The Canal Smuggling Route
Summary
The Canal Smuggling Route is a secret entry point into New Smoke, consisting of dried-up old canals that once served as aqueducts when the area had running water. In Session 6, Nick Silver suggests this route as a way for The Party to smuggle their pumpkins into the city while avoiding the watched front gate and walls. The route features a cage that normally blocks passage but is frequently used by smugglers moving goods in and out of the city. Abdul names the location "the canals" during the session.
The route represents a practical solution to The Party's smuggling problem, though it carries the risk of being caught on a pathway known to authorities. Cat raises concerns about the dangers, noting that characters in the novels she reads often get caught using such routes.
Description
The canal system consists of dried-up waterways that previously functioned as aqueducts when New Smoke had running water. The canals are now empty, their original purpose obsolete. A cage serves as a physical barrier designed to block people from entering or leaving the city through this route, though this barrier is regularly bypassed by smugglers.
The route provides an alternative to the front gate, allowing those who use it to circumvent the watched and known entrances to New Smoke. The physical infrastructure of the old aqueduct remains intact enough to serve as a passable pathway, despite no longer carrying water.
History
Session 6
Nick Silver introduces The Party to the canal route as a potential solution for smuggling their pumpkins into New Smoke. He describes the location as "a dried up old canal" and explains that "the place was like a little more... It was like it had running water in it, but now it's just like a dried up, basically aqueduct."
Nick Silver notes the security feature: "There's a little cage that usually blocks people in and out, but it's used often by people trying to smuggle stuff in and out of the city." He suggests that this would be "a good way for you to sneak in and out with your pumpkins," particularly if The Party leaves the pigs behind.
When the GM asks Abdul what this route is called, he names it "the canals." Nick Silver frames the route as necessary because The Party would otherwise "have to find a way into the city through the walls that's not the front gate and isn't watched or known."
Cat expresses reservations about using the smuggling route, drawing on knowledge from novels where "characters get caught" using such pathways.
Notable Features
- Dried aqueduct system — former water channels now serving as empty passageways
- Security cage — a barrier intended to block entry and exit, though regularly bypassed by smugglers
- Unguarded access — unlike the front gate and walls of New Smoke, this route is not actively watched
- Known smuggling corridor — frequently used by those moving contraband, which makes it both useful and potentially dangerous
- Pig-incompatible — Nick Silver suggests leaving livestock behind when using this route