Event·Wasteland

The Overturned Cart

A two-wheeled cargo cart lies on its side at the edge of the trail, one axle snapped clean. Crates are scattered in the dust, most of them cracked open and picked clean. Boot prints lead away in two directions - one set heading back toward the nearest settlement, another set heading deeper into the waste.

There's no blood. Whoever owned this cart walked away from the wreck. But one crate, half-buried under the cart frame, is still sealed.

Choices

1
Pry open the sealed crate. Salvage rights are first-come, first-served out here.
no requirement
Success
The crate contains a modest haul - dried provisions and a few useful supplies wrapped in oilcloth. Whoever packed this knew what they were doing. Lucky for you they're not here to argue ownership
Failure
The crate is nailed shut with rusted hardware and you don't have the right tools. You bruise your hands getting it open only to find a load of cracked ceramic tiles. Decorative. Worthless.
2
Follow the boot prints heading toward the waste. The cart owner might need help - or might have dropped something better along the way
no requirement
Success
Half a kilometer down the trail, you find a dropped satchel wedged between two rocks. Inside: a handful of caps, a water flask, and a rolled-up piece of leather with route markings scratched into it. The owner clearly had bigger problems than a lost bag.
Failure
The tracks fade into hardpan after a few hundred meters. The wind is already erasing what's left. You turn back with nothing but sunburn and a lesson about chasing ghosts.
3
That axle break looks repairable. If you fix the cart, it becomes salvage you can claim.
Tools Crafting lv 3
Success
The axle snapped at a stress fracture - poor metallurgy, not impact damage. You fashion a splint from a mesquite branch and bind it with wire from one of the broken crates. The cart won't haul heavy loads, but it's mobile again. A passing trader offers you a decent price for it on the spot.
Failure
The fracture runs deeper than you thought - the entire axle housing is compromised. Your splint holds for about three meters before the whole assembly collapses sideways again, worse than before. At least you confirmed it's unfixable.

UUID