The Tamsin Rooks’ Mission

The Tamsin Rooks have been investigating Helix Meridian’s experiments on Kaelen and Vanya Dax for months.

The twins were not born with their current abilities. Helix Meridian exposed them to repeated gravitational, dimensional, and exotic-energy treatments intended to create living field generators. The experiments permanently altered both of them. Alone, each twin displays only minor anomalies. When they make physical contact, their altered nervous systems synchronize and produce a much larger resonance field.

The Rooks learned that Helix Meridian intended to transfer the twins out of Daegox-4 before erasing the remaining evidence. They infiltrated the recovery operation to rescue the twins during transport.

Their objectives are:

1. Remove the twins’ restraint collars.
2. Extract them from Cell Block Omicron-9.
3. Recover evidence of the experimentation.
4. Reach the Hollow Vein safehouse.
5. Keep the twins out of Helix Meridian custody.

The Rooks know the mercenary party has been hired as outside support, but they do not initially know whether the party understands the corporation’s real plan.

What Onyx Team Knows

Onyx Team knows that the Tamsin Rooks operate on Daegox-4 and that the organization has attempted previous prison escapes, sabotage operations, and data thefts.

They do not know their own extraction unit has been infiltrated.

Onyx command believes the transfer team is secure. The embedded Rooks are using legitimate armor, identification signals, and mission credentials taken from personnel who were quietly intercepted before deployment.

Only Handler Ilex Mora and Onyx Team’s senior officer know the full cleanup plan. Most rank-and-file Onyx operatives believe the mercenaries are expendable contractors, but they do not necessarily know that thermal charges have been planted beneath the cell block.

The Opening Betrayal

The betrayal begins only after the containment vault opens.

Kaelen and Vanya emerge wearing heavy restraint collars connected to subdermal control anchors. The collars prevent the twins from touching and suppress the strongest manifestations of their shared field.

One of the embedded Rooks moves forward as though performing a routine restraint inspection. Using a stolen biometric authorization key, the Rook disables both collars at the same time.

The collars release with a sharp mechanical crack.

Kaelen immediately reaches for Vanya.

The moment they touch, the room’s gravity shifts. Loose ammunition rises from the floor, overhead lights bend toward the twins, and blue-white energy crawls across the surrounding metal.

Onyx Team is completely surprised. They expected a conventional prisoner transfer, not an internal attack or an uncontrolled resonance event.

The embedded Rooks draw their weapons and turn on the Onyx command personnel.

Opening Ambush Round

Treat the collar release as a scripted opening round rather than the normal surprise rules.

During this opening round:

• The embedded Tamsin Rooks can each Stride, draw equipment, take cover, or make one Strike.
• The twins activate one resonance effect.
• Onyx Team cannot act or use reactions.
• The PCs do not take full turns, but each PC can immediately draw a weapon, drop prone, or Step toward adjacent cover.
• After these actions, roll initiative normally.

The twins’ most likely first effect is a defensive field protecting themselves and the Rooks from the expected return fire.

The Appeal to the Party

Mara Venn is the most charismatic Rook present. She was embedded in Onyx Team as a communications and prisoner-handling specialist.

As soon as the shooting begins, Mara moves into cover near the party. Rather than ordering them to join the Rooks, she speaks directly over their private contract channel.

“Mercenaries, hold your fire. We are not here for you. Check the thermal readings beneath your deployment positions.”

A PC who checks their suit telemetry, a nearby console, or the floor panels discovers several recently installed thermal packs beneath the central chamber.

Mara continues:

“Those charges are linked to your contract identifiers. Helix Meridian planned to recover the twins, destroy this block, and leave your bodies behind as proof that hired raiders carried out the attack.”

Handler Ilex Mora immediately cuts into the channel.

“Ignore her. The Tamsin Rooks are responsible for multiple terrorist attacks against this facility. Complete the extraction and your contract remains valid.”

Mara answers without hesitation.

“Then ask your handler why the blast doors locked behind you.”

At that moment, the thermal packs change from standby to armed.

Mara’s appeal is deliberately practical.

“You do not need to join the Rooks. You only need to survive what Helix Meridian planned for you.”

The party can support the Rooks, remain independent, continue siding with Onyx Team, or focus entirely on protecting the twins and escaping.

Primer: The Resonance Twins

Kaelen and Vanya are linked field generators created through involuntary corporate experimentation.

Their abilities are strongest when they are touching. Their field is not a spell, technological device, or ordinary psychic power. It is a shared physical reaction caused by the alterations Helix Meridian made to their bodies.

Resonance Contact

The twins must meet all of the following conditions to activate or change a resonance effect:

• Both twins are conscious.
• They are adjacent to one another.
• They are physically touching.
• Neither twin is completely restrained or inside a field that blocks their connection.

Breaking contact does not immediately end every effect. An active effect normally lasts until the beginning of the twins’ next turn, giving them a moment to reconnect.

Resonance Channels

The twins can support up to three active resonance effects at once, but only one effect from each channel.

Channel	Affected Creatures	Purpose
Personal Resonance	Kaelen and Vanya	Protects the twins or helps them remain together.
Allied Resonance	The PCs and chosen allies	Provides an area buff or battlefield advantage.
Hostile Resonance	Enemies in the affected area	Creates an area debuff or deterrent.

The twins cannot maintain two Personal effects, two Allied effects, or two Hostile effects at the same time.

Changing the active effect within a channel replaces the previous effect from that channel.

Activating and Changing Effects

The twins share one initiative count.

Activating or changing one resonance effect normally costs them 1 action. The twins must be touching when they use this action.

During Act 1, the twins should rarely make ordinary attacks. Their actions are better spent moving, maintaining contact, and changing the battlefield through resonance effects.

The GM controls their actions, but the PCs can influence their choices by calling for a particular kind of protection or explaining a tactical need. The twins are more likely to follow requests from characters they trust.

Sample Personal Resonance Effects

Anchor Shell

A dense gravitational shell forms around the twins.

The twins gain a +1 status bonus to AC and resistance 2 against physical damage.

Energy Cocoon

The twins select acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic damage when activating the effect.

They gain resistance 3 against the selected damage type.

Shared Momentum

The twins move as though linked by an invisible tether.

When either twin Strides, the other can Step as a free action, provided they end adjacent to one another.

Stabilized Pattern

The twins suppress the violent feedback between their altered nervous systems.

They gain a +1 status bonus to Fortitude and Will saves and to recovery checks.

Sample Allied Resonance Effects

Kinetic Defense Field

A 20-foot emanation surrounds the twins.

Chosen allies in the area gain a +1 status bonus to AC against ranged attacks and resistance 2 against damage from area effects with the physical trait.

This is the twins’ most likely opening effect when the collars are removed.

Energy Defense Field

The twins select acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic damage.

Chosen allies within a 20-foot emanation gain resistance 2 against the selected damage type.

Vector Assistance

Gravity pulls allies toward safe footing and useful cover.

Chosen allies within a 20-foot emanation gain a +5-foot status bonus to Speed and ignore the first square of difficult terrain they enter during each movement action.

Resonant Aim

The twins bend trajectories toward hostile targets.

Chosen allies within a 20-foot emanation gain a +1 status bonus to ranged attack rolls against enemies also within the field.

This effect should not stack with other status bonuses to attack rolls.

Sample Hostile Resonance Effects

Gravity Drag

A 20-foot emanation around the twins becomes difficult terrain for enemies.

Enemies that begin their turn in the area also take a –5-foot status penalty to their Speeds until they leave the field.

Kinetic Deflection

Projectile paths bend away from the twins and their allies.

Enemies within a 20-foot emanation take a –1 status penalty to ranged attack rolls.

Resonance Static

The field interferes with targeting systems, communications, and fine electronic control.

Enemies within a 20-foot emanation take a –1 status penalty to Computers checks, Crafting checks involving technology, and attacks made by automated or tech-controlled weapons.

Vector Repulsion

The first time each round that an enemy enters a square within 10 feet of the twins, it must attempt a Reflex save.

• Critical Success: The creature is unaffected.
• Success: The creature enters the square normally.
• Failure: The creature is pushed 5 feet away.
• Critical Failure: The creature is pushed 10 feet away and falls prone.

A creature becomes temporarily immune to Vector Repulsion until the start of its next turn after attempting the save.

Act 1 Starting Configuration

When the collars open and the twins touch, begin with:

• Personal Resonance: Anchor Shell
• Allied Resonance: Kinetic Defense Field
• Hostile Resonance: None

This gives the twins and the Tamsin Rooks immediate protection without overwhelming Onyx Team before the PCs can act.

During the battle, the twins can add a Hostile effect if the fight becomes dangerous. Gravity Drag or Kinetic Deflection are the most appropriate early choices.

The twins can maintain all three channels at once, but doing so is physically exhausting. The first time they activate a third simultaneous channel during an encounter, both twins become fatigued after the encounter ends. This limitation can weaken as they gain control over their powers later in the campaign.