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Noumenon (Red•Bat•Nine•Initiation)
is published by Abstract Nova Entertainment LLC, 10633 Bent Tree Dr., Fredericksburg, VA 22407. All text is © 2006 Abstract
Nova Entertainment LLC. All artwork is © 2006 Cliff Kurowski, Eric Lofgren, Annelisa Ochoa, or Jennifer Rodgers. All rights reserved under international law.
No part of this book may be reproduced in part or whole, in any form or by any means, except for purposes of review, without the express written consent of the
copyright holders with the exception of the character sheet.
Table of ConTenTs
invitation
003
chrysalis
006
initiation
014
chaos
045
symphony
049
antithesis
061
marionettes
064
experience
075
abiogenesis
093
appendix
100
invitation
invitation
There is a place that is not a place, a state of existence outside of normal experience. It is the nexus of the
conscious and subconscious, the merging of instinct and thought. In this hyper-reality, real and unreal
are one and the same.
The Silhouette Rouge beckons.
Cipher
The Silhouette Rouge masquerades as a mansion without entrance or exit. In truth, it is something else.
The Silhouette Rouge exists to initiate the base into the sublime.
The Silhouette Rouge is a puzzle box of semiosis and symbolism. Its secret language is the catalyst for
enlightenment. It is the antechamber to transcendence or damnation.
Spatial dimensions are fl uid. Time is an illusion. Reality is dreamlike. The Silhouette Rouge is change
and evolution personifi ed. Few things remain constant.
There are always seventy-eight rooms in the Silhouette Rouge.
Rebirth
The Sarcophagi are creatures born of mystery and devoid of past. They have been resurrected from
fl awed and meaningless lives into a new existence. Memory and history are lost to them; their old lives
cast aside like a cocoon that has been outgrown. Once the Sarcophagi were human, but now they are
something else. Their compound eyes see the world differently. Their four arms manipulate reality in
new ways. A chitinous exoskeleton protects their fragile souls.
The Sarcophagi are insects that walk as men.
The Sarcophagi are explorers. They wander the Silhouette Rouge, seeking to divine its truths. Only by
doing so, can they escape this place and progress to whatever destiny awaits them.
Menagerie
The Sarcophagi are not alone. Strange, wayward souls haunt the Silhouette Rouge. Known simply
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as the Others, each of these entities is unique. Some understand the mystery of the Silhouette Rouge,
while some are as unknowing as the Sarcophagi.
The Others have been here for a very long time.
Transmigration
The Gate of Horn is spoken of in hushed and reverent tones. It is said to be the sole means of egress
from the Silhouette Rouge. Although no such gate is known to exist within the mansion, the wisest
among the Others claim differently. They allege that the gate is merely intangible and imperceptible
to all but the worthiest of souls. They assert that solving the Nine Enigmas is the key to unlocking the
gate.
The exact nature of the Nine Enigmas remains conjecture. Some believe they are pieces of a puzzle
whose proper alignment opens the Gate of Horn. Some believe the Nine Enigmas to be metaphors,
stepping-stones to enlightenment.
Perhaps they are both?
If there is anyone who knows the truth, it is probably the Lost One. He arrived from someplace else
and spent his time pursuing the mysteries of the Silhouette Rouge. No room, no hallway was left
unexplored. It is said that the Lost One lived here many lifetimes, constantly inventing new identities.
One day, without warning, the Lost One disappeared, never to be seen again. Legends claim that he
solved the Nine Enigmas and left through the Gate of Horn. Many have tried to walk in his footsteps,
to retrace his path, hoping to discover the knowledge he acquired during his explorations. None have
succeeded; some still try.
On occasion, someone will claim to see the Lost One wandering the Silhouette Rouge. Has he returned?
Did he ever really leave? Is this some illusion, temporal or otherwise?
The mystery of the Lost One remains.
The Game
Noumenon
is a role-playing game of mystery and abstraction. In
Noumenon,
players assume the roles of
Sarcophagi, mysterious creatures half human and half insect. Their single mandate is to experience the
horrors and wonders of the Silhouette Rouge. By doing so, they will approach the mystery at the heart
of this indefi nable place. Only by discovering the secrets of the Silhouette Rouge can the Sarcophagi
escape this prison.
Players defi ne much of
Noumenon
. There is no set agenda for them to follow, no obvious path for them
to walk. Goals and confl ict will manifest of their own accord. By experiencing the Silhouette Rouge,
patterns and recurring motifs will emerge. The symbolism will take on meaning. While players shape
the game through their journeys, they will fi nd allies to their quest and enemies as well. They will learn
the secrets of the rooms. They will evolve.
Architecture
Beyond this chapter lies eight more sections, the fi rst of which recounts the resurrection of Sarcophagi
(i.e. character generation). An examination of the lower level of the Silhouette Rouge immediately
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