The Situation:
For whatever reason, the characters are driving north on Interstate 95 through the Okefenokee Swamp in southern Georgia. Then, they encountered road construction, which forced them off the Interstate onto an approximately 20-mile detour.
It is night. They have been driving for about ten miles through pine forests, occasionally interrupted by a cluster of closed gas stations and convenience stores and seemingly abandoned farmhouses. At least they have a view of an incredible night sky. Moonless, but providing a view of the stars and the galaxy that few people have seen for a long time.
Several cars have clustered together, as they tend to do, driving through the darkness. Then, there is a break in the monotony as a lighted sign appears ahead of them as they crest a slight ridge.
A few of them may see an unusually bright meteor flash overhead.
Then, suddenly, the vehicle they are driving shuts off. Engine, lights, the radio they may have been listening to… Everything. They can guide their vehicles to a stop beside the road. As they do, they notice that the other vehicles are doing the same thing.
They step out of their vehicles into a dark, Georgia night, the only sound the song of the cicadas and crickets around them. They may idly notice that the lighted sign that they have stopped near has gone dark.
The Setup:
An entity from beyond, here never referred to as anything other than “The Light,” has fallen to Earth nearby. It has immediately drained all energy from (almost) everything nearby to fuel its awakening. That is why their vehicles have all failed; their batteries have been completely drained. The sudden demand on the generators has burned out every circuit in their vehicles. See “The Light” below for more details.
The characters are stranded and have limited options. They can attempt to walk out, but even following the road is a ten-mile trip back to the Interstate. And even there they will find nothing but stranded vehicles. Encourage them to consider the nearby facility (noted by the sign) as their best place to go until help arrives.
What is actually going on:
An entity here only referred to as “The Light” has fallen to Earth. It was encased in a shell, but that has been shattered, and it is now free. Its first action was to immediately drain every non-living source of energy within about a 30-mile radius. This instantly burned out every electrical system in range and drained every chemical energy store such as batteries. It will soon start draining living energy sources, including humans.
The characters are trapped where they are. They can attempt to walk out, but the highway is ten miles away and the first working phone twenty miles beyond that. At night, they cannot hope to reach safety before dawn. At which point, The Light will absorb enough energy to reproduce and leave Earth.
Well… most of its spawn anyway. Enough others will remain to cause a lot of problems.
Untrained and unprepared, a handful of random travelers have suddenly become the last line of defense for humanity.
No pressure.
The Details:
This is a sandbox scenario. Outside of the initial few actions (which should all occur before the characters can get to the Experiment Station), everything will happen in response to the characters’ actions.
There is one way to defeat The Light. It is up to the characters to discover it.
The Light is an energyvore; it feeds on energy. It has very limited intelligence and acts mostly by instinct. It is also very difficult to harm. In fact, it can only harm itself.
The Light can instantly drain electrical or chemical energy from any non-living source within a range of about 30 miles. This will burn out any wiring or power lines within range (as they are suddenly taxed beyond their limit). Batteries will be drained, and any flames will burn their entire fuel source in a matter of seconds. This happens immediately when the Light “hatches,” and whenever it becomes aware of an energy source later. (So a lantern or road flare that was off will function until the Light becomes aware of it, at which point it will instantly drain it.)
Living things are more complicated. “Lower” life forms like insects in the area can be drained almost as quickly as non-living sources but require that the Light make an effort to do so. This will happen very soon after the characters began to investigate the area.
Any other living creatures require the Light to “touch” it. The Light will extend a cross between a beam of light and a tentacle and “touch” the target. This requires a POW test. Both the Light and the target roll POWx5; whichever rolls the highest without going over wins. The Light has a POW of 15.
Being touched by the Light causes 1d6 damage; a successful POWx5 test reduces this to 1 point. The damage will appear similar to a burn but will feel freezing cold. (The Light is pushing the cells to produce energy at the highest possible rate, while simultaneously draining the generated energy.) This ignores any form of armor.
The Light has an 80% chance to “touch” a target. It can be Dodged. Once it has successfully “touched” a target, the contact remains until the character breaks the link with a subsequent Dodge to get away from the beam.
Seeing the Light is a 1/1d6 SAN (unnatural) loss. Being attacked by it is 1/1d4 (helplessness as you feel your energy draining away).
(As the Light is omnipresent in this scenario, the maximum SAN loss from it is 6.)
The Light is wandering aimlessly around the map. When it gets within around 30 feet of an energy source, living or otherwise, it will start to move towards it. It will continue to move towards it until it reaches it, or the target moves out of the 30-foot range (It is relatively slow and characters can easily outrun it). At that point, the Light will start moving randomly again.
Normal weapons cannot harm the Light. It is just light, after all. The only thing that can damage the Light is the Light itself.
Suppose the Light encounters a highly reflective surface, like a mirror. In that case, it will sense itself and extend its beam towards the mirror. The beam will “reflect” from the mirror and eventually touch the Light itself. The Light will recoil violently from this and race away, the only time it will move quickly.
Suppose the Light is somehow surrounded by reflections. In that case, it will have nowhere to go and will consume itself, ending in an implosion. This is the only way to defeat the Light. Fortunately, there are several clues as to this scattered throughout the scenario. It will be up to the players to figure them out.
Beside the Road: The characters began beside their stopped vehicles. As they get out, they will notice that every other vehicle that has been around them has stopped. Allow the characters time to introduce themselves to each other.
Anyone checking their vehicles or equipment will find the following.
- All vehicles are dead and cannot be restarted. Opening the hood reveals smoke and a burning smell. Anyone will Electrical or Mechanical will realize that the engine wiring is completely burned out.
- Any personal electronic devices are dead and drained. This includes cell phones, laptops, or anything else. Even things like flashlights that may have been off have their batteries drained. All are quite hot.
- Some sources of light are still potentially functioning. Things like road flares or camping lanterns, or matches or lighters, will still work. And all vehicles seem to have fuel still.
About this point, have all of the characters make an Alertness check. Anyone who fails will become aware that the night is strangely silent, with no sound of insects or anything else. Also, they can see surprisingly well for a moonless night.
Anyone who makes their Alertness check will realize that they heard normal sounds, but they abruptly cut off a few seconds ago. And not all at once, as if the silence moved in a wave from the direction of the still unseen facility and washed over them. As they did, things became easier to see as if the Moon had just come out from behind a cloud. Except that there is not a cloud or a Moon in the sky. This is a 0/1 SAN check (Unnatural).
The characters should discuss among themselves what to do. They cannot leave with their vehicles, and there are no working electronics that would allow them to call for help. It is ten miles through the darkness to reach the main highway, even if they follow the road, and that would take hours.
They know there is a facility of some kind nearby, as they can still see the now-dark sign ahead of them. Encourage them to make their way to the facility as the nearest possible chance for shelter and contact with the rest of the world.
The sign is next a dirt road leading into the forest and reads “South Georgia University Agricultural Experiment Station.”
The Road Through the Forest: The dirt road leads about a quarter-mile through the forest. Emphasize the silence and darkness. Call for SAN checks (Helplessness) if you feel it will help set the mood.
If any characters want to check the forest, emphasize how overgrown and tangled it is, but allow Search checks. Anyone who succeeds will find a dead bird or small animal that looks like it has been cooked, though its fur or feathers are still intact. The creature is still moving slightly, even though its flesh is falling off its bones, and it seems to be filled with slight sparks. Seeing this is a 1/1d4 SAN (Unnatural) check.
As the characters proceed down the road, tell them that they hear a distinct pair of shotgun blasts from the direction they are going, then silence. This should concern them but remind them again that there is no place else they can go. But this should put them on their guard as they proceed to the facility.
The Agricultural Experiment Station: As they emerge from the road through the forest, reveal the map below. This is an overview of the area. Describe what they see before proceeding.
The Parking Lot: A gravel lot. It holds three vehicles; a pickup and two cars.
Laboratory Building: A nondescript, concrete building. There is a single window and door in the front. The door is standing open.
Behind the Laboratory: Two dumpsters and several 55-Gallon drums.
The Greenhouses: There are two. The second one has something blocking the view of the interior.
The Shed: There is an open-sided shed behind the second greenhouse. There is a tractor in the shed, along with several pieces of farming equipment, including a wheeled generator.
The Crane: An electric crane sits on a concrete pad.
The Fields: The fields are sprouting with relatively young plants.
The Crater: There is still dust hanging above and around it. The unnatural Light in the area is most evident near it.
Area Details:
The Parking Lot: The parking lot is gravel and holds three vehicles, two cars, and a pickup. From the end of the road, they can see, in the unnatural light, that the door to the building is open, as is the passenger door on the pickup.
If they approach the pickup, the characters will see at first what they take to be a body. Then they will detect an odor like bar-b-que. If they look closer, they will see that it is a human body, but one that seems to have been “cooked.” It looks like nothing more than a set of clothing holding cooked meat. (1/1d6 SAN (violence) if they have not previously seen a human victim of the Light, 1/1d3 otherwise.)
Beside the body is a shotgun with two shots fired. Investigating the body will find the ID of a South Georgia University student named Parker Davidson.
The pickup door is open, as is the opening to the glove compartment. There are a few dozen shotgun shells within.
None of the vehicles will start. Mechanical or Electrical will indicate that the batteries are dead.
The Laboratory: There is a lot in this location.
The Entryway: The entry room has a display with brochures about the purpose of the station (researching various improvements for agriculture to benefit the farmers of Georgia, and to allow Southern Georgia University students to gain hands-on experience at farming). There is a desk with a phone (dead, of course) and several chairs.
Office: The first thing the characters will notice when they enter this room is the smell of fresh bar-b-que. If they have encountered one of the Light’s victims before, this is a 0/1 SAN (violence) check.
Beside the desk is a body, seeming to have been cooked. (1/1d6 SAN (violence) if they have not previously seen a human victim of the Light, 1/1d3 otherwise.) There is a .357 revolver still in its hand. Searching reveals a University of South Georgia ID for Catherine Fowler.
The desk belongs to Professor Earl Jamerson. There are some more .357 rounds in the office, but nothing else of interest.
Laboratories: All of the laboratories are similar. They have a central work table, a wash station, and racks of caged animals along the wall. The work tables either hold trays of plants, or dissection equipment. The cages contain dead animals—all cooked and showing slight sparks of Light. If the characters have not encountered animal victims of the Light before, this is a 1/1d4 SAN (Unnatural) check.
Storerooms: When the characters first open the door to the first storage room, they will smell fresh bar-b-que. If they have encountered one of the Light’s human victims before, this is a 0/1 SAN (violence) check.
They will find another of the cooked bodies between the shelves, belonging to a student named Alicia Dawson. (1/1d6 SAN (violence) if they have not previously seen a human victim of the Light, 1/1d3 otherwise.) A puddle of wax that was once a candle sits next to the body, along with a hastily-scribbled note in a spiral notebook. Reveal to the players the note below.
Otherwise, if there is some particular item the characters are looking for, allow them to find it here.
Restrooms: There are two, both unisex. One is empty, with a missing mirror over the sink. The other has a mirror and a simple trap that has resulted in a rat being trapped inside a bucket. The rat is alive. This is a clue as to how to defeat the Light, so comment on it if the players do not.
Utility Room: This is a storage area with random items. As with Storage, allow the characters to find any random things they may be looking for here if they haven’t found them yet.
Greenhouse 1: The first greenhouse is dedicated to hydroponics research. There are any number of plants growing in trays of liquid. The central area is locked, but only contains containers of chemicals and the pumps for the trays. Outside of a possible dead rat, there is nothing of interest here.
Greenhouse 2: The second greenhouse is more interesting. The east, west, and northern sides of this greenhouse have been lined with reflective mylar. The trays are dirt and have plants growing in them.
The central area contains several rolls of reflective mylar film and more racks of cages containing animals. Unlike the cages in the main lab, all of the animals here are alive. Some notes will let the characters know that the experiment here was dealing with increasing sunlight to see if it would affect plant growth.
The important piece of information from here is that all of the test animals are alive. Feel free to point this out if the characters do not comment on it. This is the biggest clue to the fact that the Light cannot be around its own reflection.
The Crane: The crane is electrically powered but is not connected to the primary grid and so, therefore, has not burned out. It was used to load harvests onto trucks to take back to the University for study.
The Fields: These are recently plowed fields showing young plant growth. Anyone with Biology can identify the plants as being corn and cotton.
The Crater: Dust is still hanging in this area, made visible by the unnatural light pervading everything. The light seems brighter here.
If the characters examine the crater and surroundings, they will begin to find fragments of something like a thick eggshell. The convex, outside is grayish and pitted, but the concave interior is a deep black. So black that it seems to absorb all light. It feels velvety smooth to the touch. They look as if they are part of a sphere about a foot or two in diameter.
Suppose the characters manage to find pieces that fit together (needs a critical in Search from at least one character). In that case, they will find that the pieces merge to form a single, larger part (0/1 SAN unnatural to witness). They may attempt to reconstruct the entire sphere, but that will ultimately prove fruitless.
Resolution:
If the characters do nothing, the Light will absorb enough energy at dawn to spawn. Dozens of more Lights will be created, and most of them will leave and return to space. A few will fail, landing across the southeastern US and causing other blackouts and deaths. Hundreds of people and thousands of animals and livestock will die before all of the Lights have departed.
The only way to stop the Light is to destroy that. And the only way to do that is to get it to destroy itself. Allow the characters to come up with almost any plan as long as they surround the Light with its reflection. There is more than enough reflective mylar available in the second greenhouse for whatever they come up with.
The only difficulty will be getting the Light into the trap, as it will flee as soon as it detects its reflection. Keep in mind that the Light is attracted to energy sources. A powerful enough one might be enough to lure it in.
Remember that humans are energy sources.
Epilog:
If the characters fail to stop the Light in time, describe how the light of sunrise seems to warp as if by a powerful lens and focus on the Light, which will rise into the air and in full view. It will swell, then split into multiple copies of itself. Their last sight will be of one of the newly-formed Lights flying towards them.
If they do defeat the Light, they will have until dawn to relax. Shortly after sunrise, helicopters will fly overhead, and one of them will land at the Experiment Station. Armed troops wearing no insignia will round them up and usher them onto the helicopter.
They will be questioned individually as to what they experienced. As long as they give reasonably accurate answers, they will eventually be released and allowed to return home, with a request that they say nothing about what happened to anyone, beyond the fact that they were stranded beside the road for a while. Their vehicles will be repaired and returned to them.
The official story will be that a failing transformer bank produced an EMP-like pulse which rendered a portion of southern Georgia without power for a few hours. Investigations into the Experiment Station will be told that the students succumbed to an accidental chemical release. The college has been fined, and the Experiment Station has been shut down.
Suppose the characters do as they are asked and don’t say anything about the more Unnatural things they witnessed. After a few weeks, they will receive an invite to a meeting at an Express hotel at the edge of town. There, they will be met by a tall, thin woman who introduces herself as Sonya Greene. She tells them that she represents a part of the government that deals with threats like the one they faced and that they are always on the lookout for people who can meet such threats and survive.
And who can keep quiet about it later.
Are they interested in a job?