• Location: The wilderness bypass around Morningstar, the Hope Region, and the forested foothills leading to New Kourou.
• Type: Relentless Pursuit · Logistics Puzzle · Cultural Confrontation · Interrogation
• Era: Beta Age
• Tone: Exhaustion · raw survival · paranoia · a ticking clock

Atmosphere & Sensory Cues: The burning ache of carrying dead weight · the heavy thud of Veyra hooves echoing through the mist · the crackle of a shortwave radio · the sudden, oppressive silence of the Honga's arrival.

From the moment the PCs breach the compound wall in Scene 6c, they are being hunted. A heavily armed posse is tracking them on Veyras. They are exactly one round (or one exploration phase) behind the PCs.

The Hunters:

• Valen Vanlith: Leading the charge, fueled by absolute fanaticism.
• Mustafa “Mu” Metzger: Tracking their footprints with cold precision.
• 2 Exohuman Guards: One carries a Windstrike Rifle and a Hunting Knife. The other carries a Hunting Bow equipped with a quiver of 10 poisoned arrows (DC 14 CON save or suffer the *Poisoned* condition and 1d6 poison damage per turn).

The Mechanic:

• If the PCs stop to rest, argue, heal, or fail a navigation check that costs them time, the hunters will close the gap and discover them (unless the PCs proactively use that time to set up a hidden ambush). If the PCs keep moving, they maintain their agonizingly narrow lead. If they do not fight or kill the hunters, the posse will follow them all the way to New Kourou.

J.W.'s Regional Influence (The Threat Level):

As the chase progresses geographically, J.W.'s political and social power decays:

• Morningstar (Maximum Impact): J.W. owns this town. The Weber broadcast has activated his loyalists. If the PCs get too close, an ambush of 4 armed settlers awaits them.
• Hope Region (Moderate Impact): J.W. retains some influence due to his trade connections, but he no longer has 100% loyal settlers or lawmen on his side who will do everything he or his guards command.
• New Kourou (Zero Impact): J.W. has no power here. Once the PCs cross the city limits, the hunters will break off the pursuit.

The adrenaline of the escape is fading, replaced by the brutal, agonizing reality of your prize. Jareth Wyrick is a heavy man, and he offers no help. He stumbles when you push him, drags his feet when you pull him, and maintains an unbroken, infuriating silence.

Through the trees ahead, the scattered lights and chimney smoke of Morningstar bleed into the mist. You cannot go through the settlement. Suddenly, the heavy, rhythmic thud of Veyra hooves echoes through the damp air behind you, snapping branches in the distance. They are tracking you.

J.W. looks over his shoulder toward the sound, then back to you. The corner of his mouth twitches into a cold, knowing smile. He doesn't need to speak for you to understand the danger: his deadliest enforcers are only minutes behind you, and the settlement ahead is crawling with his loyalists. You are going to have to find a way to smuggle the most powerful man in the Atrana Mountains right under their noses. As his dead weight pulls painfully at your shoulders, you realize you would give almost anything for a sturdy mount right now — or better yet, a heavy wooden cart with a thick tarp to hide him completely …

The Weber broadcast has alerted J.W.'s loyalists in Morningstar. To reach the Trade Route heading south, the PCs must choose a path through the surrounding industrial and historical sites. Valen's posse is exactly one round behind them.

—

If the PCs fail their bypass attempts, or audaciously decide to walk directly through the settlement of Morningstar, they must navigate a highly populated area where J.W.'s influence is absolute. They are now dodging Valen's posse, loyalist settlers, AND local law enforcement.

—

As the PCs successfully bypass Morningstar and push south along the Trade Route, the Honga ambush them. This encounter happens whether the PCs met them previously or not. Crucially: Valen's Veyras are still coming.

—

Following the events of Scene 8b, the PCs must limp back onto the Trade Route and navigate the final stretch through the Hope Region. Valen's posse (if they survived Scene 8b) is still hunting them, but now the PCs also face the official law enforcement of the Free State of Settlers.

• The Mortician's Cart Payoff: If the players actually thought ahead in Scene 2 and brought the cart all the way here, let them feel like geniuses. Smuggling the bleeding boss of the Atrana Mountains past his own heavily armed settlers inside a coffin is peak tabletop roleplay.
• The Ticking Clock: Do not let the players relax during Phase I or III. Remind them constantly of the sound of hooves, snapping branches, and static from the Weber radio.
• The Scene Split: Remember to jump to Scene 8b — The Judgment as soon as the PCs follow the Honga in Phase II. Only return to Phase III of this page once the bloody business in the glade is finished!

• ↑↑ Start: Hunting An Unknown Hunter
• ★ Overview: All Scenes of Hunting An Unknown Hunter
• ☞ Resolution: Case Resolution and discoverable Backstory
• ← Previous Scene: Scene 6c — Escape With The Hunter
• → Next Scene: After the Honga Encounter: Scene 8b — The Judgment, after the Final Stretch: Scene 9 — Final Briefing & Reward