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102 Pen and Paper Adventure | Beta Age | Hunting an Unknown Hunter

SCENE 10a — EPILOGUE: THE HUNTER UNMASKED

1 | Scene Overview

Location: The Interrogation Room on the Second Floor · the Enclosed Salvage Yard behind the OfSO Headquarters · Ezrah’s Office on the Ground Floor, New Kourou
Type: Successful Extraction · Epilogue · Reward · Revelation
Era: Beta Age
Tone: Exhausted · emotional · conclusive · bittersweet

Entry Condition: Use this scene if J.W. reached OfSO or Guarding Trooper custody alive. This remains the correct scene if he subsequently killed himself during the interrogation.

Atmosphere & Sensory Cues: The careful movement of the PCs and Ezrah on the upper floor · the mechanical hum of the headquarters · dried mud and blood on the PCs’ clothing · the straps and metal brackets of J.W.’s mask · conditional rain-darkened salvage and broken glass · Kourou banknotes counted across Ezrah’s desk · conditional woodsmoke beneath the perpetual twilight.

2 | Read-Aloud Descriptions

Initial Read-Aloud A — The Hunter Lives

Use this version if J.W. remains alive.

The second-floor interrogation room has fallen quiet.

J.W. remains seated at its centre, restrained and surrounded by your group. His injuries and the exhaustion of the return journey have stripped away the authority he carried within his compound—but nothing in his steady gaze suggests surrender. Even here, inside the Office, your task is not quite finished. Until someone else can assume custody, the Hunter is still yours to hold.

After the mist, the alarm, the pursuit and every kilometre of the journey back from the Atrana Mountains, J.W. is alive—and finally a prisoner.

Ezrah stands on the opposite side of the room. Her eyes move from J.W. to the evidence and then to each of you.For several moments, she says nothing.

“You brought him back,” she says at last.

For an instant, her voice nearly fails her.

“Alive. Against everything waiting for you out there, you actually brought him home.”

She steps closer to J.W.’s chair, remaining just beyond his reach. Her attention settles on the utilitarian mask covering the upper half and one side of his face.

“I know what that cost you.”

Her expression hardens.

“Keep him still. I want to know who we brought back.”

Initial Read-Aloud B — The Hunter’s Final Choice

Use this version if J.W. reached the headquarters alive but killed himself during the interrogation.

The enclosed salvage yard behind the headquarters smells of wet iron, old oil and rain-darkened timber.

Above you, the frosted pane of the second-floor interrogation room has been torn open. Fragments of glass still cling to the frame, catching the perpetual twilight whenever the mist shifts.

J.W. lies among the salvaged remains of the Last Frontier. The broken restraint chair rests beside him. A jagged spar of hull plating has ended the life you carried all the way back from the Atrana Mountains.

For several moments, nobody speaks.

Ezrah steps through the gathered personnel and stops beside the body. She looks up at the shattered window and then back at you.

“You brought him here alive,” she says quietly. “You fulfilled the order I gave you.”

Her gaze settles on J.W.’s utilitarian mask.

“What happened after he entered our custody does not erase what you accomplished.”

She kneels beside him.

“But it does mean that some answers died here with him.”

Staged Read-Alouds — Progressive Descriptions

Trigger / Timing	Read-Aloud / Narrative Insert
— THE FACE BEHIND THE MASK —
J.W.’s mask is removed while he is alive	One strap loosens, then another. Dark leather, stitched fabric and narrow metal brackets lift away from the upper half and one side of J.W.’s face. Beneath them lies no mechanical secret and no second disguise. The skin is pale blue where it remains undamaged. Across most of the exposed face, old burns have healed into tight, uneven patches of discoloured tissue, pulling the recognizably human features beneath them out of their natural alignment. His pupils are unusually broad and dark in the room’s light. J.W. looks back without lowering his gaze. Whatever identity the mask once protected, the face beneath it was deliberately made impossible to recognize.
J.W.’s mask is removed after his suicide	Ezrah reaches behind J.W.’s head and releases the first strap. Dark leather, stitched fabric and narrow metal brackets lift away from the upper half and one side of his face. Beneath them, the skin is pale blue where it remains undamaged. Old burns cover much of the exposed face in tight, uneven patches of discoloured tissue. The eyes, nose and mouth remain recognizably human, but the scars have pulled them out of their natural alignment. Whatever identity the mask once protected, the face beneath it was deliberately made impossible to recognize. Now there is no expression left to conceal.
— THE REWARD —
The completed contract is paid	Back in her ground-floor office, Ezrah opens the secure lockbox behind her desk and removes several bundles of Kourou banknotes. She counts out one thousand Kourou for each of you and pushes the money across the desk. “You fulfilled the contract,” she says. “Every last Kourou. You earned it.”
— A QUIET BURIAL —
J.W.’s body has been examined and prepared for cremation	The shattered window of the interrogation room hangs open above the enclosed salvage yard. Beneath it, a section of bare earth has been cleared between the rain-darkened remains of the Last Frontier. Sheets of old hull plating form a shallow bed for the fire. J.W. lies at its centre, wrapped in simple cloth, his mask no longer covering the face he destroyed to escape his former identity. An igniter touches the dry kindling beneath him. A thin blue arc passes through the wood, and the first flames rise. Their light moves across rusted metal, broken glass and the jagged spar that ended his life. Whatever J.W. believed he had protected, whatever suffering he caused and whatever truth he tried to bury, none of it disappears with him. Smoke climbs toward the shattered window before dissolving into the mist above the yard.
— THE BLUES ENTER THE PUBLIC RECORD —
Blues Exposure is Exposed	The comm-system on Ezrah’s desk interrupts the silence with the urgent signal of the Weber Broadcasting Service. “We are interrupting our scheduled feed with news from the Atrana Mountains. Guarding Troopers have confirmed evidence of a previously undocumented population living beyond the established settlements. Their number, legal status and connection to recent events remain unknown. Authorities have not yet disclosed further details, but comparisons are already being drawn to the unidentified man recovered from the Ralar Region several weeks ago.” Ezrah slowly raises her eyes from the receiver. The secret no longer belongs to J.W., the compound or the mountains. It belongs to the world.

3 | Scene Intent

Scene Function	Player Experience	DM Function / Story Link
Successful Extraction	Receive recognition for completing the live-capture mandate.	Confirms that delivering J.W. alive fulfilled the original contract, even if he subsequently died.
The Face Behind the Mask	Finally see the identity J.W. deliberately erased.	Connects his personal history to the physical traits of the Blues.
Reward	Receive the agreed payment of 1,000 Kourou per PC.	Concludes the contract established at the beginning of the adventure.
J.W.’s Fate	Witness imprisonment, legal transfer or the aftermath of his suicide.	Determines whether J.W. will face trial or whether the case continues without his testimony.
World-State Resolution	Learn whether the Blues remain hidden or enter public knowledge.	Carries the recorded Blues Exposure into the wider setting.
Personal Aftermath	Reflect upon injuries, losses, relationships and unresolved consequences.	Provides emotional closure after the successful extraction.

4 | Key (N)PCs

Name / Role	Motivation / Function	Dynamic Cues — How They React in Play	LinkLink
Ezrah Scherkenstein	Conclude the contract and secure the truth	Ezrah is deeply relieved that the PCs fulfilled the extraction order. If J.W. survives, she ensures that his custody becomes formal and lawful. If he killed himself, she regards his death as a loss of answers but does not automatically blame the PCs.	Ezrah Scherkenstein
J.W. — conditional	Captive or deceased perpetrator	If alive, J.W. remains controlled and observant even after losing his authority. If dead, the removal of his mask becomes the final revelation of the identity he erased.	Jareth Wyrick
Martin “The Tinkerer” Gagnon — conditional	Practical assistance and quiet remembrance	Martin may help recover J.W.’s body and prepare the funeral pyre. He avoids speeches and allows the PCs to decide what the death means to them.	Martin "The Tinkerer" Gaugnon

5 | Triggers, Clues & Consequences

Before the Epilogue — Review the Final States

State to Review	Application in This Scene
J.W. Outcome	Record whether J.W. remains alive or killed himself after reaching the headquarters.
Evidence State	Determines how much of the case can be formally proven and what questions remain unanswered.
Blues Exposure	Hidden · Limited · Exposed
Blues Disposition and Resistance	Preserve the PCs’ relationship with the Blues and whether the workers openly resisted J.W.’s Hands.
Judgment and Pact States	Carry forward any obligations or settlement involving the Honga.
Companion Conditions	Record who returned, who remained behind, who was injured and who died.
Legal Consequences	Establish whether Guarding Troopers are investigating the PCs, claiming evidence or assuming custody of J.W.
Personal Consequences	Note lasting injuries, lost equipment, debts, transport and resources carried back to New Kourou.

Phase I — Formal Identification and the Mask

Trigger / Cue	Reaction	Clue / Consequence
J.W. remains alive and formal identification begins	Ezrah asks the PCs to keep J.W. restrained. One PC must loosen and remove the mask while the others prevent him from resisting or making another sudden move. Read “J.W.’s mask is removed while he is alive.”	The face beneath the mask confirms that J.W. possesses the physical traits associated with the Blues.
J.W. killed himself after reaching the headquarters	Ezrah kneels beside his body in the salvage yard and asks the PCs to help turn or support him while the mask is removed. Read “J.W.’s mask is removed after his suicide.”	The PCs finally see the face J.W. deliberately destroyed to prevent recognition of his original identity.
The PCs decide who removes the mask	One PC releases the leather straps and metal brackets while the others keep J.W. under control. If he is dead, they help Ezrah examine the body without disturbing the surrounding evidence.	The chosen PC becomes an active participant in the reveal. No probe is required if J.W. is properly restrained or dead.
PCs inspect the mask	An INT (Investigation or Engineering) probe (DC 11) confirms that it is an improvised construction of darkened leather, stitched fabric and thin metal brackets.	The mask contains no hidden mechanism, weapon or technological disguise. It was made to conceal severe injuries.
PCs examine J.W.’s uncovered face	PCs who have encountered the Blues recognize the pale bluish skin and enlarged pupils automatically. Otherwise, a WIS (Medicine) or INT (Nature) probe (DC 12) identifies long-term adaptation to low-light conditions.	The severe burns are much older than the mask and appear deliberately inflicted. J.W.’s features remain recognizably human despite the distortion.
The PCs already removed the mask earlier	Ezrah examines J.W.’s uncovered face and compares it with the evidence concerning the Blues.	Do not repeat the reveal. Preserve any information the PCs already learned.

The mask is a partial, utilitarian covering made from darkened leather, stitched fabric and thin metal brackets.

Beneath it:

J.W.’s undamaged skin has the pale bluish tone associated with the Blues.
His pupils are unusually large and light-sensitive.
Severe old burns have left tight, uneven and discoloured tissue across much of his face.
The scars pull his eyes, nose and mouth out of their natural alignment.
His features remain recognizably human.
The damage was deliberately self-inflicted to prevent recognition of his original identity.

Phase II — Pay the Reward

The agreed reward is 1,000 Kourou per PC. Because J.W. reached lawful custody alive, the mandate has been fulfilled. His subsequent suicide does not normally remove the PCs’ right to payment.

Trigger / Cue	Reaction	Clue / Consequence
The completed contract is settled	Read “The completed contract is paid.” Ezrah counts out 1,000 Kourou for each PC.	Record the contract as completed and add 1,000 Kourou to each PC’s resources.
The PCs ask whether J.W.’s suicide affects their payment	Ezrah confirms that they delivered him alive and that his actions after entering OfSO custody do not erase their achievement.	The full reward remains payable unless the PCs deliberately assisted or caused his death.
Ezrah has evidence that the PCs caused J.W.’s death	She suspends payment while their involvement is investigated.	Change the Reward Status to Delayed, Reduced or Withheld, depending on the evidence and the decision recorded in Scene 9.
The PCs refuse the reward	Ezrah does not force them to accept the money. She records the contract as fulfilled and returns the funds to her private reserve.	The refusal may influence Ezrah’s relationship with the PCs but does not undo their success.

Phase III — A Quiet Burial — Conditional

Use this phase if J.W. killed himself after reaching the headquarters and his body remains available after its examination.

Trigger / Cue	Reaction	Clue / Consequence
The examination of J.W.’s body is complete	Ezrah asks the PCs to help clear a safe space in the enclosed salvage yard. Salvaged metal sheets are placed beneath the pyre to contain the fire and protect the surrounding workshop materials.	Once the area is prepared, J.W.’s body can be cremated without carrying it through New Kourou.
The PCs want to preserve physical evidence	Ezrah helps them document J.W.’s injuries, face, mask and possessions before the pyre is lit.	No probe is required to preserve obvious evidence. An INT (Investigation) or WIS (Medicine) probe (DC 12) may identify an overlooked physical detail.
The PCs decide what happens to J.W.’s mask	The mask may be preserved in the OfSO archive, transferred with the case or placed beside J.W. on the pyre.	Record the Mask Outcome. If it is burned, it cannot be examined or presented as evidence later.
The pyre is ready	Ezrah allows the PCs to speak, perform a personal gesture or remain silent. One of them may light the pyre; otherwise, Ezrah does so.	Read “J.W.’s body has been examined and prepared for cremation.”
Sagan or another companion also died and their body was returned	Ezrah asks the PCs how they wish to honour them.	Give each fallen companion a separate farewell. Do not place them on J.W.’s pyre or make their death part of his symbolism.

Phase IV — The Fate of the Blues

Trigger / Cue	Reaction	Clue / Consequence
The PCs ask Ezrah to conceal the existence of the Blues	Ezrah considers the request, the available evidence and whether outside witnesses already know the truth.	If secrecy remains possible, record Blues Exposure: Hidden. No public broadcast occurs.
The PCs request a restricted investigation	Ezrah limits the information to essential OfSO personnel or trusted Guarding Trooper investigators.	Record Blues Exposure: Limited. Rumours may spread, but the wider public does not yet know the complete truth.
The PCs release the evidence or support public disclosure	Ezrah warns them that exposure cannot easily be reversed. The information enters official or public circulation.	Record Blues Exposure: Exposed and read “Blues Exposure is Exposed.”
Guarding Troopers or other witnesses have already exposed the Blues	Ezrah cannot restore secrecy once confirmed reports have entered the public record.	Blues Exposure becomes Exposed, regardless of the PCs’ preference.
The PCs argue that the Blues should not be treated as a hostile faction	Ezrah compares their testimony with the recorded Blues Disposition and Resistance.	Open Defiance supports the claim that some Blues resisted J.W.’s system. None leaves their degree of willing participation uncertain but does not establish collective guilt.
The PCs want to help the surviving Blues	Ezrah records their offer but explains that the community’s legal status and immediate needs cannot be resolved during a single meeting.	Creates a possible future mission involving protection, negotiation, resettlement or contact with sympathetic Blues.

6 | Closing the Adventure

Choose the Final Read-Aloud matching J.W.’s outcome.

Final Read-Aloud A — Judgment Begins

Use this version if J.W. remains alive.

Outside, New Kourou continues beneath its unending late-afternoon sky. Traders call across the Public Services Ring, machinery hums behind patched walls, and warm mist gathers between the buildings.

Upstairs, behind a heavy door, J.W. waits without his mask. Until lawful custody can be arranged, keeping him there remains your responsibility as much as Ezrah’s.

For years, he decided who received a name, who remained hidden and who disappeared. For the first time, he no longer controls what happens next.

You brought the Hunter out of his Realm.

The hunt is over.

His judgment is only beginning.

Final Read-Aloud B — What Outlives the Hunter

Use this version if J.W. killed himself after reaching the headquarters.

The last flames settle into the heart of the pyre. Charred timber collapses with a soft shower of sparks, and a thin column of smoke rises into the mist above the clearing.

Around you, Asari’s Tropical Forest has fallen silent. Perpetual twilight filters through the canopy, turning the drifting ash violet-grey before the trees swallow it from sight.

J.W.’s life ended in the salvage yard. Here, what remained of him has been surrendered to the fire.

His compound has been found. His hidden system has been disturbed. The face beneath his mask has finally been revealed.

But the choices he made remain in the lives of everyone he controlled, everyone he harmed and everyone who learned to survive beneath his authority.

You carried the Hunter out of his Realm.

You will carry him no farther.

The man is gone.

The consequences return with you.

7 | How to Proceed

The PCs have completed Hunting an Unknown Hunter and fulfilled Ezrah’s live-capture mandate.

Allow the players to:

Receive 1,000 Kourou each.
Record character advancement.
Treat or record lasting injuries.
Update lost or recovered equipment and transport.
Record surviving companions and fallen allies.
Preserve the final Honga Relationship and Pact State.
Record the Blues Disposition, Resistance and Exposure.
Record J.W.’s final condition and legal status.
Decide how their characters understand what they accomplished.

If the PCs continue working with the Office for Special Operations, Ezrah will remember that they completed an extraction most people would have considered impossible.

The hunt is over. Another story may begin with its consequences.

You can find more adventures here:

Pen and Paper Adventures — Overview

8 | DM Notes

Choose the Correct Opening: Use Initial Read-Aloud A if J.W. remains alive. Use Initial Read-Aloud B if he killed himself after reaching the headquarters.
The Mandate Was Fulfilled: J.W. reached lawful custody alive. His later suicide does not normally remove the PCs’ reward.
Keep the Mask Reveal Canonical: J.W.’s mask is practical, partial and made from leather, fabric and metal brackets. His face is burned and distorted but recognizably human.
Do Not Portray Him as Inhuman: The reveal concerns deliberate erasure of identity, not concealed monstrosity.
Keep the PCs Active: The players may participate in the unmasking, influence J.W.’s custody, discuss the reward, decide whether a funeral occurs and determine what Ezrah is asked to do with the truth about the Blues.
Do Not Force the Funeral: Use A Quiet Burial only if J.W. died, his body was released and the participants choose it.
Give Fallen Companions Their Own Farewell: Do not make Sagan’s or another companion’s death merely part of J.W.’s conclusion.
Do Not Force Public Exposure: Use the WBS broadcast only when Blues Exposure is Exposed.
Keep the Ending Emotional: This scene rewards the successful completion of an extremely difficult live extraction. Give the players time to reflect before resolving advancement and long-term consequences.

DM Tutorial: How to Resolve the Final Debriefing

Related Pages and Further Information

↑↑ Start: Adventure Hub — Hunting An Unknown Hunter
★ Overview: All Scenes of Hunting An Unknown Hunter
☞ Resolution: Case Resolution and Discoverable Backstory
← Previous Scene: Scene 9 — Final Debriefing
↔ Alternative Ending: Scene 10b — Epilogue: What Remains

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