Chasing the Sunset is a West Marches-style exploration game using Fellowship 2nd Edition‘s Horizon rules.
The fellowship: Boris the Remnant, Ol’ Jardiner the Harbinger, Yonne the Rain.
Last time, the Fellowship chartered a ship for the Forgotten Islands and almost got trapped by a shady floating casino. This time, they sail on to the Sapphire Islands to meet an old friend and a new problem.
Ol’ Jardiner: Just a little out of our way, there is an island chain that has a spring of fresh water. That would be a good place to stop.
Ol’ Jardiner is the Captain, so he orders Atlas (the navigator) to direct Yonne (the pilot) to the Silver Ring.
The Silver Ring, an arc of 9 islands. The sand on the beaches shines in the sunset, giving the islands their name. The largest island is to the south, and the islands get smaller as they go north.The second island has a fresh spring, but Elves whisper ancient rumors of a magical cave on the third island.
Stats:
- Jungle: It is very difficult and dangerous to travel off the path.
Response Level: 3
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Dark Secret: Blighted: This place is cursed with the Scourge.
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Famine: When the Fellowship tries to Fill Their Belly here, one of them must first pay a price.
- Stalker When you reach this Response level, a threat from the Locals begins to follow the players from the shadows. If they are not discovered, they will go back and report on all they see to the Boss.
Ol’ Jardiner: We found cursed pirate skeletons, doomed to repeat their final instructions even in death. We broke the curse. Unfortunately, the treasure they were guarding was gone.
Boris: The treasure was the friends they made along the way.
Ol’ Jardiner: They didn’t seem to like each other. We should skip that and head to the second island with the spring.
Ships can anchor off-shore, but the surf hides sharp rocks, so rowing boats to shore is dangerous. The Trilobite is a Crawler, so it can climb over the rocks safely. As it comes around the island, the crew spots another ship already at anchor. People are visible on deck and on the shore. It’s a merchant vessel, small but fast. It’s powered by long spiral shafts under the hull that spin by magic. Imagine a ship’s propellor combined with a drill bit. Running aground is even worse for such a ship, since the drive shafts are exposed.
Ol’ Jardiner: Careful, this might be a different curse.
Boris: Are they here to visit the springs? Let’s ask them.
People on the other ship hail the Trilobite. Yonne brings the Trilobite close to the stricken ship, crawling over the rocks.
Yonne Engines Primed -> Get Away 10+ avoid harm
Yonne understands how water moves. She’s really good with water physics, which makes her an excellent pilot, even with the complex controls for the Trilobite’s many legs.
The stricken ship sends a boat over, bearing Ness, a male Elf.
- Ness, he/him Elf captain. Charming and graceful, but doesn’t know how ships work. He took the lead when the debtors escaped on this ship. Waist-length light brown hair with bangs.
- Agenda:
- Bully: Hurt the weak.
- Hoarder: Keep your treasures for yourself.
- Overwhelming Charisma: When someone meets the fatale for the first time, they must Forge A Bond with the fatale, if possible
- Trust No One: The fatale cannot become a Companion, but they can pretend to be one. The fatale can erase a Bond someone has with them to trick them or make them fail at something they do against the fatale. This stat is Secret.
- Threat to the World
Ol Jardiner forms Bond: I am impressed by Ness’ vocabulary.
Yonne forms Bond: Ness has remarkable hair
Boris forms Bond
He’s charming, not sexy, which is good for him because that’s not how Rain multiply, so such charms would be lost on Yonne. Yonne sees how everyone treats Ness well and memorizes that face for future shape-shifting.
Ness: Oh, fellow travelers, how fortunate that you have come here. As you can see, our good ship–
Ness looks over his shoulder and reads the name of his ship off the hull.
Ness: –the Demeter has come to grief on these rocks, but you have navigated them expeditiously and flawlessly.
Yonne: Yes, I’m very good with water. Do you want me to take a look at your ship?
Ness: Yes, that would be wonderful. My launch is at your disposal.
Ol’ Jardiner: This guy’s cool. I’m going to come along. Maybe I can help. I should arrange a secret signal with Wat-Wat. No, I can just send him a message.
Boris, Ol’ Jardiner, and Atlas take the launch back to the Demeter with Ness. Yonne swims. The deck of the ship is a chaotic scene. The motley crew (Elves, Humans, Halflings, even Spiders) are disorganized and arguing with each other.
Ol’ Jardiner Look Closely 10+
- What will happen if we lift the Demeter off the rocks?
- The hull isn’t smashed. It’s only leaking a little. At least three of the six screws have snapped. If the ship is floated again, it won’t sink, but it’s won’t go very fast.
- What is hidden or out of place?
- Ol’ Jardiner recognizes some of the people on the Demeter from the floating casino.
Yonne: Did we see that man before? He looks familar.
Indeed, Mister Norton was one of the debtors freed by the Fellowship only a few days ago.
- Mister Norton he/him Elf tinkerer
- Clever Plan: The Brains always has an idea. When they are controlling or directing another threat, that threat cannot be stopped by anyone with a damaged Wisdom.
- Tear It Down: The Brains can take apart anything mechanical or architectural, given a little bit of time. They love to sabotage vehicles especially.
- Tell me about the crew. What are they doing? What will they do next?
- Ness is barely keeping this place together with his charisma. They are very upset to be stuck again right after escaping the floating casino. They are looking for ways to get away and a working ship is high on the list.
- One group is determined to go into the jungle and forage. They underestimate the danger.
- One group conspires how to sneak onto the Trilobite.
- Another group blame Ness for their predictament and want to overthrow him.
- Ness’ loyalists are ready to brawl with the mutineers.
- The original crew aren’t happy about all the debtors hijacking their ship.
Ol’ Jardiner: The magic screws are broken. We’re going to go back to the Trilobite and get some parts, so we can come back and repair.
Yonne: OK, I was going to look at the ship from the water, but it’s fine.
Ol’ Jardiner: That’s fine, you can swim back by yourself.
Mister Norton: I’m the tinkerer on this ship. I need to come over with you and be involved in the repairs.
Boris sees that Ol’ Jardiner doesn’t want anyone from the Demeter on the Trilobite and quickly makes up an excuse.
Boris: We need to know what kind of adapters you have so any tools we bring over will work without damaging your ship.
Boris Talk Sense (+Grace, tricking him) 10+
Mister Norton is excited to get all his adapters and lay them out in order of diameter. Boris and Ol’ Jardiner return to Trilobite on Demeter’s lauch, rowed by a few of the Demeter’s crew. Ol’ Jardiner hustles Boris into the captain’s quarters to talk privately.
Ol’ Jardiner: It’s scary over there. I think they might try to hi-jack our ship. Rescuing stranded people is good. It would be cool if they came on our ship. It seems like the right thing to do, but I still want to be in charge. It would be better if we actually fixed their ship so we wouldn’t have to deal with them at all.
Boris: I don’t know if they’d allow that, based on what you said.
Ol’ Jardiner: I just feel kind of conflicted. It’s my duty to help these people, but I don’t like these people and they may mean us harm.
Boris: Yeah, I don’t know if I trust them. If someone’s trying to get on our ship and take it from us, why would we save them? We’re completing step one of the two-step plan for them.
Ol’ Jardiner: Right, but if they have a ship that works, then they don’t need our ship. Mister Norton is working on fixing the screws, but we still don’t have a way to get their ship off the rocks safely. If we put our ship up against theirs and shove, that will be painful.
Boris: Not good for our ships. Can we and shoot the rocks? Is there a magical means of lifting? We can chop down trees and roll it into the water.
Ol’ Jardiner:I can conjure a powerful spell to destroy something, and I can target that more carefully than our gun. I might evaporate or transmute the rock they are stuck on.
In the water, Yonne comfirms Ol’ Jardiner’s assessment of the damage to the Demeter, then swims back to the Trilobite.
Boris is The Muscle: stowaways are found immediately and boarding parties are delayed
Boris senses trouble on the deck. The sailors who rowed the launch over are on board trying to take over.
Boris: We gotta take care of these guys, then we should skedaddle. They’re already doing the plan. I’m going to go on deck and terrify them.
- Corsairs various, various races. Experts at using the ship’s rigging
- Death From Above: Corsairs can climb along walls and ceilings as quickly as they can run, and as silently as a ghost. When the Corsair 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 Corsair is Secret until they make a Cut. When they escape or hide, they become Secret again until they make a Cut.
Several Corsairs are already climbing the rigging and trying to drag Atlas up with them!
Boris likes Open Ground. You are very fast, and may even be able to teleport. You can travel across an entire room in an instant.
Boris likes Walls. You can climb along any surface with ease, even the ceiling, and you climb as quickly as you can run.
Boris appears in the rigging next to the Corsair grabbing Atlas and throws him overboard.
Boris Overcome 10+
The Corsair falls through Yonne, who is just coming aboard. Two Corsairs remain. They climb higher to use their abilities. Ol’ Jardiner runs out of the cabin and grabs one with wizardry.
Ol’ Jardiner Wizardry: Touch, push, or grab as if you were somewhere else that you can see
Ol’ Jardiner Keep Them Busy 6-
The Corsair notices Ol’ Jardiner and drops down on him.
Corsair Death From Above: When the Corsair drops down on an enemy from above, they can either kidnap them or deal damage to them as a Hard Cut, their choice.
The Corsair, a Human man with grey stubble and dquinty eyes, quickly tangles Ol’ Jardiner in a langth of rope.
Ol’ Jardiner: I super-hate it when people fight me, actually.
Yonne: Hello? What is happening?
Boris: A fight. Save Jardiner please.
Ol’ Jardiner: They’re kidnapping me!
The kidnapper ties the rope into a knot with one hand, and put his free hand over Ol’ Jardiner’s mouth because he won’t be quiet. Yonne blasts a stream of water at Ol’ Jardiner’s captor, including a jellyfish that she picked up in the ocean.
Yonne: Water jets (Ranged, Reload). You can fire rocks and shrapnel from your body, striking enemies from afar.
Yonne Keep Them Busy: 10+
The jellyfish sticks to the kidnapper’s face, and he drops Ol’ Jardiner to try to remove it. Ol’ Jardiner falls over and unties his hands with Wizardry.
Ol’ Jardiner Wizardry: Touch, push, or grab as if you were somewhere else that you can see
Ol’ Jardiner Get Away: 10+ avoid harm, avoid notice
Ol’ Jardiner runs back into his cabin so the other Corsair can’t drop down on him. The other Corsair drops down on Yonne!
Corsair Death From Above: When the Corsair drops down on an enemy from above, they can either kidnap them or deal damage to them as a Hard Cut, their choice.
The knife goes right through her, and the Corsair finds his entire hand inside her body. She starts digesting it.
Yonne Wobbles: You cannot be harmed by most physical weaponry, only delayed or distracted
Yonne is naturally acidic (Slow, 2 Uses).
Spend 1 Use to dissolve stone or flesh that you can
remain in contact with for an extended time.
Yonne Finish Them (+Sense, disable) 6-
An injured hand won’t stop this Corsair. He’s ambidextrous. He disengages to help his friend with the jellyfish. Their plan to kidnap an officer and force the crew to obey them is not working! Old Boris would just kill them, but Boris decides to terrify them instead. He drops from the rigging, pins the jellyfished Corsair and roars like only a hairless porcine bogeyman can.
Boris Finish Them (+Grace, terrify) 6-
Corsair: I was trapped in magical bondage for 34 years. You think you can scare me?
Yonne: Oh, casino? We’re the ones that freed everyone. Shouldn’t you be thanking us?
Yonne Finish Them (show the error of his ways +Wisdom) 7-9
Corsair damages Patient
The old man isn’t completely won over, but he’s less willing to fight.
Corsair: Come on, swabbie, back to the Demeter. We shouldn’t bother these people.
The Fellowship is happy to let them go.
GM note: A 10+ on the Finish Them roll would forge a Bond and make the Corsair a companion, so disengaging seemed like a parital success, but that’s actually Taking Out both Corsairs by forcing them to retreat or making them admit defeat. Too powerful for a 7-9 result against one.
Boris: We can still help them. It’s just a gamble if we cause collateral damage. As we leave, we just shoot.
Ol’ Jardiner: Ah, Yonne, you’re here. I was talking with Boris, before the attempted mutiny. It seems bad to leave these people here. Even though they personally annoy me and they attacked me–look! I have rope marks on my arms–I still feel some responsibility to help them. I’d like to do it in as distant a way as possible.
Boris: I agree. I do strangely feel compelled to help them.
Yonne: If they take everything off their boat and it gets lighter and it goes up more in the water then I can probably move it off the rocks but then they still wouldn’t be able to move anywhere.
Boris: They have a tinkerer.
Ol’ Jardiner blows a thought bubble to Ness.
Ol’ Jardiner: Keep control of your crew. They just tried to commandeer our vessal. Also, if you take all the cargo off the ship and make it as light as possible, it’ll rise in the water and we may be able to pull it free.
Ness replies with a whisper on the winds, agreeing to the plan. The former debtors start unloading the ship’s cargo because they don’t care about it.
Ness Trust No One: The fatale cannot become a Companion, but they can pretend to be one. The fatale can erase a Bond someone has with them to trick them or make them fail at something they do against the fatale. This stat is Secret.
Ness erases Ol’ Jardiner’s bond: I am impressed by Ness’ vocabulary
Ness tells Ol’ Jardiner that someone dropped a crate of magical reagents while moving it out of Mister Norton’s workshop, and they needs his special skills to prevent a magical disaster. The appeal to ol’ Jardiner’s ego works so well that Ness’s smooth and convincing manner were unnecessary.
Boris: I think you should go and I should stay here just in case anyone comes.
Yonne: I was going to say the same thing.
Boris and Yonne attempt to high-five. When they do get their aim right, Boris’ hand still goes through Yonne’s. Ol’ Jardiner and Yonne take the Trilobite’s launch. It’s a rowboat, but the oars and swing down and act as legs to let it walk on land like its mother ship. Ol’ Jardiner goes below deck to Mister Norton’s workshop. As soon as he enters, Ness slams the door, leaving Yonne outside. Mister Norton isn’t here. The magical aura Ol’ Jardiner saw as he entered wasn’t caused by spilled reagents, but by Greybeard, another wizard!
- Greybeard he/him Human Wizard. This old wizard likes to wander the world and act all mysterious. They have a tendency to recruit young fools on grand adventures.
- Doddering Fool: The traveling wizard has no clear agenda and does as they please. They always damage this stat first when harmed.
- Simple Tricks: The wizard can perform simple magic freely (Ranged).
Ness: This is the perfect time to escape. Except we’re still grounded. We’ll force this guy to work for us. We’ll make him use his magic to get us out!
Ness is actually a bad leader with bad ideas. People only listen to him because he’s so charismatic. Ol’ Jardiner considers trapping Ness in an advantageous magical promise, but worries that Ness will trick him again.
GM note: The promise created by “A Wizard’s Word” is a Bond, so Ness could erase that bond to fool Ol’ Jardiner again AND avoid upholding his end of the deal.
Out in the corridor, Yonne puts her finger through the keyhole in the closed door and pours herself into the workshop.
Yonne: I think they made a mistake–
Ol’ Jardiner: Yonne, get him!
Ol’ Jardiner shoves Ness at Yonne, shapeshifts to look like Ness, and flees the workshop.
Ol’ Jardiner Changeling: You can take on a solid form, holding it for hours at a time in the shape of anyone you wish to imitate. You can copy their voice, shape, color, and texture, just from seeing them once, but your form isn’t very solid. Taking damage will make you lose your shape immediately.
Ol’ Jardiner Get Away 10+ avoid harm
Yonne: Oh, pardon.
Yonne turns to leave, fills the cabin with fog, and also shapeshifts into Ness.
Yonne Weather Control: Fill the area around you with fog or rain.
Yonne Get Away 6-
Greybeard turns Yonne into gelatin, slowing her movement and preventing her escape.
Ol’ Jardiner runs onto the Demeter’s deck and realizes that he looks like the captain and can give orders.
Ol’ Jardiner: It’s unstable! Everyone into the jungle! Quick, quick, quick! Abandon ship, all hands!
Ol’ Jardiner Talk Sense (+Grace, trick them) 7-9 owe a favor
The deception works too well. People start fleeing the ship and two crew members grab “Ness” and pull him to “safety”
Boris sees the commotion from the deck of the Trilobite, and wonders about using the ship’s weapons to destroy the Demeter once it’s evacuated. Several of the Trilobite’s leg’s can reach up onto the deck and hurl projectiles. While on land, the ship can pick up rocks to throw. It also carries a supply of vehicle-scale javelins with hardened metal tips. Boris won’t act without a signal from Ol’ Jardiner.
Back in Mister Norton’s workshop, Greybeard turns the fog into cotton candy. he’s a candy wizard. He tears through it, clearing a path towards Yonne and eating some. Ness is distraught because his beautiful hair is now sticky with sugar. Yonne vanishes before Greybeard can reach her.
Yonne is unreal (2 Uses). Spend 1 Use to slip into or out of a secure location, so long as no one is looking at you when you do it.
Ol’ Jardiner shapeshifts back to his original form, which is smaller than Ness. The loyal crewmates hustling him along lose their grip as his arms get thinner and shorter, and Ol’ Jardiner uses this opportunity to run for it.
Ol’ Jardiner Changeling
Ol’ Jardiner Get Away 6-
The crewmate behind Ol’ Jardiner falls over when “Ness” disappears and lands on top of Ol’ Jardiner, pinning him down. Back on the Demeter, Yonne shapeshifts into Ness and calls out.
Yonne: What are you doing with that guy over there? Come help me with the ship! We must get away!
Yonne Changeling: You can take on a solid form, holding it for hours at a time in the shape of anyone you wish to imitate. You can copy their voice, shape, color, and texture, just from seeing them once, but your form isn’t very solid. Taking damage will make you lose your shape immediately.
Yonne Talk Sense (+Grace, trick them) 7-9 owe a favor
The crew still wants to rescue the captain, so they run back to the Demeter to rescue the other captain. Ol’ Jardiner runs after them, but he’s going for the Trilobite’s launch, secured to the Demeter. When Ol’ Jardiner gets in the launch, the loyal crew gets on deck to grab Ness (Yonne in disguise) just as another Ness (the real Ness) emerges from below decks with his hair a mess. When the crew grabs Yonne, her flesh burns them. Messy-haired Ness yells that he’s the real Ness and that’s an impostor. The crew lets go to preserve their hands and Yonne jumps overboard.
Yonne is naturally acidic (Slow, 2 Uses). Spend 1 Use to dissolve stone or flesh that you can remain in contact with for an extended time.
Yonne catches up with Ol’ Jardiner’s launch and takes over rowing. They return to the Trilobite. Ol’ Jardiner wonders if they can enact their plan to free the Demeter, since the crew isn’t aboard. They didn’t finish unloading the cargo, so the Demeter is still stuck on a rock.
Yonne: I think we should just leave. They do not seem to want our help.
Boris: Let’s just take a potshot at it and see if we help them. If we don’t, they were stranded there anyway.
Wat-Wat aims below the waterline and fires.
Weapons Ready: 10+ blast an obstacle.
The waves start moving the Demeter more, indicating that it’s no longer stuck on a rock.
Ol’ Jardiner: They’ll be fine. Let’s go!
Yonne: They started it.
Boris: They started it and we ended it.
The Trilobite sails away from the Silver Ring towards the Sapphire Islands.
A circle of islands in the middle of open ocean, surrounding a blue lagoon. The lagoon used to be a volcano that exploded long ago, throwing huge chunks of rocks that became outlying islands. They are called the Sapphire Islands for two reasons. One, the bright blue water of the lagoon. Two, the actual sapphires, which can be found on the beaches and are used as currency. Hot springs are common on the islands and the lagoon is heated by volcanism to a cozy temperature. The lagoon is salt water like the surrounding ocean, but the climate and wildlife of the two bodies of water are different.
From a distance, the Fellowship sees red clouds over the islands and black clouds of smoke. A rare migration of Fire Locusts puts the entire location at risk! Soon Fire Locusts swarm over the Trilobite.
- Fire Locusts: Bright red locusts that smoke slightly, upon close inspection. In swarms, they become an inferno. They feed on the ashes of what remains.
- Blazing Bodies: Fire Locusts have the Burning tag when in a swarm. They ignite crops, homes, and anyone that tries to stop them.
- Swarm: A swarm fills the space they are in. You cannot move into a swarm or Keep Them Busy without paying a price. A swarm can be pushed back or distracted by standard weapons and attacks, but they can only take damage from Dangerous, Giant, or Area attacks, or from attacks made by Groups, Gangs, Armies, or other Swarms.
Boris breathes fire, pushing the fire from the Fire Locusts back. When he gets close enough, he reaches out and sucks their fire into himself.
Fire Locusts Swarm: You cannot move into a swarm or Keep Them Busy without paying a price.
Boris pays a price: Spend 1 Fire
Boris Fire Eater: You may extinguish any flame within arm’s reach by touching it, tell us what this looks like. Eating a fire instantly reloads your Fire.
Boris Finish Them (+Blood, kill) 10+
The Fire Locusts are extinguished! The Trilobie approaches the docks at the nearest island. People are running around trying to deal with the disaster. There’s no pilot to guide them in, so Yonne calls out directions for Atlas.
Engines Primed Get Away 7-9 avoid harm
The Trilobite approaches the dock at speed and puts out several legs to catch itself. Niether the ship nor the dock are damaged. On the island, an Elven Wizard summons wind to blow the Fire Locusts away. Elves form a bucket brigade to keep the dock from catching fire. Yonne stands on the Trilobite’s prow and creates a raincloud over just this island
Yonne Overcome 7-9 pay a price for permanent solution.
Yonne pays a price: damage Courage
The Fire Locusts flee the rainstorm. The inhabitants of this island cheer.
Canderon the Bard yells over the wind and rain to greet the Fellowship.
- Canderon, Elf, he/him, Bard
- What News Do You Bring?: The bard will tell you one interesting fact or piece of news for each that you share with them, once per person.
- What Tales Do You Sing?: The bard can sing magical songs. They can perform a song of power, giving Hope to all who hear it; a song of sorrow, giving Despair to all who hear it; or a song of joy, distracting all who hear it.
Canderon: You’ve come at a bad time for our beautiful isles, but we are grateful for your job. What ship is this?
Yonne: Hello, this is our ship the Trilobite. This is our captain Jardiner. This is Boris. I’m Yonne.
Ol’ Jardiner: Right, I’m Captain. Hello, Canderon! You might not remember me. I was on the Luna Penumbra which landed in the lagoon maybe a year ago. Once again I am headed for the Forgotten Lands and in need of a pilot. It’s a more personal journey this time. We are not bringing a Dragon egg or anything so amazing. I hope that’s not disappointing.
Yonne: You had a Dragon egg?
Boris: That’s impressive.
Canderon: The Elven Elders took the egg and made a nest for it, but soon after it hatched, a juvenile Dragon showed up and took it away! Very surprising because they thought this was the only one.
Ol’ Jardiner: Yeah, we killed the other two. Where did the fourth one come from?
Canderon: Sorry we’re not up to our usual hospitality.
Yonne: Ever since we got on this boat, we went to an island where there was a lot of hospitality and it turned out not to be very good then we found antoher place with a lot of people and we tried to help them and actually, we’re OK with not seeing a lot of people right now. Maybe we just–I would like to rest for a bit.
Boris: They are in crisis.
Yonne: OK we’ll help you with the fire swarms, but then I’ll sleep for a while.
The Fellowship takes a break to eat a meal.
Fellowship Fill Your Belly: restore one stat
Yonne Rain Maker: When you Fill Your Belly, restore 1 Rain
Moving Yonne from one island to another to make rainstorms over each one would take too long. The Fellowship comes up with a plan: Elven Elders can collaborate with Yonne to herd all the Fire Locusts into the center of the lagoon where Ol’ Jardiner can destroy them all at once. Now they must convince the Elven Elders. Ol’ Jardiner combines his thought bubbles with Canderon’s song to send messages to every island at once. His limited precognition allows him to word his request in a way that is most convincing to his audience.
Ol’ Jardiner: We must all come together to confront this threat to us all. You sent out the Luna Penumbra last year on the promise that connecting the Sapphire Islands to the larger world would enrich them all. Indeed, we have come back to repay that favor in your hour of need.
Ol’ Jardiner Insight Right Time: You take action with perfect timing, giving you a 10+ result on your next roll.
Ol’ Jardiner Talk Sense (+Sense, explain plan) 10+
Boris and Yonne have never heard Ol’ Jardiner be so polite and eloquent. The Elders agree and combine their magic with Yonne’s rain to create somewhat of a typhoon. The circling winds are enough to push the locusts around but not damage property, and the ‘eye’ of the typhoon is relatively large. All the Fire Locusts are herded into the eye over the lagoon, where Ol’ Jardiner waits in a small boat. He reaches out and grabs one Fire Locust. he crushes it and it explodes! When the explosion hits other Fire Locusts, they also explode! Explosions ripple outward until they fill the eye of the typhoon! Ash rains down on the lagoon.
Ol’ Jardiner Do Not Trifle With Wizards: pay a price, then take up to three points of damage. You inflict that much damage to your target. You then become exhausted, and roll with Despair for the rest of the scene.
Ol’ Jardiner damages Wisdom & Blood
Ol’ Jardiner damages Fire Locusts’ Swarm & Blazing Bodies
Fire Locusts TAKEN OUT!
The crisis is over! The grateful Elves allow the Fellowship to stay and recover.
Fellowship Recover: spend a week in safety. Restore all stats, companions, and gear
Sapphire Islands forms Location Bond “The Trilobite saved us from Fire Locusts”
GM note: Now for some Downtime scenes
Yonne’s scene
Yonne is exhausted, so she explores the hot springs on the various islands. One island has a hot spring in the middle of town, but most hot springs are a bit of a hike The Elves shape nature to make the path easier without disrupting the environment. Yonne’s cautious at first, because the last two times she found a lot of people they were both hostile. She hikes to a spring near the top of a mountain and meets Felenor Ivan, the island’s prince and a bit of an isolationist. He doesn’t see how anything from the outside world could improve the Sapphire Islands. He’s unhappy to see Yonne, an outsider, here in the deepest parts of the Sapphire Island, and suggests that she try the hot spring in town, where most visitors go.
Elf: Isn’t that the stranger who drove off the Fire Locusts?
Felenor: It was mostly the Elven Elders. Without their mystic arts, it wouldn’t have been enough.
Yonne: My friend went out on a rowboat to the middle of the lagoon and set off all the locusts and he burned himself pretty badly doing it, so don’t talk like that. It’s very rude of you. Your Elders definitely helped me make all that rain, but without him, there would be a bunch of Fire Locusts right now above your big lagoon, so how dare you? I hope someone tells Canderon. He can sing about what an ungrateful man you are!
Yonne sinks into the hot springs up to her eyes. The water of the hot springs is slightly alkaline, so it reacts with her acidic body to make a foamy scum on the surface. That’s another reason why Felenor left.
Ol’ Jardiner’s scene
Ol’ Jardiner, as captain of the Trilobite, negotiates with the leaders of the Sapphire Islands to be guided to the Forgotten Lands. Each island has a ruler (Queen, Price, Lord, whatever) and together they form a council. The Circle of Druids has representatives on most islands, and are a parallel power structure to the political leaders. The Circle of Druids is more harmonious than the council. Most council activites are arguing amonst themselves. Ol’ Jardiner comes on too strong, trying to immediately form a binding promise. The council refuses to be magically coerced, even into something they agree to do.
Gleador is also displeased with the Fellowship. Gleador has spent the past few years learning from animals and teaching civilized folks how to apply animalistic principles to their lives. He’s unhappy that the Fellowship used arcane magic to destroy the Fire Locusts instead of finding some mutually beneficial way to co-exist with them. Council members say his plan would have good to talk about three months ago, but their islands were being burned and they needed an immediate solution. When Ol’ Jardiner asks the Circle of Druids for guidance, Gleador denies his initial request. He doesn’t like the way Ol’ Jardiner operates. Ol’ Jardiner asks for some kind of magical beacon that would guide the Trilobite, but not require an Elf to come along.
Gleador: If you send messages to Lucia, you can follow them to the Forgotten Lands. The way to your destination was within you the whole time. I charge you to treat animals more thoughtfully.
Ol’ Jardiner gives his word, instead of making a magically-enforced promise.
Boris’s scene
Scintilia is very old, even for an Elf. Her white hair would extend past her feet if it were not held by attendants who follow her. As she walks she leans on a living staff with leaves and flowers. She is old enough to recognize Boris. She knows the story of the Human civilization cursed by hubris to be overrun by monstrous beasts, whose survivors retreated to the Forgotten Lands.
Scintilla: Hubris is not exclusive to Humans. Even the wisdom of the Elves has limits. We also have a tragedy in our history. Long ago, there was a great civilation of Elves that were Dragon-riders. We lived in the Ocean Beyond, and on the backs of Dragons we flew all over the world. One Elf wished to bond with a Dragon, but was not chosen. He bonded in secret, and the darkness within him spread to all the Dragonsby their telepathy. 1300 years ago, the Dragon-riders lived in a mile-tall tree that was completely burned. A great disaster. That’s why Averiela’s discovery of a Dragon egg was both hopeful and ominous. We hope we can restore the old alliance and do better this time. I know your history with the Forgotten Lands as well. They were not forgotten back then and you looked different as well, but the shape remains.
Boris considers that nature’s purpose was to show that all beings are flawed. The Human’s selfishness affected the local wildlife and brought on the curse, but the cursed beasts were also selfish, pursuing people who were no longer misbehaving. Everything has its own tragedy. All sentient beings are flawed. he’s not sure what Nature wants of him anymore.
Boris: Perhaps when I see someone from the Forgotten Lands that I feel tasked to kill, I will reconcile instead of acting aggressively.
Scintilla: That is very wise, but perhaps I should expect that from someone so old.
Boris: I have never been called wise ever in my life. I very much appreciate that. As a gesture of good faith, and a gift to your kind words, I offer you my messenger bird.
The bird is at the Hidden Library training to be a messenger. Both Scintilla and Boris live for a very long time, so a delay of months or years is not a problem.
Scintilla: The patience required of me is nothing compared to the patience you had for this journey.
Boris: You are, in fact, the wise one.
Scintilla nods graciously.
The Fellowship is threatened
The Fire Locusts and the huge explosion that killed them attracted another fire-based creature: a Phoenix! Gleador flies up to meet this majestic beast. He takes the fire of the Salamander, the form of a Manta Ray, and the wings of a Bat. Her name is Vatra and she is offended. The fire creatures she sensed are dead and some humanoid tries to talk to her while pretending to be a fire creatures. She attacks!
- Vatra, she/her Pheonix
- Firebird: The Phoenix is Burning, Giant, and immune to damage from heat or fire. She can spit fireballs (Ranged, Burning, Reload)
- Get Carried Away: The Phoenix can fly away with anyone she deals damage to. If she is not stopped quickly, she will escape to the skies. She will never willingly drop someone she carries until she reaches her destination.
- Unnatural Toughness: The Phoenix’s other stats cannot be damaged while she still has this stat.
The Fellowship watches from the surface as the two titanic flyers fight. Boris wants to help, so he tells Wat-Wat to pick him up with the Trilobite’s arms and throw him at Vatra!
Boris Overcome 7-9 pay a price for a permanent solution
Boris damages a stat
Boris collides hard with Gleador and hangs on. He waits for a wing, beak, neck, or claw comes close so he can grab it and snuff out its fire. Ol’ Jardiner tries to give him an advantage with his precognition, but it doesn’t work on Boris.
Ol’ Jardiner Insight Butterfly Effect: Your small action before has set up the perfect chain of events to give an ally Hope on their roll.
Boris Unending Despair: You can never have Hope.
Ol’ Jardiner takes a more direct approach and commands Wat-Wat to fire on Vatra!
Wat-Wat Weapons Primed: 7-9 damage one stat
Vatra damages Unnatural Toughness.
Gleador and Vatra hurt each other as they fight.
Vatra damages Carried Away
Gleador loses Bat form
Gleador warns Boris that he’s lost his ability to fly, and Boris leaps towards Vatra, digging his nails into whatever vulnerable spot he can find.
Boris Overcome 7-9 pay a price for a permanent solution
Boris spends 1 use of Fire
His leap isn’t quite long enough, so he spits fire to propel himself just a little further and grab on to Vatra. He starts draining her fire. He doesn’t want to kill this magnificant creature, but he’s seen a Phoenix before. He knows that she will be reborn. He’s only stopping this cycle. That’s OK.
Boris Fire Eater: You may extinguish any flame within arm’s reach merely by touching it,
Boris Finish Them (+Blood, kill) 10+
Vatra TAKEN OUT!
Boris’ hands dig in under the wing, pushing in further and further as he sucks out the fire. Feathers blow away like ashes and Boris is left holding an egg where her heart used to be. Now he’s falling from a great height.
Ol’ Jardiner: I don’t have power to protect people. Yonne, can you do something about that?
Yonne asks Wat-Wat to throw her at Boris so she can wrap around them like a bubble and break the surface tension when they land in the lagoon.
Wat-Wat Weapons Primed: 6-
Wat-Wat completely misses and Yonne sails past. Boris’ pet slime forms a ramp to deflect his trajectory so he skips across the surface of the water instead of smashing straight into it.
Boris Overcome 7-9 temporary solution
It works. Now Boris, still holding the Phoenix egg, is skipping across the water at a dangerous speed. Stopping will probably smash the egg, so Boris uses his fire again, hoping to make the egg hatch immediately.
Boris spends 1 use of Fire
It works! The egg hatches. Ol’ Jardiner reaches out with Wizardry and pulls backwards on Boris.
Ol’ Jardiner Wizardry: Touch, push, or pull as if you were somewhere else that you can see
Ol’ Jardiner Insight Right Time: You take action with perfect timing, giving you a 10+ result on your next roll.
Ol’ Jardiner Overcome 10+
He’s not very strong, but he pulls for a long time so Boris comes to rest gradually. Yonne, Gleador, Boris, and baby Vatra join the rest of the Fellowship on the Trilobite. Ol’ Jardiner is freaking out
Ol’ Jardiner: This just happened yesterday. You can hatch them early? What are we going to do? We already have two Phoenix eggs on the other ship. Gleador, what’s this bird’s name?
Gleador: Vatra:
Ol’ Jardiner: Vatra, do you remember your name? Do you remember being a Phoenix? Is this a new Phoenix or the same in a different body? Have all the Phoenixes in the world gone mad with power?
Vatra squawks and flaps around. She was just born and wants food. Gleador offers to take her and raise her.
END OF SESSION MOVE
- Did we thoroughly explore a new location?
- NO
- Did anyone find what they were seeking?
- YES, we’re helping Boris confront the reason he was created
- Did we learn something new about the world and its people.
- YES, there’s a New Age of Fire. A second Dragon took the hatchling Dragon and Ol’ Jardiner has been attacked by two separate Phoenixes.
Two Boons
- Level up Boris and Yonne to level 5. They can choose Destinies at this level
- Gear