Discovery of the Wasteland Map

Summary

In Session 11, immediately after Vasso secured the third unconscious guard in the cell, Sucks searched the guard's belongings and discovered a folded piece of paper that proved to be a crude map of the wasteland outside New Smoke. Through a successful Discern Realities roll (achieving a 10 with aid from Kat), the party learned the map documented the Underground Facility Guards' exploration activities in the wasteland, with landmarks marked as already-searched locations and one specific site—an archway with a lollipop-shaped sign—circled as a target of interest. The map also bore the mysterious notation "TYR" in the corner, underlined multiple times, though the party could not determine its meaning.

Details

[While Vasso was securing the guard](timestamp://cb0f4df6-54c1-422f-b484-4d5d12349f36/18:32), Sucks immediately began "rummaging around his pocket." The search yielded burnt matches, a wrapped piece of cheese, and a folded piece of paper. When unfolded, the paper revealed what Shawn described as "a really rudimentary map."

The party initially puzzled over why the guard carried burnt matches. Erin proposed a solution: "Do you think that he was keeping the burnt matches because he uses them to draw the axes? Maybe that's like his charcoal." Shawn confirmed this theory was correct—the matches had been used as makeshift drawing implements.

Sucks then rolled Discern Realities, achieving a 9. Kat provided aid by pointing at the map and rolled an 11, bringing the total result to a 10. This allowed Sucks to ask three questions about the map.

Through these questions, the party learned:

The map depicted the wasteland outside New Smoke, with the city shown as a half-circle at the bottom containing small buildings. Shawn noted "it looks like they're just using whatever landmarks they think of while they're out there to mark where they've been" and confirmed the map covered territory "definitely not like, close enough or Rex Tree is not close enough for that to be what this map is about."
The landmarks were marked with X's drawn in burnt match charcoal. These marked locations the guards had already explored and found nothing of value.
One particular landmark stood out: an archway shape with a sign resembling a lollipop on top. This location was circled, indicating it was the guards' next target location.

In the corner of the map, the notation "TYR" appeared, underlined several times. The party theorized about its meaning, with suggestions including "the Young Rascals" and references to amino acids (Brad and Abdul discussing chemistry), but could not determine what it actually meant.

Participants

Sucks—searched the guard's pockets and rolled Discern Realities to interpret the map
Kat—aided Sucks by pointing at the map, contributing to the successful roll
Vasso—was securing the third guard when the search occurred
Erin—deduced the purpose of the burnt matches
Brad—participated in theorizing about the "TYR" notation
Abdul—participated in theorizing about the "TYR" notation
Shawn—confirmed interpretations and described what the map revealed
Underground Facility Guards (unconscious)—the guard whose possessions yielded the map

Consequences

The party gained actionable intelligence about the guards' wasteland exploration activities and identified a specific target location marked with an archway and lollipop-shaped sign.
The discovery revealed that the guards had systematically explored multiple locations in the wasteland, marking sites they had already searched.
The meaning of "TYR" remained unknown, presenting an ongoing mystery for the party to investigate.
The party now possessed physical evidence (The Wasteland Map) that could guide their future exploration or be used as leverage in negotiations.
The successful Discern Realities roll (achieving a 10) allowed Sucks to ask three questions, extracting maximum information from the find.