Taming the Sniff Lord

Summary

In Session 3, after subduing and binding The Sniff Lord, the party confronts a moral dilemma about their treatment of the creature. Safia feels guilty about leaving it tied up and behind bars, while Katniss proposes freeing it with a well-placed arrow shot. The attempt succeeds, and when Katniss speaks gently to the freed creature, it displays its first sign of tamability. What began as a threat transforms into a potential companion, prompting Vasso and the others to reconsider their assumptions about monsters and suffering.

The event marks a turning point in the party's relationship with The Sniff Lord, shifting from adversarial combat to compassionate care. The party recognizes the creature as a pathetic, suffering being—a failed scientific experiment that is blind and navigates only by smell and sound.

Details

After subduing The Sniff Lord in an earlier confrontation, the party leaves the creature bound and imprisoned behind a portcullis. During Session 3, Safia voices discomfort with this arrangement: "Sapia actually feels really badly that we left him tied up and behind bars." Safia proposes turning into a rat to chew through the creature's ropes, but Katniss offers an alternative solution.

Katniss proposes to shoot the ropes with an arrow, saying "Cat could try to arrow the ropes." Brad, controlling Katniss, executes a Defy Danger roll and achieves a 12 total—a clear success in Dungeon World's mechanics. The arrow cuts through the ropes precisely without harming The Sniff Lord.

The GM narrates the result: "She just walks up to the portcullis, aims, shoots an arrow down the hallway. And you hear the sniffler go, like. And get to his feet and scamper off into the top. Or he cautiously scampers towards the food that you've pushed through the portcullis and he's from. And he's chowing away."

With the creature freed and eating, Katniss attempts to establish rapport. As Brad narrates: "Cat says, good Snifflord to try to tame him." The GM describes the creature's response: "You see his ears lower just for a moment. In subjugation, you've begun the process of taming the Snifflord."

This moment of submission represents the first indication that The Sniff Lord can be domesticated. The party observes that the creature is pathetic and suffering—a failed scientific experiment that is blind and relies entirely on smell and sound to navigate its environment. Vasso experiences a shift in perspective, developing empathy for the creature and questioning what defines a monster.

Participants

Safia — Voices moral concern about the creature's treatment and suggests freeing it
Katniss — Proposes and executes the arrow shot to free The Sniff Lord; speaks to the creature to begin taming it
Brad — Makes the successful Defy Danger roll (12 total) for Katniss's arrow shot
Vasso — Experiences a shift in perspective and develops empathy for the creature
The Sniff Lord — Responds to gentle treatment with signs of submission and tamability
Shawn — Narrates the creature's reactions and confirms the beginning of the taming process

Consequences

The Sniff Lord is freed from its bindings and begins eating food provided by the party
Katniss successfully begins the taming process, as evidenced by the creature's submissive ear-lowering
The party's relationship with The Sniff Lord transforms from adversarial to potentially companionable
Vasso develops empathy for the creature and questions the nature of monsters
The party learns The Sniff Lord is a failed scientific experiment that is blind and navigates only by smell and sound
Moral and ethical questions arise about how the party treats creatures they initially perceive as threats