memestertrucks | MARCH TDM

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After tumbling through shadow you find yourself in a shrouded, ruined garage. It’s full of shattered windows and broken mechanical equipment, with all sorts of sharp edges to watch out for. Between that are strange symbols scrawled into the ground. Outside is cloudy weather and the beginnings of a storm flickering and rumbling.

Beyond the rundown garage is a rundown gas station surrounded by rolling, grassy hills. Close by is a Convoy of vehicles, either parked or driving up to station.

01: SUMMONING CIRCLE

This time the summoning circle and car garage is attached to retro diner, and an old wind turbine, barely still spinning and providing fading power. There’s also a broken radio playing a message about Nirvana and imploring people to head north. In fact, there’s a large amount of broken electric equipment in here and spitting sparks.

A fan circles overhead, stirring those sparks and creating a breeze. Trails of paper are attached to the fan, spinning lazily about. If Drifters choose, they can easily retrieve those paper talismans with little more than a slight static shock. While the paper is tattered and smeared with ink and blood, the following can be made out: “Broken in two […] Nothing to lose-“ “Moon mourns, call her down, ease her pain-“ “Need […] Better vessels from afar. Stronger souls-“ “Imbue with moon sigils, Give blessings of moon, share her pain. Put the ritual right.”

Hard to say what that all means, but it seems to have something to do with the summoning circle here. And there’s lingering power crackling through the building. The sort that makes the lights flash and flicker… And line up eerily with flashes of thunder on the horizon.

02: START UP 

New arrivals will have a similar experience to before; a Convoy waiting outside for them, and a collection of vehicles, one of which feels like it belongs to them. The key to the vehicle may already be in the ignition, on the dashboard… It may have even been on their person, ever since they woke up in that garage. Either way, Drifters 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 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.

03: STORM WARNING

There’s something odd in the sky; it shifts between a dark cloud, and a collection of birds. As the thing draws closer, it clearly becomes a mix of both. Car-sized, dark feathered birds and skeletal avians fly in a thundering flock, and turn the sky stormy in their wake. That alone is bad… But what’s worse is how the shiny chrome of the Convoy and vehicles draws the birds. As they dive towards the ground to snatch at the shiny metal, they pull the storm and bring a tornado with them. The Convoy does its best to anchor to the ground, but lighter vehicles and Drifters might not be so lucky.

The garage and diner takes it worst of all: the electric devices start spitting sparks and can even act as homing beacons for lightning strikes if a Drifter with electric abilities gets too close to them. Any remaining, intact windows shatter as the storm winds pick up, pelting Drifters with razor shards. And water starts pouring in, further shorting electric equipment and soaking anyone to the bone. There’s even a strange droning, siren like noise to warn about the storm and cut into one’s hearing. It’s difficult conditions for anyone caught up in the blow-out.

04: WEATHERING

Once the main force of the storm hits, the following happens:
Diversion: Those with Fast cars can drive away from the station and divert the birds. They’ll want a second Drifter to come along; either to snipe at the pursuing birds, or keep eyes on the terrain! Eventually the birds will tire or get culled enough that the storm disperses.
Updraft: There is the risk of getting swept up in the tornado winds. Damage, injuries… And a particular quirk this storm has. Drifters who spend more than a minute in the storm winds will find that they begin to take on traits from the Harpy monster. These traits increase in potency if the Drifter experiences hunger or violence. As the weather clears and days become calmer, the traits fade.
Downburst: If Drifters get slammed into the ground by the storm, or the dark birds flying about. They may also find themselves drenched with rain. Any injury they take mends quickly, but is replaced with scales, as the Drifters begin to resemble a Naga monster. These changes grow worse if they tell lies, but disperse with the storm.
BIRDS: The birds themselves are vicious: those afflicted with Naga traits are seen as prey, while Harpies are seen as rivals. The birds are deadly, but also clumsy if forced to the ground. The screens on the Convoy recommend crippling the wings before finishing the bird off on the ground.

04: MONSTER SHIFT, NAGA

This month, Drifters will have access to the serpentine Naga. On top of all Naga species traits being available, the following occurs:
+Cold Blooded: the rain and storms can potentially make Naga slow and sluggish, or inclined to sleep or seek out other heat sources to gain energy; this includes basking in body heat from others!
+Water Divert: With their water shaping, Naga can divert falling rain and even ground saturation to make the area or other Drifters more dry. They can also concentrate water into different areas, and can also change water into mist or ice.
+Blue shift: the scales of Naga become more vibrantly blue, or a strange mottled combination of blue and stormy gray, the more intense the rains become. These scale colors can also reflect their moods.
+Extra arms that are painful and disorienting to grow, and can result in coordination issues.
+Scale Pains: Pain and discomfort when scales grow in, as well as fangs or talons!
+Water glide: during floods from the rains, Naga find they can easily traverse deep water as though they were simply walking (or slithering) across it.
+Thermal vision, making it easy to track others in the middle of storms. Vision may also become disorienting, and eyes become slitted.

04: MONSTER SHIFT, HARPY

The storm will bring a second monster this month, in the form of Harpy. On top of all Harpy species traits being active, the following occurs:
+Storm Rider: high agility and capable of flying through the storm winds without hindrance. Even tornadoes can be mastered!
+Feather pains: itching, or full pain when growing feathers or wings. Talons may also be painful when growing from fingers or from feet.
+Wind Affinity: able to shape wind, including diverting the worst of the storm winds, or summon and focus wind into razors.
+Warbling Voice: words may waver and slip into something more songlike, or even a damaging sonic scream if emotions are heightened.
+Height Call: a need to get higher into the air, whether through perching on buildings or the convoy, or through flight. A sense of euphoria as they go higher.
+Nest Building: a compulsion to create a nest out of spare and soft objects, and feeling more safe inside that space.
+Heightened vision like a bird of prey, able to pick out details even at great distance. This may be disorienting at first, as vision becomes telescopic.

05: RAIN, SHINE, OR SALVAGE

Upon culling enough birds, the storm disperses. The monster avians dissolve as they drop into streams of energy, feeding into Drifter Sigils and providing limited healing. And handful remain intact when they hit the ground and can be harvested for meat, feathers, and possibly even talons.

There is one extra problem, in the form of falling debris. After being pulled up into the sky, wreckage (and possibly stray Drifters) are going to drop back down. It’s advised to look out for falling objects and people. It might be possible to salvage something in the form of scrap metal for any vehicle repairs, but such a task requires two.

06: STORM SHOT 

The storm can be dispersed in one of two ways. One is waiting the storm out. The second is a battered collection of machines melted into the roof of the garage and gas station. When touched they burn the hands of Drifters, but also fire a jolt of lightning into the storm. One shot lessens the effects of the storm, repeated shots completely disperses the weather.

In the aftermath of the storm, something different rains from the sky in the form of glowing, quicksilver feathers. These feathers can suppress one avian or serpentine trait for a month, and can also drain away any Naga or Harpy changes from the event completely.

Alternately, the feathers will allow Drifters to temporarily access flight for one day. Doing so completely robs the feather of its magic: only one effect can be chosen from a feather.

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.

Windy Days: Preceding the storm are gales of strong winds, enough to stagger Drifters or send them staggering into other people or other vehicles.

Diner Is Served: While the retro diner attached to the garage has only limited food stores, curiously there is a respectable amount of cooking equipment that can be plundered. Portable stoves, pots and pans, spoons, and the like are all available for the taking.

Fading Storm: In the aftermath of the storm, the garage and diner look like they’re on their last legs, barely held up by their shelving. Anyone who wants to try salvaging had better move fast and carefully, before the entire thing comes crashing down.

NAVIGATION || RESERVES || APPLICATIONS

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Footsteps sound from behind Donatello. Should he turn around, he'll find what could easily pass as a mutant, what with the large crow wings, talons poking from the fingertips of his gloves, and the feathers coating his face and neck. Otherwise, he's decidedly human. An odd in-between, less animal than Donnie.

However, when he sees Donatello, Akechi's brows perk in interest. "...Are you one of Leonardo-san's brothers?" It's a simple enough conclusion, but he'd best not make too many assumptions.

The sound of footsteps makes him tense, and while training and paranoia make it easy enough to be on his guard as he slips into a defensive stance, he's clearly unprepared for the appearance that he's greeted by.

Yōkai? Mutant? General freak of nature? He has too little information to really gauge anything at this point. And then the question throws him even further.

"Wha-" Donnie blinks, but he knows he can't have misheard. The added suffix suggests Japanese descent. ...was he in Japan somehow??? But the radio snippets were in English, right? He shakes his head, trying to get himself to focus.

"-how do you know Leo?" he not quite demands.

"We arrived in this place around the same time I did, nearly two months ago." He gazes to the ground, gesturing at a summoning circle. "It was under similar circumstances, minus the scraps of writing strewn about."

He'll leave it at that and let Donnie process this information. Easy as it'd be to elaborate, restraint may be preferable here.

"Two...." Donnie quickly curbs that line of thought before it can spiral. After meeting someone from a distant future and changing events, spawning off bifurcated time branches and whatnot, dealing with temporal discrepancies from an apparently displaced brother is pretty low on the list of things to panic about.

That's not to say it's not worth panicking over. Just for entirely different reasons.

His expression flickers between shock and uncertainty, internal deliberation and back. Leo's here. Somewhere. Something tightens in his chest, a cautious relief that he isn't the only one here, simultaneously fretting over the fact that his brother's been separated from them for so long. They'd almost lost him once...

"What is this place, anyway? Is it... Are we still on Earth?" Donnie gestures towards the summoning circle. "And who made that?" He's only passingly familiar with the things, or rather the idea, but this is the first time he's ended up physically somewhere else by one.

"It's rather unclear. There are elements of Americana, yet this world has clearly undergone some form of apocalyptic event, leaving it a barren dystopia."

His attention shifts to the vehicles nearby. "We're all given vehicles, expected to travel along with the Convoy to find 'Nirvana,' and there's a high likelihood you'll find yourself changed." Case in point, he gestures at himself.

He doesn't even try to hide a distasteful expression at that. Great, they manage to thwart one potential apocalypse and he just ends up in another one. While potentially it could still be somewhere else altogether, it still leaves them very much in an unpleasant situation.

"Oh! Well that's comforting to know that we aren't expected to travel by foot," he says, and while his tone is by default slanting towards sarcasm, he is in this case very much being sarcastic.

But that last part does make him pause, startling any further snippy commentary as he stares at the other, feathers and all. "Y....ou mean that's not how you normally look."

The sarcasm actually makes Akechi chuckle, a wry smile steadily taking form. The shock at his human status only sharpens that smile. "I was originally human, yes. The bird-like traits are a 'blessing' from the moon, allegedly."

There's an air of skepticism in his voice. The moon is involved, certainly, but these changes aren't what he'd call blessings.

"Well that's...concerning," Donnie comments, arms pulling tightly against himself, if not without a brief wince of pain. He hadn't found anything coming up from his scans to suggest his direct interfacing with Kraang technology had any left any lasting effects, but it hasn't been easy to banish the images of his eldest brother, half-covered in an alien pink bio-growth. Changed.

And now this guy is saying that the moon here is potentially doing strange things to them. Or has already done. The very thought makes the turtle shudder. He shakes his head, wanting to disbelieve that possibility, but what reason has this person to lie to him?

...Leo's here too. For roughly the same amount of time. The implication makes his eyes widen.

"-what about Leo?"

Concerning might even be an understatement, though that goes unsaid. Akechi is far from the sort to mince words. He wouldn't call himself especially kind or gentle.

Still, there are ways to focus on the important details without sensationalizing them.

As for Leonardo... "He was looking a bit pale, but otherwise his changes seemed more subtle. Not to mention, he recovered a little in the shade of some carnivorous trees."

He pauses.

"The tree nearly made him its meal, but I talked some sense into him and he escaped. By the looks of it, it had a sort of calming aura that impaired his senses."

So it's got him too. But it's starting to sound like there's no avoiding that. Donnie rubs at his arms to stave off a shiver that isn't due to the weather.

He's back to staring again, sorry Akechi, but that is a lot to unpack there, and that's only with the bare minimum of what's been said. In no way is this exactly reassuring him about his brother's condition, not that it had exactly been stellar back at home but at least there weren't weird moons and hungry trees!

"...he recovered from the shade of a tree that intended to eat him." One might get the impression that hint of sarcasm is very much just how he normally sounds. "So we can't even trust trees in this place?!" Horrible!

"There's little we can trust, save for our own judgment and perhaps one another." His eyes drift back to the surrounding vehicles, in varying states of disrepair. "The vehicles function well enough, once you mend them. There's a working communication system, and though I hardly trust the intentions of those running the Convoy, it has rooms and resources that have yet to go awry."

He takes a few steps toward a workbench, resting a hand along the edge. "As I understand it, you and your brothers are already adept in combat. That will serve you well here."

"This is not exactly a very good pep talk," Donnie feels he has to note. For the record that was actually sarcasm.

"Do we know who all's in charge of this whole circus at least?" he grumbles, his eyes following the direction in which the bird man looks.

Mention of combat has him rubbing at his arms again. "We're not unfamiliar with it. ...I wasn't carrying my bō when I was nabbed and dumped here." Not too much of a problem, but one more thing to consider. He holds back a sigh as his eyes rove the garage for anything he can make use of in that respect.

"Regrettably, we've yet to meet the ones who brought us here, and our only correspondence with this world's native inhabitants comes in the form of prerecorded messages in the Convoy." He takes a few steps toward some of the scattered, fractured notes. "Given the evidence here, it seems as though we're guinea pigs being used to make up for their failed rituals."

But it's just a guess. The fragmented nature of the writing hardly tells the whole story.

"Still, where resources are concerned, crowbars aren't a terrible blunt weapon in a pinch. You may also find some broken pipes if you know where to look."

Though he's since scavenged a gun, an old crowbar hangs from his belt. It's convenient for added reach, if nothing else.

Donnie sputters at that. "Prerecorded?! How do we even know whoever made them still exists? Or exists at all?" He groans, dragging his hands over his face at the thought of being someone else's experiment. He's already dodged that bullet and yet here they are. Possibly. It still sucks, do not want.

"Crowbar would work, but too heavy for what I'm used to doing. Same deal with pipes, but if I find either or, I can make it work." He's turned a garden hoe into a bō once, after all.

At least poking around for something he can use as a weapon helps give him something to do. It's still a strange place to wake up in, but at least a garage like this should have plenty of things to make use of. Unless of course, it's been picked clean.

"So is there anyone else out here? Locals, I mean."

"We don't. The technology of the Convoy seems... preprogrammed. There's a great deal of automation, from the travel route to the timing of its shields." There's a hint of frustration to his words, but he retains his composure in spite of it.

"That's not to say there's no intelligent life to be found. Someone had to create the summoning circles, and I have noticed signs of more hostile inhabitants, from traps to monster corpses carved with an emblem of a sword piercing the moon. The corpses were fairly fresh, from what I could tell..."

Hmm... Akechi moves carefully, not touching the notes stuck to the machinery, but glancing over them all the time. "I'm not exactly a chemist, but it's tempting to try and date the bloodstains on these notes. If I had adequate supplies for rudimentary forensics, it might unveil a bit more regarding the timing of your appearance here."

"Pre-programmed suggests at least some computer involvement. Has anyone tried to trace signals? I guess chance of a working internet around here is low but it wouldn't hurt to check. And...do we know where things are programmed? Where's the main system?" Look, if there's tech involved then Donnie's ready to dive in headfirst.

He takes mental notes as Akechi explains what he knows. "So there's some sort of GPS function, possibly, because otherwise how would it know where the Convoy is going or how close or far it is? And shields... are we talking like, actual sort of energy barriers or something?"

Mention of fresh corpses derail him slightly, revulsion anew as he once again wonders about what sort of hellscape he's been dropped into. He follows the man's gaze towards the pieces of paper that seem so out of place and yet make everything even creepier. His toes curl in upon themselves, not having wanted to confirm that they might have been bloodstains and not wanting to think of the slip he'd stuffed into his belt pouch. Maybe he still has his hand-sanitizer at least...

"Forensics... That's not a bad idea. Can't say I have anything to help there, and my specialty's more technical equipment."

"There is a network connecting the Convoy and our individual vehicles. It's... rudimentary, only truly capable of audio and text-based communications, but perhaps with proper skill, one could expand upon it or uncover the ins and outs of its functionality."

If Futaba were here, she'd certainly find a way. It's just the kind of person he is.

As for Donatello... well, obviously, Akechi shouldn't judge purely based on attire, but even the way he speaks conveys a level of intelligence and familiarity with technology.

He listens attentively as Donnie speaks. The contrast between Leonardo is striking, really. "Your skills still have a comfortable niche, at least. Between the vehicles, the Convoy itself, and the occasional robotic dog, you'll have plenty of technology to sink your teeth into."

Frowning, Donnie lifts his left wrist, sweeping a hand across the wraps of his forearm to bring up some kind of holo-projected screen. "Eyew, audio and text only? Still...a network is a network..." he mutters as he tries to see if he can pick up any sort of signal.

"Well, guess that's something..." He supposes it's promising there's at least that level of technology to consider. "Wait, robotic dogs?" After everything else, random robotic dogs sounds kind of out of place to him.

Oh, that's unexpected. The sudden screen seize Akechi's full attentions. It's not that much of a reach; he's experienced enough science fiction to recognize holo projections for what they are, but movies and books are quite different from lived reality.

The Chromehounds are likely a more pressing matter, anyway.

"It happened last month, when we passed through a forested area. Amidst the sea of abandoned vehicles and traps roamed mechanical hounds, out for blood."

"Argh, either it's on a different sort of signal or something in the area's messing with things," Donnie grumbles as he swipes and taps through screens. Or he needs to calibrate things and restart, which he also suspects wouldn't hurt anyway.

"Forest..?" He blinks as he swipes away the screen. Oh but a depending on how big that area of abandoned vehicles was, it could be a veritable treasure trove for scavenging. The traps and mechanical, bloodthirsty hounds however is a bit off-putting.

"Oh. So like, not friendly robot dogs then." Because of course there wouldn't be.

"Not without considerable reprogramming, at any rate." And, seeing how he lacks Futaba's technical prowess, it was far easier to break them than let them have their way.

Hmm... The screens seem remarkably like smartphones or tablets. Projected ones, but still. Fascinating.

Well, at any rate, there are more pressing matters. "Frankly, we've yet to encounter anyone friendly on the road. Metallic Husks act as shells containing monsters more than eager to turn us into prey, although..."

He reaches into his pocket, removing his smartphone. "Recently, I noticed that music played from the Convoy and devices connected to its network was able to release spirits held within dormant Husks."

The implications are rather dark, but he might as well put that out there.

"I'll figure it out," Donnie mutters, at least sounding confident in his own abilities. Tech is his specialty, and if he were being honest he would have admitted he'd be a little surprised if some mystery network and programming had been so easy to get into. He's not sure how long the thing's been operating but assumes someone would have tried to look into it otherwise.

But there's a lot more than technical issues to worry about, as much as Donnie would rather focus on the latter.

"Metallic what now? Unrelated to the bloodthirsty robo-dogs?" He tries and fails to fight off a confused expression as he listens to Akechi explain.

"Music? What are we talking, annoying roadtrip songs or something else? Are these 'dormant' husks different from the ones you mentioned that want to eat us?"

Okay, perhaps he should word things more clearly. That was a lot of information at once, at any rate.

Akechi tucks his phone away, then places his hands together.

"The Husks resemble humans and animals encased in metal. They make an unsettling humming sound when approached, and if you touch them, they project your own thoughts, feelings, and regrets back at you." He pauses, letting that sink in. "Break a Husk, and a monster will emerge. Sometimes this happens automatically, other times the Husks lie motionless until provoked."

He steps a few paces, then comes to a stop. "As for the music, it was rather haunting, but it kept the humming at bay."

Oh. Oh that sounds terrible. Creepy encased forms aside, he doesn't need anything projecting supposed feelings and regrets he may have back at him, nope! Donnie looks thoroughly disturbed at that. "Cool, cool, so just don't touch anything that looks like it might hold a body. Which sounds more than reasonable."

Although if they just have monsters busting out on their own then there's apparently no helping for that one.

"...is the music actively counteracting with the sound or will it work if it's just being listened to like...through headphones or something?"

"Once the spirits left the Husks, the humming faded from the immediate area. It would seem that the sound may be linked to spirits trapped within bodies they no longer control."

He gazes down at his hands, those talons poking from his gloves. "It's a worrisome omen. One of the recordings on the convoy even told us to remain as 'human' as possible, though I suppose in your case it would be more metaphorical."

Summoning

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