Chasing the Sunset is a West Marches-style exploration game using Fellowship 2nd Edition‘s Horizon rules.
The fellowship: Boris the Remnant, Yonne the Rain.
Last time, the Fellowship retreated to Sugar’s Crossing to rest and recover. Now they follow other heroes around.
GM note: This session overlaps with Chasing the Sunset & a problem ignored. The characters are in the same place at the same time.
Infinite WIndows opens as usual, but this time, everyone comes through, not just Ol’ Jardiner. He introduces his other friends. Averiela, an aloof and beautiful Elf with long blonde hair. Dryden, a lanky Human wearing a cloak. Markus, a young and enthusiastic Human. Boris feels something familiar about Markus. He’s from the Forgotten Lands, founded by the survivors of the civilization that Boris was created to destroy.
While Ol’ Jardiner spends time with his other friends, Yonne and Boris follow them from a distance. They follow when they notice the other group sneak out during the night. They approach the gatehouse: base of the soldiers who defend the city. Averiela makes a motion with her cloak and she, Markus, Dryden, and Ol’ Jardiner disappear. A few minutes later, an alarm sounds and the soldiers spring into action. Boris and Yonne sneak around to investigate. Boris slinks around the alleys nearby and sees a magical hole in the wall of the gatehouse and ripples moving unnaturally across the surface of the river. He is spotted by Burmer, leader of the Snakefolk, who confronts him. Yonne approaches the gatehouse from the river. She’s almost impossible to see when in water. She infiltrates the gatehouse and sees Boris through the magical hole in the wall. She goes to join him and is pursued by a Snakefolk soldier. It’s Ssikila, who worked for Edna for a time, but is back to her old job.
Ssikila: Stop, you’re in a crime scene!
Boris: There’s been a crime?
Burmer: What do you know about this jailbreak? Where have they taken the prisoners?
Boris: We didn’t even know there were prisoners broken. I’m just getting here.
Yonne: We heard an alarm and I went to see what it was and I found a cool hole and went through it, and here I am.
Burmer: The good citizens around here stay out of our way and let us do our work. It’s only miscreants and ne’er-do-well’s who interfere. Come with me. We’ll question you.
Boris: We were answering questions out here, but a change of locale is not a problem.
Yonne: OK, but I was just in trouble for being there.
Burmer and Ssikila lead Yonne and Boris into the gatehouse to an interrogation room. It’s not the dungeon, but it’s nearby.
Burmer: How did the prisoners escape?
Yonne: I didn’t know there were prisoners. Through the hole, I think.
Boris: Yeah, the hole makes the most sense.
Burmer: Grrr, don’t mess with me! how did the hole get there?
Boris: Great question. Have we tried to identify the magic that created it?
Burmer: So now you’re a detective? You want to solve this crime for us?
Yonne: Yes, that sounds fun.
Burmer: That was rhetorical! How did you get into the fort? Do you have a man on the inside?
Yonne: I can do that, but nobody can be looking at me when I do it.
Burmer is fuming at their ability to penetrate his fort’s security and evade his questions.
Ssikila: Look, we don’t have much evidence. You have the authority to hold them, but we have to hand off to that Halfling Sheriff tomorrow and we already have enough to explain. They’re not worth it.
Yonne: Since it’s obvious that we’re not the prisoners, isn’t it a waste of time to question us when the prisoners are out?
Boris: They’re getting further away with every second you spend here.
Burmer: Fine, get out, but don’t leave town!
Boris: What’s the time period on that?
Burmer: Until we capture the prisoners.
Boris: What if you never capture them? There are so many unsolved crimes.
Burmer: Get out before I change my mind!
Boris and Yonne leave the gatehouse. Boris wants to follow that disturbance on the water that he saw. The other side of the river is the western half of Sugar’s Crossing. Dead reckoning from the direction he saw leads him close to the place that the Fellowship is staying. There’s no obvious evidence on the other side of the river, like footprints. Whatever made those ripples is moving stealthily.
Boris goes to the Forum and climbs the walls to a high vantage point. He looks around for the Elf, because she’s the tallest of Ol’ Jardiner’s other friends. It’s night time, so most of the city is quiet. There’s some activity around the fort in reaction to the alarm. Something is happening at the le Grind mill. There are some lights on at the Halfling apartment-hotel where the Fellowship is staying. There are spooky clouds coming down towards Evelynn’s estate to the north of town. Boris recommends returning to the apartment-hotel.
Yonne wants to enter the apartment-hotel looking like someone who will order food and drink so she takes the form of Sarah Miller, the local gossip. Most of the Halflings are asleep, but a night watchman, Bertm is watching the front gate overnight. He recognizes Boris as someone who is staying there, and recognizes Sarah Miller, a member of one of the the town’s leading families.
Bert: Welcome back, Boris, and Sarah! We don’t see you here very often but you’re always welcome.
Yonne: I’m here with Boris.
Bert: OK. If you need to stay we can find another bed for you, but it won’t be nearly as nice as what you’re used to, I’m sure.
Yonne: I will at some point leave.
Bert: OK, well, I’m on duty at the gate until dawn.
Yonne’s attempt to be stealthy may have started a rumor that Sarah Miller is dating a beastman. The Fellowship has a suite in the apartment-hotel, with a common room connecting to several individual bedrooms. The mood when Boris and Yonne enter is like a sleepover when the kids are supposed to be asleep, but they aren’t asleep yet. Dryden, Markus, and Ol’ Jardiner are there, but Averiela is missing.
Boris: She’s the invisible one. She’s probably invisible.
Yonne turns into Averiela, hoping to provoke a reaction from Averiela.
Ol’ Jardiner: Averiela, back already? I didn’t know you could camouflage yourself like that.
Yonne: Oh she went by herself? Why did she go by herself?
A thought bubble floats up to Yonne and pops.
Ol’ Jardiner: Are you actually Yonne?
Yonne: We didn’t know where you went. There was an alarm at the fort and we went to look. Boris saw footsteps across the water. We came back and saw all of you except for her. So I thought, if I look like her, she’ll appear and say, “Hey, I’m here!”
Ol’ Jardiner: She’s going to be gone for a bit. I can’t really tell you about it. We’re probably going to head out tomorrow.
Yonne: We thought you were the prisoners that escaped. Who were the prisoners?
Ol’ Jardiner: We shouldn’t keep secrets from each other, but I gotta keep this secret for a little while.
The normal people with lungs and blood and stuff go to sleep. Yonne keeps up her charade by turnign back into Sarah Miller and leaving the apartment-hotel. Bert opens the gate for her and politely bids her farewell. She goes out of sight, turns back into Yonne, and seeps back inside.
The next morning, Ol’ Jardiner goes to the fort. Yonne and Boris follow at a distance. He talks to Burmer and they both head for the courtyard that Boris & Yonne are hiding in! Yonne dives into the fountain and Boris scales the walls to hide on the roof. He slips and falls down. Burmer yells at him to leave and adds a string of insults about his clumsiness and incompetence. Boris is hurt emotionally. Yonne watches from the fountain as Ol’ Jardiner makes magical gestures and changes the colors of the tiles on the floor. Burmer imitates his gestures and the tiles near him change color too.
Ol’ Jardiner: Wow, you’ve really got talent. Have you thought about attending the academy?
Burmer: Yeah, I always thought I could succeed at the academy if I wanted to. Of course, I have to lead the garrison right now.
Burmer leaves, feeling very good about himself. After making sure he’s gone, Ol’ Jardiner gives a signal and Doodle, his two-dimensional companion, rising from the tile floor. The real tiles have not changed colors.
Sarah Miller comes to the apartment-hotel to talk to Ol’ Jardiner. She looks confused when Bert greets her. She argues with Ol’ Jardiner and leaves, looking frustrated. Dryden, Markus, and Ol’ Jardiner pack up, say farewell, and leave Sugar’s Crossing. They go west into apple orchards.
Tonight there’s a change-over ceremony, transferring defense of the city from the Vieport’s Snakefolk to Fairmeadow’s Halflings. Once Burmer is gone, Boris and Yonne should be able to leave town without getting in trouble. They can do whatever they want! What do they want to do? Yonne is very young and barely knows anything about the world. Boris is ancient and has seen it all and forgotten most of it.
Yonne: I just want to know more about things. All the things.
Boris:I think the Platypeople would enjoy you because you’re part water and they like water.
The Fellowship gets directions to Bogden and sets out to meet Platypeople. Yonne wants to take the river to the sea, go around, then come up the Mighty River because she likes being in water. Boris convinces her to go the normal way. As they walk through the valley between the Hidden Library and Swallet’s volcano, Boris worries about the groundhogs and varmints that live there.
Yonne: You seem nervous.
Boris: What I am, but not cursed, curses me. They hurt my soul, if I have a soul.
He notices a section of plain nearer the non-Library volcano that doesn’t have any groundhog holes. He walks on that area as far as he can, then sprints incredibly fast from one tree to the next, trying to hide from normal animals. Yonne walks at a normal pace in a straight line to the shore of the Mighty River.
A break in the trees forms a natural place to reach the river, but the ground is scorched and cratered, as if it was the site of a great battle. Crossing the river is trivial for Yonne. Boris’ incredible speed doesn’t let him run across the surface like a basilisk lizard or an Elf. He forms a plan and looks for a large rock that he can lift. While he’s searching, he finds a Wild Boar, already angry at Boris for existing.
- Wild Boar: These wild beasts are popular among both halfling war riders and halfling chefs.
- Pig-Headed: Boars are ferocious and territorial beasts. When you gain a Boar’s ire, it will chase you until this stat is damaged. They will follow you into a new scene if ignored.
- Wild Charge: When a wild boar charges, it keeps going until it hits something. The first thing in their way that has a damaged Sense stat or is distracted takes 1 damage and is knocked aside by its wild charge. Anyone who is not distracted and has undamaged Senses can easily avoid the charge. If the boar hits nobody, it damages this stat instead.
Boris strikes the earth with the dark energy that clings to his soul, kicking up a cloud of dust, and stepping aside. The Wild Boar charges straight through, then stops and looks around confused. It trots towards him, still angry, but not willing to charge again. Boris scurries up a tree. The Wild Boar circles the tree, waiting for him to come down. Boris breaks off a branch and chews one end into a sharp point. Boris leaps from his perch, leading with his makeshift stake. The stake plus Boris’ weight kills the Wild Boar instantly, so when he lands on the body a split-second later, the contact does not harm him. Boris is now free to pick up a large rock and use its weight to sink to the riverbed and walk across. He’s undead and does not need to breathe.
A tributary from Bogden has a road on either side to accommodate tourists during Platypalooza, so Boris and Yoone can easily approach the city. The tributary is dammed to enlarge the bog that Bogden sits on, and the road climb the dam with switchbacks. The city is surrounded by a palisade wall: tree trunks planted vertically in the ground, sharpened to a point at the top. They seem happy with their relaxed, low-tech life.
Boris wants more information about the Forgotten Lands. He can’t find anything like a university, but he does see a Platyperson bustling about with alchemy gear. Boris asks around and learns that the Alchemist is Froob, a smart Platyperson. The village elder, Anter, also knows a lot. If she’s sitting on the porch, she has time to chat. She’s on the porch when Boris approaches, so he stops for a chat.
- What can you tell me about the Forgotten Lands?
- I’m sure there was something about that in the stories, but I can’t remember it. I guess it’s well-named.
- What do you want? How can we help you get it?
- Bogden is doing well. She’s never sure about Froob’s concoction. It’s the full moon, and we’re always on alert in case something goes wrong. Maybe you could–no, we should not get outsiders involved in this.
- What would you have me do next?
- It seems you are searching for ancient and powerful knowledge. Consider carefully if you really want to pursue this, for it may lead you down dark paths. We Platypeople live simple lives and it serves us well. We live happily this way.
Boris: I’m not alive, so I don’t know if I can live happily. i appreciate your perspective, but I politely disagree. I would like to follow my nose on this.
Anter: I’ve said my piece. That’s all I can do.
Yonne sees some kids playing a game and she watches to learn the rules. It’s called Fluming, and it’s played with teams of three. The goal is to stand a log on its end in the enemy’s base, and have a team member jump from the top of the log. The kids use smaller logs than the grown-ups, but they aspire to one day play in the tournament at Platypalooza, like The Champ! Yonne joins in. When her team’s log reaches the enemy base, she spins around it and knocks defenders away with jets of water. The most competitive kid thinks Yonne is great, but the rest of the kids think it’s cheating and all gang up on him and Yonne: five against two.
Yonne: It’s not cheating. It’s just how I am!
Boris senses that Anter doesn’t want him around for whatever is happening tonight, so he and Yonne decide to explore the bog surrounding the town.
Platyperson child: Hey! You wanna see a big hole!
The children lead the Fellowship out into the bog. There’s a hole in the bog with water slowly flowing into it. At the bottom of the hole there’s a mound of debris overgrown with moss and plants. The mound blocks and underground tunnel from the south. One kid remembers his dad saying that the hole appeared one day, they poked around, didn’t find anything to hunt, and left it alone.
Yonne: I wonder where that goes. Do you know where that goes?
Platyperson child: We’re not allowed to go down there.
Boris: Would you want to know if we went down there and told you?
Platyperson child: YES!
The Fellowship descends into the tunnel. It’s round, about 15 feet across, and lined with bricks. They poke around for a while and met a Dwarf on a raft. Ilral has dark brown hair and skin. He wears his long beard in double braids.
Ilral: I’m charting these waterways. We’re going to get them back into operation. You came from the north. Is that terminal in repair?
Yonne: I don’t know what terminals are. I thought the terminal was the end of a thing?
Ilral: Yeah, it’s a place where we can stop the raft so people get on an off.
Boris: There’s a big hole. Do you know Bogden?
Ilral checks his map and Boris looks over his shoulder. It maps the underground waterways and doesn’t associate the terminals with the surface terrain. Ilral has sketched in new information based on his travels. Boris can’t use it to learn about other surface areas of the world.
Yonne: Listen. Bogden is a city with a big bog around it. In the middle of that bog is a hole and the hole is this.
Boris: Beware, the water is flowing down. If it stopped, that may affect Bogden in negative ways.
Yonne: If you came up and said, “Hey, there’s an important thing down here. A terminal.” I don’t know what it’s the terminal of, but they might build their city walls around it.
Ilral: Any town should be happy to connect to the Dwarven waterways. The increase in trade will brind a new age of prosperity for everyone. We’re going back to the Clay City under the mountains. We’re going to let everyone know about the craft and skill of the Dwarves.
Boris: Are you familiar with the Forgotten Lands?
Ilral: I don’t see them on this map. Doesn’t sound familiar. I guess they are well-named, huh? Do they need a terminal? If they connected to the waterways, they wouldn’t be forgotten.
That night, somewhere in Bogden:
Platyperson child: Mom, mom! Guess what happened today? I ran into a water lady and she was really good at sports. Her and the mean kid, uh, buh, kept beating us then we took them to the hole and they went down. She had a weird hairless boar.
Platyperson mom: What? You are never to hang out with them again! You’re staying inside for a week.
Yonne returns to Bogden to inform the Platypeople about Ilral. Transforming into Ilral seems like a good way to do that.
Yonne: Hello, I’m Ilral. The hole outside your town is connected to a thing called the Dwarven Waterways. I made a map. I’m down there right now. If you connect your town to the Dwarven Waterways, it would be very beneficial for our trade and prosperity for all parties. You should build palisade around the hole so the water doesn’t go into it anymore, and you can go there on purpose now.
Right after the speech, Yonne transforms back into her normal form.
Anter: I was about to start negotiating with that guy and he wasn’t even here.
Froob the alchemist is very interested in Yonne’s ability to change shape. He’d like to study it, but he’s very busy tonight because it’s the full moon.
Yonne: No, sorry, we’re not staying. You know what? Yeah, we’re not going to stay in the town, but we’ll be in the bog?
END-OF-SESSION MOVE
- Did we thoroughly explore a new location?
- No.
- Did anyone find what they were seeking?
- No. Boris is looking for the Forgotten Lands, but hasn’t found it.
- Did we learn something new about the world and its people?
- YES. Fluming (the Platyperson sport). The Dwarven Waterways.
1 Boon: level up Boris & Yonne