-
struments I’ve never seen before, accompanied by all
this buzzing noise until late at night. The market never
fully closes. There's always shops open and merchants
willing to sell you their wares. Numerous clans control
different zones of the market, sharp eyes and sharper
blades always overlooking the many faces that ex-
change goods. Oh, I’ll remember the splendor of the city
of Tarnak, the majestic Crimson Square with all its in-
sane beauties and horrors.
In the afternoon the kettle-drums were beaten, loads of
firewood were kindled in the flames, and the poor
brethren began their ritualic dance around a big open
fire. A friendly battle of music, poems, and dancing,
some of them rolled in the fire, others ate it in their
mouths until finally, they extinguished it entirely.
The life of someone like me is most of the time a solitary
one, having spent most of my youth wandering the
Akaran planes, from the dried wastes of the Bloodsands
in the South to the desolate peaks of the White Bones
in the far North. The sky was my guide and the earth
was my keeper. Never wandered into the scattered set-
tlements that can be found out there, so I was not pre-
pared when my steps took me for the first time in the
vast city-state of Tarnak. So many souls in one place,
trying to make a living for themselves, like a swarm of
ants to their nest, all wrapped in an abundance of
scents, spices, leather, perfume, and skarag dung.
Walking down the busy streets drowned in the hazy
light I closed my eyes for a moment and a thousand
sensations assaulted me from every direction. Bronze.
Sweat. Ashes. Feathers. Jade. Blood. The streets are all-
knowing, they speak of lost children, of secret places of
worship, of words sharper than Kanuman spears, of
pomegranates and honey… There are shape-shifting
streets, echoing streets, barren streets, streets that are
dreaming of what lies beyond, and silent streets too,
where no soul will take notice of treacherous daggers.
Penetrating all, hanging right above the skin is a violent
scent of incense, strange overheated air that flows like
a river of homeless souvenirs gathered from the wreck-
age of the world.
Amidst all this beauty and chaos, it is somewhat easy to
forget the impending doom that befalls all the dwellers
of this ruined world. How our time has changed. Days
and life used to be slower. Now it is a race for survival,
for preserving, for discovering what else is out there.
This Cataclysm divided us but also brought many of us
together in wondrous places like this.
Tomorrow, the great Monolith will open and invite me
to a new, even stranger place. My will is strong and I
shall brave the dangers that lay ahead. Many have ven-
tured in but few have returned whole. I must be strong
and capable, for I desire to experience this wonderful
city once more before it all ends.
”
COUNCIL OF JADE & PROGRESS
Princess Ida despised sovereigns of any kind
and so Tarnak has been ruled since its earliest
days by a council of wealthy, affluent, and spe‐
cialized individuals who together decide the
city’s future. Once, this was a council of chief‐
tains and warlords. With time, their roles have
changed to fit a different kind of civilization.
There are nine seats on the Council of Jade and
Progress. Two seats govern Tarnak’s trade. An‐
other two, Tarnak’s militia. Then two more for
the city’s laws, and another two any and all
taxes. The last seat is a special position: the tie-
breaker.
Council seats are elected. Prospective council
members campaign during the dry season
against a currently serving councilor for their
seat. At season’s end, the council decides
whether or not the replacement is allowed. This
is not a fair system. Bribes to the council, black‐
mail and deceit, schemes without end - these
have turned the council into a deathtrap for the
unprepared and an ill-opportunity for those
who truly want to do what is right.
Season’s end does not make ruling any safer.
Just as these so-called statesmen masquerade
as comrades, so too do they plot to steal influ‐
ence from one another. Coyly this is referred to
by those who play as the Jade Game.

THE CURRENT COUNCIL:

MILITIA MILITIA TIE-BREAKER

Warlord Kamuano is a scav‐
enger who bought his posi‐
tion through a series of ever
more difficult, ever more ab‐
surd requests by his patron -
the previous councilmen who
held this position. He sees to
the training of Tarnak’s militia,
making sure that every Tar‐
naki citizen is ready to be
called to arms should the city
be invaded. However, his
mind is Torn-addled, and his
grasp on reality slowly slip‐
ping.
Mairo of the Ivory Guard is
the current elected leader of
Tarnak’s guardsmen and or‐
der-keepers. As a leader, Mairo
is down to earth, calm, and
consistent in his attitudes.
However, this manifested
honor doubles as weakness.
Mairo’s family is constantly
under threat by those against
him and this has led a man
who cannot abide crime to
close his eyes to some of Tar‐
nak’s worst offenses.
Sarok is an artificer whose
famedreputationislargerthan
life. It was he who puzzled out
the secrets of shards to create
Tarnak’s streetlights, and it is
he who handles the most se‐
cretive, the most ambitious,
and the most expansive of
projects. Years of artifice have
left him warp-scarred, which
he hides underneath a crown
of black horns fashioned from
borun. As a man he is calculat‐
ing, seemingly kind. The other
councilors vie for his friendship
out of hope that he will share
with them the treasures en‐
sconced within his shard‐
vaults.

32
LAW
Lawmaker Shaitum is Tar‐
nak’s principal legislator, and
a woman who has transi‐
tioned from her previous gen‐
der. She holds court with
guilds and cults to hear their
lobbying, drafts up amend‐
ments to laws, and presents
them to the Council to be
recorded in stone. She is a
good woman at heart but val‐
ues her wealth more than her
ethics. As of late, she has be‐
gun the creation of a new fac‐
tion of scavengers dedicated
to solving crimes the Ivory
Guard cannot.
LAW
Councilor Oraeba is a mute
judge, jury, and executioner.
They are cruel to those who
break the slightest of crimes
and only half of one’s weight
in jade sigils will see them giv‐
ing any form of mercy. They
elect judges for each trial to
aid them in their decision,
which is always delivered
through scribe-read tablets.
Ruthlessness has cemented
their position - that, and the
blackmail they have on other
councillors.
TRADE
Babiri, Ranee of
Stargazer’s Bay is a former
pirate queen-turned-council‐
woman by her immense
wealth and the force of arms
shecommands.Shesoughtre‐
tirement as opposed to death
when faced with the Cata‐
clysm’s demented seas.
Though she is missing her left
arm, Babiri is no less fierce a
warrior than she was in her
prime. As councilwoman, she
oversees naval trade. Babiri is
known to use bribes and
threats of force to get her way.
TRADE
Councilmen Enlil has had
his thumb on the shifting
landscape of overland trade in
Tarnak for half a century. He
has a mind for cartography
and knows well what Tarnak’s
trade partners want and what
they will give in return. Enlil,
hunched though he is, is un‐
usually spry, sharp with his
tongue, and has openly an‐
nounced that if he is killed, all
other councilors will know a
similar fate. He is believed.
TAXES
Ores Masgel is the guild
leader of the Circle of Stone
and Fire. The sheer strength of
his campaign - backed by the
entirety of the Bronze and
Dagger districts - forced the
council to elect him. Ores is
fair where his fellows are not,
and is careful to keep Tarnak’s
taxes low. Someone straight‐
laced as Ores is a thorn for the
corrupt, but few can deny the
influence that he wields.
TAXES
Samua of the Stygian Ser‐
pents is an alchemist who is
well-practiced in taboo, occult
shardscraft. So too is he the
only child of the famous scav‐
enger who shares his name.
This secret operation has
earned the Stygian Serpents
incredible money - money
that bought Samua his posi‐
tion. He is unusually close
friends with Councilor Sarok,
and is known for his shard‐
stained eyes.
33
 d6 Using the Council of Jade and Progress
Babiri has lost a ship along the Gulf of the
1 Stalker. She seeks scavengers to go there and
find the lost cargo: food and herbs sent from
Bataar.
Councilor Oraeba is overseeing a brutal whip‐
ping of one of the scavengers’ allies. Their
2 crime was theft of something most precious:
shardstones from a recently dead invoker’s
wears.
Warlord Kamuano is convinced that Kanu‐
3 man spies have infiltrated the council. He
hunts the scavengers down and interrogates
them to slate his paranoia.
Election season has begun and a woman by
the name of Zyrah Binat is campaigning
4 against Samua of the Stygian Serpents. The
scavengers are approached by both to find
blackmail on their rival.
In broad daylight does a Bataash assassin try
5 to desperately kill Councilmen Enlil in front of
the scavengers.
Sarok has need of scavengers willing to brave
Torn to bring him back a fortune of shard‐
6 stone nodes. He knows their location, though
it is perilous indeed: the depths of the Tainted
Valley.

d6 Using the Circle of Stone & Fire

A bloodcutter has gone missing, his work‐
shop destroyed. Ores Masgel wants justice
1 for this crime. He believes the criminal to
be a rival bloodcutter apprenticing under
Sarok.
The music of hammer on bronze nearly
drowns out the sounds of combat. Inside
2 one of the Copper Bellows a Kanuman as‐
sassin struggles to kill a borunsmith for
their prized weapons.
A Master of Fire seeks scavengers for the
purpose of trade. For a few pounds of
3 borun, the Master will give them an armory
of 100 bronze blades.
The Masters of Stone are protesting the Cir‐
cle. The Great Dying has stolen the public’s
4 love of their work, and they feel their dues
are outrageous. The protest marches from
district to district, derailing whatever it is
the scavengers are doing.
A young sculptor asks the scavengers to
bring him the corpse of something alien
5 from Torn. They believe that in sculpting it,
they will earn fame comparable to Blood‐
blade Ores.
The quarries are running low, and getting
the materials for bronze smelting has be‐
6 come difficult. Scavengers willing to brave
Akara and bring back what the Circle
needs will be rewarded handsomely.

34
THE CIRCLE OF STONE & FIRE
Ruling the Bronze District is the Circle of Stone
& Fire; a structured guild of masons, bronze‐
smiths, armorers, and other craftsmen. The cir‐
cle is older than Tarnak. When the city-state
formed, two tribes - one who proclaimed to be
masters of stone and the other masters of fire -
came together to see who could build the
most beautiful city. Their rivalry soon became
unity and the Circle was forged from jade and
cast bronze. Now, all craftsmen in Tarnak must
pledge allegiance to the Circle if they want
work. While this has done wonders for crafts‐
manship as a whole, artistic freedom has suf‐
fered just as prices have risen - the damnation
of monopoly.
Ores Masgel, a councilman himself, is the cur‐
rent Circlebearer. His claims to fame are the
bloodcut shardstone weapons he’s made over
his lifetime. From the Copper Bellows does he
manage the guild’s standards; he ensures that
THE TOWER OF THOUGHTS
Unmissable, the Tower of Thoughts, found
brooding in Monolith-shadow. It is a tall thing
of clay and stone, painted black by Bataash
powders, faded in the light of the sun and thus
now a strange grey, a sable spire. It has no win‐
dows and but a single entrance at its base.
Seven stories tall it is, and inside are walls ob‐
sidian lined, jet lined, walls illuminated not by
sunlight, walls where only the candles offered
may be used to light the way forward. When a
student’s candle dies they must purchase an‐
other. The Stygian Serpents themselves use
them not, save for ceremony; part of their
training is learning to navigate the Tower of
Thoughts through memory, sound, touch, and
most importantly of all, through serpent.
Trained these things are to hiss and slither be‐
fore their masters, guiding them all the while.
No more than seven times seven Stygian Ser‐
pents are allowed into the order. Their slight
numbers are owed partially to the small spaces
in which they have to live. Should a Serpent
leave the Tower of Thoughts, they must wear
black robes to denote their separation from
the world, and artifacts of shed snake skin that
allude to their eventual enlightenment. They
are guarded when outside the tower by drug-
broken warriors they refer to as Midnight
Childs. To attempt to invade the Tower is to
face these things, whose berserk strength and
poisoned weapons have stolen the lives of
many a thief. Know a Midnight Child by their
indigo painted skin, the blindfolds they wear,
and the many small scars across their arms, all
of which is owed to the drug cocktails the Ser‐
pents force upon them.
every smith produces work appropriate to their
rank and gets paid their fair share in jade. The
Copper Bellows themselves are a sprawling se‐
ries of forges and quarries interconnected in
the Bronze District where apprentices are
trained and meetings are held. A bronze tablet
engraved with a circle of mountains and
flames names Ores’s headquarters.
Scavengers and the Circle of Stone & Fire work
closely together. Bloodcutters and borun‐
smiths trade precious weapons and armor in
exchange for the raw materials needed. Arti‐
facts, too, find their home in the Circle. Most
precious of all is the Mask of the Ancient - a
golden thing, too large for any Akara or morg
or kith head, horned and taken from the
desert surrounding the fabled Core City Ruins.
Each of the tower’s seven levels is unique unto
itself. They are:
THE LAYERS OF THE TOWER OF THOUGHTS
Ignorance’s Shade, the name of the first floor
where students are given sleeping lodges, food
is prepared, money trades hands, and Serpents
hold ceremony-lessons.
The Midnight Cradle, the second level, where
Midnight Child sleep, are fed, and lie in their
drug-stupors when not needed by a Serpent.
The Nest is the third level where the Stygian
Serpents themselves have small lodges, no
more than alcoves with padding and blankets.
It is also where they eat.
The Void is where the Serpents perform many
of their ceremonies and rituals with one an‐
other, on the fourth floor, indulging in strange
drugs, odd chants, all in an attempt to become
something more than Akaran.
Meditation Chambers are small, walled off al‐
coves on the fifth floor. Here, Serpents work
shardstones in experiments unfit for the eyes of
others.
Where Secrets are Sung is the sixth level,
where only Serpents given permission from the
current Doyen of Thoughts may ascend. It is
there that artifacts gathered from across Akara
and Torn are safely stored.
The Zenith is the uppermost level, where the
Doyen of Thoughts has his own quarters and
private workshop. It is here that Samua first
fashioned Torn Drugs, and where many that
disappear are found transformed and ulti‐
mately discarded.
35
STYGIAN SERPENTS
There broods a secret society of sages who
came to Tarnak believing it to be a place where
their experiments and rituals would finally bear
fruit. In truth they were Kanuman exiles -
heretics who said their foresight superseded
the stars’ own. With their supposed foresight,
the Stygian Serpents have bloomed old here‐
sies into an infamous group of lore hunters.
These sages take great pride in their knowl‐
edge. Thus, each Serpent introduces them‐
selves with a title denoting their study. One
may be Amrash Who Meditates on Cataclysms
or Zarar, Knower of Migrations.
Secretive though they are, the Stygian Ser‐
pents have always offered to share their wis‐
doms with the uninitiated. In the Tower of
Thoughts - dark, foreboding, unwelcoming -
are kept bone-etched histories, medicines that
are said to grant eternal youth, even the se‐
crets of what happens to the mind after death.
Much of this information is kept in encoded rit‐
ual. Sacraments fueled by strange drugs, cere‐
monies performed on days of power - this is
how a Stygian Serpent spends their time
within their dark tower.
When the Monolith opened, the Stygian Ser‐
pents claimed responsibility. Few took stock in
their lies. Shardstones and their faith-based
warping changed this. Hungry, now, the Sty‐
gian Serpents for more shards, more artifacts,
more information. They fund expedition after
expedition and hoard whatever is brought
back. Isolated, they have become. No longer
are uninitiated students allowed to study in
the Tower of Thoughts. Only those willing to
barter Torn treasures are allowed to sup at the
table of wisdom.
Know that drugs are the serpent’s trade. On
the black market do they go, and in return
those hopelessly addicted pay in jade or with
experimental favor. It is their Doyen of
Thoughts, their leader, the illustrious Samua,
child of the famed scavenger who found Torn’s
Samua Marshes, that has brought the Stygian
Serpents wealth to new heights. Samua has -
unknown to the Council of Jade & Progress -
developed the now affluent Torn Drugs viru‐
lently spreading throughout Tarnak. These ex‐
periments are cruel. His empathy is absent.
But by combining the millenia old rituals of
the Stygian Serpents with fledgling shard‐
science, he has created new ways to expand
the mind. Understand that Samua dreams of
enlightenment.
Samua’s drugs are tested not on himself or
other Serpents, but on refugees seeking succor
in Tarnak. He hires headhunters to bring him
living Akarans so that he may properly test his
research. The things he has done should not
be repeated. Their results not only increase the
already powerful influence of the Stygian Ser‐
pents, but also dump more drugs into Tarnak -
a slowly spreading cancer on the city’s streets.
But not all Stygian Serpents indulge in here‐
sies so dark. No, many instead choose to use
the research garnered by Samua to help the
refugees flooding Tarnak. As Torn Drugs
spread, so too do Torn Medicines. Many Ser‐
pents secretly are behind projects that are
even now saving the lives of the diseased, cre‐
ating food for the starving, making water poi‐
soned by refuse drinkable. They say, if the stars
themselves will not save the world, then it is
the minds of Akara that must brew the am‐
brosia. And though Samua’s actions are
heinous it is also a common parable that
bloody hands are needed to save lives.

d6 Using the Stygian Serpents

The scavengers, unable to find a patron willing to risk on them their resources, are sought out
1 by the Stygian Serpents. They are told that if they can bring back news of the Behemoth in
the Samua Marshes, they will be paid handsomely in jade sigils and given future work.

A black robed man wearing a necklace of shed snake skins offers the scavengers their weight
2 in jade sigils if they promise to test an experimental shardpotion.
For three days has a woman of sixty years tried to get into the Tower of Thoughts. Time and
3 time again she is thrown down. If she sees the scavengers as capable, she tells them that her
wife came here for medicine a week prior, never to return.
When the scavengers return to Dal Ashta from an expedition, they are approached by a
4 woman robed in black, bald, wearing a turban of shed snake skins. She says she will double
the price of their patron in exchange for any artifacts or news that they have brought back.
A man whose footsteps produce thunderclaps is screaming, laughing, crying, and stumbling,
5 and no Ivory Guard has been able to restrain him. When approached, he mutters that the ser‐
pents bit him and that he must bite back.
The Doyen of Thoughts, Samua, has need of the grass found in the Pannor Plains for a ritual
6 he is to perform. He himself will seek out scavengers to do it, though why he picks them he
says not. In exchange for their service, Samua promises food, material goods, and a chance to
try a drug that he recently developed.

36
THE SCAVENGER RINGS
No people in Akara have half the influence that
the Scavenger Rings claim. Esoteric and un‐
precedented, their story begins near half a cen‐
tury ago with the opening of the Monolith and
the hiring of the first scavengers to investigate
it. With every year comes more who seek these
hidden secrets. Without an organization to con‐
trol the flow of shardstones and artifacts, there
would be chaos. With this realization, both the
Council of then and the first scavengers estab‐
lished what is now known as the Scavenger
Rings.
The Scavenger Rings are not a single organiza‐
tion. Instead, this is the name given to each in‐
dividual ring of scavengers - that is, each spe‐
cific group, some of which have an exclusive
patron and others who have many. These rings
jostle with one another for influence and
power, comparing what they’ve looted across
Akara and Torn, measuring their legends
against each other in verse duels and plain
fact.
It is the recording of these so-called legends
that the scavenger rings are most preoccupied
by. All artifacts, knowledge, and resources scav‐
enged must be recorded with the rings
through the Ruin Assembly, who informs the
Council of newfound wealth and informs the
scavenger rings of new Council edicts. The
Ruin Assembly approves the Council of Jade &
Progress’s distribution of Torn Sigils too. Those
that are unapproved but still venture into Torn
are expelled.
Expulsion is not handled lightly. With expulsion
comes an explicit ban: no ring can provide any‐
thing to blacklisted scavengers. Doing so is
grounds for the aid-givers themselves to be ex‐
pelled. Diligent, the Ruin Assembly, in their up‐
keep of rule-breakers.Certain scavenger rings
have essentially retired, opting now to provide
resources and aid to new generations. These
resources, ranging from providing gear, map-
THE WORLD-TREADERS
Ishanya the World-Treader. Arrogant Ishanya is
a young woman who claims no ring as her own.
It is Ishanya who has seen all of Torn’s known
sites, and it is her, alien-minded as she is, who
will likely see them all. Ishanya is difficult to
find. Rarely does she appear at the Fete, and
most often she is deep in Torn on some high-
paying, highly secretive expedition.
The Jade Ring. The first scavengers to enter
Torn were later known as the Jade Ring for the
wealth they brought to Tarnak. All members
died within ten years of first entering Torn.
making, rumor gathering, and even additional
bodies for future expeditions, are vital for a
scavenger ring to succeed.
Infrequently, scavenger rings with influence
can call for the Fete. These meetings ceremo‐
nially take place in the square around the
Monolith. For many reasons can the Fate be
called: sudden changes in Torn, news of cata‐
clysmic events across Akara, or to confront
problems that scavengers face as a whole.
Though attending the Fete is not required,
scavengers who do not appear find them‐
selves quickly punished by others for the insult.
Attendance does not preclude violence. Rival‐
ries between rings have a way of exploding,
leading to brawls and, at their worst, murders
too. Tarnaki watch from the sidelines. Ivory
Guards patrol to ensure scavenger strangeness
doesn’t harm the surrounding city. When the
Fete begins, always with little ceremony, no ex‐
pense is spared by the Fete-Caller either. Food
is prepared, tents erected, and the meeting is
treated as half-show, half-serious. In recent
years, this has led to ever greater disruptions,
with sacai and refugees forcing their way into
the city for a glimpse at these legend’d dare‐
devils.
Many, these daredevils. With the monsoon sea‐
son new rings are initiated, some coming with
that loud buzz only the reckless or rich can
drum up; and the year after, too, do scavenger
rings disappear, destroyed on their expeditions
or else failing to return. The map of influence
between the rings is thus ever changing. Only
a handful have survived to retirement or old
age with their humanity intact; know these as
the World-Treaders. These scavengers, some of
whom have no ring themselves, are famous for
their own wonderful, horrible tales.
As of now, there have been four who have
come to hold this title.
The Obsidian Yog. Yog is the last survivor of a
scavenger ring destroyed after an expedition
deep into Torn’s Sea of Myst. She is a morg
known for her warp-scar: glassy, black skin that
reflects light as an oil spill would. Yog is seen as
the premier expert on Torn’s many dangers.
Samua & the Rudthar. Samua famously
mapped many areas of Torn with her compan‐
ions, the tribal Rudthar. Samua disappeared
nearly two years ago, taken by a creature known
as Samua’s Bane.
37
THE TONGUE & HAND
Thieves young and thieves old all pay their dues
to the Tongue and Hand. In the Dagger District
do they lay in wait; watching, planning, observ‐
ing. In more ways than one are they the mod‐
ern predators of a civilized world. Paying fealty
to them - them being the older members who
take in the younger - is to be initiated into their
secrets. These secrets are the hidden pathways
of Tarnak; memorized maps of the catacombs
under the city, knowledge of which Ivory
Guards are corrupt and what merchants will
grease palms, the wisdom needed to see what
prey looks like, to know its vulnerability. So too
must the initiated understand their position in
the Tongue and Hand.
The Tongue are those that are fed. All thieves
are the tongue, for all thieves must feed them‐
selves. The Hand is the tool used to feed. All
thieves are the tool, for all thieves in Tarnak pay
a fraction to their betters. All who are in power
are the Tongue - the councilors, the Ivory
Guards, and so on. Tarnak’s civilians are consid‐
ered the Hand; they are like oxen or skarags,
cattle to be taken care of, not abused, and to
be harvested when food is needed. Thus,
members are taught not to kill and rarely re‐
sort to violence. If they must, a favor is to be
paid by the killer to both those who loved the
unfortunate victim most and to those who
raised the thief.
Know that new members are often children -
refugees from other lands, parentless, wander‐
ing Tarnak with protection absent. These or‐
phans are the only thieves who face no ills
when taking lives, for abuse is common
among Tarnak’s young urchins. A stone knife
slid underneath an abuser’s leg is a price that
the Tongue and Hand deems fair. This is a sta‐
tus quo as old as Tarnak. Songs are sung on
the street by playing children on the dangers
of trying to take advantage of them. This has
led some to believing that it is children run‐
ning the Tongue and Hand. Investigations by
the Council have turned up nothing over time;
seemingly, they are outside of law, outside of
punishment, led by phantoms, the shadows of
mist.
But there is a direction to this chaos. On nights
when the aurora is dim and the moon black
does the Tongue and Hand meet in undercity
catacombs. There, fealty is paid, members initi‐
ated. Rumor tells true - children lead the pro‐
ceedings, adults serving them, in a tradition
established when Tarnak was young and the
Monolith closed. Rituals are invoked. The
tongue is pierced with a jade rod - a sign that
members use to identify themselves - and a
casting of their hand is made in clay and
forged into bronze. These hands decorate this
inner sanctum, and when a member breaks
the Tongue and Hand’s code, dies, or is caught
by the Ivory Guard and punished, it is buried
and the thief disavowed, their jade piercing
collected and likewise disposed of.
The Tongue and Hand’s current leader is a ca‐
bal of seven children who call themselves the
Generation Torn Apart. They, as all cabals in the
past have been, are masked, of varying ages,
and only they and the veterans who serve
them know their true identities. Past cabals
that have aged out and named them as the
new leaders serve as their viziers, perpetuating
a system of ever smarter aids ever more skilled.
Unlike past cabals, the Generation Torn Apart
has taken an interest in shardstones. It is clear
that they are collecting them, and the possibil‐
ities for why are many: they are seeking en‐
trance to Torn perhaps, or maybe they wish for
great amounts of wealth in the coming New
World Order. Conspiracists have spread the
idea of them believing that shards can be used
to keep themselves forever young and forever
in power.
Whatever the true reason is, the Tongue and
Hand continues to operate, day in and day out,
preying on Tarnak, skulking into a future un‐
known.

d6 Using the Tongue & Hand

1 A weapons merchant has had bronze daggers meant for the Ivory Guards disappear half a dozen
times over. The scavengers are hired by the Tongue and Hand to steal the next batch.
In the dead of night, when the aurora is dim, children wake the scavengers up - seven of them.
2 They make an offer: one favor granted by them, in exchange for the scavengers securing the
service of a skilled artificer for a year and a day.
A young girl calls out to the scavengers in the Dust District. As they approach, the scavengers fall
3 into a hidden pit trap. The girl and an older boy peek over, saying they’ll throw down a rope if
they’re left 50 jade sigils in the pit.
The scavengers catch a young boy stealing food from a market stall. When stopped, a tall, slen‐
4 der kith steps out of the darkness. They say that if the scavengers let the child go, they will owe
a debt of thievery, payable within the month.
News has it that children have been disappearing lately. That same day, the scavengers find a
5 bronze dagger with Zazan etched upon it in their belongings. Reading it, they learn that the
Tongue and Hand requests aid in finding these missing children.
A child puts a papyrus scroll into the scavengers’ hands. Written upon it in Zazan are instruc‐
6 tions: rescue a member of the Generation Torn Apart who was kidnapped by the Stygian Ser‐
pents in exchange for 2,000 jade sigils.

38
39
THE IVORY GUARD
As the histories are written, when Princess Ida
took the land surrounding the Monolith for her‐
self, she had with her a crew of trusted warriors
whose ivory spears they swore to always defend
her and her own. These old heroes were named
the Ivory Guard and their legends have survived
them. Established from those early days is what
is now Tarnak’s principal guardian force. Know
them for their garb - bronze plates, skarag
scaled, encrusted with chitinous shells. The
pieces that are not bronze are jade-painted.
Their spears are their pride. Each is made from
ivory whittled from the bones of skarags bred
just for this cause. Many of these spears are
passed from generation to generation. To re‐
ceive one is said to be given Tarnak’s highest
honor; in recent years has this propaganda
been ever strengthened.
On their hips sit bronze katars. This tool is used
by the guard in their darkest of duties: the
summary execution of law-breaking sacai. It is
a practice born from the nationalistic surge in
response to the city’s refugee flood. Ivory
Guards, protected by their own out of a sense
of fraternity, pressured by the brewing end of
the world, have turned justice into a harsh, un‐
yielding thing. Uneasy, the peace created by
the Ivory Guard. With every year it seems they
grow more violent, more extreme, and the
Dust District, the sacai, the Tongue and Hand
all are forced to grow every bit as desperate
under their oppression.
Councilmen Mairo bears the title of White Arm
given to the Ivory Guard’s commander-leader.
He was chosen by his predecessor for the
evenness he displays in situations heinous and
deadly. That evenness is what lets him operate
blackmailed as he is now. Councillor Oraeba
and Councilmen Enlil both hold the lives of
Mairo’s wife and children over his head. With
them in ever present danger, and unable to
move against two members of the Council,
Mairo is forced to dispense justice as they see
fit. Know this as the half-origin of the Ivory
Guards new extremism. Though Mairo would
rather see the sacai and other refugees inte‐
grated properly into Tarnak, his rivals, both
sure in their brutal order, allow him no free‐
dom. Believing himself alone and without al‐
lies, Mairo has found himself caught in a
deadly trap that he sees no way out of.

d6 Using the Ivory Guard

In the Dust Districts, a sacai caught stealing food is chased by the Ivory Guard. The young sacai
1 screams that they will kill him if he is caught and begs for the scavengers to help.
Having heard of their skill, a young child approaches the scavengers. Their request is simple:
2 find the stolen spear of their Ivory Guard father, who was murdered in the Charred Slums out‐
side of Tarnak.
The Ivory Guard has publically been homing in on the Tongue and Hand’s headquarters. They
3 scout the scavengers, offering them partial patronship in exchange for heading into the cata‐
combs to investigate rumors of the thief guild’s secret hideout.

4 The scavengers are accused of a violent crime: shardtheft. The Ivory Guards are actively hunting
them for brutal interrogation and worse fates should they resist.

With the disappearance of the scavengers’ patron, they must turn to the Ivory Guard for help in
5 finding them. Mairo himself intervenes, however, suspiciously telling the scavengers that there
is nothing to investigate.

A former Ivory Guard approaches the scavengers after a public execution is held in the Wind‐
6 port District. They ask for the scavengers to find evidence of the executioner’s illegal dealings,
so that they can bring the Ivory Guard to justice.

“Yeah, I saw the Scavenger Rings at their Gathering yesterday. One of

them looked my ways. His eyes...the whites looked like a night sky, and
the rest was...red.”

~ An account describing the strange members of the Scavenger Rings

40
41
42
BRONZE-CAST CHARACTERS: SAROK
In Tarnak, there is a man whose intellect is
matched only by his reputation. Every city-state
knows of him; every city-state wishes they had
his genius. Tarnak alone does he grace, this
Sarok who has personally used shardstones to
begin a quietly warped revolution.
Sarok’s mind is utterly unlike any of his contem‐
poraries. He is a Ruminator of the Chain, a
borunsmith and bronzesmith both, a bloodcut‐
ter too, and above all else, an amoral and ambi‐
tious man filled with purpose. Sarok is master‐
ful in his areas of study, and he is masterful at
becoming so in others too. This has been the
fuel that has spread the wildfire that is his repu‐
tation. Sarok knows the most famous dagger‐
masters, the most legend’d bloodcutters, is an
honorary master of the Circle of Stone & Fire,
and so on.
Established, the elite air about Sarok. Though,
rich and powerful he may be, few call Sarok
friend and those that do only do so for access
to the things he has gathered. Sarok knows
The account of Sarok, who shapes the future
“ You’ve come to me asking if the Cataclysm is real
like a child who knows not how to see.
Tell me, has this thought ever crossed your mind: “Will
tomorrow come?” It is a childish question but I would
not judge you for asking it. I myself have. In answer, de-
spite the difficulties you have thinking, you have arrived
at an understanding that tomorrow will come so long as
the moon sets and the sun rises. Ask then what that
means. The simple will accept this fact and move on.
Those like me will interrogate this detail. Why must the
moon set? Why must the sun rise? These two factors
that are so common to our lives hold secrets the simple
Akaran will never be able to divine.
There can be no doubt that there is a Great Dying. I have
heard my peers say that this is just another piece of
Akara’s cruelty to be weathered but to these peers I can
only sneer. There is no weathering death. Living as you
should does not mean that you are guaranteed life. In or-
der to know if tomorrow will come, you must know more
than the moon sets and the sun rises, you must know
why, and you must ask yourself what tomorrow is, and
this. And if Sarok knows something, he can use
it to his advantage.
Among Sarok’s achievements there are the
shardstone streelights in the Old District, the
bloodcut configurations that keep the sur‐
rounding soil healthy for crops, and the sub‐
merged apparatuses he’s made that stabilize
the surrounding sea. Now, he is funding scav‐
enger rings en masse to go into Torn and to
bring him back sentinels. His reasons for this
are unknown, but it is obvious to many that
Sarok has some sort of plan for the future, and
even if that plan could damn thousands, those
who are aware of it trust that it can save mil‐
lions instead.
Know this, scavengers. Sarok is a selfish man.
Do what he says and put yourselves in the
palm of his hand. There, you may find wealth
and power, or you may find yourself treated as
another sacrificial pawn in a game only he
knows the rules too.
you must watch and see how some survive and some do
not. These observations are to be recorded. Scrutinized.
And then more observations must be made.
Because of my inquiries, because I so closely examine
the world around me, I know that tomorrow will come. It
is as I predicted. It always has been. I also came to the
conclusion that today someone would come ask me
about the Cataclysm because the circumstances of my
life and the life in Tarnak and the life in Akara dictated
that this event must pass. I need not read any stars or
look at entrails like some tribal screamer who has never
before seen the ocean. I must merely look at my sched-
ule, at the going-ons of the people around me, at how my
reputation has spread and how my works are respected
and how you and thirty others since the new moon have
come to ask me what I think on the Cataclysm.
For your original inquiry, I will tell you the same as I’ve
told all those that have come before you and that will
come after. The Cataclysm, the Great Dying, no matter
what you call it, it is real. Why it is happening, I do not
know. I will not postulate until I have more information.
”
43
44
45
THE PAINTED CITY
Nowhere else is there a city like the swamp-rul‐
ing Bataar. It is a swirl of color, an explosion of
life - a capital where the culture dictates that all
deadly things are what makes the world worth‐
while.
Enter through canoe or boat and no other
means. Algae-choked canals thread the city,
upon which the Bataash push gondolas preg‐
nant with dye, fish, and poison flasks. Every
morning and every evening, throat-singers and
snail-shell musicians signal the beginning and
end of the working day. Dark-skinned Bataash
play games of daggers lazily on the porch-
ports.
Legends call Bataar the Painted City or the As‐
sassin’s House. Most famously, Akaran’s call it
the Frog’s Nest. Within a hundred dals of
Bataar’s Hundred-Colored Pond no frog can be
harmed or killed. This law, and all others, is en‐
forced by the Toadmen - the slang name for
the Bataash Guard on whose vests is embla‐
zoned their slur. The reason for all this finds it‐
self in Bataar’s oldest legends, sung daily as
they are at the Hundred-Colored Pond.
The Painted City is no misnomer; Bataar is
Akara’s largest dye manufacturer. Vast sums of
wealth are traded for a selection of vibrant col‐
ors unreplicable anywhere else. Those colors
the Bataash paint their faces with on holy days
or for festivals and reserve their best for court‐
ing and war. These celebrations transform the
city into a rainbow-splattered onslaught as the
Bataash throw sacks of powder at each other
and hold contests to see who becomes the
most extravagantly stained.
Hidden purpose lies within these holidays.
Understand that poison is Bataar’s true busi‐
ness. Bataash Milkers have created half a thou‐
sand different poisons that each produces its
own unique agony. They are expensive - a fatal
dose costs tenfold a man’s weight in amber.
On a Bataash holiday, the poisons find political
use. Rivals are killed in creative ways during
wild dancing, subliminal song, drowned by the
undulating, kaleidoscopic crowds. Those
whose poisons are untraced for a month and a
day are pardoned by the Overseer and the po‐
litical framework of Bataar moves ever on.
Common belief holds that Bataash culture val‐
ues danger and cunning above all. Famous
thieves claim Bataar as their home. In truth,
this stereotype is born from a cultural love of
trickery and subtly. Bataash merchants are
hagglers known for penning confusing deals.
Bataash fishermen are known to playfully steal
from one another at day’s end. Thievery is as
much a game in Bataar as ball is in Tarnak,
46
though to do it in seriousness is a crime just as
it is anywhere else.
For these many reasons, Bataar has survived
the Cataclysm in a way only Tarnak has been
able to. The swamp and wood they call home
has been spared the many disasters throttling
Akara. Others, though, have noticed this. Tribes
and refugees flood the wetlands in search of
Bataar. Many die to the giant insects that
shadow the marshes or are poisoned by flow‐
ers they should have never eaten. Still, the des‐
perates search for the Painted City, knowing
that death is just as likely to find them as hope
is.
LEGEND’D LOCALES
Below are a few places of interest in Bataar.
THE HUNDRED-COLORED POND
At Bataar’s center is a large pond framed with
the city’s always-available market. In that pond
there sits a statue carved in the likeness of a
toad. This toad is sacred to the Bataash; old leg‐
ends tell of how toads and frogs taught early
tribes the secrets of their colors and thus the se‐
crets of their poisons. In veneration to this ideal,
colored powders are thrown daily onto the
statue and into the pond. It is similar to throw‐
ing a coin into a well; throw color into the pond
and danger will meet you for you to overcome.
Throw color onto the statue and the danger will
be great but the rewards ever greater.
TIALI’S JAIL
Once, there was an Overseer cruel and tyranni‐
cal. With terror as his impetus he, Tiali, created
a jail north of Bataar where swamp becomes
wood. It is dug into the mud and the roots,
stone used to keep it from flooding, extended
outwards like a maze deep into countless
Akaran fathoms. This jail survived Tiali’s reign
(who, ironically, was thrown into it) and has
been used by Bataar ever since for their worst
criminals.
Prisoners are blindfolded, their arms wrapped
in chords, and lowered down, led into a random
branch, and left there for dead. Here, they must
contend with creatures who lair in the dank
and the dark, the natural diseases, poisons, and
trials, other prisoners who have survived, and, if
the rumors are true, horrid things, scren or
worse, who are emerging out into it.
47
48
BRONZE-CAST CHARACTERS:
OVERSEER ALRAK
Ruling Bataar is the Overseer, though to say
they rule is to speak in err. The Overseer repre‐
sents the city, moderates the Powder Houses,
signs laws into existence and vetoes them too.
However, those who claim this title are elected
only by the Powder Houses themselves and,
many times in Bataar’s history, have been little
more than figureheads assassinated when
their usefulness became uselessness. Alrak, the
107th Overseer, is no such person.
They were named to their position for a unique
trait of theirs: an overwhelming resistance to
poison. Alrak climbed the social ladder through
clever assassinations where they pretended to
be dead themselves for the month and the day
required. Afterwards they would announce
their survival, accept their pardon, and live the
celebrity’s life. For this reason, the Powder
Houses decided that Alrak was valuable to
Bataar; the Cataclysm rocking the world called
for a bless’d leader and perhaps Alrak was that
person. Universally, the Powder Houses have re‐
gretted their decision.
Alrak has seen the writing on the wall. They
know that the Great Dying will rock Bataar
sooner rather than later and that the city must
be kept from tearing itself apart. To this end,
they have forbade assassination and put a stop
to all holidays. No one, neither poor nor elite,
has accepted this decision easily. Alrak is per‐
suasive, though; their seemingly weekly
speeches on the state of Bataar never fails to
convince the masses that a new way must be
found in order to survive the uncertain future.
Still, were it not for their own history, never
would they have survived to be Overseer - a fact
that many are quick to point out. Alrak ignores
these comments, believing that their past must
be left behind with the rest of Bataar if their
people are to live another year.
THE POWERS THAT BE
Below are some of the influencing forces in
Bataar.
THE POWDER HOUSES
Bataar is a capitalistic city-state ruled by those
with the greatest wealth. These affluents enter
into bonds with one another and, in everything
but blood, become family. These are the Pow‐
der Houses, the ruling elites of Bataar named
originally for their mastery over color and poi‐
son. There is no peace between them. They as‐
sassinate one another ruthlessly in holiday-ritu‐
als and answer only to the Overseer, a singular
figure appointed to keep Bataar from tearing
itself apart. Of the Powder Houses, know that
three stand as giants above the rest.
THE HOUSE OF FIVE DEADLY VENOMS
Famously, this Powder House has managed to
breed five creatures - three serpents, a spider,
and a toad - whose unique venoms can be
found nowhere else. Each sui generis venom
can kill a fat skarag in under a minute and for
these the House of Five Deadly Venoms is
named. In relation to the other Powder Houses,
they are heavy-handed in their quickness to de‐
stroy up and coming rival colorbinders. Their
immense wealth makes it so any assassins
levied against them are always caught.
THE MINISTER’S HOUSE
The Toadmen themselves are a Powder House.
Together they are the Minister’s House and
cruel they are. Their sole trade is in bribery; they
look the other way and help assassins get away
with their lives so long as money comes into
their hand. Though this has made them power‐
ful, corruption has made them indolent, and in‐
dolence has made them fearful. Rumor has it
that soon they will attempt a coup of the Over‐
seer to ensure their survival.
THE HOUSE UNPAINTED
In Bataar, shardstones are still rare, and the
House Unpainted keeps it that way. They antic‐
ipate, raid, and steal every shardstone that
comes towards Bataar. They then break their
treasures down into powders or mix them with
body paints and distribute these as tattoos and
scarifications to those who can pay for them.
These body modifications have become popu‐
lar; people report being imbued with power
and imbued they are. This has drawn the ire of
every competitor for none can predict the dan‐
gers of so wantonly releasing shardscience into
the city.
49
 AN AKARAN’S TALE

An acccount by Devigia
Ooniyalanos, the Colorbinder

“ Monsoons have come nineteen times since I’ve been

born. My mother saw just as many the year she had me.
Six monsoons have visited since I’ve started dyeing my
hands when the Paint-Singers ribbit. As I’ve been told,
we’re the only people in Akara who make these colors.
Merchants from Tarnak and Mur buy our moonless
blues, our viper fuschias, our barrow blacks. I’m also
told each is worth a man’s life. Cheap, all things consid-
ered.
But I am Bataash and I live in Bataar and a man’s life has
always been cheap, Cataclysm or not. Myself, I’ve been
paid three men’s lives. The first was one of the canal
fishers, whose paddle I covered in nagash seed oil. The
second was another colorbinder. The third I got paid
the best for. The Ooniyalano Powder House adopted me
in exchange for making sure their inheritance came
sooner rather than later.
You look at me like I’m a toadstomper. I wasn’t caught
any of those times, so what I did is perfectly legal. Well,
was legal. Overseer Alrak has made the Powder Houses’
festival-wars a crime on account of all the people filling
our Root Forest. If I was the type to throw a shell away
like I’d only seen thirteen monsoons I would bet that
these refugees flood us for the same reason half our
fish is gone too. Everything’s dying. And if everything’s
dying, then there’s no point in using all these poisons
when we could sell them colors instead. Colors and poi-
sons...you know if not for those two things, we’d just be
fishermen and alchemists playing in the mud. I’ve been
told that, too.
Such talk makes it easy to haggle for our future. You
foreigners see us rowing our boats through the canals
and throwing sacks of colored powder at each during
other festivals and think that our reverence of frogs is
stupid fear. But we Bataash are covered in a lot of col-
ors, you know. Sometimes our shades are quaint as
fishing nets or scary-bright as marsh silver. But there’s
so much of it that you can’t see who we are. You tell me,
if you saw me here, feet dangling in the canal, pouring
water through this bucket to strain what you think is
color from seed, would you name me assassin?
”

50
STORIES OF THE EXTINCT
Below three story hooks for stories involving
Bataar.

THE COLORBOUND CONSPIRACY

Upon entering Bataar, the scavengers are ar‐
rested and brought before Overseer Alrak. Af‐
ter a lengthy interrogation establishing the
scavengers as innocents, Alrak makes them an
offer: any wish of theirs that Bataar can grant
will be granted so long as the scavengers help
them uncover a conspiracy against Alrak’s life.
The House of Five Venoms and the Minister’s
House are the two biggest suspects, but what
the scavengers find out is that something even
closer to home is trying to see the Overseer re‐
moved.

SWAMPRAT PRISON BREAK

Whilst traveling to Bataar, the scavengers hap‐
pen upon Tiali’s Jail. There, they see someone
begging for aid. In reality, the scavengers are
being baited inside of the jail by the prisoners
who plan on stealing their valuables and can‐
nibalizing them. In order to escape, the scav‐
engers will need to prove their innocence to
the Toadmen or discover a secret way out of
the jail.

VERMILLION HANDS
A thief whose face is covered in a red lac‐
quered mask has been stealing poisons, colors,
and other treasures from the Powder Houses.
No one can track this thief and the only thing
left behind are vermillion handprints that shed
a bright, same-colored light. The scavengers
are hired to find this thief, after which a clue
points them towards the House Unpainted. In
exchange for their work, the scavengers will
each be rewarded their weight in amber and
poison.

“A man kisses his partner, whose face is

painted black. A man kisses his paramore,
whose face is painted white. They remove
the paints and are the other, and the man
falls dead.”

~A Bataash parable

51
52
53
WHERE SUNK THE SUN
Where civilization first began; where Akara
crawled from bloody mud into a bronze future
- that place of story and legend is Kanuma.
Rose, this city, in the Valley of Blades, where an‐
cient peoples fought with sharpened bones,
bladed stones. Bloodshed kept these tribes di‐
vided. Then fell the second sun. It was a star so
bright it could be seen over the mountains,
across the seas. Where it landed was it found by
a blind seer, Dumuzeel, the First to Gaze the
Sky, and behind that seer gathered star-awed
tribes.
The history of Kanuma beyond this point is the
history of Akara itself. Their wealth was fueled
by their plundering armies; their armies were
armed with the first bronze spears. Where they
visited, the Kanumans sowed into the land
their culture, their language. Tribal mobs
learned from them how to track the days, how
to smith metal, how to build cities, how to
bleed enemies. Where the Kanumans them‐
selves learned these secrets is recorded in no
scroll nor written on any tablet. They sing not
of Dal Raka, the city that came before. To the
Kanumans, they are where Akara began, and
how it vexes them that they are not where
Akara will end.
Know the deforestation of the once lush Valley
of Blades as the omen for Kanuma’s fall. Now
dead, that land, the grass-drowned Hunting
Plains. The trees went into building Kanuma’s
Blade Gift, this great, spiked, wooden wall that
stands as a monument to the city’s fading
glory. Dry too the gold-mines; gone the beasts
Kanumans need. So turbulent the southern
Sea of Songs that no ships dare brave the jour‐
ney. With shardstones demanding Akaran at‐
tention, Kanuma lies in the ever-forgotten past,
buried with its uncared for legacy.
“Only kill those who fight back and cannot
be disarmed. Maim as few as you can. You
may eat some of their food, drink some of
their water, but leave enough for us all.
Make sure there are no witnesses left
behind.”
~ Spoken guidelines for
Kanuman raiders to follow.
54
Were it not for Bael Khorax, already would this
place have been destroyed. They came across
the Hunting Plains burned and starved. First
the ruling Baels took them as a strange slave.
When Khorax spoke their own words to them
before they were said, laid bare their deepest
secrets, helped them decipher riddles of state
and food, Khorax was gifted power. That power
led to rulership. That rulership lifted this grave-
destined people and set them on a new,
bloodier course.
Kanuma will not be forgotten, for Kanuma un‐
der Khorax is a state forever at war. Star-raiders
go boiling across the land with their star-
headed spears. Where once Kanuma sowed
civilization it now pillages what it needs for
their needs are great and they can be met in
no other way. Were not extinction the other
option, Kanuma wouldn’t have become this
new-aged terror. Parents, though, will not let
their children starve. The future must be
fought for. No atrocity exists that will not be
committed so long as it ensures the coming
morrow.
Walk their streets and see the apprehension of
these people. Kanumans acknowledge not
what their state is doing. They turn to mysti‐
cism, culture, their stories, and to these they
cling, all while slaves toil in their towers, die
barbarously in the red-stained fighting pits.
LEGEND’D LOCALES
THE PIT OF THE SUNKEN SUN
Where the second sun fell is where blood is
shed for gold and jade. The Pit of the Sunken
Sun is a massive crater near Kanuma’s center.
Jade walls have been built up around it, stands
too. Here, Starfallers - that is, those captured
slaves who fight for the crowd’s enjoyment -
use ever stranger, ever more violent weapons
on one another, on captured beasts, on tortur‐
ous obstacles. The games are more frequent in
these troubled times, lasting from dawn to
deep dusk. Street food and little statuettes
modeled after Starfallers and branded mer‐
chandise are sold to help Kanumans forget
modern ills. Starfallers who earn a grand repu‐
tation earn too their freedom as citizens in true.
55
56
LEGEND’D LOCALES
THE PENTAD
Five sacred towers have been built. Each tower
is a cultural hub for Kanuma, a place for mysti‐
cism and knowledge, where gathers the Baels
and the greats. Know them together as the
Pentad. They are:
The Tower of Night, largest of them all, rises
dark from the city’s center. It is where Bael Kho‐
rax dwells and from where the state is gov‐
erned. It is painted black, the walls silver-stud‐
ded. To be called here is to be executed or to be
rewarded.
The Tower of Horns, adorned as it is in the
many trophies of Akara’s now-extinct beasts.
From here the raiders and military are trained
and organized. Stolen shardstones have been
carved into spearheads and hang from the
tower’s rafters, vermillion and bright.
The Tower of Songs where artists gather, plays
are performed, and education is disseminated
amongst the citizenry. The songs grow sadder
every year, the art stranger and more abstract.
Deep in the tower, Khorax has those they trust
the most producing the propaganda needed to
keep control over the aging city.
The Tower of Many Eyes, half-destroyed by
earthquakes, was where stargazers gathered
every night for their rituals, their divinations.
Still they gather but half of it has fallen and the
observatories with their telescopes broken and
bent litter the ground like tombstones and fu‐
neral urns.
The Tower of Pasts, newest and strangest, con‐
structed out of bronze entirely - a water tower
and a clock tower both, a monument to
Kanuma’s majesty. It is a loud thing of churning
water and grinding gears built with Khorax’s
engineering acumen. Inside are maps and
recordings of all Kanuman things, even those
best left forgotten.
“Witnessed I did the Bronze Beetle and the Ivory Knife. We may survive
this Cataclysm yet with these omens, but these days will be bloody.”
~ Fragment of a divination by Madeel, Who Sees Beyond.
THE POWERS THAT BE
Below are some of the influencing forces in
Kanuma.
THE BAELS
The Kanuani word Bael means “lord” or “mas‐
ter.” It is a term that has spread across the con‐
tinent but only in Kanuma is it still used in its
traditional context - that is, those who rule, who
change, who guide Kanuma to ever greater
heights. It is the baels that serve as the powers
that be. Below, three are discussed who must
be known.
BAEL MADEEL, WHO SEES BEYOND
is famed for his wisdom and the accuracy of his
divinations. Before the Cataclysm reached its
peak, petitioners from across the world sought
him out to know what the stars did foretell. Now
he is spiteful at his lost influence. The vexed
Madeel has built a secret shardstone hoard
with which he hopes to overthrow Khorax with,
so that he may lead Kanuma into the star-
promised tomorrow.
WAR-TYRANT BAEL URBARRIAR
is a once quiet merchant turned bloodthirsty
raider. With every horrible year that has passed
since the Great Dying began, Urbarriar has con‐
vinced more Kanumans to take up the star-
spear to kill, loot, and pillage for their homeland.
So successful are these raids that Khorax has
named Urbarriar the general of their reformed
military. Merchants across Akara now watch
closely for star-spears on the horizon knowing
that a lapse in caution will lead to slavery, death,
or some worser fate still.
BAEL ZIADI, THE BESIGER
was once a famed Starfaller who earned her
freedom through a thousand clean murders.
She is a clever woman who knows better than
anyone else what it takes to survive when your
back is against the wall. With the gold and jade
she earned alongside her freedom, Ziadi
bought the title of Bael and then, in a feat of
surprising business acumen, bought owner‐
ship of the Pit of the Sunken Sun too. With Kho‐
rax’s aid, she has sussed out dissidents and dan‐
gerous rebels throughout the city-state, all of
which are thrown into the pit to fight things
that are cruel as the sun and rabid as a howler.
57
STORIES OF THE EXTINCT
Below are three story hooks for stories involv‐
ing Kanuma.
CRIMSON CONSTELLATIONS
Bael Madeel, Who Sees Beyond, has begun the
engine that will lead to Khorax’s demise. He
chooses the most reputable Starfallers and
arms them with shardstones so that they may
sabotage the city and assassinate Kanuma’s
leader. The scavengers are hired by Madeel to
aid him to these ends. Unfortunately for
Madeel, Khorax has glimpsed the truth within
the scavengers’ minds. Now the scavengers
must survive a shadow war between these two
mighty figures.
STARS TORN APART
Having heard of the scavengers’ skills, Bael
Khorax himself invites them to the Tower of
Night. There, he tells the scavengers that he
will grant them any wish, pay any amount, and
gift any tool that they need, so long as they go
into the Monolith as his agents. Should the
scavengers accept, Khorax orders them to
study the night sky of Torn, and to find any evi‐
dence of alien vehicles or life. If discovered,
Khorax will reward them greatly for what has
been returned.
THE RAID REDEMPTION
Kanuman raiders have grown bold in recent
months. They go as far as the Gulf of the
Stalker to find new flesh for their fighting pits
and new food for their families. When the scav‐
engers are targeted for such a raid, they meet
Badasaaree, a mother and warlord who is des‐
perate to save her Kanuman son. Seeing their
potential, Badasaaree makes a deal with them:
help her son disappear and she will free those
enslaved during this raid. When Bael Urbarriar
catches wind of this, he himself rides out to
punish her.
“Tomorrow, Bael Hendalar plans to kill you. He has six accomplices. I will
tell you who they are and what else they are planning when you free
me from this cage.”
58
BRONZE-CAST CHARACTERS:
BAEL KHORAX
They are not Akaran nor kith nor morg. From
the mountains Khorax stumbled, scored and
wounded, mysterious, of no sex or gender.
They stand four bladelengths tall, this Khorax,
too white to be called albino, eyes too black
even when compared to a kith. They spoke not
anything. That changed when, half-sold into
slavery, Khorax said their first words - and what
words they were. They told Vaels the secrets of
other Baels. They revealed the plans of sabo‐
teurs and liars. Khorax, with a power hitherto
unknown, without needing shardstones or
Torn impossibilities, read the minds of those
around them and with this ability ascended to
the top of the Kanuman food chain. Then they
set to work on saving the city.
Questioned not, Bael Khorax, for what they do
is for the good of the whole. The stargazers
turn to this thing’s wisdom before consulting
the night sky. Generals listen to Khorax’s strate‐
gies for these tactics alone bring victory de‐
spite Cataclysm. When Bael Khorax speaks,
their voice devoid of emotion, raspy in the way
of smokers or throat-torn Starfallers, there is
heard no love. But there is guidance, and some
heresy that Khorax is a necessary evil sent
from the stars themselves as a guide to salva‐
tion. They are not entirely wrong.
Khorax is searching for something lost in the
night sky. They, with astrological knowledge
never before glimpsed, have sharpened the
stargazers’ prophetic sight. With the moon’s
sibylline rise do dozens of mystics look at Kho‐
rax’s behest for constellations never before wit‐
nessed. They map their astral journeys and, in
the morning, Khorax pours over them with an
uncharacteristic fervor. No answers are there
for what they seek. Not even Khorax’s closest
confidants, picked specifically as they are by
Khorax’s own hand, dare ask. So long as
Kanuma remains alive, though, will they lead it
to ever greater successes for without these
primitive Akarans never will Khorax know the
love of home or of kin again.
~ Bael Khorax’s first words..
59
 AN AKARAN’S TALE

An account by Yaeh, She That

Caught the Comet’s Tail

“ I write these words so that those who see Khorax

may know the creature as we do. The Kanumans are
terrified and awe-struck by the creature. Premature be-
liefs are spoken among them in rumors and whisper-
ings. We morg who guard it know better.
On the fortieth day of Old Moon, I watched over Khorax
as they viewed a bloodfight in the Pit of the Sunken Sun.
Always is the creature sun-shaded. On this day, Khorax
was quiet as they always are. You must understand that
the creature is morgish with speech. That was why
when they did issue command, the six of us guards re-
ceived what was said with the same importance as that
given by our morg-mothers soon after birth.
Khorax looked to one of the baels sitting in the same
box. Those eyes are kith-black. They never blink. When
the bael realized they were being watched, a young
Akaran whose hair was shaved and whose beard was
dyed Bataash blue, he froze and began to sweat.
Akaran’s always sweat when they are nervous. The
creature sweat not. Khorax was without disturbance as
he commanded us, with that bleeding voice, to kill the
bael.
The creature differs from Akarans. I have seen war-
lords sentence warlords to death and always there is
something that makes their eyes deep set in response.
Khorax suffered no such issues of conscience. I strode
forth as was my job and the bael screamed and pro-
duced a hidden dagger flush with a red poison that too
was bought from Bataar. The bael died decapitated by
me and back to Khorax I turned. Already was the crea-
ture viewing the games. There was no sign of fear nor
hesitation nor surprise, and if any such mannerisms
could be read it was the pragmatic knowledge of a
hunter whose trap had been sprung.
Later that month, Khorax continued to hunt every as-
sociate that bael had. There were men and women from
all stations of life. All were guilty. Pruned like how ticks
are pruned by rock howlers. No care was given by the
creature to their reasons or their begging. No lies were
tolerated.
That is what I tell you of Khorax. Effective. Pragmatic.
Morgish. That makes them feared, and that fear has be-
come respect amongst the Kanumans. If there are more
of these creatures somewhere I know for certain that
this world could not withstand them. For that fearful
reason, we give our talents and our knowledge to Kho-
rax. You should too if you have life yet to live.
”

60
GUARDING KHORAX
These dangers must be conquered if Khorax’s
life is the scavengers’ aim.

The Thoublae, or the Eyeblacks, is a contingent

of twenty veterans trained by Khorax in the art
of reading the actions of others. Each Thoublae
has a mind that operates with frightening
speed, able to perform high level computa‐
tions and produce solutions to problems pre‐
sented. The Thoublae are named for the fluid
they’ve injected into their eyes, making the
whites appear obsidian black.
The Moonthing, an albino skarag whose
venom is acid that can melt through bronze.
The Moonthing is deathly loyal to Khorax and
will sacrifice itself if needed to kill their ene‐
mies. The Moonthing is named for its scales,
and for the night which it was found.
The Constellations, the name given to the six
morg guards that Khorax has personally ap‐
pointed. Each is loyal to the extreme, though
for their own reasons, and each has enough
skill to kill twenty men by themselves. Each
constellation has their chests and biceps
marked with silver studs to outline constella‐
tions.

“Stars, how the earth shook! That day the

sun was especially cruel too for how hot it
was. And the screams. They were louder
than the Tower’s falling. I hear them still.”
~ An account of the fall of the
Tower of Many Eyes.

61
62
63
THE CRADLE OF RICHES
This is a city of oppression and lies. Peaking a
forest-bathed mountain are great blocks of
stone carved from Akara’s risen bones. Long
stairways spiral the slopes, and deep ravines,
jutting cliffs, broken crags serve as Mur’s inde‐
fensible moat. Should one travel ‘round this
bowl north, so is revealed a terrible wound. The
northern wall is rent. Gilded boulders expose
the mountain’s innards: endless catacomb tun‐
nels, the dead’s own beehive.
To the outside world, Mur is the City of Secrets,
or Where Gold is Made, or Akara’s Gem-Carved
Palace. Their exports are stonework perfectly
cut, gems vaunted to the extreme, immaculate
golden accessories, opal trinkets of a thousand
crafts. Muraneese emissaries speak not of the
city’s culture. No immigration is permitted. The
population is kept low as there is only so much
available space atop the mountain. Slaves are
used for both breeding and lesser work. From
Mur’s moat-ridges, see their ramshackle
homes: caves dug into the mountain's slopes.
Mur trades wealth for flesh, and for food too,
and drink and textiles and weapons to arm
their mekards, their slave warriors.
If by circumstance one was curs’d enough to
be born within Mur’s walls, they’d know that
the rumors of the city’s great wealth were lies.
Every free Muraneese beyond the ruling Di‐
nashii caste is brainwashed by the Mantra of
Work and Sanctity of Isolation. From birth,
these families, who live in small cuts in the
stone within Mur’s walls, are told that the wider
Akara is a savage, brutal place. The Dinashii say
this: that the food these freemen are given is
the best Akara has to offer, that the water from
the Cradle is the purest there is, that their cave
homes are mansions, their outfits regal, their
privileges unmatched. To question this is to
disappear. Heretics are offered to the cata‐
combs or turned into mekards, or otherwise
publicly punished.
Life for the Muraneese is not horrid, though
they have little. When the sky is blue they leave
their stone rooms, send their children to re‐
ceive their teachings and training from the Di‐
nashii of Stoneworking, and venture into the
various workshops carved into the mountain or
into Mur’s own walls. Once the sky dims to the
color of bruised flesh, Muraneese gather
‘round the Cradle, or spend time in each
other’s homes. Then they sleep to toil the very
next day. It is a life that revolves around work,
and in payment they receive rations of food
and water and the barest of luxuries. Usually,
these are no more than, sometimes, dyed
clothing, a toy, rarely sweets from places un‐
known.
64
No Dinashii would dare live in such a way. Their
homes crown Mur’s walls. Aqueducts pull wa‐
ter from the Cradle and feed their personal
fountain-gardens. Lavishly dressed, enjoying
the culture of Akara in full, the Dinashii are
content aristocrats and also the deepest be‐
lievers in their indoctrination. They look be‐
yond their walls and see danger endless:
Bataash assassins, Kanuman star-raiders, Garhi
cannibals, morg warlords. And with the Cata‐
clysm, never have they so firmly believed their
lies.
BRONZE-CAST CHARACTERS:
ORACLE ABIODUN
Every 240 moons, a Dinashii family offers their
youngest daughter to be the next Oracle of
Mur. For a year she is trained by her predecessor
through drug-induced rituals to give premoni‐
tions to guide the Dinashii forward. Once her
training is complete, the oracle is sent into the
catacombs with an honor guard of four
mekard. There does the oracle wander, her bra‐
zier filling the tunnels with mind-altering
smokes, waiting to be found by the Dinashii, fed
by her leal servants until the time she must
train another.
Oracle Abiodun, a girl of 216 moons and born to
the Dinashii of Gold Work, has served as an ora‐
cle for 108. The smokes forced onto her during
training have made it difficult for her to speak
in anything but cryptic, broken sentences. For
the longest, she served faithfully, but all the
while something was different. Nightly does
Abiodun’s shardstone-necklace glow. It inspires
in her visions and dreams - dreams of the sun
she once used to see, of the taste of falling rain
on her lips and monsoons whipping through
her hair, of Mur falling to a tide of abominations
all crawling out of shard-studded tunnels that
dig deep, deep, deep into Akara. After so many
moons of divination, and with shardstones
making her predictions more accurate with ev‐
ery ritual, Abiodun is beginning to believe that,
maybe, her destiny is not to wander these tun‐
nels forever but to instead escape into the
greater world of Akara. Honor guard captain
Agaahd has a fondness for the girl, mercy in her
heart, and herself believes it wrong for Abiodun
to remain in Mur’s tunnels ‘till death gifts free‐
dom.
65
66
THE POWERS THAT BE
Below are two influencing forces that can be
found in Mur.
DINASHII
Dinadan for “the First Crafted,” the Dinashii are
Mur’s ruling elite. They are organized into four
families of roughly 30 members each. The Di‐
nashii have a craft that they administrate.
These crafts (gold working, jewelry, stonework‐
ing, and slavery) are taught to the freemen,
thus making each Dinashii something akin to
a merchant lord. Every year, one of the four is
made the Family of the Cradle. This family can
break ties when the Dinashii vote on city-re‐
lated matters and can instigate the ritual
needed to search for and consult the oracle.
As of now, the Dinashii are obsessed with gath‐
ering shardstones to maintain their isolated
kingdom, preventing the freemen from escap‐
ing, and are desperately searching for ways to
gain unlimited access to Torn. The Dinashii of
Slavery are close to going rogue; few are selling
flesh to Mur in this time of crisis, and their
power has grown weak amongst their peers.
They also serve as the current Family of the
Cradle.
SHAMASH
For moons uncounted has Shamash operated.
These freemen have seen the outside world
and know that the Dinashii only lie. With secret
codes communicated through special knocks
or facets hidden in stone and gem, they work
to free slaves and expose other freemen to the
outside world. Their name, Murd for “Seeks
Sun,” is known to the Dinashii. Yearly do
mekards find new Shamash operatives and
dispose of them. Yearly do the Shamash repop‐
ulate and orchestrate further emancipations.
With the northern wall falling, all of Shamash
knows that soon they must engineer and exe‐
cute a grand revolution, or their oppressors will
finally put into action a plan that will very well
destroy them. Whoever leads Shamash is un‐
known. This figure, known as the Shamand,
the Sun Teller, is rumored to be a cabal of
slaves, a member of the Dinashii, and some‐
times even the oracle herself.
STORIES OF THE EXTINCT
Below are three plot hooks involving cam‐
paigns involving Mur.
BROKEN WALLS & BROKEN TRUTHS
A month ago, an earthquake of impossible
strength rocked Akara. Mur’s northern wall ut‐
terly collapsed, as did large sections of the
mountain proper. The death toll was tremen‐
dous; but, in exchange, many Muraneese saw
the outside world for the first time. Though
fearful of another disaster, many now desire es‐
cape; but the Dinashii desire the opposite, and
the mekards are openly putting down any Mu‐
raneese who entertain this. One escaped
woman finds the scavengers and tells them
thus: save her family from Mur, and she will gift
them a special ring she crafted - one that has a
shardstone rooted in its core.
EXTINCTION FORETOLD
After consulting Oracle Abiodun, the Dinashii
firmly believe that unless they gather shard‐
stones and gain access to Torn within the im‐
mediate future, their way of life will be forever
destroyed. The scavengers are personally in‐
vited into Mur - the first foreigners to be in‐
vited for centuries now - where they will see
firsthand the Dinashii’s attempts at oppressing
their purpose. At night, Oracle Abiodun, ac‐
companied by rebellious members of her
honor guard, appears in the scavengers’ cham‐
bers and begs them to take her into Torn. She
has seen the scavengers in her dreams and be‐
lieves them to be the key to something she
doesn’t quite understand yet - and maybe a
path to freedom, too.
DESPERATION’S FINAL GAMBIT
The Dinashii of Slavery have lost too many of
their slaves to the Cataclysm. Suspecting their
immediate exile or, worse, execution at the
hands of their Dinashii kin, they send mekards
off to strengthen their forces. The scavengers
hear rumors of mekards befalling refugees on
the road, preluding an attack against them
proper. As they track the source of this vio‐
lence, they are led to Mur. There, the Dinashii
of Slavery will seek to make use of the scav‐
engers’ power in a violent plan to save their
family from both the depths of paranoia and
the hidden daggers of their peers.
67
LEGEND’D LOCALES
Below are three places of interest within Mur’s
walls.

THE CRADLE
A well-lake near a hundred foot across and a
thousand deep sits at Mur’s center. Regular
rainfall sees the Cradle always kept half full. It
is named for the Muraneese teaching that it is
from here the Muraneese were crafted. Every
week, the freemen are allowed to gather five
buckets of water from the well. The rest is for
the Dinashii. During this day, the freemen are
allowed to take a long break from their work to
socialize and interact.

YEBALLA
Slaves, freemen, and Dinashii all are buried in
Yeballa. A Dinadan word meaning Last Pas‐
sage, Yeballa consists of the catacombs and
necropolis filling the inner mountain itself.
These catacombs are dug deep into Akara and
make use of an already abundant system of
natural caves. Their depths are unknown. Here,
bodies wrapped in heavy linen laced with gold
are stacked up in walls, ceilings, lining paths
hand-carved. Yearly, slaves are sent to dig
these tunnels deeper. It is here too that the Or‐
acle of Mur and her mekards wander under
the influence of divine drugs while waiting for
the Dinashii’s summons for guidance in the
upper tunnels where none may enter. A large
chunk of these tunnels are now exposed to the
outside world due to the recent earthquake.
Other than this gaping wound, another en‐
trance lies at the mountain’s feet, guarded by
mekards of the highest order.

SHIFTING FOREST
Surrounding Mur is the Shifting Forest. This
name was born for the curious way in which
the ground itself breathes. The trees, whose
branches are close to the canopy, are bloomed
by gusts and lifted. As a result, their roots pull
up on soil loose over rock, causing the ground
itself to heave as if a sea storm-riddled. As the
Great Dying grows worse, the Garhi tribal mob
has turned to cannibalism, as all manners of
beast have fled before catastrophic earth‐
quakes. These same quakes have ruined most
roads and render landmarks unstable. Thus,
those traveling to Mur now find themselves
lost to the mercy of both element and flesh-
eater.

68
 AN AKARAN’S TALE

An account by Invoker Agul,

the Opal Cutter.
We’ve always seen the sky, but not as you have.
“
Inside of Mur’s walls we see the sun only at noon, and
shallow blue or black the other hours. Rare is it that we
are allowed to walk the Dinashii’s corridors, to feel the
open wind through our hair, but on occasion they offer
such blessings, at least to those of us that are leal and
skilled beyond our peers. I cannot blame them. This
world is so beautiful. Drunk would any Muraneese
brother or sister be if they could see this soil, these col-
ors, and never in any of my dreams, never have I been
bold enough to imagine the sky as something so big.
For 360 moons I have served as an opal cutter. I was
quite skilled at it. For instance, this piece here, on my
left index, I spent 12 moons crafting. It was a gift I
worked on in secret, by the light of akarok-fat candles.
A gift for my sister. Never was she able to wear it. The
Dinashii took her for the crime of sloth a moon before I
finished and never again have I seen her. Agalia, my sis-
ter’s name. It is for her that I stand here now, seeing the
world. Her death was what made that earthquake. She
shook down the walls and opened a path for me to see,
for the first time, the oracle herself.
How young she was, yet how lost her eyes. Death danc-
ing amongst the rubble during a rainstorm...yes, that is
what I saw her as. Abiodun, she is named. The day she
was clothed I remember well, as we were given another
hour of respite by the Cradle and wine from the Di-
nashii’s own coffers. When I saw her then, she was so
young, not a woman by any means. But something told
me she was special. So when I saw her then, after the
collapse, I called to her, and she looked at me and in a
voice that sounded as if opal were wind and not stone
she told me it was my time to go.
So, I went. I left my husband. I think of him often, and
of sharing what I experience now with him.
Scary, this world of Akara. Scarier still that alien Torn.
But for the first time in my life, I feel alive. What the Di-
nashii taught me is not true and now I know that in full.
The opals on my fingers burn with promise. The shard-
stones in my turban ring with strength. If you’d like, I
will cut your shards for you too. I have learned how to
do so in such a way that their secrets can be refined.
But you must do me a favor. Should you ever venture to
Mur, find my love, my Bast-Al. Give him this ring. Tell
him what the oracle told me. Tell him that it is finally his
time to go.
”

69
70
71
72
Akaran
Mysticism
Religion is a word foreign to Akarans. In no form are
gods found in their beliefs; divinity is absent in their
cultures. Faith, though, still remains in the form of
cabalistic, well-practiced mysticism across the
world.
Three forms of Akaran mysticism dominate Akaran
thought. Though there are others, it is these three
that all Akarans know - all save the isolated Mura‐
neese that is - and it is these beliefs that have
shaped the ways of Akaran life in the city-states. Only
a few claim to be mystics - those that are devoted to
a single belief. Common practice is for an Akaran to
take pieces of each philosophy to craft their own
gestalt guidance.
At the core of these three forms of mysticism, as well
as all the other small branches of thought scattered
throughout Akara, is a single question: how do we
survive to see tomorrow? Unconcerned with what
happens after death, Akarans instead struggle in
their war against the planet, in their struggles to see
their children into adulthood, in how to avoid that
same fate which all do meet at the end of their lives.
To this end, know that faith in Akara is not faith that
one’s life will be taken care of after death or that
there is some greater power that must be obeyed.
Instead, it is faith in the very act of living itself, and of
ensuring that tomorrow will be experienced by you
and those that you love.

SINS & VIRTUES

Unlike in a normal religion, sin and virtue have differ‐
ent connotations in Akara. A sin is usually a violation
of a mysticism that directly endangers either your
life or someone else’s. A virtue is the opposite: some‐
thing that either increases you or someone else’s
chances at survival. Keep this in mind during the ex‐
planations of the mysticisms below.

73
OUR CRUEL ROAD
Almost wholesale adopted by most Akarans is
the mysticism known as Our Cruel Road. It is
not a form of belief native to Akarans but in‐
stead was taught to tribal mobs in their infancy
by the world-wise morg. Its base idea is simple:
life must be cruel in order to survive or else it
will be predated on by that which is crueler still.
Thus, all living things must walk the same cruel
road across Akara, lest they themselves never
walk it at all.
TENETS OF OUR CRUEL ROAD
Practitioners of this belief, called Walkers, up‐
hold the following tenets.
The world is full of trials.
None will show mercy. You should expect to
meet constant obstacles in your life that are un‐
caring of you and your station. Do not hate
these trials and do not waste time wishing you
had never undertaken them.
Failure is not sinful. Sabotage is not evil.
The world is cruel because it will take all that
you have. If you fail your trials, you are not sinful,
for this is what is expected by the world. Like‐
wise, if you sabotage others into failing, it is not
sinful either, so long as you or others survive for
it.
Equip those Walkers you find with what you
have seen.
You walk not the cruel road alone. If those who
walk with you do not seek sabotage then it is
virtuous to tell them what you have seen. By do‐
ing so, you ensure that others of your ilk will sur‐
vive longer on the cruel road.
Be as Akara only when your journey’s end is
promised.
Though the world is cruel, you need not be.
Only become as callous and cold as our world
when near-certain death blocks your path.
WALKERS OF OUR CRUEL ROAD
Walkers of Our Cruel Road have a number of
practices that are universally shared across
Akara.
First and foremost, the limbs and eyes are con‐
sidered sacred. To this end, the hands, the tops
of the feet, and the areas around the eyes are
often tattooed with symbolic images that are
representative of what the Walker has survived.
Suns, for example, represent braving savannas
with little resource, being imprisoned, or being
deserted by your comrades. Likewise, a katar
could mean surviving a great battle, having
killed someone who threatened to kill you, or
74
having once been a slave. There are many tat‐
toos whose meanings are known only by those
who wear them.
At night, before they sleep, Walkers will tell
those they love that they promise to see them
again tomorrow. This is a sign of deep trust; hav‐
ing done so means that the Walker considers
the other a friend who would never be cruel to
them, and that the Walker themselves would
do anything to ensure the life of the other. Note
that Walkers still always sleep with some kind of
weapon close by. Akara is just as cruel at night
as it is during the day.
The archetypical Walker mindset is that of a
survivor. Never are they surprised when some‐
thing goes wrong. In fact, it is expected. Be‐
cause of this, Walkers are not quick to complain
and are fast accepting of changing situations. It
is then virtuous for a Walker to rise to meet ev‐
ery challenge. Even if exhausted or pushed to
the brink of death, fighting back against the
cruel Akara is the only way to ensure a long life.
To refuse to confront a coming challenge is to
sin, for it means that you have chosen death
over walking Our Cruel Road.
RITUALS OF OUR CRUEL ROAD
Though Walkers most often teach their chil‐
dren their beliefs, mystics called hanyi, or
waystations, both teach communities and per‐
form rituals for other Walkers. It is believed that
these rituals educate Walkers on how to survive
the trials waiting them down the road.
The Way of Shared Teeth
It is a ritual involving at least two Walkers. Both
of them, having kept a molar from childhood,
ties the tooth around the ankle of the other
with a piece of twine. If more Walkers are
present, more of these teeth are tied to the an‐
kle. These anklets represent bonds between
Walkers; so long as they are worn, whenever
you find each other again in the future, you will
be bound to aid the other if requested. If that
aid is given, the anklet is removed afterwards. If
that aid is denied, the anklet is too removed,
and among the tribal mobs, a blood feud be‐
gins.
Moonless Exile
It is a ritual performed by hanyi on those who
have endangered their communities to the ex‐
treme. These individuals have their eye pits,
palms, and the soles of their feet tattooed black.
They are then sent out into the world with none
of their possessions nor any equipment. Any
Walker who meets these exiles will know by
their tattoos that the things they have sur‐
vived could never amount to the danger they
have put others in. Meeting such an exile in
the wild usually calls for that exile’s execu‐
tion, as they are a danger to any Walker they
meet.
Looking Down the Road
It is the most esoteric of rituals that a hanyi
may perform. After a day of fasting, a group
of Walkers go to a cave or underground
abode created by the hanyi. There, they drink
a potion crafted by the hanyi that slips them
into a state of trance. While in this trance, the
hanyi recounts many of the things they have
heard in the world - of cruelties, deaths, chal‐
lenges, and so on. As this sermon is per‐
formed, the Walkers experience the events
they hear as vivid hallucinations. It is believed
by Walkers that upon finishing this ritual,
they have learned new skills and are better
equipped for what is to come. Walkers are
expected to engage in this ritual yearly.
OUR CRUEL ROAD AND OTHER MYSTICISMS
The other two widely practiced mysticisms, Ru‐
minations on the Chain and the Starfall Mys‐
teries, are seen by Walkers as doubtful at best
and dangerous at worst. Practitioners of the for‐
mer are often accused of putting Walkers in
danger with their observations - a cardinal sin
that cannot be ignored. Likewise, those who
practice the Starfall Mysteries are seen as too
passive and their observations impossible to ex‐
perience. Thus, it is hard to rely on these peo‐
ples’ word.
In Bataar, Our Cruel Road is widely practiced,
but instead of seeing Akara as an obstacle, it is
seen as a chance to get lost in what is called
Akara’s Thousand Colored Song. In Mur, Our
Cruel Road has been warped and is used as a
fearful mutant of a belief to keep the people
controlled. In Kanuma, it has been combined
with the Starfall Mysteries, and in fact the mys‐
teries are a child of Our Cruel Road.

USING OUR CRUEL WORLD IN STORIES

Use these story hooks to create adventures using this akaran mysticism.

d8 Story Hook
An ally of one of the scavengers has invoked the Way of Shared Teeth; however, what they
1 require aid in is the assassination of a member of Tarnak’s Council of Jade & Progress.

At night, a Walker approaches the scavengers. They wish to exchange stories of challenges
2 overcome around a shared meal.

In the distance, someone can be seen calling for help as they are being chased down by a
3 band of tribal screamers. When they reach the party, they recognize his black tattoos as
being those of a moonless exile.
The scavengers are invited to participate in the Looking Down the Road ritual. During the
4 experience, the hanyi describes alien things from Torn that the scavengers will without a
doubt experience.
A hanyi wishes to impart their knowledge to one of the scavengers before they die. In ex‐
5 change for proof that the scavengers have overcome a great trial, they will trade all that
they know of the world and name the scavenger a hanyi.

After putting the lives of a tribal mob in danger, they wish to perform the ritual of Moonless
6 Exile on one or all of the scavengers.

There is said to be a morg hanyi who lives only in Torn. The scavengers are hired by a group
7 of Walkers who wish to be escorted to this hanyi to learn their alien secrets.

One of the scavengers is confronted by someone who once performed the Way of Shared
8 Teeth with them. This scavenger failed to pay back their debt and now they are in a blood
feud with this person.

75
RUMINATIONS ON THE CHAIN
As city life evolved across Akara so too did mys‐
ticism. Behind clay walls and in adobe buildings
was found the time needed to ruminate on the
cruelty of the world. Philosophy became a calm
observation of cause and effect, push and pull,
how everything has an action that spawned it
and in turn spawns its own action. This form of
thought became known as the Ruminations on
the Chain - a branch of Akaran mysticism that
seeks to determine not only the origin of all
things, but also how to manipulate any situa‐
tion for a single desired cause.
TENETS OF RUMINATIONS ON THE CHAIN
Practitioners of this belief, called Ruminators,
uphold the following tenets.
All creation is a self-forged chain of events.
The entirety of the world is akin to a forged
chain. Every link is another action forged by the
actions of the previous. Everything you have
ever done is then predicted by what you have
done and predicts what you will do.
There is an infinity of chains and all knot to‐
gether.
One action is not predicted solely by the action
before it, but by an infinite number of actions
that happen at the same time. Thus, you are not
just your past, but the past of the world itself,
which in turn is the past of worlds beyond.
They who learn the art of chain-smithing con‐
trol the world.
You do not need to ruminate on every chain in
order to predict what will come next. By discov‐
ering the most important factors of situational
creation, you can create situations as you desire.
This is the basis for ruling, surviving, and the
very act of life itself.
The chain has a beginning.
Something does not come from nothing. There
is knowledge hidden for us inside of the chain’s
origins, wherever that may be. Go further back
and you will see that all of life comes from a sin‐
gle moment, all of the world, and all of the
many things in it that we do and do not know.
RUMINATORS OF THE CHAIN
Ruminators of the Chain have a number of
practices that are universally shared across
Akara.
First and foremost, Ruminators are experi‐
menters. Only through observation can they
confirm something, and even then that obser‐
vation must be made again and again to be
considered reliable. It is common for a Rumina‐
tor to have multiple ongoing projects at a time
76
with each focused on figuring out some mun‐
dane principle of cause and effect or verifying
another Ruminator’s work. These people have
small workshops set up in their homes or cities
that, to them, are sacred spaces where others
are not allowed. To violate this privacy without
invitation is grounds for blood feud.
Drug use is incredibly common amongst these
mystics. Over years of study, potions made from
flesh flower or the milk of the jade poppy have
been discovered to have a curious effect on
one’s mind. With proper intake, Ruminators en‐
ter into a trance where they believe they have
access not only to their thoughts, but the
thoughts of countless other creatures as well.
When afield and away from their workshops,
these drugs are used to enter into this height‐
ened consciousness. In this state, Ruminators
decipher problems they come across and arrive
at quick solutions that are right more often
than they are wrong. Know a Ruminator in
trance by their jade-hued lips, large pupils, and
strange manner of referring to themselves in
the third person.
Ruminators have certain mindsets that are at
best tolerated by Akarans. A Ruminator is quick
to explain things that do not need explaining. A
Ruminator always believes they are just mo‐
ments away from some greater enlightenment.
A Ruminator then easily becomes arrogant or
deluded, and it takes significant travel outside
their own mystic circles to avoid such foolish
mindsets.
RITUALS OF THE RUMINATIONS
ON THE CHAIN
Ruminators form congregations called the
Chain’d Schools. The Chain’d Schools are places
where philosophical debates are held, results
from experiments are shared, and gathered
knowledge is taught. Running these schools
are philosophers of great renown who lead less
learn’d Ruminators through rituals wherein
their awareness of the chain itself is expanded.
Causality Meditation is a ritual performed ei‐
ther by one’s self and a guide or by a group of
Ruminators. Those participating sit with
crossed legs in meditation as a bronze chain is
constantly shaken by the meditation guide.
During this process, the guide talks the Rumi‐
nators through a mental exercise where their
attention is brought to what they feel, hear, and
smell during meditation. The goal is for this to
lead to a series of new thoughts for the medita‐
tors. Associations are made that otherwise
would not be, and the trance-like meditations
allows for access to a deeper level of conscious‐
ness. Ruminators oft turn to this ritual when
stumped by problems not easily conquered.
Linking the Chain is an esoteric evolution of
causality meditation that involves a Ruminator
taking a low dose of mind-opening herbs for
seven days. At the end of this ordeal and at the
height of their high, the Ruminator enters into
a meditative state in which petitioners may
feed them questions. Each question must
come with a large amount of data for the Rumi‐
nator to process. Once completed, the Rumina‐
tor will make a prediction or produce a number
of statements that stem from the data pro‐
vided. The Ruminator never remembers much
of this experience, nor their answers; however,
always is there a report of an intense awareness
and deepness of trance. The accuracy of the
predictions or statements made is a large rea‐
son for why the Ruminations on the Chain has
become such a popular mysticism in main‐
stream thought.
Ruminating on the Ruminator is a funerary
practice wherein a deceased Ruminator is
wrapped in coils of bronze-forged chains. Each
chain is wrapped around the dead by another
person in their life whom they’ve known or had
an impact on. These mourners recant what the
Ruminator taught them. One in particular lis‐
tens to these things, processes them, and then
uses the learned information to continue on the
works of those now deceased. In this way
knowledge is never lost by these mystics. In‐
stead it is carried down from generation to gen‐
eration in such a way that the dead are honored
and the chain is further understood. At the end
of this process, the body is thrown onto a pyre,
the chains melted around the corpse, and the
body buried.
RUMINATIONS ON THE CHAIN
AND OTHER MYSTICISMS
Ruminators see themselves as the cutting edge
of mystical thought. Because of this, they have
a condescending view of other beliefs. Our
Cruel Road is the metaphysical parent that is
thought of as being unrefined and too simple
for the modern philosopher. Likewise, the Star‐
fall Mysteries rely too much on forces outside of
an Akaran’s control and cannot, to a Ruminator,
be verified. Thus they are quick to reason that
the only belief advanced enough that deserves
to make it into whatever new age is approach‐
ing is the Ruminations on the Chain. Rumina‐
tors are then zealous at converting others.
To the rest of the world, the average Ruminator
is at best an arrogant scholar and at worst an
insufferable hierophant. Of the three mysti‐
cisms, they claim the smallest number of prac‐
titioners due to their hostility against other
modes of thought. While wars have never
stemmed from this hostility, brawls, skirmishes,
and even murders have. Akaran wisdom is
quick to say that a Walker and a Ruminator in
the same room leads to bloodshed sooner
rather than later.

USING RUMINATIONS ON THE CHAIN IN STORIES

d8 Story Hook
In order to figure out what their patron secretly wants, the scavengers must find a Ruminator to per‐
1 form the Linking the Chain ritual for them.
A Ruminator wishes to hire the scavengers to find an old fossil in Akara that could provide strong
2 evidence on the origin of the scren.
The scavengers must learn the ritual practice of Causality Meditation in order to solve a riddle pre‐
3 sented to them by their patron. If they fail, they won’t earn their patron’s wealthy backing.
After paying a Ruminator to perform the Linking the Chain for them, the scavengers learn that soon
4 they will die. They now must find another Ruminator who will tell them how to avoid their coming
demise.
A Chain’d School has been having very public disputes with a local hanyi. The Ruminators of the
5 school hire the scavengers to teach their rivals a violent lesson.
Approaching the scavengers is an old Ruminator. He tells them that his life is in danger; that powerful
6 people will kill him for what he’s learned. The scavengers are then hired to protect him and investi‐
gate this case.
The scavengers watch as the Rumination On the Ruminator is performed. During the burial, they
7 hear multiple things this Ruminator learned that were predictions of things the scavengers have al‐
ready experienced.
The scavengers are approached by neophyte members of a Chain’d School. They ask the scavengers
8 to share with the school things they’ve seen so that the school can make deductions on their lives
and gain legitimacy.

77
THE STARFALL MYSTERIES
Just as the Kanuman language is shared by all
Akarans, so too is their mysticism practiced. The
Starfall Mysteries is a set of ever-developing be‐
liefs based around the idea that the stars them‐
selves contain the secrets of the world in their
diversiform arrangements. These Starfall Mys‐
teries are so prevalent that the calendar used to
divine them has become global in its adoption,
its holidays widespread, and its legends house‐
hold tales.
TENETS OF THE STARFALL MYSTERIES
Practitioners of this belief, called Stargazers, up‐
hold the following tenets.
The stars have seen all, thus they know all.
Look to the sky and what you see, every night, is
a sky filled with silver, radiant eyes. All things
have been witnessed by the stars. Thus, it
stands to reason that any secret can be learned
from them.
Constellations are tablets to be read. The natu‐
ral formations of the stars in their constellations
are no different than words on a tablet or scroll.
By learning to read this heavenly language, one
can then read what no other Akaran does know.
If Akara is cruel, the stars are compassionate.
The world you live in is harsh. The stars illumi‐
nate for you a compassionate path to travel. By
falling as the stars do, you can live a life full of
love and prosperity.
Stand only in starlight or know only darkness.
You who stargaze are blessed with knowledge.
It is your duty to show this knowledge to others,
lest they be lost in the darkness for all their lives.
THE STARGAZERS
Stargazers have a number of practices that are
universally shared across Akara.
On every Stargazer is a Chart of Astral Towers -
that is, either a painted stone tablet, papyrus
map, or set of scrimshawed bones. This object is
sacred to the Stargazers; to lose it is to lose their
connection to the wisdoms above. Constella‐
tions, falling stars, and other celestial phenom‐
ena are recorded on the Chart of Astral Towers
and referenced whenever the Stargazer at‐
tempts to divine the mysteries hidden above.
The more seasoned a Stargazer, the more de‐
tailed their Chart of Astral Towers, filled as it is
with the reticent foresight gleaned from the
night sky.
Alongside the Chart of Astral Towers is what a
78
Stargazer calls their liquid starlight. This potion,
whose ingredients are closely guarded secrets,
when consumed leads to altered consciousness
and perception. The pupils grow larger so that
lights are brighter and colors deeper. When one
looks heavenwards at night, it is said that a
Stargazer can see more stars than ever once
thought, some of which are different colors -
reds, greens, yellows, and so on. Liquid starlight
is then to a Stargazer what must be used to ac‐
curately see the maps of constellations
recorded on their Chart of Astral Towers. Their
minds change too in this state. A mania over‐
takes them, manifesting as a spillage of divina‐
tions based on what they see.
Unlike their mystic peers, Stargazers are skilled
poets. Verse is the language all mysteries are
recorded in, as are divinations. A Stargazer is ex‐
pected to learn many different forms through‐
out their training. Eavyan is for detailing what
someone’s love life, relations, and happiness
will be, with the first two words of a line being
the same throughout the poem. Mystonios are
long-winded poems that tell of wars, deaths,
and disasters. Stargazers become masters of
these arts over many years, and their stereotype
is that of an obtuse, annoying riddle-speaker.
THE STARFALL MYSTERIES AND OTHER MYS‐
TICISMS
As all things Kanuman, the Starfall Mysteries
have been wholly adopted by the rest of Akara.
Every city has its Stargazers (with the exception
of Mur), and every tribe knows well the powers
of reading the night sky. Despite this, Walkers of
Our Cruel Road hold disdain for Stargazers, be‐
lieving them to be naive at best or charlatans at
worst. Ruminators are quick to point out that
Stargazers rely on supernatural and therefore
unreal forces to make their vague predictions.
Still, the typical Akaran will turn to a Stargazer
in times of need, be they educated or other‐
wise. In Bataar, they have joined with col‐
orbinders to form new schools of thought
where colors reveal just as much as constella‐
tions. In Tarnak, Stargazers are very common
and are consulted before expeditions to Torn or
throughout Akara. Astrals, or scavengers who
rely wholly on stargazing, have brought wider
appeal to the mysticism in their use of shard‐
stones which manifest their prophecies unto
the real world.
RITUALS OF THE STARFALL MYSTERIES
Stargazers build temples, or towers as they are
usually called, in which veteran mystics called
baels teach neophytes the ways of the Starfall
Mysteries. Akarans come to these towers for
many different reasons, the most common of
which is to have a Stargazer perform for them
an oracular ritual. These rituals always have one
thing in common: they involve studying the
stars and connecting them to a calendar day.
Enlil’s Katar is a constellation of the famed
tyrant with his bloodied weapon. As the legend
goes, whoever Enlil laid his eyes on was des‐
tined to one day be executed by his very hand.
When a Stargazer sees this constellation first, it
means that death is soon coming for them. If
seen any other time, it means that the peti‐
tioner is soon to execute someone who has
wronged them.
The Bataash Frog is a connection of stars that
heralds the spiritual totem of Bataar. As Bataar
is famed for its poisons and colors, this constel‐
lation tells the Stargazer that soon whoever
their petitioner is will betray or sabotage some‐
one or soon will be betrayed or sabotaged
themselves. It also heralds a daredevil’s life, one
fraught with danger twined with promises of
great reward.
Wildfire is the name given to a unique body in
Akara’s sky - a seemingly endless explosion of
red and black viewable only after drinking liq‐
uid starlight. If seen first, it is an omen of the
otherworldly, the emergence of strange forces,
the happenings of phenomena unexplainable.
Many a Stargazer in the modern day struggles
to make sense of seeing the Wildfire. It mani‐
fested when Kanuma’s current leader, Khorax,
appeared, and again too before the Monolith
opened. No predictions accurately can be
made through it, only hints given of impossible
things to come.

USING THE STARFALL MYSTERIES IN STORIES

Use these story hooks to create adventures with this Akaran mysticism.

d8 Story Hook

The scavengers’ patron has given them a difficult job: learn the secrets of the liquid
1 starlight potion, which only the Stargazers know.

A falling star lands close to Tarnak. The scavengers are hired by a stargazing tower to bring
2 it back to them. Little do they know, the meteorite has opened a gash in the earth through
which scren crawl out of.

A Stargazer approaches the scavengers. They have recently divined Enlil’s Katar and want
3 the scavengers to protect them from their soon-to-be execution.

After learning that soon they will be sabotaged by a close ally from a Stargazer, a wealthy
4 Tarnaki merchant hires the scavengers to investigate the betrayer.

Every night, the scavengers dream of a crimson explosion filling the sky. They must seek
5 out a Stargazer to divine for them what this means.

After their Chart of Astral Towers is stolen, a famed Stargazer hires the scavengers to return
6 it and to execute whoever has stolen it.

A group of Stargazers wishes to be taken into Torn, where they plan on mapping that alien
7 world’s night sky.

After hearing of the scavengers’ prowess in verse-duels, a Stargazer seeks them out for a
8 battle out of hopes of wooing their love interest.

79
SHARDSTONE CULTS
When shardstones began to flow freely from
the Monolith and into wider Tarnak there grew
around them strange cults with orphic prac‐
tices and hermetic rituals. These Shardstone
Cults have gained popularity in Tarnak for
through shardstones they are able to make real
the things they have faith in. Cults appear and
disappear every day. The four listed below are
those who have lasted the longest and com‐
mand the most members.
ENTOMISM
Derived from the Ribbish word entomin, or in‐
sect, this cult worships idols of various bugs
found across Akara. It is their belief that by
learning to commune with these creatures, a
way to survive the Great Dying can be discov‐
ered. To this end, entomists create caverns un‐
derground to live in and collect insects whom
they present to their shardstone collections. En‐
tomists can be noticed for the strange jewelry
they wear - chitinous exoskeletons that hang
from their ears, wrists, and lips.
OUR COMING EXODUS
With Akara dying, it should come as no surprise
that many turn to Torn as a new world to live in.
Our Coming Exodus is then the largest cult,
filled with refugees and Tarnaki, all of whom are
preparing for a mass migration into Torn. These
cultists are constantly spreading their persua‐
sive beliefs in public forums and lobbying them
to merchants and councilors. Our Coming Exo‐
dus has created many idols in the shapes of
known Torn regions. By praying to these idols,
they hope to make those regions habitable for
Akarans. Our Coming Exodus has a seemingly
endless supply of jade with which they hoard
supplies with. Scavengers are often hired by
this cult to find new areas in Torn for them to
potentially live in.
THE RED FANG
The Red Fang is a group of anti-shard fanatics
who strongly believe that shardstones are the
sole cause of the Cataclysm. To this end, they
have blackmailed merchants and scavenger
rings who deal in shards. The Red Fang then
hoards them in underground bunkers hidden
throughout Tarnak. These cultists color their
teeth and ears red to show to their brothers and
sisters that shardlust is no different than blood‐
lust. Rumor has it that the Red Fang even am‐
bushes shardstone traders, killing them so as to
spread fear throughout Tarnak which in turn
will bring an end to the “apocalyptic wishes”
that have “spread like a virus” throughout
Akara.
SONG OF THE NEW AKARA
This cult has one central belief: that the Cata‐
clysm is the rebirth of Akara. Through the de‐
struction of sinful cities and the extinction of
evil creatures, a New World Order shall rise in
which all life will become as prosperous as the
now disappeared Zenith People. Idols fash‐
ioned from cut shardstone are prayed to. Father
Rupture creates minor earthquakes while Sister
Typhoon brings storms to the coast. Though
these cataclysms never strike Tarnak, growing
fear is spreading that these cultists are making
the world worse. The cultists have much money
that they use to squash rumors and punish
those that speak ill of them.

USING SHARDSTONE CULTS IN STORIES

d8 Story Hook
A fanatic set of Entomists have begun taking over Tarnak’s catacombs. The scavengers are hired to
1 forcibly evict these cultists, as they’ve begun removing the interred corpses and leaving them to rot
on the streets.
An Entomist equipped with shardstones has been summoning swarms of insects during their daily
2 sermons in the Dust District. The Entomist loses control of the swarm, which begins to terrorize the
gathered audience.
A collection of cultists from Our Coming Exodus approaches the scavengers. They want to buy out
3 their contract and send them into Torn in search of arable land.
While in Torn, a rival ring funded by Our Coming Exodus ambushes the scavengers. The cult wants
4 what the scavengers have found and will take it from them through any means necessary.
As the scavengers are preparing for their next expedition, cultists from the Song of New Akara sabo‐
5 tage them, destroying the scavengers’ most important supplies.
Cultists from the Song of New Akara approach the scavengers to persuade them to give up their jobs
6 so that the New World Order can come without impediment.
After the scavengers return from Torn with a lode of shardstones, cultists of the Red Fang attempt to
7 buy the shardstones from their patron. After being denied, they resort to trying to steal the shards
instead.
A cultist of the Red Fang has been killing scavengers in Tarnak. Now they’ve set their sights on the
8 party.

80
81
 AN AKARAN’S TALE

The account of Amuhyti

the Stargazer

“ At night, when the aurora is quiet, I read the stars

for those who wish them read. I have a place just out-
side the city, on the sea. I row out there on a boat with
only my brother Arah as my protection and my client as
my ward. The seas lately have been angry. Akara has
always been cruel, but now they are crueler, and the
nights I can stargaze fewer. Still, I do as I should be-
cause we live in times where few of us do.
Once, stargazing let me give the people both weal and
woe. For a bit of blood from their hands put delicately
around my eyes I could see what sun-cruel moments
awaited my ward and what moon-kissed paths they
must walk to avoid them. Ever since the fire outside the
city, the latter I see so much less of.
A kith approached me at new moon. We talked for a
while and then they asked me to read the stars for them.
We rowed out. That night the sea was calm. The aurora
did not burn the sky. It had been a long while since I’d
been given a chance to stargaze in such ideal condi-
tions.
The kith asked me what would come of the people
they’d led to Tarnak as of late. I looked at the tapestry
of zodiacs above me. Sixty times sixty stars again and
again shined so brightly in their long river. The first
constellation I found was the Rock Howler. It was an
ominous zodiac who spoke of immediate threat, of
predacious intentions, of warning. Then I found the
Mekard, the slave-warrior of Mur, whose secondary
appearance foretells fighting hard until death, a future
where everything must be risked and where little will be
gained. Lastly, I discovered a new constellation, one
only recently spread amongst we Stargazers: the Scren
- the Cataclysm, the Great Dying, Torn itself.
All this I told the kith. They only nodded. It is said kith
can read minds and I hope this one did not this to me. I
did not tell them that these three zodiacs were all I ever
saw now. I did not tell them that the stars themselves
had dictated that the world soon would end.
”

82
ON CLERICS AND MYSTICISM
In Fifth Edition, a Cleric has a sacred do‐
main that defines their powers. In most
other fantasy settings, these sacred do‐
mains are a part of a Gods portfolio. As
there are no gods, and thus no portfo‐
lios, inside of Scavenger, it may seem
difficult to create a cleric. However, the
mysticisms do map to the different do‐
mains.

OUR CRUEL ROAD invokes natural ele‐

ments, destruction, and primal ener‐
gies. For this mysticism, use the Death,
Grave, Life, Nature, Tempest, and War
domains.

RUMINATIONS ON THE CHAIN invokes

artificial or scientific ideas, or ideas of
higher learning. For this mysticism, use
the Forge, Knowledge, and Order do‐
mains.

THE STARFALL MYSTERIES invokes

light, prescience, and fortune. For this
mysticism, use the Death, Knowledge,
Life, and Trickery domains.
SHARDSTONE CULTS can invoke any
idea, and be conceptually built around
anything. When making a shardstone
cultist, you can be a cleric who makes
use of any domain.

83
84
THE CATACLYSM or THE GREAT DYING
Through the Monolith came not just wealth but
also the end of days. Those of the city-states call
it the Cataclysm; those of the tribal mobs call it
the Great Dying. Both names are apt in their
description of the doom that has been visited
upon Akara.
Ten years ago, the small, isolated events some‐
times noted by bonekeepers merged into this
one apocalypse. Akara’s last decade has been
rife with the many disasters detailed below. No
Akaran story can be told without one of these
many tragedies somehow influencing the tale.
What causes these events is a mystery un‐
solved. Some posit that the opening of the
Monolith unleashed a Torn-born calamity. Oth‐
ers say it is merely the will of the world, and that
this is all just another cruel road to be walked.
If one of the events below requires an ability
check, passive score, or saving throw, the DC for
all of these things is the same: 15.
For frequency, a disaster below has a 1-in-6
chance of striking for every 1d20 days of in-uni‐
verse play. Make this roll whenever scavengers
set out on an expedition, and again every 1d20
days. Likewise, scavengers should only be mak‐
ing one Wisdom check a day to detect any dis‐
aster.
DEATH TIDES
Seas and lakes rise without pause; the coasts
are washed away. Tribal mobs call these dooms
the death tides, for when the waves come
crashing in they flood deep the mainland,
sweep away villages and towns, pound against
the weakening walls of city-states, pull it all
back into the ocean’s cruel fathoms. Know that
when a death tide comes, all fish, all sea-life
flowing through those corpse-choked waves is
dead. It is something Akarans do not under‐
stand.
When you want to introduce a death tide into
your game, the scavengers must be near a
body of water with access to the ocean. Alterna‐
tively, the scavengers must be in a place, such
as a valley or dry plain, where flash floods could
realistically happen.
A death tide strikes suddenly. A sufficient pas‐
sive Wisdom score or a successful Wisdom
check lets the scavengers know that a death
tide is coming within 1d6 hours. When the
death tide comes, it dominates the entire re‐
gion, expanding from the original body of water
at a speed of 60 feet per round on initiative
counts 20 and 10. The death tide has a height of
1d10 + 5 feet. The following occurs to those
caught by the death tide:
◇ Anything struck by the death tide suffers 28
(5d10) points of bludgeoning damage.
◇ Scavengers must succeed on a Strength
check to be able to swim in any direction.
◇ Structures suffer double the damage when
struck by the death tide.
◇ For every round that a scavenger spends
submerged in the death tide, they suffer an‐
other 11 (2d10) slashing damage from debris
swirling about in the death tide.
A death tide ends after 1d6 hours, after which
anything still caught in the water is pulled back
into the ocean or, if the death tide originated as
a flash flood, is left prone in a location 1d10 miles
away from where they originally were struck.
HEAT RAIDS
Birds and beasts traveling the savanna fall dead
to the tinder-dry soil. Tribal mobs say there is no
reason for this, but too they say there is a sud‐
den great heat that washes over them, as if the
sun itself has decided to rain bladed darts upon
them, and their animals die, and their elderly
die, and only the strong eek out survival after‐
wards. These events are called heat raids.
When you want to introduce a heat raid to your
story, it should strike whilst the scavengers are
traveling outside of a city-state. They happen
most frequently over the Wandering Plains, the
Bloodsands, and the Shifting Forest.
A scavenger can detect that a heat raid will
come with only a Wisdom check, and one
made at disadvantage, imposed upon the scav‐
enger by the suddenness and the strange na‐
ture of the blast. The heat raid will strike within
6d10 minutes. When it does so the following
happens:
◇ The temperatures within a half mile radius of
the scavengers will increase to nearly nearly
130°F, or 54°C.
◇ Scavengers must make a Constitution saving
throw or else suffer 22 (4d10) fire damage as
well as 1 level of exhaustion.
◇ Every minute that the scavengers spend
without a means to cool themselves down,
such as by burrowing underground or some
shardcraft, will force them to make this sav‐
ing throw again.
85
A heat raid lasts for 1d10 minutes. After it passes,
nearly all living creatures will be left dead in its
wake - dried to near mummification. Addition‐
ally, a wildfire will likely start in the area, lasting
for 1d4 days before dying out.
EARTHQUAKES
Earthquakes have always been a facet of
Akaran life, but usually north near the White
Bones, or far to the east. The earthquakes of
modern Akara, though, are creatures far worse
in their designs. So sudden and terrible they are
that the ground itself is torn asunder from the
rumbling wrath. Towns collapse into pit holes
that disappear into light-snaring voids. City-
states are broken in half, pieces of them rising
dozens of hands above the other as the face of
the planet itself is changed.
When you want to introduce an earthquake
into your story, see first if the scavengers are in
a city-state or out in the wilderness. A city-state
struck by an earthquake may drastically
change, or it may just suffer internal damage to
different districts. Out in the savanna, the earth‐
quakes are worse, possibly altering the land‐
scape the scavengers are in and making it diffi‐
cult to navigate forward.
Earthquakes have faint rumbling that occurs
before they strike. A sufficient passive Wisdom
or successful Wisdom check tells the scav‐
engers that an earthquake will strike within 1d4
hours. The following effects occur when an
earth strikes.
◇ All scavengers must succeed on a Dexterity
saving throw or else fall prone.
◇ 1d20 + 5 fissures, each 10d10 + 50 feet long,
will open up within 1d6 miles of the earth‐
quake’s center.
◇ Structures within this radius will suffer 50
damage, collapsing if they are reduced to 0
hit points.
◇ There is a 1-in-6 chance that a fissure opens
up directly underneath the scavengers after
1 minute, noticeable by a sufficient passive
Wisdom. If this happens, the scavengers
must succeed on an additional Dexterity
saving throw or else fall 100 feet into the
opening void.
An earthquake lasts for 1d10 minutes.
86
KHAVSARSAN ZUD
Khavsarsan zud is the name tribal mobs give to
one of the most unusual weather patterns ever
before witnessed. Unlike the heat raid, this zud
is characterized by a sudden drop in tempera‐
tures to an extreme amount. The result is most
often the starvation of animals in the area, as
unlike a heat raid, the khavsarsan zud lasts for
many days instead of a few short minutes.
When you want to introduce this disaster into
your story, the scavengers are likely inland, such
as at Kanuma or Mur, or otherwise somewhere
away from the coast. They are most common in
the Barrows Marsh or Grayfall Valley.
A scavenger can detect an incoming
khavsarsan zud with a sufficient passive Wis‐
dom or a Wisdom check. The disaster will strike
within 1d4 days. When it strikes, the following
effect will happen, followed by the effect under
it after 5 days. The following effect under that
one will happen 5 days later, and so on, until the
zud ends:
◇ First, the temperature will be cloven in half
for each subsequent day that passes.
◇ Next, snow will fall, creating a thick layer
over the ground that will prevent livestock
from grazing.
◇ Then, the temperature will be cloven in half
again, and the snow will freeze, forming a
thick barrier that kills the soil underneath it.
A scavenger traveling about during these
events must succeed on a Constitution saving
throw if they are not adequately kept warm. On
a failure, the scavenger will experience one level
of exhaustion and suffer 4 (1d6) cold damage.
This saving throw is made for every hour of ex‐
posure to the extreme cold.
A khavsarsan zud ends after 2d10 + 3 days. After
it ends, temperatures return to normal over a
period of 1d4 days.
THE SAMUM
The samum is a terrible storm of howling winds
and dust so high that it blocks out the sun. This
is the rarest of the many disasters currently
rocking Akara; however, it is the reason for the
creation of the Bloodsands, as a strong samum
swirled for an entire year across that continent,
forever burying it in a tomb of dust and sand.
When you want to use the samum in a story,
know that it travels south, crossing the Blood‐
sands, or from the north, raging down from the
Barrens. However, the samum has sometimes
swept eastwards across the Wandering Plains.
A scavenger can detect the samum with a pas‐
sive Wisdom of 12 or a Wisdom check made
with advantage. This advantage is granted due
to the samum’s grand size. It strikes 1d8 hours
after being detected. The samum moves in a
single direction at a speed of 90 feet per
minute. Truly massive, the samum; it is 1d10
miles in height and 6d10 miles in width. Being
caught by the samum incurs the following ef‐
fects:
◇ Anything caught inside of the samum is con‐
sidered to be blinded, and must succeed on
a Constitution saving throw or else suffer 4
(1d6) slashing damage at the start of every
round.
◇ The samum counts as difficult terrain.
◇ Ranged weapon attacks travel only half their
normal distance.
◇ A scavenger exposed to the samum for 1
minute must succeed on a Strength saving
throw or else be buried under 1d10 feet of
dust and sand, rendering them restrained
and suffocating them. A scavenger can
make this saving throw again at the end of
each of its rounds.
◇ If a scavenger is exposed to the samum for
10 minutes, they must succeed on a Consti‐
tution saving throw or else be permanently
blinded.
The samum lasts for 1d4 hours. After it has
ended, everything within its radius is buried or
covered in sand and dust that is 1d10 feet thick.
MONSOON RAID
A monsoon raid is the name given to the im‐
possibly powerful monsoons that have rocked
Akaran coasts the last ten years. More devastat‐
ing than their strength is their sudden appear‐
ance. A monsoon raid, unlike a normal mon‐
soon, can happen quite literally out of the blue,
manifesting a line of thunderstorms that pul‐
verizes the land underneath it.
When using a monsoon raid in your story, know
that they can strike anywhere in Akara. With
the exception of Tarnak, whose shardscience
protects them from these disasters, a monsoon
raid can sweep over a city-state just as easily as
it can a scavenger ring out in the savanna.
A scavenger can detect a monsoon raid only
with a Wisdom check made at disadvantage.
This is because of the sudden nature of the raid,
as well as how new they are to Akara. They strike
within 1d10 minutes. A monsoon raid begins
with a sudden darkened sky, covering a half-
mile radius, preluding the following effects:
◇ A scavenger has a 1-in-6 chance every
minute they spend exposed to the mon‐
soon raid of being struck by lightning. If this
occurs, they must succeed on a Dexterity
saving throw or else suffer 28 (8d6) light‐
ning damage. This probability increases by
+1 for every minute that a scavenger is ex‐
posed to the monsoon raid, and resets to
the original rate if the scavenger spends at
least one minute in some sort of shelter.
◇ Every minute that a scavenger is exposed to
this disaster forces them to make a
Strength saving throw against high velocity
winds. On a failure, the scavenger is
knocked prone.
◇ Ranged weapon attacks are made with dis‐
advantage during the monsoon raid.
◇ Hail whips around during the monsoon raid.
Every minute that a scavenger is exposed to
the monsoon forces them to succeed on a
Dexterity saving throw or else suffer 5 (1d8)
bludgeoning damage.
◇ High rain soaks everything underneath the
monsoon raid.
A monsoon raid lasts only for 1d10 minutes.
87
OF PLACES DEAD trological secrets left with mummies in their
coffins.
Of the places below, little remains untouched
by the Cataclysm. Scavenger rings are wont to ◇ EREDAAN (Air-reh-dawn)
be sent to these locales on expeditions by pa‐ There was a city-state hidden amongst man‐
trons looking for lives to save, treasure to plun‐
der, or culture to record. groves and seaside glades. The water went bad,
the soil too, and now it is no more. Left behind
are amber statues, the ghosts of past baels.
◇ AES (Ayy-ss)
A town where the sacrifice of warriors is prac‐
◇ ERZA (Err-za)
ticed to keep back the Great Dying.
This town was founded by a woman who
claimed to see all the wonders of the world.
◇ ANFE (Ahn-ff)
Here live people now too afraid to follow in her
A village that hosts a wide assortment of sea‐
footsteps.
sonal hunting lodges for various Akaran crea‐
tures.
◇ GRAYFALL VALLEY
Mt. Grayfall once spewed fire and dust over this
◇ ANQUION (An-kwon)
valley but every hundred years. Now it erupts
Here are skarag broken and tamed and sold to
without end. Soot falls like snow upon the
other parts of the world. The Cataclysm ensures
death-dyed land.
that they are rarely visited.
◇ GULF OF THE STALKER
◇ AREK (Ah-rek)
The gubajah, or rock howler, is native to these
A port town once made rich from trade be‐
lands. Hunting lodges made much sport here
tween Tarnak and Kanuma. Now, it has fallen
in years now passed.
into disrepair.
◇ HATUR (Hah-ter)
◇ ARYM (Are-yeem)
Here there was a great library in which all
Once, this city-state was known for its seashell
Akaran knowledge was gathered. That library is
palaces and sculptures. The Cataclysm left it a
no more, and its ink stains black the river that is
flooded ruin.
its namesake.
◇ BAKAT (Bah-kaht)
◇ IGNA (Eeg-nuh)
This village was a vassal to Kanuma, providing
The people of this village loved the kith, but
them with sla ves for the blood pits, weapons
over the hills came the Kanumans and now the
too. The Great Dying leaves behind only the ar‐
Igneese are no more.
maments of would-be starfallers.
◇ KONYA (Kohn-yah)
◇ THE BARRENS
Songs still sing of great Konya, a city-state near
From the White Bones till the end of the world
as rich as Tarnak. There came the monsoon and
here stretches plains of salt and ash.
the flood and its coral palaces were all but
swept away.
◇ BARROWS MARSH
From these marshes emerged the early Kanu‐
◇ MEDID (Meh-deed)
mans. Buried here are old chieftains with their
Drained by the Kanumans, the town of Medid,
many treasures.
of their livestock, their crops. Rebellious whis‐
pers dance here on the lips of dancing warriors.
◇ BERTU (Bur-to)
Here once lived the ivory men, from who the art
◇ MISTWALK SEA
of scrimshawing bone was born. Now, there are
The fog is deep here, treacherous even in the
but hovels and lost art.
tricks that it plays. Worse it has gotten in recent
years so that few sailors dare brave it.
◇ THE BLOODSANDS
Once, the southern continent was a fertile place
◇ MYRA’S PASS
where wealth and spice overflowed. The sa‐
Screamer Myra and her tribal mob, the Silfrin,
mum swallowed all those treasures, sunk them
held this pass hostage against the Kanumans
to the bottom of a dune-crested sea.
for three hundred years. When the heat raids
came, and the zud too, the people were weak‐
◇ DAL RAKA (Dal-rah-kah)
ened, and the Kanumans had their fill.
Old Dal Raka, where the first city was raised,
now a memory to no one, its treasures and as‐

88
◇ NEZAAR (Neh-zar)
The gatetown of Nezaar watched the moun‐
tain’s pass from east to west. An avalanche car‐
ried their golden spears and their golden gate
to a golden grave.
◇ NUMRAK (Noom-rahk)
Where once stood an empire of turbaned
skarag riders now rises an alabaster head the
size of a castle, wind-scarred, wind-slain.
◇ OLD SEA
If the myths are told true, the old sea is where
Akarans first came upon the world, having set
sail from where the Barrens end.
◇ ONRUK (On-rook)
Protected, the Onruki, inside their labyrinth
ravines. There they jealously guard a menagerie
of now extinct beasts.
◇ ROOT FOREST
A forest, a swamp, a set of marshes all, where
centipedes the size of skarag hunt refugees
and sojourners all. A wall of nature against
those seeking to invade Bataar.
◇ SAGAD (Sah-gahd)
This glade-village gathered much of the amber
that made Bataar rich. The Kanumans visited
them too, and now Sagad is no more.
◇ SARKAD (Sar-kahd)
The Kanumans used the Sarkahdi mines for
gold and silver. Those are no more, and so now
the Sarkadhi are used for slavery and blood in‐
stead.
◇ SEA OF SONGS
Storied, this inland sea. Wars fought on these
waters have made heroes, legends, myths,
tales, fables, and all other manner of sea-sung
tales.
◇ THE SERPENT PILLARS
These mysterious bones rise terrible from cliffs
of limestone. A massive skull sits at their head,
belonging to a beast long since dead. There lie
ancient rites scrimshawed into those bones.
◇ SERPENT WOODS
Here live the kith, isolated and alone. Here are
bones of impossible size, much like the Serpent
Pillars in the far south.
◇ SHATTERED ISLES
Once these isles were a majestic stretch of land
covered in vineyards and high art. The earth‐
quakes of the Cataclysm sundered them
rightly.
◇ SHISRA (Shee-shrah)
Here be the last forests of the far south. Their
hanging gardens are a treasure soon to be
sand-swallowed.
◇ STARGAZER BAY
Upon these waters is the Akaran sky at its rich‐
est. See the constellations, the galaxies, the
planets and all else, clear and shining and un‐
touched by any other light.
◇ STIG (Steeg)
Here come the merchants from north and
south to rest their heads in pillow houses
amongst jasmine incense.
◇ TELL (Tehl)
Here was a city-state where mystics convened
to debate their philosophies, to evolve their tra‐
ditions. Then came the floods and all that holy
knowledge was dragged into the sea.
◇ THORN’S BAY
Named this bay for the three civilizations here
who waged war on each other until two were
taken by the Cataclysm.
◇ UMBAR (Oom-bar)
A town once used by merchants to lay down
their heads, to get a sip of civilization. No word
has been heard from it for months.
◇ URKAD (Er-kad)
The painted powders of Bataar flowed into
Urkad and then south towards Tarnak in
yesteryears. The scren loved the colors too, and
feasted greedily on the Urkadi.
◇ WANDERING PLAINS
Here is the heart of Akara, savannas flowing into
one another, once rich with tribal mobs and
beasts and now the ghost of a land. Find many
tribal artifacts scattered throughout here, left
by exodus.
◇ WHITE BONES
Tall, these mountains of white stone, of near-
solid marble. Insurmountable the White Bones
to those not ready to face death on the other
side.
◇ WIND’S EDGE COAST
The wind blows mighty down this coastline, so
that the ships that sail it move fast indeed.
◇ ZAFAR (Za-far)
Woe be to the Zafari, who were masters of the
savanna and its many tricks. They went to war
with Tarnak over the dying creatures and re‐
turned defeated to a home scren-torn.
89
90
91
 A World
Torn Apart
This is a land that knows not of rhyme, cares not for rea‐
son; this is a land where impossibilities are common in
their shardcanny mystery.
Call it the World Torn Apart or simply call it Torn and you
will not be wrong. Its name is derived from the strange
way in which this tapestry of alien land was sewn to‐
gether. Northwards lies regions unimaginable; petrified
forests and shardstone valleys; seas of mist and seas of
fire; mountains that spiral like coiled serpents; cities
once-thriving now empty. South, east, west, lie more and
more, domains of warped space and warbling time that
defy explanation.
No sun shines in the star-empty sky. It brightens blue (or
sometimes vermillion or vermeil) and darkens into
bruises of green and black and purple. Across the crim‐
son earth sprouts grasses the color of wildfire and flora
whose fruits are miracles. Rivers of white and silver flow
unabated, filled not with fish nor anything resembling
any Akaran creature at all.
Torn-found secrets are promises of salvation to the scav‐
engers who find them. Weird treasures lie patient in their
sphinixish hiding. A wilderness uncultivated by any living
thing anticipates those who dare its abnormal and aber‐
rant challenges, who dare attempt the conquering of
outlandish lands.
In this collection of lapis lazuli tablets are told the stories
of scavengers and the things they’ve seen. Some tales are
complete. Some are not. Use them all with wisdom, for
what is here will lead you to what else may be, a dead
world but a promising one indeed.

92
93
96
THE DAL ASHTA OUTPOST
The outpost is sparse; too little is known of Torn
to commit many lives here. Thus only the
proven, the capable, and the truly strange live in
Dal Ashta. As of now these elites number
roughly 75 souls.
Dal Ashta’s name portrays its hope. The name is
Deep Tarnaki for New Home. This is what many
hope it will one day be.
The Dal Ashta outpost sits on a hill of orange
grass spotted with flowers violet, red, and
green, each with a shape uncanny, almost geo‐
metrical. In the distance, strange trees, some
with multiple trunks, mushroom-blossom from
crimson soil. They bear no fruit, and their leaves
crumble to dust and then to nothing when
plucked from their spongey branches.
Here, as in Tarnak, there is a crowning aurora. It
is as bright as its Tarnaki sister though the col‐
ors are wrong. Bands of orange, fire-red, and
black shimmer in the heavens only to fade as
suddenly as they came.
Three buildings stand tall in the outpost’s heart.
Two are straight towers spike-guarded and de‐
fended by wooden walls, built layered in the
Pua’s tribal style, connected by bridges for
quick speeding between floors. Crowning them
are banners, gold-woven so as to catch the sun‐
less light. Scavengers hailing from distant expe‐
ditions have come to call these the Torn Sun for
their color, and for how glad they are to see
them.
THE TWIN TOWERS OF THE TORN SUN
Valuable beyond measure, the Twin Towers of
the Torn Sun. One is the barracks where cots,
rooms, and hammocks, along with a commu‐
nal kitchen on the bottom level make some‐
thing resembling a home. It is here that one of
the Dal Ashta stewards will meet you. They will
ask your name, the name of your patron too, to
see your Torn Sigil. They will ask you what you
are looking for, why you are here, and what you
really hope to find. They will ask you your age,
where you were born, what skills you have. The
stewards ask these thorough questions relent‐
lessly, pressing hard, looking for hidden riddles,
secrets, anything that could put their fragile
home in danger.
Should a scavenger pass this interrogation, they
are given living quarters and a schedule. Time is
kept through hourglasses, found everywhere
inside the buildings proper. Every four turns is
another meal.
The second building is denied access to new‐
comers. It is here that the scavenger rings store
smoked Akaran meat, freshwater too, linens,
Muraneese-cut stone, all in abundance. It is also
where shardstones and artifacts are held before
their Tarnak-destined transportation. Artificers
and bloodcutters richly paid and of storied
backgrounds examine everything brought
back to Dal Ashta. Under the command of
Councillor Sarrok, all findings are kept in Torn
until obvious dangers can be parsed. Only then
are they allowed back into Akara proper.
This second tower is guarded at all times by a
contingent of morg howlers led by the mute
Theen, Who Killed the Sanguine Rage. Theen
communicates in sign language, but only to
those he recognizes as members of Dal Ashta’s
“government.” All others he denies, and Theen
is quick to violence should anyone try forcing
their way into this tower.
The upper echelons are enterable, for these are
the officers of the stewards, guardsmen, and
prefects running Dal Ashta. Here, Dal Ashta’s
Steward-General, Kwadwo, holds office. They
are a measured individual who is wont to speak
directly in a voice monotone and even. They
themselves were once an invoker of some
renown, now retired to ensure Dal Ashta’s con‐
tinued order. If somehow gotten drunk, they
will admit that they never wish to return to
Akara; it is a world dying, they say, but here is a
world forever blooming.
VENTUREHALL
Venturehall is the aptly named third building,
some short distance away from the Twin Tow‐
ers of the Torn Sun. It is here that maps of Torn
are kept, as well as tablets inscribed with the
basic details of various discoveries, charcoal
paintings of strange things encountered, and
an armory containing supplies for traveling and
war-making.
Always there are scavengers here, recording or
learning what they can. Most are too busy to
talk, but some are willing to trade rumor for
tale, or tale for secret, or secret for blood-
bought information.
Yao Bandi, the Expedition Director, spends the
majority of her time here. She is warp-scarred.
Her skin is jade-scaled across her back, the
nape of her neck, the backs of her hands. Her
irises are sharp as a rock howler’s own. Yao is a
woman who will test newly arrived scavengers.
Knowing that they are likely being paid by
some patron, she will add to their journey some
other small request. Fulfill it and earn a favor
from her - and a favor from her can go far in‐
deed.
Yao Bandi is secretly in the employ of Bael Kho‐
rax, and is thus a Kanuman spy. She is setting
up the seeds for her patron’s eventual takeover
of Dal Ashta.
97
THREATS & DANGERS TORN APART
Expect these dangers to strike while in Dal
Ashta:
◇ When the sky wanes from blue to green to
black there comes through the amber hills
terrible things. Carrion they are called and
look upon them with great horror. In droves
of six or eight they attack. Read more on
these abominations in the Scavenger’s Bes‐
tiary (page 198). This encounter has a 3-in-6
chance of happening when night falls.
◇ Stare too long at the sky and know unease.
It possesses the mind. Scavengers who look
for seven days time at the empty vault
above must make a DC 13 Wisdom saving
throw. Unless they succeed on this saving
throw, the scavenger will develop a flaw: de‐
tachment for all Akaran things, less care for
their brothers, their sisters, and the missions
they are on. Once succeeded, make it not
again for a year and a day’s time.
OTHER OUTPOSTS
Three other outposts have been built, a fourth is
being constructed. They are:
Kumashek, found one week to the northwest.
Kumashek is Dust Tarnaki for Fire Nest as this
outpost borders the Tainted Valley and a lava-
drowned river. This place is a waystation for
those going north or west.
Idahkan, built another week northwest of Ku‐
mashek.Idahkan is Dust Tarnaki for Strange Val‐
ley for here both the Tainted and Merqual Thar
Valleys can be reached.
Sun Uruk, two weeks northeast from Dal Ashta,
is Deep Tarnaki for Ancient Citadel. Two days
southeast is a megalithic ruin bordering the
Blightwood; four days northwest are the Core
City Ruins.
Ka’Rum, two and a half weeks straight north
from Idahkan, has yet to be finished. Slowly is
this outpost, whose Ribbish name means Black
Pond, being completed. From here will launch
expeditions into the Samua Marshes and the
Sea of Myst.
“The outposts aren't like the city's they shadow. One day, they might be
just as grand, but before then they'll have to weather the storm that
even those ruins could not.
~ Aib, the Prophet, on the outposts' future
98
THE ZENITH PEOPLE
Those past sovereigns of Torn are remembered
as the Zenith People. It is their extinction that
scavengers scavenge throughout scattered,
megalithic ruins. Of their culture little is known.
Evidence of what they were has been left be‐
hind to fuel the speculative minds of those that
happen upon their crumbling memories.
The Zenith People were tall. For this they earn
their name. They stood between eight to ten
blades high explaining why the stairs, doors,
and buildings they made were massive beyond
reason. Too were the Zenith People masters of
shardscience. Throughout their desolated cities
are found feats of shardcraft that boggles the
imagination. Seemingly all artifacts were made
by these people, and many of Torn’s other artifi‐
cial wonders besides.
Borun was the Zenith People’s choice building
material - that metallic stone black and near-
unbreakable. All megalithic ruins are con‐
structed from it as were many of the wonders
found therein. Without high heat and shard‐
science, Akarans would not be able to recast
borun. How architecture made by this material
was brought to ruin - seen by the shattered
buildings, the slashed walls - is a puzzle yet to
be solved.
On occasion, a peculiar discovery will be made:
a Zenith mask and dress. They stand like the
ghosts of some gateguarding legend in dark
rooms where no tornlight does reach. Touch
these lifeless haunts and dust spills out from
beneath the robes, from out the mask, and
those miraculously intact materials clatter to
the ground whole. These Zenith relics are
prized above any non-mystical Torn-treasure.
One thing is left almost entirely intact: the An‐
cient Tongue of the Zenith People. This written
language is a cipher as difficult to break as
borun. Find it throughout the ruins; find it out‐
side of them in places unexpected. Sometimes
a scavenger particularly skilled in languages
will be able to translate a portion here or a por‐
tion there. With Akara speeding towards its
end, linguists have grown desperate in their ef‐
forts.
99
100
THE CORE CITY RUIN
North of Dal Ashta there girdles that distant MEGALITHIC RUINS BEYOND THE CORE
horizon a sky wound-dyed under which sits the Beyond the Core City Ruin, which stands as the
finest monument to Torn’s previous rulers. It is largest and most intact ruin, the Zenith People
a month's travel, slow, taking the scavengers left behind five derelict cities. They are:
past Sun Uruk outpost, just south of the Spiral
Mountains. A haze of hate-red smoke curtains
this zone, fireless, a twisting carmine, bleeding Blightwood City is placed two days southeast
over far-fractured mountains. Enter. The feet of
such daring scavengers will sink slightly into from the Sun Uruk outpost and borders Blight‐
sand made of both borun and obliterated wood Forest. Much of that petrified forest
shardstone. So finely have these shards been grows through this ruin, and here the danger‐
destroyed that they are all but useless; they run ous innasht congregate in high numbers.
through the fingers hot with false life, inter‐
mixed with obsidian dust - a coarse and price‐ The Shardpeak Towers have only been
less sand. glimpsed by scavengers with telescopes from
Another day’s walk and there looms the Core. It the Tainted Valley. Due to the dangers of the
sits upon a peak of stairs mighty and long and valley, the towers have never been reached.
buried by boulders of origin unknown and From a distance, the borun that makes them is
shape unnatural. Where the mountain ends studded with shardstones, hence the ruin’s
and the Core begins is uncertain. Lining these name.
broken steps are disfigured statues, statues un‐
like any ever seen in Akara, of a make utterly Merqual’s Tomb is reachable only through a
harrowing, icons and obelisks, their faces difficult path taken south through the Merqual
melted as if blasted by absolute heat. En‐ Thar Valley. Scavengers returning from here
throned above them is the Core. have brought with them more Zenith relics
than from any other ruin.
The Core City Ruin is the pulsing, dead heart of
the Zenith civilization that spanned this blis‐ Samua’s City, named for the famed scavenger
tered world in epochs forgotten. It is shaped as who discovered the Samua Marshes, is en‐
a massive dome obscured by sanguine smoke‐ shrouded in colorful fog and mist. The strange
stacks and sable storm clouds. No lightning ekolo from the Samua Marshes are here in high
dares flash but the smell of ozone is thick as numbers, falling from the sky like fire-lit snow.
blood on the field. A wall skirts the dome, and
where stair meets wall there looms a gate for‐ Mute City is found at the very start of the Silent
ever closed. Understand this thing’s immensity; Valley and where the Windlands end. Unlike
how it towers into the burning clouds above, other ruins, Mute City is built upside down and
how its sides disappear into great rising col‐ into a gargantuan, three dalham-long cliffside.
umns of fulminating desert. It is known to be dangerous; scren are here, and
Whatever adorns this gate has long since been as the Mute City has no sounds inside of it, scav‐
scrubbed clean by the unnamed disaster that engers are always under threat.
befell the Zenith People. A single crack, seven
hands wide, stretching from the wall’s tip to the
ground below, serves as entrance. There is no
other. From within this singular gash no sound
escapes nor light nor heat. It is cold, tomb-dark;
as scavengers approach this yawning void does
invite them in deeper. There, just inside this in‐
terior court, are four walls, gateless, through
which passage has yet to be found.
Take heed: no scavengers who enter the Core
return the same. They are always changed, and
almost always for the worse. Few are warp-
scarred while others are left with broken minds,
minds unfit for discovery, minds unfit for the
hope the Core ought to give.

101
102
103
PANNOR PLAINS
Where Sovereigns Lay Buried
Intended for 5th-7th levels
Sloping northwards away from Dal Ashta’s or‐
ange hills are plains of shardred grasses vast in
their magnificence. They stretch outwards left
and right near two hundred dalhams and for‐
ward do they unfold across Torn until the
foothills of the Core City Ruin are found. Here
the sky keeps its sapphire color; at night there
comes the pine green, the deep black, and then
an elegant fuschia to lighten the land. Found,
these plains, by one of the first scavengers, that
Oathspear Pannor who swore that one day
these sanguine fields would be where Akarans
settled this strange world. Pannor may yet be
right.
The plains, though, are no kin to any of Akara’s
sun-slain savannas. Though the ground is fer‐
tile beyond belief, it reeks of skarag spirits - the
ammonia derived from skarag feet and drop‐
pings. It rises in colorless, sightless waves at
night, crystallized like dew on the grass to
make smelling salts that fade by morning. For
this reason, life is inverted on the Pannor
Plains; day is when a scavenger ring should
rest and night is when they should travel.
Though this inverse circadian rhythm domi‐
nates life here, it is believed to be a small price
to pay for the agricultural potential these
plains hold.
It is said that ten thousand sovereigns lay
buried out here. This is known because their
mounds rise mighty from the crimson earth.
Dome’d, these burrows, each the size of a small
Akaran town. Fashioned from the nitrate earth
itself too, thus fragile, invadable. Scavenger
rings find frequent work in this arcane graver‐
obbing. Within the hollowed shells of yon’ bur‐
rows there stretches deep tunnels of borun
leading to inner sanctums lightless and undis‐
turbed. Never are bones found here. Zenith
relics substitute corpses, and strange artifacts
buried with those relics, and shardstones, and
other such wonders.
Know that there is a curious bewitchment
placed upon the Pannor Plains. A scavenger
can walk a hundred blades out and disappear
in thin air never to be seen again; or they can
walk that distance and reappear in some dis‐
tant part of the plains never before explored.
The weirdness of this space makes traveling
the plains a trial no different than that of a
maze, only one whose walls are unseen and
who's dead ends lead to vistas defined by their
perilous mysteries.
104
EXPEDITIONS TO THE PANNOR PLAINS
There have been countless expeditions into the
forever unfolding reaches of the Pannor Plains.
The first, led by the Jade Ring, discovered the
many unexpected dangers awaiting those who
ignorantly brave this place. Pannor himself
claimed that this was a boobytrapped savanna,
and that the traps themselves were placed to
protect whatever ancient peoples buried their
dead here. In the expeditions that have fol‐
lowed have these traps been named and
marked and ways to avoid them painstakingly
developed.
It was another scavenger ring, the Buried
Hands, who first emptied a sovereign-burrow.
Inside, they fought back sentinels guarding
treasure halls, scren-infested tombs empty save
for dust, found caches of shardstones hidden
deep below. The Buried Hands also discovered
scripts of the Ancient Tongue, thus tying these
sovereign-burrows back to the Zenith People.
Later on, the Buried Hands died when a burrow
collapsed - something many believe to be the
result of another trap laid for graverobbers.
Scavenger Codes - red-flags, etched symbols on
stone, and so on - have been left marking where
space distorts across the plains. A red-flag indi‐
cates that no scavenger has ever been found af‐
ter crossing this point. A skarag symbol indi‐
cates a safe pathway to a set of unminded bur‐
rows. Other codes show the traps, mined bur‐
rows, or connect two utterly unrelated points of
space. Whatever sadistic shardscience these
traps are fashioned from has yet to be under‐
stood.
It is suggested that scavenger rings going on
an expedition into the Pannor Plains make the
following preparations:
◇ Ensure that they need fire for no reason, as
fire can ignite the soil and the gasses re‐
leased, causing a large, prominent, lethal
explosion.
◇ Various materials for making Scavenger
Codes, and some large amount of tossable
projectiles, like stones or bone, to test areas
for traps.
◇ Telescopes for spotting distant Scavenger
Codes and other threats that may otherwise
attack unawares.
Patrons are eager to send scavengers who
prove themselves to the Pannor Plains. Sover‐
eign-burrows, when fully mined, are equal to
the treasuries of city-states. However, rival scav‐
enger rings are quick to trail and attack their
would-be peers too, and patrons encourage
this violence as here is where fortunes are
made or lost.
BIZARRE RUMORS & STRANGE TALES
The Radiant Nacnach offers in exchange for a
bag of jade his tales of a particular sovereign-
burrow. This burrow, he says, is filled with shard‐
light but no shardstones, and the deeper a
scavenger delves the more intense this source‐
less luminosity. At the bottom was a great
shardstone gate that Nacnach said led to a city
that sprawls underneath the Pannor Plains.
Nacnach will lead the scavengers to this burrow
for another bag of jade.
There is a song that travels over the Pannor
Plains. It sounds not like any instrument, but in‐
stead like a sudden drop in pitch, as if some‐
thing was suddenly falling. Then it rises back
up, drops down again, always in different wave‐
lengths and patterns, a strange, almost artificial
song yet to be replicated by any Akaran. Drifter
Aasii believes that he is close to discovering the
source, which he says could be the very space
around the plains themselves.
Of the traps is a theory put forth: that they are
powered by the red grass of the plains them‐
selves. Invoker Gomwon, a Bataash colorbinder,
has studied the crimson blades and come to
the conclusion that some measure of shard‐
stone has coated them. Gomwon now seeks in‐
vokers of talent to bring him back samples of
the grass for experimentation. Gomwon is also
backed by one of Bataar’s Powder Houses,
specifically the House Unpainted.
An old tale tells of Pannor’s Sovereign Treasure.
As the story goes, in his last days of life, Pannor
found a burrow untouched and there buried
himself with all of his greatest findings. Scav‐
enger rings are often hired to find this burrow,
though only one woman can claim that she
has: the Mystic Vasani Veselli.
“It wasn’t a storm, that I can tell you. It was a sphere as big as Tarnak
floating up there. Rain came down and went away like that and
everyone started talking funny in a high-pitch voice. Then the sphere
was gone, and the storm gone with it..”
Common reports state that storm clouds ap‐
pear high above the Pannor Plains who obey no
pattern in their appearances. These clouds swirl
around a mountain-sized borun sphere that
only those in its penumbra can see. From the
clouds there rains a strange, colorless, odorless
liquid that evaporates the moment it contacts
anything. What these spheres could be and
what rains from these clouds is as of now still a
mystery.
Warlord Ma’zala, a dangerous and sun-cruel
kith, believes that there are vast aquifers under‐
neath the Pannor Plains. This belief stems from
the fact that never has true rain been reported
and yet still the blood red grass grows. Ma’zala,
eager to prove their theory, has started assem‐
bling other kith, as well as those trained in find‐
ing water where there is little, to lead an expedi‐
tion into the plainsheart. As the theory goes,
there should be sovereign-burrows somewhere
that can access this water.
Wuqueria is a Howler who says that she has
ventured into those places from where no scav‐
enger has returned. There are no records of Wu‐
queria, however, or of her scavenger ring. As she
tells it, there were great waterfalls of green wa‐
ter tumbling over red-grassed cliffsides, and
many of the burrows now explored had been
opened. What this riddle means no one can say.
It is the Zenith People who most bonekeepers
and world speakers say created the sovereign-
burrows. The morg Yub, He Who Split the
Avalanche, believes otherwise. Though Zenith
relics can be found throughout the burrows,
the “E” language is just as common as are
other scripts similar to that of Dust and Deep
Tarnaki. Yub will tell those who seem open-
minded about his theory on how those scav‐
enger rings that disappear are either displaced
in time or sent to an alternate Pannor Plains,
and that they have left messages for scav‐
engers to decipher.
~ From Far Sayer Yahdib’s account
105
THREATS & DANGERS TORN APART
The dangers below are the scavenger-stories
who have returned from countless expeditions
across the years.
The DC for all saving throws in the Pannor
Plains is 15.
Pannor’s Sunspears were the first of Pannor’s
traps to be named. They are often marked by a
spear embedded blade-up into the ground.
Should the space around the spear be entered
- a set of four connected 5x5 cubes - the scav‐
enger(s) inside must make a Strength saving
throw or be picked off their feet and restrained.
Over the next minute will they be lifted one-
hundred feet per round above the ground. At
the height of this ascent, they will burst into
flames, suffering 22 (4d10) fire damage at the
end of every round until death. Disabling the
trap requires destroying the ground under‐
neath the victim before they combust.
The Pannor Crush is another trap frequently
found on the plains. It is marked with bronze
rods. When the space around the rod is entered
- a single 5x5 square - the scavenger must suc‐
ceed on a Strength saving throw or be forcibly
smashed into the ground, suffering the re‐
strained condition as well as 55 (10d10) force
damage every round for 1 minute. The scav‐
enger can make this saving throw again at the
end of every turn to end the restrained condi‐
tion and to take only half the listed damage. A
scavenger who dies inside of the Pannor Crush
is smashed perfectly flat and all of their non-
magical equipment is destroyed. Disabling the
trap requires destroying the ground under‐
neath the victim before they flatten.
Pannor’s Gallows are fearsome traps found
both across the plains and in the burrows
themselves. Pannor’s Gallows are always
marked with a skull-etched stone. The 30 feet
surrounding the zone, once entered, consti‐
tutes the trap. Upon entering it, a scavenger
must make a Constitution saving throw. Unless
they succeed on this saving throw, the scav‐
enger will begin to immediately suffocate while
also suffering 55 (10d10) force damage as they
are picked up off their feet and hung by their
neck. A scavenger is restrained when they fail
this saving throw, and if forcibly brought down
to their feet while within the trap’s range, the
scavenger’s hit points will instantly drop to 0 as
their neck breaks. Disabling the trap requires
destroying the ground underneath the victim
before they are hung.
Buried Radiance is found inside of the sover‐
eign-burrows themselves. Whenever a locked
door is broken open, there is a 2-in-6 chance
106
that shardlight will momentarily flash from the
lock. Any scavenger within 10 feet of the door
must make a Constitution saving throw. Unless
the scavengers succeed on the saving throw,
they must roll for a warp-scar (page 137) and be
blinded for 1 hour. When blinded in this way, the
scavengers suffer visions of themselves rotting
in a borun tomb, and thus suffer 11 (2d10) psy‐
chic damage every 10 minutes or until the con‐
dition is somehow removed, such as through
lesser restoration or comparable magic.
Ammonia fills the sovereign-burrows and also
rises up from the ground at night. Any open
flame exposed to these conditions creates a
monstrous fireball with a 120 foot radius. Scav‐
engers caught inside of this fireball must suc‐
ceed on a Dexterity saving throw or else suffer
28 (8d6) fire damage and be knocked prone by
it. Any flammable equipment worn by some‐
one caught within the radius of the fireball
catches fire.
Carrion, scren, and sentinels all haunt the Pan‐
nor Plains. They can be found wandering the
hills themselves or inside the sovereign-bur‐
rows, put there by their creators or having
somehow stumbled in through the undertorn.
For every day spent traveling the Pannor Plains,
there is a 3-in-6 chance of one of these mon‐
sters encountering the party, with 1 being car‐
rion, 2 being scren, and 3 being sentinels.
Rival scavenger rings hunt down their rivals.
Any enemy scavenger rings the scavengers
have will surely be found on the Pannor Plains.
For every day spent traveling, there is a 1-in-6
chance of encountering a hostile scavenger
ring. On the tenth day of travel, the chance in‐
creases to a probability of 5-in-6. A scavenger
ring will often not fight to the death, and will
flee if defeated in the field. When they attack, it
is usually through ambush, and there is a 4-in-6
chance for either Sunspears or the Pannor’s
Crush to be nearby. Once a rival scavenger ring
is encountered, the chance of encountering
them again resets to 1-in-6.
Nowheres - that is the term given to those red-
flagged places where scavengers enter and
never return. When a Nowhere is entered, there
is a 3-in-6 chance that the scavenger will be
transported to an alternate version of the Pan‐
nor Plains never before explored. If a 4-6 is
rolled, the scavenger disappears for good, never
to return, and is thus considered dead. If an en‐
tire scavenger ring enters a Nowhere, then all
scavengers are instead transported to the alter‐
nate version of the plains, and must find a dif‐
ferent Nowhere to return to their version of
Torn.
TREASURES & SECRETS LONG LOST
The Pannor Plains may seem well explored but
less than an eighth of it has been properly scav‐
enged. There is much waiting to be found in the
sovereign-burrows, and other secrets can exist
on the plains that otherwise have never been
imagined. Thus the below information does not
cover all that the Pannor Plains have to be
found.
NATURAL RESOURCES
Pannor’s Grass (gives XP as a rare resource
from Torn) is often gathered by the kilo. For ev‐
ery ten kilos gathered and brought back, it is
treated as receiving this treasure once. Pannor’s
Grass is in high demand by Bataash who use it
to create potions and poisons that deal with in‐
visibility, gravity, and fertility. The grass itself can
also be consumed, with a pound of it providing
enough nutrition for a scavenger to be full for
the rest of the day. After eating Pannor’s Grass
for 10 days, a scavenger must make a Constitu‐
tion saving throw or gain two levels of exhaus‐
tion. They must make this saving throw again
every time they eat Pannor’s Grass. If the scav‐
enger goes 10 days without eating the grass,
this effect ends until they spend another 10
days eating it.
Sovereign-Burrow Maps (gives XP as an undis‐
covered location in Torn) are what most pa‐
trons seek to have made by scavengers. Expedi‐
tions can easily be lost, though, and their maps
are all that is left behind. Valuable as shard‐
stone caches, these maps, for they lead to un‐
mined burrows and mark the plain’s safe paths.
HEADS
Scavenger Headhunts (gives XP as an assassi‐
nation for your patron) are common on Pannor
Plains. The petty feuds of Akaran patrons must
be paid in blood, and in blood shall it be. It is
common for a scavenger ring to be told of a few
others that the patron wants eliminated for one
reason or another.
PRECIOUS TREASURES
Zenith Relics (gives XP as a cache of treasure
worth 10,000gp or less) are the masks and
robes of the Zenith People found in borun
rooms sequestered throughout the sovereign-
burrows. In addition to these relics, found too
are golden sceptres, braille-made murals de‐
picting bewildering landscapes, curved archi‐
tecture too big to be of any use, and statuettes,
icons, and idols sculpted from borun too. What
holds these treasures are peculiar burial urns
used by the Zenith People. These urns have
weird shapes, sometimes mirroring Zeniths,
alien creatures, or non-euclidean geometries.
These treasure caches are 2d20 times within
each sovereign-burrow, though are often
guarded by sentinels or infested with bone‐
spikes or scren.
SHARDCRAFTS
Torn Disks (uncommon, wondrous item) are
flat, disk-shaped bowls one blade in diameter.
At the center of each torn disk is a small shard
cut into a shape unique to the disk. The disks
float one inch above anything put beneath
them. When an object is put into a disk, the
shardstone glimmers, irradiating the object put
onto it. The function of this disk is virtually un‐
known, though whatever is irradiated now
sheds bright shardlight up to 15 feet and is con‐
sidered magical if it was not before. Scavengers
keep Torn Disks on their persons for when they
confront creatures whom normal Akaran
weapons cannot easily kill.
Crown Shards (very rare, shard [bloodcut], re‐
quires attunement) are specially cut shard‐
stones found inside of borun crowns too big for
any Akaran head. These crown shards, giving
the burrows their names as sovereign-burrows,
can be removed and, upon attunement, magi‐
cally adhere themselves to the scavenger’s
brow. Crown shards have 4 charges. A charge
can be spent to cast the command (at 5th-
level), dominate person, or wall of force spells.
When the last charge is used, the crown shard
goes inert and falls to the ground, becoming a
raw shardstone.
Pannor’s Jade Katar (legendary, weapon
[katar], shard [artifice], requires attunement) is
what many tales say is a piece of Pannor’s sov‐
ereign treasure. The jade katar offers a +3
bonus to attack and damage rolls. It was said
that Pannor mastered the traps of the plains
before his death, and in his burial learned their
secrets. This manifests through the jade katar.
The katar has 3 charges. A charge may be used
to replicate the effects of either Pannor’s Sun‐
spears or the Pannor Crush on a creature that
takes a critical hit from the jade katar. Three
charges may instead be used to replicate the
effects of Pannor’s gallows. Expended charges
are regained at the dawn of the next day.
107
 A TORN TALE

An account by Far Sayer Ishanya,

Who Walks All Worlds

“ Never told this story before. Thought that I never

would, so long as the moon was Akara-side. It's true as
Torn, though; that I’ve been into a Nowhere and made it
back.
At the time I was with a ring called the Desert Flower.
They were a bunch of drifters who cataloged plants by
drawing with coal in papyrus books. Whole thing was
silly. Paper under an Akaran sun only lasts a few life-
times and there won’t be an Akara for much longer any-
way. But, sun or no sun, it was an excuse to come back
to the plains. See what my old sovereign friends were
up to.
Going Nowhere wasn’t a choice. Like a moon-blind
stargazer, I walked right past one of the red flags with-
out noticing. A Flower yelled at me to turn around but
by time I did he was gone. I was too.
When I think back on it, there wasn’t much of a differ-
ence between going into the Nowhere and walking
through the Monolith. There was a split second of deja
vu. I felt something shift, but didn’t see what it was or
what it could’ve been. The Desert Flowers were gone,
though, as were the markers we’d used. In fact, far as
the eye could see, it looked like all of Torn had been
scavenger free.
Ever think about what it’s like to be nowhere at all?
Freeing. Felt like all the eight winds pent up inside me
were let go easy. Didn’t know which way was south so
I went the way I thought it might be. Felt like a woman
reborn, with all the nothing to stop me from treading
the world I wanted to tread. Pannor probably felt the
same way too when he first walked this road.
In Nowhere, its plains and plains and plains for star-
known dal. There’s no rings out to muck anything. No
‘codes to tell you grave from haven. Almost lost my leg
to one of Pannor’s blood-greedy sunspears because of
it. Started using my granum’s finger bones as a trigger
to see where the traps were. Lived that way for ten
days before my water got too low. Cracked open a bur-
row and invited myself in. Better chances underground
than above.
Slid in and didn’t disturb a thing. Without those shard-
stone goggles used these days I had to make my road
blind. Still didn’t see a sentinel or scren, no evidence of
any bonespikes. Got me thinking. Maybe Nowhere
doesn’t have the same problems we got over here.
Didn’t look much for treasure. Didn’t find any water ei-
ther. What I did find was a door cut out of shardstone

108
at the tomb-bottom and I went knock knock knock.
Voices answered from the other side. Tarnaki voices.
My mind went into a fever dream and I about killed the
Flowers when they finally came through. Yup, Flowers.
Waiting for me like they always knew I’d be there. Said
that they found my granum’s finger bones in a bag by a
burrow and came looking to see if I’d been shunted
here.

I was still wearing those finger bones when they told

me that.

Sometimes I get to thinking again. Were these my Flow-

ers? Was this the same set of plans I’d walked for years?
Which set of finger bones were real? But questions are
for mystics and morgs to answer. I’d be a World-Treader
in my Torn or yours, and there’s not a thing about any
of this worth losing sleep over.
”

“Pannor came and Pannor walked.

Pannor dug and Pannor crawled. Pannor
threw his mother’s heirlooms right into
the crush. Pannor threw his daddy’s heart
right up on a spear. Pannor put his neck
right in the gallows. Pannor buried
himself right under here.”
~ Fragment of a verse shared on
the story’s of Pannor and the Jade Ring

109
110
111
THE BLIGHTWOODS Akaran can understand. The innasht takes on
vague human forms and flows underneath
Where Blooms Treasure roots or up in the canopy like wood-carven ser‐
Intended for 7th-9th levels pents. A scavenger ring that enters the Blight‐
woods will be stalked by these strange ele‐
Travel first to Sun Uruk, the outpost of ancient
citadels. From there head south and east into a mentals and woe be to they who take from
forest of blighted stone. Petrified, this wood, so them their fossilized treasures.
that no bark goes unhardened, no tree unfos‐
silized. The Blightwoods blanket rolling hills
and fissure-wounds with the fossils of trees pet‐ EXPEDITIONS TO THE BLIGHTWOODS
rified into a kaleidoscope of gemstones. When the Jade Ring first discovered the Blight‐
woods, they proclaimed this place as the finest
These ancient watchers whose hands reach to‐
treasure hoard ever discovered. Soon after did
wards the grey sky like the bejeweled fingers
those first scavengers learn of their mistake. As
of royal skeletons are obsidian-black and man‐
they were cutting apart the petrified trees,
ganese-pink and cobalt and copper-green.
making discoveries such as how the tree rings
Strange metals have oxidized swathes of
were still intact, they were beset upon by the in‐
thicket, leaving them orange and red and
nasht. Every expedition since has faced this
brown and yellow. Ash has made branches and
same peril.
miasma-soaked mangroves the still grey of the
grave, a pyre’s corpse-white. Covered, these Hunting the innasht fell to a successor ring: the
trees, in cancerous lichenshard. Old Carvers. Though skilled as they were, the
Old Carvers were bested by the innasht over
Whatever pyroclasm entombed the Blight‐
time, bested too by the turbulent flow of disas‐
woods haunts them still. Erupting from the
ter that seethes just beneath the Blightwood’s
soot-fouled soil are geysers of hyperhot ash.
soil. Their sacrifices are what led future scav‐
Thunderous, those trumpets that tell the tale
enger rings to develop a method to scavenge
of this forest’s old song. Inconsistent too. At
the Blightwoods without fear of innasht or sud‐
times the pyroclastic flows make entire Blight‐
den eruption.
wood regions into merciless deathtraps. As
weeks drag by those flows move like rivers un‐ In the half-hundred years since the Jade Ring
derground somewhere else, earthquakes trav‐ first set foot in Torn, those that have followed
eling with them, earthquakes making a rum‐ them have outlined the Blightwoods into six
bling bass underscoring the trumpet-flows. different regions. The pyroclastic flows that ap‐
pear in those regions, sometimes making them
Sometimes in the swirling ash there are envi‐
untraversable, are tracked by the earthquakes
sioned animals that haunt the woods. They are
they spawn. The regions, named for how the
the silhouettes of silhouettes; beasts of un‐
trees there look, are listed below in order of how
known make who disappear when stared at for
the pyroclasm migrates. When it leaves one, it
too long. Hunt them and find there where
goes to the next below it on the list, sometimes
once they grazed naught of tracks or drop‐
within a few days' time but sometimes taking
pings or anything at all. Phantasms they are,
near half a decade to move.
maybe fossils different in make.
Underneath ruby and sapphire boughs are the
gem-filled dens of those same creatures. In
Blightwood Regions
that precious amber there sleeps frozen
corpses. Furred things and feathered things
and horn’d things that are painstakingly exca‐ ◇ The Region of Pink & Orange Fire.
vated are brought back in their crystal burials
to Akara. Most of these Torn animals are small. ◇ The Region of Grey & White Quartz.
Discover insects of violent make. Famed are
those large, wild beasts, unearthed usually in ◇ The Region of Bronze Towers.
broken pieces of opalesque amber whose
fanged smiles are reminiscent of the behe‐ ◇ The Region of Cobalt & Copper.
moth in the Samua Marshes.
To trespass the Blightwoods is to make a pow‐ ◇ The Coal Region.
erful enemy. Flowing from the lichen and the
petrified wood is a species of creature no ◇ Blightwood City.

112
As a default, Blightwood City is usually com‐
pletely submerged by pyroclastic flow.
Scavengers are advised to take the following
precautions when preparing for an expedition
into the Blightwoods:
◇ A 1 dalham area must be found clear of in‐
nasht before any mining or harvesting can
be done.
◇ Care must be given to the constant rum‐
bling of Torn. If the rumbling is louder than
speech, the scavengers will have between 1-
6 hours to evacuate the region.
◇ When making camp, ensure that the camp
is somewhat underground, away from
where innasht can discover it.
Patrons are wont to send scavenger rings to the
Blightwoods after they’ve proven themselves
on the Pannor Plains. Having shown them‐
selves capable of surviving those arcane traps
and finding great treasures, they will be sent to
bring back fossils, petrified woods, or into
Blightwood City itself.
BIZARRE RUMORS & STRANGE TALES
Invoker Agul, the Opal Cutter, has made his ca‐
reer inside the Blightwoods. When visited in
Sun Uruk, he will tell any scavengers who prom‐
ise to bring him back a piece of wood opal his
story. It is a short tale, but one that speaks of the
roots of the petrified trees, and how those roots,
if you dig deep enough, are still alive. It is from
here, Agul posits, that the innasht live when not
stalking scavenger rings.
Bloodsinger Mazveldalvi disagrees with his
partner, Agul. Mazveldalvi will speak of Blight‐
wood City. He says that the impossible amount
of innasht there - which he estimates to be in
the tens of thousands - means that somewhere
among the roots root of the city is a bulb from
which they spawn. Mazveldalvi is currently
gathering evidence of this, and will use it to lead
an expedition into the ruin’s depths.
Those who have visited Blightwood City al‐
ways mention the same detail. The bowels of
those innasht-haunted ruins are filled with py‐
roclastic flow, even when the region is not in
danger. They also mention that shardlight radi‐
ates from deep within the many fissures that
crack the city. A theory has arisen from this:
somewhere below the ruins there lies a node of
shardstones the size of a city-state. Many scav‐
enger rings have met ill fates searching for such
impossible treasure.
All reports indicate that never have any two
similar creatures been found in the preserved
gem-amber scattered throughout the Blight‐
woods. The fact that every creature is distinct
has created rumors of this place once being
some kind of zoo for the Zenith People. Others
believe that mayhaps Torn was the home to a
rich ecosystem of wondrous beasts. Both ideas
have believers, all of whom interpret the high
amount of bonespike glades here as being evi‐
dence to their claims.
Many a scavenger in Sun Uruk will speak of the
Blightwood Phantasms composed of swirling
dust who manifest above their own fossilized
remains. Once, a kith called Vi’vili said that such
a beast appeared before their very eyes. The
beast, as the story goes, turned to them and
said words in a tongue the kith did not under‐
stand. Then it was gone, a tiny shardstone left in
the dust of its wake.
Bloodcutter Elaheyeh believes that the lichen‐
shard growing on the petrified trees is the rea‐
son for these phantoms. She will share her hy‐
pothesis with scavengers who promise to help
her find evidence to prove her claims. As her hy‐
pothesis goes, the lichenshard makes “real” the
ideas held by scavengers that a forest should be
full of beasts. They then use the fossilized beasts
nearby to create the phantasms. Rival blood‐
cutter, Shahnahzah, believes this to be non‐
sense, and that the dust is a creature of its own.
Emissary Evrio Ezrio has attempted to com‐
municate with the innasht through every possi‐
ble method. Each attempt has failed. Rumors
now abound that soon Evrio Ezrio will search
out accomplished invokers to perform a special
science with him: the science of being ab‐
sorbed by an innasht whilst retaining his iden‐
tity.
Warlord Yotowab, it is said, has designs for the
Blightwood to be a home for his tribal mob, the
Pua. To do so he must cleanse the land of both
the innasht and the bonespike glades that fill it.
While no one has stopped him from doing the
latter, Yotowab, it is rumored, has said that any
scavenger ring that gets in the way of his com‐
ing innasht genocide will join them in death.
113
THREATS & DANGERS TORN APART
The dangers below are the scavenger-stories
who have returned from countless expeditions
across the years.
The DC for all saving throws in the Blightwoods
is 16.
Asphalt Lakes are large bodies of tar hidden
underneath the ash-soil throughout the Blight‐
woods. A scavenger can make a Wisdom check
to see if there is any evidence of an asphalt lake
within a mile of their current location. If this
check fails, there is a 2-in-6 chance that day that
the scavengers may stumble into an asphalt
lake. Upon doing so, the scavengers are re‐
strained by the tar and begin to sink one foot
per round. As the scavengers sink, they suffer 11
(2d10) fire damage from the hot tar every round
at the end of their turn. A scavenger must suc‐
ceed on two Strength saving throws in order to
escape the asphalt lake. When stumbled into,
the asphalt lake has a 1-in-6 chance of being a
secret Bonespike Glade.
Carrion Glade pocket the Blightwoods more
than any other region in Torn. These glades are
not home to active carrion. Instead, they are
large ponds of oil-slick fluid surrounded by ivory
trees made from the bones of dead drones.
What makes these glades so dangerous is how
the fluid can seep into nearby fossilized crea‐
tures, animating them and setting loose on the
Blightwoods a hyper-infectious predator.
Pyroclastic Geysers erupt from regions close to
the one that is currently inhospitable. When
scavengers are traveling through a region
above or below one that is currently covered in
pyroclastic flow, there is a 2-in-6 chance every
day that a geyser will erupt nearby. A scavenger
who succeeds on a Wisdom check will be able
to tell if one will erupt 1d4 hours before it does
so. A geyser erupts 30 feet away from the scav‐
engers and quickly spreads outwards in 60 feet
every turn for 1 minute on initiative count 10.
Scavengers who do not take shelter, magical or
otherwise, are exposed to the pyroclastic flow,
suffering 22 (4d10) fire damage at the start of
every turn they begin inside of the flow. The in‐
side of the flow is also treated as being inside
total darkness. A scavenger who dies inside of
the pyroclastic flow is fossilized.
114
Regional Eruptions are rare in the Blightwoods
but stand as the greatest threat a scavenger
faces. For every day spent in a region below the
one that is currently inhospitable, there is a 1-in-
6 chance that the land erupts in a pyroclastic
flow. For every 10 days spent in said region, the
chance increases by +1. When a regional erup‐
tion occurs, all scavengers in the region have
1d6 hours to escape it before they are caught in‐
side of a massive pyroclastic flow, which mirrors
the effects of a pyroclastic geyser. If scavengers
cannot escape in time, they can instead dig
down, entering into an undertorn network that
connects their region to the one below it, which
takes 1d4 hours to reach. While traveling inside
of this network, there is a 1-in-6 chance each
hour of a pyroclastic flow roiling through, which
lasts for 1 minute if it does.
Cancerous Lichenshard is as much a precious
resource as it is a horribly dangerous threat.
Lichenshard is the name given to the crimson
and violet lichens that grow over the fossilized
trees throughout the Blightwoods. Lichen‐
shards spread over any flesh or stone that they
touch at a rate of one inch per week. When
lichenshard touches a scavenger, they must
succeed on a Constitution saving throw, which
is made at disadvantage if they are attuned to
any magical items or can cast spells. A scav‐
enger who fails this saving throw develops tu‐
mors that grow underneath the lichen. These
tumors prevent the scavenger from regaining
hit points, force disadvantage onto the scav‐
enger’s death saving throws, and after two
weeks of going untreated, will kill the scav‐
enger. Cancerous lichenshard can be removed
either through shardcraft, amputating the
limb, or a potion made from the sunshade mud
of the Samua Marshes.
Lichen Armored Sentinels stalk Blightwood
City. These sentinels are the same as their con‐
temporaries, only they are covered from head
to toe in cancerous lichenshards. When a sen‐
tinel damages a scavenger, they must succeed
on a Constitution saving throw to avoid being
infected by the lichen itself. While in Blight‐
wood City, there is a 1-in-6 chance every day of
encountering one of these sentinels.
Resting at night is dangerous Scavengers who
do not spend at least one hour creating an un‐
derground shelter where no innasht can see
them will be beset upon by the innasht as they
rest. Innasht themselves have a 2-in-6 chance of
stalking the scavengers each day they explore
the Blightwoods. If the scavengers have a piece
of petrified wood on them, this chance in‐
creases to a 5-in-6. Roll this chance again every
time a scavenger breaks off a piece of petrified
wood.
Earthquakes are a constant threat throughout
the Blightwoods. When they begin, there is a 1-
in-6 chance of them being severe, increased to
a 3-in-6 chance if the region the scavengers is in
is above or below one that is inhospitable. The
earthquake uses the same rules as its entry on
page 86. However, if a fissure opens up under‐
neath the scavengers, they fall instead into a
cavern filled with buried petrified wood and
gemstone roots that has a 3-in-6 chance of con‐
taining 1.) 1d4 innasht, 2.) a sentinel, or 3.) 1d6
bonespikes.
TREASURES & SECRETS LONG LOST
With extreme disaster striking the Blightwoods
monthly, and sometimes daily, the things that
can be found here are seemingly always chang‐
ing. When an entire region is submerged, an‐
other is opened. Thus, the below information
does not cover all that may be scavenged inside
the Blightwoods.
NATURAL RESOURCES
Cobalt Fruit (gives fivefold the XP of a rare
Torn resource) is a legend amongst scavengers.
This fruit, blue and crystalline as its name im‐
plies, sometimes mysteriously flowers from a
petrified tree deep in the Blightwoods. Scav‐
engers have a 1-in-6 chance for every month
they spend exploring a specific region in the
Blightwoods to find cobalt fruit, resetting when
they leave that region. The fruit is a rare compo‐
nent in Bataash color powder, but more impor‐
tantly, when eaten - staining the scavenger’s
lips and teeth blue for 1d10 weeks in the process
- the fruit blesses the scavenger with a lifespan
three times longer than what is natural. Only
three scavengers have ever eaten this fruit, but
not a one of them has aged a single day since.
Many believe that the cobalt fruit, however, is a
myth, and that those scavengers have ex‐
tended their lives through some other means.
“I’m telling you, it's there. A single tree on an island in the middle of the
biggest Bonespike Glade I’ve ever done seen. A cobalt fruit, hanging
ripe for the plucking..”
~ Orphan Xazi after returning from a failed expedition
Fossilized Icons (gives XP as a trophy from a
CR 11+ creature) are those rare jeweled fossils
containing massive creatures inside of them.
Scavengers have a 1-in-6 chance for each week
spent exploring to discover a fossilized icon.
Moving it is difficult, as each icon weighs be‐
tween 70 to 100 stones each.
Innasht (gives fivefold the XP as a trophy from
a CR 6-10 creature) are in high demandby
Akaran menagerie builders. Only twice has a
scavenger ring succeeded in bringing back a
living innasht. If killed, innasht appear to be no
different than wood when dissected. Because
of this, a living innasht must be delivered in or‐
der for the patron to grant their reward. Innasht
must have eyes on them at all times when be‐
ing transported. If at any moment someone or
something is not staring at the innasht, it will
make an untraceable escape.
Jeweled Fossils (gives XP as a trophy from a
CR 6-10 creature) have a 2-in-6 chance of being
discovered for each day spent exploring to dis‐
cover a strange creature inside one of the color‐
ful amber deposits scattered throughout the
Blightwoods. These fossils contain small and
tiny creatures never before seen, which many a
collector will pay for.
PRECIOUS TREASURE
Petrified Gemgroves (gives XP as caches of
gems worth 10,000gp or more) have a 1-in-6
chance of being discovered each day that the
scavengers travel through the Blightwoods.
These groves are astoundingly beautiful, and
contain a higher than average amount of color
petrified wood. Transferring a petrified gem‐
grove back to the scavengers’ patron takes 1d4
+ 1 trips due to the amount of material being
transported.
Petrified Gemwood (gives XP as masterwork
gemcraft) has a 3-in-6 chance of being found
every day that the scavengers travel through
the Blightwoods. This wood is particularly beau‐
tiful, more so than the trees around it, though
harvesting it brings upon the scavenger the
stalking doom of the innasht.
115
SHARDCRAFT
Cancerous Lichenshards (uncommon,
shard [bloodcut]) have a 3-in-6 chance
each day of being found. In order to har‐
vest them, they must be put into wooden
containers and scraped free from petrified
trees using wooden tools. When a creature
is exposed to cancerous lichenshards, they
suffer the effects mentioned under
THREATS & DANGERS TORN APART.

Shardwood (legendary, shard[bloodcut])

is the name given to the near mythical
trees that have been petrified by shard‐
stone. These trees grow as deep as they
are tall and from them flower 1d10 raw
shardstones every year. When a piece of
shardwood is removed, the tree it was re‐
moved from crumbles into dust and dis‐
appears within 1 minute, leaving only the
fragment behind. This piece of shardwood
can be planted inside of Torn, after which
a new tree will grow after 1d4 weeks. As
this tree grows, the following effects hap‐
pen around it:

◇ The temperature of everything around

the tree for 4 dalham is increased by 3°
celsius.
◇ Every hour that a magical item with
charges expended is within 1 dalham
of the shardwood tree regains one
charge.
◇ Every hour that a spellcaster spends
within 1 dalham of the shardwood tree
regains their lowest level expended
spell slot.

Mysteriously, a shardwood tree turns into

dust 1 day after it flowers raw shardstones.
Scavengers have a 1-in-6 chance for every
month they spend exploring a specific re‐
gion in the Blightwoods to find shard‐
wood, resetting when they leave that re‐
gion.

“Listen. Listen. There’s a hole. It's right

outside the city. It leads to the root.
That’s where they come from.”
~ Translated last words of Yo,
Who-Cut-Down-The-Blightwoods.

116
 A TORN TALE

An account by Far Sayer Ishanya,

Who Walks All Worlds
Getting into Blightwood City was like walking into Sun Uruk: easy. I went with
“
a ring who called themselves the Wild 77s. Don’t know where down the cruel road
they picked up that name since there were only six of them, but I’ll take me being
the other 71 as a compliment.

Our patron was a Tarnaki art collector who wanted something special for his latest
collection. It wasn’t the moon-kissed job I usually look for, but I’d never been to the
city so I figured throwing my jade into the pyre was the smart decision here. For
me, that proved to be true. For the Wild 77s, well…

We got there a few days after the flow had passed. The sky was orange from all the
smoke in the air, so the whole ruin was looking pretty sun-slain. More petrified
trees around than there were buildings. Felt like I was going into some northern
crag past Akara’s White Bones. Not much of any plant, really, beyond the lichen.
One of the invokers that made up the ring touched it and later that day he was dead.
I’d tell you his name if I remembered it. All of us knew not to touch any of the pet-
rified wood. Innasht, they said, made a nest of the ruin, but it wasn’t expected we’d
see any given the flow’d just left.

Soot and ash buried most everything. Felt like I was back at the Core. Spent an
hourglass turn digging over a spot that’d previously been scouted through tele-
scopes. Here, apparently, was a closed gate of borun that could get us somewhere
into the city’s guts. The drifter who decided that was wrong. I remember this one’s
name, alright: Torhib. May Torhib be boiled under the sun for forty years. He didn’t
know the difference between borun and a knotted door of petrified wood, so when
we finally got down there and broke into something, that was a wrap for the expe-
dition.

That’s not me being dramatic. I turned around the moment Torhib broke through
clumsy as a one-handed morg and there behind me was half a hundred death-still
innasht. Try picturing that. One minute you’re in a dead ruin where there’s no
sound other than the rumbling Torn. You turn around and now there’s fifty wooden
statues posed like scren on a corpse looking down at you. Torhib didn’t say any-
thing. Men who make mistakes like that never do. I kept looking because I knew the
moment I looked away we’d be taken out quick as an akarok swallowing a lone child
out on the savanna. Some of the others in the ring thought going inside the building
was a smart idea. I didn’t stop them. Call me all the names you want, but the only
person that was getting out of Blightwood City at that point was me because the
rest hadn’t a clue on how to survive this kind of mob.

Here’s how I did it. Slow. Real slow. With a mirror in both my hands to catch the light
so I’d see as many of these things around me as I could. Didn’t think it was true, but
that works just as good as your eyes do for keeping them still. I backed away from
the rest, though the kith that was guiding us followed me, and the other Wild 77s
slipped on into the undertorn.

That kith didn’t make it out of the city. Don’t remember their name either. They took
a good dive for me, said they saw this in their stars, and I wasn’t bronze-brained
enough to argue back. Got home with a pretty piece of wood opal though, the same
piece Torhib broke off. Patron said that counted as fulfilling the mission, given the
story behind getting it.

So, that’s Blightwood City. Closest thing to a deathtrap I’ve found outside the
Tainted Valley. I plan on going back soon though. My instincts are telling me there’s
something worth seeing underneath all those innasht and I’ll be caught in a Kanu-
man blood pit before I die not finding it.
”
117
118
119
SAMUA MARSHES
Where Behemoths Do Sleep
Intended for 8th-11th level
To the north and the west of Dal Ashta there
stretches a vast tract of unearthly swampland.
Boiling sunshade mud roils under skies perpet‐
ually twilit. A smell not unlike guano and apple
orchards and rotting fruit fills the air. Fireless
embers gambol. Where they settle they wink
out as if never there only to appear again in
some stranger marshfield.
The first behemoth looms high as the sparse,
bent weeping willows, their leaves oil-slick
black. It is a thing ornate, so much so that it ap‐
pears as if it should be alive and guarding some
royal treasure, but there is little here to guard. It
and all its kin, each unique, each undamaged
by time and caked in dust so thick it makes
stone, stands half-submerged in jaffa. It is as if
Torn itself was not brazen enough to mask such
grandeur. Weapons do not break them, nor
does shardscience. If there are openings to
their innads they are yet unfound.
Each behemoth sleeps by mystery-sundered
ruins. Taller than tree and behemoth, the ruin-
gates. Pillars decorated by borun barbs and
curving statues whose likenesses have been
scrubbed off by time or a more powerful force
still are towering landmarks unmissable. Hori‐
zontally spreading cities, wings of architecture
going in opposite directions, sit behind these
thorn’d fences. They descend deep into the
mud. Inside, their architecture is senseless.
Ramps and curves in the walls seem more fit
for serpents rather than creatures with two
legs. Round openings barricaded with thorns
separate rooms instead of doorways, and the
ruins are as vertical as they are horizontal.
In Akara, every swamp is known for its sounds.
Frogs ribbiting, fish splashing, insects chirping
- but the Samua Marshes are best known for
their lack of sound. There is no song here. No
creature looking for another. Neither does a
voice carry far. It is as if silence rises from these
bogs like breath, like stormcloud, darkening all
that explore with mute animosity. The fireless
embers and their coldly alien illusions birthed
in the corner of a scavenger’s eye are made all
the more eerie by this beginningless swamp’s
saturninity.
120
EXPEDITIONS TO THE SAMUA MARSHES
Samua was a bloodsinger who ventured further
than any of her contemporaries in the
Founders’ Era forty-five years ago. She believed
that somewhere in Torn there must exist a
place like Bataar’s mother swamp, and there in‐
deed must be colors never before seen and poi‐
sons never before used. Her expedition was a
ring twenty strong. Most returned, and they
carried with them tales of sleeping behemoth
statues, whispered of firelight-spawned illu‐
sions, sketched out the floorplans of forts
empty yet filled with shard-studded altars.
Three times over fifteen years did Samua lead
another expedition to the marshes. On the third
they returned without her. There had been an
ambush. Something alive and predatory, with
heat and scales and fangs snatched Samua and
disappeared in the same breath. This monster
has come to be known as Samua's Bane, and no
expedition since has managed to kill it.
Since Samua’s era, many scavenger rings have
tried half a dozen times to penetrate deeper
into the Samua Marshes. Samua's Bane and the
fireless embers together have made for them a
maze hard to penetrate. Howler Ajash’s expedi‐
tion five years ago went further than any before
it. It is this adventure and Samua’s own that has
informed other rings of the preparations
needed to best survive this place.
Scavenger rings who’ve ventured this far will
suggest the following preparations be made for
any expedition to the Samua Marshes:
◇ Tourniquets in case of contact with some‐
thing poisonous, and bone saws to poten‐
tially remove necrotic limbs.
◇ Whistles or instruments for communication
when sight is unreliable.
◇ Colored markers to serve as landmarks when
direction becomes confused.
Patrons have been hesitant to fund expeditions
to the Samua Marshes since Samua’s death.
Ajash’s expedition renewed interest for a time,
but the discovery of the Core City Ruins took
away much of its attention. Scavengers who
have proven themselves against hostile beasts
and who are skilled in unusual navigation are
the perfect candidates for such a trial.
BIZARRE RUMORS & STRANGE TALES Another hypothesis ventured by rival Ular is
Evimanj the Bonescribe will tell any who seek that the embers come from a great, broken
the Samua Marshes that in a city whose gates shard. This shard, they say, was some great de‐
were thorn-bare there were great borun tablets fense of the people who once lived there, and
written upon in Samuan. By this point in the has been broken and scattered across the
story, Evimanj will begin repeating what he Samua Marshes. Ular further believes that if all
read - gibberish, surely - but all who talk to him these embers were somehow gathered to‐
swear that they hear their names in his ram‐ gether, that great tool could be made whole
blings. Evimanj recalls none of this, but does again.
know the name of any scavenger that goes to Omerigo, an invoker and aid to Councilor Sarok,
the Samua Marshes, and he knows not why, nor believes that the behemoths are in fact con‐
how he could read what he has.
structs whose shardstone hearts have been re‐
A rumor without origin has spread amongst moved. If they could be pried open, perhaps
those who have joined Tarnak’s shardstone they could be reanimated again. Though given
cults. The fireless embers and their heatless illu‐ their vicious shape and their terrible size, she
sions are said to be the manifest wills of has yet to put her thesis to the test.
Akarans claimed by the scren or who have Inanan is a mystic who is forming a cult around
drowned in floods. They say that to see these il‐ the behemoths as idols of extinction. She
lusions is to see the final desires of those speaks to her followers that these behemoths
Akarans, and that by making sense of them,
are the victims of a Great Dying much like the
one can learn some great Torn-truth.
Akarans, and that their cities must be plun‐
Howler Ajash cannot be found since his last ex‐ dered and the behemoths excavated to learn
pedition to the Samua Marshes five years ago. the secrets of surviving the coming end of days.
Those closest to him know not his fate. But it is Inanan has gained many followers in recent
thought that these scavengers know some se‐ moons, and soon plans to seek patronage for a
cret yet unshared, and that Ajash has returned mass pilgrimage to the Samua Marshes.
to the Samua Marshes with knowledge of how
to wake the sleeping behemoths. How he plans
to do this is a mystery in and of itself.
A story is told of a party of two scavengers who
ventured deep into the Samua Marshes. As they
slept, embers landed on them, and when they
woke their equipment was dust, their hair long,
and their bodies covered in tattoos of shapes
never before seen. As the story goes, when
these two scavengers returned to Dal Ashta, it
had grown greatly, and they went unrecog‐
nized. Confused, they stepped back through
the Monolith, where they exploded in a flash of
firelight, fading then gone.
There is a hypothesis ventured by Kenlish, a
bloodcutter of great renown, that every ember
is a shardstone so light that it floats on air and
so finely cut that no normal eye could perceive
its core. It is a scavenger’s wants and desires, he
posits, that create the illusions, much like in the
Tainted Valley, and not the embers on their
own.

121
THREAT & DANGERS TORN APART
The dangers below are the scavenger-stories
who have returned from countless expeditions
across the years.
The DC for all saving throws in the Samua
Marsh is 17.
Some unknown poison has infected Samua
Marsh’s soil and water. The ponds are black,
and when a scavenger drinks from them, they
are overcome with a deep sense of lethargy.
Sleep follows immediately, with no means to re‐
sist it. However, upon waking, scavengers have
reported feeling well-rested and strong. Drink‐
ing water in the Samua Marshes inflicts the un‐
conscious condition for 1 hour, but removes all
levels of exhaustion as well. Drinking it more
than once per ten days results in violent shakes
and delusions of being burned alive for 24
hours. Thrice boiled water loses all poisonous
properties but tastes of rotten fruit.
Spider’s Harp is a strange plant adapted to the
weird sunshade soil. There is a 3-in-6 chance
checked for daily of discovering Spider’s Harp. It
is a tiny succulent whose flowers are thin as spi‐
der silk and every bit as strong. Spider’s Harp
detaches easily in the wind. As they float, a trill
song is sung. If touched, the song grows
stronger and the scavenger must succeed on a
Constitution saving throw or fall unconscious
for 1 hour. Strangely enough, Spider’s Harp only
releases these threads when living creatures
are downwind from it.
The fireless embers, called ekolo or dream
whispers, wander freely throughout the Samua
Marshes, disappearing when touched by any
material. At times the ekolo become abnor‐
mally thick in an area. There is a 1-in-6 chance
checked for every day of this happening. When
this happens, weird illusions appear, soundless
and heatless, in a scavenger’s peripheral vision.
A scavenger must succeed on an Intelligence
saving throw when this happens or else be con‐
sistently distracted by the illusions for 24 hours.
During this time, they cannot receive advan‐
tage from any source.
Roiling mud shifts constantly across the
marshes. This causes bogs to move, as well as
other landmarks. As a result, scavengers must
succeed on a Wisdom saving throw every hour
or else become lost. While resting for more
than 1 hour, there is a 1-in-6 chance that the
mud suddenly changes, dropping any players
within 30 feet of one another into one of the
122
tranquilizing ponds, likely drowning them. A
Wisdom check made before each rest to track
the movements of the mud reduces this to a 0-
in-6 chance.
The horizontal cities are filled with a strange
bog gas in those buildings submerged by mud.
Without proper protection, this haze forces a
Constitution saving throw once every minute,
inflicting unconsciousness and 1 level of ex‐
haustion on a failure. A simple face mask keeps
out the worst of the fumes but does nothing for
the haze’s other properties. Sounds do not carry
more than 10 feet in these buildings, and no
light can be brighter than dim light here.
Every building has a 1-in-6 chance of contain‐
ing a horrific trap. This trap comes in the form
of air vibrating loud and fast for scavengers in‐
side it, which in turn destroys their lungs. There
will be 30 5x5 squares randomly spread out in
boobytrapped buildings. Entering a square re‐
quires a Constitution saving throw. A scavenger
who fails takes 42 (4d10) damage on a failure, or
half as much on a success. Objects left in a trap
for more than a minute are torn to pieces, no
matter what they are made of..
Inexplicable shadows move across the
Samua Marshes. There is a 2-in-6 chance of
these shadows appearing, and within 10 min‐
utes, everything within 600 feet is darkened by
their touch. While here, no sounds can be ut‐
tered, nor can shardcasting be performed if it
relies on verbal components. This strange
penumbra does not move, and fades away after
an hour's time. When it appears, Samua's Bane
is never far behind.
Samua's Bane is an aberration unlike any
ever seen on Akara. Its body is that of a thick
wyrm, a hide hard enough to deflect bronze
blades. At one end is a mouth with teeth sixty-
rowed, and its tongue is a long, thin tendril, pre‐
hensile and moving with enough force to split
even stone in twain. Samua's Bane is old, and it
is long, and it digs through the sunshade mud
and borun ruin walls. Its targets are always the
same: any scavenger daring to hold a shard‐
stone in its presence. If Samua's Bane suffers 40
points or more of damage, it will attempt to
flee, striking again 24 hours later. If it can claim
a single target, it will disappear for 1d20 days
time. There is a 1-in-12 chance of Samua's Bane
appearing if it has not already, increasing by 1
every day it does not appear.
TREASURES & SECRETS LONG LOST
Samua’s half-drowned cities are one of Torn’s
least-explored sites. There is much hope to be
found by scavengers here should they survive
their expedition. The below information does
not represent all that the Samua Marshes have
to scavenge.
ARMAMENTS
Blades of Curved Bronze (2d6 slashing dam‐
age, heavy, martial, gives XP as masterclass
item), four-pronged, and with horizontal hilts
built into the blade can be found hanging from
walls and impaled into ruin floors. These
weapons are unwieldy and oddly balanced, as if
meant for some inhuman hand. Attacks with
these blades are made at disadvantage until
the scavenger, who should have martial
weapon proficiency, finishes 1 combat where it
is the only weapon they’ve used during said
combat.
Thorned Wargarb (treat as normal bronze
wargarb, gives XP as masterclass item) can be
found dust-filled and deserted throughout the
ruins. This wargarb is made from a twilight-or‐
ange chitin, and while ill-fitting for Akarans and
kith, is large enough for morg to wear without
problem. A DC 15 Intelligence check with
smith’s tools can resize the armor to fit Akarans
and kith after 8 hours of work. This armor, when
worn, has a nasty ability. With a mental
thought, spikes dangerously stab out from the
armor. Creatures within 5 feet of the wearer
must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or
take 16 (4d8) piercing damage on a failure.
NATURAL RESOURCES
Samua’s Incense (gives XP as a rare Torn re‐
source) is the term given to the deadly haze fill‐
ing the marshes many half-submerged ruins. If
this lethal haze can be somehow understood, it
is hoped that some sort of antidote can be cre‐
ated for it. Likewise, the prospects of using the
haze as a weapon are not uncanny amongst
potential patrons.
Samua’s Sunshade Mud (gives XP as a rare
Torn resource) is a semi-living thing. When
jarred, it moves like ooze, and when set free, it
slowly slithers back towards the marsh. If ap‐
plied to a weapon, a creature damaged by that
weapon must make a DC 17 Constitution saving
throw as the mud invades their bodies, dealing
11 (2d10) necrotic damage at the end of the
creature's turn for 1 minute. The creature can
make this saving throw again at the start of
each of its turns, ending this effect immediately
upon a success.
Spider’s Harp (gives XP as a rare Torn re‐
source) holds great potential to be harvested
for its flowers, which are as durable as a spider’s
silk. These plants must be held in a container
that has no access to open air, lest their flowers
detach and bring doom to the scavengers.
Tranquilizing Ponds (gives XP as a rare Torn
resource) can be harvested for their water. Vials
of this rare water have been used as weapons
by scavengers, and colorbinders in Bataash pay
a premium for it. To them, this water, which
they call zahaq or thoughtless, has the poten‐
tial to be an invaluable poison and drug compo‐
nent.
PRECIOUS TREASURES
Quartz tablets (gives XP as fivefold a master‐
piece artwork) etched in Samuan have a 1-in-6
chance of being found on the walls, floors, and
ceilings throughout the marsh ruins. Some pa‐
trons have begun the process of codebreaking
whatever mysterious language this may be,
though none have found success so far. These
tablets are fastened to walls by thorns, though
some instead gently float in place.
Diamonds line the serpentine trails (gives XP
as a gem cache worth 100gp or less) within
and around the ruins. While many have been
harvested, there are more sequestered away
within the ruins. These diamonds have clearly
been cut by some tool, but it is a tool with a pre‐
cision greater than any Akaran device.
Featureless statues (gives XP as fivefold a
masterpiece artwork) of figures tall, long, and
twisted, coming in sizes small and huge, are
scattered throughout the ruins. There is a 1-in-6
chance of finding these statues inside of a par‐
ticular ruin. Patrons seeking to collect Torn’s
otherworldly art have a strong appetite for such
strange pieces. Each is carved of borun, and it is
rumored that sleeping with one by an owner’s
bedside will grant them strange visions into the
future.
123
SHARDCRAFT
Ekolo (rare, shard [type unknown unknown])
can be gathered specifically inside of hollow
containers made of cut shardstone. Within,
they do not disappear, though capturing them
is still quite a feat. If more than 100 are in a sin‐
gle container, opening them causes every crea‐
ture within 100 feet to make a DC 17 Intelligence
saving throw or else they experience vivid hallu‐
cinations. Gathering the ekolo takes 1d4 hours
of work and a successful Dexterity check, which
can be attempted once per day.
Slither Shards (very rare, shard [bloodcut], re‐
quires attunement) haunt random ruin rooms.
These shards slither through the air as if they
were liquid, orbiting thorned wargarb in non-
euclidian patterns. There is a 1-in-6 chance of
finding a slither shard whenever thorned war‐
garb is found. The slither shard will orbit a scav‐
enger’s head if captured and attuned with.
While a scavenger is attuned to a slither shard,
their movement cannot be reduced by any
method and they cannot be affected by illu‐
sions from any source.
Samua’s Scepter (legendary, weapon [club],
shard [artifice], requires attunement) was a
powerful tool used by the marsh’s namesake.
This scepter was wrought bronze with golden
latticework holding seven shards in place along
its length. When attuned to, Samua’s Scepter is
a +3 club with seven charges. A charge can be
expended to cast one of the following spells: fly
(5th level), freedom of movement, hold mon‐
ster, or pass without trace. All charges are re‐
gained when the attuned creature completes a
long rest. This scepter’s location is utterly un‐
known, but believed to be held in Samua's
Bane’s nest.

124
 A TORN TALE

An account by Far Sayer Ishanya,

Who Walks All Worlds

“ The ekolo were kind on my visit. Showed me long men

who slithered around and coiled open air. Made sense to me.
Whoever walked these marshes before I must have known
better than to step foot in this muck. Beautiful, though. The
color of a sunset that’s melted down to the ground.
When I went, there were nine others. They were bronze-
bloods. Got here before that Howler did. Our patron was a
Bataash authority who gave us poisons and colors as pay-
ments. Worthless trinkets here. Nothing alive to poison. Not
the trees, though they pretend to be, and not the soil, and not
whoever these statues are. We mapped a dozen. One had four
arms, like a morg, and another two heads. They were horned
and their visors looked like smiles in the dusk. Those smiles
made the bronzies’ hands go tight on their weapons. I hope my
smile does the same to others one day too.
I looked for competition while out. No one else was coming
this way since there were no campsites anywhere. Even the
ones supposedly left by the green noses before us were gone.
That’s when I learned it was true that this soil moves. Land-
marks were floating around like clouds over the Sea of Myst
so we had to set up three flags to keep track of where we
were. One of the bronzies, an oxenass called Hotem, said we
were wasting markers that way. Didn’t take well to me telling
him to go kiss the moon, but by the third day of doing it his
way he realized being lost wasn’t better than conserving
markers.
Found one city. Three of the bronzies died to Samua’s Incense.
Fitting place for a funeral. Hard to run and walk there, given
how weirdly the place was built. Had to crawl around, some-
times worming my way through tubes to get from one room to
another. Reminded me at the time of the things the ekolo
showed me.
Found some quartz, left it there. We were looking for bigger
prey. Hoped it nested somewhere close. It did.
So try picturing this. Three men are lying down dead and we
can’t get them back. Then our torches flicker out. On come the
sounds. Didn’t say this earlier, but yeah, it's pretty naffing
silent in Samua. So, when we heard something like thunder,
and then a wall caved in, and then that fat, moon-kissed worm
came spilling through, the bronzies pretty much threw them-
selves in the opposite direction! Lousy scavengers, all of them.
Was a good hunt still, but got away. Only so much I could do
by myself. The tunnel it left collapsed too quickly to follow. By
that point, it was me and two others, and they were done with
the whole expedition now. Knew I couldn’t sinch the job by
myself, not how I was then, so I left too. If I return, might build
a nice little hut out that way. It's great not being able to hear
people’s toiling, you know.
”

125
126
127
THE TAINTED VALLEY
Walk the conflagrant road down into the
Tainted Valley where shardstones are mined
amidst scalding eruptions.
From the undulating, wave-like ground rises
those famed crystals as nodes gross in their in‐
candescence. Hills and half-mountains hide
them well, cliffsides stratified into multi-colored
layers of fuschia, indigo, crimson, vermeil, or‐
ange. Pillars too stand tall and skinny and fat
and leaning, all luminous, fulgent to such a re‐
splendent degree that a scavenger must al‐
ways protect their eyes or else lose sight within
a day’s toil.
Less than one dalham can be traveled before
the heat grows unbearable. Rivers of oozing ra‐
diance flow over flaming lava lakes. Wildfires
rage in the distance, pulled closed like curtains
around raw shardstone outcroppings. The sky
here is black and orange and red; the sky here
is a flame itself, streaked by violet bolts of light‐
ning that blow their thunderous trumpets
without pause.
Stretching far off into the distance are mush‐
rooms the size of redwood trees that erupt
black and crystalline from crimson fields.
Sometimes a scavenger ring dares to push past
where they should. This is what they find.
THREATS & DANGERS TORN APART
All dangers in the Tainted Valley have a save DC
of 15. The Tainted Valley is considered to be a lo‐
cation with extreme heat, thus, a save must be
made every hour or else a scavenger suffers 1
level of exhaustion.
◇ Mirages manifest in the wavering haze with
a 1-in-6 chance for every hour of travel. They
are impossibly life-like and commandeer
every sense. When seen, a scavenger must
look away, lest the shardstones close by
make the mirage real. Hideous things will
lash from out the smoke, phantasmal, ethe‐
real, leaving very real wounds on a scav‐
enger’s body in the form of horrific burns.
When failing a Charisma saving throw
against these mirages, the heat wraiths
conjured deal 23 (5d8) fire damage, though
can only do harm when conspicuously
viewed by another creature.
◇ Heatdeath Spores are scattered by the gar‐
gantuan mushrooms littering the Tainted
Valley whenever a living creature passes
within 30 feet of them. Whenever they cling
to something, a Constitution save must be
made, or else they will grow mycelium into
a scavenger’s flesh, dealing 5 (1d8) piercing
damage. From then on, unless surgically re‐
moved, they will drain heat from the scav‐
128
enger, dealing 11 (2d10) cold damage to
them at the beginning of every day. In turn,
the mushroom will grow larger and larger
without end.
◇ Ujah, the Enigmas, the Enigmas, haunt the
Tainted Valley. Whenever shardstones are
touched do they appear, though not always
are they hostile. Scavenger wisdom holds
that the Ujah is to be respected, for it alone
can lead a scavenger ring to some hidden
mystery. For more on the Ujah, see the Scav‐
enger Bestiary, page 228.
TREASURES & SECRETS LONG LOST
While shardstones are the easiest thing to scav‐
enge, the heatdeath spores of the giant mush‐
rooms are worth just as much. Bring them back
and they can be used to create potions dealing
with heat, cold, and life. Provides XP as a rare
Torn resource.
Sometimes, a Ujah will lead a scavenger ring to
a door of borun. Never has any ring managed to
open these doors, and if not opened with haste
the Ujah will attack or leave. What lies beyond is
only rumored, but invokers say that instru‐
ments of impossible make must lie untended
on the other side.
When the lava cools, rare as that is, it takes the
form of crystalline metals never before seen.
Bring back these ores and find wealth, and XP
equal to a rare Torn resource. Or have forged
unbreakable tools forged from this exotic, raw
borun.
TAINTED VALLEY MIRAGES
d4 Mirage
A meadow of black-and-gold roses and
1 chrysanthemums. There is a sweet smell in
the air. A burning man ten-foot tall attacks
you with a curved, obsidian blade.
A waterfall tumbles from high above you,
from out the clouds. Its waters are pristine,
2 its rumble loud. Hands burned black reach
out to grab you, to pull you in, to take you
away.
A village of red-brick and clay, far, far away.
3 People move about, enkindled in cloaks of
flame. They ignore the fires, beckon for you
to sit with them in their black-boned pyres.
A great door, maybe twenty blades tall, half
that in width. It opens and within a beauti‐
4 ful face does peer. They reach out to you
with a blistered hand, smile with their blis‐
tered lips, pull you into their blistering
grave.
OF PLACES UNTOUCHED
Of the places below, little has been seen. Scav‐
engers who are selfish with their information or
rings that’ve never returned to tell these tales -
these two reasons are why scavengers go so far
afield blind and unprepared. Written below is
what little common knowledge there is, pre‐
ciously gathered over many years.
CHITINID CRESTS
Here, spotted with telescopes many dal away, is
a swarm of scren unlike any that terrorizes
Akara. Supermassive, this apocalypse, raging
and swirling about a single Monolith half-
buried in slime and mud.
INERT MONOLITHS
The Akara Monolith is not alone. There are five
in total, and they form a near perfect ring
around Torn’s known edge. Two have only been
seen, never visited, for one is lost amongst the
scren and another lies beyond the Tainted Val‐
ley. The two besides the Akaran Monolith have
been visited. Inert, they are; silent and un‐
opened.
MERQUAL THAL VALLEY
Here be a valley first walked by a pair of lovers
lost to time. They returned with strange tales of
black sand that rose in waves and swells, but
both disappeared many years ago and with
them went the secrets of the path needed to
find their wonder.
entirely of borun and they are folded in on
themselves across great spaces that reach
heights few can climb. So it is told that a scav‐
enger ring is close to developing a way to use
shardcraft to breathe at such dizzying heights,
for at the summit it is rumored some occult
treasure awaits.
VAHTAAR ISLAND
This island sits in the only other body of water
found in Torn, though the water here is the
black oil that fills the Samua Marshes. Named
for Vashtaar, who found this place, the island,
holds an empty palace wherein was found a
fountain. In that fountain’s waters something
spoke to Vasthaar. He disappeared and took
with him his maps so that no ring could easily
find this island ever again.
WINDLANDS
Here through curved rock that shows the many
strata of eras long past howl winds from every
direction. Some winds are hot, some are cold,
some are filled with sounds that should not be,
some steal the sound itself away from thee.
Scavenger rings are reluctant to enter these
lands for the wind makes camp impossible, and
without a camp a scavenger is as good as dead.

RINGMAZE ISLES
Just beyond the Sea of Myst, reachable by a
bridge of land that exists only a few days each
year, hides the Ringmaze Isles. Here are islands
with walls tall, cut by technology unknown. To
enter is to find oneself in a maze unsolved from
where no ring has ever returned.

SEA OF MYST
Here stretches the only ocean ever found in
Torn. Over it is a thick mist rainbow in color. No
vessel ever put to the seemingly fresh waters of
this sea has managed to float, nor has any scav‐
enger besides. Rumor has it that there are rings
working on a shardcraft vessel that will bear
them across these waters.

SILENT VALLEY
In this valley not a sound can be heard. It is a cut
in the earth lined with mute idols, tongueless
guardians, avoided by scavengers out of fear of
an ambush’s certain death.

SPIRAL MOUNTAINS
Rise, these mountains, in unnatural spirals and
whirling curls. The Spiral Mountains are made

129
130
131
 Scavenger
Suite
Playing a game of SCAVENGER with the 5th
Edition ruleset is intended to not only create a
unique experience, but to reignite the sense of
wonder both the gamemaster and players
should feel when exploring a fantasy world. This
requires not only the setting information and
art found in this book, but a suite of easy to
learn rules to enhance your game.
The rules offered in this Scavenger Suite have
been playtested in countless sessions spanning
just as many hours. They have been refined
based on the feedback given from each and ev‐
ery playtest. This ruleset will not only enhance
your games in Akara and Torn, but also in any
world where exploration and discovery are ut‐
terly vital.

THE SCAVENGER SUITE:

A SYNOPSIS
The following bullet points provide short sum‐
maries for each rule change in the Scavenger
Suite.

Core Changes: This section offers 6 elegant rule

changes to the core 5th Edition game.
Shardstones: The unique shardstones of Torn
are given a full write up in this section, com‐
plete with guidelines on how to handle magical
items and 13 new magical items to scavenge.
The Scavenging Peoples: In this section, the dif‐
ferent peoples of Akara are described, complete
with statistics.
Scavenger Paradigms: Here, the classes are
combined into flavorful scavenger paradigms
from which you choose to represent your char‐
acter with, as well as 4 new subclasses.
Akaran Backgrounds: Unique backgrounds for
Akara are presented here to help better orient
your character in the world.
A Scavenger’s Lifepath: A set of lifepath tables
are presented here with which to randomly
generate your first playable scavenger.
Patrons & Expeditions: A new experience sys‐
tem, replacing the 5th Edition’s own, is given, as
well as how to set up and run a proper scav‐
enger expedition.
Tools of the Trade: Here, equipment replace‐
ments for the setting can be found. A list of
feats is also offered.

132
SCAVENGER SUITE:
CORE CHANGES
The six core changes below are intended to put
a focus on the difficulty in scavenging a dying
(or alien!) world, as well as on creative thinking
and player skill.
Ability Score Proficiency
Scavengers have proficiency in ability scores in‐
stead of single skills. This means that if you were
to make a Wisdom (Perception) check, for ex‐
ample, you would instead make just a Wisdom
ability check and add your proficiency to the
roll. You decide what ability scores you are pro‐
ficient in when creating your scavenger, as dic‐
tated by your Scavenger Paradigm. If a class
feature would give you proficiency in a skill, no‐
tate that on your character sheet. On ability
checks where you can convincingly use that
skill, you add +1 to your roll.
If you have a feature allowing you to add double
(or ½) your proficiency bonus to a skill, you in‐
stead apply that to the ability score attached to
the skill. For example, if you were a rogue whose
Expertise feature gave you double your profi‐
ciency bonus in the Dexterity (Stealth) skill, you
now add double your proficiency bonus to all
Dexterity ability checks instead.
Note: Choosing an ability score proficiency for
Expertise counts as two of your expertise
choices instead of one.
Battle Fatigue
Whenever you fall to 0 hit points, you suffer 1
level of exhaustion.
Mandatory Healing Kits
Whenever you would regain hit points during a
short or long rest, you must expend 1 use of a
healing kit.
Weaker Magic
While adventuring in the world of Akara, you
cannot cast spells of 4th level or higher, nor can
spells you cast be apart of the following schools:
conjuration, necromancy, and transmutation.
Spells cast in Torn do not have these restric‐
tions.
SHARDSTONES
Magic has never existed in Akara. The rituals of
mystics, potions of alchemists, divinations of
the oracle - all have been false, induced by drug
and belief and more than a little superstition.
Near fifty years ago, when shardstones were
first mined from in Torn, this basic fact
changed. Their sanguine light irradiated all who
worked them - perhaps even the very fabric of
Akara itself. At the same time, the working of
shards opened up new dimensions for Akarans.
Understand that shardstones are things of
Power. Each one serves as a battery or device
that warps the world around it. Within each
shardstone are complex, near-undetectable
matrices that allow for wishes to be granted.
This is done through a number of different and
heavily experimental methods. Each method
has a mechanical representation found in the
5th Edition ruleset. Below the methods, as well
as their corresponding mechanics, are detailed.

Extinction Saves
Death saving throws succeed only on a 15 or
higher.
Encumbrance
You have an encumbrance threshold equal to
your Strength + your Intelligence ability score.
You can carry a number of items equal to or
lower than your encumbrance threshold. Items
with the ammunition property take up 1/20th of
a slot, while items with the light property take
up ½ of a slot. If an item has the heavy property
or the two-handed property, it takes up two
slots, as do any sets of armor. Lastly, small con‐
sumable items such as potions or drugs take up
½ of a slot as well.
If your total number of items carried exceeds
your encumbrance threshold, your movement
is reduced by half. If the number of items dou‐
bles your encumbrance threshold, your move‐
ment falls to 5 and you have disadvantage on
Dexterity ability checks and saving throws. Any
more than that and you have a movement of 0
and automatically fail Dexterity ability checks
and saving throws.

133
SHARDWORK METHODS
Artifice. Artifice is the art of working shard‐
stones into complex objects for supernatural
purpose. Artifice is considered the pinnacle of
what shardwork has achieved. Mechanically, ar‐
tifice is represented by magical items. Any and
all magical items, either created by invokers or
scavenged for in Torn, have shards as a compo‐
nent or have been irradiated by shardlight.
When thinking about magical items to reward
players with, consider reimagining their de‐
signs as being shard-studded or otherwise irra‐
diated.
Bloodcutting. A shardstone’s cut matters. Dif‐
ferent cuts draw forth different arrays of power.
A cut shard can be used without training, so
long as the instructions for doing so have been
given. Bloodcutting owes its name to the color
of shardstones, as well as rumors that blood
must be used in order to effectively shape
them. Bloodcutting represents spell scrolls and
certain other trinket-based magical items. Any
character that creates a spell scroll is, in Akara,
cutting a shard and loading it with a spell that
they know. Invoking a cut shard follows the
same rules as creating and using spell scrolls.
Shardscience. By creating a network of shards
arrayed in different devices, supernatural abili‐
ties can be invoked. Many uneducated call
these abilities spells, and in some ways, they
are. Shardscience represents spellcasting. Me‐
chanically, there are no differences to spellcast‐
ing. Thematically, however, shardsciences are
performed by tiny, non-mechanical arrays of
shardstones, or by being irradiated by shard‐
light.
Torn Drugs. Torn drugs are special drugs made
from mixing crushed up shards with various
substances, such as mushrooms, herbal roots,
and other, stranger things. Their effects are
dangerous, and the public knows very little
about these black market luxuries. Torn Drugs
represent potions and other magical consum‐
ables. Found only on the black market or from
secretive invokers, these drugs are some of the
most valuable things one can get in Akara. Torn
drugs, however, are dangerous. They have a
litany of side effects that can ruin the lives of
those who abuse them.
The Fifth Method. There is a fifth shardwork
method that boggles the mind of invokers.
Prayer and ritual allows for shardstones to man‐
ifest the beliefs of Akaran mystics. How much
one must believe in their religious philosophies
and how much they must give to pull power
from shardstone is ill-understood. It is undeni‐
able, however, that mystics, some of who once
were seen as charlatans, now have some form
of proof for their esoteric beliefs.
134
NEW TOOLS
The following new tools can be used to manip‐
ulate shardstones, and to create new shard‐
craft.
ARTIFICER’S TOOLS
Artificer’s tools enable a character to create ar‐
tifacts and magical items out of raw shard‐
stone.
Components. Artificer’s tools include a pair of
heavy gloves, a stone face mask, a small ham‐
mer, a pendulum saw, materials with which to
make casts, and a variety of bronze plates.
Craft Artifice. Proficiency in artificer’s tools can
be applied to ability checks for crafting magical
items.
Knowledge on Artifact Creation. Proficiency
with artificer’s tools grants you knowledge
about artifacts, magical items, and the meth‐
ods needed to create them. This assists with In‐
telligence checks when researching how to
make artifacts or revealing the effects of one.
Knowledge on Creator & Make. You can deter‐
mine the relative age, and what part of Torn an
artifact may have come from. You can also tell
which famed invokers created the item, or what
Akaran resources may have been used in the
creation.
Restore Charges. You can use artificer’s tools to
restore the charges of shard items. Once at‐
tempted with an item, further charges cannot
be restored until you finish a long rest.
ARTIFICER’S TOOLS
Activity DC
Brainstorm how to make a basic
artifact 10
Figure out the abilities of a magi‐
cal item 15
Restore 1 charge to a magical item 20
 BLOODCUTTER’S SUPPLIES
Bloodcutter’s supplies enable a character to
craft raw shardstones into unique magical
items or spell scrolls.
Components. Bloodcutter’s supplies include a
small saw, files, magnifying glasses, pliers,
tweezers, and a ceremonial dagger.
Bloodcut Knowledge. Proficiency with blood‐
cutter’s supplies grants you knowledge about
different shards and what strange sciences
have been worked into their cuts.
Cut Shards. If you are trained by a bloodcutter
to cut a certain type of shard, costing you
10d100 x 10 gp and 1 months time to do so, you
can create that shard type by spending 2d20
days of downtime cutting a raw shardstone.
Additionally, you can create spell scrolls as per
normal if you have proficiency in bloodcutter’s
supplies.
Discover Shard Locations. While exploring, you
can use natural clues such as different colored
soil, strange foliage, and abnormal tempera‐
tures to find hidden shardstone lodes.
Figuring out Bloodcut Abilities. You can figure
out if the residual effects of an ability or spell
were owed to a bloodcut shardstone, and what
kind of bloodcut shardstone it may have been.

BLOODCUTTER’S SUPPLIES

Activity DC
Discover evidence of nearby
shards 10
Figure out a shard’s cut and abil‐
ity 15
Reverse engineer how a shard
was cut 15

Cut a shard to restore 1 charge 20

"One day soon, jade will be the wealth of the poor, and shardstone the
treasure of the powerful."
~ Sarok

135
SHARDS AS CHARACTER
POWERS
As there are no supernatural powers native to
Akara, some class features, such as a paladin’s
Smite or a ranger's Primeval Awareness may
stand out as being odd. In truth, these are pow‐
ers granted by shardstones as well. Exposure to
Torn, high radiation from shardlight, and taking
illegal drugs made from shardstones can all be‐
stow a character with some amount of super‐
natural power.
This is a fact undisputable yet shrouded in ru‐
mor-laced mystery. For fifty years have scav‐
engers entered Torn. The powers that they fos‐
ter never grow that high, or that widely known,
as most disappear like a snuffed candle when
the scavenger gets caught in some strange di‐
mensional warp hidden away within Torn’s
depths. While a Tarnaki citizen may have seen a
Howler’s rage create literal fire that pours from
their muscles, such a sight will be so impossibly
exaggerated by those spreading the story that
no one will know what to believe until they
themselves see the wonder. And, alas, that
wonder will likely be dead before it can ever be
seen in truth.
Below in the Scavenger Origin table are some
idea seeds for how your scavenger gained
whatever supernatural abilities they hold.
Note that not all scavengers are supernatural.
You can just as easily be a skilled fighter, some‐
one using artifice, or someone whose seem‐
ingly magical tricks are just carefully executed
plans and folk knowledge.
SCAVENGER ORIGIN
d8 Origin Event
You found shardstones on the corpse of
some sun-slain sacai who fled Tarnak.
1 You’ve experimented with it, and some‐
times, it feels as if it has experimented
with you.
A chance encounter with a scavenger saw
2 you changing just days after that fated
meeting.
You were an apprentice to an invoker or
3 an acolyte to a mystic whose shardcraft af‐
fected you as well.
4 You were sold a strange drug that, un‐
known to you, was based in shardscience.
5 An expedition to Torn saw you return with
part of that alien world afflicting you.
Desperate for money, be it to pay a debt or
6 feed your family, you stole a shardstone to
sell - and it warped you before you got rid
of it.
You were born in the Dal Ashta outpost
7 within the last 20 years. Being born in Torn
has led to some interesting abilities.
Life in Tarnak, exposed to shardlight
8 streetlamps, has slowly turned you into
something supernatural.
136
SHARDS AS MAGICAL
ITEMS
There are many different kinds of shardstones,
both natural and worked, that can be found in‐
side Torn. Below, a list of shardcrafted magical
items are offered as examples for what you can
create and give to your players as they adven‐
ture.
USING SHARDCRAFT
The shardcraft below are treated as magical
items that sometimes require attunement.
However, unlike normal magical items, you can
attune to more shardcraft than your attune‐
ment limit. Doing so is dangerous. For every
shard that one has above their attunement
limit, they must roll on the Warp-Scars table be‐
low. Those who rely too much on the power of
shards find their bodies, minds, and if it truly ex‐
ists, their souls warped by this incredible power.
DAMAGING & DESTROYING SHARDS
Shardstones are not indestructible. They have a
hardness similar to diamond and can be cut
through a slew of methods. When trying to
break a shard with a melee weapon attack, con‐
sider their AC as 15 (due to their natural
strength) and their HP as 20. Shardstones are
immune to poison damage.
Shardstones that are damaged do not function
properly. A DC 15 Intelligence check is required
to make use of a damaged shardcraft’s special
abilities.
BUYING & FINDING SHARDS
There is a thriving shardstone market, one in
which only the wealthiest and most powerful
patrons of Akara deal in. For the average Tarnaki
civilian, the purchasing of shardstones is finan‐
cial suicide. Those of other city-states find it dif‐
ficult to purchase them too, despite their po‐
tential fame or wealth. This value owes itself to
multiple factors: shardstones can only be found
in Torn, are always brought to Tarnak first, and
are likely to be claimed by any number of Tar‐
naki factions the moment they are brought
back to Akaran soil.
Still, shardstones can be bought. In the Shard
Market table, prices are given for shardstones
and shardcraft based on their rarity. It requires
a DC 20 Intelligence check to find a shardstone
merchant with available stock. If the party
knows of anyone personally who may deal in
shardstones, no check is required. On a success,
a shard-dealer is found within the day. On a fail‐
ure, the scavengers come up empty, and must
try again 1d10 days later when the next wave of
expeditions returns.
If a shard-dealer is found, assume the prices are
as high as possible. Charisma checks, convinc‐
ing roleplay, and other offers can be used to re‐
duce the price of shardcraft to no lower than its
minimum value. Due to their importance and
rarity in Akara, shardstone prices are higher SHARD MARKET
than magical items in other worlds.
Shard Rarity Price in GP
In Torn, shardstones are far more common. A
good measure to go by is to reward between 5- Common 100-499 gp
10 shardcrafted items per Torn expedition. Once
returned to Akara, the scavengers’ patron will Uncommon 500-2,000 gp
take any items they personally want and allow
the scavengers to keep or sell the rest. These Rare 2,001-6,000 gp
patrons usually lend their items back to the
scavengers for a monetary price whenever re‐ Very Rare 6,001 - 20,000 gp
quested.
Legendary 20,001 - 200,000 gp

WARP-SCARS
d10 Affliction

Strange crystals grow from the skin on

1 your cheeks, arms, hands, and back.

Sanguine stains appear like birthmarks

2 on your neck and face. They change
shape whenever you finish a rest.

A second iris appears inside one of your

3 eyes, or a new eye opens up on your
forehead or palm.
Sometimes, you speak to yourself in a
language no one has ever heard before.
4 You don’t remember doing it, and no
one knows what the words themselves
may actually mean.

Strange, colorful patterns appear in your

5 hair, always shifting.

Though you don’t become any weaker,

6 your muscles seem to shrink, giving you
an emaciated appearance.

A second face grows on your torso. The

7 face always appears to be serenely sleep‐
ing, and is of someone you don’t know.

You age 1d10 years and you never age

8 again. /Your age physically reverts 1d10
years and you never age again.

You can feel a second, third, and some‐

9 times a fourth heart beating in your
chest.
When you’re alone, and when you’re
stressed or terrified or in danger, the
world around you changes to look as if
10 you’re inside some unknown part of
Torn. When someone looks for you, you
snap back to this reality.

137
SHARD LISTINGS
◇ Bleed Dust
Torn Drug (snorted), rare
This sanguine powder is made from crushed
shardstones and the bones of various now-ex‐
tinct beasts. When snorted through the nose,
you take 1d4 poison damage and become hy‐
per-aggressive, confident, and filled with en‐
ergy for 1 minute. For the drug’s duration, add
your Proficiency bonus to any damage rolls that
you add your Strength modifier to. Additionally,
make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. On a
success, you can cast the thunderclap cantrip
for the drug’s duration, using Strength as your
spellcasting ability. On a failure, you disassoci‐
ate, forgetting who you are and treating your
comrades as enemies for the drug’s duration.
◇ Consumption Shard
Wondrous item (shard, blood cut), uncommon
(requires attunement)
This shardstone has been cut like a diamond,
but is missing chunks from it, as if someone or
something took bites out of it. This shardstone
has 1d4 charges. While attuned to it, you can
take a bite of it as an action, using up one
charge. You receive sustenance equal to one
days worth of food and water. Once the last
charge is used, the shardstone is destroyed.
◇ Dream-Pleasure Shard
Wondrous item (shard, blood cut), very rare
(requires attunement)
This shardstone has a curious purple tint to it,
and has been cut in such a way as to cover the
eyes while sleeping. When attuned to this
shardstone, you experience vivid, lucid dreams
whenever you sleep. While exploring these
dreams, you are the architect of all that hap‐
pens, and can create what you wish. If done
during a long rest, you gain 15 temporary hit
points when the long rest finishes, as well as 1
point of inspiration.
◇ Flesh-Knitting Shard
Wondrous item (shard, blood cut), very rare
(requires attunement)
This shardstone has been cut in such a way that
it seems cracked, damaged. While attuned to it,
you regain 1d12 hit points upon becoming stabi‐
lized at 0 hit points. Additionally, the flesh-knit‐
ting shard has 1d6+1 charges. A charge can be
used as an action to restore 1d12 + your Profi‐
ciency bonus in hit points to a creature within 5
feet. The flesh-knitting shard regains 1d6
charges at the dawn of every day.
138
◇ Heart of an Alien World
Wondrous item (shard, natural), legendary (re‐
quires attunement)
These massive shards--between three to four
feet in length--are found inside the constructs
haunting Torn’s megalithic ruins. While inside
of a construct, these shards serve as a power
source, keeping it alive. When attuned too, they
lance through your chest and shrink down to
one foot in size. While impaled with these
shards, you can cast 4th and 5th level spells in
Akara, you stabilize automatically when you fall
to 0 hit points, and you no longer have to eat,
drink, or sleep. The shard can be removed from
your chest with a DC 20 Strength (Athletics)
check. If removed, you instantly die.
◇ Newvision
Wondrous item (goggles, shard, artifice), rare
(requires attunement)
These goggles have lenses made of thin shard‐
stone. While attuned to and wearing them, you
can see in dim light as if it were bright light up
to 60 feet, and in darkness up to 120 feet. Addi‐
tionally, you can see heat sources within 30 feet
so long as they are not behind at least 1 inch of
bronze, lead, or stone.
◇ Oozing Radiance
Wondrous item (shard, natural), uncommon
Sometimes, large amounts of shardstones are
melted by phenomenon unknown. Melted
shardstone rivers and lakes are common under‐
ground, moving in great, sluggish ways, oozing,
sliming. This special container of oozing radi‐
ance contains enough for a single use. As an ac‐
tion, it can be spilled over a non-magical
weapon. For 1 minute, the weapon is considered
magical and you add +2 to its attack and dam‐
age rolls. Afterwards, it is destroyed as the
shardstone harden, turn brittle, and collapse
into dust.
◇ Rainbow’d Sight
Torn Drug (ingested), rare
This shardpaste is the color of blood. It tastes of
cherries and bitter rust, and smells of freshly
spilled viscera. When consumed, you see
strange, psychedelic visuals, such as patterns,
geometric shapes, and vibrant colors for 8
hours. Additionally, you must make a DC 15
Constitution saving throw. On a success, you
gain advantage on Wisdom checks for the du‐
ration of the drug, as well as the ability to cast
the prestidigitation cantrip. On a failure, you
have disadvantage on Intelligence, Wisdom,
and Charisma saving throws for the drug’s du‐
ration.
◇ Raw Shardstone
Wondrous item (shard), common
This uncut shardstone burns with a fierce san‐
guine light. It has been broken off of a larger
crystal lode. A raw shardstone can be shaped
into a bloodcut shard with bloodcutter’s sup‐
plies. Additionally, a raw shardstone can be
drained of power when a 1st level is cast. When
done so, the spell does not require a spell slot to
be cast.
◇ Suneater
Wondrous item, rare
This weird artifact has no shards covering it, but
is warm as one burning. If you use an action to
open it, all light within 30 feet is absorbed, cre‐
ating an area of magical darkness. All creatures
inside this darkness must succeed on a DC 15
Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, a creature
becomes obsessed with darkness. They will not
light a torch nor will they sleep without being
blindfolded. These creatures will also desire to
be bathed in darkness again. This effect ends
after the creature completes a long rest.
◇ Tribal Brazier
Wondrous item (shard, artifice), very rare
This brazier is crafted out of ancient human
bone and studded with shards. It was created
by wandering tribal mobs who, somehow, were
able to get their hands on cut shards. When ig‐
nited, it releases a baleful violet flame that
smells of rain and worked metal and releases a
coiling stack of silver smoke. If you spend 1 hour
sitting within 10 feet of the brazier, which can
be during a short or long rest, you experience
visions as a result of the strange smoke and
heat. You gain a special 1d12 that can be added
to any die roll of your choice. Once used, this
bonus die shrinks in size to 1d10, and so on until
it reaches 1d4. After shrinking below 1d4, this ef‐
fect wears off. Once you’ve received this benefit
from the brazier, you must wait 50 days to re‐
ceive it again.
◇ Torn Hash
Torn Drug (smoked), uncommon
These hash leaves have been dipped into a
shardpowder solution, giving them their san‐
guine highlights. When smoked, purple clouds
that smell of rain and freshly forged bronze
ooze through a room. When smoking torn
hash, you become immune to the charmed and
frightened conditions for 1 hour and feel men‐
tally calm. Additionally, you must make a DC 10
Constitution saving throw. On a success, you
can cast the cantrip mage hand for the drug’s
duration. On a failure, you cannot use any
bonus actions or reactions for the drug’s dura‐
tion.
◇ World-Tearing Shard
Wondrous item (shard, blood cut), uncommon
(requires attunement)
This shard burns with an intensity that others
do not. It is small enough to fit into the palm of
one’s hand, and is cut with a strange, curving
style. While attuned to, the world-tearing shard
can be used as a magical focus. Additionally, as
an action, power can be drained from the shard
to reinvigorate the caster. The caster regains 1
expended spell slot of their choice of 5th level or
below. Once used in this way, the world-tearing
shard cannot be used again until the dawn of
the next day.
139
 The
Scavenging
Peoples

Before the Great Dying, Akara was a life-

bloomed tapestry. A number of uniquely
evolved peoples walked the land, moving in
tribes great and small, some building cities and
others staying in their own reclusive regions.
But now the Great Dying has come, the Cata‐
clysm for All Life, and many of these peoples
have not survived it.
Of the many, the few that are left dedicate
themselves to scavenging - be it through their
desperate wanderings across Akara or hopeful
expeditions into Torn. Below the peoples are
described in detail and game mechanics of‐
fered through which to play them.

140
141
142
AKARANS
Go back half a millennium and one will see
Akara as a place where many different humans
once walked. Some were furred where others
were not; others had larger heads, sloped
brows, and a penchant for symbology. Now,
most have been driven to extinction by not only
the recent Great Dying but by those who call
themselves Akarans in truth. It is they who built
the storied city-states, and it is they who seek to
use shardstones to create their new world.
CLEVER SURVIVORS
Nothing can be said about the modern Akaran
if not their ability to out think prey and predator
alike. This is shown most clearly through their
use of tools. An Akaran with experience can
create dastardly hunting traps, uniquely
devastating weapons, and a host of odd tools
that fulfill abstract needs. And all of this
cleverness, this ingenuity, has been put to a
singular purpose: survival.
Look to the city-states, such as Kanuma or Mur,
and see the impossibility of their creation.
Akaran language, rich and complex, has
allowed for generations to be born and instilled
with the knowledge of their predecessors.
Ancestors are honored for their work. Using the
tools of their forebears, the Akarans have
managed to establish a monopoly on natural
resources. But this cleverness is not without its
faults. Akaran societies are plagued by those
who seek to constantly get more than what
they need. A stratified civilization of haves and
have nots peaked just before the Cataclysm. At
disaster’s eve, eons of clever thinking have been
rendered moot.
CULTURES WITHOUT NUMBER
Numerous, the Akarans. This has led to the birth
of cultures without number. This is not solely
unique to Akarans, but the extremity of it is.
Whereas kith keep to themselves in secluded
areas and morg are lone wanderers, Akarans
diversify themselves into tribes large and small.
Each tribe - and here, a tribe can be a village, an
outpost, or even a city-state - has its own
language, its own customs, its own way of life.
These unique cultures are the pride of every
Akaran. For many, it is all they know.
The Cataclysm threatens this more than
anything else. Entire regions have been left
desolate; their people disappeared. The Coral
Ranee of the Green Empires, the bone men of
the wastes, the horizon-walking sea peoples -
all are gone and their cultures lost with them.
Natural it is then that Akarans are not only
scavengers for material resource, but also the
ways of their fallen kin.
AKARAN TRAITS
All akarans have the following traits.
Ability Score Increase
Your Intelligence score increases by 2, and an‐
other ability score of your choice increases by 1.
Age
Akarans reach adulthood in their late teens and
live less than a century.
Alignment
Many Akaran default to a lawful point of view,
seeing order as a way to ensure survival. More
than a few, however, are chaotic and evil, or oth‐
erwise lean towards neutrality.
Size
The standard Akaran diet sees them standing
no taller than 6 feet in height. Your size is
Medium.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write any two lan‐
guages of your choice. Typically, you will know
the language of your culture and Dust Tarnaki.
Akarans are not afraid to assimilate other lan‐
guages into their own.
Clever Intuition
Your natural cleverness shines when you least
expect it. Whenever you make an ability check
or saving throw, and if you are proficient in the
roll, you can add 1d4 to the roll. If you succeed
on the check or saving throw, you cannot use
this feature again until you finish a short or long
rest.
Skilled Survivor
You have proficiency in one ability score of your
choice.
Trade Trained
You gain proficiency in one tool of your choice.
AKARAN NAMES
Akaran names are culturally dependent. Those
offered below are common names found
throughout the city-states, as well as some
tribes. Note that most Akarans do not have a
surname. Those that do are either taken from
their trade, some sort of moniker, or descend
from wealthy or storied ancestors.
Male Names: Arzar, Darien, Dazden, Eloch, Gil‐
ames, Lusulu, Killed Prey, Lightless Day, Melkad,
Munamm Rahim, Taras, Veneah Veniah
Venoah, Wounded Bone.
Female Names: Avesta, Eela, Izkar, Jelehar, Joy
in Moon, Lazy Work, Omorosa, Polished Gem,
Ruruni, Shideah, Whispered Honey, Zarene Zar,
Zyrah
143
144
KITH
In the oldest tribal tales there sits the kith. To
Akarans, they are spectres of the wilds; whisper‐
lings hiding in root, under stone, always avoid‐
ing the dangers of spear and sling. Tall-tales are
true as the monsoon season for the kith. For
years uncounted they have kept to themselves,
hiding just behind the veil of woods world-an‐
cient.
With the Great Dying causing so much destruc‐
tion, clans find themselves ever pressed: do
they stay in havens disaster-riddled, or do they
instead head towards civilization and the un‐
caring dangers within? To choose the former is
likely death. The latter, if chosen, will require the
help of their exiles, poised as they are to take
cruel revenge.

AKARA’S WILDLINGS WITHOUT GENDER

Kith are recognizable first and foremost for All kith are born somewhat hermaphroditic. Be‐
their litheness. The tallest stands no higher cause of this, gender roles do not exist within
than 5 feet. Their limbs are chorded, strung like kith society, and they have trouble understand‐
instruments. This gives them a lightness to ing the difference between male, female, and
their movements - a dancer’s grace, or an acro‐ other genders when it comes to non-kith. They
bat’s elegance. In their many woods, housed still understand love, however. When two kith
within huts of root and mud, they scale trees believe that the link between them is stronger
with the deftness of a swimming fish, dance than that with their clan, they couple. Then they
across branches loose like leaves. To the eyes of decide who amongst them will bear the child.
most Akarans such poise is strange. Supernatu‐ Kith children are traditionally raised by the clan.
ral. This has led to a number of foreign names
for the kith: wildlings, spirits, whisperlings, cus‐ While a romantic love between kith and Akaran
todians…even demons. or kith and morg has remained the thing of ru‐
mor or bawdy tale, it is possible for kith to be‐
This last name owes itself to the kiths’ unique come attached to another in a similar way.
appearance. Coupling their size is their skin, sal‐ These bonds are for life. In a world of scav‐
low as a dull sun. Kith ears are wide too, long, engers, such loyalty has made them invaluable
pointed, appearing almost like fleshy horns or comrades.
the flaps of a rock howler. Along their knees and
shoulders grow hard spikes, black as their hair
and, most disturbingly of all, their eyes. It is
these same eyes that have almost poisoned the
kith reputation. Large, jet, seemingly unblink‐
ing - many an Akaran believes that it is through
this inhuman leer that a kith can read your
mind well as any scribe does a Tarnaki stone
tablet. While untrue, it is a story that many ig‐
norantly parrot, inspiring a fearful caution in the
hearts of those that encounter these naturally
docile

NATURAL EMPATHS
Unique to the kith alone is a sense of empathy
unmatched. This is the origin of the rumors re‐
lated to their supposed mind-reading abilities.
In truth, kith are hyper-readers of emotion. They
pick up on cues so subtle amongst one another
that it can appear as if they share the same
mind. This is not limited to only other kith. Na‐
ture is, to them, just another clan to under‐
stand. To this end, kith are fantastic at predict‐
ing weather patterns, the turn of seasons, ani‐
mal migrations, and yes, even the deceptions
and complex emotions of Akarans too.
Because of their empathy, kith clans are tight
knit to the extreme. Harmony in the clan is to be
kept above all. Those kith that become too vio‐
lent or aggressive are ostracized. Though usu‐
ally allowed to live in the same wood as their
forebears, they must always protect their peo‐
ple despite the harsh cruelty of their exile.
Those that don’t, scorned as deviant, break off
and become wanderers. These errants have
paved the way for their cousins unknowingly.

145
KITH NAMES
Kith names each have two parts, connected by
an apostrophe. The first part of the name is a
natural, concrete aspect. The second part of
the name is an emotional word that modifies
the former. As kith do not have genders, their
names are unisex.
Kith Names: Ahn’ahn, Ayp’yo, Bak’nyl, Ce’lai,
Ea’ela, Gil’nesh, Ke’lai, Lau’lau, Ma’she, Quz’xip,
Pin’nesh, Ta’kon, Ul’mid, Yyp,yo
KITH TRAITS
All kith have the following traits.
Ability Score Increase
Your Dexterity score increases by 1, and your
Wisdom score by 2.
Age
Kith grow quickly at first, and then stop physi‐
cally aging 3 years after their birth. Most kith
live to 40 or so years of age.
Alignment
The kith ability to share their emotions with
each other makes hidden hostilities and ulte‐
rior motives a fiction in their society. Thus most
kith are neutral, though those separated from
their tribes can quickly grow evil from isolation.
“Heart beat slow, heart beat fast. Heart beat start. Heart beat stop. No
heart, different. All heart, same.”
~ A kith proverb for illustrating their worldview.
146
Size
Kith are short-statured and hollow-boned.
Rarely do they grow taller than 5 feet. Your size
is Medium.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 35 feet.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Quo’woah and
one other language of your choice.
Ambusher
You can climb your full movement instead of
half, and this requires no ability check to do so.
Additionally, if you use your movement to
climb, you can use your bonus action on that
same turn to take the Hide action.
Darkvision
You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you
as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it
were dim light. You can’t discern color in dark‐
ness, only shades of grey.
Empath
Your natural empathy adds +5 to your passive
Wisdom score. Additionally, if a creature that
you can see within 30 feet is charmed or fright‐
ened, you can use a reaction or bonus action to
remove the condition.
Wildling
You can attempt to hide even when you are
only lightly obscured by foliage, heavy rain, fall‐
ing snow, mist, and other natural phenomena.
147
148
MORG
A world hell-harsh like Akara requires its people
to be strong. The morg, ancient, hardy, are the
setters of this standard. Blessed with en‐
durance, strength, and the versatility of four
devastating arms, the morg fight the land itself
in order to ensure that their life goes on yet an‐
other day.
MOUNTAINS THAT WALK
A morg’s presence cannot be ignored. Standing
at a frightful 8 feet tall, their shadows are long
as the roads they eternally walk. Every morg is
aware that masking such grandeur is impracti‐
cal. Thus, see them walk, with all the swagger of
an apex predator; loping strides, heavy footed
until silence is needed, always positioned so
that you know they are unmovable, or at least
something close to it. This natural intimidation
is never malicious. It is a defensive mechanism
honest as a spider’s venomous bite. With mus‐
cles bulging and bones hard and four arms to
break a rock howler in half with, they know the
easiest way to survive the depredations of oth‐
ers is to end a fight before it ever begins.
Those four arms - how they are famed! Many a
campfire tale exists on just what they can do.
Some Akarans tell tales of morg wielding four
spears at once to kill a dozen, no, two dozen
men in war. Others say they can lift boulders
the size of wagons, chuck them like disks at
akaroks. These are exaggerations. But the ex‐
tremity of these tales does not reduce these
many limb’s advantages. Because of this,
wealthy merchants needing protection or
armies in need of champions are always on the
hunt for the rare morg.
WANDERERS ETERNAL
When a morg is born, only one parent cares for
the child. They are nurtured for just a few short
years. Afterwards, they are left on their own. It is
inherent in the psychology of all morg to be
fully independent. In their few years of educa‐
tion, they are taught just how cruel Akara can
be. They are shown that the only way forward is
to beat back the sun’s cruel heat, to break those
who would steal their food and water, to resist
the harsh damnation of earthquakes and raid‐
ing parties and sandstorms all. Each lesson is
reinforced as the morg wanders. Wandering
alone always, the morg. This makes them a peo‐
ple hard - but not cold.
Morg, though wanderers and pragmatic to a
near fault, are not entirely antisocial. When two
morg happen upon each other they will trade
stories of their travels for a fortnight or better. If
a morg happens upon an Akaran or kith, they
will attempt the same with them. For the for‐
mer, this often leads to conflict. Morg know well
Akaran dominance. They respect this. But they
also know how many seek to enslave them, or
would kill them for what they own, and the
prospect of murder for resource only crosses
the minds of the most desperate morg. To this
end, it is hard for morg and Akarans to forge
proper friendship. Were it not for the Cata‐
clysm, it is unlikely that so many would have
found themselves allied at all.

PRAGMATIC PHILOSOPHERS
It is a mistake to think the morg unintelligent.
Their brawn and weakness in speech are not
handicaps. If nothing else, morg are contem‐
plative. While wandering, they will spend long
periods of time in one place in an attempt to
understand all that they see before them. They
do this pragmatically. By understanding Akara,
they survive Akara. By surviving Akara, they
best Akara. Through observation of animal be‐
havior, the secrets of Akara’s esoteric mystics,
and a thorough practice of all that they learn,
they grow smart, intelligent, dangerous. Many a
morg can thus be considered something of a
philosopher. And every sage knows well to
pride morg wisdom, especially during times as
trying as now.

149
MORG NAMES
Morg names are composed of distinct parts.
The first part is a name in their native language,
and thus never more than a syllable or two long.
The next part is a series of ever-changing titles.
These titles evolve as the morg wanders. Each
reflects their own descriptions of the strangest
or harshest or most beautiful adventures
they’ve had. Biological sex plays a roll in morg
names for pragmatic purposes.
Male Morg given names: Dur, Een, Fohn, Guaf,
Guahm, Naahn, Nagh, Nyargh, Org, Wag, Worg
Female Morg given names: Anh, Bie, Boah,
Eah, Huaye, Kiye, Mawa, Puah, Yaeh
Morg titles: He Who Traveled the Seven Lands
Under the Rainbow, That Which Saw Moun‐
tains Sink, Us Who Know When Seas Tremble,
She Hunting Wings Across Savanna, Who Once
Fought Back Quaking Akara, That Who Saw
Forests Red of Leaf, Poisoned by Black Blood of
Foul Insects Many, Who Saw the Depths Thou‐
sand Fathoms Deep, Walking Where No Soil
Bares Life, Chaser of Storms and Gazer Upon
Lightning
MORG TRAITS
All morg have the following traits.
Ability Score Increase
Your Strength score increases by 2, and your
Constitution score increases by 1.
Age
Morg age rapidly their first three years and
reach young adulthood by 10. Stress from size
on their organs means that most morg never
see 50 years of age.
“How’d we survive? Hate to break it to ye, but us having two morg
meant more than you having twenty men is all.”
150
Alignment
A morg’s lonely wandering leaves them neutral
more often than not. They do not consider
themselves good or evil; however, some em‐
brace the cruelty of Akara for themselves and
become the latter, while others fight back for
others and become good.
Size
Morg stand between 7 to 8 feet tall. Your size is
Medium.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Languages
You can speak one language of your choice. You
can also speak, read, and write Morgani. Due to
your jaw shape, it is hard for you to form the
complex language of other Akarans. Most
words are monosyllables, and most sentences
are communicated through sign language and
a pragmatic smattering of words.
Four Great Arms
As a bonus action, you can add double your Pro‐
ficiency bonus to a Strength ability check by
applying all four of your arms to the task. Addi‐
tionally, you can wield up to 4 weapons, objects,
or shields at a time. Objects with the heavy or
two-handed properties take up 2 of your hands,
and you only gain bonuses from one of your
shields.
Large Build
Because of your great size, you add double your
Strength ability score to your encumbrance
threshold. Additionally, you can grapple crea‐
tures as if you were one size larger.
Parry
When holding a shield, you can use your reac‐
tion to add +2 to your AC when you are the tar‐
get of an attack roll.
 Dirge for the Charred Slums
Written by Ing, Who Saw the People's Pyre

Flee, flee the coming day,

For the sun is cruel and swells with scathing dismay.

Dawn comes and there is no joy,

For the moon has been burned and blinded today.
Flee, flee the coming day.

Flee, flee the coming day,

Over the hills it boils, over the seas, out across
Stargazer’s Bay.

Smoke now rises, storm over we,

Forked the hopes and scorched the dreams as we
Flee, flee the coming day.

Flee, flee the coming day.

Flee, flee the coming day.

Lepers lounge in ashen trays.

Men weep for children lost who spoke with night,
Saw their want, had took their might.

Charred, the gifts of the coming day.

There are gifts from the coming day.
So we must flee, flee
The coming day.

For those of us who had not fled,

For those of us, duskless dawn,
Dreaming now and forever more,
On the isle where graves wash ashore,
Flee, flee, the coming day.

151
152
SCAVENGER PARADIGM
In the world of Akara, scavengers are well- REPLACEMENT CLASS FEATURES
known to the general public. They are seen Scavenger Paradigms include a number of re‐
sometimes as heroes who bring great treasure placement class features. The features replaced
back from Torn, and other times uncertain dan‐ are those that did not thematically fit with the
gers, changed by the alien world that they so SCAVENGER game. In the Replaced Class Fea‐
thoroughly explore. However, not all scavengers ture table below, the classes and their features
are the same. A suite of different skills and tal‐ being changed are listed. These new features
ents can make up an expedition, and no scav‐ can be found described in detail in each Scav‐
enger party destined for success exists without enger Paradigm section.
a variety of talents. Thus, came to be: Scavenger
Paradigms.
In a game of SCAVENGER, you don’t pick a class
when you make your character, but instead one
of four Scavenger Paradigms. Each paradigm
offers three 5th Edition classes that can repre‐
sent it. When you choose your paradigm, you No Wizards?
choose your class.
Unlike when you choose a class normally, you Shardscience—SCAVENGER’s form of
don’t receive skill and saving throw proficien‐ magic—is still relatively new to Akara.
cies. Instead, you receive ability score and sav‐ Only 50 years or so in development, the
ing throw proficiencies as per your Scavenger complexities of power that a wizard can
Paradigm. Additionally, you receive the equip‐ achieve have yet to be fully realized. In‐
ment covered in the Tools of the Trade section stead, artificers are used, representing
instead of what your class would normally give the science-based outlook on shards and
you. All other class features, such as hit points, shardcasting popular in Akara.
hit dice, tool proficiencies, and so on remain the
same.
The Scavenger Paradigm table below names
the four paradigms and also shows which
classes are mechanically represented by the
paradigm.

REPLACEMENT CLASS FEATURE * means that the replacement feature is optional

Class Name Class Feature Replaced Replacement Class Feature

Bard Magical Secrets World-Wises

Cleric Channel Divinity: Turn Undead, Channel Divinity: Miracle Worker,

Destroy Undead Destroy Aberration
Ranger Natural Explorer* Far-Strider’s Trick*

SCAVENGER PARADIGMS

Paradigm Included Classes Synopsis

Drifter Bard, ranger, and rogue Wanderers who learn from the many peoples
they meet and travel with.

Warlord Barbarian, fighter, and paladin Raiders and warriors who rely on martial prowess
to survive.

Invoker Artificer, sorcerer, and warlock Scientist-Magicians who methodically explore

the powers of shards.

Mystic Cleric, druid, and monk Cultists and shamans who use shards to make
reality their esoteric beliefs.

153
DRIFTERS
Included Classes: Bard – Ranger – Rogue
Ability Score Proficiencies: Dexterity and one
more ability score proficiency of your choice
Saving Throw Proficiency: Dexterity

Never had he seen a cliff as tall as this; a moun‐

tain without slopes, really. Still, it was there the
suneater lied, or so the patron said. And it was
his job to lead them to it safely. Give me an hour,
he told them. In no memory had it ever taken
him so long to figure out a way around any of
Akara’s many obstacles but Torn was a place of
extremes and little else. But the hour passed,
and his studies were done, and with confidence
he knew the perfect route to get the scav‐
engers up the cliff. Now, to find just a little bit of
rope…
Few scavengers are as equipped as the world-
wise drifters. They are trailblazers who have
heard a thousand tales from just as many
campfires. This has blessed them with talents,
skills, and an overall competence that makes
them perfect for taking on the disaster-
wracked world and the unfathomably unfath‐
omable Torn. Many drifters are specialists in one
thing or another. Below, a number of unique
professions are offered to help you figure out
what your scavenger has mastered.
Bloodsingers
Storytelling is how much of Akara’s history is
recorded. Drifters who’ve collected these stories
have learned to put faith in them. They share
the tales of tribes and city-states forgotten to
bolster the resolve of their comrades, to provide
guidance to those who need it. With the advent
of shards, this faith has become a very real
weapon. Bloodsingers have earned their names
from the strange performances they give.
Shardfueled and dramatic, they allow for weird
powers to manifest, each of which owes their
origin to some tale the Bloodsinger has learned.
Many have shard-studded cheeks or throats
through which they channel this power. Others
create bizarre shardstone instruments that do
much the same.
Far Sayers
Akaran tribal mobs call those that sojourn with
them for however long the Far Sayers. The
name owes itself to pragmatic reasoning;
drifters come from afar, and they have much to
say. A drifter claiming this title for their own is
one who has learned a dozen unique tricks
from the tribes they’ve visited. Far Sayers freely
share and teach what they’ve learned too.
Whereas many drifters are secretive over their
knowledge, trading it only for goods or favors, a
Far Sayer is quick to teach a comrade the se‐
crets of Pua herbalism, the shadow-songs of
the Illiat, or the trapping tricks of the savage
Noahd. One can spot a Far Sayer by the
scrimshawed bones and tribal trinkets they
carry with them.
The Orphans
The Great Dying has swallowed many a culture.
Entire ways of life, all lost in the blink of an eye.
Drifters who are scavengers not by choice but
by force - owing their current fate to the de‐
struction of their old homes - are called Or‐
phans. Know them by their unique dress, how
they speak, customs unknown, each the inheri‐
tance of their lost homes, each this inheri‐
tance’s only heir. Out of desperation do many
Orphans turn to crime, especially in Tarnak.
Thieves, thugs, and kidnappers are orphans
gone wrong, or sometimes criminals who have
turned their lives around to be scavengers.
Silent Blinds
In Bataar, assassination has been a time-
honored way of life for those lucky to be chosen
by the Powder Houses. The lucky are not always
natives - in truth, it is better that many are not.
Thus, many drifters have been trained here to
be a lethal tool known as a Silent Blind. Their
name is born from the rigorous training they
must go through to move silently through
Bataar’s swamps and to blend in with the clever
and observant Bataash natives. Results speak
for themselves. Silent Blinds, once free of their
contracts, are likely to ply their trade in other
city-states. Thus, a reputation precedes them.
To have one as a scavenger is to have someone
who can sabotage rival expeditions, spy on oth‐
ers to collect rumors, and quickly remove vio‐
lent foes without spilling a drop of blood.

154
REPLACEMENT CLASS FEATURES: DRIFTERS
World Wises
Replaces a bard’s Magical Secrets
By 10th level, you’ve learned enough of the
world and its people to emulate many of their
greatest legends. Choose a class feature of an‐
other class gained at 1st level that you do not al‐
ready have and that is not a subclass feature.
You can use this class feature. Once you’ve used
it, you cannot do so again until you complete a
long rest. If the feature is a passive feature not
requiring a use, it takes an Action for you to use
it and the effects last for 1 minute.
You gain additional class features at 14th level
and again at 18th level. The additional class fea‐
ture can be from 2nd level or below for these
additional class features. Class features gained
this way do not scale; instead, treat them in use
as if they used by a character at their normally
earned level. For example, if you learned the
monk’s Martial Arts feature, you would do 1d4
damage with unarmed attacks, even if you’re
10th level.
Additional Natural Terrain
For a ranger’s Natural Terrain
Instead of the Underdark option, you can
choose Alien as your favored terrain. Alien ter‐
rains are those in Torn, or that have been heavily
influenced by shardstones.
Far-Strider’s Trick
Replaces a ranger’s Natural Terrain
You have seen much of the world, and it has
taught you the trick of survival when only doom
seemed possible. Choose one of the following
far-strider tricks listed below. You can use your
far-strider trick as a reaction a number of times
equal to your Proficiency bonus. You regain ex‐
pended uses after completing a short or long
rest. You gain 1 additional trick at 6th level, and
again at 10th level.
Choose one of the following far-strider tricks
listed below:

◇ Boots Made Sturdy: When your movement speed would be reduced from any cause, in‐
cluding climbing or swimming, you instead move at your normal movement speed until the
end of your turn, plus an additional number of feet equal to 5 times your proficiency bonus.

◇ Hidden Cover: When you’re the target of a ranged spell, ranged weapon attack, or are
forced to make a Dexterity saving throw, you create three-fourths cover for yourself. If you al‐
ready had at least half-cover, you instead create full cover. Any cover created by this trick is
destroyed at the beginning of your next turn.

◇ Measured Strength: When you would suffer a level of exhaustion, you can ignore the effects
of that level for 1 hour or until you fall unconscious.

◇ Never Caught: When a creature has grappled or restrained you, you find a way out, ending
the condition and moving 10 feet away without prompting an Opportunity Attack. The crea‐
ture grappling or restraining you, if any, takes damage equal to twice your Proficiency
bonus.

◇ Quick Stop: When a creature within 5 feet of you makes a melee weapon attack, you can
quickly strike it. The creature takes damage equal to your Proficiency bonus and reduces its
attack roll by the same amount. If you have a ranged weapon or piece of ammunition in
hand, you can target a creature within 30 feet with this trick.

◇ Secret Cure: When you are afflicted with a disease or poison, you quickly treat yourself to
overcome the effects. At the beginning of your next turn you are no longer affected by the
disease or poison.

◇ Treader’s Wisdom: When a creature within 5 feet of you fails an ability check, you can add
your Proficiency bonus to their roll. If the new total would have succeeded, the creature is
considered as having succeeded on the ability check.

◇ Unlikely Survival: When you take damage, you can roll your hit dice and reduce the incom‐
ing damage by the amount rolled.

155
WARLORDS
Included Classes: Barbarian – Fighter – Paladin
Ability Score Proficiency: Strength and Dexterity
Saving Throw Proficiencies: Choose two from
Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution
Rattles, the dying scren, spittle and poison
flung in globules from its broken jaw, a jaw bro‐
ken by the heavy club of its slayer. She rears up
to the tips of her toes and brings her weight
down on the abomination again. And again. A
dozen times again, until its body is more a paste
than the dangerous aberration it was heart‐
beats prior. Half a dozen more scren claw at the
ground, click-scream, tails whipping to and fro,
terrified and enraged. She smiles. War-work
never ends.
To be a warlord is to be someone born to vio‐
lence. They are people who have trained most
of their lives to use their skill at arms to rip des‐
tiny from Akara’s cruel, unyielding grasp. Of‐
fered below are just a few of the many war tra‐
ditions that warlords may hail from.
Bronze Bloods
Those who train to fight, and who can only
fight, and who sell their skills to the highest bid‐
der are known as bronze bloods. Their name
comes from their likely use of bronze weapons,
their wearing of bronze armor. Most Akaran
armies are strengthened with bronze blood
mobs, whose experience in the field and self-
provided weapons are near invaluable. This title
is shared by warlords who go into scavenging
as a hired sword. It is not uncommon for bronze
bloods to exaggerate their accomplishments.
But with violent conflict blossoming across
Akara in the wake of the Great Dying, these ex‐
aggerations are being put to the test more and
more every day. So long as the pay remains
right, however, a bronze blood of trusted skill
can ensure a scavenger expedition’s survival.
Howlers
Every scavenger warlord hailing from a tribe
calls themselves a Howler. It is a common tradi‐
tion in Akara for tribal raiders and chieftans to
throat-sing as they charge into battle. This
throat-singing is supplemented by a strange
concoction of drug and spirit, sending the war‐
lord’s mind into a frenzied rage. It is the belief of
lesser warriors that the only way to quiet them
is to kill them. In modern Akara, with shards and
Torn irradiating scavengers, a Howler’s mad‐
ness seems to whip up an even stranger fury,
one almost trance-like, unexplainable even by
the drugs and drink that kickstart their frenzy.
For these Howlers, the lesser warriors are right.
Only death ends their bloodlust once un‐
leashed.
156
Oathspears
Warriors driven by zealous faith are common
amongst scavengers. They make oaths to their
patrons or to their families or themselves or to
lofty ideas and swear upon a shard that they will
ensure their duty be done. This process is one
few understand. For many, an oath such as this
grants no power. But for a few, the oath unlocks
a supernatural weapon for these warlords to
make use of. Thus their name: Oathspears. They
are the spears of their oaths, sworn to whatever
it is they’ve given themselves to so that they
may achieve whatever it is they seek to achieve.
Contrary to their title, many use a variety of
weapons, from the katar to the battleaxe to the
hidden dagger. All, however, are capable of
something similar to a mystic’s ritualist-esque
shardscience. Know them for the personal
shard they carry, bloodcut and unique.
Starfallers
Patrons are quick to buy mercenaries who fight
well. Starfallers, however, are a special breed,
taken from Kanuma’s infamous Pit of the
Sunken Sun. There, where the greatest gladia‐
tors fight for freedom amongst the cheers of
star worshippers many, the infamous starfallers
are born — champions who have proven them‐
selves against man, against beast, and against
aberration. Starfallers as scavengers are quick
to violence and know that their lives have been
bought by someone more powerful than them‐
selves. Perhaps it is the promise of freedom
that keeps them putting such leal force behind
their sword strokes. Regardless of why they
fight, Starfallers are quick to recognize by their
constellation-inked faces and their unusually
brutal armaments.
INVOKERS
Included Classes: Artificer – Sorcerer – Warlock
Ability Score Proficiency: Intelligence
Saving Throw Proficiencies: Choose two from
Constitution, Intelligence, or Charisma.
See the chamber, drowned as it is in stygian
darkness. Crimson light flashes and revealed in
that short supernova is a hunched shadow of a
man, horns curling from his head — the can‐
cers of his craft. Again, the blood-flash. On the
stone table before him, illuminated now,
worked bronze, sharpened glass, a bone‐
saw…and the shard too, elegantly cut, polished,
gleaming. The man fits the shard into his
strange contraption. Never before has it been
dreamed of in Akara. He is the first. And as it
slides in, he sits back as the device whirrs to life.
Sanguine radiance becomes sanguine light‐
ning, electricity crackling, lumes most brilliant.
Stygian darkness there was, but now it is con‐
quered. Light without fire has been made at
last.
Invokers are individuals much like the above
who study shards through a scientific lens.
They seek to work the powers of these stones
into new crafts. Their hope is that by doing so,
they will further make sense of Torn, of the
Great Dying, and find an answer to the doom-
riddle looming over Akara. However, not all in‐
vokers are chiseled from the same stone.
Whereas one may be methodical in their work,
another may use their force of personality, and
another still may combine their shardscience
with some other craft. Below, a number of dif‐
ferent invoker practices are named and de‐
scribed. These do not represent all invokers, nor
all the different branches, styles, sciences, and
purposes invokers may have. However, they are
guide stones that show what you can do with
the power of shards.
Heart-Giver
An Ininnu, or Heart-Giver, owes their name to
an old akaran tradition of strange ritual. In
times of antiquity, one would offer to
metaphorically sell their very heart in exchange
for any one wish, such as wealth, weapons, or
grain. It has reemerged to describe an esoteric
branch of invokers who believe that shard‐
stones allow them to communicate with enti‐
ties hidden away in the depths of Torn. Their
peers are quick to say that these entities do not
exist; the shards themselves are manifesting
what the Ininnu wants to see. But they cannot
deny that every night, an Ininnu will dream
strange dreams and wake with shard knowl‐
edge hither too unfounded. Whether this
knowledge does come from some obscure en‐
tity or whether it is just moments of brilliance
obtained from shardcraft is still to be deter‐
mined. Ininnu are unassuming until their
knowledge eventually shifts and changes their
bodies in ways unexpected.
Bloodcutters
Bloodcutting is the art of cutting shards into
new shapes, thus working their natural power
into something new. For the longest time, this
science went unprogressed. It is the few Mura‐
neese scavengers - rare as snow in a desert -
that have used their legendary skill to take
blood cutting to the next level. There exists an
infinity of ways to cut shards, and these ways
are discovered every day, leading to ever more
extravagant powers. Know the bloodcutter by
the arrangement of shardstones they wear. No
jewelry is half as flamboyant.
Colorbinders
Colorbinding is the Bataash art of creating col‐
ored dyes, horrific poisons and, in the tallest of
tales, turning mud into gold or water into wine.
Though these supernatural feats have long
since been known to be impossible, the advent
of shards has changed this. Bataash scavengers
have learned to use powdered shardstone in
their colorbindings, creating strange concoc‐
tions that transmute reality itself. Though only
truly usable in Torn, this science has led to the
creation of Torn Drugs, which have flooded Tar‐
nak’s black market in recent years. Many col‐
orbinders are addicted to their own drugs,
which in turn give them abilities warped and
weird. Colorbinders are known for their beauti‐
ful armor dyes and their painted weapons.
The Radiant
Some invokers seek to imbue themselves with
the irradiating power of shardlight. By exposing
themselves to different levels of shardstone ra‐
diance, the invoker becomes internally mu‐
tated. It is a form of science hardly understood.
The powers the invoker manifests are usually
somehow connected to different regions of
Torn. For example, a strange sanguine storm
observed by scavengers is reproduced by an in‐
voker whenever they perform a feat of shard‐
science. A recent hypothesis by Sarok of the
Council of Jade & Progress is that the personali‐
ties of the Radiant dictates the specifics of their
shardscience in deeply psychological ways. The
Radiant have eyes the color of spilled blood, and
tattoos just as vivid.
157
MYSTICS
Included Classes: Cleric – Druid – Monk
Ability Score Proficiency: Wisdom
Saving Throw Proficiencies: Choose two from
Strength, Dexterity, or Wisdom
In her locs rest a dozen shardstone studs. They
chime-tinkle as she places one hand, then the
other, on her brother’s ruin of a chest. Together
they came into Torn. Together they would leave.
She whispers this to herself, believes in the
teachings of her mother, and her mother’s
mother, and the whole lineage of her family.
Faith resonates as the philosophies, the rituals,
the mysticisms of a line of shamans Akara-old
ignites the light of each and every loc-wrapped
shardstone. Her tattoos, dark on her mahogany
skin, burn red as her brother’s flesh, his muscle,
his bones are all knitted back together.
This is the sacred work of a mystic. Unlike invok‐
ers, who carefully try to figure out the powers of
shardstones, mystics use their faith in their
mysticisms to change the world into what they
believe it should be. Such power has given deep
vindication to Akara’s spiritual wanderers. Now,
many of them ply their talents as scavengers,
seeking to use their faith to heal their dying
world. Below, the mystic representatives of
Akara’s largest religions are presented, though
in a world pushed to the edge, new beliefs are
born every day and thus new mystics to repre‐
sent them.
Ancestral Shamans
Ancestor worship is Akara’s oldest belief. What‐
ever happens to the dead is for them to know
but their experiences, powers, and secrets are
inherited by the current generation and then
passed on in full. Mystics whose faith is past-
born has allowed for strange necromancies to
evolve in Torn. Some believe they can speak to
the dead, while others claim to have traveled
beyond the pale and into a realm they can
scarcely remember. Other mystics coat or stud
the bones of their ancestors in shardstone,
adorning themselves in a regalia that imbues
them with all the wisdom of heroes long since
passed. The miracles they weave are the desires
of our forebears, or so they say.
Shard Cultists
In Tarnak, the advent of shards 50 years ago has
sewn the city with countless cults. Each cult is
wholly unique to itself, creating idols that repre‐
sent their philosophies and blessing the zeal‐
ous with shards. If it were not for the sheer
number of cults, the combined powers of the
believers would be enough to challenge the au‐
thority of Tarnak’s council. However, the cults
are doomed to endless infighting. Their reality
is a tapestry of beliefs uncompromising. Some
worship the Great Dying itself while others seek
to learn the secrets of all flying creatures or to
somehow ascend to the skies. A shard cultist
can always be recognized by the outlandish
158
idols they carry with them, which serve as the
foci for their shardscience.
World Speakers
Should a mystic take stock in the ancient belief
of Worldliness, they earn the name of World
Speaker. These are mystics who are most trou‐
bled by the Great Dying. They, who have stud‐
ied the ocean’s waves, animal migrations, mon‐
soons and typhoons know that soon Akara will
die and with it all of her wisdom. Thus, they
learn what they can and use this knowledge to
enlighten their comrades and to ensure their
expeditions into Akara and Torn are successful.
Some World Speakers have shown the ability to
don the skins of beasts, while others can give
the wrathful Akara some peace for a while.
Such power has made these mystics, few that
they are, precious to not only scavengers, but
Akarans everywhere. World Speakers wear
bone necklaces and shard-studded chokers
through which they claim to speak with all na‐
ture’s authority.
Zodiacs
To study the Kanuman beliefs is a common
thing for scavengers. Few are as sure and as
proven as their stargazers. Mystics who draw
their power from these religions are called zodi‐
acs for the silver-white constellations tattooed
across their arms, faces, and chest. The miracles
of a zodiac are many. Depending on the con‐
stellations they imbue, they heal the flesh of the
ailing, scry the future, and even, or so it is said,
banish the scren back to whatever blasted
world they’ve crawled out of. Rare it is for a zo‐
diac to find easy acceptance, however. With
Kanuman star-raiders growing bolder with ev‐
ery moon the public opinion on all zodiacs di‐
minishes. They are seen as untrustworthy, likely
to sell their comrades into slavery if an expedi‐
tion fails. Ill reputations or not, their talents are
not to be dismissed.
REPLACEMENT CLASS FEATURES: MYSTICS

Channel Divinity: Miracle Worker

Replaces a cleric’s Channel Divinity: Turn Un‐
dead

As an action, you present a shardstone before

a gathered group of creatures and work a
miracle before them. Each creature within 30
feet of you must make a Wisdom saving
throw. If the creature fails the saving throw,
its attitude becomes friendly towards you,
and if the creature was already friendly, it is
instead charmed for 1 hour or until it receives
damage from any source.

Banish Aberration
Replaces a cleric’s Destroy Undead
Starting at 5th level, when an aberration fails
its saving throw against your Miracle Worker,
the creature is banished to the World Torn
Apart if its challenge rating is at or below a
certain threshold, as shown on the Banish
Aberration table below. If you are already in
Torn, the creature is transported 500 miles
away from its current location.

Cleric Level Banish Aberration of CR …

5th ½ or lower

8th 1 or lower

11th 2 or lower

14th 3 or lower

17th 4 or lower

159
PARADIGM SUBCLASSES
Below are detailed four subclasses. These subclasses can be taken for each of the following classes
in their respective paradigms, as per the table below.
Scavenger Paradigm
Drifter
Invoker Warlock Otherworldly Patron: Core Entity
Mystic
Warlord
DRIFTER PARADIGM: VER-
MILLION HAND
There exists in Akara a class of thief trained in
the catacombs of Tarnak by the Tongue & Hand.
This thief, unlike their mundane counterparts, is
trained specifically in the theft of shardcraft. In
their training, the drifter in question becomes a
saboteur and a spy of the arcane, and is ex‐
posed to measured amounts of shardlight to in‐
fuse them with weird abilities. These drifters are
called Vermillion Hands, and they are the only
tool ever made that can properly steal a shard‐
stone’s magical powers.
Legion of Vermillions
Starting when you choose this roguish
archetype at 3rd level, you can create vermillion
projections of yourself. As an action, you can
create one vermillion silhouette, which appears
in a separate, unoccupied space within 15 feet
of yourself that you can see. The projection is a
vermillion, featureless silhouette of yourself that
lasts until destroyed, you end this effect as a
bonus action, or 1 hour has passed.
Your vermillion silhouette has AC 12 + your Pro‐
ficiency bonus, 1 hit point, and immunity to all
conditions. If it has to make a saving throw, they
use your saving throw bonus for the roll. It is the
same size as you, and occupies its own space.
On your turn, you can mentally command your
vermillion silhouette to move up to 30 feet in
any direction (no action required). If your ver‐
million silhouette is ever more than 60 feet
from you at the end of your turn, it is destroyed.
Your vermillion silhouette counts as a creature
for the purposes of activating your sneak attack
feature.
Starting at 11th level, you summon two vermil‐
lion silhouettes instead of one when you use
this feature. Once you’ve used this feature, you
cannot do so again until you finish a short or
long rest.
◇ Your vermillion silhouettes can move
through materials and other creatures as if
they were difficult terrain. If they end their
160
Class & Subclass
Roguish Archetype: Vermillion Hand
Druid Circle: Circle of Cataclysms
Martial Archetype: Starfaller
turn inside of a material or creature, they are
destroyed.
◇ You have 30 feet of blindsight through your
vermillion silhouettes whenever they touch
either the ground or an object or creature
with their hands.
◇ Your vermillion silhouettes can pick up a
small or tiny object. When an object is
picked up by your vermillion silhouette, it ra‐
diates red light and can be transported by
your vermillion silhouette through other
materials and creatures.
Shardlight Overload
Also at 3rd level, you can use a bonus action to
cause one of your vermillion silhouettes to ex‐
plode. Any creature within 10 feet of the vermil‐
lion silhouette must succeed on a Dexterity sav‐
ing throw, whose DC equals 8 + your Intelli‐
gence modifier + your Proficiency bonus. On a
failure, the creature suffers radiant damage
equal to your sneak attack dice damage.
Discshard
Starting at 9th level, you have learned how to
directly steal the power of shardcraft. As an ac‐
tion, you can touch a creature with a magical
trait or a magical item and steal away one of its
magical traits. This trait becomes a tiny, circular
disk called a discshard.
The discshard has an AC of 15, 10 hit points, does
not make Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma
saving throws, automatically fails Strength,
Dexterity, and Constitution saving throws, and
is immune to all conditions, as well as poison
damage. The discshard is destroyed after 24
hours or if its hit points are reduced to 0. Until a
discshard is destroyed, the stolen magical trait
cannot be used by the creature or item that it
was stolen from.
You can touch the discshard to another magical
item of your choice. When you do so, the disc‐
shard disappears in a flash of red light, and that
magical item gains the stolen trait for 24 hours.
After 24 hours have passed, the trait can no
longer be used and the original creature or
magical item that the trait belonged to can
once again use that power.
You can create a number of discshards equal to
your Proficiency bonus. When one is used or
destroyed, you can then create another to re‐
place it.
Hand to Rouge Hand
At 13th level, you can instantly swap places with
one of your vermillion silhouettes as a bonus ac‐
tion. When you do so, you cannot do so again
for that vermillion silhouette.
Upload Shardlight
Upon reaching 17th level, whenever one of your
vermillion silhouettes is destroyed, you can use
your reaction to crush one of your discshards. If
you do so, you can summon a replacement ver‐
million silhouette that appears within 15 feet of
you in an unoccupied space.
INVOKER PARADIGM:
CORE ENTITY
Heart-Sellers among scavengers often whisper
to one another of a strange dream they have. In
this dream they meet an entity composed of
cold, crimson shardlight that asks them for as‐
sistance. This entity claims to dwell within the
Core itself, and it requests odd tasks be per‐
formed that seemingly have no coherence with
its previous request. Those who deny the Core
Entity have their memories wiped so that they
remember neither its appearance nor its origin.
Those who accept, however, forget their
dreams too but remember the task that they
must perform. These Heart-Sellers are re‐
warded with the Core Entity’s own acroamatic
services and an instinctual knowledge of how
to use shardcraft as well as any other invoker.
Expanded Spell List
The Core Entity lets you choose from an ex‐
panded list of spells when you learn a warlock
spell. The following spells are added to the war‐
lock spell list for you.
Spell
Level Spells
1st Bane, magic missile
2nd Augury, zone of truth
3rd Clairvoyance, glyph of warding
4th Arcane eye, phantasmal killer
5th Circle of power, geas
Shardlight Possession
Starting at 1st level, when you deal damage to a
creature with a cantrip, magic item, or spell, you
can use your reaction to create a vector allow‐
ing the Core Entity to possess your target for 1
minute. The possession ends early if the target
dies, you die, or you are incapacitated. While
possessed, the creature suffers from the follow‐
ing effects:
◇ It cannot attack you if there is another valid
target within range.
◇ It cannot cast spells, nor can it use magical
items that it is attuned to.
◇ It cannot use the Disengage or Help ac‐
tions, and it cannot ready an action.
At the end of each of its turns, the creature can
make a Charisma saving throw against your
spell save DC, ending this effect on it with a suc‐
cess. Once you’ve used this feature, you cannot
do so again until you finish a short or long rest.
Radical Quantum Thinking
At 6th level, the Core Entity has given you ac‐
cess to its hyper-computational mind, greatly
enhancing your own mental abilities. You can
use the Help action on yourself as a bonus ac‐
tion or reaction whenever you make an ability
check or saving throw.
You can use this feature a number of times
equal to your Proficiency per long rest.
Shardlight Domination
At 10th level, you can strengthen the Core En‐
tity’s hold over a creature when you allow it to
possess them. When a creature is first pos‐
sessed, choose one of the following additional
effects for it to suffer from:
◇ The creature experiences great pain, pre‐
venting it from regaining hit points from
any source.
◇ When the creature moves, it must roll 1d6.
On a 4 or higher, you can either choose the
direction it moves or reduce its movement
speed to 0.
Sacrifice to the Core
Upon reaching 14th level, the Core Entity has
given you the means to feed it with the intelli‐
gence of your enemies. You can cast the feeble‐
mind spell as an action. After you cast the spell
with this feature, you cannot do so again until
you finish a long rest. A creature possessed by
the Core Entity has disadvantage against its
saving throw against this spell, and if it fails, you
regain your use of the Shardlight Possession
feature.
161
MYSTIC PARADIGM:
CIRCLE OF CATACLYSMS
As the Cataclysm rages across Akara, there are
mystics who, with the power of shardstones,
have decided to channel the power of those
world-rocking disasters to blow open a clear
path to a safe and viable future. It is a danger‐
ous line these mystics walk; their powers can
lash out against their comrades and even
themselves. However such a dangerous road
forward must be walked, or so the mystics say,
if Akara is to survive at all.
Disaster’s Avatar
Starting when you choose this druid circle at
3rd level, you can spend a usage of your Wild
Shape to channel the power of various Akaran
cataclysms into shardscience. When you do so,
you adopt physical features symbolic of the cat‐
aclysm, such cracks through your skin mirror‐
ing an earthquake’s cruel scars, or the drowned
appearance of someone caught inside of a
death tide.
When you use your Wild Shape in this way,
choose one of the benefits below. The benefit
lasts for 1 hour, until you lose unconsciousness,
or until you end the benefit early as a bonus ac‐
tion.
◇ Death Tide You adopt the fearsome, relent‐
less power of the death tides. With this ben‐
efit, you can force creatures you hit with a
spell attack roll or that fail a saving throw
against one of your cantrips or spells to be
moved 10 feet in any direction of your
choice so long as they are large or smaller. A
creature you move in this way suffers an ad‐
ditional 1d6 bludgeoning damage from the
sudden movement. Additionally, you gain a
swim speed of 30 feet and can automati‐
cally sense when a death tide is coming.
◇ Earthquake You adopt the destructive, vio‐
lent power of an earthquake. With this ben‐
efit, when you hit a creature with a spell at‐
tack roll or when a creature fails a saving
throw against one of your cantrips or spells,
you can violently shake the ground around
them, knocking them prone and tearing
open fissures in the ground within 10 feet of
them. This fissure-torn ground is consid‐
ered difficult terrain. Additionally, your
cantrips and spells deal double damage
against structures, and you can automati‐
cally sense when an earthquake is about to
strike.
◇ Heat Raid You adopt the sudden, lethal
power of a heat raid. With this benefit,
whenever you hit a creature with a spell at‐
tack roll or when a creature fails a saving
throw against one of your cantrips or spells,
you can rapidly heat the atmosphere
around that creature. This hot atmosphere
makes it difficult to breathe, giving disad‐
vantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and
162
concentration checks until the creature
somehow moves at least 5 feet away from
its original space. Additionally, flammable
objects you hit with your spells or cantrips
are ignited and you can automatically sense
when a heat raid draws near.
Alluvial Haven
At 6th level, you have learned how to stabilize
the world around you temporarily for the pur‐
poses of resting. During a short rest, you may
add your Wisdom modifier to any hit dice rolled
in addition to your Constitution modifier. Dur‐
ing a long rest, you always regain all of your ex‐
pended hit dice.
Additionally, you may grant this benefit to a
number of creatures resting within 30 feet of
you equal to your proficiency bonus.
Avatar of Greater Disaster
At 10th level, you can spend two uses of your
Wild Shape feature to adopt one of the follow‐
ing benefits instead of one of those granted by
your Disaster’s Avatar feature.
◇ Khavsasan Zud You adopt the power of the
powerful extinction event called the
khavsasan zud. With this benefit, whenever
you hit a creature with a spell attack roll or
when a creature fails a saving throw against
one of your cantrips or spells, you can
rapidly lower its body temperature for 1
minute. At the start of every round, the crea‐
ture must succeed on a Constitution saving
throw against your druid spell save DC or
else suffer 1 level of exhaustion. The creature
can make this saving throw again at the
start of each of its turns, ending this effect
and removing all levels of exhaustion on a
success. Additionally, you can always sense
when a khavsasan zud is about to strike.
◇ Monsoon Raid You adopt the reckless and
horrific power of a monsoon raid. With this
benefit, whenever you hit a creature with a
spell attack roll or when a creature fails a
saving throw against one of your cantrips or
spells, you create a terrible storm cloud that
cloaks that creature for 1 minute. As a bonus
action, you can force that creature to make
a Constitution saving throw against your
druid spell save DC. Unless the creature suc‐
ceeds, it suffers 1d6 lightning damage, 1d6
cold damage, and 1d6 bludgeoning dam‐
age from the storm pelting them with light‐
ning, hail, and wind. Additionally, you can al‐
ways sense when a monsoon raid is about
to strike.
◇ The Samum You adopt the city-swallowing
power of the cruel samum. With this bene‐
fit, whenever you hit a creature with a spell
attack roll or when a creature fails a saving
throw against one of your cantrips or spells,
you manifest a terrible sandstorm centered
on the creature with a radius of 10 feet. Any
creatures inside of this radius are blinded
and must make a Strength saving throw at
 the beginning of their turns. Unless they
succeed on this saving throw, the creature
can only choose to do one of the following
options on its turn: take an action, use a
bonus action, or move. Additionally, you can
always sense when the samum is about to
strike.
Calamity Storm
Upon reaching 14th level, you can unleash the
very wrath of the world itself upon your foes. As
an action, you can force any creatures within a
60 foot radius to make a Constitution saving
throw against your druid spellcasting DC. On a
failure, creatures suffer 10d10 damage of your
choice from one of the following damage types:
cold, fire, lightning, or thunder. This damage
manifests as the world itself creates a calamity
such as an eruption of magma, a sudden tor‐
nado, a spontaneous dust storm, or so on within
this feature’s range. On a success, creatures suf‐
fer half damage. Additionally, all space affected
by this feature is considered difficult terrain.
Once you have used this action, you can’t use it
again until you finish a long rest.
WARLORD PARADIGM:
STARFALLER
In Kanuma there are the Blood Pits, and most
famous of those is the Pit of the Sunken Sun.
There, where a star fell and Kanuma was built
around it, the most famed gladiators wage a
war upon each other designed to entertain
through the shedding of blood. Gladiators
named to these pits earn the title of starfaller
and are given a freedom that no other of their
caste enjoys. Starfallers are known for their indi‐
vidual styles; they fight with specific weapons
unique to their brand and in a fashion that max‐
imizes the carnage of combat.
Blood Sport
Starting when you choose this martial
archetype at 3rd level, you’ve learned to fight in
a chaotic, dirty way, designed to maximize
bloodshed. When you deal damage to a crea‐
ture, you can choose to make it bloody, reduc‐
ing the creature’s maximum hit points by the
damage dealt, preventing it from gaining tem‐
porary hit points, and preventing it from taking
both a bonus action and an action in the same
turn. These effects last for 1 minute or until the
creature is targeted by lesser restoration or
comparable magic, after which their hit point
maximums return to their original value,
though their current hit points remain the
same.
You can use this feature a number of times
equ1al to your Proficiency bonus, regaining
uses on a short or long rest.
Bonus Proficiency
Also at 3rd level, you become proficient in
Charisma ability checks if you were not already.
(In)Famous Killer
At 7th level, you have gained a reputation for
killing with a specific weapon. Choose a specific
weapon which you currently own. This weapon
becomes your infamous killing tool. Attacks
with this weapon are considered critical hits on
a 19 or 20, and when you kill a creature with your
infamous killing tool you gain temporary hit
points equal to ½ your fighter levels (rounded
down).
If you lose your infamous killing tool, you can
gain another by killing a creature with a differ‐
ent specific weapon that you own.
Forever In the Pits
Starting at 10th level, whenever you roll initia‐
tive and have no uses of Blood Sport, you regain
one use.
Crippling Entertainment
At 15th level, you have learned that crippling
your target will never fail to send the crowd into
an uproar. When you roll damage with your in‐
famous killing tool, you can force the target
creature to make a Constitution saving throw
with a DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus +
your Charisma modifier. On a failure, the crea‐
ture suffers 1 level of exhaustion.
Once you’ve successfully used this feature, you
must finish a short or long rest to use it again.
Sink the Sun
Upon reaching 18th level, when you are tar‐
geted by a melee weapon attack, you can
choose to let the attack hit you without rolling.
If you do so, you can use your reaction to deal
damage to the attacking creature. This damage
is equal to the damage dice of your infamous
killing tool + the amount of damage you re‐
ceived when using this feature. If the attack
hits, it is also considered a critical hit.
Once you’ve used this feature, you cannot do so
again until you finish a long rest.
163
164
AKARAN BACKGROUNDS
Included Classes: Artificer – Sorcerer – Warlock
Ability Score Proficiency: Intelligence
Saving Throw Proficiencies: Choose two from
Constitution, Intelligence, or Charisma.
A scavenger’s background is important. It tells
the brief story of how they ended up in Tarnak
and what twist of destiny saw them taking on a
job precious few others are desperate enough
to do.
The backgrounds offered below are just the tip
of the iceberg. If none of them suit your charac‐
ter concept, you can create your own back‐
ground by doing the following:
◇ Create a thematic idea and name.
◇ Choose an ability score for it to be profi‐
cient in.
◇ Choose a tool proficiency for your back‐
ground.
◇ Create a list of personality traits, hopes, and
flaws to choose from.
◇ Work with your gamemaster to brew up a
flavorful, low-impact feature for your back‐
ground.
The Akaran Backgrounds offered in this supple‐
ment can be found below. Summaries of each
are given in the Background Synopsis table be‐
low.

BACKGROUND SYNOPSIS

Akaran Background Brief Synopsis

Bonekeeper The world is dying. You hope to record all you can, so that future
generations do not forget what is lost.

Cataclysm Sojourner Your homeland was lost to the Cataclysm. You’ve turned to scav‐
enging in hopes of something better.

Emissary You are an emissary of a city-state or tribal mob hoping to find a

way to save both your people and your homeland.

Headhunted Exile A choice was given: face the gallows or redeem yourself by scav‐
enging. You choose an uncertain life over promised death.

You were a slave for much of your life. Now your life has been
Patron Ex-Slave bought by your patron, or your inexplicable freedom has led you
to a scavenger’s life.

Shardtainted Exposure to shards changed you, and the only way to find nor‐
malcy is to scavenge for it.

From the cradle, Akara made four: He Working Gold, She Crafting
Rings, That Cutting Stone, and They Bowing their Backs. And in their
grace: perfection.”
- Excerpt from the Dinashii’s teachings

165
AKARN BACKGROUNDS: BONEKEEPER
Every day, something important is lost. A song
is forgotten; a way of life fades. Bonekeepers
such as yourself ensure that as much of Akara’s
history as possible is recorded. It is a way of re‐
bellion against the Great Dying and all its many
ills. By taking the bones of the dead and writing
upon them what they knew, you create a li‐
brary-grave worthy of worship. Scavenging for
you is not just a search for resources, but a
search for endangered knowledge.
Background Benefits
Your background provides you with the follow‐
ing benefits.
Ability Score Proficiency
You are proficient in either Intelligence or Wis‐
dom ability checks.
Additional Proficiencies
You are proficient in four languages of your
choice.
Genre’d Scrimshaws
Roll below for your genre’d scrimshaws. This is
the type of knowledge you most readily seek.
d6 Genre
1 Oral histories
2 Civilized laws
3 Myths & legends
4 Mystic philosophies & religions
5 Extinct animals
6 Maps & locales
Feature: Bone-Writ Academia
Bonekeepers are in constant contact with one
another. If you don’t know a certain piece of
Akaran information, or if you need some kind of
research to guide your scavenging, you know of
another bonekeeper who can help you.
166
CHARACTERISTICS
Roll or choose characteristics from the following
tables of personality traits, hopes, and flaws.
d6 Traits
1 For a piece of knowledge I don’t already
know I’d trade anything I own.
I love to teach others about Akara’s
2 many wonders.
I observe new things long before I take
3 action for or against them, no matter
the imminent danger.
4 My wrath is sun-hot against those who
destroy knowledge.
5 I understand that everyone has a story,
and I’m always willing to hear it.
I have an interesting piece of trivia for
6
every occasion.
d6 Hopes
Something I know could save us all. I
1 just don’t know what that something is
quite yet.
One day, a great school will be built, and
2 all that we bonekeepers know will be
taught from there.
I don’t believe that knowledge can ever
3 be forgotten. I’m sure I’ll find everything
that’s been lost, one day at least.
Those who built the Monolith have been
4 utterly forgotten. We will not follow in
their footsteps.
If I can convince the people of my
5 knowledge’s worth, not even the Great
Dying can conquer us.
6 Iiswill rule justly once I know all that there
to know.
d6 Flaws
Only the genres that I record have any
1 real worth.
2 In secret, I destroy scrimshaws that con‐
tradict my own knowledge.
3 I am a sham, and everything I write is
thirdhand hearsay..
Life has no value without knowledge,
4 and I’d trade yours for information any
day.
I believe my scrimshaws are worthless,
5 no matter what anyone else tries to tell
me.
I sabotage other scribes to ensure I’m
6 the first to record new knowledge.
167
AKARN BACKGROUNDS: CATACLYSM SOJOURNER
The Cataclysm, the Great Dying, the End of the
World - whatever it is, it has taken everything
from you. Your home was swallowed up by
sand, or maybe scren swarmed in the dead of
night and consumed everyone, everything. You
carry with you the memories of a life lost. They
are burning fuel for your life as a scavenger.
Background Benefits
You gain the following benefits from this back‐
ground.
Ability Score Proficiency
You are proficient in either Constitution or Wis‐
dom ability checks.
Tool Proficiency
You are proficient in vehicles (either land or sea)
and a language of your choice.
Refugee Trinket
Roll for your trinket below. It is something you
carry to remind you of a home lost.
d6 Refugee Trinket
The cracked, dirty sigil of your home‐
1
land.
A small toy, one handed down to you by
2 3
your parents.
A savage scar that serves as a reminder
3 of what happened to you.
Polished ivory horns - trophies that your
4 people would have been proud of.
5 A ceremonial artifact invaluable, one
that represented your now lost customs.
A music instrument unique to your lost
6 kin.
Feature: Fated Survivor
Tragedy surrounds you, but you are fated to al‐
ways survive. You have a sixth sense that alerts
you to horrific storms, scren swarms, earth‐
quakes, and other natural disasters.
168
CHARACTERISTICS
Roll or choose characteristics from the following
tables of personality traits, hopes, and flaws.
d6 Traits
How can I rest easy when I know every‐
1 thing can be taken away in the blink of
an eye?
I don’t get attached to anyone or any‐
2 thing. It's pointless, with the world end‐
ing.
If you don’t know anything about my
3 culture, I’m more excited to tell you
about it than to do anything else.
Wherever I go, I make sure to warn
4 those I meet to be prepared for the
coming doom.
Those who fail to fear the Great Dying
5
scare me more than anything else.
I survived the greatest disaster of them
6 all. I’ll survive whatever comes to finish
the job, too.
d6 Hopes
1 Someone else had to survive. I’ll find
them, no matter what.
I may have lost everything, but one day
2
I’ll find a way to build it all again.
Our culture may have lost its home, but
I’ll see to it that the world remembers us
4 I need to find a safe place. I can’t endure
that kind of tragedy again.
There has to be a way to save others
5 from the horrors I’ve experienced. There
has to be.
They may not understand me, but
6 please, I beg that they accept me, who‐
ever my new family is.
d6 Flaws
1 I’m not afraid to tell you how your cul‐
ture is less civilized than my own.
2 No matter how much I try, I can’t get
used to this place and all of its…rules.
3 No one helped me when I needed it.
Why should I help any of you?
At night, I relive the disaster, and it
4 shakes me to my core.
I’m not pessimistic. I’m just letting you
5 know that no matter what we do, it's
pointless; death comes, and there’s no
stopping it.
6 I couldn’t save them. Any of them. And
now I don’t think I can even save myself.
169
AKARN BACKGROUNDS: EMISSARY
Your people have heard of Tarnak and all its
shard-powered wonders. Be it from some dis‐
tant city-state or a tribal people pushed to the
edge, you have traveled there, on their behalf,
to learn secrets only the scavengers know. Per‐
haps on your adventures, you will find a way to
lead your people to a place of peace, of stability.
Background Benefits
Your background provides you with the follow‐
ing benefits.
Ability Score Proficiency
You are proficient in Wisdom or Charisma abil‐
ity checks..
Additional Proficiencies
You are proficient in a language and either an
artisan’s tool or musical instrument of your
choice.
Genre’d Scrimshaws
Roll for your diplomatic gift below. It is a valu‐
able item sent by your people to be offered to
someone in exchange for patronage.
d6 Gift
A perfect cut gem, scribed with the sa‐
1 cred philosophies of your homeland.
An immaculately forged bronze weapon
2 whose like is unfounded anywhere else.
A supply of spirits, food, and clothing of
3 the like that only the wealthiest could
afford.
Stone tablets with a list of land grants
4 and other privileges for the patron to
enjoy back in your homeland.
The trophy or relic of a great hero, be‐
5 stowing honor and prestige onto the
gifted.
A dozen men-at-arms and servants to
6 loyally serve the patron’s every need.
Feature: Diplomatic Immunity
Whenever you get into trouble with the law, or
with other lawful members of the land you're
visiting, your status as an emissary will reduce
your punishments to their absolute minimum.
170
CHARACTERISTICS
Roll or choose characteristics from the following
tables of personality traits, hopes, and flaws.
d6 Traits
I am in wonder at all the differences be‐
1 tween this place and my motherland!
2 Peace must be upheld at all costs, and I
am the one who will uphold it.
There is much to learn from these peo‐
3 ple’s customs, and I will see to it that I
bring some of them home with me.
As my people’s representative, I will do
4 everything in my power to appear as a
model citizen.
Whenever there is a dispute that I can
5 see, I will do my best to see that both
sides walk away from it satisfied.
6 I’ve long learned that only through com‐
radery can both our lands survive.
d6 Hopes
I need to get the attention of those in
1 charge here. It’s the only way to help my
people.
There are many secrets in this world I do
2 not know. I will learn them, and bring
them home with me.
Someone in this world has the skills, the
3 power, to change everything. It is them
that I seek.
Though the cost may be steep, I will see
to it that my people not only survive the
4 Great Dying, but that they become the
rulers of all Akara.
Mayhaps there is no place for us in this
5 world anymore. But if there is one in an‐
other, I will find it.
If I can just broker a union between your
6 people and my own, the future will al‐
ways smile back at us.
d6 Flaws
1 I find the people here untrustworthy. I
fear they plot against my own.
If I must, I will sabotage everything in or‐
2 der to put my people ahead.
Surely everyone here has only the best
3 in mind for my people, and I will hear no
different.
4 If it means worsening my reputation, I
will abstain from any conflict.
You are not someone of importance
5 here? Then why do you waste my time
talking?
For some reason, I cannot figure out the
6 right way to get the attention of those
who could help me!
171
AKARN BACKGROUNDS: HEADHUNTED EXILE
There was no argument allowed. You were
guilty of your crime, and the sentence was clear:
death. Maybe not instant death, but one
promised; in the labor camps, maybe, or on the
battlefield. Another option was given. Head‐
hunted though you are, you could redeem
yourself. Life over death meant that you must
walk the scavenger’s path. Bring back what you
find, help humanity live, and your name will be
cleared - or so they said.
Background Benefits
You gain the following benefits from this back‐
ground.
Ability Score Proficiency
You are proficient in Dexterity or Charisma abil‐
ity checks.
Additional Proficiencies
You are proficient in two of the following: dis‐
guise kits, forgery kits, poisoner’s kits, or thieves’
tools.
Your Crime
Roll for your crime below. Afterwards, roll 1d20.
On a 10 or higher, you were innocent but found
guilty.
d6 Crimes
You stole sensitive secrets and materials
1 doesn’t have to sin to live.
from a powerful guild or faction.
You killed someone who wronged you
2 one too many times.
Theft was the only way you could get
3 ahead and damn you were good at it.
4 A patron’s collection was destroyed, and
they knew it had to be you who did it.
Someone important or well loved went
5 missing. You knew where, but you never
said.
The black market isn’t a place for
6 friends. You got caught peddling some‐
thing you shouldn’t and no one helped
cover for you.
Feature: Ill Connected
You have a special connection in the form of a
corrupt official, crime lord, or seedy organiza‐
tion. For a small price, they’ll do a favor for you.
Once the favor is done, you’ll have to do one for
them too.
172
CHARACTERISTICS
Roll or choose characteristics from the following
tables of personality traits, hopes, and flaws.
d6 Traits
I know a liar when I see one. Conmen al‐
1 ways have a tell.
People sneer at me. I’m always quick to
2
show them how we’re no different.
Authority without heart is tyranny. And
3
all I see is tyranny everywhere.
Without even realizing it, I’m always
4 looking to see who the most helpful
person in the room is.
5 If it means I’ll survive, I’ll do anything, no
matter how low.
If I call you friend, and I mean it true,
6 then you could burn the world and I’d
still stand by you.
d6 Hopes
My name has got to be cleared. And I
1 will do whatever it takes to clear it.
Someone out there stabbed me in the
2 back. Once I’m done with this, I’ll find
out who and return the favor.
3 There’s got to exist a world where a man
They made a mistake letting me live.
4 With what I scavenge, I’ll make a crimi‐
nal empire that’ll never fall.
My crime was my art. Life as a scavenger
5 will let me perfect it.
I did what I had to do, in order to save
6 the ones I loved. Hopefully if I do this, I’ll
be with them again soon.
d6 Flaws
Back then, I didn’t feel guilt. I felt high
1 from what I did. And now, I itch to hit
that high again.
No one is my friend, even if I say differ‐
2 ent. If they’re not useful to me then I
don’t need them.
I know I could disappear and be free for‐
3 ever. One day, I’ll ditch these people and
do it.
4 Whenever I can, I steal something that I
think might get me ahead in the future.
Friendship is a service, and I’m the
5 provider. I never help anyone without
getting my due first.
6 Fool me once, shame on you. And I’ll
make you regret ever doing it, too.
173
AKARN BACKGROUNDS: PATRON SLAVE
Before the Great Dying, slavery was the cruel
foundation upon which much of Akara was
built. Tribal peoples were kidnapped, prisoners
of war disappeared, travelers beset upon when
they least expected it. Now, calamities un‐
counted have seen countless slaves freed as
their captors are forced to reckon with the Cat‐
aclysm. Other slaves have been bought by pa‐
trons for their unique talents and sent into a life
of scavenging.
Background Benefits
Your background provides you with the follow‐
ing benefits.
Ability Score Proficiency
You are proficient in Strength or Wisdom ability
checks.
Additional Proficiencies
You are proficient in any combination of up to
three languages or tools of your choice.
Purchased Purpose
Roll for your purchased purpose below. This de‐
termines your previous (or current) purpose as
a slave.
d6 Purpose
As a Muraneese labor slave, your sole
1 purpose was to make the lives of the
Muraneese as comfortable as possible.
Kanuman blood slaves such as yourself
2 lived to fight in the blood pits as fodder
for their gladiators.
A tribal mob captured you and set you
to tending their animals, their food
3 5 an equal. If they are still out there, I wish
stores, and mending their clothing and
hunting gear.
4 A wealthy Tarnaki artificer used you as
their assistant and record keeper.
The people who enslaved you have
fallen to the Great Dying. You were
5 lucky, as you were destined to be sacri‐
ficed in the name of their maniacal
leader.
Your flesh was bought by a powerful pa‐
6 tron who believes your talents will make
you a fine scavenger.
Feature: Unassuming Persona
Life as a slave has taught you how to be as unas‐
suming as possible around your supposed bet‐
ters. Whenever you are in a place where slaves
are in use, you are able to blend in with them
and no one will question who you are or why
you’re there.
174
CHARACTERISTICS
Roll or choose characteristics from the following
tables of personality traits, hopes, and flaws.
d6 Traits
When others give me orders, I find it
1 hard not to obey.
2 I resist authority at every opportunity I
can.
Chains are sinful, and I feel only hatred
3 for those who put others in them.
Nothing is more important to me than
4 making your own choices, and I do my
best to ensure others get to make theirs.
Life is harsh and cruel. I have learned to
5 fight against that harshness with my ev‐
ery breath!
I was taught to be quieter than the
wind, and to never speak without being
6
spoken too. I maintain these habits,
even now.
d6 Hopes
A revolution brews on the horizon. There
1 will be a world without slaves, and my
scavenging will lead to it.
2 The people that chained me will be put
into chains themselves.
I may be free now, but my loved ones
3 are not. I have to find them. I have to
help them.
Something of importance was taken
4 from me when I was enslaved. Through
scavenging, I hope to find it.
My master was kind and treated me as
to repay them for all their kindness.
I don’t remember how to be a person
6 anymore. Will any amount of freedom
show me the way?
d6 Flaws
1 If someone tells me what to do, I usually
answer with a punch to the face.
Even if it gets me in trouble, whenever I
2 see another slave, I help them in any
way that I can.
Should the opportunity arise, I will sell
3 whatever I own to buy the contract of a
slave so that I may set them free.
The sound of rattling chains or the crack
4 of a whip sends me into a horrified
shock.
I cannot stop myself from antagonizing
5 anyone who thinks they have the right
to own others.
My time as a slave has instilled a hunger
in me. I too want to be a master, and to
6 put others beneath me, for it is only fair
that I too hold the whip.
175
AKARN BACKGROUNDS: SHARDTAINTED
Shardscience goes not without its tragedies. At
some point in your life, you were the victim of a
shard experiment gone wrong. It could have
been the intentional malpractice of an invoker
that led to your body being warped, or a simple
accident where you are in the wrong place at
the wrong time. No matter what, you have been
left warp-scarred and disfigured. You’ve be‐
come a scavenger in order to find a way to re‐
vert your many curses, and to prevent others
from falling victim to reckless shardscience.
Background Benefits
You gain the following benefits from this back‐
ground.
Ability Score Proficiency
You are proficient in either Constitution or Intel‐
ligence ability checks.
Additional Proficiencies
You are proficient in herbalism kits and either
artificer’s tools or bloodcutter’s supplies.
Warp-Scar
You suffer from a warp-scar, or a unique muta‐
tion created by shards. Find the table for these
on page 137.
Feature: Blood for Blood
Your flesh and blood, warp-scarred as it is, holds
tremendous value to the artificers and blood
cutters of Tarnak. Whenever you require a favor
from them, or whenever you are purchasing
supplies or shardstones from them, you can
halve their asking price by allowing them to
perform some strange experiment with your
body. This halving applies even to a piece of
shardcraft’s minimum value.
176
CHARACTERISTICS
Roll or choose characteristics from the follow‐
ing tables of personality traits, hopes, and flaws.
d6 Traits
I loathe the color red and ask others not
1 to wear it around me.
I’m ashamed of what shards have done
2 to me, and wear masks and thick cloth‐
ing to hide my warp-scars.
If someone offers me information on
3 shards I don’t have, I’ll do anything to
get it.
People awed by shards are fools, and I’m
4 quick to show them just how evil these
things can be.
Invokers and Mystics will kill us all if left
5 alone. I do what I can to ensure no one’s
experiments go too far.
I take pride in my warp-scars. If they
6 couldn’t kill me, then nothing can.
d6 Hopes
If there is a way to undo the damage to
1 my body, and the bodies of others, I’ll
find it.
Justice must be brought to reckless
2 shardcasters. If no one else will bring it,
then I will be their judge.
Maybe if I can find a way to understand
3 what shards did to me, I can help puzzle
out one of shard’s many mysteries.
The person who did this to me has to
4 pay. I’ll find them, and I’ll do unto them
a hundredfold what I have suffered.
If we are to survive, it must be without
5 the evils of shardstones. With my own
hands will I create this future.
My body is a secret from others. One day
6 I’ll reveal it, and I can only wish that oth‐
ers accept me for what I’ve become.
d6 Flaws
Whenever I see someone shardcast, I
1 can barely hold myself together from
the seething rage I feel.
I am exceptionally cruel to those who
2 praise shards without respect to their
dangers.
I would never admit it, but part of me
3 wishes to become even more warp-
scarred in the future.
Something calls to me whenever I see a
shardstone. I cannot help but try and
4 figure out how to take them from others
for myself.
I am obsessed with artifice, bloodcut‐
ting, and torn drugs, and cannot help
5 myself from being distracted by their
marvels
The world judges me for my warp-scars.
6 One day, I’ll do to everyone what was
done to me.
177
A SCAVENGER’S LIFEPATH
The life of a scavenger is weird indeed. From all walks of life come those who wish to travel the world
for any number of reasons. From all walks of life come those willing to risk themselves in Torn. Use
the tables below to aid you in developing your own Scavenger’s concept.

Scavenger People

d8 Scavenging People

1-4 I am an Akaran. Roll on the Scavenger Homeland table below.

5-6 I am a kith. Roll on the Kith Exodus table below.

7-8 I am a morg. Roll on the Morg Wandering table below.

Kith Exodus

d4 Reason for Leaving

1 I left the Serpent Woods due to a horrible thing I’ve done to another of my tribe.

2 I was chased out of the Serpent Woods by Kanuman star-raiders and had to find shelter
elsewhere.
3 I’ve sensed that some great trauma was destroying Akara. I left the Serpent Woods to find
its source.
I was a warrior who fought to protect my people. After my battles, I was not the same and
4 could not return to them.

Morg Wandering

d4 Discovered Places

1 I walked a hundred dalham across the Barrens. There I found an ancient ruin - a city of gold
buried in the salt.
2 South, I’ve been. Across the Bloodsands. There I found worms who could swallow cities.
There is a place in Akara that is no more, where there were furred beasts unlike anywhere
3 else. I carry with me one of their hides as proof.
4 Across the Old Sea I went, farther than any other. There I found islands, and on those islands
a single mute hermit.
Scavenger Homeland Akaran Mystical

d6 Homeland d8 Mystical Tradition

1 Tarnak 1 I am a follower of Our Cruel Road.

2 Mur 2 I am a believer in the Ruminations of

the Chain.
3 Bataar 3 I am an initiate of the Starfall Mysteries.

4 Kanuma 4 I have been inducted into a Shardstone

Cult.
5 A fallen city-state 5 I hearken back to an older mysticism,
developed by one of the tribal mobs.
6 A tribal mob. Roll on the Tribal Mobs 6 I believe in no mysticism and chain my‐
table. self to no tradition.

178
Tribal Mobs
d4 Tribal Mob
1 I hail from the Ar’qui, where we wear beautiful golden robes inlaid with jade.

2 I hail from the Myra, where we use ritual scarification to remember our greatest hunts.

3 I hail from the Pua, whose feats of architecture dot the savanna.

4 I hail from the Wadwe, who are known for our sixth fingers and taming of the akarok.

Scavenging Purpose
d8 Purpose
1 I wish to find out what is causing the Cataclysm so that I can stop it.

2 There are places in Torn that we could live. I wish to find such a place and settle it.

3 Me and my loved ones are refugees from a fallen place. In order to provide for them, I’ve
turned to scavenging.
4 My heart aches when a culture is lost, so I seek to preserve what I can.
The many beasts of Akara are dying and I wish to save them. Maybe there is somewhere in
5 this world or in Torn where I can move them to.
I want to see what all this world has to offer before it dies, and am excited to discover what
6 awaits me in Torn.
7 Jade and power are the only things that will ensure my survival. As a scavenger, I will find
both.
Life is meaningless without challenges to overcome. The life of a scavenger provides me
8 with the greatest tests of all.

Scavenger Paradigm

d4 Paradigm

1 The world is vast, and it has trained me for this purpose. I am a drifter. Roll on the Drifter
Reasoning and Drifter Knowledge tables below.
Shardstones hold within them the answers to all life’s many mysteries. I am an invoker. Roll
2 on the Invoker Reasoning and Invoker Lifechange tables below.
Only in our mystic traditions will we find the power to push forward. I am a mystic. Roll on
3 the Mystic Reasoning and Mystic Lifechange tables below.

4 Battle, conquest, war - those have been my teachers. I am a warlord. Roll on the Warlord
Reasoning and Warlord Lifechange tables below.

Scavenger Background
d6 Background

1 I write down what is lost on bones for remembrance. I am a bonekeeper.

2 My homeland is lost, and Tarnak is now my only hope. I am a cataclysm sojourner.

3 Only by uniting Akara will we survive. I am an emissary.

4 I was convicted of a crime I should not have been. To earn my innocence, I have become a
headhunted exile.
5 Once I was a slave for another, until my patron found me. I am a patron’s slave.

6 Shardstones have changed me in ways I never thought possible. I am shardtainted.

179
Drifter Reasoning

d6 Reasoning

1 I deserted my people and set my self adrift in the whirling cultures of Akara to learn.
As a child I’ve long since dreamed of seeing the wider Akara. Now that it’s dying, I have de‐
2 cided that is my last opportunity to do so.
My people taught me that in order to become an adult, I must see at least seven sights no
3 one else ever has. So I travel, so I see.
4 The Great Dying left my home less than a ruin, and took everything else I had. Long have I
wandered looking for a new home.
5 If the world is to die, it must be remembered. I seek the stories of Akara’s peoples, so that
they may be passed on to the generations after me - should any exist.
6 I was born on the road. It is all I have ever known. It is all I will ever know.

Drifter Knowledge

d4 Knowledge

1 In the forests, deep in the night, there are songs humming from the earth. I know them,
and they have taught me much.
There are many ways to cure the flesh’s ills. I know the secrets of medicine that most others
2 don’t.
3 There are many creatures in the world, and many more that have perished. In charcoal and
stone I have recorded the lives of the last of many of Akara’s beasts.
A thousand tribes and villages have I seen. I doubt a tenth of them will make it to Tarnak.
4 So I carry with me their cultures, their traditions, and yes, their secrets too.
Invoker Reasoning

d6 Reasoning
I had a dream of an old shadow. It wrote its name into a great shardstone, and mine under
1 that, and I awoke with knowledge foreign to me.
2 By mastering shardstones I will be able to create the perfect world for my people to live in.

3 Shardstones come from somewhere, and that somewhere may hold the answer to how to
save my people.
With shardstones, the future is before us. I want to join the greats before me in remaking
4 history.
5 I’ve always been fascinated with artifice. The life of an Invoker will let me pursue my passion
of creation.
6 With my home lost, I feel a calling towards Torn, as if it were my real home all along.

Invoker Lifechange

d4 Lifechange

1 A strange pattern has appeared on my skin. It moves and grows overtime.

2 The whites of my eyes have taken on a strange glow.

3 I must wear a mask of some sort - without it, my knowledge will leave me.

4 There is a strange echo to my voice, as if two of me were talking at once.

180
Mystic Reasoning

d6 Reasoning

1 The mystics told me that I mattered - that my life meant something in the great scheme. In
the face of everything ending, what was I to do other than believe?
2 At night, a mystic came to our village. Whatever he did stripped the consumption from us
like dirt filtered from water. I now follow that path in hopes that I can do the same.
3 Ever since I was a child, the machinations of Akara fascinated me. I let myself be inducted to
learn more of our world’s secrets - in hopes that salvation is there.
In Torn, I was afraid. Hunted, maybe. Starving and thirsty, mystics helped me, educated me,
4 and now I go into Torn to do the same for those who need it.
5 In the city-square, the mystics gathered us all and showed a miracle. That’s what it was, I’m
sure. I’d be a fool to believe in anything else.
6 At the end of the day, the beliefs the mystics have given me have saved my life more than
once. I am in debt to them, and so serve them I will.
Mystical Manifestations

d4 Manifestation

1 When I travel, pilgrims beg to come with me, and word of my arrival precedes me no mat‐
ter where I go.
2 A stigmata has manifested itself on my body. If not a mystical symbol, then what else could
it be?
I’ve had visions. Many visions. I’ve seen deaths and I’ve seen fortunes and I know these vi‐
3 sions will not stop.
I’ve been initiated into the deep secrets of my beliefs. I modify my body and dress to repre‐
4 sent the depths of my new wisdom.

Warlord Reasoning

d6 Reasoning
There was me, and there were them. One against a dozen. I survived and they did not. This
1 story has earned me my paradigm.
2 The Beast would not die, no matter how many tried to kill it. My band and I decided no more.
Only I survived. Now hunting has become my calling.
3 Freedom in the Kanuman star-pits demands a high price. I paid that price a thousandfold
and learned that freedom only comes through blood.
They took from us everything. With neither weapon nor supply, I found them, and I took it
4 back. My resourcefulness was born from this.
Ten feet tall, the bastard must have been. Not akaran, but close enough. In single-combat I
5 bested him, and now I wear his bones as trophies. People see these bones and ask for my
blade in aid.
Weakened by the Cataclysm, I led my men into battle to finally rid ourselves of our enemy.
6 Now all that haunts their city streets are bones and hopes I personally skewered. Terrified of
my might, scavenger rings seek me out rather than meet me in the field.
Warlord’s Regret

d4 Lifechange

1 When I sleep , I dream of wounds, of weapons, of war.

2 Not everyone I’ve killed deserved to die. I hope one day redemption will find me...or retribu‐
tion in its stead.
3 I’ve grown addicted to violence; without it, I am as useless as water to the sea.
My name is known by those who travel and those who fight. My reputation shows little
4 sign of weakening, much to my chagrin.

181
SCAVENGER FEATS
Below are listed a handful of feats for scavengers to take so that they may overcome the many
challenges facing them on their expeditions.
Akara’s Remnant
Prerequisite: Akaran
You have survived the many harrowing trials of
Akara, and you will survive all those soon to
come.
◇ Increase either your Constitution or Wis‐
dom score by +1, to a maximum of 20.
◇ When you make a death saving throw, you
may add either your Constitution or Wis‐
dom ability modifier to the roll.
Alien Knowledge
You have been to Torn and back again, giving
you an alien and strange mind. As a result, you
have gained alien knowledge that lets you nav‐
igate those wyrding lands.
◇ Your Intelligence score increases by +1, to a
maximum of 20.
◇ Whenever you make an ability check or
saving throw against an environmental
hazard inside of Torn, you may add your In‐
telligence modifier to the check. You can
do this a number of times equal to your
Proficiency bonus. You regain expended
uses after you complete a long rest.
Kith Mindmelder
Prerequisite: Kith
So sharp, your empathic abilities, that it seems
at times that your mind can meld with others.
◇ Increase either your Intelligence or your
Wisdom score by +1, to a maximum of 20.
◇ You can cast the spell detect thoughts as a
ritual once per short or long rest. Wisdom is
your spellcasting ability for this spell.
◇ When a creature targets you with a melee
ranged attack, you can use your empathic
abilities to predict the creature’s strike, al‐
lowing you to take the Dodge action as a
reaction. When you use this feature, you
cannot do so again until you finish a short
or long rest.
182
Morgani Foe-Culler
Prerequisite: Morg
You were blessed with four great arms with
which to conquer the world. Now you have
learned to use those arms properly in the slay‐
ing of your enemies.
◇ Increase your Strength score by +1, to a
maximum of 20.
◇ When you make an attack with a weapon
held in your off-hand, that weapon does
not have to have the light weapon prop‐
erty.
Shardscience Savant
No one alive has the same vision and acumen
as you do when it comes to shardcraft. The
things you create boggle the imagination, and
the limits of your artifice are seemingly end‐
less.
◇ You gain proficiency in both artificer’s tools
and bloodcutter’s supplies if you did not al‐
ready have them.
◇ You have advantage on any ability checks
you make when you use your artificer’s
tools and bloodcutter’s supplies.
◇ Due to your experimental science, choose
either the conjuration, necromancy, or
transmutation schools of magic. You can
cast cantrips and spells from this school of
magic while inside of Akara.
World-Weary
You have seen much of the world over your
travels. It has made you weary of its many tri‐
als, but this weariness has made you hardy too.
◇ Increase your Constitution score by +1, to a
maximum of 20.
◇ Whenever you first suffer a new level of ex‐
haustion, you can make a Constitution
check whose DC equal to 10 + the level of
exhaustion. If you succeed, you instantly
lose that level of exhaustion. When you do
so, you cannot do so again until you finish a
short or long rest
183
184
185
PATRONS & EXPEDITION EX-
PERIENCE
Scavengers live for the expedition. They travel
across Akara or venture into Torn for the sole
purpose of finding lost relics, unassuming trea‐
sure, safe places, and the resources humanity
needs to survive. Because of this, scavengers
don’t gain experience like normal 5th Edition
characters do. While combat is expected in any
scavenger’s life, it is the things they bring back
to civilization that marks their progress
However, finding precious goods on expedi‐
tions isn’t all they need to do. Scavengers have
to find themselves patrons, or uniquely influen‐
tial people and organizations to work for. A
scavenger may have one patron throughout
their career or could serve a dozen. This de‐
pends purely on the scavenger’s own interest,
as well as what their patron needs.
FINDING A PATRON
Patrons exist throughout Akara. Every major
city-state has numerous. Most, however, dwell
in Tarnak, where they have access to the legen‐
dar y Monolith.
To find a patron, a group of scavengers must
approach the various powers that be who re‐
side in one of the city-states. An audience can
usually be arranged for and held, and if the
scavengers somehow impress their would-be
employer then they earn patronage.
Throughout this book, every city-state included
two important sections: THE POWERS THAT BE
and BRONZE-CAST CHARACTERS. The factions
and characters included in these sections are all
valid patrons for the scavengers to seek out. If
the gamemaster wishes to create their own pa‐
tron, they need to create either an organization
or character who has access to great resources,
powers, or influence in either a city-state or
tribal mob.
“And in the Beyond, a four-armed evil, and a thousand abominations
short and black-eyed and of sallow skin, and the flesh-eating apes,
hairless, hungry for you, hungry for you all.”
186
THE CONTRACT
Historically, patrons hire scribes to record their
contracts with scavengers in stone tablets.
Tribal patrons are more likely to create songs as
a record. The contract is created through nego‐
tiation with the patron in question and the ap‐
proaching group of scavengers. Whilst every
contract is different, they must all include the
following details:
◇ The names of all involved.
◇ Goals the patron wants the scavengers to
complete.
◇ Goals the scavengers want to achieve while
working for their patron.
◇ Description of payment, usually including
what percentage of scavenged treasure
can be kept by the scavengers.
◇ Terms for renewing the contract.
◇ Terms for canceling the contract, including
penalties for breaking it.
Once the contract has been established, it is
signed with blood in the witness of others over
a raw shardstone.
SCAVENGER LEVELS
Scavengers earn levels just as player characters
do in Fifth Edition. Patrons, however, have an
eye for skill, and can usually gauge the level of
patrons. Because of this, they are wary of send‐
ing unskilled scavengers into Torn immediately.
Most patrons solve this by having the scav‐
engers prove themselves in Akara. They will
send them on expeditions to find various relics,
missing persons, or to get news from across the
continent so that the scavengers can earn the
expedition experience needed to enter Torn.
Mechanically, most patrons will not purchase a
Torn Sigil for the scavengers to enter the Mono‐
lith until they are 5th level or higher. This is not
a hard and fast rule. Scavengers who can con‐
vince their patrons of their skill or patrons des‐
perate for some alien science can be sent into
Torn well before most would deem them ready.
Scavengers who do this increase in skill quickly,
but at a far greater risk than those who take
their time.
~ On the dangers of the outside world
EXPEDITION EXPERIENCE NATURAL RESOURCES
Expedition experience is the new experience Natural resources include not only food and wa‐
system used for SCAVENGER games. It me‐ ter, but places of bounty yet untouched by the
chanically represents the skill increase scav‐ Great Dying, maps to areas in Torn hospitable
engers experience as they recover the lost trea‐ for life, the pelts of rare creatures or saving en‐
sures and important resources that their pa‐ dangered creatures, and finding shardstone
trons request. lodes.
To earn expedition experience, scavengers The goals of many patrons lie in the securing of
must do two things. First, they must attain trea‐ natural resources. They are looking for places
sure from one of the following five categories: that humanity can escape too, or sources of
Armaments, Heads, Natural Resources, Pre‐ enough food or water to supply the refugee-
cious Treasure, and Shardcraft. These five cate‐ drowned city-states. Some patrons collect
gories are discussed in more detail below. Next, maps to sell to prospectors and others collect
the scavengers must safely return what they’ve the skins and trophies of rare animals to stroke
found to their patrons. Scavenged treasures their egos. Still more seek to save Akara’s rare
lost, destroyed, or stolen before they are re‐ beasts, for the Great Dying has claimed many
turned do not earn the scavengers experience. and still more hold special significance for
Scavengers of 1st level will level up once they’ve Akarans the world ‘round.
earned 100 points of expedition experience. For In the Natural Resource Experience table be‐
every level afterwards, they must earn double low, the expedition experience rewards for vari‐
that amount. For example, a 3rd level scavenger ous discoveries are offered.
would need 400 points of expedition experi‐
ence to get to the 4th level, and a 4th level scav‐ Natural Resource Experience
enger would need 800 points of expedition ex‐
perience to get to 5th. After 8th level, or 12,800 Expedition
expedition experience, the amount needed for Natural Resource Options Experience
a level up no longer increases. Rewarded
Expedition experience is earned for the entire A metric ton of food or water 10
party of scavengers instead of for individual
characters. So long as a scavenger is a part of Trophy from a creature CR 5 or
the expedition, they earn the full amount of ex‐ below 40
pedition experience rewarded.
Note that expedition experience is rewarded Individual endangered crea‐
tures of CR 10 or below 60
whenever scavenged treasure is safely brought
to the scavengers’ patron. How long an expedi‐ Individual endangered crea‐
tion takes - be it one session or five - is decided tures of CR 10 or below 100
by the flow of the game at your own table.
Individual raw shardstones 100
THE FIVE CATEGORIES
The five categories that can earn a scavenger Map to an Akaran place of
expedition experience cover a host of different bounty 200
treasures. Below, explanations of each category,
as well as a table of experience rewards, are of‐ New route to a known location
fered for guidance. in Torn 200
Scavenged treasure found can sometimes ap‐ Trophy from a creature CR 5 or
ply to a few different categories. These special below 200
pieces of scavenged treasure reward scav‐
engers with th expedition experience of the Rare resource from Torn 350
higher category.
For example, a scavenger might find a rare Map to a river or cavern of ooz‐
shard-studded bronze sword. This is worth 10 ing radiance 400
points of expedition experience as it is a bronze
weapon, but being a rare piece of shardcraft Shardstone lodes 400
means it would instead award the scavengers
with 150 points of expedition experience. The
gamemaster has the final say on what category Trophy of CR 11+ creature 450
and how much experience each piece of scav‐
enged treasure finds. Map to undiscovered shard‐
stone quarry 500
Map to an undiscovered loca‐
tion in Torn 600

187
ARMAMENTS
Armaments include weapons, armor, shields,
ammunition, and traps. Armaments usually
earn little experience by themselves; however,
armaments of exceptional make or large
caches of weapons can earn enough to see a
scavenger raise quickly in level.
Patrons looking for armaments are usually
looking for ways to protect themselves and
their resources and loved ones from the many
refugees flooding the remaining city-states. In
Akara, desperation sees brother turning on
brother to take what they need to survive.
Meanwhile in Torn, the weird dangers found
within will destroy those that don’t arm them‐
selves.
In the Armaments Experience table below, the
expedition experience rewards for various dis‐
coveries are provided.
HEADS
Heads include bounties on criminals, finding
missing persons, helping groups get to safety,
finding slaves, and literally bringing the heads
of assassination targets back to the scavengers’
patrons.
If a patron is seeking heads, then its a coin-flip
as to whether they have good intentions or ma‐
licious ones. Some patrons earnestly are trying
to save as many lives as they can, or they want
to find someone important to them or their
goals. Others want slaves for their own personal
use or they want certain people dead so that
they can better establish themselves in their
view of the coming new world.
In the Heads Experience table below, the expe‐
dition experience rewards for various discover‐
ies are offered.

Armaments Experience Heads Experience

Expedition Expedition
Armaments Experience Head Options Experience
Rewarded Rewarded
Rare armaments unique to Groups of slaves captured for
tribes, city-states, or other scav‐ 10 your patron 5
engers

Armament caches of less than Individual criminals brought to

100 items 25 justice for your patron 100

Armaments forged by master‐ Infamous and dangerous crimi‐

class or famed smiths 40 nals brought to justice 250

Armament caches of less than Finding missing persons for

1000 items 50 your patron 250

Armament caches greater than Assassinations completed for

1000 items 75 your patron 500

Legendary armaments belong‐ Groups of refugees saved and

ing to heroes or storied royalty 100 brought to a city-state 600

Assassination of rulers or other

Armaments native to Torn 200 highly influential powers 1000

“Today, I am the hand, thus I give you this - a dagger to keep you safe.
Tomorrow, I am the tongue, and this debt I will see repaid.”
~ Customary phrase said when receiving a favor in the Dagger District

188
PRECIOUS TREASURE
Precious treasure is all that glitters and gleams.
Goblets, gold coins, crowns, sceptres - these all
count as a precious treasure. Rarer things too,
such as Bataash poisons and colors and other
goods unique to city-states fetch a high price
for many patrons. Works of art, stone tablets in‐
scribed with laws or myths, and even the songs
and stories of tribal storytellers are likely targets
for collection as well.
It goes without saying why a patron might
want any of this. Long has humanity lusted for
wealth in all its many forms. Some patrons
might be artists too, or lovers of stories, tradi‐
tions, and history. Others are religious and want
their mysticisms and beliefs safe with them.
Still more want the wealth needed to finance
expeditions deeper into Akara or Torn for things
esoteric and weird.
In the Precious Treasure Experience table be‐
low, the expedition experience rewards for vari‐
ous discoveries are offered.
SHARDCRAFT
Oh, what could be more precious than lucious,
than power, than ancient shardcraft? The arti‐
facts of Torn, the gems of bloodcutters, the
technology of invokers are the most valued of
scavenged treasures.
It goes without saying why a patron would
want any of this. A desire for shards, artifacts,
and shardcraft is a hunger that can ensure life
and give status. All patrons, to some degree,
plan to eventually send their scavengers
searching for these treasures.
In the Shardcraft Experience table below, the
expedition experience rewards for various dis‐
coveries are offered.
Shardcraft Experience
Expedition
Shardcraft Options Experience
Rewarded

Common magical items 50

Precious Treasure Experience
Expedition
Precious Treasure Options Experience Uncommon magical items 75
Rewarded
Caches of gems, art, or treasure
worth 100gp or less 10 Bloodcut shards 125

Remembered or written stories

from a tribe or city-state 40 Rare magical items 150

Caches of gems, art, or treasure

worth 1000gp or less 50 Torn drugs 175

Items unique to a city-state or Schematics for yet-uninvented

tribe 80 artifice 250

Religious stories, tablets, or

recorded beliefs 100 Very rare magical items 400

Masterwork pieces of art, gem‐

craft, or make 150 Legendary magical items 800

Caches of gems, art, or treasure Cache of 10 or less magical

worth 10,000gp or less 300 items 1,000

Caches of gem, art, or treasure Cache of 100 or less magical

worth more than 10,000gp 500 items 3,000

189
SCAVENGER EXPEDITION GENERATOR
The core of any SCAVENGER game is the expedition. It is on these that scavengers test their mettle
against the worlds of Akara and Torn, meet strange peoples, encounter alien things, and grow closer
to completing their diverse goals. Use the roll tables below to help you create an expedition for your
scavenger ring.

Scavenger’s Patron

d12 Patron

1-4 A Tarnaki faction. Roll on the Tarnaki Factions table below.

5 A Muraneese Dinashi family.

6 One of the three famed Kanuman baels.

7 One of the three famed Bataash Powder Houses.

8 The Circle of Dirt & Bones from the Serpent Slums.

9 Councillor Sarok of Tarnak.

10 Oracle Abiodun of Mur.

11 Overseer Alrak of Bataar.

12 Bael Khorax of Kanuma.

Tarnaki Factions Scavenging Goal

d6 Faction d10 Goal

1 The Council of Jade & Progress 1-2 Natural Resources

2 The Circle of Stone & Fire 3-4 Armaments

3 The Stygian Serpents 5-6 Heads

4 The Scavenger Rings 7-8 Precious Treasure

5 The Tongue & Hand 9-10 Shardcraft

6 The Ivory Guard

190
Location - World

d4 Location

1-2 Akara. Roll on the Akaran Locations

table.
3-4 Torn. Roll on the Torn Locations table.

Akaran Locations

d8 Akaran Location

1 Hidden in one of Tarnak’s districts. Roll on the Tarnaki Districts table below.

2 Hidden inside of Mur’s Yeballa Catacombs.

3 Hidden inside of Bataar’s infamous Tiali’s Jail.

4 Hidden inside of Kanuma’s guarded Tower of Horns.

5 Across Stargazer’s Bay, somewhere amidst the Bloodsands.

6 Lost inside of one of Akara’s many ruins.

7-8 Found somewhere in one of Akara’s regions. Roll on the Akaran Regions table below.

Tarnaki Districts Akaran Regions

d10 Tarnaki District d10 Akaran Region

1 The Artisan District 1 The Barrens

2 The Bronze District 2 Barrows Marsh

3 The Dagger District 3 Grayfall Valley

4 The Dust District 4 Gulf of the Staker

5 The Old District 5 Myra’s Pass

6 The Song District. 6 Root Forest

7 Deadman’s Island 7 Serpent Woods

8 The Windport District 8 Shifting Forest

9 The Charred Slums 9 Wandering Plains

10 The Serpent’s Slums 10 White Bones

191
Torn Locations Megalithic Ruins

d6 Torn Location d10 Megalithic Ruin

1 The Blightwoods 1-2 Blightwood City

2 The Pannor Plains 3-4 Merqual’s Tomb

3 The Samua Marshes 5-6 Mute City

4 The Tainted Valley 7-8 Samua’s City

5 A megalithic ruin. Roll on the 9-10 The Shardpeak Towers

Megalithic Ruins table.
6 A place undiscovered. Roll on the
Places Untouched table.
7 Deadman’s Island

8 The Windport District

9 The Charred Slums

10 The Serpent’s Slums

Places Untouched

d10 Places Untouched

1 The Chitinid Crest

2 An Inert Monolith

3 Merqual Thal Valley

4 The Ringmaze Isles

5 The Sea of Myst

6 Silent Valley

7 The Spiral Mountains

8 Vashtaar Island

9 The Windlands

10 A newly discovered location not

yet named.

192
Expedition Complications
Roll 1d4 times on this table.

d20 Complication

1 A rival scavenger ring has been hired by someone else to

outcompete the scavengers.

2 The expedition must be done in complete secrecy. If the

scavengers are discovered, their patron will disavow them.

3 The patron has kept important details secret which will

endanger the scavengers.

4 The scavengers are being framed, and upon completing the

expedition, will be labeled as criminals.

5 The scavengers will have to do something that goes against

one of their scavenging purposes.

6 The scavengers will have to do something that goes against

one of their scavenging purposes.

Another patron offers to buy out the scavenger’s contract at a

7 price they can’t refuse.

Where the scavengers are going is known to be a hive of

8 villainy.

Someone has already found what the scavenger’s want and is

9 jealously protecting it.

10 An unexpected creature that should not be there attacks the

scavenger’s during the expedition.

11 All of the scavenger’s food and water is lost due to an

unforeseen disaster.

12 The map used by the scavenger’s is destroyed midway

through their expedition.

13 The scavengers are ambushed while camping by assassins

sent by their patron.

14 A guide sent with the scavengers betrays them at the most

inconvenient moment.

15 The scavengers are stalked for the entire expedition by a

powerful and dangerous creature.

16 Another scavenger ring ambushes the scavengers when they

are returning back home.

17 The scavengers are forced to find another route to their goal

after a cataclysm closes their intended path.
While returning home, a natural event causes the scavengers
18 to lose what their most valuable find. Now they have to get it
back.

19 The scavengers are unable to find any information or rumors

about the place they must go.

20 The scavenger’s patron is mysteriously found dead the day

the scavenger’s return home.

193
TOOLS OF THE TRADE
Because of SCAVENGER’S unique setting, a
number of weapons and armor types have
been changed to fit the setting. If your Scav‐
enger Paradigm and class choice gave you pro‐
ficiency in a type of armor or weapon that has
been replaced, you are proficient in the item’s
replacement.
ARMOR
Ceramic-cloth:
Ceramic plates are interwoven with cloth robes
to provide protection. The plates break when
struck, but replacing them is easy for any scav‐
enger, even on the fly.
Copper wardress:
Long dresses of copper plates are taken and
bound with straps of leather, creating a loud
suit of armor with all the defensive strength of
a fortress wall. Warlords wearing wardresses
paint them with terrifying visages.
Ancient bones:
Creatures long since extinct have had their
bones, harder than copper, taken and cut into
plates, pauldrons, and other pieces of armor to
wear. Many of these bones are of strange col‐
ors, though few can say why.
Bronze wargarb:
A chest-plate of bronze, grieves, bracers, and a
skirt of bronze are worn by many scavengers
across Akara. Cultural differences often see
these plates taking on strange, but effective,
shapes.
194
SCAVENGER STARTING EQUIPMENT
When you make your scavenger, you start with
the following equipment:
◇ Either (a) ceramic-cloth or (b) chitinous
hides
◇ Either (a) 1 melee weapon that you are
proficient in or (b) 1 ranged weapon
that you are proficient in, including a
bundle of ammunition.
◇ Either (a) 1 raw shard (b) a shield or (c) 2
healer’s kits
◇ Two simple weapons that you are
proficient with
◇ Any two tools that you are proficient in.
◇ Choose from (a) burglar’s pack (b)
dungeoneer’s pack (c) explorer’s pack
or (d) scholar’s pack
Interlocking exoskeleton:
Some massive beetles and other insects have
exoskeletons that, if kept intact but rear‐
ranged, provide a set of armor nigh-impene‐
trable. These suits are expensive to make but
lightweight and easy to clean.
Chitinous hide:
Many of Akara’s beasts and those found in Torn
have hides strong enough to turn bronze and
rebuke hammers. These hides are taken, cured,
and cut into wearable armor.
Reinforced chitin:
The chitin from the most dangerous of crea‐
tures is taken and reinforced with bronze, cre‐
ating a set of armor prized by all but too ex‐
pensive and rare to be worn by all save the few.
ARMOR

Armor being Armor

replaced replacement Cost Armor Class (AC) Strength Stealth

Studded
leather Ceramic-cloth 45 gp 12 + dex modifier - -

13 + dex modifier
Chain shirt Chitinous hide 50 gp (max 2) - -

14 + dex modifier
Scale mail Ancient bones 50 gp (max 2) - Disadvantage

15 + dex modifier
Half plate Bronze wargarb 750 gp (max 2)
- Disadvantage

Interlocking
Ring mail exoskeleton 100 gp 14 - Disadvantage

Chain mail Copper wardress 200 gp 16 Str 13 Disadvantage

Full plate Reinforced Chitin 1,500 gp 18 Str 15 Disadvantage

195
WEAPONS INSTRUMENTS

Bladed boomerang: In SCAVENGER, instruments are not always as

Wooden or bone boomerangs have blades in‐
serted or tied to them to make them all the
deadlier. Returns to your hand on a missed at‐
tack roll. You have to wear special gloves to use
it properly, especially for the bladed one.
Bola:
Leather chords weighted with stones are used
to disable prey by ensnaring their legs. On a
hit, the target is grappled. A Strength check is
required to break free, whose DC is equal to
the attack roll made when the bola was
thrown.
Dart-thrower:
A contraption of slendered, cut wood that rests
alongside the arm when not in used. Requires
2-foot long bladed darts for ammunition,
which are launched with a swinging motion of
the arm.
Katar:
By taking a bone or bronze blade and affixing
it to a horizontal H-shaped hilt, a push-dagger
such as a katar can be created.
Wrist blade: A 2 ½’ foot-long piece of metal or
bone attached to a wooden contraption to the
wrist. With a flick, it explodes from its holder.
Lowering the hand over the wrist retracts it.
Wrist blade:
A 2 ½’ foot-long piece of metal or bone at‐
tached to a wooden contraption to the wrist.
With a flick, it explodes from its holder. Lower‐
ing the hand over the wrist retracts it.
simple as they are in our world. Akarans have
experimented with bone, bronze, and voice
since they first started walking upright. Below
are 5 instruments unique to Akara that your
scavenger potentially plays:
Death Whistle:
Made from bones, and usually those of hu‐
mans. Holes are tunneled through and wood or
glass is used to blow air through them. This cre‐
ates a haunting, shrill scream. Most often used
by tribal mobs for war and raiding.
Glass Burns:
These glass beads, forged with a certain tech‐
nique, shatter in fire. In the process, they re‐
lease a strangely beautiful hymn. The number
of beads thrown into fire, size of the fire, and
the timing of the bead-throwing creates a
complex and unforgettable
song.
Painted Throat:
Metal chips and frog bone are tied around the
throat. As one swings, they are expected to hop
and dance with it. The chattering chimes are
meant to be played as the musician throat-
sings. Named for the strange paint applied to
the bones and metal chips.
Pattern Chord:
Tight, thin cords are wrapped around the fin‐
gers and hands into intricate patterns. With
pieces of sharp bone at the end of the fingers,
the chords are played. Different patterns lead to
different sounds. Most often played by children
or old campfire-sitters.

AMMUNITION Shardsong:
A new instrument, and one that only a precious
Ammunition Ammunition few have, the shardsong is a long plank of
Cost
being replaced replacement bronze fitted with thin cords and shards. When
played, if one can tap into the shards, the music
Crossbow bolts Bladed darts is amplified. What limits this instrument has on
(20) (10) 1 gp
creating music seem to be nonexistent.

WEAPONS
Weapon being Weapon
replaced replacement Cost Damage Weight Properties
Finesse, light, thrown
Crossbow, light Bola 1 gp 1d4 bludgeoning 1 lb.. (20/40), special

Morningstar Katar 15 gp 1d8 piercing 5 lb. -

Rapier Wrist blade 5 gp 1d8 piercing - Finesse

Bladed Finesse, light, thrown

Crossbow, hand boomerang 1 sp 1d6 slashing ½ lb. (30/120), special
Ammunition (60/200)
Crossbow, heavy Dart-thrower 30 gp 1d8 piercing 5 lb. heavy, loading,
two-handed

196
197
Bestiary
What lies in the following papyrus pages is but a sliver of the monstrous things prowling the dying
Akara, the alien Torn. These notes have been gathered from the broken and lost scrimshaws of bone‐
keepers and the dusty scrolls of scavenger rings long forgotten. Use them to guide you on your own
journeys; may they give you the tools that so few of your brethren have had.

There is much room to bring your favorite monsters into Akara or Torn.
Use the guidelines below to import creatures to one of these two worlds.

ADDING MONSTERS TO AKARA ADDING MONSTERS TO TORN

Akara is a grounded world with little in the way
of magical beasts. Likewise, many of the animal
types in other settings do not exist in Akara. For
adding monsters here, follow these guidelines:
◇ Convert any mammalian creature with the
beast type into an insect or reptile variant of
itself. This is because there are no canines,
cats, bears, deer, and most other mammals,
save the following exceptions: bats, dinka
cattle, fennec, ibex, muskox, pangolin, rhino,
rodents.
◇ There are no undead in Akara, as necro‐
mancy as a school of magic cannot be used
in this world.
◇ Celestials, dragons, fey, fiends, and giants
do not exist in Akara either, and should be
converted into either aberrations or mon‐
strosities. These creatures will have come
from Torn (likely having been captured,
brought back, and then escaped).
◇ The various kinds of humanoids (orcs, hob‐
goblins, and so on) should look more hu‐
man than they do in other settings. These
creatures are different species of humans
near-wiped out by both Akarans and the
Great Dying. Treat them in appearance as
something like neanderthals, denisovans,
and other such prehistoric hominids. An‐
other route to take is to make these hu‐
manoids warp-scarred hominids.
◇ Anything with the Innate Spellcasting trait
or the Spellcasting trait uses some form of
shardscience. Likewise, any other supernat‐
ural trait is either biology or a result of
shardstone radiation.
Torn is filled with the impossible. It is a world
where countless others have been torn apart
and somehow fused together. Because of this,
the further it is explored, the more likely a scav‐
enger is to find something strange. For adding
monsters here, follow these guidelines:
◇ While any creature type is possible inside of
Torn, the Akaran guidelines for exotic mon‐
ster-types, such as dragons and fiends,
should still be followed.
◇ There is no confirmed afterlife in Scavenger.
For that reason, any Heaven or Hell intro‐
duced should be a strange, shard-filled
twist.
◇ Humanoids of strange types can readily be
found in Torn if you search long and far
enough. For these humanoids, consider
giving them warp-scars.
◇ All forms of magic encountered derive from
shardstones. A red dragon might be some
ancient, intelligent creature whose shard‐
stone horde gave it intelligence and fire
breath for example.
◇ No mighty civilizations exist in Torn. Mon‐
sters who rely on this would be in the “ruin
stage” of their civilization, and likely hidden
away in a weird and esoteric location.

198
199
AKAROK Wings. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach
10 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d8 + 4) bludgeoning
Huge beast, unaligned damage. If the target is a creature, it must suc‐
Location: Akara ceed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or be
knocked prone.
Gaping Beak. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit,
Armor Class 15 (natural armor) reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (1d12 + 4) piercing
damage. If the target is a creature, it is grap‐
Hit Points 155 (20d12 + 15) pled (escape DC 15). Until this grapple ends,
Speed 10 ft., 60 ft. flying the target is restrained. If the akarok has a
creature grappled, it must end the grapple on
Ability Wis +3 the first creature to grapple another.
Proficiencies
Challenge 5
Senses Passive Perception 10 Wings-
Drumbeats through sun-lanced sky.
STR 18 (+4) Comes the jeweled bird,
Seeker, ruler,
DEX 18 (+4) Sovereign monsoon,
CON 16 (+3) Mountain-crowned, valley-throned,
INT 4 (-3) Shadow shadowing fields shadowed by
killing.
WIS 11 (+0) Akarok! Akarok! There it flies, the
CHA 7 (-2) Akarok!

~ Chorus of the Min’lin Tribe’s Song of the

Death Dive. If the akarok falls 120 feet before
making an attack, it has advantage on the at‐
tack roll and the attack is considered to be a
critical hit if it lands.
Flyby. The akarok doesn't provoke an opportu‐
nity attack when it flies out of an enemy's
reach.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The akarok makes three attacks,
one with its gaping beak and two with its
wings, or once with its gaping beak, once with
its wings, and once with its swallow.
Swallow. The akarok makes one gaping beak
attack against a Medium or smaller creature it
is grappling. If the attack hits, the target takes
the gaping beak’s damage, the target is swal‐
lowed, and the grapple ends. While swallowed,
the creature is blinded and restrained, it has
total cover against attacks and other effects
outside the akarok, and it takes 15 (5d6) acid
damage at the start of each of the akarok’s
turns. The akarok is vulnerable to all damage
types from a creature that it has swallowed. If
the akarok takes 15 damage or more on a sin‐
gle turn from a creature inside it, the akarok
must succeed on a DC 20 Constitution saving
throw at the end of that turn or regurgitate all
swallowed creatures, which fall prone in a
space within 10 feet of the akarok. If the akarok
dies, a swallowed creature is no longer re‐
strained by it and can escape from the corpse
by using 30 feet of movement, exiting prone.
Akarok
The akarok is a near extinct creature whose
terrible legacy as a man-hunter extends
back countless generations. Akaran chil‐
dren are taught to always look for its
shadow when out on the savanna, and
archers in every city-state train to keep
them away from their homes. In the past,
before the mass extinctions now plaguing
Akara, the akarok was kept fearful by clever
nyradin or endlessly hunting skarag trains.
Now they are unmatched apex predators
and their reign will never end lest the Great
Dying end it for them.
An akaraok’s bones, its large beak, and its
hide are worth a morg’s weight in jade. The
former is used to make instruments, the
second for shields and armor for skarags,
and the skin for its insular qualities. When
worn, a cloak of akarok leather will keep a
scavenger warm in a blizzard and cool dur‐
ing the sun’s most bloodthirsty hours.

200
201
CARRION
Medium aberration, chaotic evil
Location: Akara & Torn
Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 100 (20d6 + 10)
Speed 35 ft.
Damage Psychic
Resistances
Damage
Vulnerabilities Cold, fire, force, thunder
Challenge 5 creature a carrion, change that monster’s
Senses Passive Perception 9
STR 18 (+4)
DEX 12 (+1)
CON 14 (+2)
INT 2 (-4)
WIS 8 (-1)
CHA 6 (-2)
Skeletal Possession. When the carrion re‐
duces a creature that is not a construct to 0 hit
points, that creature becomes infected. An in‐
fected creature must succeed on a DC 13 Con‐
stitution saving throw every day for 7 days. If
the creature fails 3 of these saving throws, it
becomes a carrion. Once failed, this possession
can only be undone by the effects of wish or
remove curse cast at 9th level.
Spider Climb. The carrion can climb difficult
surfaces, including upside down on ceilings,
without needing to make an ability check.
As is written on the scrimshawed bones of
Ig, They-That-Lifted-Night-Into-Day:
Creatures of little comfort. Parasites that
inhabit the bones of dead things. Exoskele‐
tons of scren and other creatures theirs too.
Pools of oil with rainbow-slick surfaces.
When drank, they invade through the
teeth. When touched, they invade through
the nails. Growths break through flesh and
skin from the bone. Force their host to in‐
fect others through violence. Project bone
growths like darts. Fatal once infected. No
treatment found beyond death.”
Carrions roam Torn as terrible predators
seeking only to infect anything that they
can before their life cycle comes to an end.
202
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The carrion makes two attacks
with either its Rib Missile or Spur Blade.
Rib Missile. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit,
reach 30/60 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 1) pierc‐
ing damage.
Spur Blade. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit,
reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing
damage.
Roll on the Possessed Aberration table be‐
low to see what kinds of carrions you en‐
counter. In order to make another kind of
creature type to aberration and add the fol‐
lowing to the creature’s stat block:
•
◇ Its creature type changes to aberration
and its alignment to neutral evil.
◇ It gains the carrion’s damage resis‐
tances and vulnerabilities.
◇ It gains the carrion’s Intelligence, Wis‐
dom, and Charisma attribute scores
and loses all proficiencies.
◇ It gains the carrion’s Skeletal Possession
and Spider Climb traits.
◇ It gains the carrion’s Rib Missile and
Spur Blade actions.
d6 HOST
A lost scavenger whose legend
1 outgrew their skill.
2 The molted shell of a scren.
The strangely maligned bones of a
3 creature never before seen.
A morg whose four arms have
4 become eight made of bone.
A kith who crawls along the ground
5 with a distended spine.
An akaran animal once released
6 into Torn and then killed by
something unknown.
Feral, the carrions, and unable to be com‐
municated with; they attack at will with re‐
lentless aggression until otherwise de‐
stroyed. These warped things are more ac‐
tive at night, where they attack the few out‐
posts akarans have built throughout scav‐
enger.
At the end of the carrion’s life cycle, roughly
one month, they “bloom” into ivory trees
which secrete the black oil that spreads
their infection.
A scavenger that brings back a living car‐
rion sample safely would find much wealth
in their future.
203
GUBAJAH
Large beast, unaligned
Location: Akara

Armor Class 15 (natural armor) The gubajah are lithe predators that stalk
prey by blending into the surrounding
Hit Points 37 (5d10+10) stone, sand, and ruins. For this reason, they
Speed 40 ft. are also known as rock howlers. Once the
sun sets, they let out a vicious scream that
Ability Dex +5, Wis +3 paralyzes those that hear it, making even
Proficiencies the most dangerous creatures into easy
Darkvision 60 Ft., Passive prey. Because of their ability to disguise
Senses Perception 13 themselves so well, arrows cannot be
Challenge 1 trusted to kill a rock howler.
Though dangerous, rock howlers have a
STR 15 (+2) friendly disposition towards Akarans, morg,
DEX 17 (+3) and kith, so long as they are raised from
birth. Because of this, many tales are sung
CON 14 (+2) of men and women who have a lifelong
INT 6 (-2) companion in the form of a rock howler,
and of rock howlers who save the children
WIS 12 (+1) of their old friends from certain death.
CHA 8 (-1) Akarans who train rock howlers wear spe‐
cial ear plugs to keep their screeches from
Cover Stones. When the gubajah is hidden in affecting them.
rocky terrain, they are treated as having full
cover. With the Cataclysm growing ever worse,
Keen Smell. The gubajah has advantage on rock howlers have become bold in choos‐
Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell. ing their prey, and now actively hunt hu‐
Pounce. If the gubajah moves at least 20 ft. manoid creatures.
straight toward a creature and then hits it with
a claw attack on the same turn, that target
must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving
throw or be knocked prone. If the target is
prone, the gubajah can make one bite attack
against it as a bonus action.
Stone Camouflage. The gubajah has advan‐
tage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to
hide in rocky terrain.

ACTIONS
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5
ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d10 + 3) piercing dam‐
age.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5
ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) slashing damage.
Sudden Death Howl (Recharge 5-6). The
gubajah lets out a violent screech, forcing ev‐
ery non-gubajah creature within 120 feet to
make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. On a
failure, creatures are paralyzed for 1 minute. At
the end of the creature’s turn, it can make this
saving throw again, ending this effect immedi‐
ately on a success.

204
205
INNASHT
Medium elemental, unaligned
Location: Torn

Armor Class 17 (natural armor) ACTIONS

Hit Points 123 (19d8+38) Invasive Branches. Melee Weapon Attack: +6

to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d8 + 4)
Speed 10 ft. piercing damage. If the innasht deals damage
Ability to another creature with this attack, it regains
Str +7, Con +6 half of that damage (rounded up) as tempo‐
Proficiencies
Poison, Psychic; rary hit points.
Bludgeoning, Piercing, Root Strangle. The innasht forces one creature
Damage and Slashing From that it has grappled to make a Constitution
Immunities Nonmagical Weapon
saving throw (DC 17). Unless the creature suc‐
ceeds on the saving throw, it is considered to
Attacks be suffocating. A creature that is killed by this
Damage Fire method is absorbed into the innasht. After 1d4
Vulnerabilities rounds, the innasht buds a clone of itself with
Challenge 7 half its maximum hit points.
Blindsight 120 Ft., Passive
Senses REACTIONS
Perception 13
Gallow Trap. When a creature enters a space
within five feet of the innasht, the innasht can
STR 18 (+4) force it to make a Dexterity saving throw (DC
DEX 11 (+0) 17). On a failure, the creature is grappled by the
innasht and takes 20 (4d10) bludgeoning dam‐
CON 15 (+2) age. Until this grapple ends, the target is re‐
strained.
INT 5 (-3) Unseen Predation. When the innasht leaves
WIS 18 (+4) the field of vision of all other non-innasht crea‐
tures, it can move up to half its movement.
CHA 6 (-2)

Magic Weapons. The innasht’s weapon at‐
tacks are magical
Petrified Stride. Once on its turn, the innasht
can use 10 ft. of its movement to step magi‐
cally into one petrified tree or stone within it
reach and emerge from a second petrified tree
or stone within 60 ft. of the first tree, appearing
in an unoccupied space within 5 ft. of the sec‐
ond object. Both objects must be medium or
bigger.
Reactive Growth. The innasht can take up to
three reactions on its turn.
Sudden Stalker. When the innasht can’t be
seen by another non-innasht creature, its
speed increases to by +80 to 90.
Tree Camouflage. When hidden among trees,
be they petrified or otherwise, the innasht is
invisible unless it moves or attacks.
Haunting the Blightwoods are strange
. creatures known as the innasht, Ribbish for
“snake-trees,” a name apt because of how
they move like serpentine rivers of wood in
and out of petrified trees and hard ground.
Innasht make no sounds and cannot, or do
not, communicate in any way. They stalk
scavenger rings throughout the Blight‐
woods until one night their prey is woken by
a tree growing up around them, crushing
them, making them into one of their own.

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207
MIDNIGHT CHILDS
Medium humanoid (Akaran), neutral evil
Location: Akara

Armor Class 14 The Stygian Serpents have hidden in their

towers papyrus scrolls upon which are
Hit Points 54 (10d6 + 9) recorded the ancestries of countless Tar‐
Speed 50 ft. naki. These records are used to find specifi‐
Ability cally bred children who will grow strong
Str +7, Con +5 and tall, who will be susceptible to drugs, to
Proficiencies
brainwashing. These children are taken,
Senses Passive Perception 10 reared, filled with drugs and now Torn
Challenge 3 Drugs too and what is produced is what
they so callously call their children - their
Languages Ambara Midnight Childs.
A Midnight Child is near seven feet tall with
STR 20 (+5) skin dyed blue from strange exposure. They
are hairless. They are blindfolded. They are
DEX 18 (+2) not allowed to speak, nor allowed to think
CON 16 (+3) things the Stygian Serpents would not
INT 8 (-1) want them to think. They glide like weight‐
less gales behind the Serpents they protect,
WIS 8 (-1) poisoned weapons at the ready, their
CHA 10 (+0) minds primed to recognize only three types
of being: Serpents, potential threats, and
neutralized threats.
Torn Berserker. When the Midnight Child’s hit Find a way to cure them of their addictions,
points fall below half their maximum value,
they gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, to break the molds they’ve been locked in,
and slashing damage, and make all attacks and mayhaps humanity may return.
with advantage.

ACTIONS

Bola. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach

20/40 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 2) bludgeon‐
ing damage. On a critical hit, the target is
grappled, with the attack throw being the DC.
Drug-Laced Katar. Melee Weapon Attack: +7
to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (1d8 + 5)
bludgeoning damage. On a hit, the target
must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw.
Unless they succeed, they are poisoned for 1
minute.
Snort Bleed Dust (1/Long Rest). The Midnight
Child can snort bleed dust, forcing it to make a
DC 13 Strength saving throw. On a success, the
Midnight Child can cast the thunderwave spell
as an action for 1 minute, using its Constitution
as its spellcasting ability score. On a failure, the
Midnight Child instead can no longer tell
friend from foe, and will attack random crea‐
tures within range until knocked unconscious.

208
209
NYRADIN
Medium beast, unaligned
Location: Akara

The nyradin, known better as reapers, are

Armor Class 14 (natural armor) vicious insects that hunt across Akara’s sa‐
Hit Points 37 (5d10 + 10) vannas. While standing on all fours, they
are as tall as a full-grown Akaran to the
Speed 50 ft. shoulder, horrifically twice that when they
Ability stand on their hindlegs. Worse of all,
Dex +7, Int +1, Wis +5 nyradin are pack animals. They travel in
Proficiencies
Blindsight 30 ft., Passive groups fifteen deep, hunting down any
Senses Perception 15 sources of meat or protein that they can
find.
Challenge 2
Nyradin are somewhat intelligent. They use
their intelligence to study their prey from a
STR 14 (+2) distance, learning where they move, what
they will do as routine. Then, a nyradin pack
DEX 18 (+4) will create a series of simple traps, such as
CON 15 (+2) pitfalls, trip wires that pull trees onto you, or
even net traps. Once captured, the nyradin
INT 6 (-2) always eat their prey alive.
WIS 14 (+2) As the Cataclysm grows worse, much of the
CHA 7 (-2) nyradrins’ food has disappeared. They now
actively hunt humanoids, and have be‐
come a very real threat to the tribal mobs
Pack Tactics. The nyradin has advantage on scattered throughout Akara.
an attack roll against a creature if at least one
of the nyradin’s allies is within 5 ft. of the crea‐
ture and the ally isn't incapacitated.
Spider Climb. The nyradin can climb difficult
surfaces, including upside down on ceilings,
without needing to make an ability check.
Trap Hunter. The nyradin has advantage on
Wisdom checks to find traps or hidden crea‐
tures, and advantage on Intelligence checks to
disarm simple traps. When a nyradin disarms a
simple trap, they can arm it again.

ACTIONS

Blade Leg. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit,

reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d6 + 4) piercing
damage. If the target is a creature, it must suc‐
ceed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be
skewered by the leg and restrained.

210
211
SAMUA’S BANE (escape DC 20). Until this grapple ends, the tar‐
get is restrained.
Gargantuan monstrosity, unaligned Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 20
Location: Torn ft., one target. Hit: 20 (4d6 + 8) bludgeoning
damage. If the target is a creature, it must suc‐
ceed on a DC 20 Strength saving throw or be
Armor Class 19 (natural armor) knocked prone
Frightful Presence. Each creature of Samua’s
Hit Points 400 (20d20 + 200) Bane’s choice within 120 feet of it and aware of
Speed 40 ft., burrow 80 ft., it must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving
swim 80 ft. throw or become frightened for 1 minute. A
Saving Throws Str +12, Con +16 creature can repeat the saving throw at the
end of each of its turns, with disadvantage if
Acid, Fire, Poison; Samua’s Bane is within line of sight, ending
Damage Bludgeoning, Piercing, the effect on itself on a success. If a creature's
Immunities and Slashing from saving throw is successful or the effect ends for
nonmagical weapons it, the creature is immune to Samua’s Bane’s
Condition Charmed, Frightened, Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours.
Immunities Paralyzed, Poisoned Swallow. Samua’s Bane makes one bite attack
against a Large or smaller creature it is grap‐
Challenge 20 pling. If the attack hits, the target takes the
Senses Blindsight 120 ft., Passive bite's damage, the target is swallowed, and the
Perception 10 grapple ends. While swallowed, the creature is
blinded and restrained, it has total cover
against attacks and other effects outside
STR 26 (+8) Samua’s Bane, and it takes 30 (10d6) acid dam‐
DEX 7 (-2) age at the start of each of Samua’s Bane’s
turns. Samua’s Bane is vulnerable to all dam‐
CON 30 (+10) age types from a creature that it has swal‐
lowed, and does not gain the benefits of its
INT 6 (-2) Abominable Hide or Reflective Carapice fea‐
WIS 11 (+0) tures against damage or spells from swallowed
creatures. If Samua’s Bane takes 30 damage or
CHA 11 (+0) more on a single turn from a creature inside it,
Samua’s Bane must succeed on a DC 20 Con‐
Abominable Hide. When rolling for damage stitution saving throw at the end of that turn
against Samua’s Bane, any die that comes up as or regurgitate all swallowed creatures, which
a 6 or lower is ignored. fall prone in a space within 10 feet of Samua’s
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Samua’s Bane. If Samua’s Bane dies, a swallowed crea‐
Bane fails a saving throw, it can choose to suc‐ ture is no longer restrained by it and can es‐
ceed instead. cape from the corpse by using 30 feet of
Magic Resistance. Samua’s Bane has advan‐ movement, exiting prone.
tage on saving throws against spells and other
magical effects. LEGENDARY ACTIONS
Reflective Carapace. Any time Samua’s Bane
is targeted by a magic missile spell, a line spell, Samua’s Bane can take 3 legendary actions,
or a spell that requires a ranged attack roll, roll choosing from the options below. Only one leg‐
a d6. On a 1 to 5, Samua’s Bane is unaffected. On endary action option can be used at a time and
only at the end of another creature’s turn.
a 6, Samua’s Bane is unaffected, and the effect Samua’s Bane regains spent legendary actions
is reflected back at the caster as though it orig‐ at the start of their turn.
inated from Samua’s Bane, turning the caster
into the target. Attack. Samua’s Bane makes one tail attack.
Siege Monster. Samua’s Bane deals double Move. Samua’s Bane moves up to half its speed.
Chomp (Costs 2 Actions). Samua’s Bane makes
damage to objects and structures. one bite attack or uses its Swallow.
Irradiated Shardlight Ray (Costs 3 Actions).
ACTIONS Samua’s Bane opens its mouth, revealing a
throat studded in shardstones. All creatures in a
Multiattack. Samua’s Bane can use its Fright‐ 120 foot cone in a direction that Samua’s Bane
ful Presence. It then makes three attacks: one is facing must succeed on a DC 20 Constitution
with its bite, and two with its tail. It can use its saving throw or suffer 75 (15d10) radiant dam‐
Swallow instead of its bite. age. Creatures who fail this saving throw must
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 10 also roll on the warp-scar table, suffering its ef‐
ft., one target. Hit: 32 (4d12 + 8) piercing dam‐ fects immediately. On a successful save, crea‐
age. If the target is a creature, it is grappled tures only suffer half damage.

212
There is no rhyme to its form, nor a reason
for its predation. It is a thing that cannot be
killed by Akaran arms. Once, a scavenger
ring thirty strong went to slay this thing
haunting Samua’s Marsh. Three returned
and of it they spoke.
Lilmesh, warlord and beast hunter, said
that its body could not be cut by any blade,
pierced by any arrow, bruised by any force.
Fileen, invoker and colorbinder, said that
no matter what shardscience she brought
against the monstrosity she could not con‐
fuse it, could distract it only a while, could
never warp reality in such a way as to stop
it.
O’og, drifter and bonekeeper, said nothing
of the thing, but instead presented the skull
of his lover, scrimshawed to show that
which is known as Samua’s Bane.
Its name is as much a curse as it is a fear-
tongued legend. Because of it, the Samua
Marshes are anathema for the scavenger
rings. All are told the same: it hides beneath
the mud, is a hundred katar long, bursts
from the ground and chases those it sees
and swallows them whole with nothing left
behind.
213
SCREN, DREAMVENOM
Medium aberration, neutral evil
Location: Torn & Akara

Armor Class 15 (natural armor) Roll on the Envenomed Nightmares table

below to see what kind of things you expe‐
Hit Points 49 (10d6 + 4) rience when stung by the dreamvenom
Speed 60 ft., burrow 40 ft.
d6 ENVENOMED NIGHTMARES
Saving Throws Str +12, Con +16
Damage Poison Dark figures prowling on four legs
Immunities 1 stalk after you under a veil of
Condition fuschia shadow.
Immunities Poisoned, Blinded
Challenge 4 Honey weeps from cuts opening
Blindsight 60 Ft., Passive 2 across your body. Where it falls,
Senses corpses bloom.
Perception 13
The writing of a language never
STR 14 (+2) before spoken on Akara spreads
3
DEX 17 (+3) itself across everything that you
can see.
CON 12 (+1) A tall, masked, red shadow in the
INT 8 (-1) 4 distance sings to you of the demise
WIS 11 (+0) of your people.
CHA 8 (-1) A massive, roiling, shivering mass
grows out of the ground before you
5 and begins to converse in a tongue
Dreamvenom. The dreamvenom scren can you share. It speaks of food, love,
cast the dream spell on one creature that it has and death.
stung within 24 hours without requiring any
spell components. The target automatically A memory takes over your every
fails its saving throw against this spell, and the 6 sense, but it is not a memory you
dreamvenom scren knows its target's exact lo‐ have ever had before.
cation when the target wakes up. A
dreamvenom scren can only use this feature
once every 24 hours.
Magic Weapons. The swarmvoice scren’s Not every scren stings the same; and, only
weapon attacks are magical. after the sting, which brings pleasure and
Minor Mystical Immunity. The swarmvoice not pain, will a scavenger know the lethal
scren is immune to the effects of cantrips. difference. The world will melt. The scav‐
enger will see fractals and patterns of no
Akaran make bloom in violet air, across
ACTIONS their weapons, the undulating ground. Col‐
ors never viewed by a living thing’s eye will
Fever Sting. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, dye the world and at the same time uglier,
reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d4 + 3) piercing
damage. more horrible things will appear as the
The target must make a DC 14 Constitution scavenger becomes lost in a fever dream
saving throw, taking 33 (6d10) poison damage without end, their shadows becoming
on a failed save, or half as much damage on a aberrants hunting them, eyes, eyes, eyes
successful one. Additionally, unless the target everywhere, waves of euphoria following
succeeds on this saving throw, they begin to waves of terror following waves of star‐
wildly hallucinate. The target must roll on the bursts that always ends in death.
Envenomed Nightmares table and suffer dis‐
advantage on all ability checks, attack rolls, Mystics say that dreamvenom is the key to
and saving throws for 1 minute. The target can seeing the world as it really is. A scavenger
make this saving throw again at the end of its who risks their life getting it is sure to be
turn, ending these effects immediately on a rich.
success.

214
215
SCREN, DRONE
Medium aberration, neutral evil
Location: Torn & Akara

Armor Class 16 (natural armor) No one knows from whence they came;
never has a creature of their ilk been seen.
Hit Points 26(6d6 + 2) From beneath the crust of Akara they
Speed 60 ft., burrow 40 ft. swarm, the scren, creatures on four legs
with no eyes whose clicks and gurgling
Challenge 2 growls speak of no ability to show mercy to
Senses Blindsight 60 Ft., Passive the everything on which they prey. Earth‐
Perception 10 quakes prelude their invasions. Entire tribal
Condition mobs have been swallowed by them and
Immunities Blinded
city-states have disappeared. Rumors hard
to believe travel across Akara born by trau‐
STR 14 (+2) matized survivors who speak of how the
DEX 17 (+3) end of days will not come in flood or
through starvation but at the hands of the
CON 12 (+1) scren, the Mouths.
INT 6 (-2) There is a language to the scren but it has
WIS 11 (+0) not been deciphered. They tap their tails on
their carapaces, gesticulate in weird ways.
CHA 8 (-1) Strange scents that cannot be named fol‐
low them and it seems others of their kind
Magic Resistance. The sentinel has advantage follow alongside.
on saving throws against spells and other
magical effects. After a swarm has come it always disap‐
Magic Weapons. The drone scren’s weapon at‐ pears back into the bowels of the world.
tacks are magical. Scavenger rings have gone into these cara‐
Minor Mystical Immunity. The drone scren is vans. Those that have returned speak of
immune to the effects of cantrips. tunnels without end filled with rotting
Pack Tactics. The drone scren has advantage meat, molted shells, and even the glimmer
on an attack roll against a creature if at least of shardstones. These same scavengers are
one of the drone scren’s allies is within 5 ft. of quick to point out that in Torn’s shardlands
the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated. are the scren also found. What that riddle
Pounce. If the drone scren moves at least 20 ft. means no bonekeeper can say.
straight toward a creature and then hits it with
a claw Attack on the same turn, that target
must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving
throw or be knocked prone. If the target is
prone, the drone scren can make one bite At‐
tack against it as a Bonus Action.
Running Leap. With a 10-foot running start,
the drone scren can long jump up to 35 ft.

ACTIONS
Multiattack. The drone scren makes two at‐
tacks: one with either its bite or its claws, and
one with its sting.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5
ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5
ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 2) slashing damage.
Sting. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5
ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d4 + 3) piercing damage.
The target must make a DC 13 Constitution
saving throw, taking 11 (2d10) poison damage
on a failed save, or half as much damage on a
successful one.

216
217
 The Bane Below
A poem composed by
Drifter Shu’mal of the Cabal of Ten Knives

Undulant these
Fang-graven tunnels, these
Claw-carven caverns from
Men-bones and beast-hides and Akara’s
Death-dim roots.
Visions found in wildfire stars.
Cruel roads never meant to be walked.
Chains blood-rusted.
Shardstones bloodcut.
Catacomb-cradle for widow-maker singing our songs.
Chittering, chattering, the
Chitinous cruelty, the
Civilization culling
Cold carnage and the clattering clawed crimes in
Carmine carnal courts.
Pregnant, this apocalypse
Bearing Armageddon’s child as
Bael bears the jade blade.
O’Nestqueen, moon-kissed & sun-cruel.
Nestqueen, Nestqueen, slaughter-wise & doom-fueled.
Painted, she-thing’s lips
In liver, in bile.
Intestinal flower-crown, bloodeagle’d cape.
Egg-laid throne, pus-filled, fetid.
Mouth drips muscle; from mouth drips we.
Leelaylwa, leelaylwa -
Please, please, spare me.

218
219
SCREN, NESTQUEEN
Gargantuan aberration, neutral evil
Location: Torn & Akara

Armor Class 18 (natural armor) STR 22 (+6)

Hit Points 278 (15d20 + 105) DEX 11 (+0)
Speed 60 ft., burrow 40 ft. CON 24 (+7)
Acid, Fire, Poison, INT 18 (+4)
Damage Psychic; Bludgeoning,
Piercing, and Slashing WIS 15 (+3)
Immunities
from nonmagical CHA 12 (+1)
weapons, Blinded
Condition Charmed, Frightened,
Immunities Paralyzed, Poisoned LEGENDARY ACTIONS
Challege 15 The Nestqueen can take 3 legendary actions,
Senses Blindsight 120 Ft., Passive choosing from the options below. Only one
Perception 13 legendary action option can be used at a time
Understands all but can’t and only at the end of another creature’s turn.
Languages The Nestqueen regains spent legendary ac‐
speak, telepathy 300 ft.
tions at the start of their turn.
Creature Sense. The nestqueen is aware of the Attack (1 action). The Nestqueen makes one
presence of creatures within 5 miles of it that feeding claw.
have an Intelligence score of 4 or higher. It Break Concentration (1 action). The Nestqueen
knows the distance and direction to each crea‐ targets a creature within 120 feet of it with
ture, as well as each one's intelligence score, which it has a psychic link. The nestqueen
but can't sense anything else about it. A crea‐ breaks the creature's concentration on a spell it
ture protected by a mind blank spell, a nonde‐ has cast. The creature also takes 1d4 psychic
tection spell, or similar magic can't be per‐ damage per level of the spell.
ceived in this manner. Psychic Pulse (2 actions). The Nestqueen tar‐
gets a creature within 120 feet of it with which
Innate Spellcasting (Psionics). The Nestqueen’s it has a psychic link. Enemies of the Nestqueen
innate spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell within 10 feet of that creature take 10 (3d6) psy‐
save DC 19). It can innately cast the following chic damage.
spells, requiring no components: Sever Psychic Link (2 actions). The Nestqueen
At will: detect thoughts, levitate. targets a creature within 120 feet of it with
1/day each: confusion, dominate monster, which it has a psychic link. The Nestqueen
dominate person, telekinesis. ends the link, causing the creature to have dis‐
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the advantage on all ability checks, attack rolls,
Nestqueen fails a saving throw, it can choose and saving throws until the end of the crea‐
to succeed instead. ture's next turn.
Magic Weapons. The Nestqueen’s weapon at‐
tacks are magical. LAIR ACTIONS
Minor Mystical Immunity. The Nestqueen is
immune to the effects of cantrips. When fighting inside its lair, the Nestqueen
Telepathic Hub. The Nestqueen can use its can use lair actions. On initiative count 20 (los‐
telepathy to initiate and maintain telepathic ing initiative ties), the Nestqueen can take one
conversations with up to ten creatures at a lair action to cause one of the following effects;
time. The Nestqueen can let those creatures the Nestqueen can't use the same lair action
telepathically hear each other while connected two rounds in a row:
in this way.
Telepathic Shroud. The Nestqueen is immune ◇ The Nestqueen summons 1 dreamvenom
to any effect that would sense its emotions or scren, 1d4 dronescren, or 1d4 swarmvoice
scren.
read its thoughts, as well as to all divination
spells. ◇ The Nestqueen releases a terrifying scream,
forcing creatures within 300 feet to make a
Wisdom saving throw (DC 18) or spend
their next action screaming as well.
◇ The Nestqueen casts telekinesis.

220
ACTIONS Once, the famed scavenger ring known as
the Cabal of Ten Knives was hired by a
Multiattack. The nestqueen can use its In‐ time-forgotten patron to delve deep into
stinct Drive. Then it can make two attacks with Akara’s crust. Twenty strong, all moon-
its Feeding Claws. kissed and sun-cruel, ventured into a scren
Feeding Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to
hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (1d12 + 6) swarm’s chittering fissure. One month later
slashing damage. The target must make a DC did they return, a third of their number lost.
18 Strength saving throw or be grappled. Until Down there, they said, was a thing impossi‐
the grapple ends, the creature is restrained. ble: the Nestqueen.
Instinct Drive. The Nestqueen chooses one A roiling, undulating mass, clicking, the
creature that it can perceive with its Creature
Sense trait and floods its mind with cannibalis‐ eggs, the wealth of shardstones growing in
tic instincts. The creature must make a its cave - the Nestqueen was a nightmare
Charisma saving throw (DC 18) or spend their from another world and of this the Cabal of
next action attempting to eat themselves. Ten Knives was certain. What they did not
Mind Blast (Recharge 5–6). The Nestqueen share, not for years, was what it did to
magically emits psychic energy. Creatures of them.
the Nestqueen’s choice within 60 feet of it
must succeed on a DC 19 Intelligence saving To each of the scavengers did the
throw or take 32 (5d10 + 5) psychic damage and Nestqueen speak, in their thoughts and
be stunned for 1 minute. A target can repeat not their minds. It, she, that told them of
the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ancient peoples supped upon; she spun for
ending the effect on itself on a success. them tales of a place where all was alive, all
Psychic Link. The Nestqueen targets one was teeth, all was prey and predator alike.
stunned creature it can perceive with its Crea‐ Then the Nestqueen said to these scav‐
ture Sense trait and establishes a psychic link engers that they may leave should they of‐
with that creature. Until the psychic link ends, fer her sacrifices of a hand, a foot, a heart,
the Nestqueen can perceive everything the
target senses. The target becomes aware that a liver.
something is linked to its mind once it is no Their tale was not believed. The Cabal of
longer incapacitated, and the nestqueen can Ten Knives never did scavenge again, but
terminate the link at any time (no action re‐ sometime later they disappeared, one by
quired). The target can use an action on its one, on a night when the moon was full
turn to attempt to break the psychic link, do‐
ing so with a successful DC 19 Charisma saving and their heads full too of something weird,
throw. On a successful save, the target takes 10 something wrong.
(3d6) psychic damage. The psychic link also
ends if the target and the Nestqueen are more
than 5 miles apart, with no consequences to
the target. The Nestqueen can form psychic
links with up to ten creatures at a time.
Sense Thoughts. The Nestqueen targets a
creature with which it has a psychic link. The
Nestqueen gains insight into the target's rea‐
soning, its emotional state, and thoughts that
loom large in its mind (including things the
target worries about, loves, or hates). The
Nestqueen can also make a Charisma check
with advantage to deceive the target's mind
into thinking it believes one idea or feels a par‐
ticular emotion. The target contests this at‐
tempt with a Wisdom check. If the nestqueen
succeeds, the mind believes the deception for 1
hour or until evidence of the lie is presented to
the target.

221
SCREN, SWARMVOICE
Medium aberration, neutral evil
Location: Torn & Akara

Armor Class 16 (natural armor) If a swarmvoice is nearby, drones are always

close at hand. Roll on the Swarmvoice
Hit Points 49 (10d6 + 4) Echos table below to hear what they have
Speed 60 ft., burrow 40 ft. to say.
Challenge 4
Senses Blindsight 60 Ft., Passive d6 SWARMVOICE ECHOS
Perception 13
Condition A little girl crying for her older sister
Immunities Blinded 1 to come back.
STR 14 (+2) A woman begging her husband
2 not to go outside.
DEX 17 (+3)
CON 12 (+1) A young man pleading to be let
3
INT 8 (-1) into a shelter.
WIS 16 (+3) An elderly woman asking if anyone
4 else heard something in the
CHA 12 (+1) shadows.
Magic Weapons. The swarmvoice scren’s A little boy asking if you’re his
5
weapon attacks are magical. father.
Minor Mystical Immunity. The swarmvoice
scren is immune to the effects of cantrips. Roll twice and combine the two
Word Echo. When a creature casts a cantrip or 6 results.
a spell that requires only verbal components,
the swarmvoice scren can use its reaction to
repeat those same words to either cast coun‐
terspell or to cast that same spell on a target of Loping across the wreckage of their kin-
its choice. The swarmvoice scren uses the origi‐ swarm are things who hear the sounds of
nal caster’s spell save DC and spell attack mod‐ Akara and speak them back. Songs, po‐
ifier. ems, voices warbled and strange; lan‐
guages scren should not know, words from
tongues spliced together. These swar‐
ACTIONS mvoice are clever creatures whose alien
talents have tricked many a deadman out
Multiattack. The drone scren makes three at‐ of hiding. Though few believe they exist, the
tacks: one with its bite, once with its claws, and
one with its sting. survivors of these apocalypses are consis‐
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 tent in their tales: if you hear your loved
ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage. ones crying for help then you must leave
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 them. Few are strong enough to follow this
ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 2) slashing damage. advice, and fewer still can live with them‐
Sting. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 selves afterwards.
ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d4 + 3) piercing damage.
The target must make a DC 14 Constitution
saving throw, taking 22 (4d10) poison damage
on a failed save, or half as much damage on a
successful one.

222
223
SENTINEL
Large construct, unaligned
Location: Torn

Armor Class 18 (natural armor) Roll on the Sentinel Purpose table to see
what the Sentinel is doing upon its discov‐
Hit Points 110 (15d10 + 35) ery.
Speed 30 ft.
d6 ACTIVITY
Saving Throws Str +12, Con +16
Fire, Poison, Psychic;
Bludgeoning, Piercing, Lifting random objects, holding it
Damage 1 to its shardstone, and poking it
Immunities and Slashing From
Nonmagical Weapon repeatedly - like a woodpecker.
Attacks
Charmed, Exhaustion, Stacking objects on top of each
Condition Frightened, Paralyzed, 2
Immunities other meticulously.
Petrified, Poisoned
Challenge 7
Darkvision 120 Ft., Passive Breaking things into smaller things
Senses 3
Perception 10 and rearranging them strangely.
Understands the Ancient
Languages Tongue but can’t speak
Sitting silently, curled into a ball,
4 ominously quiet.
STR 22 (+6)
DEX 9 (-1) Patrolling a plot of land with no
5 defining features inside of it, or an
CON 20 (+5) unmarked ruin.
INT 10 (+0)
Being destroyed by another
WIS 11 (+0) 6 sentinel, but not responding to the
CHA 1 (-5) attacks.

Magic Resistance. The sentinel has advantage
on saving throws against spells and other
magical effects.
Magic Weapons. The sentinel’s weapon at‐
tacks are magical.
Shardscience Mirror. When the sentinel is tar‐
geted by a spell, it can cast that same spell as
an action on its following turn.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The sentinel makes two melee at‐
tacks, or attacks with its slam and its shard‐
stone ray.
Shardstone Ray. Ranged Weapon Attack: +3
to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 20 (4d10) ra‐
diant damage. A creature struck by a shard‐
stone ray has all flammable clothing that it
wears burst into flames.
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5
ft., one target. Hit: 18 (3d8 + 6) bludgeoning
damage. If the target is a creature, it is grap‐
pled (escape DC 20). Until this grapple ends,
the target is restrained.
From where they came no one can say.
They are the relics of the Zenith People; the
mysterious soldiers, guardians, laborers,
and servants of a forever-gone civilization.
Across Torn do they shamble. Sometimes,
they are quiet. Sometimes, they are loud -
whirring gears, metal on metal, the hissing
of shardlight exposed to open air.
Whatever orders they once followed have
yet to be completed, and because of this
they have become violent. Anything that
interferes with what they are doing must
be destroyed. Whatever they are doing
cannot easily be predicted; it must be
guessed from context clues, puzzled out
from what they ignore and what they kill..
Harvest their heads for a shardstone worth
your weight in jade.

224
225
SKARAG
Large or huge beast, any alignment
Location: Akara

Armor Class 13 (natural armor) If you attain a skarag, roll on the Skarag
Quirk table below to see how your skarag
Hit Points 95 (15d10 + 12) treats you.
Speed 60 ft.
d6 QUIRK
Ability Con +8
Proficiencies
Challenge 2 1 This skarag enjoys licking your hair
for tasty insects to eat.
Senses Passive Perception 10
Can’t speak but This skarag leaks water out
Languages understands any that it is 2 whenever it's happy.
trained to understand
This skarag sits on its hindlegs,
3 almost like that of a person.
STR 16 (+3)
DEX 12 (+1) This skarag vomits whenever you
4
CON 22 (+6) are offended.
INT 6 (-2)
This skarag insists on sleeping
WIS 11 (+0) 5 coiled around you.
CHA 10 (+0)
This skarag brings you random
6 trinkets as a sign of affection.
Inexhaustible Mount. The skarag has
advantage on checks or saving throws against
exhaustion. The skarag also ignores the first
three levels of exhaustion. There are no beasts of burden in the world
World Drifter. The skarag can take the Dash
action as a bonus action on each of its turns. of Akara; none except the skarag, the foun‐
dation of all civilization. They are tenacious
reptiles who can grow as large as fifteen
ACTIONS meters or near fifty feet and are unique in
the social bonds they form with others not
Necrotic Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, of their kind. These bonds led to their even‐
reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 3) piercing tual breaking as mounts.
damage. If the target is a creature, it must
succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw In poetry, a skarag represents jade for the
or suffer 11 (2d10) necrotic damage at the end wealth they bring to those who own them;
of each of its turns for 1 minute. perseverance, for their survival-adapted bi‐
ology, defined by sacks of water held be‐
neath their scales; Akara’s fertile soil, for a
land rich in skarags is a land rich in life. This
last reason gives hope to Cataclysm de‐
niers. After all, skarags can still be found in
the wild. But these animals are not found
where once they were nor in their old num‐
bers. Even they must reckon with the Great
Dying.

226
227
UJAH (ENIGMAS)
Large aberration, any alignment
Location: Torn

Armor Class 10 ACTIONS

Hit Points 212 (30d8 + 77) Fractal Legion (1/Short Rest). The Ujah sum‐
mons an additional 1d6 copies of itself. These
Speed 30 ft. copies appear in an empty 5x5 space within 30
Acid, Cold, Fire, Necrotic, feet, and each takes their initiative after the
Poison, Radiant; original Ujah.
Damage Shardlight Ray. Ranged Spell Attack: +13 to hit,
Immunities Bludgeoning, Piercing,
and Slashing from reach 30/60 ft., one target. Hit: 33 (6d10) radi‐
ant damage. A creature struck by a shardlight
nonmagical weapons ray has all flammable clothing that it wears
Charmed, Frightened, burst into flames. After using its shardlight ray,
Condition Grappled, Paralyzed, the Ujah can cast a spell that it knows from its
Immunities Petrified, Poisoned, at-will list.
Prone, Restrained
Challenge 12
Truesight 120 Ft., passive
Senses Perception 13 Throughout the Tainted Valley - radiant
echoes of light, luminous peals traveling at
speeds hitherto unknown. Scavengers
STR 10 (+0) speak of that same brilliance manifesting
DEX 11 (+0) before them in a thousand and one vermil‐
lion bodies.
CON 14 (+2)
This thing is called by scavengers the Ujah,
INT 24 (+7) the Engima, and it is many.
WIS 26 (+8) Every Ujah appears the same, at least at a
CHA 18 (+4) glance. They are a crimson spectre as tall
as a Zenith Person but with no features to
Innate Spellcasting (Psionics). The Ujah’s in‐ define them. The longer they are stared at,
nate spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell the clearer they become, their shimmering
save DC 19). It can innately cast the following bodies opening like curtains to reveal vi‐
spells, requiring no components: sions of people the watching scavengers
At will: blur, chaos bolt, detect thoughts, invisi‐ believe in, scenes of carnage and of rapture
bility, levitate, misty step, scrying too.
2/day each: counterspell, harm, hallucinatory
terrain, wall of force They watch from a distance or they walk
1/day each: eyebite, delayed fireball, feeble‐ with scavengers. Sometimes they are ene‐
mind, power word: stun, project image, tele‐ mies, and the heat-radiance they release is
port terrible. Othertimes they are friendly, aid‐
Incorporeal Movement. The Ujah can move ing scavengers against sentinels or scren.
through other creatures and objects as if they With a wave of their hands they make
were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force shardstones glow and dim in a code that
damage if it ends its turn inside an object.
Limited Magic Immunity. The Ujah can't be af‐ has yet to be solved.
fected or detected by spells of 4th level or No one has ever been able to capture a
lower unless it wishes to be. It has advantage Ujah. Death has them flicker out like a
on saving throws against all other spells and sputtering torch. If a scavenger could
magical effects.
Magic Weapons. The Ujah’s weapon attacks somehow bring them back to Akara, their
are magical. legacy would be etched in jade for a thou‐
Shardscience Mirror. When the Ujah is tar‐ sand years to come.
geted by a spell, it can cast that same spell as
an action on its following turn.
Shard Mind. The Ujah shares the same senses
as every body that it conjures.

228
229
URUKAN
Small monstrosity, unaligned
Location: Akara

Armor Class 15 (natural armor) Urukan, a Kamuani word meaning earth

spawn, are brownish creatures that dwell
Hit Points 15 (5d4 + 2) deep beneath the earth. Akaran history
Speed 10 ft., burrow-30 ft. has it that the urukan were rarely seen
Damage creatures found only in deep mines. The flu‐
Acid ids they secrete - a powerful acid - has been
Immunities
Challenge 1/2 used in ritualistic potions and other al‐
chemies for generations. For reasons un‐
Senses Passive Perception 9 known, the urukan are emerging from the
earth at a never before seen rate as a roil‐
ing and acidic tide spilling out from Akaran
STR 10 (+0) hills to poison Akaran soil. Some suspect it
DEX 8 (-1) is the scren forcing them out of their
homes; other see this as an omen that the
CON 11 (+0) end of days is soon to come.
INT 4 (-3) Collecting urukan and their fluids can lead
WIS 8 (-1) a scavenger to a prosperous and happy life.
CHA 6 (-2)

Akaric Acid. Any nonmagical material that

touches the urukan is corroded by acid. Crea‐
tures and materials take 14 (4d6) points of acid
damage. If what touches the earthspawn was
armor or a weapon, it suffers a -1 penalty to the
AC it provides or to damage rolls made with
that weapon. If this drops armor’s benefit to
providing no additional AC, or if this drops a
weapon’s damage to -5, the material is de‐
stroyed.

ACTIONS
Acidic Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit,
reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d6) piercing
damage. A creature bitten by the urukan suf‐
fers the effects of its Akaric Acid trait.
Grub Ball. The urukan rolls itself up into a tight
ball. While rolled up, the urukan cannot move
or take any actions and its AC increases to 22.

230
231
 SCAVENGER INDEX
Ability Score Proficiency, 133 Cataclysm, the, 85 Gate of the Seven Lights, 19
Additional Natural Terrain, 155 Cataclysm Sojourner, 168 Gate of the Skarag, 19
Akara, 9 Chain’d Schools, 76 Generation Torn Apart, 38
Akara’s Remnant, 182 Channel Divinity, 159 Grand Katar Wall, the, 19
Akaran Mysticism, 71 Charred Slum, the, 28 Great Dying, the, 85
Akarans, 143 Circle of Cataclysms, 162 Gubajah, 200
Akarok, 200 Circle of Stone & Fire, the, 35 Gulf of the Stalker, 88
Alien Knowledge, 182 Cobalt Fruit, 115 glass burns, 196
Ambara, 10 Colorbinders, 157 Heads, 188
Ammonia, 106 Consumption Shard, 138 Headhunted Exile, 172
Ancient Tongue, 10 Core City Ruin, the, 101 Heart of an Alien World, 138
Ancestral Shamans, 158 Core Entity, 161 Heart-Giver, 157
Armaments, 188 Council of Dirt & Bone, 28 House of Five Deadly Venoms, the, 49
Artifice, 134 Council of Jade & Progress, 32 House Unpainted, the, 49
Artificer’s Tools, 134 Cradle, the, 68 Howlers, 156
Artisan District, 22 Crimson Square, 27 Hundred-Colored Pond, the, 46
Asphalt Lakes, 114 Crown Shards, 107 hand (measurement), 10
ancient bones, 194 ceramic-cloth, 194 hanyi, 74
B!ayeh, 10 chitinous hide, 194 heat raids, 85
Banish Aberration, 159 copper wardress, 194 Idakhan, 98
Bataar, 45 Dagger District, 23 Innasht, 115, 206
Bataash Shell, 10 Dal Ashta Outpost, the, 97 Invokers, 157
Battle Fatigue, 133 Damaging & Destroying Shards, 136 Ishanya the World-Treader, 37
Bael, Baels, 57 Deadman’s Island, 25 Ivory Guard, the, 40
Bael Madeel, 57 Dinadan, 10 interlocking exoskeleton, 194
Bael Urbarriar, 57 Dinashii, 67 Jade, the, 10
Bael Ziadi, 57 Dirge for the Charred Slums, 151 Kanuani, 10
Bleed Dust, 138 Dream-Pleasure Shard, 138 Kanuma, 53
Blightwoods, 111 Drifters, 154 Kanuma’s Calendar, 10
Blightwood City, 101 Dust District, 23 Kanuman Sigil, 10
Bloodcutting, 134 daggermaster, 23 Ka’rum, 98
Bloodcutter, 157 dal, 10 Khorax, Bael Khorax, 58
Bloodcutter’s Supplies, 135 dalham, 10 Kith, 145
Bloodsands, the, 88 dart-thrower, 196 Kind Mind-Melder, 182
Bloodsingers, 154 death tides, 85 Kumashek, 98
Bonekeeper, 166 deathwhistle, 196 kataar, 196
Bronzebloods, 156 “E” Language, 10 khavsarsan zud, 86
Bronze District, 20 Ekolo, 122, 124 Mandatory Healing Kits, 133
Buying & Finding Shards, 136 Emissary, 170 Merqual’s Tomb, 101
blade (measurement), 10 Encumbrance, 133 Midnight Childs, 36, 208
bladed boomerang, 196 Entomism, 80 Minister’s House, the, 49
blades of curved bronze, 123 Extinction Saves, 133 Monolith, the, 18
bola, 196 earthquakes, 86 Morg, 149
bronze wargarb, 194 Far-Strider’s Trick, 155 Morgani, 10
Cancerous Lichenshard, 114, 116 Far Sayers, 154 Morgani Foe-Culler, 182
Carrion, 106, 200 Flesh-Knitting Shard, 138 Muraneese Majestic, 10
Carrion Glade, 114 Gate of the Caught Sun, 19 Mur, 63

232
Murd, 10 Samua Marches, 119 Suneater, 138
Mute City, 101 Samua’s Bane, 212 Sun Uruk, 98
Mystics, 158 Samua’s City, 101 samum, the, 87
megalithic ruins, 101 Samua’s Incense, 123 sigil, 10,
monsoon raid, 87 Samua’s Scepter, 124 shardsong, 196
Natural Resources, 187 Samua’s Sunshade Mud, 123 star-raider, 57
New Market, 27 Samuan, 10 Tainted Valley, 127
Newvision, 138 Sarok, 32, 43 Tarnak, 13
Nowheres, 106 Scavenger Codes, 10 Tarnaki, Deep, 10
Nyradin, 210 Scavenger Paradigm, 153 Tarnaki, Dust, 10
Of Places Untouched, 129 Scavenger Rings, the, 37 Tiali’s Jail, 46
Oathspears, 156 Scavenger Suite, 132 Tongue and Hand, the, 38
Old District, 25 Scavenging Peoples, the, 140 Torn, 91
Oozing Radiance, 138 Scren, Dreamvenom, 214 Torn Drugs, 134
Oracle Abiodun, 64 Scren, Drone, 216 Torn Disks, 107
Ores Masgel, 33 Scren, Nestqueen, 220 Torn Sigil, 94
Orphans, the, 154 Scren, Swarmvoice, 222 Tower of Thoughts, the, 35
Overseer Alrak, 49 Sea of Songs, 89 Tranquilizing Ponds, 123
Our Coming Exodus, 80 Sentinel, 224 Tribal Brazier, 138
Our Cruel Road, 74 Serpent’s Slum, the, 28 Torn Hash, 138
Pannor Crush, the, 106 Serpent Woods, 89 Twin Towers of the Torn Sun, the, 97
Pannor’s Grass, 107 Seven Jades, the, 19 thorned wargarb, 123
Pannor’s Gallows, 106 Seven Scavenger Truths, 7 Venturehall, 97
Pannor’s Jade Katan, 107 Shamash, 67 Vermillion Hand, 160
Pannor Plains, 103 Shard Cultists, 158 Ujah, 128, 228
Pannor’s Sunspears, 106 Shard Market, 137 Urukan, 230
Patron Slave, 174 Shardcasting, 134 Using Shardcraft, 136
Pentad, the, 57 Shardcraft, 189 Usuo, 10
Pit of the Sunken Sun, 54 Shardstones, 133 Walkers, 74
Precious Treasure, 189 Shardpeak Towers, the, 101 Warlords, 156
Princess Ida, 15 Shardscience Savant, 182 Warp-Scars, 137
Power Houses, the, 49 Shardstone Cults, 80 Weaker Magic, 133
Pyroclastic Geysers, 114 Shardtainted, 176 Windport District, 26
painted throat, 196 Shardwood, 116 Womord, 10
pattern chord, 196 Shifting Forest, 68 World-Treader, 37
Quo’woah, 10 Silent Blinds, 154 World-Tearing Shard, 138
Radiant, the, 157 Slither Shards, 124 World Speakers, 158
Rainbow’d Sight, 138 Skarag, 226 World-Weary, 182
Raw Shardstone, 138 Song District, 25 World Wises, 155
Red Fang, the, 80 Song of the New Akara, 80 wristblade, 196
Regional Eruptions, 114 Spider’s Harp, 123 Yeballa, 68
Ribbish, 10 Stargazer, 78 Zazan, 10
Ruminators, 76 Stargazer Bay, 89 Zenith People, the, 98
Ruminations on the Chain, 76 Starfall Mysteries, the, 78 Zodiacs, 158
reinforced chitin, 194 Starfaller, 162 zahaq, 123
rock howler, 200 Starfallers, 156
Samua of the Stygian Serpents, 33 Stygian Serpents, 36

233
 THE FIRST SCAVENGERS

Aaron Abdelmaseh, Aaron Gomez, Aaron Jones, Aaron Rhoads, Acinonyx, Adam Domingue, Adam Everman, Adam J.
Zoch, Adam K, Adrian Czajkowski, Adrian Praetorius, Adrian Ulff, Ago, Al Bartlett, Alessandro S., Alex Huyer, Alex
Lyman, Alex Melluso, Alexander Laurell, Alexander Matyushev, Alexander Neumann, Allan (The other Weird Al),
Michie, Alvari Juhola, Andreas Starrsjö, Andrei Lazarescu, Andrew Alsberge, Andrew Lewis, Andrew Lotton, Andrew
R H Girdwood, Andrzej Krakowian, Andy Fones, Andy Zeiner, Anthony Knight, Anthony Prentice, Arno Gradwohl,
Austin Silva

Bailey J Martin, Baptiste Gauthier, Barneso, Barry Horsley, Bartimaeus, Benjamin (Crazy Cat Lady) Menard, Benjamin
Barham, Benjamin R Childerhose, Bill Dickinson Jr., Bill Lord, Bjorn Beckert, Błażej Maron, Borja Bermejo Merino
(BormerBerme), Brendan Mayhugh, Brian Koonce, Bryan Gibbons, Bryan Scott Anderson

Calavash, Callum D. Donaldson, Calvin W.R. Young, Cameron Krier, Cameron Price, Canli Kastner, Carl Rideout, Cem
Tüzemen, Cezary „Verencius” Wysoczański, Charles M Schmidt, Chase Street, Chevy Josselyn, Cheyne, Chris Babcock,
Chris Hammel, Chris Johnson, Christian J Menza, Christian Pagliari, Christian Thomas Hurley, Christoffer Sevaldsen,
Christopher Cecil, Christopher Farina, Christopher Gallivan, Christopher Harlan, Christopher K Olsen, Cirlot, Clark
Langridge, Clay Trimble, Cole Nordin, Connor Davies, Cullin Gardner
Dafegar, Damien Serrano, Dan, Dan AD Harrison, Dana Swithenbank, Daniel Rossi, Daniel Russell, Danny Awal Jr.,
Darian Churchill, Dave Kirkham, Dave Sealy, David Alexander Parker, David Amodeo, David C Hubble, David Harrison,
David Kogan, David Michael Melville, Dennis Horte, Dennis Owen Carroll, Derek Burkeen, Derek Vendt, Desirae
Beedle, Dingmamon, Dominic Pescosolido, Dominic Reyna, Dominic Rosa, Donald Cowie, Dustin K Miller, Dwight
Winters III, Dylan Stayman
Edd0, Eduardo Charvel, Elena De Stasio Stabile, Elgin Scott III, Elijah Jacob Witherspoon, Elliot Wenzel, Eontes Game
Master, Eric Hellickson, Eric Presuhn, Eric Stinemetz, Eric Toczek, Eugene Reilly, Ezequiel Fiumara

234
Faye 'RonPhang' Esswein, Faye Sewell, Fernando Reis Innecco, Filipe Passos Coelho, Filthy Monkey, Florian Ravine
Derudder, Franck Vaquier , Frank Payne, Frank Van Camp

Gabriella Bengtsar Håkansson, Gary & Teresa Flowers, Gerben van Eijk, Gert-Jan Germeys, GHOST4, Glass & Morgan
Cartwright, Glen Stark, Glizda, GM Tron, Grady Dunworth, Grant Bischoff, Greg Brunell, Greg Dunn, Greg Krywusha,
Gregory Lynn, Guðjón Jósef Baldursson
Hall Hood, Hanz Ifurung, Henrique CL Jucá, Hilius von Kürbiskern, Hunter Henrichsen

Ian Taylor, Ioannis Delios, Ira Shantz-Kreutzkamp, Isaac Segura, Ivan Milovanov (mozzribo)

J. Howerton, Jaakko Saari, Jacob G Cohen, Jake Loveless, James C. McClure III, James Halger, James Michael, James Zwiers,
jamie, Jamie Wheeler, Jamie Young, Jangus C. Cooper, Jared Trulock, Jason Fuhrman, Jason Heredia, Jason Ji Jun Fung,
Jason Kogan, Jason Neff, Jason Singh, Jason Smith, Jay Peters, Jean-Vincent Picard, Jeff Robinson, Jeff Scifert, Jeffrey
Quigley, Jena Sanders, Jeremy Bohan, Jeremy Hochhalter, Jeremy Kear, Jerry Beasley, Jerry Panagiotakis, Jesper Nøhr,
Jim Fuß, Jim Page, Joachim Heindler, Joan Ribas Rossell, Joe Rigney, Joel Baker, Johan Nilsson, John K Stone, John
McCloy, John McKay, Joni Skonbäck, Joran aus den Schatten, Joseph Guzman, Joshua C. Keaton, Julian Makin, Julian
Reinalter, Jundigon, Justin D Nickerson, Justin Sadosky, Justin Vander Schaaf
Kalamboo, Kalysto, Karen kehoe, Kári Gauti Gudlaugsson, Kaz The Unenlightened, kc, Keith E Morrison, Kelly Fisher,
Kelsii Weber, Kevin Alexander Pason, Kevin Alsdorf, Kit Blow, Kostas Papazis, Kraig Hausmann, Kyle Botterill, Kyle Lee,
Kyle McPhee
LandisTheThief, Lasse Dalsgaard Andersen, Laurence B Walls, Lazar Stojkovic, Lee Scolin, LeoKeros, Liam Hall,
Loren Skinner, Lorenzo Mastino, lubez88 (Torrey Lubiens), Luis Fernández González, Luke Dell

Magnus Gademar, Mahaffay, Manoel Marx, Marcus Baseler, Marie Claeys, Mark Eckenrode, Mark Tresidder, Marsh
Hock, Martin Kaiser, Martin Legg, Martti Huusko, Marvin Langenberg, Mary Zawacki, Mathieu Kautz, Matt Norris,
Matt Rock, Matt Snow, Matt Z Sealy, Matteo Autunno Di Domenico, Matteo Signorini, Matthew Rizdon Delaney,
Matthew A Strudwick, Matthew Cole, Matthew kroell, Matthew Rick, Matthew Sperling, Max Kindred, Maxime
Bombardier, McKendry Herrmann, Melvin Gage, MEZ, Michael Knighthawk Gammell, Michael Abspoel -xprnstr-,
Michael Barker, Michael Culp, Michael Jaksa, Michael Loney, Michael Maitlen, Michael Manzer, Michael Nichols,
Michael Pritchard, Michael Weeks, Míchel González, Mike DeCriscio, Mike Kalos, Mikko Kristian Kojola, Mister Lamp,
Monte Morast II, MooN, Moonfly, Moreau Colin, Morgan Hauth, Mr Jordan J Rowbottom, Myriam & Clement Jauvion
Nadia Rizk, Nate Bourne, Nathan Luster, Nathan Post, Nathan Skipper IV, Nefthalie Nelson Ramos, Neil McKeagney,
Nicholas Woonitu Wood, Nicholas DeLancey, Nick 'Weasel' Frymet, Nick O'Bryan, Nicola Russo Pratt, Nicolas Bím,
Nicolas Castagnet, Niklas Raunio, Niles George, NYX ROMAN, NZS Games
Oliver Brooks, Olivier Darles, OlivierMaître HibouRobineau, Ols Jonas Petter Olsson

Parker, Parker Smith, Pascal 'Necral' Daniel, Patrick Callan, Patrick P., Pedro L. Salgado, Peter Fox, Peter Siljedahl,
Philip Geving, Philip Mangiaracina, Phillip Maddi, Phillip Yeakley

R.P. Allen, Rachel Ayers, Rafael Mull-Pernetz, Randall M Holmes, Randy Nelson Smith, Raven Daegmorgan, Rebecca
Foxhoven, Richard H. Perry, Richard Henning, Richard Mundy, Richard Neary, Richard Schulzki, Richard William
Sorden, Robert Casey, Robert J Gamble, Robert S Paine, Robert Winchester, Robin Irwin, Rochelle F, ronald g paris,
Ronald Marx, Ross Hammer, Russel Hiatt, Ryan Brent, Ryan C Smith, Ryan Thomas, Ryon Ready
S.R. Davey, Sarah Kenny, Scott Reichelt, Scott Rumptz, Scotto, Sean I. Donnelly, Sean Jack, Sebastien Rodrigue, Seipke
Seraphymn, Seth Woolwine, Shad Scarboro, Shane Asharon Sylvia, Shane Tidus Lahue, Shawn Gamez, Shawn Stutzel,
Shiona K., Silas Mead, Simon Domich, Sir Glancelot, Stanislav [Drakzar] Ivanov, Ste Chandler, Stephen Gilliland,
Stephen O'Dell, Stephen Revill, Steven Chan, Steven Killen, Steven Moy, Steven T. Skelley, Syllyo
Taylor Inesta, Terry Pike, Thac0 of Chainmail, Thalji, The Damato Family, The Duke of Earl, The Raven Rolls, TheDobble,
TheRealHeinz, Thomas E. Spink II, Tim Rudolph, Timothy Baker, Toawk of The Stone and Field, Todd Wilkes, Tomasz
Pudło, Tommy Johansson, Finland, Torsten Frei, Travis J. Agaman, Tristan Prather, yler Wilhelm
Vaughn McCance, Ventress Vines, Vincent Henrotte, Virgiliu Ionescu, Volodymyr Revenok
Walter Wolowicz III, Wes Baker, Wesley Brown, William Hob Shaw, William Bartram, William Hatcher, Withrow G
Berry
Xandar Miller
Yura *HeraldOfAbyss* Stetsenko
Zach Jensen, Zach Morris , Zane Zimmerman, Zaphius97, Zeroun Blue

235
OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a
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tributing original material as Open Game Content, You rep‐
resent that Your Contributions are Your original creation an‐
d/or You have sufficient rights to grant the rights conveyed
by this License.
236
6.Notice of License Copyright: You must update the COPY‐
RIGHT NOTICE portion of this License to include the exact
text of the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any Open Game Content
You are copying, modifying or distributing, and You must
add the title, the copyright date, and the copyright holder's
name to the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any original Open
Game Content you Distribute.
7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product
Identity, including as an indication as to compatibility, ex‐
cept as expressly licensed in another, independent Agree‐
ment with the owner of each element of that Product Iden‐
tity. You agree not to indicate compatibility or co-adaptabil‐
ity with any Trademark or Registered Trademark in con‐
junction with a work containing Open Game Content ex‐
cept as expressly licensed in another, independent Agree‐
ment with the owner of such Trademark or Registered
Trademark. The use of any Product Identity in Open Game
Content does not constitute a challenge to the ownership
of that Product Identity. The owner of any Product Identity
used in Open Game Content shall retain all rights, title and
interest in and to that Product Identity.
8. Identification: If you distribute Open Game Content You
must clearly indicate which portions of the work that you
are distributing are Open Game Content.
9. Updating the License: Wizards or its designated Agents
may publish updated versions of this License. You may use
any authorized version of this License to copy, modify and
distribute any Open Game Content originally distributed
under any version of this License.
10. Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this Li‐
cense with every copy of the Open Game Content You Dis‐
tribute.
11. Use of Contributor Credits: You may not market or adver‐
tise the Open Game Content using the name of any Con‐
tributor unless You have written permission from the Con‐
tributor to do so.
12. Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply
with any of the terms of this License with respect to some
or all of the Open Game Content due to statute, judicial or‐
der, or governmental regulation then You may not Use any
Open Game Material so affected.
13. Termination: This License will terminate automatically if
You fail to comply with all terms herein and fail to cure such
breach within 30 days of becoming aware of the breach. All
sublicenses shall survive the termination of this License.
14. Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be
unenforceable, such provision shall be reformed only to the
extent necessary to make it enforceable.
15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE Open Game License v 1.0a Copy‐
right 2000, Wizards of the Coast, LLC.
System Reference Document 5.1 Copyright 2016, Wizards of
the Coast, Inc.; Authors Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Chris
Perkins, Rodney Thompson, Peter Lee, James Wyatt, Robert
J. Schwalb, Bruce R. Cordell, Chris Sims, and Steve Town‐
shend, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and
Dave Arneson.
END OF LICENSE
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