Session 1: The Hunted. Every story has to start somewhere.
By: Johan Solo
Tags: Star Wars, The Guide, The Hunted Campaign, Session Intro, Sunrise On Ord Mantell

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…

On the remote sand-swept world of Tatooine, at the edge of the Jundland Wastes, atop a rocky bluff, there is a domed clay hut. In one of the sparse rooms a man in a brown robe is seated, legs crossed. The lights dim, sand softly swirls across the floor, and an echoing voice resonates throughout the room…

“Ah, you want to hear about how it all began, on Ord Mantell. You should already know what happened, my old Padawan. Locking yourself away out here in the desert shouldn’t keep you from following the threads of the Force in our galaxy. But I understand you have a more important duty. To begin you must open yourself to the Force, and let me be your Guide…”

As the voice fades, we see a field of stars in the black of space.

THE HUNTED

A Star Wars Campaign

Episode I

SUNRISE ON ORD MANTELL

Almost four years have passed since the GALACTIC EMPIRE plunged the galaxy into darkness, toppling the Republic and Jedi Order at the end of the Clone Wars. As the evil EMPEROR PALPATINE orders new warships, more innocent people are enslaved in the DEEPDOCKS of ORD MANTELL CITY.

The BLACK SUN crime syndicate has kept order in the city, but recently new threats have emerged. Bandits pillage the OUTCITY. Unrest swirls in the CRATER DISTRICT. Smugglers are hijacked by the RISING SUN CARTEL, a new faction led by the mysterious PHOENIX. In an effort to curb the crime wave, the Empire restricts off-planet travel.

While the city balances on the edge of a knife, small-time lowlifes are hired by crime lords to do their dirty work in exchange for credits, equipment, or spice. The fixer CHEQUA NOMI brings together one such group, seemingly just like any other. Their adventure begins with the sunrise…

The gold letters scroll off into space, as we pan down to see the dark side of a mottled brown, green, and blue planet with white ribbons of clouds dancing through the atmosphere. Soft lights indicate cities. An Imperial Star Destroyer slowly cuts an imposing wedge into our view of the planet below. As it passes, we see the sun slowly peer out from behind the planet, washing pink and orange light across the sea of clouds.

Ord Mantell City shines brightly in the dawn, despite the layer of dust, grime, and plant matter that coats every surface throughout the winding streets. It’s summertime in the Month of Wind, and the air is warm and dry. The tan, gray, and purple rock of the mesa permeates the architecture. Green coffeevines crawl across older structures, slowly wearing down the ancient stone and brick.

The center of the city is bristling with the gray steel spires of the Imperial Planetary Government. Smoke and steam drift upward from the Deepdocks. Strings of colorful flags flutter between buildings in the Commerce District, and open air markets fill with clamoring crowds. Swoop bikes whir through the streets, and a few cargo ships exit the docks of Starlight Spaceport, their engines flashing as they punch holes through the clouds. The morning air smells of coffeevine flowers, secondhand spice, and machine grease. Welcome, heroes, to Ord Mantell City.