The Theslar Engine

Also known as: The Theslar Engine (technical), The Engine (common usage). See The Sundering for the full history of the Cataclysm.

"The Engine doesn't care about your plans. It simply is. The question is: what will you do about it?"

What Is The Engine?

The Engine is a miles-high tower of corroded brass and crystalline structures, standing in the exact center of the Sibarian Wastes (the vast, corrupted wasteland surrounding Ground Zero at the North Pole). It pulses with a rhythmic thrum that can be felt for hundreds of miles...a heartbeat of reality-tearing energy.

Physical Description

Level	Description
The Roots (Lower Levels)	Buried in corrupted earth, overgrown with Soulstone formations like cancerous tumors. Abominations nest here.
The Machine (Mid-Levels)	Colossal gears, crackling arcane conduits, and catwalks suspended over Void rifts. The air is toxic with Taint.
The Crown (Upper Levels)	A fractal spire where physics breaks down. Space folds, time loops, reality is... negotiable.
The Core (Heart)	At the heart of the Engine is The Wound...a tear in reality that bleeds Void energy into the world. It's beautiful. It's horrific. Looking at it too long causes madness.

The Pulse

Every 6 hours, the Engine releases The Pulse...a wave of energy that:

Causes Soulstones within 100 miles to glow brightly
Triggers Strain rolls for any active Caskets in the Wastes
Spawns 1d6 Abominations near the Engine
Can be felt as a distant tremor across the entire continent

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The Engine's Threat Level

The Engine has an Instability Score, ranging from 0 (dormant) to 20 (catastrophic). If players ignore the Engine, it will destroy the world.

Instability	Status	Effect
0-5	Stable	Engine is quiet. Abomination spawns are rare. Soulstones are scarce.
6-10	Active	Current state. Void rifts appear regularly. Soulstone growth is steady.
11-15	Critical	The Pulses occur every 3 hours. Weather near the Engine becomes erratic.
16-19	Cascading	Reality begins breaking down beyond the Wastes. Void rifts appear in civilized territories. Panic spreads.
20+	The Second Sundering	Campaign failure. The Engine detonates, triggering a second Cataclysm. World ends.

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Player Choices: Five Endgames

Each faction wants something different from the Engine. Players must choose one of five paths, each with brutal consequences:

1. Siphon Power (Exploit)

Cost: 500 Credits, 5 Scrap, 1 mission to install extractor

Effect: Generates 2 Soulstone Fragments per phase (massive income)

Consequence: Instability increases by +2 per phase (you're bleeding it dry, accelerating the apocalypse)

Faction Response: Forge-Guilds approve, Church condemns, Elves declare you enemies

Narrative: Short-term gain, long-term catastrophe. You're gambling with everyone's lives.

2. Stabilize Core (Repair)

Cost: 300 Credits, rare components (requires 3 successful research missions)

Effect: Reduces Instability by 3, slows natural decay

Consequence: Soulstone production drops by 50% globally (prices skyrocket, everyone suffers)

Faction Response: Dwarves approve, Scrap-Clans are angry (they profit from chaos), Fae are amused

Narrative: You're buying time, but at the cost of the resource everyone depends on.

3. Destroy The Engine (Church Endgame)

Cost: 1,000 Credits, suicide mission (high chance of pilot death)

Effect (Success): Instability drops to 0. Void rifts seal. Abominations stop spawning.

Hidden Consequence: ALL Soulstones become inert. Caskets lose power. World reverts to pre-Cataclysm tech levels. Famine follows.

Effect (Failure): Instability jumps to 18. You've made it worse.

Faction Response: Church celebrates, everyone else declares war on you

Narrative: You've "fixed" the problem... by removing magic entirely. Civilization collapses in a different way.

4. Control The Engine (Aberrant Endgame)

Cost: 1 pilot's life (permanently lost, merges with the Core)

Effect: Instability locks at 10. Player gains control of 1 The Pulse per mission...can trigger Void rifts, spawn Abominations, or energize Soulstones at will

Consequence: Merged pilot becomes an NPC...The New Theslar, a godlike entity with alien motivations

Faction Response: Everyone fears you. You've become the villain.

Narrative: You've achieved godhood, but lost your humanity. The campaign continues with you as the final boss.

5. Redirect The Tear (Fae Endgame)

Cost: A price determined by Mockingbird (see Iconic NPCs)...usually a soul, a memory, or a loved one

Effect: Instability drops to 5. The Void rift moves to the Feywild, becoming the Fae's problem

Consequence: Feywild and Material worlds merge partially...geography becomes unstable, time flows inconsistently, bargains become mandatory

Faction Response: Fae are delighted, everyone else is horrified

Narrative: You've traded one apocalypse for a different, stranger one.

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Engine Hazards

Void Exposure

Any pilot operating within 5 hexes of the Engine suffers:

+1 Taint per round of exposure
Strain rolls at -2 (increased malfunction chance)
Heat does not vent naturally (must use active cooling)

Madness Effects (Taint 8+)

If a pilot reaches Taint 8+ while near the Engine, roll 1d6:

Visions: Pilot sees alternate timelines. -2 Initiative for the mission.
Compulsion: Pilot is drawn toward the Core. Must make a willpower check or move 1 hex closer each turn.
Conversion: Pilot begins to crystallize. Gain +1 Defense but lose 1 movement permanently.
Communion: Pilot hears the Engine "speaking." Gain 1 piece of forbidden knowledge.
Rejection: Pilot's body rejects the Soulstone. Lose 1 SP permanently.
Apotheosis: Pilot begins merging with their Casket. Gain +2 SP but cannot leave the Casket (ever).

The Pulse (Timed Event)

Every 6 hours (in-game time), the Engine releases a Pulse. Players in the Wastes when a Pulse occurs:

All Caskets take 2 damage (ignores armor)
All pilots gain +1 Taint
Roll 1d6 per player:
- 1-2: Void Rift Opens - 1d3 Abominations spawn in random hexes
- 3-4: Gravity Fluctuation - All movement costs +1 SP this round
- 5-6: Time Skip - 1 random player loses their next turn (frozen in looped time)

Narrative Pressure: Players have a ~2 hour window to complete objectives and escape before the next Pulse.

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The Core: The Wound

If players venture to the Engine's Core (the innermost chamber), they encounter The Wound...a tear in reality, 50 feet across, hovering in mid-air. Through it, you can see:

Impossible colors that hurt to perceive
Stars that shouldn't exist
Reflections of yourself making different choices

Looking at The Wound: Make a willpower check (roll 1d6, succeed on 4+)

Success: Gain insight. Draw 2 cards.
Failure: Gain 2 Taint. Your character sees something they cannot unsee.

The Control Mechanism

At the Core is a Runic Interface...the original controls Theslar used. Interactive elements:

Power Regulator - Can be set from 1-10
- Higher setting = more Soulstone growth, higher Instability
- Lower setting = less power, but Engine stabilizes
Dimensional Anchor - Can be toggled On/Off
- Off = Void rift begins to close (Instability drops, but Soulstones die)
- On = Current state
Emergency Overload - Red lever, clearly labeled "DO NOT PULL"
- Triggers immediate The Pulse
- Instability +3
- Everyone in the zone takes 5 damage
- ??? (Players discover what happens if they pull it)

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Faction Goals

Faction	Goal	Method	Offer to Players
Church of Absolution	Destroy the Engine completely	Crusade missions, suicide bombers, holy wards	500 Credits + religious legitimacy
Verdant Covenant	Harmonize with the Worldheart (stabilize)	Plant World-Tree roots into Engine's base	Living weapon upgrades + Elven territory access
Forge-Guilds	Reverse-engineer, build controlled version	Research, data extraction, salvage	Cutting-edge tech, Runic inscriptions, 1,000 Credits
Scrap-Clans	Don't care, just raid for loot	Smash and grab	Nothing. They're competing with you.
The Ossuarium	Let it run forever (benefits necromancy)	Sabotage attempts to shut it down	Undead reinforcements, forbidden knowledge
The Wyrd Conclave	Keep dimensional overlap active	Bargains, deals, manipulation	Anything you want... for a price.

"The Engine is a ticking clock. Every mission, it grows more unstable. Every choice has brutal consequences. There are no good endings...only acceptable losses."

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Explore Further

Topic	Description
Ground Zero	The detonation site, physical crater, Crimson Aurora origins
The Void	Void corruption mechanics, Abominations, Taint stages
The Sundering	How the Engine detonation destroyed civilization
Dr. Theslar	The scientist who built the Engine

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