Tuesday, January 28, 2025

(Gamma World) This is Not a Test #61 - Kent Ky-Ky

Our heroes, the De Facto Explorers,  are at the KIA Academy.  They have completed a task by venturing deep within the sub-levels below, and have returned to the surface...

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Sneaky Pete: A mutated weasel scout.  Pete's telepathy and night vision take a backseat when he whips out his electrical powers.  

Sonny Helianthus: a sentient sunflower artifact examiner with trusted Restorationist ties. Knowledgeable,  but not a good one with device repairs or upgrades.  Very interested in a "Children's Alchemical Laser" he recently acquired.

Slitheran Wurmtail (aka Squiggles): a mutated earthworm scout, in impromptu power armor, looking for trouble, and finding it often.  Previously "gave birth" to a litter of sentient earthworm babies, but recently has been subject to genetic testing and developed super-human strength, a more human body, and a thick coat of shaggy white hair.

Lathar Bracken: A pure-strain human from River Bend.  He's got the muscle, the face, and a mount for most encounters.  Lathar's trusty beast of burden, No Name, travels wherever he does.  No Name has recently been fitted for a artillery device of the Ancients that chucks spears further than any human.  Looking for trouble in all the right places.  Former jousting champion of Fair-Town and has been awarded... a peacock he has named Chambray.  He's recently been struck by a weapon by a strange race of people and transformed into... something else... multiple times.

RHA-9: A lab assistant piece of "Living Metal" that seems to have befriended the group... for now!  Currently getting repairs done by the Restorationists. Currently safely in their hotel room on KIA Academy Level Zero.

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The group was excited to have some spending money, but was more excited to have a letter arrive, addressed from their old compatriot, Ramsay Kallax, the mutant ram.

The letter was dominated by a large square, with many other squares randomly placed within.

"Get that you're here.  Here's the code to scan in the elevator # 7162

The group walked to the elevator, did as they were instructed, and the lift flew them upstairs.

Level 7 appeared to be a large residential area, which multiple sub-levels.  There are a wide assortments of human, mutant humans, and more animal mutants than down below.  Everything is very clean, and rather cordial. 

Level 7 of the KIA Academy
Taking some moving steps, they arrived in from of 7162.  Ramsay opens the door, not in his classic firefighter look, but a relaxed set of Ram sweatpants. 

"Hey guys, you made it! Come on in... Whoa, what is that? "

Sonny realized what Ramsay was looking at "That's RHA-9.  We got him from a Hisser village."

"Tell me all about it, man."

Everyone talked about their adventures, until a female voice erupted from another room, "Ramsay, are your friends here""

Ramsay introduced his friends to his parents, Dr Selene Kallax and Dr Thaddeus Kallax.

Selene Kallax

Thaddeus Kallax

Thaddeus, "It's good to see our boy developed a diverse group of friends.  He can be flighty at times."

The Kallaxes provided basic snacks and refreshments, they were quite intrigued by RHA-9, especially in the possession of this motley bunch. .  Much of the time the group stared out the 7th story windows showing downrivers.  The walls of shelves were filled with odd artifacts from the Ancients, many of which would better belong back at Station Petro. 

What draws their eyes the most, aren't the schematics, or city street maps.  Rather it is an ancient road map .  

Ramsay: "This is one of the last maps ever made by the Ancients."

Selene Kallax:  "The downfall of the Ancients civilizations coincided with the removal of the map from society. Fifty to one hundred years before the fall, paper maps seem to simply stop being made.   This is the transportation network for the areas, hundreds, perhaps thousands of years ago. It's one of our great mysteries."

Sonny tried to reconcile the map with his own knowledge.  It was much easier when he realized the river on the map ran right to left downriver.  None of the towns matched up.

Amongst all these different dead towns was a larger title across the bottom part of the map.  Everything on this side of the river was part of a civilization known as "Kent-Ky-Ky".  

"What a horrible name,"  Sonny exclaimed.  Sonny scribbled some of the map.  

The crew realized the Kallax's were a bigoted, group of intellectuals, looking down at the lower levels of the Academy, much the people in the sub-levels or outside.

Sonny inquired about studying at the Academy.  Thaddeus dissuaded him from enrolling, given their limited time in town, and the field duty obligation.    All students taking  classes would conduct real-world field work, either working alongside the construction crews, or collaborating with the engineers, designers, and architects of other projects.  

Sonny tried to gain access to any of the archives, and Thaddeus was willing to offer him a badge fo r access.  Of course Lathar and Pete wanted access, Thaddeus seemed to dislike the barbarian and weasel, and only provided the lone badge for the sunflower, accessible only during this odd concept called "Office Hours"

Lathar and Pete connived a plan to get access to Level 8 while Sonny was up there.... 

GM Notes: So, yes, the group is playing on a varying sized Ohio River, staying on the Kentucky side.  Of course, all the wilderness adventures are on the Ohio side of the river.  

Next: #62 - 

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