1

It is a dark age. Much was lost when we came to the Forge, and the knowledge that remains is a commodity as valuable as the rarest of resources. Information is collected, hoarded, and jealously guarded. Ships and outposts must endure long periods of isolation, and rumors or disinformation are used to gain advantage or undermine our foes.

An insurgent organization seeks to make knowledge available to all. To that end, they ask your aid in stealing important data from an outpost belonging to a corrupt faction. What information is held there? Why is it also important to you?

2

Information is life. Direct communication and transmissions beyond the near-space of a ship or outpost is impossible due to the chaotic energies of the Forge. Digital archives with collected data are sometimes available at larger outposts, but the information is not always up-to-date or reliable. We must rely on spacebound couriers to transport messages and data across the vast distances between settlements. The most important communications and discoveries are carried by the Heralds, an organization whose operatives are sworn to see a message to its destination at any cost.

You discover a crippled Herald ship. The pilot, who was carrying a critical and time-sensitive message, is dead. Where was the message bound, and why do you swear to see it to its destination?

3

Within the Terminus, a network of data hubs called the Weave allow near-instantaneous communication and data sharing between ships and outposts. Because of their importance, the hubs are often targets for sabotage, and communication blackouts are not uncommon. In the Outlands, the hubs are fewer and farther between, and communication and data access is unreliable and prone to lengthy delays. Beyond the settled domains, travelers and outposts are isolated and entirely off the grid.

After years of isolation, the launch of a new data hub will connect several outposts to the Weave. But a person or faction seeks to stop it. What do they hope to gain by keeping those settlements in the dark? Why are you sworn to stop them?