Credits

EDGE STUDIO Editorial Manager

Croc
Expansion Design and Development
Max Brooke and Michael Gernes Studio Coordinator
Stéphane Bogard
Proofreading
Darren West Head of Studio
Michael Croitoriu
Roleplaying Games Manager
Sam Gregor-Stewart

Expansion Layout and Graphic Design FANTASY FLIGHT GAMES

Alberto Gutiérrez and Paco Dana
Creative Director of Story and Setting
Cover Art Katrina Ostrander
Antonio Maínez
Twilight Imperium Story Review
Interior Art Dane Beltrami and MJ Newman
Anders Finer, Tomasz Jedruszek,
Alex Kim and Antonio Maínez Twilight Imperium setting created
by Christian T. Petersen.
Art Direction
Antonio Maínez Playtesters
Max Brooke, Michael Gernes,
Development Managers Sam Gregor-Stewart, Tim Flanders,
Curro Marín and Luis E. Sánchez Carl Stewart, Darren West, Kate Cunningham,
Stephanie Hawver, Erik Henriksen, Steve Luc,
Fabian Schramke, and Aaron Wheatcraft

© 2021 Edge Studio under license of Fantasy Flight Games. Genesys and the Genesys logo are trademarks of Fantasy Flight Games. Fantasy Flight Games and the
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Published by Edge Studio - Asmodee Group. 18 rue Jacqueline Auriol, Quartier Villaroy, BP 40119 Guyancourt Cedex, France. Any reproduction
or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Edge Studio.

ISBN: 8435407636903 Product Code: ESGNS08EN-PR01 Printed in USA

For more information about the Genesys line, free downloads,

answers to rules queries, visit us online at
edge-studio.net

2 TWILIGHT IMPERIUM
What is Genesys?

W elcome to Genesys, the roleplaying game of fast action,

heroic adventures, and engaging and collaborative
storytelling.
The Genesys Narrative Dice System does this with con-
cepts called Advantage and Threat. We’ll explain this more in
the rules but, basically, Advantage and Threat are results you
Genesys is a universal roleplaying game. Instead of being can get on a dice roll that are independent of success or failure.
designed for one setting, it works for any setting. The Core That means your character can fail but still gain some advantage
Rulebook provides the basic rules, which are used in every in a situation, or succeed but with unforeseen consequences.
setting and version of the game. Then, if you want to play in a All of this works to create interesting and exciting encounters
specific setting, you can pick up one of our setting sourcebooks. in which everything your characters try can help the ongoing
These range from heroic fantasy (Realms of Terrinoth) to story grow and develop. In Genesys, the players and Game
cyberpunk science-fiction (Shadow of the Beanstalk) to Master (GM) get to work together to weave a narrative of thrill-
wacky science fantasy (Secrets of the Crucible) and to ing adventure.
epic space-opera (Embers of the Imperium).

Twilight Imperium
The Rules So that’s Genesys. But what is Twilight Imperium?
The heart of this game is the Narrative Dice System. Whereas The Twilight Imperium setting is a grand—sometimes
pretty much every roleplaying game has a set of mechanics that dark—space opera in a sprawling galaxy. The setting takes its
determine whether your character succeeds or fails at a specific name from the strategy boardgame, which is also available from
task, the Narrative Dice System takes this to another level. Not Fantasy Flight Games. However, if you’ve never heard of the
only does it determine success and failure, but it also creates boardgame, don’t worry! We’ll give you a brief rundown of the
the chance for other good and bad things to happen to your setting here, and provide more details in the rest of the book.
character, all in a single roll of the dice. Twilight Imperium’s vast galaxy is filled with a multitude

ASHES OF POWER 3
 of spacefaring species and fantastic technologies. But is also
a galaxy dominated by the rivalries and politicking of those
The Dice
species, each of whom have their own history, ambitions, and When a player makes a skill check, the dice allow them to
factions. In the end, even though the setting is fantastical, the quickly determine success or failure, as well as magnitude with
conflicts and politics may feel frighteningly familiar. narrative implications. In the text, checks appear like this: a
Most civilizations have recently dispatched representatives Hard (󲊷󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷󲊷) Charm (Presence) check. They list the difficulty
to a restored Galactic Council on the ancient throne world of (Hard), the skill used (Charm), and the characteristic linked
Mecatol Rex. After millennia of destructive war and decline, to that skill (Presence). All of these are discussed more later.
the galaxy once again needs a way to debate affairs and broker Beside each skill on the character sheet is a series of icons rep-
agreements. But few of its members mistake this moment as a resenting the dice pool, such as 󲊷󲊷 󲊷󲊷󲊻 󲊻. Here is the dice that
true peace: intrigue and scheming have merely found a more the icons represent.
refined venue, and disaster is always one galactic incident away.
There’s one other key institution in Twilight Imperium:
the Keleres of the Galactic Council. The Keleres are an agency
Ability Dice 󲊷
only recently founded by the Council to deal with emerging Ability dice form the basis of most dice pools rolled by
threats to galactic civilization. The agency is tenuously supported the players. They represent a character’s innate ability
by the members of the Council, which means that individual and characteristics when attempting a skill check.
Keleres can come from any of these factions. Now, in small teams
spread throughout the stars, the Keleres protect a distracted
galaxy from dangers both ancient and terrifyingly new.
Proficiency Dice 󲊻
Proficiency dice stand for a character’s training and
experience, and represent how skillful they are at the
Rules Summary task at hand.
The following pages contain an abridged set of the rules found
in the Genesys Core Rulebook, including all of the skills and
mechanics needed to play through Ashes of Power (starting
Boost Dice 󲊸
on page 15). Boost dice are added to the dice pool for positive
situational conditions such as having allied assistance,
ample time, or the right equipment to complete a task.

The Core Mechanic Difficulty Dice 󲊷

The core mechanic of the game revolves around the skill check.
Difficulty dice represent the inherent challenge
The skill check determines whether a specific action performed
or complexity of a particular task a character is
by a character succeeds or fails, as well as any consequences
attempting.
that may accompany the result.
✦ The player rolls a pool of dice for the skill being tested,
along with the dice corresponding to the difficulty of the
Challenge Dice 󲊻
task, plus any situational dice. Challenge dice indicate particularly daunting chal-
✦ All opposed symbols cancel each other out. If at least one lenges posed by trained, elite, or prepared opponents.
net Success 󲊳 symbol remains, the task succeeds.
✦ Uncanceled Threat 󲊱 or Advantage 󲊴 influences the overall
success or failure with positive or negative consequences
Setback Dice 󲊸
or side effects. Setback dice are often used to represent relatively
minor conditions that impair or hinder a character,
such as poor lighting, obstructive terrain, or insuffi-
cient resources.
No Dice? No problem!
If you don’t have a set of Genesys dice, don’t
worry! We also provide a handy dice-rolling app
Ten-Sided Dice
Percentile rolls are used to generate random results on tables,
for Genesys that can be downloaded onto most
such as the severity of a Critical Injury.
Android and iOS devices. Just search for “Genesys
dice” wherever you get your apps. And best of all,
you can download it free!

4 TWILIGHT IMPERIUM
Dice Symbols and Results Difficulty
The dice used in Genesys feature a number of unique symbols When making a check, a player adds Difficulty 󲊷 dice to their
used to determine success and failure as well as additional con- dice pool. The number of Difficulty dice added is based on
text and consequences during task resolution. These symbols how difficult the task their character is attempting is. The GM
allow the players to directly contribute to the story, generating determines the difficulty. In addition to deciding which of the six
memorable details and describing cinematic actions over the levels of difficulty applies, GMs should remember to add Boost
course of their adventures. 󲊸 dice and Setback 󲊸 dice for additional bonuses and compli-
cations arising from the environment or other circumstances.
Advantage 󲊴
Advantage 󲊴 indicates a positive consequence or side effect that
Simple Tasks (–)
occurs regardless of a task’s success or failure, such as picking a Routine tasks for which the outcome is rarely in question. Usu-
lock more quickly or getting a chance during a shootout to duck ally not rolled unless the GM wishes to determine Initiative
behind cover. Players typically decide how they want to spend (see page 8), know the magnitude of success, or indicate the
Advantage 󲊴 they generate. Each Advantage 󲊴 is canceled possibility of complications.
by one Threat 󲊱.
Easy Tasks (󲊷
󲊷)
Success 󲊳 Picking a rudimentary lock, tending to minor cuts and bruises,
If at least one Success 󲊳 remains after all cancellations have finding food and shelter in a city, interacting with minions and
been made, the skill check succeeds. The more Success 󲊳 sym- other minor NPCs, shooting a target at short range.
bols remain, the greater the magnitude of the success. During a
combat check, each extra success generates one extra damage.
Each Success 󲊳 is canceled by one Failure 󲊰.
Average Tasks (󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷)
Picking a typical lock, stitching up a small wound, finding food
and shelter in a temperate forest, interacting with rivals and
Triumph 󲊵 typical NPCs, shooting a target at medium range or trying to
A Triumph 󲊵 counts as one Success 󲊳 symbol. In addition, strike a target while engaged.
it indicates a spectacularly positive consequence or side effect
that occurs whether the check succeeds or not.
Hard Tasks (󲊷󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷󲊷)
Picking a complicated lock, caring for major injuries, finding
Threat 󲊱 food and shelter on an arid plain, interacting with charismatic
Threat 󲊱 indicates negative consequences or side effects that NPCs, shooting a target at long range.
occur regardless of success or failure: e.g., dropping a weapon
or taking longer to pick a lock. The GM decides how to spend
Threat 󲊱 generated by the player characters (PCs). Each Threat
Daunting Tasks (󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷)
󲊱 is canceled by one Advantage 󲊴. Picking a very sophisticated lock, performing surgery, finding
food and shelter in a barren desert, interacting with powerful
leaders, shooting a target at extreme range.
Failure 󲊰
Each Failure 󲊰 cancels one Success 󲊳. Multiple net Failure
󲊰 symbols do not make failure worse.
Formidable Tasks (󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷)
Opening a locked door with no mechanism, finding food and
shelter in a subzero arctic wilderness, interacting with heroes
Despair 󲊲 and faction leaders.
Despair 󲊲 counts as one Failure 󲊰 symbol in addition to a
spectacularly negative consequence that occurs regardless of
the task’s success or failure.

ASHES OF POWER 5
 Characteristics Brawl (Brawn)
In Genesys, a character’s intrinsic abilities are defined by six Unarmed combat is governed by the Brawl skill and deals dam-
characteristics: age equal to the character’s Brawn characteristic.

Agility Charm (Presence)

Charm measures a character’s knack for persuasion, appeals to
The Agility characteristic measures a character’s manual dex-
a target’s better nature, sincere seduction attempts, and basically
terity, hand-eye coordination, and body control.
being pleasant to other people.

Brawn Coercion (Willpower)

A character’s Brawn represents a blend of brute power, strength, When a character attempts to instill obedience in a target
and overall toughness. through the use of threats or acts of physical intimidation,
including interrogation, they utilize Coercion.
Cunning
Cunning reflects how crafty, devious, subtle, and creative a
character can be.
Upgrading Dice
Some game effects call for specific dice in a dice pool to
Intellect be upgraded. When an Ability 󲊷 die is upgraded, it is
The Intellect characteristic measures a character’s intelligence, replaced by a Proficiency 󲊻 die. When a Difficulty 󲊷 die
education, and ability to reason and rationalize. is upgraded, it is replaced by a Challenge 󲊻 die. First,
determine how many dice are to be upgraded; then,
remove that number of Ability 󲊷 dice or Difficulty 󲊷
Presence dice from the pool and replace them with an equal
A character’s Presence is a measure of their moxie, charisma, number of Proficiency 󲊻 dice or Challenge 󲊻 dice.
confidence, and force of personality. If there are more upgrades than dice available to
be upgraded, use this process:

Willpower 1. Add another Ability 󲊷 die or Difficulty 󲊷 die. If there

are still additional upgrades, proceed to step 2.
The Willpower characteristic reflects a character’s discipline,
2. Remove that Ability 󲊷 die. or Difficulty 󲊷 die, then
self-control, mental fortitude, and faith.
replace it with a Proficiency 󲊻 die or Challenge
󲊻 die, respectively. If there are still additional
upgrades, repeat step 1.

Skills
Skills represent a character’s training or experience in specific
Downgrading Dice
tasks. Skills may vary depending on the setting. Each skill is Other game effects can downgrade dice. When a
tied to a specific characteristic. These are the skills for Embers Proficiency 󲊻 die is downgraded, it is replaced by an
of the Imperium: Ability 󲊷 die. When a Challenge 󲊻 die is downgraded, it
becomes a Difficulty 󲊷 die. First, determine how many
Athletics (Brawn) dice are to be downgraded; then, remove that number
of Proficiency 󲊻 dice or Challenge 󲊻 dice from the pool
Athletics measures a character’s overall fitness, including their and replace them with an equal number of Ability 󲊷
ability to swim, jump, run, and climb. dice or Difficulty 󲊷 dice. Once all downgradeable dice
are in their downgraded form, any excess downgrades
Astrocartography (Intelligence) are ignored.

This skill encompasses a being able to plot a course over inter-

stellar distances, and identify stellar phenomena.

6 TWILIGHT IMPERIUM
Computers (Intellect) Mechanics (Intellect)
This skill handles attempts to bypass security systems, work This skill indicates one’s familiarity with vehicles, weapons,
with computer hardware or software, search through encrypted and gadgets. Characters use Mechanics to repair, disassemble,
records, or alter a robot’s programming. and construct things.

Cool (Presence) Medicine (Intellect)

Cool represents the ability to appear outwardly calm and collect- The Medicine skill encompasses the ability to perform first aid
ed. Cool can be used to determine Initiative order in encounters or triage, treat poisonings, and conduct surgery. Most often,
where the character knows a fight is coming and has prepared, characters make a Medicine check to heal their wounded allies.
or to resist flattery. On a successful check, the target heals 1 wound per 󲊳 and 1
strain per 󲊴 (see Table 1–1: Medicine Check Difficulty to
Coordination (Agility) determine the difficulty of the check).

This skill measures flexibility and sense of balance. Characters

test Coordination to traverse narrow or unstable surfaces, slip
Melee (Brawn)
free from restraints, or survive a high fall. Characters use Melee when they want to attack someone with a
hand-held weapon such as a shudder blade or power hammer.
Deception (Cunning)
Being able to lie or deceive someone during an interaction is
Negotiation (Presence)
represented by the Deception skill. Characters use Negotiation to barter, buy, and sell, as well as to
craft favorable deals between different factions and individuals.
Discipline (Willpower)
Discipline represents a character’s ability to remain composed,
Operating (Intellect)
act normally under duress, ignore fear, and resist temptations. This skill allows characters to direct or control large, cumber-
some vehicles such as ships or land trains.
Driving (Agility)
When a character wants to drive any sort of ground vehicle, Perception (Cunning)
and especially if they want to drive dangerously, they use the When a character wants to actively use their senses to study
Driving skill. their surroundings, evaluate a person, or look for something,
they use Perception.
Gunnery (Agility)
Gunnery is what a character uses to shoot particularly large, Piloting (Agility)
powerful, and unwieldy weapons. If it’s big enough to require This skill allows characters to fly fast, airborne vehicles that re-
a tripod or to be mounted on a vehicle, a character probably quire quick reflexes and good hand-eye coordination to control.
uses Gunnery to fire it.

Knowledge (Intellect) Ranged (Heavy) (Agility)

Ranged (Heavy) weapons including everything from slugthrow-
Knowledge covers all manner of education, fact retention, and
er rifles to portable railguns. Attacking with one of these
book learning, from astrophysics to the cultures of various
two-handed ranged weapons requires the Ranged (Heavy) skill.
worlds in the galaxy. If a character needs to remember, calculate,
or deduce something, they use Knowledge.
Ranged (Light) (Agility)
Leadership (Presence) Ranged (Light) weapons including everything from grenades to
Leadership means being able to make smart decisions, to re- grazer pistols. Attacking with one of these one-handed ranged
main firm and decisive when doing so, and to instill loyalty and weapons requires the Ranged (Light) skill.
respect. This skill can also be used to give orders, rally allies,
and reassert authority.

ASHES OF POWER 7
 TABLE 1-1: MEDICINE CHECK DIFFICULTY

Current Wounds Medicine Check

Half or less of wound threshold Easy (󲊷

󲊷)

More than half of wound threshold Average (󲊷󲊷

󲊷󲊷)

Exceed wound threshold Hard (󲊷󲊷󲊷

󲊷󲊷󲊷)

Critical Injury See severity rating (Table 1-4)

Resilience (Brawn) Streetwise (Cunning)

This skill reflects physical endurance. Characters make a This skill represents a character’s ability to navigate the criminal
Resilience check to stay awake, resist toxins, or endure a underworld, find criminal elements in a new location, pick
hostile environments. up on subtle references, or know the right way to approach a
criminal and begin a conversation.
Skulduggery (Cunning)
Skulduggery encompasses a range of skills crucial to performing
Survival (Cunning)
criminal actions such as picking pockets and locks, breaking This lets characters recognize the dangers of the natural envi-
into and out of secure facilities, setting and disabling traps, and ronment, handle domesticated animals, find food and shelter
other covert activities. in the wilderness, and track a subject.

Stealth (Agility) Vigilance (Willpower)

This skill reflects the ability to avoid an opponent’s notice, elud- Characters use this skill to determine Initiative order during
ing any or all of its senses. Stealth allows a character to follow combat when a character is surprised. This skill also lets a char-
targets without being detected, use camouflage, and conceal acter notice something they weren’t actively looking for, such
other people and objects. as a hidden enemy or a dropped item, or catch someone else
lying in an ongoing conversation.

Building the dice pool Combat

for a skill check Genesys strives to capture the fast action and excitement of
To determine a skill check’s dice pool, compare your
pulp adventure. Combat is frequent, fast-moving, and meant
character’s skill rank and characteristic rating. The to showcase the talents and abilities of the player characters
higher of the two values determines how many (PCs). When running a combat encounter, follow the steps
Ability dice 󲊷 you add to the skill check’s dice pool. detailed below.
Then, upgrade a number of those Ability dice 󲊷 into
Proficiency dice 󲊻 based on the lower of the two values.
For instance, a character with Intellect 3 and
Step 1: Determine Initiative
Medicine 1 would have a dice pool of 󲊻󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷. A character Each player character and non-player character (NPC) makes
with Brawn 2 and Brawl 3 would have a dice pool a Simple (–) Cool (Presence) or Vigilance (Willpower) check
of 󲊻󲊻
󲊻󲊻󲊷 󲊷. If your character has no ranks in a skill, depending on whether they are prepared for the fight or sur-
they roll a number of Ability dice 󲊷 equal to the prised. Rank the results in order from highest number of 󲊳 to
related characteristic (found in parentheses after lowest number. Each result creates a slot for a character action.
each skill). Resolve ties between PCs and NPCs by comparing the number
of 󲊴, with PCs acting first if the number is still tied.

8 TWILIGHT IMPERIUM
 Incidentals
Incidentals are minor activities that require very little time or
effort. There is no hard limit to the number of incidentals a
character can perform, but the GM may veto excessive amounts.
Examples of incidentals include:
✦ Speaking to another character.
✦ Dropping an item held in one’s hands.
✦ Releasing someone the character is holding.
✦ Minor movements such as shifting position, peeking around
a corner, or looking behind a person.

Maneuvers
Maneuvers are activities that are not complex enough to war-
rant a skill check, but do involve time and effort. Characters
are allowed one free maneuver during their turn and may elect
to suffer 2 strain in order to perform up to one more. Maneu-
vers may be repeated this way (e.g., aiming twice). However, a
character may not perform more than two maneuvers during
their turn. Examples of maneuvers include:
✦ Readying, holstering, or loading a weapon.
✦ Drawing an item from storage or putting it away.
✦ Aiming a weapon to add 󲊸 to their next attack.
✦ Moving one range band closer to or farther away from an
enemy.
✦ Opening a door, diving behind cover, dropping prone, or
standing up.
✦ Helping an engaged ally perform a task, adding 󲊸 to their
next check.

TABLE 1-2: ATTACK DIFFICULTIES

Range
Difficulty
Band

Step 2: Resolve Turns Melee or Brawl: Average (󲊷󲊷

󲊷󲊷)

Each round begins at the top of the Initiative order. The players Engaged Attack with a Ranged (Light) weapon: Average (󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷)
and GM fill each Initiative slot one at a time with a character
turn. If the Initiative slot was rolled by a player character, then
Attack with a Ranged (Heavy) weapon: Hard (󲊷󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷󲊷)
the players agree on one player character to fill the slot from
among the PCs who have not yet acted that round. That player
Short Easy (󲊷
󲊷)
character then takes their turn.
If the Initiative slot was rolled by an NPC, then the GM
Medium Average (󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷)
chooses one NPC who has not yet acted that round to fill the
slot. That NPC then takes their turn.
During a turn, the character has the option to undertake Long Hard (󲊷󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷󲊷)
one or more incidentals, a maneuver, and an action.
Extreme Daunting (󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷)

ASHES OF POWER 9
 Actions Step 4: Combat Ends
Actions are any activities complex enough to warrant a skill Once the fighting has been resolved, the GM ends the encounter.
check. A character may only perform one action in a turn. Each player character has a chance to catch their breath and
The character may exchange the action for a maneuver instead recover strain (see Strain and Strain Threshold on page 12),
but may not perform more than two maneuvers per turn. and may take steps to help heal any wounded PCs (see Table
Examples include: 1–1 on page 8).
✦ Attacking with a ranged or melee weapon.
✦ Punching or grappling an opponent.
✦ Performing first aid with Medicine or using Leadership to
command someone to do something. Range Bands
✦ Sneaking up on a vigilant foe or climbing a cliff. Rather than using exact distance measurements, Genesys uses
abstract means to represent position, distance, and range, thus
Performing a Skill Check allowing the players to focus on the adventure.

Characters can make skill checks during encounters to perform

more complicated tasks. Skill checks always require an action Engaged
to perform, unless the character has a specific rule stating oth- If two or more targets are close enough to interact directly
erwise. It’s also worth noting that characters can perform skill with each other, they are considered to be engaged. Engaged
checks even if they don’t have any ranks in that skill. In that also indicates that a person is close enough to an item to use
case, they roll 󲊷 equal to their ranks in the linked characteristic. it. Moving to engage with or disengage from an enemy within
short range requires one maneuver.
Performing a Combat Check
A player makes a combat check when they use a combat skill Short Range
to attack a target. This is also referred to as an attack. Resolve
a combat check by completing the following steps: Short range indicates a distance of up to several meters between
targets. Moving to another spot within short range is usually
easy to do and generally requires one maneuver. Many thrown
1. Declare an attack and select targets. weapons and small firearms are most accurate at this range.
2. Roll the appropriate dice pool for the related combat skill.
Add 󲊷 based on the range and type of attack (see Table
1–2: Ranged Attack Difficulties), and add 󲊸 or 󲊸 for Medium Range
situational factors. Medium range can be up to several dozen meters away. More
3. Determine success or failure and deal damage. In combat, reliable pistols can cover this range, but few thrown weapons
each uncanceled Success 󲊳 adds +1 damage to a successful can reach this far. Moving from short to medium range generally
attack, affecting each of the targets if there are more than one. requires one maneuver.
4. Resolve any Triumph 󲊵 and uncanceled Advantage 󲊴. See
Table 1–3 on the following page.
5. Resolve any Despair 󲊲 and uncanceled Threat 󲊱. See Table Long Range
1–3 on the following page. Long range is farther than a few dozen meters. Most rifles can
6. Subtract the target’s soak value from the damage inflicted. reliably cover this range without too much trouble. However,
Apply any remaining damage to the target’s current wounds moving between medium range and long range requires two
or strain. Finally, apply any Critical Injuries by rolling a
maneuvers.
d100 and locating the corresponding effect on Table 1–4
on page 9.
Extreme Range
Extreme range is the farthest range at which two targets can
Step 3: Round Ends interact. High-tech sniper weaponry and some vehicle-mounted
Once all the PCs and NPCs have taken their turns, the round armaments may cover this range. Moving between long and
ends and a new one begins, starting from step 2. extreme range requires two maneuvers.

10 TWILIGHT IMPERIUM
TABLE 1-3: SPENDING ADVANTAGE 󲊴, TRIUMPH 󲊵, THREAT 󲊱, AND DESPAIR 󲊲 IN COMBAT

Cost Result Options

• Remove 1 strain (this option may be selected more than once).

• Add 󲊸 to the next allied character’s skill check.
󲊴 or 󲊵
• Notice a single important point in the ongoing conflict, such as the location of a security system’s control panel.
• Inflict a Critical Injury with a successful attack that deals damage past soak (󲊴 cost may vary).

• Perform an immediate free maneuver. May not exceed the two maneuvers per turn limit.
󲊴 󲊴 or 󲊵 • Add 󲊸 to the targeted character’s next skill check.
• Add 󲊸 to any allied character’s next skill check, including the active character.

• Ignore penalizing environmental effects, such as inclement weather or zero gravity, until the end of your
next turn.
󲊴 󲊴 󲊴 or 󲊵
• Add 󲊸 to melee or ranged attacks targeting you until the end of your next turn.
• Force the target to drop a melee or ranged weapon they are wielding.

• Upgrade the difficulty of the targeted character’s next skill check.

• Upgrade any allied character’s next skill check, including the current active character.
󲊵
• Turn the tide of battle by doing something such as shooting the controls to the nearby electronic doors to
seal them shut.

󲊱 or 󲊲 • The active character suffers 1 strain (this option may be selected more than once).

• An opponent may immediately perform one free maneuver in response to the active character’s skill check.
󲊱 󲊱 or 󲊲 • Add 󲊸 to the targeted character’s next skill check.
• The active character or an allied character suffers 󲊸 when making their next check.

• The active character falls prone (add 󲊸 to all ranged attacks and 󲊸 to all melee attacks targeting them).
󲊱 󲊱 󲊱 or 󲊲 • The active character grants the enemy a significant advantage in the ongoing encounter, such as accidental-
ly blasting the controls to a retractable bridge over which the active character was planning to escape.

• The character’s ranged weapon immediately runs out of ammunition and may not be used for the remainder
of the encounter.
󲊲
• Upgrade the difficulty of the next skill check of the active character or one of their allies.
• The tool or melee weapon the character is using becomes damaged.

Note: This is an abridged version of Tables I.6-2 and I.6-3 on page 104 of the Genesys Core Rulebook.

Wounds, Strain, and Critical Injuries Critical Injuries

In Genesys, characters track their physical and mental health A particularly dangerous type of wound is a Critical Injury. A
using wounds and strain, respectively. Critical Injury continues to affect the character until they receive
the proper medical treatment, even if the short-term effect has
expired. The difficulty of the Medicine check is determined by
Wounds and Wound Threshold severity of the injury (see Table 1–4 on page 12).
During their adventures, a PC may suffer physical damage, When a character suffers a Critical Injury, their player rolls
or wounds. When a PC suffers a number of wounds greater a d100 and locates the corresponding result on Table 1–4 on
than their wound threshold, they are incapacitated until their page 12. Each Critical Injury a character suffers from adds +10
wounds are reduced to or below their wound threshold (likely to any subsequent Critical Injury roll.
through healing). They also immediately suffer one Critical
Injury. While incapacitated, the PC is unconscious, unaware
of their surroundings, and unable to interact with them.

ASHES OF POWER 11
 TABLE 1-4: CRITICAL INJURY RESULT

D100 Severity Result

01-10 Easy (󲊷
󲊷) Slowed Down: During the next round, the target can act only during the last allied Initiative slot.

11-20 Easy (󲊷
󲊷) Sudden Jolt: The target must drop whatever they are holding.

21-30 Easy (󲊷
󲊷) Distracted: The target cannot perform a free maneuver during their next turn.

31-40 Easy (󲊷
󲊷) Discouraging Wound: Move one player pool Story Point to the GM pool (reverse if NPC).

41-50 Easy (󲊷
󲊷) Stinger: Increase the difficulty of the target’s next skill check by one.

51-60 󲊷󲊷) Bowled Over: The target is knocked prone and suffers 1 strain.
Average (󲊷󲊷

61-70 󲊷󲊷) Hamstrung: The target loses their free maneuver until this Critical Injury is healed.
Average (󲊷󲊷

Winded: The target cannot voluntarily suffer strain to activate any abilities or gain additional
71-80 Average (󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷)
maneuvers until this Critical Injury is healed.

Compromised: Increase the difficulty of all skill checks the target makes by one until this Critical
81-90 Average (󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷)
Injury is healed.

91-100 Hard (󲊷󲊷󲊷

󲊷󲊷󲊷) At the Brink: The target suffers 1 strain each time he performs an action.

Crippled: A limb is disabled until healed or replaced. Increase the difficulty of all skill checks
101-110 Hard (󲊷󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷󲊷)
that the target makes that require use of that limb by one until this Critical Injury is healed.

Horrific Injury: Randomly select one of the target’s characteristics. Until this Critical Injury is
111-120 Hard (󲊷󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷󲊷)
healed, treat that characteristic as one point lower.

Bleeding Out: Every round until this Critical Injury is healed, the target suffers 1 wound and 1
Daunting strain at the beginning of their turn. For every 5 wounds they suffer beyond their wound thresh-
121-135
(󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷) old, they suffer one additional Critical Injury. Roll on Table 1-4 and suffer the additional injury (if
the Injury is this result, roll again).

Daunting The End is Nigh: The target will die after the last Initiative slot during the next round unless this
136-150
(󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷) Critical Injury is healed.

151+ - Dead: Complete, obliterated death.

Note: This table is an abridged version of Table 1.6-10: Critical Injury Result, in the Core Rulebook.

Strain and Strain Threshold

While wounds represent physical damage, strain represents To recover from strain, the character needs to spend a few
mental and emotional stress. PCs may suffer strain voluntarily minutes catching their breath by making a Simple (–) Disci-
to help accomplish tasks, but involuntary or external stressors pline or Cool check (player’s choice) after an encounter. Each
such as fear or environmental exposure also inflict strain. When uncanceled 󲊳 removes one strain.
a character suffers strain greater than their strain threshold, When NPCs suffer strain damage, they apply it as wounds
they become incapacitated until their strain is reduced so that (after reducing the strain damage by their soak value) unless
it no longer exceeds their strain threshold. they have been given a strain threshold.

12 TWILIGHT IMPERIUM
Healing Wounds and Strain Story Points
Characters can heal wounds and strain by making Medicine Story Points represent the idea that player characters are the
checks (see pages 7-8), and also with some of the items they heroes of the ongoing story, and thus have a unique edge that
may have. helps them succeed in dangerous situations. However, because
they are the main characters in the adventure, they must face
(and hopefully overcome) additional challenges in the ongoing
Adversary Types story as well.

There are three types of adversaries that PCs may encounter in Building the Story Pool
Genesys: Minions, Rivals, and Nemeses.
At the start of the game, the group should create two pools of
Story Points (these can be two circles on a sheet of paper, or
Minions even just two areas on the table). One pool is the player pool,
and one pool is the GM pool.
Minions are inferior to PCs, and thus operate in groups. They
At the beginning of the session, the group adds one Story
rely on strength in numbers to compensate for their deficien-
Point to the player pool for each player, and one Story Point
cies. This is represented in three ways:
to the GM pool.
✦ Anything that normally inflicts strain inflicts wounds on a
minion instead. Minions cannot voluntarily suffer strain. Representing Story Points
✦ When operating as a group, minions are treated as a single
Just about any small items can represent Story Points, from
adversary. The group uses one Initiative slot, combines its
small coins to glass beads to poker chips.
members’ wound thresholds into a single pool, and per-
forms one action and one maneuver on its turn. Anyone
attacking a minion group attacks the group as a whole,
and the minion group applies soak equal to an individual Using Story Points
minion’s soak value once against a hit from a successful
During the game, players and the Game Master can spend Story
attack. When the minion group sustains damage equal to
Points to aid their characters and hinder their adversaries in
an individual minion’s wound threshold, one minion is
a number of ways. Players may only spend Story Points from
defeated and the group’s size decreases by one. If a group
the player pool, and the GM may only spend Story Points
of minions suffers a Critical Injury, it suffers one minion’s
from the GM pool.
worth of wounds plus one (so that one of the minions in
When someone spends a Story Point, they remove it from
the group is incapacitated).
their pool and add it to the other pool. This means that as
✦ Individual minions do not have ranks in skills. They instead
Story Points are spent, the other pool grows bigger. It also
possess “group only” skill ranks. A minion group counts the
means that Story Points never leave the game; and any time a
number of additional minions after the first as the number
player uses a Story Point, they create the opportunity for it to
of ranks in each of its listed skills (so a group of four minions
be used against them later.
making a Ranged check would count as having three ranks
Each player may use only one Story Point during each
in the Ranged skill). However, the minions may only do this
action their character performs or during an action targeting
with skills listed in their profile. Any other skill checks they
their character. The same applies to GMs: they can only use one
make are untrained and use only the base characteristic.
Story Point during each action an NPC performs, or during
each action targeting an NPC.
Rivals The following are the main uses for Story Points:
Rivals operate under the same rules as PCs, except they have A Helping Hand: A player or GM may spend a Story Point to
no strain threshold. Whenever they are dealt strain, they upgrade their character’s dice pool (page 5) once when they
suffer an equal number of wounds instead. Exceeding their make a skill check.
wound threshold may kill or incapacitate them, as the nar-
Raising the Stakes: A player or GM may spend a Story Point
rative requires.
to upgrade the difficulty of a skill check (page 5) once when
that check targets their character.
Nemeses
Nemeses follow the same rules as PCs do, including the rules
regarding strain.

ASHES OF POWER 13
 Luck & Deus Ex Machina: Players may also use Story Points
to introduce “facts” and additional context directly into the
Allegiance
narrative. For instance, the PCs just happen to have breath- In practice, characters typically have conflicted loyalties them-
ing masks for the atmosphere they’ve encountered, find some selves. Keleres are sworn to renounce their duties to their
emergency supplies while quickly scavenging through a medical faction of origin during their posting. But the jaded politics
facility, or notice a (previously nonexistent) terrain feature they of Mecatol Rex have turned the Keleres into yet another pa-
can duck behind for cover. tronage game as members of the Council stuff its ranks with
recruits who have covert directives or personal aspirations.
Each premade character (starting on page 36) has a motivation
and an allegiance that may or may not put them at odds with
The Keleres and Allegiance their teammates or mission. Throughout the adventure, there
Even an imperfect galaxy needs its defenders. To that end, the are sidebars presenting opportunities for the GM to have a
Galactic Council created the Keleres. In its brief existence, this character’s allegiance factor into the story, heightening the
underfunded, eclectic agency has been the vanguard of the tension or adding a complication to the scene.
Council’s response to the rising threats against galactic civi- More on the Keleres, their foes, and allegiance can be found
lization. That the galaxy has only recently begun to knit itself in the book Embers of the Empire.
back together makes Keleres watchfulness even more urgent.
These dangers include the coldly cybernetic L1Z1X who
emerged not long after the reformation of the Council and
forced admission to it with their advanced warfleet. Other Twilight Imperium
perils—like the anti-biological, voracious Nekrovirus—sur- So that’s Genesys. But what is Twilight Imperium?. The
faced in the years after. But it was the Acheron disaster and Twilight Imperium setting is one of grand—sometimes
return of the Mahact Gene-Sorcerers that finally forced the dark—space opera in a sprawling galaxy. The setting takes its
Council to act. Tales of the Mahact’s depraved tyranny have name from the strategy boardgame, which is also available from
haunted sentient memory throughout the ages. Fantasy Flight Games. However, if you’ve never heard of the
boardgame, don’t worry! We’ll give you a brief rundown of the
Who are the Keleres? setting here, and provide more details in the rest of the book.
The Proclamation of the Keleres established an agency in Twilight Imperium’s vast galaxy is filled with a multi-
direct service to the Council, devoted only to investigating tude of spacefaring species (including Humans) and fantastic
and combating threats to galactic society. Each civilization be- technologies (such as faster-than-light travel). But is also a
longing to the Council is responsible for furnishing equipment galaxy dominated by the rivalries and politicking of various
and assigning personnel to the Keleres, whose headquarters factions, each of whom have their own history and ambitions.
is on Mecatol Rex. The agency is also led by three nominally Most of the great civilizations of the galaxy have recently
independent Tribunii, elected for terms by the Council itself. dispatched representatives to a restored Galactic Council on
In theory, Keleres characters on a mission are empowered the ancient throne world of Mecatol Rex. After millennia of
to act with the full authority of the Council anywhere in the destructive war and decline, the galaxy once again needs a
galaxy. In practice, sovereign governments frequently drag way to debate affairs and broker agreements. But few of its
their appendages on supporting the Keleres. This can include members mistake this moment as a true peace: intrigue and
creatively withholding equipment or obstructing an inconve- scheming have merely found a more refined venue, and disaster
nient investigation. Characters frequently need to scrounge for is always one galactic incident away.
gear or cajole planetary officials into aiding their operations. There’s one other key institution in Twilight Imperium:
Despite these obstacles, the Keleres have managed to thwart the Keleres of the Galactic Council. The Keleres are an agency
several credible threats. This is partially thanks to the compe- only recently founded by the Council to deal with emerging
tence provided by the Winnaran Custodians, Mecatol Rex’s threats to galactic civilization. The agency is tenuously support-
devoted administrators whom the Council have directed to ed by the members of the Council, which means that individual
support the Keleres. But it is equally due to the surprising Keleres can come from any of these factions. Now, in small
willingness of many Keleres to rise and meet the growing teams spread throughout the stars, the Keleres protect a dis-
darkness in the galaxy with courage and ingenuity. tracted galaxy from dangers both ancient and terrifyingly new.

14 TWILIGHT IMPERIUM
Welcome to the Twilight Imperium

D espite its increasingly traveled spacelanes and multitudes of

charted, populated worlds, the galaxy remains so immense
that it challenges the sentient mind to comprehend it. However,
That was all millennia ago. Wherever you come from, the
story of that time is well known. Your ancestors were a part of
it. But now you are part of a new era: one of wary rebuilding.
what weighs heaviest upon all sentients isn’t the galaxy’s scope, The civilizations exhausted by the wars have slowly emerged
but its troubled past. from isolation to explore and trade once again. A recently re-
Once, the glory that was the Lazax Empire united the galaxy stored Galactic Council sits amid the ruins of Mecatol City.
under its rule after defeating all of its rivals; even the dread- There is relative peace, formal diplomacy, and even reluctant co-
ed Mahact Kings. With notions of benevolence and hopes of operation between factions as well as newcomers to the Council.
defusing rebellion, the Lazax convened a Galactic Council to There is hope, but you are also astute enough to know that it
give the most powerful of their subjects a voice in politics. The comes cheaply, for the true currency of galactic politics remains
Lazax seated this Council on their glittering throne world of power. Each species, including yours, has a strategy to pursue
Mecatol Rex. Then, for almost twenty thousand years, the galaxy power and wield it to support their faction and ideology. The
prospered under their rule in relative peace. felinoid Hacan, for example, amass fantastic wealth through
But such awesome power bred both arrogance and the re- their sprawling trade network. The testudinate Xxcha master
sentment of it. Eventually, revolts by several Council powers diplomacy, in all its forms and procedures, to build influence.
flared into a series of wars. In their complacency, the Lazax were The Humans of the Federation of Sol leverage their adaptability
betrayed and Mecatol Rex burned in violent bombardment. and numerical ubiquity into relentless expansionism. There are
Both the Empire and the Lazax species itself was destroyed. as many variations to the pattern as there are known sentient
The Twilight Wars ensued as the great galactic powers tore species, none of whom have forgotten their ancient rivalries
the galaxy apart. and grievances.

ASHES OF POWER 15
 Yet even as the galaxy’s would-be leaders cynically maneuver distant horizon begins the poisonous Sea of Desolation
and plot, history casts a long shadow. There are dire threats to that covers the rest of this world.
this fragile rebirth both within the Council and without. War Over the low hum of the engines, you hear your Win-
and political impasse are constant hazards, but dangerous, naran handler speak and are reminded that this ride is
unfathomable powers have also crept into the galaxy. Powers also your final briefing.
that trace their origins back to the Lazax Empire, and to the “Attend, Keleres. I have much to elucidate in little time.”
unknowable gulfs of time before it. Custodian Loremaster Pailohm Pailonus’ solemn, pale-
The galaxy stands poised on the edge of brighter days… or green face is hard to read.
perhaps a plunge into deepest night. As an individual, you have “This is the world Herool’s Truce.” The cabin holo-pro-
been shaped by all these forces. But now, as a Keleres agent, jector displays an image of a planet in slow orbit, with a
you can make your own choices. How will you survive among glaringly bright half fixed toward its sun and an immea-
the stars and whose agenda will you truly serve? surably dark half in permanent shadow.
“Contact with it was re-established by the galactic
community scant years ago. A Keleres informant recently
Act I: Journey Interrupted reported the probable discovery there of an unknown,
Act I serves as an opportunity to introduce the core mechanics Imperial-era technology. They also mentioned the pres-
of Genesys and to help players get a feel for their characters ence of unsanctioned L1Z1X agents with an intense in-
and the Twilight Imperium setting. The first encounter, The terest in this world. This was the source’s final report.”
Briefing, should give each player a chance to make at least one “I am aware you are newly sworn Keleres, but you
skill check. The second encounter, Keleres, Where’s Our Ship? are being sent to this world as an advance team to learn
is a chance for each PC to introduce themselves and what they what you can.”
bring to the team.
The adventure begins aboard a Keleres flier carrying the PCs The PCs may begin asking questions at this point. If there are
toward space docks near the Galactic Council complex. A ship any listed questions that the PCs do not ask (see Questions and
waits to carry them to their mission, but first they must learn Answers, below), Loremaster Pailonus offers this information.
important details from their Winnaran Custodian handler. Pailonus is dutiful and scholarly by disposition. His job within
This gives the players a chance to learn about the setting, ask the Keleres is providing guidance and organization, but he can
questions, and adopt a suitable investigational mindset. serve as a commander in a pinch (such as now).
Explain that the PCs have each recently joined the Keleres, a
new investigative body in service to the Galactic Council, which
includes the PCs’ species among its members. The Council Questions and Answers
itself has been restored for over a decade, but the Keleres have Here are some questions the PCs might ask, and information
been created to protect it and the galaxy from emerging threats, the GM can have the Loremaster offer.
such as several extremely powerful, hostile species from the
galaxy’s ancient past. Each of these species understands lost Who are the L1Z1X?
technological secrets that border on the arcane. The L1Z1X are cybernetic beings organized into a Mindnet
through data implants. They claim to be the ancient Lazax, rulers
of the galaxy of old, returned to claim their throne. They also
Encounter One: The Briefing claim a seat on the Galactic Council, but are uniquely hostile
to its other members.
The adventure begins as the party fly above sprawling Mecatol
City and are briefed about their mission. During this encounter, What is Herool’s Truce?
the GM should offer the PCs a chance to ask some questions Herool’s Truce is an obscure “distant sun”—meaning unexplored
of their handler. Additionally, the GM should have each PC or poorly charted—in a wild region called the Mahact Plateau. It
make at least one skill check (see Learning about Skill Checks has a small, mixed-species population, all centered in a narrow
on page 17). habitable band between its day and night sides. It was effectively
To begin, read or paraphrase the following aloud: lost for millennia following the destruction of Mecatol Rex’s
legendary Hall of Cartography during the Twilight Wars.
The flier carries your Keleres team among glorious, tow- What Do the L1Z1X Want with Herool’s Truce?
ering spires and far above the deeply scored, lightless Pailonus tells them the Custodians have searched records and
chasms of Mecatol City’s lower reaches. The ancient confirmed that the star of Herool’s Truce was listed under its
city is vast and glints in the setting sun; few true ruins original cartographic designation in an ancient mag-plate in-
are visible, but you know that somewhere beyond the ventory of Lazax military propulsion research outposts.

16 TWILIGHT IMPERIUM
Who is the Keleres Source on Herool’s Truce?
The source that reported from Herool’s Truce ceased trans-
Getting There
mitting shortly after their last report. The informant’s exact For transport to Herool’s Truce, the party has been assigned a
species and other identifying characteristics were concealed for swift Overture-class cutter granted to the Keleres by the Feder-
security, but Pailonus tells them the informant was a merchant ation of Sol, keyed to each member’s Keleres command code.
who reported under the codename “Cat’s-Paw.” It is waiting for them at Adjunct Hangar Complex 5, berth A5.
If the PCs ask Pailonus for more equipment or weaponry,
he tells them that their mission is investigative and that Keleres
Learning about Skill Checks resources are stretched thin, but that the ship is equipped with
This encounter is an opportunity to learn about skill checks, hazardous environment gear (which allow a character to survive
and the GM should encourage each player to make at least one. in vacuum, extreme heat, or extreme cold for up to an hour but
One example skill check for each character that the GM could add 󲊸󲊸 to all Athletics and Coordination checks while worn).
suggest might include: Pailonus also tells the PCs that if they encounter serious
trouble, they can send an encoded transmission from their vessel
✦ Jana: An Average (󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷) Knowledge (Intellect) check to
for backup from nearby Keleres sections, but based on travel
know that although the L1Z1X have some individual person-
times, it would take reinforcements at least a week to arrive. If
ality, and many anatomical similarities with their supposed
the PCs ask why they are the team being sent, Pailonus tells them
Lazax ancestors, but their frail flesh is twisted and merged
that all other active Keleres sections are currently committed
with grotesque cybernetic machines. They possess advanced
to missions, many relating to disturbing events in the Artis
weapons technology but constantly seek to assimilate more,
frequently capturing it from other Council factions in mili-
tary “incidents.” Jana adds 󲊸 to this check from her personal
experience with the L1Z1X. Whether the check is successful Mecatol Rex
or not, the PC making it may spend 󲊴 to know that the elite
Mecatol Rex is the past and present seat of the Galactic
among the L1Z1X often possess strange, arcane technologies
Council. It was once the throneworld of the Lazax
that can bend space or even time.
Empire, but the bombing of the planet during the
✦ Sindra: An Average (󲊷󲊷 󲊷󲊷) Streetwise (Cunning) check
Twilight Wars poisoned its surface and reduced much
to be aware that numerous Lazax artifacts from distant
of the continent-spanning Mecatol City to ruins.
suns like Herool’s Truce have begun to move in the galaxy’s
Most of what remains has been devotedly tended
underworld markets within the last year. While the buyers
or restored by the Winnaran Custodians over the
have dealt through a proxy, some suspect the L1Z1X may
millennia since the Twilight Wars. As the old empire’s
have been involved. Whether the check is successful or not,
faithful administrators, they swore an oath to the
the PC making it may spend 󲊴 to know that Lazax tech-
last Lazax Emperor to maintain the throneworld. It
nologies are often unpredictable and dangerous if misused.
is the Winnarans who service the shield generators
✦ Cheliyxx: An Average (󲊷󲊷 󲊷󲊷) Knowledge (Intellect) check
that keep Mecatol City a habitable island within the
to know that Herool’s Truce was classified as a non-aligned
Sea of Desolation.
world as part of an act by the Council; this means unilateral
Since the Galactic Council was re-established, a
investigation of significant discoveries there by any Council
new wave of habitation has occurred as each Council
factions are barred. However, the L1Z1X were admitted to
member has established embassies and enclaves
the Council after this law’s passage, and likely would not
within Mecatol City. New spires have begun to dot
recognize it. Whether the check is successful or not, the PC
the cityscape and it has again become the galaxy’s
making it can spend 󲊴 to know that the L1Z1X generally
cosmopolitan political center. Yet it remains a
do not obey the Council’s edicts.
dangerous place, a void of legal ambiguity caught
✦ Teroi: An Average (󲊷󲊷 󲊷󲊷) Medicine (Intellect) check to
between rival powers. From the depths of the old
know that the L1Z1X have been known to use unusual sur-
city to the high halls of political power, it is a den of
veillance devices, including neural shunts—surreptitiously
intrigues and schemes. Military forces both official
implanted devices which record a subject’s memories and
and private frequently operate in the city, as well as
feed them into the L1Z1X Mindnet without the subject ever
assassins and criminals.
knowing. Whether the check is successful or not, the PC
making it may spend 󲊴 to know that the L1Z1X implants
are very valuable in the shadier parts of the scientific and
medical communities.

ASHES OF POWER 17
 You do not need to walk far within the hangar to find

Cheliyxx’s Agenda your ship’s berth. Screens quickly identify the ground
floor as A-Level, so you step onto a foot-tram within
Each PC in Embers of the Empire has a dramatic a side passage that carries you toward the back of the
obligation specific to them. This is an agenda and helps hangar, running parallel to the near wall. After a few
drive that PC’s actions during an adventure. Discovering moments, you step off at the fifth berth, ready to inspect
that the PCs’ ship is missing provides an opportunity your team’s ship. But as you enter through a doorway in
to engage Undersecretary Cheliyxx’s agenda. Cheliyxx the raised security barrier, your steps only echo across
craves the chance to show that his skills of persuasion the scuffed plasticon floor. Berth A5 is totally empty.
and protocol are indispensable to the Keleres.
In Encounter Two, the GM should tell Cheliyxx’s
This hangar complex is large enough that the PCs cannot find
player that Cheliyxx can attempt to negotiate for
their ship without some investigation. Although they do not
another ship—a slower, less state-of-the-art vessel, but
know it, the ship remains in the hangar and is relatively close.
one that can leave immediately. Doing so successfully
It has been moved to the next level up and is now at berth B6.
fulfills this agenda.

Finding the Ship

Drift region spinward of Xxlak and near the Quaan wormhole. The GM should encourage the players to discuss a plan for
Further, the Tribunii—the official leaders of the Keleres—are how to move forward, which is a good chance to introduce
sequestered at a lengthy, closed session of the Galactic Council. their PCs’ capabilities and personalities to each other. If the
Pailonus tells the PCs he believes this mission is within their PCs consider calling for help from authority, Cheliyxx realizes
capabilities. this is not an option. By now, Pailonus’ is well on his way to
When the PCs cease asking questions or making checks, and the Council—out of commbead range, and surely too busy to
there is no more information for Pailohm Pailonus to volunteer, deal with their problems. Here are some examples of options
this encounter ends and the flier reaches its destination: a massive for the PCs:
spaceport complex near the Galactic Council. The flier touches
✦ The PCs have not seen their ship before, but they know it
down near its edge, at Adjunct Hangar Complex 5. Pailonus
is a Sol Overture-class cutter which has not yet been given
explains that he must be away immediately to join the Tribunii
a name. If the PCs move around the hangar floor and look
at the Council—his expertise on the regions around Quaan and
up toward the other levels, a PC can attempt to spot the
the Artis Drift is needed. Then the flier ascends and races away.
ship with an Average (󲊷󲊷 󲊷󲊷) Perception (Cunning) check.
✦ There are simple data terminals at each berth for accessing
Encounter Two: the hangar registry. The PCs can trace the ship’s transfer with
an Average (󲊷󲊷 󲊷󲊷) Computers (Intellect) check.
Keleres, Where’s Our Ship? ✦ The PCs can ask the hangar ground crew, who point them to
the administrative office suspended from the hangar’s roof.
After the first encounter’s introduction, the PCs begin their
The PCs can take a lift there to talk to Winnaran Dockmaster
mission in earnest. During this encounter, the PCs face their
Kalimni and convince her to find the ship is with an Av-
first real challenge: actually taking possession of their ship so
erage (󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷) Charm (Presence) check or a Hard (󲊷󲊷󲊷 󲊷󲊷󲊷)
they can travel to Herool’s Truce. During this encounter, the
Leadership (Presence) check.
PCs should come together as a team and begin using their
✦ PCs may suggest other ways to find the ship. This could
skills. This also presents a chance to introduce the concept
include an Average (󲊷󲊷 󲊷󲊷) Skulduggery (Cunning) check
of character agendas, as resolving this encounter touches on
to break the locks of ship berths in a trial-and-error search.
Undersecretary Cheliyxx’s goals.
✦ The PCs could attempt other methods to get back their own
As soon as Pailonus’ flier departs, the PCs find themselves
ship or acquire another that the GM finds appropriate. The
standing at the edge of a sprawling landing platform that
difficulty for such checks should generally be Average (󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷).
stretches for kilometers: Adjunct Hangar Complex 5. Read or
✦ Cheliyxx can offer an alternate route: requisitioning a Xx-
paraphrase the following aloud:
cha Carapace-class diplomatic corvette by making a Hard
󲊷󲊷󲊷) Negotiation (Presence) check. Doing so fulfills
(󲊷󲊷󲊷
As you enter the hangar, you see starship berths sized Cheliyxx’s Agenda (see above) and allows the PCs to get a
for corvettes and lighter craft, each separated by thick ship immediately, but may have some future ramifications
security walls. The berths stretch away in lines along for their mission (noted throughout the adventure).
the opposite walls of the hangar, and rise far above your
If the PCs locate their ship, they still need to take possession
heads in four stacked tiers.
of it (see Taking Possession, on page 19).

18 TWILIGHT IMPERIUM
Taking Possession Talking a Way Out
The party can talk to the Repos to convince Grugg—their scrof-
Once the PCs are aware of the ship’s location at berth B6, they
ulous human leader—to let the PCs have the ship. Grugg shows
can take the foot-tram to the industrial lifts at either end of
the PCs a dubious-looking warrant of repossession on a pad
the hangar. The lift takes the PCs to levels B–D. Each level
and claims that the rightful owner of the ship is disputing its
has a wide cargo passageway that runs along the length of the
transfer. The PCs can attempt to invoke the Keleres’ authority
outer wall, with top-rolling loading doors that lead into each
with a Hard (󲊷󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷󲊷) Coercion (Willpower) check. If the PCs
berth from that side. The doors for most berths are lowered
realize that Grugg’s mercenaries are just in it for the money, they
and locked.
can offer a bribe instead; one PC may make an Average (󲊷󲊷 󲊷󲊷)
As the PCs approach berth B6 along the shadowed passage
Streetwise (Cunning) check to offer 50 aurei, with 󲊸 added
they can see that its door is up and the ship is within. When
for every 50 additional aurei offered to get Grugg to walk away.
they reach medium range from the doorway, the PCs can spot
The PCs could instead go to Dockmaster Kalimni (as de-
three armed sentients watching the passage with an Easy (󲊷 󲊷)
scribed in Finding the Ship). They can convince the Dock-
Vigilance (Willpower) check. The lookouts have anthropoid
master that the Ship is rightfully Keleres with a Hard (󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷)
body types but wear light paramilitary gear and goggles or filter
Charm (Presence) check or an Average (󲊷󲊷 󲊷󲊷) Negotiation
masks, so the exact species of each is difficult to determine. If
(Presence) check. If they succeed, the Dockmaster shuts the
the PCs spot the lookouts first, the PCs remain in the shadows
Repos in the berth and uses the grav-derrick to physically move
and are not seen by the lookouts; the PCs may stop and confer
the ship onto the hangar floor.
about how to approach them. If the PCs do not spot the look-
outs, both the PCs and lookouts automatically see each other
when they are at short range.
Sneaking Through
However they encounter the lookouts, the PCs need to The party can try to sneak past the Repos and secure the ship
come up with a plan. The lookouts are Grugg and two other before they notice. This plan works best with a distraction to
members of Grugg’s Repos: quasi-legal, smalltime enforcers divert the Repos’ attention from the berth, such as hacking
hired to repossess the PCs’ ship on behalf of a Sol cultural at- into the terminals to set off an alarm and lure them out with
taché who resents being ordered to give the ship to the Keleres. an Average (󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷) Computers (Intellect) check or fast-talking
The Repos are bullies, and challenge the PCs verbally if they them away with a Deception check opposed by the Repos’
show any interest in the ship. There are several ways the PCs Vigilance (󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷). After the Repos are distracted, each PC may
can attempt to deal with the Repos, each of which is described make an Average (󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷) Stealth (Agility) check; if two or more
broadly below. PCs succeed, they are all able to get aboard the ship and get away.
Grugg’s Repos Fighting it Out
Grugg’s Repos are a private security outfit like countless others
The Repos attack if the PCs ignore their threats or fail to sneak
on Mecatol Rex, and make their living providing security to
past. The PCs are most likely in the passageway when this starts,
anyone who needs a little bit of deniable muscle in the glittering
at short or medium range from the Repos. The fight attracts the
heart of galactic politics.
Dockmaster’s attention, and ground crew show up to intervene
after four rounds (use the Repos’ profile if any ground crew
Grugg’s Repo [Minion] groups end up participating in the fight).
After the fight, the PCs need to explain themselves to the
Dockmaster with an Average (󲊷󲊷 󲊷󲊷) Charm (Presence) check or
3 2 2 3 2 1 an Easy (󲊷󲊷) Negotiation (Presence) check so that she releases
BRAWN AGILITY INTELLECT CUNNING WILLPOWER PRESENCE the ship for takeoff. If they fail, she asks for an administrative
SOAK VALUE WOUND THRESHOLD processing fee of 200 aurei to release the ship to them.

4 5
Encounter Three:
Superluminal Flight
Skills (group only): Brawl, Coercion, Streetwise.
Abilities: Brutal Takedown (when performing a Brawl check, Once the PCs have chartered, stolen, begged, or bartered for a
may spend 󲊴󲊴 or 󲊵 to inflict 4 strain on the target), Menac- ship, they can make the journey to Herool’s Truce. If one of the
ing Aura (characters with strain greater than half their strain PCs is navigating the ship, they must make an Average (󲊷󲊷 󲊷󲊷)
threshold add 󲊸 to attack checks against Grugg’s repos). Astrocartography (Intellect) check to reach their destination
Equipment: Brass knuckles (Brawl; Damage 4; Critical 4; Range smoothly. If the PCs took Cheliyxx’s ship, add 󲊸󲊸 to this check
[Engaged]), heavy fatigues (soak 1), breather mask, 15 aurei. due to the vessel’s outdated navigation system.

ASHES OF POWER 19
 Whether they succeed or fail, the trip takes approximately without serious environmental gear. The “night” side is equally
three weeks, but if they fail, the superluminal passage involves perilous, with almost no visible light and a temperature rivalling
some close brushes with cosmic debris that leave everyone on the coldest places in the galaxy.
edge; each PC suffers 3 strain. Between the two sides lies a narrow terminator zone, where
During the journey, each PC not engaged in the operation shadow from the planet’s curvature provides a permanent,
of the ship may make a check to prepare for their investigations twilight illumination. The sensors return atmospheric bio-sig-
on Herool’s Truce. Examples include but are not limited to: natures within this band along with a large, artificial construct
at a point in the “north” hemisphere, from which emits a regular
✦ An Average (󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷) Astrocartography (Intellect) or Knowl-
navigational beacon pulse.
edge (Intellect) check to learn information they might have
missed from the briefing on page 16. Before entering the atmosphere, the PCs may use their skills
to learn a bit more. Sindra in particular has expertise using
✦ An Easy (󲊷 󲊷) Medicine (Intellect) check to assist in the
convalescence of any PC injured in prior scuffles, remove the Hacan Merchant Gazetteer; if the party has their intended
one wound for every 󲊳 scored on the check. Overture Cutter, there is a copy of this onboard and one PC
must make an Easy (󲊷 󲊷) Astrocartography (Intellect) check
✦ An Average (󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷) Mechanics (Intellect) check to optimize
the ship for a more comfortable journey, to allow each PC (Sindra adds 󲊸 if she is the one to make this check). If the party
to remove an additional 2 strain at the end of the encounter. commandeered another ship in Act I, this instead requires a
Hard (󲊷󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷󲊷) Computers check to use the ship’s scanners for
Additionally, consider giving the players a narrative scene to details. If the PC succeeds, the PCs learn the following about
roleplay their characters getting to know each other during Herool’s Truce’s history and relationship to the rest of the galaxy:
the journey. Some examples of small but character-revealing
scenes you could provide as prompts for roleplay might include: ✦ The native population is approximately 5 million sentients,
from three different species: the Letnev, Hylar, and Gashlai.
✦ A shared meal aboard the vessel, with ingredients that may They are descendants of the crews of enemy fleets marooned
not prove to be to everyone’s liking. here in a battle during the Twilight Wars.
✦ Viewing a fascinating stellar phenomenon that the PCs can ✦ The population is concentrated in one large city called the
briefly observe while passing, such as a particularly vivid Span, which traverses the habitable band over a shallow
supernova remnant or a stunning pulsar wind nebula. sea and is built into sectors that match each species’ envi-
✦ A disagreement about the ship’s temperature regulation. ronmental needs.
✦ The Span and planet are ruled by a Tripartite Commission,
which each species designates a representative to attend.
Act II: Exploring Herool’s Truce ✦ The planet was brought back into FTL contact with the rest
of the galaxy by Hacan traders a few years before the rees-
After scrambling to get their starship and undertaking a journey tablishment of the Galactic Council. Mining activities also
to the wild Mahact Plateau, The PCs arrive at Herool’s Truce to take some prospectors to the dark side of Herool’s Truce.
truly begin their investigation. Act II begins with a brief first
encounter, Arrival at the Span, as the party descends to this After the PCs learn as much as they are able, they are hailed on
unique planet and overflies its primary settlement: the Span. In an open channel by the Span’s traffic control, given a cursory
encounter two, Clearing Customs, the PCs interact with local greeting, and fed coordinates to land at the spaceport.
spaceport authorities and make decisions about how best to Read or paraphrase the following aloud:
proceed, including how much to reveal about themselves and
their mission. Encounter three, Open Investigations, takes the Your ship breaks atmosphere within the twilight sky of
PCs through the Span in a manner of their choosing as they the narrow, 20-kilometer-wide habitable band. It is so
seek evidence of L1Z1X activity. By the end of this act, the PCs narrow that temperatures vary drastically from baking to
locate an ancient facility that houses the true threat. frozen between its day and night edges. You make for the
city that stretches across the band, appropriately dubbed

Encounter One: Arrival at The Span “the Span.” Nearing the city, you can make out the long,
tapering, alloyed bulk of what was once a warship. Now,
As the PCs approach Herool’s Truce, their ship’s viewports its mottled superstructure is surrounded by kilometers of
and sensors provide them with a closer impression. They can additional civic structure built up and around it, much of
plainly see it is a tidally locked planet in far orbit around its it supported like a bridge above the shallow sea beneath.
young star. One side constantly faces its star while the other You circle lazily once, then put down on an open pad at
half is in constant darkness. Basic sensor data tells the party that the corner of a modest landing platform connected by
the “day” side’s temperature is lethal for most sentient species bridge to the main edifice.

20 TWILIGHT IMPERIUM
Encounter Two: Clearing Customs “Welcome to Herool’s Truce. I am Captain Zarran of
the port authority, and report to Margrave Ortlov. As you
The port at Herool’s Truce is a rustic affair despite its status can see, our humble port doesn’t get many travelers from
as a relatively recent addition to the Span, its landing bays the shining center of the galaxy. What is your purpose
floored with metal obviously reclaimed from the ancient Letnev for visiting Herool’s Truce?”
cruiser. Landing the ship smoothly requires an Average (󲊷󲊷 󲊷󲊷)
Piloting (Agility) check (add 󲊸 if using the slow but sturdy
Here are a few ways the PCs can approach this encounter:
ship Cheliyxx procured). The ship lands no matter what, but
If the PCs choose to answer honestly about their Keleres
a failed check means a bumpy landing, and the disorientation
affiliation and a possible threat on Herool’s Truce, one PC must
adds 󲊸 to all skill checks the PCs in this encounter.
make an Average (󲊷󲊷 󲊷󲊷) Charm (Presence) check. If they suc-
After the PCs land the ship and disembark, they find them-
ceed, Captain Zarran acts somewhat skeptical of any real threat
selves face to face with Captain Zarran, the head security officer
on Herool’s Truce, but clears them to enter, tells them that the
of the port. Read or paraphrase the following aloud:
Trade Sector is where most offworlders go upon arrival, and
offers to take them to her superior, Margrave Ortlov. If they fail,
You make your way down the gangplank, the smell of Zarran scoffs and waves them through, but offers no helpful
rust and machine oil rising to meet you. A sturdy Letnev advice. Either way, Zarran also reports their arrival to Margrave
officer in a crisp uniform stands before you, flanked by Ortlov, which means the Commissioners of Span are aware of
three subordinates in similar garb. The officer addresses their arrival should the PCs visit the council chambers.
you, her voice steady and businesslike: If the PCs want to come up with a plausible but untrue or
incomplete story, one PC must make an Average (󲊷󲊷 󲊷󲊷) Decep-
tion (Cunning) check. If the PC succeeds, Captain Zarran buys
their story and clears them to enter Span. If the PC fails, Zarran
claims to accept the story (no matter how preposterous), but
The Span sends a group of three security officers to trail the PCs. At the
The Span is the center of civilization on Herool’s Truce. end of each subsequent encounter in the Span, ask one PC of
Gashlai artificers led the conversion of the grounded your choice to make an Average (󲊷󲊷 󲊷󲊷) Vigilance (Willpower)
Letnev cruiser and a few Hylar landers into a settlement. check to detect the tailing officers.
Millennia later, it has grown into the Span. If the PCs want to use their Keleres authority to avoid an-
The subterranean Letnev live near the dusk edge swering any questions or generally brush past Zarran, one PC
of the Span, where the sea turns to ice. Their chill, must make a Hard (󲊷󲊷󲊷 󲊷󲊷󲊷) Coercion (Willpower) check to
productive fungal caverns produce the bulk of the get Captain Zarran to stop asking questions. If the PC succeeds,
planet’s food. The Aquatic Hylar live in submerged Zarran grudgingly accepts their authority and tells them that
sectors near the city’s middle. They maintain the city’s Margrave Ortlov, head of security for the Span, can be found
geothermal spikes and essential technologies. The in the chambers of the Commission. If the PC fails, Zarran
candescent Gashlai live near the day edge and even demands a satisfactory answer, and the PCs can either tell the
have settlements extending beyond it where they truth or come up with a deception. If they refuse to do either,
harvest raw minerals and maintain numerous industrial Zarran lets them go, but puts a tail on them as if they had lied.
facilities. They also run the city’s foundries, which
serve the whole of the Span. Zarran’s Security Forces
The Span retains the feel of its origins and is pierced
Officers like Captain Zarran’s subordinates are the main en-
throughout by accessways and bulkheads and is zoned
forcers of the Commission’s authority in the Span. They wear
into several sectors by function. The most relevant
uniforms in the Letnev style—sharply-cut cloth tunics and
areas for off-worlders are its Trade Sector, where
trousers of dark grey, topped with midnight blue cloaks with
merchants and local factors gather to broker deals,
tassels—and are armed with baroque grazers. The majority
and its Government Sector, where the Commission
are recruited from the local Letnev, though members of other
Chambers, ancient data core, and administrative
species regularly serve in this group as well. Zarran and other
offices are located. Both are located among the old
Span Security Enforcers use the following profile:
city center in the forward sections of the ancient
cruiser’s hulk.

ASHES OF POWER 21
 Zarran’s Security Forces [Minion] Encounter Three:
Open Investigations
2
BRAWN
3
AGILITY
3
INTELLECT
2
CUNNING
2 2
WILLPOWER PRESENCE
After the PCs have encountered Captain Zarran’s customs party
at the spaceport, they move on to conduct their investigation
SOAK VALUE WOUND THRESHOLD
within The Span itself.
3 5 Over the course of this encounter, the PCs will visit a number
of locations at which they can ascertain information about the
L1Z1X activity on Herool’s Truce, along with the history and
Skills (group only): Melee, Perception, Ranged [Heavy], politics of the planet and the city of the Span.
Vigilance.
Abilities: Tracker’s Instincts (add 󲊸 to Perception checks to
There are two major locations the PCs can visit:
track another character and add 󲊸 to other characters’ opposed
Stealth [Agility] checks to avoid notice). ✦ The Council Chambers, where they can interact with the
Equipment: Baroque shipboard grazer (Ranged [Heavy]; Commissioners who govern Span. The Council Chambers
Damage 6; Critical 4; Range [Medium]; Neutron-pulse [when are located roughly in the center of the Span, a five-minute
attacking at Engaged or Short range, treat critical as 2]), poly- walk from the section of docks where they landed. See page
weave greatcoat (soak 1, defense 1), [add 󲊸 to combat checks 22-23 for more on this area.
against the wearer]), 30 aurei. ✦ The Trade Sector, where they can interview merchants and
others who might have encountered outsiders. The Trade
Sector adjoins the harbor, slightly toward the shadowed
side of Span and about ten minutes on foot from the bay
where the PCs landed. See page 25 for more on this area.
There are several ways by which the PCs can discover the exis-
tence of an ancient Lazax facility hidden on the shadowed side
of Herool’s Truce, and the GM should give the PCs a chance to
take the initiative to pursue the hints that catch their attention.
The PCs also have a chance to encounter members of the
Adherents of Syd during this section. These agents of the L1Z1X
can provide a combat encounter to spice up the investigation
and confirm the L1Z1X presence, if the GM desires.
To get the PCs started in this section, the GM can read or
paraphrase the following aloud:

From your intel report on the Span, you know that this
city is the largest settlement on Herool’s Truce by far.
It is governed by the Commission, which operates from
the council hall in the center of the city. You also know
that the Span’s economy and major activities revolve
around the Trade District, a bustling section of the city
that most outsiders are likely to pass through when con-
ducting their business. The Span is yours to investigate
as you see fit.

The Commission Chambers

At the center of The Span’s Government Sector are the Tri-
partite Commission Chambers. This is the nexus of power
on Herool’s Truce. Depending on how the PCs resolved their
encounter with Captain Zarran at the spaceport, their timing
and reception here can vary.

22 TWILIGHT IMPERIUM
Read or paraphrase the following aloud: If the PCs are accompanied by Captain Zarran, she announces
them formally to the chamber under whatever credentials they
have provided, whether as Keleres or a cover story. Zarran then
After following metal corridors whose decking is bur-
leads the PCs down to stand in the pit. A few minutes later, each
nished with age, you emerge suddenly from an antiquat-
commissioner emerges from their doorway and descends to the
ed ship’s lift into a spacious, triangular compartment with
dais to receive the party as an assembled group. Each commis-
a sunken central pit. Each of the three long bulkheads
sioner greets the PCs and introduces themself during this brief
are decorated with the disparate aesthetics of a different
reception (the NPC profiles on page 23-24 The Commission
species: Letnev feudal banners and bas-relief portraits;
then asks the PCs about their business.
animated Hylar didactical sphere-screens; a glowing
If the PCs are on their own, a party made up one guard
Gashlai plasma mural. Each bulkhead is pierced by a
from each species approaches to ask their business. The PCs
large, open door which is flanked by a pair of guards of
can either ask for an audience with the assembled Commission
that species. Each side of the pit is lined with a score of
or an individual commissioner with an Average (󲊷󲊷 󲊷󲊷) Charm
seats befitting its species, while a three-sided dais rises
(Presence) check. If the PCs are unsuccessful, or mention any-
in the center.
thing related to security matters, they are escorted to a private
meeting with Margrave Ortlov, the Letnev commissioner.

The Commissioners
Herool’s Truce Each commissioners’ motive in dealing with the party is pro-
tecting Herool’s Truce and promoting their personal political
This marginally habitable world was isolated for
interest. After millennia of forced self-sufficiency, the Commis-
millennia following the Age of Twilight. Its original
sion agrees on keeping their planet’s society stable and protected
name and astronomical designation were lost with the
from external threats (see The Commission on page 26).
destruction of the Lazax Hall of Cartography and the
Each commissioner has specific knowledge about Herool’s
era of chaos following the bombardment of Mecatol
Truce that can provide crucial clues for the investigation. Add
Rex. The planet was renamed by marooned battle
a 󲊸 to the party’s checks with the Commission if they dealt with
survivors for Senior Lieutenant Herool, the ranking
encounter two using diplomacy or discretion, or if they have
Letnev officer who proposed that the three species
evidence of L1Z1X agents from the Trade Sector (see page 25).
cooperate for mutual survival.
If the PCs used intimidation or violence in encounter two or
The Hylar and Letnev task forces that fought
in their dealings in the Trade Sector, add 󲊸 to their checks.
to mutual destruction here were dispatched on
clandestine operations to seize whatever secrets the
planet’s Lazax outpost held. When no ships returned, Margrave Ortlov
both governments were too preoccupied with the
As mentioned, Margrave Ortlov manages security affairs, in-
Twilight Wars to mount follow-up expeditions. In the
cluding the movements of ships and offworlders through the
battle’s aftermath, senior officers were dead, and a
spaceport. In truth, he is preoccupied with maintaining his rule
strange interference made ground-based superluminal
by ensuring his restless subjects’ food supply. So he is unaware
transmissions extremely difficult. So the surviving
of either L1Z1X agents or the Keleres informant on planet. On
crews—who had managed to ground their disabled
the surface, the Margrave is arrogant, vain, and unfriendly, but
ships in the habitable band—focused their few
underneath, he is ever so slightly less so.
resources on survival.
As a result, most of the planet remains unexplored. ✦ The PCs can court Ortlov using flattery with a Charm check,
The day side has a number of Gashlai outposts. The opposed by Ortlov’s Cool (󲊻 󲊻󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷). If the PC succeeds,
night side is nearly uncharted, though offworld Ortlov briefs the PCs about the groups in the Trade District,
buyers have taken an interest in raw materials cooperates with other questions, and even offers the aid of
harvested there and pay local guides for ventures Captain Zarran and his detachment in their investigation.
into the icy darkness. ✦ The PCs may instead try to intimidate or command Ort-
lov using their position as Keleres by making a Coercion
check, opposed by Ortlov’s Discipline (󲊻󲊻 󲊻󲊻󲊷 󲊷, with 󲊸󲊸
from Ortlov’s Imperious Countenance). If the PC succeeds,
Ortlov responds to all questions but is resentful; add 󲊸 to
any future checks the PCs make to get information or aid
from Ortlov.

ASHES OF POWER 23
 ✦ If the PCs ask Ortlov about the original reason for the battle
Delegate Fliqrr
at Herool’s Truce millennia ago or why the L1Z1X might
be here today, a PC may make a Vigilance check, opposed Fliqrr oversees the Span’s industrial production. This includes
by Ortlov’s Deception (󲊷󲊷󲊷 󲊷󲊷󲊷). If the PC succeeds, they new resource exploration, so they have some knowledge about
notice that Ortlov hesitates slightly, and if they pry further, Herool’s Truce beyond its habitable band. Fliqrr also researches
the Margrave says that it is nothing but an old family story: a the planet’s interference with FTL transmissions, finding it a
legend of some Lazax treasure hidden on this planet. Ortlov vexing, if ancient engineering problem.
seems slightly embarrassed to be asked, and clarifies that PCs can recall that the Gashlai were enslaved by the Hylar
the story is obviously a fairy tale, for no credible traces of during the era when the battle at Herool’s Truce occurred with
Lazax activity have been discovered in the habitable zone an Average (󲊷󲊷 󲊷󲊷) Knowledge (Intellect) check. If any PC
of Herool’s Truce in three millennia of habitation. inquires about this and what changed, Fliqrr proudly says the
planet’s FTL communication interference and environment
made the original survivors and current population dependent
Doctor Ragiphom on the Gashlai’s abilities as engineers and the manufacturing
infrastructure they have built, as well as their physiological
Doctor Ragiphom is responsible for The Span’s technological
ability to survive on the day side. However, Fliqrr says the night
infrastructure. She also researches the planet’s history in the
side remains mysterious, pointedly mentioning that scouting
city’s fragmented, ancient computer core. She recently recovered
expeditions often disappear.
intriguing references in an encrypted, pre-landing file to a set
of coordinates on the planet’s dark side and data showing an ✦ PCs can earn Fliqrr’s respect while asking about the com-
intense magneto-energy anomaly there. munication interference on Herool’s Truce with an Average
Ragiphom is politely friendly but noticeably distracted and 󲊷󲊷) Mechanics (Intellect) check. If a PC brings this up,
(󲊷󲊷
lethargic. This is because of an L1Z1X neural shunt embedded in Fliqrr says the problem is strange, but has been known since
her cranium by agents of the L1Z1X (see The Adherents of Syd The Span was founded. However, Gashlai settlements on the
on page 28). Her neural and sensory data are being transmitted planet’s day side have definitively proven the phenomenon
to the L1Z1X Mindnet by the shunt, which anaesthetizes her is strongest on the dark side.
so that she is unaware of its presence.
Piecing these clues together can lead the party’s investigation
✦ PCs can spark Ragiphom’s interest by asking questions about to the Trade Sector. Alternately, it might even lead especially
the planet’s past or technical matters with an Average (󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷) astute groups to conclude that they should look for the place the
Charm (Presence) check or an Easy (󲊷 󲊷) Knowledge (In- interference is strongest on the dark side, sending them directly
tellect) check. If the PC succeeds, Ragiphom mentions to Act III (see Starting Act III on page 28). If the PCs have
her historical research and hypothesizes it may be related not been to the Trade Sector and are unsure how to proceed,
to why the ancestors of the commissioners were originally Ortlov disdainfully recommends they head there.
sent to Herool’s Truce.
✦ PCs can make a Hard (󲊷󲊷󲊷 󲊷󲊷󲊷) Perception (Cunning) check Margrave Ortlov
or Average (󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷) Medicine (Intellect) check to determine
Ortlov is a lineal descendant of Lieutenant Herool and is the
what is wrong with Ragiphom if they notice the oddness
ruler of the planet’s Letnev population. He shares the pallid,
in Ragiphom’s affect (Teroi adds 󲊸󲊸 to these checks). If
blue complexion and haunting, silver irises of his species, but
the PC succeeds, they recognize raised, linear skin lesions
his fine, completely hairless features and baroque uniform are
around Ragiphom’s eyes and mouth radiating from the
striking. He is an arrogant military-aristocrat, accustomed to
back of her head. These are clear evidence of some surgical
superiority over everyone but his peers on the Commission.
activity (including a neural shunt, if a PC, such as Teroi, is
Ortlov adopts a brusque, almost dismissive manner with off-
aware of this type of device).
worlders to project strength.
✦ If the party identifies the neural shunt, they can attempt
to access and remove it with a Hard (󲊷󲊷󲊷 󲊷󲊷󲊷) Medicine
(Intellect) check or trace the signal with an Average (󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷) Margrave Ortlov [Nemesis]
Computers (Intellect) check. If they succeed, the PCs learn
the Mindnet signal is being received by an unidentified
group in the Trade Sector (the Adherents of Syd, described 2
BRAWN
3
AGILITY
3
INTELLECT
3
CUNNING
3
WILLPOWER
3
PRESENCE
on page 28). The GM may spend 󲊱󲊱 from the PC’s checks
to access the shunt to have the Adherents receive an alert SOAK VALUE WOUND THRESHOLD STRAIN THRESHOLD

from the device telling them they have been discovered. If

so, they attack the PCs in an alleyway as soon as the PCs 4 12 10
arrive in the Trade Sector.

24 TWILIGHT IMPERIUM
Skills: Charm 3, Coercion 3, Cool 1, Discipline 2, Knowledge Delegate Fliqrr [Nemesis]
1, Leadership 4, Negotiation 3, Streetwise 2, Vigilance 1.
Talents: Clever Retort (once per scene, add automatic 󲊱󲊱 to
another character’s social skill check targeting Margrave Ortlov). 4 1 4 2 5 3
Abilities: Imperious Countenance (other characters add 󲊸󲊸 to BRAWN AGILITY INTELLECT CUNNING WILLPOWER PRESENCE

Coercion and Negotiation checks targeting Margrave Ortlov). SOAK VALUE WOUND THRESHOLD STRAIN THRESHOLD

Equipment: Baroque shipboard grazer (Ranged [Heavy];

Damage 6; Critical 4; Range [Medium]; Neutron-pulse [when 6 16 14
attacking at Engaged or Short range, treat critical as 2]), impos-
ing polyweave greatcoat (soak 2, defense 1 [add 󲊸 to combat
checks against the wearer]), 250 aurei. Skills: Cool 3, Discipline 3, Knowledge 4, Mechanics 4, Nego-
tiation 3, Resilience 4.
Doctor Ragiphom Talents: Durable 5 (Delegate Fliqrr reduces critical injuries
they suffer by 50).
Ragiphom is the dean of the Hylar-run academy of Herool’s Abilities: Integral Combustion (cannot survive in environments
Truce. She is a many-tentacled Hylar with mottled greenish colder than 750 degrees Fahrenheit/400 degrees Celsius without
skin and large-lensed, opposable eyes. Within the Council an ember suit), Inscrutable (other characters add 󲊸󲊸 to Charm
Chambers, she travels in an ambulatory environment tank of and Leadership checks targeting Delegate Fliqrr).
outdated, local design. She is an inquisitive, though somewhat Equipment: Ember suit (soak 2, +1 Brawn [included in pro-
eccentric, scientist-administrator. She is politely friendly toward file]), 500 aurei.
the PCs despite the disorientation caused by the neural shunt
embedded in her skull.
The Trade Sector
Doctor Ragiphom [Nemesis] The Trade Sector is the most trafficked section of the Span (and
indeed, of Herool’s Truce). Here, spacelane traders from dozens
of neighboring worlds come to barter amongst the stalls, trade
1 2 5 2 2 3 in commodity futures, and speculate on the value of goods and
BRAWN AGILITY INTELLECT CUNNING WILLPOWER PRESENCE
raw resources from Herool’s Truce.
SOAK VALUE WOUND THRESHOLD STRAIN THRESHOLD When the PCs arrive in the Trade Sector, read or paraphrase
the following aloud:
3 8 14
Before you, you see a busy marketplace. Two tall rows
Skills: Astrocartography 3, Charm 2, Computers 3, Knowl- of buildings flank a plaza filled with stalls overflowing
edge 3, Mechanics 2, Medicine 2. with sample goods, food, and commodities. You hear
Talents: Knack for It: Knowledge (Doctor Ragiphom removes deals being struck in dozens of languages as buyers for
up to 󲊸󲊸 from her Knowledge checks), Natural: Computers offworld concerns bargain with local traders. A network
and Mechanics (once per game session, reroll a Computers or of alleyways cut between the tall buildings, many of
Mechanics check). which have small stores or business offices in their lower
Abilities: Water-breathing Hylar (can breathe underwater, floors. This is the Trade Sector of the Span that you have
but cannot breathe air or survive in a waterless environment heard so much about, the economic center of Herool’s
without an exosuit). Truce built around the bones of the crashed warships.
Equipment: Hylar exo-suit (soak 2, +2 wound threshold [in- To your right in the lower floor of a nearby building, you
cluded in profile]), 90 aurei. see a bustling office, with a weathered sign reading “Sur-
veyor’s Guild.” To your left, a local establishment under
a sign reading “The Hearth” bustles with activity. Ahead,
Delegate Fliqrr you see several stands flying the colors of a Hacan house.
Fliqrr is a Gashlai: a unique species whose bodies are consumed
over their life cycle by a constant, fiery heat. Fliqrr wears an
ornate, antique Ember suit for their own protection and that
of non-Gashlai with whom they interact. Fliqrr is the elected
Commission delegate of the Gashlai union, a position they are
dedicated to. Fliqrr is proud, passionate, and shows respect to
those who give it.

ASHES OF POWER 25
 Layout of the Trade Sector Points of Interest
The Trade Sector is centered around a large plaza that extends The Trade Sector is a lively hub of commerce, but there are
for roughly a kilometer, and is a half a kilometer wide. This plaza a few locations that are especially good places for the PCs to
is located between two major rows of buildings, which are also pursue their investigation.
considered part of the Trade Sector. The plaza is filled with rows
of stalls, and the lanes between these stalls are filled with beings
Surveyors Guild
doing business of one sort or another. As the Trade Sector was
built up piecemeal over time, many alleyways between the tall Location Details: The Surveyor’s Guild is part business office,
buildings jut off at odd angles, creating a network of narrow part cartographer’s den, and is located in the first floor of a build-
streets that outsiders often find intimidating. Traffic in the area ing that dates back over two thousand years. It exists because
is almost entirely pedestrian due to the close quarters. Deals are the industry on Herool’s Truce is based around the extraction of
signed here, though participants generally return to the docks natural resources from the uninhabited dark side of the planet.
to physically exchange cargo. This side of the tidally locked world is perpetually shrouded in
night, and is extremely cold, making it an unfriendly environ-
ment to most species. However, with specialized equipment
and access to starships, mining can be quite lucrative, and the
The Commission Commission sells mining rights to many offworld groups. The
greatest challenge for any would-be prospector is knowing
The Tripartite Commission began as an informal
where to dig—and that is where the Surveyors Guild comes
arrangement by the desperate battle survivors of three
in. Paid by the Commission to map the dark side of the planet,
hostile species. It was one of the first compromises
this group of skilled survivalists has the best data about the
that built Lieutenant Herool’s truce but has been
dark side of the planet.
surprisingly enduring. Although there has been
occasional conflict over centuries, the Commission has Leads to this Location: A great deal of traffic bustles in and
prevented escalations that threaten the life-sustaining out of the Surveyors Guild, and the PCs might see its sign as
infrastructure of The Span. they enter the Trade Sector. Alternately, if they inquire about
The Commission has also allowed the three visiting the dark side (or about past ventures there), almost any
communities to essentially self-govern. As a result, NPC in the Span might recommend they visit.
each people have fallen into familiar societal patterns.
Notable Interactions: Tarom and Lanom Calinof are a pair of
Herool’s descendants rule over the regimented
Letnev sisters who are members of the guild, and are present
Letnev as a strict, quasi-military aristocracy. Hylar
when the PCs arrive. The pair wear rugged gear suitable to
society is highly technocratic and centered around
depart on an adventure to the dark side at a moment’s notice,
an academy. The Gashlai’s strong artificers’ union
and Lanom often finishes Tarom’s sentences. They offer to sell
maintains solidarity amongst themselves and fierce
the PCs prospecting information, stating that if the PCs rep-
independence from the Hylar.
resent a mining concern, they won’t find a better deal. If the
Since reestablishing contact, the current
PCs inquire about other recent ventures or people who have
Commission accepted the Galactic Council’s ruling that
purchased prospecting data recently, Tarom and Lanom explain
Herool’s Truce remain a non-aligned world. Avoiding
that this would breach the guild’s client confidentiality policy.
annexation by any species’ cousins has helped maintain
A PC can make a Hard (󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷) Charm (Presence) check (or
internal peace. But isolation formerly provided some
an Easy [󲊷󲊷] Negotiation [Presence] check if the PCs offer a
security, so the Commission views reports about
bribe of 200 aurei or more) to get this information anyway, in
increasing dangers in the galaxy with growing concern.
which case Tarom and Lanom give them two leads. First, a
The Commission is aware of the Keleres and hope the
Hacan merchant house recently began mining operations on
new agency can help protect Council law—and the
Herool’s Truce (see The Hacan Wake on page 27). Second, and
planet’s neutrality with it.
far more unusual, a group of Winnarans with an unusual amount
of cybernetics came inquiring about the Hacan activities (see
The Adherents of Syd on page 28).

26 TWILIGHT IMPERIUM
 time she visited, and the time before that she met with several
The Hearth Winnarans who Sparrq had never seen before. Any PC may
Location Details: The Hearth is an eatery of sorts (though make a Hard (󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷) Vigilance (Willpower) check (or an
Gashlai, Hylar, and Letnev all “eat” in somewhat different ways). Easy [󲊷󲊷] Vigilance [Willpower] check if they already noticed
One of the few single-story buildings in the plaza, the building Ragiphom’s strange behavior when meeting with her, or have
is filled with guests who partake of nutrition and gossip in equal encountered the Adherents of Syd) to realize that Ragiphom
measure. A pleasant warmth exudes from within, though the might be compromised somehow by the L1Z1X.
kitchen itself is quite sweltering, so many guests are seated at In addition to any progress the group makes here, each PC
the tables that surround it. who partakes of a hot meal (which costs 10 aurei per person) at
The Hearth adds 󲊸󲊸 to the check they make to recover strain
Leads to this Location: If the PCs ask where to find rumors,
at the end of the encounter.
any NPC in the Span might send them here.
Notable Interactions: Sparrq is the Gashlai proprietor, a cheery
The Hacan Wake
voice behind an impassive metal mask like the ones most Gashlai
wear. They are quick to welcome the PCs and offer sustenance Location Details: A number of the stalls in the Trade Sector fly
of various sorts, from a house special molten iron soup (not the colors of a Hacan house (if Sindra is present, she recognizes
recommended for any of the PCs) to traditional spore bread like the group as the Shaded Cliffs trade family without a check).
it is prepared on Arc Prime. If the PCs ask Sparrq about odd These stalls have samples of luxury goods imported by the
passersby, Sparrq mentions having had a group of Hacan order Hacan to Herool’s Truce on the vessels they use to haul out ore,
a large amount of starflower dewdrop cakes recently; any PC and would usually be the place where the Shaded Cliffs sought
may make an Easy (󲊷 󲊷) Knowledge (Intellect) check to know to attract local buyers. However, all of the stalls are currently
this is a Hacan food for mourning (any PC except Sindra adds closed, and the Hacan who usually operate them are gathered
󲊸󲊸 to this check). If the PCs inquire about rumors, Sparrq in the center of the plaza.
mentions that Doctor Ragiphom seems to be under a lot of
Leads to this Location: The PCs might decide to investigate
stress lately, as her left eye was twitching a great deal the last
the Hacan when they see them gathered. Alternately, Tarom
and Lanom at the Surveyors Guild might point them toward
talking to the Hacan.
Notable Interactions: When the PCs approach the Hacan, they
Sindra’s Agenda are greeted by Rayla, a representative of House Shaded Cliffs.
Years ago, Sindra of Brass Dunes shouldered the heavy They explain that the gathered Hacan are celebrating the life
responsibility of rebuilding the tattered fortunes and mourning the passing of Ske’rra, a well-regarded member
of her merchant house. Serving in the Keleres is a of their community. Ske’rra was killed, apparently in a robbery
responsibility Sindra takes seriously, but it is one she gone wrong in one of the alleyways, though Rayla adds that this
must constantly measure against the debts her House doesn’t sit right with their instincts. This ceremony, a public
owes. As such, the Hacan traders of House Shaded Cliffs reading of Ske’rra’s will, is ongoing.
on Herool’s Truce represent an interesting opportunity If the PCs inquire about who might have wanted to harm
for Sindra. After Sindra is introduced to the traders, Ske’rra or similar topics, Rayla is unsure. However, Rayla does
inform Sindra’s player that Sindra knows House Shaded know that Ske’rra met with a group of Winnu some time ago,
Cliffs does not have the number of ships needed to trade and seemed unsettled after the encounter.
at full capacity here. Sindra’s own house has vessels to At the end of the ceremony, there is one item unclaimed,
spare, but lacks the trade contracts needed to deal in bequeathed to one “The Loremaster, or his appointed represen-
such goods. She can negotiate with Gra’la for a mutually tatives.” The item is a fine brass vial of spices from the Hacan
beneficial agreement, such as a tolling agreement world of Kamdorn. If the players have forgotten their patron’s
(under which her house leases ships to House Shaded name, any PC may make an Average (󲊷󲊷 󲊷󲊷) Streetwise (Cun-
Cliffs to transport goods under their contract) by making ning) check to determine that this item must be intended for
a Hard (󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷) Negotiation (Presence) check. If she them, the Keleres investigating Cat’s-Paw’s death. The jar does
succeeds, she fulfills her agenda for the adventure. indeed contain the spices (worth about 300 aurei), and under-
neath these, also contains a datachip with a set of coordinates:
a location on the dark side of Herool’s Truce.

ASHES OF POWER 27
 The Adherents of Syd Adherents of Syd
When the L1Z1X resurfaced claiming to be the Lazax returned,
While exploring the Trade Sector, the PCs could encounter a
most of the Custodians of Mecatol Rex backed the current
group of four cybernetically enhanced Winnu who serve the
Council’s claim to sovereignty. However, some among the Win-
L1Z1X. These four were the ones to terminate the Keleres, and
nu believe that they L1Z1X are indeed the rightful rulers of the
are posted in the Span by their L1Z1X overlord to clean up any
galaxy, and have joined with the L1Z1X Mindnet, accepting
related loose ends.
extensive cybernetics to better serve their chosen sovereigns.
If the PCs have been extremely unsubtle about the fact that
they are searching for L1Z1X activity, these so-called Adher-
ents of Syd might even seek them out and attempt to eliminate Adherents of Syd [Minion]
them, attacking the PCs in an alleyway as they traverse the
sector or after they meet with the Hacan merchants. Alter-
nately, the PCs might be the ones to spot these Winnu; a PC 3
BRAWN
2
AGILITY
2
INTELLECT
1
CUNNING
2
WILLPOWER
2
PRESENCE
can make an Average (󲊷󲊷 󲊷󲊷) Perception (Cunning) check to
notice their extensive cybernetic augmentation, and an Easy SOAK VALUE WOUND THRESHOLD

󲊷) Knowledge (Intellect) check to know that this suggests

(󲊷
their allegiance to the L1Z1X. If the PCs attempt to question 4 6
the Adherents of Syd, they offer evasive, cryptic answers before
trying to push past the PCs, and respond to any attempt to stop
Skills (group only): Athletics, Ranged (Light).
them with deadly force.
Abilities: Mindnet Linkup (Adherents of Syd have the skills
If the PCs face these Adherents of Syd and defeat them,
of each L1Z1X rival or nemesis NPC within medium range as
they find a broken shard of a blade embedded in one of their
additional group skills).
cybernetics. A Hard (󲊷󲊷󲊷 󲊷󲊷󲊷) Knowledge (Intellect) check
Equipment: Integrated beam weapon (Ranged [Light]; Dam-
(Easy [󲊷 󲊷] for Sindra) reveals that the blade is of Hacan make;
age 7; Critical 3; Range [Medium], cybernetic implants (soak 1),
taking the blade to the Hacan merchants for evaluation reveals
25 aurei.
the same information without a check.
If the PCs have access to the Adherents’ cybernetics, a PC
can make a Hard (󲊷󲊷󲊷 󲊷󲊷󲊷) Computers (Intellect) check to Starting Act III
extract data about their mission. If they succeed, most of the
Act II gives the PCs significant freedom to explore the Span,
data is corrupted, but a set of coordinates remains: a location
but eventually they will need to discover the location of the
on the dark side of Herool’s Truce.
facility on the dark side of Herool’s Truce and make their way
there. Here are a few ways this can occur:
✦ The PCs can determine that the interference is originating
Jana’s Agenda from the Lazax facility and make a check from their vessel
Major Jana Pradhan has a debt to pay to the L1Z1X for to estimate the destination. This requires an Average (󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷)
the blood of her comrades cut down at the hands of Computers (Intellect) check to set the sensors to the right
their cybernetic soldiers. While engaging the Adherents parameters from aboard their vessel.
of Syd could be avoided with stealth or cunning, the ✦ The PCs can use cybernetics taken from the Adherents of
idea of letting any servitor of the L1Z1X pass without a Syd to find the location (see above).
fight doesn’t sit well with her. When the PCs realize the ✦ The PCs can receive the hidden datachip at the Hacan Wake
nature of the Adherents of Syd remind Jana’s player of (see page 27).
her grudge against the L1Z1X and their soldiers. If Jana ✦ If the PCs become stuck or fail to move on to the facility
starts a fight with the Adherents of Syd, her agenda is for an excessively long time after finding its location, the
considered complete for the adventure. GM can use a message from Delegate Fliqrr to send them
information that gets them moving in the right direction
(see Getting the PCs Moving on page 29).
Once the PCs have the location of the facility, they can continue
to explore Span if the GM desires. On the other hand, if time
is a concern, the GM can encourage them to move on to the
facility once they know its location.

28 TWILIGHT IMPERIUM
Act III:
The Secret Facility (Overview)
The PCs reach the Lazax facility on the dark side of Herool’s
Truce, discover the truth behind the machine stored there, and
face off against 109.XY, the member of the L1Z1X set upon
making use of this terrifying device.
As the PCs will discover, the device is an ancient contin-
gency plan devised by the Lazax, created during the waning
days of their rule but never deployed. Capable of disrupting
most kinds of navigational technologies across a wide swath
of the galaxy, the device would essentially create a becalmed
region in which FTL travel is impossible for months, or longer.
In addition to threatening galactic society, use of the device
would also unleash catastrophic energies upon Herool’s Truce,
transforming the world into an uninhabitable waste over a
matter of days.
The L1Z1X have known of the device since their return to
the galactic stage, but never deemed its use beneficial to their
plans… until the Creuss Expedition catastrophe, and the
return of the Mahact Gene-Sorcerers. With this ancient
scourge unleashed, 109.XY has been sent to activate the
device to slow the progress of the Mahact across the galactic
core, buying more time for the L1Z1X to rally their own forces
against the tyrants of old.
Thus, the PCs will face a choice: save one world, or sacrifice
it in the hopes others might be saved.

You are the Reinforcements

Once the PCs reach the facility, there is no good way for
them to get support in time to assist in stopping 109.
XY’s plan. The device that is powering up within the
facility is creating powerful interference that makes
getting a message to Span difficult, let alone sending
a distress call offworld. The PCs can send a message Getting the PCs Moving
to the Span or their vessel by making a Hard (󲊷󲊷󲊷 󲊷󲊷󲊷)
If the PCs become stuck in Act II somehow, you can read or
Computers (Intellect) check. If they succeed, they can
paraphrase the following aloud to get them moving toward
send a one-way message, but the interference prevents
the facility:
any response from being registered. Whether they
succeed or fail, inform the players that the interference
appears to be growing stronger, and they will have to Your communicator blares to life. “Keleres agents. This is
act on their own from here! Delegate Fliqrr of the commission. Gashlai astrometrics
station 174b has detected an energy spike emanating
from the dark side of Herool’s Truce. Source unknown.
Power growing rapidly.” The transmission abruptly cuts
out as the interference grows more intense. Just before
it is lost, a set of coordinates pops onto the screen of
your communicator.

ASHES OF POWER 29
 Encounter One: Reaching the Facility that descends beneath the ground which carries the design
flourishes of the ancient Lazax empire. They also detect as
To reach the facility on the dark side of Herool’s Truce in a a shuttle of unknown origin, sized to carry ten to twelve
timely manner, the PCs will need to use a starship. Flying a humanoid lifeforms. If the PCs investigate the shuttle, they
ship to the facility takes two hours. find a harshly made craft with no obvious pilot interface and
nobody aboard.
Landing the vessel at the facility requires a Hard (󲊷󲊷󲊷 󲊷󲊷󲊷)
The Approach Piloting (Agility) check with 󲊸󲊸 due to the total darkness. If
On the way, a strange and intensifying particle emanation com- the pilot succeeds, the ship lands without incident within sight
ing from the direction of the facility causes significant issues of the facility’s entrance. If the pilot fails, the ship still lands in
with the vessel’s navigational and sensors systems. A PC may one piece, but each PC suffers 3 wounds and 3 strain from the
make an Average (󲊷󲊷 󲊷󲊷) Mechanics (Intellect) check to com- impact, and the ship will need to be repaired (via an Average
pensate for the particles, restoring full functionality to the ship. 󲊷󲊷] Mechanics [Intellect] check) before it can be flown again.
[󲊷󲊷
Otherwise, add 󲊸󲊸 to other Computers (Intellect), Mechanics As they approach the door, if the PCs are wary, a PC may
(Intellect), and Piloting (Agility) checks the PCs make this make an Average (󲊷󲊷 󲊷󲊷) Vigilance (Willpower) check to check
encounter. Whether they succeed or fail, they recognize the for an ambush, traps, or other danger. If the character suc-
particles as quantum-mass particles—a type of particle rarely ceeds, they do not find any threats at the entrance, but do find
encountered outside of a laboratory. footprints in the dry, frigid dust. Another group entered the
A character may make a Hard (󲊷󲊷󲊷 󲊷󲊷󲊷) Astrocartography facility, and recently.
(Intellect) or Knowledge (Intellect) check to know that quan- When the PCs decide to enter the facility, read or paraphrase
tum-mass particles can interfere with FTL navigation. A PC the following aloud:
can also make an Average (󲊷󲊷 󲊷󲊷) Perception (Cunning) check
using a field scanner to study these quantum-mass particles,
“As you step across the desiccated, frigid ground, you do
learning that they are the source of the interference around
not hear so much as feel the hum of energy emanating
Herool’s Truce, but have spiked dramatically in saturation in the
from deep within the facility before you. The entrance
last hour. At the current rate, they particles will reach a cascade
is a doorway of light in a place of shadow, the dim glow
state within an hour, possibly affecting the entire region of space.
from within shining through the total darkness. The
doors seem to be locked.”
The Landing
Once the PCs are over the facility, a PC may make a Hard Here are a few examples of ways the PCs can open the door:
󲊷󲊷󲊷) Computers (Intellect) check to scan the area. If the
(󲊷󲊷󲊷
✦ A PC can attempt a Hard (󲊷󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷󲊷) Computers (Intellect)
character succeeds, the sensors pick up an ancient structure
check to override the command code; if they succeed, the
doors open. Whether they succeed or fail, the GM can spend
󲊱󲊱󲊱 or 󲊲 to have an alert go off, notifying 109.XY of the
Teroi’s Agenda effort to tamper with the door. If this occurs, 109.XY sends
four of his Adherents of Syd (the ones patrolling the facility)
Doctoral Candidate Teroi’s agenda is to gather data
to intercept the PCs at the door, and a firefight may ensue.
on technologies encountered by the Keleres for their
✦ The PCs could also attempt to force the door, with a Hard
academic advisor at the Jol-Nar Universities. Once the
󲊷󲊷󲊷) Athletics (Brawn) check, sabotage its mechanical
(󲊷󲊷󲊷
PCs discover the nature of the facility, ask Teroi’s player
components with an Average (󲊷󲊷 󲊷󲊷) Skulduggery (Agility)
if they want to begin covertly recording everything
check, or blast it apart with an Easy (󲊷 󲊷) Ranged (Heavy)
they observe to later send to their advisor. If they do,
(Agility) check with an appropriate handheld weapon or
Teroi must make a Skulduggery check (opposed by
an Average (󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷) Ranged (Light) (Agility) check using
the highest Vigilance in the party). Success allows
an appropriate weapon. However, any of these methods
Teroi to begin the recording secretly without anyone
(successful or not) alert the Adherents and 109.XY as if the
noticing, while failure indicates that the others notice
GM had spent 󲊱󲊱 or 󲊲 on check above.
the recording has begun, perhaps by a blinking light on
✦ Finally, if Undersecretary Cheliyxx is present, the ancient
Teroi’s suit. Teroi’s agenda is considered fulfilled if they
Lazax mace can be used to open the door by inputting the
take the recording.
mace’s command code at the terminal with an Easy (󲊷 󲊷)
Knowledge (Intellect) check.

30 TWILIGHT IMPERIUM
Encounter Two: The Ancient Skills: Astrocartogaphy 3, Coercion 2, Computers 2, Disci-
pline 2, Knowledge 4, Mechanics 2, Melee 2, Perception 2,
Once within the facility, the PCs find themselves in a deep Ranged (Heavy) 2, Vigilance 1.
corridor descending into the ground. Eventually, it reaches a Talents: Deadeye (After 109.XY inflicts a Critical Injury, 109.XY
large chamber containing a the device. When the PCs approach may suffer 2 strain to apply any Critical Injury of the same
the device chamber, read or paraphrase the following aloud: severity instead).
Abilities: Adversary 1 (Upgrade the difficulty of combat checks
targeting 109.XY once), Mindnet Overcharge (As a maneuver,
The device chamber is a large, circular room ringed by five
109.XY may suffer 2 strain to choose himself or an minion group
raised power coils. The floor and walls consist of plates
of Adherents of Syd and increase one of its characteristic ratings
of strange metal, mounted on mechanism that can shift
by +1 until the end of the next round), Nemesis Action (109.XY
to change the alignment of the apparatus. Two of the
has two turns each round; one at his initiative as normal, and
coils are already alight with energy. In the center of the
one at the end of the round, after all characters have acted),
room, at a tall, metallic figure stands at what is clearly
Sacrificial Defense (Once per round when he would suffer
the main control console, flanked by four smaller figures.
a Critical Injury, 109.XY may choose one Adherents of Syd
minion within short range; that minion is killed, and 109.XY
109.XY, the L1Z1X agent tasked with activating the device does not suffer the Critical Injury).
on Herool’s Truce, now stands before the PCs. 109.XY calmly Equipment: Integrated atomic dispersal beam (Ranged
explains the situation as he sees it to the PCs. He does not im- [Light]; Damage 8; Critical 2; Range [Medium]), integrated
mediately attack the PCs, but he will not allow them to interfere surgical harvester (Melee; Damage 5; Critical 3; Range [En-
with his work. Since he observes anything the other members of gage]; Pierce 3 [ignores up to 3 of the target’s soak], Vicious
the Mindnet on Herool’s Truce (including Doctor Ragiphom) 3 [add +30 to Critical Injuries inflicted with this weapon]),
perceive, 109.XY might be aware of the PCs’ personalities or Lazax archive amulet (add 󲊸 to Knowledge checks relating to
tendencies from prior encounters. Whether or not he has seen the Mahact Gene-Sorcerers), gravitic inverter (as an action,
them before, the GM should feel free to have the L1Z1X make choose one or more other characters within engaged range;
unnerving predictions or give scornful analyses of their behavior each character must make a Hard (󲊷󲊷󲊷 󲊷󲊷󲊷) Athletics (Brawn)
in a cold, metallic voice. check or an Average (󲊷󲊷 󲊷󲊷) Coordination (Agility) check;
109.XY is accompanied by a minion group of four Adherents each character who fails is hurled to short range in a direction
of Syd (see page 28). A second group of four is patrolling deeper of 109.XY’s choice, and suffers 5 wounds, 5 strain, and 󲊸󲊸
in the facility, past the device chamber, and 109.XY recalls them on their next check).
if the battle takes long enough.
109.XY’s Logic
109.XY NPC Profile (Flavor Text) When the PCs approach the L1Z1X, read or paraphrase the
Standing over three meters tall on cybernetic limbs crafted of following aloud:
glossy alloy, robes hanging loose from his metallic frame, 109.
XY is an imposing figure. Since the day he fled the collapsing
The L1Z1X trains his cold optics on all of you, raising
Lazax Imperium at Ibna Vel Syd’s side, 109.XY has lived count-
two cybernetic limbs in a grim gesture of peace. Then,
less experiences—not just his own, but also those he has shared
he speaks in forceful tones laden with an undercurrent
with the other members of the Mindnet.
of feedback.
Yet seed of fear has taken root in 109.XY’s cold, metal heart.
“Keleres. I am 109.XY. You hunt the enemies of the
The Mahact have returned—an ancient fable even to one so
Galactic Council. Ignorantly. Ineffectively. But you do
venerable—and threaten to bring a new era of unthinkable
see the threats within your capacity. They are enemies
tyranny to the galaxy. Certain of the logic and righteousness
to our Mindnet also. But only we accurately comprehend
of his action, 109.XY refuses to allow upstarts like the Keleres
their danger.”
to forestall this grand task.
“The Council believes it is rebuilding the galaxy after its
worst disaster. But your species’ memories are cinders
109.XY [Nemesis] among ashes. The Lazax exiled the galaxy’s true enemy
eons ago: the Mahact Gene Sorcerers. Then you let them
3
BRAWN
4AGILITY
4
INTELLECT
1
CUNNING
3
WILLPOWER
2
PRESENCE
back in at the Acheron gate.”
“We are the Lazax heirs. We have their knowledge.
We must lead the Council. Your rejection and autonomy
SOAK VALUE WOUND THRESHOLD STRAIN THRESHOLD
are irrelevant.”
5 20 18
ASHES OF POWER 31
 109.XY pauses for a few moments. His optic lights its quantum-mass particle cascade upon the galactic
pulse and a holographic animation appears in the cham- core. This will give the L1Z1X time to marshal forces
ber’s air. Then he continues in an even more mechanistic to defeat the Mahact again.” The animation shows the
voice. particle cascade from Herool’s truce tearing through the
“Analysis: the Mahact transform and enslave other galactic core, becalming all travel of ships in that region.
life quickly.” “Conclusion: Mahact advance through the galactic
A hologram of a massive Mahact lord waves their core must be slowed by this device. Net projected ga-
scepter, and a semicircle of mixed species writhe and lactic deaths from use of the device are fewer than from
twist into featureless, ghoulish, white figures. Then the accelerated Mahact conquest.” The animation ends as
view rolls backward across ever wider circles of victims Herool’s Truce wrenches suddenly in its orbit, emitting
as they too are transformed in a geometric progression. a vast, wave-like beam.
“Analysis: current galactic civilization has low probabil-
ity of decoding gene sorcery in time to stop the Mahact. The PCs realize that becalming the core for up to a year risks
The galaxy will be conquered in a matter of decades.” plunging the galaxy back into twilight, causing untold suffering
The view shifts to a map of the galaxy as its sectors are and death. Difficult travel to Mecatol Rex could simply cause
rapidly overtaken by the Mahact’s golden, sharp sigil. the Council to collapse. And brutally repositioning Herool’s
“Analysis: the device housed in this facility can pre- Truce on its axis and flooding its surface with quantum-mass
vent the Mahact fortress-world of Ixth from traveling at particles would also destroy the Span and kill all life on a vul-
superluminal speeds for two to six months by releasing nerable planet under the Council’s protection.

TABLE 1-5: SPENDING 󲊴, 󲊵, 󲊱, AND 󲊲 IN THE FINAL ENCOUNTER

Cost Effect

󲊴 A hiss of steam from a loose pipe flies into a nearby character’s face (chosen by the character who made the
check), adding 󲊸 to all checks they make and made targeting them until the end of their next turn.

󲊴󲊴 A sturdy wall or floor plate is knocked loose in the commotion; the character who made the check gains the
benefit of heavy cover (add 󲊸󲊸 to attack checks targeting them) until the start of their next turn.

Upgrade the ability or difficulty of a chosen character’s next check to power up or otherwise interact with the
󲊴󲊴󲊴 or 󲊵
device twice.

󲊵 A surge of energy causes an activated power coil to sputter and fail; it becomes inactive until a character
succeeds at a Hard (󲊷󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷󲊷) Mechanics check as an action to repair it.

󲊵󲊵 A character receives a flash of insight into the workings of the device. The difficulty of their next check to
interact with the device is Easy (󲊷
󲊷), and cannot be increased or upgraded (󲊸 can still be added as normal).

󲊱 As the mechanisms of the device shift into place, the plates in the floor shift. One friendly character in cover
loses the benefit of that cover.

󲊱󲊱 A crackle of electricity shoots across the floorplates; the character who made the check and each character
engaged with loses their free maneuver next turn.

An activated power coil discharges a terrible spark; each character within short range suffers 3 wounds and
󲊱󲊱󲊱 or 󲊲
adds 󲊸󲊸 to their next check.

As the device powers up, the shifting components of the device raise the activated generators, putting them
󲊲 out of easy reach. To reach an activated generator, a character must climb with an Average (󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷) Athletics
(Brawn) check (unless they can move vertically). Any character may make a Hard (󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷) Computers check
at the central terminal of the device to lower the activated generators.

An activated power coil explodes in a searing flash of light; each character within short range suffers a Crit-
󲊲󲊲 ical Injury with +30 to the result, and each character within medium range upgrades the difficulty of their
next check once.

32 TWILIGHT IMPERIUM
Siding with 109.XY If the PCs did not dispatch them on their way to the device
chamber, the second minion group of four Adherents of Syd
While it is the PCs’ duty as Keleres to protect Herool’s Truce,
arrives to support 109.XY at the end of round 4. This group
it is possible that they might decide to help 109.XY. The cost of
rolls for initiative when it arrives, and behaves in the same way
letting 109.XY fire the device on Herool’s Truce is terrible, but
as the first minion group.
it is true that it could give the L1Z1X (and perhaps the Keleres)
a greater chance to prepare for the Mahact.
If the PCs decide to let 109.XY activate the device, the climax The Power Coils
of the adventure will not be a battle. Instead, the PCs could race
The PCs might also realize that fighting 109.XY is not their true
back to the Span and attempt to help the Commission evacuate
Herool’s Truce before it becomes uninhabitable, perhaps saving objective; simply disabling enough power coils will stop his plan.
a portion of the populace. Or they could flee, trying outrace An activated power coil can be deactivated with a Hard
the device’s effects. They could even accompany 109.XY back 󲊷󲊷󲊷) Mechanics (Intellect) check, or a Computers (In-
(󲊷󲊷󲊷
to the L1Z1X fleet and attempt to broker an alliance against the tellect) check opposed by 109.XY’s Computers (󲊷󲊷 󲊷󲊷󲊸󲊸 󲊸󲊸)
Mahact. See The Adventure Continues on page 35 for more. from the central console.
A power coil (activated or inactive) can be destroyed with
Fighting 109.XY a Daunting (󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷) Ranged [Heavy] or [Light] (Agility)
or Melee (Brawn) check using an appropriate weapon, or a
109.XY is currently in the process of powering up the device
Hard (󲊷󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷󲊷) Athletics (Brawn) check. After an activated
around which the facility is built. While the ancient machin-
coil is destroyed, each character within short range suffers a
ery is remarkably well-preserved, five power coils around the
outskirts of the device chamber must be activated. 109.XY Critical Injury with +30 to the result, and each character within
has already activated one of the coils when the PCs enter the medium range upgrades the difficulty of their next check once.
chamber (or two, if he detected them at the door). The coils are
at medium range from one another, and at short range from the Stages of the Battle
center of the room where the device rests (and where 109.XY
currently stands). As 109.XY activates the power coils (or the PCs tamper with
them), certain conditions trigger.
The first time the PCs deactivate a power coil, read or
Enemy Strategy
paraphrase the following aloud:
109.XY and the Adherents of Syd are focused on activating the
device, not strictly on defeating the PCs. Therefore, they should The power coil shuts down. 109.XY regards you with
generally behave as follows: scorn. “Analysis: The halfhearted measures of the usurp-
✦ 109.XY (taking the first NPC initiative slot per round, at ers to the throne only delay the inevitable. Keleres lack
initiative): If no PC is engaged with 109.XY, he uses his free requisite conviction to stop this device or the Mahact.”
maneuver to move toward the nearest inactive power coil.
Then, if he is engaged with it, he activates it as an action by The first time the PCs destroy a power coil (activated or
making an Average (󲊷󲊷 󲊷󲊷) Mechanics (Intellect) check;
not), read or paraphrase the following aloud:
otherwise, he downgrades his action to a maneuver to con-
tinue moving. Alternately, if one or more PCs are engaged
with 109.XY, he uses his gravitic inverter (see page 31) to The power coil sputters, sparks flying from it, and the
hurl engaged PCs away, then uses his maneuver to move corresponding light on the device shifts to an angry red.
toward the nearest inactive coil. 109.XY turns his cold stare to you. “Interference by Kel-
✦ 109.XY (Nemesis Action, end of round): 109.XY uses his ex- eres agents is meaningless. Rerouting all auxiliary power
tra action to attack the nearest PC (with his surgical harvester from main generator to compensate for lost coil.” The
engaged, or with his atomic dispersal beam if within short lights fall in the room, now lit only by the crackling sparks
range or further away). He prioritizes PCs who are meddling of the power coils. But there was a note of desperation
with the device or coils, followed by whichever PC is closest in 109.XY’s dissonant voice. You are certain: if it loses
to him. If no PC is within medium range, he downgrades this another coil, the device cannot function.
action to move toward the nearest unactivated coil.
✦ The Adherents of Syd (at initiative): The minion group
begins engaged with 109.XY, and attempts to buy time for The device can still function if all four remaining coils are
109.XY by advancing toward the PCs firing. If the minion activated. For the remainder of the encounter, the darkness
group reaches short range of one or more PCs, it stops ad- causes all characters to add 󲊸 to their Mechanics and Ranged
vancing but continues to fire, using any additional maneu- combat checks.
vers to aim (see page 28).

ASHES OF POWER 33
 Bonus Agenda: Anyone What Happens when the
Device is Fully Powered?
If any character has not yet had a chance to pursue their
agenda (or, if the GM desires to add some opportunity Even after the device is fully powered, the PCs have a chance
for extra roleplaying to the end of the adventure), the to stop the worst from happening. 109.XY must reach the cen-
GM can present a unique opportunity to one or more tral console again and succeed at one final check to target the
PCs: claiming or destroying the Lazax device can device at the galactic core: a Hard (󲊷󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷󲊷) Astrocartography
be a way for any character to pursue their agenda. (Intellect) check.
Any character’s affiliated faction could benefit from If 109.XY succeeds in this final check, read or paraphrase
controlling or permanently destroying this device, so the following aloud:
the GM can offer it to as many PCs as appropriate!
A stunning flare erupts from the middle of the room, and
the device begins to break apart with the entire chamber.
You see the Adherents of Syd’s bodies and cybernetics
If the PCs destroy two power coils (activated or not), read
burn away. For a brief instant,109.XY’s metal frame holds
or paraphrase the following aloud:
together, and then it too is ripped apart, the chilling
words barely audible above the growing inferno: “Mission
A second power coil explodes, and you hear the machine status: complete.”
begin to power down. But before you can feel relief, As the energies continue to coalesce, you know that
109.XY’s stare falls upon you, no longer cold. “Threat you must run for your lives to survive.
reassessment. Keleres agents have unforeseen poten-
tial. New priority: sample specimens to be collected.”
Any PC within short range of the central console must make
an Easy (󲊷 󲊷) Coordination (Agility) check or an Average
For the remainder of the encounter, 109.XY ignores the power 󲊷󲊷) Athletics (Brawn) check to leap aside or a Hard (󲊷󲊷󲊷
(󲊷󲊷 󲊷󲊷󲊷)
coils and attempts to kill the PCs. If 109.XY manages to defeat Resilience check to endure; if a character fails, they suffer a
all of the PCs, he sets about repairing the device, and eventually Critical Injury with a +50. Otherwise, the PCs can escape the
fires it later. However, a new group of Keleres might have time facility, though they have failed in their mission.
to pick up the trail and intervene! If the device is fully powered, a PC can attempt to change
If 109.XY activates the third power coil, read or paraphrase the target of the device by making the same check (either before
the following aloud: 109.XY or after one of his attempts fails). This might cause the
navigational disruption to occur elsewhere in the galaxy, or
Another coil crackles to life. 109.XY’s harsh voice carries even outside of the galaxy (though Herool’s Truce would still
across the room. “Power flow at 60%. Analysis: Over- be doomed by this action). Alter the read-aloud as needed.
whelming probability of activation. World designated
Herool’s Truce will be destroyed. Keleres agents’ dying
now will not influence the outcome. Conclusion: Flee
Encounter 3:
and survive to aid in the war against the Mahact.” What to Do with The Device?
After (or possibly during) the battle with 109.XY, the PCs will
If 109.XY activates the last (of four or five) power coils, read have to decide what to do with the dangerous, fascinating device.
or paraphrase the following aloud: If the device is not fully powered up, there are any number
of ways the PCs might destroy it. A few options include:

The final coil crackles to life, and 109.XY sets his me- ✦ Dismantle the device with a Hard (󲊷󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷󲊷) Mechanics (In-
chanical gaze upon the console in the center of the room. tellect) check.
“Power flow stable and within optimal range. Proceeding ✦ Set up a cascading failure that fries the internal circuitry
to set target coordinates for quantum-mass particle with a Hard (󲊷󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷󲊷) Computers (Intellect) check.
cascade.” ✦ Blast it apart with a Hard (󲊷󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷󲊷) Ranged [Heavy] (Agility)
check using an appropriate weapon.

The power coils can no longer be shut down by the PCs during
the encounter. If they manage to defeat 109.XY, they might be
able to find another way to shut it down (see page 35).

34 TWILIGHT IMPERIUM
✦ Smash the device with a Daunting (󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷) Athletics
(Brawn) or Melee (Brawn) check.
✦ Remove a key component with a Daunting (󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷) Skul-
duggery (Cunning) check.
✦ Collapse the facility on it with a Hard (󲊷󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷󲊷) Mechanics
(Intellect) check.
If the device is fully powered up, the PCs have the same op-
tions, but the energies must go somewhere. Even destroying
the device will unleash a quantum-mass particle cascade that
renders Herool’s Truce uninhabitable.
Alternately, the PCs might decide that the device is more
valuable in one piece. If it is not powered up there are a number
of ways the PCs could pursue trying to secure it for the Keleres
(or their own faction):
✦ Disassemble it with a Daunting (󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷) Mechanics (In-
tellect) check and take it back to their ship.
✦ Call for assistance from the Commission or other factions
in the Span with a Hard (󲊷󲊷󲊷
󲊷󲊷󲊷) Computers (Intellect)
check and wait while guarding the facility until support
arrives. This also risks putting the device into the hands
of other factions if the PCs cannot maintain control of
the situation.
✦ Destroy the entrance to the facility somehow (such as an
Average [󲊷󲊷󲊷󲊷] Gunnery (Agility) check with their ship’s
weapons), but leave the device within intact.
If the device is powered up, the PCs can leave it so for up to a
week before it is destroyed by the seething energies it harnesses
(with the effects described above). This might give them time
to fully evacuate Herool’s Truce, or return with qualified aid.
If the device is destroyed, read or paraphrase the following
The Adventure Continues
aloud: As the adventure draws to a close, the PCs will have saved (or
doomed) Herool’s Truce. If they defeated or drove off 109.XY,
You feel the bedrock walls shudder, and the guttural they are likely to return to Mecatol Rex to a hero’s welcome
thrumming of the facility intensifies. The brilliant glow- from Loremaster Pailonus. They have also likely made allies on
ing plasma orbs of the device each swell, engulfing and Herool’s Truce, who could be vital to future missions. Howev-
vaporizing anything that contacts them. You flee back er, their actions will certainly have raised the attention of the
to your ship. L1Z1X Mindnet, and they might well have to contend with the
Later, as you lift away, you watch a kilometers-high Adherents of Syd or even 109.XY himself again—after all, what
gout of plasma momentarily illuminate the night-side is a single body to a member of a vast, networked intelligence?
surface. Then the complex and its secrets collapse into Alternately, if the PCs allowed the device on Herool’s Truce
the planet’s crust. to go off (by intention, negligence, or untimely demise), the
galactic stage looks quite a bit different. While the Mahact have
likely been delayed by the use of the device, galactic transit is in
If the device is deactivated (without being destroyed), read or shambles for several months. Herool’s Truce is rendered a dead
paraphrase the following aloud: world, but the PCs have made a powerful (if sinister) ally among
the L1Z1X. By the time the PCs are able to deliver their report to
On some sub-aural level, you perceive as the thrumming Mecatol Rex, who knows how much chaos will have been sown
energies of the facility diminish. The once brilliant, glow- by enemies of the Council?
ing plasma orbs of the device each shrink gradually over Regardless of the outcome, the GM and players can continue
moments and then suddenly wink out of existence. It in the Twilight Imperium universe with Embers of the
becomes clear that the ancient device is disarmed. But Imperium, a Twilight Imperium sourcebook for Genesys,
the secret facility and its potentially dreadful technology and face more of the Keleres’ deadliest foes in War for the
remain at your disposal. For now. Throne, an adventure for Genesys!

ASHES OF POWER 35
 CHARACTER SHEET
CHARACTER NAME: Undersecretary Cheliyxx
3 1 3 2 3 3
BRAWN AGILITY INTELLECT CUNNING WILLPOWER PRESENCE

SPECIES: Xxcha SOAK WOUND THRESHOLD STRAIN THRESHOLD CRITICAL INJURIES

CAREER: Keleres Liaison 5 15 13

THRESHOLD CURRENT THRESHOLD CURRENT

MOTIVATION: SKILLS
NAME RANK DICE POOL
Cheliyxx was an idealistic member of the Xxcha delegation to the
Charm (Presence) 2 ººπ
Galactic Council, and was one of the few from any delegation to
volunteer for the Keleres. Cheliyxx carries Cool (Presence) 1 ºππ
an antique Lazax grav-mace gifted to Discipline (Willpower) 1 ºππ
him by the Winnaran Keeper of the Knowledge (Intellect) 2 ººπ
Custodian Chronicle. He sees the Melee (Brawn) 1 ºππ
Keleres as means to build a new
Negotiation (Presence) 1 ºππ
(more equitable) pax imperialis.
Streetwise (Cunning) 1 ºπ

AGENDA: Vigilance (Willpower) 1 ºππ

Cheliyxx's task is to be
indispensible to the WEAPONS & EQUIPMENT
Keleres. He takes any
WEAPON SKILL DAMAGE RANGE DICE POOL
chance to increase his
(and Xxcha) influence in Ancient
Melee 8 Engaged ºππ
the agency. Lazax Mace
✦ You deal 8 damage on a hit + 1 damage per uncanceled 󲊳 rolled.
PLAYING ✦ Inflict a Critical Injury on a hit for 󲊴󲊴󲊴󲊴.
✦ Lazax Command Code: As an action, you may use the ancient Lazax
CHELIYXX: π)
mace to bypass security of Lazax technology by making an Easy (π
Knowledge (Intellect) check.
✦ You are earnest and
sincere to a fault and
GEAR EQUIPMENT & OTHER ITEMS
desire to strengthen
Ambassador's Add ∫ to the first Charm (Presence) or Negotiation
the Keleres as an
Raimant (Presence) check you make each scene.
institution. Others
sometimes find your Annals of the Add ∫ to Knowledge (Intellect) checks about the
optimism grating. Custodians Lazax Empire and its history, culture, and technology.
Expend before rolling to add 󲊳󲊱 to a Charm
✦ You see diplomacy and 1 Bottle of Fine Spirits
(Presence) or Negotiation (Presence) check you make.
persuasion as superior
tools to brute force. But A comm-bead is capable of transmitting and receiving
Comm-bead
messages up to a thousand kilometers, or into orbit.
you do carry your grav
mace, just in case. Currency 156 aurei

✦ Principles matter to you,

but you know the value
of political influence, too.
TALENTS & ABILITIES
NAME ABILITY SUMMARY
Once per session, after being hit by an attack, you
may spend a story point to double your soak while
Extremely Tough
SYMBOLS & DICE: resolving the damage dealt by that attack. Your soak
is doubled before being reduced by item qualities.

󲊳 󲊵 󲊴 󲊰 󲊲 󲊱 Proper Upbringing
When you make a social skill check in polite
company (as determined by your GM), you may
SUCCESS TRIUMPH ADVANTAGE FAILURE DESPAIR THREAT suffer 1 strain to add 󲊴 to the check.

When making a social skill check, you can use this

talent to spend 󲊴 to convey a simple message to
Subtle
one other character that has nothing to do with
ABILITY PROFICIENCY DIFFICULTY CHALLENGE BOOST SETBACK what your character is actually saying.
DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE
π º π º ∫ ∫
 CHARACTER SHEET
CHARACTER NAME: Major Jana Pradhan
2 3 2 2 3 3
BRAWN AGILITY INTELLECT CUNNING WILLPOWER PRESENCE

SPECIES: Human SOAK WOUND THRESHOLD STRAIN THRESHOLD CRITICAL INJURIES

CAREER: Orbital Drop Soldier 4 14 13

THRESHOLD CURRENT THRESHOLD CURRENT

MOTIVATION: SKILLS
NAME RANK DICE POOL
Major Pradhan is a Sol Federation veteran. Her
Athletics (Brawn) 1 ºπ
former unit, the 515th Stellar Ranger Battalion,
was decimated during a reconnaissance Coercion (Willpower) 2 ººπ
incursion against the L1Z1X and its Discipline (Willpower) 1 ºππ
standard was captured. As the sole Leadership (Presence) 2 ººπ
surviving officer—and with a record of Medicine (Intellect) 1 ºπ
ambivalence about Sol expansionism—
Ranged (Heavy) (Agility) 2 ººπ
Jana was seconded to the Keleres.
Survival (Cunning) 1 ºπ

AGENDA: Vigilance (Willpower) 1 ºππ

Jana wants to restore her

reputation as a soldier and by WEAPONS & EQUIPMENT
extension that of her old unit.
WEAPON SKILL DAMAGE RANGE DICE POOL
Doing so requires taking
chances for glory in combat or Ranged
Grazer Carbine 4 Medium ººπ
capturing noteworthy trophies. (Heavy)
She especially seeks opportunities ✦ You deal 4 damage on a hit + 1 damage per uncanceled 󲊳 rolled.
for distinction, and even revenge, in ✦ Inflict a Critical Injury on a hit for 󲊴󲊴.
action against the L1Z1X. ✦ Ignore 5 points of the target’s soak.
✦ Unstable Power Supply: After your character makes a combat check with
this weapon, your GM may spend 󲊱 󲊱 to have it run out of ammo.
PLAYING MAJOR
Drop Knife Melee 3 Engaged ππ
PRADHAN:
✦ You deal 3 damage on a hit + 1 damage per uncanceled 󲊳 rolled.
✦ You care about your reputation ✦ Inflict a Critical Injury on a hit for 󲊴󲊴󲊴.
and how it reflects on your
GEAR EQUIPMENT & OTHER ITEMS
team. This means showing valor
and integrity, and helping your As a maneuver, expend to heal 5 wounds from an engaged
3 Dermal
character. The next time that character is healed with a
teammates succeed. Sealers
dermal sealer this adventure, reduce wounds healed by 1.
✦ Your instinct is to act 2 Reloads As a maneuver, expend to restore ammo to your weapon.
decisively, but experience has A comm-bead is capable of transmitting and recieving
Comm-bead
taught you patience. messages up to a thousand kilometers, or into orbit.
Currency 57 aurei
✦ You were wounded in battle
with the L1Z1X, losing a leg
and many comrades. You
refuse to be defeated again.
TALENTS & ABILITIES
NAME ABILITY SUMMARY
Once per session, when making skill check, you can
Adaptable spend a story point to use any skill (the check still
uses the original characteristic).
SYMBOLS & DICE:

󲊳 󲊵 󲊴 󲊰 󲊲 󲊱 Endurance Predator
When you make a check to heal strain at the end of
an encounter, heal 1 additional strain.
SUCCESS TRIUMPH ADVANTAGE FAILURE DESPAIR THREAT

Once per turn as a maneuver, you may use this

talent to have up to two allies engaged with you
Coordinated Assault
(other than yourself ) add 󲊴 to all combat checks
ABILITY PROFICIENCY DIFFICULTY CHALLENGE BOOST SETBACK they make until the end of your next turn.
DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE
π º π º ∫ ∫
 CHARACTER SHEET
CHARACTER NAME: Doctoral Candidate Teroi
1 2 4 2 1 2
BRAWN AGILITY INTELLECT CUNNING WILLPOWER PRESENCE

SPECIES: Hylar SOAK WOUND THRESHOLD STRAIN THRESHOLD CRITICAL INJURIES

CAREER: Field Scholar 3 8 11

THRESHOLD CURRENT THRESHOLD CURRENT

MOTIVATION: SKILLS
NAME RANK DICE POOL
A Hylar graduate student at the Universities of Jol-Nar, Teroi has
Astrocartography (Intellect) 2 ººππ
a taste for interdisciplinary work in several fields: pure research,
engineering, and mechanics. However, their precociousness and Computers (Intellect) 2 ººππ
disregard for departmental protocol has angered tenured faculty. Knowledge (Intellect) 3 ºººπ
So Teroi has been assigned a field study term to serve as a Keleres. Mechanics (Intellect) 1 ºπππ
Medicine (Intellect) 1 ºπππ
AGENDA: Perception (Cunning) 2 ºº∫

Teroi is required to record and gather all data and samples they Ranged [Light] (Agility) 1 ºπ
can of new or archaic technologies that the Keleres encounter. Stealth (Agility) 2 ºº
This will further their adviser’s new monograph on inter-
species bureaucracy and help fast-track Teroi’s own thesis.
WEAPONS & EQUIPMENT
PLAYING TEROI: WEAPON SKILL DAMAGE RANGE DICE POOL

✦ You are curious by nature and most Pressurized Ranged

8 Engaged ºπ∫
Plasma Cutter (Light)
excited about opportunities to
synthesize knowledge from ✦ You deal 8 damage on a hit + 1 damage per uncanceled 󲊳 rolled.
different fields for applied ✦ Inflict a Critical Injury on a hit for 󲊴󲊴.
solutions. ✦ Beyond Factory Specs: When attacking with this weapon, add ∫ to the
check (already included in the pool).
✦ Your encounter suit Ranged
Spark Prod 6 Short ºπ∫∫
is equipped for (Light)
a wide variety ✦ You deal 6 damage on a hit + 1 damage per uncanceled 󲊳 rolled.
of situations Damage is dealt as strain instead of wounds.
including ✦ Static Pathway: Add ∫ ∫ to the check (already included in the pool).
engineering,
recording, GEAR EQUIPMENT & OTHER ITEMS
and self Allows you to survive outside of water and protects
Hylar Exosuit
defense. against vacuum and toxic environments.
Scanner-Pad Add ∫ to Perception (Cunning) checks.
✦ You consider
A comm-bead is capable of transmitting and receiving
the mixed motives Comm-bead
messages up to a thousand kilometers, or into orbit.
of your academic
assignment to Currency 22 aurei
be unethical, but
your doctorate
depends on it. TALENTS & ABILITIES
NAME ABILITY SUMMARY
Once per session, you may spend a Story Point as an incidental
Vast
before making a skill check to count your ranks in the skill being
Intellect
used as equal to your Intellect (4).
SYMBOLS & DICE:
Water- You can are aquatic by nature. Your exo-suit allows you to
Breathing function normally outside of water, but without it, you cannot
󲊳 󲊵 󲊴 󲊰 󲊲 󲊱 Hylar breathe and add ∫ ∫ to all your checks.
SUCCESS TRIUMPH ADVANTAGE FAILURE DESPAIR THREAT Once per session; you may make an Average (π π)
Eidetic
Knowledge check as an action. If successful, you find one
Memory
item that has been lost, misplaced, or forgotten earlier.
When you succeed at a Medicine check to heal wounds
Surgeon
ABILITY PROFICIENCY DIFFICULTY CHALLENGE BOOST SETBACK (see p. 7-8), the target heals 2 additional wounds.
DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE
π º π º ∫ ∫
 CHARACTER SHEET
CHARACTER NAME: Sindra of Brass Dunes
2 3 3 2 1 3
BRAWN AGILITY INTELLECT CUNNING WILLPOWER PRESENCE

SPECIES: Hacan SOAK WOUND THRESHOLD STRAIN THRESHOLD CRITICAL INJURIES

CAREER: Wayfarer 3 12 13
THRESHOLD CURRENT THRESHOLD CURRENT

MOTIVATION: SKILLS
NAME RANK DICE POOL
A Hacan merchant captain with early training as a naval
Astrocartography (Intellect) 1 ºππ∫
intelligence officer, Sindra's merchant clan was
bankrupted when her great-uncle’s trade Charm (Presence) 1 ºππ
fleet was captured by Mentak pirates. Her Knowledge (Intellect) 1 ºππ
clan’s debts were assumed by the Emir of Negotiation (Presence) 2 ººπ∫
Hercant, with the condition that Sindra Piloting (Agility) 1 ºππ
join the newly formed Keleres.
Ranged [Light] (Agility) 1 ºππ
Stealth (Agility) 1 ºππ
AGENDA:
Streetwise (Cunning) 1 ºπ
Sindra wishes to restore her family’s
fortune. To this end, she seeks
personal mercantile opportunities WEAPONS & EQUIPMENT
during her missions and tries to
discourage any Keleres moves SKILL DAMAGE RANGE DICE POOL
toward policing the galaxy’s Beam Pistol
Ranged
5 Medium ºππ
exotic goods trade. (Light)
✦ You deal 5 damage on a hit + 1 damage per uncanceled 󲊳 rolled.
PLAYING ✦ Inflict a Critical Injury on a hit for 󲊴󲊴󲊴.
✦ Refined Crafting: Add 󲊴 to your checks with this weapon.
SINDRA:
Dagger Melee 3 Engaged ππ
✦ You are a shrewd trader ✦ You deal 3 damage on a hit + 1 damage per uncanceled 󲊳 rolled.
but do not value wealth ✦ Inflict a Critical Injury on a hit for 󲊴󲊴󲊴.
for its own sake. Instead, ✦ Refined Crafting: Add 󲊴 to your checks with this weapon.
you hope to regain the security
and freedom it can buy for you GEAR EQUIPMENT & OTHER ITEMS
and your family. 3 Jars of Expend to add ∫ ∫ to a check to recover strain at the
Fragrant Spices end of an encounter.
✦ You take a bemused and wry
Coil of Cord 10 meters of Daartar-wool woven cord.
view of fortune’s twists and
turns. You prefer to use quick Trader's Almanac Add ∫ to Astrocartography and Negotiation checks.
wits and versatility to meet A comm-bead is capable of transmitting and receiving
Comm-bead
the challenges of the moment. messages up to a thousand kilometers, or into orbit.
Currency 200 aurei
✦ You are capable in several areas
and can pilot, fight, or even
infiltrate.
TALENTS & ABILITIES
NAME ABILITY SUMMARY
Once per session, when you suffer strain as a result of being targeted
Savvy by a social skill check, you may spend a story point as an out-of-turn
Negotiator incidental to reduce the strain suffered by their ranks in Cunning (2),
SYMBOLS & DICE: and have the character who targeted them suffer that much strain.
When making a Knowledge skill check, you may spend aurei
󲊳 󲊵 󲊴 󲊰 󲊲 󲊱 Bought equal to 50 times the difficulty of the check. Instead of rolling,
SUCCESS TRIUMPH ADVANTAGE FAILURE DESPAIR THREAT Info you succeed with one 󲊳. The GM may deem some info too
rare to purchase (before you spend aurei).
If your character is armed, as a maneuver they may use this
Gunslinger talent to conspicuously display their weapon and add 󲊳 󲊳 󲊱
Diplomacy to the results of the next social skill check they make this turn.
ABILITY PROFICIENCY DIFFICULTY CHALLENGE BOOST SETBACK This may have additional repercussions at your GM’s discretion.
DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE
π º π º ∫ ∫
 Take on a vital
mission with the fate
of the galaxy at stake!

Long ago, the galaxy was ruled by the great Lazax Empire. For
thousands of years, they governed over an era of peace and
harmonious cooperation between thousands of species. However,
no imperium can last forever.
When the Lazax fell, the resulting wars shattered galactic
civilization for millennia. Now the galaxy struggles to rebuild, with
dozens of powerful civilizations fighting to be the next masters of a
reforged empire. The reborn Galactic Council has become a hotbed
of intrigue and politicking, and all the while, most Councilors ignore
other threats that lurk on the edges of known space.
As one of the Keleres, you are responsible for protecting the galaxy
from those threats. You are the Council’s agents, operating with their
authority but burdened with their factionalism and infighting. And
when your cohort is dispatched to a recently rediscovered world to
investigate worrying reports, you may be the only be the only ones
standing between the galaxy and destruction.

This Genesys adventure for Free RPG Day includes:

✦ A complete set of simplified rules for playing Genesys;

no other books required!
✦ Four premade characters, each with their own unique powers
and abilities. Play as a disciplined Human orbital drop trooper, a
clever Hacan wayfarer, a genius Hylar field scholar, or a charming
Xxcha liaison.
✦ An engaging adventure that throws you straight into the action
while teaching new players how to play the game.

Genesys Dice App

available for free
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Genesys Core Rulebook and either

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required to use this supplement.