Finding the Blocked Exit

Summary

Finding the Blocked Exit occurs in Session 3 after the party spends hours navigating underground tunnels. The group reaches a jumble of stones blocking their exit, with light and air visible through gaps in the rocks. Safia, feeling desperate and reminded of nuclear fallout by being underground, runs forward to examine the pile. Her careful investigation of the structural integrity, supported by a critical success on discern realities (rolling 12), reveals not only a safe path to freedom but also disturbing evidence connecting the area to her past in The City.

The event marks both the party's imminent escape from the tunnels and a major revelation about the world they inhabit, suggesting that Safia's history may be closer than she believed.

Details

After hours of underground travel, the party encounters a jumble of stones blocking what appears to be their exit. Light and air rush through gaps in the rock pile, offering hope of escape. The sight of the blocked passage triggers Safia's trauma from her past:

"Sappho goes running up and, like, wants to kind of pull at them because she's feeling kind of desperate. Like being down here is really reminding her of the nuclear fallout day"

Rather than immediately pulling at the rocks, Safia forces herself to carefully examine the structural integrity of the pile before touching anything. She rolls to discern realities and achieves a critical success, rolling 10 plus her modifier for a total of 12. This grants her three questions to ask about the situation.

Through her investigation, Safia learns:

1. The safe exit route: One specific stone can be moved without causing a collapse. As described, "It looks like you could shove that one loose and it would leave the rest intact for you all to squirm out because, thankfully, you're all teenagers and you're all pretty small."

2. Evidence of The City's presence: Based on the pure toxic waste found in the area, there is likely a satellite facility from The City located near Rex Tree.

3. The origin of the Sniff Lord: A pig was probably exposed to something in this area, possibly explaining the creation of The Sniff Lord.

The revelations shake the party, particularly Safia, who must confront the possibility that her past in The City is not as distant as she had hoped.

Participants

• Safia — Examines the blocked exit and makes the critical discern realities roll that reveals both the escape route and disturbing information about the area's connection to The City
• The rest of the party — Present as witnesses to the discovery and relieved to find a potential escape route

Consequences

• The party gains a safe method to escape the tunnels by removing the identified stone, allowing them to squirm through the opening.
• Safia confirms that The City has (or had) operations near Rex Tree, based on evidence of pure toxic waste that could only come from a satellite facility.
• The party learns a possible origin for The Sniff Lord — exposure to whatever contaminated the area.
• Safia's emotional state is affected by the realization that her past may not be as far behind her as she believed, with the underground environment already triggering memories of nuclear fallout.