Sucks Confronts the Thunderhog Leader

Summary

At the climax of the hostage rescue operation in Session 11 of the campaign, Sucks enters the back room of the Thunderhog hideout to confront the Thunderhog Leader who is holding The Mayor of New Smoke prisoner. Finding the mayor bound to a chair with the greasy-haired leader standing guard, Sucks abandons an initial plan to shoot an arrow. Instead, Sucks throws a rock previously collected at the market, striking the Thunderhog Leader directly in the forehead. The leader slumps unconscious to the ground with blood trickling from the wound, neutralizing the immediate threat and enabling the mayor's rescue. The incident raises immediate questions among the party about whether Sucks killed the man, contributing to their growing uncertainty about whether their supposedly non-lethal combat tactics have been accidentally lethal all along.

Details

After the party successfully deploys Monster the cat to distract the guards in the main hall, Sucks approaches the back room where the mayor is held captive. Upon entering, Sucks discovers the room layout makes a stealthy entrance impossible. The scene inside reveals an older woman with gray hair, stocky in build, tied to a chair—The Mayor of New Smoke. The greasy-haired Thunderhog Leader stands directly in front of the bound mayor.

Sucks initially declares an intention to shoot an arrow ("I shoot an arrow at us"), but instead reaches for the rock that had been thrown at Sucks earlier during the market encounter. Sucks throws the rock at the Thunderhog Leader's head. The leader turns and makes eye contact with Sucks just as the projectile strikes him in the forehead. The man stares at Sucks for a moment as blood begins to trickle down his face, then slumps unconscious to the ground.

The immediate aftermath prompts Abdul to question the outcome: "Is he dead? Did you kill this guy?" This query reflects the party's mounting concern about the actual lethality of their combat methods, which they had believed to be non-lethal.

Following the confrontation, The Mayor of New Smoke searches the unconscious (or possibly dead) Thunderhog Leader's pockets and discovers a mysterious oblong silver object, though its purpose and significance remain unclear at this point in the session.

Participants

• Sucks — Entered the back room alone and threw the rock that incapacitated the Thunderhog Leader
• Thunderhog Leader — The greasy-haired man guarding the mayor; knocked unconscious by the thrown rock
• The Mayor of New Smoke — Held captive, tied to a chair in the back room; later searched the defeated leader's pockets
• Abdul — Questioned whether the leader had been killed
• Shawn — Narrated the scene and described the leader's reaction to being struck

Consequences

• The Thunderhog Leader was neutralized, removing the immediate threat to The Mayor of New Smoke
• The mayor's rescue became possible with the leader incapacitated
• The party gained access to a mysterious oblong silver object found in the leader's pockets
• The question of whether Sucks killed the leader remained unresolved, fueling the party's moral uncertainty
• The incident contributed to the party's growing realization that their combat tactics may have been lethal when they believed them to be non-lethal
• Sucks successfully used an improvised weapon (the market rock) rather than standard combat equipment