Episode Summary: Session 3

Summary

Session 3 begins with extensive out-of-character conversation among the players discussing real-world topics including exercise routines, life insurance policies, cupping therapy, royal jelly and bee biology, dietary preferences, and coffee drinking habits. Brad mentions doing weights, Abdul plans a bike ride, and Shawn discusses recent experience with cupping therapy and a decision to switch to massage therapy. The conversation touches on holistic health practices, with extended discussion about royal jelly as both a biological phenomenon in bees and a health supplement. Shawn sends Uber Eats deliveries to participants during the pre-session chat.

When gameplay begins, the party remains trapped in the Caverns beneath the Rex Tree after their failed attempt to convince the robed cultists they belonged there. Erin makes a significant character revision during this session, changing Safia's age from 18 to 14 years old and reimagining the character as more sheltered and inexperienced with the real world, having lived primarily in technology. This revision addresses Erin's concern that Safia was too advantaged and knowledgeable. The players also clarify other character ages, establishing that Vasso is 17 (though appearing younger due to being skinny and scrawny), Katniss is 17, and Sucks is vaguely 15 or 16 years old.

The main narrative focuses on the party's desperate struggle against The Sniff Lord—a horrifying biological hybrid that is part man, part boar. After Safia reveals her shapeshifting abilities to the party for the first time, the group must work together to escape the locked portcullis while the blind, scent-tracking creature approaches. Through a combination of distraction tactics, failed and successful moves, and moral reckoning, the party manages to pacify and ultimately tame the creature. They discover The Synesthesia Mask, learn about Purple Toxic Sludge contaminating the area, navigate through unexplored tunnels, and ultimately escape the underground complex. The session concludes with the party's first leveling up from level 1 to level 2, with each member earning experience points through alignment fulfillment and choosing new advanced moves.

Events

The session opens with the party in a dire situation: Sucks, Vasso, and Katniss are trapped behind a portcullis while Safia remains in bat form clinging to the cavern ceiling. Shawn recaps the previous session's events, establishing that three party members were thrown behind the gate to become sacrifices to The Sniff Lord while the robed figure with dog mask walked toward the altar.

Safia attempts to use Discern Realities to understand the ritual situation but initially rolls poorly (a 3). On a reroll, Safia achieves a partial success (9) that reveals the Sniff Lord is likely one of the small splinter cults that have sprung up around post-disaster monsters—similar to Scooby-Doo villains, often explainable rather than truly divine.

Safia swoops down from the ceiling as a giant bat, grabs the dog-masked cultist's mask and tears it off, revealing an ordinary man in his late 40s or 50s with olive skin and a mustache. Safia's echolocation bat screeches echo throughout the cavern and down into the tunnel where a rumbling response can be heard getting closer. Katniss tries to convince the cultists that Safia is the "Echo Lord" they should bow to. The cultists panic and flee up the ramp, leaving the portcullis still closed.

Safia dramatically uses Shapeshift from bat form back to human form in front of the friends for the first time, using an Animorph-style transformation that involves twisting in a corkscrew motion. The party reacts with shock—Sucks vomits, Vasso screams and goes non-responsive with wide eyes, and Katniss jokes about the Echo Lord. When Safia warns them about something approaching from behind in the darkness, Vasso snaps into paladin mode and takes a defensive position with his sword drawn between the party and the dark tunnel.

The creature emerges from the darkness: The Sniff Lord is revealed to be a massive pig-human hybrid with a gigantic boar head, razor-sharp tusks, bristly mohawk-like hair running down its back, human-like arms it uses to crawl, pig back legs, milky white blind eyes, and a disturbingly human posterior. The creature navigates by scent rather than sight.

Sucks attempts to support Vasso by complimenting the paladin's muscular build, particularly the buttocks. Meanwhile, Safia searches the chamber and discovers Portcullis Buttons—a series of three carved stone buttons on the wall near the portcullis, one of which the dog-masked cultist pressed to close the gate.

Vasso executes a perfect throw, hurling Katniss's dead goose (which Cat has rubbed Monster the fish on to make it smell stronger) past the Sniff Lord in a spiral that distracts the blind creature. The Sniff Lord turns around, follows the scent, and begins devouring the goose, giving the party precious seconds to act.

The party attempts multiple strategies to deal with the Sniff Lord. Katniss tries using I Am the Law, invoking Mother Earth to command the creature to back away. The move achieves a partial success—the Sniff Lord lifts itself up on its knuckles and inches backwards cautiously, not fleeing but responding to the noise. Sucks attempts to use Volley with Serpent's Tears but rolls catastrophically (two ones with a -1 DEX modifier), resulting in the arrow hitting the Sniff Lord but dealing no damage and only angering it further.

[Vasso uses Called Shot](timestamp://355acf0c-a859-4c94-ab24-c50f67c21797/56:30) to identify a specific weak spot on the creature. On a 7-9 result, Vasso doesn't deal damage but successfully hits the pressure point with the arrow, causing the Sniff Lord to fall back. The creature is momentarily pacified, breathing hard but not defeated. The party realizes the creature is pathetic looking—its body doesn't make sense, and even being alive seems like an inconvenience for it. Looking into its eyes, they see only fear.

Safia works through trial and error to push the portcullis buttons in the correct sequence. The portcullis raises into the ceiling with a clicking sound, and they hear a thunk further up in the Rex Tree that indicates the door has been barred, trapping the Sniff Lord below.

The party has a moral reckoning about what they've done. Cat feeds the Sniff Lord by shooting arrows with food attached down the hallway. The creature's ears lower in subjugation, and the party realizes they've begun the process of taming the Sniff Lord.

Safia examines the dog mask more closely and realizes it is The Synesthesia Mask—a piece of technology from the City with pads connected to wires and sensors that, when in contact with skin, amplifies olfactory senses and makes them visual. Using the mask, Safia notices that the right-hand tunnel has a quick-moving stream of what appears to be fresh air, as if flowing from an opening.

The party explores the tunnels and discovers food left by the cultists—fruit, cheeses, meat, bread, and juice. They also find a viscous purple sludge pouring out of the wall. When Safia approaches to investigate, the smell is so strong it clouds vision and stings the eyes and mouth. Vasso recognizes this as what was happening to the fish in the homeland—toxic waste. The party realizes this had to have come from a nearby source, and there could be evidence of a facility near Rex Tree.

The party continues through the tunnels and encounters a blocked exit. Katniss attempts to clear the rocks but moves something wrong, dislodging all the rocks at the top. The party works together and successfully escapes the underground cavern complex.

Upon emerging, they encounter Fajirald, Paisley, Lutro, Carl, and the Mayor. The Mayor questions what the party was doing in the caverns. Vasso lies about what happened below, and the Mayor accepts the explanation. The townsfolk discuss forming a new council, retaining autonomy while considering future adventures with the party.

Safia finds The Mysterious Card—what appears to be a credit card or similar technology—in the cavern complex.

The session concludes with end-of-session mechanics. Each party member fulfills alignment requirements: Vasso (good) for endangering himself to protect weaker party members, Katniss (chaotic) for freeing the Sniff Lord from bonds, Safia (neutral) for eliminating the unnatural menace of the Sniff Lord by identifying its pressure point weakness, and Sucks (chaotic) for leaping into danger without a plan. The party collectively earns six experience points (XP) for learning new things about the world and overcoming notable monsters, though they did not loot treasures.

Sucks resolves the bond with Safia since everyone now knows about the shapeshifting secret and creates a new bond: "Safia outsmarted me by telling people stuff." Safia resolves the bond with Vasso since the shapeshifting abilities were revealed and Safia taught Vasso to operate the tree's technology.

All party members level up from level 1 to level 2. Katniss increases strength from 8 to 9 and takes Wild Empathy to speak with animals. Sucks increases strength from 15 to 16 (gaining +2 modifier) and takes Cheap Shot for enhanced backstab damage. Safia increases dexterity from 12 to 13 (gaining +1 modifier) and takes Communion of Whispers to access network information. Vasso increases intelligence from 9 to 10 and takes Exterminatus, which grants +2d4 damage against a sworn enemy but requires redemption if Vasso fails to defeat them.

The session ends with friendly out-of-character conversation about consuming the candy Shawn sent via Uber Eats, with players noting their tongues feel raw from sour candy.

Key Developments

Character Age Revision: Erin significantly revises Safia's character during this session, changing the age from 18 to 14 years old and reimagining the character as more sheltered and inexperienced with the real world
Character Age Clarification: The party establishes that Vasso is 17, Katniss is 17, and Sucks is vaguely 15 or 16 years old
Shapeshifting Revelation: Safia reveals shapeshifting abilities to the party for the first time, transforming from bat form back to human form in front of Sucks, Vasso, and Katniss
The Sniff Lord Encounter: The party confronts The Sniff Lord—a biological hybrid that is part man, part boar, with milky white blind eyes that navigates by scent
Taming the Sniff Lord: Through a combination of the Called Shot move identifying a pressure point and feeding, the party begins taming the Sniff Lord rather than killing it
Discovery of The Synesthesia Mask: Safia identifies the dog mask as The Synesthesia Mask—technology from the City that amplifies olfactory senses and makes them visual
Toxic Sludge Discovery: The party discovers purple toxic sludge pouring from the cavern walls, which Vasso recognizes as the same contamination affecting fish in the homeland
Escape from the Caverns: The party successfully escapes the underground cavern complex beneath the Rex Tree
First Level-Up: All party members advance from level 1 to level 2, each choosing stat increases and new advanced moves
Bond Resolution: Sucks resolves the bond with Safia about her secret and creates a new bond. Safia resolves the bond with Vasso about teaching him
Alignment XP: Each character earns experience for fulfilling alignment requirements during the session
New Advanced Moves Acquired: Katniss takes Wild Empathy, Sucks takes Cheap Shot, Safia takes Communion of Whispers, and Vasso takes Exterminatus
Mysterious Technology Found: Safia discovers The Mysterious Card in the cavern complex