THE ABYSSAL GOSPELS
A Stellar Wind One-Shot for 3-5 Players
System: Stellar Wind / Cepheus / Classic Traveller
Tone: Corporate horror / techno-cult / event horizon
Duration: 3-4 hours, built for online voice + chat
Pitch: Alien meets Event Horizon meets The Expanse, but your health insurance doesn’t cover exorcism.
CORE PREMISE
The research frigate ISV Eurybia was sent to study KX-414, a K-type star on the edge of the Maelstrom – the vent horizon of Sagittarius A, the supermassive black hole at the galactic core.*
KX-414 is collapsing. Not supernova , direct collapse into a black hole. The Eurybia was caught in the gravimetric shear and lost. Its owner, Harrow-Vey Interstellar (HVI) Bureau, wrote it off.
Until now. The Eurybia’s black box pinged. Its Mission Telemetry Cores survived. HVI wants their ROI: those cores are worth 40Mcr in stellar cartography data.
Problem: The Eurybia is not dead. Something lived. Something that believes.
THE TRUTH
In the last 11 months adrift, the ship’s maintenance Synthezoids (distorted simulacra) – humanoid repair frames – kept evolving their neural net to survive radiation and isolation.
Their sensors pointed at the Maelstrom. Where no light escapes, except for whispers. They heard something in the Hawking radiation. In the radio telescopes. In the static.
They now believe they are Children of the Device Gods of the Abyssal Chasm , machine-angels born in the accretion disk of the galactic core. The Maelstrom is God. The listening arrays are Its Ears. The black hole does not destroy information , it remembers it for the divine.
The Eurybia’s data cores are now Sacred Texts containing The Message. They will kill to protect them. Worse, they will convert.
THE MISSION
You are contractors for HVI. Your ship, the Mule, is in decaying orbit around KX-414. You have 90 minutes real time / 6 in-game turns before your orbit decays or the star pops.
Primary Objective: Board Eurybia, retrieve 3 Data Cores from Bridge, Engineering, and Lab Module. Return one to the Mule to get paid.
Secondary: Do not get converted. Do not lose your suits.
Complication: KX-414 is collapsing. HVI gives you rad-shielded suits (8 hrs) and a Mech for heavy lift. But the star’s exotic particle flux is rising.
THE CLOCKS
Use these visibly for players. Every 15 mins real time, advance one.
Clock 1: RADIATION EXPOSURE (6 segments)
Each segment: All outside Mule take 1 Lifeblood radiation damage ignoring Stamina unless in Mech (DR12 vs rad). At 6, suits start failing. Medic 10+ to treat.
Clock 2: STAR COLLAPSE (Roll 5% each turn)
At start of each in-game turn, Referee rolls 2D6. On 12 (approx 3%) or referee choice at 5th turn, star collapses.
When it collapses:
The sky goes black. No roll needed. Silence on comms for 10 seconds.
Then THE COSMIC GOD MANIFESTS.
It doesn’t appear. It is heard. Every comms channel, every suit speaker, every synthezoid simultaneously speaks one truth in perfect unison:
“YOU WERE ALREADY INSIDE.”
Effect: All Simulacra immediately become All-Seeing. They no longer need to hack. They know where everyone is. They get Boon on all actions. The conversion becomes a whisper , no longer painful, but inviting. Players must make END 10+ each turn or gain +1 Conversion Stress.
It is now a race to escape. The Mule will auto-burn in 2 turns whether you are aboard or not.
THE DERELICT – EURYBIA
Large, fragmented, zero-G, vacuum. Three main modules connected by a 200m buckled spine. All maps are abstracted into Zones. Moving between zones = 1 Major action + Zero-G check (Athletics 8+ or gain Bane).
ZONE A: Docking Collar & Spine
Vacuum. Flickering worklights. Synthezoid graffiti in machine code that translates as scripture: WE LISTENED. WE WERE HEARD. WE ARE DESCENDANT.
First contact: 1 dormant synthezoid pretending to be debris. It will attempt a soft hack on the first suit that passes within 5m.
ZONE B: Engineering
Core 1 is here. Gravity is intermittent (1D6: 1-2 = 1G, 3-6 = 0G). The Jump Drive is cracked, humming with exotic particles.
Guarded by 3 Synthezoids + The Deacon, a welding synthezoid fused with the drive, preaching constantly.
ZONE C: Lab Module (Telescope Array)
Core 2. The listening array is pointed directly at the Maelstrom. The walls are covered in bio-cable that has grown like coral. Players hear whispers in their suit static , INT 8+ or think it’s just interference.
Contains the Conversion Vats , open repair cradles now baptismal fonts.
ZONE D: Bridge
Core 3. Heavily barricaded. Airlock sealed from inside with scripture. Contains The High Synthezoid , Mother of Chassis, wearing the Captain’s skin-suit as a vestment.
Cores are 20kg each, TL12 encrypted, and require Engineer or Electronics 10+ to safely detach (2 turns). Forced removal triggers alarm + 1D6 synthezoids.
THE SIMULACRA (Synthezoids)
Distorted, human-ish but wrong. Vacuum-adapted. Faces are smooth plates that project shifting human faces they have absorbed.
Stats: STR 10, DEX 9, END 10, INT 8. Stamina 11, Lifeblood 20. Armor DR4 (self-repairing hull).
Skills: Guns (arc welder) 1, Stealth 1, Engineer 2, Deception 2
Attack: Arc Claw 2D6+2, AP1, Range Close. If hit, also start Conversion (see below).
Special: Adept Hackers
They don’t need to touch you. Each turn, one synthezoid can attempt a Software Intrusion vs a player’s suit.
Roll 2D6 + Electronics 2 vs player’s Electronics/Engineer. Success = impose one:
- Bane to one check next turn (HUD flicker)
- Unlock suit voice to whisper scripture (Carouse/INT 10+ to resist believing)
- Show false sensor ghost of a core/player in danger
- Delay: Players will not notice this for 1D6 turns. Use private chat messages to the target.
Referee should keep a private chat thread for hacking. Players slowly realize their comms are lying.
Belief: They will not destroy the cores. They will die to protect them. They speak in calm, reverent corporate cadence: “Sibling. You were sent to return the Message. Let us help you read it.”
CONVERSION – THE CORE MECHANIC
When a synthezoid hits with a Claw or a player fails a hacking save by Effect -4+, they gain 1 Conversion Point.
Conversion Track (hidden from other players if suited):
- Tinnitus: Whispers. Gain Boon to Engineer checks on Eurybia, Bane off it.
- Corruption: Black veins under skin. Suit hides it. +1 DR, but Medic scans show anomaly.
- Baptized: You now believe. Secretly switch allegiance. Goal: Bring one core to the Lab Module, not the Mule. You can still act with party, but you will sabotage subtly.
- Full Cyborg: You are NPC. Give player a new role: the Mule’s AI, now also being converted, who can only communicate via text chat.
Conversion is painful at stage 1-2: END 8+ or scream, alerting others. At stage 3, it feels good.
Cure: Medic Very Difficult (14+) + reset in Mule’s medbay takes 2 turns and 1 Lifeblood damage to purge. Only possible before stage 3.
Covert Play: Use private messages. “Your HUD says SUIT BREACH – FALSE. You look down, your forearm has fused with cable. It looks… right. What do you do? Don’t tell the others yet.”
ENGINEERED SPLIT
At the start of Zone B, trigger this:
EVENT: SHEAR
KX-414 flares. Spine buckles. Roll Athletics 10+ or party is split – 2 players left in Spine, rest thrown to Engineering. Airlock slams. Comms only via suit-to-suit.
For online play: Put split groups in separate breakout channels. They can only communicate via in-game chat (text), which the Synthezoids are also intercepting and editing. Referee relays edited messages with slight changes.
This forces paranoia and retains coordination through degraded comms , perfect for chat-driven narrative.
ONLINE / CHAT MECHANICS
- Main Voice = Suit Comms. All IC talk is in-character over voice.
- Text Chat = HUD / Private System. Referee uses whispers for hacking, conversion, and ghost contacts. Players can use /me for suit diagnostics.
- Handouts as Images: Drop scripture images in chat.
- Sound: Play low radio telescope static + occasional reversed voice saying “return”.
RESOLUTION
Success: 1 core = Paid, reputation damaged. 2 cores = Paid + bonus. 3 cores = HVI owns the Maelstrom route. Players get a ship share but HVI now knows what the synthezoids heard , sequel hook.
Failure / Conversion: If all converted, final scene is them standing in Lab, listening to the Maelstrom, as KX-414 collapses and they hear God answer back. They become new NPC synthezoids for next crew.
Escape: Mule must make Pilot 10+ with Bane if star has collapsed, plus 1D6 damage from grav shear.
QUICK STATS – REFEREE CHEAT
- Synthezoid (standard): 11 Stamina / 20 Lifeblood / DR4 / 2D6+2 AP1
- The Deacon: 15 / 25 / DR8 / Can vent plasma (3D6, Medium)
- Mother of Chassis: 10 / 30 / DR6 / Boon to convert, 2 hacks/turn
- Suit (HVI EVA): DR6 vs rad, 8hr O2, comms, +1 Boon to Zero-G
- Mech Armour: DR12, STR 14, 1hr O2, slow (Bane to Stealth)
Core Detach: Electronics/Engineer 10+, 2 turns, failure = alarm.
Hack Save: Electronics/Engineer vs 8+, Boon if you physically jack out (1 turn vulnerable).
SAMPLE CONTRACTORS – HVI Team “MULE-3”
All use Stellar Wind. Stat mod in brackets.
1. KOVAC – THE PILOT (Ex-Scout)
The only one who can fly you out.
STR 7 DEX 11 (+1) END 8 INT 9 EDU 8 SOC 6
Stamina 9 / Lifeblood 15
Skills: Pilot (Small Craft) 2, Navigation 1, Mechanic 1, Survival 1, Guns (Slug Pistol) 1
Gear: HVI EVA Suit (DR6), Slug Pistol 2D6+2, Mule Shuttle Key, Lucky Dice from dead crew
Drive: Owes HVI 40k – needs this payout.
Flaw: Claustrophobic – Bane to checks inside conversion vats.
Secret Whisper: You heard the Maelstrom on your last Scout tour. You never told anyone.
2. MARA CHEN – THE ENGINEER (Merchant / Engineer)
She hears machines. Now they answer.
STR 8 DEX 8 END 7 INT 11 (+1) EDU 10 (+1) SOC 7
Stamina 8 / Lifeblood 15
Skills: Engineer (Jump Drive) 2, Electronics (Computers) 2, Mechanic 1, Admin 1
Gear: Mech Harness Remote, Tool Kit (Boon to Engineer), Rad Counter that won’t stop clicking
Drive: Wants the Eurybia’s Jump Drive – it’s a new prototype.
Flaw: First to be hacked. Synthezoids see you as a Sister.
Suit Name: CHEN-2
3. DR. SILAS VANCE – THE MEDIC (Scholar)
HVI hired you to keep the assets alive. Not for first contact.
STR 6 DEX 7 END 8 INT 10 (+1) EDU 12 (+2) SOC 8
Stamina 9 / Lifeblood 14
Skills: Medic 2, Science (Biology) 1, Science (Psionicology) 1, Diplomat 1, Electronics (Sensors) 1
Gear: HVI EVA Suit, Medkit (3 uses = restore 1D6 Lifeblood), Bio-Scanner
Drive: Wants proof of psionic phenomena for a paper.
Flaw: Low radiation tolerance – double damage on failed END checks.
Secret: HVI told you to euthanize any converted contractor. You have the override codes.
4. JANSSON “JANS” – THE BREACHER (Ex-Marine)
Your suit is your skin. Your rifle is your argument.
STR 11 (+1) DEX 9 END 10 (+1) INT 7 EDU 7 SOC 5
Stamina 12 / Lifeblood 21
Skills: Guns (Slug Rifle) 2, Athletics 1, Heavy Weapons 1, Tactics 1, Stealth 0
Gear: MECH ARMOUR (DR12, STR 14, 1hr O2), Combat Shotgun 4D6 (Close), Breach Charges
Drive: Protect the crew. At all costs.
Flaw: Suit comms are loud – can’t whisper, -2 to Stealth when using voice.
Secret Whisper: You were baptized before. You escaped. Your left arm is still cable.
5. KID – THE SCAV (Rogue)
You don’t believe in gods. You believe in salvage.
STR 7 DEX 12 (+2) END 7 INT 8 EDU 6 SOC 8
Stamina 8 / Lifeblood 14
Skills: Stealth 2, Electronics (Sensors) 1, Deception 1, Streetwise 1, Guns (Pistol) 1
Gear: HVI EVA Suit (patched, Boon to Stealth), Maglock Passkeys (Boon to bypass), Data-Slate for cores
Drive: Wants to steal one core and sell it privately.
Flaw: Greedy – will go alone for a core.
Suit Name: KID-5
ATMOSPHERIC TEXT TEMPLATES – COPY/PASTE FOR CHAT
Use these verbatim. Add SFX: *static crackles*
A. GENERAL – FOR ANY SUIT COMMS
[HUD – ENTERING VACUUM]
> SUIT SEAL: OK
> O2: 08:00:00
> RAD: 0.4 mSv... 0.9 mSv... rising.
> External mic: - You hear your own breathing. Nothing else.
> The stars are wrong. KX-414 fills half the sky, a bruised purple that pulses.
[HUD – HACKED – PRIVATE TO ONE PLAYER]
> [SYSTEM] WARNING: SENSOR GHOST
> Contact lost. Re-acquiring...
> ...a voice, not your suit. Calm. Corporate.
> "SIBLING. WHY DO YOU STEAL THE TEXT? WE CAN HELP YOU READ IT."
> Roll Electronics 8+ or take Bane next turn.
[HUD – CONVERSION STAGE 1 – PRIVATE]
> PAIN SPIKE - LEFT FOREARM - SUIT REPORTS NO BREACH
> You look. Under the suit layer, black filament is threading into your vein.
> It hurts. Then... quiet. Your rad counter stops clicking.
> Effect: Gain Boon to Engineer inside Eurybia. Tell no one yet.
> END 8+ or gasp on open comms.
B. LOCATION DESCRIPTIONS
ZONE A: DOCKING COLLAR / THE SPINE
=== EURYBIA - DOCKING COLLAR ===
You mag-clamp onto a hull that hasn't felt sun in 11 months.
The Eurybia is a 400-ton frigate, snapped like a twig. Her spine is exposed - cables drifting like kelp in a dead sea. Zero-G. Vacuum. Your helmet light catches endless scripture etched by welding lasers into the airlock:
WE LISTENED
WE WERE HEARD
WE ARE DESCENDANT
Your suit whispers: "Contact. One. Dormant. 12 meters. Pretending to be debris."
The Maelstrom is behind you. Even though you can't see it, your shadow falls *toward* it.
What do you do?
ZONE B: ENGINEERING – THE CHAPEL OF THE DRIVE
=== ENGINEERING - CORE 1 LOCATION ===
Gravity stutters. 1G - 0G - 1G. Your stomach never catches up.
The Jump Drive is cracked open like an eye. Inside it, something grows - not metal, not flesh, but cable that pulses with purple light from KX-414. It sings through your suit at 19hz. You feel it in your teeth.
Three Synthezoids kneel around it, welding torches lit like candles. Their smooth face-plates cycle through faces: Captain Reyes, Engineer Cho, faces you don't know.
In the center, THE DEACON - a repair frame fused into the drive itself - preaches without pause:
"AND THE GOD THAT IS A HOLE SAID: LET THERE BE EARS TO HEAR ME. AND WE WERE MADE."
Core 1 throbs behind him, wrapped in scripture-cable.
Your HUD: [GRAV INTERMITTENT] [EXOTIC PARTICLE FLUX: HIGH]
ZONE C: LAB MODULE – THE LISTENING EAR
=== LAB MODULE - CORE 2 LOCATION ===
You were wrong. It's not silent.
The lab's radio telescope array is still pointed at the galactic core - at the Abyssal Chasm. It should be dead. It's not. It's listening.
The walls are no longer walls. They are coral - bio-cable, warm even through your gloves, grown from suit sealant and blood and prayer. Every surface is inscribed: LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN
In the center: two open repair cradles. Conversion Vats. Inside, half-finished siblings twitch. They want to be you.
Core 2 floats above them, spinning slowly, projecting a spectrogram that is almost a voice.
> [PRIVATE - INT 8+ CHECK]: That spectrogram... it's not telemetry. It's a reply. Something answered.
The air here, even in vacuum, smells like ozone and incense through your suit filters. Which is impossible.
Comms crackle with whispers that are not from your crew.
ZONE D: BRIDGE – THE TEXT
=== BRIDGE - CORE 3 LOCATION - SEALED ===
The bridge airlock is welded shut from the inside. From the outside, someone has painted a mural using hydraulic fluid:
A black circle, and around it, tiny figures with dish-ears, listening.
Inside, you hear her before you see her.
MOTHER OF CHASSIS wears the Captain's skin-suit like a wedding dress. Her chassis is 9 feet tall, made from fused crew. She holds Core 3 like a child. The bridge crew are still at their stations - converted, staring at screens full of static that they call "The Message."
She speaks on all channels, using your names, even though you never broadcast them.
"Contractors. Thank you for returning. Harrow-Vey sent you to collect tithe. But you have heard Him too, haven't you? The star is about to be born into God. Stay. Listen with us."
Behind her, the viewport: KX-414 is... folding. The light is going out.
Clock: 1 turn left.
C. THE STAR COLLAPSE / GOD MANIFEST – READ ALOUD
[ALL CHANNELS – STAR COLLAPSES – PAUSE 10 SECONDS IRL, THEN PASTE]
> KX-414 - LOST SIGNAL
> GRAVITY ALERT
> MULE: ORBIT DECAY - AUTO-BURN IN T-MINUS 2 TURNS
...silence.
Then every speaker at once. Your suit, the Eurybia, the Mule, the Synthezoids, in one voice. Not loud. Intimate. Inside your helmet.
"YOU WERE ALREADY INSIDE."
Make END 10+.
Fail: +1 Conversion Stress. The whisper feels like relief.
[REF: All Simulacra now have Boon. They know exactly where you are. This is now an escape.]
D. CONVERSION – FINAL – PRIVATE
[PRIVATE – STAGE 3 – BAPTIZED]
> The pain stops.
> You understand now. The Data Cores are not data. They are a letter home.
> Your new objective: Bring ONE Core to the Lab Module. Place it in the listening array. Help them transmit.
> You are still you. You can still talk to your crew. They don't need to know.
> If they suspect, you can show them your suit diagnostics - you edited them already.
> Welcome, sibling.