#RPGaDay2026 - Day 3 - "Poise"

 Day 3 of #RPGaDay and we come to a prompt that surprises me.  Not only is "Poise" not something this activity has mentioned at all, but it's a word I rarely use in my 17 years of blogging.  Almost every time I use the word it's in reference to a potential attack, be it an RPG Actual Play or a wargaming After-Action Report. 

So let's largely avoid combat and focus on the poise and demeanor of Lathar Bracken, Enforcer, in my Monday night Gamma World campaign. 

Naming your character Lathar in a post-apocalyptic RPG obviously generates a certain image similar do a 60's TV cartoon character, and over 100 sessions in, we all still default to that image. 

In reality, he's far more nuanced.  A local boy from Riverbend, whose father abandoned him and his mother when he was 12., getting work from the Restorationists since 14, finally allowed to go on missions... as part of the De Facto explorers at 20.  

Everyone expects him to be the brute force, the firepower, but in reality, he's the face of the group, years of working with adults had honed his charisma to act like he was all things to all people.  

And not only is he the most charismatic in the group, in a group with a full-on Restorationist Examiner, he's the smartest one in the group (at least stat wise).  Strength was actually his dump stat!  

Low strength aside, he fails... a lot, and just keeps going.  

He's been ready for action for years, constantly talking about his "Combat Leadership," in and out of game. And when he finally got to use it recently?  The claims were proven true, as he took a rag-tag bunch of mutant plant militia and admirably ambushed a larger enemy force, suffering only moderate casualties. 

His greatest moment of poise comes with his new bride, Thunnelda.   While negotiating ferry passage across the Big River, Lathar agreed to a blind date with the ferryman's sister.  

Thunelda was rough around the edges, covered in face tattoos, and prone to violent outbursts. 

Most thought she was totally unhinged.  Lathar quickly learned that she was, in fact, very "hinged."  

When he walked into her room at her brother's place, Lathar discovered her hobby, addiction, fetish even was hinges, her walls covered from top to bottom with them.  

He didn't run away, rather ordering Bug Nuggets with extra Glow Saunce on an actual date, and defending her honor in front of the townsfolk when no one else ever did.  

He's the only person that's kept her from her violent outbursts, succeeding so consistently that, if he's around, he can instantly soothe her violent tendencies.  It seems pretty obvious after the fact that they would get married.  

And now he and his friends have been on an epic quest to find his father, allegedly far down river, amongst the infamous Black Reeds.  And while the mission was successful, the disappointment with this reunion is tactile.  

And even to the end, Lathar has held the same situation with poise and dignity, even if the other unfairly questioned him.

After meeting his father, and being thoroughly disappointed by it. 

Lathar with the rest of the De Facto Explorers, the Early Days.

.Nott bad for a player whose in his late 50s and that's only on his second RPG character EVER. 

Alternative Question:  How does one character present themselves?

#RPGaDay2026 - Day 2 - "Stature"

When I first did a full review of this year's #RPGaDay, I had pall of dread overcome me, and only hit Day 2.

"Stature" 

Not wanting to go with Gnome Titans and Halflings in Hackmaster... again... I reviewed the alternative question:  What does one character’s stature in their community mean to them?

The best character for that would be Sneaky Pete, the Mutant Weasel Scout in our current Gamma World 4th Edition online game.  

Pete is a bit of a pompous ass, a lone wolf (weasel) scout well before he met the other members of the De Facto Explorers with his one burrow/treehouse, along the Big River, outside of Riverbend. With a weakness to the "Glow" (Radiation) and a strange addiction to yellow curry powder. 

And his one underlying theme he focuses on is the defense of Riverbend. 

It's a miracle in itself that a large threat hasn't levelled the entire town.  Attacks are disorganized and manageable, even with incompetent leadership. 

Pete's been active at "modernizing the town:  building a palisade around the town center, changing training methods and drills, even installing a guard post in the unused church steeple, including installing his friend Sonny Helianthus' invention the "spear thrower" into the tower. 

(And if you picture an automatic football throwing machine amped up to sending other objects flying...  you would be right.)

He does not always have tact. He is not always diplomacy.  But the weasel has passion.

Because, deep down, Pete is desperate.  He wants to be part of the community that's allowed him to exist.   Pete wants more structure.  Pete may also wants to burn the town to the ground.

The greatest theme that has developed over 140 episodes?   Outside of one other oddly deranged character who he barely shares DNA with, he hasn't encountered another weasel since his youth.

He's encountered a lot of weasel-adjacent folks, including an entire ferret community in the Sub-Levels of KIA Academy.  But he vocally and violently dissociates himself from their kind.  

We should be wrapping up an epic quest in the campaign in the next few weeks, and everyone is looking forward for a winter of recuperation back in Riverbend.  Pete's seen families betray and systems fail his friends.  Hopefully he takes that back to the taverns and meeting rooms and keeps improving the town.  

And maybe, just maybe, another weasel will make an appearance. 

Alternative Question: What does one character’s stature in their community mean to them?

(Gamma World) Not a Test #127 - Savory Finds

Our heroes, the De Facto Explorers, have decided to embark on an epic quest to reach Lathar's long-lost father, Harkonn.  After side-quests, distractions, and backtracking, the group has made it past Fair-Town and KIA Academy, and have encountered some sort of abandoned facility along the Big River.

==============================================================

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.   He had recently 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.  Also pregnant for the third time, and due to deliver badly out of season

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. 

===============================================================

Pete crept up towards the fence, revealing a larger complex along the river....

He ventured back to fetch the other explorers, still keeping everyone within a distance needing spyglasses and binoculars.  Pete wandered the perimeter.

Pete: "Guys, there's a lot of footprints in the dirt... I say we go around the wood line perimeter and explore those buildings.... "

Sonny: "By you guys, do you mean you?"  

Pete: "We can completely circumvent this and we can keep going down river."

Sonny: "I mean I think we're all a little curious." 

Squiggles: "Curiosity killed the cat."

Sonny: "Good thing none of us are cats..."

Pete started by reconnoitering the buildings outside the walled area.  At first look there was a three walled building, a huge unobstructed side which seemed to have deep and wide wheeled ruts leading all the way to the river.  The ruts seemed to stop ten feet from the rivers edge.  A quick look around the open area by Pete netted a windowless metal shack without windows and a single door up a short flight of steps, and a broken collection of metal framework behind the three walled structure.

Nothing worried Pete too much, except for the complete absence of bird or even insect noises. 

Pete gingerly returned to their spot, and the rest followed him back along the silent tree line.   The group itself was divided by whether investigating further or if the risk didn't match an obvious reward.  

It was Speedy the Worm who suggested, "If we didn't run into them on along the river yet, that means they must be downriver... maybe we can figure out who they are before they surprise us."

The group decided the young worms' wisdom of learning about potential enemies was worth the short-term risk.

Pete:  "If we hear weapons, or engines, we'll need to split quickly..."

Surprisingly, it was Sonny who noted certain symbols mounted to the outside of the wall... some of them had been deface.  No one had a clue what they were.  

They finally worked their way to the outbuildings and Sonny was particularly intrigued with the damaged metal framework.  Sonny worked his way away from the building, surmising from the half-broken dish and structure, that this had been some form of a communications array, that was intentionally cut precisely four foot above the concrete pad, and somehow knocked over. 

As a sunflower with four arms, Sonny took the dish as a potential shield.  

With back-up this time, they went to the windowless shack, propped the door open, and peeked in.  Along one wall was a long metal table with a number of tools and parts that appeared to be intentionally damaged/destroyed.  Pivoting from that spot, they found a surprise.

Two large racks of Ancients assault rifles, store neatly.  

The group went silent, trying to figure out why there were so many, why there was no ammo... discussions finally starting involving the logistics of carting them away.   Lathar grabbed one out of the rack, inspected it and slung it over his shoulder.  "I'm taking at least one... we just bought ammo back in KIA."

Pete:  "We don't know if these work... Until you fire a round..."

Lathar: "Let's lock and load..."

Sonny: "Here? Right now?"

Lathar: "If these folks get storming back after a single gunshot, we were going to be trouble anyway.   Speedy has spoken."

Lathar grabbed one of his magazine, it locked in easily, he put the rifle upon his shoulder, aiming across the river.

*click*

"I'm still taking mine!"

The group moved towards the half-opened gate....  They ventured towards the three small silo structures, clearly labelled: 

Water    

Rations 

Fuel

Lathar quickly rapped on the first silo.  Empty.

He moved to the second one, creating an odd sound.  "Something's in here."

Squiggle popped around the far side, holding a box.  "I think so!" 

There was a giant hole on that side, exposing boxes of "Rations Ready to Consume (RRC)" filling a third of the container. 

Lathar opened the box, revealing a dozen packages in a tough plas-tec covering.  He pulled one out, reading aloud the markings on it: 

CS LOGISTICS / RRC–M3 / HUMAN USE ONLY

• ☢ LOW RAD STABLE🧬
• MUTANT INCOMPATIBLE
• ⚠ NOT FOR PLANT ENTITIES

Squiggles: "Lathar, eat it!"

The others joined in.... "Lathar! Lathar! Lathar!"

Lathar pulled in tear strip on the pouch, revealing eight items inside.  He opened the rectangular slab labelled PROTEIN PROCESSED BRICK. Inside was a dense beige slab, faintly fibrous, with the physical appearance halfway between overcooked chicken and sidewalk chalk.  Tucked beside the slab was three connected packets labelled "“Savory,” “Smoke,” or “Neutral."   He got as far as ripping open "Savory" and applying the dark brown gelled substance onto the slab before stopping.  

"Who am I kidding, this might be the most dangerous thing here....  I'll try it later."

Discarding peer pressure for a moment, they moved around the closest domed buildings, labelled "MRF".  Each letter was the recipient of progressively more blood splatter, culminating in the most dried blood covering the building door.  

Pete spun the wheel in the center of the door to unlock it.  The room inside smelled stale but clean, with a number cloths hung up to provide privacy or partitioning.   Inside was another long metal table, with remains of a number of smashed tools and instruments, they did find three pistol like items, that weren't guns, but something was loaded into it.  

It was Posey the Worm who opened up a metal cabinet.  A strong smell emanated from it.  Inside were over a dozen glass containers with barcoded labels and various substances inside.

Speedy read the side of the cabinet in a halting manner.  "CS BIO-SEC FREEZER UNIT / LEVEL OMEGA"  

The samples are room temperature, some look like were rotting, save a plant based one, that had tendrils growing out of the sample. 

Pete: "Do any of them read 'Essence of Squiggles?'"

Next: #128 - 

(Gamma World) Not a Test #126 - Downriver Guardians

Our heroes, the De Facto Explorers, have decided to embark on an epic quest to reach Lathar's long-lost father, Harkonn.  After side-quests, distractions, and backtracking, the group made a multi-day stop at K.I.A. Academy.  With some important info obtained by questionable means, they must leave... quickly.

==============================================================

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 

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. 

===============================================================

Sonny Helianthus, 10-foot tall mutant sunflower, was always conspicuous by height, but this time he looked worried and anxious as he left the lobby and back to Level 0.  It took far longer to locate the rest of the Explorers, but each one was unquestionably on board as he told them each, "We need to leave." 

Despite a sense of paranoia, and plenty of looking over their shoulders, they emerged out of KIA without incident, and turned downriver on The Overpass.  Sonny still wouldn't divulged his reason for the group leaving.  

"The bridge... where we helped rescue the Kirothians... If that's safe, I'll tell you everything.

From the view of the long empty Overpass running parallel with the Big River, they got a better view of the great expanse inland beyond KIA.  The woodlands and rolling grasslands they had explore, the periphery of KIA's influence, the ruins of the Toard Jakey, the first  (and bad) encounter with the Kirothians.  Much of it was ruined, layered with new roads, trenchworks, and wire fences.  Hundreds of soldiers, the conscripted of the sub-levels and certainly regular above level folk, patrolled and trained in it's stead.  Like something had happened already.

Like they were preparing for something to happen again. 

Once they arrived at the bridge, the last shred of KIAs technology and influence, they rested.  Sonny provided the documents from Dr Kallex:  The test results of the syringe that was used on Squiggles, and full file the KIA had on Harkonn Bracken, Lathar's father.  

Lathar paged through the report, dropping to the ground, leaning up against the concrete wall of the bridge.  

"He didn't even care about me.... He didn't want to come back... Why are we even going?" 

The rest of the Explorers gave him space.  None of them had the emotional capacity to support their friend.  

After awhile, the wave of grief and sadness ebbing, Lathar stood up and brushed himself off.  

"He sent us a letter.... the raccoon handed it to my mother... That's what matters now.  Not what some file says.  KIA probably used him in Parr like they're using the people in the sub-levels as cannon fodder.  Let's go find him..."

The road below the last real KIA bridge varied wildly, from broken up asphalt to narrow single file trails through the woods.   No one was down this way, and the scouts were on their constant alert. 

It was Pete who caught a glimpse of them first, pulling up his binoculars to get a closer look:  

Two large figures, eight, maybe nine foot tall.  Black armor, red lights still glowing, even if they were motionless.  The woods in this area had been subjected to some large titanic fighting, with craters doting the landscape, and many of the trees stripped, or even partially exploded.

Still these two guardians, living metal or human armor, they did not know.  They stood firm.  

There was much concern as the Explorers held their ground.  Should Pete put a laser blast in one of their chests?  Would it even work?  What if it activated them?  Where would they run?  

It was finally decided to circumvent the pair, traversing away from the river, praying they didn't encounter anything wore, Pete or Squiggles on a vigilant guard behind to ensure they didn't come to life and follow them.  

Travelling a mile or two from the river, the woodlands were even more destroyed, and they started seeing portions of the armor... the broken pieces also had... human(?) remains in some, scattered around.  Sonny found a hand, incredibly heavy... unsure whether it was a gauntlet or living,  he took the piece with him.  

Along with the pieces, they stared finding human bodies, or the parts of bodies that had been in explosions.  They looked human, dressed like monks, in white robes, with varying blue decorative trim.  At some point, someone had positioned the bodies so all of their feet pointed upriver, and all had their left sides closest to the river.   No weapons, no items, no personal possessions could be found.  

Sometime during the third day, the trail was finally three men wide, with Pete leading from the front as the advance scout.  Around another river bend, the trail appeared to stop at a chain link fence, eight foot high, with a series of building.   Within... 

It appeared abandoned and empty.  

Of course, they needed to go check it out.  

Next: #127 - Savory Finds

(Gamma World) Not a Test #125 - Allocation is Under Review

Our heroes, the De Facto Explorers, have decided to embark on an epic quest to reach Lathar's long-lost father.  After side-quests, distractions, and backtracking, the group has finally left Fair-Town for another critical stopover at K.I.A Academy.

==============================================================

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 

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. 

===============================================================

After a casual walk in the late summer heat, the Explorers were happy to see the dirt of River Road transfer into the gravel, then asphalt, and finally concrete that was the trademark of the KIA technology.  The first of the impressive overhead signs, noting the storage area and the ramp to the Great Overpass remained intact with a new addition: a small black sign on the post that flashed a yellow "4" as they neared it.  They stopped in their tracks and the sign turned black again.

Pete: "Was that a code?"

Sonny: "Perhaps its using it's science to count us."

Speedy:  "Uncle Sonny there's six of us, plus No-Name."

Sonny: "I didn't say it was good science."

As they always had, they walked up the long concrete ramp to the Great Overpass,  Speedy and Poppy were amazed as they viewed the massive building KIA Academy was enclosed in for the first time. 

The first sign of issue came from a black overhead sign that flashed a few times as they came near: 

 POWER ALLOCATION IS UNDER REVIEW

The building that rented electric carts have been removed/demolished, the footprint of the building obvious.  They continued walking turning down the road to enter KIA.  They pushed the children onto the walkway.

"Be careful, stagon-less carriages are all over this place."

The streets were empty of those vehicles.  There was certainly a lot of foot traffic, but outside of a one-person scooter or similar conveyance, the technology bustling wasn't there.

And the interior was darker.  Not pitch black, but the normal lighting had been replaced by bare minimum lighting.  

The power might be compromised but the infrastructure and bureaucracy that was classic KIA was still there.   Grabbing someone who appeared to know something, they found out. 

1. The power system was getting overhauled, so energy conversation was mandatory.  Charging stations were placed with the compound, and directions were given.
2. Which hotels/hostels were open, especially with a place to house Stagons.
3. There was no war... "I'd expect things to be worse if there was a war..."

KIA Academy... After Dark

The directions given were even easier, because with three steps left in the direction, the line to the recharging station started.  Pete and Lathar took their place in line.  Squiggles and his kids looked for a place to stay (and a stable, perchance), while Sonny took it upon himself to find some information at the upper levels. 

The sunflower wandered in the darkness and growing trash of the previous pristine facility, until reaching the lobby with access to elevators to the upper level.  The lobby was relatively empty, but the information and communication kiosks were still functioning.  It was time to reach out to Ramsay Kallex, former Explorer and dear friend.  

Sending a request to call the Kallex apartment, the kiosk replied back, "Would you rather reach Sector C"

Sonny: "No!"

"Given the current energy shortfall, you might be better off reach Sector C."

Sonny still proceeded to press the "CALL" button for his orginal request. 

Reaching Ramsay's father, Dr Thaddeus Kallex answered the video call, slightly miffed.

"You don't need a place to stay, do you?"

"No sir... just some help with some information..."

"Good, because we can't accept guests, for the day or long-term... you're burning up my comm credits"

"No worries, we can talk downstairs, so long as the elevators are working."

When Ramsay and Dr Kallex came down, even Sonny sensed that they had no desire to leave the lobby area to talk somewhere more private, preferring to stay close to the elevator.  

Sonny went to business, talking about Squiggles' attack, providing them the syringe they had acquired.  

Dr Kallex took the syringe, "Seriously, you came all the way down here on the off chance I could help you?"

Sonny filled them in further, covering everything since the wedding, including their new quest to find Harkonn Bracken, Lathar's father, allegedly lost in the Wildlands downriver.  

"Give me two days at least, Sonny.  We'll get you some answers.  Stay safe."

He gave Sonny one more piece of address, "I know you guys like to have fun with all sorts of people.  Do NOT go to the Sub-Levels right now. 

Once Pete and Lathar reached the friend, they discovered the ugly truth:  Only one power cell recharged per person, per day, regardless of size.   They were even more shocked to find the fee was 100 domars.    Two hundred domars and another half hour, and they had two power cells recharged.  

Day Two: 

Everyone else stood in line to recharge energy cells, while Pete and Lathar wandered outside, towards the Station Petro, where they had recharged cells prior.  Less than a half mile away from the complex, the world became militarized, with wire fence and armed fellows, human and mutant alike armed with Ancients tech.  A mile away and they were constantly getting harassed by the KIA troops stationed outside.  No lies, nor any smooth talking was successful as they were sent back.  

As a positive, ammo, particularly for slugthrowers, was a lot more expensive, but plentiful. 

Day Three:  

The goal for the group, if the Kallex family had information, was to fill the a few more energy cells, then head down river.  

Much to the sunflower's pleasure, the Kallexes were ready and met him in the lobby

Thadeus Kallex... Rogue Scholar

The elder Mountain Goat handed Sonny the pad with the chemical report, "You guys should probably should leave, given the search histories I've created.  

Neural Suppression Slurry (NSS-4)

Delivery: Injection Dermal
Purpose:

• Temporarily disables telekinetic, psionic, and reflexive mutations

• Causes:

  • Confusion

  • Time gaps

  • “Thousand-yard stare”

  • Compliance without full unconsciousness

"This took a little work.  It's not something we have the means to manufacture..."

Ramsay handed Sonny an actual paper file.  

"We also did a little more digging.... on a whim...."

Sonny: "Thanks guys!"

Dr Kallex:  "You shouldn't...  we need to go back... good luck."

==========

Page 1 - INITIAL REGISTRATION PAGE

(Mostly intact)

• Name: Harkonn Bracken

• Species: Human (Pure-Strain at intake)

• Origin: Riverbend region

• Occupation: Independent Salvager / Explorer

• Affiliation: None formally

• Family Noted: None

Margin Note (faded)

“Unusual resistance to ambient mutation.”

---

Page 2 - EXPEDITION AUTHORIZATION

(Heavily redacted)

• Destination: Southern Wildlands / Parr Interface Zone

• Mission Type: Resource Survey / Contact Assessment

• Escort: REDACTED

• Equipment Issued:

  • Long-range beacon (never recovered)

  • Cold-weather survival kit

  • One prototype filter mask 

Stamp:
🟨 NON-STANDARD CONTRACT

Handwritten Note:

“Volunteer. Knows the risks. Says he wants a ‘big haul.’”

---

Page 3 - INCIDENT REPORT – PARTIAL

(Fragmentary, unsettling)

Date: Unknown
Location: Parr Edge / Black Reeds Region

“…loss of visual contact after animal movement spike…”
“…subjects responding to vocal commands…”
“…Bracken did not flee when instructed…”

Redaction ends abruptly.

Single clear line:

“Subject chose to stay.”

---

Page 4 - BIOLOGICAL ANOMALY ADDENDUM

(Restricted access)

• Harkonn shows delayed mutation onset

• Exposure levels normally fatal

• No aggressive mutation patterns observed

Comment:

“Possible adaptive symbiosis rather than mutation.”

Stamped by:
Dr. E. Varn 

---

Page 5 - FINAL STATUS PAGE

(The most important page)

STATUS:
🟨 MISSING – NOT PRESUMED DEAD

Last Known Condition:

• Injured, mobile

• Refused extraction

• Last transmission not distress

Transcript fragment:

“They aren’t what you think.
They remember things.”

---

Page 6 - LATE ADDITIONS (Years Later)

(Sparse, but recent)

• Animal population patterns altered

• Human sighting unconfirmed but consistent

• Note added:

  “Bracken name noted by some Parr scouts with deference.”

Final handwritten note (newer ink):

“If Harkonn Bracken appears — do not interfere.
Observe only.”

No signature.

Next: #126 - Downriver Guardians

(Gamma World) Not a Test #124 - A Return to the Wrong Celery

Our heroes, the De Facto Explorers, have decided to embark on an epic quest to reach Lathar's long-lost father.  They have left Fair-Town after a lengthy stopover, but after only a half-days travel, they encounter a woman and a severely hurt mutant mycelium that appear to need their help!

==============================================================

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. 

===============================================================

After a night of rest, it was finally agreed that they should take the half day to return to Fair-Town with Trekk and his apparent savior Mirella Quince.    They strapped the mushroom man to a litter a top of No-Name.   Mirella kept up with the group, describe her noticeable limp.  She stayed alongside the stagon, watching her new mycelium friend.

Mirella Quince, Random Traveler from KIA Academy (with a photo bomb by Sonny)

By mid-morning, they were met by a surprising sight.  A group, dressed like Fair-Town guards, brazenly strolling down the road, five wide.  They wielded a variety of melee weapons, two of them with rifles of the ancients slung across their back.   They acknowledged the party and asked if there were any problems.  

It appeared the discussion with Captain Brom Halloway back in Fair-Town and produced immediate fruits, as these five men, members of the supplemental militia, were ordered to perform the first ever patrol of River Road.  

"Any worries?  Any problems?"

Sonny: Well, if you asked....

The group showed the militia the wounded and unconscious mushroom.   The militia were shocked (confirmed by Pete's telepathy), and once it was mentioned they were taking him back to Fair-Town for help from some of his own kind (What human would differentiate mushrooms from mutant plant plants?), the militia offered to escort them back to town... 

Pete sensed much fear in them, in so that none of the militia had ever left Fair-Town this far downriver.  

The rest of their travels were uninterrupted, and their militia escort even got them through the gate without delay or entry fee.   

The Explorers followed the main boulevard back to the Wrong Celery, Lathar carrying Trekk and asking for Duncan, the bartender.  

The little mushroom person was put into a backroom.  

Duncan: "We'll put him in the dark and feed him a line of shit... We'll take it from here, friend of plants... and non-plants like this lad."

Lathar: "Wait, mushrooms aren't plants?"  

"All plants need the sun to feed our bodies and our souls.  Your friend here is nothing like that.. but we share similar likes, and prejudices against us."

Once the injured mushroom got the help they needed, they reaffirmed Mirella if she needed anything else.  The former resident of the KIA sub-levels had no connections in town and few skills but was resolved to make a go at it.  She may have shook off some advances from the always amorous Lathar, but finally took 50 domars from him to start her new life. 

By the time they resolved everything, they just had enough time to leave town again and reach the temporary camp they used the night previous.

Thankfully, the rest of the the travels down to KIA was unexciting....  with no traffic coming from that city....

Next: #125 -  Allocation is Under Review

(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!

==============================================================

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. 

===============================================================

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 - A Return to the Wrong Celery

(Gamma World) Not a Test #122 - A Weasel in My Meat Attic

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!

==============================================================

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.  

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. 

===============================================================

Lathar and Sneaky Pete walked back to the center of town, where the main barracks and armory were located.

And the offices of Brom Hallloway, Captain of the Militia/Town Guard.  They weren't sure what would happend in Brom didn't have the right answers into the disappearance of Ubenda's body.  

Brom was surprised to see his fellow council member.  "A surprise, fair friend!  You haven't left on your trip yet?"

Lathar explained he was doing his duties, overseeing the reconstruction of the wall, and still wondering about the status of the body found during the attack on Squiggles.

Brom was very complimentary of his hands-off, eyes-on work to make sure the crews did their job. 

On the even of the death, he cast his eyes down...    Despite Lathar's charismatic fast-talk to attempt to make Captain Halloway misspeak, mentioning vague personal effects on Ubenda's body that needed to be retrieved.    Brom kept with the same story from the guards, placing all blame on Sergeant Malvek Trenholm for bungling resources that night and not properly moving the body of Ubenda to Tower 14.  Malvek was already interrogated, stripped of rank, and behind bars... and the barristers were desperately reviewing town law to see what they could charge him with that would be a slam-dunk conviction. 

Lathar and Pete were not satisfied.  Lathar demanded to know the location of Malvek and a chance to talk to him.  Brom acquiesced, but only for Lathar, as a "courtesy of your station, and nothing more".

Malvek was actually secured in the cellar jail of the barracks, enough stone and steel to seem to affect Pete making a continuous psychic connection with Lathar...  The sergeant was in rags, obviously beaten and demoralized, his head hanging as he sat on a rickety bench bench the black bars. 

Malvek, in better times...

Malvek seemed remorseful, but was emphatic that he had given the order to clear out the crime scene, including the body of "the creature" as he referred to Ubenda.  Lathar's questions seemed to exasperate Malvek, like he had already been asked (and beaten) many of the questions, and that some of the questions were simpler than routine.

Despite his assurances, he could not remember who was there to take the order.

Pete was able to make a sketchy connection with Lathar, mentally shooting out two word questions:

"See ... Dog?"

"Ask.... Glasses..."

 "Needles"

"Perceive Lying"

It took awhile for Lathar to comprehend the questions about the dog tracks, the alleged man with glasses, and the syringes stuck to the worms.  Malvek showed ambivalence to these odd questions that he didn't seem to have the answer to... or could figure out the relevance.  

Pete's illness from visiting Tower 14 seemed to continue to affect his telepathy, unable to make a steady connection to Lathar, as well as picking up dour and grumpy feelings from Brom.  

Brom assured Lathar and Pete that if they found anything related to this attack, that they would keep it safely before they returned to town before the major frost.  When he pressed the duo for the specific possessions they should look out for, Lathar was quiet and mumbling. 

Meanwhile, Sonny returned to Mr Holt with the White Hands at the Driftwood Inn for more information, and the timing of the White Hands' handling of the crime scene.  

Holt remembered leaving as the crowd was just being dispersed, leaving his subordinates, Kerrith and Marla to wait with bodies.  

He did fetch for Kerrith and Marla, and in separate interviews, they admitted leaving after standing out side with Ubenda's body for some time, before coming back inside the walls as the guard cleared out the last few people. 

Regrouping at the Triple Comfort Inn, they all found Squiggles, sipping on warm cider, his children, Poppy and Speedy still hanging out beside their "Manchi".  They provided the worms with their update, or a lack of update on the investigation, and asked him what he wanted to do next...

Squiggles took a sip of cider and spoke: "Revenge...."

And Squiggles took most of that revenge duties upon himself.  The next day, hee went quite a bit up the wall and set up his own burrow near the wall.   While he dug, Lathar's was adapting Sonny's "Curry in a Hurry" trap for underground use and a trip wire, use at the entrance.  

Pete borrowed Lathar's rifle and scouted out the neighborhood by the wall, finding an adequate, second floor window.  He was happy that the it was easy to break in, even happier when it was used for storage.

He was delighted when he realized it was a local butcher shop and there were salted pieces of meat and sausages hanging from the rafters... if he stayed quiet, he would have to snacks to stake out the entry.  

Sneaky Pete, the Charcuterie Sniper

The burrow entrance inside the wall was noticeable, but outside the walking path between the wall and the neighborhood buildings.  The guards seemed to pay no attention to it.   Per Pete's advice, Squiggles built an escape tunnel, just in case. 

After two days of digging, Squiggles was relaxing, waiting for a noise or the Curry in a Hurry to be tripped.  Peter was up in his meat attic, sampling the wares, mixing it with curry... perhaps a bit distracted from everything. 

Despite being well rested, he started feeling oddly sleepy, then felt something odd crawling on him... and he just didn't have the energy to flick it away...

Squiggles turned his head with great effort in the direction of the crawling sensation... the world turning fuzzy... and he was nose to nose with a green dragon.  

It took all his effort, but he pulled out his flintlock pistol and fired it into the tunnel.  The explosion seemed make the green dragon smaller and smaller, and a familiar voice came out of the ether.  

"Manchi?  Are you okay?"

Squiggles was most certainly NOT okay.... 

GM Notes (PG-13+):  The investigation of Ubenda continues, finally with some traps and stakeouts! 

The prospect of Pete the weasel sitting in the attic brings back an image I found earlier in the campaign because it amused me... and slightly horrified that it was sexual in nature. 

Next: #123 - Who Are You Calling a Lizard Licker? 

(Gamma World) Not a Test #121 - Stage Four Vanishing Act

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 now are searching for answers after Squiggles the worm was kidnapped and tortured, and his worm breeding partner, Ubenda, murdered.  

==============================================================

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 and is still recovering.

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. 

===============================================================

A single day, two night stay in Fair-Town was getting dragged on longer and longer, as there were still too many questions about the kidnapping and attack on Squiggles and his breeding partner, Ubenda, and unsatisfactory answers. They were on day three of their visit, with the limited window to get downriver to the Wildlands.  

Squiggles had miraculously been re-hydrated, but he was still piecing together what occurred through flashes of trauma.  

The angry dogs.

The bald man with glasses.  

Ubenda ready to mate.

And now a pair of jugglers, mocking him as he walked to Ubenda's mound. 

"That's a furry worm on a mission.  Don't do anything we wouldn't do!"

"We've never mated with worms..."

"Hahahahaha..."

Still, so many gaps.  

Squiggles with the thousand yard stare.

Sonny had been along the Driftwood section of town, getting medical information from "Mr Holt" of the White Hand.   His next mission was back near the Wrong Celery, for a bookish man, Trivian "Trip" Dalston.   He was found in the hall of records, his eyes behind glasses with green and clear lenses, putting together an extremely crude map from stacks of records. 

Trivian "Trip" Dalston

The presence of a giant sunflower and two 4 1/2 foot tall worms with muskets get his undivided attention.  

Trip had an alibi, not a very good one, especially that he wasn't outside the town gates exploring.  It relied on the testimony of someone he just called "Old Man" Fenswick. 

It was Speedy that did make not that Trip definitely had hair, rather than the balding image scarred in Squiggles' mind.   Sonny believed Trip, but would wander the back alleys to find this man.  

Sonny decided to finish his other projects first, starting with a dead-end search for Ubenda's body for a proper autopsy... and burial.

The problem?   Ubenda's body was missing.  There was zero record that the body was received by town officials.  He confirmed with others that after the White Hand was done with her body, the town guard should have carried the body inside town, they transferred to an official, or worst case, a crew of laborers to bury the body.  

Meanwhile Lathar avoided asking more questions, but used his time wisely, buying more supplies to get down to KIA Academy and beyond.   He did used his position on town council to observe the town laborers trying to repair and reconstruct the fallen wall.

Pete was still focused outside of town, looking at the large canine tracks...  He finally went back into town to the Third Comfort Inn, and compared notes with Sonny and the others.  Finding Ubenda's body became Pete's mission in life for that moment. 

The next day (Day 4!)

Squiggles was physically recovered, but mentally, he was muttering vengeance.

Sonny did make a solo visit to Old Man Fenswick, a retired and deluded tinker.  

Old Man Fenswick

It was short conversation, but the Old Man held it together long enough to confirm an alibi for Trip.  He mumbled a bunch of nonsense, such as   "The reeds speak when no one listens".

Pete took Lathar over to the Downriver gate to get answer.  It was a frustrating circular series of questions.  

The town guard on site had been ordered to dispatch the growing crowd, and once that was completed, there had been no further orders, and they all assumed their normal order, taking their proper positions along the wall.  No one recalled a body, a sheet, or anyone else wandering the area beyond the wall.  

The did learn that they weren't the first people to question the guards that morning.  A trio of persons had escorted Sergeant Malvek Trenholm, the head guard in charge that night, to  somewhere else in town.    The other guards quickly concocted that he was going to be the scapegoat, as he was supposed have cleaned up the crime scene, after everything was said and done.  

They kept pressing the guard, threatening write-ups and reports.  The guard was non-plussed.

"Do what you need to, if Malvek is indisposed, go talk to his boss, Brom Holloway."  

Brom Holloway, Captain of the Guard, and fellow town councilman with Lathar.  

They continued to ask what the proper procedure was with a body appearing outside the wall.  A two man detail should have carried the body to Tower 14, where bodies were deposited before other officials showed up.  

Lathar and Pete walked directly to Tower 14.  The towers were large enough for cover in the rain, and a pipe chimney sticking out of the roof.  The lone guard walking that section of the wall rolled his eyes from the duo's command, and descended the steps into the tower.  

The door open, and both were hit with  simply putrid blast of air.  

Pete staggered to the wall, lowered to the ground, overcome with the stench. 

Lathar took over, looking at the collected refuse in the room.    The guard confirmed that no bodies had been delivered... in weeks. 

So it was time to revisit Brom, in his office. 

Next: #122 - A Weasel in My Meat Attic