Pride and Joy: The Vehicles of The Midnight Riders

Living on the back roads

The Midnight Riders have one unique element unavailable to any other group in The Web. Their mode of transportation is unique and often exhibits qualities that one could expect from such things in The Web. The Midnight Riders are nomads that travel all over the world for one reason or another.

Many are monster hunters by trade and spend untold hours tracking and navigating the roads that move through the mundane world in search of what lies beneath. They see the road as a vein, transporting the blood, the needs of civilization, in all directions. They are like white blood cells, hunting the infections that prevent such progress.

Without their vehicles, they would not be nearly as effective as they have become. Midnight Riders are some of the most valuable assets The Web has. They can mobilize quickly, scouting locations of interest and determine whether larger organizations are needed for the situation or whether it can be taken care of by themselves. This makes them perfect as The Troubleshooters. They set up Chuck Wagons off the beaten path to care for the weary wanderers that don't have access to the many luxuries that they do. This wouldn't be possible without their pride and joy.

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Engine oil and elbow grease

The Midnight Riders are known for being skilled mechanics, and this knowledge doesn't just appear out of thin air. They graduated from the School of Hard Knocks, learning how things work as they go. With every blown tire changed, bad starter replaced, and dent popped back out they have become masters through experience.

Their vehicle is almost accident-prone before it gains the real benefits Midnight Riders are known for. Batteries will inexplicably run out of power, parts will fail. Quirks will begin to reveal themselves like a car door that won't open unless you do it just right or a car radio that needs to have its anti theft system reset every time the car is turned on. These minor inconveniences may seem taxing to some, but to The Riders, these are character traits. They begin to find these traits endearing and will refuse to fix some of these things because of it.

The vehicle begins to express its own personality and the owner will fall in love with it. Eventually, the vehicle will start to gain traits that are far more beneficial and supernatural in nature. In a hurry and about to miss a turn? You may find that the wheel turns automatically, the car decelerating and accelerating appropriately on its own. Need someone to talk to on a bad day? You will suddenly realize the new voice on the new GPS. It sounds a little bit friendlier than normal, and has a lot more to say than just directions. In immediate danger but don't know it yet? You may find the car alarm will go off as the threat nears.

Name Your Darlings

Nothing can happen unless the Midnight Rider gives the vehicle a name. Without a name, it has no true identity. The vehicle is not necessarily sentient or even alive. All studies on the phenomenon yield next to no information as to how and why it occurs. Many believe it is a byproduct of The Gift of Tall Tales, but The Gift of Tall Tales requires a legendary status, and while some of these vehicles have become legendary in The Web, most of them are not.

Magic is the next best guess, but again this is not the case. The Oxford Cabal has been called in to study these vehicles and find there is nothing particularly special about them as far as the arcane is concerned. There is a sense of pride that comes from this fact. Riders love the fact they have access to something that no one else does, and love the fact that no one can even figure out what it is they have and why they have it in the first place.

Life on The Road

The vehicles can be any mode of transportation, including horses and wagons for those who walk a different path. The mode of transportation will only exhibit qualities and issues that are relevant to that particular thing. A horse cannot have a GPS, but it could have a telepathic link, or perhaps it's rider is the only one who can understand it when it talks. A wagon does not have a car battery but it's axle can break and it could move on its own or through ghostly horse-like specters.

It doesn't matter what the transportation is, but it does matter how it's treated. Midnight Riders pamper their vehicles. Like the parent of a spoiled child, they will do anything for it. Should it seemingly express a need, that need will be fulfilled. They go to great lengths to earn the trust of their vehicle, knowing it has a profound effect on whether the vehicle will gain a personality or not. The events leading to the building of this personality as well as the benefits that come from it are random and often appear suddenly without warning. It's an exciting time for anyone who is there to see it.

The various quirks and benefits the vehicle can gain are usually small and never something that gives them a major advantage. They are situational things that are relevant when needed, but seldom have any other use. A group particularly conscious about being caught by authorities might realize the radio picks up signals transmitted by the police or the GPS will mark where police cars in their vicinity are located. Such things are useful, but are a means to a single end. Your vehicle will not suddenly sprout machine guns attached to its headlights, such modifications would have to be added by the rider if they want it. (and yes i'll allow it just to figure out how the characters explain it to the law if found) However, you might find that the vehicle will rev up and strike pursuers during a chase or develop bullet proof glass and a hardened exterior.

Emissions

Emissions are described by the Midnight Riders as a toxicity in the memories attached to the vehicle. There is a profound connection between the Midnight Rider and their vehicle due to the memories they have within that vehicle. The memories don't cause the personality to form, but they are the catalyst that connects the rider to the vehicle when it does.

Too many bad memories can cause emissions, like a mental illness tainting the personality of the vehicle and turning a beloved friend into a rampaging killing machine that seeks to kill any and all who even look in your general direction. The riders equate this to an abusive relationship. It's always a good idea to take some time off and have some good experiences with the vehicle to offset the horrors that the Midnight Riders encounter on the road.

The vehicles are empathetic towards their owners. They will often exhibit traits that match what they see. Once emissions take over, there's no way to go back . Once, you may have been forgiven or may have been able to restore your connection, it's far too late now. Too many bad experiences and one of two things can occur:

• The vehicle will be filled with such anxiety that they worry about your safety constantly. This drives them to commit heinous acts without proper provocation. They begin to suspect everyone even those the vehicle once considered friends.

• The vehicle will begin to lash out at you due to your damaged personal relationship with it. it hunts down the people you love, or may cause itself to crash in a suicidal attempt to kill everyone inside it, but you.

Sad Fact: Sweet Caroline

Sweet Caroline was a vehicle that suffered from emission. The breaking of many women's hearts happened in the backseat of this car, along with the production of many illegitimate children. 5 Year old child support notices were found on the floorboard unopened when it was finally subdued and deactivated. The man's wife was the one who gave the car its name, back when things were better.
Sweet Caroline was present for every case of infidelity. She wanted desperately to stop these events. At first, she started to sound off her alarm or blare the radio as loud as possible during those moments of seduction. One night, Sweet Caroline dialed the wife's phone number during one of these exchanges. It ruined the man's life, and he blamed the car for it. He sold the vehicle for scrap which ended up making things worse.

Alone and confused the vehicle suffered from extreme emissions and proceeded to leave the scrap yard. The next six months were spent following the man and running down every woman he laid eyes on. Other Midnight Riders were called to the scene to handle the situation, and they did so with heavy hearts. In the end, despite the spike strips popping her tires and explosives ripping the tail end off the vehicle, Sweet Caroline killed her previous owner, pinning him against a brick wall and nearly cutting him in half. After this, the car simply stopped, flashing its lights as a signal, allowing the Midnight Riders to disconnect its battery, ending its life.

Midnight Riders and The Candlelight

It stands to reason that members of The Midnight Riders exist in a constant state of exposure to The Candlelight. This is actually not the case. The vehicles themselves are not a source of candlelight, despite the fact that they possess it and are seemingly born from it.
Seeing the vehicle itself will not expose others, nor will it spark the candlelight in those who do not already have it. The only exception is if someone who does not posess the candlelight witnesses the more exotic traits these vehicles possess in action. Those who already have it, however, will be unaffected.
The Midnight Riders still have more candlelight than other troubleshooters on average. Of all troubleshooting organizations in The Web, riders tend to have the highest risk of exposure. Their nomadic lifestyle leads to a higher likelyhood of encountering the candlelight as opposed to those who seldom travel outside a given area.

Vehicles of Note

by Robert Jones

Daisy

Daisy is a John Deere tractor and she is far more than she seems. She can do the job on a farm quicker than anything else, topping speeds of 45 to 60 miles an hour. She's been modified heavily by her owner, possessing many anchors for modification allowing her to be used for many forms of farm work. One of her more notable quirks is her tendency to roam the fields on her own at night with forklift hooks firmly attached. Intruders who are less than human will find themselves skewered, as she's even faster when the sun goes down.

Daisy is owned by Fitzroy, an old man in the American South. He named her after his wife who died of natural causes and firmly believes the spirit of his wife resides in the tractor. The man is not known for his hospitality, being hostile towards strangers. However, although his traveling days are over, when the hunt is on in the Deep South, you can bet he will be there to lend a hand.

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Jeeves

Jeeves is a four door mini cooper convertible that has seen more of the world than most people who ride inside. He has a sophisticated and highly accurate GPS system through which he can communicate to anyone in the vehicle. He can speak 35 languages and has direct access to the The Alexandrian University's archives, the entirety of the internet (including the dark web) and, through his extensive connections, can "find any critical information in less than 1.7574 seconds." He delivers this information in a posh, exceptionally chipper English accent, which led to his name inspired by askjeeves.com. The owner is Alex Youngblood, who inherited the car from his father. Alex was always a gifted individual and always sought to learn, regardless of the subject. It goes to show it 's not uncommon for a vehicle to have similar or complementary traits to its owner's personality.

by Max Pixel

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by Robson Hatsukami Morgan

Gemini

Gemini, gem for short, is the most famous vehicle among the Midnight Riders. She is a Daimler Trucks Freightliner, a semi truck capable of hauling almost twice the load compared to other vehicles of the same make and model. She has a sophisticated GPS system that can hone in on pseudo Paranormal Activity and a sophisticated radio system that can reach almost anywhere on the planet. She is also remarkably spacious. Her cab being almost twice the size as her external dimensions would have one believe. On top of this she also has many discrete compartments for storage that can only be opened by her owners. These compartments are nearly impossible to see and are always overlooked when investigated by others.

Gemini's owners are a married couple, Logan and David, who are some of the most notorious monster hunters in The Web. They are also avid treasure hunters who have been able to recover priceless artifacts lost to time so often that to them it's a running joke. They are also known for their collection of weapons and the fact that they love smuggling resources and who knows what else across the world in Gem's hidden compartments.

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Horse

Horse is a horse. He is his owner's only friend. Horse has been around for almost 50 years, having watched his owner, Jacob, grow up. Horse and Jacob are horribly disfigured, a freak accident involving the death of Jacob's entire family when he was young. Jacob was unable to move on and swore vengeance on the creature responsible. Jacob and Horse spent the better part of the last two decades searching for this beast and killing any other they met for good measure. Horse has a remarkable intelligence and is the only one capable of communicating with Jacob. Horse can speak in the mind of others. He is bound to Jacob in every way, unable to die so long as Jacob lives. Sadly, all is not well, for despite his physical strength, Jacob suffers from many mental impairments. Jacob doesn't realize that they killed the monster responsible for his family's death two months after the events occurred. Jacob is stuck reliving the hunt over and over, and denies or forgets the truth when told. This is one of the rare occasions where a rider's mode of transportation has a much more independent an active role in the life of its owner.

by Maxim Verehin