As I was pulled from Delilah’s body, I found myself attached to the Drowned King. The rest of my pack was there along with the others who had participated in the Rite of Undying Pursuit. We fought endlessly, but I found I needed no food or drink. The Drowned King would occasionally kick us off him, but we inevitably returned.
When we were damaged too greatly by him, we were sent to the Deep Umbra to recover. There, we slept and dreamed. I didn’t realize as a spirit I could dream, but I did. I had dreams of my time with my son and of the past all at once. They were disorienting and comforting at the same time.
Once I recovered, I fought the Drowned King again, but this time the great Wyrm beast bucked and I was kicked off. I shuttled into a body not my own like before. I sat across from several men who looked disoriented and injured. We were on a beach, which considering the Drowned King’s affinity for water was not surprising.
As I looked around, I could see two bodies floating in the water face down. One of the men quickly went to their bodies and began checking their pockets for any food he could find. After grabbing what little food he could find, he introduced himself to John as Aidan Farwatcher. We knew he from the last vision of the past and we quickly acclimated ourselves to the situation and introduced ourselves to each other in order to determine who was who.
I could only assume after everyone introduced themselves and Bjorn and Eli did not that they were the two dead bodies on the shore. Thankfully, Aidan recognized the hilly land we were in as his home. He told us there is a shack nearby with a White Howler kinfolk we can go to where we can sort things out why we are here. Beyond the kinfolk’s home is a caern about 25 miles from here which should have some more answers to our condition but first we must get our bearings.
We initially were going as Lupus form, but after seeing a disoriented and completely zoned out man there who could not introduce himself, Aidan decided against it. Since it was only a mile away, Aidan helped the man along as we walked to the house.
The journey shouldn’t have taken more than twenty minutes, but the hills and carrying the dazed man slowed us down significantly. Still, we made it to the house and Aidan called out that he was a White Howler and in need of aid. From the house, a red-haired woman came out with a basket filled with bread.
She called out to Bone Whittler, which we initially did not know who among us it might be. Aidan came to realize it was the name of the body he was inhabiting. Aidan calls out for a specific person, but the woman just questions why he would ask for her grandfather. We now realize we have slipped forward in time. She then turns to Miguel and asks Alec why her husband is not with us. She then turns to me and ask Jamie what happened to her husband. I break the news that he did not make it and she faints in turn.
John catches her before she falls and Aidan tells us to take her inside. Her home is plain and simple, but inviting. Behind the house I see a pen with some sheep and a single cow. The woman eventually comes to and asks Aidan about her husband. She wonders why he doesn’t remember anything. Aidan makes up a story about a massive Wyrm beast attacking us and how it destroyed our memories. We ask if she could help fill us in on who we are in hopes of helping us along to remember.
I am Jamie Andraste, a Fianna Ahroun who hates the Silver Fangs with a passion and has a kinship with Larid, Hunts-His-Land, a White Howler who is a member of the Sky Shakers pack. I also have the strongest ties to the White Howlers. Alec, which is Miguel, grew up on a farm near here and married her sister Blair. She knows nothing about William, who is John, except that he has a sister. Aidan is Bone Whittler, a Theurge from the Sept of the Mile Deep Loch, who was to meet with the Sky Shakers for an important ritual.
She, herself, is Elizabeth, wife to Malcolm. She is with child and Malcolm promised we would protect her. Malcolm also created the weapons we carry. The man sitting dazed is Ronald McElray. The Bruce family wants him dead for a past transgression. He claims to be a ladies man, but most consider him nothing more than a thief and a liar. Finally, there was Lothar. He always fought for leadership with Malcolm and many thought he wasn’t quite right in the head. He had converted over to the Fianna and was being assisted in this by Tock, a fae, and Malcolm.
She offers us food and tells us she is going to find her husband. As Aidan digs in, I ask her if she is going to be alright. She just tells us she’s Scottish and she’ll be fine. I insist she should be accompanied since we made a pact with Malcolm. Aidan is obviously agitated by this and agrees to go with her.
On the beach, Malcolm manages to come to. He tries to resuscitate Lothar, but to no avail. Elizabeth arrives during this and is surprised at him not being dead. Malcolm claims to have lost his memory from drowning in the water, but Elizabeth tells him his pack is at the house and she can help him remember as Aidan helps him up.
As Malcolm returns, Ronald comes to, and we take the time to inform them of what we know and where we are. As we eat and gather our strength, a howl of war is heard. Heading outside to see who it is, we see an approaching pack of Garou. There are five of them: Maugh the Axe, Connor the Blade, Dannon Shakes-The-Sky, Grego the Hammer, and Karlson Sleeps-With-Death.
Maugh is overjoyed to Aidan and hugs him vigorously, much to Aidan’s discomfort. He thought Bone Whittler (Aidan) had been lost. As he begins to greet us, Grego makes a snide remark about the Fianna, which Maugh quickly tells him to be quiet as they are his brothers. It’s obvious that Grego and Karlson are not White Howlers, but Fenrir (Get of Fenris). The others are White Howlers.
Aidan cautiously asks about his (Aidan’s) fate. Maugh only tells him that Aidan Farwatcher left on a spirit quest 200 years ago and never returned. The reality of the situation is crushing for him, but he tries to bury this feeling to not alienate Maugh. Maugh tells him a Theurge from the Sept of the Mile Deep Loch has seen a vision of coming into contact with the Wyrm and prevailing. He asks us if we want to join him. Eli agrees, but I feel apprehensive. We were obviously knocked into this time for a reason much like traveling to distant past to see how the Drowned King was bound with the ancestor spirits in the Rite of Undying Pursuit.
Aidan asks about the Sky Shakers pack and Maugh tells them they went to the Spiral. At this point I went from apprehensive to outright fearful. It began to dawn on me what was happening here. Ronald (William) asks about it and Maugh only retorts that he’s a Fianna and he knows about the Rite of Passage all White Howlers do there.
Eli tells Maugh the truth about who we are and what happened to us. William describes the battle with the Drowned King and the Rite that was enacted that brought us here. Maugh is a little perplexed, but the Get outright dismiss us as drunks.
In spite of the revelation, we still accompany them to the entrance of the Spiral. Contrary to what ideas I might have had about it and its appearance, it is simply a large hole in the ground. Aidan is visibly distressed at being at the entrance to the Spiral. He gets close to Eli and whispers that Bjorn has told him about a prophecy of the future. During this, Maugh and the others wonder why Aidan won’t enter.
Eli decides, at William’s suggestion, to Mindspeak with Aidan about what he was told and if it is what we think it is. Sure enough, Bjorn has told Aidan of the fall of the White Howlers. William decides to show the fate of the White Howlers to Maugh. He is visibly taken aback by this revelation. Maugh offers to set up camp and wait for the Sky Shakers to return to which Aidan agrees.
It’s obvious the Get are annoyed with this course of action. Knowing the Fall could happen here, Eli suggests that only our pack and the Get go in to prevent any White Howlers from being corrupted. We quietly ask if we should let the Get know, but Maugh tells us no due to it creating backlash against the Tribe.
Going with Eli’s suggestion, we decide to enter the Spiral. The Get insist to go first and we willingly let them. Eli tells Miguel and I to stay behind in case anything goes wrong we are to leave and warn everyone. As the Get charge in Crinos form, we shift and follow behind them. The pit is dark and the Get leap over something on the ground. John activates his fairy light and we see the body of a Garou, badly injured.
The Garou sounds out the Howl of Succor and we stop to tend to him. I heal him with Mother’s Touch, but while recovering from his wounds he begins the transformation into a Black Spiral Dancer. I quickly ask for him to be held down as I perform the Rite of Cleansing as a last resort in the hopes that it will stop the corruption.
Eli tells John to hold him down while the rest of the group goes forward to make sure the Get are fine. As I start the Rite, the corrupted Garou tells us he is Coruroc of the Sky Shaker pack. He is the White Howler who escaped the Spiral to tell the others before dying in our time. As I continue the Rite, he begins to speak. He looks at me and says: “you, Larid left a day ago. He went to find you. His secret is known.” I try to maintain my focus on the Rite as he speaks.
Ahead, Eli and the rest of the pack watch as the Get enter a vibrating dark light. He stops the group, unsure of what to do.
About halfway into the Rite, I can tell it is starting to work. Coruroc continues to speak: “He is wanting to finish the conception. He wants your seed to inherit the Earth.” The words are unnerving and I try to maintain my composure as I finish the ritual. Coruroc has been managed to be saved. Something that didn’t happen in our time. Still, it is obvious the experience of the Spiral and corruption has left more than a little crazed.
Eli returns with the rest of the group realizing that saving the Get is hopeless at this point. Coruroc wants to warn the Fianna and I agree to go with him. He tells us the Sky Shakers have gotten out. We return to Maugh and the other White Howlers telling them of the corruption of the Sky Shakers pack. We tell them they have become Black Spiral Dancers, inadvertently naming the Tribe.
Coruroc is pushing hard for warning the Fianna and evacuating any nearby kinfolk. He says the Spirals are going to the Sept to look for me. Aidan goes with Maugh and the others to warn the White Howlers and protect the White Howler kinfolk.
We realize Elizabeth is in danger and decide to head to her house, much to Coruroc’s disagreement. Arriving there, we find the house has been attacked. Entering it, a cooking pot has been knocked over and a fire is beginning to spread. It is obvious that the house will become engulfed shortly.
Heading towards the beach where we arrived, we see three Black Spirals holding Elizabeth hostage. They haven’t realized we are there and Eli decides we should attack. Leaping towards them, Eli manages to hurt one and knock the other away. We all shift to Crinos and begin to battle.
William quickly shifts to Hispo form and charges forward grabbing Elizabeth. As he does, he sees Coruroc in the distance running away from the battle as fast as he can. One of the Black Spirals grows silver claws and is immediately singled out. Eli and John take him down while Miguel and I tie up the other two. The fight is rough and potentially deadly, but we come out on top. I look down at the Black Spiral with silver claws. He has a J carved into his shoulder. It was Larid and I have helped this ancestor from falling to the Wyrm while Eli has prevent his line from being extinguished.
As the fight ends and we watch Coruroc run in the distance, we fell the now familiar pull of leaving our bodies. It was time to battle the Drowned King again.