(Gamma World) Not a Test #98 - Day of the Birds

Our heroes, the De Facto Explorers, have returned to their "Pool Room" with their "glow-resistant" suit to clear out some odd objects, and continue their experiments on the Alchemical Laser.... with very mixed results.

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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. The two-time champion of the Fair-Town Queen's Joust.

Sneaky Pete: A mutated weasel scout.  Pete's telepathy and night vision take a backseat when he whips out his electrical powers.  Apparently addicted to his newly uncovered yellow powder found at "The Pool House"

Sonny Helianthus: a nearly 10' tall sentient sunflower artifact examiner with four arms, and trusted Restorationist ties. Knowledgeable,  but not a good one with device repairs or upgrades. 

Slitheran Wurmtail (aka Squiggles): a mutated earthworm scout, in impromptu power armor, looking for trouble in all the wrong places,  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.  He may be pregnant... again!

Thunnelda Haycock:  A peculiar local woman, who has a penchant for wandering the surrounding territories for particular oddities, but has become the fiancé of Lathar.  She is back home in Riverbend, planning her and Lathar's upcoming nuptials 

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The Explorers had survived camping overnight outside of "Pool Room."  Outside of a preponderance of ants attracted to the sticky citrus residue from the Bloomfruit Bomb.  Sonny stayed planted outside, but led the group back to the Pool Room, instructing them to clear the purple globules that had once been clinging to the sunflower.

Sonny: "Whatever you do, don't eat it!"

Once that was cleared up, they debated clearing out the last two known rooms in the complex.  One was a large vine-like creature growing out of a commode, and the heroes had had enough bad experience to simply secure the door.

The other room simply had vegetation covering the inside of its windows, and Squiggles reinforced the initial thought to NOT investigate.

Sonny was battered and beaten and although he had a few more experiments, he felt it best to have the Explorers return to Riverbend.

The arrived without incident, and the group split off.

Lathar wandered town, grabbing a drink, and discovered his dearest Thunnelda in the window of the only tailor/seamstress in town, assembling her wedding dress.  She was pleasant as punch seeing her beloved.  Her brother and sister-in-law were helping her with the selection and purchase. 

There were still a number of things that need to be finalized, like an actual venue.

Lathar: "Don't worry, we'll figure that all out.  Plus I know where to get a keg of beer."

Recovering at the inn, Lathar was accosted by a pure-strain human in a large cloak, "You the one getting married?"

Lathar nodded.

"What are you offering for services."

"Yep, for 200 domars."

The man pulled out a clay pot with soil, and a lone plant.  With a word, the plant moved, stretching out its tiny arms.  

It was a sentient dandelion.   

"This is what you want 200 domars for?"

And then the dandelion burst out in operatic singing

"Sold, take my money!!!"

Once the money is exchanged, the man gave him the rules. 

"Every once in awhile on my dandelion farm, one comes to life, always with a different title.  This one is named Petaluna Whistlewhistle.  

    1) She only sings if she's in the pot.

    2) She requires a small stage to perform.

    3) She requires a thimble of dew before each performance.

    4) No matter what you do, no matter what you say, make sure no one is chewing loudly near her. 

Squiggles, still quite pregnant with worms, returns to the farm, reuniting with his older children.

Sonny decided to visit the Restorationists.  He briefed the leader, Justinian about the lair, and made him promise to take over research if he should perish. After that, the sunflower broke out his collection of thin books and rested while he read.

Meanwhile, Pete finally wandered off to his river lair.  An underground burrow, under the hollow of a tree, with a basic weasel-sized, two room tree house, he hadn't stayed there often since the fall. 

He paused as he came near the entrance.  He noticed something completely amiss inside his house.

He peaked around to see three bipedal mutant blackbirds, all about the weasels height.  One was asleep on the ground.

Pete burst through his door, laser gun drawn, "Hands up!  What are you doing in my house???"

The awake blackbirds put their hands up, leaning them towards the weasel, "Hey, hey, hey, my man, THIS is your house?"

"Who are you and what are you doing in my house?"

"This is your house, where have you been?"

"Okay, where is your money?" 

"What is this money you speak of?"  

Quickly, the blackbirds dragged their drunk friend out of the door, "Easy, easy..."

Searching his abode, Pete didn't find too much missing, in fact he found an interesting piece of artwork, obviously left over from the blackbirds.

The image perplexed Pete, so he ventured through his secret tunnel back to Farmer Julius' farmyard to let his friends review.  

The farm was full of activity.  Squiggles had arrived, and his first generation of children were celebrating Squiggles return, and the impending arrival of a second generation of baby worms. 

Pete found Sonny, but he was too enraptured with one of his skinny science book from the Ancients,

"Pete, the Ancients were like us too, here's a story about a ship captain with six arms who loved rings of fried dough."

Why are there mutants in Boy's Life?

Sonny, the hell with that, someone broke into my house and left this... Showing the sunflower the drawing gained Sonny's attention.  

Squiggles looked over Pete's shoulder, "See! I told you birds were no good, any shape or size."

Lathar: "Obviously it's a giant bird-god attacking a weasel with gifts of the Ancients attached to him."

Sonny discounted the drawing, focusing on building two-wheeled conveyances to move faster.

Squiggles: "You're going to make a vehicle that uses your legs, so you don't have to use your legs.  Sounds sketchy."

For a moment, Sonny hoped he could adopt all of Squiggles new children, and set up a legion of wheeled cavalry.

GM Notes:  Sonny's reading material was a haggard copy of the December 1980 issue of Boy's Life.

Next: #99 - Herding Goats and Friends