Chasing the Sunset & ancient history

Chasing the Sunset is a West Marches-style exploration game using Fellowship 2nd Edition‘s Horizon rules.

The fellowship: Dryden of Conwall the Collector/Hunter, Averiela the Elf/Elven Elite, Lucia the Brave the Heir/Halfling Sheriff, Edna Crusher-Harcourt the Ogre/Knight

Last time, the Fellowship investigated the cursed pirates and found the treasure that one was guarding, but it’s empty!  Jellylegs digs through the wall of the chamber to see Averiela, Dryden, and Lucia standing around a portal to beach and no treasure chest.

Jellylegs: I’ve got to keep the secret! You can’t be here!

Dryden: Don’t worry. You can just escort us out.

Jellylegs: No, I must keep the entrance a secret.

Dryden Talk Sense (+Wis, appeal to desire to keep secret) 6-

Dryden: Blindfold us?

Jellylegs: That might work. I was just going to kill you. No, you’re tricky. Can’t risk it.

Jellylegs advances on Lucia with her mining pick!

Lucia Get Away 6-

Lucia tries to slip through the portal, but trips on her cloak. Jellyleg’s pick swings down and is stopped by Lucia’s armor

Lucia spends 1 use of Armor

Averiela rushes Jellylegs with her titanium sword. She feints one direction, rolls the other way, and pushes Lucia through the portal.

Averiela Get Away 7-9 bring Lucia along

Averiela Poetry In Motion: choose another Get Away option. Avoid harm.

Dryden: They got away and know about the entrance!

Lucia shouts back through the portal.

Lucia: Everyone can see the treasure chest here on the beach!

Jellylegs will keep any entrance hidden, even a magical portal. She advances on it, but Dryden has another entrance to show her.

Dryden pulls out a prank weapon that looks like a rubber chicken. He throws it against the wall of the cavern, where it splatters into the image of another tunnel entrance.

Dryden Prank Weapon: automatic 10+ on Keep Them Busy

Dryden Close A Window: 6- window moves, leave Averiela & Lucia behind

The portal stays open, but moves to show a burned pine forest, on the coast of some lonely island. The pine trunks go right down into the water.

Jellylegs peels the prank weapon’s image off the wall and turns back to the portal.

Jellylegs: I gotta find the chest!

She looks through the portal, but the view is unfamiliar.

Dryden Overcome 7-9 temporary solution

Dryden uses his weapon to knock a few of Jellylegs’ bones through the portal into the burned and waterlogged forest. Jellylegs steps through, picks them up, and starts to return.

Dryden Close A Window: 10+

Dryden: Goodbye, Jellylegs! Ol’ Jardiner, help!

GM note: A magical assistant like Ol’ Jardiner can negate the danger of the rapidly closing portal, but Dryden has no bonds with Ol’ Jardiner, so he can’t give him orders.

Ol’ Jardiner: I wanna watch. This should be good.

Dryden’s hands are inside a portal that’s rapidly closing. If he doesn’t want them separated by untold miles, he has to act quickly. With a swirl of his cpae, he dives aside.

Dryden Get Away: 7-9 avoid harm

Edna yells from the outer room

Edna: Is everything OK in there?

Dryden: I think so.

Dryden and Ol’ Jardiner rejoin Edna in the outer chamber. Water no longer leaks into the chamber, so Edna is mopping up the last few wet spots with her handkerchief instead of the cursed bucket.

Edna: It seems like your plan to seal the chamber is working. Where are the girls?

Dryden: On the beach. The pirate’s curse is all for nought because we’ve located their treasure chest. Jellylegs ended up in a place with burned trees. Have you seen anything like this?

Dryden sketches the waterlogged forest. Edna does not recognize it.

Edna: Once this cave is dry, I’ll wait and see if I feel bad again.

Dryden: Do you want a fire? I’m good at starting them.

Edna and Dryden wait. Averiela and Lucia walk back to the cave from the beach. Dryden builds a fire and they share a meal while waiting for high tide.

Edna spends Giant Meal to feed Edna, Ol’ Jardiner, and Averiela

At high tide, no water enters the cave, and Edna feels no ill effects from not using the bucket. Her curse is broken. The fellowship wonders if Jellylegs’ curse was also broken.

Edna: We came here for fresh water, right?

Dryden: Yes, but now we have a chest.

Lucia: Are we taking it with us?

Dryden: Of course! It could be a Trojan Chest, or we could use it as a sauna!

The Fellowship returns to the Luna Penumbra, collects fresh water from the springs, and continues flying south towards the Forgottne Lands. Along the way, Edna talks to Averiela.

Edna: Remind me why we are seeking the Elves.

Averiela: We found a Dragon Egg. Perhaps it can hatch, and the Dragons can live again!

Edna: I’ve met a Dragon, and I think that’s a bad idea.

Averiela: You met a living Dragon? Where?

Edna: It’s not living anymore. We killed it to prevent it from using the doomsday device.

Averiela: You killed a Dragon?

Edna: Yes! I’m invincible!

Dryden: What was the Dragon’s plan?

Edna: If no Dragon came back in 100 years to say that the Vampires were defeated, this Dragon was going to activate the doomsday device with Dragonfire and blow up probably the whole world! I say Dragons are bad, and good riddance.

Averiela: Let me tell you about a story of long, long ago. Before we came here, Elves lived in The Ocean Beyond. We lived in greenery and freedon and everyone got along. One day and Elf explored a cave and found a Dragon egg inside. The Elf from the light of the surface and the Dragon from the darkness inside the earth. The Elf placed his hand on the Dragon egg and formed a bond that would last forever.  The Elf was named Elahari, and the Dragon was called Dragonheart, for its true name is untranslatable.

Averiela: For hundreds of years, there was peace. With the help of the Dragons, the Elves could fly and explore the world. The Elves expanded to the north and the south. In every generation, a cemermony would bond one Elf child to one Dragon. The Elf Raahadim wanted to bond with a Dragon, but was not chosen. When the time of the ceremony approached, he went into the cave ahead of the others and found an unapproved bond: an unholy connection. He returned from the cave to the light, but he brought darkness with him. Because of the Dragons’ telepathy, this darkness spread to others, bringing fear and bitterness. Eventually the Elves went to war with the Dragons. Half of the world burned. My people hid themselves away.  Now, 1300 years later, maybe we can undo that rift between our peoples.

Edna: Maybe that’s why the Dragons that ruled here were so proud and cruel. I suppose I can’t blame the egg here for actions of others long ago. I hope this little one chooses well.

Edna taps a metal fingernail on the Dragon egg for emphasis.

The Luna Penumbra continues to fly south. On the horizon, Dryden sees waterspouts rising to stormclouds.  He wasn’t sure these creatures existed, but here comes a large flock of Water Harpies! Also called Water Slashers, these malicious flying beasts cause storms and only seek destruction.

  • Gang of Water Harpies
    • Gang: This enemy can act against everyone at once. When this enemy is destroyed, this stat is damaged, or this is their only stat left, replace the Gang with two Groups of this enemy. This stat can only be damaged by Dangerous or Area attacks.
    • Get Carried Away: The Water Harpies can fly off with anyone they deal damage to. If they are not stopped quickly, they will escape to the skies. They will never willingly drop someone they carry until they reach their destination.
    • Bloodlust: Water Harpies go into a frenzy at the sight of blood. If your Blood is damaged, their Cuts against you are Hard Cuts.

The ship has a moment to prepare before the creatures are upon them. Edna takes the Officer postion, and Ol’ Jardiner takes the Gunner position. Edna really thinks she is invincible after killing that Dragon, so she stands on the prow of the boat and challenges the whole flock.

Edna God Of War: When you fight against them by yourself, you can try to Keep Them Busy no matter who they are, how outnumbered you are, or how poor your position is, even if they are a Group, Gang, or Army.

Edna Keep Them Busy: 10+

As the Water Harpies zoom past her, Edna swats some of them out of the air with her mighty hands. They splatter into puddles of water when they hit the deck, then reform. Lucia attacks these weakened Water harpies with her sword.

Lucia Finish Them: 7-9 damage Carried Away

GM note: Oops, Lucia doesn’t have a Dangerous or Area attack.

The Water harpies attack everyone who has not gone below deck: Averiela, Edna, Dryden, and Lucia.

Lucia dives into a niche behind a crate.

Lucia Get Away 10+ avoid harm, avoid notice

Dryden jumps on his flying device and sends his Ranged Rope to Averiela. He flies above the deck, towing Averiela behind him and getting the Water Harpies to chase her.  He “cracks the whip” to send the Water Harpies towards the bow and Edna.

Dryden (+hope, Averiela’s aid) Keep Them Busy 7-9

Edna smashes through the wave of Water Harpies, sending many fleeing

Edna Finish Them (+courage, force to retreat) 10+ TAKEN OUT

Gang of Water Harpies becomes 2 Groups of Water Harpies.

Dryden and Averiela dive from the Luna Penumbra down to the ocean surface. Averiela runs on the surface of the water as Dryden pulls her along.  One Group of Water Harpies follows, diving straight down and disappearing in the water, then bursts up right underneath Dryden!

Dryden Queen Of The Wild: All Beasts must serve you

Dryden calls out to the creatures of the seas, whose little ones the Water Harpies have snatched. Smaller squid that haven’t gone down to the depths, Manta Rays and Great White Sharks. The Water Harpies have many enemies.

Fish Keep Them Busy 7-9

Dryden tows Averiela through the melee and she lashes out with sword and arrow.

Averiela Finish Them (+hope, Dryden’s aid, +Blood, kill) 10+ TAKEN OUT

Group of Water Harpies become 2 Water Harpies

Most of the Water Harpies fall under her ferocious assault. Two survivors attempt to flee. Dryden starts to pursue them, but Averiela would rather let them go. The sea creatures cry out for revenge against their hated enemies!  Dryden pursues the Water Harpies and steers them towards the Luna Penumbra’s guns.

Ol’ Jardiner Finish Them (+cannon) 6-

Ol’ Jardiner didn’t lead properly and the shot is headed right for Dryden!

Dryden: Averiela, brake!

Averiela stops using Perfect Grace and falls into the water. The massive drag pulls her to a stop, and the rope attaching her to Dryden stops him too.

Averiela Get Away 7-9 avoid harm

Averiela Poetry In Motion: choose another Get Away option. Bring Dryden along.

The cannon shot sails harmlessly past, but the Water Harpies get away.

GM note: I don’t remember what happened to the second group of Water Harpies on the Luna Penumbra. I guess Lucia and Edna fought them off.

Averiela and Dryden tread water and watch the Water Harpies disappear into the distance, pursued by some of the faster fish.  Dryden’s Flying Device is out of energy. A Great White Shark surfaces next to Dryden, and Dryden wraps one arm around its dorsal fin. Averiela pulls herself up onto the surface of the water and the shark swims towards the Luna Penumbra, carrying Dryden and pulling Averiela along like a waterskiier. The Luna Penumbra lands on the water to pick them up.

END OF SESSION MOVE

  • Did we thoroughly explore a new location: Yes, the Silver Ring
  • Did anyone find what they were seeking: Yes, we’re working on Averiela’s quest
  • Did we learn something new about the world or its people: Yes, we heard the story of the Elves and the Dragons.

Restore Gear, Level up Edna and Luna Penumbra, Level up Averiela and Dryden.