Episode Summary: Session 2

Summary

Session 2 of the campaign picks up with the party outside The Rex Tree in the town of Rex Tree, having acquired pigs from the Pig Rental System on a "test drive" they intend to make permanent. Each party member has bonded with their pig: Vasso with Paisley, Sucks with Fajirald, Safia with Lutro, Katniss with Carl, and Monster with Mayor. The party has accepted a job from The Org to recover a book of sensitive information from Dunko Guzman, a goose man who runs the Pinecone Restaurant and Spa.

What begins as a straightforward investigation into Dunko Guzman's ransacked apartment quickly escalates into a complex web of conspiracy. The party battles Geese at Dunko's Apartment, discovers evidence of The smuggling operation, and negotiates with Mayor the pig, who reveals critical intelligence about Dunko Guzman's illegal activities. Safia makes the controversial decision to free all the pigs, causing tension within the group but securing vital information about bag-smuggling operations at the Pinecone Restaurant and Spa.

The session culminates in a dramatic turn when Monster's failed tracking attempt leads the party to The Rex Tree, where Vasso's attempt to commune with the tree inadvertently triggers a hidden entrance. The party descends into Underground Tunnels Beneath Rex Tree and discovers The Masked Cultists conducting rituals to The Sniff Lord. After being discovered, the party is declared sacrifices, and in the ensuing confrontation, they kill one cultist and claim Janet's Ring. The session ends with the party facing the reality of their new status as sacrifices to The Sniff Lord.

Events

Opening and Investigation Setup

Session 2 begins with out-of-character discussion about timing, as Erin requests the session end at 11:30 or 10:30 due to being in Calgary with baby Khalil and dealing with poor internet connectivity from tethering. The group also discusses COVID-19 vaccines and distribution before transitioning into gameplay.

The party stands outside The Rex Tree with their newly acquired pigs. GM Shawn reminds them that Dunko Guzman's private quarters are accessed via stairs in a back courtyard of the Pinecone Restaurant and Spa. The party splits: Safia remains outside with the pigs to use her conversational abilities to learn more from them, while Vasso, Sucks, and Katniss ascend to investigate. Monster, covered in fish oil from jumping into a vat, also stays outside.

Discovery of the Ransacked Apartment

The investigation team enters Dunko's apartment, described as "a pretty nicely decorated, if somewhat small apartment" that is "mostly sticks and feathers" befitting Dunko Guzman's nature as a goose man. However, they discover the apartment has been ransacked and is full of sticks, leaves, and feathers. Several Geese at Dunko's Apartment are still present inside, having apparently broken in through a window.

Sucks immediately attacks to clear the area for investigation. Using Hack and Slash, Sucks kills two geese with brutal efficiency: "I grab a couple, and then I whip them in the air and break their necks." Vasso assists by using his large wingspan to help corral the birds, though he becomes guilt-ridden, believing they might be Dunko Guzman's pets. Katniss calls down to confirm, and Dunko Guzman denies knowing about the geese. The combat proves challenging, with the geese dealing armor-piercing damage.

Mayor's Revelation and the Pig Dilemma

Outside, Safia negotiates with Mayor, the leader of the test-drive pigs. Mayor reveals critical intelligence: "Maybe some people show up once in a while with bags full of shit that know that they don't want anybody else to see. Maybe Gooseman takes some of those bags." Mayor explains that the Pinecone Restaurant and Spa is involved in a bag-smuggling operation where people drop off bags that smell good (including endive), and Dunko Guzman later distributes them to other people.

Mayor demands freedom for all the pigs in exchange for this information. Safia agrees, telling the party: "What I'm trying to tell you is that Gooseman is a smuggler." This decision creates tension, particularly with Vasso, who protests: "If you lose our pigs, I'll stop loving you." The pigs begin wandering away toward The Rex Tree, with Monster sitting atop Carl.

Discovery of Evidence

Inside the apartment, Safia makes several crucial discoveries. She finds The hidden wall compartment containing The bag of coins—approximately 250 coins in gold, silver, copper, and a shinier silver—along with a knife in a sheath. She also discovers The mysterious boot print made with light yellow mud near the secret compartment, suggesting someone entered through the window, accessed the hidden alcove, and left.

Sucks identifies a Sniff Lord Symbol on the loot: "I saw this outside in the alleyway. This is the symbol of the sniff lord." The party theorizes that Dunko Guzman may work for The Sniff Lord and uses geese as mules for his smuggling operation. They search for the missing book but find only mundane household items like fiction books, clothing, and water jugs.

The party debates how to handle the evidence, with Vasso ultimately carrying everything in a bindle. They take one dead goose for dinner while respectfully displaying the other, and Sucks volunteers to write a receipt note for Dunko Guzman.

The Trail to Rex Tree

Monster attempts to track the mysterious boot print using Hunt and Track but fails the roll. Despite this, Monster manages to follow the scent trail, leading the party across the town square to the massive Rex Tree, where the ground is carpeted with fist-sized acorns.

Safia successfully uses Discern Realities to notice disturbed acorns and an unusual bark pattern: "you see that the tree's bark waves around in a pattern that is mostly natural except for one spot." When Vasso attempts to commune with the tree religiously, his failed wisdom roll inadvertently triggers a trap mechanism. A grinding sound occurs and a six-foot-tall section of trunk falls away, revealing a deep tunnel leading underground.

Sucks immediately rushes inside hoping to find the freed pigs. As GM Shawn describes: "the four of you pass into the tunnel, and the second the last one of you passes the threshold, the door shoots back up from the earth and shuts behind you, locking you in total darkness." Vasso interprets this as the "mother tree" swallowing them intentionally. The party's only light source is the Magical Butterfly Brooch, which provides only dim illumination.

Discovery of the Cult

Inside the Underground Tunnels Beneath Rex Tree, Safia uses Shapeshift Move to transform into a bat in the darkness. The tunnel widens to "maybe like 7 or 8ft tall, 5 or 6ft across." Safia scouts ahead and discovers The Masked Cultists: "There's a bunch of weird robed figures down there. I think it might be an Eyes Wide Shut kind of situation."

The party creeps down using what Shawn describes as "an Alvin and the Chipmunks Scooby Doo style configuration" to observe the scene. They witness The Masked Cultists milling about Stone Altar heaped with food, with torches in the ground and various tunnels branching off into darkness.

Confrontation and Sacrifice

The party is discovered by The Cultists. One declares: "You have stumbled upon something you should not have. Interloper." The cultist presents them with a grim choice: "You end your life now or you wander the caverns." Shawn clarifies the stakes: "What has happened is you have become the newest sacrifices to the sniff lord... You've now become the sacrifices of the sniff Lord. Everybody. Well done."

In the confrontation, the party kills one cultist. Katniss takes Janet's Ring from the dead cultist's hand, which bears a symbol saying "my beloved" and the name "Janet." The party realizes the holes in the cavern are five feet wide and they could walk back through, ending the session with them trapped as sacrifices to The Sniff Lord.

Key Developments

The Smuggling Operation Exposed: Mayor the pig reveals that Dunko Guzman runs a smuggling operation at the Pinecone Restaurant and Spa, with people dropping off bags of goods late at night that he redistributes
Evidence Recovered: The party discovers The hidden wall compartment containing The bag of coins (approximately 250 coins) and a knife, along with The mysterious boot print that suggests the intruder's identity
Connection to the Sniff Lord: Sucks identifies the Sniff Lord Symbol on stolen goods, establishing a link between Dunko Guzman and The Sniff Lord
The Pigs Are Freed: Safia negotiates freedom for all the pigs in exchange for intelligence, creating party tension but securing vital information about the smuggling operation
Discovery of the Underground Cult: Vasso's failed communion with The Rex Tree accidentally triggers a hidden entrance to Underground Tunnels Beneath Rex Tree
The Party Becomes Sacrifices: After discovering The Masked Cultists conducting rituals to The Sniff Lord, the party is declared sacrifices, fundamentally changing their situation
Janet's Ring Acquired: Katniss claims Janet's Ring from a slain cultist, bearing the inscription "my beloved" and the name "Janet"
Combat Casualties: The party kills two Geese at Dunko's Apartment and one member of The Cultists
Failed Tracking Roll: Monster's failed Hunt and Track roll still yields useful results, leading the party to The Rex Tree
Shapeshift Success: Safia successfully uses Shapeshift Move to scout as a bat in the underground darkness