Our heroes, the De Facto Explorers, are spending the winter at KIA Academy.
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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 odd southern lights did not cause a great uproar throughout KIA Academy. There were some small conversations notes, but not the fear and panic most of the De Facto Explorers expected. The group slept in (save Sonny, who never sleeps) and talked over brunch about what their next course of action would be.
Pete was pretty insistent that, despite the frigid temperatures that were barely breaking outside, that they follow-up on the scouting job offer Squiggles received from the directly labelled Larry the Cat.
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| Larry the Cat |
They ventured up to Level 2 to Larry's office and were given a basic scouting patrol that kept them far away from the southern lights. They were to run a few miles inland from the river and cross one of the tributaries before returning. Investigating the strange lights were strictly prohibited, unless they ran into it. KIA Academy provided some rations and extra cold-weather tents.
Bringing No Name with them, they followed some old trails until the towering structure of KIA Academy was no longer in sight. The killer freeze had relented, but it was still below freezing.
Pete and Squiggles complemented each other as they navigated through the wilderness. It it was peak summer, the land would be unnavigable, but in the dead of winter it was simply rocky and a bit treacherous.
Nearing the tributary they were instructed to cross, Pete's danger sense kicked off. Someone was watching the explorers from afar. Squiggles scanned the grounds and could only catch a furry hat or two instantly dashing between two trees. Realizing that these hidden figures might be flanking them, Squiggles, Pete, and Lather going into a defensive posture.
Sonny immediately stepped forward to greet these hiding entities. The hats slowly emerged, with their wearers attached. They were more of the blue-skinned folk the party had encountered by the stone pavilion. They appeared amused by the sunflower
From amongst the various trees, there was a single blue-skinned woman moving forward with immense grace over the crunchy snow. She raises her hands in an unfamiliar pose, certainly not aggressive, nor entirely peaceful.
Her control of the Explorers native tongue has slurred and stilted, something above the Dominion of Balance, looking for safety, and her name might be Elona.
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Elona, Chief Kirothian Scout
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Sonny and Elona talked for a bit. Elona was the Chief Scout for their village of Kirothians. They were confused that it was perfect weather only a day or two ago, now some group of wizards had chased them out of their village "Bad men, they shot first, and second" They appeared to be regular humans with advanced tech and magic. Their village appeared to be two days travel up the tributary to the main river. The Kirothians were also worried they hadn't encountered any of the other expected villagers.
The most disconcerting facts: None of them remember seeing lights in the sky the past few nights and none of them were familiar with the "Big River."
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| Kirthorians on the run.... |
Contacting this group, particularly with the history KIA Academy had in previous encounters. Pete didn't trust them at all and refused to share even adjacent camps. They came to some agreement to escort them downriver to the Big River. In appreciation, Elona gave Sonny the one piece of equipment they had picked up from the "Bad Men".... a communication device of the Ancients, which matched Sonny's walkie-talkie.
Next:
#67 - A Few Good Humanoids
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