Sanctum: A Heart Sourcebook

28 Pages·2020·5.657 MB·English

by  Grant Howitt, Chris Taylor

SANCTUM
GRANT HOWITT & CHRISTOPHER TAYLOR
ILLUSTRATED BY FELIX MIALL
S•anctum
WrittenbyGrantHowittandChristopherTaylor
IllustratedbyFelixMiall
Editedby HelenGouldandMaryHamilton
LayoutanddesignbyMinervaMcJanda
ProducedbyMaryHamilton
Copyright©2020byGrantHowittandChristopherTaylor.
PublishedbyRowan,RookandDecardLtd.
FirstEdition(2020)
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybe
reproduced,distributed,ortransmittedinanyformorby
anymeans,includingphotocopying,recording,orother
electronicormechanicalmethods,withouttheprior
writtenpermissionofthepublisher,exceptinthecaseof
briefquotationsembodiedincriticalreviewsandcertain
othernoncommercialusespermittedbycopyrightlaw.
Forpermissionrequests,writetothepublisheratthe
addressbelow.
Rowan,RookandDecard
15TufnellCourt,OldFordRoad
E35JJ,UnitedKingdom
www.rowanrookanddecard.com
Contentwarnings:Heartisahorrorgame,andassuch,
therearesomeunpleasantthingsinthetext.These
includebutarenotlimitedto:violence,druguse,
addiction,ghosts,unwantedbodilytransformation,and
monstersthatusedtobepeople.Wecanassureyouthat
thereisnorapeorsexualassaultinthisgame.
2
INTROduction 2
GROUP HAVEN CREATION 3
RUNNING A HAVEN-BASED GAME 14
HAVENFALLOUT 15
HAVENBEATS 17
ANGELS 19
BLOSSOMANGEL 20
CACOPHONYANGEL 21
LOGOSANGEL 22
PENUMBRAANGEL 23
GRIS HANNEMAN’S PERSONAL EFFECTS 24
1
II
nn
tt
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oo
dd
uu
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tt An abandoned underground station,rebuilt and DrivesAVermissianCarriageandTheBloodthirstyAuto‐
ii
oo reinforcedwithramshackledefencestokeepthe mata of Magwan Porth. When sales of his novellas
nn
wildcreaturesoftheHeartatbay.Acollectionof driedupandhiscreditorscameknocking,hefled
skiffs and barges lashed together that scuds totheCityBeneathinsearchofa)inspirationand
across the oily surface of a subterranean lake. A b) somewhere to hide from the organised crime
twistedlighthouseperchedontheedgeofacliff, syndicatesthathadcalledinhisdebts.
surrounded by pallid, cawing birds and crewed HeheardofangelswhilehewasintheHeart,
bytwodesperatefamilies. andsomethingaboutthemsparkedhisimagina‐
The core game of Heart assumes that the tion; he would trek for days on end,often unac‐
delvers are going to do just that: delve. Heart is companied,tryingtoglimpseone.Halfadecade
primarily a game about pressing on into the after his first expedition, he returned to Spire a
unknown in the City Beneath in search of changed man, clutching reams and reams of
answers–butitdoesn’thavetobe. notesontheseuncannycreatures.
InSanctum,we’regoingtofocusonadifferent He proclaimed to have created a taxonomy of
styleofplay:acampaignsetaroundasinglecent‐ angels, to have drunk their stuttering unreal
ral landmark that the players create with help blood and gleaned insight on the worlds beyond
from the GM. We’re going to guide you through light and shadow from something he called The
the process of building a haven and structuring Convocation. He brokered a deal with his old
the world around it. Then – and this is the most publisher,whoinsistedthathesexupthenotesa
excitingpart–youcansmashittopieces(ortryto) bit, and released the largely unremarked-upon
with one of four different kinds of angel, the andcriticallyignoredBeyondtheEdgeofMadness:A
nightmarishandunrealagentsoftheHeartItself. YearintheCityBeneath.Thebookdidn’tsellandhis
creditorstrackedhimdown;hisbodywasfound
Havens floatinginthecanalthemorningafterhisbarely-
Whenwesay“haven”,wemean“landmarkwith attendedreleasepartyintheSilverQuarter.
the Haven domain”, which means that it’s a Theveryactoflookinguponanangelcandrive
stable location within the Heart where people a man mad. Given the unstable reality of the
have banded together for the sake of com‐ Heart,it’snotclearwhetherHannemannactually
munityratherthanasinglepurpose. discoveredseveralentirelynewtypesofangel,or
There are plenty of places where people live whether he just experienced multiple three-day
that don’t qualify as havens: research stations, benders with whatever drugs he could scrape
guardposts,culthideouts,treacheroustemples, togetherinthewilderness.Unfortunatelyforthe
hermitagesandsoforth. denizens of the Heart that survived him, it
doesn’tmatter.
TheHeartdoesmakemonsterstohisspecifica‐
THE UNFORTUNATE TALE OF
tions: better ones, single-purpose creatures,
machinesofboneandinterstitialfluid.Noonecan
GRIS HANNEMANN
remember seeing them before, but accurate
GrisHannemann,ahumanwriter,wasfamousfor memoriesareascarceresourceintheCityBeneath
hisworkonpulpperiodicals.Hepurportedtobean –maybehewasjustthefirsttowriteitalldown.
explorerofsomenote,anddetailedhisexploitsin Hannemann’s notes on havens and the more
sensationalised reports such as The Lustful She- prominent types of angel are spread throughout
GnollsofNujab,TheSilverSongoftheIceNymphs,Death thisbook.
22
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DOMAINS
If you want your players to feel connected to a vv
ee
haven, your best bet is to have them create it nn
themselves.Gettogetheraroundatable(oravir‐ CC
rr
tual table, if you’re playing online) at the begin‐ ee
aa
ning of your campaign and lead them through The first consideration when building a haven is
tt
thecreationprocess.We’veboileditdownintoa what domains you’ll attach to it. It will have the ioio
nn
series of questions to make it as simple as pos‐ Haven domain as a matter of necessity (other‐
sible, but don’t feel limited by them. You can go wiseitisn’treallyahaventobeginwith),butcon‐
intoasmuchdepthasyoulike;justmakesureto sider what other domains will influence the
leavesomemysteriestoexplorethroughplay. havenandpickoneortwotogiveitsomeflavour.
It’s important to remember that what you Below are some examples of how each domain
come up with isn’t set in stone. You can go back mightinfluenceahaven.
and change it as the idea evolves; for example,
maybe you realise that the haven needs the CURSED: The pub basement has a huge and
Warrendomain,orthatit’sonTier3ratherthan hungry mouth growing out of the wall, and
Tier2.Feel free to swap things about to make it local kids sneak in and dare one another to
fityourvision. stick their hands in it; the Hounds here have
made a moat of something which looks (and
smells) like stomach acid, with cilia writhing
under its surface; there’s a large heartsblood
HALLOW
enclave within the settlement, and travelling
cleaversoftenvisittopaytheirrespects.
All shut doors and shuttered windows,
cackles from shadowed alleys, and eyes -
always watching, always judging. The DESOLATE: A forgotten civilisation used this
disease-riddled witches who run this place
platform to extract something vital from the
seem to think that they have a monopoly on
the Convocation, and refuse to answer my earth, and now trackless blasted wastes sur‐
questions.
roundit;thesettlementispinnedtothewalls
Indeed, they refuse to speak candidly
to the uninfected at all, and with bluster of a chasm and the people shelter in caves,
and bluff they have cobbled together a trying to ignore the rumblings in the dark
cult of fear and worship around
below;thisplaceusedtobeatemple,butgen‐
themselves. The blood-sickness they share
grants them a measure of prophetic power, erationsofpilgrimshungryforsouvenirshave
and it seems there is no shortage of soft-
scrapedalltheiconographyfromthewalls.
minded cultists ready to throw their lot
in with the Witches of Hallow.
Following a disastrous confrontation, I OCCULT: The haven is a school, of sorts – stu‐
left soon after I arrived. I believe that,
dents come here if they want to learn real
as dismissive as they were, they are now
tracking me; no doubt they are interested magic, and some even survive the process; at
in learning more about my methods and
thecentreofthesettlementisashiftingbrass
research. It is my understanding that they
have the trick of befriending the andironplinthofenormouscomplexitywhich
predatory buildings that exist here. I am attracts meditative occultists; the haven is an
sure that the boarded-up dressmaker’s shop
ongoing,centuries-longmagicritual,andfew
I have seen repeatedly in four other
locations is part of their schemes. I am oftheinhabitantsaresureofitspurpose.
no fool: I will not attempt to gain
access. But I shall torch the place to the
ground if they dare interfere with my
endeavour.
33
G
RELIGION:ExiledfromtheTempleoftheMoon standing up to your full height is bad luck
r
o Beneath,thissplintergroup(TheDominionof roundtheseparts,sothebent-backedinhabit‐
u
p the Sunken Sun) offers succour to travellers antsbuildtheirceilingslowforgoodfortune;
H
along with reams of promotional material; this place is a working mine where teams of
a
v theysayanangelofCharnel,blood-cakedand excavators chip away at rocks to extract
e
n glorious, bathes in the waters here and heals winged,humanoidfossils.
C the sick; a maddening place where loud bells
r
e are rung multiple times a day (and without WILD:Thehousesarebuiltonstiltstokeepthem
a
discernible warning) to celebrate the majesty outofstinkingwaterthatfizzeswithlumines‐
t
io ofagodtheycanonlynamethroughmusic. centinsects;everyonehasatleastonehearts‐
n
blood pet and fewer than the recommended
TECHNOLOGY: The haven walks unsteadily on number of fingers; huge and flightless mega‐
many creaking legs to wherever the council of corvids croak and lunge around the place in
Engineers (a gnoll, two humans and a ghost) search of food or a sleeping spot, and the
decidesitneedstobe;theVermissianCollective inhabitantsviewthemassacredcreatures.
built a thinking-engine here out of carefully-
harvested consciousnesses, and feed it ques‐
tions like an oracle; the valves and switches at
the centre of this haven allow control of the
environment and shape of the settlement,but
three rival sects with different editions of the
usermanualarevyingforcontrol.
WARREN: Tradition dictates that the church
shouldbedemolishedeverytwentyyears
and a new one built on its ruins,
andnowthesub-basements
extendoverahundred
feet under the
earth;
4
TIER G
r
Tier3 o
u
Get as weird as you like.You don’t have to worry p
H
about making sense any more. Seas, woodland,
a
TiersarearoughguidetohowclosetotheHeart alien skies, enormous pulsating organs, frozen v
e
Itself (and therefore how weird) your haven is. caverns,cursed burial chambers of otherworldly n
The deeper you are, the more creative you can sorcerer-kings, ghosts of entire settlements C
r
become–buttheharderyouwillhavetoworkto hauntingothersettlements;ifyoucanmakeitfit e
a
retain a sense of humanity. For example, if your theoverallthemeofHeart,goforit.
t
inhabitants are all songs trapped in jars, you Havensatthisdeptharemuchrarer.It’shard io
n
mightstruggletogettheplayerstoconnectwith tomaintainanykindofstability,anddoublysoif
themonapersonallevel. you’re trying to support a community. Any per‐
manent landmark you find will have a trick of
Tier1 keeping itself intact, whether that’s a unique
Located on the outskirts of Derelictus, these method of living, bargains with otherworldly
havens still follow most rules of space and time. entities, advanced (if not entirely understood)
Therearen’tanyweirdportalstootherworlds,the technology or changing their bodies to suit the
wallsaremainlymadeoutofwallratherthanmeat environment.
orintelligentcrystalandthepeoplebasicallylook
like people. Generally these places don’t rely on Tier4
magic or weird technology to stay intact, so they The Heart Itself. There are no havens here...or
looklikereal-worldundergroundstructures. maybe it’s one big haven! That’s up to you. (The
Tier1landmarksaresaferthandeeperplaces, latterisunlikely,though.)
buttheyusuallyendupcontrolledbyoneormore
existing power structures (e.g. the Vermissian Rogue
Collective,theHoundsortheChurchoftheMoon Ifyouwanttohaveamobilehaventhatcanmove
Beneath).Thiscanupsettheinhabitantsifthey’d betweentiers,givingittheRoguetagletsyouput
rathergotheirownway. it wherever you want whenever it’s narratively
appropriate.Makesurethatmovingitisdifficult,
Tier2 though. Give it some unusual requirements to
These landmarks have something definitely getitstarted,makeitneedprotectionasitshifts
weird about them. Maybe gravity doesn’t work between tiers or have elders in charge who need
right,orthestreetskeeprearrangingthemselves tobepersuadedtomoveitatall.
when no-one’s looking or ghosts walk alongside
the living. The inhabitants are similarly weird, Fracture
havingdeliberatelyoraccidentallyseveredthem‐ Fractures are extra-dimensional snickets that
selvesfromnormalsociety. existparalleltothestandardplaneofreality.They
Tier 2 is significantly more dangerous than can be accessed from multiple locations, via
Tier 1, so most havens at this level are carefully ritual or through multiple specially-prepared
guarded.Walls,gatesanddefencesarecommon‐ portals. Fractures allow you to get creative with
place,andHoundswilltakeanactiveroleinpro‐ the makeup of the haven, but they’re hard to
tecting the populace rather than trying to keep reach without trouble. Plus, their inherently
society on an even keel as they do on Tier 1. The strangenaturemeansthattheyoftenlacksome‐
folkwholiveherearesuitablysuspiciousofout‐ thing concrete for player characters to connect
siders, but if you can prove (or fake) your trust‐ with,sobecarefulwhenbuildingthem.
worthiness, most will be keen to sell you a hot
mealandtradestories.
5
G SOMETHING UNIQUE
default,butmaybeyourhavenisbuiltontheback
r
o of a giant beetle that ambles between tiers on its
u
p owninscrutableschedule.
H
a
v Something marks your haven out as unusual: a Examples:
e
n ruleitbreaks(whetherscientificorsocietal),agod The haven is grown from the flesh and blood of a single
C theyworship,aspecialresource,someotherdefin‐ creature(whichpossiblyusedtobehuman)inabasement.
r
e ingmark.You’llnoticethatinthehavensdetailed Thecreatureispleasantenoughtotalkto,butithasitsown
a
in the core book,each of them has one (or more) agendaseparatefromthepeoplewhoruntheplace.
t
io twistsorchangesthatmarkitoutfromtheothers
n
–somethingbig,usuallyvisiblefromtheoutside, Thehavenonlyexistsinourworldduringperformances
ratherthanjusthavingdifferentpeopleinit. of an aelfir song. Not everyone knows this and it
Be bold. Heart gives you a lot of room to sometimes appears by accident, blending into
experiment and make something interesting; Derelictus cabaret bars or juddering into view at a
eventheplacewhereyougotorestyourheadand drunkencampfiresing-song.
knock back some malak should have something
remarkableaboutit. Thehavenisalibraryandagraveyardatthesametime:
Also:don’tbeafraidtochangetheworldaround people are buried here and slowly become books
the haven itself. The Heart that your players will detailingtheirlives.
adventurethroughisyoursandyoursalone,andit
can (and should) be different from the one in the The haven is obsessed with rebuilding an original
core rulebook. For instance, we imply that there Vermissiancarriageandstartingitupagain.
aremultiplestructuresdevotedtotheDeepApiar‐
ists in the City Beneath,but maybe in your game The haven worships the enormous toad-god Plür, and
they’reonlyallowedtooperateinyourhaven.We feedsitemswithmagicalresonancetohisstatueinthe
don’t have any megafauna or walking villages by townsquareinexchangefordivineprotection.
GRIP STATION
Twiceayear,thehavenfeedone“lucky”inhabitantto
The sages of the Vermissian are a strange the colossal carrion-pig buried underneath the town
lot; they are obsessed with what might be, square.Inexchange,thepigletsthemslitopenitsbelly
rather than what is. They devote their
andpulloutarmfulsofuncannygutswhichtheyuseto
existence to a single-minded pursuit of
the possible, wandering this unreal predict the future (as long as they put them back and
network in search of - well, not answers,
suturethewoundafterwards).
but certainly questions.
Being around them for any length of
time is exhausting. For a while, they Centuries of reliquary catacombs built on top of one
believed me a simpleton and were happy
another have collapsed, leaving the haven full of the
enough to ignore me (and overcharge me for
uncomfortable but broadly quiet lodgings). jumbledbonesofsaints;onoccasion,theyanimateinto
Then one of them saw my notes, and
ahideousgestalt.
obviously began to view me as an
intellectual equal.
He spoke at length about the different The haven is built around an ever-burning candle in a
“facets” of the Vermissian: all of its
circleofsalt:thefirstwardestablishedagainsttheHeart.
potential futures and alternate pasts,
which are accessible through dimensional Ifthecircleofsaltiseverbroken,thehavenwillfall.
turntables. He spoke of a reality, fragile
as spun glass, where the Incident did not
occur and the trains actually work; a land Thehavenisrunbycannibalswhotreatnon-cannibals
of the dead where spectres are ferried to as inferior citizens, and on occasion induct a new
their afterlives by incorporeal engines;
member into their congregation with a lavish feast
wild and lawless wastelands where mad
machine-cultists carve out empires and consistingofanunpopularcommunitymember.
harvest rival sects for parts.
6 But why seek the unreal and barely-
existent when what is already here,
crimson and glorious, is so fascinating?
FACES Who’ssupportingthestatusquo? G
r
Every haven (even if they don’t want to admit it) o
u
hasacaretaker.They’reresponsibleforallmajor p
H
decisions and take the blame when things go
a
Ahavencanhaveanywherebetweenahandfulof wrong, whether they earned their position v
e
peopletohundredsofinhabitants,manyofthem throughyearsoftrustandhardwork,underhan‐ n
temporary, such as the Temple of the Moon deddealingsordumbluck.Thesefolkaregener‐ C
r
Beneath and the surrounding areas on Tier 1. ally in way over their heads and struggling to e
a
However, you don’t have to detail everyone that keep things going, so they often want to keep
t
livesthere–farfromit.Thinkintermsofgroups, thingsthewaytheyare–evenifthat’sdangerous io
n
andputafacetoeachone. orinefficient.
Afaceisarepresentativeofamovement,fac‐ Whyismaintainingthestatusquoimportanttothis
tion or idea within the haven. When the player person? Who helps them maintain control? What do
characters interact with them, they’re interact‐ theyloseifthingschange?
ingwiththegrouptheybelongtoasawhole.You
don’t need to limit yourself to a single face per Whowantstoshakethingsup?
organisation,but given the scope of Heart cam‐ All communities have a rebel. This face feels that
paigns(andhowtherulesareformodellingperil‐ it’s important to change the haven for the better,
ous expeditions into the unknown rather than but is opposed by those already in control. They
small-townpolitics)oneshoulddojustfine. havealotofworkfordelvers,butgiventheirlack
Give players the option to be connected to of resources, they often resort to persuading the
these groups.Not everyone has to be best mates playercharacterstoundertakeworkonphilosoph‐
with the hard-bitten aunty who runs the settle‐ icalratherthanmonetarygrounds–orbyoffering
ment,butifoneortwoplayersknowher(orwere themastakeinthehavenoncethey’reincharge.
raised by her after their parents died) it helps Whatdoesthispersonwanttochange?Who’swith
bindthestorytogether. them?Whatobstaclesareintheirpathandhowcould
theplayercharactershelp?
NON-NON-PLAYERCHARACTERS
Therolesdescribedinthissectiondon’thave Whorepresentsthepeopleatlarge?
to be filled by non-player characters; there’s There’s probably a trade, faith or common goal
plentyofopportunityforPCstotakethemon that unites the populace. This face – the voice –
instead. It’s likely that the sort of motivated represents that idea. Although the rebel and the
individual who becomes a delver would rise ruler have authority,real power can only be sus‐
toprominenceinacommunity.Italsomakes tained if the voice’s people agree with what’s
for a good story for the player characters to going on. When the player characters interact
be directly rather than tangentially respons‐ withthevoice,they’reinteractingwiththesettle‐
ibleforthehaven’sprosperityordownfall. mentasawhole.Thevoicewillchangetorepres‐
ent what’s happening with the populace. If the
communitysustainedanattack,thevoicewillbe
wounded;ifthecommunityisstarving,they’llbe
gauntandmalnourished;ifthepeopleareceleb‐
rating,they’llbedrunkandsinging.
Whatdotheordinarypeopleinthehavendo?What
dotheyneedfromtheplayercharacters–andwhatcan
theyofferinreturn?
7
G ART
Organmeatpâtésflavouredwithfearsomeliqueurs.
r
o
u
p Weaving patchwork coats for people who leave the
H
settlement to become Hounds; the haven has a strong
a
v traditionofsendingyoungfolkofftojointheregiment
e
n ArtiseverywhereintheCityBeneath.Theinhabit‐ andkeepsamemorialwallforthosewhodieinservice.
C antscreateitobsessivelyastheyattempttounder‐
r
e standthealienworldaroundthem,andyourhaven Creating systems of slang and cant that use complex
a
willbenodifferent.Whatsortofart,craftorenter‐ rulesandrhythmstoconfuseoutsiders.
t
io tainmentdotheymake,andhowdoesitreflectthe
n ROLE
stateofthehaven?
Examples:
Black-comedy plays about legendary villains and
beastsoftheCityBeneath.
Player characters are unusual people who are
Community songs with a repeating refrain that unlikely to live a quiet existence in the City
everyone adds verses to; if someone teaches you their Beneath.Encouragetheplayerstothinkaboutand
verse,it’sseenasanhonourtosingit. discusswhythey’rewelcome(perhapsgrudgingly)
inthehaven,andwhypeoplehavechosentobuild
Brightly-painted architecture in garish, clashing acommunitywiththem.Belowaresomeideasfor
patternsdesignedtoupsettheviewer. roles in settlements broken up by the character
classes,butdon’tfeellimitedbythem.
Axe-dancing,whichislikesword-dancingbutslightly
moredangerousduetothewildswinging. CLEAVER: Hunting for food or raw materials to
turnintosupplies;advisingonmattersofthe
Semi-improvised plays where a set of stock characters Heart Itself; protecting a frontier town from
tackle the challenges of the Heart; most die before the wild animals and raiders; guiding travellers
endoftheperformance. through the local area; providing support for
otherHeartsbloodpeople.
Fiercely-guardedgraffitispotswhereinhabitantslisttheir
achievementsandprowess(asfighters,occultists,priests, DEADWALKER: Performing funeral rites and
lovers,etc.)inincreasinglylargeandcomplexfonts. disposing of dead bodies; smuggling in sup‐
pliesviatheGrey;acquiringunusualmaterials
Catchingawildbeast,adorningitwithstreamersand from otherworlds; bargaining with the
lettingitrunwildwhileseveralchampionsattemptto undead; protecting the populace from ghosts
bringitdownusingonlypunchingdaggers. andphantoms.
ElaborateportraitsofDamnou,thedrowmoon-goddess, DEEP APIARIST: Beekeeping (regular bees, not
intriptych;yourportraitisseenasanexpressionofyour the magic ones) for honey and wax; building
faith,andpeoplewillspendcomparativelyhugesumsof andmaintainingstabilisingwardsagainstthe
moneyonpigmentsandornamentation. HeartItself;providingmedicalcare;offeringa
sanctuaryforothertravellingDeepApiarists.
Gettingfall-downdrunkandtryingtorecitepoetry;the
longer the poem and the drunker the performer, the HERETIC:Leadingreligiousceremoniestoceleb‐
moreimpressivethefeat. rate,mournormarkthepassingoftime;healing
8