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--- all_scenes_of_hunting_an_unknown_hunter [2026/07/12 07:08] – [All Scenes Overview — Hunting an Unknown Hunter] admin
+++ all_scenes_of_hunting_an_unknown_hunter [2026/09/06 14:40] (current) – [DRAMATURGIC COCKPIT AND SCENE OVERVIEW OF HUNTING AN UNKNOWN HUNTER] admin
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 ====== DRAMATURGIC COCKPIT AND SCENE OVERVIEW OF HUNTING AN UNKNOWN HUNTER ======
-{{:route_to_morningstar.png?direct&400|}}
+{{:route_to_morningstar.png?direct&600 |}}
 ===== Introduction for Dungeon Masters =====
-Hunting An Unknown Hunter is a consequence-driven continuation of [[the_man_without_a_name|The Man Without A Name.]]
+**Hunting An Unknown Hunter** is a consequence-driven continuation of [[the_man_without_a_name|The Man Without A Name]].
-This adventure is not structured around a simple assassination or a straightforward rescue. The PCs are burdened with the hardest constraint of all: they must infiltrate a fortified, heavily guarded territory, identify the mastermind behind a systematic liquidation ring, and **extract him alive** to face justice in New Kourou.
+The PCs receive a difficult mandate from Ezrah Scherkenstein: identify the person behind the attack upon the Office and bring that person back to New Kourou alive.
-Most scenes are not mandatory. They are pressure points. Players may investigate, flee, confront, bargain, or be captured. Failure states are narratively valid and often more revealing than success.
+The adventure is not a single linear sequence. The PCs may investigate different locations, choose different routes, gain or lose allies, become prisoners, infiltrate J.W.’s compound, escape with or without him and return with very different accounts of what happened.
-What matters is what the PCs learn, how they manage the grueling logistics of a live capture, and what consequences they carry back to New Kourou and beyond.
+Do not prepare every scene in equal detail. Begin with the current stage, identify the route chosen by the players and consult only the scenes that may logically follow from it.
-Use this page as your cockpit: a navigation layer, a dramaturgic map, and a tool to understand how scenes, factions, and obligations interlock.
+Use this page as a dramaturgic cockpit:
-----
+  * **Core scenes** establish the main investigation, transition or resolution.
+  * **Branch-Critical scenes** become important only when a particular event, obligation or outcome activates them.
+  * **Optional scenes** provide additional clues, equipment, relationships or risks.
+  * **Unlocked scenes** become available through specific discoveries or relationships and may replace a default route.
-===== The Stages of the Adventure =====
+Failure does not necessarily end the adventure. Capture, retreat, an incomplete investigation and an unsuccessful extraction all lead to playable consequences.
-Hunting An Unknown Hunter unfolds in four stages. The closer the PCs get to the truth, the fewer ways out remain.
+What matters is what the PCs discover, how they respond to the people caught inside J.W.’s system and which consequences they carry back to New Kourou.
-==== Stage I — Briefing & Departure (Intent · Constraints · First Fractures) ====
+===== Stage I — Briefing and Departure =====
-{{ :new_kourou_streetview_poster_scenic_2d.png?direct&200|}}
+{{:new_kourou_streetview_poster_scenic_2d.png?direct&500 |}}
-This stage begins at the Office for Special Operations in New Kourou. The mission is defined, but the enemy is not.
+Stage I begins at the Office for Special Operations in New Kourou.
-The PCs leave with a clear, grueling order from Ezrah Scherkenstein — find out who is behind the hit squad, and bring them back alive for trial. What exists at this point are only fragments: reports, anomalies, and the unsettling sense that something systematic has been hidden behind routine violence.
+Ezrah establishes the mission and makes the live-capture mandate explicit. The PCs must then decide how to prepare, which transport and supplies to acquire and how openly they can move while carrying any existing Wanted Conditions.
-**Key themes:**
+The journey toward Morningstar gradually removes the protection of New Kourou. Optional stops may provide information or resources, while an encounter with the Honga can create an obligation that follows the PCs through the remainder of the adventure.
-purpose without clarity, non-lethal constraints, and the illusion of distance.
-New Kourou still offers protection, structure, and choice. Mistakes here cost time, money, or comfort — not lives. But the decision to leave with a capture order already commits the PCs to a tactical nightmare they cannot yet see.
+**Key themes:** preparation · limited resources · exposure · obligation · leaving familiar authority behind
-----
+| **Scene** | **Name** | **Type** | **When It Is Used / Where It Leads** | **Link** |
+| **1** | The Briefing | Core | Establish Ezrah’s mandate, the live-capture condition, available support and the PCs’ current legal exposure. | [[hauh_1_the_briefing|Scene 1]] |
+| **2** | Travel Preparations | Core | Allow the PCs to plan their route, budget, supplies, transport and disguises before leaving New Kourou. | [[hauh_2_travel_preparations|Scene 2]] |
+| **2a** | Courier Station | Branch-Critical | Use when the PCs investigate scheduled transport or miss the caravan and must choose another way to travel. | [[hauh_2a_courier_station|Scene 2a]] |
+| **2b** | Mandala’s Mounts | Optional | Provides a fast individual transport option and introduces the scarcity of suitable mounts. | [[hauh_2b_mandalas_mounts|Scene 2b]] |
+| **2c** | Food Market | Optional | Allows the PCs to purchase supplies, hear rumours and risk additional exposure. | [[hauh_2c_food_market|Scene 2c]] |
+| **2d** | Buying a Mortician’s Cart | Optional | Provides an enclosed Hoo-drawn hearse that may later conceal passengers, equipment, a prisoner or a body. | [[hauh_2d_buying_mortician_cart|Scene 2d]] |
+| **3** | Traveling to Morningstar | Core | Moves the PCs along the Trade Route and introduces the risks and practical demands of frontier travel. | [[hauh_traveling_to_morningstar|Scene 3]] |
+| **3a** | Rest Stop in Hope | Optional | Offers rest, rumours and an early economic clue connecting violence with the fur trade. | [[scene_3a_rest_stop_in_hope|Scene 3a]] |
+| **3b** | Prisoners of the Honga | Branch-Critical | Introduces Honga judgment and may establish a promise or pact concerning the person responsible for the traps. | [[scene_3b_prisoners_of_the_honga|Scene 3b]] |
-==== Stage II — The Pattern Emerges (Travel · Convergence · Rising Unease) ====
+===== Stage II — The Pattern Emerges =====
-{{ :hope_region_courier_station_and_route_stop_scenic2d_02.png?direct&200|}}
+{{:hope_region_courier_station_and_route_stop_scenic2d_02.png?direct&500 |}}
-As the PCs travel toward the Atrana Mountains, clues begin to overlap.
-What once appeared as isolated incidents — traps, missing people, erased witnesses — starts to form a repeatable pattern.
-The closer the PCs get geographically, the clearer the structure becomes: identical materials, consistent procedures, recurring economic signals in the fur trade.
+Stage II begins when the PCs reach Morningstar.
-At the same time, danger escalates. Authority fragments, cultural rules replace legal ones, and the environment itself becomes complicit. Encounters with Hope and the Honga may introduce moral judgment, suspicion, and demands for accountability that might conflict directly with Ezrah's orders.
+Morningstar functions as an investigation hub. The PCs may pursue economic evidence, question traders, seek treatment, acquire equipment or attract the attention of bounty hunters and Guarding Troopers.
-**Key themes:**
+The available clues gradually connect the fur trade, unusual payments, timber deliveries, the Hands and J.W.’s fortified compound.
-recognition, reconstruction, and the realization that violence here is curated — not chaotic.
-The PCs are still moving freely, but the hunt has already begun to narrow.
+Sagan offers a conditional route through this stage. If the PCs protect him and earn his trust, he can reveal the history of his ruined company and eventually guide them along the Roman Way. Otherwise, the PCs may locate the compound by following Mustafa “Mu” Metzger.
-----
+**Key themes:** converging evidence · economic control · fragile alliances · recognition · pressure from local authority
-==== Stage III — Entering the Realm of the Hunter (Territory · Control · The Extraction Dilemma) ====
+| **Scene** | **Name** | **Type** | **When It Is Used / Where It Leads** | **Link** |
+| **4** | Arrival in Morningstar | Core | Introduces the settlement as an investigation hub and presents the available leads and locations. | [[hauh_arrival_in_morningstar|Scene 4]] |
+| **4a** | Django’s Diner | Optional | Allows the PCs to prevent bloodshed, protect civilians, meet Sagan and recover the torn voucher. | [[hauh_morningstar_djangos_diner|Scene 4a]] |
+| **4a+1** | The Price of Timber | Optional · Unlocked | Becomes available after the PCs earn Sagan’s trust. Reveals his connection to J.W.’s supply chain and may recruit him as a guide. | [[scene_4a_1_the_price_of_timber|Scene 4a+1]] |
+| **4b** | Saw’s End | Core | Provides lodging, consolidates rumours and may expose Wanted PCs to Austin Hammacher. | [[hauh_morningstar_saws_end|Scene 4b]] |
+| **4c** | Morningstar Food Market | Core | Reveals J.W.’s influence upon local trade and introduces Mustafa “Mu” Metzger as a possible lead. | [[hauh_morningstar_food_market|Scene 4c]] |
+| **4d** | Medical Station of Morningstar | Optional | Allows the PCs to treat injuries and manage conditions acquired during the journey. | [[hauh_morningstar_medical_station|Scene 4d]] |
+| **4e** | Hale & Hook Outfitters | Core | Confirms the material and economic trail connecting J.W. with the fur trade. | [[hauh_morningstar_hale_and_hook|Scene 4e]] |
+| **4f** | Local Guarding Troopers Station | Optional | Allows procedural investigation but may expose or arrest Wanted PCs. | [[hauh_morningstar_guarding_troopers|Scene 4f]] |
+| **4g** | Escaping Morningstar — The Manhunt | Branch-Critical | Use when exposure, arrest or violence forces the PCs to flee Morningstar. | [[hauh_morningstar_manhunt|Scene 4g]] |
-{{ :scene_5_follow_the_errand_runner.png?direct&200|}}
+===== Stage III — Entering the Realm of the Hunter =====
-This stage includes Morningstar and everything beyond it.
+{{:scene_5_follow_the_errand_runner.png?direct&500 |}}
-Here, the pattern gains a center. Morningstar appears functional, pragmatic, even mundane — yet every routine bends subtly toward a single unseen authority. Information must be purchased, proximity is dangerous, and discretion is enforced socially rather than by law.
+Stage III begins when the PCs leave Morningstar and enter the forest leading toward J.W.’s territory.
-As the PCs push further, freedom becomes conditional. Unescorted movement is allowed. Exploration is possible. But everything they see confirms the same truth: they are already accounted for.
+Two principal routes can lead to the compound. The PCs may follow Mu and attempt to interpret the temporary markers used by J.W.’s people, or they may unlock Sagan’s guidance along the Roman Way.
-When they finally locate J.W., the true weight of the mission hits: they cannot just put a bullet in him and run. They must disable, bind, and drag a hostile, highly intelligent mastermind out of his own heavily guarded compound. Capture is not just a risk for the PCs; it is the entire operational goal.
+Both routes converge at the fortified compound. The palisade, guarded gate, warning bell and departing freight wagon create practical obstacles before the PCs ever reach the buildings inside.
-**Key themes:**
+Once within the compound, track the current escalation state, the freight wagon, J.W.’s Hands and the Blues separately. The Hands enforce J.W.’s authority. The Blues are not an automatically hostile faction; their reactions depend upon their Disposition, their circumstances and whether resistance against J.W. has begun.
-asymmetry of power, the tactical nightmare of live extraction, and the collapse of initiative.
-----
+If the PCs arrive freely, continue with Scene 6a. If they are captured, continue with Scene 6b. Their eventual escape then leads to Scene 6c or Scene 6d depending upon whether they take J.W. with them.
-==== Stage IV — Judgment & Return (Consequences · Proof · Aftermath) ====
+**Key themes:** infiltration · controlled territory · escalating alarm · coerced inhabitants · the difficulty of live extraction
-{{ :102_pnp_jw_property.png?direct&200|}}
-This stage begins once the PCs leave the Realm of the Hunter — alive, deadened, escaped, or dragging their captive.
+| **Scene** | **Name** | **Type** | **When It Is Used / Where It Leads** | **Link** |
+|  **— APPROACH ROUTES —**  |||||
+| **5** | Follow the Errand Runner | Branch-Critical · Default Route | Follow Mu from Morningstar, interpret the temporary route markers and approach the compound while avoiding interception. | [[hauh_follow_the_errand_runner|Scene 5]] |
+| **4a+2** | The Roman Way | Optional · Unlocked Route | Replaces the default approach if Sagan agrees to guide the PCs. Ends when the compound comes into view. | [[scene_4a_2_the_roman_way|Scene 4a+2]] |
+|  **— COMPOUND ENTRY AND CONFRONTATION —**  |||||
+| **6a** | In the Realm of the Hunter | Branch-Critical | Use when the PCs reach or re-enter the compound freely. Resolve infiltration, exploration, escalation, the Blues and the confrontation with J.W. | [[hauh_in_the_realm_of_the_hunter|Scene 6a]] |
+| **6b** | As a Prisoner in the Realm of the Hunter | Branch-Critical | Use only if the PCs are captured. Escape from the holding room returns them to Scene 6a under the appropriate escalation state. | [[hauh_prisoner_in_realm_of_hunter|Scene 6b]] |
+|  **— ESCAPE FROM THE COMPOUND —**  |||||
+| **6c** | Escape with the Hunter | Branch-Critical | Use when the PCs leave the compound with J.W. under their control. Resolve pursuit, the Hands, the Blues and the physical burden of extraction. | [[hauh_escape_with_the_hunter|Scene 6c]] |
+| **6d** | Escape Empty-Handed | Branch-Critical | Use when the PCs leave without J.W. Resolve pursuit, surviving evidence and the decision to keep moving or risk returning. | [[hauh_escape_empty_handed|Scene 6d]] |
-Execution by the Hunter is likely.
+===== Stage IV — Judgment, Return and Aftermath =====
-Escape is possible.
-Extracting the Hunter alive is the ultimate test.
-This stage answers the final question of the adventure:
+{{:102_pnp_jw_property.png?direct&500 |}}
-what did it cost the PCs to fulfill the mandate — and what are they willing to stand behind?
-**Key themes:**
+Stage IV begins once the PCs have escaped J.W.’s compound.
-accountability, the physical burden of the captive, and the permanence of consequences.
-Leaving the Realm does not reset the world.
+The return to New Kourou is not a reset. The PCs must select a viable route, account for their remaining transport and equipment and deal with injuries, companions, pursuit and the condition of J.W.
-If the Hunter is killed, Ezrah's mandate fails.
-If he is extracted alive, the system is exposed, but the PCs must survive the journey back.
-----
-===== All Scenes Overview — Hunting an Unknown Hunter =====
+If the PCs previously made a promise to the Honga, their return may activate Scene 8b. The PCs must then decide whether to fulfil that obligation, negotiate around it or accept the consequences of breaking it.
-Type Legend
+Scene 9 resolves the formal debriefing. Ezrah evaluates the evidence, the live-capture mandate, the fate of the Blues and the PCs’ actions. The recorded Final State then determines which epilogue follows.
-- Core – Backbone scenes that define the investigation and outcome
-- Branch-Critical – Conditional scenes that, once entered, shape obligations or endings
-- Optional – Skippable scenes that enrich context, risk, or leverage
-^ Scene No. ^ Name ^ Stage ^ Type ^ Possible Purpose ^ Location ^ Involved NPCs (Main) ^ Scene Link ^
+**Key themes:** survival · accountability · cultural obligation · evidence · legal consequences · emotional closure
-| **1** | The Briefing | Stage I | Core | Establish mission, stakes, and Ezrah’s explicit order | [[headquarters_of_the_office_for_special_operations|OfSO Headquarters]], New Kourou | [[ezrah_scherkenstein|Ezrah Scherkenstein]] | [[hauh_1_the_briefing|Scene 1]] |
-| **2** | Travel Preparations | Stage I | Core | Plan route, resources, timing, and exposure | Public Services Ring, [[new_kourou|New Kourou]] | Vendors, Troopers | [[hauh_2_travel_preparations|Scene 2]] |
-| **2a** | Courier Station | Stage I | Branch-Critical | Missed caravan → force alternative travel decision | [[new_kourou_courier_station|New Kourou Courier Station]] | Courier Clerks | [[hauh_2a_courier_station|Scene 2a]] |
-| **2b** | Mandala’s Mounts | Stage I | Branch-Critical | Acquire fastest travel option; expose scarcity and urgency | [[mandala_s_mounts|Mandala’s Mounts, New Kourou]] | Rajid Mandala | [[hauh_2b_mandalas_mounts|Scene 2b]] |
-| **2c** | Food Market | Stage I | Branch-Critical | Stock supplies; gather rumors; pickpocket risk | [[new_kourou_food_market|New Kourou Food Market]] | Market Vendors | [[hauh_2c_food_market|Scene 2c]] |
-| **2d** | Buying a Mortician’s Cart | Stage I | Branch-Critical | Gain unique transport option; foreshadow funerary culture | [[schmitz_funeral_home|Schmitz Funeral Home, New Kourou]] | Schmitz | [[hauh_2d_buying_mortician_cart|Scene 2d]] |
-| **3** | Traveling to Morningstar | Stage I | Core | Transition into frontier travel; introduce risk and pacing | [[trade_route|Trade Route]] (NK → Morningstar) | — | [[hauh_traveling_to_morningstar|Scene 3]] |
-| **3a** | Rest Stop in Hope | Stage I | Optional | Recover, gather rumors, uncover first economic clue | [[route_stop_hope|Route Stop of Hope]], [[the_floodgate|The Floodgate]], [[old_netter_s_rest|Old Netter's Rest]] | [[the_kettler_twins|Kettler Twins]]| [[scene_3a_rest_stop_in_hope|Scene 3a]] |
-| **3b** | Prisoners of the Honga | Stage I | Branch-Critical | Cultural judgment; impose moral obligation toward the Honga | Arla River Foothills | [[the_honga|Honga Leader]] | [[scene_3b_prisoners_of_the_honga|Scene 3b]] |
-| **4** | Arrival in Morningstar | Stage II | Core | Activate settlement hub; convert clues into leads | [[Morningstar|Morningstar]] | — | [[hauh_arrival_in_morningstar|Scene 4]] |
-| **4a** | Django’s Diner | Stage II | Optional | Prevent bloodshed; protect civilians; encounter Sagan as a victim of J.W.’s exploitation; recover the torn voucher | [[django_s_diner|Django’s Diner]] | [[sagan_belmont|Sagan Belmont]], Roxy, Mother and Daughter | [[hauh_morningstar_djangos_diner|Scene 4a]] |
-| **4a+1** | The Price of Timber | Stage II | Optional · Unlocked Character Scene | Earn Sagan’s trust; uncover the rise and collapse of Belmont Timber & Haulage; reveal J.W.’s payment system and fortified compound; recruit Sagan as a guide | Location-flexible within [[morningstar|Morningstar]]; recommended: [[saws_end|Saw’s End]] | [[sagan_belmont|Sagan Belmont]], [[rogan_sokolov|Rogan Sokolov]], conditional: [[austin_hammacher|Austin Hammacher]] | [[Scene 4a+1 — The Price of Timber|Scene 4a+1]] |
-| **4a+2** | The Roman Way | Stage III | Optional · Unlocked Expedition Scene | Follow Sagan’s hidden route; learn the Roman Way; encounter the pale trappers; reach J.W.’s compound | Forest north of [[morningstar|Morningstar]] · [[atrana_mountains|Atrana foothills]] | [[sagan_belmont|Sagan Belmont]], Pale Trappers, J.W.’s Hands | [[Scene 4a+2 — The Roman Way|Scene 4a+2]] |
-| **4b** | Saw’s End | Stage II | Core | Secure lodging; consolidate rumors; identify J.W. as a real actor; risk recognition by Hammacher | [[saws_end|Saw’s End]] | [[orin_ironhand_hale|Orin “Ironhand” Hale]], [[austin_hammacher|Austin Hammacher]] | [[hauh_morningstar_saws_end|Scene 4b]] |
-| **4c** | Morningstar Food Market | Stage II | Core | Observe trade power; silently identify J.W.’s influence | [[morningstar_food_market|Food Market, Morningstar]] | [[mustafa_metzger|Mustafa “Mu” Metzger]] | [[hauh_morningstar_food_market|Scene 4c]] |
-| **4d** | Medical Station of Morningstar | Stage II | Optional | Treat injuries; manage conditions | [[medical_station_of_morningstar|Medical Station Morningstar|]] | [[medical_bots|Medical Bots]] | [[hauh_morningstar_medical_station|Scene 4d]] |
-| **4e** | Hale & Hook Outfitters | Stage II | Core | Confirm material trail linking J.W. to the fur trade | [[hale_and_hook_outfitters|Hale & Hook Outfitters]] | [[garrick_hale|Garrick Hale]] | [[hauh_morningstar_hale_and_hook|Scene 4e]] |
-| **4f** | Local Guarding Troopers Station | Stage II | Optional | Ask procedural questions; risk scrutiny or arrest | [[local_guarding_troopers_station_of_morningstar|GT Station, Morningstar]] | Troopers | [[hauh_morningstar_guarding_troopers|Scene 4f]] |
-| **4g** | Escaping Morningstar ("The Manhunt") | Stage II | Branch-Critical | Enforce consequences of failed investigation; transition to wilderness manhunt | Morningstar Streets & Perimeter | Hunting Squads, Guarding Bots, Trappers | [[hauh_morningstar_manhunt|Scene 4g]] |
-| **5** | Follow the Errand Runner | Stage II | Branch-Critical | Transition from investigation to pursuit | Morningstar → [[atrana_mountains|Atrana Slopes]] | [[mustafa_metzger|Mustafa “Mu” Metzger]] | [[hauh_follow_the_errand_runner|Scene 5]] |
-| **6a** | In the Realm of the Hunter | Stage III | Branch-Critical | Unescorted exploration; illusion of freedom; exposure to infrastructure | J.W.’s Property | — | [[hauh_in_the_realm_of_the_hunter|Scene 6a]] |
-| **6b** | As a Prisoner in the Realm of the Hunter | Stage III | Core | Capture, judgment, classification by J.W. | J.W.’s Property | [[jareth_wyrick|J.W.]], [[the_blues|Blues]] | [[hauh_prisoner_in_realm_of_hunter|Scene 6b]] |
-| **6c** | Escape With The Hunter | Stage III | Branch-Critical | High-stakes live extraction; grueling logistics under fire | J.W.’s Property | [[jareth_wyrick|J.W.]], Guards | [[hauh_escape_with_the_hunter|Scene 6c]] |
-| **6d** | Escape Empty-Handed | Stage III | Branch-Critical | Desperate evasion; accepting mission failure or attempting suicidal return | J.W.’s Property / Forest | Guards, [[the_blues|Blues]] | [[hauh_escape_empty_handed|Scene 6d]] |
-| **8a** | Return to New Kourou | Stage III | Core | Physical survival; transition back to authority | Trade Route | [[jareth_wyrick|J.W.]], [[valen_vanlith|Valen Vanlith]], [[mustafa_metzger|Mustafa “Mu” Metzger]] | [[hauh_return_to_new_kourou|Scene 8a]] |
-| **8b** | The Sacrifice | Stage III | Branch-Critical | Fulfill or betray Honga obligation | Honga Territory | [[the_honga|Honga Leader]], [[jareth_wyrick|J.W.]], [[valen_vanlith|Valen Vanlith]], [[mustafa_metzger|Mustafa “Mu” Metzger]] | [[hauh_scene_8b_the_judgment|Scene 8b]] |
-| **9** | Final Briefing & Reward | Stage III | Core | Report findings; receive judgment and reward | OfSO Headquarters | [[ezrah_scherkenstein|Ezrah Scherkenstein]] | [[hauh_scene_9_final_briefing|Scene 9]]|
-| **10** | The Epilogue | Stage III | Core | Close narrative; establish long-term consequences | OfSO / World State | [[ezrah_scherkenstein|Ezrah Scherkenstein]] | [[hauh_scene_10_epilogue|Scene 10]]|
-Additional Scene Convention
+| **Scene** | **Name** | **Type** | **When It Is Used / Where It Leads** | **Link** |
+|  **— RETURN TO NEW KOUROU —**  |||||
+| **8a** | Return to New Kourou | Core | Resolve the available return routes, remaining resources, companions, transport and J.W.’s condition. | [[hauh_return_to_new_kourou|Scene 8a]] |
+| **8b** | The Judgment | Branch-Critical | Interrupts or alters the return if an existing Honga promise or pact requires J.W. or proof of confrontation. | [[hauh_scene_8b_the_judgment|Scene 8b]] |
+|  **— OFFICIAL RESOLUTION —**  |||||
+| **9** | Final Debriefing | Core | Present the mission report and evidence, resolve Ezrah’s assessment and record J.W.’s Final State, Reward Status and Blues Exposure. | [[hauh_scene_9_final_briefing|Scene 9]] |
+|  **— EPILOGUES — CHOOSE ONE —**  |||||
+| **10a** | The Hunter Unmasked | Branch-Critical Ending | Use if J.W. was delivered alive, whether he remains alive or subsequently dies by suicide at the OfSO. | [[hauh_scene_10_epilogue|Scene 10a]] |
+| **10b** | What Remains | Branch-Critical Ending | Use if J.W. was delivered dead, remains in Honga custody or remains at large. | [[hauh_scene_10b_what_remains|Scene 10b]] |
-Scenes marked with a **+ number** are unlocked through specific player actions, relationships, or discoveries. They belong narratively to the scene that unlocked them but are not mandatory parts of the main sequence.
+**Final State Routing**
-Examples:
+| **J.W.’s Final State** | **Epilogue** |
+| **Delivered Alive — Remains Alive** | [[hauh_scene_10_epilogue|Scene 10a — The Hunter Unmasked]] |
+| **Delivered Alive — Died by Suicide at the OfSO** | [[hauh_scene_10_epilogue|Scene 10a — The Hunter Unmasked]] |
+| **Delivered Dead** | [[hauh_scene_10b_what_remains|Scene 10b — What Remains]] |
+| **Not Delivered — In Honga Custody** | [[hauh_scene_10b_what_remains|Scene 10b — What Remains]] |
+| **Not Delivered — At Large** | [[hauh_scene_10b_what_remains|Scene 10b — What Remains]] |
-  * **Scene 4a+1** is the first additional scene unlocked from Scene 4a.
+===== Additional Scene Convention =====
-  * **Scene 4a+2** is the second additional scene unlocked through the same branch.
-  * If the required conditions are not met, these scenes remain unavailable and the adventure continues through other routes.
-Unlocked scenes may reveal unique information, relationships, or tactical opportunities, but they are never the only way to continue the adventure.
+Scenes marked with a **+ number** are unlocked through specific player actions, relationships or discoveries.
-----
-===== Core NPC Overview =====
+  * **Scene 4a+1** is the first additional scene unlocked through the PCs’ relationship with Sagan.
+  * **Scene 4a+2** is the second scene unlocked through the same branch and provides an alternative approach to the compound.
+  * If the necessary conditions are not met, these scenes remain unavailable and the adventure continues through another route.
-Only NPCs who unlock information, shift power, or force irreversible decisions are listed here.
+Unlocked scenes may reveal unique information, relationships or tactical opportunities, but they are never the only way to continue the adventure.
-Order reflects first meaningful appearance in the adventure.
-^ **Name** ^ **Role** ^ **Stage** ^ **Function in Story** ^
+The overview preserves the established wiki numbering. No Scene 7 is currently assigned.
-| **[[ezrah_scherkenstein|Ezrah Scherkenstein]]** | Founder of the Office for Special Operations | Stage I & IV | Issues the mandate and defines success. Ezrah is not interested in heroics, survival stories, or intent — only in whether the PCs uncovered the structure behind the violence and acted decisively. Final arbiter of reward, consequences, and political fallout. |
-| **[[the_kettler_twins|Elias Kettler]]** | Traveling Fur Trader (“The Spiritual One”) | Stage II | First reliable signal that the violence follows a pattern tied to the fur trade. Elias reframes incidents in reflective, almost ritual language, hinting that something systematic is being maintained rather than improvised. Opens the door to recognizing repetition across regions. |
-| **[[the_kettler_twins|Ruben Kettler]]** | Traveling Fur Trader (“The Pessimist”) | Stage II | Grounds Elias’s abstractions in blunt economics and risk management. Confirms that prices, routes, and disappearances align too cleanly to be coincidence. Pushes the PCs toward the conclusion that someone is enforcing order through erasure. |
-| **Aruṇa Karavashi Tivu’Leisa Nohra** | Secular Leader of the Honga | Stage II | Introduces cultural judgment in place of legal authority. Reframes the investigation as a violation of balance rather than law. Withdraws the blood-demand only if the PCs accept an accountability contract: bring the perpetrator or proof of confrontation. This obligation shadows the rest of the adventure. |
-| **[[kellard_vance|Kellard "Kell" Vance]]** | Off-shift lumberjack | Stage III | A controlled eruption of violence inside Morningstar. Forces the PCs to act under social pressure and reveals how quickly order collapses without visible authority. His robbery incident exposes who can act with impunity — and who cannot. |
-| **Sagan Belmont** | Temporary carpenter · Saw’s End guest | Stage III | A quiet but crucial vector. Confirms J.W. as a real, local figure rather than rumor. Provides the first workable location of the Hunter’s property through second-hand labor knowledge. Bridges town gossip and geographic certainty. |
-| **[[mustafa_metzger|Mustafa “Mu” Metzger]]** | Errand Runner · Quiet Enforcer | Stage III | Confirms that the PCs are already being observed. Serves as bait rather than obstacle. His behavior demonstrates the Hunter’s preference for preparation over reaction and leads the PCs directly into the Realm on the Hunter’s terms. |
-| **[[jareth_wyrick|J.W.]]** | “The Hunter” | Stage III & IV | Central perpetrator and classifier. J.W. is not driven by rage or cruelty but by order, procedure, and control. He represents a functioning system of violence rather than an aberration. Confronting, killing, or escaping him does not automatically end that system — it only defines how the PCs are judged by those who sent them and those who demand justice. |
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+===== Core Characters and Factions =====
+Only characters and factions that unlock information, alter the PCs’ route, shift the balance of power or determine the final outcome are listed here. They are ordered by their first meaningful appearance.
+| **Name / Faction** | **Role** | **Stage** | **Function in the Adventure** |
+| **[[ezrah_scherkenstein|Ezrah Scherkenstein]]** | Founder of the Office for Special Operations | Stage I and IV | Issues the live-capture mandate, provides limited support, evaluates the evidence and determines the Reward Status. She is relieved when the PCs survive but remains honest about whether they fulfilled the contract. She also helps clear mission-related legal consequences. |
+| **[[the_kettler_twins|Elias and Ruben Kettler]]** | Traveling fur traders | Stage I | Connect apparently isolated violence with repeated economic patterns in the fur trade and help establish that someone is enforcing a hidden system. |
+| **[[hongazaira_tal_karavashi_loa|Aruṇa Karavashi Tivu’Leisa Nohra]]** | Secular Leader of the Honga | Stage I and IV | Introduces cultural judgment and may bind the PCs to an obligation concerning the person responsible for the traps. That obligation can return during Scene 8b. |
+| **[[sagan_belmont|Sagan Belmont]]** | Former owner of Belmont Timber & Haulage · potential guide | Stage II and III | Provides a personal connection to J.W.’s economic exploitation. If the PCs earn his trust, he reveals the timber deliveries and may guide them along the Roman Way. |
+| **[[austin_hammacher|Austin Hammacher]]** | Freelance bounty hunter | Stage II | Turns the PCs’ exposure into an immediate threat and may trigger arrest, violence or the Morningstar manhunt. |
+| **[[mustafa_metzger|Mustafa “Mu” Metzger]]** | Errand runner · Hand | Stage II and III | Provides the default route from Morningstar toward the compound. If he recognizes pursuit, he prepares an interception rather than merely fleeing. |
+| **[[the_blues|The Blues]]** | Coerced workers and inhabitants of J.W.’s compound | Stage III and IV | Their Disposition, Resistance and Exposure determine whether they fear, distrust or support the PCs and how their existence affects the adventure’s aftermath. They are not automatically loyal to J.W. or hostile toward the PCs. |
+| **J.W.’s Hands** | Armed enforcers and compound security | Stage III | Guard the routes and compound, operate the alarm response and pursue intruders. They are distinct from the wider Blue population. |
+| **[[jareth_wyrick|J.W. — The Hunte]]r** | Architect of the compound and its system of control | Stage III and IV | Represents organized violence maintained through secrecy, procedure, coercion and delegated force. His capture, death, surrender to the Honga or continued freedom determines the final branch of the adventure. |
 ===== Related Pages and Further Information =====
   * ↑↑ **Start:** [[hunting_an_unknown_hunter|Adventure Hub — Hunting An Unknown Hunter]]
+  * ☞ **Resolution:** [[hauh_case_resolution|Case Resolution and Discoverable Backstory]]