(Gamma World) Not a Test #123 - Who Are You Calling a Lizard Licker?

Our heroes, the De Facto Explorers, have decided to embark on an epic quest to reach Lathar's long-lost father.  They have stopped in Fair-Town, for municipal meetings, bread-encrusted sausages, and random encounters with your first litter's breeding partner.... Squiggles has been recovered, however not only is Ubenda, his breeding partner,  dead, but her body is missing!

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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.  Recently married to the now-pregnant Thunnelda Haycock.   Just received a letter from his long-lost father, and has convinced the others to accompany him to the Wildlands.

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: an over 10' tall sentient sunflower artifact examiner with four arms, and trusted Restorationist ties. Knowledgeable,  but not a good one with device repairs or upgrades.   Sonny may have recently detonated an atomic device in the petrified woods... although no one else knows. 

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.  Recently attacked and kidnapped then left for dead by an unknown group, looking for revenge 

and two new additions....

Poppy and Speedy: Two of Squiggles' offspring from his first... litter(?) They're now teenagers in worm years, old enough to grab diminutive muskets and help their Manchi and his friends on this epic quest. 

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Squiggles wanted revenge on those who kidnapped him and murdered his friend (and mating partner), Ubenda.   He had dug his own worm burrow along the north wall of Fair-Town, used Sonny's invention "Curry in a Hurry" as a trap and waited for malfeasance and ne'er do wells to fall upon him.  

That was the plan, and Sneaky Pete was holed up in a nearby meat attic watching the hole to the burrow.  But when a shot rang out, apparently from inside the tunnel, Pete descended down the building's downspout, shot a weak mental link with Squiggles inside, and stood there dumbstruck.  

The images reaching the weasels mind were contorted, showing a blurry, darkened images and a green dragon-lizard?    The rest of the group were on the outskirts of his telepathic powers, so he sent a weak message to them, before nearing the burrow entrance.  

A smaller figure was emerging out of the entrance.  

"Uncle Pete?"

It was Speedy, one of Sqiggles' children

"Speedy, why the hell are you here? "

"I was looking for my Fair-Dragon, Mango!  He went into the burrow.  I didn't realize my Manchi had a new lair. Are we going to live here?  He seems so confused.  He's holding onto to Mango until I found help.  You're help!"

Pete sent the young worm back to the Inn, with specific orders to stay with their sibling, Posey.  He peeked his head inside calling for Squiggles.  He was taken aback seeing the large, white, furry worm, staring deep into the eyes of a small green gecko-like lizard he was holding in hands.  The worm's tongue was occasionally coming out of his mouth and licking the lizard.  The small lizard was returning the favor. 

Give Mango some sugar...

Pete stepped back out of the hole, and decided to fetch Sunny for overnight guard duty, while the weasel tried to comprehend all of it. 

Squiggle woke up the following morning with a handful of Mango.  His appendages were still a little numb, his mind clearer, his tongue swollen.   The "Curry in a Hurry" trap was still in place.  He had no clue how he came upon the lizard.  

He crawled out of the burrow, finding the majestic Sonny the Sunflower doing a poor job of keeping a low profile with his 10 feet stature.

"I guess I couldn't stay up all night... but I feel funny.  There's something weird with this new burrow."

"If you give me a sample of your dirt, I'll take a look at it."

"Sure... did my kids come by?  I'm holding one of their lizards...."

"No, Pete and I traded watching you... I could have missed them."

Squiggles got him a dirt sample and they headed back to the Wrong Celery.  The worm placed the green lizard under a glass to keep it from running away. 

"This is the second time, I've had some real bender, and lost track of time... THIS WEEK!  I need a soil latte to clear my head.  We need to get to the bottom of this. "

Two soil lattes later, the duo returned to the Triple Comfort Inn, to meet with the rest of the crew.  The rest of the group is eating breakfast, Squiggles' children, Speedy and Poppy, navigating eating the humanoid creation known as ... waffles.

Squiggles embraced his children and told them to run along.

"Go with Lathar and find those corn dogs you love..."

Pete had many questions, including leaving soon... and his admission that everyone now knows what the weasel saw Squiggles licking Mango the lizard with a deranged look on his face. 

"There's no way I was doing that."

"Do you remember anything from last night?"

"....no."

"Your kids were around, I thought you were attacked, and I found you in the burrow, kissing the green lizard."

"Wait, what was I doing?"

"It looked like you two were hitting it off..."

"That's not possible.  We're obviously dealing with some powerful forces..."

"I'd rather not talk about it, to each his own..."

Sonny suggested one more visit to the White Hand, to see if they can ascertain what he was affected by and if it could be cured.

They reached the Driftwood Inn, to find most of the White Hand gone.  Only Marla was still in town, taking care of loose ends.  

Her medkit was able to ascertain what was affecting the worm, and cured him.  They pushed her for details, and she was forced to pull out a rat-teared  journal to determine Squiggles was affected by spores of a "Flower of Ruth".  

"It might be more of a mushroom of some sort.  I don't usually deal with this, but from what I've been told, things can be very subtle.   The formal name I have in my notebook is the Mnemonic Flower of Ruth-Lynn.  The slang is 'Forget-Me-Dust'. "

Marla admitted that they hadn't done a full medical work-up on Squiggles when he and Ubenda were discovered outside the gates, "But it is possible that you've were affected back then, many days ago... or just recently.  I don't know specifics."

They returned to Squiggles' burrow, the search for fungus, but at least recover the "Curry in a Hurry" and the other spend the night.  Nothing strange occurs overnight. 

Squiggles had stayed at the inn while the other camped out.  His sleep was short, interrupted by some more detailed flashbacks of the dogs who tortured him.  The view of the dog heads had pulled back, revealing spiked collars connected to black armor.  

After a morning and confirming supplies, the group finally decided to leave Fair-Town for KIA Academy.  The weather was still warm, although the leaves of the smallest trees were just starting to fade in color. 

Nearing their anticipated camp around dusk, they encountered a single human shuffling up the road on one good leg, holding a half-filled duffel bag in her arms up against her chest.  She was calling for help, 

"Are you guards? Are you a patrol?  I don't think the White Hand is going to help."

After checking for any sign of ambush, it was Sonny who moved up towards her.   She opened up the end of the duffel bag,  blue light shot out, illuminating the area.

"I found him..."

Sonny stared down into the bag, realizing he was staring at a badly wounded mushroom/toadstool person.  The gills underneath it's cap emanated the blue glow.  

"Hi, how are you?"

The mushroom didn't respond, eyes barely open. It was tough determining the extent of his injuries, but most notable was a 3 x 6 inch chunk that was carved out of his cap.

The woman, Mirella Quince, spoke, "I found him on the road like this... someone has to help him...  I think his name is Trekk."
 

Trekk of the Fifth Veil, during happier times.

Mirella had been travelling on her own from KIA, trading the warmth of the sub-levels for more food in Fair-Town.  The administrators had been drafting more and more, which had created a labor drain amongst the trades. 

The Explorers set up camp there, propping the mushroom up.  Sonny shared some of his rich soil for the mushroom to use, if he could.  

Trekk's blue glow subsided and he finally regained enough consciousness by the fire to speak haltingly. 

• His name was Trekk of the Fifth Veil.
• He came from the Mycelium of Low Echo, a remote village deep within the woods well away from the river. 
• They only trade a few items with a few creatures that are aware of them.  
• It's been days since he left the village since the attack

"There was a howl, and some dogs, and I got away with my life.

Pete: "What happened to your head?"

Trekk looked over to Mirella.  She nodded with approval.

"The first human who found me tried to eat me.   Mirella rescued me. "

Trekk didn't remember much, just the metal dogs, and a voice from somewhere.

"Specimen cluster confirmed. Begin harvest."

"I think they took all the singers... I don't know what happened to the rest."

GM Notes:  We finally left Fair-Town... and we're heading back to Fair-Town.  Shoot me. 

The discussion of the player-use of the Flower of Ruth made me long for an alignment chart, and trying to determine what conversations took place in front of the White Hand medic.  

Next: #124 -