Event·Wasteland

The Collapsed Bridge

The trail crosses a narrow canyon via a pre-war footbridge - or it did. Half the bridge has collapsed into the ravine below, leaving a three-meter gap in the middle. The remaining half looks structurally questionable.

The canyon is too steep to descend safely without rope. The nearest alternate crossing is at least two hours north.

Choices

1
Cross on the remaining half. Test each step, distribute your weight, and don't look down.
no requirement
Success
The remaining structure holds. It creaks, it sways, and a bolt pops loose somewhere beneath you, but it holds. You reach the far side with your hands shaking and your knees weak. Looking back, you realize how lucky you were - the support beams are rusted through.
Failure
Three steps onto the remaining section, the surface tilts. You grab a railing that bends but holds. You're stuck - forward is suicide, backward is a careful retreat. You inch back to solid ground and take the two-hour detour. The bridge wins.
2
Take the long way north to the alternate crossing. The bridge is done.
no requirement
Success
You add two hours to your journey and arrive at a natural ford - shallow, easy to cross, and stable. The detour costs time but your bones remain intact. There's a lesson in that equation.
Failure
3
The failure pattern on the bridge tells you which sections still have structural integrity.
Engineering lv 4
Success
The collapse originated at the third pylon - a shear failure from corrosion. But pylons one and two are intact, and the tension cables on the left side still have load capacity. You cross using the left rail as a handhold and the cable-supported deck sections as your path, stepping only on areas where the cable anchors are still solid. It takes five minutes of careful foot placement, but you cross safely and with confidence.
Failure
You identify the left-side cables as load-bearing and start across. Halfway, you realize the anchor point on the far side is cracked - the cable has slack you didn't account for. The deck bows under your weight. You freeze, reassess, and very carefully retreat. Your structural analysis was half right, which is the same as wrong when you're standing over a canyon.

UUID