The Dunwich Conspiracy Session 7
General Summary
Settling Borislav's debt in the form of a complete overhaul to their junkyard vertibird, the party dubs their new aircraft 'The Roc' after a mythical bird Tommy remembers from before the war. With some help from the Ratt, Sir POSH integrates the new modules into the chaotic design and fine tunes their functionality with several test launches. Finally ready to embark, they barter for some extra fuel and set off over the wasteland in search of a dilapidated Super Duper Mart fifty miles to the southeast of the Sarsaparilla plant.
Even with some of the improvements made to the performance of the vehicle with the engine overhaul, flying 'The Roc' is an actual challenge for Tommy. If not for Sir POSH's assistance as co-pilot, they might have already crashed or drifted far off course. The Ratt passes the time working on different vocalization tones of a mixture of whines and grunts. Ingesting the pre-war chems might have made the difference between life and death aboard the Dreadnought, however it was not without cost, and his body is being wracked with withdrawals.
After taking some time to perform reconnaissance, Tommy sets his sights on section of cracked earth that conceals several ravines deep enough to touch down inside. Still learning the make-shift controls, a hard landing is forgiven by the dry, crumbling earth. Systems are checked and inventories are taken stock of. With everything in optimal condition, the group moves forward with creating a plan.
Finding several damaged Stealth Boys around RJ's compound, they have managed to combine the parts into a single working device. Between this and POSH's advanced sensors, they agree it might be best for Ratt to sneak ahead and check things out before they approach the front gate. Without much of anything in the way of cover, they decide to hug the sides of the pre-war highway. Those living in this area take care of this aging stretch of macadam so that they can trade with outsiders, leaving small dunes flanking this road from the sand plows. Keeping low, they send out their light-footed friend and hang back about fifty meters to observe his advance.
Finding the outer wall without a current patrol, Ratt takes advantage of another tool designed specially by Boris out of the pieces of the Liberator robot Tommy salvaged from their fight aboard the Dreadnought. Deployed from a harpoon gun, this grappling hand can penetrate targets with a center spike, then 'grab on' using the three legs that engage upon contact. It makes climbing the welded barrier of junk and scrap an easy task, giving him a good view of what lies ahead of them inside.
Back at their position amidst the shallow dunes, POSH and Tommy try to stay in radio contact with Ratt, but only with limited success. While watching him they become confused and soon alarmed after he hops off the wall and begins to make his way somewhat casually towards the front entrance. Worry soon turns to frantic radio calls as they see a large group assembling before him. To their great surprise, some begin to bow before him and even kiss his feet. Soon the Ratt disappears into their midst, and then shortly after, the compound.
Unsure of what to do, Tommy and POSH argue and plan their next move a bit too fervently. By the time they realize they are being approached, it is too late to successfully hide or retreat without being seen, and so they meet the lone figure. Handing back Tommy's Pip Pad the Ratt was using as his radio, this acolyte informs the two on the road that even though they approached with deceit, they are welcome to come out of the wastes and take shelter from the Deathclaws in the area.
Startled but seeing little other option but to receive the invitation after their cover was blown, the two make their way towards the compound with the hopes of finding out the fate of their companion. They find a throng of people with questions of their own, all wastelanders of varying degrees of poverty, they wish to also meet the Great Rattmen. With a little information gathering, they learn that this is a splinter cell of The Children of Atom. This group diverted from the main faith however once they were exposed to the mushrooms growing inside the Super Duper Mart. Using their time to research the topic on Tommy's Pip Pad, they wait for the cover of darkness to perform further reconnaissance on the stronghold itself.
Meanwhile the Ratt has been taken inside the belly of the beast, a well defended base of operations for the Cult of the Glow. He is positioned before a large host of the fungal blooms upon a throne that sits at the focal point of the room, a crowd of stranger pawing at his clothing and whispering blessings as they are stricken with awe at his presence. Starting to feel concerned, and possibly a bit agitated from the lack of Buffout in his system, his anxiety is soothed by a confident voice.
Explaining the nature of his clan and their purpose within the Great Dust Bowl, he softens the blow of his rhetoric with offering of purified water and chems. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, Ratt sates his withdrawals for the time being so he can focus on the task at hand. As he mentally sorts the propaganda from facts, the cult brings forth a caged radrat while chanting and praising their diety. It is clear the animal is quite sick, and he soon learns that ingesting the mushroom raw is always fatal. To take part in the 'Ritual of Communion' he must imbibe the holy essence second hand. Determined to see this through, he doesn't even flinch when they deliver him a still warm bladder filled with psychedelically infused urine and order him to drink.
Sir POSH and Tommy are now caught up on the intel they have on their enemy. They begin to formulate a new plan of infiltration now that darkness has fallen and they have still not heard from their companion. Although great care has been taken to fortify the first floor, a neglected vent has collapsed and could be navigated through at the rear of the building. Still unstable and precariously positioned on the roof, it is POSH that will have to brave this entrance. Taking a more direct approach, Tommy decides not only to save the limited use of the Stealth Boy, but also chooses to enter right through the front door.
As the pungent fluids churn in Ratt's stomach, he suddenly feels the need to vomit. This appears to be natural as soon he is joined by every member of the room, though it seems to go on much longer than he was hoping. Suddenly he feels quite different. Objects begin to stand out to him in sharp quality despite the dim atmosphere. Colors appear vibrant and alive, and not confined to the physical object they are usually associated with. As he stares in wonder, the Ratt becomes aware of the energy itself as it surrounds him and flows through all the living being in his vicinity.
It is when he becomes aware of a hostile energy inside the cultists that means to overpower his will that the artifact begins to hum and vibrate. This not only seems to protect him but also gifts him with memories, experiences, and even communication with the strange device. Not quite an AI or piece of technology humans could easily understand, it appears to contain several ancient consciousnesses that were willing separated from their living bodies to avoid mortality. One voice explains a hidden history of the planet, and their fight with a truly ancient threat, The Deep One.
This deluge of information if filtered through the Ratt and heard by his companions, causing the entire group to pause in each of their dangerous situations to cope. It is further explained that they must not alert a single cultist, as they are currently sharing a consciousness through ingesting 'The Glow', and any sensation one feels, they all have the ability to feel. They must accomplish their task so that the being in the device can better communicate with them, but this power is not without limit, and they must hurry.
Shaking off their shock, each member in turn returns to the job, discovering they can now communicate remotely and without sound through a temporary mental link. With this boon, Tommy begins his sweep through the front of the building while Sir POSH manages to sneak through the back. Ratt starts to focus with a little psychic nudge from the artifact, finding he can remotely view locations within his close proximity as well. Sending these images to Tommy and POSH, he gives them some advanced knowledge on threats in their vicinity without them needing to physically lay eyes on them.
Tommy soon discovers the first patch of mushrooms hiding behind Protectron guards armed with biometric scanners that not even his Stealth Boy will confuse long. POSH finds a cache of supplies, but nothing that can currently help them in their situation, so he goes to intercept these robots and do what he does best. The Ratt puts his willpower to the test, managing to reveal another bed of fungi protected by a pack of trained mongrels. This conditioning to humans works against them however, as Ratt attempts to make a simple suggestion to their less evolves minds. Focusing on the cooking brahmin hanging out front of the Super Duper Mart, he redirects the aroma towards the hounds and tells them it is time to eat.
Feeling like this is as good a time as any, Tommy activates the limited power of the scavenged stealth field generator and heads to the last glowing garden to collect his samples. Using a bit of subterfuge, Sir POSH gets past the patrolling enemy robots by replaying recorded voices of cultists spewing their propaganda while moving with confidence to the control terminal. Confusing them long enough for him to add Tommy's biometric data to the system, he was also able to make a few quick adjustments to the root programming files. Starting to experience the cost of his abilities, the Ratt's head begins to throb dully while he continues on. Sending a second group of dogs towards the entrance, he manages to reveal much of what is left to the party. While attempting to inspire them with his telepathic words of encouragement, he accidentally sends an entirely opposite message instead, and worse, is unaware of his blunder.
Bent over a pile of glowing mushrooms in a den of strange savages, Tommy immediately decides to flee, further spreading confusion as he relays danger back to his compatriots. Clever as always, POSH has already worked out a solution for a problem of this magnitude, reworking the Protectrons' biometric scanners to collect the data they need to bring back to RJ's Sarsaparilla Plant. He tries to calm Tommy despite also believing in the phantom danger, and prepares to evacuate with everyone else so the robots can complete the work without them.
With the Ratt now struggling to focus with a brewing migraine from the overuse of his abilities, he agrees that it is a good idea to leave before anyone else is alerted. Working his way to the front door, the spooked Tommy decides to simply sprint for the front door now that his Stealth Boy is beginning to wane. Unfortunately for him he nearly runs headfirst into the pack of hounds still working their way in the direction the Ratt suggested they go, and his active camouflage does nothing to hide his scent. Preparing a last resort distraction at the back of the store, POSH readies himself to intervene if the worst should happen, though one must wonder how much he will accomplish from the other side of the Super Duper Mart. So close to the completion of their mission, the Ratt tempts fate and tests his own resilience with another psychic attempt to derail the dogs, however it is only moderately successful. Still actively searching for the source of the noises and smells, Tommy is left vulnerable as his stealth field also now crackles and fades. With time running out and commotion at the other front door adding yet another layer to this complication, the party will have to think on their feet if they mean to survive..
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