JANUARY TDM/EVENT

[monstertruckers]

code

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.


NAVIGATION || RESERVES || APPLICATIONS

Comments

[bufudine]

Unfortunately, Serph also doesn't have any frame of reference as to what being treated like a household pet is like...

The monster, a Barioth, is quiet as it moves through the snow. But quiet is not the same as weightless and so the vibrations betray its location despite its silent tread.

Serph has had the time to adjust to Varuna's hunger, his memory filtering through their fused self, a faint trace of how overwhelming it had been the first time that he actually doesn't remember exactly what he did, save for waking with the taste of blood in his mouth. Now, it's largely simply background noise.

We will eat soon.

The other monster expects to have the element of surprise. Serph launches them at the creature with fearless confidence despite the unfamiliarity with 'seeing' in this way, tentacles lashing out at the Barioth.

[propatriamori]

At the rate they're going, Edward is going to end up explaining it to Serph when he slips up and starts scritching him behind the ears someday.

Today is not that day, though. Edward is jerked forward in their combined form as Serph attacks, still reeling from Varuna's desperate hunger. It's good that Serph picked up the vibrations so quickly, because Edward's reactions are sluggish, moving under the weight of a desire he doesn't know and can't process. The spider legs, though, move on instinct, reaching under their combined form to find and pull out a line of silk, as thick around as one of Edward's arms in his normal form. As Serph pummels the shocked monster with tentacles, the spider legs go low and try to wind silk around its ankles to trip it.

[bufudine]

Serph doesn't fight the spider instincts, easily accepting them as he once accepted Varuna, allowing it to skitter and scuttle. Impeding the Barioth's mobility is a good idea and a tactic Serph personally favours. Unfortunately, Barioth is a creature that hunts with powerful leaps, aided by the wings attached to its paw-like hands. And before the silk can tie it down, the Barioth bites down on a grasping tentacle -- forcing Serph to let go -- and takes to the sky.

That's when Serph realises the core weakness of 'seeing' by vibration. He doesn't stop the frustrated roar from Varuna ripping out of their throat as the Barioth functionally disappears from their senses.

[propatriamori]

Yes, that is the weakness in the vibrations that Edward doesn't like to talk about, that he's only explained to a few select people: once something is in the air, he loses it entirely. This is the first time he's been fused with someone where the vibrations took over the other person's sight, and the first time fighting anything that can get airborne.

It's less than ideal, but Edward has a thought on how to get the Barioth down. He doesn't like it, but it should work. Through the mental connection, he reaches out to Serph.

Lure it back down, if you can, and cover your ears.

Deep in their combined chest, something builds. It will take a few moments for it to reach maturity, to be ready to use, but whatever it is, it's huge and inexplicable and once it gets rolling, nothing can stop it.

[bufudine]

Fortunately, Serph doesn't have to try very hard to lure the Barioth down; there's a shift in the wind and its Serph's battle honed reflexes that has him raising half their tentacles to protect them from the impact as the monster dives into them, the remaining tentacles blindly coiling around limbs to prevent its escape as spider legs are thrown akimbo in the snow.

Controlling this many limbs is tricky but Serph manages to raise hands to their ears, covering them as the Barioth yowls and tries to scratch at them with its trapped claws.

[propatriamori]

Thank god Serph is good at this; the Barioth's dive takes Edward completely by surprise, jarring him inside their combined body. His spider legs, so swift and spindly, get knocked aside when they collide, but he can feel Serph's muscular tentacles grab the monster and hold onto it.

Which is all Edward needs. Rather than move away from those slashing claws, Edward leans them in, braving being mangled, and gets their face right in front of the monster's snarling maw.

Then he opens their mouth and lets the sound that's been building in his chest erupt outward.

It's not an organic sound. This is nothing that could be made by any throat on earth. It's a roiling, grinding, brutally violent wall of sound, pushing out of them and directly into the Barioth's face. It's the sound of the front, somehow drawn from Edward's memory and projected outwards.

[bufudine]

Argh his ears. It's not unlike that unearthly noise Sera had once let out, piercing through their skulls. The Barioth lets out a cat-like whimpering whine, ears flattening and desperation as it tries to pull away from the awful noise.

Serph unwinds their tentacles from the monster -- if he didn't, its scratching and biting to force them to release it eventually would -- and lets it slip out of their grasp, the Barioth making noises of distress as it scampers away. Serph watches it cautiously, unsure if that was enough to scare the monster off, or if it will still attempt to find a different line of attack for its prey.

[propatriamori]

I'm so sorry

Even with their ears covered, it's still horrible to hear, and Edward feels awful for putting that in Serph's head. It may have been necessary, but that doesn't make it feel any better.

The Barioth has retreated a good distance, and is now prowling around them. Its body language is very cat-like, and Edward realises that Serph may not know what that stalking means.

It's afraid, and hurt. If we charge at it again, being noisy, it might run away.

[bufudine]

He's not sure what Edward is apologising for. One could imagine Serph tilting his head quizzically.

Being noisy? That's a hard ask for a silent protagonist quiet person like Serph. His demon protests mightily at the idea of letting their prey run away but Serph reaches in to restrain it to the mere sensation of gnashing teeth in the edges of their mind. A monster that can disappear from their senses is a dangerous one to hunt alone, in a manner of speaking. Now is not the time to let Varuna get his way.

I leave the noise to you.

Serph's own hand on their shared mind is reassuring, like guiding hands, a breeze wending around their consciousness. He reaches for that other presence, the spider, and 'asks' them to handle the legs once again before spreading himself through their coiling tendrils, intending to flare them wide once they get moving so they appear to be as large and intimidating as possible.

[propatriamori]

Edward can handle the noise aspect of this, even if the thought makes him cringe.

All right. Give me a moment to build it up again.

Edward has never tried to use the voice twice in a row, and he's grateful for Serph's calm reassurances in his head. The spider is all too happy to cooperate, and their legs gather underneath them, ready to spring forward.

Edward focuses, trying to draw on that terrible voice again. It's easier the second time than the first, which makes him sick to his stomach as it roils up into his chest.

Now.

As they charge forward, Edward opens their mouth to shriek, and this time, the sound is louder and more strident, ringing out at the Barioth. Facing a mass of tentacles and that sound bearing down on it, the monster decides discretion is the better part of valour and turns to flee.

[bufudine]

Briefly, Serph wonders at negative feelings Edward has over his sonic attack, a quiet ping of curiosity that's stifled by the task at hand.

But as the Barioth turns to flee Varuna's bloodthirstiness slams into all of them, their shared awareness of the fearful fleeing feline stirring the demon into a frenzy. The monster's terror is merely an invitation to sink their teeth into flesh, to rip and tear muscle and sinew, to devour life itself! They take a lurching step forward before coming to a swift halt as Serph clamps down on the demon with steely resolve.

With the increasing distance the Barioth puts between them, their fusion begins to slough away, body and mind slowly untangling from each other.

[propatriamori]

Edward feels Serph's curiosity, and he sends back a simple message in response.

Later.

It's the last coherent thought Edward manages before Varuna overwhelms him, the demon's rage and lust and hunger filling his mind and blotting out everything else. Even the murky presence of whatever it is that powers that shriek is stunned to silence by Varuna, but only for a moment. Then it comes roaring forward, eager and delighted at having found a willing accomplice. Let them join, let them lay waste to the world, let them turn the oceans red with blood and water the fields with the life force of a generation, let them go let them go let them go...

There is enough of Edward still there, still in control, that when the fusion starts to reverse itself, he rips himself away, flinging himself out of their joined form. It tears the skin on his chest and arms as he does, but even that searing pain is better than the alternative.

[bufudine]

While their fusion had dug into the well of Serph's John-like other transformation, he is the Jack-like fox when he reverts to himself. Fur and flesh tear as Edward violently separates from him, pain blooming over exposed muscle temporarily blinding him despite sight returning.

Serph endures silently, breath quickening. It hurts, but it isn't anything that hunting can't fix. And barring that, Heat's magic. Either of them are a much more efficient solution than something like grafting skin.

He trots over through the snow towards Edward. "...It's alright. I understand." He's had a long time to come to terms with Varuna, even if he can't help but feel a stab of resentment over the demon. If it weren't for the demon's relentless hunger, then Edward wouldn't be hurt right now. "Let me fix your injury."

[propatriamori]

Edward lays on his back in the snow, his ripped skin exposed to the sky and steaming in the cold. He doesn't try to get up when Serph approaches; everything is very fragile right now, and he's afraid if he moves too much or attempts much beyond lying here, he'll collapse entirely into a pile of nerves.

"I'm so sorry, Serph." For what, he doesn't specify. For Varuna, for ripping away and hurting both of them, for the sound he forced Serph to hear. All of it, and everything else too.

"You don't need to. Give me a moment and I'll shift, bind up both of us with silk."

He manages to pick up one hand and reach out, fumbling at the air until he finds one of Serph's tails. Then he just holds it, concentrating on the feel of the warm fur under his fingers.

"Are you hurt, too?"

[bufudine]

"I'll be fine." He will eat. The wounds will heal.

Serph lies on his belly beside Edward, furry body warm. He allows Edward to anchor himself on his tail.

Although Edward says he can bind their wounds, Serph offers again. "I can heal, like Heat. But you will need to carry me after."

Heat doesn't experience the same kind of dizziness he does after healing. He doesn't like how vulnerable it leaves him. But if it can get Edward up and on his feet sooner, out of danger...

[propatriamori]

"... all right."

Without meaning to, Edward sends a mental image through the pack link to Serph: a web, with some wrapped monsters in it, not far away. If he's healed, he can carry Serph there and then he can eat all the monsters already trapped, and whatever new thing might be in the web too.

"Is it... always like that?" He imagines Serph doesn't need any further clarification, based on how Edward reacted to Varuna.

[bufudine]

Edward's pack link is different from his connection to Jack. Being conveyed information in this manner is a fresh new novelty.

"...Yes."

Serph's Revan granted healing magic requires touch, so he sits up and places a paw -- he doesn't think to brush off the clinging snow -- on the parts of Edward's chest that had torn away. A cool glow emanates from his paw as he magically encourages new skin to layer over the injury.

"Once you have a demon, you lose a peaceful life."

He can't help but think of Roland. Originally, Serph had thought of him as too cowed by the Karma Society to take action, fear masquerading as caution. But despite his mistakes before, Roland willingly infected himself with the Atma virus, became a monster while knowing there would be no place for him amongst the people he wants to protect after everything was over.

He wonders if Fred realised that.

"Friend. Foe. Varuna wants to devour all."

[propatriamori]

Edward doesn't protest the paw or the snow on his chest. The healing sensation is much like when Heat healed his leg, and the mental image that slips through, unintentional this time, is of a cool blue pool, deep in the woods, and the sensation of sliding into the silky water on a hot day.

He shudders at what Serph says about Varuna, and reaches up with another hand to stroke it down Serph's back. It's so hard not to pet him like a dog when he's in this form, and Edward is too dazed and exhausted to resist it.

"Your self control is otherworldly." A few seconds with Varuna and Edward was ready to crumble.

[bufudine]

Serph doesn't react to Edward's vision that slips into his mind and allows him to run his hand down his back. It's an action that's much like when people stroke the feathers of his wings, soothing.

To mend his comrade, to calm roiling emotions, that feels just as integral as the acts of violence.

As Edward's injuries become undone, the typical vertigo strikes, Serph pulling back as the world sways. Closing his eyes, he lies down beside Edward's to make it stop, staying very still.

"It wasn't always like this," Serph murmurs. "And there is plenty to eat."

[propatriamori]

His wounds are healed, no longer bleeding and steaming in the cold air, but Edward isn't in a hurry to get up. He wraps an arm around Serph, drawing him in against his side, then pets his head and shoulders with another hand.

"It's okay. I've got you. We'll get up in a moment and go find you some food."

He's not quite sure what Serph is referencing when he says it wasn't always like this: the vertigo? The hunger? Either way, after another moment of stillness, he gets to his feet, cradling Serph against his healed chest. Then he starts off, as quickly as he can, towards his closest web.

[bufudine]

Serph lets Edward pick him up, curling legs and tail so he sits better in the curve of Edward's arms. He's silent for a long moment, eyes closed so the sight and sway of the environment around him going past doesn't make the dizziness worse.

Both curiosity and respecting peoples privacy briefly war inside him before he eventually says, "You have something like a demon within. Is that from this world or yours before?"

[propatriamori]

Edward would help Serph regardless of which form he was in, but there's definitely something to be said for being able to cuddle and hold a warm little fox.

He knew that question was inevitable, but Edward still winces when Serph asks it. They're close, though--Serph is a member of the pack--so he answers as best he can.

"I don't know what it is. I... I try very hard to not think about it. I don't like giving it any control."

He's quiet for a moment.

"The vocal attack, from earlier... whatever that thing is, it's what makes it sound that way. That noise is not something I'd ever choose."

[bufudine]

Hm?

"Why?" He doesn't realise he's doing it, but his fox ears twitch. "It allowed us to scare the monster off."

The noise had been discordant, harsh, terrible to perceive. But it was a useful tool for battle

[propatriamori]

"I don't want anyone else to have to hear it."

One of the great benefits of not having to watch where you're walking because you use vibrations is that, when you're talking about something that shames you, you're able to put your face down and bury it in fox fluff without losing your stride.

"That's what the war sounded like. It's in my head and I... I can't get it out. I can't forget. And... I'm afraid. I don't want to be the one who put it in your head too."

[bufudine]

Instinctively, Serph turns his head to rub an ear and his face fur against Edward's cheek. It sounds like Edward's war hurt him in the same way that Levi's war did. A pain that lanced into him and an infection grew around it.

"Are you afraid of your pain hurting me?" Serph's voice is as calm as ever, the breathing of his small, furry body steady and even.