(Gamma World) This is Not a Test #68 - Who's Worse than the Cabal of Evil?

Our heroes, the De Facto Explorers,  are spending the winter scouting around KIA Academy.  They continue to encounter and at this time, befriend the blue-skinned Kirothians, while other, more powerful faction prowl the forests.

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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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Back at the "modern" bridge which seemed to denote the southern extent of KIA Academy influence, the De Facto Explorers and the Kirothians hastily set up camp around the old website.  Most ate what meager food they had, and huddled around the fires.  A few set up defensive positions along the bridge.  

Sonny pulled aside Elona to help speak with the three new Kirothians they had encountered. 

Even Sonny could tell that they were dressed different than the first twenty or so they first encountered. Despite asking numerous ways, they didn't know who the strange attackers were.  The attackers murdered a number of their villagers, but the Kirothian adult male does remember a few of the villagers being tied up and pulled away. 

The villagers admitted that they were all from Sylvara, before the black skeletal men attacked.   

Elona went pale blue, and began a conversation with the male in their native language.  She turned back to Sonny, "Sylvara hasn't been a feasible village for at least 200 years, but he appears to be telling the truth."

Elona finally explained that the first twenty Kirothians were all from the village of Vaeloria, which allegedly was upriver from their current positions.  She also added one vital piece of data:  The attackers of the new Kirothians were a completely different group than the robed human wizards that attacked them original Kirothians. 

Satisfied for the moment, everyone got warm around the fire, until reports of a large, white, furry worm approached the bridge.  

Squiggles was tired, but was not actively running from something.  

Squiggles reported the decimation of the attacking living metal skeletons, by a very powerful unknown entity.  He provided from unidentifiable fragments that were all that was left from their previous attackers, as well as the skull logo.  

Realizing they were relatively safe, the conversation turned to what to do with the Kirothians.  Elona had been firm with their desire to reach Fair-Town for refuge, but the logistics of getting them around the KIA proved problematic.  Lathar questioned if helping them was even something they should be doing.  Thankfully the other three ignored his ill-suited logic.

 It was agreed upon that they would hunt for more provisions for a day before taking a long track around KIA, reaching out towards the ruins of the Toard Jakey and the old stone pavilion, before tracking back towards the main road on the northern border.  

Everyone was surprised that no other scouting groups... of any sort or faction was encountered.  

On the second day, as they began circumventing familiar sites, chaos came from above.  The Kirothians panicked as another flying living metal device, spewing smoke flew in the direction of upriver along the tributary.  

On the following day, the device returns in the sky, followed by three simply gargantuan eagles, one of whom is injured.  They all flew back towards the river, and probably some site on the other side.  

On day three of their journey, they moved into unfamiliar territory, and an unmarked, makeshift village! 

The architecture is off, but despite the crudeness, there was obvious and different ornamentation.  

There were also a smattering of blue-skinned Kirothian moving from building to building.  

The attached Kirothians were unfamiliar with this group, although they were relived to encountered more of them.  

The group decided a gentle, indirect approach, emerging cautiously from the treeline.  Squiggles expected to find some sort of passive traps or ambushes, but was concerned that NOTHING at all had been set out.

As they got closer, a few heads timidly popped out of buildings, watching the large group with concern.  

Elona acted as translator, but many of this group of Kirothians seemed to have picked up more trade speak.  The village was largely populated by women, children, and some smaller men.  Most emerged with bows, a few hand muskets, and a chubby child Kirothian had a Children's Alchemical Laser strapped to his back.  

A Children's Alchemical Laser, wielded by an actual child (Hollis)! 

This new group seemed far more prepared for the winter... and may or may not have been the group the Explorers engaged with around the stone pavilion.  

This new village seemed welcoming to the others, although concerns of how to feed everyone was noted.  

An older woman that was part of the groups talking together, seemed to take control of the meeting.    She took her pointer finger, licked it, rubbed it against Lathar's exposed skin, then tasted her finger.

She made a statement to the villagers, there was general laughter, and the blue-skinned villagers seemed more relieved.  

Elona, "You have dealt with some of these people."

Sonny, "Probably...."

This small Kirothian village was named Paragoulde, and the old woman, Thalindra, explained that the "wizards" had kidnapped at least twenty able-bodied Kirothian adults.   Thalindra and one other had managed to escape, but she knew that those still detained were all going to be subject.  

Thalindra Malen

Thalindra:  I was confused and lost leaving the caves, I'm not used to navigating with one moon in the sky.  Where are the other two moons?

Sonny:  What do you mean, "other two moons???"

Astronomical discussions were tabled. as Thalindra mentioned the wizard Kaazaak and his demons, who lived in a hole in the ground by the hills around where the lights in the sky had shone.  One of the demons was not seen, but his human henchmen referred to it as "Big Ugly."  

The "mine" in the hills was close to a day's walk further away from the Big River.

Everyone spent the night in the village, getting warm, and sharing food.  Sonny compared notes with Hollis' alchemical laser, although it appeared to be in the original factory settings that they Explorers encountered with their own device.  

Later that night a drunk, older Kirothian stumbles into the common building, staggers towards Lathar and points...."You are made out of caramel!!!!! How is that possible?... Can I lick you?  I'll let you in on my secrets if I can lick you... lick me... no, lick you! 

Lathar stuck out his arm, "Friend, you're going to be disappointed..."

The Kirothian took a long, disconcerting lick of his arm, and was repulsed. "You're disgusting!" 

It appeared that the weird old man, Mathias was second person to escape the mines, and he knew exactly where the mine shaft they escaped from was.... 

A journey to the hills was in order....

Next: #69 - Nearing the Circle of Death