Friday, June 30, 2017

The Wasteland of Gath: The Tin Shack (Rowan); Labyrinth Lord

After the unpleasantness with the Fleshlings (session report here), Rowan (played by +Stuart Robertson) and Kerg (aka Gat) returned to the bus (session report here). They were surprised to find that the bus has been turned right side up. Working feverishly was a man in a set of work coveralls. He was wearing a blue turtleneck and introduced himself as "Turtleneck Joe." Near him was a large wagon packed with trade goods that was being pulled by a massive, six-legged, shaggy load-beast. Also present was a well armed and armored warrior named Bedlowe.

     After introductions were made, Turtleneck Joe revealed that he was going to convert the bus into a trading post. Consistent with that intent, Joe offered to trade with Rowan. In exchange for some gold, Rowan became the proud owner of five flasks of incendiary oil cleverly disguised as incendiary grenades. Properly armed, Rowan and Kerg set on down the road.
   
     As they departed, the warrior - Bedlowe - asked if he might accompany them. He had fled from the same sterile and oppressive mega-city that Rowan had left. Bedlowe was a former law enforcement officer who was willing to risk death in the Wasteland in order to live freely. He had grown weary for arresting people for such offenses as "Thought Crimes." Rowan and Kerg were happy to have a new companion so they agreed.

     Eventually, the trio came upon a tin shack near a billboard. Upon the billboard was a waifish, ethereal looking young woman. Beneath her photo text read, "Everything's Going To Be Okay in 15 miles." Bedlowe could not decide if he was attracted to her or not. The shack was of interest because a blood trail indicated that the mutant slain near the pit (last session) had been drug here. It didn't take long for something to happen. Emerging from the hut was a frightening mutant. From the chest of a large man grew a small, baby-like creature, as if two twins were fused in the womb, but only one grew to adulthood. In this case, the baby contained the intellect, while the man it was conjoined with was a puppet.

     The baby-man howled and gibbered, "What did you do to my boy! Why you cut off his head!?" A bizarre exchange followed. As the baby-man was wailing, a young female mutant with a tragic cleft palate emerged from the doorway. In her hands was a pristine doll who bore the likeness of the young woman on the billboard. When the girl spoke to the doll, "Pwease pwotect me Pawppy" she was covered momentarily in a lavender glow. Rowan decided he needed that doll and and haggled for the purchase of the girl and her doll.

     The baby-mutant agreed. He was sick of his boy (Lem) murdering passer-bys to feed to the Fleshlings and girls were too much of a hassle to raise, so for a gold ring she was handed over. With a mutant in tow, the trio returned to Turtleneck Joe's trading bus.

Poppy in all her glory
     At the bus, Rowan managed to trade Dandelion (the mutant) a rag doll in exchange for the Poppy doll. If properly prayed to, it allowed the owner to cast Protection from Law and Chaos one time per day. Turtleneck Joe agreed to accept Dandelion as a junior shop assistant and said he could do something about her terrible disfigurement.

     The trio once again departed for the shack. This time they were ready for damage as Bedlowe said, "There's one thing I cannot abide and that's a cannibal." (Baby-man mutant had revealed that they occasionally ate some of the travelers that Lem snared.) Upon arriving at the shack, Bedlowe kicked in the backdoor and Rowan tossed in a grenade, er, flaming flask of oil. Blown to fiery bits was mama mutant, a wretched creature with no limbs.

     Baby-man was understandably upset and he came charging out with a machete. Kerg - armed with Rowan's advanced teaching - shot the baby portion of the baby-man right in the head and it died. (Insert "Quaid, start the reactor!" joke here.) The house was a disgusting mess with a toilet overflowing with the kind of foul waste one might expect from mutants who ate other mutants.

     Still, there was one fascinating development. It was discovered that the whole house sat on rails. When the house was moved on the rails, a set of massive steel doors were found underneath. Near the house a hatch in the ground was unearthed. It was assumed that the hatch would open to a tunnel to some underground complex. Once underground, the purpose of the massive steel doors might be uncovered. But that will have to wait until next time.

     Finally, out of gratitude for being such a decent leader, Kerg gifted Rowan with a magic ring he had pilfered from Ashabenford Mountain.

XP for Rowan: 6 for ma and baby-man mutants + 1,000 from ring and 500 from Poppy Doll = 1,506 xp

Treasure: Ring of Protection +1, Magic Doll that bestows Protection from Law and Chaos 1x/day. Also, I assume Rowan took back the gold ring given in exchange for Poppy.

Rowan's Melee Stats 
No. of Attacks: 3
Hits: 3
Misses: 0
Hit Percentage: 100%
Damage Inflicted: 2, 5, 4, 8 (19)
Average Damage per Hit: 6.3
Kills: 3
Average Kills per Hit: 1
Initiative Rolls: 5
Result(s): 4, 3, 4, 3, 4
Average Initiative Roll: 3.6
Damage Sustained: 0
Spells Cast: 1
Spells: Sleep

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