FEBRUARY EVENT LOG

[monstertruckers]

code

The Convoy begins a slow path through the forest, and a long road winding between the trees. The vegetation hangs thick overhead, with a perpetual state of dim light hanging over the surroundings. Sunlight and moonlight both have a hard time piercing the gloom. And alongside that is a sense of danger looming in the shadows.

01: DEPARTURE/MINGLE

Dawn arrives after a long and demanding night. As wane sunlight leaks through the forest, the forcefield flickers out. In its place, the Convoy hums to life. Engines thrum, breakfast appears in the dining car, and the speakers crackle with a pre-recorded, automated voice.

“The Convoy will depart in three hours. Please ready yourself for the trip. Secure your belongings, prepare your vehicle, remain as human as possible. End destination… Nirvana. Repeat, the Convoy will depart in three hours.”

The recording drones on a loop, before fading out in a crackle of static. Before departure there’s a few matters to attend to, some more pressing than others:
+Breakfast consists of bland porridge. Some might want better food, and with a decently stocked kitchen, one can make better.
+The showers have lost any hot water. Surely there’s some way to fix the heater or provide some hot water? Or otherwise grumble through a cold shower.
+There’s plant growth where the Husks have been felled. Flowering vines grow over the Convoy, and need to be pruned for departure. The foliage has an odd effect if directly touched, instilling wanderlust and curiosity. The affected feel compelled to wander… Or be curious about others!

02: HAUNTED GROVE

The trees grow into a tangle just a few paces off the road. They almost envelop the buildings, absorbing the structures until only the roofs are visible. The branches become more twisted, and almost arm-like when reaching out to you.

Vines hang like nooses from the trees. And a closer look shows moss ridden Husks draped in the branches. Still, those who ignore those ominous signs can find supplies growing and hanging from the branches; repair materials, and unnerving types of food like canned ham and frozen pizza.

And then… There’s the effect from staying in the shade of the trees for too long. There’s a lethargy that clings to you, even as it eases the changes wracking your body. Resting underneath the grove can heal a Drifter of one change, and leave them feeling soothed… But all of this is by design. The grove WANTS you to stay there and become a part of it, so that it can ensnare you with vines or absorb you into trees. It can restore Drifters, but if they stay there for too long they’re going to need some rescuing.

03: WRECK

There’s a collection of abandoned cars in the forest clearings. Some cars are better preserved than others, some even containing cargo, weapons, and ammo, with a possibility to scavenge equipment off them…

…If not for the traps, set around the wreckage in the form of steel jaw bear traps and snares. All of them are coated in something that leaves the vision blurry and sets hearts into overdrive. If exposed to too much of it, there’s suddenly a reason for that near panic; hallucinations of fears can easily flare up.

There’s also things prowling the wreckage on four metallic canine legs, with gleaming chrome teeth and red headlights for eyes. The guidance computers on nearby vehicles flash an alert as they draw close; identifying them as chromehounds, though these have seen better days. Dented, damaged, but still fierce enough. And still ready to pounce on anyone caught in the traps or drugged with fear toxin.

While the chromehounds can be dispatched, the fear toxin will have to run its course. Closer examination of the hounds and traps shows an insignia of a sword piercing the moon.

03-A: MONSTER NEST

Hostile beasts lurk in the woods. Many are cautious, nocturnal creatures that prefer to emerge at night, and hunt any Drifter who has strayed outside the reach of the Convoy forcefield.

A massive monster nest dwells in a crumbling, abandoned overpass in the middle of the forest. The Convoy does its best to give the area a wide berth, but it’s entirely possible Drifters might still stumble across it: particularly if some of the more annoying creatures like Great Jagras steal food and take it back to the den.

Many of the beasts make their dens in abandoned vehicles littering the overpass: Jagras and Slicemargl take up the better spots, while noxicaps and scavengers linger on the fringes. But the most territorial are the mutant bears, occupying the darker parts of the underpass.

04: SHRINE

The moon glows balefully overhead some nights. An eerie light glows across the sky, like a burning aurora that exacerbates any symptoms the Drifters have picked up this month. Sometimes the trees help to muffle this maddening light. But not always.

There is however a remedy that blocks out the light; dotted near the road or just off the forest paths are shrines carved from stone and wood. The aurora dims near these shrines, and offers breathing room. Small offerings dot the alters, and some are even medicines that can alleviate hallucinations, wanderlust, and the like.

But there’s a price for taking these offerings; the various candles dotting the shrines ignite, flames reaching for the intruder, and burn either a monster change, or a message into their skin. It’s equal odds which one a Drifter receives. The message fades in the span of the month, but offers cryptic words regarding the world, and can be logged in the Convoy database.

05: STASIS WARNING

Pockets of something… Wrong lurk on the road, or just off the path. Many of them are lined with Husks twisted into horrified expressions. Others are little more than a faint distortion and ripple in the air. But once a Drifter wanders into the pockets, the effects become all too clear.

The pockets are alarmingly still when stepped inside. This stillness tries to seep into anyone in the pocket, making them stiffen, their thoughts go sluggish and almost halt… But the Sigils on their skin dispel this before it can completely overtake a Drifter. Sigils disperse the field with explosive results; bursts of fire or electricity, surges of plant grown, rock explosions all burst as the field is dispelled.

The one warning for these pockets are strange symbols and the words ‘STASIS’ inscribed on rocks, trees, and signs around these pockets, warning about them. A couple crisscross the roads needed to take out of the forest. It seems that a Tough vehicle could easily wade in and survive the explosions of magic, while a Fast vehicle would be capable of outracing any trouble… While those on foot will need to hope for the best, or for fast healing.

06: RADIO HOUR

After several days of travel, and around nightfall the Convoy approaches a resting point ringed in Husks. It resembles a log cabin, with some unnerving traits; first, the trees near the cabin become more rigid and geometric, almost like pylons. Second is the large radio tower growing out of the cabin itself. Once the Convoy is in range, the radios, phones, and screens all crackle to life. Screens display a broadcasting logo, followed by an emergency signal drone. Astute Drifters can check the dates that pop up, and realize that this is an old recording.

“Attention, this is an emergency broadcast. Seek shelter immediately. A moon warp is imminent. Repeat, a Moon Warp is imminent. Impact: falling moon shards will cause destruction and distortions. Prepare by seeking cover inside shields. Those caught outside will be twisted. Seek shelter immediately.”

Outside the Husks pulse, and the broken moon shimmers. Several bright spots in the sky grow brighter… And larger, as shards of moon fall. The Convoy comes to a wrenching halt. A warning siren echoes, before the Convoy deploys its shield. Those inside are safe from the worst of the Warp, able to hide out in the Convoy. Nothing like a good time to bond with whoever you’ve been shut in with, right?

07: MONSTER HOUR

Those outside the Convoy will be in for a rougher time. The glow from the falling moon shards has a way of piercing into the brain and forcing a full transformation for as long as the Moon Warp lasts.

During the Warp, there’s plenty of trouble for Drifters. The Husks glow before bursting into a pack of violent, wolf-esque gryphons called Nargacuga, and a host of other beasts. These monsters favor scaling trees for dive attacks, or hauling Drifters up into the branches. But with their focus on the Drifters, the Nargacuga are easy prey for the chromehounds nearby, which pounce in a tangle and clash.

By dawn, the Warp has worn off. The Nargacuga are dead, while the chromehounds have been smashed. Transformed Drifters have two options in the aftermath; either they've burned off so much energy fighting they revert into an exhausted state. They will likely be suffering from disorientation and require rest, healing, and anchoring from others. Alternately, Drifters run wild ahead of the Convoy as something draws them north; they will have a chance to revert next month, in the Messages prompt!

07-A: MONSTER BRAWL

One particularly large and ferocious Nargacuga leads the pack of monsters… And seems to have a particular hatred for technology. He attacks the radio tower, doing his best to knock it down, and then strikes at the Convoy only to be deflected by the shields. Once he’s deflected, he vents his rage on the Chromehounds.

The radio picks up something from the lead Nargacuga each time he bleeds, and a patchy broadcast happens, with different fragments heard by different people:
1. “Serenith has ordered. I obey. Obliterate every trace of Wardens, cull their human flock. Justice for the packs they murdered.”
2. “Keep bleeding them until the moon Breaks, just like she ordered.”
3. “They gave me a place and a pack, where I could hunt.”
4. “Be ruthless. The Steel Wardens aren’t different, with the children they cull.”
5. “Hate… Loss… Blood. Always more blood.”

In its death throes the Nargacuga obliterates any remaining Husks, littering the area with quicksilver pools. Drifters must be careful around these pools, as contact with them will cause all pre-assigned monster traits next month to linger without special treatment.

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.

Radio Trees: A strange line of geometric trees leading towards the radio tower cabin. The closer a Drifter gets, the more they can hear faint music and old broadcasts regarding moon phases.

Hunting Grounds: An area of burnt out husks that have already burst open. There’s a few monster carcasses scattering the area, along with broken weapons and bullet casings. A symbol has been carved into the monsters, or a moon pierced by a sword.

Forest Flowers: A clearing that lacks the grasping trees from before, and instead is taken up by crystalline flowers. They give off a pleasant fragrance, and help to relax characters. Can be crushed into a medicine to help cure long lasting fear toxin effects.

Falling Trees: Drifters are advised to be careful of falling trees obstructing the road, and which may need to be hacked through. Granted, what’s knocking over the trees is another question entirely!

Lakeside: streams and rivers thread the forest, occasionally creating marshy areas. These rivers eventually feed into a massive lake that borders the radio tower cabin. The water is cloudy, and the bottom of the lake covered with the remains of destroyed chrome hounds: they’ve clearly been torn apart by the nargacuga prowling the area.

NAVIGATION

Comments

Levi | Fear & Hunger 2: Termina

[solitarysoul]

01

Levi does not sleep well the first night, but he never does. What snatches of sleep he gets, crashed on some couch or out of the way chair, is troubled. In the morning he's quiet, withdrawn (this is normal) and almost seems like he's sleepwalking through getting ready. Bland food and cold showers? His mornings have consisted of this since he was young. In the orphanage if you didn't get into shower quickly the hot water would have run out, and on the front warm water was a rare treat.

He's more alert when he gets outside, morning air and unfamiliar surroundings perking him up. There was something different here, something he could help with. The rusty blade he'd been swinging to take down monsters the night before was originally a gardening tool. While it severed limbs without much trouble, it was meant to chop branches off of trees. Strange vines were no problem, so he makes rounds of the convoy to do some pruning.


04 - Fuck the moon.

While Levi was getting the hang of the bike because of its beginner mode he was far from in control of it. Going straight for long or turning was hard. He ended up going off road and tumbling off the motorcycle a number of times. Occasionally there was something interesting for the boy with the rifle and dog nose to check out briefly, but the shrine he's skidded to a stop at this time grabs more of his attention.

It was clearly a shrine; he'd seen enough ritual circles and godly symbols during Termina that he has no problem IDing that. But a shrine to what? He's tense and careful as he nears it to examine the markings and offerings. The offerings are...interesting. Some almost seemed like some sort of medicine? What would a god need with something like that?

One way or another he realizes just what this was a shrine too. Symbols he recognized, after a moment, as representing the moon dotted the shrine.

Levi hated the moon.

He growls, almost inhumanly, and swipes the offerings off of the shrine. Rher deserved one of this, the moon god deserved nothing but pain for the suffering he caused. But when he did so the candles flared and burned, flame quickly jumping from them to his bare arm. With a snarl Levi steps back and pulls the arm close; as he does the flames die down but instead of burns words appear across it. What the hell?

He doesn't learn his lesson, though. The next shrine he encounters he treats the same way.


05

The first stasis bubble Levi ends up in he does by accident. Sure the road had warning signs but roads always had warning signs and he paid no attention to any of them, leaving him to drive directly into one. Time slows and his thoughts with it, but a shake of his head and an instinctive flare of the sigil on his neck frees him. A burst of flame surrounds him, exploding the road around him but leaving Levi only slightly singed. His already battered looking bike doesn't seem to have any issues either.

The first time he stops for a few moments to catch his breath and figure out just what happened. He doesn't really get it, but it seemed like whatever he did helped? The strange force slowing everything down seemed to have been destroyed with the blast. Perhaps that could be useful?

Later times he drives into fields on the road on purpose, pausing only to make sure he hasn't caught anyone in the blasts after they occur before continuing on.


07 - It was the coming of the...

Levi couldn't stay behind the shields if people might be in trouble, especially since he didn't trust the shields. He'd managed to find some ammo but not nearly enough for a large scale battle, so he left his rifle at his motorcycle and just took his blade. It went well enough at first, but he had no defense against the moon warp. His body twisted, starting off mostly human with some very obvious canine traits but as his grip on his mind went he abandoned his blade and human form completely.

Instead, a large, black german shepherd with glowing red eyes stalked around the convoy. This was his home now, and he had no thoughts other than to protect it. Though not supernaturally so, he's fast and his teeth are sharp and he goes straight for the throat or other weak points. His howl fills one with fear and dread, pushing monsters, objects and people back as it goes on.

Outside of the shields the beast sees no distinction between friend and foe. He may work with other monsters to take down bigger ones, but if he deems one (PC or otherwise) gets too close to the convoy he will turn on them. Bright lights and symbols your character sees as holy will drive him away, though, and he'll give any Celestials a wide berth.


0?

((Levi can be found looking around other off road points of interest as well if you want to run into him at those. Or let me know if you have any other ideas. You can reach me at ConnectiveTrick or on discord @ nvrknwsbst

I'll mark and Content Warnings as they come up and, as always, will match style.))

04

[becomerobot]

[Viktor had been keeping an eye on Levi, helping where he could and generally checking in on the young man since they met. However, he cannot keep up with a motorcycle in his clunky Cybertruck which he retooled for accessibility. It had decent acceleration for a vehicle of such size, but Viktor didn't push it, since stopping the damn thing was... unreliable at best.

So, he's only just approaching the glow of the shrine when he spots a flash of fire from it. Oh, what now? Viktor slams the truck to a skidding stop and realizes that he's narrowly avoided Levi's bike. Damn stuck has terrible visibility, too! Viktor practically throws the door open, stepping down from it and rushing as well as he can with a cane beneath one arm-]

Levi! What happened-? I saw a flash. Are you alright?

[solitarysoul]

[He peers down at the words on his arm perplexed until he hears Viktor. Then he turns towards the other man.]

I-I'm fine. The shrines are...protected somehow. It...burned me? But...

[He just trails off and holds up the 'wounded' arm.]

[becomerobot]

Burned- is it severe? Do you need bandages?

[Viktor has some basic medical supplies he yoinked from the convoy or scavenged up before they left their first location, nothing at all fancy. Nothing he won't spare to Levi, either.

He finally moves his way closer and see the burns for himself-]

Runes-? No... they're words? [curiosity always gets the best of him]

[solitarysoul]

[Levi holds his arm out so Viktor can get a better look. He has no idea what to make of this but figures its over his head and Viktor seemed smart.]

Aspect of...chaos?

[becomerobot]

What a dramatic and inefficient way to convey information...

[Viktor huffs, giving the full message a read regardless. It does seem important. He will commit it to memory and write it into some notes later. What matters more now is Levi,]

Do it hurt? I'll fetch bandages from my... truck. [sure, that's what it is]

5

[faceguy]

Leo thinks he's wrong. He really hopes he's wrong.

But he's pretty sure Levi just drove into one of those weird shimmery pocket things on purpose.

He watches as the blast clears, then angles his motorcycle Levi's way, careful not to get too close - and to watch the road ahead for any more.

Then he calls out, "Dude? You good?"

[solitarysoul]

"Yeah. I'm fine...did it get you?"

[faceguy]

"No." Leo drives closer, pulling up by Levi. "Did it get you?"

[solitarysoul]

[He shakes his head.]

I'm fine. As long as the stasis bubble or whatever is gone its fine.

[faceguy]

Uh, maybe we can come up with a way to get rid of them that doesn't involve just driving straight into them?

[He thinks this is a reasonable suggestion!]

Burst bubble (5)

[killjoyprince]

[She was more cautious. When she'd seen the warnings, she'd slowed down. Scanning the road ahead of her as she stedily made her way along. Not that it helped, she wasn't sure what 'Stasis' meant in this context. What exactly was she looking for here?

Then Levi went whizzing past and a wall of fire hit her.

It didn't last long. But it was still enough to singe her, making her swerve to and fro for a moment before straightening out.

She kept moving for a few yards, then pulled up to look behind her.]

What...was that?

[One of her long ears were burnt ;-;]

[solitarysoul]

[Oh shit, did he get someone? Crap, he'll need to be more careful.]

A-are you okay? I'm sorry, I didn't notice you were so close.

I burst the bubble.

[killjoyprince]

I noticed... [Drily. Yup, she'd noticed when the blast had nearly knocked her over.]

At least no one was right above it. We'll have to watch out for those, it'd be bad if it our supplies got caught in it.

[solitarysoul]

I've been trying not to do it when people are too close...

[But sometimes he's not the best at controlling his bike or it takes a moment for the sigil to burst the bubble.]

[killjoyprince]

Oh, you were aware that one was there then... [She thought he'd not noticed it.] I wish there was some way of knowing the effects of each one without setting them off.

04!

[hexrot]

[ under the effects of medication and injections, jayce manages to reach the shrine and see what they're all about. he comes prepared, mercury hammer in one hand and some loose sheets in his back pocket, grateful for some respite from his fatigue else he'd never be able to make the climb. the problem had been actually getting there, where the edges of his hunger and deteroration creeps in. . . worse, somehow, hitting him with double the impact. jayce could feel his heart beginning to pound and his vision going black around the edges. his breathing picks up, he staggers for the temple offerings in a thoughtless panic and just thinking of what he could grab at or do to stop this. the hammer falls and clatters with an ugly, otherworldly clang of metal, and his trip against the alter comes soon after.

he swipes for anything he could get his hands on, barely registers the burn of flames on his right wrist before he's already toppling to the ground sideways. it looks like . . . medication, was in his hands. at around the same time he goes to quickly try and pry off the lid, his heart slows itself and his vision begins to gradually clarify. he's not hungry. if he believed in god, he'd thank them.

he'll need some time to breathe before he realizes the message he's recieved, but for now— his head rolls along his shoulders to drop his gaze and see . . . a boy. was he always there or was jayce so out of it he didn't notice? he breathes— in and out, shakey and uncertain, trying to blink his way back to the sturdiness of reality. ]

Are . . . You real?

[ he's hallucinated before. he's not sure he's ever seen him before. maybe in passing, within the convoy, but he cannot make the connection. ]

[solitarysoul]

[Levi was frowning at the shrine when Jayce stumbled in. The man looked intent on it so he'd stepped out of the way. Now he's...stabilized some? That was probably good, though he doesn't really trust the drugs or whatever was on the shrine.]

Yeah...a-are you okay?

[Says the pale boy with the eastern european ish accent, dog nose and brand new erect wolf-like ears.]

D-do you need help? I can take you back to the convoy.

[Though beyond that he's not sure he can do anything.]

[hexrot]

[ that fucking accent. the features aren't the problem, there're so many races of beings that jayce couldn't be bothered to treat it as something new, but . . . the accent, of all things, is what makes his eyes go owlish in trying to make sure he was really there. if everyone is going to sound like viktor now, at least he'll die to the soothing drawl of his syllables. daek humor to deal with this (he's actually okay with that, although he'd prefer the real viktor).

jayce shakes his head, waves his hand halfway beforw it falls to his lap. ]

Just need– a rest.

[ jayce fixates his gaze on him for a few silent moments, making sure that he was real, before he decides to talk back. if he's talking to air at this point, oh well. ]

What's that . . . You got?

[solitarysoul]

I-i got? I-I don't really have anything...b-but I can help you back to the cars or something.

[hexrot]

[ jayce placidly waves him off again; a heavy "later" sort of snap of his wrist, but his brows pulling up in an attempt to look grateful for the offered aid rather than flippant about it. he really just needs a rest.

in the meantime, he'll read the label of the little bottle he's got before downing some of them dry. it sucks, but he's not waiting. he can take a better look at the inside of his right wrist, too, a message dawning it that he has to squint for.
]

The Third Tenant . . .

07

[cheshiredgun]

( Oh. Ah? Nagumo's glancing behind himself at the three fluffy tails sprouting out his ass, when a flash of bloody red has the man high-tailing, or rather teleporting, out of the jaws of a feral dog and onto the safety of a tree-branch. )

—Bad dog!

( Nagumo yells down at the thing with a sing-song voice. There was a lot going on, okay? First the tails, then the claws and flufy cat ears... He wasn't too interested in becoming dog chow just yet... However, he wasn't inclined to run to safety either.

He's a gambling man, after all.

Snapping a tree branch off with his hand, Nagumo starts waving it at the dog. )

You wanna fetch?

[solitarysoul]

[Up a tree meant not getting closer to the convoy and Levi's almost ready to leave it at that, then the man starts waving the branch. An attempt to distract him? He's not that sort of dog! So in response he growls and barks angrily.]

[cheshiredgun]

( That got the dog's attention!

...Even if Nagumo would have been better not taunting him.

Oh well. Too late now! )

Eh? Not a fan?

( He laughs while continuing to bait Levi with the stick. But not for long. Because Nagumo's apparent safe haven... was swarming with Nargacuga, perched on higher branches and poised to swoop... )

How about catch!?

( And Nagumo swings at wolf-like gryphon before it's talons can reach him. A base-ball hit like no other as he thwacks the poor monster straight at Levi. )

[solitarysoul]

[Another monster batted back at him wasn't something he expected, but Levi is always on edge and has the reflexes, especially in this form, to jump aside in time. The Thing in the tree is still a possible threat, but right now the disoriented Nargacuga crashed on the floor is a more immediate one.

He doesn't have much time, but the beast is in an awkward position and struggling to get up which is all he needs. He goes straight for the throat, locking his jaw and shaking his head until he tears a hunk of flesh free.

The Nargacuga really doesn't have much time left after that.]