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, Markus the Squire, Ol’ Jardiner the Harbinger
Last time, Ol’ Jardiner joined the Fellowship. They returned stolen goods to several towns, then were attacked in an abandoned city underground and redirected a river to kill the foe. Now they will search for the people who abandoned this city: The Clay Dwarves.
GM note: We should have done the end of session move at the end of last session, but we ran out of time, so we’ll do it at the beginning of this session.
END OF SESSION MOVE
- Did we thoroughly explore a new location?
- YES, the City of Clay under the Treacherous Mountains
- Did anyone find what they were seeking?
- YES, Markus is seeking adventure
- Did we discover something new about the world or its people?
- YES, the new location created by the plant ark
Three boons
- Level up Markus & Ol’ Jardiner
- Heal
- Gear
The lake of lava that split the City of Clay now has a hard surface of cooling obsidian. The Fire Elemental (and the unfortunate guards in the river) are entombed within, kiilled instantly. Dryden takes a shard of obsidian. They know the Dwarves went west, and it’s much easier to get there now, without the lake of lava in the way. The Fellowship wants to know what happened to them, and if the Dwarven lottery ticket they found is still valid. Before they leave they write on the message board:
Averiela: The Dwarves forlorn,
are sadly gone
but for clay and pot.
The fire burns hot,
And then is not.
A sad ending is born.
Dryden: Fire Elementals are easily defeated if you transport a river directly above them. Enjoy the obsidian!
Ol’ Jardiner: When choosing elemental vulnerability, checks what attack your allies plan to use.
Ol’ Jardiner has been here before. He leads the Fellowship to the hastily-dug tunnel that he assumes was used by the Clay Dwarves to evacuate the City of Clay.
Dryden: They can come back to their home!
Markus: As long as they get back before something else moves in.
They emerge from the tunnel into the Ancient Forest. Anyone traveling off the path in this dense forest is lost, and there’s no path leading away from the tunnel entrance.
Dryden: What if the Dwarves are lost?
GM note: Just like in The Hobbit when Thorin’s dwarves got lost in Mirkwood!
Markus takes a look around. The forest has multiple layers: underbrush, small trees, towering trees that form a canopy. Vines and flowers. The jungle is stuffed full of living things. Leaves wave in the wind, or perhaps something hidden is moving around. The trees right around the tunnel entrance are smaller than their neighbors. Markus figures these are young trees that grew after the Dwarves came through and cut down the old ones.
Dryden calls out for a Jaguar. After a while, one appears: the cub of the one that helped Dryden the last time he was here. It’s been a while and the cub is fully-grown. It pounces and bats at Drdyen. It’s a friendly, rowdy greeting for young Jaguars. The Fellowship follows the path of young trees. The Jaguar knows the area and Averiela has the immaculate woodcraft of the Elves, so they lead the clumsier members of the Fellowship. They reach the edge of the Jaguar’s territory. A Vampire Fairy sees them and decides against direct combat. Instead he takes the arrows from Markus’s quiver and starts to sneak away. Ol’ Jardiner spots the thief and tries out his new friendly face.
Ol’ Jardiner Friendly Face: Creatures who are not hostile to you will treat you as a friend until they have a good reason not to.
Ol’ Jardiner: Yes, quick, bring them here. I’m been stuck with these guys. I’m trying to get out.
Fairy: What will you give me in exchange?
Ol’ Jardiner offers Doodle (a 2-dimensional Strange Beast) folded into a beautiful origami flower. When the Fairy takes it, Doodle unfolds and tries to envelop him! The others notice that Ol’Jardiner is holding a rustling ball of paper. (Fairies are only 11 inches tall) Markus runs over, grabs his arrows, and leaves. The Fairy escapes from Doodle and scratches Ol’ Jardiner. Markus realizes that Ol’ Jardiner is in danger and aims his arrows at the Fairy. Ol’ Jardiner is worried because he’s a much larger target than the Fairy! Markus shoots true! Averiela watches with pride as the (blunt) arrow flies in and knocks the fairy unconscious. Dryden and the jaguar had climbed up into the trees to jump down, but they don’t need to attack anymore. Ol’ Jardiner wants to put a curse on this Fairy, but he can’t think of anything appropriate. He shoves the Fairy into dense underbrush.
The Fellowship continues on. Markus carefully surveys the situation.
- Tell me about the young trees. How can the hurt or help me?
- They can guide you along the path that the Dwarves took with their vehicles and machinery. The young trees don’t take up as much space as the trees around, so it’s a natural path for all sorts of creatures to take, some of which are dangerous.
As they continue along the path, the Fellowship finds broken down Dwarven vehicles, abandoned and overgrown. There’s a flat cart with two wheels. A Dwarven Tunneler with a missing tread lies on its side, a tree growing through both doors. Some very large snakes make their nest here. They feel threatened, but Dryden speaks calmly and they must listen.
GM note: It’s hard to challenge the Fellowship here. No one can follow Averiela in a forest, and all animals that Dryden meets must obey him.
Drdyen: We are trying to find out how long you’ve lived at your new home.
Snake: Long enough to make it our own!
Snakes slither all around in the underbrush. The Fellowship is surrounded. Dryden uses proper snake etiquette (a subtle series of head bobs) to say that they are but travelers, trying to go through, and want to know who left the vehicles there for the snakes to claim as their home. There are some snakes old enough to remember the Dwarves coming through. Dryden asks if there was a great battle to seize the area, and snake etiquette always says there was a large battle, even if there wasn’t.
- What should I be wary of when dealing with the snakes?
- The snakes respect Dryden, but not the rest of the Fellowship. They hope that when Dryden isn’t looking, it will be OK to snatch one of the smaller ones.
- What can you tell us about the abandoned–your home?
- The huge metal beasts came through, smashing everything. It was bad for snakes in the path, but wonderful for snakes beside the path. So many animals fleeing without looking where they are going. Then, some of these beasts fell, and their carcasses provides safe dark places for us. Other creatures also think this is a safe place, which we like. These beasts are great, once they are dead.
- What were the snakes doing? What will they do next?
-
- They were about to perform a ritual important in their culture, but the Fellowship has interrupted it.
-
GM note: The behavior that I half-remembered is a mating ball, which is definitely not the vibe I was going for in this game.
Drdyen: Well, it is best for us to be going. We will leave you in peace to complete your ritual. The jaguar bumps Averiela with its nose to encourage her to move.
Ol’ Jardiner: Yeah, cool, I was just going to get this thing.
Ol’ Jardiner grabs a part from the wrecked Dwarven Tunneler. It’s part of an automatic jack that can lift the Dwarven Tunneler if a soft section of earth collapses under it. He accidentally activates it and a metal foot shoots out, hitting him in the chest and flinging him back into the mass of snakes! A friendly face won’t work here!
When you finish them by relying on fate or luck, roll +Doom
Ol’ Jardiner pulls out his acidic dagger, throws it straight up into the air, and ducks. The dagger misses all the snakes and lands on his foot!
Dryden and his Jaguar run through the branches to reach Ol’ Jardiner. Sometimes Dryden rides on the Jaguar’s back. Sometimes he leaps off to take a different route before they reconnect. Markus charges right through the cluster of snakes, grabs Ol’ Jardiner, and continues out the other side. One snake manages to bite markus as he passes. He keeps running into the woods and in moments has lost sight of the Fellowship and doesn’t know where they are. He looks around for a clue.
- Is something hidden or out of place?
- Between the big roots of a tree is a pit. Down in the pit is a temporary camp set up by the Clay Dwarves during their journey.
Markus and Ol’ Jardiner take shelter in the pit. Ol’ Jardiner summons a soft light to illuminate the space. It seems secure enough, but it won’t help them find his friends. He blows a magical thought bubble to send a message to Averiela.
Ol’ Jardiner: We are lost. Please help us.
The bubble rises out of the entrance, turns, and zooms away.
Ol’ Jardiner: Quick, follow it!
He and Markus jump up and run into the forest. The bubble pops in front of Averiela, delivering Ol’ Jardiner’s cry for help. A moment later, Ol’ Jardiner and Markus burst into the clearing, gasping for breath.
Markus: You guys, it was awesome! I rescued Jardiner from the snakes and we found a Dwarven campsite from whenever they came through here and it was underground and so cool and he sent this bubble and we just raced after it and found you! It was amazing!
Dryden: And you don’t know where the camp is now, do you?
Ol’ Jardiner: Hold on, I gotta test this.
He blows a thought bubble which floats up in a spiral, then pops,
Ol’ Jardiner: Too bad. I was sending that to a professor. I took his Advanced Phlebotomy class, then he went on a research expedition and never returned. I guess my magic can’t find him.
Averiela is annoyed by these antics. She leads the way, even quieter than usual. Every so often, she’ll touch a tree, or kneel to put her hands in moss. Dryden is feeling for animals that he can control. Poison dart frogs? No. Snakes? No more snakes. A troop of monkeys pass by up in the trees. They throw food, which Dryden catches and starts to eat. He offers to share, but stops. This fruits has poisonous bits. The non-poisonous parts are delicious, but it’s a food for experts only. Ol’ Jardiner eats his own food and drinks a healing elixir to heal the self-inflicted wound from his acid dagger.
Averiela hears the trees whisper about some strange area where something strange is happening, some kind of unusual energy. It’s not on the trail that the Fellowship is following, so Averiela asks if the Fellowship wants to make a detour and investigate. Ol’ Jardiner wants to get out of the forest. His attempts at exploring have gone badly. Dryden is curious and Markus is down for whatever, so they set off, led by the trees. They find a chain-link pyramid, 20 feet on a side. There’s a door on one of the four sides, allowing people to enter. There’s no way this pyramid could have been moved in here without disturbing the surrounding trees. Tree trunks are missing wedges where the pyramid intersects them.
Ol’ Jardiner recalls taking a beginning Psychometry class at the academy, which lets him touch an object and see its history. He consults the Endless Scroll and finds instructions for a ritual. He runs his hands along the pyramid as he walks around it. The ritual takes a while to complete, so the Fellowship camps inside the pyramid. In the middle of the night, Ol’ Jardiner wakes up shouting!
Ol’ Jardiner: We’re in a cave. A machine. There are Kobolds here and a flaming Platyperson. Everything explodes. The whole cave explodes. How did he do that? I didn’t see him plant anything. This pyramid was part of a powerful machine.
Dryden: We saw the other end of it! Where we got the book! We saw the smoke. We must not be too far from the junkyard. This is part of the magic power source. We’ve got to take it with us.
Ol’ Jardiner: How would we carry it?
Dryden: Can we shrink it down?
Ol’ Jardiner looks up a ritual and shrinks the pyramid until it’s small enough to fit in his backpack.
GM note: the side-effect of the ritual: when someone rolls a 6-, the pyramid teleports around them, so they are in a cage, in addition to whatever trouble they are in from the 6- roll. The residual teleportation energy in the cage is easier to trigger now that the cage is so small.
The trees guide Averiela out of the Ancient Forest to the edge of the City Junkyard. Markus looks around. Pieces of all kinds of buildings from different cultures are stacked on top of each other haphazardly. Causing a collapse would not be difficult. A mass of tire and tread marks, no doubt the Dwarven caravan, go right up to the wall of a building on its side. Dryden flies up to see if the tracks continue on the other side of the building. They do. Averiela scans the horizon.
- What is going on? What do my sense tell me?
- Averiela looks at some spindly structures rising over the western horizon. Her keen Elven eyes see that they are wooden platforms suspended by balloons, connected by rope bridges. It’s a whole town that doesn’t touch the ground. There are people looking down at the ground and look worried. The ground below is covered by shrubs and small trees.
The cage teleports around Averiela! The sudden change of weight destabilizes the masonry she was balancing on. Dryden sends one end of his Ranged Rope toward Averiela, but she’s inside a cage. She ties a quick knot to secure the rope to the cage, then opens the door on the side of the cage, swings out, and grabs the rope on the outside. The pyramid slides of the edge of the building, Averiela and the cage swing free and Dryden’s flying device starts to sink from the weight. The pyramid cage shrinks again and Dryden is able to guide everyone to a safe landing.
Ol’ Jardiner: I’m so glad it’s safe!
Ol’ Jardiner runs up to the miniature cage and looks it over. Dryden takes Ol’ Jardiner up on his Flying Device to look around. Ol’ Jardiner puts on his magical white gloves and covers his eyes. The gloves have eyes drawn on the back, creating the illusion that his eyes are still visible. This lets him see from different locations, so he can check for the tracks under buildings and in deep crevasses.
- What are the tracks doing? What will they do next?
- The Dwarves came through here before the City Junkyard was created. The building pieces teleported on top of the tracks.
- Is something hidden or out of place?
- The City Junkyard isn’t completely silent. Sometimes there’s an animal call, or shingles slide off a roof. But there’s extra noise. The noise of a Dwarven Tunneler!
- What will happen if we follow the tracks to the edge of the City Junkyard?
- They lead north to an area of sharp hill and narrow ravines.
Ol’ Jardiner reports his findings to the other members of the Fellowship. They decide to investigate the Dwarven Tunnel.
Dryden: We have to go around the building over there, make sure the one that’s teetering doesn’t fall on us, then hop over that rubble and we’ll intercept the tunneler.
Averiela leads the way. She can walk on almost anything, but she remembers that her fellow adventurers don’t have her perfect grace, so she warns them of any surfaces that feel unstable. Dryden imitates her walk when she’s not looking.
The Fellowship finds the Dwarven Tunneler in a grand two-story foyer that’s upside down. The metal-and-glass tree in the center of the room is actually a chandelier. The Dwarf piloiting the Tunneler is surprised and wary, but Ol’ Jardiner has a friendly face.
Ol’ Jardiner: Hey, man. Me and my friends here are lost. You seem like you know what you’re doing. Could you take us back to where you’re from?
Urist: I’ve done enough for today. I’ll turn this thing around and you can follow me back through the tunnel.
GM note: Pretty much everything from here on out is straight from Dwarf Fortress.
The Dwarven Tunneler is a compact vehicle, so the Fellowship can’t ride on it. They walk behind as the tunnel leads north and west and down. And down! They emerge in an expansive cavern deep underground. The ground is covered in yelow fungus. It’s a mix of wide open areas with spires of rock, and tunnels that they have to squeeze through. The lowest parts of the cavern are full of water. Urist leads the Fellowship to two iron doors in a wall made of cut stones. These stones aren’t the same as the stones in the cavern.
Urist: I’m sure you’re cool, but I have to get permission. We can’t just let anyone inside.
Urist drives his Tunneler through the iron doors. Ol’ Jardiner quickly slaps his gloved hands over his eyes before the doors close.
Ol’ Jardiner: They’ve got llamas and horses down there and more buildings.
A seriously-looking Dwarven woman wearing copper armor comes out. This is Sarvesh the sheriff, here to check out suspicious travellers. Dryden elbows Ol’ Jardiner forward.
Ol’ Jardiner: Hello, Sheriff. Good to meet you. Urist here has taken pity on some travellers. If we could impose on your hospitality for a night, we’d be much obliged.
Sheriff Sarvesh: Well, you don’t seem like the kind of person who belongs in jail…
The pyramid cage teleports around Ol’ Jardiner! Sarvesh retreats through the iron door, which locks behind her. Ol’ Jardiner exits the cage and waits for it to shrink again.
Ol’ Jardiner: We’ve got to figure out what this thing is. Carrying it around is a pain.
Ol’ Jardiner and Dryden don’t think the Dwarves will let them in, but Markus wants to try. He walks up the iron door and a metal cage falls from the ceiling! It’s a trap! Markus jumps back and hits the chain link of the pyramid cage as it teleports around him! The Dwarven cage hits the pyramid cage and they are both bent by the impact. Ol’ Jardiner runs up to pull open the pyramid’s door so Markus can get out before it shrinks again. He wrenches the door open, but falls into the cage. He and Markus get out before it shrinks again.The Dwarven cage falls over the small pyramid cage. Dryden pulls out his two-handed Dwarven hammer and sticks the handle through the bars to poke the pyramid out the other side.
Dryden: Sorry. Our cage hit your cage. You wanna trade insurance?
The doors open again, and Sarvesh is leading a squad of ten Dwarves with copper armor and battle axes. Ol’ Jardiner is sure that the Dwarven Tunneler went straight in, but now the iron doors open to a narrow corridor that goes off to the right.
Dryden: Guys. Ladies. I’m so glad you came. We’ve had a big misunderstanding with our cages. We’re actually here with good news for you, and hopefully good news for us, if you’re who we think you are. Did your ruler send you to escort us in?
Markus: Dryden, just show them the lottery ticket.
Dryden reaches behind his cloak. The armored Dwarves tighten their grip on their weapons, but he pulls out a littery ticket and shards of obsidian.
Dryden: Good news for us! We’ve got good news for you! there’s a story. I’ll explain.
Sarvesh carefully approaches and takes the lottery ticket. She backs up to her squard before reading it.
Sarvesh: OK, come with us.
The Fellowship follows the soldiers through the iron doors into the corridor. The wall in front of them hinges down, away from them, revealing the rest of the cavern. There are llamas and horses grazing on the fungus. Some crops are somehow growing without sunlight. The Fellowship enters one of the buildings. They enter a long room with a big table in the middle, chairs along both sides. Each wall is lined with barrels that contain food and drink. There are a few Dwarves and a couple Elves here in the tavern. Sarvesh leads them to the bookkeeper. Tekkud the bookkeeper is an old Dwarf with a very long beard. The beads in his beard are woven into an abacus. That’s how he does his calculations.
Tekkud: Sarvesh tells me that you have something from the old city.
Tekkud takes the lottery ticket and examines it with a loupe.
Tekkud: This is genuine! Where did you find this?
Dryden tells a story about traveling through the Dwarven Waterways, finding a hidden chest, defeating the booby trap. He says they’ve carried the ticket for a long time, through many adventures, saved the world a few times, defeated some bad guys, then followed the Dwarves’ tracks. Literally.
Tekkud: This says that you get 20 rolls of gold coins, but we don’t make those coins anymore. I can give you a gold statue of the expedition leader. It weighs 300 pounds.
The statue is somewhat over a foot high and depicts a Dwarf breaking ground with a pick. A plaque on the stone base explains that this is the expedition leader founding this fortress.
Ol’ Jardiner: Too bad we don’t have Edna.
Dryden: I feel like this winning is of much more value to you and your heritage and story than it is to use. I’d love to sell it back to you for something more useful for us. Then you can keep the story of your founding for your children’s children.
Tekkud leads the Fellowship down another tunnel and warns them not to step on certain flagstone. They enter the Trade Depot. There are big statues of Dwarves looking triumphant, Dwarves stabbing Giant Olms, things to impress visitors. The Trade Depot has two long tables. The Dwarves put their items on one. Visitors put their items on the other. The two parties negotiate between the table. The Dwarves have a gem-encrusted wooden crutch, a toy boat carved from stone, an aluminum wheelbarrow, some books and scrolls, musical instruments made from porcelain and metal.
GM note: I estimate the gold statue is worth 2 Precious items, but the Fellowship can haggle to get more.
Dryden: I also have a story, and I’m wondering what your old home would be worth to you?
A wall folds down on one side of the Trade Depot to reveal a tunnel, and the broker ushers them into it. The Fellowship and the collection of soldiers and nobles that they have accumulated move through the fortress to a room whose doors, walls, and furniture are all steel. Gem windows set in the walls are filled with rubies and emeralds. This is the office of Rith, the Duke. She’s an energetic muscular woman who looks young, but Dwarves live a long time, so who can tell?
Rith: I hear you have news of the City of Clay.
Dryden: Indeed, I have tokens to prove our words.
Ol’ Jardiner: Hold on, we should make a show of good faith. Let’s make a promise. We will always tell each other the truth.
Ol’ Jardiner does the fancy handshake that leaves the other’s signature on each person’s hand.
Ol’ Jardiner: What’s your favorite animal.
Rith: Lemurs for their energetic mischief. What’s your childhood dream?
Ol’ Jardiner: I’m late for the exam, but I haven’t attended class all semester. I’m running down the hall. I have to get to the room because they close the door when the clock strikes, but I’m not getting any closer, no matter how hard I run.
That brought the vibe down a bit, but everyone is convinced that the magic is working.
Dryden: What we’re about to tell them is so fantastical. I’m not sure they would have believed us without the Wizard’s Word.
Ol’ Jardiner explains how the Fellowship entered the abandoned City of Clay and temporarily redirected a river to kill the Fire Elemental and cover the lake of lava with an obsidian surface. Indeed, Rith would not believe it if she wasn’t sure that Ol’ Jardiner was incapable of lying to her. She offers the fellowship of the Dwarves.
GM note: We’ll figure out what that is next time. I’ll offer three options and the Fellowship can pick one.