*The Broken Heartland* - Travelogue

Game Organizing The Last Caravan
1

2025-07-20T18:00:00Z

Travelers

  • Scruffy (WesQues), The Innocent
  • James “Jimbob” (@jason), The Wrench
  • Marilia (@slrbennett), The Stargazer

Summary

The travelers resolved to leave Camp 'Hooch to escape the perils of winter - or worse - in favor of points west.

A passing stranger, Absalom Allen, helped them jump-start a VW Golf that had crashed through the picture window of a nearby house. In the process, Jimbob identified and fixed a problem with the car’s ignition system. Absalom suggested the travelers could find a hot meal and a place to rest with the Relievers in Carterville, parting with the words “Humankind is our Family”.

The Golf was christened “Frumpaccino” thanks to its cracked windshield and bald tires. But it runs and the fuel in the tank is still good.

They managed to scavenge some additional fuel from a roadside junkyard, even if Scruffy scraped himself up the process. In the meantime, Jimbob made quick work of improvising tire chains out of loose sections of chain link fence.

Further on down the road, a months-old wreck of a military helicopter drew the travelers’ attention enough to warrant a detour. Inside the crash they found a robin-sized winged lizard perched on a strange alien box. The creature’s aggressive posturing and vocalizing did little to dissuade anyone from approaching and, as they did, being flooded with a sense of intense bodily cold. Marilia befriended the piteous creature, dubbing it “Purr” and letting it warm itself inside her parka despite the accidental scratches it gave her in return. Purr, they learned, is rather fond of Scruffy’s gummy worms.

The helicopter’s radio had some difficulty tuning in a fixed signal, but Marilia’s soothing humming and cooing along with Purr seemed to have a strange interaction with the alien box, stabilizing the transceiver frequency. A stern, drawling voice identified itself as “Rostrum-Yankee-Tango-Actual” and was apparently not satisfied with Scruffy and Jimbob’s etiquette or identifiers. Rostrum-YT signaled that an intercept team was en route to recover.

The travelers hit the road once again after loading the strange alien box into Frumpaccino. As the gray day wore on into a dreary evening, they spied a lonely church not too far from the road. A red, green, and black sign read, in large, friendly letters “Humankind is our Family” and a sturdy, clean-looking pickup truck was visible beside it.

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If you would like to throw some support to the designer and author of The Last Caravan (and I hope that you do, as you are able):

Digital (PDF) available from the author’s page on itch.io

-or-

Grab the (gorgeous, stunning) Physical Print Edition direct from Mythworks

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One of these days I’ll make a post that doesn’t end up getting edited a bajillion times, I promise.

Had to come back in and add some content about an interaction over the radio, on account of somehow I totally forgot to include that in the first place.

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So dang much fun, and enjoyed everyone’s input! I feel like everyone decision was a team effort for sure, including naming (if not choosing to cuddle :joy:) Purr.

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2025-08-03T20:00:00Z

Travelers

  • Scruffy (WesQues), The Innocent
  • Marilia (@slrbennett), The Stargazer
  • Jean-Loop Boopard (@Drew), The Good Boi

Summary

Marilia and Scruffy have continued on in the Frumpaccino while Jimbob tries to draw the Rostrum militia forces away from them.

Pulling up on St. Luke’s, the Travelers are quickly charmed very a friendly-looking yellow Labrador. On closer inspection, the pup introduces himself on a belly-rub basis, proudly showing off the nametag on his collar.

Boop’s eagerness to join the car ride is interrupted, though. Three large alien crabs emerged from the treeline and threatened the church, trying to gain entry. As Boop and Purr used their words to try dissuading the crabs, the strange alien box in the back of the car began glowing and, suddenly, the car horn served as a powerful disabling force against the crabs.

Flexing their wits, and getting some assistance from the Relievers inside the church, the Travelers dispatched the “Uiliani” crabs and accepted Beulah “Bea” Wright’s invitation to come in out of the cold.

Bea generously shared some fuel with them and provided some information on the goings-on in other regions. By way of thanks, Marilia restructured the Reliever’s packing assembly line to drastically improve its speed. Meanwhile, Scruffy and Boop hit a scavenger’s jackpot - stumbling upon an out-of-the-way retail fulfillment center replete with non-perishable foods and other supplies.

The Travelers left messages behind for Jimbob, instructing him to “Catch the last train to Clarksville” as they struck out to for the Great Smoking Crest to the northwest.

Character advancement in The Last Caravan occurs when the Travelers achieve the “Way Out” of their current region. Rather than “leveling up”, the Traveler may choose to add one point to one of their Gambits, add an additional Special Ability, or clear their Harm Track. Additionally, they must select a new Region to enter.

Leaving the Broken Heartland behind them, the Travelers get a sense that the road ahead is sure to push them further than anything has.

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2025-09-21T20:00:00Z

Venturing into the Great Smoking Crest…

Travelers

  • Scruffy (WesQues), The Innocent
  • Marilia (@slrbennett), The Stargazer
  • Snake (@Skitty333), The Lookout
  • Susannah (@Sc4r), The Bruiser
  • Jean-Loop Boopard (@Drew), The Good Boi

Summary

Two strangers approached the church as the Travelers were about to set out. Also heading westward, they were lucky to catch a ride as the Anthemic Throne extends its grasp on the east coast.

Travel was slow but steady until the dusk-glow on the horizon gave over to something much more dangerous: the light of wildfires making the eastern banks of the Tennessee River unapproachable. Forced to re-route, the Travelers moved north and east, hoping to find safe passage through the mountain gaps their side of Lexington.

The measure of a person’s character is taken in hard times. Despite hardship, the Travelers have remained kind and accepted an improbable nighttime hitchhiker into the tenuous safety of the Frumpaccino. Serena Wilson from Chattanooga, as she introduced herself, helped navigate the mountain roads, successfully routing them through the wreckage of an old battle along the Newfound Gap Road.

Searching among the debris, Scruffy came face-to-face with the physical effects of violence, while Boop unlocked his communicative potential with the help of an alien device. Snake, ever vigilant, moved to reconnoiter and secure the site against any unseen threats.

At last, the Travelers pulled into the settlement of Cumberland Gap around nightfall, amid the frenetic bustle of Rostrum troops. A young private directed the group where they could park the Frump’ and suggested they visit the mess hall for a hot meal and a bunk assignment for the night.

The Travelers’ dinner was disrupted by the ravings of a man shouting all manner of biblical exhortations to give up their search for world-ending power. The group managed to de-escalate the situation and learned from the man, Randy Clark, the nature of the Rostrum mission here: locate a hidden bunker loaded with three nuclear warheads.

Randy revealed that, before his retirement, he was a supervising engineer over the nuclear program here. He enlisted the Travelers’ help in permanently disabling the bombs - using a modified MIG welder spool to “pit stuff” the bombs’ detonators.

Serena revealed herself to be an agent of a St. Francis-based organization calling itself “The Answer” and disclosed several revelations about the aliens and the various factions in play. She also provided a number of advanced technological items in trade for the “Farsong” device the Travelers carried out of the Broken Heartland. That device was capable of long-range communication beyond the boundaries of our solar system and The Answer considers it a major asset in their efforts to bring peace to the planet.

Hoping to regain some of their lost ground and avoid the worse of the deepening winter, the group decided to move into the region now known as the Snowsea.

As the Atlas, I will begin awarding 1 point of Heroism for Travelers who share their own “field report” on the events of their journey.

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Marilia reflecting on the day: I now understand the phrase, “things went south,” and continue to question my decision to move across country for a job in a city I don’t know. Everyone said Atlanta is a metropolis, it won’t be that different from the bay area. Maybe? But I’ll never know, barely settled in before ending up with jimbob and scruffy in the camp, and now jimbob is out there somewhere with only a note left behind for him to find us. The family keeps growing, first finding Purr. What a sweet girl (I think? Alien biology isn’t my area), then Boop, now two more joined us as we headed further into the country. They seem nice and it’s good to feel less alone. But then we picked up a hitchhiker and diverted way off course to avoid the fires, but it feels like things got so much more complicated and it’s hard to know who to trust. Now we’re off in the woods searching for bombs (:exploding_head:) and I just hope we’re not wrong in believing these people. What if they mean to hurt people, or the kind aliens like purr? Serena already lied once but then who else do we trust, this self proclaimed militaristic authority?? I think we’re doing the best we can… I just want to make sure to protect scruffy. Oh jeez I need to do better practicing saying Peter… he looked so embarrassed in front of Serena. At least we got some food and shelter, and enough supplies to keep going….and to hear Boop. Mixed bag on that supply though. Never thought I’d need to teach a dog not to use profanity :confused:

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Field Report

As I start to make my way heading west I come across an interesting bunch and decided to join them. It was cold and they had a running vehicle. One was a smarty pants scientist with a weird pet she was holding onto. Then their was a goofy dog and a kid. And one chick with nice muscles and a gun that I met in the woods right before the others. On our way wast we had to make a detour cause of fires and came across a young pretty looking thing who was traveling by herself. My instinct was telling me “It’s A Trap” but the others welcomed her with open arms and drool. As the travel continues we come across a former battlefield and I told the chick with the nice muscles to stop so I can scavenge some supply. Using my sneaking and stealth skills I made a nice shitting hole and came across some nice items. But somehow the goofy dog found me and startled me and my reaction was not gentleman like. The others found a device and put it on the goofy dog and now he can communicate with 2 word sentences. He keeps repeating the not so gentleman like thing i said to him and i cant help but laugh every time. So then we continue and come across a settlement that gave us hot food and a bed, as long as we work. The pretty little thing left and I decline the bed cause I can not sleep in one cause it makes me feel like I’m falling when I’m sleeping. So I decided to sleep outside in cold by the car while hearing a ramble in the distance. It sounded like a drunk sermon and it put me to sleep. The next day as the crew came back to the car I find out we going to look for some nukes. And sure as shit as we got close to finding them. The pretty looking thing was out there to and pointing a gun at us. Luckily with some talking skills from the others she stand down and we are going to work together.

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omg Scott - I just saw (while flipping through my game folder to prep for Sunday) the inventory icons that you drew on your imprint sheet and I love it!

Top marks. No notes.

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2025-10-05T20:00:00Z

Traversing the Snowsea…

Travelers

  • Peter, aka “Scruffy” (WesQues), The Innocent
  • Marilia (@slrbennett), The Stargazer
  • Snake (@Skitty333), The Lookout
  • Susanna (@Sc4r), The Bruiser
  • Jean-Loop Boopard (@Drew), The Good Boi

Summary

Winter has moved with determination since the Travelers left Cumberland Gap. Snow has fallen slowly, steadily, for days, but at least it seems the Rostrum may have cleared wrecked and abandoned cars from some of the highways. Poor road conditions and worse visibility make for halting, difficult progress.

The biting cold makes stops unpleasant and infrequent. Wildlife have been scarce, with sightings of alien beasts - like the bison-sized, snail-like Blueshells are unsettling among herds of once-domestic cattle.

At one stop, Scruffy and Marilia were attacked by a swarm of bat-like animals hanging (and smelling) like enticing plump fruit from a stand of wispy trees. Snake dispersed the swarm with a well-aimed shot from an Aernian Harmonic Rifle, but the experience was jarring nonetheless.

From the city outskirts, the Travelers observed a group of 100-foot tall, shell-backed, tentacle-faced creatures huddling against the cold beneath the dull stainless steel of the Gateway Arch. Great banks of drifted snow had accumulated a quarter of the way up each leg of the monument. The Greywatchers’ plaintive emanations settled heavily on Purr, snuggled deeply into Marilia’s parka. Susannah, ever practical, focused on the road ahead - worrying how much worse conditions might be ahead.

Frumpaccino proved indomitable, charging through bumper-high, then grille-deep snow. A highway overpass provided a rough roof once the snow began to reach above the car’s hood. There was little to stop the bitter wind, and barely room enough to persuade a bit of warmth and light out of some discarded brush cuttings.

While the others put the camp together, Scruffy took some time to bond with Purr. In return, he was treated to the mournful motive of her life, as she projected her sense of crossing the long starfield in a terrarium.

The still silence of the night made a poor vessel for the strange, liquid yelps of nester hounds surrounding the Travelers’ camp. The Travelers and Purr lulled the nester hounds into docility with imitation Greywatcher song, amplified by the strange harmonic powers of the alien device Serena had tucked into Boop’s pack.

Seeing his hunting hounds placated, an imperious Aernian ordered the Travelers out to face him and receive orders. After materializing from thin air, he informed the Travelers that they were to travel, on foot, three kilometers northeast to “correct for the dissonance” interfering with an alien device there.

Marilia, putting her Harmonic experimentation to the test, tuned her nascent abilities on the Aernian. His memories blared across her awareness like a symphony of loss, regret, and rage. The motifs of his twin determinations to build a homeworld and to put his boot against humanity’s back wound around, through, and over naive, pastoral phrases. This being came with the intent to conquer.

His orders issued, the Aernian vanished in a shimmer undulation of light.

The Travelers moved toward the indicated structure: a 500-foot half-sphere of alien construction protruding from the ground. An exaggerated gangplank provided ingress to a control room engaged in a riot of sound and color. Deep blue warning lights flashed across multiple panels and a droning cacophony like a trilling snare and cowbell filled the space.

Resolved not to aid these aliens, the Travelers smashed the equipment, generated dissonance, and drowned out as much Harmony as they could. The result was a critical overload of the control systems. The flow of the device was temporarily reversed, flash-freezing everything in the region unfortunate enough to be outside of the control room.

In its final, dying burst, the device dumped its core programming into Scruffy’s psyche, flooding his mind with pastoral scenes of a warm, red-grassed world and abundant alien lifeforms.

The Travelers had succeeded in destroying the Aernian terraforming device. The humans were intact, the dog unharmed. The only casualty, it seemed, was the poor songbird they had recruited and befriended. Purr was unable to withstand the extremes of dissonant and Harmonic energy unleashed by the orgy of destruction, rendering her unconscious and unresponsive.

Her fate, and the fate of the Travelers, may depend upon what they find as they journey into The Devil’s Gullet.

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Travelogue SnowSea - Good Boi
am Dog
have collar
Humans listen
frickin finally!

fruity bats
hurt bestie
save him

tall crab
sing calm
super cold
deep snow
not yellow

oily dogs
not friends
kinda pricks
no play
shimmer alien
want fix
colonizer tool
bad masters
fuck that
whore mouth

big fridge
no snacks
sound bad
make worse
peed on
very effective

human bestie
feeling better
weird cat
fear hurt
not good
hope heal
good snuggler

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Field Report

After trading some doodads and watchamacallits to the pretty looking thing to take care of the nukes we continued on our journey west. It was getting colder and my damn nuts were freezing. Trying to keep my mind off my cold nuts I try to play I Spy with the gang. I say “ I spy something white”. The goofy dog replies “whore mouth”. I chuckle ever time he says that. The correct answer was snow though. Miss smarty pants was working on some dohicky and the chick with the nice muscles was Trying to install a cb radio. We come across a fruit like thing in a tree that smelled like apple pie. The goofy kid went to pick it and found out it was a bat creature. They started to wake up and swarm the kid. I decided to try out this alien boom stick gun I got from the pretty looking thing and dispersed the swarm. But in the process of firing the boom stick I jammed my finger like a son of a bitch. Now my finger and balls are hurting. Continuing onward it is starting to snow more heavy and we come across these 100 ft tall creatures that made pleasant sounds like whales banging and the gang was at ease for a moment. The snow is getting heavy as we continue to drive to a point where it is as high as the hood on the ground. We find a overpass to set up camp. The goofy kid and the smartypants pet did some bonding. The lady with the nice muscles finished hooking up the cb radio and Miss smarty pants finished work on her doodad. The goofy dog caught a sent and before you know it we were surrounded by a pack of alien creatures. A voice tells us to come out. It had a very commie sound to it. The alien comrade gave us a option to help fix what is broken or death. So we all decided to help fix which would take us on 3km walking trip in the cold. As we approach a death star looking machine on the ground we came to a solution not to help fix but to destroy this monstrosity. We get inside the machine. A shit ton of lights are flashing and making noise. The smartypants pet seems to be having a panic attack. So we start disrupting the machine even more trying to brake it with noise and the goofy dog peeing on stuff. I notice out of the corner of my eye the chick with the nice muscles was not fond of what we were doing and was fake hitting things. She and those nice muscles though really help warm my nuts when I think about it. The machine goes in a tizzy and explodes with everything around is now frozen over. And the smarty pants lady pet is now unresponsive.

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I’m not sure about the way things are going now. After leaving the location of the bombs with the other group, I felt like we were doing the right thing.

We then came across strange purple fruit. The fruit turned out to be alien creatures that resembled bats made of fruit. The boy was attacked and the dog pulled him to safety as Marilia tried to swat them away. They didn’t disperse until Snake blasted them with the odd sonic gun. That gun may prove useful to us in the future. The man may be rough around the edges but seems to be the hero we need.

I felt pretty good on the drive through the snow covered territory until the snow reached the top of the car. Even with the new c.b. installed it felt that things weren’t safe enough to continue.

Making camp under a bridge we settled in to wait for morning. My usual, restless sleep was disturbed by Marilia, she was making a motion that something was outside the tent. Then we heard a voice telling us we might as well come out. I almost stayed hidden to assess the situation but decided that wasn’t the best use of my skills and stood outside to listen.

The alien being explained that we were running our planet and they were trying to fix it. After having their ship destroyed they were forced to colonize. He sounded kinda like a dick but I didn’t hear anything he said to be particularly threatening. He told us we needed to fix some sort of alien device and that it had to be humans to fix it since we messed it up. I don’t understand how we’re supposed to fix something we didn’t build especially when we’re not particularly trained for that. The being left as we headed toward the direction he sent us in.

Upon our arrival the group decided to wreck the machine. I kept my opinions to myself as they made this decision but when they started to cause noise to disrupt the machine, I decided I’d best try and fit in as to not look like I was against anyone. I’m not against anyone, really. I’m just afraid of doing anything hasty and getting people hurt. I can’t let that happen again. My past needs to stay in the past even though it still affects my decisions. The alien didn’t say anything that sounded threatening to me. The machine was to fix our environment. I don’t understand the hostility from our group. Maybe I’m missing something…

I open my eyes after the explosion of snow caused by the damage done to the machine. Everyone seems to be okay except the alien she carries around with her. Poor little thing. I hope we can find some way to help it. I didn’t want this to happen. I need to assert the big boss bitch in me and make my thoughts clear. This does not happen again. Not on my watch. No one gets hurt if I can help it.

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It’s taken me a while to even acknowledge what’s happened, and I’m so scared what will come next. Seeing those awful visions from that alien’s past, how upset scruffy was after talking to purr, and how afraid she is each time we encounter something of these beings… I just couldn’t imagine fixing their machine would help anyone but them. But I’m also feeling so far out of understanding anything, I don’t know how to make decisions. It feels we’re grasping at anything just to survive, and I know this kind of ungrounded approach will lead to only haphazard choices. And now we have to live with the consequences of freezing everything near this device, and not even knowing the scope of that destruction. We didn’t see humans or other native creatures for a long time before but that doesn’t mean we didn’t hurt a lot of innocent folks. What if jimbob was one of them? I still don’t know if helping them would have been worse, I don’t think we can trust them…but it’s heartbreaking no matter the choice. And purr… she hasn’t been responsive since and again I’m wondering how to help when we are so lost. Everything we do is just a hopeful risk and I’m so scared that I won’t take the right ones, and even more people I care for will be hurt.

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