memestertrucks | MARCH EVENT/TDM

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The Convoy leaves the mountains behind and sets off across a long expanse of strangely bleached and tangled up land. The landscape is littered with both Husks and spent moon shards alike… Along with strange ruins and remnants that clearly don’t belong to the wilderness.

And always on the horizon is a mass of buildings; a shining city that doesn’t seem affected by the chaos and ruins dotting the landscape. The Convoy database continues to try to update, but can only label the location as “Nirvana” and leave the information corrupted.

The surrounding landscape is match for the database: These lands are twisted. And navigating them to reach Nirvana is going to be a task.

01: PATH OF SPIRES

Dotting the landscape are tall spires glowing with ominious light. Moonshards have been gathered together and carved into radio tower spires and fixed with glyphs that mirror Sigils. Various Husks rest against the spires, and it’s clear that they gave their lives up to create these structures. The worst of the environment twists are centered around these spires, like they’re acting as magnets to Warps and sparing the rest of the area. Drawing close to the spires results in whispers in the ears of the Drifter, and seeping in through the speakers of their phones or vehicles.

“We can’t let them destroy what we’ve built. They’ve already sundered so much of the world… Whether it’s Tears or Wardens, they can’t be trusted. We turn our backs on them, we renounce what we used to be.”

Skeletons of monsters drift around the spires, orbiting in weird halos. Coming into contact with either the spires or their halos results in the spire trying to absorb the Drifter, even as it heals them of any wounds and tries to pull their changes out of them. The Spires also try to broadcast any thoughts or strong the emotions the Drifter is feeling to those nearby; that transmission disrupts the spire just long enough to pull at trapped Drifter free.

02: SUMMONING CIRCLE 

New Drifters arrive in a bleached out garage, looking like color and life has been drained out of the structure. Broken down walls are crumbling away, which at least makes it easy to get outside. A collection of spires rings the garage, but many of them are broken and give off sparks instead of drawing Drifters into them. It's enough to let people make a break for it, into the wilds.

There’s dark shapes prowling around the periphery… And strange metal, humanoid Husks gathered all around the towers. The towers give off faint, whispering messages that can be heard through the radios lining the garage.

“Nirvana… Imminent. Last leg of the journey almost complete. Advised to find your vehicles, and adjust to your powers and forms.”

03: START UP

Outside of the ruined garage, one can see there are various cars ringing the structure. Most of them are parked near the garage, but a few of them are placed near the towers. Approaching them increases the odd humming transmission in the Drifter’s ears: various snatches of information about Nirvana, and how it is only weeks away. That it is a safe haven from the rest of the chaos.

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: CROOKED PATH

The landscape is twisted, even on the road. And the further one travels, the warping of the land becomes more volatile. Stepping off the road results in hostile terrain that fluctuates depending on the time of day.

During the daylight hours, the grounds are rife with streams of aether. The aether behaves almost like water with how it flows and refreshes those who come in contact with it. But while contact can heal, it also transforms Drifters by imparting Angel traits. Staring into the aether streams can also show people visions of "could have beens" in a Drifter’s life in a positive and hopeful way, and share those wishes with other people.

At night the landscape begins to burn, with streams of fire and lava. The unchanged aether currents react by flowing upwards and away from the fires as far as possible. It’s possible to ride the aether currents; either on wings, on feet, or on very swift and lightweight vehicles. Those who can’t avoid the lava will either be burned or forcefully turned into demons. They will also catch visions of potential disasters and nightmares that could happen in their lives… And these visions are easily visible to other characters.

05: THE HUNTER

Something else stalks the twisted lands; something that travels in a pack, and dwarfs even the Convoy. It walks on taloned legs that shriek with rust and metal on each thundering step. It keeps a maw full of steel teeth close to the ground, seeking out prey… And when it opens that mouth, a distorted roar spills out.

Once it comes into view, the Convoy screeches to a halt and throws up its shields, while blaring an alarm. An automated voice urges Drifters: “Remnant monster approaching. Seek shelter in the shields or retreat immediately. Remnants are hostile weapons of the Steel Wardens, seek shelter immediately.”

And as the monster sees an old, rusted car and pounces on it, it becomes clear why the Convoy must hide behind its shields. The Remnant monster looks like a dinosaur built out of machinery, and is hungry to absorb more… Or to simply make a meal out of any flesh and blood creatures it can find. The database urgently blurts all of this out... Even as the Remnant turns towards the Convoy.

05-A: THE CHASE

The pack of robot t-rexes attack the Convoy, trying to beat down and break the shields. This close up, Drifters can see all the various vehicles and scrap that make up the robot… And worryingly, how some of those electrical components look almost human or cyborg based. They could easily have belonged to the Steel Wardens. A strange droning sound emits from the speakers; sounds that could be a creed or a doctrine, all blended together with snarls and roars.

It’s clear the Convoy won’t be able to last forever under this assault. Fast Vehicles are needed to act as bait, and lead the Rexes away from the Convoy. Meanwhile, Tough vehicles need to brave the off road warp conditions to see if they can find something to help weaken these monsters, or find a hiding place.

05-B: THE DOCTRINE

During this time the Remnant gives off a piercing roar while attacking and chasing vehicles. And now there’s words audible in that roar:

“We are denied a place in Paradise, because of our zeal… We do what we must, what we know. We hunt.”

The Rexes do their best to run cars down, trying to throw them off their wheels or paralyze the drivers with a thundering roar and shaking footsteps. The Warden’s Doctrine also spills out of the speakers, causing adverse effects for any Drifters who listen too closely. At close range The Doctrine weakens monsters by driving them feral and activating all of their monster traits at once.

Those speakers will need to be silenced if anyone wishes to go toe to toe with the Rexes. And since no one can get in close at the moment, that means either ranged attacks and magic to temporarily silence the speakers. Fortunately, there’s a tool for disabling the speakers permanently, close by.

06: SPIRE ANTENNA

The burnt out moon shards forming the towers aren’t that burnt out, after all. And they seem to be providing some power to the spires, along with a strange and almost melodic hum. There’s a build up of residue that needs to be torn off the towers, as they seem to be muffling the transmission…

And there’s still the Rexes prowling the landscape. But any time the robots get close to the towers, they reel back in pain or confusion. It seems that once these Spires are cleaned, their sound should be boosted. The coating can be burned or washed away.

And once they do, the hum is amplified and overwhelms the Doctrine; the speakers on the Rexes short circuit, busting out completely. It leaves the Rexes reeling and retreating away from their attacks on the Convoy. Other attacks can also short circuit the speakers, leading to similar results.

07: SHATTERED TEMPLE

The closer the Drifters get to the city the more old ruins crop up; they look far more ancient than many of the structures previously encountered, like they belonged to an ancient temple, long since exploded and had various pieces thrown across the landscape.

There’s still some strength left in the old stones, and it’s possible to duck into the ruins and evade the monsters swarming the lands. Old cloisters can also be turned into improvised parking garages. And while the hazards outside are kept at bay… There’s the various altars to investigate.

There’s always an altar in each of the ruins, along with the usual incense smoke and stained glass decorating the halls. The symbol of the Silver Tears has been painstakingly, artistically carved onto each one. Along with a scripture. Coming into any contact with the altars, or even staying there long enough to read the inscriptions can also activate event monster traits… Or swap them between Drifters.

Those who visit more than one shrine may also find their monster forms becoming more fluid, enabling them to swap or fuse as they need to… Which may prove to be very important in facing against the robot T-rexes.

07-A: SCRIPTURE

Snatches of the following text can also be found all over the shrines:
“Those not forsaken by the moon, we’ve called to you across worlds. We are no longer worthy of carrying the blessing, so it falls to you. Bring the gift back to the Moon, where its body lays shattered… Just beyond the reach of Nirvana.

Listen to our tale, know the truth of your blessing and our woe. When the creator shaped our world, a spark of brilliance and madness was placed in us. A fragment of the divine. But our flesh was too weak to hold such a thing. Our bodies needed to change to better accommodate that blessing, to wield the magic and knowledge. Sometimes. Many times. It drove us mad. But we were determined to master it… Until the Creator took pity on us, took much of the power and sealed itself and the blessing into our moon. Trying to protect us and purify the blessing… Though pieces still found their way to Revan. Moonshards to transform us, test us.

But of course, the wretched Wardens viewed it as a curse. Hunted the blessed to ‘safe guard’ humanity, unaware how they stifled us. Almost hunted the blessing to extinction. We’ve had no choice but to try and awaken the Creator, to break the moon open and release the secrets once again… No matter what it may do.”

08: MONSTER SHIFT

Due to the twisted energy and moon warps wracking the landscape, Drifters can also find themselves gripped by changes in turn. Two monsters reflect two extremes of the landscape and try to manifest in Drifters. Angels and Demons are both available, with the following traits:

+Chaos Pull: Drawn to places of chaos and conflict. The wilds are an especially powerful draw.
+Order Pull: Drawn to places of order and tranquility. The Convoy shields are a powerful draw, as are the shrines and temples.
+Light Switch: Monster powers and traits grow more powerful when bathed in light, whether that's daylight or headlights.
+Night Switch: Darkness powers up monster traits and powers.
+Hellfire Surge: The nighttime lava and fires cause hellfire powers to grow in power, but also lose control and fires grow more chaotic.
+Heavenly Surge: Contact with the aetherstreams boosts holy and light powers to a high degree, but leaves the Drifter half blinded from using them.

09: METAL MOSH

Since the Doctrine speakers have failed, the Rexes are all the more eager to hunt down the Drifters and consume them and their vehicles. Fire leaks out of the jaws to try and melt metal. And equally worrying, the dinosaur can combine that with a sonic scream/roar, to make a combustive hunting cry.

The Rexes try to use this cry to ignite anything in a cone in front of it; flesh, plant, or anything flammable. If there is nothing to take the impact, it super heats the ground and turns the dried sand to glass. If the Rexes manage to weaken anything with their roars, they try to close with fang and claw. The robots also become briefly disoriented after using its roar, leaving them vulnerable.

The Rexes would sooner be destroyed… Which considering the capacities of fused and empowered Drifters, is more than doable. Due to assorted attacks and mishaps with the tower spires, there is also one Rex that is too weakened to fight back, and all of its vital circuits are exposed and open for reprograming. When the Rexes are reduced to scrap ~~and exactly one is tamed due to player feedback~~, the Convoy can finally continue on.

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.

1. Twist: The landscape isn’t always content to stay in the same shape. In fact, it seems conflicted between being a bleached out desert and badlands, and warping into a landscape populated with venomous and vivid plant life. Said plants have a way of causing wracking pains or vivid hallucinations with too much exposure; either way it’s advised to step carefully.
2. Torment: The pathway off the roads is sometimes lined with spikes, ready to pierce all but the Toughest tires and feet. And if the ground draws up blood, it eagerly drinks it in and begins to shape a calcified echo of whatever it bled; the pale sculpture looks like it is in pain and shifts between various monster phases and forms the Drifter has experienced.
3. Warp Weather: The assorted moon shards have been pulled toward the towers. Gathered together their warping nature is channeled towards the sky. And various weather starts to unfold; auroras snake across the sky before turning to thunderstorms, then rain shifts into a fog that distorts sounds and melts into bright sunlight. The weather is wild and varied, and often hostile.

NAVIGATION

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Donnie holds up a claw, then traces- or rather carves a circle into the stone floor in front of him with little effort.

"He can open portals," he reiterates, tracing out another circle some distance away. "They are virtually an opening between one space and another, like a doorway. So long as it's held open, anyone can pass through."

“That’s amazing!” Rock exclaimed excitedly, “So your brother can just come over here any time, right? I think he’ll be able to get us out of the temple that way, Donnie!”

He then spots the carved circles on the floor, and turns to face Donnie.

“You can teleport too? I’ll have to ask Doctor Light to see if he can let me teleport the same way when I come back!”

"Well, only if he's actually been here before to know what it looks like. I know some of the others from the Convoy have found their way here but I haven't seen Leo."

There's not much Donnie can remember of anything regarding how he even found the place himself.

He shakes his head. "No, portals are only Leo's thing."

Understandably, Rock winced.

"Gah, then that means . . ."

He hates that he's going to be saying that to Donnie.

". . . we'll have to figure it out ourselves until we can find help."

Rock then looks to Donnie with dying hope (in a figurative sense, not literal), "Donnie, do you know where you first entered into the temple? I wish I can be of much help, but staying here for the past several days had me forgetting how I got inside . . ."

Donnie doesn't look nearly as concerned. Finding the way out of here was never the problem, at least for him.

He rolls forward, setting his hands on the ground to stretch like a cat before slinking towards the shadows of the corridor he'd come from earlier.

"There's a few ways in. One of them is less of a doorway and more of a window. How are you at climbing?"

"If there is anything that I can grab onto, then I think I'll be able to get out of the temple alongside you . . ." Rock noted quietly. "Where exactly did you find that window? Wasn't that how you managed to get inside the temple in the first place, Donnie?"

"Don't remember how I got in here," he admits as he continues on.

Eventually the space lightens up again, if faintly, but it's easy to see where the window is. There aren't many handholds save for the spaces between a few decoratively exposed bricks until a point where some broken masonry against the wall forms a bit of a ledge. It's much the same further up until the window itself, which at least seems large enough for someone Donnie's size to slip through. The dusty broken glass on the floor below suggests that it's been a long while since it had collapsed inwards.

Donnie glances at Rock, then at the wall, not even bothering with finding handholds as he simply digs his claws and talons into the stone and starts to climb.

"Wait there," he says as he makes his way up. "I'm going to see if it's clear."

Darn it! Now the both of them are in trouble . . . until Donnie made that knowing look at him. He recognized that look, his frame relaxing a bit upon meeting his eyes.

Rock then nods, a determined look resting on his face as he transforms one of his hands into a Buster cannon.

"Right on," Rock said affirmatively. "I'll cover you in case anything happens, Donnie."

Ooh, he really wants to see how that thing works. Later, Donnie tells himself.

He scales the wall with disturbing ease, his tail snaking behind him. As he nears the window he slows, listening before he pulls himself up to its ledge to have a look outside.

Rock shifts his Buster cannon around his surroundings, his aim steady and glowing with charge. The Buster's light brightens up a part of his surroundings, tearing through the temple's darkness.

It seems to be clear on his end, but who knows what will pop out of that blanket of darkness and attack? Or come out if it isn't aggressive, that is.

Surely if something were lurking within, they would've been attacked by now. Donnie's even napped a few times, so he's pretty convinced that the threats are all out there somewhere.

He's not paying attention to Rock right now, eyes scanning outside, head cocking to listen for anything he can't see from this angle. Slowly, slowly, he pulls himself just outside of the window, keeping close to the wall as he slinks towards the rooftop.

"Donnie, you see anything out there?" Rock called out from below, keeping his cannon ready, "They're not in the area, right?"

He then turned back to his surroundings with a heavily restrained sigh, his eyes narrowing to readjust within the brightly lit radius of his cannon light.

"When you first got into the temple, you didn't see anything or anyone in there, right?" Rock asked, turning his gaze back to see Donnie slipping right out of the window.

Hopefully, his voice is loud enough for Donnie to hear.

It didn't have to be too loud; Donnie's hearing is exceptional, enhanced by his cerberus side along with his other senses, although sight belonged to the harpy. Unseen, his hackles go up as he cringes at Rock's call. He doesn't answer immediately, but that's because he's trying to make sure nothing else had heard him too.

After a moment, he releases the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, clambering back down the wall and poking his head in the window.

"What part of not drawing attention are you not understanding???" he hisses.

Ough, oof. Too loud, and Rock didn't even realize it!

Upon seeing the clearly displeased Donnie pop his head back into the window, Rock grits his teeth painfully as he turned his eyes down to the ground. At this point, Rock is now sporting the same sad expression Rush would express whenever he is in pain.

Ouch.

"I'm sorry!" Rock said, his tone now more subdued, "I just — I just wanted to make sure everything is OK out there."

Silence.

"Nobody's . . . out there waiting for us to get eaten, right?"

Donnie sighs, looking back over his shoulder for a moment before he glances back down.

"They're robotic, organic hybrids that absorb whatever they eat. I am not discounting that they might have highly sensitive sensors, but perhaps we'll be lucky and their own broadcast will drown out any other sounds."

He still looks annoyed. Already he can feel his agitation amplified for the resident monsters within.

"Get your butt up here now if you can. I don't see anything right now and I hope it stays that way, but I don't want to stick around long enough to push our luck."

Oh crud, he’s still miffed.

Upon transforming his cannon back into a hand, Rock quickly hoisted himself up the wall until he was finally able to lift himself over to the ledge. Eventually, Rock grips onto the edges of the window to swing his frame out into the opening.

This time, Rock remained quiet for the rest of his climb.

From above, Donnie watches Rock's progress, ready to move if he needs to grab the robot kid. But at least Rock seems capable, so as he gets to the window, the sometimes harpy-cerberus-turtle ducks back out to give him space.

He hangs onto the wall like some freakishly huge, winged chameleon, watching and listening. When Rock gets onto the ledge, Donnie starts moving up onto he roof again.

Shortly after reaching the ledge, Rock then hoists himself after Donnie onto the roof. It took a while for him to finally lift his foot over the edges of the roof, but Rock was eventually able to pull through and get his entire body onto safe ground.

"Doesn't seem to be anyone around right now," Donnie says, turning to scan their surroundings for the direction of the Convoy. Surely they must have stopped somewhere, but then he's not sure if there's an adequate area to do so when there are metal giants roaming.

Either way, he doesn't like staying down here. The sky stretches above them, and it has been far too long since he's flown.

"Come on," he says, his only warning before he pushes off, wings flapping, gathering the winds. He'll wrap his talons around Rock's arms and take off if the boy doesn't put up any resistance.

Whew, OK. Good to know.

Rock follows Donnie’s gaze, his eyes trailing up to the Convoy. But before he could open his mouth, Rock would immediately find himself off of the roof, his arms wrapped up by Donnie’s talons.

“Whoa, waoh —“ Rock almost trembles in Donnie’s grip, forcing himself to look above rather than below.

Donnie already has enough on his plate, and he certainly doesn’t need any more if they’re going to be so high in the sky to avoid those mechanical T-Rexes!

Up they go, Donnie using the winds to spiral higher, quicker. He doesn't want to risk being spotted by something, and while they'd be high enough to avoid being chomped, he knows sound can carry.

They rise higher, and Donnie circles wider as he looks around to seek out the Convoy. There are more ruins around, and when everything else seemed so open, would be the best choice for some sort of shelter.

"There," he says as he spies a few familiar vehicles parked within what must have been a sort of courtyard.

“Your friends, right?”

Rock’s eyes focus on the numerous vehicles within the area of the Convoy, attempting to peel his gaze away from looking down his feet. He can do that whenever he’s on the ground proper. Not worth risking if Donnie’s putting all the effort to carry him over.

"The Convoy," Donnie says, but there's relief in his voice.

He makes one more circle to be certain that nothing is around to have seen them in the sky before he makes his descent. It's a bit of a dive at first, but be breaks off into a slower spiral once they're closer to the ground.

Rock couldn’t help but smile at how utterly relieved Donnie sounds from mentioning the Convoy.

However, the boy almost yelps out upon taking the dive, his frame tensing up. Luckily, his frame relaxes upon the slower descent and slackens into Donnie’s grip upon touching the ground.

“Thanks, Donnie,” Rock managed to breathe out, his eyes shuttering in relief.

He makes sure Rock's feet are solidly set on the ground before letting go. Then he's dropping down right after, remaining on his legs for a moment as he looks around.

"...should be safe here. Once night falls, the shield will be in place. If you need a place to stay, you can use the main train. There are small rooms there, with beds if you want to rest."

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