Crystal Caravan TDM

[overbringer]

This is a TDM for a hypothetical panfandom jamjar game set on a world wracked by a terrible curse that destroys the minds of anyone who doesn't live within the protective fields of magic crystals. The action focuses on the people living in a merchant caravan with such a crystal that travels between safe havens to trade.

Welcome aboard the...

CRYSTAL CARAVAN



No one remembers exactly why the world is cursed, but most people agree that it is. The few remaining pockets of civilization hide behind the walls empowered by the Crystals, which keep out the winds of madness. Beyond those walls, winds blow endlessly that slowly strip away the minds of anyone unfortunate enough to be lost out there. Finding enough food and supplies for everyone is a constant struggle.

But life goes on and people find a way. Some of the smaller crystals have found a new purpose not as static defenses but mounted on the backs of massive trucks, forming a zone of safety for caravans that can conduct commerce as they travel the wastelands between. It's a hard life, but a necessary one, for no one city can produce everything it needs to survive. Connections are vital. And even beyond trade, occasionally they find people out in the wastelands who have been lost from...somewhere else. They don't remember how they got here, just that they've been wandering for days and need respite from the winds.

The Caravan Heart known as Hope's Garden is the center of what is practically a small mobile city in it's own right. Hope's Garden is a massive, treaded sand crawler containing amenities for dozens of crew as well as a substantial cargo bay. It's cramped, but with the crystal radiating a field overhead that holds back the winds, it's the safest place in the caravan.

But Hope's Garden doesn't just travel alone. It's surrounded by a fleet of smaller vehicles that act as scouts, defenders, and additional cargo space. And, on top of that, as mobile homes for more of the Caravan. Caravaneers live their lives in such vehicles, stopping only for fuel or for trade.

And that is the life that you have stumbled into. You don't know how long you were lost in the winds of madness, or how you got here. They made it impossible to think, and your memories between your past life and arriving here are a blur. There's nothing for it but to pick a bunk and settle in. Maybe you can drop off at the next town and start a life there. Or maybe you can stick with Hope's Garden itself. The crew is currently extremely short handed after a recent disaster, so they have plenty of room for anyone who wants to pitch in. A life of exploration and adventure await!

Quick setting notes

• Powers - You still have your cool powers, but your time lost in the winds of madness have left their mark. There's a limit to how powerful anyone can get. Even the most overpowered heroes will still be in danger from the threats of this world.
  
• General Themes - The focus is on customizing your cozy little living space in your vehicle (or on Hope's Garden), exploring whatever strange places the caravan stumbles upon, visiting new cities to conduct business, and occasionally fighting off raiders or hostile city militaries. You can do NSFW content if you really want to, but it is not going to be the focus of the game at all, so please mark such threads in advance.
  
• Visual inspirations - One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.
  
• Tech Level - There are improbably large motor vehicles all over the place, there are guns but most are big enough that they have to be mounted on a vehicle so melee weapons still have a place in battle, there are computers, maintaining a global internet is impossible but the Caravan has an intranet, as do most (but not all) cities.
  
• Magic - The locals of this world do have access to magic, but theirs is complicated and subtle and unreliable. They rely on rituals and divination to change or predict the weather, to scry the best routes through dangerous terrain, or to try and curse their enemies (curse magic is notoriously unreliable). Being able to shoot a beam or heal a wound on the spot is the realm of outlander magic like yours.
  
• Do I ALWAYS have to be driving? - No, of course not. People can take turns at the wheel, and Hope's Garden has a docking bay that can store a few vehicles for repairs or just so the drivers can rest. You will probably end up doing a lot of driving, though.
  
• Currency - Most settlements will have their own local currency, but intercity trade is usually conducted either by barter or by chips of crystal sometimes acting as coins
  
• Death - You do not have a magical safety net. Try not to die.
  
• How much of this is Crystal Chronicles? - It's not NOT Crystal Chronicles.

PROMPTS!

1. Arrival - You just stumbled out of the winds into the Caravan's protective field. You're confused and disoriented and don't remember how you got from your home to here. Fortunately, Hope's Garden is prepared for people like you.
   
   Medical Bay - The first few hours are the worst. Most people fresh out of the winds are extremely confused and have trouble stringing thoughts together in any kind of coherent fashion as they recover. Having someone around who can reassure them they're safe now goes a long way towards helping them calm down.
   
   Mess Hall - After people have their wits more or less together, it's generally regarded as a good idea to feed them. This is around when people start to really have to come to grips with their new situation, and doing so on a full stomach tends to help them face that with dignity. Or at least with comfort.
   
   Barracks - Hope's Garden does not have a lot of space to spare, so people are crammed in four to a room, with a pair of bunk beds built into each wall and a single bathroom for each hall of rooms. Whatever you had on your person is now all your worldly possessions, but you might as well try to make yourself comfortable and get to know the people you'll be sharing a room with.
   
   
2. Nomad lifestyle - Life goes on in the Caravan. How does the constant feel of motion and roar of engines effect your ability to do things? Do you get motion sickness? I hope not, or you're in for a bad time.
   
   Daily routine - Hope's Garden has a small school for children. There's a requisition counter for getting food. There's a marked off space on the top deck for training. All the stuff that goes into daily life still has to happen, even if the caravan rarely actually stops. You'll have to adapt quickly or you'll go crazy.
   
   Downtime - When the winds aren't so bad, you can sometimes see some pretty amazing scenery. You might as well take this moment to watch the distant vistas of glittering cities, snowy mountains, choppy seas, or rolling dunes slowly passing you by. Can't stay busy ALL the time.
   
   Moving out - The barracks are crowded and don't have a lot of privacy, so there's a good incentive to get your own vehicle at some point. This isn't a car as we think of them, most likely, but more like a kitbashed motorhome, so you'll have the basic amenities to live. Where did you get it? From defeated raiders? Bought it at a city? How are you going to customize it to be more of a home? Do you want to invite someone to live with you?
   
   
3. Battle Stations! - The world can be a dangerous place, whether from magical beasts, half mad bandits, or the militaries of hostile city states. Hope's Garden has a few gun emplacements for fighting off threats, but overall relies on speed, mass, and more battle ready vehicles surrounding it for safety.
   
   Raiders - Some people don't live in the big cities. Maybe because they have violent tendencies. Maybe there's a deeper problem with socioeconomic unfairness. There's a whole discussion to be had about the bandit problem and what it represents but at this EXACT moment they're pulling up alongside your caravan in weapon festooned cars and trucks, screaming battle cries and pointing weapons at you. For now, you'll have to prepare to repel boarders and do some defensive driving.
   
   Monsters - The world is full of strange creatures and some of them see humans as a tasty snack. Sandworms tunneling through the dunes at high speeds, goblin ambushes building pit traps to stop passing vehicles, and even dragons flying overhead hoping to pick up a smaller vehicle and fly off with it entirely are all possibilities.
   
   
4. Rest Stop - Occasionally the Caravan DOES stop. Some repairs can't be done while moving, and gathering supplies when available is always a worthwhile endeavor. You never know what you might find!
   
   Repairs - Hope's Garden has a flat tire. Or the engine is making a concerning noise, or something important is shooting sparks. It's severe enough to warrant stopping. If you're a mechanic, that means it's time to get to work. If you're a guard, that means keeping watch in case something hostile emerges from the wastelands. If you're neither of those, that means you have a bit to cool your heels and relax.
   
   Weather - The Crystal protects you from the winds of madness. It doesn't protect you from snow or rain or lightning. When the weather gets TOO miserable sometimes the whole caravan will search for a sheltered spot and bunker down until the worst of it is past.
   
   Ruins - Could be the wreckage of another caravan, could be some ancient ruin from before the world was cursed. In any case, a wise caravaneer never turns their nose up at a source of supplies. The whole caravan has come to a halt so a team can explore the wreckage. Maybe they'll find ancient technology that can be used or sold! Maybe they'll find food and water that's still clean! Maybe they'll find a group of monsters that have been using this as their lair! There's only one way to find out!
   
   
5. CB radio - This channel is reserved for emergency use, but you're SO bored on this empty stretch of road. Broadcast your thoughts to the whole caravan just for fun.
   
   
6. Gaia's Cradle - A particularly large city that weaves crystals into the branches of giant trees to fuse the power of hundreds of small crystals that would be useless on their own into a surprisingly reliable and powerful defensive shield against the winds of madness. The people of Gaia's Cradle eschew most advanced technology, preferring to rely on more spiritual means. The city is highly vertical, stretching out not just across the ground but up the trees as well. It is criss-crossed with cable cars, gondolas, and elevators, proving that they haven't given up all technology. As Gaia's Cradle is usually fairly welcoming, the caravan has elected to stay here for a full week.
   
   The Marketplace - The people of Gaia's Cradle have set up a whole array of tents and stalls for the visitors to do business with. They have little interest in anything that requires electricity or gasoline (though not NO interest), and are well supplied in food and other natural resources. What they are most interested in trading for is art. Put on plays! Sell paintings or sculpture! You'll get a great deal for it!
   
   The Convocation - The Gaians have an annual festival that you're just in time for! It's celebrating the day where the city's founder taught them how to weave crystals into the branches of their sacred grove, allowing them this relatively large safe haven where they can live in peace. The festival starts at sundown and goes all through the night, with food, drink, dancing, body painting, and, if you're feeling a bit adventurous, "The Felt Tent". There are a bunch of Felt Tents around the festival, which are full of aromatic smoke that is also a mild hallucinogenic. Spending more than a few minutes in there will grant synesthetic visions where music is transformed into light and colors. For most people it's quite a relaxing experience.
   
   Those will rot your brain - Anyone sporting any kind of technological gear (guns, radios, cellphones, prosthetic limbs, etc), will find the Gaians to be particularly judgemental towards them. Which is their prerogative, you suppose, but when you realize that entire sections of the city are enchanted to cause disruptions in such devices, that's actually causing problems. Especially if you need those devices. Like, say, if you don't have a map and no one will help you because you rely too much on that stupid smartphone.
   
   
7. The Iron Tower - Another large city, this one is built into one titanic building, protected by a particularly large crystal. Business and trade is always brisk with the Iron Tower, as they produce lots of valuable technological goods. Unfortunately, the Caravan will not be staying here long, as the local government has been known to throw it's weight around with visiting caravans, knowing that their ability to produce laptops and MP3 players means that they will always have business. The city itself is a maze of poorly lit streets and alleys overlapping each other into a claustrophobic nightmare that doesn't seem to bother any locals, but is intimidating to visitors such as yourself. If you get lost, you won't have to wait long before street gangs start moving in to offer you guidance back to the market in exchange for exorbitant prices. Say...all the money in your pockets.
   
   The Marketplace - The Caravan stopped outside the city, close enough that defensive fields have overlapped and created a safe space to set up an open air market, but not SO close that Hope's Garden can't step on the gas quickly if the Iron Tower starts causing trouble. There's been a big fad for organic food that can't easily be acquired in the close confines of the Iron Tower. Despite their rough demeanor, the locals are extremely excited about fruits and vegetables, and will offer good deals for them.
   
   Video Games - A local trading house has been funding the E-Sports scene, and they're offering some VERY generous deals if your caravan can produce a team that can beat their team. The game of choice is Towers of Valor, an elaborate and complicated game about heroes leading armies to try and destroy each other's towers. Think something somewhere between League of Legends and Dynasty Warriors, and you'll about have it. You don't have long to learn how to play, so get to gaming!
   
   Requisitioned - As the Caravan packs up to leave again, they are stopped by an Iron Tower military officer, along with a squadron of heavily armed ATVs reminiscent of jeeps but with chainsaws sticking out of the bumpers. They idle ominously as the officer explains they have a city ordinance that requires all visitors to pay a fee for use of their facilities. They're demanding payment in people. They want two fully crewed vehicles to stay and work for them. They're dressing it up in legal code, but this is straight up extortion. Hope's Garden blares the horn, declaring intention to just leave as fast as possible. Time to either get going in a hurry, or prepare for a fight!
   
   
8. WILDCARD - It's impossible to cover the infinite creativity of the human mind in one post. Come up with your own prompts if none of mine tickle your fancy!