Co-written with Skrat.
Genre: Multiverse
Primary Focus: Combat
Secondary Focus: Social Interaction
Time: 1-2 hours
Complexity: 3
Forgotten Stories is a chaotic Level 1 adventure where players are members of the multiversal organization known as The Storytellers. Their job is to serve the Narrator and ensure that stories are told the way they were intended, all the while knowing that they themselves are fictional characters. You and your team’s job specifically is to explore a nearly forgotten world and figure out what is causing it to become unstable. And of course, fix it.
Note: This adventure takes place in the Headcanon Multiverse setting. While this adventure includes everything you need to know, you can learn more about the setting by clicking here.
Character Suggestions
Since this is a multiverse adventure, the players can play pretty much whatever they want. I do suggest not building a character that is larger than the size category big, as they will otherwise have difficulty exploring the collapsing Tirinum.
They can pick any character from the Level 1-3 Characters or Setting Dependent Characters
Background Information for the GM
As always, there are some things the GM will need to know in order to run the adventure. If you’re a player, no peeking! If you’re the GM, read on! Don’t worry, it’s not that bad.
Tirinum is an old world made by the Narrator when they were a child. It consists of a turtle-shaped island with anthropomorphic animal inhabitants such as the monkeys living in the jungle, eagles in the mountains, lizards in the desert, cats in the savanna, and turtles at the coast. Each of these areas also includes a special artifact. What they do is undetermined, as the Narrator never finished the story.
The Narrator hasn’t visited this world in quite some time, and as a result, the world they created is slowly being forgotten and starting to crumble. To make matters worse, this slow passing of the world is attracting the attention of the Memory Eaters. As the Memory Eaters feast, it causes the world, being a memory itself, to distort and defy the laws of its own reality before fading away entirely.
The players must travel to Tirinum and save the memory before it’s too late.
See? That wasn’t bad at all.
The Adventure
Headcanon Headquarters
Your adventure starts in the Headcanon Headquarters. There, the players will find all sorts of interesting characters from not only various genres of stories, but also visual styles as well. Characters from Saturday morning cartoons, cowboys and gangsters from black and white films, ultra-detailed computer renderings from science fiction and fantasy video games, and even anthropomorphic animals from kids’ shows. Anything and everything ever imagined walks these halls.
The headquarters itself is large and spacious, so the more oddly shaped and robust characters can move freely. Due to the variety of individuals that pass through here, the establishment is also simplified as much as possible. Furniture, walkways, doors, while sleek looking, are kept basic so they may be used and navigated by anything from eldritch tentacles to basic human digits.
After you reveal the oddities of this place, it would be a good time to loosen up and encourage the players to describe their own characters both to you and their fellow players. For this game, the player characters should already know one another. Feel free to have a moment of roleplay while walking to the mission briefing room, in the mission briefing room itself, or both.
The players have been called into action by Bob the Slime. A green slime with two eyes freely floating around in his gelatinous body. His form is stuffed into a suit that is too small, with two slender arms. Due to the lack of a rigid structure in his body, his necktie is constantly misaligned, causing him to frequently fiddle with it, especially when he’s excited or nervous. Though Bob the Slime is one of the many people responsible for managing missions, he greatly admires the field agents and is generally anxious around them.
After the introductions and roleplay are over, progress to the next scene. If the players aren’t in the mission briefing room already, have them enter and sit down. Bob the Slime will then slide his way into the room, excited as always. He will explain to the player characters the current condition of Tirinum and that their job is to save it. Bob the Slime will also be able to answer most questions that players have about the planet.
If you need help with Bob’s dialogue, you can use the following either as a guide or an example:
(Slides into the room and shuts the door behind him, fidgeting with his necktie and pointing a remote at a screen on the wall). Gentlemen! Ladies! So good to see you! It’s always good to see you (shifts tie again). I just wish the circumstances were better. We have a world that’s currently experiencing some genre fluctuations (points the remote at the screen again and shows an image of the planet). This is Tirinum. A child’s world that has been left to wither (shakes his “head”). They grow up so fast, don’t they?
(Pauses, then shifts tie again) Unfortunately, our information is lacking. The island consists of several anthropomorphic locals representing various animals of Earth. The locals also have special artifacts, but what they do exactly (shifts necktie) we don’t know. I’m afraid our young Narrator here never finished his story. The genre fluctuations are getting worse and happening more frequently, so I’m afraid it’s only a matter of time before the world is gone if we don’t act soon.
(Bob puffs his chest out, and the pitch of his voice rises as he gets excited) Get ready to saddle up, ladies and gentlemen! It’s time to head out (fidgets with necktie)!
Once the briefing is done, Bob the Slime will guide the players towards the Central Teleportation Room. This allows them to be teleported anywhere in the multiverse. It is a large, circular room that contains a large holographic map of the multiverse in the center. The map shows many worlds glitching out and in need of assistance. The players will see Tirinum on the map light up, and the many nearby workers can be seen through the room’s windows as they calibrate the teleporter accordingly. Just before teleporting, Bob the Slime will salute the party while trying to hold his necktie in place and wish them the best of luck.
Tirinum
This world is in a constant state of fluctuation. In the blink of an eye, everything the players are able to see can change into something entirely different. The layout will remain the same, but what’s inside may change.
You, as the GM, will roll 1d6 every 5 minutes or at the end of a round when in combat. If you prefer to slow things down, consider rolling every 10 minutes instead. When you roll, you will then need to switch the current map and use the matching creatures.
Below is a table for quick reference on the different versions of the world. The different versions are explained in greater detail farther down.
| Roll | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | The original Tirinum, but it’s very being is thinning and its reality is fading |
| 2 | A much more colorful version of the world and is also full of ponies |
| 3 | An eldritch horror version of the world |
| 4 | A mechanical and robotic version of the world |
| 5 | An undead version of the world complete with zombies and poison |
| 6 | Emptiness |
When the players arrive, the world will be in Version 1. They will be in a jungle landscape with a large building in front of them. The layout and structure of the building will remain the same for each version of the world, containing 3 rooms and a stairway to the basement.
All interior doors are locked shut by a mysterious force and will only open once something in the room is done. The solutions are explained below in the individual versions, though it should be noted that killing the NPC in any of the rooms will also open the door.
If one of the players has their character in a position that is occupied by a solid object when the world changes, both the player and that object (if possible) will receive 1d6 Reality Damage. The player will then be moved to the closest empty space.
While standing outside the building, the player characters will see no windows and only the one front door. If they try to go around the building, they will discover that the walls seem to go on forever. The jungle around them stretches out equally as far and appears too dense to travel. The farther they look out, the more they can see the world losing itself. Color fades from the jungle and building, the textures become smooth, and objects start to meld together and become little more than chunks of thinning reality.
The building, along with its walls, ceilings, floors, and doors, is indestructible. The front door is not locked and ready to be opened whenever the players are ready to enter.
GM Tip: All map versions have different sizes, so that when you overlap them, there is always at least one space visible. This makes it easier to select them and change their layer position when running the game.
1 Tirinum
Version 1 of Tirinum is much like the world as it was explained outside the building. The entire building is made of stone, though parts of it has lost its color, and other portions have lost their detail. What was once a textured wall of cobblestone is now a perfectly smooth grey plane. These fragmented portions of the building will shift gradually, meaning sometimes the detail and color will be there, and sometimes they won’t, as it struggles to merely exist.
This version of the world also contains the protagonist. He is an anthropomorphic ape whose name has been forgotten. The party will find this character in each room, with each room representing a different aspect of his character. If any variation of him dies, it will alter the session’s ending. Take note, he will die in only a single hit.
Room 1
The first room contains an insecure version of the protagonist. He will be confused and panics when he sees the party and runs to hide in the corner of the room. The players may attempt to calm him down with a Psychology or Persuasion Check of 7. On a success, the next door will open.
Room 2
In the back of the room rests a humongous pile of bananas along with a hammock. In the hammock is a rather lazy version of the protagonist, eating the bananas one by one at a leisurely pace. He is extremely relaxed and doesn’t seem to care at all about what is happening around him, and will even offer the players some of his bananas, encouraging them to take it easy and stay a while.
If one of the players eats a banana, the door opens.
Room 3
This room is an alchemical laboratory filled with shelves of empty books. A curious version of the protagonist lives here and is trying desperately to find out what is going on. He will open the books and quickly throw them to the corner once he sees they are empty. Convincing him that the world is falling apart will require a check of Analysis, Meta, or Persuasion Check of 7. Once convinced, the door will open.
2 Ponies
Much unlike the previous world, this one seems to be complete and intact. It’s overly bright and colorful, and the entire building smells of sugar and baked sweets. The air is crisp and clean, and the player characters can’t help but crack a smile because everything feels so nice and cozy.
Room 1
In the center of the room is a small, round table with two chairs that are opposite of one another. Also in the room is a green Pegasus Pony (Level 1) by the name of Quick Wing. He is a strong and confident smooth-talker, but also a cheery sort that won’t put the characters on edge.
Quick Wing will propose an arm-wrestling contest with any party member who wishes to do so. The chosen player must pass an Athletic or Raw Force Check against Quick Wing’s Athletics Check.
If Quick Wing wins the competition, he will present another physical challenge to the players, such as a race, who can do the most pushups, tug-of-war, or other similar activities. He will continue to do so until he loses one of the challenges.
If the players win the arm-wrestling challenge, or any of Quick Wing’s other challenges, the door will open.
Room 2
A large table with several chairs fills most of the room. In the corner is an oven being used by a cream-colored pony (Level 1) named Butter Pie. She is currently baking numerous muffins and piling them on the table. She is an overly friendly sort and will invite the players to eat some muffins.
Eating a muffin will open the door, but any player who eats a muffin for the first time will need to roll an Endurance Check to see what the muffin does to them. No matter the result, they will taste great. Reference the table below for the result:
| Roll | Result |
|---|---|
| 3 or lower | You can’t handle all the sugar and butter. You are Tainted until the end of the game. |
| 9 or lower | This yummy snack has boosted your morale. You gain 3 Temporary Vitality. |
| 10 or higher | Sugger rush! You do not only gain 6 Temporary Vitality, you also get advantage on all your rolls until the end of the game. |
Room 3
Upon entering, players will first notice a large pile of empty books in the corner. At the opposite end of the room is a magical circle that reaches from the North wall to the South wall. A pink unicorn (Level 1) named Star Speaker is pacing back and forth between the book piles and the magic circle. She is muttering to herself, but the players will be able to easily determine without a check that she is currently trying to figure out what is going on with the world.
With an Analysis, Meta, or Persuasion Check of 7, the players can convince her that the world is not only falling apart, but that she isn’t even a part of it. Once convinced, the door will open.
3 Eldritch
In this version of the world, weird symbols are carved into the floor tiles, and the walls are made out of what appears to be some kind of crystal. There is an eerie presence that the player characters will be able to sense, unlike the other versions of this world. It does not feel as though the world is filled with dread, but more so that all feeling and emotion has been removed.
Each room in this world contains a magical circle with a higher-dimensional creature inside of it. These creatures are immune to all damage, they do not attack, and they do not move from within their circle. Entering the magic circle will cause them to ask a question through telepathy. If the question is answered truthfully, the next door will open.
Room 1
The first room has The Fear. It is a mass of bony jaws and teeth that continuously slide around, as well as in and out of, the creature’s lack of solid form. On top of the mass rests two green eyes that will react only when a player enters the circle. The Fear will ask through telepathy in a raspy whisper that sends a vibration all through the player character’s body: “What dost thou fear?”.
If it is an honest answer, or at least one that sounds honest, the creature will respond with “to speak thy fear aloud is to loosen its chains,” and the door will open.
If it is something nonsensical or a refusal to answer, the creature will respond with “Thou dost cloak thy fear in deflection. As thy heart is closed, so too is thy way,” and the door will not open.
If the player agrees that vulnerability is indeed their fear, the creature will respond with “To reveal thyself is to invite pain, yet also to forge stronger bonds. As thy heart opens, so too does thy way.”
Room 2
The second room contains The Knowledge. This creature’s form is also ever-changing and sliding around, but its mass is constructed of numerous crystalline eyes. They slowly slide around, looking all around the room. Once a player enters the circle, every eye will instantly snap to the player and follow them closely.
Using telepathy to communicate, the creature will ask in what seems multiple soft voices talking simultaneously, “What knowledge dost thou seek?”.
If the player answers reasonably, the creature says, “A seeking mind is a rare flame in a world grown dull,” and the door will open.
Otherwise, if the answer is avoidant or nonsensical, the door will not open, and it will respond with “Confusion clouds thee, and thy answer lacks meaning. If thou speak with intention, I shall listen once more.”
Honest answers will open the door, while nonsensical or avoidant answers will make The Knowledge repeat itself.
Room 3
In the final room, players will find The Dream. It is a perfectly shaped yellow sphere with many eyes and mouths constantly appearing and disappearing all over it in random spots. The Dream hovers above the floor and is completely still, appearing as though it is locked in place.
If a player enters the circle, they will be asked: “What is thy dream?”. The players do not hear a tone or any type of voice. Instead, they just know the words as though they were planted directly into their mind.
If the player answers with something you consider to be a “good” dream (pursuing a righteous goal, looking to better something about themselves, making the world a better place, etc.), The Dream will respond with “Thy dream is a light in the dark. Mayst thou find it,” and the door will open.
If a nightmare is given instead, or a dream that implies ill intent towards others, then the creature will respond with “Dreams shape worlds. Thine would unmake them,” and the door will remain closed. Another player must then answer the question to try again.
If all players answer incorrectly, they may re-enter the ring and try again until they get it right.
4 Machines
In Version 4 of the world, the entire building, including its floors, walls, and ceiling, is completely made of metal. It has a very industrial look and feel to it, with several machines in each room that are currently running. Their motors hum with life and make the rooms noisy, as well as fill the air with the smell of oil and hot metal.
Room 1
This room contains a robotic soldier (Level 0 if one player, Level 1 if 2 to 4, Level 2 if more) with a powerful laser rifle mounted on its arm. As soon as the players step through the door, the robot will take a shot at them and initiate combat.
If the players destroy the robot soldier, the door will open. Fully restraining or disabling the robot in some capacity will also open the door.
Room 2
The second room contains an automated war machine (Level 0 if one player, Level 1 if 2 to 4, Level 2 if more), complete with a rocket launcher and minigun. While it is slow, it will still attack the party on sight. Though it boasts powerful ranged attacks, the war machine lacks any melee weapons, making it vulnerable to close-quarters combat.
Destroying or disabling the war machine will open the door.
Room 3
This room contains a large, central computer with multiple screens connected to it. An AI lives within the computer. It is arrogant and will talk down to anybody who speaks to it, so long as they are not a machine. It will demand that any and all non-machine beings leave the room from the door they came in, for fear their kind will “contaminate” the machines.
If players are able to convince the AI that they (the players) are on an important mission, and/or that the world will collapse if they aren’t allowed to continue, the AI will open the next door. To convince the AI, players must pass an Analysis or Persuasion check of 10. While not required, players are also encouraged to provide their actual argument against the AI instead of just rolling for it, even if it’s silly.
If players fail the check, laser turrets (Level 1 if one player, Level 2 if 2 to 4, Level 3 if more) will emerge from the computer and attack the players. Destroying the AI will open the door.
5 Undead
While still indestructible, the building in this world is made entirely of rotten wood. Spread across the floor are large puddles of sticky, slimy, poisonous goo. If players step in it for the first time in a round, they will receive 1d6 Poison Damage. If not in combat, then the damage repeats every 12 seconds.
Room 1
The first room contains puddles of poisonous goo as well as a single zombie (Level 0 if one player, Level 1 if 2 to 4, Level 2 if more). It will slowly stumble its way towards the players. While not very swift (both literally and figuratively) and lacking any type of weapon, it is still a sturdy opponent due to its Armor and Vitality.
Defeating the zombie will open the door.
Room 2
A skeleton warrior (Level 0 if one player, Level 1 if 2 to 4, Level 2 if more) waits for the party in the second room, ready to attack at first sight. His movements with his sword and shield clearly indicate that he was an adept warrior in a previous life. However, now that he has been pushed well beyond his years, he is brittle, giving him low Armor and a vulnerability to Physical Damage.
Defeating the skeleton will open the door.
Room 3
The final room contains a throne made of solid black stone with an impressive pile of skulls on each side of it. A Lich (Level 1 if one player, Level 2 if 2 to 4, Level 3 if more) in a large robe sits on the throne, looking down with great disdain at any party member that is not undead. His skeletal face is all the players can see.
The Lich will hold up his hand, motioning for the party to stop where they are and say, “You are in my domain now, and you will show me the proper amount of respect. Come before me and bow.”
If the players choose to obey and bow down, or any other method of showing respect, the Lich will nod his head and say, “Very good, now be on your way,” and the door will open.
If the players disrespect the Lich in any way, he will attack them. Defeating the Lich will also open the door.
6 Void
In the sixth version of the world, the entire building becomes mostly transparent. The walls, floors, and ceiling seem to be made of crystal-clear glass, but inside of them are random patterns of squares growing and shrinking like pixels in a digital image, randomly failing.
If the party looks down, they will be able to see through the floor and discover the Memory Eaters in the basement below. The player characters will know what they are due to their profession and training.
Whichever room they happen to be in when the shift happens, the following door will automatically open. Once all players step through the open door and into the progressing room, the world will automatically shift again, regardless of the time increment chosen.
Amalgam
When rolling for a new version of the world, if you roll the same number twice, you will instead get a mixture of all six versions. All NPCs and creatures will be present, causing chaos that will result in instant combat.
The ape protagonist from Version 1, along with the ponies from Version 2, will attempt to run away in a blind panic. The Eldritch entities will remain unbothered and simply watch what takes place around them.
The machines and the undead, however, will immediately turn hostile and attempt to kill anything in the room with them. As the GM, you may determine whether they all focus on players or the entire thing becomes a free-for-all, with skeletons fighting machines, fighting zombies, fighting players.
The Memory Eaters
Upon opening the final door, the party will discover a flight of stairs that leads down into the basement. There, they will find two Memory Eaters feeding on the world’s reality. Every bite they take removes a piece of the world itself, leaving a glitched-out void of nothingness. The Memory Eaters are large, grotesque creatures that are a twisted reptilian abomination with an extremely durable layer of chitin that protects their backsides as well as their scorpion-like legs that taper out into a deadly point.
The Memory Eaters will not notice the players when they enter unless they are louder than normal, for they are too busy gorging themselves. This allows the players to reposition themselves before entering combat. Should the Memory Eaters see the players at any point, they will attack immediately.
The world will continue to randomly shift through the various versions as before. Below is a quick reference of what you will find in the basement in the various versions of the world.
| Roll | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Empty stone room with nothing but a stone bed in the center |
| 2 | A very colorful room full of giant muffins |
| 3 | Three magic circles are in the room. Anyone in the yellow circle will be Charmed by the closest enemy. Anything in the blue circle will be Tainted. Anything in the green circle will be Frightened by the closest enemy. |
| 4 | Contains broken machines with exposed, sparking wires. Any creature that shares a space with the sparks for the first time in a round will suffer 1d6 Shock Damage. |
| 5 | Contains large spreads of the poisonous goo |
| 6 | Contains large cubes for cover as well as rifts in reality. Any creature that shares a space with the rifts for the first time in a round will suffer 1d6 Reality Damage. |
Like before, should you roll up the same number twice, the basement will become a mixture of all six versions.
| Number of Players | Easy | Medium | Difficult | Hardcore |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 Memory Eaters (lv 0, half damage) | 2 Memory Eaters (lv 0, half damage) | 2 Memory Eaters (lv 0) | 2 Memory Eaters (lv 0) |
| 2 | 2 Memory Eaters (lv 0) | 2 Memory Eaters (lv 0) | 2 Memory Eaters (lv 1) | 2 Memory Eaters (lv 2) |
| 3 | 2 Memory Eaters (lv 1) | 2 Memory Eaters (lv 2) | 2 Memory Eaters (lv 2) | 2 Memory Eaters (lv 3) |
| 4 | 2 Memory Eaters (lv 2) | 2 Memory Eaters (lv 3) | 2 Memory Eaters (lv 3) | 2 Memory Eaters (lv 4) |
| 5 | 2 Memory Eaters (lv 2) | 2 Memory Eaters (lv 3) | 2 Memory Eaters (lv 4) | 2 Memory Eaters (lv 5) |
| 6 | 2 Memory Eaters (lv 3) | 2 Memory Eaters (lv 5) | 2 Memory Eaters (lv 6) | 2 Memory Eaters (lv 8) |
Ending
The world will stabilize once the Memory Eaters are defeated and return to Version 1, with the ending unfolding based on how many versions of the ape protagonist survived.
If all variations of the ape protagonist survived, the players will see an injured eagle person on the stone bed. He is holding an artifact in the shape of a bird beak and passing it to the ape protagonist who stands beside him. The scene itself is completely frozen in time, allowing the players to get a good glimpse before being teleported back to Headcanon Headquarters.
Once there, Bob the Slime will welcome them back with enthusiastic applause and congratulate them on a job very well done.
If one or two variations of the protagonist die, the players will still see the wounded eagle person on the stone bed frozen in time. However, the protagonist does not take the artifact and instead runs away. The eagle person is looking at him with desperation in his eyes and his hand reaching out, trying to give him the artifact.
Upon being teleported back, Bob the Slime will attempt to be happy for their return, but is clearly bothered by something. Without prompting, he will mutter about something being off and how the story seems to be missing something.
If all the variations of the protagonist die, the players will see the same eagle person. He remains on the bed, both hands clutching his artifact with a single tear sliding down his face. Next to him, on the floor, dead is the ape protagonist.
When returning to Headcanon Headquarters, Bob the Slime will express his disappointment while explaining to the party that the story has been ruined for the rest of time with no way to repair it.
After Bob the Slime debriefs them, the players are free to leave. Ask them what they do to relax and unwind now that the mission is over.
Congratulations! You finished the adventure!