Branch Fusion and Detachment

Summary

During Session 9 of the campaign, Sucks Benedict accidentally fuses the Ever-Living Branch to his body after slipping in the Transformative Goo during a failed deception attempt. The branch permanently attaches to the left side of his chest near his armpit, creating a functional third arm with three finger-like projections. With Vasso's knowledge of the Earth Mother cult's bio-magical technology and the calming sounds of Enya on his mini disc player, Sucks successfully learns to detach the branch through mental concentration, discovering it is specifically attuned to him.

Details

The incident begins when Sucks, attempting to deceive a guard, slips in the transformative goo covering the floor. The guard witnesses the fusion occur and immediately starts banging on the storage shed door, creating additional pressure on the situation.

Sucks returns to Cat in a state of panic: "I walk back up to Cat and I go, that did not go as planned." He expresses concern about the fusion, particularly worrying about how it will affect his romantic prospects with Greta. Cat attempts to help by suggesting they use one leg of Sucks's zip-off pants as a makeshift sleeve to cover the new appendage.

Vasso provides the crucial information needed to resolve the crisis. Drawing on memories from the commune where Vasso was raised, Vasso recalls that "some older members of your commune, more like the later 20s and adults and stuff like that, if they got injured and lost a limb, it would often have them replaced by this kind of living wood." Vasso explains that these living wood prosthetics can be removed through calm mental concentration.

Armed with this knowledge, Sucks attempts to achieve the necessary mental state by listening to Enya on his mini disc player. The technique proves successful: "And yeah, after a few moments of the soothing sounds of Enya coursing through your mini disc player, you feel the very unusual sensation of gently losing a limb."

Following the successful detachment, Sucks conducts an experiment to determine whether the branch will fuse with others, poking both Cat and Vasso with it. The test reveals that the branch is "specifically attuned to you" and will not bond with anyone else.

Participants

Sucks Benedict — Accidentally fuses the branch to his body and must learn to control and remove it
Vasso — Provides critical information about the living wood based on commune experiences
Cat — Offers practical help and serves as a test subject for the branch's attunement properties
The guard — Witnesses the transformation and attempts to enter the storage shed

Consequences

Sucks gains temporary access to a functional third arm with three finger-like projections, though he successfully detaches it
The party learns that the Ever-Living Branch is specifically attuned to Sucks and will not fuse with others
Important lore is revealed about the Earth Mother cult's bio-magical technology, specifically their use of living wood as prosthetics for injured commune members
The group discovers that detachment requires achieving a calm mental state through concentration
The guard's witness of the transformation creates additional complications for the party's infiltration attempt
Sucks identifies a reliable method for achieving the necessary calm state (listening to Enya on his mini disc player) for future branch manipulation