Table of Contents
102 Pen and Paper Adventure | Beta Age | Hunting an Unknown Hunter
SCENE 6 — AS A PRISONER IN THE REALM OF THE HUNTER (UNDER CONSTRUCTION)
1 | Scene Overview
- Location: Inside the fenced property of J.W., lower slopes of the Atrana Mountains
- Type: Capture · Containment · Psychological Pressure · Power Imbalance
- Era: Beta Age
- Tone: Controlled wilderness · ritualized dominance · procedural cruelty · loss of agency
Atmosphere & Sensory Cues: Persistent mist · humid tropical air · muffled forest sounds · ordered paths amid wild growth · wood, iron, and animal musk · distant animal movement · the constant awareness of being observed
2 | Read-Aloud Descriptions
Initial Read-Aloud (Scene Opening)
The wooden gate groans as it opens. Not fast. Not wide. Just enough. Rough hands guide you forward. There is no shouting. No urgency. Just pressure — steady, practiced, inevitable.
You pass through the wall.
On the other side, the forest feels almost unchanged. The same mist clings between the trees. The same damp air presses against skin and fabric. The same smells of wet leaves, wood, and slow rot linger in the air.
You are pushed onto a narrow paved trail, stones set carefully into the soil. It winds deeper into the property, flanked by tall trees whose lower branches have been trimmed away. You pass stacked timber, drying racks heavy with hides, tools hung neatly beneath crude wooden shelters. Everything is where it belongs.
Somewhere nearby, a Veyra snorts softly.
Ahead, a low, windowless wooden hut stands beside the path. Two pale figures linger near it, watching you in silence. Their eyes catch what little light there is in an unsettling way — too open, too reflective. They do not speak. They do not move.
The path continues. And then you see the house.
A massive log structure rises from the mist, three stories high, its walls darkened by age and smoke. A wide stone chimney climbs along one side, exhaling a thin ribbon of gray into the fog. Warm light flickers behind shuttered windows.
Near the house, set directly into the ground, is a heavy wooden hatch reinforced with iron bands.
One of your captors steps forward and pulls it open. A staircase descends into darkness. You are pushed down, boots scraping against wood, hands firm on your shoulders. The hatch closes above you with a solid, final sound.
When the light returns, it is dim.
You find yourselves in a low wooden room, the walls lined with thick planks scarred by age and claw marks. The air smells of animals — sweat, fur, fear — old and familiar, like a place meant to hold what does not belong outside. A narrow slit in the door lets in a thin blade of light. Along one wall, iron rings are bolted into the timber. Heavy chains hang slack from them.
Footsteps retreat.
No lock clicks. No voices linger. You are alone.
For now.
Staged Read-Aloud (Audience with J.W.)
| Trigger / Timing | Read-Aloud / Narrative Insert |
| PCs leave the holding room unescorted | The door opens without resistance. No alarm. No shout. Just a quiet hinge and the same humid air waiting outside. Beyond the threshold, the property reveals itself in fragments: a narrow service corridor cut into the earth, lit by weak lantern light; packed soil underfoot instead of planks; the sound of distant movement — not voices, but work. Somewhere above, wood creaks. Somewhere farther off, an animal snorts, then settles. No one is looking at you. Not yet. This place is not empty — it is structured. Paths lead away. Shadows offer cover. Sounds suggest routines. You are no longer contained. But every direction is owned by someone who expects order — and will notice when it breaks. |
| The guards bring the PCs into J.W.’s presence | The door closes behind you with a heavy, final sound. Warmth presses in immediately — not comforting, but oppressive — dominated by the crackle of an open fireplace set into the far wall. Firelight crawls across rough wooden beams and plank walls darkened by smoke and age. Above the hearth hang three pairs of Manla antlers, each crowned with a skull, arranged with deliberate care. A tall man stands with his back to you, hands clasped behind him, staring into the fire. He does not turn at once. For a moment, the only sound is burning wood. Then he moves. When he turns, the firelight does not reveal his face — it breaks against it. A rough, improvised mask covers most of his features: darkened leather reinforced with stitched fabric and thin metal brackets, asymmetrical and worn. Exposed skin along his neck shows old burn scars — tight, uneven, discolored flesh that has long since healed, but never softened. Whatever face once existed here has been reshaped by intent as much as injury. He wears a thick, hand-knitted wool pullover, cargo trousers, and heavy boots. Practical clothing. Worn by use, not neglect. In his hands is a small notebook from Hale & Hook and an uncapped pen. He does not write. He simply looks at you, one by one. Not angry. Not curious. Measuring. “We have been watching you since you came to Morningstar.” He lets the sentence settle, then speaks again. “Prey does not usually follow its predator.” He steps closer and extends a single sheet of paper toward you. The handwriting is unmistakable — the same hand that wrote the notes you have seen before. Only one sentence is written on it. Why did you come here? |
3 | Scene Intent
| Scene Type | Player Intents | DM Function / Story Link |
| Captivity · Confrontation · Power Imbalance | Understand their situation · survive interrogation · influence the Hunter’s judgment · look for weaknesses or opportunities | Shifts the PCs from active pursuit to enforced stillness. Establishes J.W. as the dominant force, reframes earlier events as deliberate observation, and sets the stakes for survival or execution. This scene defines the Hunter’s worldview and determines the PCs’ fate within his domain. |
4 | Key (N)PCs
| Name / Role | Motivation / Function | Dynamic Cues — How They React in Play | Link | |
| J.W. — “The Hunter” | Territorial authority · judge · orchestrator | Calm, controlled, and absolute. J.W. does not raise his voice and never explains more than he chooses. He asks questions until satisfied, not until answered. He listens closely, writes everything down, and treats the PCs as data points rather than enemies. His decisions feel final — not emotional, but procedural. | Jareth Wyrick | |
| Mustafa “Mu” Metzger | Errand Runner · Observer · Escort | Present but silent. He avoids eye contact with the PCs once inside the property. If questioned, he defers entirely to J.W. His role is complete; the prey has arrived. | Mustafa Metzger | |
| Hunter’s Trappers (×2–4) | Capture · transport · containment | Pale, hunched Blues who handle the PCs with practiced efficiency. They avoid unnecessary contact and communicate through gestures and short verbal commands. Inside the property, they defer instantly to J.W.’s authority. | The Blues | |
| Hunter’s Hands (×2–4) | Armed enforcement · intimidation | Heavily equipped Blues who escort the PCs through the gate and across the property. They remain alert but unemotional, maintaining distance unless violence is required. Once the PCs are secured, they fade into the background. | The Blues | |
5 | Triggers, Clues & Consequences
Phase I — Containment & Observation
| Trigger / Cue | Immediate Reaction | Clue / Consequence |
| PCs listen for guards or activity outside the holding room | Silence answers deliberately | No footsteps. No voices. No locking mechanism engages. Only the creak of timber, distant forest sounds, and the low breath of the building itself. A successful PER or INS-based probe (DC 11) confirms this absence is intentional, not careless — the PCs are left alone by design, not oversight. |
| PCs examine the holding room carefully | The room tells a quiet story | Requires a PER or INV-based probe (DC 12). On success, the PCs notice: iron rings bolted into one wall; deep claw marks and gouges in the planks; old blood stains soaked into the floorboards; several long white hairs caught in splintered wood — strongly reminiscent of the Man Without a Name freed earlier. With an additional SUR or DEX-based probe (DC 13), a thin, bent shard of steel is discovered hidden behind one iron ring. It is sharp enough to cut bindings, scrape at restraints, or be palmed as a crude weapon. Using it later will always carry risk. |
| PCs attempt to free themselves from restraints or containment | The room tests intent | The PCs choose an approach:Forceful attempt: STR-based probe (DC high; DM discretion). On success, restraints are loosened or broken, but visible marks and noise are created. On failure, PCs suffer exhaustion, minor injury, or strain that worsens later conditions. Quiet attempt: DEX-based probe (DC 14). Using the hidden steel shard grants advantage. Success frees one PC cleanly. Failure risks cuts, a snapped shard, or leaving clear signs of tampering that guards may notice later. |
| PCs attract attention during their attempt | Procedure accelerates | Noise, visible damage, or prolonged struggle alerts nearby hands of the Hunter. Footsteps approach sooner than expected. Phase III begins immediately under worse conditions: guards arrive tense, weapons ready, and restraints may be reapplied violently. J.W. will be informed that the PCs resisted containment. |
| PCs successfully free themselves (partially or fully) | Control shifts subtly | This unlocks the Staged Read Aloud “PCs leave the holding room unescorted“ and Phase II with new opportunities. |
| PCs choose to wait and observe | Time stretches | No probe required. Waiting preserves strength and avoids immediate escalation, but cedes initiative. After approximately 30 minutes, guards return to escort the PCs to J.W., initiating Phase III. |