Party Infiltrates New Smoke Through Underground Canal

Summary

In Session 7 of the campaign, the party successfully infiltrated the industrial town of New Smoke through a hidden underground canal entrance previously revealed by Nick Silver. After extensive reconnaissance and planning, they executed a coordinated approach using Safia's aerial surveillance to time their entry around guard patrols. The infiltration succeeded when Vasso unknowingly cast his first conscious spell—Guidance—to navigate the dark tunnel system beneath the town. This event marked both the party's first entry into New Smoke and Vasso's discovery of his magical abilities, though he still believed he was receiving direct divine communication from Mother Earth rather than casting magic himself.

Details

The party approached New Smoke and observed its imposing defenses: 20-25 foot walls constructed from wooden palisade and pounded metal, with black smoke belching into the sky and industrial noises emanating from within. A long line of people waited at the main gate for searches. Rather than risk the main entrance, the party decided to investigate Nick Silver's information about the dried-up canal entrance, using the opportunity to show Vasso—who had never seen a canal—this architectural feature.

They navigated their cart off the main path through underbrush and pitcher plants fields, with Sucks Benedict feeding the now-massive Goober pitcher plant nectar during the journey. Behind a pile of shattered boulders, they discovered the canal—a man-made waterway predating the town's construction, dry for 20-30 feet with a metal grate set into the wall. Sucks Benedict used his Trap Expert ability and rolled a 10, gaining three hold to ask questions about potential dangers. After his successful roll, Sucks performed a WWE-style pose-down and thanked the Sniff Lord for his dexterity.

Before the actual infiltration, the party debated logistics. Brad suggested using the Sniff Mask to check if the canal led to a sewer, since sewage contamination would ruin their plans to make pumpkin pies from the pumpkin meat Goober had absorbed. Abdul proposed putting Goober in the driver's seat of the cart to avoid sewage contact. Vasso pulled up his bartering hood to obscure his face, expressing anxiety that the smithy-dominated town would tease him about his vines like the blacksmith kids did in his home village. The party discovered that Sucks Benedict had contaminated their disguise clothes with his urine. Dayna revealed she had been carrying the Sniff Mask in her sack and retrieved it for the party to use.

For the actual infiltration, Safia remained in pigeon form to coordinate timing with guard patrols. She positioned herself on high ground to watch the guards, who were discussing stripper names. She signaled the party by flapping her wings three times in a seizure-like pattern, indicating when it was safe to approach. One concerned guard watched the "sick bird" through binoculars and made notes. As the Game Master narrated: "Yeah, you guys are able to rush through the canal, keeping out of sight. And you reach the great end of the tunnel under the wall."

Following Nick Silver's advice, they jiggled the grate and discovered: "You're able to basically jiggle it and it comes apart in a way that is very easily hidden from the naked eye. But it is quite functional once you get it working and you can slip inside into the darkness of the tunnels inside."

Inside the underground drainage system, they found themselves in darkness: "So in the darkness of the canals, there are. You see from the inside that this place was covered in like a heavy metal grating, and most of that is obscured. So it's pretty dark in here." Heavy metal grating overhead created deep shadows, with only occasional tiny shafts of light filtering through where people's shadows passed overhead. The tunnel system was arranged in an evenly-spaced grid pattern, but the party became disoriented.

After discussion about navigation strategies, "Vaso is gonna do a little bit of a kneel down and he's gonna ask God or his Mother Earth to guide them and their way." This prayer unexpectedly triggered his Guidance spell—a rote spell he didn't know he possessed. The Game Master asked: "You have a spell called Guidance?" A divine symbol appeared and gestured the correct direction. This marked Vasso's first conscious use of magic, though he still didn't fully understand he was casting spells rather than receiving direct divine communication from Mother Earth. Safia decided to continue aerial reconnaissance rather than entering the tunnels with the rest of the party.

Participants

Safia — Provided aerial reconnaissance in pigeon form, signaled the party when guard patrols cleared the area by flapping wings three times
Sucks Benedict — Used Trap Expert ability (rolled 10) to assess the canal entrance for dangers, contaminated disguise clothes with urine
Vasso — Prayed for guidance and unknowingly cast his first conscious spell (Guidance), navigating the party through the dark tunnel system; wore his bartering hood to hide his face
Kat — Participated in the infiltration through the canal
Abdul — Proposed logistics for handling Goober during the infiltration
Brad — Suggested using the Sniff Mask to check for sewage
Dayna — Carried and retrieved the Sniff Mask from her sack
Goober — The party's massive pitcher plant companion who had grown large from consuming pumpkins
Nick Silver — Provided intelligence about the hidden canal entrance (not present during infiltration)

Consequences

The party successfully entered New Smoke undetected, bypassing the heavily guarded main gate and search process
Vasso discovered he possesses magical abilities, specifically the Guidance rote spell, though he still interprets this as direct divine communication from Mother Earth rather than spellcasting
Safia remained outside the town in pigeon form for continued surveillance rather than entering with the rest of the party
The party gained access to the underground drainage system beneath New Smoke, with knowledge of the hidden grate entrance mechanism for potential future use
One guard became aware of a "sick bird" (Safia) and made notes about it, potentially creating a record for future complications
The party's disguise clothes were contaminated by Sucks Benedict's urine, potentially affecting future stealth or social encounters
Vasso's use of Guidance demonstrated the effectiveness of divine magic in practical situations, establishing a precedent for solving navigation challenges through prayer