False Hope – Session Zero Summary

False Hope – Session Zero Summary

The Forge: A Galaxy of Peril and Promise

The Forge is a galaxy of remnants and ruins, shaped by catastrophe, conflict, and the tenacity of those who now call it home. Its history is layered in lost knowledge, fractured factions, and the weight of oaths sworn on an ancient, near-indestructible metal known as Black Iron. The great Exodus brought the survivors of the Sun Plague to this new galaxy, but their arrival was not one of unity. The Founder Clans, powerful and ambitious, carved out their territories, while others remained aboard their drifting Ironhomes, clinging to the past.

The Truths of the Forge

1. The Sun Plague Extinction
   • The stars of the home galaxy died in a cascading wave of annihilation. The few survivors fled to the Forge, where stars still burn.
2. Exodus and Ironhomes
   • Generations lived aboard the Exodus fleet before settling planetside. Some refused to leave their ships, forming the nomadic Ironhomes.
3. Founder Clans
   • Five great clans rule vast holdings, their influence shaping the lives of many. Their unity is an illusion; skirmishes for power are constant.
4. Black Iron
   • A living metal, rare and valuable, used to forge weapons and armor. Vows are sworn upon it, binding the sworn to their word.
5. Bounty Hunters
   • They wield authority above local law, their contracts recognized throughout the Forge.
6. Faith and the Primordials
   • Religion varies, but many revere the long-dead Primordials, whose remnants still shape the galaxy.
7. Paragons
   • Those with extraordinary abilities, wielding powers that defy explanation.
8. Lost Knowledge
   • Knowledge is a commodity, hoarded by the powerful, leading to isolation, secrecy, and disinformation.
9. Sworn Healers
   • Medicine is the domain of guilds that train and protect their own.
10. Advanced AI

• Rare and controlled by the elite, while most rely on rudimentary technology.

11. Mercenaries

• War is waged by those who fight for coin, their loyalty bought and sold.

12. Diverse Life

• The Forge teems with life—some familiar, others alien, including massive space-borne creatures.

13. Remnants

• Ancient, bio-mechanical war machines still roam, locked in conflicts long forgotten.

14.The Woken Dead

• The Forge’s energies reanimate the dead, and the Soul-binders seek to end them before they spread.

The False Hope – Brennan’s Starship

• Class: Buzzard (a scrappy, reliable reclaimer vessel)
• Role: Reclaimer – A scavenger, salvager, and sometimes smuggler
• Key Asset: Grappler – A powerful mechanical arm mounted on the ship, perfect for salvage, boarding, or combat

A relic from a better time, the False Hope is as infamous as its pilot. Rust-patched plating and mismatched modifications make it unmistakable to those who know ships. The grappler mounted on the hull is a signature tool, essential for pulling salvage from the void—or foes into its grasp. Though well-worn, the ship is sturdy and, more importantly, entirely Brennan’s.

Brennan "Rook" Velez

• Description: Proud, Infamous, Clever
• First Look: Flashy, Aged, Noticeable swagger
• Race: Human
• Role: Scholar, Lore Hunter
• Trademark Accessories: Shoulder-slung map case, Ostentatious cane
• Trademark Weapons:
  • Black Iron Rapier – A finely-crafted dueling blade, its hilt etched with silver filigree.
  • Shipwright’s Hammer – A tool that doubles as a brutal close-combat weapon.
• Unique Features: Mechanical arm granting enhanced strength
• Personality: Trickster

Once destined for a higher station, Brennan Velez is a man of lost birthrights and stolen glories. The name “Rook” follows him, both as an insult and an omen—where he goes, trouble follows. A collector of knowledge, he salvages more than just wreckage; he digs through forgotten histories, seeking meaning in the ruins of the past.

His mechanical arm, a grafted masterpiece of forgotten engineering, is both a tool and a statement. His swaggering charm hides deeper wounds, and the Black Iron rapier he wields is more than a weapon—it’s a symbol of what was taken from him.

His Mission

Brennan is dedicated to protecting sprites, intelligent crystalline lifeforms that few recognize as more than mere curiosities. His companion, Cash, is both a friend and a secret—a rarity Brennan will protect with his life.

Cash – The Sprite Companion

• Appearance: A delicate, crystalline entity capable of shifting its form to fly, swim, or scurry
• Abilities: Expert at covert navigation, able to bypass even the harshest environments
• Communication: Blinking patterns of light, which Brennan has learned to interpret

Cash is an enigma—a sentient, adaptable being of unknown origins. Its shifting form allows it to maneuver through tight spaces, and its bioluminescent pulses serve as its language. Over years together, Brennan has grown fluent in Cash’s silent expressions, reading the subtle flickers of its light to understand its moods, warnings, and sometimes, its mischief.

Brennan’s Past and Motivations

• Denied Birthright – Once meant for something greater, now an outsider.
• Goal: Protect the sprites, rare and intelligent lifeforms tied to an ancient civilization.
• Significant Events:
  • Ongoing Event: A duty he cannot ignore.
  • PC Negative: A past conflict—he assaulted a rival.
  • NPC Action: Someone is using their fame to shape events.
  • Ongoing Event: A raided expedition, with lingering consequences.

Motivations

• Defy Culture – He does not accept the rules forced upon him.
• Suppress Dominion – He refuses to be ruled.
• Abandon Stranger – Some things, and people, are better left behind.

Where We Begin

Brennan has been tasked with tracking and slaying a marauding beast, a job likely tied to something far more dangerous. As he delves into a cave system riddled with ancient mysteries, he and Cash discover glowing blue inscriptions covering the walls, written in a lost language. In the center of the chamber lies a Black Iron artifact—the very thing he came seeking.

But he is not alone.

A guardian acolyte, bound by duty to protect the artifact and its secrets, stands before him. The artifact, long depleted, once held the power to open the Iron Gates or the Precursor Vaults. But the guardian cannot use it, not without something lost. Brennan must acquire what they need—a solution to restore its purpose.

The choice ahead is fraught with risk.

Will Brennan play the role of thief, scholar, or trickster? The answer may shape more than just his fate—it could shift the balance of the Forge itself.