Discovery of the Hidden Entrance

Summary

In Session 2 of the campaign, the party follows Monster's tracking to the massive Rex Tree in the town square, where the investigation begins. The ground beneath the tree's branches is carpeted with fist-sized acorns, significantly larger than normal. Through a combination of Safia's successful observation using Discern Realities and failed attempts at finding a deliberate entrance mechanism, the party inadvertently triggers a hidden door. A grinding sound announces the opening as a six-foot-tall section of the trunk falls away, revealing a deep, dark tunnel leading down into the earth. Sucks immediately pushes past the others and rushes into the newly revealed Underground Tunnel, hoping to find the freed pigs within.

Details

Upon arriving at the Rex Tree, the party encounters unusual features. The ground underneath the tree's branches is "carpeted with like fist sized acorns," far larger than ordinary acorns. Safia uses Discern Realities to examine the area more closely, rolling an 8. The GM reveals that "the tree's bark waves around in a pattern that is mostly natural except for one spot that seems to be near a section of acorns that are more disturbed than the rest." Safia alerts the group, saying, "Guys, I think there's like an opening over here or some. I don't know, like, look at these acorns on the ground, how they've been moved around."

Both Vasso and Safia begin examining the tree trunk for a mechanism or entrance. Vasso touches the tree "in a weird religious y way," attempting to commune with what he calls "the mother tree," while Safia runs her hands along the bark searching for an opening. Vasso fails his wisdom roll, rolling a 6, and Safia's attempt to aid him also fails with a 3.

Despite the failed rolls, the physical contact triggers something. The GM describes: "Your hand doesn't touch anything unusual. But as you're standing there, there's a grinding sound and a portion of the tree just falls away, revealing a deep, dark tunnel leading, like, down into the earth."

Sucks immediately reacts to the discovery, asking, "Oh, do you think our pigs are down there?" Without waiting for an answer, Sucks pushes everyone aside and rushes into the tunnel.

Participants

• Monster — Led the party to the Rex Tree through tracking
• Safia — Successfully used Discern Realities (rolling an 8) to notice the disturbed acorns and unusual bark pattern; attempted to find the entrance mechanism (rolling a 3 to aid)
• Vasso — Attempted to commune with the tree in a religious manner; failed wisdom roll (rolling a 6)
• Sucks — First to enter the revealed tunnel, motivated by finding the freed pigs

Consequences

• The party gains access to the Underground Tunnel beneath the Rex Tree
• Sucks enters the tunnel first, potentially separating from the rest of the party
• The hidden entrance is now open, though the mechanism that closes it remains unknown
• The party's search for the freed pigs continues into the underground area
• Despite failed rolls by Vasso and Safia, their actions trigger the entrance mechanism, demonstrating that failure can still advance the situation