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memestertrucks2026-01-08 01:50 pm
monstertruckers) wrote in memestertrucks2026-01-08 01:50 pm
Entry tags:
JANUARY TDM/EVENT
The storm drives the Convoy to the very summit of the mountains, before hitting a blinding pitch. The wind howls and drives snow in a way that promises to freeze everything… And there’s also a twist of smoke in the air, to further blind everything.
There’s one thing visible through the storm: a massive fortress clinging to the side of the mountain. The Convoy pulls up into the shelter. It seems this will be the best place to wait out the weather, even if the storm lasts for weeks.
It’s a cold welcome for new arrivals. The garage offers scant protection from the elements, and a winter storm rages outside. Snow, lighting, and thunder all blend together and do their best to break the windows and doors of the structure.
The storm itself shows no signs of abating, at least until several days have passed. So it’s up to the new arrivals to figure out how to survive the storm, find better shelter… And weather the strange changes foisted onto them.
01: SUMMONING CIRCLE
New Drifters arrive to a cold and half frozen garage, almost swallowed up by snow drifts. The Convoy is just visible through sheets of snow falling from the skies, and it is parked in the shelter of a nearby fortress. Getting out of the garage and reaching the fortress will take some work, though.
Starting with digging out through the snow. At least there’s a shovel or two inside the garage and the gas station. But digging through the snow is still cold work, and it’s imperative to duck back in the garage and find ways to warm up.
There’s still a small fire burning in the corner of the garage, near the summoning circle. It curiously doesn’t seem to need fuel to keep burning… Though throwing more on it will certainly increase the heat of the flames. Be advised that the fire will also burn clothing and flesh if a Drifter gets too close to it.
Starting with digging out through the snow. At least there’s a shovel or two inside the garage and the gas station. But digging through the snow is still cold work, and it’s imperative to duck back in the garage and find ways to warm up.
There’s still a small fire burning in the corner of the garage, near the summoning circle. It curiously doesn’t seem to need fuel to keep burning… Though throwing more on it will certainly increase the heat of the flames. Be advised that the fire will also burn clothing and flesh if a Drifter gets too close to it.
02: FORTRESS
The abandoned fortress offers some reprieve from the elements… But the prior battles have found a way to seep into the stones. Ice and Fire both have an effect on the surroundings.
+FIRE Condition: Arcane lava is flowing through the foundations and seeping up through the stones of the building. This is especially clear in the kitchen and dining hall. It may be toasty to the touch, but it also threatens to set things aflame; objects and people alike. Drifters weak to fire will suffer from the increased temperatures.
+ICE Condition: The extremes of the fortress are freezing over in enchanted ice, leaving only the main hall and kitchen with any heat. Drifters who lack ice affinity risk frost bite and hypothermia while exploring the other areas of Bastion. Direct contact with the ice also carries a risk of encasing the limb or the entire Drifter in ice. Might need some help getting chipped out.
In the midst of all this, there are still rooms and beds available for those who want a change of pace from the convoy, or bedrolls for those who want to camp out in the main hall.
+FIRE Condition: Arcane lava is flowing through the foundations and seeping up through the stones of the building. This is especially clear in the kitchen and dining hall. It may be toasty to the touch, but it also threatens to set things aflame; objects and people alike. Drifters weak to fire will suffer from the increased temperatures.
+ICE Condition: The extremes of the fortress are freezing over in enchanted ice, leaving only the main hall and kitchen with any heat. Drifters who lack ice affinity risk frost bite and hypothermia while exploring the other areas of Bastion. Direct contact with the ice also carries a risk of encasing the limb or the entire Drifter in ice. Might need some help getting chipped out.
In the midst of all this, there are still rooms and beds available for those who want a change of pace from the convoy, or bedrolls for those who want to camp out in the main hall.
03: START UP
After digging out, one can see that there are various cars surrounding the garage. Some of them parked directly outside and sheltered from the worst of the storm. But a few are further out, and will also need to be dug out of the snow.
There’s also a certain connection between different newcomers and cars. Something that suggests a particular vehicle is theirs, backed up by possessing the key to that vehicle. 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 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.
There’s also a certain connection between different newcomers and cars. Something that suggests a particular vehicle is theirs, backed up by possessing the key to that vehicle. 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 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.
04: WILD ELEMENTS
Even when taking shelter in the fortress, the storms from outside have a way of seeping through the bricks. And trying to take root inside any Drifters. Cold mists and winds seep into the castle, along with fire traveling across the floors and lightning crashing against the roof.
Drifters exposed to extreme elements will find those same elements seeping into their blood.
Teeth also grow along portions of the walls in long fangs, ready to snag at any newcomers. Drawing blood on those teeth can result in changes in the new arrivals… As well as pulling a monster out of the hallway to try and draw more blood.
These monsters frequently manifest as:
+Gyuki, a spider and bull demon fusion.
+YinYang, a Frankenstein abomination
+And Malzeno, a strange eldritch dragon.
Drifters exposed to extreme elements will find those same elements seeping into their blood.
Teeth also grow along portions of the walls in long fangs, ready to snag at any newcomers. Drawing blood on those teeth can result in changes in the new arrivals… As well as pulling a monster out of the hallway to try and draw more blood.
These monsters frequently manifest as:
+Gyuki, a spider and bull demon fusion.
+YinYang, a Frankenstein abomination
+And Malzeno, a strange eldritch dragon.
05: FUEL PUMPS
The fortress also holds a network of pipes leading through the halls and connecting to the gas station. Text from the Convoy asks for at least a few Drifters to follow the pipes to their source, and activate them. Following those pipes leads to a chamber in the base of the fortress, with basins full of liquid.
Glowing and quicksilver liquid, at that. Liquid that looks like it could have been poured straight out of the moon. An inscription on the tanks reads “Moonshard fuel refinement” while a stack of papers details the various attempts to distill moonshards into an energy usable by humans without mutating them. It seems they’ve mostly succeeded with this attempt: once the valves are turned on, the fuel can be pumped into the Convoy and top off almost depleted fuel tanks.
But there is still a risk. Coming into contact with the fuel can instill a sudden, ravenous hunger and push new changes to the front. Prolonged exposure activates all traits at once, and will only revert the person when another monster has been hunted down, and their energy absorbed.
Glowing and quicksilver liquid, at that. Liquid that looks like it could have been poured straight out of the moon. An inscription on the tanks reads “Moonshard fuel refinement” while a stack of papers details the various attempts to distill moonshards into an energy usable by humans without mutating them. It seems they’ve mostly succeeded with this attempt: once the valves are turned on, the fuel can be pumped into the Convoy and top off almost depleted fuel tanks.
But there is still a risk. Coming into contact with the fuel can instill a sudden, ravenous hunger and push new changes to the front. Prolonged exposure activates all traits at once, and will only revert the person when another monster has been hunted down, and their energy absorbed.
06: IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK
The walls of Bastion reach an impressive 20 feet up and stretch for long distances… And have Husks merged into them, often in the hallways and occasionally in the rooms. The Husks clearly belong to either the Silver Tear or the Steel Wardens, given the insignias on them. Many of them are locked together, frozen in a fight. And their last words and thoughts are written on the walls in gold and silver script.
Most of the words are frantic, about defending the moon shards from heretics or freeing the moon shards from confinement. But if any of the words are read aloud, the Husks react by merging together and spawning a berserk heavy tank/tankceratops. Or a large Burner type monster. OR a dragon dinosaur with exploding, punching fists. Drifters may also get caught up in the monster changes, and fuse their own monster forms together!
Most of the words are frantic, about defending the moon shards from heretics or freeing the moon shards from confinement. But if any of the words are read aloud, the Husks react by merging together and spawning a berserk heavy tank/tankceratops. Or a large Burner type monster. OR a dragon dinosaur with exploding, punching fists. Drifters may also get caught up in the monster changes, and fuse their own monster forms together!
07: MONSTER FUSE
An element saturation isn’t the only strange thing in the fortress. Anyone who makes contact with the fortress stones will find themselves building a resonance with a fellow Drifter. This grows stronger the more time they spend in the fortress.
Until finally the bond solidifies on the next change the Drifters go through and hits a fever pitch. The next threat they encounter WILL force a transformation. When that happens, their next change fuses their two monster forms together into something new.
Their fusion form is a combination of two Drifter’s traits. It is also twice the size it would normally be, and is well suited to taking on any giant sized monsters. It can even give Drifters a brief insight into the memories of their partner, as the fusion takes place.
When this happens, both Drifters can switch control over their merged form. Those with greater synchronism will have more control, while those who squabble and fight will find that their monster form becomes more feral and savage. This fusion lasts until the threat abates: when that happens, the fusion breaks apart, and Drifters return to their prior state.
Until finally the bond solidifies on the next change the Drifters go through and hits a fever pitch. The next threat they encounter WILL force a transformation. When that happens, their next change fuses their two monster forms together into something new.
Their fusion form is a combination of two Drifter’s traits. It is also twice the size it would normally be, and is well suited to taking on any giant sized monsters. It can even give Drifters a brief insight into the memories of their partner, as the fusion takes place.
When this happens, both Drifters can switch control over their merged form. Those with greater synchronism will have more control, while those who squabble and fight will find that their monster form becomes more feral and savage. This fusion lasts until the threat abates: when that happens, the fusion breaks apart, and Drifters return to their prior state.
08: STORM CALL
There’s something outside that isn’t just the storm; it calls out in a howl that can make the blood run cold, and also pulls at one’s feet. Until it hits a point where the Bastion doesn’t feel like a restful place. Drifters who hear the storm call need to step outside and find the source; the storm itself isn’t particular on if they search on their own feet, or behind some wheels.
Drifters who travel on their own feet will swiftly be overwhelmed by the storm, and a moon warp hiding in the snow, and forced to transform. It doesn’t help that there’s wild saber-tooth Barioth wyverns prowling the wilds and ready to pounce.
Being inside a vehicle helps to shield them from the worst of the storm and the changes, and also gives Drifters more traversal options:
Tough cars are capable of wading through even the deepest snow without getting bogged down, as well as towing any stricken or stuck vehicles out of the drifts.
Fast vehicles can follow rivers of fire and lava that move through the wilds, without burning up due to prolonged exposure.
Eventually Drifters will find their way towards the summit of the mountain, and the discovery waiting beyond.
Drifters who travel on their own feet will swiftly be overwhelmed by the storm, and a moon warp hiding in the snow, and forced to transform. It doesn’t help that there’s wild saber-tooth Barioth wyverns prowling the wilds and ready to pounce.
Being inside a vehicle helps to shield them from the worst of the storm and the changes, and also gives Drifters more traversal options:
Tough cars are capable of wading through even the deepest snow without getting bogged down, as well as towing any stricken or stuck vehicles out of the drifts.
Fast vehicles can follow rivers of fire and lava that move through the wilds, without burning up due to prolonged exposure.
Eventually Drifters will find their way towards the summit of the mountain, and the discovery waiting beyond.
09: MONSTER CHANGES
Between the weird fuel, the teeth in the fortress, and hostile elements trying to force changes, new arrivals can quickly find their humanity getting worn away and new monster transformations taking place.
With the cold weather and regal structures, the environment calls out to Undead. As long as the elements rage, all Undead traits are available and also:
+Warm Blood: Undead can easily track living bodies through the wilds and the fortress, sensing the warmth of their blood in contrast to the storm.
+Rivalry: Tends to form rivalry with other Undead monsters, becoming territorial and protective of potential food sources.
+Ice Affinity: Undead find themselves better preserved by the cold and thriving in it, energized and strengthened by the snow, and even taking on glowing blue veins and eyes.
+Fire Fear: The presence of fire inspires aversion, and even terror and need to flee from it. Smaller flames like candles provoke unease, larger flames like a bonfire result in more panic.
+Holy Symbols: Presence of Steel Warden symbols (a sword piercing moon) can cause unease in Undead, and even repel them a location.
+Snow Shift: Exposure to snow forces the Undead into a more bestial form. This could resemble a bat, wolf, or deer/horse/bull.
With the cold weather and regal structures, the environment calls out to Undead. As long as the elements rage, all Undead traits are available and also:
+Warm Blood: Undead can easily track living bodies through the wilds and the fortress, sensing the warmth of their blood in contrast to the storm.
+Rivalry: Tends to form rivalry with other Undead monsters, becoming territorial and protective of potential food sources.
+Ice Affinity: Undead find themselves better preserved by the cold and thriving in it, energized and strengthened by the snow, and even taking on glowing blue veins and eyes.
+Fire Fear: The presence of fire inspires aversion, and even terror and need to flee from it. Smaller flames like candles provoke unease, larger flames like a bonfire result in more panic.
+Holy Symbols: Presence of Steel Warden symbols (a sword piercing moon) can cause unease in Undead, and even repel them a location.
+Snow Shift: Exposure to snow forces the Undead into a more bestial form. This could resemble a bat, wolf, or deer/horse/bull.
10: FROZEN HEART
At the summit of the mountains is a collection of freakishly tall and twisted trees. In their branches is a collection of frozen hearts growing like strange fruit. And further up is a massive object that looks like a deer skull with branching antlers. The ice storm flows from its eyes and mouth… And it shows no signs of ceasing without destroying the skull.
The frozen hearts are giving off a cold aura that freezes anything that doesn’t resist ice. Drifters will need to neutralize the hearts to dispel the cold aura. The hearts can be melted by fire, shot down with ranged weapons, magic, etc. When burned, the hearts give off a smoke that causes a terrible hunger and need to hunt in anyone who inhales it. Shattered heart shards also rain down and embed themselves in Drifters, and cause a berserk fury in those they cut.
But with each felled heart the barrier of the skull weakens, as does the storm. When the last of the frozen hearts falls, the storm skull fractures and breaks apart like brittle ice. Drifters can deliver the finishing blows, ending the storm in the process. After that, the way down the mountain becomes clear, and the Convoy may continue down without worry.
The frozen hearts are giving off a cold aura that freezes anything that doesn’t resist ice. Drifters will need to neutralize the hearts to dispel the cold aura. The hearts can be melted by fire, shot down with ranged weapons, magic, etc. When burned, the hearts give off a smoke that causes a terrible hunger and need to hunt in anyone who inhales it. Shattered heart shards also rain down and embed themselves in Drifters, and cause a berserk fury in those they cut.
But with each felled heart the barrier of the skull weakens, as does the storm. When the last of the frozen hearts falls, the storm skull fractures and breaks apart like brittle ice. Drifters can deliver the finishing blows, ending the storm in the process. After that, the way down the mountain becomes clear, and the Convoy may continue down without worry.
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.
Fortress Library: Books and screens seem to have fused together. Assorted data about monsters is on display here; everything from hunting strategy to contradicting praise of their strength. (Read: all lore information from the monster pages is available IC.)
Dining Hall: This time around the gas station and garage are empty of supplies… But there’s plenty of preserved foods in the castle kitchen and dining hall. Though the hot dishes are almost painfully spicy, and the cold served foods can almost freeze a mouth shut.
Snow Fields: Surrounding the fortress are fields of snow, ready to bog down anyone who wanders too far into them. It would be next to impossible for anyone to make it far on two feet without the aid of a vehicle… Or the aid of a monstrous transformation.
Fire Snow: The storm can wildly swing between temperatures, from freezing to burning with how the snowflakes fluctuate. They can suck warmth out of a Drifter’s body on contact, or risk burning any exposed skin.
Armory: The Steel Wardens kept an armory and arena close by for sparring. Various weapons and armor are stored here; some antiquated, some modern and augmented with technology. And everything but the older models are badly damaged by the elements; frozen over and metal crackled, or half melted from fire. They won’t have much use as weapons, but could be used as metal materials.
View from the Peaks: When the storm clears, one can look out from the peaks and see what’s next. A strange, twisted landscape stretches out below the peaks. And beyond that is something on the horizon; a massive city reaching upwards, and the buildings intact and gleaming. Going back to the Convoy reveals a new update in the database: Nirvana is near. And will be reached in an estimated 60 days from now.
II-ish, I do what I want
[And spinning a bunch of webs. Look, someone needs to catch the bats fluttering around up here, and it might as well be him.]
[Regardless, the stones of the fortress transport vibrations beautifully, and Edward has the best sense of his surroundings that he's had for awhile. Even with his prosthetic leg, he feels like he's able to see everything. So when he catches some burnt-orange vibrations underneath him, it draws his attention. The vibrations having colour isn't new anymore, but it's unusual for them to be colourful with someone he doesn't know, and he doesn't immediately recognise that particular shade of orange.]
[The closer he gets, walking silently along the ceiling, the more familiar the person seems. Something in Edward's chest--not the hive mind, that tends to be more in his head, this is a different draw, not as familiar as the hive mind but nothing that frightens him either--draws him forward, starts to perk with excitement. Is that...? No, it can't be. It's been months, since the carnival, it's not...]
[But then Danse says something, his voice echoing up the stone walls, and the draw in Edward's chest flares up, his own vibrations spiking bright pink with excitement.]
Danse!
[Without thinking for a moment about how it might be perceived, Edward drops off the ceiling. He has the good sense not to land on Danse, but he lands a few feet away, a giant blur of spider, before vaulting forward with all four arms open, aiming to catch Danse in an enormous hug.]
You're back! You came back!
hell yeah
His back-home instincts are still sharp enough that his military reflex, upon seeing someone drop from the ceiling and rush toward him, is to level his rifle--but Edward's voice stops that in his tracks, making him lower it instantly before the hug closes in, filling his chest with the kind of warmth he didn't get back home. There wasn't anyone back there who would have been a fraction so excited to see him for any reason, not even Haylen, not even Nora. But here, there are packmates, even if not many. Brothers-in-arms in safer ways, the rare kind of veteran status he could bond over without fear here, when back home he doesn't know any other soldiers who don't have standing orders to shoot him on sight now.
He hadn't meant to leave. Especially not as he had, when he had, leaving Edward behind in a way that causes a strange orphaned pang of guilt when he doesn't quite remember the circumstances--but there don't seem to be any hard feelings about that, if the crushing four-armed hug is any indication. Danse returns it as soon as he has the wherewithal to do so, with all of his two-armed strength and a shameless uncontrolled wagging of the tail. He hasn't yet remembered how to stop it from doing that, but Edward was always someone who had the privilege of seeing him relax about it anyway. ]
I wasn't...entirely aware that I was gone, but this certainly isn't where I recall the convoy being last. How long has it been?
no subject
[Which is not this time, and if Edward were still a wolf, he'd be wagging his own tail so hard it would be creating a blizzard. He is completely unashamed of how hard he's holding onto Danse, or the positive blast of bright pink excitement he shoots out over the hive mind.]
Weeks. Over two months.
[Edward leans back then, so Danse can see his face.]
I thought they took you. That you and Colt got caught outside the tent, and that they did something to you.
[His voice catches then, wavering in his throat.]
When the convoy pulled away, your truck was still there. We left it behind, parked next to Colt's stupid sausage truck. They didn't follow the convoy.
[And now he's worked up again, and buries his face in Danse's shoulder.]
I'm so glad you're here again.
no subject
But he pushes past this, making himself take in this account like a battlefield casualty report, his hand rubbing awkwardly but sincerely at Edward's back. ]
The thing is, I don't even know if you're wrong about what happened. I can't recall anything except that there was a carnival. I remember that we were being held captive somehow, but anything beyond that is like trying to make out a radio signal through static.
[ But maybe he doesn't need to try. Maybe it's enough to hear it from Edward's end and simply be here, solid and living, proof that the loss they've both seen too much of doesn't have to be as permanent here as it is in the worlds they came from. ]
I'm glad to be here again. I'd rather be here than where I came from. I--
[ He pauses, as an entirely different question dawns on him. ]
--sorry, whose sausage truck?
no subject
[Edward nods against Danse's shoulder when he confirms that he'd rather be here. He understands that too. It wasn't all that long ago that he made the quiet decision that Revan is his home now, and he'd rather stay here than go back to England.]
[The question about the sausage truck makes him pull back again, his brows drawn down in confusion.]
Colt. Your friend from home? Bald, wears glasses, makes jokes constantly? He's the only one with a sausage truck.
no subject
Fortunately, there is now a very timely and ridiculous reason to set that discussion aside, and it does not take much for Danse to put the pieces together about what's going on here. He slumps slightly in Edward's arms as he heaves a long-suffering sigh. ]
Of course he would have given you an alias. [ He raises a hand to rub his eyes. ] Deacon. His name is Deacon. Or at least, that's how people back home know him. He's...he does this. It's some kind of...force of professional habit for him, I think. Just let him know the jig is up and he'll drop the act.
[ Well. That particular act, anyway. There will always be others, but ones meant with good-natured mischief. ]
He doesn't spare his friends the tall tales, so I assure you it's not personal. It's part of his charm.
lol that icon
The whole time, his name was Deacon?
[Sonofa... Edward's cheeks flush with residual embarrassment. He got this bent out of shape over what happened, and he didn't even know the man's real name?]
I spent weeks calling him Colt, Danse. And he answered to it every time.
it gets a lot of use
But it still doesn't make it easier to see Edward look so mortified about it, when Danse would be feeling exactly the same way, and he raises a hand awkwardly to Edward's shoulder again for a bolstering squeeze. ]
I know. And I don't even know how to explain it to myself, so I can't very well explain it to you. I promise it wasn't malicious. He's just...
[ It's a double-edged sword sometimes, the way Danse and Edward are alike enough to understand things in much of the same way, because some worldviews are just equally foreign to them both. But that does sometimes leave Danse with the ability to draw on that shared military background of theirs, too. ]
You know how intelligence agents can be. They're so paranoid it seems gratuitous, right up until it isn't. I think he's just...always trying to prepare for that next moment when it isn't.
no subject
[And the explanation makes sense, enough so that it takes the wind out of Edward's crabby sails. He's known a few intelligence agents, and they are paranoid, constantly jumping at shadows that aren't there. For Deacon to appear so calm and collected most of the time must take a massive amount of restraint and will-power, and Edward can respect that.]
Your world is harder than mine.
[Again, no judgment in this, just an observation. For as much as 1917 is a terrible place to be, there are still pockets of calm, of quiet. It sounds like the Final War world doesn't have that, and being an intelligence agent in a world that chaotic sounds like a nightmare.]
I imagine there have been too many times when gratuitous paranoia turned out to not be so gratuitous.
[One time is too many, being the implication here. Edward sighs and shakes his head.]
I hope he's back, too. Deacon or Colt or whatever his real name is. Have you seen him?
no subject
[ There were plenty of things still standing in 1917 that Danse would have loved to see, populated cities, countries with laws, all of that. Still, Edward gets it more than most, barring the people here actually from the wasteland.
He ducks his head at the question, the faint blush on his cheeks maybe not visible in the conventional sense, but the tail giving a couple slight wags again where he's otherwise arrested it. ]
I left him reconnoitering the kitchen. We were supposed to meet back up at some point, but if I tell him I ran into you, he won't begrudge me catching up as long as I want. I don't have anything of interest to tell you, but surely you must.
[ Give him gossip, Edward, please. Even from his own perspective, he's been alone in a bunker all week. ]
no subject
[Edward misses the blush, of course, but he catches that wag. It makes him chuckle, and his second left hand reaches around behind Danse and playfully cuffs him on the upper ass cheek, close to his tail.]
Let it wag! You're happy!
[And that's a relief too, knowing Deacon is back as well. Their lives and fates are no longer unknown, and Edward can absolve himself of any guilt about them not making it.]
[As for gossip, he barrels right in.]
I have a boyfriend now! His name is Andrew Blur and he's from the twentieth century, and he's sweet and kind and so good to me. We live in the same trailer and his car and my motorcycle are friends too.