(Gamma World) This is Not a Test #78 - The Ringing of the Gongs

 Our heroes, the De Facto Explorers,  have returned to Riverbend.  War is in the air downriver and the participants are still largely unknown.  After a family dinner, three strange human individuals have shown up on the farm. Sonny and Squiggle's children take refuge in.  

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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 nearly 10' tall sentient sunflower artifact examiner with trusted Restorationist ties. Knowledgeable,  but not a good one with device repairs or upgrades. Just went out of his comfort zone to rescue Lathar from becoming a human sacrifice to "The Beast." 

Slitheran Wurmtail (aka Squiggles): a mutated earthworm scout, in impromptu power armor, looking for trouble, and finding it often.   He  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.   Looking for trouble in all the right places.  Former jousting champion of Fair-Town.  

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The three people the Explorers encountered emerging from the woods near Yulius' farm were all human, battered and cut, but otherwise intact.  They were certainly confused to have reached civilization.  They claimed their town, far over the mountains, was attacked by a large group of mutated sub-men.  Their own militia, armed with "guns and bullets" were simply overwhelmed by the primitives.   Five of them had fled the town and headed over the mountains, yet a smaller group of sub-men and their hunting beasts seemed to be slowly hunting them.  In the last five days or so, they had managed to pick off two of them, leaving Danny, Sarah, and Evelyn.  

Peter was quite insistent to take them all to leader of the militia, Loman Streight.   Sonny had issues with the lack of a power structure and travelled over to the Restorationists to force an audience with Justinian.  

At Ascension Hall, Sonny was banging on the doors, demanding an audience with their leader, Justinian.  

Gaining an audience Justinian already knew Sonny's purprose.  "I hope you're here to confirm what this young wormling was telling me about strangers, sub-men, and hunting beasts.

Sonny saw Double Fatso, one of Squiggles' spawn, hiding behind the Restorationist's leader.  

Double Fatso, spawn of Squiggles....

Sonny and Justinian exchanged platitudes to each other, while the leader countered with simple question, like what the new human's town is called.  Justinian seemed concerned, particularly why the sub-men were "playing with their food."  Perhaps the humans were being used for a far more nefarious purpose.

Justinian bestowed the honor to Double Fatso of the ringing of the Ascension Gong, alerting all the Restorationists in town to come and defend the hall, and possibly the town, if things went sour.   He recommended to Sonny that the humans be given food and shelter, but it things seemed grim, sending these odd refugees on a raft across the river might save many lives. 

Back in town, Pete dragged Squiggles and Lathar with him to escort the three humans to Loman.  Sitting in front of the trading post, Loman saw the Explorers escorting the three muddy, exhausted individuals and pondered leaving quickly. 

He didn't, and Peter took control, providing details on the viable threat on the town.  

Loman didn't buy the strangers' stories at all.  He found it wildly unlikely that a bookkeeper, a schoolteacher, and a geologist were being playfully used as target practice by some primitive mutant culture.  

Loman Streight, apathetic militia leader

Pete was incensed that Loman wasn't willing to raise the alarm without further information.   "He's a moron!"  he confided with Squiggles.     It was bad enough that there were no fortifications in the area, but the militia seemed completely unprepared for even the least competent threat.  The weasel kept prodding the trio for more information, and they were somewhat forthcoming with limited information.  

Pete heard a gong off to the distance.  It wasn't the drill bell that called the militia to arms, but it sounded like a good idea to have Lathar work door to door to recall as many defenders as possible.  

Squiggles was in complete disagreement with the plans, finding the humans completely unreliable, and raising the alarm for the militia was irresponsible.  After just arriving in town and warning many of the war to downriver and potential hordes of refugees, the citizenry might already throw a deaf ear towards another alleged threat.  

Pete agreed that Squiggles and he should scout out the surrounding environs for these sub-men, but the weasel already advised Lathar to start putting the militia on alert.  

Lathar's recruitment was quite sluggish.  Most of the doors he knocked on resulted in more genial conversation and catch-up with the "world traveler" Lathar.    The efforts are slow-going, with many questions.  

Pete and Squiggles used their scouting talents to good use.  The did confirm the tracks of the humans, usually single file through the path of least resistance through the woods.   

Back in the village, Sonny has taken the trio of humans to the Keg for blankets, warmer clothes, a warm spot by the hearth, and some bread and broth.  The humans were quite appreciative.  The humans were still elusive with their details of the chase.  Sonny found them to be inconsistent but also exhausted... and quite distracted, as he continued to nervously look around.  Danny, the male of the group, tried to speak for all three, when he stated, "I'd like to not get hunted anymore and rest.  If it's not safe here, then we'll go on our way. "

Lathar's recruitment efforts were thwarted by the the biggest supporter in Squiggle's family.   "Ammo Gal"  had found steady work helping out the militia, but the musket ball inventory was heavily scrutinized with the fear that all the militia showed up.  Rationing would be needed until a solid and steady count could muster. 

The scouts continued to backtrack the journey of their next visitors.  No obvious encounters were noted, the humans had kept their pace pretty consistent, doing their best to avoiding mud, mires, and obstructions.  Without seeing anything outrageous confirming their claims, they debated camping out or heading back to Riverbend.  Squiggles was quite worried about the potential powder-keg in town, and that they had left Sonny and Lathar in charge. 

Lathar took control of some of the squad leaders to set up patrols, post individuals at the top of buildings.  After they are set up, he worked with Ammo Gal to finish distributing ammo, rations, and supplies. 

Squiggles and Pete arrived at the town with the militia listless and sipping on booze around large fires.  They ventured into town to find Sonny actually had eight of the militia drinking at the Keg, regaling tales!  

It was Sonny would have a odd repetitive sound off in the distance, he quickly grabbed the militia and emerged from the Keg, ready for action.  The weasel and worm followed, and once they were outside they caught the end of a loud, repetitive series of pops.    It sounded like some form of fighting near Ascension Hall and the defending Restorationists.  

Sonny rallied his Charisma Check (Nat 1 sucess!)  and the militia moved forward.    The action at Ascension Hall seemed to have concluded, with a handful of Restorationists carefully moving upriver along the road. 

A step behind his men, Sonny maneuvered his men towards Farmer Yulius' farm.  In the back area, they discovered a large beast around the old shack a smaller Sonny had called home.  

This wolf-like creature, five foot at the shoulder, part of it's fur appeared to.... shimmer.  

In its massive mouth was the feeble body of one of the children of Squiggles.

It was Twitchy, the British speaking worm, who only could emit, "Manchi.... I tried..." before expiring in the beast's mouth. 

*DRAMATIC PAUSE*

GM Notes:  Sonny's moment of bravery, bounding out of the Keg, earned him a round of parody honors on ChatGPT, a la Gaston, from Beauty and the Beast. 

Next: #79 -  The Shimmer Wolf