Assignment #703:

The In-Between
 The In-Between

An Assignment for Candela Obscura

Content warning: Nothing that bad, have fun!

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1
Premise
Threats

Dramatis Personae

Exploration
Exploration I: The Streets

Exploration II: The Sewers

Escalation
Escalation I: The In-Between

Escalation II: The Manor House

Escalation III: The Soul Storm

Climax: The Bridleborne

Mountains

2

A Note from the
Reliquary
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3
Premise
Porfirio Montero is a man out of place. He has collapsed
dead from bleed poisoning in a South Soffit bar, and he’s
very far from home as a Bridleborne Mountain bootlegger.
His gang has discovered a portal that connects the
mountains to the Newfaire sewers - but they’ve also had a
run-in with the awful forces that reside in the In-Between.
Threats
The Enforcers (body):
Rival gangs run the streets of Newfaire, or at least they
claim to. Warring forces on the streets and below them
represent a physical threat to your investigators.
The In-Between (brain):
A maze-like world of garden paths and stairwells suspended
in a void of stars, the In-Between is an ancient wizard’s
secret passage. The strange geometry of this place
challenges the mind of even the sturdiest investigators.
The Wailing Wind (bleed):
Little understood, The In-Between is beset by periodic
storms of spirits that strip the souls from unfortunate visitors
caught without the proper protection.
dramatis personae
The Bartender:
Patrick Fitzpatrick (he/him)
The Street Urchin:
Red Connelly (they/them)
The Witch
Ariadne Volstonecraft (she/her)
The Bootlegger:
Rosalita Montero (she/her)
Porfirio Montero, The Dead Man
Hooks
Read this section to the players as the hook for this
adventure:
The bar is lively at this hour of night, a small crowd of
regulars gathering at their familiar South Soffit watering
hole.
When the door bangs open, conversations trail off to
murmurs. A sweating middle-aged man dressed in torn
and travel-worn clothing stumbles in, collapsing onto a
barstool and setting aside a clinking traveling pack. He is
dressed in the style of someone from the Bridleborne
Mountains, with cowboy boots and a disheveled straw
hat.
His voice is weak as he speaks. “Please, a drink.
Something strong.”
The bartender slides him a glass. It passes through his
fingers, which glow a ghostly, ethereal blue.
The man curses softly under his breath, before collapsing
to the barroom floor.
Feel free to use one of these hooks to further customize the
assignment to your Circle of investigators.
Criminal Connections:
You have some connection with the South Soffit underworld,
and word has reached you of a turf war brewing: a
Bridleborne Mountain bootlegger is far out of place,
threatening the delicate balance between gangs. You’ve
been called in to investigate the matter and keep the peace.
Just having a drink:
What started as an ordinary Tuesday night has taken quite
the turn. You were drinking at the Gilded Bough, your local
tavern, when a stranger walked in and died of bleed
poisoning. That practically never happens! Your curiosity is
piqued, and the chase is on to find out what happened to
this man.
An Occultist Walks into a Bar:
You have heard through your contacts that a far-traveled
bootlegger has collapsed dead of bleed poisoning in the
South Soffit. Smelling a chance to recover arcane artefacts
for your collection, you spring into action and begin your
investigations.
As always, customize these assignment hooks to make a
compelling investigation that suits your Circle!
4
 ● His traveling papers state his name and his

Arrival residence, an unassuming location far away in the

Read this section to the players:
You’re called in by Candela Obscura to investigate the
death of a man in a South Soffit bar. The man is dressed
like he is far from home, with the look of a local from the
Bridleborne Mountains. His traveling papers list his name
as Porfirio Montero.
With the Periphery tied up elsewhere and with no clues to
be found beyond an intense presence of bleed, word has
reached your Lightkeeper to assemble a team of
investigators.
Bridleborn Mountains.
● He has a revolver with all six shots fired.
● He has a peculiar necklace that radiates bleed.
● His right arm and chest have been made ethereal
by bleed corruption - it looks like enough for a fatal
dose.
Knowledgeable investigators may further glean with an
appropriate test:
● He lacks what you would expect from a traveler -
either train tickets or a receipt from the stables to
retrieve a horse.
● His last name is the same as a notorious band of
bootleggers out of the Bridleborne district - the
Montero Clan is alternately known as The Blue
Mountain Boys or the Monteros.
● The man’s trail is possible to pick up with a bleed
detector, so you can see where he has been.

Reveal: The dead man is a smuggler of scarlet moonshine,

and was carrying a fortune of it in his traveling bag.

The Gilded Bough is a tiny tavern off of the main

thoroughfare in the South Soffit. Situated in a working class
neighborhood, the bar attracts locals and the occasional
messenger from the neighboring stable.

Patrick Fitzpatrick is the bartender who is serving drinks at

the Gilded Bough at this hour. He is a middle-aged man with
a wry sense of humor. The bar is also populated by a
motley collection of locals who are curious about the
proceedings and one or two travelers from the stables.

If the players choose to question Patrick, they may learn the

following:
● The dead man is a stranger and Patrick has never Patrick Fitzpatrick, the Bartender
seen him before.
● The man entered the bar sweating and winded,
like he had been chased. He muttered something
about being “chased by the wind” before he died.
Exploration I: The
Streets
● Occasionally, men dressed like the dead man visit
from the stables - they are typically horse
messengers from the Bridleborn Mountains
● Patrick will claim that he is “keeping it safe” for the
Periphery if confronted about the missing traveling
sack filled with scarlet moonshine.
If the players opt to question the bar patrons, they will learn
the following: Read this section to the players:
● The man arrived with a heavy bag that clinked as
he walked. Patrick quickly moved it behind the bar Even the dusty sidestreets of The South Soffit are
after peering inside.
● The dead man has not been seen in the veritably teeming with activity, and the street outside the
neighborhood before. Gilded Bough is no exception.
● The man had a nervous tick of tugging at the
pendant around his neck, a strange, outlandish
piece of jewelry. Riders canter from the stables next to the bar, while a
Porfirio’s body is slumped next to a stool at the bar. He is nervous-looking coach driver idles in the street. Children
wearing torn and smeared traveling clothes in the fashion of play a lively game of stickball in one of the adjoining
his home in the Bridleborne Mountains. Around his neck is alleys. Distantly, a street tram’s horn blares.
an important relic that serves as a key to the passages to
The In-Between. Make sure that the investigators collect it! The air stinks of horses and industrial fumes. Welcome to
Both the body and the relic are contaminated with bleed. the South Soffit!
If the players opt to search the body, they may learn:

5

Reveal: The dead man emerged from the sewers, and
missed a rendezvous with the smugglers who were going to
pick up his moonshine.
Newfaire is a living, breathing city in the grips of an
industrial revolution. Being out on the street should feel like
it! Mix horses with motorcycles, street cars with penny
farthing bicycles - the more juxtaposition of old and new, the
better.
This particular street has 3 points of interest: the idling
coachman, the children playing stickball, and the sewer
entrance in the back alley.
If the players opt to investigate the idling coach, they may
learn:
● The coach driver is watching several different back
alleys.
● Two armed guards are riding inside of the coach -
they are not amenable to questioning.
● The coach is waiting to carry off the scarlet
moonshine to its ultimate destination at a
speakeasy.
● If the investigators secure the moonshine for the
coachman, the coach driver will happily reveal
what they know - that the shipment was to be
expected from the sewers on this street.
If the players opt to question the children, they may learn
the following after an appropriate test to impress or charm
the crowd:
● These children are approximately 8-10 years old,
and call themselves a gang - the 5th Street
Irregulars. They don’t commit serious crimes, just
petty theft and occasional vandalism.
● They know that teenagers and more serious
criminals are up to something in the sewers.
● A sick and sweaty-looking man recently came out
of the sewer behind the stables. He was dressed
funny.
If the players locate the manhole cover leading to the
sewers, they may learn:
● The manhole cover is askew, like it was opened
quickly and not closed properly. This is almost
impossible to do from above without a tool.
● The manhole itself is faintly radiating bleed,
enough to be picked up by a sensitive detector.
Exploration II:
The Sewers
Reveal: Porfirio entered the sewers through an arcane
portal, activated by the necklace he wears.
Read this section to players as they enter the sewers below
5th Street:
Climbing down iron rungs into the sewer, the air is heavy
with humidity and smells like rot.
Stuffy and pitch dark, the sewers are an ancient
cobblestone edifice with two narrow walkways running
alongside an open trough filled with the waste and
garbage of the city. Occasional steamworks block the
path or force you to climb around.
Only sanitation guild workers and criminals would be
caught dead in this miserable, malodorous place.
The sewers of Newfaire are largely holdovers from Oldfaire,
just built on top of and periodically refurbished.
If the players opt to investigate the sewers, they may find:
● Multiple sets of footprints in the algae on the
bricks, including several that are still wet.
● One set of footprints that radiates bleed. Those are
Porfirio’s
A gang of teenagers is hiding, ready to waylay any other
gang members that might trespass on their turf. This can
provide fuel for an action sequence, or if your Circle of
investigators prefer to parlay, they may learn the following:
● The teenagers are part of an actual gang: the
Tunnel Rats. They are led by Red Connelly.
● They are mostly involved in smuggling and
contraband.
● They heard another smuggler clinking around
down here.
● They began to give chase, but were scared by
something else, so they are waiting to ambush the
next smuggler to come by.
Red Connelly, the Street Urchin
The “something else” that the teenagers avoided is an
unnamed humanoid monster, similar to a Nosferatu. Use it
as a boogeyman to make the Investigators afraid of the dark
down here.
6

Something else down in the sewers.
If the investigators successfully pass both the Tunnel Rats
and their unnamed harasser, then read them the following.
Walking through the sewers for some time, you enter a
larger chamber than the tunnels you were previously
exploring.
Against one wall is a curious sight: a circular wall of
cobblestones with strange runes etched into the
recesses.
When approached, both the runes and Porfirio’s necklace
glow with a pale blue light, as does an inset stone in the
center of the circle.
When the necklace is inserted into the inset stone, the
portal is activated and the Circle can proceed through.
Escalation I: The
In-Between
Reveal: Crossing through the portal in the sewers, you
enter a secret passage built by wizards centuries ago.
Passing through the portal, the quality of air changes
immediately. The stench and humidity of the sewers is
replaced by cold, dry air.
The sight is difficult for your investigators to behold. The
path where you are standing is composed of strange
rotations and impossible staircases. Cobblestone shifts to
aged marble that stretches in spindly paths, flaring out at
intersections in all directions.
Off of the path, there is only the void and a swirling field
of stars and nebulae. You should be careful to not fall off!
A nearby star burns brightly, illuminating the path as
though in broad daylight.
Distantly, you see another portal like the one you came
through. You also see what looks like a manor house,
suspended on an island and floating upside down.
Navigating the In-Between is tricky and dangerous, and
that’s before the Soul Storms strike! Make this feel like an
alien place where humans are unwelcome.
Time passes differently in the In-Between. Watches appear
to tick at twice the normal speed. Flame appears
suspended in place, emitting heat and light but not
flickering. Food and drink are both optional here, and
investigators won’t suffer for lack of either. Light is the
primary limiting resource, since about once per day the
nearest star is eclipsed, and this allows terrible Soul Storms
to grip the In-Between and threaten the investigators.
Obstacles may include:
● Your perception of gravity suddenly inverts. Make
an appropriate test to avoid taking Mind marks.
● The path has partially crumbled away. The stars
below look terribly distant. Make an appropriate
test of finesse to avoid the fear of falling.
● The pathways do not connect to where you’re
going, but if you’re careful you can jump. If you opt
to go around, you’ll lose time but have a safer
journey. Failing a related test may cause Body
marks.
● To foreshadow the threat of the Soul Storms, an
ethereal hand can swat out from under the
pathway with a groan, attempting to either grab an
investigator or trip them at a pivotal moment.
A vision of the In-Between.
7
The In-Between is a fantastical environment, created by
wizards in approximately the year 700 as a means to
secretly travel long distances quickly. It is occasionally
discovered and rediscovered, but given the hazards of the
place, it is rarely occupied for long.
Exploring the In-Between, your players may find:
● Every 100 yards or so - it is difficult to tell due to
the way space and time flow here - there is a lit
stone brazier. These lit flames are safe spaces in
the event of a Soul Storm.
● Waterfalls that originate far out of sight, bending to
arch over or around the path in strange helix
patterns.
● Pathways that are in the process of being
constructed or deconstructed, the stone apparating
from the nearest structure.
● A guestbook on a marble podium alongside the
path. No pen is present, but a clever investigator
could sign their name. The dates next to names
start in the 700s and there are only about one
hundred names all told. One Pablo Montero has
signed this year.
● Floating islands that seem to be whimsical statues
from old children’s stories - these are additions
from the Witch, Ariadne Volstonecraft.
Escalation II: The
Manor House
Reveal: A witch in the shape of a young woman has
inhabited the In-Between for two centuries.
Upon approaching the witch’s manor house, read the
following to the investigators:
After long hours of trekking through the In-Between, you
arrive at the manor house. The pathway curves up and
inverts improbably, so that the manor house appears
upside down. It has grand archways, fine statuary, and
massive stained glass windows. Whoever built this place
must have spent decades at work.
While the In-Between has existed for more than a millenia,
individual structures within it vary in age. Many of the
structures that the investigators have seen thus far have
been created by the witch Ariadne Volstonecraft, including
this structure, her manor house and sanctuary.
Upon entering the witch’s manor house, read the following
to the investigators:
The front door opens into a fantastical foyer, crafted
almost entirely from marble stone. A small sitting area is
filled with books, a fire burns lazily and eerily still in a
grand hearth, and many stone tables are filled with
alembics and alchemical stations.
Stairwells rise at improbable angles towards a second
story, and a glass cupola opens up to a view of nebulae
twisting in the void.
A young woman sits barefoot and apparently upside
down at the edge of the cupola, watching your group
intently.
Ariadne is a quirky character, perhaps by nature or perhaps
by long years of isolation. She only occasionally speaks
with outsiders, and she should seem a bit rusty at it.
If questioned, Ariadne knows much of the lore of the
In-Between, as well as the following:
● Smugglers have used the In-Between intermittently
since she has been here. She does not know how
they get in.
● She has been here for approximately 180 years,
studying arcana and growing in power as a witch.
● Her manor house serves as a sanctuary from the
worst of the Soul Storms, and gives her a base
from which to perform her experiments.
● Soul Storms are triggered by the routine eclipses
of the central star illuminating the In-Between. The
investigators can stay safe by staying near to light
sources.
● Most of the recent buildings that the investigators
have witnessed are built by Ariadne using magick.
● Ariadne can easily summon stone, but other
materials are much harder to come by.
Ariadne’s motivations with regards to the investigators are
simple: she is lonely! She will talk the investigators' ears off
and ask them about recent news and inventions. She is
largely incredulous if the players are honest about the
extreme changes that Newfaire has experienced in the past
2 decades.
Ariadne Volstonecraft, the Witch
If the players are having too easy of an investigation, you
can also give Ariadne a darker dimension: her experiments
may seem extreme to those uninitiated in Oldfaire magick,
often involving blood and soul bindings. She may ask the
investigators for a drop of blood to initiate this darker turn in
8
the story. What she does with it is up to you, and may have Mechanically, this challenge is well-suited for the use of
ramifications into the Circle’s next investigation. countdown dice. You can set a countdown dice at 6, and
reduce that value by 3 for every critical success rolled by
the investigators, by 2 for every fully success, and by 1 for

Escalation III: The

every mixed success. Missed rolls do not reduce the
countdown. When the countdown reaches zero, the Soul
Storm abates.

Soul Storm Climax: The

Bridleborne
Mountains
Reveal: When the central star is eclipsed, the In-Between is
plunged into darkness - and strange creatures begin their
hunt!

When the central star is eclipsed by an orbiting planet, the

In-Between becomes pitch black. The souls of those
trapped here at this place’s founding attempt to claim new Reveal: The Montero Clan is waiting for their delivery boys
blood for their vigil. Activate this stage when the players to return.
leave the Manor House, or are similarly exposed.

After the Circle has survived the Soul Storm, you can move
At a narratively appropriate moment, read the following to them quickly along to the exit point - the far portal, which
the investigators: exits them at a peak in the Bridleborne Mountains.

Upon exiting the far portal, read the following to the

As a planet completes its transit of the central star, the
In-Between plunges into darkness. The pathways and
stairwells that had been iridescently lit are suddenly
shadows in a spinning sea of darkness.
A wind rises, like a thousand damned voices crying for
mercy. Spectral blue arms grasp along the side of the
path, reaching and grabbing at you.
Distantly, a fire burns in a brazier. The spirits seem to be
avoiding it.
investigators:
As you pass through the portal, the air instantly changes
- from cold and crisp to frigid and biting.
You emerge into the whipping winds of a mountain peak,
with jagged cordillera leading you downwards towards
the dubious shelter of a few scrub pines.
Following a poorly marked mule trail, you can make your
way down the mountain and towards the distant lights of
Newfaire on the horizon - or so you hope!

The Soul Storm is the final act inside the In-Between - if the
investigators can survive this, they can survive anything! It
may be helpful to think of this as a chase sequence - until
the investigators reach a large light source like a lit brazier
or a fireplace, they are in danger. Try to keep the pressure
up on them with that in mind!

Potential obstacles include:

● The investigators are trying to run while lighting
their own way - roll an appropriate test to see how
well they perceive the terrain, and inflict marks of
damage if they stumble.
● Spectral arms of the damned reach up from both
sides of the stairwell. Roll an appropriate test to
see how nimbly the investigators traverse the
obstacle.
● When the players arrive at their light source,
initiate a quick combat between the investigators
and the most bold of their spirit pursuers. The
investigator may need to fight off one or two
spectral arms before being fully secure in their new
refuge. Valeriano Montero, the Enforcer

9
 Epilogue Questions:
1. Did the investigators successfully escape the
In-Between?
2. Did they help anyone during the course of their
investigation?
3. Did they bond with any NPCs, and if they did,
what became of them?
4. Did they form any alliances or enmities with the
criminal elements, government agents, or
supernatural forces chasing them?
5. Did they complete the transaction, paying the
Montero Clan for their shipment of scarlet
moonshine?

Rosalita Montero, the Bootlegger
As the Circle of investigators emerges from the In-Between,
we fully expect them to be beaten and bruised by their
experience. They have one trial yet to face, however!
Porfirio was sent in to smuggle scarlet moonshine, and to
return with cash. Several chief personages from his gang
are awaiting his team’s return. Those folks are down near
the tree line, camped in relative comfort for a trip that might
take a day or two.
Credits
All artwork was generated using AI, like ArtFlow.
Thank you to u/YaAlex for creating the basis for our
Assignment design template, available here!
Thank you for playing this game - I do this for fun, and it
brings me joy to be a part of your storytelling world!

The Montero Clan is matriarchal, meaning that women

typically enjoy the positions of power. This group is no
exception. Rosalita Montero is an accountant of sorts,
ensuring that all payments made are properly recorded and
stored. To keep her safe, uncle Valeriano Montero is on
hand, armed with a shotgun. The investigators stumble
across Rosalita and Valeriano in a clearing after about an
hour of travel from the mountaintop portal.

The Montero Clan will want to know:

● What has become of Cousin Porfirio and his
group?
● Have the investigators seen the key to the portal,
the necklace worn around Portfirio’s neck?
● Do the investigators have the cash that was
expected in exchange for the scarlet moonshine?
Spoilers: there should be consequences if they do
not.

Epilogue

Now is your chance to wrap up the assignment and

describe what happens in the world once the player
characters are gone. Remember that you have full narrative
agency during the hook and the epilogue, so you can
explore the story in ways that you cannot just by following
the player characters.

10