RPG Adventure: The Veil of Tarsys

System-Agnostic RPG Setup

Premise

Factions

• Interested Faction: House Voryn
  Led by Lady Seris Voryn, a cunning noble with Concord connections, House Voryn seeks data on the Tarsys civilization to bolster their political power. They demand results within 48 weeks and provide the Starlance and advanced gear.
• Complicating Faction: Lord Cassian Drayce
  A rogue ex-intelligence operative and the expedition’s patron, Drayce secretly hunts the Aether Core. If explicit threats affect his goals, he will have a saboteur among the crew sabotage the mission.

Objective: Civilization Investigation

Complication: Moral Dilemma (Short-Term vs. Long-Term)

Reward: Equipment

Consequence: Loss of Reputation/Prestige

Core Motivation: Escape a Trap

Adventure Structure (6-8 Sessions)

Session 1: Departure (Weeks 1-4)

• Setup: The crew assembles aboard the Starlance, briefed by Lady Voryn via hologram. She demands a full report on the Tarsyne within 48 weeks. Drayce, present in person, charms the crew but drops cryptic hints about “opportunities” in the Veil.
• Challenge: En route, the ship encounters asteroid storms and a pirate ambush. Someone in the crew (maybe the captain) intercepts a coded message suggesting a saboteur.
• Player Actions: Navigate hazards (piloting checks), fend off pirates (combat), and investigate the message (hacking or social deduction). Players can bond, establishing crew dynamics.
• Clue: The message hints at Drayce’s past with the crew’s prior mission. One PC might recall a detail (e.g., a data cache they recovered).
• GM Note: Seed suspicion without revealing the saboteur. Use skill checks to identify odd behavior (e.g., a crewmate tampering with comms).

Session 2-3: First Contact (Weeks 5-12)

• Setup: The Starlance enters the Tarsys Veil, detecting a Dyson Swarm around a blue giant. The Tarsyne, a diverse civilization of humanoids and AI collectives, contact the crew. Their government, a meritocratic council, is split between welcoming and isolationist factions.
• Challenge: Gain the Tarsyne’s trust to access their archives and tech. Drayce pushes the crew to search for the Aether Core, hinting it hides in a restricted zone.
• Player Actions: Conduct diplomacy (social rolls), analyze Tarsyne tech (science/engineering), or infiltrate restricted areas (stealth/hacking). Players assess the Tarsyne’s Type II status, noting their energy mastery but political instability.
• Clue: The Tarsyne mention a failing reactor, hinting at their fragility. Elara finds a sabotage attempt on the Starlance’s engines, tied to Drayce’s agent.
• GM Note: Present the Tarsyne as vibrant but flawed, with cultural festivals contrasting internal strife. Let players choose how to approach factions.

Session 4-5: The Dilemma (Weeks 13-24)

• Setup: The Tarsyne reveals the stellar reactor instability threatens their Dyson Swarm, risking millions of lives. They offer tech to fix it, but it requires diverting the Starlance’s resources, delaying the mission by 10-12 weeks. Drayce opposes this, threatening to withdraw funding.
• Challenge: Decide whether to help the Tarsyne or prioritize House Voryn’s deadline. A saboteur’s actions escalate (e.g., cutting power during repairs).
• Player Actions: Repair the reactor (engineering checks), negotiate with Tarsyne leaders (diplomacy), or confront the saboteur (combat/investigation). Players can debate the moral dilemma, with some favoring the Tarsyne and others House Voryn.
• Clue: Elara uncovers Drayce’s plan to seize the Aether Core, a weapon that could destabilize stars. The saboteur’s identity narrows to 2-3 NPCs (or a PC, if using a hidden traitor).
• GM Note: Make the dilemma visceral—describe the Tarsyne’s desperation and the reactor’s ominous hum. Use time-tracking mechanics to emphasize the deadline.

Session 6-7: Conspiracy Unraveled (Weeks 25-36)

• Setup: The crew’s choice (help Tarsyne or not) shapes the mission’s trajectory. Helping the Tarsyne delays data collection, but ignoring the Tarsyne risks their collapse. The saboteur attempts to kill Elara or destroy the Starlance.
• Challenge: Neutralize the saboteur and uncover Drayce’s full plan. The Aether Core is in a Tarsyne vault, guarded by automated defenses.
• Player Actions: Confront the saboteur (combat/social), infiltrate the vault (stealth/hacking), or ally with Tarsyne factions to secure the Core (diplomacy). Players must decide whether to claim the Core, destroy it, or deliver it to House Voryn.
• Clue: Drayce’s transmissions reveal his plans to sell the Core to a rival house, threatening galactic stability. The crew’s past mission data is key to exposing him.
• GM Note: Heighten tension with a chase or betrayal scene. If the Tarsyne were helped, they may assist; if not, they become hostile.

Session 8: Climax and Resolution (Weeks 37-48)

• Setup: The crew must escape the Veil with their findings, pursued by Drayce’s mercenaries or Tarsyne enforcers (depending on choices). House Voryn demands the data, unaware of Drayce’s betrayal.
• Challenge: Survive a high-stakes escape, deliver the data, and decide the Aether Core’s fate. Exposing Drayce risks reputation if House Voryn values his patronage.
• Player Actions: Pilot the Starlance through nebula hazards (piloting), fight off attackers (combat), or broadcast Drayce’s plot to the Concord (hacking/diplomacy).
• Outcomes:
  • Success: Deliver the data on time, earning House Voryn’s tech and prestige. Exposing Drayce may clear the crew’s name but anger Voryn.
  • Partial Success: Late delivery or incomplete data costs reputation but may secure Tarsyne tech.
  • Failure: Losing the data or Core to Drayce kills the crew’s standing, with Drayce framing them as traitors.
• GM Note: End with a dramatic space battle or diplomatic showdown. Let player choices shape the epilogue (e.g., Tarsyne survival, crew’s galactic status).

Key NPCs

• Captain Elara Kade (NPC or PC): A sharp, paranoid leader driven to protect the crew. If an NPC, she’s a quest-giver; if a PC, she’s the group’s anchor.
• Lady Seris Voryn: Cold and ambitious, she monitors the crew via comms, rewarding success but quick to disavow failure.
• Lord Cassian Drayce: Charismatic but sinister, he communicates remotely, his tone shifting from ally to threat.
• Zaraeth: Tarsyne envoy, desperate but proud, balancing trust in the crew with her people’s survival.
• Saboteur (Variable): An NPC crewmate (e.g., the engineer or comms officer) or a hidden PC trait, revealed mid-adventure.

Tarsyne Civilization Profile

• Kardashev Scale: Type II, harnessing their star’s energy via a Dyson Swarm.
• Diversity: Humanoids, AI collectives, and bioengineered hybrids; cultures range from ascetic scholars to vibrant artisans.
• Government: Meritocratic council, fractured by factionalism (progressives vs. isolationists).
• Stability: Moderate but declining due to reactor issues and political strife.
• Sustainability: High, with advanced recycling and energy systems, but reliant on the Swarm.
• Fragility: Critical—reactor failure could trigger stellar flares, collapsing the civilization.

Gameplay Mechanics

• Exploration: Use navigation and scanning rolls to map the Veil and analyze Tarsyne tech. Award XP or gear for discoveries (e.g., ancient ruins, Tarsyne databases).
• Diplomacy: Social checks to ally with Tarsyne factions. Success grants access to restricted zones; failure risks hostility.
• Combat: Space skirmishes with pirates or mercenaries, plus ground encounters with Tarsyne drones or Drayce’s agents.
• Intrigue: Investigation rolls to identify the saboteur (e.g., analyzing logs, observing behavior). Consider a “trust” mechanic where players track suspicion.
• Moral Dilemma: Structure the reactor choice as a group vote with mechanical consequences (e.g., resource depletion for helping, morale penalties for refusing).
• Time Management: Track the 48-week deadline with milestones (e.g., 12 weeks per phase). Delays impose penalties like reduced rewards or increased enemy activity.

Tone and Themes

Player Hooks

• Pilot: Navigate the Veil’s hazards and lead the escape in the climax.
• Engineer: Repair the reactor or counter sabotage attempts.
• Diplomat: Broker trust with the Tarsyne or expose Drayce’s plot.
• Hacker: Decrypt Drayce’s messages or access Tarsyne vaults.
• Soldier: Defend the crew against mercenaries or Tarsyne guards.

GM Tips

• Pacing: Break the 48 weeks into 4-6 milestones, with each session covering 6-12 weeks. Use downtime for roleplay and character development.
• Saboteur: Decide early if the saboteur is an NPC or a PC (with player consent). Drop subtle clues (e.g., tampered equipment, odd comms logs).
• Dilemma: Present the Tarsyne’s plight vividly—NPCs pleading, visuals of failing reactors. Let players debate openly but track consequences.
• Customization: Tailor Tarsyne tech rewards to player builds. Adjust Drayce’s threat level based on group power (e.g., more mercenaries for combat-heavy crews).