Silent Colony
A recent colony has gone silent. A first team has disappeared. The players must investigate on-site and discover what haunts this dead town.
Required rules
Recommended classes
WARNING: This section contains major spoilers.
An extremely powerful Flux crystal lies at the heart of an ancient tree in the forest. The Empire had built a secret installation to study and recover it, but the experiment went wrong. The crystal possesses a rudimentary consciousness and has taken control of the colony's corpses via its influence on the local Flux. The arcanotechnological creature protecting the crystal uses bioarcanotechnology and biometabolics. It has also taken mental control of the first team's soldiers, using them as bait. IMPORTANT GM INFORMATION: The Opals and Whites were ALREADY en route to the colony before the antenna was even cut. This is a classified secret mission. The Empire knew something about this crystal. The players DO NOT receive this information in their briefing - they think they are the only rescue team. The Opals and Whites will arrive a few hours after the players have handled the situation (success or failure), as they were already traveling to this colony. The players must: 1. Understand the antenna mechanism (the dead animate when it is active) 2. Choose between two paths: forest (direct) or installation (information) 3. Face an extremely powerful creature 4. Recover or destroy the crystal Possible outcomes: - Recovery: The Opals and Whites arrive and take the crystal ("normal" ending) - Destruction: The crystal is destroyed, cutting all influence - The Opals and Whites arrive too late and are displeased ("heroic" ending but tensions) - Failure: The players die or flee - The Opals and Whites complete the mission without them ("dark" ending) - Corruption: A player tries to keep the crystal - The Opals and Whites hunt them down (catastrophic consequences)
Scenario structure
Non-Player Characters
Imperial veteran (42 years old), visible combat implants. Appears normal but has a strangely vacant gaze. Under total mental control of the crystal.
Corpse found in the installation. Audio logs reveal she led the research team. Died trying to contain the creature.
Hybrid plant/flesh entity created (or transformed) by the crystal. 3m tall humanoid form, fused roots and flesh. Green luminescent eyes. Advanced bioarcanotechnological and biometabolic capabilities.
Encounters
As soon as the antenna turns on, all corpses in the colony rise and converge to shut it down. The players must hold for 3 minutes.
Enemies:
Total: 0 pts- 20x Flux Zombies (wave 1)
- 30x Flux Zombies (following waves)
Tactics:
The zombies ignore the players and head straight for the antenna. If blocked, they attack the obstacle (player or barricade). Slow but relentless.
Success conditions:
- Hold for 3 minutes (18 turns) until transmission is complete
- Protect the antenna switch
Alternative:
Voluntarily shutting down the antenna cuts the transmission but triggers a final attack
Rewards:
- Ship data: map with Flux source and installation
- Understanding of the mechanism: antenna ON = active zombies
The 4 surviving soldiers initially seem normal and explain to the players: "There is something living in the forest. That immense tree over there... it's the energy source. When we got close, we were attacked. Some didn't come back." But it's a lie. They are under total mental control and are luring the players toward the tree. Perceptive players may notice inconsistencies in their stories, their vacant gaze, or their slightly desynchronized movements. At the critical moment (near the tree or if the players become too suspicious), they reveal their true nature and attack in coordination.
Enemies:
Total: 0 pts- 1x Commander Zex Kaine
- 3x Corrupted Soldier
Tactics:
Military formation. Kaine coordinates. They use cover and suppressive fire. They do not seek to kill, but to capture or slow down the players.
Alternative:
If the players discovered the installation, they know how to break the mental control (destroy the communication implants that the crystal uses)
Rewards:
- Quality military equipment
- Corrupted communication implants (clues about mental control)
Final boss. The creature defends the crystal with all its power. Combat in a confined space, living roots everywhere, oppressive green glow.
Enemies:
Total: 0 pts- 1x The Guardian
Tactics:
Phase 1 (230-150 HP): Ranged attacks via roots and spores, active regeneration Phase 2 (150-75 HP): Aggressive melee + life drain, uses mental control Phase 3 (<75 HP): Berserk, sacrifices defense for massive damage, double attacks (Warrior)
Challenges:
- Destroy the main roots to prevent regeneration
- Resist the hallucinogenic spores
- Avoid area attacks in the confined space
Success conditions:
- Reduce The Guardian to 0 HP
- Or cut its connection to the crystal (Intelligence 18 or Arcanotechnology)
Rewards:
- Access to the Flux crystal
- Rare organic tissues (bioarcanotechnological research material)
- Seeds of the ancient tree (rare artifact)
The abandoned installation is impressive and unsettling. No visible corpses - all fled or were taken. Traces of a secret unit everywhere: classified imperial logos, abandoned state-of-the-art military equipment, high-security zones. At the center of the installation is a GIGANTIC EXCAVATION TOOL - an industrial-scale arcanotechnological drill, capable of piercing kilometers of rock. It dug a descending tunnel directly to the heart of the ancient tree. The installation contains crucial information about the crystal and the creature in the terminals and audio logs.
Challenges:
- Decipher the scientific logs (Intelligence 15 or Scientist skill)
- Navigate the dark and partially collapsed installation (Perception 14)
- Access secured terminals (Intelligence 16 or Hacker)
Rewards:
- Complete knowledge of the experiment and its consequences
- Schematics of the tree and the crystal chamber
- Guardian weakness: destroying roots cuts regeneration
- Method to break soldiers mental control
- Direct access to the heart of the tree via the excavation tunnel
Items:
- Minor Flux crystal (recovered from tree debris)
- Experimental biometabolic armor (prototype found in the installation)
- Military arcanotechnological weapon (from corrupted soldiers)
- Military medical kit x4
Special reward:
Depending on the outcome: - Crystal handed to the Opals and Whites: +5 Empire Reputation, access to secret missions, official recognition - Crystal destroyed: +3 Empire Reputation, clear conscience, but questions about what was lost - Failure (flight): -2 Empire Reputation, mental trauma, internal investigation - Attempt to keep the crystal: Progressive corruption, hunted by the Empire, catastrophic consequences
Variants
To maximize horror: - Add visual/auditory hallucinations caused by the crystal - Zombies are more numerous and aggressive - The Guardian can create illusory copies of dead soldiers - Forced nighttime atmosphere (limited vision) - Strange sounds coming from the tree
For groups who enjoy investigation: - Reduce the number of combats - Add more logs, colonists' personal journals - Allow saving some soldiers from mental control - Discover the complete history of the colony - Diplomatic option with The Guardian (very difficult)
For short sessions: - Remove installation exploration - Corrupted soldiers revealed immediately - Shorten the antenna defense (1 minute instead of 3) - The Guardian has fewer HP (150 instead of 230)