My kids have split off and started a separate adventure while the rest of the group completes the Valley of the Brain Collectors and Starfall adventures.  Both of which I think are too horrific (former) and adult themed (later) for them.  So I have cracked out and updated Expedition to the Barrier Peaks for them.  This is the session two of that “side” campaign.  They will re-join the main group in adventure six – Divinity Drive.

Our Brave Band of Adventurers the Crimson Lotus:

• Heidt, a ranger who has traded an affinity for nature for an affinity for machines.  This android has mastered cybertheurgy as well as the lasgun.  Has chosen the mechromancer archetype (blog post at some later point!).  Seeking to learn more about his history he has become an archaeological expert on all things related to the Rain of Stars.
• Rikku, an elven rogue who was adopted by Khonnir Baine when he found her wandering the wasteland near Torch more than a decade ago.  She claims to be a blood elf from a far-away land.  Her history is tied up with a nearby ruin.

Session II

By Rikku Yuffina Kyrus

The elevator doors open … inside are five veggiepygmies and a thornie, one particularly small one rides the thorny.  They’re arguing in their click-clack language.  When they see us they become even more enReturn to the Barrier Peaksraged and attack.

Hiedt shoots the thorny, and it looks badly wounded.  Deathtrap swings his adamantium claw at the thorny, and it explodes in spikey thorns.  The veggiepygmy on top of the thorny is really angry, and it swings its bone club and whacks Deathtrap; it doesn’t even leave a dent.  The others try to spear him, but they miss.  I use the magnet boots to climb to the ceiling.  I shoot from there and put my ring of invisibility on.  Two pygmies die.  Deathtrap claws one to death while Hiedt shoots two more down.  The last pygmy, and the smallest, runs into the elevator.  It madly presses the “close door” button while we press the open one.   Deathtrap shoots it and knocks it out, and we tie it up.

We drag it out.  I put on the Envoys Mouthpiece (a technological translation device) and start talking to it.  He says he wants to go home.  We ask him what he’s doing and he says just exploring.  Him, and a whole tribe of pygmies live on one of the levels in the ship.  We open the elevator and he shows us.  There are five buttons.  Number one’s button is transparent and it reads: Observation Deck.  The second button is also clear and it says: Command Deck.  The third button is see-through and it says: Main Deck.  The fourth button is green, and it reads: Menagerie Deck.  The fifth button is grey, and it says: Cargo Deck.  The last button is bright red, and it flashes: Emergency Stop.  We are on the third deck.

The pygmy points to the green button and says that’s where all the pygmies are.  We ask him why they don’t go to other decks, and he says, “Other levels has Squid Man.  Squid Man kills us.  He everywhere….” His eyes move back and forth.  We ask him what the Menagerie Deck looks like.  He says it’s very sunny, with many, many pygmies.  We get into the elevator, and press the green button.

The elevator doors open into a very sunny place.  Weird animals such as six legged cats or giant birds live in this habitat.  A thick forest is to the left area, a still lake that occasionally ripples, is in the middle.  To the right is a smelly swamp area.  We wander through the forest when we can hear Pygmies shouting.  At least five voices say, “Kill it! Kill it! It’s almost down! We need another thornie!”

The pygmy we have tied up says, “Hunting party!”  We follow the voices and see at least ten pygmies killing a platinum auromvorax.  It is infected with Russet Mould and is on its last legs.  Hiedt barrages and kills seven Pygmies.  The rest are wounded and look really surprised.  The tied-up pygmy bites Hiedt on the leg.  Deathtrap kills one with his lasgun.  The remaining two charge Deathtrap with their little spears.  I shoot them down.  There are vegetables everywhere.  It looks like a salad.

We go towards the aurumvorax, and Hiedt heals it with a potion.  He also whips up a poison remedy and feed it too the aurumvorax.  The Russet Mould starts recceding, and we start wandering some more.  The aurumvorax follows Hiedt.  As we wander some more, we find an overgrown gazebo.  Inside is a marble statue of a female human, pointing north.  No insect, reptile, or animal goes near it.

When the pygmy sees the dread gazebo, he becomes frightened and starts pulling away.  We ask him what’s wrong and he says it’s a bad place.  We ask him why and he just says everyone knows that, and that we are just dumb.  I hold the pygmy while Hiedt and the auromvorx go to the gazebo.  Hiedt calls out that he feels relaxed and safe in the gazebo.

Suddenly we see a huge pygmy on a walking cactus ride into view.  It has a lazpistol and a giant hammer thrumming with lightening.  It starts to walk past when the pygmy-on-the-rope calls out, “Hero! Over here!”  He starts jumping and pointing at me.  The hero pygmy turns around and charges us on the extremely fast cactus horse.

It willingly charges into the gazebo, and skids to a stop.  Hiedt and I dodge, but Deathtrap gets slammed.  The pygmy-on-the-rope gets free, and calls out, “I won’t forget you!” and runs west.  The hero pygmy flicks the cactuses tail up, and it sends a shower of poison darts everywhere.  Hiedt, Deathtrap and I get jabbed, but the darts bounce of Deathtrap’s armour.

We all whip out our rifles and pistols and shoot the hero who returns fire with its own lazpistol.  He seems hurt, and charges again, this time swinging out the hammer.  He strikes Hiedt and there is a flash of lightning.  Hiedt doesn’t look too bad, and we all shoot again.  The hero shakes, and then explodes.  Some pieces are still on the cactus, and it busily bucks the remains off.  I take this time to grab the cactus.  I get hold of it, but at the same time, the body is off, and it runs at top speed, dragging me.

I attempt to jump on, and fail.  It’s back is very spikey, and I get pricked.  I try again, and this time I am successful, but I still get jabbed.  I look for the reins, but there isn’t any.  There is only a big bone stuck in its head.  I grab it.  If I pull it to the right, the cactus charges right.  I pull it to the left, and it swivels to the left.  I run it towards the others, and then pull back on the bone.  It stops and I give it water.  I get off, and it stays with us.