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RULES
This is everything you need to make a character and play the game.

LORE
This is a lot of info about the world. Reading it isn't required, but it can help you understand the setting. You can always just skim it and search up stuff you need later.

MAP
This is the map of the local area you start in. It will expand as you explore. Word of advice: DO NOT GO UP.

Spoiler:  Example character sheet to fill out (click to show/hide)

Name:
Description:
Goal:
 
Stats
Str: 
Dex: 
Spe: 
End: 
Awa: 
Cun: 
Kno: 
Ner:

Skills

Inventory
 

Official discord
https://discord.gg/eBVXMnM

Official Wiki

You blink in confusion as the black bag is pulled off your head, darkness replaced with blinding light. Your eyes start to adjust but before you can get a good look around someone shoves you down into a chair. A metal table screeches across the stone floor and grinds to a stop in front of you. The room's only light shines harshly down from above and you see shadowy figures shifting around you. One moves forward and, one by one, slaps three pieces of paper down on the table.  Each one is an image of a Tunnel Bore along with specifications and explanations written in small text next to them.

A hand grabs the back of your head and and pushes your face closer to the table; your bound hands bite painfully into your back.

"The situation here is very simple." A voice -gruff and arrogant- says from somewhere in front of you, "We have a job we need you to do.  Do it well and we let you go. Fail it and we'll feed you to the wool maggots. Understand?"

To punctuate the point the man behind you slams your head into the table before jerking it back up to look at the three different Bores.

"Now, choose which one of these fine chariots you want to ride off on."

Industrial Bore
Power: 12
Mobility: 10
System: 8
Integrity: 8
Penetration: 12
8 Open rooms.
A decommissioned industrial bore used for digging Tunnel Paths. Has a strong boiler and powerful drill but its frame and plating isn’t designed to withstand much abuse.


Military Bore
Power: 8
Mobility: 12
System: 12
Integrity: 12
Penetration: 6
3 open rooms
4 cannons (cannon 5, pierce 5)
Surplus Military Bore leftover from an unsuccessful attempt to slay a Great Worm.  A mobile weapons platform with thick armor, advanced automated systems and a precision mobility system.  Smaller than most other bores and as a result lacks a powerful boiler and drill.


Nomad Bore
Power: 8
Mobility: 14
System: 6
Integrity: 10
Penetration: 12
15 Open Rooms
An oversized and outdated Bore formerly used by trading caravans. Its systems are outdated and its boiler isn’t the best, but its powerful drill and expertly tuned mobility systems allow it to get just about anywhere.

((The choice with the highest number of votes will be the starting vehicle for the players))

"...all of it looks interesting and awful at the same time!" -Pancaek, Discord Review.

[Egan_BW]

Spoiler: one of many moths (click to show/hide)

Name: Wiellste Gunsmithy

Description: A young Ethral, no taller than 4 feet tall. Her fur is unpatterned and a milky white. Usually wears a rather plain quilted brown silk cloak, and a polished copper mask with symmetrical, spiraling lines etched on the sides.

Goal: Wiellste is like many Ethral in that she seeks to gather knowledge about the world before all else. Though being an Ethral from Knot, her skills are largely more on the practical building side than the scholarly side. She isn't particularly invested in the teachings of the Tenebrous Church, but the idea of the spheres intrigues her, especially Balarim, with it's writings and technology.

Stats:
Str:  7
Dex: 12
Spe: 10
End:  8
Awa:  7
Cun: 15
Kno: 13
Ner: 11

Skills:
Weaponsmith 2
Diving 2
Pistol 1
Bore 1
Translate 1
Stealth 1

Inventory:
Silk cloak
Copper mask
Revolver 7/7

1 Fathom

Sexy, sexy nomad bore. Room to grow, ya know?

"Owww. I think I have a concussion. I can't read these. Can... can I have a moment? Everything's blurry."

[randomgenericusername]

Spoiler: Character Sheet (click to show/hide)

Name: Lokam Pilgrim

Description: Lokam is an Ethral Aspirant of the Tenebrous Chruch currently on pilgrimage. His soft fur is pale yellow, his large and fuzzy mane is golden and antennae and wings are dark purple with white details. His antennae, unlike most Ethral, are also very long and fluffy. Most of the time, he's wearing his silky church robes, which also have a hood included. His mask is very dark purple, with bright yellow spirals and curves, similar to tentacles.

Goal: His goal is to just complete his pilgrimage and ascend in the chruch. He wishes to go as deep as possible and someday become a Living Saint, Stygian or even a member of the Council. But his dream is to someday go deeper than everyone, reach the center and finally find God.

Stats:
Str:  7
Dex: 12
Spe: 10
End:  8
Awa:  7
Cun: 13
Kno: 13
Ner: 13

Skills:
Diving: 3
Caving: 1
Navigation: 1
Survival: 1
Translate: 1

Inventory:
The Black Book (Real)
Black Flame
Bag of Path Markers
Silk Aspirant Gray Robes
Purple Mask

Voting for Nomad Bore.

[PyroDesu]

Spoiler: Rockmole, rocking out (click to show/hide)

Name: Frax

Description: A somewhat larger example of a mole-man standing at around 6'5". Also a bit on the thicker side, the normally-defined musculature of the typical mole-man muted under a few layers of blubber. His short, rust-colored fur is starting to be streaked with silver. His clothing is sturdy and festooned with straps, retaining loops, and pockets, but otherwise plain - befitting one who's job is to go out of the bore and find things in the rock.

Goal: Money, dear boy. Gobs and gobs of money through mineral wealth (and possibly a touch of adventure along the way).

Stats:
Str:13
Dex:10
Spe:8
End:14
Awa:10
Cun:9
Kno:9
Ner:10

Skills:
Weapon Skill - Tungsten Toothpick: +2
Unarmed: +1
Caving: +1
Explosives: +1
Geology: +2
Archaeology: +1

Inventory:
Tungsten Toothpick (10 rounds)
0 Fathoms

The nomad bore is tempting, but the low System seems a bad idea unless we have a driver. Ranked Choices:

• Industrial Bore
• Nomad Bore
• Military Bore

[Egan_BW]

I'm sure we can strongarm someone into taking some driving skill. ;P

[Gentlefish]

Spoiler: Drett Medizin, Ethral (click to show/hide)

Desc: Coated wholly in downy white bugfur, he is crowned with two fuzzy antennae and collared by a just-as-fluffy mane. His limbs are dainty, almost gangly if it weren't for his 4 hand a half foot stature. His cloak is a mottled light gray, able to blend in better with the environment than his alabaster being. A silver mask adorns his face, with a circle carve in the top third, stylized lightrays splitting the mask in half and coming down in symmetrical angles. The eyeslits are angled, almost malevolent looking.

Goal: Concerned with the Light of Knowledge, Drett has taken it upon himself to study the complexities of biological organisms, and lesser so, how those organisms may bond and interact with the world around them. Having learned all he could of Ethrals, he has signed onto the bore in order to better understand those species he coexists with

Str:7  Dex:12  Spe:10  End:8  Awa:7  Cun:14 Kno:15  Ner:10
Medical +2
Biological +2
Mechanical +1
Chemical +1
Occult +1
Archeology +1

1x Doctor's Bag - 25
1x Field Lighter -3
6x Cave Spider Venom - 18
Fathoms - 10

I too vote for the NOMAD

[IronyOwl]

Spoiler: Another Snuggly Moth (click to show/hide)

Name: Auft Kindheart
Description: Standing 3'10", with even fluffier than usual snow-white fur, this Ethral radiates adorable innocence even by the standards of her kind. Her porcelain-white mask is a circular shape carved into slices, each bearing a smiling face with eyes and mouths arched in joy, and adorned with pink blush marks. Her cloak is similarly pure white and a little too large for her, adding to her cute and defenseless appearance.
Goal: To amass and improve loyal pets and slaves.
 
Stats
Str:  7
Dex:  12
Spe:  10
End:  8
Awa:  7
Cun:  16
Kno:  13
Ner:  10

Skills
+1 Medical
+1 Translate
+1 Acrobatics
+1 Persuasion
+1 Stealth
+1 Animal Handling
+1 Archeology
+1 Biological
+1 Chemical
+1 Occult

Inventory
2 Fathoms
Ethral Rifle [7/7]
Doctor's Bag

Nomad Bore

[Devastator]

So what happens if we go up?

[Ozarck]

Spoiler: Not so much a character, but a mistake (click to show/hide)

Name: AsHul
Description:Former human, marred by an encounter with the Sphere of Technology: Balaram. Awful, ugly, indifferent. Spiderweb veins trace circuitry patterns across his skin, which is dotted with moles resembling transistors and resistors. cartilage around some of his knuckles rises in intermittent ridges, as if gears operated just beneath the skin. The melanoma in his skin spells out words, designs, and musical bars. The bone around one eye forms a circle like a camera lens casing. One calf bone is shaped like an I-beam.

Goal:To find God. AsHul seeks the Depths and Growth. All encounters are opportunities for connection with the Divine, and AsHul believes that it's how you handle those encounters that shape what you become. Death holds little fear for AsHul, as he considers it one of many endings on the path to God, and what comes after is a matter to be addressed at that time. AsHul believes that mutation and madness are both clues to the Nature of God, and that humanity is but a seed waiting to sprout. like the AnteDiluvians before, into forms and ways of thinking that are more accessible to the Divine.
 
Stats
Str:9  Dex:8  Spe:8  End:10  Awa:12  Cun:10  Kno:10  Ner:16


Skills
Diving: 3
Animal Handling: 2
Survival: 1

Inventory
dice roll: 17, 15, 17 (neat! that's like, a lot!)= 49+20 = 69!
Relic Fragment (gotta go deeper) (20)
Black Book (copy) (5)
2 Silent Night  (10)
4 Worm Blood  (12)
2 Occult Junks (20)
2 Fathoms

alternate characters:

Spoiler: Nameless (click to show/hide)

Name: none
Description: The Fresh Corpse of a human. Muscular, rugged, tall, stubbly beard and ragged hair
Goal: an Honorable Death for a Cause Worth Dying For

Str:15  Dex:8  Spe:10  End:15  Awa:10  Cun:8  Kno:6  Ner:10

Skills
Weapon (short sword): 2
Acrobatics: 2
Defense (mail shirt): 2
Caving: 1

Inventory
dice roll: 9, 8, 19 = 36+20 = 56 (pretty good haul)
Mail Shirt (Protect 3) (20)
Short Sword (cut 3, pierce 2) (20)
Grapple hook and 100 ft silk rope (10+5)
1 Fathom

Spoiler: The utility character everyone wishes someone else would play (click to show/hide)

Name:Brad
Description: Average height, skinny human with mousey hair and watery eyes
Goal: Just, like, not getting hit in the face, man.
 
Stats
Str:10  Dex:11  Spe:10  End:10  Awa:11  Cun:11  Kno:10  Ner:10

Skills
Bore: 2
Navigation: 2
Geology: 2
Archaeology: 1

Inventory
Dice Roll: 9, 15, 13 = 37+20 = 57 (generally a good day for dice rolls for ol' Ozzy)
Golden Pin (35) (because hell, why not. Our haphazard jerk of all trades woke from a bender with this thing. He just hopes the original owner doesn't miss it)
2 TNT (6)
100 ft silk rope (5)
Bladed shovel (cut 3) (10)
1 Fathom

[Egan_BW]

The starting money is 3d20+20, not just 3d20.

[Ozarck]

hooooookay, I'll go back and make a couple upgrades.

[Parisbre56]

Spoiler: "Kara" the Corven (click to show/hide)

Name: "Kara" is what most humans call her, though the closest pronunciation would be  Kr'ra-Kax

Race: Corven (advantage for climb, disadvantage for falls)

Appearance: She is a crow-like Corven with matte-black feathers. A bit short. Constantly moves her head around, examining her surroundings. Moves her tail up and down whenever she's excited.
Age: Adult, but just barely

Goal: Wants to find artifacts and experiences that she can use to make an (under)world-famous museum. Wants to prove herself to her mother and piss off her brother with her success (both financially and socially).

Stats
Str:8 
Dex:13 
Spe:13 
End:6 
Awa:12
Cun:10 
Kno:8 + 3 = 11
Ner:10

Skills
Rifle: 1
Medical: 1
Translate: 1
Acrobatics: 1
Caving: 1
Machine Control: 1
Stealth: 1
Geology: 1
Archeology: 1
Navigation: 1

Wealth: 58
-0 Simple Clothes (she was forced to sell the last of her original clothes to cover some unexpected expenses
-40 Ethral Rifle (rifle 3, pierce 3) 7/7
-5 Silk Rope 100/100 feet
-10 Grappling Hook
-3 Field Lighter (Fire 2)
=0

Backstory: Kara was an orphan, living in one of the public orphanages of Goldshore. She was adopted at a young age by an influential female Corven as part of a publicity stunt to help her earn the sympathy of the poor. Growing up, her mother would say that she considered both Kara and her older brother as her children, that they would receive equal treatment. And she also made sure to constantly remind them that only the most competent would inherit her name and wealth and that the other would be cast out with nothing to call their own.

However, despite those proclamations of equality, Kara always felt that her mother was somewhat more cold towards her and always favored her brother, because unlike Kara he was her biological son. Not that Kara could blame her. Even if he wasn't her son, he was always more cunning, more popular, more beautiful, more... everything. Kara on the other hand... her only mental trait worth mentioning were her dedication (and perhaps her stubbornness) while her dark plumage and throaty voice always made her self-conscious when she compared it to the beautiful plumage and singing voices of the other Corven of the house.

She didn't see a future for her in her home. No matter how hard she studied, how much she tried to impress others at social events, how many times she tried to secure political connections and victories for her mother, her brother would always outperform her or worse steal her work and present it as his own.

Soon after she became an adult, Kara decided she wouldn't wait to be cast out. She would take matters into her own hands, leave her home and follow her dream, as silly as those dreams may be. She dreamed that she could see and experience all the wonderful and terrible things she read about in her books, that she could find objects of unimaginable value, make a collection of artifacts from all the creatures she met in her travels. That perhaps one day those objects she found would sit alongside those she used in her travels in a museum of her own making, a museum that every Corven would dream of entering and every denizen of the underworld would know of.

Though the fear of the unknown twisted her stomach into knots, Kara knew that at least that way she would be free from her mother's constant pressure and scrutiny, free from her brother's sneer and pride, free to do what she wanted. So she made her way to a pawn shop with a backpack full of the most expensive clothes and jewelry she could carry. The money she got out of them were less than she expected, but it was enough to convince some traders to take her with them.

As she moved away from the city she grew up in, the fear of the unknown started to conflict with a new fear, a fear of returning home in shame and defeated, begging to be helped. She swore she would never do that, that she'd keep trying. She'd rather die then suffer that shame.

Things didn't go exactly as planned on her journey. Kara had to give up more than she expected, sacrificed to greed and danger. But she had also gained valuable experiences and some treasured possessions. And at last she was here, in a bustling city amongst such strange and varied creatures, gaping at the architectural wonders before her.

Unfortunately, with no money and nothing to call her own, she could not spare much time for sightseeing. She had to make her way to her target: the various bores that made their home in the city's underdocks. She'd read about them in stories, the brave merchants, mercenaries and scoundrels that made their way to the deepest parts of the underworld, finding new wonders, untold riches and blood-chilling horrors. Now all she had to do was convince one of them to take her with her... or stow away inside one. Stowing away was only a last resort, but one that was looking more and more plausible. After all, who would take a random stranger with them on their bore?

((Character inspired by "Provenance" by Ann Leckie.))

I vote for Military Bore
Got to protect our squishy bits.

[Radio Controlled]

PTW and to post a charsheet when I have time. Gonna go for a human diver, how'd you guess.

So what happens if we go up?

You know that thing where you have a thing that is alive but then something happens and the thing is no longer alive? Well like that but for all the things.

[Legendary Marksdorf]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Name: Rick. No last name, just Rick.
Race: Mole-Man
Description: Rick is muscular and tall, even by mole-men standards. His fur is black and generally messy. His body bears many scars from past battles, most notably one over his left eye.
Goal: Rick's goal is to become stronger, maybe even strong enough to one day face the horrors of the surface.
 
Stats
Str: 12 + 1
Dex: 10 + 1
Spe: 8
End: 12 + 1
Awa: 10
Cun: 9
Kno: 9
Ner: 10

Skills:
Unarmed + 3
Survival + 1
Navigation + 1
Acrobatics + 1
Animal Handling + 1

Inventory: 7 + 4 + 7 = 18 + 20 = 38
Ordinary Clothes (-0)
Mail Shirt (-20)
Grappling Hook (-10)
Cave Spider Venom (-3)
100 feet of Silk Rope (-5)

Vote for Military Bore.

[Yottawhat]

Spoiler: Abominable Lizard (click to show/hide)

Name: Moku Youkou
Race: Abomination Shang-Gei

Description: A female Shang-Gei cloaked in a heavy and rough looking worm wool coat. Underneath the clothing, is a heavily mutated figure. Her scales has been coat in plastic, giving each one a iridescent sheen to them. Spikes of melded plastic, metal and circuitry are studded haphazardly, the largest one is a foot long, spearing right above, her pelvis. Her tongues have been replaced with metal tendils that sneak in and out of her mouth when she is not paying attention.
Goal: To "find" her mate.
Stats:
Strength: 9
Dexterity: 8
Speed: 8
Endurance: 10
Awareness: 12
Cunning: 12
Knowledge: 11
Nerve: 13

Skills:
Medical: +2
Machine Control: +1
Electronics: +1
Mechanical: +1
Armorsmith: +1
Occult: +1
Diving: +1
Stealth +1
Inventory:
Fathoms:16
Relic fragment
Bladed Shovel

Nomad Bore