Bork

Road Warriors - A survival adventure set in the world of Mad Max

@Genni, I will edit that in my post.

Road Warriors - A survival adventure set in the world of Mad Max

Just when he’d thought his sanity couldn’t break any further, another war-boy popped out of the wreckage like a cockroach. He seemed even madder than Kalahan was. By the Hippo’s Troth, it wasn’t that surprising. Most of the convoy were composed out of raging, suicidal War-Boys who sprayed chrome endlessly into their mouths. Sawbones sniggered derisively at the War Boy’s attempts to threaten the storm. It was comical but in good spirit, though. The War Boy’s attempts were futile. How was he going to stop the dust sto-

Then, the dust storm stopped in the middle of its journey. It was on the horizon but it was no longer bearing down upon them. Sawbones eye twitched as he stared at the axe-wielding War Boy and then, at the space where the dust storm was.

What in the name of the Red Cross was the Great Hippo trying to tell him?

Sawbones stayed unerringly silent throughout the whole debacle as a slew of survivors appeared to crawl out of the woodwork like fetid moths. Every-time he thought that it would be the end of it, a new full-life would rise out of the dust as if they had spawned from the wreckage. He felt like a stranger in this gigantic mass of War-Boys. It wasn’t as if he had much choice in the matter. There was danger in solitude and safety in groups. It would be enormously stupid for him to try and traverse the wasteland on his own, especially without the Hippo’s Chariot. So, what was his lord trying to say to him right now? Why had the lord destroyed or taken away almost all of his possessions and gifted him with these…..mongrels? He was absolutely dumbfounded by the turn of events.

No. Wait. Sawbones began to view the current situation in a different light. The storm had halted suddenly as if it was nothing more than a phantom threat. Those who had been marked by harm itself were rising upwards, full-life and half-life alike. It was akin to some type of divine intervention. It was blindingly obvious that the Great Hippo had responded to his prayers in some manner. Perhaps, this was his true reward for his faith? Sawbones looked around him, staring in wonder at the individuals gathered around him in one single conglomerate. He’d finally manage to get it.

In his entire career as an Organic Mechanic, Sawbones had never encountered a larger group of interesting specimens such as this. The wide array of possibilities and wonders that were found in this ample group of individuals made him salivate. Oh, it was simply exciting! Trying to imagine the harm they would wreak and suffer made him giggle with glee. In front of him was an entire menagerie at his disposal, to toy with, to experiment with, the ink in which he would use to complete his sacred Panacea. It was a fertile breeding ground for the fruition of knowledge, for the Great Hippo’s salvation to be spread across the blighted land. A single tear dropped downwards from his eye as he muttered in assent to himself, his knees quavering in awe.

“ Oh Great Hippo, forgive me for my blindness. May the spirit of the Holy Flamingo continue to light my way and may The Great Hippo continue to bestow upon me the knowledge of harm.”

Someone then interrupted the discussion of their rag-tag group from behind. Sawbones thought he looked suspicious. He spoke with the charm of a charlatan and Sawbones certainly didn’t recognise him in the convoy. There was a general theme of insanity that seemed to be common with all of the members and this man looked relatively sane. He brushed off his concerns, however. The Great Hippo hadn’t punished him yet and he would take whatever reward would come his way. Sawbones considered Ransom’s suggestion and mulled over it out loud.

“ There’s barely enough guzzoline to share between all of us as there is. One thing’s for certain, though. We can’t stay in here for long. The moon will rise soon and with it, the flies.”

Road Warriors - A survival adventure set in the world of Mad Max

I actually like it this way because in a normal adventure advanced RP, your characters would be still struggling to get out of the bed.

In Road Warriors, your characters have gotten out of the bed, climbed out of the window, fallen into the bush and running towards the bus half-naked while screaming at the top of their lungs.

Road Warriors - A survival adventure set in the world of Mad Max

Jesus H Christ, this is like the largest amount of posts I've seen in one day.

Road Warriors - A survival adventure set in the world of Mad Max

Sawbone’s courage desperately plummeted as his eyes laid upon the encroaching storm in the distance. Normally, he’d been willing to venture into the storm but the mere thought of that had him clutching his Panacea closer to his chest like a life-line. He couldn’t afford or bear the thought of losing another page, knowledge, his life’s work over chance. He shook his head quickly at Kalahan’s query, looking at the Road Warrior as if he was becoming madder by the moment. There was a psychotic energy in his every movement, a feral aura in his eyes that couldn't be tamed. Sawbones replied with low spirits to Kalahan's question, his gears whirring in his mind as he tried to process a possible solution to the problem that was facing them right now.

“The Hippo’s Chariot is beyond repair as of the moment. I was hoping that a Blackfinger might have been able to survive the attack......”

They barely had enough guzzoline to travel long without bartering with the nearest settlement. That was, if, the leader of the next settlement they would encounter was charitable enough to lend them supplies. That was a fool's dream. Right now, Sawbones was mainly concerened about staying as far away from the storm as humanely possible. Sawbones opinion of the Road Warrior had plummeted by the second as it didn’t take a half-life to put two and two together. The Road Warrior was a speed freak, pure and simple. The man stared at the incoming blanket of dust with a look of enthusiasm instead of fear. Maybe, the crash had done more to the Road Warrior than leave a scar on his head. He looked at Kalahan with a nervous glance, his eyes shifting back between the Road Warrior and Zer, looking as if he was begging Zer for some sort of relative sanity.

“ Do you two have any suggestions for how we’re going to get out of here that doesn’t involve being near that storm at all?”

Road Warriors - A survival adventure set in the world of Mad Max

@Genni
Discord Server is down for me. Is anyone else experiencing the same problem?

Road Warriors - A survival adventure set in the world of Mad Max

Sawbones frowned as he slammed the door of the one of the dozens of cars he had searched closed. The driver’s head had been smashed through the wind-shield, his exhaust punctured with shards of glass and a permanent dying scream on his face. All of the full-lives that he had discovered in the wreckage so far were unable to be salvaged properly. It was a right bleeding shame, as far as he was concerned. Their bodies had the potential to be ample forges for his own creations and they had been desecrated by those infidels. Most of their blood had dried up into paste and their organs had become quarry for maggots. The most that they could be used for right now was just blood. Sawbones scoffed as he drained the last viable corpse of all of its blood, removing the dripping needle from the vein. None of them were universal donors.

As far as he was concerned, trying to survive in this graveyard would be useless without the help of a Blackfinger. The Great Hippo was a great patron in many respects but he wouldn’t dare intrude in the territory of the Angel Combustion. All that he had managed to scrounge up in his pitiful attempts at scavenging was two jerry cans worth of guzzoline, several cans of grease-laden pet food of various types and enough water for a day’s journey at best. It was everything of use to a Wretched and yet, nothing of use for an Organic Mechanic. Sawbones lazily stabbed open a can with his scapel, scraping out the contents with his fingers and licking it, taking mind not to gag at the horrid taste. He stared at his plunder in disappointment.

“ Oh, Great Hippo, why do you forsake me now?”

He wasn’t going to survive for more than a day or two, a week at best. Perhaps, he should have considered going towards the settlement…….
Suddenly, a hoarse voice cried out towards him. Sawbones thought it was an illusion at first. The shimmering waves of heat blurred the dark figure that was walking towards him until he came within a few yards away from him. There was no mistake. It was another survivor. Tossing the can over his shoulder, Sawbones walked towards the survivor in a frantic pace.

“Amazing. How did you manage to survive? I thought I was the only one. How?”

Sawbones examined him closely as if he was an art collection, admiring every detail on him, his figure, his sand-soaked apparel and his injuries. Without warning or hesitation, Sawbones swiped at his forehead, a lick of dried blood on his thumb, and sniffed at it, murmuring to himself.

“Of course. Why didn’t I notice sooner? You’re a full life. Yet, there’s something more. There’s asphalt in that blood of yours, and yet, there’s a hint of chrome in there. It’s no wonder you survived. A warrior of the roads with the strength of a war-boy. Interesting….”

The man standing in front of him was a prime species indeed. A very interesting study. In this blighted world, you could rarely encounter a full-life much less a half-life that was near an empty tank. This must have been a gift from the Great Hippo. Sawbones turned back towards the warrior, the mask of rags disguising the grin on his face as he spoke with an enlightened tone.

“The Great Hippo has blessed us both, road warrior! My name is Sawbones. I am sorry but I appeared to have forgotten your na-”

There was a sudden crunch of metal and a bout of furious swearing that interrupted his sentence. He’d turned around, only to notice a man standing behind him, his knees bent and shook like all of them were from the crash. What he was more concerned about however was the rapidly approaching maelstrom of dust behind them. It was a giant behemoth of scything wind and blistering desert sand, frothing at the mouth and swallowing the horizon whole. Sawbones quickly scrounged up all of the supplies he had managed to discover into a hastily knitted leather ruck-sack, a slight stammer in his voice as he pointed behind Zer.

“ I suggest we make haste and run away immedietely. I doubt even the Great Hippo can save us a second time unless the two of you want to test his strength today.”

Road Warriors - A survival adventure set in the world of Mad Max

Good lord, Genni, you are a cruel mistress indeed.....

Road Warriors - A survival adventure set in the world of Mad Max

Hot. Possible fever. He needed a thermometer. Hydrate himself with lots of water. A good bed rest. Numbness in limbs. Suffering from possible dehydration. He needed to sleep. He needed to rest. It was over already for him. It was the cycle of blood as foretold by his mentors in the Abattoir. Just as the blood of the Maiden of Night and the Holy Flamingo had given rise to his great knowledge, it was his turn already. His own blood would seep back into the sands, sowing the land with red, to give life to knowledge, beautiful knowledge that would burgeon into a wholesome full-life. He laid content with his fate, grinning teeth full-bare, knowing that the Great Hippo would bless a heathen to happen upon his corpse, to discover the fruits of his works, the Panacea lying alongside him. He frowned. It should have been lying with him.

Wait, where was the Panacea?

His panic sharpened his dulled senses, blood-shot eyes spilling open as his body was suffused with manic energy. Rustling around weakly in the deceivingly heavy sand, his hands dipped through the rough land into his pockets, his shirt, his chest, for any signs of the sacred text. The cure to ignorance itself. Aeons of the blood, sweat, tears and the lives of Organic Mechanics would not be wasted and the efforts of experimentation would not be all for nothing.

Sawbones had already lost track of how long he laid under the baleful bask of the blisteringly hot sun but he knew that his weakness had already cost him precious time. His already sun-torched skin seemed to crackle and hiss from the intensity of the light. He was lodged underneath an ocean of dusty sand that carpeted his entire lower body. He could taste the grinding of sand grains between his molars as he greedily sucked the stale air. With each aching movement, he slowly rose out of the sand, stumbling onto his feet as he walked onto the loose but coarse land. He needed to find the chariot that the Great Hippo had bestowed upon him. He moved through the smoking battlefield with a purpose, seething anger in his clenched fists as he thought back to the ambush.

It was quick. Unexpected. Merciless. It’d all happened so quickly. Thunder and flame alike had been exchanged between the two sides. He had remembered slicing open the belly of a raider before the right wheel of the Hippo’s Chariot had burst apart. The last thing that he saw before he was knocked out was the relentless tossing and turning, watching in horror as the pages of the Panacea were torn from their binding. He couldn’t afford this loss. He refused to believe the fate of the Panacea.

The surrounding landscape was a graveyard of junk and rot. Wrecks of bikes, speeders, buggies and trucks were beached on the coast of sand dunes, pitiful wafts of grey rising from their crumpled corpses and the acrid, pungent odour of guzzoline was oozing out of every vehicle. Bodies of half-life scum and full-life material were bobbing up and down in the waves of sand, drowned in the storm that had razed the entire armada. The entire convoy had been gutted, pilfered of its riches and left to decay, like carcasses.

There! Sawbones spirit lifted as soon as he saw one of his prized possessions. His foot-steps had quickened the moment he saw his buried vehicle. The Hippo’s Chariot was in a sorry state, indeed. The frame had been badly buckled and would require the touch of a Blackfinger in order to restore it. That was, of course, if there were any other survivors of the attack along with him. He sifted through the sand that had filled the driver’s seat, trying to extract whatever supplies were left. His expression continued to grow sour as he rummaged through the contents of the vehicle. There were just scraps. A few enamel scapels. A scratched jerry-can that was a quarter full of guzzoline. He’d began guzzling down on the canteen of water in greedy gulps before slowing down to shameful sips. He continued to search through whatever was remaining in the Hippo’s Chariot before his fingers grazed something familiar.

He couldn’t believe it.

Pulling it out of the mound of sand and dusting it off, he flipped open the pages of The Panacea and balked at severity of the damage. A good half of the pages were ripped straight out of the book by the gales of winds. Organ-planting. The recipes of his lord’s blessings. All of the rudiments were still there but the storm took everything away from him. Everything that he had accrued in his journey. One question was burning in his mind as he slowly read through the Panacea, trying to account for all that was still there.

Had he failed his lord?

No. He hadn’t. In all consideration, he should have been torn in the dust storm but by some miracle, he’d managed to survive. His faith in The Great Hippo had not fallen on deaf ears after all. If he had failed his lord, the dust storm would be punishment enough for his mistake. It was a sign for him that his journey, his quest was to continue unabated. The path to redeeming himself in the eyes of the Great Hippo was clear now. To reclaim the knowledge that he had lost and to continue on his quest no matter the cost. He kneeled upon the desert sand and clapped his hands together, muttering a short prayer in reverence of his saviour.

“I thank you, oh Great Hippo, for my blessed survival per my membership of this great covenant. Oh Great Hippo, May your blessing allow me to further do know the wonders of harm itself. Onward, mechanics of the Great Hippo, continue to repair, for blessed are we in our eternal union with the Great Hippo.Oh Great Hippo, Allow me to continue to act as an emissary of your will in this world. Oh, Great Hippo, I hear you not but feel your power growing within me every second. I, your emissary, await your orders, oh Great Hippo.”

With fresh vigour, Sawbones stood up, the Panacea cradled in his right arm, and eyed the horizon. He spotted the signs of a settlement, a faint column of smoke in the distance. He only knew what that meant. Guzzoline. And lots of it. He then reminded himself that it would mean nothing without a working vehicle. The more he thought about going to the settlement, the more it seemed foolish. It could have been very well the home base of the raiders that attacked them.

He needed supplies. He needed material. He needed experiments. He needed protection if he was to continue on this journey. Signing in frustration, Sawbones began to tread towards the smoking wrecks of the convoy, scavenging as much usable equipment and trinkets that he could manage from the vehicles.

The ways of the Great Hippo were mysterious at times.

Road Warriors - A survival adventure set in the world of Mad Max

Summary of the Mad Max Series