Sample Cosmic Campaign

//Giza Complex – Subsurface Clearance Protocol - Dr. Callum Harrow, Lead Archaeologist//

“First, let me be clear—this is not a treasure hunt, and it’s not a publicity stunt. We are standing on the threshold of one of the last untouched chapters of human history and we need to treat it with respect!”
“After years of negotiation, the UEC has secured conditional clearance from the Egyptian government to explore the subsurface anomalies beneath the Great Pyramid of Giza. We have reason to believe these chambers have remained sealed since the end of the last ice age—untouched by pharaohs, priests, or looters.”
“The official story credits the Egyptians with building the pyramids. But the stone tells a longer story. A deeper one. We believe the Egyptians inherited and adapted these structures—built atop a legacy they didn’t fully understand. What lies below may even predate every known civilization on record!”
“This is a sacred site—politically, culturally, historically. We’re guests in this land, and we will conduct ourselves as such. No weapons, no destruction, no shortcuts. Our mission is to study, preserve, and recover the truth.”
“Preliminary scans suggest a network of chambers reaching far deeper than anything previously excavated. We’re searching for evidence of a global civilization—one wiped clean by the flood that ended the last world age. They didn’t just move stone. They understood it. Shaped it with sound, stored memory in it. And if we’re right, their tools are still down there—waiting.”

Like a System campaign, a Cosmic campaign doesn’t need to leave Earth. The scale reflects the magnitude of the mystery—not the setting. Spanning nine sessions, this arc is best suited for experienced GMs or tightly knit groups. The challenge lies in pushing the boundaries of science and accepted history—encouraging players to think, question, and dream through grounded worldbuilding woven with real-world theories.

Session 1

• Preparation - The players are introduced to the expedition’s lead researcher during a formal briefing, where a clear plan for exploring the newly opened subterranean passages beneath the Great Pyramid is laid out. The team is multinational, but operates under strict UEC oversight. All discoveries must be reported. Nothing may be removed, manipulated, or altered without express authorization. Violations are subject to severe fines and imprisonment.
  
  Use this session to build tension during character creation. Encourage players to discuss what drew them to the expedition and how their backgrounds inform their expectations. This campaign emphasizes dialogue and interpersonal interaction—early conversations lay the groundwork for a narrative they can build on naturally during their character arc.

Session 2

• Breach - Much of the groundwork for the descent has already been handled by drones and unmanned systems, rigging safety lines and scanning for structural risks ahead of time. Entering the heart of the Giza Plateau isn’t particularly dangerous—but it is deeply surreal. The tunnels and chambers are carved with impossible precision into some of the hardest stone on Earth, defying the limitations of known ancient tools.
  As the team moves deeper, typical Egyptian artifacts begin to appear—statues, urns, faded murals—but they’re joined by anomalies: items with clear stylistic origins from distant corners of the ancient world, separated by oceans and centuries. These pieces don’t belong together, and yet here they are, entombed side by side.
  Use this session to foreshadow a far older, hidden chapter of Earth’s history. The accepted timeline is cracking. Another layer of the onion peels away—revealing a planet far more complex than anyone has been taught to believe.

Session 3

• Breakthrough - Ancient tools and techniques begin to surface, refined devices that finally explain how early civilizations may have shaped and manipulated stone with such impossible precision. These discoveries are impressive, even elegant in their design, but deeper analysis suggests the technology wasn’t invented by those who used it—it was inherited.
  Evidence begins to emerge that the Egyptians discovered these ruins sometime after the last ice age and the global flood. For a time, a few original survivors may have ruled openly, but they were all eventually overthrown or absorbed by rising human powers. The great dynasties that followed built atop the remnants, their glory both a continuation and a cover-up.
  New anomalies hint that some of these original stonemasons may still exist, sealed within a deeper labyrinth of chambers and tunnels, untouched for tens of thousands of years. What has been uncovered so far may only be the surface layer—the tip of the iceberg hiding a vast and ancient world below.

Session 4

• Lost History - Newly uncovered maps reveal the staggering scale of what still lies beneath the surface. A vast portion of the subterranean complex appears to have been sealed by an ancient water table, a remnant of glacial waters from the last ice age. This layer has preserved entire sections in isolation, lending weight to the theory that some of the original inhabitants may have survived if they possessed enough genetic diversity to endure ten thousand years underground.
  The recovered writings are equally revelatory. Carvings blend Egyptian hieroglyphs with Sanskrit, Sumerian, and several undeciphered scripts unknown to modern historians. These linguistic overlaps suggest not just cultural diffusion—but a civilization that once spanned continents. One that predated and perhaps inspired the rise of ancient Mesopotamia, rather than merely coexisting with it.

Session 5

• Ancient Vaults - The team breaches a vast subterranean chamber—and then another. A maze of vaults stretches into darkness, each packed with relics collected over centuries, perhaps millennia. This isn’t a tomb—it’s a repository, a curated memory of a civilization that refused to be forgotten.
  Even fragile materials like wood and papyrus survive, preserved by the vault’s natural climate control. The result is an unbroken glimpse into a time predating history.
  Many artifacts resemble Egyptian design—but the influence flows in reverse. These relics inspired Egypt, not the other way around. The same echoes appear in symbols from Sumer, the Indus Valley, and beyond, pointing not to trade—but to a shared, older origin.
  This session emphasizes exploration and interpretation. Let players connect the pieces, challenge assumptions, and shape their own understanding of the past.

Session 6

• The Resonance - The players discover an ancient chamber holding the water table at bay—evidence that someone, long after the last ice age, attempted to reach the deeper layers. Judging by the scale and engineering, they may have succeeded.
  Inside, the chamber reacts intensely to sound. Harmonic vibrations echo back in perfect resonance with the players’ voices. Along the walls, carvings depict monks or priests singing in unison, accompanied by unfamiliar symbols—possibly music, possibly something more. If the players attempt to hum or harmonize together, the water responds, forming a temporary parting that reveals a path below.
  This marks their first exposure to The Resonance. At the end of the session, players may select a Resonance Deviance—but it’s advised to delay access until this point, as these abilities can significantly shift the tone and control of the campaign if introduced too early.

Session 7

• Ancient Technology - The illusion of doubt is gone. The players are now face-to-face with undeniable proof: a functioning Vimana (or its equivalent) still hovers in place within a massive sealed chamber. Shaped like a multi-tiered temple, it floats silently above the stone floor, drawing power from a natural harmonic interaction with its environment. It is neither plugged in nor suspended by visible means.
  Closer inspection reveals signs of disrepair—possibly even battle damage. Though awe-inspiring, it doesn’t appear safe to board in its current state. Still, the bold may try. Inside, there are no visible controls—only a Resonant capacitor embedded deep within, channeling harmonic energy through the structure like a circulatory system. The interface is subtle and non-mechanical—it responds to sound, not touch.
  Despite its marvel, the craft cannot leave Earth. Its construction is wholly atmospheric; it lacks shielding or internal life support. Anyone attempting to reach orbit in it would be exposed to the vacuum of space. Whatever civilization built it, they were powerful—but stranded. This Vimana was never meant to return home.

Session 8

• The Codex - Still resting on its ancient pedestal, untouched for untold millennia, the elongated crystal skull is flawless—cut with microscopic precision. When light passes through it, fractals bloom across the walls, revealing embedded patterns too fine to be accidental. Though it doesn’t speak, the skull responds to the players, now attuned to the Resonance. Their voices and questions trigger visionary impressions—echoes from a forgotten age.
  They glimpse the Age of Miracles—a time before the flood, when Earth’s atmosphere supported a vast ecosystem of now-extinct flora, fauna, and multiple sentient species. Some evolved here. Others were stranded—unable to return to their homeworld until its orbit brought it back near Earth once every ten thousand years.
  This ancient race was genetically immortal—immune to disease and age, but still vulnerable to injury and low in numbers. For a time, they ruled peacefully across the globe, seeding knowledge and guiding early humans. But during the last ice age, the cataclysmic flood shattered their empire. In the aftermath, humanity rose—not as their heirs, but as their replacements.

Session 9

• The Cosmic Dilemma - After delving into layers of buried truth, the players now understand the full weight of what lies below. The ancient beings—once rulers, teachers, and architects of a pre-flood world—are not dead. They have placed themselves in stasis, suspended in time beneath the Earth’s crust, awaiting a signal. A reawakening. Perhaps this reawakening.
  The Egyptians may have tried to emulate this eternal slumber through embalming and ritual, but what the ancients achieved was far more complete. A long term chemical stasis achieved through diet and meditation.
  Now, the players must choose:
  1~ Awaken them, and face whatever judgment they may pass on a world twisted beyond their vision.
  2~ Destroy them, ending the threat forever—at the cost of erasing the last living remnants of a lost age.
  3~ Or report the truth to the UEC, placing this impossible decision into the hands of governments and powers with agendas of their own.
  The campaign ends not with a fight, but with a question—one only those who have seen what lies beneath can answer.

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Traditional combat is difficult to justify in a setting where any damage to the site—or its artifacts—could jeopardize the entire expedition. Instead, consider using environmental challenges to create tension and keep players engaged. In keeping with the tone of the campaign, these obstacles should feel like opportunities to reward creative thinking and quick decision-making, rather than exercises in tactical math or stat balancing.

Gas Pocket

• Issued the necessary protective masks and filters, they are bulky to wear all the time but can be equipped quickly in the event of an emergency with a Mobility test at TN 15.

• They are most often discovered when cracking the seal to a new room that has not been opened, and are usually from natural causes or ones the original builders did not intend.

Pathogen Repository

• Often marked with hieroglyphic warnings, these ancient traps were designed to guard sacred remains or inner sanctums.

• Careful researchers can avoid exposure by understanding these markings. If triggered however, subtract the character’s Endurance Trait from 4—the result is the number of Wounds they suffer, although with modern medicine the damage is temporary.

Deluge Chamber

• Whether a trap left by the original architects, or perhaps even a corrupted function triggered by the flood, these chambers rapidly fill with water once disturbed—leaving little time to react.

• Plays must make a total of three successful Mobility checks to leave the room once this begins. The TN begins at 12 and increases by 2 for each consecutive turn.

Scorpion Nest

• Occasionally uncovered in ancient, undisturbed chambers, these nests can erupt into swarms with no clear provocation. Though the scorpions rarely attack out of malice, the sudden movement creates chaos.
  
  Players must succeed on a Mobility test at TN 16 to fully seal their suits and check for breaches. While highly venomous, the scorpions’ stingers cannot penetrate the carbon weave and composite layers of standard-issue UEC uniforms—as long as they’re properly secured.

Interfectum Plant

• The good news? She’s not targeting anyone directly. The bad news? She’s here to sabotage the entire project—and collateral damage isn’t her concern.

• Cautious and calculating, the Interfectum agent won’t act rashly. She waits for the right moment, masking her sabotage as coincidence, equipment failure, or human error. She isn’t bloodthirsty, but those who dig too deeply or begin to suspect her may quietly become her next problem to solve.

UEC Auditor

• Possibly the most universally hated role in the entire UEC, they are said to exist for one thing: to make everyone else uncomfortable. They are sent in to sniff out theft, misconduct, and protocol breaches, and they are very good at it.

• Their presence casts a shadow over every conversation. They drift between tents and excavation teams, making notes, asking leading questions, but no one is incorruptible. They can be bribed or misdirected elsewhere with a TN 16 Influence check.

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Rewarding the Players

At the end of each session, players have designated downtime to advance their characters through Bionic, Somnic, or Resonant Deviances. A medical specialist on-site can install implants, while Somnic abilities may surface naturally as delayed effects of prior exposure, (even though the Genesis Formula is technically unavailable). Players will encounter the Resonance multiple times throughout the campaign—gradually unlocking its influence.
It’s strongly recommended to delay access to Somnic and Resonant abilities to avoid unintentionally disrupting the campaign’s pacing. While powerful and exciting, these abilities can easily become distracting if introduced too early.

~ Recommended Progression ~

• Sessions 1–3: Bionic Deviances only to set a grounded pacing.

• Sessions 4 onward: Somnic Deviances allowed, each player gains an additional Deviance slot.

• Session 7 onward: Resonant Deviances introduced, each player gains an additional Deviance slot.