Urth's Orphans: Prologue (Gorum and Major)

[Grognardsw]

For reference, here are the previous chapters of the Skype game that is continuing here...

...Transmissions...from...the...Skype...Ansible...

Listen to the village elders tell how the Ancients wrought horror upon the Urth...

[Grognardsw]

The smoke of dying Urth darkens the skies as Gorum, Major and their comrades cling to the gargantuan nose of the tilted head of Zardoz. The landscape is split and torn asunder as lava spews and flows. Smoke and clouds part as the heavens seemingly break apart and a massive structure descends...



Eyes widen as Major and Gorum struggle to comprehend what must be the end of their world.

How did this happen?

[Grognardsw]

Six Weeks Ago

Chapter One
In Search of the Younglings
A Council Called, Explorers Set Forth, Oddities Uncovered



And in that hot summer across the wounded lands the twelve tribes did send their younglings on their Rites of Initiation. Weeks turned into a month, then two, and none returned. Never had such a thing happened. An alarm was raised, the tribes met in council, and parties of Explorers were sent forth to find the younglings, discover what had transpired, and bring back those who yet lived.

This is the story of the one such group, Explorer Prime:

~ Major, a pure-strain human
~ Xthithizyte (X), an alien parasite-controlled mutant dog
~ Bubo Glaukopis, a mutated owl
~ Gorum, a gibbon-plant mutant
~ Xena, winged humanoid mutant

The party set forth, traveling south over the suffering landscape of the ill urth. They followed a river and came upon an old trail of the Ancient Ones. They encountered a pair of swine-men, who warned of the sounds of children around strange structures.

Intrigued, the Explorers Prime continued south and reached the fantastic and mysterious structures that surely were built by the Ancients. A long-abandoned park of unusual sculptures and buildings whose purpose was an enigma. Gorum’s heightened smell picked up many criss-crossing trails of scent of a non-animal type. Things were definitely out and about.

As the group approached a rotting wooden structure, the gibbon and mutant dog smelled the scent again then heard childish laughter within. At the same time, Major the human sighted nearby a small darting head duck down behind a leering metal head attached to a long circular cart on rotted rails.

Xena the winged humanoid stayed in front of the building, while Major went around to the back. Gorum the gibbon climbed into a nearby tree for an aerial view. Bubo the owl flew up to scope from the sky.

From behind the building, Major heard children’s voices and shuffling from within the shadowy rotting building. “Come play with us,” Major heard them say.

He and X the dog stepped within and beheld a disturbing group of mutant toddlers and children.



What happened next is another tale…

[Grognardsw]

Chapter Two
“Come Play with Us”
Mutant Toddlers and Mommy Dearest



The Seekers for the Twelve Tribes, the Explorers Prime, came upon a strange park of the Ancient Ones inhabited by mutant toddlers. Inside a rotting building bearing the baffling name “Wacky Shak,” Major the pure-strain human and his mutant dog Xthithizyte (X) encountered a group of mutant children.

“Come play with us,” they said and giggled and skipped about and sang nursery songs. Major’s skin began to burn as three children linked hands and sang “Ring around the rosie, pocket full of posies, ashes ashes we all fall down.” Another mutant toddler shot beams from his eyes that seared X the dog, while still another vomited acid onto the dog.

Meanwhile outside, Gorum the gibbon observed from a tree; Bubo the owl flew above; and Xena the winged mutant guarded the front of the building.

Realizing the odds, Major retreated. A mutant toddler attempted an unknown mental attack that the human repelled. Another fired a sling-shot with only stung Major. He reached the outside and ran around to the front, joining Xena and together running north.

The children followed but could not match the speed of the adults. They stopped the chase as the other members of Explorer Prime gathered and killed the children. The child hiding behind the metal head connected to carts on a rail escaped.

The party decided to leave this place. On the way out, Gorum smelled a human scent. Could it be a youngling they were in search of? The group decided to follow the scent and came to a building that appeared in better condition than any of the others. The brave human Major again stepped forward to investigate inside while his comrades stayed outside.

Major made his way through rooms and hallways to encounter Mother, a human with a hideous flesh sack growing out from her stomach, and many nipples all over her body which were being suckled by a male human and two mutant toddlers. Around her on cushions were four mutant toddlers.



The Mother exuded a powerful mental pull of slavish love, but Major’s genetic purity repelled her allure. X the mutant dog did not fare as well, and was under Mother’s mental spell. He wagged his tail, went up to Mother, and started licking her.

The mutant children rose to defend their Mother. One fired eye beams that hit Major. Major fought off the children. Finding himself in deep yet again, Major fired his powerful laser pistol at Mother but the shot was wide.

Bubo, perched outside on the roof above, heard the laser shot. Alarm was given. Gorum and Xena ran inside to help Major. Gorum fired his thorns. Major clubbed children. Xena fired his Gamma Eye at Mother, knocking her unconscious. He then sliced her sack open and killed her. The surviving children became hysterical.

Outside, Bubo the mutant owl spotted an incoming group of four mutant children. From flying safety above, Bubo radiated his Life Leech ability, draining them of life energy, then finished them off with a mental Sonic Blast.

Major freed his fellow human, whose name was Zidane. Then the party searched the area. What happened next is another tale…

[Grognardsw]

Chapter Three
A Bright and Stormy Day
A Village Visited, Mechanobeasts Battled, and Into a Strange Building

The Explorers Prime breathed a sigh of relief as the Mother and mutant toddler lay dead before them. Their building was explored and loot found (see Notes.) The party tended and fed the human Zidane, who was weak and skin very pale and hair white from his suckling on Mother’s leg nipple.

Zidane told his story of capture by the mutant toddlers when he and two village comrades were scavenging the area. The Mother enraptured them, and the brood butchered and fed upon his comrades. Zidane was likely next before his rescue. He was grateful and said his village was two days away.

The group set out west for Zidane’s village. On the first day of travel, they felt an earthquake shake the land, cause cracks in the ground, and erupt a mountain from the ground far in the horizon. That mountain than erupted molten red flowing earth! It was too far away to cause the group any harm.

That night Xena had dreams of flying and awoke hearing “are you ready?” During the morning campsite pack-up, Major looked down at his hands and saw gloved hands (but he has no gloves.) He heard someone call him from behind - “Jack?” Major blinked, shook his head, saw his hands were their normal ungloved hands.

The Explorers reached the village without incident. The small village was in dire straits; drought, starvation and illness had greatly reduced their numbers. Zidane himself had lost his wife and child. The village was happy to see Zidane alive. He learned he had been gone three weeks. He realized he had been in an enraptured daze under Mother’s influence, feeding upon her irradiated milk during that time as each week a comrade was eaten.

The Explorers spent the night in the village and the next morning resumed their travels west in search of the younglings. Zidane joined the party, given he had nothing left in the dying village. On the second day of travel they encountered three mechanobeasts, part beast part machine. Major clubbed, Xena Gamma Eyed, Zidane speared, Gorum shot arrows, Bubo generated Fear in one, and the beasts were defeated. Xthithizyte (X) the dog was paralyzed by antenna blows; Major carried him until it wore off.

The next day the landscape turned rugged, sparse and sandy. A fast-moving glow storm came over the horizon as the Explorers spotted a strange partially crumbled building buried in the sand. The glow storm was very dangerous. Could they run for shelter inside the building? The party sprinted and made it, except for Bubo the mutant owl who took some wounds from the lightning radiation.



Inside the building, the explorers saw a large entry hall with stairs leading downwards into darkness. Gorum with his infravision cautiously descended, seeing strange huge skeleton heads. The others followed by torchlight to reveal the room more fully. What happened next is another tale…

[Grognardsw]

Chapter Four
A Night in the Museum
In Which Explorers and Security Bots Have a Disagreement

The Explorers Prime spread out to investigate the vast chamber with its monstrous giant skeletons. The entire room was lit by a strange glowing white light from banded sections of its curved walls. The large semi-circular chamber was over 75’ wide and its floor, walls and ceiling were made up of a smooth, pearlescent substance like the interior of clam shells. Above the lighted band about 15’ up the curving walls were depictions of the Ancient Ones performing incomprehensible feats of magic and industry. Unknowable symbols (holy or secular?) of the Ancients covered nearly every other available surface of the too-smooth walls.

Everything in the room was covered by a thick layer of dust. The floor was disturbed by tracks of an elongated primate(s) leading from the stairs to the western door. There is also a door in the north of the curved wall, one in the south wall, and two on the eastern curve. The doors are unlike others the explorers had seen. They were metal with a barely-noticeable seam running down the middle, and no handles. To the right of the door is a panel.

At the western end of the chamber was a blue-clad skeleton on the floor behind a podium with unintelligible papers which turned to dust at the touch. The skeleton had a metal badge and pistol which the pure-strain human Zidane learned fired a pink energy beam that didn’t harm the wall.

Xena the flying mutant humanoid investigated the large skeleton, landing upon its head. It had fearsome four-to-six inch teeth. The bone was actually stone.

While the party was investigating, a shockingly old man (perhaps in his fifties or even early sixties!) and two hovering robots approached from the east, having come from an east wall door. Xena spotted them first from her perch and continued to watch unseen. The bald-pated human was in a sparkling, flowing robe with two floating chunks of metal hovering at his side.

The man spoke in the common tongue, but many of his words are unknown to you. In a friendly tone, he says: “Greetings visitors, I am the Curator. I regret to inform you that the Museum of Natural History and Science is currently closed due to technical difficulties beyond our control. While it is most gratifying that your enthusiasm for science and history extends to visiting the museum after closing hours, we must now ask you to leave. Should your enthusiasm continue unabated, I would like to assure you that the two security-bots are merely provided as a courtesy escort to ensure your brisk departure.” He gestured the party to the stairwell up.



Bubo the mutant owl used his mental Telepathy ability upon the man but there was only blankness! The Explorers decided to follow the orders, but upon realizing the dangerous Glow Storm still raged outside, then entered the building. The Security Bots moved to apprehend the party. Zidane and were shot with a beam that rendered them unconscious. Major was tazored multiple times but his pure strain constitution resisted the debilitating effect. He used his prized laser gun and fired two shots; the second damaging the security bot heavily. The mutant dog Xthithizyte (X) finished it off with savage bites to his arm, tearing it off. X was then shot by the other security-bot and fell unconscious.

Bubo the mutant owl and Gorum the mutant monkey, being smaller creatures judged not as harmful as the larger Explorers, had not yet been attacked but they joined in helping their comrades. Gorum used his Mental Control ability and found seemingly no mental force within the security-bot to control! While Gorum was doing this, Bubo erected a mental Repulsion Field around the mutant gibbon. Bubo then attempted his mental Metamorph ability and his dread Gamma Eye - both proved ineffective against the robots!

The one remaining Security-Bot ejected a gas grenade that knocked the party out except for Major. The human valiantly continued to club the bot, as it in turn tried to taser Major into unconsciousness.

Xena meanwhile continued to lurk on top of the skeleton head. With the Curator and security bots busy she flew into the eastern room from which they had come. She found a bank of metal boxes with buttons, lights, glass screens, knobs, levers, a map of the Museum, and much Ancient script on the walls. There was another blue-clad skeleton with a metal badge and a black metal baton. Xena experimented with the baton and after injuring herself, figured out that it had a retractable energy blade.

As Xena turned to exit the room, the old man Curator was at the doorway. “We have a giant bird rodent!” he exclaimed. He swept his hands to shoo off Xena. “Be gone or I will call the pest exterminator!”

Xena swiped the energy baton at the old man, and it passed right through him! The Curator then called the exterminator, and another robot appeared. What happened next is another tale…

[Grognardsw]

Chapter Five
Man, Mutants and Machines

In the foyer of the Museum of Natural History and Science, Major the pure-strain human battled the Security Bot. Again and again he clubbed the robot’s metal hide, with little effect. The robot struck Major with its tazor hand, but the human’s constitution withstood the shock. Xthithizyte the alien parasite detached itself from the two-headed mutant dog and flew onto the face of the robot, blinding it.

Upon nearly tripping over the prone body of his fellow human Zidane, Major noticed the laser pistol on the floor. Desperately he grabbed and fired it at the menacing mechano creature. The pink energy shot out, surrounded the automaton, and extinguished it’s life energy! Major gathered his fallen comrades in the atrium near the stairs and the effects of the gas wore off.

Meanwhile, Xena the winged mutant flew from the pursuing “Pest Exterminator” Bot as it fired an expanding net at her. Xena went through the east door by putting the comm badge into the side panel. Through the door was a curved 50’ hallway with six large 10’-wide open doorways, three along the curved northern wall and three along the curved southern wall. Beyond each portal was darkness.



With the Pest Exterminator in pursuit, Xena approached the first portal on the left (north) side. As he got a few feet near it, the darkness vanished and she saw a blurred kaleidoscope of colors and hazy shapes. Xena stepped through into a barren, grassy savannah with boulders in the distance. A group of primitive man-apes loiter about the rocks; one man-ape throws a large bone up into the air in celebration of a recent kill.

Xena is confused and bewildered by the sight. How can such a place exist within this building? Xena almost gets lost within the place, but manages to see the “door” through which she came. And then she sees the Pest Exterminator bot pass through the door. It grabs Xena with monstrous metal strength and brings her out of the room and into the atrium. Xena valiantly tried to escape but her strength was not up to the task.

At this point, the other explorers were recovering near the stairwell. They saw the Pest Exterminator bot with Xena approach and go up the stairs. Gorum the gibbon mutant and Zidane the human took action. Gorum fired an arrow that flew high, while Zidane shot his pink energy laser pistol but also missed.

The Pest Exterminator bot reached the top of the stairs, with Gorum and Zidane in pursuit. Gorum thrust his spear but the tip lodged in a metal crevice and snapped. It exited the building with Xena out into the Glow Storm. The radiating energies seared Xena. Zidane fired his pistol again and this time hit, short-circuiting the rampaging robot! Xena flew in to safety of the building.

WIth the party together again, they investigated the chamber which old man Curator was. He was at a console with glass screens, buttons and levers. “This is quite enough! I have called the police!” he said. The Curator then left the room.

Inside the room Major found a locked wall chest which he broke open, revealing two energy cells; a stack of 3”x5” disks that bend; circular thin discs of an unknown material, with a whole in the middle, that were shiny like mirrors; and a small box with a red symbol of two lines crossing in the middle.

Inside the small box were cylinders with needles, various pills, bandages and salves. After Major did some unorthodox applications of the cylinder needle, X the dog, whose parasite had lived many generations, described how he had seen the device used in the past. The proper application of the needles restores some health to the wounded Major, Zidane and X. Then the pills were distributed amongst the party and everyone partook. They seemed to have no effect.

The explorers then investigated the curved hallway with portals that Xena had seen, using ropes as a precaution against getting lost inside. Each portal led to a different world: the dawn of man, lost Lemuria, ancient pyramid builders, the eternal ones of the far future, medieval period, and past age of wonders of the Ancient Ones. In this last “world” - one of pure-strain humans some with cybernetic enhancement in a vast technological cityscape - Gorum heard a noise and found a fellow gibbon youngling named Gorab.

The youngling described how he and two other gibbon younglings were captured by masked humans riding four-legged beasts. They were headed east when Gorab escaped, came across this building of the Ancient Ones, and got lost inside the portal world. The Explorers Prime were glad to have found one of the lost younglings and had a lead on those who could be responsible for their disappearance. What happened next is another tale…

[Grognardsw]

Chapter Six
Breathtaking Mysteries and a Museum Exit

The Explorers Prime continued through the West door into a chamber with benches and lockers and a door. Within the lockers were eight pairs of helmets and belts of the Ancient Ones. Major the human experimented with a helmet - it closed and provided fresh air. Xena the winged humanoid did the same with a belt, finding it formed an energy nimbus about him.The party decided to each take a set of helmet and belt, except for Bubo and Xthithizyte whose owl and dog bodies could not wear them.

Through the next door was a large spherical room with a ramp then extended out to end at a pedestal with unknown controls. Major deferred experimenting with the pedestal, so Bubo the mutant owl did so while the party awaited beyond the door. Upon pressing some buttons, the door closed, the atmosphere decompressed and gravity stopped. Bubo struggled to maintain his place, breath, and desperately fiddled with the controls to fix the fatal problem. The rest of the party was stuck outside the door where a red light started blinking. Just as Bubo went unconscious, he managed to restore conditions. The door opened and the explorer found the owl lying unconscious on the floor.

Several minutes after exiting the room back into the atrium, Bubo came to. The Explorers Prime moved to the final door and found within a chamber lined with shelving units displaying all manner of Ancient One tools and items. These ranged from miniature skeletons of the beasts in the atrium, to odd metal sculptures, to bound papers that crumbled to dust at the touch, to stuffed animals, to odd assortments of boxes, spheres and incomprehensible knick-knacks of the Ancients Ones. The gibbon youngling Gorab excitedly filled his helmet with a collection of the items, which he felt would bring him prestige and fame in his tribe back home. Xena kept a circular metal piece with a needle that moved around pointing at letters and numbers of the Ancient One.

Before departing the “Museum of Natural History and Science,” Xena secured dinosaur teeth as daggers for Gorab and Gorum. Gorum also retrieved his broken spearhead from the “Pest Exterminator” robot. Being that it was dusk, the party decided to camp on the roof for safety. It was decided that Gorab would stay with the party. They also decided to head northeast following the likely path of the masked men described Gorab, and along the way stop at “the Pit” marked on the map.



The journey to the Pit took a day-and-a-half. The explorers camped and the night was uneventful, though Xena seemed troubled by a dream. The party reached the Pit and found a humongous wide and deep hole in the ground, created in some unnatural manner. At the bottom where several tunnel entrances. While the party was exploring, they spied two… people? emerging from the tunnel.

What happened next is another tale…

[Grognardsw]

Chapter Seven
Terror in the Tunnels



The Explorers Prime saw the two strange grey-skinned, masked men exit the tunnel. They in turn spotted the explorers. Major the human stepped forward and motioned for parley. But the mutant owl Bubo projected Fear upon the one bearing a thunder stick, who fled back down the tunnel in terror.

The second man, outnumbered and alarmed at the situation, retreated back into the tunnel. The party entered the tunnel, moving along the left side in single marching order led by Gorum the mutant gibbon with his night vision. No tracks could be seen. It quickly became dark. Gorum triggered a trip wire and rocks fell from above, battering many in the party.

After that, Major lit his glow cube to provide lighting and the explorers continued. After several hundred feet of downward and west-curving tunnel, the party heard a savage growling noise with uncharacteristic persistence and volume. It sounded like nothing the explorers had ever heard before. After 30 seconds flashing moving lights were seen ahead, and the noise got much louder. Bubo flew to the 12’ ceiling and hid in camouflage.

The roaring of rage, the glaring lights, the spinning wheels! The mechano-beasts were upon them! Bearing masked men riders with swords and pistol. The explorers fled. As the mechano-beasts passed under Bubo, he mentally activated his force bubble between them and the party. The mechano-beasts crashed into the invisible force, smashing their front wheels, incapacitating them, and throwing their man-riders to the ground.

As the dazed masked men get unsteadily to their feet, Bubo dropped the force shield. Major clubbed a human, Zidane the human fired a poisoned arrow, Bubo paralyzed one with his Gamma Eye, and Xena the winged mutant retreated out of the tunnel.

The masked men fell under the Explorers attacks. Meanwhile, Xena was watching outside from the entrance of the tunnel. He saw two masked men riding four-legged hairy beasts. They spotted him. What happened next is another tale…

[Grognardsw]

Chapter Eight
Interrogations and a Death in the Party



As Xena faced the two masked riders outside in the Pit, another earthquake shook that rattled the world for about five seconds. Inside the tunnels, the Explorers prayed the ceiling would not collapse upon them. The short-lived quake dropped dust and pebbles but nothing more.

Outside, the two riders galloped toward Xena. The winged humanoid hurled a bola at one of the horses but the missile weapon flew short. One rider fired a large thunder stick at Xena but she dodged. The other threw a spear which only grazed her. The riders were then upon Xena - a bullet brushed her, a short sword scraped, horse hoofs pummelled. Xena fell back and fired her Gamma Eye at one of the men; it failed to incapacitate him. Xena countered with her Power Baton but missed.

Meanwhile, inside the tunnels, Major the human and Gorum the mutant gibbon interrogated the two masked human prisoners while Bubo the mutant owl used his ESP ability. The men were antagonistic against Gorum, revealing a hatred for mutants. Major threatened an attack by X the two-headed mutant dog if they did not talk. They said they were followers of Zardoz, a human warlord, from the northwest near the great lake. Bubo detected truth and saw within their minds a hilly grasslands where there was a mist-shrouded compound around structure, with many masked men and women, human prisoners, and large pits filled with bodies of mutants. Whether these were prisons or burial pits was uncertain.

Back outside, Xena fell back and threw another bola. It wrapped around only one horse leg, not effectively stopping the attacking beast. Again the two men swung and shot with sword and gun; horses reared and struck with hoofs, bludgeoning Xena. She swung again with her Power Baton but found fighting through the pain difficult. Bleeding, bruised, battered, Xena unleashed her Life Leach ability. She drew energy from men and horses, partially replenishing her own body while depleting theirs. But it was not enough, for the men with human perseverance again struck and their blows were fatal. Xena died in the bowels of the Pit.

The party within the tunnels, done with interrogation and having bound their captives, exited the tunnel to find the two masked men before the dead body of Xena. They had looted her and were getting on their horses. In rage and anguish the Explorers set upon the two men. Bubo used his Mental Incapacitation ability to strike down the spear wielder. Zidane ran with his spear, and Gorum fired his bow. Major charged with his spear, slicing the shoulder of the gun-wielder. X the dog ran and leapt upon the gun-wielder, tearing the thunder-stick from the man’s grasp and bringing it back to the party.

The masked man scrambled onto his horse and galloped away. The Explorers resolved to chase him down, lest he return to his tribe and give warning. What happened next is another tale...

[Grognardsw]

Chapter Nine
Swarm of Death!

The Explorers Prime said words over their fallen comrade Xena, leaving her body under the sky as they turned to pursue the masked rider. Gorum the mutant gibbon’s trusty nose, and the tracking abilities of the explorer, set them on his path.

Late morning turned to early afternoon as the party moved north, with the mountains to their east. Along with the explorers were the two bound, captive men and the horse which carried the loot of the dead men and Xena.

Toward late afternoon a distant buzzing was heard. It quickly got closer as the explorers took cover among boulders and Bubo the mutant owl took to the sky. He saw a dark swarm of unknown flying insects. A third of the swarm separated and pursued Bubo while the rest fell upon the party.



Bubo emitted a sonic blast upon his approaching swarm, dropping them in an instant to the ground. Meanwhile, the party quickly lit torches and gathered brush to light, hoping the smoke and heat would drive the swarm away. The unknown insects swarmed around the party with difficulty, but managed to land some on Xthithizyte the dog Zidane the human, the two prisoners and the horse. The explorers swiped their torches and brush to disperse the swarm.

Bubo flew near, drawing off a section of the swarm and then surrounding it with a repulsion field. He then dropped the field and used his dread Life Leech ability. Incredibly, it did not have any effect on the insects! But alas, it did affect the explorers who felt a little weaker and killed the heavily wounded Xthithizyte the dog. The alien parasite attached to X flew off and attached onto one of the human prisoners.

The party struggled on, hitting the swarm with torches and eventually driving them off. Zidane was covered by a small mass of the insects which he and Major swept off, pulling out the stingers. Upon close contact, they saw there were not living insects but tiny metal insects (which some Elders would call nanonites.)

Zidane was lethargic and his thinking cloudy. Bubo used his ESP and confirmed that Zidane’s mind was effected by what must be some type of poison from the nanonites. The human prisoners and horse were similarly effected.

Gorum took out his new med kit that he found a few nights ago. He recounts the story of how during his night watch he glimpsed a robot that he had seen several times before in the past ten years. Upon going to investigate, there was a med kit on the ground and a scrawled message in the dirt: “When the sky opens, enter.” Gorum had seen this robot several times in the past - it had exchanged goods in return for information, and had never been threatening.

Gorum used the needles on himself and Zidane, which helped heal some of their physical wounds but did not improve ZIdane’s lethargy and cloudy mind.

Xthithizyte the alien parasite, now on a host human, was able to communicate with the party. He said this new human body may be useful in the rescue mission of the younglings held by the followers of Zardoz.

As the sun set, the explorers resumed their tracking of the fleeing human rider. Hoping to catch up with him if he camped for the night, the party pressed on in darkness. Around midnight, they heard a jingling from the sky and spied a sled being ridden by a ponderous red-clothed, bearded human with a huge sack. The sled was being pulled by eight mutant reindeer. His silhouette crossed the moon, and he rode off into the night. Strangely, the party felt a sense of peace fall over them.

What happened next is another tale...

[Grognardsw]

Chapter Ten
Havoc in the Comic Book Store

The Explorers Prime tracked their masked man-prey through the night, navigating the rough terrain under moonlight, gibbon night-vision and glow cube. Dawn saw them arrive at the outskirts of a ruined village.

Bubo the mutant owl flew reconnaissance and saw no signs of habitation or the man. The party approached the nearest building on the outskirts. The roof and second floor were collapsed, but the first floor was intact. The door was ajar.

Xthithizyte (nick-named X), on the host body of one of the human prisoners, approached and called out for his comrade. There was no answer. He looked inside then stepped in. Meanwhile, Bubo metamorphosed into a human duplicate of the other prisoner, motioned his hidden comrades to join him, and followed X inside.

Bubo saw a shadowy place of many shelves lined with books. X was lying prone on the floor 30' away. Bubo didn't see anyone else. He crouched down in a defensive position as the other explorers entered.

Major moved deeper into the building to get a better look at X. Zidane stood inside the doorway looking around. Bubo reached out to X with his telepathy and learned he was still alive, could not move, and he warned that others ambushed him. Bubo felt a field of some type go up around him.

Gorum leapt atop a shelving unit where his infravision spied two humanoid forms in the back half of the building. One suddenly disappeared. The other, a woman, walked toward Major.



Gorum knocked his bow and called out for her to halt. She did so and raised her arms in apparent surrender while speaking to Major: "I heard a rumor you attacked your friends." Major turned his laser pistol at Zidane and fired, but Zidane dived for cover.

Suddenly in the aisle to the east, a naked black skinned humanoid with a tail materialized. Bubo lashed out with a mental incapacitation attack and rendered the black-skinned humanoid inert, but not before he disappeared again and reappeared on top of Gorum. But his paralyzed form only fell upon the shelving unit, collapsing it and sending him and Gorum onto the floor amid wood dust and splintered wood.

Zidane was crouching near a display of bobble-headed miniature sculptures when a 15' long arm bearing a club stretched out from around a bookcase corner and swung at the human. Zidane blocked the blow with his spear, then rushed the corner to confront and stab a human with a crude "4" emblem on his chest. The man stretched out in a massive sheet of rubbery flesh to envelope Zidane, but the lethargic human nonetheless rolled out of the way.

The black-skinned, tailed humanoid grabbed Gorum and teleported away with him. They materialized inside a cage. Gorum attempted to mentally control the humanoid, but was unable to overcome his mind. The humanoid teleported away, leaving Gorum in the cage.

Meanwhile, the woman spoke to Bubo - "I heard a rumor you fell asleep" - but the mutant owl's willpower repelled the influence. He returned the attack with a Gamma Eye, but the woman in turn was mentally strong and resisted. She then repeated her words with greater urgency and Bubo fell asleep.

Major shot at Gorab with his laser gun, but the nimble monkey dodged the energy bolt. Gorub rushed the woman and slashed at her with his short sword, gashing her right thigh. She screamed in pain and anger - "you damn dirty ape!"

Major turned his laser pistol on the gibbon and shot an energy beam clean through his head, killing Gorub instantly.

The Explorers faced a grim situation as Gorub lay dead, Bubo was asleep, X was incapacitated in some unknown manner, Gorum was somewhere in a cage, and Major was rampaging against his comrades. Zidane alone remained fighting, spear in hand, laser gun holstered. What happened next is another tale...

[Grognardsw]

Chapter 11
Rumors Squelched



The Explorers Prime were in dire straits as a Rumor-influenced Major turned his laser pistol at his fellow human Zidane. As he fired, another earthquake struck and shook the building and ground. The energy bolt fired high, as Zidane struggled against the stretchy mutant with a “4” on his chest.

Meanwhile, Gorum the mutant monkey was trapped inside a cage in another building, having been left there by the black-skinned teleporter mutant with a tail. Sections of the cage were wood. Gorum started breaking and bashing them and eventually escaped, then made his way to the comic book store.

In the store, Xthithizyte (X) detached from the incapacitated human follower of Zardoz and flew onto the back of Rumor. Major moved to club Zidane from behind while stretchy man kept up his fight. Zidane took a few more bruises. Rumor then called upon Major to stop his attack, her mutant willpower again exerting its influence. She then ordered stretchy man to stop.

“I am in control of her body,” announced X of Rumor. His fellow explorers were relieved. Gorum then entered the building. Bubo the mutant owl was revived. The dead body of Gorub the youngling monkey shook Gorum. “How did this happen?” he asked.

Rumor was to blame. Gorum sought revenge and asked X to switch bodies to stretchy man so Rumor could be killed. He did so. Rumor, free of any influence at that moment, attempted to escape by ordering stretchy/X to protect her. But she was unable to overcome their mental strength as Major clubbed her, Zidane shot her, and Gorum hit her to death.

The explorers then investigated the comic book shop, its different sections, and came across a door with rickety stairs down into a ramshackle basement that clearly was living quarters for thes mutants. Five bedding areas were identified. Bubo used ESP on stretchy and learned two other mutants were away hunting. The teleporter mutant was still missing after teleporting away from Gorum. They also found the bones of the human follower of Zardoz that the party was pursuing. He had been eaten. The explorers found the human’s three clips of ammo (100 shots each) and Xena’s power baton.

Fearing that the missing mutants could soon return, the explorers left the ruins to continue their journey. Zidane, his body diseased with nanonites, felt worse. The infected horse died. ZIdane chanced taking the colored pills from Gorum’s med box. The human tood the green, blue and yellow pills every couple of hours. What happened next is another tale...

[Grognardsw]

Chapter 12
To the Camp of Zardoz

The Explorers Prime, having escaped the clutches of the comic book mutants, camped for the night. They strategized on how to best approach the camp of Zardoz two days hence. It was agreed that more firepower was needed, and the group would return to their village, brief the Council on events thus far, and gather reinforcements for the expedition to Zardoz.

The next morning, Zidane the human found that his nanonite sickness had not progressed (unlike with the horse and human prisoner, who died). Deciding that one or more of the pills taken yesterday were responsible, Zidane took the second of those same color pills and hoped for the best.

The party reached the closest village in a few days. Two council members were present and listened with apprehension to the adventures of the explorers. It was agreed to gather warriors from each of the twelve tribes to accompany the party to Zardoz’ camp. This would take two days. While in the village, the explorers received healing. That night Major the human had uneasy dreams of being hunted.

An elder shaman of a human village was summoned to help in reading the script of the Ancients on the artifacts the explorers found. The remaining pills in Gorum’s med pack (given to him by a robot that has repeatedly met with the gibbon over some years to learn information in return for gifts) were identified as pain reducers and anti-radiation pills. The salve is a healing lotion (1d6 per application, six applications available.) The ID card found in the Museum bore the name “William Hanson” The helmet and belts from the Museum were for the “Deep Space Experience.”

More than 200 village mutants, mutant animals and human men arrived from the twelve villages. Led by the Explorers Prime, the force set out east for the camp of Zardoz. They were unmolested along the way. Upon nearing the location of the camp, the Explorers Prime detached from the force and scouted ahead to reconnoiter.



As dusk approached, they climbed to the top of a rise over the grassy plains and beheld a sight that sent rad-chills down your spine. The land before them has been transformed. The followers of Zardoz cut a wide circular swath out of the grass savanna much larger than the party’s home villages. Patrols of mounted followers move in lazy, loped circles around the entire area. The outer area seemed to be mostly bare earth as hundreds of slaves tended to rows of tangfruit bushes, all arranged in some regular order. Inside that ring of activity, which was winding down for the day, the explorers saw near a hundred oxen hide tents with at least 200 men bivouacked among them. And at the center of the encampment, they saw it — taller than their tallest huts — the gigantic stone visaged face of what must be Zardoz?

The structure was formed into the shape of a giant head several stories tall, and its shape exactly mimicked the followers’ helmets except in size and scale, with its open, gaping mouth forming an opening and entrance to the temple. Slaves walked in and out of the entrance while under guard, carrying in woven baskets of tangfruit and bringing back out large wooden chests.

The Explorers Prime watched the camp site for a few hours, noting the pattern of guard patrols, locations of tents and fields, and a series of pits which housed slaves. At dusk the massive head structure spoke, a deep resonant voice: "Followers of Zardoz, the time has come for action! Tomorrow we march on the mutants! We will sweep the Urth clean of malign presence!" Cheers went up from the camp.

What happened next is another tale…

[Grognardsw]

Chapter 13
Infiltration and Ambush



The Explorers Prime camped and spied on the camp that night as they strategized on best approaches. The next morning they saw a force of about 75 armed Zardoz followers gather. While doing so, another earthquake shook the Urth. A giant crack opened along the ground in the west side of the camp, toppling tents, people and horses into the depths. Steam rose from the fissure. The camp spent time clearing the area. The small Zardoz army then rode off heading southwest.

Using the confiscated helmets and clothing of the killed followers of Zardoz, the human explorers Major and Zidane disguised themselves and boldly entered the camp. The others watched through long-sight eyes from the grassy ridge.

Major and Zidane made their way to the center where the giant head of Zardoz loomed, and entered it by the mouth. Inside they found a massive chamber with lines of baskets, crates and unknown machinery of the Ancient Ones. Slaves and followers of Zardoz were scattered about and took no particular notice of Major and Zidane as they follow a ramp along the west curvature of the wall that led up to the second floor.

At the top of this ramp they were met by two guards who inquired their purpose. Major answered they had important news for Zardoz. The pair were allowed in and glimpsed another large chamber with wall and panels of "machinery" reminding them of smaller versions found in the "museum." These here were more elaborate and one side of the large hall had a line of cylindrical metal and hard-air pods. A ramps led up to the third floor and the human explorers continued up.

Guards stopped Major and Zidane at the top and again questioned their purpose. Major gave the same answer. The guards glanced back into the room at a group of masked men at a table. One of them nodded and the men were waved on. Major and Zidane found themselves in the what must be the sanctum of Zardoz himself, for across the large chamber they saw a massive 7.5' man of impressive build, wearing a more elaborate and color mask compared to the standard masks of all others.

Zardoz turned to face the Major and Zidane. "Speak your news." His presence was palpable and intimidating but Major remained calm and relayed news of resistance in the southwest, of mutants who fought and killed followers of Zardoz and that the camp should consider sending forces there.

Zardoz nodded and thanked Major and Zidane. He drew closer and placed a hand on each of their masked foreheads, leaving it there for some ten seconds. "You may go now."

Major and Zidane exited the way came and once outside headed northwest. Not a minute had passed when a group of six armed guards confronted them. "Put your weapons down and you won't be hurt."

Meanwhile, from the distant safety of the grassy ridge, Gorum, Bubo and X watched through long-sight eyes their friends get ambushed. They also saw a Zardoz follower race out from the mouth, mount a horse, and gallop off in a southeast direction. What happened next is another tale...

[Grognardsw]

Chapter 14
Assault on the Stronghold of Zardoz
Armies Clash, Younglings Rescued, Urth Crumbles

Major and Zidane faced a group of Zardoz guards. In typical human fashion, they took rash action and opened fire with their laser pistols. Major's gun jammed, and Zidane's shot was wide. The six guards fell upon them, knocking out Major. Zidane broke through and ran half-way through the camp before he was brought down. The two men were put in an underground prison.

Gorum, Bubo and X observed this through their long-sight eyes. Gorum raced back to the army of the Twelve Tribes to relay the news and gather the troops for an assault. Meanwhile back at the camp, the imprisoned Major and Zidane were questioned and then brought back inside the Zardoz head structure to the second floor where they were put into the cylindrical metal and hard-air pods. Gases swirled within as the two men saw the Zardoz followers push buttons on the outside. Major and Zidane lost consciousness.

The army of the Twelve Tribes arrived, encircling the camp at some distance and then charging in to kill the defilers of their land, kidnappers of their younglings, murderers of mutant kind. With the element of surprise, the Twelve Tribes gained an upper hand. But the weapons of the Ancients wielded by many of the Zardoz men proved to be formable and deadly. The battle raged as the humans and mutants of the Twelve Tribes used their weapons, physical and mental mutant powers against the followers of Zardoz.

Inside the second floor of the Zardos head, Major and Zidane came to. They did not feel right. There was noise and shouting outside the pods. Major was shocked to find he lost his arm and in its place was a metal limb. He used it to break out of the pod. All was confusion about him. Sounds of battle could be heard outside. Major freed Zidane, whose whole head had been replaced by an artificial metal head. Yet miraculously he was alive.

Outside the battle raged. Bubo the mutant owl freed the slaves and prisoners. Gorum and X fought valiantly and made it to the head in search of their comrades. They were soon joined by Bubo and ran inside to the first floor chamber just as metal walls closed in the mouth. A disembodied voice spoke in the air: "Prepare for lift off." Suddenly there was a thunderous cracking sound from the earth and the Zardos head tilted perilously to the west and everything and everyone struggled to stay upright. A hissing sound could be heard from the metal doors and they abruptly melted away as lava flowed in. The Explorers Prime rushed up the ramp as the lava filled the space and rose. On the second floor, they found Major and Zidane, and all together raced to the third floor.

There they found frantic followers of Zardoz, as well as Zardoz himself, at the wall of metal and lights trying to "right the ship's equilibrium." The Explorers Prime saw an escape path through the eyes of the giant head structure, though they were covered with hard-air. Bubo the mutant owl created a repulsion shield to protect them as Major used his metal arm and hand to break the hard-air covering the eye. He broke his wrist, the hand dangling by crumpled metal and wires. Lasers guns were used to shatter the glass and escape.

The explorers clung to the giant nose of the titled Zardoz head as the surveyed the hellscape before them. The ground all about the camp was cracked and wracked with fissures bubbling lava. The hundreds of tents and people were gone. As far as the eye could see, smoke and lava and newly formed jutting volcanos showed that the wounded lands of the ill urth were finally on the verge of death.

Smoke and clouds part as the heavens seemingly break apart and a massive structure descends...



Eyes widen as the party struggles to comprehend what must be the end of their world.

What happens next is another tale...

To be continued on Unseen Servant: viewtopic.php?p=530033#p530033