D20 SYSTEM✦ Normal

The Automated Tent-Collapses of Canvas City

# Magitech# Urban# Intrigue

The sprawling, chaotic shantytown of Canvas City, a haven for refugees and the dispossessed built entirely of magically animated tents and pavilions, is under siege. Not by armies, but by its own infrastructure. Tents are collapsing at an alarming, automated rate, trapping and crushing inhabitants. The source is traced to the legendary 'Folding Pavilion,' the foundational artifice of the city, now malfunctioning catastrophically. Its creator, a brilliant but reclusive Gnomish Artificer, blames a rival faction's sabotage. That faction, the 'Iron Resolvers,' blames the Artificer's reckless, unstable magic. Veteran players will navigate the physical ruins of the city and the political ruins of trust, forced to choose between two desperate, flawed groups to stop the collapse before the entire city folds in on itself.

Chronicle Prelude

The players arrive at the relative safety of the 'Stitched Stronghold,' a massive, multi-layered tent-fortress in the city's center, held stable by powerful stabilizing wards. The air is thick with dust, panicked shouts, and the distant, rhythmic groaning of failing canvas. NPCs from both factions are present, pleading their cases to the gathered crowd.

Environmental Traits

The city is experiencing a cascading structural failure. The automated tent-collapses are not random; they follow a pattern emanating from the city's heart where the Folding Pavilion is located. The immediate crisis is stopping the wave of collapses before it reaches the city center, requiring players to venture into the unstable, hostile periphery to either repair the Pavilion or destroy it, with profound consequences for the city's future.

Legendary Archetypes

Rayan

HP:45

STR:16

WIS: 12

CHA:11

Key Factions & Autonomous Nodes (8)

Gnomish Artificer Zilwick
A small, wiry gnome with wild, silver-streaked hair and goggles perpetually perched on his forehead. His fingers are stained with ink and arcane reagents. He wears a coat covered in a patchwork of different canvas types, his movements nervous and his eyes filled with a mixture of genius and profound guilt.
Iron Resolver Commander Hale
A tall, stern human woman in practical, scarred plate armor bearing the gear-and-anvil emblem. Her face is lined with stress and her posture is rigid with authority. She carries a heavy warhammer at her hip and surveying maps in her hand.
Pavilion Child Zeena
A young human woman with dye-streaked hair woven with threads of living canvas. Her eyes are bright with fervor and her clothes are a tapestry of salvaged fabric. She moves with a dancer's grace, touching the walls gently as she passes.
Resolver Engineer Kole
A stocky, oil-stained human with a tool belt that looks heavier than a sword belt. He wears thick goggles and a leather apron. He constantly tinkers with a small device, his expression a mix of concentration and skepticism.
Neutral Survivor Mara
A weathered human woman in her 40s, wearing practical, patched clothing. She carries a makeshift staff and a determined look. She organizes a small group of refugees, her eyes wary of anyone in faction colors.
Feral Canvas Beast
A writhing mass of animated canvas scraps, buckles, and broken framework, roughly humanoid in shape. It moves with jerky, aggressive lunges, its 'head' a tattered hood with a single, glowing red eye-scratch. It hisses with the sound of tearing fabric.
Construct Butler Unit-7
A tall, slender clockwork humanoid of polished brass and dark wood. One of its optical lenses is cracked, and it moves with a slight, rhythmic stutter. It holds a silver tray, upon which rests a single, perfectly folded napkin.
Wind Spirit Zephyra
A translucent, swirling vortex of silvery air and faint, glowing motes, vaguely suggesting a feminine form. It flutters the canvas banners and whispers through the pipes. It seems curious but bound to a specific location.

Chronicle Prelude

Environmental Traits

Legendary Archetypes

✦ Related Cases ✦

The Alchemical Fracture

The Crucible of Leavened Souls