APRIL EVENT LOG

[monstertruckers]

code

The grassland gives way to rougher terrain, green fading to cracked red earth with scraggly sharp-edged plants dotting the landscape. With no trees, the sky overhead feels massive, and almost oppressive with how the sun and moon shine down. It’s entirely at odds with the biting wind that often whips across the flatlands. The ground occasionally breaks open into crevasses or rolls along in arid hills, but it remains stark thorn brush for as far as the eye can see… Save for one strange, ominous tower on the horizon.

01:TOWER OF TRANSFORMATION

The tower looks like a giant fang, trying to bite the sky. A strange pressure emits from it and rests on the skin. Drifters can get closer to the tower, but the terrain is covered with puncturing spikes and sharp thorn brush. It will take a TOUGH vehicle to get close without getting cut. Anyone who bleeds within sight of the tower discovers their cuts are transformed; a monster’s form waits under their skin, and transforms them one injury at a time.

It takes several days to get close to the tower via Convoy, with how the road snakes and winds towards it. Drifters won’t be able to reach it without offroad vehicles until April 15th. Getting close to the tower reveals that it is formed out of a strange metal much like the Husks… And that numerous creatures have been melded into the tower’s surface. A strange red ichor seeps out from these forms. Coming into contact with it heals wounds and can revert one transformation.

Drifters can take some of the fluid with them, if they have means to carry it… But only one extra dose; any more makes the fluid unstable and neutralizes the effect entirely.

01-A: TWISTED MONSTERS

The land here is still littered with Husks, ready to break open to fight… But these monsters are more twisted than usual, and seem to be composed of multiple organisms. Prowling cat-centaur esque brutes called panthera protectors, ungainly catoblepas, reptile energy draining bloodhound dogs, and flying lion-bird anzu are all ready to attack with tooth and claw, to make Drifters all the more like them.

Given the influence of the tower, Drifters can feel their forms twisting, the more wounds they take, and the more the moon begins to form into something almost whole. By April 15th the wounds and moon are almost impossible to resist without either vials or message mementos. And those wounds are determined to drag a change out of Drifters. (Of note, Drifters who took on Harpy or Naga traits last month will find those changes can come back to them unnervingly easily, and blend with other creature changes to become a true chimera.)

These changes grow worse until the moon glow and shards reach their absolute peak on April 20th. At this point Twisted Land occurs.

02: ROAD ATTACK

A week into the thorn brush, chaos starts at sunset. The first warning is a metallic howl echoing down from the hills, followed by a rumble that could almost be thunder… If not for the fact that the sunset stained sky is completely clear. A swarm of metal sweeps over the hills, heading straight at the Convoy.

Running at the lead are more of those canine robots. The Convoy database again identifies them as ‘chromehounds’ and these are clearly in better repair; their fangs and claws are all razor sharp, and they are swiftly closing the distance. Close behind the hounds is a scattered assortment of scrap metal vehicles. The creatures driving aren’t quite human but also aren’t quite monsters; instead they are mechanical forms with just a few remnants of flesh on them. Robot riders and raiders, determined to harry the Convoy.

The goal of the raiders is to crash their vehicles into the Convoy, to slow or halt them. Drifters will need to either fight at a distance… Or hope that their monster side is tough enough for close and bloody combat!

02-A: ATTACK AND AFTERMATH

The attack patterns of the raiders depends on who they are targeting and how transformed the Drifters are. More monstrous Drifters earn full fury, and the vehicles blare with static and a patchy message: “…Purge… Corruption… By steel.” The raiders are determined to kill monsters, even at the cost of their own lives.

By contrast, less transformed Drifters may be overlooked, or only looked at suspicion. But if examined long enough, the raiders will eventually conclude less changed Drifters as still corrupt and attack them, especially if they are associated with the more monstrous!

Afterwards, mechanical salvage can be found to bolster the Convoy vehicles. The machines display a moon stabbed by a sword. It is the same as the symbols on the trap cars from February. Several raiders also carry odd talismans that resemble a rosary formed of tiny computer screens. Many of the screens are broken, but a few carry flickering text: “Your charge: To hunt the Warped. To purify the broken land, purge all sickness that twists us. Only then can Nirvana be opened, and the world reborn without corruption.”

03: OASIS

Just off the road are scattered oases, shining like blue gems in a red wasteland. The waters run surprisingly deep, with monstrous statues submerged in the depths. These statues resemble all 13 types of monsters, some of them even coloring the water depths into shades of green, purple, and red.

The oasis waters can’t fix or restore physical transformations. But it can cure any heat exhaustion with just a few sips, and restore lost strength. Red water can heal wounds, green restores magic fatigue, and purple can stabilize mental exhaustion and strain.

The statues also create a strange resonance on Drifters’ Sigil marks, particularly when Drifters submerge in the water. The statue resonance can’t completely revert transformations but they CAN spread out the transformation between two Drifters and lessen the potency.

04: MONSTER SHIFT, CHIMERA

Peculiar flowers bloom along some of the thorn brush. Drifters who bleed from the thorns will find that their cuts turn into Traits belonging to either Chimera or Unicorns. Chimeras typically appear from red flowered plants, and become increasingly tougher as they gain more traits. The following is also available:
+Tower focus: if growing extra eyes or heads, vision becomes disorienting. Focusing on the tower will help sharpen vision and provide clarity.
+Thermal flight on new wings, as the hot air coming off the ground helps them soar.
+Territorial hunter vs other fully shifted monsters/enemies.
+Blood taste/frenzy: becomes more savage as blood is shed, whether that is their own or others. If it is their own or an enemy, more aggressive; if it is an ally, more protective.
+An increasingly carnivorous and voracious appetite. Plus a craving for raw meat, and a drive to go hunt it personally; the fresher, the better.
+Tough hide. As 3 or more Chimera traits become active, the skin becomes increasingly tougher and harder for cuts and new transformations to occur.
+A sudden roar that cuts into words, easy for conversations to turn into a shouting match.

04: MONSTER SHIFT, UNICORN

As with Chimera, getting cut and bled by flower bearing thorns will impart unicorn traits on Drifters. This typically comes from thorn plants with white flowers. Unicorns have a knack for stabilizing the more violent changes… And perhaps even stopping transformations from bleeding. The following is also available:
+Horn Resonance, a ringing in the horn or forehead the closer one gets to the tower. Can result in either disorientation, or a boost in healing.
+Shift Healing: At the cost of taking on another unicorn/current monster trait, may heal another Drifter of one active trait. This can only be used once per character.
+An increasingly vegetarian diet, including the flowers off various thorn bushes.
+Increased pain or disorientation in the forehead as horn grows in. May also experience pain in feet (hooves) or back (wings or tail) though healing magic can alleviate pain.
+A compulsion to heal the injured or protect those who can. Similarly, a compulsion to protect the virtuous and aid them.
+Fight or Flight response: more likely to bolt at the sign of trouble with increased speed. If fleeing is not possible (or others are in danger) ready to fight to the death in desperate frenzy.
+Urge to run and be outdoors, gains an almost euphoric sensation when running at full speed.

05: TWISTED LAND

Finally the Convoy draws close to the tower and the moon glows balefully overhead, signaling an imminent Moon Warp. Shards of the tower fall away, exposing something encased in the surface. A chimera monster is pierced and pinned to the tower by swords. Elemental blood streams down, glowing in reaction to the Drifters, and causing the blades to glow in turn.

If Drifters make contact with the swords, they explode in a hail of shards, causing more wounds and damaging the tower. The shed blood twists the landscape. Deserts, forests, and swamps all shift together. With them come the hazards of those environments; quicksand, falling trees or strangling vines, terrible draining heat, all blending and switching without pattern. Such twisting weakens the tower. Further fragments break off and turn into monsters, aggressive and ready to fight. The Convoy braces against the twisting, but warning screens say that the shields are low on power. The shields occasionally waver, letting in the Moon Warp and monsters.

With the damage Drifters inflict in their battles, the environment twisting, and the sword shards, the tower crumbles away. It emits a burst of energy that disperses the land twisting, and ends the bloodshed transformations.

06: SALVE

In the aftermath of the warp, the tower has cracked and broken. A column of wavering light takes its place, reaching thin tendrils up towards the moon.

The red ichor leaks out of the tower in rivers, and any Husk it comes in contact with breaks open without transforming into a monster, instead releasing another glowing shard that travels upwards. Drifters can still harness this ichor to undo one change, though the limits still apply. Submerging in the ichor does not undo more than one change… Though it will stain Drifters with red.

The ichor can also heal wounds, and repair those quite thoroughly, acting as a good salve to mend Drifters from past battles.

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.

Twisted Creatures: Local fauna (flying rabbits, jackalopes, gorgons wandering in from the grasslands, etc) gets caught in the thorn bushes and begins bleeding, and turning into a monster. The process is slow and painful, giving Drifters enough time to get away from the scrub brush and the monster if they wish; or enough time to try and dispatch the creature.

Thorn brush: Clumps of thorn brush line the road. A time or two they even grow over the road and need to be hacked through, in order for the Convoy to proceed. The brush is almost like razor wire, with how sharp the thorns are, and how ready they are to slice up skin.

Watering Hole: Rarely, one can find a small oasis in the bleached land. Unfortunately, many of the twisted creatures want a drink from this place as well; it’s a task to grab water and avoid getting on their bad side.

NAVIGATION

Comments

[faceguy]

He heard that almost laugh! After everything today, it feels like an accomplishment.

But at the questions, he deflates. He doesn't have any answers for Donnie. He doesn't know any more.

Before Donnie arrived here too, he'd been pretty aimless. Following the convoy was natural, because it seemed like what he'd been brought here to do, so why not do it? It's not like he had anywhere else to be.

But now Donnie is here, and suddenly Leo has responsibilities again. It's just too bad he has no idea how to fulfill them.

He pulls a leg up onto the seat with him, curling around it.

"...If Raph was here," he says softly, small, "he'd want us to be heroes. Whatever that means in this place."

[purplexing]

This time the laugh is forced and bitter.

"To who? The only ones that seem to be in trouble are us. What all do we even know about where we're supposed to go? Is it going to fix anything?"

Donnie sounds frustrated, but then of course he is. He needs answers and there's just not enough. Nothing makes sense and that just makes it even harder to deal with for someone who styles himself as a problem-solver. Just trying to keep his brother safe is hard enough with actual monsters, but there are other things, intangible things that he doesn't know how to fight off or keep back with a firewall. He sinks further into his seat.

[faceguy]

Oh no, this isn't good. The last thing Leo wants is for Donnie to lose hope. To feel like it's all worthless.

And the thing is... the thing is, Leo agrees. There's a part of him that is so tired of fighting, of always getting back up when he gets knocked down. Who looks at the holes in his shell and remembers what put them there, and is gripped by fear. Who just wants to say, haven't I given enough?

But if he gives into that, he's afraid that all will be left is despair. And maybe, if it was just him, that would be okay. But he can't let Donnie go there. He has to keep his brother hopeful that he'll see their family again. He has to believe it.

So, even though he's still exhausted, and there are still chips falling from his shell, he gets to his feet.

"The people in the convoy," he says, spreading his hands. "None of us know where we're going, or if it will lead to a way back. But so many of them are looking into it. And there's people who will help us. Jayce and Ruby bandaged my shell, and Jack offered to make me clothes... There's people who make food and gather supplies, and who fight with us."

He holds his hand out to Donnie.

"I know it feels like we're alone. But we're not. I think, if we take care of them, they'll take care of us."

[purplexing]

"......"

His legs pulled up towards his chest, Donnie looks out the windshield at the bleak landscape. He doesn't look over at Leo even though he hears him moving.

The names are all familiar to him. He's met quite a few people since he'd gotten here, a lot of them who have probably been here just as long as Leo. Donnie wouldn't be able to turn his back on anyone no matter how mentally and emotionally exhausted he is. He squeezes his eyes shut, stiffling something that sounds much too close to a sob to to his own ears. Slowly he lifts his head, looking at Leo finally.

"...I know..."

He's so tired of everything.

"I know."

But he won't give up. He can't give up.

It still takes some effort, but he's trying. He won't give up, for Leo. Slowly, he reaches a hand out to take his brother's hand.

[faceguy]

Leo doesn't feel too much better when Donnie reaches for his hand; the exhaustion is still evident in the set of his shoulders. But at least he's trying. That's all Leo can possibly ask.

He smiles, grim as the mood is, and squeezes Donnie's hand.

"We can stay here for now, though," he promises. "I think we did enough for today."

Especially because, with his mind running wild, the way it had out there, Leo's not sure how effective he would be. If he's just going to be a hindrance, it's better to wait this one out... probably.

[purplexing]

Donnie squeezes back. They've taken on the Shredder and gooey alien brains. It's like they'd said back then, and it should still hold true, maybe more than ever, even now. They're stronger together, because they're not alone. And as that really starts to sink in, it lifts some of weight off his shoulders. Not all of it, but...it's still something.

But he doesn't disagree on that part either. And acknowledging that they're not the only ones here fighting to find a way through this, it feels a little better. They're not abandoning anyone. But they have other people they can rely on, and maybe...

Maybe they don't have to be expected to fight all the battles.

"...you could stay in the Tank anytime..." he says quietly. "If you wanted." It's safer than on a motorcycle. And less lonely.

[faceguy]

Leo's eye ridges quirk up at that. He's been staying in the bunks since Donnie got here because... well, honestly, because he thought Donnie would want to keep the tank his own space. It's not like they ever shared a room back home. Probably because they'd kill each other before the first night was over...

But things are so different from when they were last home together, at least for Leo. Even without this place, with everything else that's happened.

Leo was never opposed to sticking close. And he's definitely not now.

"Okay," he says easily.

But then he glances around the tank's interior and huffs. "But we'll have to do something about the sleeping situation in here. I know you'll crash in any chair you were working in, but I like having an actual bed, thanks."

[purplexing]

Donnie had always been used to having his own space, it's true. But the Turtle Tank had always been meant for all of them. Having it all to himself has just been too strange. He manages to mostly internalize his sigh of relief, a ghost of a smile almost making itself known upon his face when Leo replies.

The snort is easier to release, everything else falling into place thereafter.

"Well, if you find an actual bed, you are welcome to put one in," he says, waving a hand. He's not even going to deny the whole crashing in any chair thing, not when he's been more or less sleeping curled up in Raph's seat.

[faceguy]

That is not at all an encouraging answer!

"I'll steal the mattress from my bunk," he decides. He'll have to go back anyway to get his snacks and other trinkets. And the picture, of course; it's the most important thing he owns here.

[purplexing]

Looking for a bed has been the least thing on his mind!! ...but at least he's been sleeping. More or less...

Donnie nods, seeming to figure that it's the best solution, and more importantly, it'd be more comfortable for his brother. Slowly he uncurls a little more from the seat until he sets his feet back down on the floor.

"...guess that can happen later. I'll help you move things."

[faceguy]

More or less... But it's not really like Leo can judge that much, since he's barely been better.

But at the agreement, Leo can't help but smile a little. Small and exhausted, but there.

"Cool, thanks."

And with that he will collapse back into a seat, his usual this time. Standing all that time was just making it worse; his wound may be treated, but his leg muscles still ache.

[purplexing]

They're getting somewhere. They've managed to climb out of a dangerous rut, and while Donnie wouldn't necessarily say they've found some stable footing, it's a fair better space than where they'd been not ten minutes ago. He finds himself smiling back, faintly.

Nodding, he lets himself mold into the seat as much as his shell allows him. Maybe now they can get some actual rest so they'll be better able to tackle whatever else this world throws at them and their fellow Drifters.