On the Caravan to Nexus City

My gaming group is moderately excited about the upcoming release of Gamma World, and I have been tapped to run it once a month alongside our current D&D game. I realize that it's not coming out until October, but I have an idea that I want to flesh out as it should occupy the first half of the campaign.

I have been given to understand that Gamma World is only Heroic Tier (levels 1-10) and it should be pretty straight up compatable with 4th Ed D&D. I want to run this as a bit gonzo all in game where the players can come in with an original character concept and then we can twist races and classes until they squeak. Kind of a Thundarr the Barbarian meets Samurai Jack at the Mos Eisley Cantina kind of vibe.

Anyhoo, I want to set the first 5 levels of the game in a great caravan making a large circuit of the land, beginning and ending at Nexus City the largest and most advanced city in the world still standing. Each of the characters have joined the Caravan headed to Nexus for their own reason, be it as a simple immigrant, looking for a better life, a bounty hunter after a big score, a guard, or what have you, and while there may be quicker ways to reach Nexus, there are fewer safer and more reliable ways than to join up with a reputable caravan.

The more I thought on this, the more I realized that if I treat the Caravan less like a Mobile Encounter, where the players get to fight off attackers three times a night, and more like a Mobile City with politics, businesses, people, and so on, that will actually visit other cities and towns, gaining and losing travelers as plot dictates, that this might be something that could sustain a game, and the interest of the players, rather than the old chestnut of "Caravan Guards"

Sooo, to do this I need to people the Caravan with awesome and interesting travelers, and travails, and that is what I'm turning to all of you for.

The core of the caravan will be the Caravan Master and his crew, including lieutenants, cooks, a smith, guards, scouts and so on.

Additional Merchants with their own private guards and secret agendas.

V.I.P.s traveling either openly, or incognito.

Immigrants, and other assorted camp followers, who make their money not from trade between towns, but from the travelers themselves, be they brewers, prostitutes, thieves, or confidence artists.

I'm going to have to re-read Louis L'amor's The Walking Drum it had a lot of good caravan stuff in it.

Is this a major caravan that is basically an "event" level as it passes through towns?

If so, it might basically include a travelling carnival. You could have performers like jugglers, dancers, and acrobats, along with people who put on plays, singers, and mucians. A dozen troupe members who each fill multiple roles and do multiple things could put on a decent little show anywhere the caravant overnights. There's all kinds of trouble these folks could cause. (Though don't go the route that they are all thives or something as this would quickly become obvious to people and they'd destroy the caravan's reputation.)

Put in a travelling doctor. He/she/it moves along with the caravant both to see patients and to gather medicines. The party could get roped into helping gather some important cure or perhaps in going out to a remote location the caravan passes near to escort the doctor.

Have some kind of scholar. He travels with the caravan to record the history and current events of the places the caravan goes. He could do accounting work for the caravan master to help pay his way, plus what he makes telling people about other places. (News of other places is important to humans. People could trade their news for dinner and/or a place to stay in the old days.) This person could provide information to the party about people and places when necessary.