Cold Fear
Set-up: The characters find the distress signal of an apparently abandoned Leviathan. Once they get on board, they find the ship unconscious and its Pilot dead. Strange, frightening creatures lurk in the corridors; the characetrs soon discover that the ship is haunted by several dozen Skrannix. And they are all hungry.

Action: It will likely take some time for the Skrannix to show themselves; they allow the characters to come deep aboard the Leviathan, then attempt to spring the trap. Once everyone is far from escape, perhaps in the Pilot’s chambers, the Skrannix will attempt to split the party up and attack them with their fears. It is a slow, insidious creeping fear, however. It starts with strange visions out of the corner of the eye, and slowly works towards more obvious manifestations. If the Skrannix work well, the characters should doubt their very sanity. The Skrannix will not attack a group of characters, but attempt to split them in different directions. Once their prey is alone, the Skrannix will begin feeding. Of course, to a Skrannix, fear is more delicious than death, and the slower the development, the better the feast. Death is often the final course, as the Skrannix do enjoy mortal terror, but such a meal will not sate them for long.

Should the characters manage to contact the Leviathan, they may be able to piece together what happened to her. A single Skrannix came on board and began feeding on the crew, multiplying several times. When they finally killed the Pilot, the Leviathan went into shock and has been unconscious since.

Discovering their situation is only the first problem. Extricating themselves becomes an entirely different issue. The characters will need to get back to their ship, and the Skrannix will attempt to mislead and misdirect them as much as possible. Even if they escape the Leviathan, some of the Skrannix may follow them. They will likely lie low until the ship reaches port, giving them access to an entirely new world. If the characters realize what they’ve done, they may have an obligation to track down and kill the monsters they set loose. That, of course, may be easier said than done, especially if it (or they) is now free of the Leviathan.

The Hidden Foe
Set-up: The characters are shopping in a bazaar, when one of the more mystical-oriented among them notices an amulet that calls to him. He feels a strong psychic impression from it, and he desires to own it. The amulet bestows chameleonic properties on the bearer… but also slowly corrupts him or her with dark, vile sorcery.

Action: The item is a powerful amulet, and the character quickly grows attached to it. He does not want to remove it, sleeping and bathing with it if necessary. (Depending on the character’s temperament, this may not be tremendously unusual.) The amulet grants powers of stealth, granting +5 to all Hide and Move Silently rolls as the wearer’s skin and clothing alters color to match its surroundings. It also partially masks scent, making it difficult even for Luxans and Vorcarians to track. After the character has grown fond of it, however, it starts to drive him insane. He has increasingly common bouts of paranoia, and will begin to suspect his friends and allies of betraying him. He may even try to attack other characters over minor incidents.

Eventually, the rest of the party will try to remove it. Unfortunately, the character in question will violently oppose their efforts, and may even kill any who even suggest removing the amulet. Subduing the corrupted character while being careful not to harm him may be very difficult, especially since the amulet powers can keep him hidden. If they return to speak with the merchant who sold them the artifact, they find that he is gone; no one can recall seeing a merchant of that description anywhere in the bazaar.

Even if they track down the possessed character and remove the amulet, they will find it difficult to dispose of. Conventional methods will be fruitless, as it will reform itself, or find the party again after it is lost. If the character who was bonded to the item is still alive, he can destroy it. Though he is no longer under its control, it will still try to convince him to put it on. It takes a Will save, DC 14, to avoid putting the amulet on again. If he makes this roll, however, he will be able to destroy it (by smashing it, breaking it, etc.) and they will be able to flush the pieces out an airlock.