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Chasing The Sunset & party prep

Chasing the Sunset is a West Marches-style exploration game using Fellowship 2nd Edition‘s Horizon rules.

Rod the Exile, riding Tobit the dog, is walking around Port Fennrick with Pikano, who appears to be a human child. The sidewalks in Port Fennrick are boardwalks around buildings up on stilts over the river. They look over the edge of the boardwalk and see mermaids swimming around.

Pikano is a good swimmer, so she jumps in and talks to a mermaid. This mermaid just spent weeks swimming up the river and back down, collecting local delicacies. She offers a blue flower with thick, salty petals. Pikano eats a petal and doesn’t like it. The mermaid has a treat for Tobit: fish that only live in a frigid mountain lake far above. They are two inches long and bright red. The mermaid needs to go. She has been away from her family for a long time and wants to get back. Pikano asks about the mermaid. The mermaid says to head to Finsea: follow the river out to the sea, past the seaweed farms, and that’s Finsea. Ask for Allura, who runs a shop of exotic treats. People know her. She’s be happy to receive you.

The mermaid swims away, and a boat passes. It’s drawn by two manatees, and piloted by a platyperson. Someone on the boardwalk calls out to her, and she quacks back. They throw out lines and tie up the boat. There are humans walking on the boardwalk above, and fairies flying everywhere. They don’t need to respect waterways or sidewalks.

There’s a fairy struggling with a heavy load. Pikano climbs out of the water to assist the fairy. She leaves wet footprints on the boardwalk as she approaches. Rod and Tobit climb out of the water and Tobit shakes himself off, getting water everywhere. The Fairy is named Marigold, and her package is too heavy for her. Fairies are only 11 inches tall, so they aren’t physically strong. Marigold says that Pikano looks big and strong, and will she please help her carry this heavy package? Pikano agrees, and can easily carry the package. It’s not that heavy.

Marigold says that her house is just over this way, and flies off, over a house! Rod and Pikano can’t fly! What will they do? Pikano can turn into a spider, so she climbs up the waterspout. She drops a silk line so Rod can tie it to Tobit and pull the dog up. Once all three are on the roof, they see a big tree growing in the back yard, with branches extending over the roof. Marigold’s house in in the branches. The door to her house is very small and Pikano can’t fit inside. She turns back into a human and knocks on the door. Marigold answers the door and is so happy that Rod and Pikano carried her heavy package for her. She was throwing a party soon, and the package contains all her supplies. Now the party is saved! Marigold digs in the package, looking for something she can give to thanks her helpers. She throws flowers and loops of ribbons around until she finds what she’s looking for: a delicious oatmeal chocolate chip cookie! Pikano thanks Marigold and devours the cookie.

GM note: In real life, Pikano’s player received a real oatmeal chocolate chip cookie at this time.

Rod sticks around to watch the party. The party is in Marigold’s “back yard”, the upper branches of the large tree. Fairies of many colors arrive and dance to music played by songbirds. The dance moves are small, quick, and precise. The fairies find seats all over the branches at many different levels. There’s no dance floor or flat table. The whole party is very three-dimensional.

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Chasing The Sunset & shipwreck

Chasing the Sunset is a West Marches-style exploration game using Fellowship 2nd Edition‘s Horizon rules.

Melvin the Rain

He a slime person who can’t be hurt by normal weapons, and in fact keeps several normal weapons inside his gooey, malleable form to produce and weild when the need arises.  The Rain (singular and plural) arrived on this world as fragments of an ice comet. Rain tends to live with other Rain and not in the cosmopolitian, multi-species cities that are common across the world.  They all answer to the Ice King, and Melvin is exploring new lands partially because of some unpleasantness back at the royal court.  Rumor has it that the Rainwant to create a great Ice City.

Lumen the Lantern

She appears to be a female humanoid accompanied by a small floating light, but really she’s an extradimensional traveller, and the light is closer to the “real” her than the humanoid form it projects.  Maintaining the humanoid form is tiring, but makes interacting with others in this world much easier.  There are not many Lanterns in this world.  She’s exploring to right wrongs, enforce justice, and protect the innocent, and she’s focused all her skill into making her Little Light as versatile and dangerous as possible.  Woe to the wicked! Rumor has it that Lanterns can possess other creatures, kind of like they ‘possess’ their humanoid projections.

Grokch the Goblin Tinker

He’s a little Goblin in a big suit of power armor, equipped with a blaster gun and giant drill.  Goblins are somewhat shy and stay in their technologically advanced underground cities, never venturing to the surface.  Grockch (be sure to to pronounce the guttural ‘ch’ after the hard ‘k’!) was voluntold to explore topside for new materials or power sources to help advance Goblin civilization. In addition to seeking scientific progress, he also wants the chance to show off his cool toys!  Rumor has it that Goblins are redirecting underground streams.

Bungo Trotter the Squire

He’s not the champion of humanity. He’s just a guy who’s good at making friends and is a little over his head. He wants to see the sights and maybe discover more about who he is, deep inside.  Rumor has it that humans are brainwashing the Goblin scouts that are sent to the surface, so they will go back and infiltrate the Goblin underground cities.

Rumors

  • There’s a new material that enables a new form of energy
  • A swamp monster lurks inside a lake
  • A mystical shrine that lets one recover from grief
  • Drinking from a certain natural spring brings euphoric feelings

Let’s Begin

Bungo, Grokch, Lumen, and Melvin did not take a ferry like the previous party.  They took a charter vessel that was already carrying some cargo to Port Fennrick.  It’s a small boat, with barely enough room for the six passengers and crew, plus the carefully wrapped, couch-sized cargo.  The boat is pulled by two manatees, commanded by Jensen (a platyperson) and guided through an unconventional route by Sebastina (a mermaid). During the journey, some vast undersea creature passed by. A fast-moving hill of water, pushed up by the unseen monster, overtook the boat and threw it off-course.  The manatees broke loose and fled in panic. Sebastina barely held on to the hull, and the boat and its six occupants washed up on an unfamiliar shore.

Our heroes take stock of the situation. No one is injured, and the boat’s hull seems intact, but their propulsion is gone, and they don’t know where they are relative to their destination.  Lumen surveys the scene. They are on a sandy beach.  The water is shallow, dotted with many islands of strange, unnatural shapes: a hemisphere, a cube twisted at an odd angle, curlicues, and other shapes which wind, water, and time would never create.  Inland, there’s dense jungle, and hills rising far beyond.  Lumen’s sharp eyes detect giant spiders lurking in the jungle, hunting birds looking for stragglers overhead, and the tops of masts far away to the south.  So the main shipping lane is to the south, but how can they get there?

Melvin walks into the sea and shapeshifts into a manatee.  He calls out, hoping to find the lost manatees.  Instead, he finds strange fishes, as misshapen and twisted as the islands they swim among.  They head towards him, and they don’t look friendly!  Fortunately for Melvin. he’s hard to see when he’s immersed in water, and normal weapons like fish teeth can’t hurt him anyways. Bungo still throws rocks to distract the fish and pulls Melvin to shore.

Just then, from behind a perfectly cylindrical island, a small racing yacht appears.  It’s zooming dangerously close to the island, it’s lone occupant leaning so far off the side that the pontoon on the opposite side is out of the water.  It’s do Rolo, the millionaire thrill-seeker!  Bungo knows him!  Bungo helped de Rolo select the perfect tree to turn into that yacht’s mast.  Bungo hails the yacht and de Rolo swiftly heaves to.  The castaways explain their predicament, hoping for a ride on the yacht, or for de Rolo to build a mast for their boat so they can finish their journey under wind power.  de Rolo is excited by the strange, large creature that got them into this mess. He’s a thrill-seeker, so of course he wants to pursue the creature immediately. Of course he won’t leave them stranded.  They can all accompany him on this grand chase, and then he’ll take them to Port Fennrick.  The castaways are not interested in heading into danger, especially Captain Jensen, who really wants to deliver her cargo on time.  It’s very important.  They convince de Rolo to make a mast for them so that he can go chase monsters and they can go to Port Fennrick.

de Rolo is now fixed on his new mission and marches boldly into the jungle to select a proper tree.  He doesn’t see that he’s walking right towards a couple of giant spiders!  The spiders’ attention is all on de Rolo, so Melvin and Lumen blast one with their respective ranged weapons.  The second Spider pounces on top of de Rolo, but Lumen drops that one with a single,well-aimed shot!  Our heroes move forward to secure the area, and de Rolo finds a good tree.  He and Grokch attempt to fashion a mast from it, but Grokch has only a blaster and a drill, tools better suited to other uses.  He destroys the tree.

de Rolo is frustrated and won’t try again.  If the party wants to leave, they had better accompnay him on his yacht.  They all return to the beach, but the yacht isn’t there!  Neither are Jensen or Sebastina. They’ve stolen the yacht and stranded our heroes! Melvin can move through bodies of water at incredible speed, so he catches up with the yacht and pleads for Jensen to return and pick up the others.  She reluctantly agrees, and Melvin owes her a favor.  When everyone is onboard, their destination is hotly debated. Jensen wants to deliver the package to Port Fennrick immediately, but de Rolo wants to pursue the creature.  During the commotion, Lumen sneaks a peek at the mysterious cargo.  It’s a large wooden box, maybe 2m x 1m x 1m, wrapped in canvas and secured by rope.  Lumen unites a few knots and lifts the lid. Inside, there’s a creature that has been reshaped so much that no original shape is left.  Eyes, limbs, teeth at all angles.  It lies perfectly still, because on the inside of the lid is a glowing Symbol of Sleep!  Lumen manages to cover it with her hand just before it knocks her unconscious.  Now she remembers Jensen’s mannerisms and her insistence on delivering the package.  She’s smuggling this beast for some unsavory folks, and if it’s not delivered as promised, Jensen is in serious trouble.

Just as Grokch is convincing Jensen to go on de Rolo’s adventure first and deliver the cargo later, Jensen spots Lumen messing with the cargo!  Lumen reveals the secret of the cargo. She doesn’t uncover the Symbol of Sleep, of course, but explains the situation.  She gives an inspiring speech about slaying this foul creature and fighting the mobsters who put Jensen and everyone else in danger with it.  Most are convinced, but Melvin is dedicated to the freedom of all things, and sees the Chaos Beast as a prisoner. Everyone starts arguing as mutant fish start circling the boat, drawn to the Chaos Beast.

Melvin prevails. They will release the Chaos Beast from its enchanted slumber, but they don’t want to deal with an active Chaos Beast on the crowded yacht.  Grokch rigs some floats and a time-release spring so they can set the Chaos Beast adrift, and dump it into the water when the yacht is a safe distance away.  Unfortunately, the spring goes off immediately, throwing the box high into the air. The lid opens, throwing the Chaos Beast clear, but also flashing the entire crew with the Symbol of Sleep!  Jensen, Sebastina, de Rolo, and Bungo all collapse, but Grokch no-scopes the lid right out of the air with his blaster, destroying the symbol.

With all immediate threats dealt with, the racing yacht heads for Port Fennrick.

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Chasing the sunset & the Kraken

Chasing the Sunset is a West Marches-style exploration game using Fellowship 2nd Edition‘s Horizon rules.

Fafnir the dragon.

She just hatched yesterday, from an ancient egg that Buckle found and incubated. She’s has four legs, wings, and is about the size of a Golden Retriever.  She likes to strike from above with her sharp talons, but doesn’t always control her great power.  Perhaps other eggs or dragons have survived. She’s traveling to find them.  She heard that somewhere out there is a city made of gold.

Long ago, dragons ruled the world, but they were brought down by trickery and almost wiped out. They are vengeful, although not many survive to enact vengeance.  Rumor has it that they are also very greedy.

Buckle the beast.

He’s a Platyperson who has electrical senses to detect living creatures, venomous spurs, and the ability to breath underwater. Incubating eggs is normal for platypi, but it’s quite unusual for dragons to emerge from those eggs. He’s traveling for a reason that he has not shared with his companions.  He heard about a underwater crystalline cathedral.

Platypeople keep to themselves & don’t interact with outsiders much.  Their ‘cities’ (small compared to the cities of Elves or Orcs) can be underwater, on land, or both.  There’s a great festival called Platypalooza scheduled for the next full moon. Platypeople have a reputation of being ignorant, backwater folk.

Rook the remnant.

They is an incorporeal ghost, unable to touch or be touched by anything.  They died near the end of the war against the dragons, but they remains.  They remembers.  They heard that somewhere out there is a temple with the power to restore the dragons.

Long ago, their people served the dragons, but they were all killed in the same war that killed the dragons. Rumor has it that dragon sympathizers like Rook remain because they were cursed by witches!

Agnes Nutter the harbinger.

She’s a blind prophet, who has sight beyond sight. She riding a flying snake named Snek, who can shrink and coil around her neck like a scarf when flying is not needed. Agnes has a ring that lets her see through Snek’s eyes. She also has a vague sixth sense of things near her, so she won’t run into things, even without Snek’s help. She travels to find a legendary library of powerful magical tomes.

The blind prophets are nomads, and avoid each other, since multiple prophets close together cause magical interference, distorting the prophesies.  When prophets dream, they are possessed by some magical force and recite or write prophesies. These prophesies come from several different sources.  Rumor has it that the prophets are just high all the time, and their visions are drug-induced hallucinations.

The “new to them” world

This is not like Europe 500 years ago declaring that lands were unknown and uninhabited just because Europeans didn’t know about or didn’t live there.  Our characters know that the world is bigger than what they’ve traveled or heard about. They are going past the limits of their experience, not to some undiscovered country.  There will be people and nations out there.  Our characters’ ignorance of those people does not invalidate them.

Let’s begin

Agnes found a Fairy Ferry that runs across the sea to the land they will explore. This ferry is made of two enormous leaves. One forms the hull and another forms the deck.  The stem of the hull curves up, providing an elevated platform like the bridge of a human ship. The ship is driven by two propeller shafts, one on each side of the ship. The propeller blades are shaped like giant maple seeds. The shafts run inside the hull and are connected to basically bicycles. Teams of fairies take shifts pedaling to propel the ship.  Fairies are about a foot tall, extremely skinny and delicate humanoids. They fly on transparent insect wings. Their skin can be any pastel shade, and they favor flower names.  They are nude, except for accessories, like Captain Periwinkle’s impressive tricorne hat.  They have a constant glamour that makes it impossible for one to get a clear view of their bodies. They always seem obscured, un-detailed, PG-rated.

Buckle stands at the prow. He’d rather swim.  Boats seem like big-city nonsense to him.  Rook lurks at the entrance to the lower deck.  They can’t enter without permission. Agnes & Fafnir are below. Fafnir is hungry and licks a bench.  Maybe it’s salad.  Fairies powering the screws change shifts. A fairy named Crocus notices Fafnir and yells at her, Agnes gets a glimpse of something strange in Crocus’s locker that he’s trying to conceal. Agnes convinces him to give Fafnir candy in exchange for taking a shift on the bicycle. He gets fruit & candy from the locker, revealing an evil charm. A large splinter of wood with a dried tentacle wrapped around it, secured with twine.  Agnes takes a piece of fruit & uses it to look through Crocus’s eyes. He’s looking at he evil charm, muttering about “soon, close!”

Agnes goes above to gather the team & tell of the danger. Only now do Fafnir and Agnes notice that poor Rook was left outside in the rain.  Rook sinks through the deck to stick their head into Crocus’s locker, but is spotted.  Buckle’s electrical sense & Agnes’ ley lines detect something approaching from starboard, connected to the charm. They go to warn the captain. Periwinkle sends Rose, the burly first mate, to check on Crocus, who is running up to the deck to complain about Rook.

Just as Rose & Crocus meet, the Kraken emerges! Tentacles threaten the ship!  Rook tries to distract a crushing tentacle. It works! The tentacle attacks them, but passes through them and smashes through the deck of the ship. Another tentacle grabs Rose.  Fafnir runs to pin Crocus & hopefully take his charm.  She was thinking of just killing him, but restrained herself.  Crocus dodges & blasts her with fairy dust, damaging her Sense.  Also, the charm is still in Crocus’s locker, not on his person.  Since no one helped her, Rose is yanked overboard.

Agnes goes overboard somehow. Snek flies out to look for her.  Buckle jumps into the water and asks the Kraken to please let them pass.  The Kraken is surprised to hear someone speak to it, so it emerges to look at the situation more closely.

The Kraken’s squishy, bulbous head and giant yellow eye tower over the ship.  One tentacle is still wrapped around one of the propellers.  Snek picks up Agnes & Rose & carries them back to the ship. Fafnir flies up, drops onto the Kraken’s eye, and tears at it without restraint. Chunks of squid-flesh rain down on Buckle, who dives under the ship to safety. The ship can’t dodge & takes more damage.  The Kraken submerges, leaving Fafnir in the water.

Under the boat in relative peace, Buckle notices farms and buildings on the sea floor. He swims down to seek help.

Agnes sends Snek to retrieve Fafnir from the water.  Rook pretends to have Crocus’s charm. Crocus approaches, trying to get it back.  Rook backs up to the edge of the ship, hoping that Crocus will fall overboard, but Crocus can also fly, so they both float past the edge of the ship.

The binding tentacle that no one dealt with snaps off the starboard propeller shaft.

The Kraken re-emerges on the port side of the boat.  Fafnir does the same trick to score another hit, disabling the Kraken’s tentacles. She restrains herself and does not inflict collateral damage.  The Kraken submerges & Fafnir is left in the water again.

Buckle swims into a cave in the sea floor from which light is shining. Inside, there’s a mer-person working metal over a volcanic vent.  Buckle asks for help, but the smith demands something precious first. Buckle hands over a crocodile tooth, a trophy of a previous hunt. The smith starts planning how to turn it into an impressive necklace, but then remembers the business at hand and swims up to engage with his smithing hammer.

Fafnir swims over to the ferry and tries to climb aboard. Coco, Fafnir’s scheming Kobold minion, has planned for just such an occasion and helps Fafnir aboard.

Under the ferry, the mer-smith charges in, striking mighty blows with his hammer. Buckle is going to use the distraction to strike with his venomous spurs, but the Kraken attacks with its beak. The smith is caught in the terrible jaws and drops his hammer.

Agnes manipulates the ley lines to open a path to a closed space: the inside of Crocus’ locker. She grabs the charm and destroys it with her runeblade. The Kraken convulses as the blow is struck, and sinks limply to the sea floor below.

Buckle takes a trophy from the Kraken as it sinks. The smith claims the carcass as salvage, since it fell on his fields.  Even with half its propellers gone, the ferry is able to limp to port under the expert guidance of Captain Periwinkle.

Port Intrepid is built on stilts in a marshy river delta. Folks move around in town either by boat or on boardwalks. A platform overlooking the bustling dock has three important features:

  • Crew bosses shouting orders to workers below
  • A clock tower
  • A big Ogre, who is making a show of being menacing, but seems a bit uncomfortable with the role.

The party heals. Fafnir and Buckle level up. Fafnir teaches Agnes the “Dragoon” move that was so effective against the Kraken. Buckle gains another animal trait and teaches Fafnir how to use electro-sense.

Thus ends the first session of Chasing the Sunset. Next time, a different group of characters will have different adventures.