JUNE EVENT LOG

[monstertruckers]

code

Eventually, gravity behaves normally as the Convoy reaches a new region. Rivers crisscross this area, carving paths through hills and valleys alike. The vegetation has come back in earnest, after being thinned out by the thorn scrub and ragged brush. Now green grass and flowers are thick on the hills, along with scattered trees. The weather begins to cloud over, with dour skies and rain being a constant. The moon and sun alike are often smothered by clouds, making for gloomy and moody scenery in turns.

01: GAS STATION GALLOWS

Surprisingly, there’s another gas station so soon, right where the river bends. With sheets of rain coming down and the sky growing dark, it looks like the safest spot… At least until the Convoy comes in close. Bodies hang from the roof of the gas station, like macabre puppets on strings and nooses. They have long since turned to Husks with hints of transformations poking through. A message has been spray painted on the ground: “PURGE.” Under the message is a symbol of a sword piercing the moon, and a name: “Steel Wardens.”

The Convoy tries start the speakers, like in the grasslands… But something is wrong. Last month’s attacks took a heavy toll on the Convoy. Instead, the phones of various Drifters start playing the melody. A crackling transmission comes in:
“Sorry… Gotta ask this of you. Only way to help these poor bastards on their way. In return… Try to answer your questions-”

The radio cuts out after that. But if Drifters choose, they can send out a message after sending a Husk on their way. The radio will try to answer, though reception is still patchy and responses are short.

02: BROKEN SHIELD

As the Convoy tries to settle down for an evening, something goes wrong. The shield flickers in and out, before popping like a soap bubble. While most of the local Husks have been exorcised thanks to fellow Drifters, it’s still a tense couple of nights.

And without the shield, the effects of the moon becomes more vivid. Some nights the storm clouds help mask the moon and dampen the call… But other nights it can break through the gloom and shine harshly on the Convoy. Drifters may find themselves spending sleepless nights wandering the Convoy perimeter… Or maybe wandering out into the wilds. Where there’s still no shortage of other monsters prowling around, and waiting to pounce on any fresh meat. A few of them may even try raiding the Convoy now that the shield is down. Some Drifters may opt to form watches during the night, or try to find some form of fitful sleep. After several nights of this, the Convoy itself seems to have had enough, with how the screens flare up one morning to show a map and repeat a message:

“Scan complete. Field Generator components found nearby. Request immediate retrieval and installation.”

03: POWER PLANT APPROACH

The structure in question lays in the middle of a lake, fed by several rivers. It looks like some form of old water-fed power plant, with broken wheels still turning. Approaching the power plant is possible through either precarious and half rusted bridges (travel on foot is advised!) or through fording the water. Though that carries its own risk. (See Prompt 4: Don’t Drown.)

Approach on the bridges is a risky matter. The metal looks ready to fall apart if too much weight is placed on it. Hopefully Drifters approaching this way are light footed, or have some means of rescue if the floor breaks underneath them.

The power plant also has its own defenses in the form of floating puffer fish flying above the lake, and strange elongated diving monsters swimming the depths. The Blugu attack with needles and sleep bubbles, trying to knock any Drifters of bridges into the waters below for the Divers.

03-A: POWER PLANT EXPLORATION

The Convoy reports say that the generator is in several components that different groups of Drifters need to find in the old building. Be warned that there’s flooding in parts of the hallways, the deeper one goes. And the water might still very well have some weird, transformative properties! If it doesn’t, there are still partially submerged hallways that reflect Drifters anxieties, regrets, and insecurities back on them. But with searching, Drifters can find generator components in the following rooms:
Boiler Room, where an old machine still shoots out super hot steam that can easily burn and scald.
Bone Room, which clearly isn’t part of the old workings, but something has co-opted this room and turned it into a collection of bones. Bones from monsters, metal bones from husks… All of them carrying sharp edges.
Cold Room, where repeated Moon Warps have turned this room into a freezer. At least the component isn’t damaged, and just needs to be chipped out of the ice?
Electric Room, which has gone a bit haywire, with stray bolts of electricity criss-crossing the room. The component lays in the center, but to reach it the electricity must be dodged or redirected.

03-B: POWER PLANT INSTALLATION

Jars:There is one more room taking up a chunk of the ruins. It is filled with jars that reach from floor to ceiling… And those jars have people in them. Or the remains of people. They’re overgrown by vines and plantlife, turned to Husks, and their heads are broken and cut open. Drifters likely have a good guess on where those brain monsters from last month came from.

Next to the jars is a monitor with a brief message: “Contact lost with----. Engaging emergency sleep procedures. We may never wake, but we need to try.” There’s a handful of people still intact in their jars… But getting too close to them trips an alarm system. Chromehounds, lasers, the works all turn on to try and drive Drifters away from the room!

Installation:Thankfully, returning to the Convoy and installing the generator pieces is easy enough. They fit together easily, almost magnetically. Anyone with a degree of tech savviness can aid in the effort, and a compartment in the Convoy opens up to help install the generator.

After this, the shield finally hums to life, and nights become a lot more peaceful.

04: DON'T DROWN

There’s a river that snakes through the landscape. It turns blood red during sunsets, glows with starlight at night, and is an almost hypnotic blue during the day. Once or twice, the Convoy crosses over it on long bridges. And it eventually empties into a massive lake with the abandoned powerplant in the center.

If someone chooses to ford the river or take a dip in it, something more unnerving happens. The waters go still and reflect the Drifter, no matter how much splashing is done. The deeper anyone goes, the more the reflection grows; most of the time, the reflection is some aspect a Drifter would sooner keep hidden. The river might even replay an image of something they regret.

If a Drifter gets up to their chest in the water, their reflection snaps into a monstrous form, and something pulls them underwater. When they emerge they are completely changed. This effect lasts the entire month before wearing off in dryer climates: the only way to cut it short is to take Salve from the thorn scrub, or gamble with the hospital medicines.

05: MONSTER SHIFT, MERFOLK

The waters of this area have one last twist; submerging imparts Merfolk traits. On top of all Merfolk traits the following is also available this month:
+Double Drowning: Merfolk with the compulsion to drown other creatures can find some very tempting targets along the river banks; horse-like creatures lingering near the waters. But upon contact with the creatures, it becomes clear that not only are they life-like machines, they rapidly disassemble into weighted nets. Or they just explode into shrapnel; either option can spell trouble for the Merfolk!
+Current Thrall: whenever the sun sets, the river currents change to something more chaotic and twisted, uncertain which way to flow. This lasts until moonrise, when they settle on flowing the opposite way. But it will be up to Merfolk to shape water or survive the twisting currents until then.
+Illuminating Light: Bioluminescence can light up the bottom of lakes and rivers, revealing the remains of Husks and almost prophetic writing carved into stone.
+Not So Dry Land: Merfolk pulled onto dry land can shape water into containers and spheres to keep them hydrated… And with some focus and practice, even give themselves a way to surf across land!
+Bigger Fish: The lakes and rivers hold their share of monsters besides the Merfolk. Some, like Mizutsune and packs of Forneus and Divers, see Merfolk as viable prey, and appetizing to boot.

06: DROWNED SONG

The power plant shifts the further it sinks into the depths. Waters flood the lower levels, and transform the structure; industrial concrete and tunnels are replaced by ornate columns and a spacious ball room, along with an opulent stage.

And almost all of it is submerged in transforming waters. Only merfolk (or those sharing a Merfolk’s kiss) have a chance of surviving this area. Flood waters can easily sweep Drifters down into the depths. There’s even stray rivers that feed into the underwater opera from the outside.

A silent leviathan traces through the ruins, serpentine and whale like. It has no interest in the Drifters unless they float too close to its mouth and appear as snacks… But its wake generates strange whirlpools that can bash and bruise, and keeps everyone trapped in the opera house. Bubbles rise up from the floor or swirl in the whirlpools, and provide flashes of vision: a finned priestess meditating on the moon and then sinking into the depths. Said bubbles also release soft melodies of song; beware of potentially singing along, which can draw attention from the drowned machines.

06-A: SONIC CRY

An array of ornate dish shaped machines catch all sound and magnify it… And track the leviathan as it moves through the opera house, always angled on the monster. As the machines collect more sound, they echo it back in damaging soundwaves that sound like a requiem or a dirge.

The sound in turn is distorted into words that match the bubble visions:
“Offer your songs and voice to the moon… She can transform them into power, greater than anything the Wardens could ever give. Even as the old audience fears you, the moon will always listen… Such monsters are a poison. To the water. The land. The very air. They are a blight upon our world that pollute everything. We will always find new and better ways to cull, as long as they come back.”

Anything caught up in those sound waves can feel pressure and pain in their bodies, but that’s just a side effect of the crossfire. The machines are focused on the leviathan, and bringing it down now that they have ammunition. It’s all enough to seriously damage or outright kill the leviathan depending on how much noise Drifters make, or how much song is pulled out of them by the currents and the bubbles.

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.

Boat Salvage: There’s a large amount of abandoned boats on the river, some beached and some drifting free in the rivers. It’s possible to salvage equipment or supplies from them… Just make sure you know how to swim, in case you fall overboard.

Gone Fishing Part 2: Much like the marshes in the forests, there’s spots for fishing here as well! Please remain careful with submerging in the water, as the transformed fish are still willing to bite back.

Flooding: One aspect of the river lands, especially with the waters and rains, is the roads flooding over. Some can be crossed with risk, others require routing around. Or a bit of creative bridge building.

Rain: Storms are a constant in the river lands, ranging between fog and mist, to complete downpours, and thunderstorms! It can make for somber moods, with occasional breaks of sunlight or moonlight.


NAVIGATION

Comments

[coffinturk]

[ There's a moment of silence. ]

...Sorry. Most want their meat lightly seared on the outside and cooked to light pink in the middle.

[ It's come to his attention and awareness of what Heat has been talking about all this time. He abandons the sorting and moves closer to the fire and surveys how the youth has things set up. It's... a good faith effort. The former Turk sighs. ]

...Go clean up. I'll watch things here.

[iron_stomach]

[Things like cooking, things like spices and vegetables are things that simply weren't necessary or didn't exist for the whole life Heat knew.

The closest they generally got to a well cooked dinner was something literally flamebroiled alive or raked by lightning. A frozen treat were any number of small demons, trapped in ice.

Good things. Delicious things. Wrapping plants in meat and calling it food? Harder. And he's outright surly at being given further directions that almost sound like orders, but for now, for now he relents, dropping bloody knife next to the vegetables and wordlessly stalking off into the dark beyond the convoy's lights.

Look, he can go find a shower, or he can just find one of the countless ponds, streamlets and so on just .. everywhere around here.]

[coffinturk]

[ There'll be something else Vincent can do besides dilute the smell of blood by applying a pail of water several times over everything that Heat has touched or used to butcher the elphadunk.

First though? It will take only a moment and the meat on the grill will keep; so the man crouches next to the corpse. Dipping his fingers into a collection of congealing blood near the ribs, the gunman brings them to his mouth. A brief scent, and a taste. Hm.

Not as pleasant as fresh or while the beast was alive. But it was something he could tolerate.

...Back to work. The fire is sorted first, separated into basic zones of cooking heat- high flame to moderate to coals. That onion wrapped muscle might be a little burnt on one side by the time he moves it, but it'll cook the rest of the way just fine. Other pieces are arranged and cut- he'd fetched the knife that had been dropped by the vegetables- and there were other... things.

Was that vegetables between chunks of meat on a stick? Some pieces of meat along with the fatty layers were wrapped in vegetables rather than wrapped around. He isn't a master chef. But he does know some basic things about cooking at a camp. There are starchy roots roasting in damp leaves nested by the edge of the coals.

The former Turk had found it easier to deal with the smell of blood when there wasn't a living person nearby coated in it, but after he'd sorted the cooking situation out he'd turned to that washdown of the area.

Depends on when Heat makes it back as to how far along Vincent has gotten. Whether he's in the middle of washing things down, pulling other things off the grill or working on further butchering of the elphadunk (it is certainly a large creature), he'll be smoothly working one way or another. ]

[iron_stomach]

[He's gone for well over fifteen minutes. But when he does return, he no longer reeks of blood and viscera, the wet coating him now simply water.

There's a certain novelty in rivers and ponds and lakes. He'd been in sewers, seen the water runoff of the endless rain of the Junkyard, but this is rather different, and he never really went far enough to entice the fishy changes some are enjoying. Or 'enjoying'.

Washing down the area is much. MUCH harder than Vincent might anticipate, what with a glaring lack of buckets and running water in hoses to make use of; turning everything into a mud slurry to go with the drying blood may not be the best of ideas. That Heat returns just as this effort begins earns the ex-Turk a long, long stare.]

What the hell do you think you're doing? You want to be in a mud pit?

[coffinturk]

[ Vincent starts at the sound of Heat's loud demand. It's like he's waking out of a daze. It's mostly noticed in the stillness, the jerk of what makeshift thing he'd found to bail water with. Fortunately, he'd not gotten far. At least, the sort of far that couldn't be fought with an hour or so of the ambient heat... more or less?

But really, what had he been doing? A small voice at the back of his mind seemed to whisper the truth; wash away the smell of blood before you lose control. His grip tightens around the canteen that he'd been carrying around since arriving and had started using for lack of anything better. Then the cap is placed on it and he returns it to his belt. ]

Nothing. Let me show you what I did with the fire.

[ He intends to blatantly avoid answering the question any further with what should be a priority. Heat wants to learn more about cooking for others right? ]

[iron_stomach]

[As far as Heat's concerned, the best way to maintain control is indulging the monster whenever he saw fit. Agni wanted blood, so did he. Agni wanted to devour, that's fine by him. Something as simple as blood on the ground, when there's reasonably fresh meat right nearby is a ridiculous notion.

The one visible red eye narrows at the startle, something in the other cloaked man's stance and actions suggesting.. what? That he hadn't really been paying attention? Running on autopilot? But when his gaze shifts, to rake across the area with unspoken suspicion, nothing seems missing.

And there's more stuff cooking now.]

... Fine.

[It is very deliberately choosing not to pursue it. It didn't seem dangerous, therefore he could ignore it. Does he care about learning how 'civilized' people make their food? Not really, but it might be something Sera might like later. Surely she'd be around eventually..]

[coffinturk]

[ There's nothing missing and Vincent seems to have recovered from his strange behavior.

He's also not one to make a big deal of short words and aggressive temperament. The former Turk is not one for the former and he's used to dealing with the latter. His explanations about the different parts of the fire, the way the meat is cooking and what each item cooking is- in particular the plants- are short but easily understood.

Taking hints from earlier, Vincent leaves room for Heat to interrupt for clarifications. As for vegetables? Well that's just going to have to wait until some are done. Which shouldn't be long. ]

Try that.

[ The kabob is indicated. At least it has meat as well as vegetable. ]

[iron_stomach]

[Social graces are left to others with the instinct, or programming for it. He has neither. Unfortunately that means in some ways he relies on the better temperament of others in order to not be constantly, relentlessly starting fights.

He does know how to pay attention though, especially when it comes to what was once his own element. Different temperatures for different things he could admit made.. a kind of sense. What questions there are is less about how to and what the resultant taste is supposed to be. What the weak and pathetic might expect.

What the names of everything Vincent's brought are. Some he knows almost as soon as he asks, like the question itself is a reminder, but not often.

It does not spare the kabob Vincent suggests he try his intense suspicion of anything 'food' that can't also run and scream and die. Willing, reluctantly, to make it for others? Sure. Actually touch it himself? ... He's dubious.]

What is it?

[coffinturk]

[ Vincent reaches for one of the kabobs. Cooked meat, glistening with juices and fats. He'd used some of the most tender cuts; it's not like there was time or ingredients to marinade. There's probably some sort of starch and carrot and more of those oniony shoots. He didn't have a marinade but he did add some salt and pepper.

And the stick. Because everything on a stick tastes better. ]

Elphadunk meat, carrots. Wild onion and roots. Salt and pepper.

[ He offers it to Heat. ]

[iron_stomach]

[It's taken with the caution of someone who's never seen a kabob before.

Cooked meat is still such an unwelcome idea that it alone makes him balk, nose wrinkled. The rest.. well, while Vincent really isn't the sort as far as he can tell to try poisoning everyone, if anyone's going to try to be poisoned, Heat's a good choice. There wasn't much that'd actually kill him if he ate it.

There's just one problem really. When he takes a careful bite, the end of the stick goes with it, and the crunch of splintering wood is apparently not even REMOTELY a deterrent.]

[coffinturk]

[ All is going well until there's the crunching noise of a twig snapping. Well. Was it another error of assumption on Vincent's part? ]

The stick is a utensil. Not supposed to be eaten by humans.

[ The calm, almost indifferent commentary suggests he's just offering insight like all his other teachings since he took over the cook fire. Not.... concern or anything. Or correcting Heat's error.

You know. Just in case Heat sees sticks as food. Something something landscape edibles. ]

[iron_stomach]

[It's a plant! There's other plants involved! What makes some edible and others not? Being a stick instead of a vegetable doesn't seem to be a problem, though he doesn't go for a second bite right away, frowning at the kabob.

Vincent's lack of mockery .. or more accurately his apparent utter impassiveness to everything is familiar to the point it doesn't bother him at all. There's more people like Gale out there, which is both reassuring and not, but it did mean he didn't need to kill someone for laughing at him.]

What's the difference between this plant and those ones then?

[...And more importantly how are you supposed to get them off the stick?]

[coffinturk]

[ How to explain that? Under the collar, Vincent's lips purse in thought. ]

Whether or not it provides nutrition the body can consume. On my world, a stick like that can be used as a tool by humans. But it isn't food.

[ He isn't aware of Heat's confusion on how to remove the meal. And yet, Vincent does pick another one of the stick speared kabobs up. Food. Human food. Of course he used to be able to eat it, whether or not he needed to at any time to sustain his life.

Now? It wasn't a repulsive smell, but it felt different to find it so uninteresting. Lowering the collar of his cloak with his other hand, he opens his mouth and uses teeth to grip the chunk at the top before sliding it off. Proper, undignified stick food eating. Ignore those fangs. ]

Hm.

[ It's almost a resigned sound, though Vincent is able to chew and swallow. ]

[iron_stomach]

[That's a problem, primarily because Heat can eat nearly anything. Whether or not he liked it was a different question, but as far as he could tell the only things he couldn't really digest were inorganics like metal.

Those needed to be coughed up later, along with whatever other items he's carrying.

The stick is considered silently for another long minute. A tool that is not edible by most people should probably mean he shouldn't eat it either. The delicacy with which Vincent works on his own is watched, as is what looks like a distinct lack of satisfaction. The kabob is pointed at him.]

See, I keep telling everyone it's better raw.

[coffinturk]

[ It borders so far on tasteless that Vincent can't help but wonder if it's just his mind remembering what it's supposed to taste like. He sighs but looks toward Heat. ]

My tastes have changed lately. Because of our condition.

[ As Drifters becoming monsters. ]

Raw meat doesn't interest me either.

[ The blood does but he has no interest in the rest. Something he found out while butchering more pieces off.

But what to do with the rest of the kabob. That part is awkward. And it seems wasteful to toss it in the circumstances. ]

[iron_stomach]

[One visible crimson eyebrow rises. He understood the changes everyone else was going through, he'd done it a while ago. Becoming a demon meant dealing with a demon's hunger, and when did that not mean raw meat?

Well sure cooking it was probably fine too.]

So what does?

[coffinturk]

[ He's had time to test the waters of the temptation for blood and his limits. A few people had even run into him, including another vampire. So all that was left for Vincent was a lingering reluctance to discuss personal issues he was currently suffering through.

Even if everyone was developing analogous issues from their shared experience. A sigh is let out. ]

Blood.

[ Heat probably won't judge him, right? The guy is learning about the existence of vegetables for the first time. At least blood is adjacent to raw meat. ]

[iron_stomach]

That's kind of weird. Don't need all those teeth for a liquid diet.

[So much for no judgment. Only kind of though, it's still devouring ... part of someone, so it amounted to the same thing in the end.

He begins picking bits off the kabob, one at a time. A meat disappears quickly but he's still reluctant to deal with the plant parts.]

What do you do with the rest of the demon?

[coffinturk]

[ Rude, Heat. Vincent won't explain the details even if there are reasons for the fangs. Such as always having a tool for the job. In case you forgot a knife or a phlebotomist. ]

Butcher the ones that don't look human, bring back the meat. Or let the wildlife feast.

[ The gunman is watching Heat. Is it judgemental? Maybe but... it's hard to tell from most of his other looks. He sees you avoiding those veggies. On the other hand, it's not like he's Heat's dad or anything. The sight does remind him to qualify something. ]

Most people here will object to their food looking too human.

[ Not that Vincent isn't aware they might have to face that fact sooner or later, in some monsters' cases. ]

[iron_stomach]

[At least elphadunks look like small, blue elephants and thus are probably fine. Reluctantly, the roast bit of wild carrot is tested.

It's ... not bad. It's definitely not what he preferred, but not as awful as he expected. This gives time for Vincent's answer to process, as he works his way slowly down the kabob one piece at a time.]

If you're butchering it, nobody's going to know the difference anyway. Cut it out, and it all looks the same.

[Blood though. He's eaten his share of congealed blood, but even that wasn't the same as being served hot and fresh right out of the enemy. He preferred something he could dig his teeth into, and liquids wasn't that.]

How many do you have to kill to get a good feed and shut your demon up for a while?

[coffinturk]

[ There follows an interesting intensity to Vincent's gaze. Calling the hunger a demon.... ah, no. Heat is likely referring to things in his own perspective of the world. The intensity eases. ]

That only lasts until they realize the source of the meat.

[ Whether or not Vincent has those same reservations is entirely beside the point. This is about explaining it in layman's terms to someone who doesn't seem to understand how to live as a human. The man then takes a moment to think. ]

Hm. Depends on the size. And the amount of blood.

[ The quality of it too in some respects. ]

I can leave them alive if I choose.

[ The tone indicates he hasn't despite the experiments. After all, why leave a monster to be a pain in someone else's life? ]

[iron_stomach]

[That Vincent has a far more personal relationship with a demon than most people currently do in the Convoy eludes him. Some called them atma, others their 'inner selves', but he knew it as the power of demons and acted accordingly.

The lack of revulsion over needing to eat things like that, or even human looking ones is exactly as it should be.]

Don't see why they would.

[Because secrets get found out eventually. The low disgruntled growl at even the idea of leaving an enemy alive isn't going to be much of a surprise. A second bit of vegetable is worked off the stick and carefully tested.]

Leaving enemies alive backfires. Don't 'choose'. These things aren't.. too bad, I guess. Meat's better. Agni's not going to be sated from working on a stick.

[coffinturk]

[ Those tentative veggie steps. Probably helps that it's drenched in meat fat. And salt. One cannot forget salt. ]

I don't intend to.

[ The practice is preparing for... other possibilities. Can he stop himself? Does he need to kill? Yes and no respectively. It was important to learn that. And then kill the monsters off. ]

Hmn. I suppose you're not wrong. [ Fruit has its merits. So do some vegetables. ] It's a matter of learning which are edible and which aren't.

[ Then after a pause. It's not as if he hadn't seen what dragged back the elphadunk. ]

Agni. Is that the demon in you?

[iron_stomach]

Good. You've got more sense than most of the idiots around here.

[And for all that it sounds bitterly annoyed, it's probably meant as some form of praise. 'Mercy' just inevitably bit everyone on the ass, and if Heat were allowed to kill his target more often maybe that wouldn't keep happening!

That's easy to be assured about, confident over. Less so, w hat is and is not supposed to be food.]

... Might have some trouble finding something I can't keep down. It's just..normal for this stuff to grow out of the ground and get eaten by anyone who comes along, huh? Doesn't seem like a good strategy.

[The downside of finishing off what's in his hands is now his hands are unoccupied, so he pulls over one of the still mostly uncooked shreds of meat. He was reasonably sated, but that didn't mean there wasn't room for more. Enough now, and he won't have to bother tomorrow.]

In me, is me. Not much of a difference anymore, and the best way to do it. There's enough conflict going on outside to worry about a fight going on inside too.