PWM: Sanguine Dust, Ch. 15
The Precursor Vault of Vigrid
Sanguine Dust: Table of Contents
The Vault
Scale → 52 = Typical site of limited scope
Form → 05 = Structure
Shape → 60 = Platform or disc
Material → 71 = Crystalline or glass-like
A structure of pure crystal, dark blue in color, surrounded by the perpetual duststorm, lay before Shen.
Oracle Table: Outer First Look
1d100 = 43: Fractal patterns
He couldn’t see where it ended or began, a kaleidoscope of blue hues, sharp geometric lines, and cascading patterns.
Shen couldn't move, he could only take in the wondrous sight he was seeing.
I take this moment to use one of my Explorer abilities:
When you come across a wondrous sight or phenomenon…choose one:
Find inspiration: Take +1 momentum
Soak it all in: Hearten, add +1 and take +1 momentum on a hit
Hearten
When you…find a moment of peace, roll heart
1d6 + 1 (heart) + 1 (Explorer) = 8 vs (6,6)
Strong hit with a match - You find comfort and your spirit is strengthed…+2 spirit. (I get +1 momentum from Explorer as well)
Notes: Current spirit = +3. Current momentum = +4. I take -1 spirit to boost Aleko’s health back to +2. I also use experience to get an additional Symbiote ability which just boosts their health to +3.
He felt...at peace for a moment or two, simply taking it in.
it's...wondrous
Shen agreed. He approached it slowly, and hesitated, seeing sudden movement, as a piece of the wall shifted, opening up into a ramp that led inside the vault.
"Here we go."
Undertake an Expedition
When you…survey a mysterious site…(“Vigrid Vault”, “Dangerous”). If you…stay vigilant, roll wits.
1d6 + 2 (wits) = 7 vs (3,8)
Weak hit - You reach a waypoint and mark progress, but choose 1:
Make one Suffer(-2) move or two Suffer(-1) moves
Face a peril
Notes: I choose face a peril but first I want to see what I come to as I get inside the vault. Progress = 2/10
Oracle Table: Interior First Look
1d100 = 51: Intense smell
Within were hallways and corridors leading every which way and a strong sulfurous smell that even got into Shen's spacesuit. He made his way deeper inside the structure, carefully.
Here too, like the outside, were glowing fractal patterns along the wall, providing multicolored light and shadows.
Oracle Table: Interior Peril
1d100 = 41: Isolation or fear presses in
Shen heard the door he'd entered shut in the distance behind him and felt goosebumps. He felt as if in a tomb or a maze.
Or both.
Would he be able to find his way out? He could feel his heart hammering his chest and his breathing came in gasps. It was dim in the structure, small pulsing lights here or there, as if at random.
Face Danger
When you…react to an imminent threat…with expertise, focus or observation, roll wits.
1d6 + 2 (wits) = 6 vs (7,5)
Weak hit - You succeed but at a troublesome cost. Make a Suffer(-1) move.
Sacrifice Resources(-1)
Notes: Current supply = +4
Think.
think!
He slowed his breathing down and closed his eyes. He wasn't that deep into the structure and he hadn't taken many turns. He remembered the way back. He would be able to get out.
But he needed a break. Food and water. He took off his helmet, the air breathable in here. The smell was worse but he managed to ignore it. He sat his back against a wall, ate, drank and rested.
Is this worth it, Aleko?
would you really turn back now, even were we not together? we know the truth
Shen took a swig of water and didn’t answer. After a few more moments, he shouldered his pack, and kept going.
Undertake an Expedition
When you…survey a mysterious site…If you…stay vigilant, roll wits.
1d6 + 2 (wits) = 8 vs (7,5)
Strong hit - You reach a waypoint. Mark progress.
Notes: Progress = 4/10
Oracle table: Interior Feature
1d100 = 68: Signs of an attack or battle
He came to a door that slid open for him and beyond, a large room. There were scorched marks on the walls, floor and ceiling. Bits of crystal littered the ground, his boots crunching over them.
There had been a fight here, though there were no bodies. That might mean something of interest in the room or nearby.
Explore a Waypoint
When you divert from an expedition to explore a notable location, roll wits.
1d6 + 2 (wits) = 5 vs (10,3)
Weak hit - You uncover something interesting but it's bound up in a peril or reveals an ominous aspect of this place. Take +1 momentum.
Notes: I get an extra +1 momentum from Explorer. Current momentum = +6.
Oracle Table: Interior Opportunity
1d100 = 07: Clue points to your destination or target
Notes: I decide this means I have a straight shot or clue that points me towards the Inner Sanctum of the Vault. But it should be ‘bound up in a peril’.
Oracle Table: Interior Peril
1d100 = 97 = “Action” + “Theme” = “Leave” + “Balance”
Shen found another doorway opening into a huge open room. On the other side were glowing red doors, clearly leading into the Inner Sanctum of the Vault, but to get there...
The floor dropped away into nothingness below, only a narrow, crystalline beam led to a large platform on the other side, where the doors to the Sanctum were. There were other doorways on the far side of the room, so Shen was sure he could find another way but he could also get lost in the maze-like corridors, where here, he had a straight shot to the Sanctum, if he could just get across this narrow bridge.
do it
He waited, crouching and looking down.
There seemed to be no bottom below the bridge, just a vastness of black. A void.
He shivered. He'd seen enough voids for a lifetime. If he fell, he had no idea where he'd end up or even if he would end up anywhere.
Shen felt himself stand, took a deep breath and stepped out onto the narrow path. His boot barely fit. He kept walking.
Face Danger
When you attempt something risky…with speed, mobility or agility, roll edge.
1d6 + 3 (edge) = 5 vs (10,6)
Miss - You fail or a momentary success is undermined by a dire turn of events. Pay the Price
Notes: I decide to roll on the Pay the Price table.
Pay the Price
1d100 = 50: A new enemy is revealed.
One step after another, he made it across, onto the smooth crystaline platform on the other side.
The glowing red doors were only about thirty paces away.
That's when he heard a terrible shriek coming from above.
Creature
Environment: Interior
Scale → 48 = Medium (person-sized)
Basic Creature Form → 11 = Avian/winged
Creature First Look → 68 = Mandibles or pincers
Encountered Behavior → Herder
Looking up, he saw the creature perched on the ceiling.
It was the size of a person, had large wings and appeared to be made out of the same crystal as the vault itself. It gave out a warbled shriek and took off, diving toward Shen, herding him away from the Sanctum doors.
Some kind of guardian? We'll need to get past it.
we can kill it
Shen didn’t hesitate. He drew his handguns and started running across the platform, firing at the creature.
Enter The Fray
When you initiate combat or are forced into a fight, envision your objective (“Kill Guardian creature”) and give it a rank (“Dangerous”). Roll to see if you are in control. If you are...on the move, roll edge
1d6 + 3 (edge) = 7 vs (7,1)
Weak hit - Choose one:
+2 momentum
You're in control.
Notes: I choose to be in Control.
The crystal-bird flew back under the onslaught, giving Shen room.
Shen slowed and took careful aim, attempting to hit the wings.
take it out of the sky and it will be ours
Strike
When you are in control and attack…from a distance, roll edge.
1d6 + 3 (edge) = 9 vs (7,5)
Strong hit - Mark progress twice and remain in Control.
Notes: Current progress = 4/10
Bullets penetrated the creature's crystalline wings and it dropped to the ground, crying out.
Shen felt a sudden urge of adrenaline and power.
ALLOW ME
Shen let it happen.
Aleko enveloped Shen's body, becoming huge, dropping the guns, fingers becoming sharp black claws.
Shen could see through Aleko's eyes.
Or are they mine, still?
ours, together. we are one
They now had a large mouth filled with fangs and a long tongue, dripping saliva. They leaped upon the creature, ripping and tearing into it.
Strike
When you are in control and assault a foe in close quarters, roll iron. I use my symbiote ability: When you make aggressive moves while giving yourself to the symbiote’s power, add its health.
1d6 + 1 (iron) + 3 (Symbiote) = 6 vs (4,7)
Weak hit - Mark progress twice but expose yourself to danger, you are in a bad spot.
Notes: Current progress = 8/10. I decide I’ve engaged with this creature enough to reveal another aspect.
Oracle Table: Revealed Creature Aspect
1d100 = 63: Mental influence or control
This close, THEY tear into the creature, shredding crystal bits and ripping it apart. But they also expose themselves.
The bird shrieks, sudden, loud, piercing and damaging.
Shen and Aleko-
Shaleko? Shalo? Who are we?
-were thrown onto their back, feeling a force in their mind tearing them apart.
They screamed in agony.
With a roar, Shalo threw themselves back at the creature.
It couldn't mess with their mind if it was dead.
Clash
When you are in a bad spot and fight back against a foe at close quarters, roll iron.
1d6 + 1 (iron) + 3 (Symbiote) = 5 vs (7,1)
Weak hit - Mark progress but you are dealt a blow or a setback. Pay the Price.
Notes: Current progress = 10/10. I decide to Endure Harm.
Endure Harm(-2)
Current health = +2. I decide to resist
1d6 + 2 (current health) = 4 vs (10,10)
Miss with a match - Suffer an additional -1 health.
Notes: Current health = +1. Miss and a match on double 10s? Literally, the worst roll I could make. I rolled a 1 and got double 10s. Sheeeeeeeit. I decide to roll on the story complication oracle table for this as I have no idea what’s going to happen.
Oracle table: Story complications
1d100 = 87: Urgent Message distracts you from your quest.
Notes: I decide to have this come up after the current conflict. I also rolled a 1 when using the Symbiote’s power, and when you do that, the fragile bond between us is broken for several hours. Everything was going so well…
Shalo was on top, ripping chunks of crystal out of the creature’s body.
The guardian meanwhile, ripped into Shalo’s body from below, raking and tearing with sharp crystal claws.
Blood splattered the smooth purple floor.
In a flash, Aleko was gone, retreating within Shen's body, leaving Shen grappling with the creature alone.
The sudden loss was shocking, but Shen moved on instinct.He pulled a dagger and went for the head.
Take Decisive Action
When you seize an objective in a fight, roll the challenge dice and compare to your progress.
Progress = 10 vs (5,9)
Strong hit - You prevail. Take +1 momentum.
Notes: Current momentum = +7
The dagger went through the bird's mandibles, straight into it's brain, if it had one.
The body stopped fighting, collapsing into a pile of crystal shards.
Shen slowly stood, holding their stomach, bloodied and bleeding but victorious.
Aleko was silent.
Shen dropped to his knees, taking gasping breaths. He looked at the Sanctum doors.
They beckoned to him.
He got an alert on his suit, indicating a message. Somehow a signal was getting through the Vault, relayed by the mining station.
It was from Kwan.
"I know you went planetside. I'm not sitting around waiting. The Overseer here hired me to check out the cargo ship orbiting Reverie, says there are precious resources it has that they need. If you get back and I'm not here, that's where I'll be."
The message cut out.
Shit
That cargo ship was bad news. Multiple crews had been sent in an attempt to take over and deliver it's cargo to the settlement but they never returned.
And Kwan was going alone.
I have to go help him.
But Shen was so close. He was surprised not to hear anything from Aleko. In fact, he felt...distant, alone for the first time…in a long time. He hadn't even noticed the connection was there, always, until it was gone.
I’m this close. Might as well finish and then head back.
Shen bandaged his wounds, then went to the Sanctum doors.
They opened as he approached.
Oracle Table: Sanctum Interior Descriptor
1d100 = 44: Fortified
Beyond the doors, a hallway. The crystalline surface remained but heavy metal locks, beams, and pipes were overlaid it, giving it a look of imposing strength.
Shen couldn't deny his curiosity.
Let's do this quickly, then.
He hustled down the hallway.
Undertake an Expedition
When you…survey a mysterious site…If you…move at speed, roll edge.
1d6 + 3 (edge) = 7 vs (4,6)
Strong hit - You reach a waypoint. Mark progress.
Notes: Progress = 6/10
Oracle Table: Sanctum Feature
1d100 = 14: Central chamber of immense proportions or grandeur
The hallway led to a doorway that opened into an enormous chamber, that stretched off into the distance beyond Shen's sight. This chamber was enormously large, larger than the Vault, larger than the cavern he'd found the vault within. It was a vast, impossible size.
Towers of crystal and black metal stood within, forming a forest in the chamber.
Maybe this was it, the center of the Sanctum.
Maybe within the forest lay the answers he sought.
Finish an Expedition
When your expedition comes to an end, roll the challenge dice and comapre to your progress.
Progress = 6 vs (9,4)
Weak hit - Complete your survey but face an unforeseen complication. Make the legacy reward one rank lower (Dangerous = troublesome = 1 tick. +1 more tick for Explorer) and envision what you encounter.
Oracle Table: Vault Purpose
1d100 = 40: Stockpiling resources
Moving through the pillars of crystal and metal, Shen found consoles he could interact with. It was difficult to understand, using ancient tech, attempting to put together the data he found, but one thing was clear.
The vault was created to stockpile...something. Something within each of these pillars or towers. A...fuel source of some kind. The pieces were disparate but he found more information as he kept moving along, deeper into the forest of data.
Fuel for a war?
The Precursors were stockpiling resources for war against...something.
The enemy were described as…parasites…Creatures that infected people and took them over.
Symbiotes.
Were the Precursors at war with the Symbiotes?
Shen was glad Aleko was silent for the time being, concerned about what he found.
It could be false. I could be misunderstanding this. Either way, it's time to go. I can't figure out what the 'resource' is and it may be best to let it lie. Though...if it holds some kind of weapon or cure against Symbiotes...
He shook his head.
I don't have time for this. I know it's here if I need to come back. Kwan may be in trouble.
Shen left the forest of crystal, running for the exit.
Post-chapter Notes
Whew! What a chapter! An exploration of a crystalline vault, with twists and turns. Everything was going well until it didn’t, and that’s the great thing about playing a game. You never know what the dice are going to do. You don’t know if you’re going to suddenly get a run of bad luck and find yourself low on health, supplies, struggling just to survive…You do have some control as sometimes you can adjust the consequences on Suffer moves, from -1 to -3, which gives you some control. When the drama is high, you can make a hit really hurt (-3), or if you’re just passing by something, you can take a minor hit (-1). Mechanically, either one is a viable option and it’s up to you as the storyteller/player to decide what makes the most sense, or is best for an interesting story. That’s all we really want, right? An interesting and exciting story, filled with highs and lows?
You may notice, even though I got a Miss on that Face Danger to cross the beam, I still had myself get across safely. The Miss didn’t make me fail, but it did lead me to face an entire new enemy creature. It would’ve been boring if I simply couldn’t get across and had to backtrack. Using the Pay the Price move, I got the new enemy, and decided it would be cool if I made it across but then had to fight some guardian, which I rolled up entirely randomly.
It was really fun to unleash the symbiote in this session and see what it can do in a fight. It’s impressive! but it does have its’ drawbacks.
Next time, Shen hurries to get to Kwan before it’s too late.
Thanks for reading, commenting, and sharing.
Next Chapter → Chapter 16: The Haunted Ship