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Scenario Overview
En Équilibre
Key Themes:
Required Conditions to Play
Character Requirements:
Story Prerequisites:
Gamemaster Preparation:
Setting: The Twin Domains
En Équilibre takes place in two nested domains that exist in perpetual tension:
Le Domaine Diluvien
The Diluvian Domain — Endless Rain
Characteristics:
- • Climate: Tropical, humid, constant rainfall
- • Terrain: Swamp, high grass, flooded marshes
- • Flora: Massive fruit trees, tangled vines, carnivorous plants
- • Fauna: Herbivorous sauropods, carnivorous saurians, amphibians
- • Architecture: Red-brick pyramids, stilted villages, waterfall hideaways
Domain Personality:
The Diluvian Domain embodies growth, fertility, and overwhelming abundance. It gives blessings to those who nurture its ecosystem and curses those who damage it.
Domain Will:
- ✓ Preserve the rain cycle
- ✓ Protect herbivorous sauropods (leather source)
- ✓ Maintain the waterfall cascade
- ✗ Disrupt water flow
- ✗ Harm vegetation or sauropods
Le Domaine Désertique
The Desert Domain — Scorching Sun
Characteristics:
- • Climate: Arid, intense heat, cloudless sky
- • Terrain: White sand dunes, crystalline rock formations
- • Flora: Cacti, thorn bushes, crystallized plants
- • Fauna: Desert saurians, scorpions, sand serpents
- • Architecture: Nomadic tents, buried ruins, solar altars
Domain Personality:
The Desert Domain embodies scarcity, endurance, and harsh survival. It blesses those who adapt and respect its brutal efficiency, cursing wasteful actions.
Domain Will:
- ✓ Conserve resources (water, food, energy)
- ✓ Hunt efficiently without waste
- ✓ Respect the sun's dominion
- ✗ Waste water or resources
- ✗ Seek shelter from the sun excessively
Maps & Geography
Domain Map: Overview
The Diluvian Domain extends approximately 50 square kilometers of dense jungle, marsh, and rainforest. At its heart, surrounded by the most treacherous carnivore-infested zones, lies the Desert Domain—roughly 5 square kilometers of blazing sand and rock.
The Desert is expanding. Slowly, inexorably, the sands encroach on the jungle. This is the central mystery: why?
Key Locations
1. The Waterfall Village (Diluvian Start Point)
Hidden behind a massive cascade, this stilted settlement houses 30-40 inhabitants who harvest fruit, fish, and hunt sauropods for leather. Safe zone — no random encounters.
2. The High Grass Marsh (Diluvian)
Waist-deep water concealed by 3-meter-tall grass. Herbivorous sauropods feed here. Carnivorous saurians hunt them. Dangerous — visibility limited, ambush potential high.
3. The Carnivore Den (Diluvian)
A partially collapsed pyramid where carnivorous saurians nest. Recently abandoned—bodies and tracks lead toward The Threshold. Investigation site — clues to the mystery.
4. The Threshold (Border)
A shimmering vertical plane where rain evaporates instantly and sand begins. Crossing requires a Drop + Forma roll (Difficulty: Tricky) to endure the temperature shock. The border is patrolled by saurians... and something else.
5. The Nomad Encampment (Desert)
White tents woven from crystallized plant fibers house 15-20 nomads who follow the sun's path across the domain. They've noticed the expansion but blame "jungle corruption." Social encounter — potential allies or obstacles.
6. The Solar Altar (Desert)
An ancient structure where the domain's will is strongest. The nomads worship here, offering water to the sun. Ritual site — key to understanding domain expansion.
7. The Aerie (The Threshold, above)
Carved into a rock spire at the border, this nest belongs to Le Prédateur Ailé—the flying carnivore causing the imbalance. Final encounter location — vertical combat, environmental hazards.
Download Full Maps: High-resolution maps with hex grids, travel distances, and random encounter tables are available in the scenario PDF below.
Act I: Arrival and Investigation
Scene 1: The Portal Opens
The travelers step through a portal—perhaps fleeing danger, following a lead, or simply exploring. The portal deposits them in the middle of a torrential downpour, surrounded by towering trees and the distant roar of a waterfall.
Read Aloud:
"Rain hammers down like fists. You're soaked instantly, water streaming down your face, blurring vision. Thunder rumbles—no, not thunder. Something larger. Through the curtain of rain, you see movement: massive shapes, long necks, tails dragging through flooded grass. Sauropods. And in the distance, a cascade so wide it looks like the sky itself is falling."
Environmental Hazard: Torrential Rain
While in the Diluvian Domain, all vision-based perception rolls suffer -1 difficulty step (Routine becomes Tricky, Tricky becomes Challenging, etc.) due to the constant rain.
Travelers not wearing appropriate gear must make a Drop + Forma roll (Difficulty: Routine) every 4 hours or take 1 Harm from exhaustion and cold.
As the travelers orient themselves, they hear shouting in Partisan—urgent, alarmed. A figure in woven waterproof gear runs toward them, waving frantically.
Kessa, Hunter of the Waterfall Village
Human, Mid-30s, Wary but Desperate
Appearance: Stocky, scarred arms, short rain-slicked hair, wears a vest made of sauropod leather (thick, mottled green-brown). Carries a crossbow and a machete.
Personality: Pragmatic survivalist. Doesn't trust outsiders but recognizes travelers might have skills locals lack. Speaks Partisan with a thick dialect—uses survival terms frequently.
Motivation: Protect her village. The coming diluvian season (monsoon-equivalent) requires leather for waterproof shelters and clothing. Without carnivore leather, the village will suffer.
Initial Dialogue:
"You're new. Portal-walkers? Good. Maybe you've seen things we haven't. Listen—our carnivores, the big leathers—they're gone. Vanished. Followed their tracks to a place we don't go: where the sun breaks through the rain. You understand? Where it shouldn't. Help us find them—or find out what took them—and you'll have food, shelter, dry clothes. Deal?"
NPC Stat Block: Kessa
Scene 2: The Waterfall Village
Kessa leads the travelers through the marsh (a 20-minute slog through knee-deep water) to the village. Behind a thundering cascade, carved into the cliff face, stilted platforms house the community.
Read Aloud:
"The waterfall is deafening. Mist rises like breath, coating everything in slick wetness. Behind the cascade, you see platforms connected by rope bridges, drying racks heavy with fruit, and people—humans, mostly— watching you with curiosity and suspicion. Children peer from doorways. An elder approaches, leaning on a staff carved from a single massive bone."
The elder is Palem, the village leader and keeper of domain lore. He welcomes the travelers cautiously, offering them a meal of roasted fruit and dried fish while Kessa explains the situation.
Palem, Village Elder
Human, Late 60s, Wise and Wary
Appearance: Thin, with deeply weathered skin like bark. Long gray hair tied in a braid. Wears a cloak stitched from dozens of leather patches—each from a different sauropod, each a story. His staff is carved from a fossilized rib bone.
Personality: Cautious but hospitable. Speaks slowly, choosing words carefully. Respects the domain deeply—he's one of the few villagers who can sense blessings/curses directly (Anima +3, Arcane Resonance skill).
Knowledge: Palem knows about The Threshold—the "place where rain dies." He's never crossed it himself (too old, he says), but he's heard stories from hunters who ventured close. He believes the carnivores are being drawn to something on the other side.
Initial Dialogue:
"The sun breaks through where it should not. Our domain weeps rain—always rain. But there... it stops. I have felt the domain's will weakening near that place. Something hungers there. Something that does not belong to water or earth. If you go, take care. The domain may not protect you where two worlds meet."
Scene 3: The Trail
Armed with Palem's warnings and Kessa's guidance, the travelers set out into the marsh to track the missing carnivores. The journey is approximately 3-4 hours of wading through waist-deep water, navigating tangled vines, and avoiding territorial herbivores.
Investigation: Tracking the Carnivores
To follow the trail, the party must succeed at a series of three rolls:
Roll 1: Finding the Trail (Umbra + Tracking)
Difficulty: Tricky (TN based on character's Umbra × 3)
Success: Find claw marks on trees, broken vegetation, and dried blood leading toward The Threshold.
Failure: Spend an extra hour lost in the marsh; must make Forma roll vs. exhaustion (TN 12) or take 1 Harm.
Roll 2: Navigating the High Grass (Forma + Athletics)
Difficulty: Moderate (TN based on Forma × 3)
Success: Push through the dense grass without incident.
Failure: Startle a herbivore sauropod—it panics and knocks one character into deep water. Forma roll (TN 12) to avoid 2 Harm from being trampled.
Roll 3: Reading the Signs (Anima + Lore or Arcane Resonance)
Difficulty: Challenging (TN based on Anima × 4)
Success: Notice that the carnivore tracks show signs of being chased—they're fleeing, not hunting. The predator is something else.
Failure: Miss the detail; proceed thinking carnivores are simply migrating.
Scene 4: The Carnivore Den
The trail leads to a collapsed red-brick pyramid half-submerged in the swamp. This was once a carnivore nesting site—now abandoned. Inside, the travelers find:
- • Carcasses: 4-5 dead carnivores, partially eaten. Bite marks suggest an aerial predator (large wingspan based on talon spacing).
- • Tracks: Lead toward The Threshold—a shimmering line visible through gaps in the trees where sunlight breaks the rain.
- • Artifact: A leather pouch containing a carved bone token. Arcane Resonance check (TN 12) reveals it's an exaltation fragment—a piece of the domain's will. Someone was trying to study or steal the domain's power.
Encounter: Scavengers
As the party investigates, 3-4 marsh scavengers (small, pack-hunting lizards) emerge, attracted by the smell of death. They're not particularly dangerous individually but will attempt to steal supplies or distract the party.
Combat Stats: Marsh Scavenger (Minion)
Resolution: Players can scare them off with a successful Umbra + Conviction check (TN 12) or dispatch them quickly. Reward: Scavenger hides (can be sold in the village for supplies).
Act II: Crossing The Threshold
The travelers now face a choice: turn back with limited information, or cross into the Desert Domain to confront the predator directly. Palem and Kessa cannot help beyond this point—they've never ventured into "the place where rain dies."
Scene 5: The Threshold
The Threshold appears as a vertical shimmer in the air—like heat haze, but cold. Rain evaporates instantly upon contact. Beyond it, the travelers can see white sand, crystalline rocks, and blazing sunlight. The temperature difference is extreme.
Read Aloud:
"The rain stops. Not gradually—instantly. You stand at the edge of a line where water meets nothing, where green jungle gives way to bone-white sand. The heat hits like a fist. Your skin prickles. The air smells different: dry, sterile, alien. Behind you, the jungle weeps. Ahead, the desert burns. And circling above, you see a shadow—massive wings, serpentine neck, hunger incarnate."
Crossing The Threshold
To cross safely, each traveler must make a Forma check (TN 16, Challenging) to endure the sudden temperature shock and reality shear.
Success: Cross without incident. Gain awareness of the temperature extreme—must manage water and shelter carefully in the Desert Domain.
Partial (10-15): Cross but take 1 Harm from heat shock. Disoriented for 1 hour (-1 to all rolls).
Failure (below 10): Take 2 Harm and collapse just inside the Desert Domain. Must be helped by allies or risk heatstroke.
Domain Effect: Upon crossing, all Diluvian blessings/curses are suspended (not removed). Desert Domain rules now apply. The domain's will is immediately hostile to outsiders who waste resources.
Scene 6: The Nomad Encampment
Approximately 2 hours into the desert (walking in brutal heat), the travelers spot white tents woven from crystallized plant fibers. This is the Nomad Encampment—15-20 humans and humanoids who follow the sun's path across the domain.
Seris, Nomad Sunwarden
Human, Mid-40s, Zealous and Suspicious
Appearance: Tanned, lean, with sun-bleached hair tied in tight braids. Wears minimal clothing—practical, sand-colored wraps. Carries a spear tipped with crystallized cactus spine. Face marked with ritual sun tattoos.
Personality: Devout follower of the Desert Domain's will. Views the jungle as "corruption" and blames the Diluvian Domain for the predator. Hostile to outsiders initially but will negotiate if approached respectfully.
Knowledge: Seris knows the predator has been hunting for weeks, expanding its territory from The Aerie. She believes it's a punishment from the desert for the jungle's "encroachment." She's wrong—the predator is the cause of the imbalance, not a symptom.
Initial Dialogue:
"You stink of rain. The jungle clings to you like rot. Why have you come to the sun's domain? To steal? To corrupt? Speak quickly, or the desert will claim you as it claims all weak things."
Social Encounter: Negotiating with the Nomads
The party must convince Seris (and by extension, the nomads) to provide information about the predator and safe passage to The Aerie. This is a contested social exchange:
Approach 1: Persuasion (Umbra + Logic)
Explain that the predator is disrupting both domains, not just the jungle. TN 14. Success: Seris grudgingly agrees the predator is a problem. She offers water and directions to The Aerie but warns the party not to "corrupt" the desert further.
Approach 2: Conviction (Umbra + Intimidation)
Assert dominance—claim you're powerful travelers who will solve the problem with or without their help. TN 16. Success: Seris respects strength and provides minimal aid. Failure: Nomads attack (3 spearmen, Forma +2 each, 3 Harm capacity).
Approach 3: Sincerity (Umbra + Empathy)
Share the villagers' plight—they're desperate for leather to survive the diluvian season. Appeal to shared survival. TN 12. Success: Seris softens, seeing the travelers as fellow survivors. She shares crucial intel: the predator nests at dawn and dusk—best time to approach is midday when it hunts far from The Aerie.
Reward for Successful Negotiation: Nomads provide water skins (prevent heat exhaustion for 24 hours), a map carved into a leather strip showing The Aerie's location, and a warning: "The sky-serpent does not eat for hunger. It eats for territory."
Act III: The Aerie Confrontation
The travelers now know where the predator roosts and when to strike. But The Aerie is a treacherous location—a rock spire at the border between domains, requiring vertical climbing and exposing the party to aerial attacks. This is the climax: defeat the predator, restore balance, or die trying.
Scene 7: Ascending The Aerie
The Aerie is a 30-meter-tall rock spire carved by wind and rain, positioned exactly at The Threshold. The climb is dangerous: loose rock, extreme heat on the desert side, slick moisture on the jungle side.
Obstacle: The Climb
Each traveler must make three successive Forma + Athletics checks (TN 12, 14, 16) to reach the nest. Failure inflicts consequences:
First Failure: Slip, take 1 Harm, lose grip. Ally can catch you with Forma check (TN 12).
Second Failure: Fall 10 meters, take 3 Harm, must restart climb.
Third Failure: Plummet to base, take 5 Harm, potentially fatal.
Alternative Approach: Characters with high Anima can devise clever solutions (rope systems, pitons, leveraging domain blessings like enhanced strength from Diluvian or endurance from Desert). Reward creative problem-solving.
Scene 8: Boss Fight — Le Prédateur Ailé
At the top of The Aerie, the party finds the nest: bones, stolen leather from the village, and three eggs—each pulsing with unnatural energy. This is the key: the predator is nesting at the domain border, creating hybrid offspring that will further destabilize both domains.
As the party investigates, Le Prédateur Ailé returns.
Boss: Le Prédateur Ailé (The Winged Predator)
Potency 6, Multi-Phase Aerial Combat
Phase 1: Skyborne Terror
- • Forma: 5 (massive, durable)
- • Harm Capacity: 12 (must deal 12+ Harm to progress)
- • Attacks:
- - Dive Strike: Forma TN 16, 3 Harm, knocks target prone
- - Tail Sweep: Targets all in 5m radius, Forma TN 14, 2 Harm each
- • Special: Aerial advantage—melee attackers have -2 dice penalty unless they ground it
Phase 2: Grounded Fury (12 Harm dealt)
- • Forma: 6 (enraged, reckless)
- • Harm Capacity: 18 total (6 more needed)
- • Attacks:
- - Berserk Bite: Forma TN 18, 4 Harm, inflicts bleeding (1 Harm/turn until healed)
- - Wing Buffet: Knocks entire party back, Forma TN 16 to resist or lose next action
- • Special: No longer aerial—can be grappled or flanked for +1 dice advantage
Tactics & Weaknesses:
- • Weakness: Eyes—targeted attack (Forma + Ranged, TN 18) blinds temporarily, grants +2 dice advantage for 2 rounds
- • Weakness: Domain confusion—force it to cross The Threshold mid-fight (Umbra + Tactics, TN 16) to disorient it (loses 1 action)
- • Environmental Hazard: Nest is unstable—Anima check (TN 14) to notice loose rocks that can be triggered as traps (2 Harm to predator, 1 to nearby allies)
Resolution: Three Possible Endings
Ending 1: Balance Restored (Heroic)
Conditions: Defeat the predator, destroy the eggs, and convince both Palem's villagers and Seris's nomads to establish a truce at The Threshold.
Outcome: The domains stabilize. The desert stops expanding. The jungle's carnivores return. The party gains:
- • Blessing +3: "The Mediator's Mark" (active in both domains simultaneously—unprecedented)
- • Leather gear from grateful villagers
- • A map to a stable portal leading to a new domain (adventure hook)
- • The Count appears, intrigued: "You balanced the scales. Rare. I'll remember this." (+1 to Count's Ledger)
Ending 2: Uneasy Truce (Partial Success)
Conditions: Defeat the predator but fail to negotiate between villagers and nomads, or spare the eggs.
Outcome: The immediate threat is gone, but tensions remain. The eggs hatch later (GM's choice—potential sequel). The party gains:
- • Blessing +2: One domain grants favor; the other remains neutral
- • Partial rewards (leather or water, not both)
- • Unresolved conflict—nomads and villagers may clash in future sessions
Ending 3: Pyrrhic Victory (Dark)
Conditions: Defeat the predator but suffer heavy casualties (2+ party members incapacitated or dead), or destroy the nest entirely (including eggs, violating domain sanctity).
Outcome: The predator is dead, but both domains curse the party for excessive violence or disrespecting life cycles.
- • Curse -2: "The Scorned" (both domains hostile; reduced Forma/Anima within their borders)
- • Villagers provide minimal aid—they're grateful but wary
- • Nomads banish the party permanently
- • The Count appears, disappointed: "Such waste. Balance is delicate. You've learned nothing." (-1 to Count's Ledger)
Epilogue: The Aftermath
Regardless of outcome, the party learns a crucial truth about Nowhere Land: domains are fragile ecosystems. Actions have consequences. Power without wisdom creates chaos. The Count's interest in them increases—he may appear in future sessions with offers, tests, or cryptic warnings.
If the party achieved Ending 1 (Balance Restored), they become known as "The Threshold Keepers"—a title that grants them +1 dice advantage when negotiating with domain-aligned factions in future adventures.
Additional Resources
This complete scenario includes all acts as presented. Additional downloadable resources:
Nowhere Land / Nulle Part © 2026 Joachim Mouffron. All rights reserved.
This scenario is provided under the Nowhere Land Open Gaming License. You may use, modify, and distribute this content for personal and commercial tabletop roleplaying game use, provided you credit the original creator and link to joachim-mouffron.com.