Lords of Gossamer & Shadow

by Matt Banach
 Rite Publishing Presents:

Gossamer Worlds:
The Black
Explorer (Author): Matt Banach
Seeker (Editor): Steven D. Russell
Searcher (Cover Artist): Adrian Mark Gillespie
Trailblaazer (Interior Artists): Adrian Mark Gillespie
Trailbl
Mathieu Martinet, Alex Prokhoda, and Felipe Pesantez
Pioneer (Trade Dress): James “Devin Knight” Hazelett
Lost Boy (Layout and Publisher): Steven D. Russell
Special Thanks to Jason Durall for his help in developing this.

Based on Lords of Gossamer & Shadow by Jason Durall

Gossamer Worlds: The Black Copyright © 2014 Steven D. Russell All rights reserved. Lords of Gossamer and Shadow Copyright © 2012-2013 Steven D. Russell All rights
reserved. Erick Wujcik’s Diceless Role-Playing and associated marks and logos are trademarks of Diceless by Design Publishing, LLC, and are used under license.
See http://Rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=1447 for more information on Erick Wujcik’s Diceless Role-Playing. Illustrations are licensed under
a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0/
 The Black claiming one planet or perhaps even an
entire solar system as their Domain and
shaping local gossamer reality according
“The shattered limestone hallway to their whim. However, since the space
receded as the crumbling stone slabs of the Black as a whole is so incredibly
faded into rubble, then gravel, then dust, spacious, it barely feels like anyone has
diminishing with every step until I found claimed any part of it at all. Spread out
myself walking along a hallway made of across the realm's vast breadth – and I
nothing at all. Treading on invisible really do mean 'how-many-galaxies-over-
floors and running my hand against do-we-need-to-go' vast – there are many
nonexistent walls, I ventured further Doors by which one can exit onto
into the void until I reached an different spans of the Grand Stair, which
enormous helical crystal staircase, would be incomprehensibly distant from
which glimmered before a backdrop of each other, if one were to simply climb it
swirling galaxies. Ascending in a spiral straight. Conveniently, faster-than-light
as wide as a moon and as tall as the starcraft are both celebrated and
heavens, the crystal staircase led – abundant throughout the multitudinous
eventually – to a veritable constellation advanced star-faring civilizations; they've
of obsidian Doors, each knob glinting got warp drives, hyperspace engines,
with starlight. - Yaeger's Travelogue jump gates, “stable” wormholes, even the
folding of time-space itself. Hence, so
long as you have access to such
Description
transportation (and the luck and stomach
to survive the ride), the Black serves as a
The Black is a vast and ancient
valuable hub for travel in between distant
cosmos – a gigantic gossamer reality
locations on the Grand Stair.
comprised of innumerable star systems
and galaxies whirling in the far-flung The Black is a realm of science, driven
reaches of cold, black space. It is a realm to galaxy-spanning greatness by its
where alien wolds abound, intergalactic inhabitants' unquenchable thirst for
empires are a dime a dozen, and faster- knowledge and mastery as they reach for
than-light travel is the lifeblood of star- – and strive to keep – their place among
spanning civilization. the stars. Super-genius astrophysicists
and intrepid stardrive engineers abound,
Among the Gossamer Lords and bandying learned technobabble back and
various other beings who walk the Grand forth, explaining the ebb and flow of their
Stair, the Black is a well-known, gossamer reality in terms of anti-
commonly traversed, and tactically particles and graviton fields, tachyon
significant gossamer reality. Multiple emissions and time-space singularities.
Gossamer Lords hold dominion over It's fascinating, albeit exhausting. The
small sections of the reality, usually rigors of the scientific paradigm are

1
hardly a limit on wonder – a great cracks of reality. For eons the gossamer
multitude of star-faring civilizations have reality of the Black was stable and
advanced their intelligence and dependable, with the lock step of
technologies to the point of regularly scientific cause and effect ensured by the
performing the miraculous: strong influence of the Eidolon. Then,
terraforming, teleportation, faster-than- approximately thirty years ago, the Black
light interstellar travel, post-fusion began experiencing catastrophic surges
energy sources, spontaneous cellular of Umbral influence coupled with an
regeneration, radical genetic engineering, equally disastrous waxing and waning of
true artificial intelligence... the list goes the Eidolon; all the turmoil you might
on. But the point is that if you can expect from such upheaval followed,
imagine it, they've probably figured out a along with unprecedented fonts of
way to do it within the rules of physics. magical energy produced by the
newfound friction between clashing
Science isn't the end of the equation, cosmic forces. The calamities have been
however. While not-so-scientific magical isolated and sporadic thus far, but to this
energy is (or at least was) exceedingly day the entire gossamer reality continues
rare and underused in this realm of hard to fray and fracture: planets wobble in
science, as magic is wont to do it has their orbits, once-empty vacuums erupt
found a way to sneak in through the with spontaneous madness, and timeless

2
intergalactic empires teeter on the verge brunette by the name of Captain Thessaly
of collapse. Moreover, the denizens of the Rackham, please tell her Captain Hunter
Black's starry civilizations have come to deeply regrets that faux pas with the
realize that something is wrong, and C.C.P. Jormungandr, the black hole, and
they're going nuts trying to do something those Parvalian pleasure-droids... and
about it. after that you'd better run before she
tosses you out an airlock.
Typical Denizens
While hardly a complete listing,
Being a vast multi-galactic I’ll mention a few human/humanoid
cosmos, the Black is filled with aliens and civilizations by name:
life forms of every shape, size, and The Confederacy of Colonial
sentience. Listing them all would be Planets is a fractious alliance of human
impossible, but I'll try and give you a systems with an aggressive fleet of
sense of what's out there – way out exploratory vessels and terraforming
there. engines, notorious for expansionist
Humans and humanoids are policies and a callous lack of regard for
plentiful and widespread in their various indigenous alien ecosystems.
home worlds, colonies, and empires, Confederate colonies are everywhere –
though, aside from their home systems freshly terraformed frontiers where a
they certainly don't constitute a majority traveler could disappear amongst the
of the Black's intelligent life forms. If and hordes of drifting pilgrims and
when you visit, keep in mind that most of hardscrabble settlers, or, with a meager
the races I'd label as 'human' call expenditure of wealth and power, shape a
themselves something entirely different. raw planet in their image.
They in fact sneer at the mention of the The Holy Ur-Ra Empire is a
'h-word', but let's face it – extra wrinkles galaxy-spanning imperial civilization
on your forehead, oddly colored skin, rightly feared for their vast armada of
and/or an abundance of facial tattoos warships, legions of genetically
don't really make that much difference to engineered cybernetic-enhanced super-
a Gossamer Lord, but don't tell them soldiers, and a zealous devotion to their
that. Human-alien hybrids are quite (supposedly) immortal space-pharaoh.
common in many systems, thanks to the Most Ur-Ra citizens live existences
species' ever-reliable predilection for focused on the labyrinthine intrigues of
eagerly cross-breeding with anything imperial status, constantly scheming to
with a pulse and a tight space suit – a gain or keep power by amassing wealth,
trait for which I remain eternally earning glory for the empire, and/or
grateful, since I don't know how I'd while backstabbing one's peers. Despite
away long deep-space voyages otherwise. exercising dominion over an entire
By the way, should you ever meet a galactic quadrant for millennia, the Ur-

3
Ra god-emperor and Pharaoh-of-the- like creatures with spiny shell-covered
Many-Suns Osiri-Nef has a pathological bodies, usually the size of a large dog.
fear of losing control, and thus has a Based heavily on aquatic biological
dangerous inclination to enslave or systems, K'Chuulazzdi technology yields
eradicate with nuclear fire any little in the way of hardware or starships,
aberrations (read: powerful interlopers) but they excel in disciplines such
which threaten to upset the gleaming xenobiology, biochemistry, genetics, and
perfection of his glorious eternal empire. medicine; massive mega-coral reefs serve
as their architecture and genetically
The Orphans of Gaia are a widely
engineered anemone-brains operate as
scattered but pervasive “earthling”
supercomputers. Curious, clever, and
human cult who claim that the one true
eager to socialize with other races, many
Earth vanished in an apocalyptic alien
K'Chuulazzdi have left their watery
attack ages ago and is destined to be re-
homeworld to serve on alien starships as
discovered, whereupon humanity will
physicians, xenobiologists, and chefs. An
ascend to dominate the universe (though
exemplary K'Chuulazzdi and personal
prophesy is terribly vague as to what that
friend of mine, T'Kriigi, was the galley
entails). While other races dismiss the
master and ship's doctor of the C.C.P.
Orphans as starry-eyed fanatics chasing a
Jormungandr for years before that
myth, I wouldn't be so sure... Earths are
vessel's fateful scuttling. Should you ever
tenacious, and the Orphans' radical new
find yourself on Laguna, you can rely on
messiah has discovered a dangerously
T'Kriigi to be a generous host and
potent wellspring of freshly-erupted
knowledgeable gossip, and if you tell him
magical power on a remote desert planet,
Captain Hunter sent you, he'll likely
all the better to fuel their holy quest –
make you a pot of his disturbingly
and eradicate humanity's competition.
delicious proto-lobster bisque while he
Not-so-humanoid sentient alien plies you for information as to my
races also abound throughout the Black – whereabouts.
squid-like aquatic races, hive-minded
The Centaurox are the dominant
insectoids, silicon-based intelligent
force in Omega Centauri, a globular
oozes, photosynthetic plant-creatures,
cluster of millions of stars and attendant
incorporeal energy-beings – too many to
planetary systems packed into an area
possibly list them all, but I'll mention a
about 150 light years across – a region
few which left an impression.
rife with Centaurox battle stations,
The K'Chuulazzdi are a race of churning furnace-planets, and exotic but
amphibious crustaceans which inhabit bloody hunting worlds. Proud and
the watery planet Laguna inside the bellicose, the Centaurox civilization is
volatile nebula known as the Genesis fond of conquest; while they are an
Cloud (more on that later). Physically, intelligent species perfectly capable of
the K'Chuulazzdi are scuttling, lobster- art, empathy, and rational diplomacy,

4
 A Centaurox
over the ages they've simply chosen the blown Centaurox drum-opera (tradition-
path of 'might makes right' more often ally involving three hundred frenzied
than not. Physically, Centaurox are percussionist-warriors, explosives, and a
formidable – hulking eight-limbed beasts generous number of alien blood
of rippling muscle and dense bone, sacrifices) is a terrifying yet seismically
constructed as if one made a centaur out moving experience, so if they ever take
of equal parts bull, gorilla, and human you captive there's a bright side to
bodybuilder. An adult Centaurox can sticking around for the show.
weigh several tons, and their bulging
Non-biological sentience is
biceps are easily strong enough to rip the
prevalent in the Black – artificial
head off any humanoid – a fact they're
intelligences, droids, 'bots, mechanoids,
quite fond of advertising. Militarily,
synthetic autonomous organisms,
Centaurox battle-fleets are some of the
duplicates, constructed men – whichever
most aggressive and dangerous in their
variety of walking, talking computer
respective quadrant, though the less-
going by whatever you want to call them.
than-cutting-edge hyperdrive engines on
While, as you might expect, a great
their warships render them a bit slow,
number of these robot-esque beings toil
which is probably a good thing for the
along as property of their creators, the
rest of known space. Once you get past
Black has numerous planetary systems
the constant threats and patronizing
inhabited entirely by non-biological
arm-wrestling challenges, the Centaurox
beings who have gained their freedom
really do have a beautiful culture, which
and now exist as entirely self-sufficient,
values family, honor, and strength. A full-
self-determining beings. Geox-10, for

5
instance, is a dead moon with a massive Mycoxene Infestation
computer mainframe in place of its core,
its surface populated by millions of
Battling infection by mycoxene is a
human-like (and stranger) synthoids who
challenge of Endurance. A small or
each wirelessly embody fragments of the
minimal amount of mycoxene, such as a
moon's unified artificial intelligence.
single infected human crew member or a
Possessed of much longer life spans and
mycoxene-tainted object, is sufficient to
less emotional baggage than their meat-
overcome a person with Average-ranked
sack contemporaries, synthetic life forms
Endurance; a larger and more developed
have the potential to develop and ascend
mycoxene colony, such as three crew
far beyond the bounds of normal beings.
members or an infested, tendril-covered
One day, mark my words, a true
room, can potentially overcome a
Gossamer Lord will rise from the ranks of
Superior-ranked Endurance. Overcoming
these mechanical men, and the Black will
a Paragon-ranked Endurance might
become the Domain of a brand new
require dozens of lesser mycoxene hosts
breed of power that will shake the
mobbing a powerful target, immersing
cosmos.
the target in the heart of an overgrown
colony, or combining exposure with some
Threats debilitating effect or injury to weaken the
body's defenses. Once infected, a host
Space itself is an incredibly dangerous can be 'saved' within a few days through
environment, and don't ever forget it. medical intervention, potent antibiotics,
Vast radiation-filled vacuums are terribly or other means, but if the mycoxene has
inhospitable places, and even for those devoured and replaced any vital organs,
super-tough Gossamer Lords who might curing the infection may still result in
not die outright from exposure, drifting death, though a fungal copy of the host's
cold and alone for a few light years until brain may exist physically – or at least
you fall into the nearest gravity well, if genetically – within the colony.
any, will probably delay your travels on
the Grand Stair no matter who you are.
Likewise, even though we adore and Mycoxene is not a person, nor a race,
romanticize interstellar travel, remember nor a technology – it is a sentient alien
how perilous it can be; one bad infection that is part virus, part fungus,
navigation calculation can teleport you and in advanced manifestations takes
into the center of a planet, or plot your over the brains and bodies of its hapless
hyperdrive course through a black hole. zombie-like hosts. Beginning as virus-like
So, when the nice starship captain tells to spores then growing into fibrous molds
shut up, buckle your seat belt, and be and then massive clusters of ropy gray
patient, you'd better listen unless you tendrils, mycoxene colonies not only feed
want to get out and walk. on available life forms but also model

6
 Mycoxene Infestation

their genomes upon the patterns of infection takes root, you'd better cleanse
their hosts, creating compatible biologies everything with fire lest the entire ship or
capable of replacing organs and taking planet become a mycoxene breeding
over minds. Mycoxene is sentient once engine. Sentients infected with mycoxene
developed to sufficient size (a patch the tendrils have their brains rewritten until
mass of one human body will do), and they do the bidding of the colony,
moreover mycoxene retains information neutralizing and infecting their cohorts
and communicates with itself genetically, until the entire environment is the
with messages passing along its insidious dominion of the fungus and it can then
fibrous networks as surely as any wired set its sights on the next ship, planet, or
internet. A fully infected humanoid obeys civilization. Mycoxene colonies grow in
the will of the colony, sometimes even collective strength according to their size
after death if the fungus has had enough and the caliber of the host being genetics
time to devour and replace the host's they infest and co-opt, so while a single
vital organs and grow more resilient and ship's cat is unlikely to be a threat
compliant fungal copies inside the initially, even a Gossamer Lord should
captured body (referred to rather shudder at the thought of being held
unscientifically as “swapping gray meat down by a dozen tendril-decked
for red meat”). Mycoxene infections can Centaurox bellowing “join us”.
begin innocuously – some wispy strands
hanging from a bulkhead, or a crew Pharaoh-of-the-Many-Suns Orifi-
member's pounding headache and Nef, haughty god-emperor of the Holy
sudden mood shift – but once an Ur-Ra Empire, has extended his life for

7
millennia through the selfish hoarding of Planet-
Planet -Killers, Super-
Super-Lasers,
the greatest discoveries the Black has to
offer. He has spent that time gathering and other Weapons of Mass
an arsenal of potent alien artifacts to Destruction
ensure none are used against him – and
that he might use them against any rival, Even though they're built by mortal
should any appear who might actually hands according to the laws of science,
pose a threat. While Osiri-Nef (despite weapons of mass destruction may still
his bluster) is not a personal challenge to possess qualities typically reserved for
a Gossamer Lord in terms of psychic artifacts. Any weapon capable of
power or physical might, his weapons destroying a starship likely possesses the
and doomsday devices are certainly Double Damage [2 Points] quality (at the
enough to kill even a walker of the Grand very least), and any weapon capable of
Stair. Ur-Ra battle cruisers – those eradicating a planet (or worse) should be
immense black pyramid-shaped warships considered to have the Deadly Damage [4
which serve as the space-pharaoh's Points] quality. Conversely, powerful
personal conveyance and elite guard – force fields, energy shields, or other
are usually equipped with energy canons protective technologies may grant
capable of eradicating planets, missiles comparable defensive qualities up to and
that can trigger a spontaneous black hole, including Invulnerable to Conventional
and “disportation” field projectors that Weapons [4 Points]. Greater qualities
can really ruin your day by teleporting may also be appropriate, at the cautious
every particle of your ship to a different, discretion of the gamemaster, though
random sector of space. Osiri-Nef is you'd better be careful where you point
hardly the only space-warlord with such that thing.
weapons of mass destruction at his beck
and call, he just comes to mind as the
most recent galactic despot to threaten a immense spherical megastructure
planet I liked with outright surrounding Helion, the system's intense
disintegration. So I'll just say that when orange-yellow sun, in a complex
adventuring in the Black it's best not to latticework of solar panels, habitation
underestimate the potential firepower at rings, and miscellaneous advanced
the other end of an angry hailing space-machinery. Viewed from the edge
frequency. of space, the sphere looks like flame
inside a burning censer – strange,
magnificent, yet almost lonely, as it is the
Notable locations only body in the system (every other
planet, moon, or asteroid that might've
Helion's Cage is a space station the once shared its sky having been
size of a solar system, sprawling over an dismantled long ago and used as
ancient but operational Dyson shell – an construction-matter). Harvesting over

8
90% of Helion's bountiful solar radiation, gossamer matter, the time flow, and
the Cage's inhabitants utilize that producing surges of magical energy in a
awesome power on an equally-awesome realm where “magic” has never been the
surface area over 500 million times that accepted power paradigm. The nebula is
of the average Earth-planet. Trillions of unpredictable and dangerous. Cosmic
souls reside in the Cage's various ringed storms rip through the region at random,
supercities in a usually-peaceful hyper- disintegrating vessels and outposts then
cosmopolitan society based on star-faring vanishing without a trace. New solar
industry, intergalactic trade, and cross- systems have been popping up
species mingling. In a galaxy full of spontaneously, with nascent stars and
exceptional spaceports, Helion's Cage planets forming in mere days instead of
still ranks as one of the best; tens of over billions of years. On these bleeding-
thousands of shipyards and docking raw “cradle-planets”, life forms evolve at
arrays dot the shell's exterior, and hyper-accelerated rates, and xeno-
thousands of jump-gates near the system biologists from across the galaxy flock to
make it a nexus for intergalactic travel. these mysterious crucibles to study the
One of the Black's most commonly- phenomenon – and perform their own
known Doors opens into an observation radical experiments. The Cloud has also
deck located on the edge of one of the become holy ground for several ancient
Cage's equatorial habitation rings. It religions once thought extinct in the
provides an unobstructed view of both Black; hidden within the nebula, mystic
the vast interior of this sun-in-a-bottle, orders are reviving long-forgotten rites to
and, looking the other direction, a harness this sudden wellspring of
glimpse out into the void of space and the sorcerous power. As if the place wasn't
endless swarms of starcraft flitting to and weird enough, a large portion of the
fro like fireflies in the night. nebula itself has become “Uo” – a newly
sentient, massively-dispersed gaseous
The Genesis Cloud is an immense energy being dozens of light years across.
purplish nebula approximately 100 light There's at least one Door inside the
years in diameter, which of late, has nebula, linked to the medical bay of a
become an epicenter for the massive xenobiological research facility on the
cosmic upheaval rippling across the cradle-planet Laguna, home to the
Black. While local scientists have all lobster-like K'Chuulazzdi, a tempestuous
manner of techno-babble explanations seascape overgrown with luminescent
for what is going on (“cascading temporal mega-coral and infested with curious
anomalies”, “entropic anti-particle faerie-like insectoids, which will, believe
showers”, “hyper-accelerated proto- me, totally gum your engines if you don't
planetary accretion”), in terms more shoo all the power-siphoning little
familiar to Gossamer Lords: the Eidolon bastards out before ignition.
and Umbra are spiking and clashing, and
said friction is seriously screwing with

9
 Laguna

Final Thoughts
Thoughts of scale and the promise of adventure, I
recommend you pay this place a visit and
The Black is an amazing place where bring enough with you to hire a fast ship.
even someone comfortable with the There's a lot to see, and it is glorious.
limitless stairways of the infinite
multiverse can look out upon the distant ~ Yaeger Zane
stars and feel small. Unmatched in terms

The Black Domain Table

Technology Post-Fusion
Level:
Magic Level: Rare*
Security: Communication Barrier [1 Point]
Type: Primal World [4 Points] (vast, with multiple simultaneous owners)
Control: Control of Contents [1 Point] (limited to owner's planet/system)
Influence on Eidolon – Powerful/Weak*
the Powers: Umbra – Weak/Powerful*
Wrighting – Blocked
Special*: The Black is presently in a state of tremendous cosmic upheaval, with the influence of
the Eidolon and Umbra fluctuating wildly from time to time and from place to place.
These fluctuations impact the strength and availability of magical energy; while
mystical power is very spare in most of the Black, in selective areas it is quite potent.

10