Adventure Design

Duskara adventures emerge from the setting's inherent tensions and opportunities. This section provides frameworks, settlement templates, and inspiration for building engaging campaigns.

Design Philosophy

Player Choice and Consequence

Your role is not to railroad players toward a predetermined narrative. Instead, establish a world full of opportunities and tensions, then let player choices determine what happens. Consequences should flow naturally from their decisions—not as punishment, but as honest reflection of how the world responds.

Adventures work best when they arise from:

• Character Tags: Goals, Nemeses, and Relationships are built-in adventure hooks
• Settlement Pressures: Current Tensions and Implicit Pressures create natural conflicts
• Duskara's Harshness: Environmental challenges and resource scarcity drive urgency
• Inter-Settlement Relations: The Accord and regional politics create opportunity for drama

The Duskaran Accord in Play

The Duskaran Accord is a loose confederation of settlements established in Cycle 7,306 to manage inter-settlement relations, resource distribution, and collective defense. It's not a government but a framework for cooperation.

Accord Structure:

• The Wind and Water Assembly: Annual gathering of settlement delegates to address shared concerns
• Wayseers: Neutral psychic adepts who mediate disputes
• Wind Riders: Couriers and envoys traveling between settlements
• Resource Arbitrators: Specialists adjudicating conflicts over shared resources
• Storm Wardens: Elite weather workers protecting multiple settlements

Accord Principles:

• Mutual Aid (settlements assist during crises)
• Fair Trade (resources exchanged at agreed rates)
• Dispute Resolution (negotiation, not violence)
• Knowledge Sharing (discoveries shared across settlements)
• Environmental Stewardship (ecosystems protected from exploitation)

Accord Tensions: Not every settlement honors the Accord equally. Common conflicts include:

• Resource Competition (rival claims over geothermal sites, water, salvage)
• Isolationism (some settlements prefer self-reliance)
• Cultural Differences (twilight belt vs. night-side values)
• Power Imbalances (larger settlements dominate negotiations)
• Secret-Keeping (settlements withhold discoveries for advantage)

Adventure Hooks from the Accord:

• Diplomatic Missions (represent your settlement in negotiations)
• Resource Disputes (mediate or escalate conflicts)
• Storm Response (coordinate multi-settlement efforts)
• Archival Quests (recover knowledge for collective good)
• Enforcement Actions (investigate Accord violations)

Settlement Creation

Settlements are the anchors of Duskara play. They provide context, resources, conflicts, and consequences. You don't need extensive detail—a simple template is enough.

Settlement Template

Name & Location:

• Example: Aetherion (Twilight Belt, central position)

Character (1-2 sentences):

• What's distinctive about this settlement? What defines it?
• Example: Aetherion is a vertical spire city built around geothermal vents. Water is carefully rationed but plentiful; power abundant. Politics are rigid but fair.

Key NPCs (1-2):

• Name, role, one complication
• Example: Councilor Thessan kin-Babu Rynthar (administrator, afraid of losing control) / Archivist Sorahn kin-Babu Daemir (preserves pre-landing data, obsessive about lost knowledge)

Current Resource Status:

• Water: [Abundant / Adequate / Rationing / Crisis]
• Power: [Full Grid / Adequate / Rolling Blackouts / Failure]
• Provisions: [Well-Supplied / Adequate / Running Low / Critical Shortage]

Current Tension (what's happening now):

• What problem or opportunity is the settlement facing?
• Example: Aquifer pumps are failing. The council debates whether to fund repairs or accept rationing.

Implicit Pressure (underlying issue):

• What's the deeper problem beneath the immediate crisis?
• Example: The geothermal vents have cooled over the past generation. No one admits it publicly.
• On Implicit Pressure: This is not a hidden secret you're protecting. It's a world condition that might emerge through play if players investigate the settlement's problems or if circumstances naturally reveal it. If players never dig into the settlement's history or politics, the implicit pressure stays in the background. If they do investigate, let them uncover this reality honestly. The pressure creates interesting drama when it surfaces—not because you're revealing a plot twist, but because it makes the world feel real and consequential.

Relationships to Other Settlements:

• How does this settlement relate to neighbors?
• Example: Tense alliance with Harmattan's Reach (competing for water resources) / Trading partnership with Khoros Deep (geothermal technology)

A Few Useful Details:

• Architecture/visual: One distinctive feature
• Culture/values: What matters to people here?
• Safety: Is it stable? Dangerous? Prosperous?

Example: Aetherion

Name & Location: Aetherion, Twilight Belt (central position, day-side margins accessible)

Character: A vertical spire city built around geothermal vents. Architecture emphasizes height—towers reach into the wind currents, deep foundations tap heat. Water is precious but available; power abundant. Politics are hierarchical but fair.

Key NPCs:

• Councilor Thessan kin-Babu Rynthar (settlement administrator; afraid of losing control, makes decisions conservatively)
• Archivist Sorahn kin-Babu Daemir (preserves pre-landing data; obsessive about recovering lost knowledge, will risk settlement resources for discoveries)

Current Resource Status:

• Water: Adequate (but precarious; aquifer pumps are aging)
• Power: Full Grid (geothermal vents are reliable)
• Provisions: Well-Supplied (trade relationships stable)

Current Tension: Aquifer pumps are failing. Thessan wants to defer repairs and accept rationing. Sorahn argues the settlement should invest in new deep-drilling technology discovered in the archives. The council debates while the pumps degrade further.

Implicit Pressure: The geothermal vents have been cooling for three generations. No one admits it publicly. If the decline continues, Aetherion's advantage disappears.

Relationships:

• Harmattan's Reach (rival): Competing for the same aquifer. Relationship is tense but governed by Accord protocols.
• Khoros Deep (ally): Trade partnership for geothermal extraction technology.
• Nomadic traders: Regular visitors; Aetherion offers supplies; travelers bring news.

Distinctive Details:

• Architecture: Spire towers with wind-capture systems; deep foundations in thermal caverns
• Culture: Values precision and order; slow to trust outsiders; honor long-term relationships
• Safety: Stable and defended; storms rarely penetrate the spire system; day-side salvagers operate from here

Example: Khoros Deep

Name & Location: Khoros Deep, Night Side (geothermal settlement, 400 meters beneath surface)

Character: An underground city built around massive geothermal vents. Darkness is absolute; bioluminescent life lights the caverns. Culture is collectivist and ritual-focused. Temperature is warm but carefully managed. People are adaptable, resilient, suspicious of surface dwellers.

Key NPCs:

• Warmth Mother Seren (leader of the Geothermal Circle; wise and patient, but unwilling to change tradition)
• Kai the Resonance Singer (young, ambitious; wants to expand trade with twilight settlements; challenges Seren's conservatism)

Current Resource Status:

• Water: Abundant (geothermal aquifers provide unlimited fresh water)
• Power: Full Grid (geothermal vents power everything; energy is unlimited)
• Provisions: Adequate (food sources from cave ecosystems are limited; relies on trade)

Current Tension: Kai argues Khoros should trade more aggressively with twilight settlements, offering geothermal technology in exchange for surface goods. Seren fears this will expose the settlement's secrets and invite exploitation.

Implicit Pressure: The cave ecosystem that feeds Khoros is slowly collapsing due to human harvesting. The geothermal vents, while plentiful, heat some areas to dangerous levels. Long-term survival requires expansion or adaptation.

Relationships:

• Aetherion (trade partner): Khoros supplies geothermal extraction technology; Aetherion provides food, textiles, Earth artifacts.
• Other night-side settlements (cooperative): Share geothermal resources and knowledge; participate in Warmth Circles.
• Twilight belt settlements (wary): Surface dwellers are unpredictable; trade is necessary but limited.

Distinctive Details:

• Architecture: Carved into cavern walls; bioluminescent gardens cultivated for food and light; thermal pools for warmth and ritual
• Culture: Deeply ritualistic; Resonance singing is sacred; collectivism valued over individuality; suspicious of haste
• Safety: Well-defended by knowledge of cavern systems; geothermal hazards are the real danger; rarely visited by outsiders

Using This Template

Create a settlement in minutes:

1. Give it a name and location — Where is it? What zone?
2. Describe its character — One or two sentences capturing its feel
3. Add 1-2 NPCs — Name, role, one complication each
4. Set Resource Status — Simple tags showing current scarcity
5. Define the tension — What's happening now?
6. Name the pressure — What's the underlying issue?
7. Add relationships — How does it connect to other places?
8. Add details — A few lines about what it's like

That's a complete, playable settlement. You have enough to facilitate scenes there and improvise what happens. You don't need detailed histories, complete NPC rosters, or maps. You need enough to know what's at stake when the characters arrive.

Core Adventure Structures

Exploration and Discovery

Hook: A new geothermal site, ancient structure, or unexplored Deep Roads branch beckons.

Tension: Environmental hazards, rival expeditions, resource limitations.

Resolution: What do the characters find? How does it change their settlement or understanding of Duskara?

Example Seeds:

• A satellite transmission reveals coordinates to a structure of unknown origin in the day margins
• Seismic readings suggest a massive geothermal complex beneath the Deep Roads
• A nomad reports finding a cavern filled with bioluminescent life and strange carvings

Resource Crisis

Hook: A settlement's Water, Power, or Provision status degrades to critical levels.

Tension: Time pressure, competing settlements, environmental obstacles.

Resolution: How do the characters secure resources? What sacrifices or compromises are required?

Example Seeds:

• A superstorm damages the settlement's primary wind turbines
• Aquifer pumps fail due to sabotage or malfunction
• A supply caravan vanishes in the Deep Roads

Inter-Settlement Conflict

Hook: Two or more settlements clash over resources, territory, or ideology.

Tension: Loyalty, ethics, political maneuvering.

Resolution: Do the characters escalate or de-escalate the conflict? What alliances form or break?

Example Seeds:

• Rival settlements claim the same geothermal vent
• A settlement refuses to share a critical technological breakthrough
• A rogue faction threatens to destabilize the Accord

Psychic Mystery

Hook: Strange psychic phenomena, Awakening events, or inexplicable occurrences.

Tension: Unknown forces, psychological stakes, potential danger to bonded individuals.

Resolution: What is the source of the phenomenon? How do the characters respond?

Example Seeds:

• Multiple weather workers experience identical visions during a storm
• A character's Deep Bonding partner begins behaving erratically
• The Deep Roads emit psychic interference that disrupts resonance communication

Salvage and Archaeology

Hook: High-value salvage sites, historical artifacts, or technological breakthroughs await recovery.

Tension: Environmental danger, rival salvagers, ethical questions about the past.

Resolution: What do the characters retrieve? What does it reveal about Earth or Duskara?

Example Seeds:

• Data suggests the Stellar Horizon's navigation core survived the crash
• An Archivist hires the characters to recover a data crystal from a collapsed archive
• Strange structures in the night-side caverns may contain technology of unknown origin

Building Sessions

Every adventure needs clear structure:

Start with a Hook: Present a problem, opportunity, or mystery that engages player characters based on their Tags

Establish Stakes: What happens if the characters fail or don't act? Why should they care?

Introduce Complications: Layer on environmental hazards, rival interests, moral dilemmas, or resource pressure to create tension

Allow Player Agency: Characters should have multiple valid approaches to problems, not a single "correct" solution

Resolve with Consequences: Outcomes should change the world. Success improves settlement status or advances a character's Goal. Failure creates new obstacles or reveals dangers.

This structured approach works well for designed scenes. Alternatively, you can facilitate more organically—see "Running Without Prep" in the Facilitating section for a completely improvisational style where the world responds to player choices without predetermined session structures. Both approaches honor the core principle: player choices drive the story.

Campaign Frameworks

What shape should your campaign take? These frameworks provide starting points, but they're guidelines, not scripts. Player choices will reshape them into something uniquely your campaign's.

1. The Twilight Frontier

Focus: Settlement building and regional expansion

Characters are settlers establishing a new outpost in contested territory or expanding an existing settlement's influence. The campaign revolves around survival, resource acquisition, and navigating relationships with neighboring settlements.

Typical Sessions:

• Establishing the outpost's infrastructure and defenses
• Securing resource supplies and trade relationships
• Negotiating or competing with neighboring settlements
• Responding to environmental crises (storms, equipment failures)
• Integrating with (or resisting) the broader Accord

Key Mechanics:

• Settlement Resource Status becomes central (water, power, provisions)
• Character Goals often tie to the settlement's success
• Relationships with neighboring settlements matter greatly

Typical Themes: Community building, resource management, environmental adaptation, collective responsibility

2. Echoes of Earth

Focus: Historical mystery and discovery

Characters are Archivists, scholars, or explorers piecing together the lost history of the Stellar Horizon and Earth's final days. The campaign is driven by curiosity, revelation, and the tension between preserving knowledge and using it wisely.

Typical Sessions:

• Investigating satellite transmissions or pre-landing records
• Mounting expeditions to recover data crystals or archives
• Decoding encrypted Earth-era technology
• Discovering implications of what was lost (and why)
• Navigating ethical questions about dangerous knowledge

Key Mechanics:

• Salvage Discoveries often advance the mystery
• Relationships with Archivists and institutions become crucial
• Character Nemeses might involve those wanting to suppress knowledge

Typical Themes: Mystery, legacy, identity, the tension between past and present, burden of knowledge

3. Storm Riders

Focus: Travel, diplomacy, and inter-settlement conflict

Characters are Wind Riders or wanderers traveling between settlements to mediate conflicts, deliver messages, trade, or respond to emergencies. Each location presents new challenges and opportunities.

Typical Sessions:

• Traveling between settlements (using Deep Roads or surface routes)
• Negotiating disputes between rival settlements
• Delivering urgent messages during crises
• Responding to emergencies in unfamiliar settlements
• Uncovering larger patterns in regional conflicts

Key Mechanics:

• Multiple settlements become familiar locations with recurring NPCs
• Character Relationships expand across the region
• Travel rolls (Progress Clocks) create tension and discovery

Typical Themes: Travel, diplomacy, heroism, interconnectedness, the broader political landscape

4. Deep Roads Delvers

Focus: Exploration and subterranean discovery

Characters are professional explorers, archaeologists, or salvagers mapping and exploiting the Deep Roads. The campaign emphasizes mystery, danger, and the unknown.

Typical Sessions:

• Mounting expeditions into uncharted Deep Roads sections
• Discovering ancient structures or geothermal sites
• Surviving environmental hazards (cold, darkness, instability)
• Encountering native life or psychic phenomena
• Surfacing to manage discoveries and plan next expeditions

Key Mechanics:

• Progress Clocks and environmental hazards become central
• Salvage Discoveries often reveal deeper mysteries
• Psychic phenomena might escalate over the campaign

Typical Themes: Exploration, danger, discovery, the planet's hidden secrets, unknown forces

Adventure Hooks (Organized by Type)

Twilight Belt Hooks

• A settlement's water system fails; characters must repair or find alternatives
• A rival settlement claims a shared geothermal vent
• Nomadic traders bring news of undiscovered structures
• Political factions within a settlement clash; characters are caught in the middle
• A weather worker goes mad from psychic burnout
• Someone discovers evidence of pre-human intelligence

Deep Roads Hooks

• A caravan vanishes; characters search for survivors
• Seismic activity suggests a massive new cavern system
• Bioluminescent life begins behaving erratically
• Psychic interference blocks communication with the surface
• An ancient structure is discovered with technology beyond current understanding
• A Deep Bonded creature's partner calls for help from the caves

Day-Side Hooks

• A salvage site location is transmitted from a long-silent satellite
• Extreme heat damage threatens a marginal settlement
• Thermal suit technology fails; rescue mission required
• A rival salvager claims the same site
• Ancient structures suggest the day side wasn't always uninhabitable
• A drone discovers evidence of previous human settlement attempts

Night-Side Hooks

• Geothermal vents shift, threatening a settlement's power supply
• Cave ecosystems show signs of collapse
• A Deepkin settlement requests surface-dweller assistance
• Thermal anomalies create new hazards or opportunities
• Cultural exchange opportunities (or conflicts) with night-side communities
• Rumors of technology beneath the deepest known settlements

Political/Social Hooks

• The Duskaran Accord convenes; settlement delegates needed
• Two character Nemeses meet; characters must navigate the encounter
• A character's Relationship is threatened (mentor in danger, bonded partner injured, etc.)
• Settlement leadership changes; new politics affect character dynamics
• A faction tries to recruit characters for secret agenda
• Competing factions within a settlement escalate toward violence

Adventure Tables

Use these tables to generate quick adventure seeds, complications, or random elements during play. Roll 1d6 twice to generate a d66 result (first die = tens place, second die = ones place).

Expedition Complications (D66)

D66	Complication
11	Critical equipment failure in hostile environment
12	Rival group claims the same destination
13	Sudden weather shift traps the group
14	Key team member suffers psychic overload
15	Discovered route is blocked; detour required
16	Ancient defense system activates
21	Guide or local contact betrays the group
22	Supplies contaminated or lost
23	Communication blackout with home settlement
24	Unexpected wildlife encounter
25	Structural collapse blocks the return path
26	Psychic interference disrupts abilities
31	Time pressure intensifies (storm, deadline, pursuit)
32	Moral dilemma: save mission or save someone in need
33	Equipment attracts unwanted attention
34	Discovery reveals uncomfortable truths about the past
35	Team member's Nemesis appears
36	Resource status degrades unexpectedly
41	Local phenomenon defies explanation
42	Faction within group disagrees on priorities
43	Uncharted hazard (sinkhole, gas pocket, thermal surge)
44	Valuable discovery, but extraction is dangerous
45	Someone or something follows the group
46	Critical information was incorrect or incomplete
51	Native life forms are more intelligent than expected
52	Team member's Frailty becomes critical liability
53	Return journey becomes more dangerous than arrival
54	Someone needs rescue, delaying primary mission
55	Environmental conditions exceed planned tolerances
56	Hidden agenda within the group is revealed
61	Destination has already been looted or claimed
62	Team member forms unexpected Deep Bond
63	Evidence suggests they're not the first to die here
64	Success requires violating the Accord or personal ethics
65	Discovery is more dangerous than anticipated
66	Settlement emergency calls team home immediately

Settlement Events (D66)

D66	Event
11	Festival celebrating successful storm season survival
12	Water system malfunction; rationing begins
13	Refugee caravan arrives seeking shelter
14	Rival settlement sends delegation with demands
15	Geothermal vent beneath settlement becomes unstable
16	Archivists announce breakthrough in decoding Earth data
21	Wind turbines damaged in unexpected storm
22	Food supplies run low; vertical farms failing
23	Outbreak of environmental illness
24	Children begin manifesting new psychic abilities
25	Political faction challenges current leadership
26	Trade caravan overdue and feared lost
31	Ancient structure discovered beneath settlement
32	Nomad brings warning of approaching mega-storm
33	Key weather worker dies or leaves; succession crisis
34	Criminal element threatens settlement stability
35	Psychic resonance anomaly affects everyone
36	Resource cache discovered in Deep Roads beneath settlement
41	Fire breaks out in critical infrastructure
42	Accord assembly convenes; delegates needed
43	Mysterious disappearances in lower levels
44	Technological breakthrough offers new opportunities
45	Settlement animal (storm-beast, wind-runner) escapes
46	Neighboring settlement requests emergency assistance
51	Storm season arrives early and intense
52	Young people agitate for greater exploration rights
53	Religious or philosophical schism divides community
54	Evidence of sabotage discovered
55	Satellite begins transmitting after decades of silence
56	Settlement votes on controversial policy
61	Psychic prodigy emerges but struggles to control abilities
62	Construction project uncovers unexpected hazard
63	Inter-settlement marriage proposal (political alliance)
64	Cultural celebration draws visitors from other settlements
65	Equipment or supplies stolen
66	Settlement elder shares previously secret information

Salvage Discoveries (D66)

D66	Discovery
11	Intact data crystal with fragmentary Earth records
12	Advanced thermal suit prototype
13	Medical supplies (rare pharmaceuticals)
14	Functional power cell with years of charge remaining
15	Navigation equipment from Stellar Horizon
16	Personal logs of crew member
21	Seeds from Earth (possibly still viable)
22	Encrypted communication device
23	Rare metal alloys for repairs or trade
24	Cultural artifacts (music, art, literature)
25	Scientific instruments for environmental analysis
26	Component needed for settlement's critical systems
31	Weapons (controversial, potentially destabilizing)
32	Schematics for advanced wind turbine design
33	Religious or philosophical texts from Earth
34	Genetic samples (plants, animals, or microorganisms)
35	Star charts and astrophysical data
36	Children's toys or games from Earth
41	Functional AI core (dormant or damaged)
42	Geothermal extraction technology
43	Communication array for long-range transmission
44	Maps of Duskara made by early settlers
45	Cryogenic system components
46	Historical records contradicting accepted history
51	Prototype psychic amplification device
52	Advanced fabrication tools
53	Water reclamation system blueprint
54	Hazardous materials requiring containment
55	Evidence suggesting mysterious structures exist on Duskara
56	Rare spices or preserved foods from Earth
61	Functional vehicle or transport system component
62	Educational materials (teaching programs, textbooks)
63	Construction materials rated for extreme conditions
64	Personal effects revealing previously unknown crew member
65	Evidence suggesting Stellar Horizon wasn't the first ship
66	Technology of unknown origin (not human)

Deep Roads Encounters (D66)

D66	Encounter
11	Bioluminescent fungal forest
12	Abandoned early settlement outpost
13	Underground river (navigable or dangerous)
14	Ancient carvings in unknown language
15	Geothermal vent with native life forms
16	Unstable rock formation about to collapse
21	Echo chamber with disorienting acoustics
22	Frozen waterfall from night-side connection
23	Lost expedition survivors (alive or remains)
24	Native creatures exhibiting surprising intelligence
25	Mineral vein of exceptional value
26	Psychic resonance hotspot (amplifies abilities)
31	Branching paths; choice determines destination
32	Evidence of recent passage by unknown party
33	Cache of supplies left by previous explorers
34	Vertical shaft (up or down, requiring climbing)
35	Strange technology embedded in cave wall
36	Natural bridge over bottomless chasm
41	Toxic gas pocket requiring detour
42	Underground settlement (abandoned or inhabited)
43	Crystal formation with unusual properties
44	Collapsed tunnel; excavation required
45	Thermal anomaly defying known patterns
46	Native life engaged in unfamiliar behavior
51	Sound echoes that seem to answer questions
52	Frozen remains of unknown creature
53	Map carved into stone (accurate or misleading?)
54	Geothermal geyser erupting periodically
55	Evidence of Deep Roads shifting or changing
56	Psychic interference zone (abilities suppressed)
61	Underground garden cultivated by unknown party
62	Shrine or memorial to lost explorers
63	Natural amphitheater with perfect acoustics
64	Shortcut discovered (reduces travel time)
65	Unknown artifact (useful, dangerous, or mysterious)
66	Portal or doorway of clearly artificial origin

Psychic Phenomena (D66)

D66	Phenomenon
11	Shared vision experienced by multiple psychics
12	Weather patterns respond to collective emotions
13	Thermal signatures form recognizable patterns
14	Deep Bond partner senses danger before it manifests
15	Resonance communication carries across impossible distance
16	Psychic ability spontaneously manifests in someone new
21	Weather Working attempt causes unintended effects
22	Thermal Sense reveals something hidden in plain sight
23	Multiple psychics experience psychic feedback simultaneously
24	Native life forms react to psychic presence
25	Ancient structure responds to psychic contact
26	Psychic abilities amplified by environmental conditions
31	Unexplained resonance signal broadcasts continuously
32	Weather worker predicts storm that never arrives (or vice versa)
33	Deep Bond forms spontaneously and unexpectedly
34	Psychic exhaustion spreads like contagion
35	Thermal patterns reveal encrypted message
36	Resonance communication intercepted by unknown party
41	Psychic abilities temporarily suppressed in specific location
42	Character receives vision of past events in current location
43	Group psychic working achieves unprecedented result
44	Psychic abilities allow perception of non-visible phenomena
45	Deep Roads echo with voices that aren't physically present
46	Weather patterns form symbols visible from high altitude
51	Psychic overload causes hallucinations or false perceptions
52	Native creature exhibits psychic abilities
53	Resonance creates feedback loop, amplifying sounds
54	Thermal Sense detects impossibly cold or hot anomaly
55	Character experiences another person's memories
56	Psychic abilities reveal truth about deception
61	Storm seems to respond intelligently to weather working
62	Deep Bond partner experiences sympathetic injury
63	Psychic connection forms between previously unconnected people
64	Ancient technology activates in response to psychic presence
65	Character perceives fragment of Earth's past
66	Psychic phenomenon suggests Duskara itself is aware