Chasing the Sunset is a West Marches-style exploration game using Fellowship 2nd Edition‘s Horizon rules.
The fellowship: Dryden of Conwall the Collector/Hunter, Averiela the Elf/Elven Elite, Lucia the Brave the Heir/Halfling Sheriff, Edna Crusher-Harcourt the Ogre
Last time, the Fellowship learned about Dragon birth and death from the Hidden Library.
It’s unprecedented for one of her rank to call for a one, but Averiela feels she must call a Conclave of the Elves to determine what to do with the Dragon egg she found. It’s been 700 years since all the families of the Elves last gathered. Some families have since retreated deep into the high mountains, disappointed with the rest of the world. Finding and alerting all of them could take quite some time, and the Conclave may not happen for a year after the invitations go out.
Edna: Can we pop through Infinite Windows, give the message, then return? Do we have to spend the whole year there? I know Elven ceremonies can be quite long.
Dryden: Elves can take their time because they have a lot of time to take.
Averiela: Friends, I’m so honored that you want to help me. Do you want to spend a whole year on this quest?
GM note: “Friends”!? Averiela has always kept her traveling companions at a distance. This is the first time she calls them “friends”
Edna: We’ll have free time in the middle, right?
Averiela’s first destination is her home forest. Her Elf-stone brooch connects her to her home, so Infinite Windows can use it to open a portal to her home, but she doesn’t want to risk losing the brooch.
Lucia: I’m honored to be invited to your home. I remember my tutor told me about the Elven forests near the Forgotten Lands.
Dryden: That tutor didn’t like me. I couldn’t sit still.
Edna: I’m not familiar with either of your countries.
Averiela: We keep a low profile.
Infinite WIndows needs an object from the destination to open a portal, but the item may be lost if the spell does not go well. Lucia recommands pulling a single thread from Averiela’s Elven cloak, but Infinite Windows requires a significant item, not just a scrap. Averiela offers her Ring of Eternal Flame. The ring contains a tiny flame taken from the Eternal Flame at home. The Eternal Flame is a light burning for all the Elves out adventuring. Part of it will go out if Averiela dies.
Ol’ Jardinier damages Overwhelming Power to assist: pick another option from Open A Window
Averiela Opens A Window 6- the window cracks & something dangerous comes out + keep the item
Dryden pulls Infinite Windows out of his physical backpack. It can’t go through portals, so he can’t keep it under his cloak. Averiela puts her ring into one of the shifting mirror fragments. Nothing happens. She pulls the ring back out, and large glowing fingers are holding on to it from the other side! A Fire Elemental comes through!
- Fire Elemental: A 10 foot tall being of molten rock, perpetually on fire.
- Burning Aura: Anyone who is not immune to fire cannot get close without paying a price.
- Wildfire: The Fire Elemental is Burning and Dangerous.
- Tough As Nails: The first time a Fire Elemental would be damaged or
destroyed, damage this stat instead.
Lucia strikes quickly, hoping to sever the Fire Elemental’s arm before the whole creature comes through!
Fire Elemental Burning Aura: Lucia spends Armor to Pay A Price
Lucia Finish Them (+Courage, force retreat) 10+
Fire Elemental: Tough As Nails gets damaged first
It’s a powerful strike, but the Fire Elemental pulls itself through Infinite Windows and stands on the slope of the volcano, towering over most of the Fellowship. Edna recognizes the danger it’s Burning Aura presents to all her friends, so she grabs the creature and throws it down the slope about 100 yards.
Fire Elemental Burning Aura: Edna takes damage to Pay A Price
Edna Toss Aside 7-9 Fire Elemental lands safely where Edna wants
The Fire Elemental is enraged and starts climbs back up the slope. Edna steps in front of the Fellowship. The Fire Elemental will have to get through her to get to anyone else, but for now, the Fellowship cna used ranged weapons without retaliation. Dryden pulls out his unbreakable two-handed Dwarven hammer and swings it in big vertical circles. He lets it go and it soars over Edna’s head and down the slope, falling head-first on the Fire Elemental.
Dryden Finish Them (+Sense, knock out) 6-
The hammer sinks all the way into the Fire Elemental’s body, a rough approximation of a humanoid, but made of molten lava. It stumbles, but recovers and keeps moving up the slops.
Drdyen signals Roddy by dabbing, but adds that Roddy should aim where his hammer entered.
Roddy damages Trick Shot to give Dryden an Advantage
Dryden Finish Them (+Blood, kill) 7-9 Fire Elemental damages Burning Aura
Roddy strikes true with his pneumatic rifle. The burning heat glowing through the cracks as the Fire Elemental moves fades, and most of its skin cools to black. Edna approaches to recover Dryden’s hammer.
Edna Overcome 10+
Edna grabs the Fire Elemental’s shoulder to keep it in place, then jams her other hand down through its head, up to her elbow. She pulls her hand free, splashing lava through the air, gripping Dryden’s hammer. The Fire Elemental turns its fury on Edna, and Lucia throws some rocks to distract it.
Lucia Keep Them Busy 6-
Edna is twice the size of the Fire Elemental, so it’s hard to get a clear shot. Lucia hits Enda with the pebbles instead. Edna’s momentarily distracted, and the Fire Elemental strikes with a superheated punch!
Lava Elemental damages Edna
Averiela pelts the Fire Elemental with arrows.
Averiela Keep Them Busy 6-
The arrows are ineffective, and the Fire Elemental lands another blow.
Lava Elemental damages Edna
Lucia draws her sword and runs in.
Lucia Keep Them Busy 6-
Lava Elemental damages Edna
The Fire Elemental kicks her aside. Edna sees that she and her friends are in real danger. She needs to end the fight now!
Edna Toss Aside 10+ land where Edna wants & take damage
Fire Elemental damages Wildfire. TAKEN OUT
Edna lifts the Fire Elemental over her head and smashes it straight down into the ground. The lava that forms its body splatters and rapidly cools, leaving a shock-wave shaped sculpture of ingeous rock.
Edna: Phew! Let’s rest a bit before we open any more portals!
Viktor lays out one of Edna’s Giant Lunches, big enough to feed three people. Lucia assists him with her special culinary expertise, stretching the food even further.
Lucia Wonder Chef: Fill Your Belly without spending food. People who share a meal with you heal an extra stat.
Lucia spends 0 Food to heal.
Edna spends 2 Food to heal 3 stats
Edna spends 1 Food to heal Ol’ Jardinier
Dryden spends 1 Food to heal Roddy twice
Averiela spends 1 Food to restore Elder Arts
Edna: Maybe this Artifact is more trouble than it’s worth.
Dryden: It’s very complicated magic.
Edna: I’m new, but I’ve never seen it work properly.
Lucia: Maybe we should go physically.
The Fellowship agrees to head south by the nearby river to the port, then try to cross the ocean to Averiela’s homeland.
As they walk down the mountain, they meet three people walking up. Lofar (the Dwarf miner that Dryden sent fleeing a while earlier) leads two Goblins in Power Suits equipped for mining up from Swallet. The Fellowship hails him and he says he’s back to mine the precious minerals from this mountain, like Moon Dust that falls on the peak.
Averiela: There’s no gold here. I’ve studied the land for many years. Try the other mountain.
The Goblins burst out laughing. What an obvious lie! The other volcano is part of Swallet’s infrastructure and has been extensively explored already.
Lucia: We buried a Dragon up there. You mustn’t disturb his eternal rest.
Lofar: There’s no eternity. You’ve hidden the gold under the Dragon!
GM note: Indeed, Dwarves have no afterlife. They come from the stone and return to the stone.
Lofar is the size of doll to Edna, and she picks him in one hand to bring him face to face.
Edna: If you won’t respect the dead, respect the living. I’m telling you there is nothing for you up there.
Edna: Talk Sense (+Wisdom, appeal to desire to not get squashed) 10+
Lofar: Lucky for you these Goblins aren’t muscle.
He backs off and kicks pebbles towards Edna. She spreads her arms wide in a show of readiness.
Edna: Anytime!
Lofar and the Goblins retreat towards Swallet and the Fellowship make their way to Sugar’s Crossing. A few months ago, Lucia and Dryden rescued some people when a huge metal mirror fell from the sky and destroyed the bridge across the river. This started the legend of Star-Rider, the mysterious flying man who fell from the Moon. The story goes that he wears a long cloak to dim his celestial brightness. As the Fellowship wonders how to get passage downriver, a fan of Star-Rider recognizes Dryden!
- Bingo, he/him Halfling youth. Someone has noticed what the fellowship is up to, and has grown to adore you and all you do.
- Cheerleader: The fan can damage this stat to give someone Hope.
- Danger Magnet: The fan loves to watch their heroes in action. When a Dangerous attack happens near them, the fan is always among the collateral.
Bingo: Wow, it’s Star-Rider! What brings you here? Did you help with that fire in Vieport?
Dryden: I didn’t fight the fire in Vieport, but I did fight Fire Elementals. I was also teleported into the forest of Vampire Fairies. Of course, the Unicorns helped us with them.
Bingo: Wow, that’s so cool! Can I come along on your next adventure?
Lucia: Ask your mother. Actually, we need your help right now. We need safe passage to the sea. Which of these ships should we take?
Bingo is thrilled to have quest from his hero Star-Rider, and his friends. He tries to run home and to the docks at the same time, and eventually picks a direction. After a short time, Bingo returns, pushing an elderly Halfling woman in a wheelchair.
Bingo: My mom wasn’t home, but I asked my Uncle, and my Uncle, and my Gramma!
Wilma: What’s this I hear? You’re taking Bingo away to fight Unicorns?
Dryden: Ah, good of you to come. How’s young Bingo’s schooling? Especially reading?
Bingo rattles off a list of relatives and their professions and what they teach him. His aunt at the theater is teaching him The Stories. His other aunt, his dad’s sister, lets him help with the cooking. Everything is a communal effort in Halfling culture.
Dryden: Excellent. I’l give you this scroll of basic magical techniques. You need to stay her to study this (and all your other subjects) so you can start on your own adventures!
Dryden Talk Sense (+Wis, appeal to desire to have adventures like his hero) 7-9 owe a favor
Bingo makes Dryden promise to come back when Bingo has studied this scroll to teach him other things. He also poitns the Fellowship towards a boat going downriver. He runs off, pushing his Gramma Wilma with the scroll stretched between the handles, trying to read and walk at the same time. Her scolding fades into the distance.
The Fellowship goes to the boat, which is a huge raft, propelled by a Giant with a long pole. His name is Wilhelm, he’s 24 feet tall, and he’s a true Giant. Ogres are much larger than most people, but calling them Giants is only colloquial. True Giants get much bigger than Ogres, and are completely unrelated to Humans.
Lucia spends 1 Precious Item for passage to the sea
Wilhelm poles down the river until the raft reaches a swampy area with spooky willow trees, and crows that seem to be keeping watch. They are keeping watch! This is the swamp of Samantha the Witch, so hates trespassers. The crows squawk and fly into the swamp, and a short time later, a bull runs out to the shore and transforms into Ferdinand, an Elf well-known to Lucia. Wilhelm pushes the raft ashore so they can talk.
Lucia: Ferdinand, this is Dryden, a lifelong friend from the Forgotten Lands. He has come with news that I am now queen. And this is Averiela. We met on our long journey, and the bonds between our people go back for generations. Together we journey far and right wrongs.
Edna: And I’m Edna Crusher-Harcourt. Very pleased to meet you.
Averiela: How fortuitous! I thought the Shapeshifting Elves disappeared centuries ago! We are calling a conclave, for we carry a Dragon’s egg. I suspect my Queen of Whispering Winds in the Hidden Mist would welcome a representative of the Shapeshifting Elves.
Ferdinand: I’m the only Shapeshifting Elf I know. It’s just me and Samantha, and she’s Human. I will do my best to attend!
Ferdinand is a lot more confident than he used to be. Averiela is angry that she didn’t know about Ferdinand. She doesn’t accept any weakness in herself!
Dryden: Lucia has told me stories fo her adventures before I arrived here. What can you tell me about the Black Beast?
Ferdinand puts his hands over his mouth and giggles loudly.
Ferdinand: OK, OK! Lucia’s other friend, Gleador, could also transform, but into anything he liked. He was actually the Black Beast! There were two, but they were both him! He convenced everyone that one of them killed the other and they never suspected him! It’s so funny! He outsmarted them all and made fools of those awful people that stole our wine recipe.
Wilhelm inquires about the special wine. Perhaps people in Vieport would pay a high price for such luxury items. Ferdinand agrees to meet Wilhelm when on his return trip and set up a deal. Before Wilhelm pushes off, Dryden plucks a leaf from Samantha’s Swamp and adds it to his collection.
Wilhelm: I’m glad to meet your friend Ferdinand, but we’ve been delayed, and now we’ll have to traverse the Ghostlands at night! truly a frightening sight! All those red glowing eyes and vague transparent bodies lining the banks of the rivers, waiting for the living to wander in reach so they can devour them!
Lucia: Why don’t we camp overnight before we reach the Ghostlands and make the journey in daylight?
Wilhelm agrees to her very reasonable suggestion, and they wait until dawn to continue past the Ghostlands (less scary in daylight) and to the checkpoint at the northern edge of Vieport. Tall pylons surround the city, with lightning crackling between them. This Lightning Barrier separates the living from the hungry undead of the Ghostlands.
The guards in Vieport are Mer-Eels, with long reptilian faces, humanoid arms and torsoes, and long eel-like tails. They swim quickly through the water and board Wilhelm’s raft to check for anything suspicious or illegal.
Eel Guard: Welcome back, Theona. Headed to the Adventurers’ Club?
Edna: You must have mistaken me for someone else. I’m Edna Crusher-Harcourt. Very pleased to meet you.
Everything is in order, so the Eel Guards allow Wilhelm’s raft into the city. The Fellowship disembarks and seeks out the Adventurer’s Club the guards mentioned.
The Adventurer’s Club is a grand building next to a golf course, with high ceilings and canals in the floors to accomodate both terrestrial and aquatic adventurers. The clerk at the front desk is a Mer-Man whose fish half is a Betta fish, so his fins are luxurious and fade from red to purple.
- Fred, he/him, Merfolk. A colorful tropical fish person, friendly but skittish.
- Cowardice: After he takes damage, Fred will attempt to run away from the scene.
- Friendly: The first person in the fellowship to Forge a Bond with Fred may write up to three Bonds with him, instead of just one.
The Adventurer’s Club is for members only, so each member of the Fellowship must either present a membership card, or some proof that they should be allowed to join.
Lucia Symbol of Royalty: Grant an audience with anyone.
Fred is very impressed by Lucia’s Symbol of Royalty, but the others struggle to prove that they are also great adventurers.
Dryden: Let me speak for my humble friends. This is Edna, who I have seen jam her mighty fist into the heart of a Fire Elemental. Averiela can strike a perfect shot from the shadows, and has single-handedly defeated a giant Sentry Droid. Perhaps you have heard the legend of Star-Rider, who saved people from the Shard of the Moon?
Drdyen starts pulling out all the treasures he’s collected and laying them out on the table. After a while, Fred tells him to stop.
Dryden Talk Sense (+Grace, dazzle) 6-
Fred says that they don’t have trophies or proof of their great deeds, so he can’t offer them membership. If they can produce trophies, or if they complete any of the bounties on the Bounty Board, then they will be allowed in, but for now, only Queen Lucia may enter. Lucia refuses to enter without her friends!
Edna is very interested in one of the daggers that Dryden pulled out of his cloak: a jeweled Dwarf-Made dagger. She asks to examine it, and holds the red gem in the hilt up to the light, but is disappointed. She knows someone looking for a dagger quite like this, but this isn’t the one. Drdyen explains where he found it, and gives Edna a Dwarven lottery ticket that he found nearby. Maybe that clue will help her friend find what they were looking for.
GM note: Edna tried to use Infinite WIndows to go back to the other party at the very end of the session, but rolled 6- and we didn’t have time to fight whatever came through the portal. The timeline with the other party is all messed up. Hopefully Edna will soon be able to move back and forth between parties using Infinite Windows in a way that mostly makes diagetic sense.
END OF SESSION MOVE:
- Did we thoroughly explore a new location: NO
- Did anyone find what they were looking for: YES, Averiela is working on the Conclave, her long-term goal
- Did we discover something new about the world and its people: YES, Dragon birth and death rituals.
Two boons:
- Level up: Edna & Averiela
- Restore Gear.