TinyZine

TinyZine Issue 31
Written by Colin Chapman, Jonathan Hicks, James M. Spahn, & Steffie de Vaan
Editor: Alan Bahr
Interior Art: Anthony Cournoyer & Nicolás R. Giacondino
Graphic Design & Layout: Robert Denton III
TinyD6 Line Manager : Alan Bahr
Based on the game Tiny Dungeon by Brandon McFadden
Second Edition

Published by Gallant Knight Games, 2019

Tiny Dungeon 2e and TinyD6 are trademarks of Gallant Knight Games.

©2020 by Gallant Knight Games. All rights reserved. Reproduction without
the written permission of the publisher is expressly forbidden, except for
the purposes of reviews, and for the blank character sheets, which may be
reproduced for personal use only.

Gallant Knight Games, Ogden UT 84404

1
 Letter from
the Editor
Hail Loyal Gallants!
Welcome to the thirty-first issue of TinyZine, and the eleventh
of 2020. This is our November issue (a bit late sadly), but in the
spirit of American Thanksgiving, we’re grateful for YOU, our
community and gaming family! We love doing this and being
able to share the joy of tabletop gaming is a gift beyond compare.
Thank you, and we wish you a happy holiday season!
Steffie de Vaan delivers The Church of Dracaena, an undead
cult to serve as an enemy in your TinyD6 games! Full of creepy
undead and a powerful and fearsome foe, this new foe fits right
in with existing enemies!
James M. Spahn returns, delivering us dogfighting rules for
Tiny Frontiers: Revised and helping to expand the scope of your
space opera!
Colin Chapman continues to deliver folklore and monsters
from around the world with Beasts Beyond 2!
Jonathan Hicks returns with Fatal Eros, a Tiny Frontiers: Revised
adventure for you to play!
- Alan Bahr
PS: As always, we’d also be remiss if we didn’t inform you of
our Gallant Knight Games Patreon, where you can get access
to previews, TinyZines, special Patron only dice, and free GKG
RPGs! Please, feel free to check it out.
www.patreon.com/gallantknightgames.com

The art in this TinyZine is graciously funded by our Patrons.

2
 The Church of
The Church of Dracaena

Dracaena
A cult of enemies for Tiny Dungeons 2E
Steffie de Vaan
The Church of Dracaena is part traveling church, part undead
cult--though they keep the latter under wraps. Dracaena is a
conventionally beautiful, pale-skinned woman with dark red hair
and grey eyes. She claims to be the half-mortal child of a long
forgotten goddess, which might be true--she’s nearly a thousand
years old and few records survive from that time. Either way,
Dracaena has the charisma to match her ambition, which in turn
leads to the Church of Dracaena.
The traveling Church of Dracaena upholds ten commandments,
which conveniently adapt to local beliefs wherever the church
goes. The basics remain the same though, and come down to:
love Dracaena, worship Dracaena, obey Dracaena. The church’s
indoctrination follows the same steps. Loving
Dracaena is easy--she is by all accounts magnetic-
-and from there worshippers are
slowly prepared to first accept her
as divine, and then obey her in all
things. Dracaena preaches self-
love, forgiveness, and “immortality
in my Mother’s kingdom” to those
who follow her.
The things Dracaena asks for are
dreadfully mundane at first glance-
-jewels and gems, houses and
dresses, carriages and horses.
Riches that rival a small kingdom’s,

3
The Church of Dracaena

certainly, but still just that-

-riches that she can’t
take with her when
she dies. That’s
where the “a thousand
years old” comes in.
Dracaena is immortal,
more or less. Some rumors,
coming from trustworthy
sources, claim Dracaena is a
sorceress who became an undead
lich. Other, equally trustworthy,
sources say she is indeed a half-
goddess and her mother was
Hel, Goddess of Death and the
Underworld.
Dracaena’s immortality comes at a price--one she doesn’t
pay herself. Dracaena steals her followers’ lifeforce, adding
their stolen years to her own. She tries to be subtle--a single
month from a thousand people still adds up--but sometimes
needs must, like that time she left the young princess of Nagrik
lifeless in her chambers. Dracaena fuels her magic with the
same stolen lifeforce, and some records speak of her as an old
Crone doing battle with valiant adventurers before fleeing the
scene. She also uses the stolen life to make immortal Retinue
of her staunchest followers, ostensibly as a reward for their
service but in reality to form an unliving bodyguard around
her. These Retinue are all directly linked to Dracaena’s magic,
and would die if she does. More likely, if a battle goes badly,
Dracaena would sacrifice them while she makes her escape-
-she has riches squirreled away in every nation, and doesn’t
mind starting over.

4
 Plot Hooks
The Church of Dracaena

• The Queen of Nagrik hires the adventurers to kill Dracaena,

who has already moved to the next kingdom where she
enjoys the sovereign’s protection. The adventurers must act
discreetly so not to set off a diplomatic incident.
• The adventurers’ king has fallen under Dracaena’s influence,
and hosts a national celebration in her honor. Attending
meets the nebulous and arcane requirements for a “willing
subject” under Dracaena’s Steal Life power, and the
adventurers notice people becoming lethargic and listless as
the festivities continue.
• Dracaena promises (one of ) the adventurers immortality if
they bring her the Ruby of Aknebar, which is lost somewhere
in that ancient city’s ruins. The ruby lets Dracaena use Steal
Life on unwilling subjects too, though she doesn’t tell the
adventurers that.
• One of the adventurer’s friends falls in with the Church,
and can’t stop raving about how amazing Dracaena is. One
night, the friend doesn’t come home--they’ve been chosen
to become Retinue. Confronting Dracaena might cause her,
and her followers, to flee the city.
• If any of the adventurers is religious, Hel asks them to slay
Dracaena for pretending to be her daughter. This also kills all of
Dracaena’s Retinue, some of whom are not evil. Hel offers them
a divine favor in return, but the adventurers should remember
that Gods make as dangerous friends as they do enemies.
• The adventurers find an ancient tome speaking of Dracaena,
a lich who pretends to be a goddess, in the ruins of Aknebar.
Aknebar notably fell to a plague of undead in the years
following the tome’s writing. Researching “Dracaena” reveals
a thousand years of stories about a creature with the same
name, alternately being an old crone, beautiful young woman,
evil lich, and beloved daughter of a Goddess.

5
 Dracaena
The Church of Dracaena

HP: 30 (Epic, subtract any invested in Retinue)

Traits:
• Alchemist
• Charismatic
• Dark Vision (per the dwarven Heritage trait)
• Educated, though sometimes anachronistically
• Eidetic Memory
• Fleet of Foot
• Insightful
• Create Retinue: Invest some of your own HP to create an
immortal Retinue: 1HP for Fodder and Low threats, 2HP
for Medium threats, and 4HP for High Threats. You cannot
create Retinue from Heroic or Solo Threats unless with a
ritual at GM’s discretion, at a cost of 6 and 8 HP. Creating a
Retinue takes one night.
• Sacrifice Retinue: Dracaena may sacrifice any of her retinue
as a Free Action, in which case the retinue immediately dies
and she adds their remaining HP to her own.
• Spell-Touched. Dracaena may also use the following
Magical Disciplines (Tiny Dungeons 2nd Edition, p.74-
76): Onyx, Crystal, Diamond. Each spell she casts costs
Dracaena 1HP.
• Steal Life: In between sessions, you may take HP from a
willing subject to replenish your own. This represents stolen
time from their life adding to yours.

6
 Cultists
The Church of Dracaena

Dracaena has 1d6 regular followers and 1d6 Retinue with her
at all times, unless the adventurers come up with a clever plan
to catch her alone. Dracaena’s followers come from all walks
of life, but these are the ones most commonly encountered by
adventurers. See TD2E p.46-57 for stats.
Assassin (Medium)
Cultist (Fodder)
Cult Leader (Medium)
Knight (High, often Dracaena’s Retinue)
Necromancer (High, often Dracaena’s
Retinue)
Town Guard (Fodder)
• Dracaena’s Retinue: So long as
Dracaena wills it, make a Save Test
when reduced to 0 HP. If successful, reform with
1 HP. If unsuccessful, keep rolling every second
round.

7
 Blazing Stars:
Dogfighting Rules for
Tiny Frontiers
By James M. Spahn
Game Masters making use of the Starship rules (page 68, Tiny
Frontiers, Revised) can use the rules presented below to emulate
the fast-paced dogfights found in so many classic pulp sci-fi films
and movies: The classic scene of agile spacefaring fighters shoot
it out ship to ship in fast and deadly combat where nerves and
reflexes determine who is the victor and who’s nothing more than
space dust. These rules also assume the optional rules for Zones
are being used as described on page 12 of Tiny Frontiers, Revised.

Dogfight Eligibility
Only Striker-Class starships can engage in dogfights. All
other starships are too large and bulky to engage in that kind
of lightning fast ship-to-ship combat. Optionally, the Game
Master may rule that only Striker-Class ships with a total crew
of two or fewer (typically either a single operator or a pilot and
gunner working in tandem) can engage in dogfighting.
Blazing Stars

No more than two Striker-Class starships can engage in a

dogfight at any one time and both ships must be in the same Zone.

Dogfight Rules
During each round of a Dogfight, the combatants roll the
winner of the Initiative check is the Attacker and may not
select Defensive Maneuvers. The loser is the defender and may
not select Offensive Maneuvers. Each participant selects one
of six Dogfight Actions shown on the table below within the
limitations detailed above. Both participants select one of the
actions below in secret and reveal them at the same time.

8
 If one participant selects an Offensive Action and the other
participant selects the Defensive Action Counter Action,
then both characters are caught in a game of cat-and-mouse,
maneuvering and counter maneuvering in an effort to one up
each other. If one participant selected an Offensive Action and
the other participant did not select the corresponding Defensive
Action, then the character who selected the Offensive Action
makes an attack as normal. If that attack is successful, the
defender suffers +1 damage from that attack.
If one participant selects the Break Away action and the other
selects anything other than the Shadow action, then the character
attempting to Break Away can make a piloting Test to leave the
zone and end the Dogfight.

Action Counter-Action No Effect

Break Away Shadow Any other
(Maneuver) (Maneuver) Dogfight Action
Lock On Barrel Roll Lead the Target
(Offensive) (Defensive) (Offensive)
Lead the Target Evasive Action Lock On
(Offensive) (Defensive) (Offensive)

Dogfight Actions
Blazing Stars

• Barrel Roll (Defensive): The pilot rolls the ship on its axis,
drawing themselves out of the line of fire so their pursuer
can fly past, allowing them to set up for a counter attack.
It counters the Lock On Offensive Maneuver, but has no
effect on the Lead the Target Offensive Maneuver.
• Evasive Maneuver (Defensive): The pilot engages in erratic
movements to prevent their aggressor from getting a lock. It
counters the Lead the Target Offensive Maneuver, but has
no effect on the Lock On Offensive Maneuver.
• Lead the Target (Offensive): The pilot fires a wide spray
lasers or other projectiles in the projected flight path of their
target, This counters the Barrel Roll Defensive Maneuver

9
 • Lock On Target (Offensive): Using their sensors, the pilot
locks onto their target to get a clear shot. This counters the
Evasive Actions Defensive Maneuver, but has no effect on a
Barrel Roll Defensive Maneuver.
• Shadow (Maneuver): The Pilot attempts to mirror the flight
path of their target, preventing them from disengaging from
the Dogfight. This counters the Break Away Maneuver, but
has no effect on any other Dogfight Actions.
• Break Away (Maneuver): Pilot attempts to break off from the
Dogfight and leave the Zone. It can be countered by the Shadow
Maneuver, but has no effect on any other Dogfight Actions.
Note: To increase the sense of dramatic tension during a Dogfight,
the Game Master can create two Dogfighting Decks. The Attacker’s
Deck contains all the Offensive Actions and Maneuvers, while the
Defenders Deck contains all the Defensive Actions and Maneuvers.
Each participant in a Dogfight can then select one card from their
respective deck, depending on their Initiative check, and reveal
them at the same time.

Optional Rule: Wingman

While Dogfights are always one-on-one battles between two
Striker-Class starships, each pilot can bring a second Striker-
Class with them to act as a Wingman. A Wingman can make a
piloting Test each round before the attacker and defender take
Blazing Stars

their actions. If the Wingman’s Test is successful, the pilot receives

Advantage on their Dogfighting Action Tests that round.

New Traits
Described below are three new Traits available to player characters
for use in Dogfighting.
Slippery On the Stick: “Go in full throttle and they won’t have
time to get you in their sights.” You’re quick reflexes and instinctive
piloting skills keep you alive when others would be space dust.
Once per dogfight, when you are the defender, you may change
your Defensive Maneuver after the attacker has revealed theirs
but before the results are resolved.

10
 Dogfighter: “Don’t fire
until you see the whites of
their ion engines.” You flight
hard and fast, with no fear
when it comes to the laser-
light show. Whenever you
make a successful attack
after taking an Offensive
Dogfight Action, add +1 to
the damage of your attacks.
Combat Ace: “All wings,
report in.” You’ve seen
more ship-to-ship combat
and survived more than
five other stick jockeys
combined. You receive
Advantage when rolling
Initiative for a Dogfight.
A character must have the
Dogfighter and Slippery on the Stick Traits before taking Combat
Ace Veteran.

New Starship Systems

Described below are some new ship systems that can be used by
Blazing Stars

Striker-Class starships in Dogfighting.

Short-Range Deflectors (Defensive): These specialized shields
are designed to offer pilots increased protection during dogfights.
Reduce all damage taking during a Dogfight by once per attack.
Each use costs 1 Fuel.
Tandem-Combat Computer (Sensor): This specialized sensor
package links two Striker-Class ships as long as they remain in
close proximity, making it easier for them to work in tandem. At
the beginning of a Dogfighting combat round, the Dogfighter and
their Wingman can switch positions. The Dogfighter becomes
the Wingman and the Wingman becomes the Dogfighter. Each
use costs 1 Fuel.

11
 Beasts Beyond Bounds
By Colin Chapman
Beasts Beyond Bounds looks at creatures from mythology and
folklore around the world. In this article it looks at a selection of
creatures from the rich and varied mythology of the Philippines.
More Filipino creatures will be covered in future installments.

Anggitay
HP: 4 (Medium)
Anggitay resemble beautiful female centaurs with unicorn-like
horns on their foreheads. These forest-dwelling beings are the
female counterparts of the tikbalang.
Beasts Beyond Bounds

Although somewhat shy and prone to observing from the

safety of the trees, they are fascinated by gems and jewelry and
will readily bargain information or aid for such precious trinkets.
They arm themselves with bows and knives.
Traits:
• Fleet of Foot
• Perceptive
• Sneaky

Balbal
HP: 4 (Medium)
Description: These ghoulish entities resemble deformed, hairless
humans with long curved claws, sharp teeth, and immensely long
lashing tongues that they use to ensnare and carry the corpses they
feed upon. Balbal are nocturnal and shun daylight, gliding quietly
through the night air on flaps of skin like flying squirrels. They
greatly prefer decaying bodies for sustenance and can be a plague
on nearby burial sites.

12
 Traits:
• Ensnaring Tongue: Test 2d6 against an enemy within 10
feet of you. On a successful hit, the enemy must make a
Save Test to avoid being grappled. On its turn a grappled
foe is unable to perform most physical actions but can
make a Save Test (or Evade Test) to escape.
• Flight: A balbal can fly (or rather, glide)
• Sneaky

Biangonan
HP: 3 (Medium)
Description: Standing half the height of a typical human,
biangonan resemble twisted people with skin the color of the
night sky, taloned hands, and backwards-pointing feet. Hiding
Beasts Beyond Bounds

in rocks and trees, they will sneak into villages or up on lone

animals, attacking and devouring them bones and all. They are
particularly fond of the flesh of sapients and swine, and decorate
the areas near their lairs with the jawbones of such prey.
These cunning entities possess the ability to transform into
the form of humans or wild pigs which they use to disguise
themselves, though they always exude the stench of rotting meat.
Biangonan fear fire and their terrifying cry paralyses many
unfortunate victims with fear.
Traits:
• Frightful Cry: All adjacent enemies make a Save Test. If
they fail, they quail from the creature, granting it Advantage
on all its attacks against them.
• Sneaky
• Transformation: Biangonan can transform themselves
into humans or pigs.

13
 Bungisngis
HP: 8 (High)
Description: These cyclopean giants live in forests and almost
always seem to be chuckling at whatever amuses them whether
awful jokes or the misfortune of others. Although not greatly
aggressive, they are constantly hungry, brutish, and think nothing
of having fun at the expense of others, or threatening, stealing
from, or if necessary, attacking them. They are notoriously slow-
witted however, and are largely cowardly, quickly retreating if
faced with staunch resistance or serious risk of harm.
Beyond their single eye, they have large, grinding teeth, large
boar-like tusks on each side of their mouths, and pendulous
upper lips. Although their eyesight is poor, their keen sense of
hearing more than compensates for this.
Traits:
Beasts Beyond Bounds

• Diehard
• Perceptive (Hearing)
• Strong

Manananggal
HP: 6 (High)
Description: Resembling beautiful young women, manananggal
live normal lives by day but revert to their monstrous nature in the
darker hours, particularly on nights of when the moon is bright.
They sprout bat-like wings, their upper body detaches from the
lower trailing entrails, and they take to the air seeking prey. Their
beautiful features become monstrous and distorted with bulging
red eyes. They feed on blood using a horrifically long proboscis-
like tongue, particularly favoring younger humanoid victims.
Like classical vampires, manananggal abhor garlic and are
vulnerable to salt, holy water, and sunlight, perishing in the sun
if they are prevented from rejoining their lower bodies before
sunrise.

14
 Traits:
• Charismatic
• Flight: A manananggal can fly.
• Perceptive
• Probing Tongue (Ranged Attack)
• Sneaky
• Vulnerabilities: Large quantities of garlic will keep a
manananggal at bay. A fistful of salt, flask of holy water,
or one round exposure to sunlight automatically causes a
manananggal 1 damage.

Nuno sa Punso
HP: 1 (Fodder)
Description: Resembling tiny old men with long, flowing beards,
nuno protect the natural areas in which they reside: rocky outcrops,
Beasts Beyond Bounds

stands of trees, riverbanks, and caves, though they burrow into small
mounds of earth to rest or sleep.
They are playful creatures with a fondness for children who
they love to entertain with various antics. However, they are
easily offended by disrespect whether to themselves or the places
they guard and will curse transgressors by spitting on them. This
causes the part spat upon to become painful and swollen.
Nunos can somewhat sense the wickedness, corruption or
benevolence of others and are particularly strident in cursing the
former and aiding the latter.
Traits:
• Cursed Spit (Ranged Attack): This causes no damage but your
Target suffers Disadvantage on appropriate rolls for 24 hours.
• Evasive: Whenever you are attacked, you may roll a d6. On
a success, the attack misses. This does not stack with Evade.
• Insightful
• Perceptive
• Sneaky

15
 Tigbanua
HP: 6 (High)
Description: Four metres in height with long lean bodies and
elongated necks, tigbanua are semi-sapient flesh-eating ogres.
Encrusted in reeking filth, they have matted, wild hair, rows of pointed
teeth, clawed hands, and a single, large cyclops-like red or yellow eye.
Living in jungles, caves, and rocky areas, they hunt in small
family groups but are deathly afraid of dogs.
Traits:
• Diehard
• Strong

Tikbalang
HP: 4 (Medium)
Description: Tikbalang are the male counterparts of anggitay
Beasts Beyond Bounds

and look like tall human men with the heads of horses, hooved
feet, and unnaturally long limbs.
Inhabiting mountainous and forested areas, they love to lair beneath
bridges, in clumps of trees, or in the canopy of dense woodland.
These tricksters can be violent, but typically prefer to frighten
others or lead them astray, even if this means the individuals end
up in dangerous situations. They particularly despise loud noises
and enjoy tormenting those who are unduly noisy.
They can use magic to confuse or create madness in others.
Traits:
• Fleet of Foot
• Induce Confusion: One victim selected by the tikbalang
must make a Save Test. If they fail, they become confused
and suffer Disadvantage for a full turn.
• Induce Madness: One victim selected by the tikbalang must
make a Save Test. If they fail, they quail from the creature,
granting it Advantage on all its attacks against them.
• Sneaky

16
 Wakwak
HP: 4 (Medium)
Description: Monstrous night fliers associated with vampires,
malign witches, and ghosts, wakwak are malicious carnivores
that delight in maiming their victims and devouring their hearts.
Resembling a disturbing hybrid of bird and bat, they have leathern
wings with knife-sharp edges, long black talons, and tawny fur-like
feathers. Most disturbing, however, is their attractive, human-like face,
albeit a face with unfeeling grey eyes and a mouthful of sharp teeth.
Frighteningly, the sound of a wakwak’s flying is directly inverse
to how close it is. The further away it is, the louder it is; it is
absolutely silent when about to swoop or attack.
Traits:
Beasts Beyond Bounds

• Cleave
• Flight: A wakwak can fly.
• Sneaky

17
 FATAL EROS
By Jonathan Hicks
‘So, we were on our way to Eros with medical supplies – a normal milk
run, to be honest – and as we were going through the standard docking
procedures it just… vanished! Like it was never there!’
An amazing thing has occurred; the asteroid Eros, which houses
THE ETERNAL EMPRESS

one of the greatest scientific research facilities ever put together,

has simply disappeared from the Sol system. No explosion. No
distortion in real space as it accelerated. It just vanished with no
explanation.
Within an hour a signal was detected in the Vanesco system.
It was the locator beacon of Eros, and a distress signal is being
broadcast on all channels. This doesn’t seem too strange – except
that the Vanesco system is three hundred light years away.
Eros appears to have travelled several sectors in less than an hour.
As the closest operating team in the sector, your mission is to get
on board Eros, rescue as many survivors as possible and discover
what happened; how did an entire asteroid manage to travel such
an immense distance in no time at all!

EROS
Eros Research and Development Inc (ERDI) is a for-hire facility
that anyone can use, government, corporation or private. It rents
out dozens of self-contained laboratories scattered across the
asteroid, each one equipped with energy supply, shielding, support
and security robots and facilities for any number of researchers.
ERDI is the foremost provider of R&D in the Sol system and
the sector as a whole, and have an amazing track record in safety
and reliability.
The facilities are all very similar for ease of management.

18
 APPROACHING THE STATION
There appears to be a lot of chatter on the comms – there are people
on board desperate for help as the station is massively compromised
with chunks of rock drifting away, seals ruptured and energy spikes
across the board. The asteroid seems to be slowly falling apart, as if
riddled with huge cracks that are slowly widening.
Nobody has any idea what happened. One minute they were
THE ETERNAL EMPRESS

working away quite happily on their projects, the next there was a
bright white light that seemed to cut through everything and then
chaos. Most of the survivors do not even know they have travelled
several sectors across known space.
Curiously, one facility has suffered absolutely no damage at all
and does not respond to hails. Anyone with psychic talent feels
a… disturbance.

RESCUE MISSION
The players may want to try and rescue as many people as possible.
There are several starships in berths in many of the facilities so they
can be used to ferry people off, or at least keep them safe until more
help arrives. Scouring the facilities for survivors is dangerous but the
researchers need help. The GM can run the players through several
facilities until they are satisfied that they have rescued survivors, and
by then other rescue ships will have arrived.
When the players enter a location roll a D6 – if they roll a 1 then
something bad may happen. Either choose from the list below or
roll randomly.
1 – Electrical pop and hiss with colorful sparks, but nothing else.
2 – Power overload and explosion (Save Test or 2 damage)
3 – Support robot malfunctions and attacks the players – HP 4, Melee attack (2D6)
4 – Support strut collapse (Save Test or 1 damage, way ahead blocked)
5 – Sudden decompression. If no suit, Save Test or 1 damage for every round
in this location.
6 – Roll twice, ignore 6s.

19
 Upon arrival, the players will have to enter through the main
hangar (1).
Each ‘X’ is a bulkhead which may be (roll 1D6) 1-2 open, 3-4
closed, 5-6 locked. The hangar bulkheads are ALWAYS closed.
1 – Main hangar
2 – Researcher private rooms
3 – Secondary laboratories
THE ETERNAL EMPRESS

4 – Primary laboratory (secured and shielded)

THE UNDAMAGED
FACILITY
This facility seems to have
suffered no damage whatsoever.
The hangar doors open and
allow entrance to a well-kept,
clean hangar and there are no
other vessels in here apart from a small
spherical one-man service pod.
The doors beyond the hangar door
all appear to have been locked but the
mechanisms are cheap and simple, so a successful test with
Advantage is all that is needed to enter. However, the door to
the secured lab (location 4) is heavily secured and guarded by
three floating, spherical security robots (HP 4, Melee attack
2D6 against targets within ten feet), about three feet across with
extendable arms so they can attack at a distance.
What’s horrific is that when the players enter any of the other
rooms they will find several research personnel of varying races
bonded with the rooms.This means that they have literally ‘phased’
into walls and floors, or even into furniture and equipment, as
if one has absorbed the other. Half-bodies protrude from walls,
hands seem to reach from ceilings and unfortunate victims are
bonded with furniture and equipment. Nobody has survived.

20
 If the players manage to get into the secured laboratory they
will find a scene of utter devastation.

THE PROTOTYPE
Inside the secured laboratory is a huge machine in the shape of
an icosahedron with dozens of wires, cables and pipes coming out
of it and into the power system, control systems and computers
and all kinds of devices that can only be guessed at.
THE ETERNAL EMPRESS

Hovering above all this is a naked humanoid form of no

discernible sex – a Bilk. A clear, glass-like helm covers the head
and many wires travel from this and directly into the machine. A
glowing blue/green energy field surrounds the figure and it looks
directly at the players as they enter and laughs manically.
‘I have done it! I have torn the veil apart and entered the realm of
non-space! I have wrestled with the power of the mind to harness the
power of the stars, and I have given the universe to us all! To travel
the stars with simple thought alone! To navigate the darkness using
the power of the mind! I have opened the stars to us all! TO US ALL!’
The power begins to build. Alarms sound. The asteroid will be
torn apart!
But the Bilk will not go quietly, and will fight to the death!
Attributes - 5 Hit Points – Traits: Precognition: Whenever
a Bilk rolls a “1” on a dice during a Test, they may lose one Hit
Point to set that dice to a “6” facing, allowing them to succeed.
Every combat round, the Bilk will attack with one of the
following abilities. Roll 1D6;
1 – 2: Blast: Test to deal 1 damage at Range. This Test is subject to all the
rules of an attack. You may Test with Disadvantage to deal 2 damage instead.
3 – 4: Hurl: As an action you may move any object weighing as much as
you without Testing. To hurl it violently, you must make a successful Test.
To hurl any object heavier than you, you must make a successful Test with
Disadvantage.
5 – 6: Unmake: You may Test with Disadvantage. If you are successful, one
enemy suffers Disadvantage on all Tests until the start of your next turn.

21
 If the players are
victorious then the
Bilk will let out an
agonized scream as
they are defeated –
with either damage
or stun weapons
– and the machine
THE ETERNAL EMPRESS

pulsates; a bright
white light cuts
through everything
and as suddenly
as it happens, it
vanishes.
The Bilk is gone,
along with the
machine and the
consoles it was
attached to. The
laboratory is empty,
and messages start
to come in that the asteroid is stabilizing. It is still in the Vanesco
system, but it is no longer in danger of collapsing, and the rest of
the survivors can be safely removed.
But the Bilk, and all of it’s research, is gone. Had it really
created a new way to travel the stars with no travel time, using
psychic energy?
Only the Bilk knows. Wherever it is.

22