A Gamma World® play-by-post adventure run by gammaworld_gm
The city of Datil is roughly a half mile across and laid out in a triangle shape. Many parts of the city are filled with huge abandoned factories which were once used to process raw ore such as those of copper, tin, iron, and other metals. Now they are huge rusting monoliths, like the few dozen crumbling sky scrapers near the center of town. Almost everyone in Datil lives in some type of abandoned structure of the ancients.
Walking beside Jonn, Geo says, "If no one wants to listen to Ray Stevens, I do have a 15 minute, 3 second recording of Lamia and Jonn back at Gamma One during the night. Lamia was making a lot of strange moaning noises."
Instinctively she elbows Jonn hard and turns an odd color. <Green + Blue = Humor>
Walking down the highway, you (Wardog) note it is very warm this mid-morning, with the temperature pushing ninety plus degrees. Huge impressive mountains with snow capped peaks rise up in the background of Datil as you keep walking.
Up ahead you see about a dozen creatures manning a guard post. One vehicle stands nearby. Do you continue on into town past the guard post or do you leave the highway and enter the city through the maze of crumbling buildings without passing a guard checkpoint?
[A new adventurer implies a new group:
Using his increased agility, he makes his way as quickly and quietly as possible to the maze of crumbling buildings to the side of the road. He thinks to himself as he goes, "So what have you gotten yourself into this time, War? Avoiding the chekpoint is good, but this maze looks like trouble."
Forging ahead, and feeling with his entire being for that telltale tingling which always preceeds trouble, he pulls his .44 and advances cautiously through the twisting maze.
Howard expresses to Marcus his interest in the Flower Lands as a curiosity. "What isth out there, Marcusth, for you to have pointed out sthuch a touristh attracthion?"
At Geo's remarks about alternative music, Howard tries to supress a distinctively Duckoidian "Waugh!" but fails miserably. Feeling sorry for his embarrassed human friend, he tries to change the subject.
"Hey Marcusth," Howard slobbers from atop his perch on Ormahzd's shoulders, "what'sth new with Datil thesthe daysth? It'sth been quite a while sthincthe I've, ah, sthayed here." Howard stares blankly at the distant corroding, crumbling skyline of Datil and tries to remember what he knows about the place.
I assume Howard has been here at least once before under the "care" of one mutated pig whose name shall remain unwritten....
"Uh, no, uh, that's OK, Geo... Ray Stevens will be just fine!" Jonn blushes and grins in his usual disarmingly goofy way. "As long as you don't play The Streak!"
Approaching Marcus within sight of Datil, Jonn asks, "So, what's the best way inside, Marcus? We don't want to draw any more attention than we have to. And do you know where Hampshire's holed up?"
Lamia whispers in Jonn's ear. "I sure hope Geo wasn't listening in last night!" That sultry Gren grin again.
Liska looks over the area. "OK, people let's move out!" She gets all of her gear ready, and starts to get moving when she remembers to grab the cassette player from her backpack. She starts playing Fade to Black.
Biting the end off of a new cigar, I spit it out and jab the fresh cigar in the corner of my beak. "I say, I say there Jonn-boy, are we going in half-cocked with guns blazing? There'll be no thanks for what we'll be giving Timon!" I look at Datil in the distance and then adjust my feathers.
Howard would know quite a bit about Datil, since he was a slave there for about 2 years, even if it was over 5 years ago. Howard would also know that in a very large building (a 22 story skyscraper, the top 12 levels being unusable) near the center of Datil (in an ancient UPS headquarters building), Hampshire runs a very large supply store/pawn shop called "Oik's Equips 'R' Us." Hamp is known to employ about 10 creatures and a few robots. Hamp also deals in slaves on the side.
Remembering Hampshire makes Howard's feathers suddenly stand up as if some ancient holiday were approaching.
The Foxoid uses his teeth to bite at a flea biting him. Looking at Howard, he begins to explain. "Imagine if you will, a very deep warm valley ten miles across. When you first enter it, you enter an area which is called the Flower Lands. Its called that because of what lives there. They are 10 foot bright red and yellow plant-like trees which resemble a cross between a banana tree and a palm tree. Oh, and they can move and there's at least a million of them. Imagine walking in a forest which moves with you and changes by the minute. Deeper in the valley is an area of grasslands, a very warm lake, several abandoned mines, and a small Maali village. That's about it."
The Foxoid sighs and looks at Datil in the distance (less than a mile away). "If you think no one would recognize us, we could just stroll in town together and walk right past the city militia checkpoints. Everyone entering Datil without an ID must obtain a copy from the DMV (Datil Municipal Verification) for 2 domars. Datil city militia routinely sweep the city looking for people without IDs. Anyone caught without an ID will be arrested and everything on them will be confiscated (never to be returned). If you want to enter Datil unchecked, we could circle around to the east side and enter along the highway through the ruins. If you want to wait till dark, then we can easily enter about anywhere you want. Most of the city militia remain at their posts at night. They fear the citizens they oppress in the daylight, I guess." The Foxoid snaps his teeth, killing a fly trying to land on his snout, and then spits it out.
Your group stands together in the heat observing Datil from a distance.
An hour passes as you (Wardog) make your way closer towards the center of Datil. Many creatures and people peer out windows or doorways as you pass. With three well-placed steps you nimbly bound over an ancient burned-out shell of a combustion vehicle blocking an alley like a well-placed cork. Trash, collapsed buildings and rubble fill the edges of the alley. Before you can leave the alley a black robot with glowing red eyes steps into view, standing in a doorway to your right.
Spinning to face it (and pointing your .44 at it), you see it carries two laser pistols (one in each hand), both of which are pointed towards the ground at the moment. Sensing something, you turn your head to look at the other side of the alley behind you, and you see what appears to be human male wearing sunglasses and holding a Mark VII blaster rifle. Using two fingers in mock gesture, he smirks somewhat and says, "Bang! You're dead!"
"The name's Jake Omega and that's K-11. Nice moves soldier, we could use someone like you!"
What do you do or say?
[Two groups have merged:
Wardog looks from the human to the robot and considers himself lucky. These two obviously aren't your average street ilk. Thinking that he should be dead anyhow, he responds, "Never one to disregard a fortuitous offer, I would be glad to assist. So who I gotta kill?"
The K-11 robot doesn't move. Putting his Mark VII blaster rifle on his shoulder (using its shoulder strap), Jake walks out to you and slaps you on the back.
"Right! Fortuitous my man... that's the spirit. Well, we don't have to kill anyone just yet, it's more like a thing anyway, and some recon. If you're in.... we'll split all loot three ways and you get first pick on any weapons we recover. We watch each other's backs and we don't leave anyone behind, ever!" Jake offers you his hand to shake on it.
"We have 16.7 minutes until shift change," says the robot in a deep Hal-like voice.
"Ok Joshua, thanks. You in then? What was your name again?"
What do you do or say, Wardog?
"Methinksth we don't want the localsth to know we're here," Howard responds to Marcus, indicating his vote for stealth rather than checking in with the local authorities. The group stares in awe at the skyscrapers of Datil as the sun pokes rays of light through broken windows, cracked girders and the widespread rubble. From atop his perch on Ormahzd's shoulders, Howard breaks the eerie silence of the moment and turns his attention to Jonn. "Esthpecthially if we're going to be making sthome housthe-callsth, if you know what I mean." Howard taps Ormahzd on the head at those words, full-well knowing his carrier's desire to get into a good old-fashioned scrap.
"Sthee that sthkysthcraper? Or what'sth left of it, anyway." Howard points out the old UPS building with a feathered appendage. "That'sth where Hampsthire isth, or wasth, anyway, the lasth time I sthaw him." The Duckoid ruffles his feathers. He feels very distinctively like a Duckoid out of water for the first time in a long time.
Thinking deep Roosteroid thoughts, I consider a recount and even a revote on the subject of the locals, but finally decide it's not worth it. Thankful I didn't have to carry the Duckoid on my shoulders for several days, I blow a smoke ring and think about my Penny and our two chicks, Raggy and Little Bit and where that cock-a-roach Timon was keeping them.
"I agree, Dodgers. And you have a good point, Captain. If Timon runs this overgrown tetanus farm, then he's sure to have his goons looking out for us. In particular, Yours Truly is sure to stick outta the crowd like rad rat juice on desert tires. They don't get many Pure Strains here." Jonn nods toward Liska, and simultaneously notes Lamia's look of disgust at his simile---and her look isn't just left over from her reaction to Marcus' fly-catching. "Oh, sorry for the imagery. But you know what I mean, right?" Geo shakes his head quizzically.
Jonn sighs, and looks around at the group, "So what say we loop around back and enter at nightfall? We can make a beeline to the UPS building and meet up with Dodgers' old friend. Then from there we can get a bead on Timon and hopefully the Captain's family."
Taking the proffered hand with a firm grip and a quick shake, I say, "Name's wardog. From what your pal there just said, it sounds like we're on a tight schedule. So what is this 'thing' we're after?"
The sun has been up only a half hour, and Frieda is ready to go for a ride. She has been doing this on a regular basis so as to get people used to it. Normally, Frieda just rides through the quiet streets of Datil and then comes home. The guards never give her trouble at checkpoints and are always eager to offer help (men!). This time, she is going to go explore some buildings that looked like they may have something useful to her---textbooks. She closes up her digs, mounts her bike, and speeds off.
[Another group:
Looking around the area in which these three individuals [Jake, K-11, Wardog --ed.] are standing, I spot a place to teleport as close to them as I can without being noticed. I slowly creep up on them using my Chameleon mutation as much as possible. My main objective is to try to eavesdrop on their conversation.
[Yet another group:
Breaking the silence, Geo says "I have a play-back message from Jake which he recorded when we were in Gamma One. I am supposed to play it for you when we arrived here in Datil <beep-beep>. Well, we are here now."
"This is Jake. Your old squeeze Kasteen sent me here to do some prep work before you arrived. When you circle the city and come in on the west side---which I know you will do---look for a huge billboard advertising Shell Oil. Beneath it is a ruined women's underwear boutique. Meet Joshua and me there. We may bring friends, and be ready to fight."
Considering Jake's message, you give Datil a wide birth as your group circles around to the west side (about an hour later), following the ancient highway into Datil and disappearing into the ruined maze of buildings before approaching a city militia outpost. Some distance ahead, crouched atop a rusting combustion vehicle, Kicker points toward the ancient billboard as Brimstone trots on ahead. From amongst the rubble in an alley across the street you see the empty three-story ruined women's underwear boutique. It is called "Frederick's of Hollywood."
Cringing at the words "old squeeze" earlier, the Gren kisses Jonn on the cheek as he stands in thought. "That's for luck, Jonn!"
"I say, I say there Gren, can I get one of those too?"
Together you (Jake, K-11, Wardog) exit the alley and walk together, talking and passing a few people who mostly try to avoid you.
"Well Wardog, this 'thing' we are after is information, and the madman, a man named Timon, who runs this city, has it. We are going to take it, but make it look like a robbery. That is the plan anyway. Oh, and this Timon guy rules Datil from the subway beneath the city. He's also a real bad ass. You still in?"
After a ten minute walk, you arrive in a rather clean alley between a ruined two-story building on one side and a seven-story building on the other. Suddenly from behind you, the three of you spin around to see a good looking Pure Strain Human fem riding a bicycle. K-11 draws both pistols and points them at the woman as she slides to a stop, very surprised.
Racing up and down the city streets, and occasionally passing through a crumbling building, you (Frieda) enjoy the exercise as you speed along. The quick speed the mountain bike offers allows you a quick and easy mode of travel. With it, you are usually gone before anyone who would even consider bothering you would even have a chance.
Sliding to a stop for a minute, you scan the ancient multi-story crumbling buildings. You remember seeing a book store on the next street over---that's where you'll head, you think. Speeding off, you turn and head down a clean alley. Suddenly you are surprised when you come face to face with two male humanoids and a large black robot with evil-looking glowing red eyes. They block your path and carry an inordinate amount of weapons. In particular, the robot holds a heavy laser pistol in each hand, both of which are pointed at you. You slide to a stop less than a dozen feet away.
Using your mutant teleportation power, you (Freya) reappear silently on the fire escape in the alley 15 feet above their heads. Your Chameleon power blends you perfectly with your surroundings (think of the movie Predator), as long as you make no sudden movements. You here one of the humanoids say to the other:
"Well Wardog, this 'thing' we are after is information, and the madman, a man named Timon, who runs this city, has it. We are going to take it, but make it look like a robbery. That is the plan anyway. Oh, and this Timon guy rules Datil from the subway beneath the city. He's also a real bad ass. You still in?"
You continue watching. From above, you see the three of them spin around to face a good looking Pure Strain Human fem riding a bicycle. The robot draws both of its pistols and points them at the woman as she slides to a stop, very surprised by the unplanned encounter. In fact, all four of them seem surprised.
Your height from the fire escape allows you also to see three city militia men hiding behind cover as if they were setting up these people in the alley for an ambush. You also know the city militia always travel in groups of twenty or thirty with a few heavy vehicles to boot. You know from experience since you've killed more than a few of them, and they never saw you coming.
What do you do? Continue watching? Wait to see what happens? Alert them to the ambush?
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