A Goodwill Tour, Part 3

The party approaches The Collective, which Lim’Dul recalls is a place where robots and humans alike go for mechanical upgrades or repairs.  As a robot, Optimus skips the line and is graciously allowed to bring his squishies (humans and other biological creatures) with him.  They enter a peaceful, logical space that is not unlike a well-kept hospital.  Optimus is shown to the operating room where the robots will rebuild his memory banks.  He brings Nyridius and Lim’Dul with him, while Little Rock, Azkadelia, and Horace wait in the waiting room.

As the memory modulator is turned on, Optimus begins to see the memories that had been blocked:  Months ago, Optimus was a secret agent for The Collective, tasked with ensuring the security and stability of the local region.  Disguised as a human, Optimus infiltrated a group of flame cultists.  These cultists worshiped Nyridius (in his fiery form), and sought to bathe the whole world in a purifying fire that would empower them and obliterate their enemies.  Optimus located their secret base, and discovered their plans for how they’ll call forth this fire… but then he got high with some hippies and forgot it all.

Optimus was about to access the lost memories of the flame cultists’ plans and location when something happened – one of the robots in the operating room was actually a flame cultist in disguise, and he produced a fiery red crystal that had some strange effects.  Its presence nearly drove everyone present berserk… everyone except for Nyridius, who found its presence invigorating.  Robots throughout the collective were driven mad, and the party, separated into two rooms, was forced to engage them.

Although Little Rock, Azkadelia, and Horace had little trouble eliminating two powerful robots while being bombarded by mounted laser guns, the other group faced more challenges.  Two robots went into rock ‘em sock ‘em mode, pummeling Nyridius and Optimus, while the flame cultist utilized lighter fluid to blow flames at Lim’Dul. 

Once the other three came to their aid, however, the party had little trouble out-gunning their enemies.  In fact, the party was able to interrogate the flame cultist.  Through his half-crazy ramblings, they learned that the flame cultists’ headquarters lies far to the south.  After they got what they could out of him, they kicked him down the “extra limb disposal” hole.  However, they soon found themselves trapped; the mass hysteria incited by the flame cultist’s crystal blocked the only exit.  The party was faced with one option… jump into the hole themselves in the hopes of escaping The Collective.

A Goodwill Tour, Part 2

As the party approaches the still-smoking crater, Lim’Dul reflects on his happy memories of that place; enjoying the local kitkat factory… eating kitkats on the porch… and destroying the entire city in anger.  Although the crater is all that is left of the city, it is still inhabited.  Survivors and stragglers spend their days picking through the ruins and searching for remains of loved ones.  Glowing embers and piles rubble are all that remain, thanks to Lim’Dul’s temper.  With the party’s attention focused on the crater, they don’t notice as Horace and Windsor sneak away from the group. 

Standing at the edge of the crater, the party is met by a group of survivors.  They recognize Lim’Dul and greet him warmly. “Lim’Dul, you’re alive!  You must not have been here for the explosion.”  “Uhh, yeah!  I was out on a walk.” Replies Lim’Dul.  The survivors ask him if he knows anything about the explosion that rocked their socks, but Lim’Dul lies, stating that he has no idea what caused it.  Lim’Dul’s lies elicit some strange behavior out of another crater-dweller, though; sparks begin shooting out of his ears and it becomes clear that he is a robot disguising as a human.  In a panic, the robot calls on some robotic allies to help eliminate any witnesses.  The scavengers are quickly gunned down by the robots, but not before they share some parting words with Lim’Dul: “I’ll always remember you as an honest person, who never lied to us even a little bit!”

The party wastes no time in engaging the robot assassin crew.  Lim’Dul quickly obliterates one robot by blasting it with his electrobolt, and Nyridius finishes off another with some thorny projectiles.  Ironically, the beefier tanks of the party (Little Rock, Azkadelia, and Optimus), can’t seem to get the upper hand on their chosen targets.  Their task is complicated when a massive enemy joins the fray; a large, vicious-looking robotic feline the party dubs “Thunder Cat.”  Little Rock tries to throw a boulder at the cat, but it slips from his hand and nails Optimus right in the face.  Little Rock completes his trifecta of fail by whiffing a sure-shot with a prototype powerfist.  Despite these setbacks, the glass cannons of Nyridius and Lim’Dul save the day by peppering the thunder cat from a distance with ranged weapons, destroying it.

The party seizes on a still-conscious robot.  The robot notices that some of Optimus’ memory banks are corrupted, and encourages him to visit The Collective to have them repaired.  The party loots the area, finds some bizarre tech, and heads toward The Collective.

A Goodwill Tour, Part 1

Traveling with the Morganites, the party finds themselves ambushed by Horace and a small group of dildobots.  The team test out their new powers on the aggressors, exploring the extent of their abilities.  But the enemies don’t seem particularly interested in them; the dildobots attack the suitcases and trunks of the hippies, smashing them to pieces.  Inside the largest trunk they find Optimus Vine, a bizarre half-robot half-plant hybrid.  Horace calls for a cessation of hostilities and admits to the group that he was only sent to free Optimus from captivity.  Optimus shares that he doesn’t remember much, probably because he’s smoked too many home-grown herbal remedies.

Setting out on their own, the party is once again attacked.  Windsor, the pompous and self-important thorn in Gamma Land’s side, appears before the group and demands they give Optimus Vine to him.  Windsor makes it clear that Optimus “knows too much” and must be destroyed.  Although Optimus confides that he doesn’t remember a thing, Windsor insists.  Windsor reveals his backup – two tough, urban, thug-life bears.  “I’m a BEAR, bitch!” they announce.  “You don’t know NUTHIN about me!  You think I sit around, stealing picnic baskets and eating out of honey pots?  You’re WRONG… I’M FROM THE STREETS!”

The team engages the enemy.  Horace, Optimus, and Little Rock smash away at the tanks in the group while Azkadelia and Lim’Dul pick off the weaklings.  Embarrassingly for everyone, the weakest among them (Nyridius) chalks up the most kills.  Even with all of his lackeys killed off, Windsor is still dangerous; to give himself an edge, he shoots up with a needle-full of performance-enhancing barbiturates.  The team beats him down and restrains him.  At first, they try to talk sense into him, but to no avail.  Windsor rants and raves about how Optimus is the only one who can stop his plan, and he must be killed.  Windsor explains that the land needs to be cleansed with a purifying flame, and that he once knew a great warrior made of fire.  Nyridius, unrecognized, listens with curiosity. 

The party debates what to do with their new prisoner.  Optimus and Azkadelia vote to kill him, but Little Rock and Lim’Dul insist that they keep him as a prisoner.  The party concedes and keeps him tied up.  Searching for adventure, they make their way north to the giant crater that used to be Lim’Dul’s home.

The New Hotness

In the land of Gamma, things change.  Alliances, weather... DNA.  No one knows this better than Nyridius.  Several years after his adventures with Duke, Defendomax, and the others, he's a changed man.  He tired of the constant conflict, he renounced his violent ways and became a pacifist.  The fire inside him and outside him died down, mostly due to an unforeseen accident that mostly turned him into a tree.  For several months now, Nyridius has been living with the Morganites, a simple band of Amish-like hippies who renounce the use of all technology.

Traveling with Nyridius is Little Rock 9, a giant golem that was animated from several large boulders.  Nine, to be exact.  Little Rock doesn't remember much of his origins, and he frankly doesn't care.  Traveling with the relative weakling of Nyridius allows him to do some smashin' from time to time, and he sure does like smashin'.

Another traveler that jumped on the hippie bandwagon was Azkadelia, a cloaked woman who knows more and sees more than she lets on.  Trained as a thief and a con artist, Azkadelia is just as handy with a knife as she is your wallet.  Sensing that the hippies would prove to be easy marks, she put on the puppy dog eyes when their caravan rolled by, and they happily added her to the group.

The least physically imposing member of the group is Lim'Dul, a feeble-looking old man with an ornate walking stick.  For most of his life, Lim'Dul was a simple tradesman in a small ramshackle community.  He spent his days in total obscurity until the twilight of his years.  Several weeks ago, however, the small ramshackle community ran out of KitKat bars.  Then, he lost his temper.  The community was obliterated in an enormous lightning bolt.  All that was left was Lim'Dul and a smoking crater.  He's traveled with this group ever since, and seems remarkably well-balanced in spite of it all.

These adventurers traveled along a dusty path with the caravan of Morganites, searching for adventure, and searching for direction.