Mixed Heritage

A one-shot adventure for Crystal Heart

The island of Whataplace is well-known
among Bygone Age scholars for the huge,
Adventure
ancient force field that protects its northern Background
shores. A large community of Islanders live
under the protection of the orange-tinted, The village of Kasanayan is made of two doz-
semi-translucent force field, kept in a warm, en huts of reinforced wood and mud, built
temperate climate all year long. upon a series of terraces up a shallow hill,
surrounded by high cliffs and lush under-
Very few people bother to investigate bush. Its people only occasionally reach out
any other community of Whataplace, and of their hidden valleys to meet with outsid-
so barely anyone knows about the strange ers, coming down to the beaches to trade
village of Kasanayan. some mountain goats, tropical fruits, and
Customising the Adventure: This adven- nuggets of ore washed down by the seasonal
ture requires an isolated village and the ba- floods.
sic Savage Worlds rules. If you’re not running The Kasanayans have the odd habit of
it in the Crystal Heart world, you can replace switching homes. Each of the ancient,
the Crystal with any magical artefact rele- well-maintained huts is considered to be-
vant to your setting. Crystal Hunter Agents stow some amount of fortune on its inhab-
will simply be sent to this village as part of itants. The villagers try to distribute this
their route. If your players are not Agents, fortune as evenly as possible among all the
they might be sent after rumours of a place families; they read the many signs that in-
where one can grow fruits that make you dicate a change in fortune, and occasional-
skilled and powerful. ly move entire families in order to balance
their fortunes, sometimes even two-three
times a year.
Which hut is considered fortunate, and in
what way, depend on a variety of elements.
Written by Eran Aviram Here are a few common superstitions:
Art by Aviv Or
• Finding a bee in your hut is a sure sign
Graphics based on design by Manuel Serra
that abundance is coming your way. Re-
Saez and Ruben Smith-Zempel
ceiving a similar sign, like discovering a
This game references the Savage Worlds game dead cricket in your soup, means you’re
system, available from Pinnacle Entertainment really blessed—start looking for a poor
Group at www.peginc.com. Savage Worlds family to switch huts with.
and all associated logos and trademarks are
• Having three seagulls on your roof is a
copyrights of Pinnacle Entertainment Group.
sure sign of inner-family struggles; a
Used with permission. Pinnacle makes no
well-balanced family should move in, to
representation or warranty as to the quality, vi-
negate the bad fortune.
ability, or suitability for purpose of this product.
• Stepping in lemur poop within sight of a
© 2019 Eran Aviram and Aviv Or, Up to Four
hut is a powerful warning; the hut must
Players www.uptofourplayers.com
be checked for termites and other pests,
or its fortune will worsen.
The best fortune, that all Kasanayans hope
for, is to disappear suddenly during the
night. This might require some further ex-
plaining.

2
Heritage Trees The tree’s fruits are bright blue. A person
who eats them gains some of the skills of
Once or twice a year a villager will not come
the person who last disappeared, occasion-
back from a hunting trip or be found miss-
ally having a glimpse of their memories.
ing in their bed. In other communities this
The Kasanayans believe that the person
discovery might rouse the entire village to
who disappeared was taken by the island’s
go on a search after the missing person. In
spirit, to reside under the mountain and
Kasanayan, the entire village does indeed
help the spirit by providing advice and
mobilise, but in order to go looking for a
helping with her daily chores—a huge hon-
new heritage tree that is currently growing
our—and that the heritage trees are the
somewhere in the valleys.
spirit’s gift back to the the people, for al-
When the tree is found, with its signature lowing her to take their best and brightest.
blue-tinted bark, the villagers take care of
it until it matures and gives fruit, in two to The Truth Behind the
three months. During the harsh summer sea- Disappearances
sons the caretakers have to work hard while
Many years ago, the cave behind the water-
also defending against wild animals—but
fall was considered haunted and out of lim-
the Kasanayans see the trees as sacred, and
its, too dangerous to explore. Occasionally
gladly protect and nurture them, even if one
someone would enter it despite the danger,
is growing in an inconvenient place.

3
 to prove something or other. One day, one As the Agents arrive at the village’s out-
of the leaders of the village tasted a fruit skirts they are noticed by the Kasanayans
from one of the rare, strange blue trees, and and are welcomed, cautiously, as honoured
glimpsed a memory of his own daughter ex- guests. The Kasanayans know enough about
ploring the cave—she disappeared into it Syn to be generally suspicious of the Agents,
earlier that year. The connection between but the Wise (see Notable Villagers below)
the trees and the cave was discovered, but welcome them with open arms.
kept a secret known only to the leaders of
the village—the island’s spirit strange ways During the Agents’ Stay
were considered special knowledge, out of The Wise will strive to have a few moments
commoners’ reach. alone with the party, in order to encourage
A generation or two later the village faced the Agents to search the waterfall cave, but
a crisis, coming to be on the verge of over- Basaxa will be sure to keep a guard on the
population and tribal in-fighting. The lead- Agents at all times.
ers at the time decided the secret knowledge The Wise will try to hint to the Agents
bestowed upon them by the island’s spirit that they must talk alone, but arranging a
was now to be used—in secret, of course. discreet meeting will require some social
They came up with a brutal, yet effective Skill checks, and probably a diversion of
solution. some sort.
Ever since then, the leading family has On the first evening the Agents will
been controlled the village, kidnapping be invited to a communal dinner, held in
skilled villagers, dissidents, and occasion- Kasanayan’s lowest and widest plateau. A
ally the old and frail, and throwing them new heritage fruit is being brought in to-
into the crevice above the waterfall. None night, and it is customary to invite everyone
of them know about the Crystal inside, or its to “the sharing of the fruit”. The Wise will
powers—they just think the cave is sacred insist that “everyone” includes the Agents,
to the island’s spirit. and seeing as the Wise are those who are
The leaders still believe they are acting supposed to read the island’s spirit inten-
under the spirit’s blessing. They, too, believe tions, no one will be able to tell them no.
the huts bestow fortune on their inhabitants; The Agents receive a single fruit to share
they read the signs to see who should be between them—a single bite is enough to
kidnapped and when. Despite believing that provide the effects for several days. This is
they are righteous, they still fear that some- the heritage of Zuxa, a father of two and the
one eating a heritage fruit might recognise best climber in the village, who could bring
one of them in the dead’s memories from fruits down from the tallest of branches.
just before their death, which is why during Each Agent receives a die increase in
the kidnapping they wear big, bright masks, Climbing, and makes a Spirit check; on a
appearing as spirits. success, they have a hazy vision of strange
humanoids in masks, dancing around them
Beginning the and dragging them on the hard ground.

Adventure
(Zuxa, like most kidnapped victims, was
drugged before being dragged to the crev-
ice). They will be able to clearly hear rushing
There’s barely been any contact between
water, recognising it as the tall waterfall they
Syn and the villagers, just enough for Syn
saw outside of the village.
to suspect the presence of a Crystal, so the
Agents’ briefing is pretty straightforward: If no Agent makes the Spirit check, the
Search for abnormalities, locate the Crys- Wise will try to make one of them eat an-
tal (if indeed there is evidence for a Crystal other bite of the fruit, even trying to hide
being present), negotiate with the locals to mashed fruit in their desserts. Ripe heritage
be allowed to retrieve it, then retrieve it. Be fruit can mess with your stomach if you’re
nice, there’s no need to antagonise the locals. not used to the taste, and so any Agent eat-
ing another bite will have to make a Vigor

4
check or suffer a level of Fatigue for a day. Basaxa and Kasabaya
A second bite guarantees a vision, no Spirit Kasanayan’s leading family is itself led by
check needed. Basaxa, an ox of a man in his late 40s. A
The Wise will use this opportunity to say strict believer in the sanctity of the village’s
that the Agents should “follow the visions customs—all of them—he’s considered by
that the spirit showed them”, getting into an most Kasanayans as the final authority and
argument with Basaxa, who does not like the arbiter in any matter. Clever and strict, he’s
idea of having the Agents walk around the able to reach a satisfying solution to almost
village’s enviros without escort. any dispute, as well as enforce it.
The Agents will not be given a hut for the Basaxa is too big to participate in the kid-
night—every hut belongs to some villager, nappings, he’s easily recognizable, even with
and the balance of fortune must not be dis- the masks. Instead, his daughter Kasabaya is
rupted by outsiders! the one leading the kidnapping parties. No
Assuming the Agents explore the water- one knows the sacred cave’s enviros better
fall, continue to Behind the Waterfall. than her. She combines her father’s quick
thought with reflexes just as quick, and is
Questioning about Zuxa considered among the best hunters the vil-
The latest disappeared villager was well lage has seen in a long while.
known and well loved. His two daughters— Basaxa has d10 Strength and Vigor and
Xash (13) and Cazaya (19, married)—consider the Brawny Edge. Kasabaya has d10 Fighting
it a big honour that he’s gone and joined the and Shooting, and the Assassin Edge. Both
island’s spirit. Some convincing might reveal of them also ate 2-3 different heritage fruits,
that they, and friends of the family, actually granting them access to some surprising
suspected this might happen, because of the skills, as needed by the plot.
changing signs of fortune (as interpreted by
the ruling family). This season, a large herd
How Heritage Trees come to be
of island deers ate many of the lower-hang-
ing fruits and the village was in pressing The mushroom surrounding the Crystal has
need of good climbers. The spirit foresaw become like a conduit for its powers. When a
this need, wise as she is! body falls into the crevice, the fungus tendrils
growing in the damp, dark environment make

Notable Villagers
their way into the corpse’s brain. The memo-
ries and skills are then transferred through the
mushroom’s root network, usually resulting in
The Wise a heritage tree developing somewhere in range.
Bava and Bavalua are twin sisters, nearing
their 70th year. They are known as The Wise, Residual memories and skills remain within
a title given to the oldest female member of the mushrooms, some of which were trans-
the village’s leading family; Both of them are ferred to many of the cave’s animal residents
The Wise together. through years of exposure to the spores and
eating the mushrooms.
The two sisters have long been against the
kidnappings, seeing them as cruel and un- Heritage Fruit
holy, stagnating the village’s future. Beyond When eating this blue-tinted, mango-like
discussing this among themselves, they hav- fruit, you increase your die type in one of the
en’t dared announce their opinion to the rest skills that the missing person knew well, usu-
of the family. They see the Agents’ arrival ally Athletics, Fighting, Shooting or Survival,
as a golden opportunity to break the status but other skills are possible.
quo, and will try to hint and guide them to You also occasionally get sudden visions of
search the cave, hoping they’ll discover the that person’s memories; It’s possible to try
bodies and bring an end to the custom. and experience a specific memory more clearly
Bava and Bavalua have a d10 in Spirit and with a Smarts roll at -2.
Healing. The fruit’s effects fade after about two weeks.

5
6
7
 Behind the 2. Ichor Pool (Gliding Lemurs)
This wide chamber’s walls, ceiling and floor
Waterfall are well-polished from the passage of water.
It’s mostly dark, except for some light from
The nameless cave behind the waterfall is an the Entrance and through the cracks from
open secret in the village. The Kasanayans the Crevice.
consider it more scary than sacred, and nev-
Filthy pool: The pool in the middle of
er venture deeper than the Entrance. Most
the chamber is two feet deep at most, but
villagers won’t mind if the Agents decide
the water is filthy. Anyone drinking or sub-
to explore the place—but the ruling family
merged in the water must make a Vigor
certainly would.
check at -2 to avoid contracting a disease.
The cave has a second entrance, through Even touching the water is risky—unless the
the Crevice, into which the ruling family Agent immediately washes their hand with
drops the bodies of kidnapped villagers. Ka- clean water, it’s safe to assume that soon
sabaya and her goons will be waiting near enough they’re going to scratch their eyes or
that entrance, revealing themselves after the touch their lips; their Vigor check is made
Crystal is taken. without a penalty.
General Features Infected Agents starts feeling hot, their
mouth dries, and they suffer one Fatigue ev-
The cave interior is somewhat dark, slimy
ery two hours until they lose consciousness.
and wet. It’s also rich with vegetation and
A week of bed rest is enough to overcome
small insects. All creatures in the cave have
this debilitating, but not life-threatening,
been influenced by the Crystal in some way,
disease. The villagers know it well, and have
gaining skills and memories they don’t know
medicine that allows recovery in three days.
what to do with.
Face-hugging lemurs: The ceiling of
1. Entrance (Remembrance Dolls) this room is dotted with small cavities, in
Right behind the curtain of cascading wa- which lives a family of gliding lemurs. The
ter there’s a large chamber that slopes down creatures have develop a fighting instinct
toward a wide tunnel. The floor is slippery based on the memories of generations of
because of the splashing water, and the light the Kasanayans’ coming-of-age ceremonies.
coming through the waterfall casts shifting
The lemurs attack a few moments after an
shadows on the walls.
Agent or two approach the pool. They slip
Remembrance dolls: The stone ground from their hidden alcoves (can be seen with a
is cracked in many places, and in many of Notice check, but with a -4 modifier for their
the cracks people have affixed short sticks small size and the darkness) trying to gain
on which they hanged small dolls. When- The Drop. They dive straight for the face,
ever a person disappears, the missing per- and grapple. If they succeed with a raise they
son’s family creates a doll in their image, manage to stir the half-blind Agent into the
for remembrance. The dolls might seem a pool (and also make the victim Shaken, as
bit creepy (although they’re considered cute normal), at which point they immediately
and agreeable by the locals), but they have let go and glide toward the walls with their
no supernatural qualities. They do, however, remaining Pace, to climb back up on the
have fleas. vegetation.
An Agent examining a doll from up close There’s one lemur per Agent.
gets infected by fleas. They probably don’t
realize this at first (they can roll Notice at Gliding Lemurs
-2), but by the time they leave the cave, they Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4 (A), Spirit
start scratching. Until removed (by taking a d6, Strength d4, Vigor d6
good bath), the itching forces a Vigor check Skills: Athletics d8, Fighting d6, Notice d6,
whenever the player gets an action card with Stealth d8
a red suite. On a failure, they must use one Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 3
hand this turn to scratch themselves. Edges: Quick

8
Hindrance: Vow (must prove myself as an along with the mushrooms’ strange smell.
adult by overcoming a foe) [this manifest There’s some muffled singing going on as
as an instinct to drown someone, as the well (The bear from the Crevice).
lemurs only have animal intelligence] Anyone attempting to push through will
Special abilities need to make two consecutive Athletics
• Bite/Claw: Str. checks with a -2 (characters with the Small
• Low Light Vision: Ignore penalties for Hindrance ignore this modifier). With a fail-
Dim and Dark Illumination. ure, the character not only suffers 2d6 dam-
• Size –2 (Small): The lemurs are less than age, they also create a cascade that fills up
a foot high. the crack with earth, preventing any further
climbing attempts and stranding them on the
3. Dead End Dam
bottom (failing the 1st check) or the top (fail-
A break in the wall of the Ichor Pool’s cave
ing the 2nd check). On a critical failure, the
leads down toward a strange structure.
Agent is stuck, choking, in the tight tunnel
Crude logs and vines have been assembled in
various forms, filling up the cavern more and 5. Sloped Curve (Inner Waterfall)
more. The far end is completely walled-off. This long, curved tunnel slopes upward
This is the result of several beaver-like from the Ichor Pool to the Crevice. The floor
marsupials who have retained semi-ad- is slick and mossy, well-worn by trickling wa-
vanced engineering skills from the villagers’ ter from the waterfall at the end of the slope.
memories, but with no aesthetic apprecia- This waterfall is much thinner and less im-
tion. Refusing to build their lair underwa- pressive than the one at the entrance to the
ter—it’s not structurally sound!—they in- cave network, but it’s still loud enough to
stead created this nonsense dam, holding drown most noises in the tunnel. The water-
off nothing. fall is fed by the same river that feeds the main
waterfall. About half of the water is drained
The Agents can try to push through the
into the Crevice, the other half pours into the
increasingly tight spaces in order to reach
tunnel.
beyond the structure, but they’ll only find an
angry family of small animals who’ll shriek Suddenly, bats: Scaling the slope poses no
and groan at them. threat to anyone who’s walking carefully and
close to a wall. However, once any character
Anyone who gets past at least some of
makes their way through the waterfall, they
the obstacles will find a hat. It has fallen
alert a swarm of bats hanging on high shelves
through some cracks in the northern wall,
around the waterfall, who screech and flee in
through which a soft wind is blowing, car-
a sudden outburst. Anyone inside the tunnel
rying a strange smell. This is the same crack
must make a Fear check; those who fail must
that divides the Crevice above, and the hat
also make an Agility check to avoid slipping,
belonged to Zuxa, the kidnapped villager. A
taking a level of fatigue from Bumps and
more thorough search (with a Trait check)
Bruises.
may reveal another hat, this one belonging
to one of the kidnappers. 6. The Crevice
Anyone returning through the obstacles This large cavern is partially open to the
will discover that they’re highly unstable, skies, about 15 feet above. The opening is
requiring an Agility check to avoid having large enough for a bear to fit through, and
a loose vine drop a log from above, for 1d6 is used regularly as an exit by the bear and
damage. An appropriate Academics or En- the bats—as well as a dumping ground by
gineering roll can recognize the danger and Kasanayan kidnappers. The rest of the ceil-
fortify the obstacles. ing curves toward the opening, with many
small nooks and niches.
4. Precarious Climb (Rocks Fall)
During the day large parts of this cave are lit
This tight crack in the rock leads up from
by a beam of sunlight, which might be quite
the Ichor Pool to the Crevice. It’s filled with
blinding in contrast to the dark shadows
debris, mostly rocks and loose soil, but some
around it. The side of the cave that’s closer to
light manages to push through from above,

9
 the waterfall is filled with leaves and branch- Draw a card for the mushrooms as well.
es, creating a soft cover over the ground. The On their turn, the mushrooms “attack” by
eastern side of the crevice seems to be covered instinctively reacting to the Agents’ presence,
with gigantic, man-sized blue-tinted mush- releasing powerful spores. All Agents with-
rooms. in 2" of any mushroom must make a Spirit
The crevice itself is about a yard across at its roll—treat this as a Fear check, but replace
widest. Falling leads to 4d6+2 damage, as the the results from the table with the following,
sharp walls and tight space can easily break all with trappings of disconnected memories
bones. Zuxa’s body, covered with fungus and and sudden urges.
barely recognizable, is at the bottom. • Adrenaline Surge: A moment of great tri-
Singing bear: A large male bear is sitting umph, a memory of something especially
in its soft nest of leaves, munching a euca- useful to your next Trait roll.
lyptus-like branch. It’s humming an old • Shaken: Drowning in a series of unrelated,
Kasanayan folk song. unknowable memories.
The bear spends most of the day in the cave, • Panicked: the character suddenly see
but doesn’t venture beyond the waterfall. It’s someone they know intimately (yet nev-
not overly aggressive, but will not tolerate er seen before), and rush toward them to
anyone walking through its part of the cave. hug them.
The bear has gained some singing skills and • Minor Phobia: Replace with Minor Delu-
memories, and has developed a fondness to sion, something that the Agent from now
music. It will be easily pacified by someone on believes is true because of a memory
humming along with him, or presenting a new or belief held by a Kasanayan from 200
rhythm for it to follow (requiring a Smarts years ago.
check by the bear!). Patient Agents can also
• Major Phobia: Replace with a Major De-
wait for it to climb up and go on a hunt, during
lusion, and perhaps the Agent also starts
which it’ll be gone for a few hours.
using new phrases and speech patterns.
Memory mushrooms: The closer someone
• The Mask of Fear: Replace with a shift
gets to this part of the cave, the stronger the
in skills: Reduce one skill by 1 die, and in-
smell is. The huge mushrooms occupy the
crease another by 1, determined randomly.
entire eastern edge of the crevice, as well as
growing in large portions along the northern • Heart Attack: The body no longer remem-
wall, toward the ceiling. bers having a Crystal, and tries to reject
it! Roll Vigor or de-sync.
The Crystal (Memento, Crystal Heart p.199)

Aftermath
is embedded into the east wall of the cave,
in a niche filled with mushroom matter. Its
bluish glow can be easily seen from any dark
Pulling the Crystal out of the wall will kill
part of the cave (but not through the blinding
the mushroom colony instantly and its
sunlight).
many roots will crumble, bringing down
Getting the Crystal out is a Dramatic Task. parts of the cave with them. This results in
Each turn, a single character may attempt to the Sloped Curve becoming caved-in. The
pry the Crystal from the thick mushroom and Agents might consider climbing up through
tight stone, using a crowbar or similar device, the opening; the bear has created a pretty
with a Strength check at -1 because of tight straightforward, albeit risky, path. (Athletics
space and uneasy footing. Other Agents may check, or fall and suffer 2d6 damage; the fall
be able to Support, if they find a good ratio- is slightly cushioned by the bed of leaves).
nale.
If the lead character draws a Complication, Goon attack
the Crystal activates and resonates with their Kasabaya and her goons can reveal them-
Crystal—instead of rolling normally this turn, selves at any moment that seems dramati-
the Agent must make a Crystal Channeling cally interesting. Here’s the recommended
check, or de-sync! outcome:

10
 Not knowing about the Crystal, Kasabaya tage tree, making the people think that the
and the goons were waiting for the Agents Agents were holy and chosen!
to die at the hands of the bear, or just turn As one of the Agents start climbing, one
around and leave once they realize there’s of the goons lose what little patience he had
nothing there. Kasabaya is hoping not to left and throws a whistle (see below) at that
confront the Agents, if possible, so as not Agent. Kasabaya silences him angrily, and
to reveal her involvement, and not to risk orders her men to stay quiet. She’s hoping to
herself unnecessarily. Plan B is to ambush set an ambush in the woods around, waiting
the party, should they decide to climb up for the Agents to climb up. But the jig is
through the opening, and then throw the up—an Agent can make an opposed Trait
bodies far away and claim the Agents never check, with Taunt or Intimidation, to make
came back from the cave. So long as they her reveal her presence.
don’t move, she and her goons can see what’s
Kasabaya is not big on deceiving (she’s the
happening inside the Crevice while remain-
hands, not the brains), and can be coaxed
ing hidden.
into revealing everything about the going
After the sudden earthquake, and seeing ons in Kasanayan. If so, though, it’s highly
the blue Crystal in the hands of the Agents, likely she’ll decide the Agents are too dan-
the confused Kasabaya decides to go with gerous to live, even while inside the cave,
the “let’s ambush them and get rid of the and she’ll attack from her fantastic height
bodies” plan. She doesn’t want them to die advantage.
inside the cave—this might create a heri-

11