Chasing the Sunset is a West Marches-style exploration game using Fellowship 2nd Edition‘s Horizon rules.
The party: Buckle the Beast/Heart of Earth, Stella the Halfling/Hunter
Last time, the Fellowship gathered allies and prepared to defend the volcano that contains the Hidden Library from the invaders that escaped the defenders on the eastern front and western front.
The sun sets on the night of the invasion. The Fellowship, the Giant Dung Beetles, and the Dwarven Gunners from Templeton stand on the rim of the volcano. Samantha the Swamp Witch is stationed on the library’s shell at the bottom of the caldera. The Ghost Librarian is inside the library, where she has been for over a century.
- Group of Giant Dung Beetles. These beetles are much larger than normal, the size of a hatchback car, but they aren’t big enough to have the Giant tag.
- Armored: This stat must be damaged twice.
- Rolling Boulders: Damage this stat to deal damage to an enemy OR Keep Them Busy. The enemy must be downhill from the Giant Dung Beetle.
- Group: This enemy can act against two people at once. When this enemy is destroyed, this stat is damaged, or this is their only stat left, replace the Group with two normal enemies.
- Gang of Dwarven Gunners: Dwarven riflemen are famous throughout the world for their excessive use of black powder.
- Powder keg: If this stat is damaged, the gunner explodes, causing collateral damage.
- Sturdy Rifle: When the gunner has an open shot, they may damage this stat to immediately deal damage to anybody. If they can get some time and safety, they heal this stat.
- 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 Area, Dangerous, or Giant attacks.
- Samantha she/her Human swamp witch. A master of secret magic
- Forest’s Power: The elder knows everything that happens in their forest. They can command the trees and plants to move however they like, and capture sleeping or downed foes in the thick of the woods.
Mystic Power: The elder can damage this stat to cast a powerful spell. The spell does exactly as they say it does.
A bright point of light rises over the western horizon. Buckle Looks Closely
- Tell me about the point of light. How could it hurt me? How could it help me?
- It’s very high, moving very fast, and glowing very bright. There’s a lot of energy in it. It’s heading east and will pass far above the library.
- Buckle: Is that some kind of meteor?
- Is something hidden or out of place?
- The point of light isn’t a meteor. It’s artificial. Over-the-horizon artillery.
- What’s going on here? What do my senses tell me?
- Near the rim of the volcano is an old makeshift graveyard. About 30 spearpoints are stuck in the ground as grave markers. The word “Crusher” is carved into a piece of volcanic rock.
Buckle wonders if the “crusher” memorialized here is related to “Edna Crusher-Harcourt” on the message board.
Buckle never saw the Anti-Moon Weapon fire, so he can’t be sure, but the Anti-Moon Weapon is very long-range artillery and it is to the west of here. A note of the Hidden Library Message Board warned them to stay away from Vieport, but that’s to the south and this projectile is going east. Maybe it’s aimed at Port Fennrick. Either way, it’s not going to affect the Library. Gotta focus on the defense of the mountain.
To the west, a purple glow announces the apporach of an Undead Dragon.
- Zweiharn it/its undead Dragon. A skeleton with no skull. Transparent ectoplasm fills out the shape of a headless dragon with no wings. Purple flame spills from its neck like the pilot light on a very large flamethrower. A small purple flame on the tip of its tail makes it look a bit like Charmander.
- Necrofire: The zombie dragon is Melee, Necrotic, and Ranged.
- Undying: When this stat is damaged, the zombie dragon becomes inert and cannot do anything. When the scene ends, heal all of the zombie dragon’s damaged stats. The dragon can only be destroyed if this stat is removed, or if the proper ritual is performed upon its inert body.
From the north east, a Siege Tank kicks up a trail of dust.
- Siege Tank: This deadly armor war vehicle has more weaponry than it really needs, and its loaded with several single-used secret weapons.
- Secret Weapon: This stat can be damaged three times. The pilot can damage this stat to create an Advantage it can use, or to remove an Advantage someone holds over you.
- Spikes And Steel: Any foe trying to board the siege tank must pay a price.
- Heavy Armor: This stat can be damaged twice. When the siege tank would be destroyed, damage this stat instead.
They’ll reach the mountain about the same time. Buckle hopes to talk to O’Later and convince him to enter the library as a regular patron. People who fight in the library are not welcome. In case diplomacy fails, Buckle digs a small burrow to hide and applies warpaint according to the Platyperson tradition. Buckle sends Ugg to relay orders to the Giant Dung Beetles, and sends ichabod and Elektra to circle above the battlefield.
Stella heads halfway down the slope of the mountain to set a Pit Trap, but the Siege Tank is close enough to see her. The Siege Tank stops, and O’Later emerges from the top hatch.
- O’Later he/him Vampire Mayor of Port Fennrick. He leads the attack on the Hidden Library from the west. A powerful aristocrat who drinks the blood of the weak. The Vampire Lord is Melee and Piercing, and they heal whenever they deal damage to a Blood stat. Sunlight and holy symbols deal damage to them.
- Blood Frenzy: Your weakness is a vampire’s power. When your Blood is damaged, you are in Despair against the vampire lord.
- Lord of the Night: Beasts and monsters will do as a vampire lord tells them to. Beast and Scourge threats cannot harm the vampire lord, and they always follow the vampire lord’s orders to the letter. The vampire lord can drink the blood of any Beast to heal. This kills the Beast.
- Sunburns: When this stat has been damaged by sunlight or holy symbols, the vampire lord is filled with Despair and must try to flee the scene.
He gestures at the Undead Dragon.
O’Later: This is the support Von Till promised me? This is nothing? I’ll have to do it myself.
Stella returns to the rim of the volcano. She sees the Undead Dragon is not coming up the path where the boulder traps are. Ugg relays orders from Buckle to move the Dwarven Gunners to face the Siege Tank.
Buckle: Elektra, take Ichabod and harry that thing around to that side of the mountain. Ichabod, I love you, buddy. Be good!
Elektra spends Dive Bomb
Elektra dive bombs the Undead Dragon. It vomits necrofire from its headless skeletal neck!
Ichabod spends Fire Eater
Ichabod swoops in and blocks the necrofire. Of course a Phoenix can’t be hurt by fire.
Stella: Ugg, the Dung Beetles!
Dung Beetle spends Rolling Boulders: damage an enemy downhill from you.
Siege Tank damages Heavy Armor x1
The boulders batter the Siege Tank, but it’s armro holds and it keeps coming.
The Undead Dragon starts climbing the mountain. The Dwarven Gunners fire as soon as it’s in range.
Gang of Dwarven Gunners Sturdy Rifle: When the gunner has an open shot, they may damage this stat to immediately deal damage to anybody. If they can get some time and safety, they heal this stat.
Undead Dragon damages Necrofire
The Undead Dragon is rocked by a powerful explosion!
Stella: *gasp* Buckle!
Buckle spends 1 use of Anarchy Reigns
Undead Dragon damages Undying
The Undead Dragon collapses. The ectoplasm around its skeleton loses its shape and starts oozing over the groud. As the Siege Tank nears the top, Stella orders the Giant Dung Beetles to stand in front of her. The Siege Tank is rocked by a powerful explosion!
Buckle spends 1 use of Anarchy Reigns
Siege Tank damages Heavy Armor x2
Siege Tank damages Secret Weapon x1
The Siege Tank’s tread shift and it zooms sideways, going around the wall of Giant Dung Beetles and reaching the rim of the volcano. The Siege Tank bursts into flame.
Buckle Firestarter something bursts into flames.
Buckle rushes the Siege Tank, and slams his Venomous Spurs into it. That’s not effective against spiked steel armor!
Buckle Keep Them Busy 6-
Buckle damages Venomous Spurs
GM note: I had a secret timer that advanced when the Fellowship rolled 6-, but they keep using moves that don’t require rolls! This is the first time I could advance the timer.
Giant Dung Beetle: The ground is trembling.
Stella is offended that O’Later showed up to fight in her favorite vehicle. She jumps on Silk, her Giant Spider, making them a Threat to the World.
Stella Keep Them Busy 10+
Siege Tank damages Secret Weapon x2: This stat can be damaged three times. The pilot can damage this stat to remove an Advantage someone holds over you.
One of the Siege Tank’s armor plates is spring-loaded and pops out, striking Silk so it and Stella teeter on the edge of the caldera!
Stella Wall Walker
Silk Wall Walker
They just step down onto the vertical wall. No problem. With her feet on the wall, Stella notices the slight tremor that the Giant Dung Beetle reported.
Stella: The ground is shaking. Something’s coming!
Buckle reaches out with the magic power Samantha taught him and opens the top hatch of the Siege Tank.
Buckle Wizardry: touch, move, or pull as if you were somewhere you can see
O’Later sees Elektra and Ichabod flying above and orders them to attack Buckle.
O’Later Lord of the Night: Beast and Scourge threats cannot harm the vampire lord, and they always follow the vampire lord’s orders to the letter.
Buckle howls with a mighty, terrifying Platypus howl.
Buckle War Paint: spend 1 Power to Howl: Terrify an enemy. They cannot approach you willingly.
Buckle Heart Of Earth: immune to heat and fire.
Elektra flees from Buckle, and Ichabod’s flaming talons cannot hurt him.
Undead Dragon Undying: When this stat is damaged, the zombie dragon becomes inert and cannot do anything. When the scene ends, heal all of the zombie dragon’s damaged stats.
On the other side of the mountain, the Undead Dragon stands up again!
While Stella wonders about using the Dwarven Gunners’ Powder Peg to blow up the Siege Tank, the Siege Tank is rocked by a powerful explosion!
Buckle spends 1 use of Anarchy Reigns
O’Later damages Sunburns
Siege Tank damages Spikes & Steel
A dozen Shadows fly out of the Siege Tank’s hatch, propelled by the explosion.
- Group of Shadows various, various humanoids. Sinister agents who do dirty jobs for their Vampire masters.
- Death From Above: Walkers can climb along walls and ceilings as quickly as they can run, and as silently as a ghost. When the Walker drops down on an enemy from above, they can either kidnap them or deal damage to them as a Hard Cut, their choice.
- Patience: The Walker is Secret until they make a Cut. When they escape or hide, they become Secret again until they make a Cut.
- Group: This enemy can act against two people at once. When this enemy is destroyed, this stat is damaged, or this is their only stat left, replace the Group with two normal enemies.
Group of Shadows damages Death From Above
On the other side of the mountain, The Undead Dragon spits Necrofire on the Dwarven Gunners.
Dwarven Gunners damages Gang & becomes 2x Group of Dwarven Gunners
Buckle orders the Giant Dung Beetles to surround the Siege Tank. O’Later jumps out and drinks the blood of a Giant Dung Beetle, healing himself.
O’Later Lord of the Night: The vampire lord can drink the blood of any Beast to heal. This kills the Beast.
Group of Giant Dung Beetles is destroyed & becomes 2x Giant Dung Beetles
The Shadows threaten Stella and Buckle, so Buckle sets them on fire!
Buckle Firestarter: set anything on fire
Group of Shadows damages Patience
Group of Shadows TAKEN OUT, becomes 2x Shadow
The surviving Shadows strike Buckle and Stella
Stella damages a stat
Buckle damages a stat
Buckle War Paint Unflinching: spend 1 Power to damage an enemy after they damage you
After Shadow #1 stabs Buckle, he spins and smacks the Shadow with his tail!
Shadow #1 damages Patience
Siege Tank damages Siege Tank x3: create an advantage
The Siege Tank is barely holding together and uses the last of its power to dirve over Buckle and pin him between the treads so that O’Later and bite him. One Shadow attacks Stella, while the damaged Shadow really wants to get out of this dangerous situation. He plunges down the caldera onto Samantha.
Shadow #1 Death From Above: deal damage as a Hard Cut when you drop on an enemy
Samantha damages Forest Power. TAKEN OUT
GM note: Samantha was my oldest NPC! It happened so fast I didn’t even realize!
A Group of Dwarven Gunners fire on the Undead Dragon as it sprays them with Necrofire. Most of the Dwarven Gunners flee in Despair as the noxious flaming goop burn their skin.
Group of Dwarven Gunners damages Sturdy Rifle: deal damage when you have a clear shot
Undead Dragon Necrofire: Ranged, Necrotic
Group of Dwarven Gunners damages Group & becomes 2x Dwarven Gunners
Stella Keep Them Busy 7-9
Stella Sting Like A Bee: steal something
Stella runs around the larger Shadow and pokes him repeatedly. No one can concentrate while being poked! She steals his second dagger from its sheath.
As the tank treads start to push Buckle into the ground, his whole body lights up with flame and tries to melt through the treads! rising through molten metal may short out the Medallion of Cleft Sky and shock him, but that is preferable to being pinned and attacked by a Vampire Lord.
Buckle Pyromania: When everything around you is on fire, you have Hope
Buckle Overcome (+hope) 6-
Buckle is unable to melt the Siege Tank and O’Later moves in, fangs bared. A blinding light surrounds Buckle, dazzling O’Later.
Buckle spends 1 use of Medallion of Cleft Sky. St. Elmo’s Fire. Use on reaction to prevent an attack
The tremor in the ground intensifies into a rumble and a Group of Dwarven Tunnelers bursts through onto the top of the library! A secret group of attackers have bypassed the defenders on the rim! Two Dwarves exit each Dwarven Tunneler. They removed the armored doors and wield them as tower shields! The sounds of marching comes from the mouth of the tunnel.
- Group of Dwarven Tunnelers: A massive drill mounted on wheels, with a riding compartment somewhere between those two more important features.
- Armored Compartment: The tunneler’s pilot, and one passenger, cannot be harmed while they are operating the tank. This stat must be damaged twice.
- Drill Tank: The tunneler is a Melee, Dangerous weapon when powered on. It can dig through earth and stone, leaving massive tunnels behind.
- Group: This enemy can act against two people at once. When this enemy is destroyed, this stat is damaged, or this is their only stat left, replace the Group with two normal enemies.
- Dwarven Defender: Trained in the art of the tower shield, this dwarf will defend you through thick and thin. They drive the Tunnelers & put their shields over the vehicles as armor.
- Loyal: The defender can damage this stat to prevent damage to someone.
- Shield-Bearer: The defender and anyone standing next to them cannot be damaged from the front.
- Group: This enemy can act against two people at once. When this enemy is destroyed, this stat is damaged, or this is their only stat left, replace the Group with two normal enemies.
Undead Dragon Necrofire: Ranged, Necrotic
O’Later threatens Buckle again. The Undead Dragon blasts a Giant Dung Beetle with Necrofire and it flees in Despair. Ugg sees that the Dragon has walked onto the path and releases the boulder trap.
Ugg damages Bigger ‘n You
Undead Dragon damages Undying
The Undead Dragon collapses again, but the Fellowship knows that only buys them a short time.
Rose: You know I can do this better than you can!
Stella’s bodyguard runs in with a flurry of blows, much more painful than Stella’s flurry of pokes. this frees Stella to taunt the Shadow with the dagger she stole.
Stella: You don’t know what I can do!
Stella Finish Them (+courage, force retreat) 6-
Shadow: Actually, I’m an expert with that weapon!
The Shadow parries the dagger and stabs Stella.
Stella damages Grace
Buckle wriggles out from under the flaming wreck of the Siege Tank and retreats through the graveyard of spears.
Buckle Pyromania: When everything around you is on fire, you have Hope
Buckle Get Away (+hope) 10+ avoid harm, bring Dwarven Gunner #1 along
At the bottom of the caldera, a hundred invaders run out of the tunnel onto the surface of the library’s ceramic shell. The Dwarven Defenders have turned off the Dwarven Tunnelers and surrounded Bloodletter. With no enemies nearby, they pour into the Hidden Library.
- Gang of Warriors: A number of warriors armed with a variety of Melee spears and axes. They are mostly undead, so they don’t feel pain or fear. They will easily overpower anyone one-on-one.
- Overpowering: Anyone trying to act alone against the warriors must pay a price. If they are a Gang or Army, the warriors are Piercing and Giant.
- 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 Area, Dangerous, or Giant attacks.
- Bloodletter she/her Goblin Vampire: This tenacious old battleaxe never surrenders, and will sacrifice every last one of their minions to make sure they don’t either. She’s covered in scars and refuses to retire. She finds the process of removing blood (from other people) significantly improves her mood and situation.
- Defiant Command: All nearby Horde threats, including this one, deal damage back to anyone who deals damage to them. This counter-attack damage happens simultaneously to the damage it is responding to.
O’Later would rather be surrounded by his minions than his enemies, so he starts running down one of the spiral staircases on the inside of the caldera.
Stella: Go after him and be ready for our mark!
The Dwarven Gunners follow O’Later down the staircase but keep their distance.
Buckle Firestarter
O’Later bursts into flames!
O’Later damages Sunburns
O’Later orders a Giant Dung Beetle to come down, and it starts down the other staircase on the opposite side.
O’Later Lord of the Night: Beast and Scourge threats cannot harm the vampire lord, and they always follow the vampire lord’s orders to the letter.
Buckle: No! Don’t go down there!
Buckle may speak the language of beasts, but he can’t override O’Later’s command.
Stella: Roll your boulder!
That doesn’t contradict O’Later’s order, so the Giant Dung Beetle releases its boulder on the soldiers below. The Dwarven Defenders move forward and form a shield wall, stopping the boulder harmlessly.
Dung Beetle spends Rolling Boulders: damage an enemy downhill from you.
Group of Dwarven Defenders Shield-Bearer: The defender and anyone standing next to them cannot be damaged from the front.
The Shadow wants to escape Stella and plunge on the Giant Dung Beetle, but he knows that O’Later wants it, so he stays and fights.
Gus spends Special Ingredients
Stella Keep Them Busy (+hope) 10+
Gus unleashes a plume of chili powder from his satchel. The Shadow can barely see to parry Stella’s attacks.
Buckle Finish Them 10+ TAKEN OUT
Buckle runs in and smacks the Shadow with his tail. The Shadow goes flying down into the caldera.
Buckle: Hey. Hey! O’Later! Buy why? You clearly don’t understand that you just go there and get a library card. You’ve created all this hullabaloo, but why? But why, my dude? But. Why. Why did you crash in with Siege Tanks when you could have come here for free forever.
Stella: Why are you fighting when there is socialism?
Buckle: Stop fighting and we’ll just go to the library. We dont need to see each other. Just don’t bring a Siege Tank to visit the library.
Buckle Talk Sense (+Wisdom, appeal to desires)
O’Later: Good idea.
O’Later continues down the stairs. He didn’t really listen to Buckle’s earnest plea. Stella figures he’s far enough away that this won’t be dangerous.
Stella: Get close and attack!
The Dwarven Gunner gets a few steps away from O’Later and fires!
Dwarven Gunner Sturdy Rifle: Damage this stat to damage an enemy
O’Later damages Lord Of The Night.
O’Later Threat To The World: You must pay a price to take direct action against a Threat To the World.
Dwarven Gunner damages Powder Keg: When this stat is damaged, the Dwarven Gunner explodes and damages everyone around them. TAKEN OUT
O’Later damages Blood Frenzy TAKEN OUT
In a single tactically brilliant but morally questionably move, Stella instantly damaged O’Later twice and killed him!
Stella: Sorry, dude. Martyr for the cause.
The Undead Dragon rises again, and the last survivors of the Fellowship’s allies (1 Dwarven Gunner and 1 Giant Dung Beetle) immediately put it down again.
Dwarven Gunner spends Sturdy Rifle: When the gunner has an open shot, they may damage this stat to immediately deal damage to anybody. If they can get some time and safety, they heal this stat.
Undead Dragon damages Necrofire
Dung Beetle spends Rolling Boulders: damage an enemy downhill from you.
Undead Dragon damages Undying. TAKEN OUT
A moment of calm. All the invaders at the volcano’s rim are dead, even if one refuses to stay dead. Inside the caldera, Bloodletter and her Warriors and Dwarven Defenders swept into the library unopposed. They left the Dwarven Tunnelers outside.
Stella: O’Later was the ringleader. Now would be a good time to convince everyone else to stop.
Buckle walks down the stairs that weren’t just damaged by an explosion and tries to walk into the library. The Dwarven Defenders line up at the door and block it with their tower shields.
Buckle: O’Later said I could come in. Didn’t you hear him shout that we could coexist?
Buckle isn’t as good at outrageous lies at Stella. Stella, still at the volcano’s rim, taps a signal with her foot, and a Giant Earthworm appears. She sends it off on a secret assignment. She also recalls the Giant Dung Beetle that O’Later ordered down.
Buckle tries to talk his way past the stone-faced Dwarven Defenders who are securing a military objective against a powerful foe.
Buckle: Hey, so what brings you here? You wanna visit the library? Get some knowledge? It’s free for everyone because it’s the library!
Stella arranges the Giant Dung Beetle, herself, and the Giant Earthworms around the dormant Undead Dragon.
Buckle: Let’s go to the library!
Vestri’s assist! Clear the Path
Vestri runs into the line of Dwarven Defenders at full speed, knocking several aside. He picks up another and throws him over his shoulder. He’s incredibly strong! Buckle walks in and is immediately surrounded by Warriors. He puts on the fireproof suit that is available at the entrance specifically for fire-based creatures like him. The Warriors stab him!
Buckle damages Blood
Buckle: Librarian!
GM note: On a previous visit to the library, the Fellowship suggested that the Librarian add another Taboo spell. The existing Taboo on reshelving books will teleport the offender out of the library. They recommended adding a similar Taboo on starting fights. They were sure the Librarian had done that while they were away, but I, (the GM) forgot. It’s no fun when different players have differnet mental models of the situation. As the GM, I have final word. Do I say that I forgot and there really is a taboo, or that the Librarian forgot, and Buckle’s clever plan fails and puts him in terrible danger? In an intervening session, there’s another fight in the library and no one is teleported away, so that’s good evidence for the Librarian forgetting, and not just me messing up. Still, it was a frustrating moment at the table.
Buckle can see some Warriors in the back popping up and down as the Ghost Librarian uses her poltergeist powers to try and remove them, but there are too many. Buckle’s plan has failed because his allies didn’t take his good advice.
Buckle: What do you want me to do?
Ghost Librarian: You were supposed to keep them out! We had several meetings.
Buckle: I thought you could keep them out with your powers. I can’t set them on fire in here.
The Warriors move in to attack Buckle again. He bull-rushes towards the door.
Gang of Warriors Overpowering: Anyone trying to act alone against the warriors must pay a price.
Buckle damages an Animal Trait
Buckle Overcome (despair) 10+
Buckle breaks through the Warriors and reaches the Dwarven Defenders guarding the door. Buckle’s plan was foolish. He believed too much in the goodness of people. He casts off the fireproof suit and blasts his way out with Dragonfire!
Buckle spends 1 use of Dragonfire: annihilate almost anything
Group of Dwarven Defenders becomes 2x Dwarven Defenders
Only the Defenders on the far left and far right survive. Buckle walks out through the smoke. If these people want the library so badly, he’ll force them to stay! Buckle takes one of the Dwarven Tunnelers and drives it into the library’s entrance, blocking it.
Buckle: You wanted this so bad, you can have it!
On the volcano’s slope, the Undead Dragon rises again, right into Stella’s trap
Stella: Beetles, at its heels!
The Beetles stand right under the Undead Dragon’s legs as Stella magically pushes the Undead Dragon from afar, hoping to tip it into the hole the Giant Earthworms dug behind it.
Stella Wizardry: touch, push, or pull anywhere you can see
Alas, even with the Giant Dung Beetles there to trip it, Stella’ strength isn’t enough to knock over a monster the size of a truck. The Undead Dragon blasts her with Necrofire.
Undead Dragon Necrofire: The zombie dragon is Melee, Necrotic, and Ranged.
Elektra spends Carry Away
Elektra swoops down and grabs the Undead Dragon’s neck bones. Even a mighty Hapry Eagle can’t lift such a beast, but she does disrupt its aim, so Stella is spared. The Undead Dragon moves closer and swipes with its claws. Stella retreats behind the surviving Dwarven Gunner, then leaps into the sky.
Stella Animal Trait: Jumping Spider
Stella Get Away (+despair) 6-
The Undead Dragon adjusts its swing and swats Stella out of the air.
Undead Dragon Necrofire: The zombie dragon is Melee, Necrotic, and Ranged.
Stella damages a stat twice! (Necrotic damage)
Stella lands at a distance. The Undead Dragon claws the Dwarven Gunner.
Undead Dragon Necrofire: The zombie dragon is Melee, Necrotic, and Ranged.
Dwarven Gunner damages Powder keg: If this stat is damaged, the gunner explodes, causing collateral damage.
Dwarven Gunner TAKEN OUT
Giant Dung Beetle TAKEN OUT
Undead Dragon damages Necrofire.
All the allies that the Fellowship assembled are dead or in Despair. The Undead Dragon can no longer attack, but it has a vague memory that it’s supposed to go to the library, so it continues up the slope. Buckle was coming up the stairs after sealing away the enemies below. He comes over the rim face to headless skeletal nick with the Undead Dragon. After a moment of shock, he vaporizes it!
Buckle spends 1 use of Dragonfire: annihilate almost anything
Except the Undead Dragon isn’t vaporized. Much of the ectoplasm evaporates and the bones are scorched, but the skeleton remains. Buckle sets the remains on fire and worships the fire with maniacal laughter.
Buckle Firestarter: set anything on fire
Undead Dragon Undying: When this stat is damaged, the zombie dragon becomes inert and cannot do anything. The dragon can only be destroyed if this stat is removed, or if the proper ritual is performed upon its inert body.
GM note: We’re at an impasse. The Fellowship isn’t faling the challenges before them. They’re not making progress. Failure is interesting because it moves the story forward. Being stuck is a fate worse than death, at least in a game. I worry about frustrating my players, so I
Buckle wants to leave and get advice from Aku about rituals that lay Dragons to rest. Stella wonders if she can trade O’Later’s skeleton key to Bloodletter in exchange for leaving the library.
Buckle: The other option that they have available to them, is that they all starve in the library.
Bloodletter could eat her troops, but there’s no food and no other exits in the library. Buckle checked when he thought he might be the one besieged inside the Library.
Stella orders the Giant Earthworms to dig a pit under the Undead Dragon’s bones, so when it comes back to life, it will be trapped.
Buckle: Maybe you should cover it up. We’ll bury another Dragon here.
GM note: They are so close to the solution! Through a wild series of coincidences, Zweiharn’s head is buried on the mountain, and returning the head to the Zweiharn’s undead body will lay it to rest. Alas, the message board doesn’t say that the dragon buried here is only a skull.
The Fellowship goes back down and Stella yells through the cracks between the Dwarven Tunneler and the edge of the Library’s entrance.
Stella: Bloodletter, we have a proposition for you.
Bloodletter: Come in, we’ll discuss this face to face.
Stella: Congratulations, you have met your goal! You have seized control. We all know that objectives have an end. Who’s to say that your control of the library will not continue to count as you leave and never come back? You can tell the tale and the proof will be this key.
Stella shows O’Later’s skeleton key.
Bloodletter: So we leave the library and tell people that we’re holding the library, but they can see that we’re not at the library because we’re there talking about it. This is Halfling trickery, isn’t it?
Stella: No. Was your goal to hold the library or control the library? One requires you to stay and the other doesn’t.
Buckle: What does holding the library accomplish?
Bloodletter: We have access to its knowledge and you don’t.
Buckle: What are you going to do with–
Bloodletter: We can’t tell you! That’s a secret!
Buckle: OK, your secret will go with you to your grave.
Bloodletter: Exactly. That’s where I put all my secrets.
Buckle: And your army’s grave as well.
Stella: It wouldn’t be a victory, but we could walk away right now and come back in a couple hundred year.
Buckle: Surely just being present in the library is not sufficient. What exactly do you want? What does Bloodletter want?
Bloodletter: I want you to stop al lthe psychoanalyzing!
Stella: What if I have the Giant Earthworms dig a tunnel for the Undead Dragon to come down here? I don’t know that they’re friends. They didn’t come together.
GM note: I could feel the session fizzling out in frustration, so I stepped out of character to ask the players how we should wrap this up.
The Fellowship prepares to leave. Their enemies have their objectives, but they are also trapped. They can go seek advice from Aku, the Sky Serpent. They leave Ugg and Rose to keep the Dwarven Tunneler in place. If the enemies try to push the Dwarven Tunneler out, Ugg can drive it forward to keep it in place. Elektra and Ichabod also stay as lookout.