JANUARY TDM

[monstertruckers]

code

((OOC: Hello, and welcome to our first TDM! This month, Reserves will open on the 10th and Applications will open on the 25th! We hope you enjoy the game launch!))

After tumbling through shadow you find yourself in a shrouded, ruined garage. It’s full of shattered windows and broken mechanical equipment; watch out for shards on the floor, in between the strange symbols scrawled into the ground. Outside the daylight is fading; night is rolling in, and there’s just a few dying lights flickering on and off. It’s going to be hard to see in here and avoid bumping into things and people, if you don’t get outside soon.

Beyond the rundown garage is an overgrown gas station surrounded by thick, wetland forest. Starlight is streaming through the trees, along with light from a broken moon. The one thing that isn’t overgrown with plants is a large Convoy of vehicles, parked right underneath the station canopy.

01: START UP

The Convoy looks like a cross between a semi truck and a train; there’s no one at the front, but there’s still power humming through the entire Convoy. It’s also the most hospitable thing in sight. Why not make yourself at home a little? You just have to chase that eerie, empty feeling since there’s no one else present.

Alternately, there are the cars scattered around the Convoy; all of them in better shape than the gas station. And some of them looking and feeling almost like they might belong to you. That feeling is only increased, when you see there’s a key to the car nearby. Perhaps the key is already in the ignition, on the dashboard… It may have even been on your person, ever since you woke up in that garage. Either way, you have the keys to the vehicle now.

…But there’s a few rough edges on these vehicles. Flat tires, cracked windows and mirrors, maybe some stuck doors and locks; all of them the sort of thing that requires two pairs of hands and supplies. The garage can take care of the supplies… Now it’s just a matter of finding some extra hands.

02: RUIN EXPLORATION

The ruined gas station and garage are the only man-made structures around, and have seen better days. The store still holds packaged food, and tepid drinks of all sorts. The garage has old mechanical equipment for working on cars, along with that strange summoning circle.

There's also a giant tree bursting through the gas station roof. And clinging to its branches, half melted into the surface, are metallic bodies. Graffiti is spray painted onto the tree, reading ‘avoid the Husks.’

Those who ignore the warning and get closer hear a faint hum coming off those bodies. It’s almost like whispers, though it’s impossible to make out any clear words. Some Husks are clutching supplies in metal fists. For a few unlucky new arrivals, those Husks might even be holding the keys to their vehicles.

Making direct contact with the Husks intensifies the hum, and the whispers begin to form into pained cries, and give the impression of something rummaging through their thoughts; trying to pry out things that hurt Drifters, and reflecting those hurtful things on the bodies of the Husks for anyone to see.

03: MONSTER ATTACK

The night grows darker, and the shadows grow deeper. And from those shadows comes the glint of something moving across the Husks, rippling over the metal… And breaking it apart in a flurry of too sharp claws and teeth. That’s when the radio chooses to come on in another mess of static.

Be careful- Keep your fear and rage in check- Calls the monsters- We need the shield up-

The warning comes too late as monsters arrive. Some human-like but with razor teeth mouths that stretch from face to groin; others resembling alligators with bloated proportions and jaws that spit lightning; and still others where the vegetation has come to life, sporting thorn covered appendages.

The Pisaca monsters act as shock troopers, wearing the Convoy down with venomous bites and debilitating howls, before the heavy and brutish alligators bull in, using their bulk and electric attacks to obliterate what’s left. The capparwires scurry in the periphery, taking cheap shots with thorny vines and sparking electricity where they can. It’s a task to keep the monsters at bay until the generator fires up. Especially when one last enemy makes an appearance…

03-A: MIRRORMIC

There's as a metallic shiver along one of the remaining Husks, and a strange ringing whisper in the ears. The next moment, the Husk breaks open in a gleaming pool of quicksilver. That quicksilver catches reflections, and molds itself into a darker copy of a Drifter.

The mirror monster whispers faults and secrets at the reflected Drifter, and anyone close by. It tries to goad Drifters into an attack. And when struck, the mirror monster plays its second trick; whatever damage it takes is reflected back onto the Drifter as a transformation. An injury to the arm transforms the Drifter's arm, and so on.

It's possible to banish this monster through direct lights shone on it from a car, flashlight, or magic… But such action needs to be swift, before the Mirrormic completely changes its Drifter.

03-B: BOMBADGY BOMBARDMENT

Before, during and even a little after the monster attack, there’s an extra presence scurrying around the vehicles, snuffling and barking when startled. A band of chunky, raccoon-esque monsters known as the bombadgy are raiding anything that looks like it could be food storage… And this includes vehicles!

The bombadgy’s claws are deft and sharp with tearing through windows and door seams. These creatures are a touch skittish and won’t attack unless provoked. They also can expel a flammable gas… And this means they can explode if sufficiently spooked or stressed. This also means that they can be treated as living bombs, and be lobbed at other threats if needed.

04: WIND DOWN

During the monster attack, there’s changes gripping the Convoy, and especially the people in it. It might feel like your control is getting worn away by the second… At least until something in the trucks starts to whirr to life. It’s a soft enough noise, little more than a hum as something blooms out of the engines. It fast turns into a shield that envelops the Convoy in a shimmering, glowing dome.

And while it might not be enough to reverse those changes, it can at least stop them from growing any worse. Give you a moment of breathing space to adjust to everything that’s happened, and give you some measure of clarity and control. There’s time to breathe and mend now. Take stock of one’s injuries and changes.

But there’s a few strange surprises still waiting, it seems. Because the corpses of the monsters begin to disintegrate, like they are bleeding out motes of sickly light. Light that you quickly absorb; it has the side effect of lessening pain, even mending wounds… Though it might make you feel a bit off. Maybe a little more excitable, maybe a little more irritable, or maybe expressing a certain odd psychological quirk. Still, that sudden surge should pass in about an hour or so; just need to keep it together until then. Perhaps with a little company.

05: CAMP

A screen in the Convoy flickers to life. The image isn't visible through a snowfield of static. Same with the audio:
“Still… Alive? Good. Connection- Can’t hear you. Can't talk. Convoy will- take you closer to Nirvana.”

After that, the connection is dropped, leaving a collection of text:
I’m sorry. I have no answers for you. But you’re still alive. You’re not as broken as the rest of the world. When the sun rises, this Convoy and all the cars around it will start moving North towards Nirvana. If you want answers, and to stay as close to human as you can… I suggest you stay with the Convoy. Good luck.

A last alert flashes across the screen: “TESTING LOCAL NETWORK CONNECTION.” And then… Music starts to play on the speakers. Mellow guitar and brass music that’s at odds with all the weird that’s happened recently, but perhaps just the thing to relax to.

MICRO ENCOUNTERS:

PLEASE NOTE! These are small bits of set dressing for players to include in threads if they wish, rather than full fledged prompts or events. You may handwave your exploration of these areas, or thread them out.

Race Track: There’s a race track that winds around the gas station! It’s a bit threadbare in places and little more than a mossy and muddy trail. But it’s still a race track that weaves under and over trees, and seems like a good place to test new wheels.

Gone Fishing: The gas station area eventually turns into the start of a swamp; that explains where the alligators came from. It may be possible to do a little bit of fishing, though the fish are just as weird as everything else. Still edible though. Swimming in the swamp is not advised. The alligator monsters and fish tend to bite back.

Spray Paint Messages: The paint on the trees and gas station is starting to fade and wash out, but can still be legible; most of it contains messages warning about the end of the world, prayers to the heavens for mercy, and dire warnings about husks and something called “moon warps.”

NAVIGATION || RESERVES || APPLICATIONS

Comments

Apollo Justice | Ace Attorney

[justiceobjects]

A. Start Up
[Out of the people who have been milling (or stumbling) through this unfamiliar place, there's one that might stick out, a short young man in a bright red suit. He has a rusty crowbar in his hands that he's clinging onto for dear life, something that his sharp eyes happened to spot in the gloom of the garage, and he hasn't let go of it since.

Apollo had gone from opening his office on a cold, sunny morning in Khura'in to being here, and he was still reeling from the mental whiplash. He wanted to think this was all just a strange dream, but the solid metal that he's grasping sure felt real enough to make him doubt that theory. So was this a kidnapping? What sort of kidnapper would just dump him in a garage? And in a place that... didn't seem anywhere close to Khura'in at all. The forest was all wrong, and he hadn't yet seen any hints of mountains in the distance.

It's as Apollo is wandering around the convoy that he finds himself drawn to a particular car. It's a cherry red compact car, or will be once it's had a good wash to knock the dust off. It's in worse shape than many of the other cars around it - a couple windows are cracked and one is stuck half-open, there's a flat tire, and the front bumper is sagging. It would've been wiser to leave that one and go looking for another, but Apollo can't help but hover around it anyway.]

B. Bombadgy Bombardment
[The sudden attack meant that everything exploded into chaos - but while the others might be facing off against the monsters, Apollo was the one that screamed and ran to the middle of the Convoy to hide among the cars. He might've technically been armed, but he also wasn't stupid enough to think that a crowbar would do anything to beasts that really did look like they emerged out of some crazy nightmare.

Instead, he runs right into a small group of... fat raccoons without fur? Several of them have started to go after the cars and motorcycles, scratching at the paint, with one wiggling its way into a car that had left its door ajar.]

H-HEY! Get away from there!

[Apollo's shouting startles a couple of the creatures away, but they don't back off from the cars entirely. Already dealing with a rush of adrenaline from the attack, he does the one thing that makes the most sense to someone already carrying a makeshift weapon - he swipes his crowbar at the bombadgys, not trying to directly hit any, but just get them to scatter.

While a couple of them do run off, the bombadgy closest to him has quailed and ended up frozen in place. The next swing Apollo makes comes inches from its nose, but the creature doesn't do what he expects it to. It explodes only seconds later, making plenty of noise should anyone be paying attention to the Convoy instead of focusing on the monsters.]

C. Camp
[Someone might be a little grumpy after witnessing a bunch of nightmare creatures and having a raccoon explode in his face.

Apollo is perched in an old plastic chair that someone had hauled over earlier from one of the buildings, and there's a few more unoccupied ones next to him. While he's managed to clean himself up, his hair's mussed up and his antennae are drooping, a couple of suspicious stains left on his vest and shirt that he doesn't have the means (or energy) to deal with at the moment.]

Saying we need to go to Nirvana is... I don't know, a little ominous? But anywhere is better than here. It'd be better if we could leave now, before more of those nasty things show up.

B

[undyingcrow]

[Oh, lovely. Someone just triggered an explosion.

Really, it's every man for himself out here, but the sound draws Akechi closer, armed with his own crowbar and his attache case to use as a makeshift shield or bludgeon if need be.

He's not a healer. He's not exactly the supportive type, but as he makes his way closer, he calls out:]

Are you still alive?

[At the very least, this should prove eye opening for just how lethal those furless pests are.]

[justiceobjects]

[The explosion has knocked over a nearby motorcycle, and also knocked Apollo on his backside. He looks distinctly dazed, but other than getting singed there's no real damage - he happened to not quite be close enough for the thing to directly blow up in his face.]

I... I think so?

[After Apollo rubs at his eyes to clear the spots from his vision, he realizes the strange little raccoon isn't dead. Instead it's lying on the ground belly-up, now nearly as flat as a pancake, before it rolls over and starts to scamper off.]

What the-? It's getting away!

[undyingcrow]

Was that not your goal?

[Hm. Akechi watches the raccoon flee. If left to its own devices, it may well explode on another, which would be far from convenient.

On the other hand, it's a threat. These little pests are trying to get into the vehicles and supplies, and he sees little reason to show mercy.

With its back termed, it's not a bad time to finish the job, and so he swivels toward it.]

Hereward, Eigaon.

[A muscular archer, clad in black and red materializes above Akechi, blasting the fleeing raccoon with ribbons of crackling, crimson and black energy. Po

The ribbons shoot down at the monster, striking it before exploding in a pillar of darkness with a menacing face. With luck, that'll eliminate the threat and send a message to any lingering close by.]

[justiceobjects]

Wh- Wha-

[Apollo had just pushed himself back up to his feet when that strange figure appeared overhead and started shooting spooky-looking lasers. The result when it exploded on that poor raccoon thing made Apollo wonder if it had outright just sucked the creature's soul out of it.

It does have the effect of scaring off the other bombadgys, the remaining group of which all take off as fast as their little legs can carry them. By the expression on Apollo's face, he's considering running away right along with them.]

What is that thing?!

[undyingcrow]

My Persona, a manifestation of my soul.

[Which may indeed sound outlandish. Hard to tell, when this is a stranger Akechi has only just met, which hardly indicates his familiarity with the cognitive, supernatural, or indeed, magic.

He keeps a calm expression and a level tone, while his Persona fades (for now).]

You seemed disappointed that it nearly escaped, so I simply took matters into my own hands.

[justiceobjects]

You're telling me your soul is some creepy-looking archer guy? ... At least you weren't Cleopatra in a past life.

[This was just a little much. Apollo's pretty sure he can feel his own soul trying to leave his body just thanks to the sheer implications of something so crazy. Not to mention that it was able to - attack things? Shoot lasers?!]

Uh, t-thanks? I don't know what that thing was, but the last thing we need are all its friends to mess up our vehicles worse than they already are.

C

[taediosum]

As much as I agree with you on that, it might not be the best idea to force everyone to move right away.

[ There are still wounded and exhausted among them, Arcade thinks, as he tests one of those empty chairs carefully before sitting down. He doesn't usually invite himself to strangers' conversations with, apparently, no one - but he's tired and overwhelmed and nearly at the end of his own rope, too. Maybe complaining about the state of things will make him feel better.

Or at least trying to pretend any of this is reasonable or that he's coping well. The wary, considering look he casts out toward the glowing shield wall probably protecting them, now, is far from settled. ]

We'd all probably just end up racing around in circles in the dark, crashing into each other, anyway.

[ He means this to be a joke, but it's half-hearted. ]

[justiceobjects]

I'm not so sure risking a wreck or two would be worse than those things coming back.

[Apollo is admittedly pretty spooked. That strange shield was a lifesaver - even though it seemed like quite a few of the people who ended up here had the know-how to fight them. It had been chaotic enough that Apollo hadn't been able to really follow what was going on, but he had seen a few inexplicable things happening in the middle of it all.

It's a bit of a relief that this guy looks pretty normal, despite how dirty his clothes are. That lab coat is practically the universal sign for a doctor, so it seems like a good idea to ask,]

Do you know how bad it got? After the fight, I mean. Did anyone... is everyone okay?

[taediosum]

As far as I can tell.

[ Surprisingly, they aren't awash in casualties, after that ambush. ...Unless they're all unaccounted for, still - which Arcade does not add, as he considers the propensity for monsters of that size to have dragged off quite a few of them, in the chaos. Not a helpful thought to share, when his new acquaintance seems to be nearly at the end of his rope, already.

He shrugs, instead, and maybe his exhaustion makes him seem more confident than merely hopeful that things are maybe sort of all right, for the moment. (As much as they can be, given the situation.) ]

Which is pretty lucky, considering. There really isn't much in the way of medical supplies, here. Which is... Not much different from what I'm used to, I guess. Still. I was hoping for some kind of silver lining.

[justiceobjects]

Yeah, good point. We'd be lucky to find band-aids left in that gas station.

[It was a relief to hear that the attack hadn't ended all that badly, but medical supplies were going to be a problem if there were more of those monsters out there. Apollo presses a finger against his forehead, thinking it over for a moment.]

We're just going to have to look for a place that'll have supplies as we travel. If we can at least find a little town along the way, we can stock up.

[Of course, Apollo's just assuming that they'll find an actually functional town that'll sell them the things they need. He has no idea what's even used for currency in this place, but without even knowing what country or world they're in, they'd have to reach civilization to answer those questions anyway.]

You're used to not having supplies? Uh, do you not work in a normal doctor's office?

[taediosum]

We're bound to, eventually.

[ Maybe that's optimistic, but Arcade's seen people build cities out of plenty of ruins - or even less. The human condition is survival, at best or worst. And they can't possibly be the only survivors out here, can they?

He leans back in his chair, tilting a sideways look toward Apollo, frowning, brow furrowed. ]

Uh, 'normal'? I like to think we're all pretty ordinary.

...Well, ordinary enough. I guess you have to be a little crazy to volunteer to play doctor in the middle of the Mojave. I'm really just a researcher, though.

[justiceobjects]

Oh yeah? I just moved from Los Angeles not long ago, but I can't say I ever went quite that far out into the desert.

[But that... still didn't quite make sense. There was nothing normal about a doctor, or a researcher, not having enough supplies. Even if it was a place in the middle of the desert. Did those little towns out there really have that much trouble getting what they needed? Apollo's starting to look a little confused himself.]

And hey, at least you have some practical skills to use here. I'm a defense attorney. I don't even know if those monsters are intelligent enough to threaten to sue them.

B

[shouldhaveknown]

Whoa! Are you alright??

[Romani just pops up next to Apollo, still half hiding behind another one of the cars and looking plenty rattled himself. There are definitely streaks of dirt and tears from a pissed animal's attack on his white and green doctor's attire. His green eyes are wide and looking a little shocked, but there is a determined streak to his face that makes it resemble a determined little " :< "-face.]

[justiceobjects]

[Apollo has been knocked backwards by the blast and left sprawled on the ground, while the now-deflated bombadgy takes the opportunity to pick itself up and scamper away, far less round now but otherwise no worse for wear. The question prompts Apollo to push himself up on his arms with a groan, his face looking a little singed, but he's thankfully escaped any real damage.]

I'm fine!... but what was that thing?

[He's feeling a little dazed, but with the sounds of fighting in the distance and the threat of more exploding raccoons running around, Apollo starts to shakily push himself back up to his feet.]

[shouldhaveknown]

[Romani's gaze wanders from Apollo to the waddling off Bombadgy and back to Apollo again. Yeah. What was that, really?]

. . . . .

[He shrugs his shoulders.]

Looks like an exploding tanuki to me.

[Shaking his head, he offers Apollo a hand.]

Sorry that I can't give you any deeper analysis than that, but I'm currently out of all my sensors and other analytical instruments. More important, can you stand? We probably should get moving, since that explosion got a lot of attention.

[justiceobjects]

Tanuki? You might not be wrong, but...

[Apollo is not checking the anatomy of those creatures to verify one way or the other. He accepts the help, taking Romani's hand to pull himself up with, only slightly unsteady on his feet. He couldn't tell if his ears were slightly ringing, or if it was some sound from the battle around the perimeter.]

Bad attention, you mean! Then let's go, let's go now.

[He starts staggering towards a cluster of cars without much prompting. If one of them was unlocked, it would probably be a better place to take a breather than staying outside.]

[shouldhaveknown]

[He offers a quick smile, glad that his rudimentary analysis (a.k.a wild guess) hasn't been completely useless. Any name can help, since being able to put things into words automatically makes them less overwhelming to think about. So 'exploding tanukis' it is for the time being.]

Of course~

[Another quick smile is flashed as he subtly scans Apollo for any signs of more serious injury and doesn't find any. Of course that still leaves them as two non-combatants in the middle of a monster-filled battlefield, but... Small blessings. They can work together to turn one of those cars into a makeshift shelter. That's far better than having to drag a heavily injured person to safety while leaving a trail of blood that just screams 'come get me!']

Do you have the key to any of these? I found a key to a vehicle that should be pretty safe since it's heavily armored, but I'll need help getting in there.

[Romani brings up the rear while he keeps an eye out for any surprise attacks. He is still woefully unarmed after he'd left the old carjack he'd found back on the top of his tank, but that can't be helped now. He'll just do as always and use whatever he can get his hands on.]

[justiceobjects]

[Apollo scoops up the crowbar he dropped, the closest thing to a weapon he still has on hand. He doesn't trust using it against these 'tanuki' anymore, though; having that one explode in his face was enough for him to learn that particular lesson. It made the crowbar next to useless right now, but he felt a lot better holding onto it.]

You have an armored car? Forget my car, let's go there! That's the best place we could be right now.

[And not just because of the exploding tanuki. If the fight went badly... well, Apollo didn't want to think too hard about that one. Either way, having that protection would be tons better than being in a car that the creatures could damage far more easily.

Apollo's fine with leading the way, as long as he's pointed in the right direction. He keeps a white-knuckled grip on the crowbar the entire way.]

C. Camp

[bufudine]

[Serph, by contrast, remains standing, calm and quiet as he listens to Apollo's voiced thoughts. When he speaks up, it's in a calm and even tone.]

Why is it ominous?

[Serph knows why he thinks it's ominous; he's been through this before. Back then he had blindly followed, strung along by the nose, only to have Nirvana denied to he and his people when they were at its gates. They had forced their way through, only to learn it was nothing like what they imagined. But now...

Despite everything, he still believes in the idea of Nirvana.

And really, even if it turns out to be a lie once more, at the present moment it seems that walking this path again is the best option they have]

[justiceobjects]

[Huh, this guy looked a little strange - particularly the outfit, though he's still by far not the strangest person Apollo's seen tonight. That's the main reason Apollo decides not to comment on it, though he's also just not sure if it's supposed to be a uniform or just an odd style.]

Mostly because it implies dying. Or you know, 'escaping the cycle of rebirth'.

[Apollo had grown up with a religion that included reincarnation, so though Khura'inism didn't have its own concept of nirvana, he was familiar with the idea. He just wasn't particularly religious himself.]

It could be that whoever founded the city just thought the name was nice and exotic, but maybe I like having worldly desires and sticking around for a while longer.

[bufudine]

[Huh... That... explains a lot, really. About why the paradise everyone in the Junkyard was commanded to reach was called Nirvana; they were trapped cycles of rebirth until he ended it. Then, to the surprise of many, he and a few of his comrades had emerged from that virtual world in bodies of fully formed flesh. Things only became more complicated from then on.

Serph is expressionless at the best of times but that information has his eyes widen briefly before his surprise is wiped off his face with a thoughtful frown. For this stranger to know so much about it...]

Nirvana is something that exists in your reality? And can only be reached after death?

[He had intended for this to be a rather brief talk, but it seems that there is much more to discuss than he initially thought. So he slips into the empty chair near Apollo -- posture stiff and ramrod straight -- and elaborates a bit more than he normally would.]

This situation is... a bit familiar.

[justiceobjects]

The concept of Nirvana exists, sure. But it's a part of religious belief, and no one can prove that it's real any more than they can prove that Heaven or Hell are real.

[Apollo didn't think it could ever be proven, because some things were just beyond science. He already had proof that ghosts and spirit channeling were real, though he was generally a skeptic when it came to anything else in the realm of the supernatural or the extremely mysterious. ... This entire night aside, because Apollo was absolutely not ready to examine just what had happened to all of them yet.]

It's familiar in what way? Do you get mysteriously abducted a lot?

[bufudine]

[What is religion? The question dances at the tip of his tongue, but it is held back by the sudden, abrupt realisation that he's not sure what heaven or hell are either. Just a vague idea of heaven being somewhere... up and the Junkyard was hell, and so was the world that contained it. But Heat was always using that word, too.

His brows draw together into a frown at his thoughts, before he shakes his head and answers the question.]

This isn't the first time I'm told to go to Nirvana. In the world I lived, to strive for Nirvana was law.

[A land of peace, one without fighting. And to get there, they would need to be at the top of a mountain of corpses...]

It was all we knew. We would die and be reborn until we met the requirements to ascend.

[justiceobjects]

[Apollo looks downright dumbfounded at hearing that, staring at him for a moment.]

It was law? But that's - that's impossible, right? How can you prove that someone was reborn? And how does anyone know what the requirements are?

[Apollo has dealt with unfair laws before, but even those had been rooted in reality, used as a cudgel for corrupt rulers to maintain their power. From his perspective, making it a law to reach Nirvana was downright nuts - how could anyone measure if someone was progressing adequately or not? Or was the nebulous nature of it the cudgel in this particular case?]