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
Last time, the Fellowship took commandeered the ship that was taking them to the Sapphire Island in the name of the Sea Viper, and now they sail (fly) under thier own (metaphorical) flag.
Dryden uses his half of the Friendship Bracelet to open Infinite Windows and retrieve Edna from the other party. The window opens to show a tunnel going straight into a rock face. Edna’s giant silhouette and several smaller figures are walking down the tunnel away from the entrance. The entrance closes and disappears, leaving only blank rock. Dryden looks around and sees that Infinite WIndow’s portal is hundreds of feet in the air. Edna nad her friends just walked into the middle of a cliff face.
Dryden: Well, she’s not a huge fan of water.
The final obstacle between the Luna Penumbra and the Sapphire Islands is a fierce storm. High winds and driving spray threaten anyone on deck, e.g. the pilot! Averiela plots a course through the storm because she knows where the Sapphire Islands are even if she can’t see them.
Averiela takes Navigator position
Dryden: Ranged Rope, lash me to the wheel!
Dryden Modifications: Ranged Rope is Autonomous & follows simple verbal commands
Dryden spends 1 use of Ranged Rope
Dryden Overcome (+hope, Ranged Rope’s assistance) 7-9 temporary solution
Dryden is blown off his feet by the winds and the rope barely holds. Any further shock could dislodge him. He clings to the wheel of the ship and activates the afterburners, hoping to push the ship above the storm into clear air.
Luna Penumbra Afterburners: make the ship move in a way it isn’t supposed to
Luna Penumbra Engines Primes: to rush past danger, Pilot rolls Get Away +Engines
Dryden Get Away (+Engines) 7-9 avoid harm
The ship rushes up and up, through blinding rain and wind, then bursts into peaceful sunlight! Above the storm the air is clear and quiet. Luna Penumbra arcs down from its wild climb, but Dryden doesn’t come down with it! The rope has come loose from the ship and trails along behind Dryden like the string on a balloon as he is thrown off the ship!
Averiela Perfect Grace: run along any surface
Averiela leaps overboard and runs on top of the storm clouds to catch Dryden.
Averiela Overcome 7-9 temporary solution
She grabs the end of the rope, but Dryden falls through the clouds and his weight drags Averiela down with him! Lucia’s freaking out, but her speciality is leadership, not derring-do. She orders Will to take the Pilot’s position and use emergency power to catch up to their falling crewmembers.
Will assigned from Gunner to Pilot
Will Push The Engines 6-
Luna Penumbra damages Engines
Dryden stops fooling around when he sees a plume of smoke billow from the Luna Penumbra. He deploys his Flying Disk and gives Averiela a ride back to the ship.
Dryden Modifications: Flying Disk is always Overcharged
Overcharged Flying Disk: can carry 2 people for a few moments
Dryden: Sorry, guys. I wants to see you be awesome.
The Luna Penumbra limps along above the clouds. It reaches the edge, and the crew looks down and sees the Sapphire Islands spread out below them. 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. Magic keeps the sapphires on the islands. Locals speak of “holey thieves” who try to sneak sapphires out only for the gems to rip through their pockets, leaving holes. 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.
Dryden takes Pilot Position
Dryden reclaims the ship’s wheel from Will and steers the Luna Penumbra towards the inner islands. It lands in the lagoon and sails toward a vilage that extends over the lagoon on stilts. There are no docks for large ocean-going vessels like Luna Penumbra, since the ocean and lagoon are separated. Dryden steers the ship to the largest dock, which is used by passenger ferries that cross the lagoon connecting variou villages. The Elves on the docks stare at the unfamiliar ship. The first person to greet the Fellowship is Canderon
- 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.
Averiala: Greetings, cousin.
Canderon: How do you come here in this strange ship, with these strange companions?
Averiela: I can’t vouch for my companions, but I am here to call a conclave of the Elves. We have found the last Dragon egg. At last, there is hope again!
Canderon 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.
Canderon: Amazing! The prince of that island held a wedding banquet and didn’t invite the queen mother of that island there. The bride was the Druid’s daughter from over there.
Canderon What Tales Do You Sing?, sing a song of joy, distracting those who hear it.
Canderon signs the news of the conclave and the Dragon egg and everyone on the docks gathers to listen. This is disruptive for Lucia, who has to wait for dockworkers to attend to the ship.
Luna Penumbra spends 1 Crew to repair Engines
Luna Penumbra spends 1 Crew to repair Afterburners
Luna Penumbra spends 1 Crew to restock Ammo
Luna Penumbra’s arrival upsets the natural order of Sapphire Islands. Response Level increases to 1. Sapphire Islands gains new stat: Jungle
While the crew and dockworkers restock the ship, the Fellowship has a meeting in the captain’s cabin.
Averiela: I wonder if we can take the crew of Lantern marines to the Forgotten Lands. Dare we reveal its location to strangers?
Dryden: We could send them away through Infinite Windows.
Averiela: An Elf crew would be more acceptable. Perhaps we could hire locals.
- Lucia Speak Softly with Lantern marines 7-9 ask 3 questions, 1 unhelpful answer
- What do they want?
- They want to go home to Vieport, but they can’t! Robin will have told the Sea Viper that they mutinied. They’ll be branded as deserters!
- What would they have us do?
- Dryden’s suggestion of teleporting them somewhere sounds good.
- What can they tell us about their home dimension?
- The Lanterns lost access to their home dimension. Now they’ve lost their home city of Vieport. They are double-stranded!
- What do they want?
Lucia and Dryden go to trade gossip with Canderon.
Canderon 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.
Lucia: We sailed from Vieport and must warn you of the treachery of the Serpent Ruler. He sent a ship, hoping to learn the secrets of the Forgotten Lands. We thwarted his plan.
Canderon: There’s another foreign ship?
Lucia: No, we commandeered his ship.
Canderon: Well, we did have a visitor from far away come through recently. Not a ship, though. A spear-fisher saw some mechanical bits floating in the water and poked them. The water rose up into the shape of a person! This person is called Baess, and said the fisher was thoughtlessly poking things they didn’t understand, but I think that describes Baess herself. She set up some experiment on the beach and dissolved half of it! The sand and rocks just flowed right out into the sea!
Dryden: We found a mountain turned into a weapon to destroy the moon! On top of this mountain, we fought and slew a Vampire and her minions! Some people seek to destroy the world, but we try to save it. You may have heard of Star-Rider at the bridge of Sugar’s Crossing?
Canderon has not heard of Star-Rider, but has gossip to share nonetheless.
Canderon: There’s a big debate between two influential Druids about contact with the outside world. One says we should keep to ourselves and preserve the Sapphire Islands’ specialness. The other says that the whole world is wonderful, and we diminsh ourselves by not gong out and experiencing it. In fact, the isolationist prince snubbed the exploratory king’s mom because she was born elsewhere and people from her side of the family have been moving in. It’s been 400 years, which is a really long time to hold a grudge.
Lucia Symbol of Royalty: gain an audience with anyone you show it to.
Lucia asks Canderon to meet the head Druid. Protocol dictates that she meet the chief of the island before the head Druid. Canderon looks part her towards the interior of the island and says that the chief is coming to her.
- Scintilia, Elf, she/her
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.
Scintilia: Word has reached me on the wind of your arrival. What brings your strange company to my shore?
Lucia bows her deepest. most formal bow.
Lucia: We are on a quest, returning to the Forgotten Lands. Averiela can tell you more.
Averiela: Deep in the Fairy Forest, we found a Dragon Egg. The heart still beats within. Perhaps it can be revived. Perhaps we can restore the Dragon alliance!
Scintilia: You’re calling a Conclave? Can I make the journey? It’s been so long since I have left the lagoon.
Attendant: Don’t trouble yourself, lady. Oloris can go.
Oloris Ovoran is the exploratory king from Canderon’s rumors. The isolationist prince he’s feuding with is Felenor Ivan. Both are approaching across the lagoon on speed-canoes! Oloris is happy to see travelers, but Felenor is upset.
Felenor: I demand the Trial of Iguana Shrikes! The storm heralds invasion. Let these outsiders prove themselves. As the ancients said, “Much will be risked for truth, but little for deceit.”
Oloris: That’s an archiac tradition. We haven’t needed it for 2000 years. We have a ring of defenders now. It’s a technicality that the law is still on the books.
Storms sweep in packs of Iguana Shrikes. They are wolves of the sea, amphibious predators that bring destruction. The Elves of the Sapphire Islands mobilize to hunt them, but it’s dangerous, so surely any outsiders who joins the hunt truly cares for the welfare of the Sapphire Islands.
Averiela: I’m offended! Of course we’d help, but not if you force us.
Lucia: As a fellow ruler of lands that value secrecy, I understand the desire to protect your land. Aggression will lead to aggression inresponse. Peaceful visitors will no longer visit, but hostiles will come prepared.
Felenor: You call yourselves peaceful visitors? Look at this warship! Behold the cannons and harpoons!
Lucia: The sea is dangerous. Gotta be prepared. If you listened for two minutes, it wouldn’t come to this. We’re on a quest. Averiela is calling a Conclave so we’re going to he Forgotten Lands. We’re looking for others who wish to join.
Felenor: Lies! Are you asking to kidnap us?
Lucia makes a final appeal to avoid the Trial, and Felenor sees that public opinion is against him.
Lusica Talk Sense (+Wisdom, appeal to emotion) 10+
Felenor: Scintilia likes you, and I trust her wisdom. The Trial is an old tradition that’s not technically required. The defenders will suffice.
Felenor backs down dipolomaticaly, without actually admitting that he’s backing down. Since it’s not a requirement, Averiela is now interested in hunting Iguana Shrikes.
Lucia Royal Treatment: when you introduce yourself to the ruler of a place, you and your friend are given a room for the night and a hot meal to Fill Your Belly.
Scintilia hosts the Fellowship for dinner. It’s a “sungle dinner” that combines delicacies of sea and jungle. Oyster shells full of meats marinated in fruit. Dessert tastes a bit like a plantain crepe. It’s boiled in the hot springs, then floated across the water to the table, so they arrive at the perfect temperature.
Oloris talks with the Fellowship about their upcoming journey. He’s so interested in the outside world that he’s making an atlas. He’d love to add the Forgotten Lands to it, but Lucia isn’t so sure about revealing the location of her homeland. Since the Lantern Marines aren’t allowed to sail to the Forgotten Lands on the Luna Penumbra, Lucia asks Oloris if they could crew one of his ships that sail to the outside world.
Lucia: The Lanterns could protect your ships. They are trustwo…capable!
Lucia Talk Sense (+sense, explain plan) 7-9 owe a favor
Oloris agrees to assign the Lanterns to one of his ships, but he really wants to join the Luna Penumbra for its voyage to the Forgotten Lands. Lucia has to think about it.
Lucia Yes, My Leige: When you issue a command to someone below your rank, they do it immediately. Someone is below your rank if they follow someone who has shown you Royal Treatment.
Lucia realizes that she can order Oloris to keep the Forgotten Lands out of his atlas, so she agrees to take him on as navigator.
NO END OF SESSION MOVE