Encounter At Dry Ridge Point - A Mutant Future Encounter or An Encounter For Any Old School Post Apocalyptic Campaign

Dry Ridge Point is a mutant colony set up by the Mutant Underground Railroad out in the ruins of the California desert. The adventurers are approached by Ed ( Greenie reptile mutant) a local representative of the railroad. He's worried because no one has heard from this far flung colony in over two weeks. He'd like to hire adventurers to take a look and report their findings back to him. He's offering 400 gold pieces for the assignment.

The ride out to Dry Ridge is along some pretty dangerous territory. There is a 40% chance of running into a giant scorpion, giant mutant rattle snake, or some other mutated horror in the desert.Dry Ridge is about one hundred miles outside of the Greater Los Angels city ruins.

Dry Ridge Point 

The place seems completely deserted as if the residents just left. Dry Ridge is a mining town of over three hundred mutant, pure strain, and regular humans mixed in a small Western town that was originally a pre holocaust holo cowboy tourist trap. Now its been converted into a fully functioning town with a working mine. Not a soul is around. No draft animals, humans, mutants, etc.

There isn't anyone around and yet it appears as if they just left. Plates, silver wear, and tables set for meals. There are vehicles left on the side of streets of Dry Point.  There are warehouses full of goods for delivery and trade nearby. Yet the place is completely deserted. There are mutant scavengers and animals that have moved in.  But many of these animals will not go for the center of town. They seem mostly concentrated to the outskirts of town. A few scorpions, a nest of giant ants, and a giant rattler or two, many of these appear to be recent arrivals as well.

 Here and there are several clues about what happened.

1d10 Random Clues Table 

1. Bits of a Black Knight power suit, most of it has large teeth mark holes through the armor. 
2. 1d4 random human and animal bones picked completely clean. 
3. A mailed fist from a power armored suit with a decayed hand stuck inside. 
4. An undigested wedding ring with scaring from digestive acid etched into the outer band. Worth 40 gold pieces 
5. Half of a laser pistol but missing the handle and trigger assembly. 
6. A Living Metal arm gnawed at by the shoulder bone. 
7. A pile of scap gold melted and mixed with some type of animal offal. 10 pounds worth of gold worth about 50 gold pieces. 
8. A half chewed bit of an energy cell. The thing is highly unstable and will explode for 3d6 points of damage for a ten meter radius. 
9. A pile of shoes, fur, and animal offal, there is a beeping coming from the center of the pile.
10. Eighteen  person sized  blood splatters and outlines with psyche waves of great violence having taken place here. The area echoes with the victims terror, horror and anguish. 

 Anyone going to the center of the colony town will be shot at by a sniper. A laser rifle shot will take out  a nearby mining ATV. This thing will explode for 2d10 points of damage and spray everything with a bits of shrapnel thrown here and there. At the top of the building is a very scared little little girl. Gilly is a 14 year old mutant child, a first level fighter, Gilly is the only survivor of the massacre at Dry  Ridge Point. She's scared and half out of her mind. She saw her entire family eaten right in front of her. Gilly is a mutate of Living Metal  Details over HERE
Her parents were not able to activate their powers before being eaten by the invisible predators that took out her family. Her brother was also eaten as well. 
Anyone able to calm Gilly down will be directed to the mining works just outside of the colony of town. Town was founded on the impact craters of several bombs whose energies are still in several types of fused stone found in the area. These stones can be used to create several types of high yield energy cells able to power devices of the ancients twice as long as standard.
The mutants were making a nice sum by trading the ore for supplies, equipment, and more.
1. 
   
   The Dry Ridge Mine 
   At the Dry Ridge Mine the PCs will run into the single pair of Nubbins that have been left behind by the massacre at Dry Ridge. Recently the California chapter of the Black Knights uncovered the Mutant Underground colony at Dry Ridge. They had recently stumbled upon the Nubbins bio weapons in a Hybrid lab back East (more details HERE) and wanted to use the monsters to soften up any resistance from the mutants.
   The plan was to move in after the weapons finished their job. Unfortunately the Black Knights became simply another set of victims for the bio weapons. Gilly is the only survivor of Dry Ridge. Any attempt to deal with the Nubbins will set off the cycle of slaughter again. The Nubbins will act as cute and innocent as can be in the coolness of the mine but if exposed to the desert heat and with potential food sources from PC's their bio genetic programming will kick in. Exposing Gilly to the Nubbins will cause her to go catatonic and into a complete fugue state for 1d4 days. Her mind will shut down completely while in this state. 

The mine itself is extensive with seven levels of twisting tunnels down into the irradiated Earth. There are three loads of six hundred pounds of ore here ready to be carted back to the town's ware houses for shipment to the city of Minor Beverly Hills where several super science factories have been set up. There's about 5,000 to 7,000 gold pieces worth of ore here. The Mutant Underground Railroad will send in a team within 4 days after the PC's report back to Ed. They will try to establish operations within a few months. Gilly will be raised and cared for by the Underground.

The Black Knights are not aware of what happened to their local detachment and will be quite hesitant to approach the area again for quite awhile. 

Nubbins

More details on Chris Van Deelen's blog right over HERE 

No. Enc: 1-2 (1-1000)

Alignment:  Neutral

Movement: 30' (10')

AC: 6

HD: 1 hit point

Attacks: 1 bite (see below)

Damage: 1 (see below)

Save: L1

Morale: 4

Hoard Class: None

Mutations: Control light waves, pheromones

Source: Sanctuary Season 1 Episode Nubbins (2008)

Q Cells 
Q cells will fit about 80% of relic energy and technological weapons currently found among the ruins. They last about 1d8 years but there is 30% chance that they will explode for 3d6 points of damage the first time that they are used unless a qualified super science technician installs these items. The Q cell has a sub quantum vibrational alignment that must be made to it when installed in an item under strict lab conditions. The installation costs about 100 gold pieces and each cell is worth 500 gold pieces.