Chasing the Sunset is a West Marches-style exploration game using Fellowship 2nd Edition‘s Horizon rules.
The party: Buckle the Beast/Heart of Earth, Stella the Halfling/Hunter
Last time, The Imperial Capital descended into chaos as people from the past emerged and the foundations of Imperial culture were shaken.
This time, the Fellowship is drawn the dispute for the Imperial throne.
GM note: We went over the Explorer’s Agenda, which I had been neglecting. Buckle is seeking a new place to belong, and he’s seeking power to make that happen. Stella started with a clear mission: to bring Halfing refugees home. But many Halfings she met were not refugees and didn’t even know about the Giant War. There are many different Halfling cultures, not just the one she’s from. Buckle can’t go home, but Stella realizes that she doesn’t have to go home.
Imperial Capital
Response Level 6 (2 base, 2 location bonds, upset the natural order, cause collateral damage)
Response moves:
- Famine: Pay A Price when you Fill Your Belly
- Bustling: Despair to Get Away, hard to avoid being overheard
- Bad weather: Thin air, Overcome after doing something athletic or become Winded and have Despair on next roll
- Guardian: a powerful creature defends a location
- Famous: When you roll 6-, a citizen will interrupt for good or ill
- Invader: Priscilla (the first Emperor)
Buckle asks the land for help and demonstrates his ritual of power. Buckle sits in front of a small puddle, puts his hands on the ground, and meditates. He stares at his reflection and the land beneath forms a face like his under the puddle. Buckle applies the warpaint to his reflection, which is the land.
Buckle War Paint: When you perform a ritual of power in preparation for a planned battle, hold 2 Power.
Buckle Commune with the Land 10+
The Land reaction roll: action affects entire location
The Land prepares for battle to protect the people. The Land just learned about boundaries. Separation between the people and the Land is good. War is when two groups of people are not just separate from the land, but separate from each other. The Land raises a wall of rock that starts in the Imperial Palace and separates the armies of Priscilla and Rossius. The wall rises to 50 feet tall and extends to split the whole city in half.
Some people were caught up by the wall rising beneath them. The top of the wall is thin enough for one person to walk on, but passing someone else would be scary. It’s thicker at the base, but the walls are very steep. Stella looks at the situation and realizes that she her skillset matches this situation, so she and Silk Stanlee rush to help people trapped on the wall.
GM note: For a while we forgot that most of their companions were left behind at Lake Samak, including SIlk (Stella’s Riding Spider). Fortunately, the companion who accompanied Buckle is Stanlee (a humanoid Spider with similar skills). Both can walk on walls and spin webs.
GM note: Stella can grow to “the size of a good chair”. We decided that meant the kind of high-backed chair that faces the fire and suddenly turns to reveal someone overheard the entire conversation. About 5 feet tall.
Stella looks for ropes or other tools to help people get down under their own power.
Stella Look Closely 6- ask 1 question, find out the hard way
- Tell me about tools to help people get off walls. How could they hurt or help me?
- Two people in a nearby three-storey building assemble a contraption to help people on the wall. One person leans a long board from the third-storey window to the wall. The other person on the roof runs a loop of rope under the board to support it. They encourage people on the wall to slide down onto the board, then walk on the borad into the building. They are confident it will not collapse. So there are ropes, boards, and nearby buildings, but if used incorrectly, they can make the situation worse.
Stella: Wait, stop! This isn’t going to work!
Stella Keep Them Busy 10+ they stop and pay attention to Stella
Stella climbs the portico over the building’s entrance, so she’s just a little lower than the second-storey.
Stella: There’s just no way that this rope will be able to handle the force of this person landing on the end of the board! We have to find a different configuration.
Stella recommends leaning the board out of the second-storey window at a steep angle, which makes it resistant to slipping down, and allows people to slide down in into the window. Stella takes the rope to the top of the wall, so people can climb down the rope and only slide a little before reaching the board.
Stella Technical Solution 6- you make it worse
People run around to follow Stella’s plan. The person with the board pulls it inside. Stella hears banging and crashing, then the board comes out of the lower window. It’s hard to manuever a ten-foot-long board indoors. The person on the roof throws the rope to Stella. The person stranded on the wall doesn’t wait for Stella to anchor the rope and just slides down the wall. They build up speed, transfer to the board, and collide with the person holding the board. Both of them fly across the room and are injured, and the board is cracked.
Some people were walking along the top of the wall towards Stella, since she was rescuing people, but when they see that happen, they sit down again. Stella needs a minute to regroup and think.
Buckle goes to Gregory and the Geologists.
Buckle: The Land is taking the initiative to settle these disputes. We should go up to the palace and tell everybody to follow what the Land wants. It’s trying to resolve this dispute by keeping people from hurting each other.
Buckle Talk Sense (+Sense, plan) 10+
Gregory: Yes, obviously this is super-important and we want this settled peacefully.
Gregory and a group of Geologist follow Buckle to the palace. As they walk beside the wall, they see other rescue efforts are underway.
Buckle: Actually, some of you should help with the rescue efforts.
The wall went through a certain building. One side just collapsed, but the other half of the building looks mostly intact, leaning against the wall. Some people are scooting towards the building. They figure it’s not a big jump to the roof of this building, then they can take the stairs to the street.
Elsewhere a Spider (the humanoid kind) spins a rope bridge from the top of the wall to a building across the street.
Stella looks for people who appear hesitant to use either of these two evacuation methods. She sees a veteran who is missing his right leg below the knee. He’s sitting on the top of the wall and holding his artifical foot. Stella approaches the veteran and calls Stanlee up the wall to join her. Using the knowledge she gained from operating the Miranda, she ties knots and loops in the rope so the veteran is secured in the middle, and the two ends are attached to Stella and Stanlee.
Stella Technical Solution (+hope, Stanlee’s assistance) 7-9 it’s more complicated. Pay a Price to make it work
Stella loses gear: Halfling longsword
Stella and Stanlee walk down the wall, lowering the veteran between them. Both can walk on vertical surfaces, but it’s a rough enough ride that Stella drops her sword. It skitters down the wall into the ruined building. Who knows where it ended up. All three people reach the ground safely. The veteran puts his artificial foot on and gives Stella a snappy salute. The other rescue efforts seem sufficient, so Stella takes the rope and runs to catch up with Buckle.
Stella gains gear: 40 feet of rope
As Buckle and the Geologists approach the Imperial Palace, they meet a group from the Academy.
Headmaster Alluvon he/him Elf Abjuration expert
Mr. Snicket he/him Human Divination intern
Alluvon projects a wedge of force in front of him to force a path through the crowd. Mr. Snicket follows with a hand on his shoulder. Buckle falls in line with them. He hears Mr. Snicket telling Alluvon about the people in front of them. Alluvon only pushes able-bodied people around with his wedge of force. He dodges around old or injured people.
Buckle: Friends! We’re going to the Palace to advocate for the Land and help people calm down and understand that conflict isn’t necessary. Will you help us get there?
Alluvon: Ah, then we have shared purpose. We were called to be impartial judges in this succession dispute, although recent events make me wonder if we will be listened to. The Academy also seeks a peaceful solution.
They all reach the Imperial Palace. The courtyard has been split by the wall. Buckle, the Geologists, and the Academy members are on the right side, with Rossius and his forces.
- Rossius – Claudius’ heir. Claims that Claudius wasn’t the person who was ruling the empire, so when the goo-Claudius died, Rossius became emperor. Killed the real Claudius.
- Lieutenant. Olga she/her Ogre. A big, mean Ogre who works for the Empire or the Overlord now, probably against their will. That’s bad.
- Larger Than Life: The Titan is huge and cannot be damaged by the littlefolk on the ground. You’ll need to climb on top of it, use ranged attacks, or bejust as big to properly attack it.
- Stronger Than Is Reasonable: The Titan is Melee, Giant, and Dangerous.This stat must be damaged twice. Enemies damaged by the Dark Titan are sent flying.
- Dark Servitude: The titan is bound in service, not entirely within their will. If this stat is damaged and none of the titan’s allies are strong enough to control it, it will disobey orders and do as it pleases. This usually involves crushing any ‘allies’ who abused it or who they hate.
- Group of Minotaurs: A hulking bull-man with a powerful ax.
- Ax Away: The minotaur’s weapon is Melee, Piercing, Giant.
- Bull Charge: The minotaur cannot be stopped once it starts charging. Anyone in its way is either bashed aside or gored on its horns.
- Group: This enemy can act against two people at once. When this enemy is destroyed, this stat is damaged, or this is their only stat left, replace the Group with two normal enemies.
- Thalen he/him Elf Shield Commander: This powerful protector grants invincibility to the Horde. They must be take out first, or else the Horde cannot be stopped. Must meditate to keep up the spell. Carried in a chariot by mercenaries
- Diamond Command: All nearby Horde threats, NOT including this one, are Dwarf-Made. They cannot be damaged by anything short of dragonfire or by secrets known only to the Dwarves.
- Gang of Mounted Mercenaries: A cavalry unit hired to help the Horde. They are more interested in plunder than their mission. They carry hand axes on their belts, but mainly use halberd-like lances.
- Gear Ain’t Cheap: The mercs have (Armor, 1 Use). They are easily bribed by Precious things offered to them, and easily distracted by promises of riches.
- Here Comes The Cavalry: The mercs can damage this stat to rush in and ruin the fellowship’s plans, preventing one of their moves from working or doing anything to another Horde threat of the merc’s choice.
- Gang: This enemy can act against everyone at once. When this enemy is destroyed, this stat is damaged, or this is their only stat left, replace the Gang with two Groups of this enemy. This stat can only be damaged by Area, Dangerous, or Giant attacks.
Priscilla and her forces are on the left side of the wall.
- Priscilla. The first Emperor. Her champion, Belloc, died in a battle to decide between her and Claudius. Her army comes from the Belly Of The Earth and they fight like they have nothing to lose.
- Lieutenant Dolores she/her Broken Harbinger: A fellow harbinger, who has given in to the power of darkness. They no longer resist that which they once feared.
- Do Not Trifle With Wizards: The harbinger can damage this stat to deal three damage to someone in the fellowship, or to destroy any Companion or threat that is in their way.
- Dark And Terrible: The harbinger can damage this stat to put a curse on someone. They may use the curses on page 144, or make their own. To create a curse, describe what limitation the curse places on them, then tell them what they must do if they wish to break the curse.
- Hopeless: The broken harbinger has little will of their own, and follows the orders of the dark forces they have given themselves over to. When the darkness has nothing to ask of them, they have nothing they wish to do.
- Quintus he/him human Brutal Commander: He served Priscilla long ago. This tenacious old battleaxe never surrenders, and will sacrifice every last one of their minions to make sure they don’t either.
- Defiant Command: All nearby Horde threats, including this one, deal damage back to anyone who deals damage to them. This counter-attack damage happens simultaneously to the damage it is responding to.
- Gang of Berserkers: Warriors of old, still wearing the remnants of their old uniforms.
- Blind Rage: The attacks of a Berserker on the rampage are very difficult to defend against. If your Grace is damaged, you cannot defend against the attacks of a Berserker.
- Reckless Valor: A Berserker can damage this stat to damage an enemy they are fighting.
- Gang: This enemy can act against everyone at once. When this enemy is destroyed, this stat is damaged, or this is their only stat left, replace the Gang with two Groups of this enemy. This stat can only be damaged by Area, Dangerous, or Giant attacks.
- Emeral she/her Spider Fear Commander: This dread warlock grants terror to the Horde.
- Terror Command: All nearby Horde threats, including this one, give Despair to anyone trying to attack or hinder them.
- Gang of Devilman: The Berserkers want express centuries of built-up aggression. These fighters are called “devilmen” because they are even scarier.
- Antihero: The devilman tries to do what’s right, but is willing to use any means necessary. Their cuts are Hard Cuts against the unjust.
- Demon’s Strength: The devilman can lift anything they can get a firm grip on. Their attacks are Dangerous and tear the world around them apart.
Olga the Ogre kicks the wall with dreadful spiked boots. They are her main weapon because she usually fights people much smaller than her. She’s over 15 feet tall and weighs two tons.
Rossius: Nothing must stand in the way of me claiming my rightful place on the throne!
Buckle: Hey, you’re the guy that did the killing, aren’t you? I don’t think you’re allowed to take over a place–
Rossius: Who dares to speak to the Emperor?
The Minotaurs were preparing to attack the wall, but Rossius sends them to arrest Buckle. For the crime of speaking to the Emperor, Buckle will be brought before the Emperor to speak with him. Rossius isn’t a very good leader. As the Minotaurs approach, Buckle’s sense of justice is activated. He howls a mighty Platyperson howl that echoes throughout the city.
Buckle spends 1 Power to Howl: Terrify an enemy. They cannot approach you willingly.
The Minotaurs stop short. Rossius is unhappy at this disobedience. He waits for the echoing howl to fade away, then yells.
Rossius: Silence! I have a rightful claim on the throne. The Claudius who appeared yesterday is not the Claudius who ruled this land for years. That Claudius died and I was his heir, so I am the rightful Emperor!
Rossius sways the crowd 1 of 4
Stella: What kind of weird logic is that?
Buckle: Until just today, the Land itself was ruling this Empire. While you are alive here and Claudius is no longer alive–because you murdered him!–the Land remains. The Land is the rightful ruler.
Buckle Talk Sense (+Sense, plan) 10+
Buckle sways the crowd 2 of 4
A big gothic “P” appears glowing on the wall, four meters tall. A fancy Imperial seal from Priscilla’s time draws itself on the wall. It ends with a circle, then all the rock inside that circle disappears.
Dolores Do Not Trifle With Wizards: Damage this stat to destroy something in your way
Now there’s a circular path through the wall, big enough for several people to walk through. The forces of the rival Emperors now have access to each other. Priscilla gives her speech.
Priscilla: Rossius is a killer, but that doesn’t scare me. My army and I have been dying in ways you can’t imagine.
Alluvon puts a forcefield across the hole in the wall to keeps the armies separated.
Alluvon: Hear me, soldiers and rulers. You know the Academy, how we stay neutral and strive for peace throughout all lands, including yours. That’s why we were asked here by leaders of the community to come act as impartial arbiters to settle this without bloodshed.
Rossius: It’s against my royal dignity to entertain the possibility of relinquishing power! I order you to stand aside! Do not oppose my forces!
Alluvon: Legally, I’m obligated to obey Imperial authority.
Gregory: Hold on! I’m also an authority and I think you should stay there.
Alluvon looks to Priscilla for a tie-breaking vote
Priscilla: Either way is fine with me.
Meanwhile, Buckle communes with the Land.
Buckle: See how I terrified the people who are trying to cause harm? Terrify the people who are trying to cause harm to your people.
Buckle Commune with the Land 7-9 complication
The Land reaction roll: action has Area tag
The Land uses Buckle as a focus for its response, since Buckle seems better at being a person and interacting with people. The ground rises around Buckle, encasing his limbs and moving them. It rips another hole in the wall and moves Buckle into it, so he can threaten both sides of the courtyard. His hands and chest light up with fire, making the rock around them melt and drip. It points one of his arms at Priscilla and the other at Rossius. His chest points at Gregory. (Like Iron Man’s Unibeam) The land threatens all three Imperial authorities with volcanic destruction!
Buckle: The land is upset! You have to stop fighting! I can’t control it!
Mounted Mercenaries rush in to surround Rossius, confident that Thalen can protect them. They gleam, not from polished armor, but from Thalen’s spells forming a shining barrier between them and harm. Since he must concentrate to maintain the spell, he sits on a special chariot with a driver who keeps him near his soldiers.
Thalen Diamond Command: All nearby Horde threats (The Mounted Mercenaries), NOT including Thalen, are Dwarf-Made. They cannot be damaged by anything short of dragonfire or by secrets known only to the Dwarves.
Most of Priscilla’s forces are not afraid to die, but they are afraid of the Land! Priscilla signals her forces to stand down. The crowd is also terrified.
Buckle sways the crowd 1 of 4
Buckle: Alluvon, it’s time to arbitrate, before things get more out of controls!
Alluvon: OK, each of you should give a brief statement summarizing your argument. You will be able to expand it later.
Priscilla: I am the first Emperor. I never stopped being Emperor. My reign was stolen from me and now I plan to complete it.
Rossius: I was Claudius’ heir, and Claudius died, so I am the true emperor, not any of these strange people who showed up out of nowhere.
Buckle: But actually you murdered him!
Rossius: I murdered an imposter! The Claudius that I grew up with died and turned into goo.
Buckle: That means that the Claudius that you knew was the Land, who is currently controlling my body!
Alluvon: I must defer to local experts. Geologists, is it customary for the Land to have a position of authority?
Gregory: We’ve always had great respect for the Land. It lifts us up. We would be nothing without it. We thought we were intperpreting the will of the land, but we were completely wrong. We’re still figuring this new thing out.
Alluvon is not having a good time. When other people speak, he stealthily casts more defensice spells on himself. He is literally in the center of a possible civil war and/or natural disaster.
After rescuing the veteran, Stella went to the top of the wall and realized that Buckle wasn’t where she left him. She walked along the top of the wall looking for him and ended up above the courtyard where all this is happening. She walks down the wall, announcing her own solution to this problem.
Stella: In a world where succession is not clear, the only logical step is that the Land elects its own Emperor because the Land is most likely to choose someone with the Land’s best interests at heart.
Stella Talk Nonsense 10+
Stella Sting Like A Bee: you can take something and they will not notice
Stella is close enough to pickpocket Alluvon. He carries a magic wand: wooden, with metal caps on both ends. A ring with a big ruby set in it. A document that he stuffed in his pocket when he was called to the palace. Stella thinks Alluvon is most likely to resolve this conflict, and he might need these items to do it, so she doesn’t take anything. She sneaks some Halfling pipe-leaf into his pocket. He’ll need to relax when this is over.
Alluvon: Mr. Snicket, I recommend you use your Divination to determine the will of the Land.
Mr. Snicket: I’m only in the second year of graduate studies and this isn’t something I’ve trained for.
Buckle: Please for the love of all things just do it!
Alluvon: Confidence is one of the virtues required of a great wizard, Mr. Snicket. You can do it. Believe that you can.
Mr. Snicket uses remote viewing to try to determine the will of the Land. He can look inside the ground, but that’s hard to interpret. He looks around the Empire to see how the Land is interacting with people.
Stella On A Mirror’s Edge: start freerunning and gain 2 Speed.
Stella runs at the Mounted Mercenaries. They hold formation, confident they can keep her at bay with their lances. They won’t be pulled out of position and leave their employer vulnerable.
Stella Animal Trait: Jumping Spider
Stella spends 1 Speed to jump over an obstacle
Stella leaps over the Mercenaries and starts hopping from helmet to helmet.
Stella spends 1 Speed to avoid an attack
Stella lands on the chariot bearing Thalen. She shrinks to the size of an apple and starts tickling him!
Stella Keep Them Busy 7-9 their attention is on you for a moment
Thalen can’t concentrate on his spell while being tickled. The shining barrier clinging to the Mounted Mercenaries disappears. Priscilla’s army doesn’t take advantage of the opportunity. Buckle’s threat of the Land’s wrath is the one thing they fear.
Stella: Buckle!
Buckle doesn’t want to start a war. He pleads with the Land not to harm anyone, but also visualizes Rossius’s throne melting into lava. The Land isn’t good at knowing what harms people.
Buckle commune with the Land 7-9
Land reaction roll: imperceptibly slow reaction
Nothing seems to happen. The driver of Thalen’s chariot turns around and swings his hand axe at Stella.
Stella Overcome 10+
Stella hides behind Thalen. Since the driver’s job is to keep Thalen safe, he doesn’t dare attack Stella.
Stella Get Away 6-
Thalen usually meditates and leaves fighting to others, but needs must, so he grabs Stella himself. Rossius calls for her immediate execution.
Alluvon: Hold on. When we decide who will become Emperor, that person will have the authority to execute people. I think we should not execute anyone right now.
Rossius: No! I can’t accept such a slight. Mercenaries, kill her!
Buckle: No! Stella!
Buckle Overcome 7-9 pay a price for a permanent solution
Buckle spends 1 use of Anarchy Reigns
Buckle tries to melt the rock suit binding him. It holds, then starts to explode! Bits of rubble fly everywhere. The Geologists aren’t sure if this is treason, or the new way of interacting with the land. Buckle is free, covered in lava, and rampaging towards the Mounted Mercenaries.
Buckle spends 1 Power to Rampage: toss aside everyone you can reach.
Buckle breaks through to Thalen’s chariot. He points a hand dripping with lava at the Elf.
Buckle: Let her go!
Olga takes two steps around the throne and kicks Buckle.
Buckle Overcome 10+
Buckle Survivor: When you Overcome harm directed at you, on a 7+, you also Get Away as if you rolled a 7-9, your choice.
Buckle Get Away 7-9 bring Stella along
Buckle drops a chunk of lava on Olga’s foot, uses his free hand to scoop up Stella (still the size of an apple), and runs back through the line of Mercenaries. Somewhere in the melee, he’s hit by an axe.
Mounted Mercenaries damage Buckle
From Priscilla’s side of the wall, Emeral and her gang of Devilmen rush through the hole in the wall that Buckle just vacated. The Devilmen rip chunks of stone out of the wall as they pass and hurl them over the Mounted Mercenaries towards Rossius. The Mounted Mercenaries and Minotaurs don’t oppose them.
Emeral Terror Command: All nearby Horde threats, including this one, give Despair to anyone trying to attack or hinder them.
Gang of Devilman: Demon’s Strength: The devilmen can lift anything they can get a firm grip on. Their attacks are Dangerous and tear the world around them apart.
GM note: We ruled that stopping the Devilmen from advancing or throwing would be subject to despair, but stopping the rocks once they were in flight would not.
Stella thinks Rossius is the worst, but doesn’t deserve to die like this.
Buckle: Mr. Snicket, have you talked to it yet?
Olga steps in and sweeps all the rocks aside. She sweeps all the rocks aside. She sweeps all the rocks aside. Dolores put a Memory Trap curse on the throne!
Dolores Dark And Terrible: The harbinger can damage this stat to put a curse on someone.
- Memory Trap: A bubble of trapped time. Everything inside the memory trap repeats a set cycle endlessly. Anyone who wanders into the trap must either break the cycle, or become a permanent part of the time loop.
- Circles And Circles: After a set period of time, be it a few minutes, a few hours, or a few days, the world inside the memory trap resets. Events inside the trap repeat as they did before, until the time limit is reached and the trap resets again. After going through a few loops, those caught in the trap lose the ability to change their actions, and end up joining the time loop. Each time the time loop resets, everyone in the trap memory takes damage. Anyone who is Taken Out by this damage is stuck in the loop until the loop breaks. Healing does not work while you are within the memory trap.
- Puzzle Bubble: You cannot leave the memory trap once you enter it, unless you solve the riddle of its time loop. Something in here is causing this, and unless you find that something and end its curse, the memory trap will persist forever. Each memory trap has a Focus that created it, somewhere inside its loop. When this Focus is either destroyed or taken out of the bubble, the bubble pops, and everyone stuck in the loop is freed from it immediately. This destroys the Memory Trap forever, although a stolen Focus could be used to make a new one.
Dolores: Give up the throne!
Dolores has cursed Rossius to have the eternal experience of the Land killing him, how she and her allies felt trapped in the Belly of the Land.
Buckle uses Firestarter
His throne catches fire. His throne catches fire.
Both Buckle and Stella think this commuppance is apt and are OK with this loop continuing. Alluvon tries to disassemble the curse with his abjurations. Dolores resists. It’s a wizard battle! Stella and Buckle stand on either side of Alluvon and push him back and forth.
Stella & Buckle use Wizardry: Touch, push, or grab as if you were somewhere else that you can see.
Stella Pack Leader: When a Companion or member of the fellowship works alongside you, you become a Threat to the World.
Stella Keep Them Busy (+hope, Buckle’s help) 7-9 get their attention for a moment
Alluvon switches his defensive magic to disrupt the Fellowship’s Wizardry instead of attacking the curse on Rossius.
Inside the loop, Rossius experiences his bodyguard saving him over and over. He thinks he’s invincible. The curse eventually damages everyone inside.
Memory trap damages Rossius
Memory Trap damages Olga’s Dark Servitude
Olga Dark Servitude: The titan is bound in service, not entirely within their will. If this stat is damaged and none of the titan’s allies are strong enough to control it, it will disobey orders and do as it pleases. This usually involves crushing any ‘allies’ who abused it or who they hate.
Olga realizes that she’s going to be stuck protecting Rossius forever. She stops blocking the rocks.
Memory Trap damages Rossius. TAKEN OUT!
Alluvon completes his spell against Buckle & Stella so their magical hands just slide off. He looks back just in time to see rocks crush Rossius. The Memory Trap dissapates. He shakes Mr. Snicket to bring him back.
Alluvon: It appears our services are no longer required. There’s only one claimant to the throne.
Buckle: Wait, there’s still some arbitration to be done! The Land still rules.
Mr. Snicket: I’ve seen quite a few interactions with the Land and it’s happy to work with people, but it’s careful not to control them. It sets boundaries. I think the Land would not want to install a ruler.
Buckle: Democracy it is!
The Mounted Mercenaries: Our contract is up! If you want to re-hire us, we’ll stay for the period that he already paid for.
The Minotaurs are loyal, but they are outnumbered and leaderless. They flee the courtyard, going straight through the palace walls.
Group of Minotaurs Bull Charge: The minotaur cannot be stopped once it starts charging. Anyone in its way is either bashed aside or gored on its horns.
Olga doesn’t want to work for Priscilla, because her forces tried to trap her in an eternal time loop. Olga, Alluvon, and Mr. Snicket leave through the gate.
Priscilla: I see that you put yourselves at risk to disrupt Rossius and that gave us our opportunity. You receive our gratitude.
Stella knows that perfection is impossible, so she hopes Priscilla can lead the Empire in a way that doesn’t harm the people or the Land. She doesn’t want Priscilla to be a tyrant. Buckle wants her to get along with the Land. The Land is the only thing that frightens Priscilla. It stole her life and trapped her for hundreds of years.
Buckle: So, look around. It’s really important that you not have animosity between yourself and the place you live, given how powerful it is and how much guidance and coaching it needs. You’ve experienced yourself just how wrong things can go when it is not given that kind of encouragement. Come with me to the Land to reconcile and show it that you will protect its people.
Buckle Talk Sense (+Sense, plan) 10+
Priscilla: We have the greatest respect for the land and its power. The last thing we would want to do is draw its ire.
Priscilla will not act against the Land, but she’s motivated by fear, not acceptance. She politely deflects Buckle’s offer to meet the Land immediately because she has so much to do at the Palace. Stella thinks that’s good enough.
Buckle goes with the Geologists to learn how to be a Geologist. Perhaps this is a place that he could belong.
END-OF-SESSION MOVE
- Did we thoroughly explore a new location?
- YES. The Imperial Capital.
- Did anyone find what they were seeking?
- YES. Stella moved away from her old culture by not wanting Rossius (an enemy) to die. She’s finding herself.
- Did we learn anything new about the world or its people?
- YES. Stella didn’t know magic could be so big. There are societies and professional training, not just individual talent
The Fellowship RECOVERS in the Empire, healing all stats and restoring uses to all gear.
Buckle might get a custom move for communing with the Land safely, or the character might retire to become an important figure in the Empire.