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Table of Contents
102 Pen and Paper Adventure | Beta Age | Hunting an Unknown Hunter
SCENE 10b — EPILOGUE: WHAT REMAINS
1 | Scene Overview
- Location: Ezrah’s Office and, if J.W. was delivered dead, the Enclosed Salvage Yard / HQ of the Office for Special Operations, New Kourou
- Type: Branch-Critical Epilogue · Consequence Resolution · Character Closure
- Era: Beta Age
- Tone: Sober · reflective · bittersweet · potentially unresolved
Entry Condition: Use this scene if J.W. was not delivered alive. His recorded Final State must be Delivered Dead, Not Delivered — In Honga Custody or Not Delivered — At Large.
Atmosphere & Sensory Cues: The subdued mechanical hum of the Office · equipment still stained by the journey · warm mist beneath the perpetual late-afternoon sky · relief at surviving without the certainty of complete success · the weight of an unfulfilled live-capture mandate.
2 | Read-Aloud Descriptions
Initial Read-Aloud A — J.W. Was Delivered Dead
Use this version if J.W.’s body was brought back to the OfSO.
The debriefing is over.
Ezrah closes the case file but does not dismiss you. Her attention settles briefly on the door at the rear of the Office.
“There is still one thing we need to finish,” she says. She leads you into the enclosed salvage yard, where J.W.’s body has remained secured since your arrival. Warm mist drifts between stacks of weathered metal beneath the unending late-afternoon sky. The wrapped shape lies upon a cleared section of salvaged hull plating.
You brought the Hunter back to New Kourou—but not as the living prisoner Ezrah sent you to capture.
She stops beside the body and looks toward your group.
“We know how he died,” she says. “Now we document who you brought home.”
Initial Read-Aloud B — J.W. Remains with the Honga
Use this version if J.W. was left in Honga custody.
The debriefing is over.
Ezrah closes the case file and rests one hand upon its cover. The decision recorded inside it cannot be reversed from this office.
J.W. did not return to New Kourou. Somewhere beyond the Trade Route, he remains in Honga custody, subject to their judgment and to whatever promise or pact placed him in their hands.
Ezrah looks across the desk at you.
“You did not bring me the prisoner I sent you to find,” she says. “But I understand that his fate is no longer ours alone to decide.”
Her expression remains difficult to read.
“Let us settle what can still be settled here.”
Initial Read-Aloud C — J.W. Remains Free
Use this version if J.W. was not captured or escaped before reaching New Kourou.
The debriefing is over.
Ezrah closes the case file, but the sound carries none of the finality it should.
No prisoner waits upstairs. No body lies in the enclosed yard. Somewhere beyond New Kourou, J.W. remains free.
His compound may have been exposed, his Hands scattered and his control over the Blues weakened—but the Hunter himself remains beyond the reach of the Office.
Ezrah looks from the closed file to your group.
“You found his Realm,” she says. “You survived it. But we both know this case has not ended the way I intended.”
She draws a slow breath.
“Let us settle what we can.”
Staged Read-Alouds — Progressive Descriptions
| Trigger / Timing | Read-Aloud / Narrative Insert |
| J.W.’s body is uncovered | The covering is drawn back. The return journey has left its marks upon J.W., but the partial utilitarian mask still dominates his face—or lies among the possessions recovered with him. Darkened leather, stitched fabric and thin metal brackets conceal the identity he carried through the hunt. |
| The PCs help Ezrah reveal J.W.’s face | The final fastening comes free, and the mask lifts away. Beneath it, old burns cover much of the upper half and one side of J.W.’s face. The injuries are severe and deliberate: tight, uneven and discoloured tissue pulling recognisably human features out of alignment. The undamaged skin retains a pale bluish cast, and his large pupils no longer react to the twilight above the yard. |
| Ezrah confirms a reduced payment | Ezrah places the agreed amount on the desk. “This is not the reward for bringing him back alive,” she says. “But what you uncovered still matters.” |
| The PCs’ mission-related legal status is cleared | The receiver on Ezrah’s desk clicks silent. She keeps one hand on it for a moment before looking toward you. “The right people have your names and my account of what happened. As far as the Troopers are concerned, you solved the case. You can leave without being treated as fugitives.” |
| The Blues have become publicly exposed | Reports begin to spread through New Kourou: fragmented accounts of a hidden settlement, coerced workers and violence in the Atrana Mountains. Names and faces remain uncertain, but the existence of the Blues can no longer be contained within the Office. |
| J.W.’s body has been prepared for cremation | Sheets of salvaged hull plating form a shallow bed in the enclosed yard. J.W.’s body lies upon it beneath a simple cloth. When the igniter catches, flame moves slowly across the prepared fuel. Smoke rises toward the perpetual twilight and disappears into the warm rain. |
3 | Scene Intent
| Scene Type | Player Intents | DM Function / Story Link |
| Consequential Epilogue | Understand the result of the mission · Resolve payment and legal status | Concludes the Office’s contract without repeating the debriefing from Scene 9. |
| Conditional Identification | Examine J.W.’s body · Remove his mask · Preserve proof of his identity | Provides physical closure only if J.W. was delivered dead. |
| Character Closure | Address losses · Decide what the hunt meant · Look toward the future | Gives the players an opportunity to define how the adventure changed their characters. |
| Continuing Consequences | Record the fate of the Blues, the Honga relationship or J.W.’s continued freedom | Preserves unresolved outcomes for later adventures. |
4 | Key (N)PCs
| Name / Role | Motivation / Function | Dynamic Cues — How They React in Play | Link |
| Ezrah Scherkenstein | Close the contract, preserve the evidence and protect the PCs from mission-related legal consequences | Ezrah is relieved that the PCs survived but honest about the failed live-capture mandate. She recognizes meaningful achievements without pretending that every outcome constitutes success. | Ezrah Scherkenstein |
| Martin “The Tinkerer” — conditional | Assist Ezrah if he previously became involved with the Office | Martin may recover damaged recordings, document physical evidence or maintain communications. He is not automatically present. | Martin “The Tinkerer” |
| Returning Companions or Witnesses — conditional | Confront the consequences of the journey and confirm what occurred | Bii, Jop, Kelta or other survivors may support the PCs’ account and participate in the closing moments. | — |
5 | Triggers, Clues & Consequences
Before the Epilogue — Review the Recorded States
Scene 9 has already established what happened and determined Ezrah’s assessment. Do not conduct another debriefing.
| State to Review | Application in This Scene |
| J.W.’s Final State | Confirm one result: Delivered Dead, Not Delivered — In Honga Custody or Not Delivered — At Large. |
| Body and Mask State — conditional | If J.W. was delivered dead, record whether the mask remains attached, was removed earlier, was recovered separately or was lost. |
| Evidence State | Preserve the documents, recordings, physical evidence and testimony reviewed during Scene 9. |
| Reward Status | Carry forward the result established during Scene 9: Reduced, Delayed or Withheld. |
| Legal Status | Record which mission-related Wanted Conditions remain attached to the PCs. |
| Honga Relationship and Pact State | If J.W. remains with the Honga, preserve the final relationship and any promise governing his custody or judgment. |
| Blues Disposition and Resistance | Preserve whether the Blues are Sympathetic, Uncertain or Alienated, and whether their resistance remained None or became Open Defiance. |
| Blues Exposure | Record whether knowledge of the Blues remains Hidden, Limited or Exposed. |
| Companions, Injuries and Equipment | Record surviving companions, fallen allies, lasting injuries, lost equipment and the final location of any transport. |
Phase I — The Consequence of J.W.’s Final State
| Trigger / Cue | Reaction | Clue / Consequence |
| J.W. was Delivered Dead | Ezrah accepts the account and assessment already established during Scene 9. Her remaining concern is documenting the body and confirming the identity behind the mask. | Continue with Phase II — The Body and the Mask. The live-capture mandate was not fulfilled. |
| J.W. remains in Honga custody | Ezrah records that the Office does not possess the authority or practical means to reverse the Honga judgment immediately. | Preserve the Honga Relationship and Pact State. Skip Phase II and Phase VI. |
| J.W. remains At Large | Ezrah records that J.W.’s compound and operation have been exposed or disrupted, but the Hunter remains free. | Preserve J.W.’s last known condition and resources. Skip Phase II and Phase VI. He may return in a later adventure. |
Phase II — The Body and the Mask
Use this phase only if J.W. was delivered dead. The examination takes place in the enclosed salvage yard. Ezrah requires the PCs’ help; there is no Office team waiting to handle the body for them.
| Trigger / Cue | Reaction | Clue / Consequence |
| The PCs uncover J.W.’s body | Ezrah prepares the available equipment for documenting the remains while the PCs steady or reposition the body. | Read “J.W.’s body is uncovered.” |
| The PCs examine the body | Ezrah records visible injuries and compares them with the account provided during Scene 9. | If the cause of death is not already obvious, a WIS (Medicine) or INT (Investigation) probe (DC 12) identifies the most likely cause. |
| The mask remains attached | Ezrah identifies the fastenings and asks the PCs to keep the body still while she releases them. | No probe is required unless the mask was damaged, trapped or fused to a fresh injury during play. Read “The PCs help Ezrah reveal J.W.’s face.” |
| The mask was removed earlier | Ezrah examines the exposed face and compares it with the PCs’ evidence. | Do not stage a second unmasking. Preserve what the PCs already witnessed. |
| The mask was recovered separately | Ezrah compares its fittings with the marks and old scar tissue upon J.W.’s face. | The mask and body together strengthen the physical identification. |
| The mask was lost | Ezrah documents the face but cannot preserve the mask as evidence or an artefact. | Record the Mask State as Lost. |
| The PCs compare J.W.’s face with the evidence | Ezrah checks his physical features against recordings, testimony and anything discovered about Blue 7 and the identity of Jareth Wyrick. | His appearance confirms that the Hunter was a Blue. Proving that he assumed Jareth Wyrick’s identity still depends upon the evidence recovered during the investigation. |
| The examination is completed | Ezrah preserves the necessary images, notes and physical samples before covering the body again. | The examination is complete. The body can be prepared for Phase VI — The Last Fire. |
| The PCs decide the mask’s fate | Ezrah accepts preservation or destruction once its evidentiary value has been documented. | Record the mask as Preserved or Burned. A burned mask cannot return as evidence or an artefact in a later adventure. |
Phase III — Payment
Do not reassess the mission. Apply the Reward Status determined during Scene 9.
| Trigger / Cue | Reaction | Clue / Consequence |
| Reward Status is Reduced | Ezrah acknowledges that the live-capture mandate failed but recognizes the value of the evidence, confirmed death, cultural resolution or disruption of J.W.’s operation. | Pay the reduced amount established during Scene 9. If no amount was determined, use 500 Kourou per PC. |
| Reward Status is Delayed | Ezrah explains that the Office must verify the remaining evidence before any compensation can be authorized. | No reward is paid now. Record an outstanding claim that may be resolved in a later adventure. |
| Reward Status is Withheld | Ezrah states that the central terms of the mandate were not fulfilled and that the available result does not justify a bounty. | The PCs receive no capture reward. Previously authorized mission expenses may still be reimbursed. |
| Payment is completed or recorded | Ezrah closes the financial record attached to the case. | The contractual portion of the hunt is concluded. |
Phase IV — Clearing the PCs’ Legal Status
Ezrah wants the PCs to leave the adventure with a clean slate regarding actions undertaken as part of the mission. Until she receives confirmation, she asks them to remain inside the Office.
| Trigger / Cue | Reaction | Clue / Consequence |
| Mission-related Wanted Conditions remain active | Ezrah contacts trusted members of the Guarding Troopers and provides her account, the available evidence and confirmation that the PCs acted for the Office. | The PCs remain inside the Office until she receives confirmation. Do not send them to a Trooper station during this scene. |
| The evidence supports the PCs’ account | Ezrah’s contacts recognize that the PCs solved or substantially advanced the case rather than acting as ordinary criminals. | Remove mission-related Wanted Conditions and record the PCs’ legal status as Cleared. |
| The evidence remains incomplete | Ezrah takes responsibility for the official report but warns that unanswered questions may remain. | Mission-related pursuit ends, but the uncertain parts of the case may be referenced in a later adventure. |
| A PC committed serious unrelated crimes | Ezrah distinguishes those actions from conduct necessary to undertake the mission. | Her intervention does not erase crimes unrelated to the hunt. Record any remaining individual legal consequences separately. |
| No Wanted Conditions remain | Ezrah confirms that no intervention is required. | The PCs may leave the Office once the epilogue has concluded. |
Phase V — The Fate of the Blues
| Trigger / Cue | Reaction | Clue / Consequence |
| Blues Exposure is Hidden | Ezrah limits identifying details in her report and avoids drawing public attention toward the surviving Blues. | Their existence and location remain protected for now. Preserve the final Blues Disposition. |
| Blues Exposure is Limited | Only Ezrah, selected witnesses and her trusted Trooper contacts receive the relevant information. | The Blues may eventually face investigation or contact, but no immediate public reaction occurs. |
| Blues Exposure is Exposed | Information spreads beyond the Office through official reports, witnesses or public accounts. | The Blues may face fear, exploitation or outside intervention. Read “The Blues have become publicly exposed.” |
| Blues Resistance became Open Defiance | Ezrah records that some Blues actively resisted J.W.’s Hands and control system. | This supports treating them as coerced workers or potential witnesses rather than as a single criminal faction. |
| Blues Disposition is Sympathetic | Surviving Blues remember the PCs as possible allies. | They may offer information, refuge or assistance in a later adventure. |
| Blues Disposition is Uncertain | The Blues remain divided or cautious about the PCs. | Future cooperation must be earned individually. |
| Blues Disposition is Alienated | Even Blues who opposed J.W. distrust or avoid the PCs. | Their resistance to J.W. does not automatically repair their relationship with the group. |
Phase VI — The Last Fire
Use this phase only if J.W. was delivered dead. Once the examination is complete, Ezrah and the PCs arrange a controlled cremation in the enclosed salvage yard. The PCs may participate, speak or stand aside, but the cremation does not depend upon them granting J.W. a funeral.
| Trigger / Cue | Reaction | Clue / Consequence |
| J.W.’s body is prepared for cremation | Ezrah and the PCs place the body upon a bed of salvaged hull plating and prepared fuel in the enclosed yard. | Read “J.W.’s body has been prepared for cremation.” |
| The mask was marked Preserved | Ezrah stores it with the documented evidence before the fire is lit. | The mask remains available to the Office in later adventures. |
| The mask was marked Burned | The mask is placed beside J.W.’s body. Leather, fabric and metal disappear into the fire at different rates. | The mask is permanently destroyed. |
| A PC wishes to speak | Ezrah allows them to say whatever they believe must be said without correcting or judging their words. | The player defines what J.W.’s death means to their character. No probe is required. |
| The PCs remain silent or stand aside | Ezrah does not demand ceremony, sympathy or forgiveness from them. | Silence is a valid conclusion. The cremation continues. |
| The PCs remember Sagan or another fallen ally | Ezrah allows a separate moment of remembrance after J.W.’s fire has been lit. | Fallen allies are never placed upon J.W.’s pyre or folded into his memorial. Their loss remains distinct from his death. |
| The flames begin to fade | Rain hisses against the heated hull plating while smoke dissolves into the mist above the yard. | Continue with Final Read-Aloud A — The Hunter Is Ash. |
6 | Closing the Adventure
Final Read-Aloud A — The Hunter Is Ash
Use this ending if J.W. was delivered dead and cremated.
The last flames settle into narrow lines of red between the sheets of salvaged metal.
Warm rain falls through the yard, hissing against the embers and carrying the smoke upward into the mist. Soon there will be little here to show that J.W. ever returned from the Atrana Mountains.
You could not bring the Hunter back alive.
But you carried home his body, revealed the face beneath his mask and preserved whatever truth remained within his Realm.
J.W. is gone.
What he built—and what others endured beneath his authority—will not disappear with the ashes.
The hunt is over.
What remains belongs to those who survived it.
Final Read-Aloud B — Judgment Beyond New Kourou
Use this ending if J.W. remains in Honga custody.
Beyond the heavy walls of the Office, New Kourou continues beneath its unending late-afternoon sky.
Somewhere beyond the Trade Route, J.W. remains in Honga hands. His fate now belongs to their judgment and to the promise or pact that placed him there.
The Office cannot question him. New Kourou cannot place him on trial. Whatever the Honga decide may never become part of an official record.
You were sent to bring the Hunter home.
Instead, you carried him beyond the reach of those who sent you and left his fate with those who claimed the right to decide it.
Your journey is over.
The consequences of that choice are only beginning.
Final Read-Aloud C — The Hunter Remains Free
Use this ending if J.W. remains at large.
You found the Hunter’s Realm. You crossed its walls and returned with the truth you managed to carry away.
But J.W. remains somewhere beyond New Kourou.
Perhaps his Hands are scattered and his authority broken. Perhaps he is already searching for another place from which to rebuild.
The Office closes its contract.
The Hunter remains free.
And somewhere beneath the perpetual twilight, his trail disappears once more into the mist.
7 | Completing the Adventure
The PCs have completed Hunting an Unknown Hunter, although they did not fulfil Ezrah’s live-capture mandate.
Allow the players to:
- Receive or record the payment established by the final Reward Status.
- Record character advancement.
- Treat or record lasting injuries.
- Update lost, damaged 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 State as Delivered Dead, In Honga Custody or At Large.
- If J.W. was delivered dead, record whether his mask was Preserved, Burned or Lost.
- Update each PC’s legal status after Ezrah receives confirmation from her trusted Guarding Trooper contacts.
- Decide how their characters understand what they accomplished and what they believe they failed to do.
If the PCs continue working with the Office for Special Operations, Ezrah will remember that they survived the Realm, uncovered J.W.’s operation and returned with whatever truth remained within their reach.
The hunt is over. Another story may begin with its consequences.
8 | DM Notes
- Scene 9 Is Already Complete: Do not ask the PCs to repeat their mission report or make Ezrah reassess the case. Begin with the recorded outcome and move directly into its consequences.
- Use Only One of Three Outcomes: J.W. was delivered dead, remains in Honga custody or remains at large. Do not introduce additional states during the epilogue.
- The Body Exists Only If It Was Delivered: Do not produce J.W.’s remains retroactively. The examination, unmasking and Last Fire occur only after the Delivered Dead outcome.
- The Salvage Yard Has a Practical Purpose: J.W.’s body was secured there upon arrival because the yard is private and separated from the occupied rooms of the Office. It also allows examination and cremation without transporting the body elsewhere.
- No Office Team Appears: The Office consists of Ezrah and, conditionally, Martin. The PCs must help Ezrah handle the body, remove the mask and preserve the evidence.
- Keep J.W.’s Face Human: His old burns are severe and deliberate, and his features have been pulled out of alignment. Do not describe him as a monster or suggest that his appearance explains his actions.
- Unmasking Does Not Reveal the Entire Case: J.W.’s Blue heritage becomes physically apparent, but the stolen identity of Jareth Wyrick must still be supported by testimony or evidence.
- The Last Fire Is Not Forgiveness: Cremation provides safe, practical and emotional closure. The PCs may speak, remain silent or stand aside.
- Keep Fallen Allies Separate: Sagan or another fallen companion may receive a separate farewell, but never shares J.W.’s pyre.
- The Full Capture Reward Is Unavailable: Scene 10b applies only when J.W. was not delivered alive. Strong evidence or evidence may justify reduced compensation, but not the full live-capture reward.
- Respect the Honga Outcome: If J.W. remains with the Honga, do not remove him from their custody or decide their judgment during this epilogue.
- At Large Means At Large: Do not resolve J.W.’s fate off-screen. His continued freedom is the consequence of that branch.
- Clear Only Mission-Related Legal Trouble: Ezrah creates a clean slate for later adventures by explaining the case to trusted Guarding Troopers. Serious unrelated crimes remain separate.
- The PCs Stay Inside Until Cleared: Do not send them to a Guarding Trooper station during this epilogue. Such a journey would begin another scene.
Related Pages and Further Information
- ↑↑ Start: 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 10a — Epilogue: The Hunter Unmasked