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Negotiating a Truce and the End of the Pride Slayers… (Game 40)

We had already left the area after speaking with Curtis when we decided to converse with each other and determine what to do. I told Eli that I wanted to speak with Kenith and that he needed to know the situation. Eli, however, in a move not normal for him, decided that we needed to see the Mages personally at Alcatraz.

We needed someone to watch the children in the meantime. Agnis suggested Mother Abby, a Bone Gnawer who took care of her after the First Change. However, we ultimately settled on just having Miguel watch the kids at a hotel. We weren’t planning on fighting the Mages, hopefully.

Bjorn offered caution about the meeting. It was true that we were meeting them on their own turf. We had no idea of what they could do to us. Still, there was no dissuading Eli from going there. He dialed up Curtis on my phone and arranged a meeting with whoever was in charge of the Cabal. He strongly emphasized that it would be a peaceful meeting and no one in the pack wanted violence. Curtis replied that the Mages already had a boat waiting for them at the pier near the abandoned prison.

Heading there, we took a small boat to the island. We headed to where the guards used to live when Alcatraz was in use. There, a man with a staff named Max Baker greeted us. He told us that he was the leader of the Golden City Cabal. I wondered if he was the man at the beach the day we were revived.

Max led us through the prison, telling us about it along the way, guiding us to the Officer’s Club. There, he sat down on a chair and offered us seats. Max got right down to business speaking of how we had killed two of his people. It was obvious he was attempting to make the argument that it was our fault entirely. Eli tried to reason with him that his Cabal’s actions, more specifically Robert’s, had endangered my child. However, Max rebuffed him telling him that they had not taken a Garou child and therefore felt they had done nothing wrong.

I could tell that Eli was getting agitated at the situation. His words to Max had taken of the feeling of veiled threats. Still, Eli tried his best to rein his temper in. Max told us that they had only plundered two “nodes” as he called it. Neither of these were in use by werewolves at the time. Jonathon spoke up and mentioned that Robert was taking direct action against the werewolves by creating this sort of spiritual bomb. Once again, Max blew us off stating that Robert’s loyalty was not in question and that he was second to Max himself. He wouldn’t help us kill any more of his kind.

Eli, getting ever more frustrated, told Max that all he wanted was three things. He wanted to ensure that either Robert or anyone else of his Cabal stop messing with their “nodes”, to remove the spell off of my son Ryan, and remove the spell off of Mordecai and his ilk in order so we could track them.

Max told us that he had never hurt caerns before, not wanting to start an all-out war that he could not likely win. He could not remove the spell of the Fathom’s as they would have to be present. He also could not undo the impressed Avatar on Ryan. Hopefully, in the future, the boy would become a Mage, likely right around the same time I became a Garou. I could feel my own anger rising from his statement.

Bjorn tried to reason with Max, telling him that Robert himself had been manipulated by someone into doing this. Once again, Max denied any wrongdoing on Robert’s part. Words became heated and both sides nearly declared war on each other. Eli let himself cool down for a second and tried to begin again. Max mentioned that it’s Robert’s job to go out and find “nodes”. I told Max that Robert had made my son into a spiritual time bomb.

At this point, Agnis spoke up. She told Max that the actions that Robert had been involved in had a ripple effect. While we had killed two Mages and sadly a score of humans, his actions have led to near-war in our area and the losses are counted in the dozens. Max seemed to reconsider. He told us that he would make sure Robert did not take any “nodes” that are occupied and would leave kinfolk alone.

We still asked if there was anything that could be done for my son. Unfortunately, he would need a master of spirits in order to accomplish anything. This, of course, was Robert. Still, Max mentioned that it would take a tremendous amount of power to do so. Jonathon volunteered his spiritual essence for the task. Max also mentioned that it would take a great deal of time. Eli wanted to know what he would want for such a task. At that moment, Jonathon whispered to Eli that we, as Garou, could probably take care of this on our own. Eli then dropped the topic entirely.

Max then made a farewell speech to us as he showed us to the door. It was obvious he was genuine in his efforts to prevent a war. As he was doing it though, he began to repeat the same things a couple of times. His jacket appeared to be torn and white powder ran down his neck. I asked him if everything was okay.

As Max started to speak with us about it, Jonathon stepped sideways. Max mentioned that it wasn’t a good idea and we agreed. Still, we knew Jonathon would be alright. I asked him about the day that we returned to life. He was there. He had taken us out of a temporal paradox that might have done severe damage to the world. He owed a debt to someone and did not do it personally though. I asked who he owed the debt to, but he just smiled leaving me to wonder if it was Kenith or the Mind Mage.

In the Umbra, Jonathon found the area to be like it was at Robert’s place. It was obvious that he had set up the defenses here. Jonathon enacted a gift that would sap the area of spiritual energy, but it ultimately had no effect on the situation. Jonathon tried to return to the material world and suddenly found himself in the ocean. He had been teleported away. Obviously a clever defense to keep out Garou.

Panicking, he tried to contact Tick to lead him back to shore. Tick was able to, but it looked like it would take a great deal of time. Jonathon called out to Quetzal and had him take him via moon bridge right into the hotel that Miguel was at.

[At Alcatraz…]

I thanked Max for bringing us back even though he didn’t do it on his own accord. We left and suddenly found ourselves at the dock. After contacting Miguel, Eli discovered that it had been three hours since we started speaking with Max. It was obvious that something had been done to us. We wondered if the negotiations had gone less than stellar and Max had to undo something. He even hinted to something of that effect before we left, but none of us understood what he meant.

As we headed back to the hotel, Agnis suggested that we still make Robert pay for what he had done. Normally, I didn’t want to hurt others not of the Wyrm, but in this case, I was in complete agreement. Eli said the issue had been resolved so unless something else happened, we were to leave him alone.

After arriving at the hotel, we spoke quietly in another room about what to do next. Jonathon suggested an exorcism. I knew what it was, but had no ability to do so. Still, I was worried. We had been told before that exorcisms don’t go that well for the victim. It was a risk and up to me. I decided I wanted to speak with someone about whether or not it could even be performed.

Eli wanted to deal with his father. He wanted to use Morgan to get to Mordecai and get Lindsey back. He made the phone call to him, but it wasn’t good news. Morgan told him that the Mages had come and got Kenith. He had no contact with Mordecai and didn’t know where he was. He also told Eli that he was done with the Mages since they broke their word and similarly with the Spirals after Gretchen decided to kill our line. He can offer Eli no more protection since he won’t come with Morgan.

After the call ended, Bjorn wanted to know what they were going to do with the children. I suggested that Ryan could stay with my father. He was his paternal grandfather and should spend some time with his biological family. Thankfully, they agreed with me. We took him to my father’s place, explaining the situation to my father. I then explained things and tried to put my son at ease before we left for the Sept.

Returning to the Sept, Bjorn went to find Gruffy and attempt his challenge while Eli brought Crafty back up to speed on what was going on. Jonathon went to get Ryan in the meantime. Gruffy told Bjorn to head to the Pin Gallery. He can take the pack for support. He must preside over judgment on several non-Sleeping Lion Sept disputes.

Jonathon came to me shortly after Bjorn spoke with Gruffy. He had been told by Ryan that while an exorcism might be possible, he had no idea if what was attached to my son was even a spirit. He suggested speaking with Star Screamer. I knew that if I asked for his help I would owe them, but I was more than willing to do so.

Bjorn wasted no time and took us to the Pin Gallery. There, we as a pack except for Bjorn, stood on the sidelines and waited for things to begin. No-Hands-Catches-Fish, Gruffy, and Stands-with-Claws were there at the back of the gallery at a table. There was a spot open for Bjorn which he took.

No-Hands-Catches Fish told Bjorn that he would be the final arbiter in judgement for these cases. There will be consequences for his decisions. If the situation gets too hard for him, he would feel free to put his hand on Stands-with-Claws shoulder and she will take over. No-Hands told him it would be alright and just make the decision you believe is correct.

The first people to approach the table was a Garou named Kinsey “Happy Feet” Morrison and a familiar face, Lightning Claws. She had seen Lightning Claws severely abusing and nearly raping a kinfolk. She attempted to stop the situation, but Lightning uttered a warning growl. Undeterred, she antagonized him again until he attacked her. Her plea is for the kinfolk to be placed in protection.

Bjorn went to questioning from that point on. He asked if Lightning was a higher, to which he was. He was Adren, she was Fostern. Just on this simple premise, Bjorn said that she should have backed down. However, he did not issue a judgement yet. He asked Lightning about the kinfolk and why they were being punished. He told Bjorn that the kinfolk had been in trouble with drugs before. They had been dealing and using them. It was the second time Lightning had spoken with the kinfolk. When asked if the punishment was necessary, Lightning only retorted that it was what got through to them.

Bjorn asked a final question about how he got the kinfolk clean the last time. Lightning just said he spoke with them.

Bjorn then issued a judgement. He decided that Lightning Claws was in the wrong for mistreating the kinfolk and not respecting those beneath you. He needed to be spoken to about his treatment of kinfolk. However, Bjorn ultimately decided that Kinsey was in the wrong and she should have issued a proper challenge to him or brought it before the elders. Her heart was in the right place, but Bjorn had to deny her request.

Next up were two Garou that we had never met before. One was a Shadow Lord named LeeAnn “Sweet Tongue” Bolinger and the other was a Bone Gnawer named “Questions the Ways”. In an assignment, Sweet Tongue had been gathering intel about local leeches in order to find their head leech and dispatch him for her quest. Questions-the-Ways attacked her contact that she was speaking with. He could have waited until she finished speaking with the contact before driving them away. She failed her quest because of it. She wants Questions-the-Ways punished.

Questions-the-Ways then spoke his turn. Sweet Tongue had been in his territory. He really didn’t care much about the leech as they were always around. What he was concerned about was that Sweet Tongue was offering human sacrifices to this leech in order to obtain information. He then chose to scare them off.

Bjorn then started his questioning. Was she really giving sacrifices? Sweet Tongue did not deny this, only saying that no one would miss the people she was giving the leech. Did she know it was his territory? Sweet Tongue said yes. Was the territory recognized by the Sept? Questions-the-Ways said yes it was. When asked why she didn’t just speak with Questions-the-Ways, Sweet Tongue said she didn’t care, she just wanted to complete her quest. She didn’t plan on taking any of the sacrifices from his territory. It would homeless people that she wouldn’t miss.

Bjorn rendered his decision that Questions-the-Ways could not be punished for his actions. Indeed, he recommended Sweet Tongue be punished for her actions, but since he was not here to render such a judgement he could do it. Sweet Tongue, however, was understanding of the decision.

The final judgement for Bjorn came in the form of a Garou named Black Patch. He hauled in a Garou with a bag on his head. Removing the bag, it was Mordecai. He had apparently been caught in the area. During this announcement of the accused, we learned that Mordecai’s Garou name was Bloody Tongue for the first time.

Black Patch announced his crimes. Mordecai had killed others out of greed, raped, and committed other atrocities. He was cast out of the Sept of the Open Mind. Later, he attempted to return to the Sept, but ended up killing an elder who knew his secret. He then went on to tell what we already knew about the Pride Slayers. Bjorn must pass judgement on his fate.

I could see that Bjorn had a sense of uneasiness about judging his brother. Before he could begin the questioning, Mordecai blurted out a message, obviously intended for Eli as he looked to him during it. He said that it was going to be a massacre, something he reiterated twice in the message. Look for the massacre. The Pride Slayers have abandoned their leader for the admirations of a female. Black Patch then hit him and told him to be quiet.

Questioning did not go on long. Bjorn only asked if he was willing to change and reform his ways. Mordecai gave one of the least convincing answers ever heard. Bjorn had no choice but to sentence him to death. Black Patch offered to be the one to do it and we could see a tear in Mordecai’s eye as Black Patch went to decapitate him. Before he did, Mordecai whispered something to Black Patch.

Bringing a klaive down on his neck, Mordecai died quickly and painlessly. When asked what he whispered to Black Patch, he merely said that his brother was his legacy and his family would live on in the Silver Record.

With this done, Bjorn had succeeded in his quest. He was now rank 4, Artho, the first in the pack to do so.

However, with Mordecai’s message, there was no time to waste. We broke with the formalities and headed out. We knew that Massacre would have Lindsey’s location and I quickly made a Questing Stone for the vampire.

Finding her in a tent in a garbage dump in a nearby woods, she was still heavily burnt from the vineyard fire and likely other battles. Only Eli and Bjorn could fit in the tent, but we could still easily hear so we waited nearby.

Massacre was sorry that they took Lindsey. She tried to help, but she was obviously no match for a full pack of werewolves. Eli told her that the attack on the vineyard was not us, but our enemies. Massacre went on to say that a large group of vampires had suckered the Pride Slayers into joining up with them. Mordecai apparently protected Lindsey from the group, but they kicked him out. They decided to use Lindsey as a hostage to draw us in. Massacre wanted us to kill them and we would be square with her.

It was obvious we were going to take care of the situation, but we needed to prepare. Bjorn’s test had ran late and it was getting dark so attacking tonight would have been dangerous, if not suicide. We knew that vampires slept in the day so we used this time to rest and prepare.

The next day, Agnis had her Questing Stone guide us to an abandoned mansion. There, we used the Questing Stone to pinpoint Lindsey’s exact location. We prepared all of our gifts and made a surprise attack from the Umbra. The fight was over in seconds with the Pride Slayers. It was nearly two on one and they were still sleeping. I stabbed my klaive through Specs head and ripped it forward while Eli and John shredded two of them. Agnis and William dueled Switchback and took him down. During this time, Jonathon quickly grabbed Lindsey and fled the house.

After dispatching the Pride Slayers pack, we made short work of the sleeping vampires who could not rise during the day. Leaving the house, we began our journey back to the Sept. A great chapter had finally closed in our lives…

Darkness Rising and the Return of an Old Friend… (Game 38)

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After returning to the Sept, we filled Crafty in on everything that had gone on from our return from the dead to this moment. Crafty was happy to see us, but we could tell that he wasn’t pleased with the events involving his clone.

Crafty told us that because the Pride Slayers had been involved in the attack on the Sept of the Angry Earth and likely his own capture, they would have to be dealt with. He would head to the Sept of the Three Waters and covertly work on repairing the damage his clone had done.

I mentioned that there might be additional clones since his clone had a number two. Crafty told me we would cross that bridge when we got to it.

As we gathered together to determine our next plan of action, I mentioned to Eli that killing his brother might cause some problems with his father. I recommended that he speak with his father and sort things out beforehand. Eli wanted clarity on the issue, but was apprehensive on killing his family. He wanted to interrogate them and find out their involvement. After that, he would decide what to do. If they are in league with the Spirals, however, Crafty told us to treat them as enemies of the Garou Nation.

Finding Mordecai was nearly impossible thanks to the ritual the Mages cast on him. However, I wondered if it was possible for us to track one of his packmates. I attempted to make a Questing Stone for Vorpal, but it spun wildly and I couldn’t get a lock. Trying it for Switchback did the same thing. It was obvious they were protected by proxy or they had the ritual done on them as well.

Because of this, Eli had to call his father and arrange a meeting with him. Morgan was still in the same place as last time, so Eli took just himself and Bjorn to not cause any alarm to his father. The meeting was tense to say the least. Morgan initially thought that Eli came to do him harm, but Eli dismissed this. Eli wanted to know where Mordecai was, but Morgan saw through this and knew there was a possibility that he was going to kill him. Thankfully, Bjorn managed to convince Morgan to give us some information. Morgan gave the option of direct confrontation with Mordecai which could go bad or to find him through the people that cast the ritual on him. Eli chose the former.

Mordecai was staying at the Fisherman’s Grotto on the wharf. We made our way there and Eli chose to go alone to meet his brother. I asked to see my son while he was at the meeting and Eli was fine with that. Tension broke out for a moment when Rage Heart suggested that Eli’s dedication to the Sept was being tested against his loyalty to his family. Eli put Rage Heart back in his place and told his that he was doing what he believed was right for the Sept. Agnis would accompany me to see my son while the others in the pack secured a hotel room in case we were going to be here for a while.

Eli entered the Grotto and the meeting was already off to a shaky start. His pack looked jumpy and didn’t want Eli there. Eli spotted a girl tied to a post nearby as he got closer. Eli bluntly asked about the attack on the Sept of the Angry Earth, disregarding any offers of food or drink. Mordecai was straightforward and told Eli that it was a job and nothing more. He didn’t have any ill-will towards to the Sept, he was just doing what Morgan told him to do.

Mordecai said that he was making big changes in this house. His pack would wipe out the rest of the Septs except ours because given the choice, he wanted his brother’s to remain. However, this would make our area weak against the Spirals. Eli asked about their sister, but Mordecai didn’t know where she was. Mordecai told him they couldn’t break the ritual without messing them all up.

At that point, Vision spoke up and said this situation wasn’t cool as he could see Quetzal remaining nearby. Mordecai told him to lose the bird. Eli, in turn, told him to ditch his pack so they could talk one on one. Mordecai complied and Eli sent away Quetzal, but not without some warning from our Totem spirit.

Mordecai said that the Ahroun left their marks on everything. Basically, it’s how they got caught in the act. Mordecai is following Order 34 of Morgan’s playbook. All of the other Septs get wiped out. In turn, because we are what’s left, we get wiped out by the Black Spirals. He offers Eli the chance to have the ritual cast on him correctly this time and he run with his pack. He even offered to have all of us get the ritual and we run as two packs doing the dirty work.

Of course, Eli denied this for the time being. He wanted to know how this would fix the Gaian Garou. Mordecai told him the Nation was wrong in many of their beliefs and needed to be torn down before it could be fixed. When he started this mission, he was unaware of Grethen’s intent. It wasn’t until they started killing our line that everything came out. They called it off afterward. Mordecai also said the hives were getting ready to wipe us out and had begun uniting. Eli asked if Gretchen and Alyssa had united, but he didn’t know who they were.

Mordecai even spoke of Lex’s possible attempt to make a fomor army. It showed he was working with the Wyrm just as much as he was the Weaver. Mordecai then went for some booze. During this time, Eli untied the girl’s gag and discovered she was Sarah Linder. They had killed her whole pack and were deciding on what to do with her. She was from the Valley. Eli calls Quetzal back and relays what he has discovered.

During this time, I had arrived at Kenith’s house with Agnis. I noticed a sports car outside of his house with Morgan Fathom going up to the door. He was invited in and we could hear shouting from the inside of the house. I decided I was going to go there anyway regardless. After ringing the doorbell, a man I didn’t know answered the door. I asked for Kenith, but he was still in Europe. The man abruptly slammed the door in my face.

Mordecai returns with some alcohol while Eli tells him he wants the girl to go free. Mordecai thinks this is a mistake as she will mess with your head and screw your pack. He tells Eli that she’s not a Garou. They don’t know what she is. Eli wants to take the girl and leave while Mordecai suggests joining up one more time.

Eli tells him we should part ways here as brothers and not fall to disagreement. Mordecai still warns him of how she’ll mess with you, but ultimately relents when he sees that Eli is not going to bend. Mordecai hugged Eli and wished him good luck. He also told Eli to not worry about his pack messing with him. Eli left with Sarah and he could see the rest of the Pride Slayers weren’t happy about the arrangement.

Eli told Sarah to stick with him as they went to the hotel to meet Bjorn. Eli and Bjorn exchanged the girl. I mindspeaked to Eli that his father was here and we needed his ability to listen in on conversations. Eli came by moon bridge and got close enough to listen in.

Eli could hear his father talking to the man inside. Morgan was calmer, but still mad in his tone. He told the man, Robert, that he had almost sold them out and they needed to get their house in order. They needed to wrap their business up and get out of here. Morgan then left and we stayed to listen in on any other potential conversations.

Eli could hear the man inside speaking with someone on the phone. He spoke of gathering up all of the cabals, all of the big ones. It was obvious they were planning something dangerous. I suggested to Eli that I tell him of my true nature. He didn’t give any response to that, but did tell me that we have his name and could find him later if we needed to. Agnis wanted us to get Ryan out of here immediately and I was wondering why Kenith lied about his dad not being well.

During this time, Bjorn figured out that Sarah wasn’t a Garou. She admitted she was a Nuwisha, but masqueraded as a Bone Gnawer. The Thunder Mountain Sept had accepted her as such. She begged him not to tell anyone about it. She wanted to know where our Sept was, but Bjorn just gave her a vague area. She warned Bjorn about the Black Spirals in our area. Bjorn wanted to know why Mordecai and his pack had her. She told him they knew her secret. The Black Spirals had been summoning up tons of banes in the area. There was a very powerful bane they were trying to awaken. The situation sounded very much like what we witnessed in the Dark Ages.

Eli, Agnis, and I made our way back in the middle of the conversation. She told us that Septs from all over California had been gathering together, even abandoning Hives. She wanted to speak with out Sept leader and she could give some names that might help us in stopping whatever they are doing. We decided to steal a van and make our way back to the Sept.

Eli called Daniel to get a hold of Crafty as he was still over at the Sept of the Three Waters smoothing things over. Shortly thereafter, Crafty got in touch with Eli and he told him the situation. Crafty told us to meet at Wrong Moon’s mansion so we could discuss this without having Sarah enter the Sept.

Arriving at the mansion, Eli told Crafty about the Pride Slayers and their involvement in everything. They were being manipulated by Morgan to do his bidding and that he had plans for our Sept. Crafty then declared Morgan and the Pride Slayers enemies of the Nation. However, he was not sure if he would send our pack to do the deed due to Eli’s family relations. Still, Agnis suggested that the Pride Slayers may be saveable. It would be harder than the Vulture Walkers, but still worth the effort.

Crafty and Daniel took Sarah into the back of the mansion and privately discussed what she knew. After a brief conversation, Crafty decided to give Sarah sanctuary at our Sept.

We made our way to the Sept as an emergency meeting was called. Daniel spoke with the rest of the elders on what was going on while the other packs slowly arrived. After about an hour of conversing, the Vulture Walkers told us that Crafty wanted to speak with us.

Now that the packs are back we must make a decision. Crafty will go to the Sept of the Three Waters and relay Sarah’s information. More importantly, now that White Lion, Elk, and Roedeer have rejoined, Lion wants us to redeem his fallen brood. This is dangerous as many of them now reside in Malfeas and we may lose our sanity in the process. Unfortunately, Jonathon was needed for this. I ask why we can’t go and Crafty told us that our rank was too low and three Theurges are needed for this mission.

From the treeline, we could hear Sarah. She was standing at the Sept border. She offered us a method to help. She knew a secret Rite that could have an ancestor help them in the flesh. Ryan said there was no known Garou ritual that could do this to which Sarah retorted that she was Nuwisha. Crafty wanted to know if Eli knew this and he shook his head yes, but told him he was honor bound not to speak of it.

Crafty told us it was up to us to choose. It didn’t take long. Everyone seemed on board for the idea. The Sept was called together around Jonathon’s grave.

Short Paw called Coyote and asks that he give us the spirit of Jonathon to assist us. She looked at Eli and asked for something of his. Eli’s bag vibrates and he pulls out the treasure box. She looked at the treasure box in awe. She told us that his spirit is trying to return. She wondered what the box was and told us we must free the spirit. Eli opened the box and Sarah began to sing a chant.

Unfortunately, as Sarah held he hand to the ground, it was not enough. There would have to be a sacrifice. One of the Garou would have to take Jonathon’s place in death. Rage Heart immediately offered himself up. Eli asked if he was sure, but Rage Heart only told it’s what a Ahroun does for his pack.

Taking Rage Heart’s hand, she continued her chant. As she did, Rage Heart’s eyes rolled back into his head and the dirt beneath her stirred. Finally, as the Rite was completed, Rage Heart fell to the ground and Jonathon’s hand came forth from the dirt. We pulled him out and he was confused as to what had happened.

William and I did the Gathering for the Departed on Rage Heart as we buried him. We all spoke words of kindness, even those who didn’t know him well. I remembered his confidence in me when I tried to become Alpha long ago. Eli, distraught by this, went into the woods and unleashed his Rage, completing his chiminage to the spirits.

That night, we held an impromptu Sept meeting. We welcomed Jonathon back and he was surprised to have Tick with him again. Ryan then sat down with us. He asked us if we understood what we were up against. From the vision of my mother’s fate, I understood it better than most. Bjorn asked where we could quickly learn to get ready for it. Ryan told us that Daniel had been to Malfeas, but he may not want to speak of it. He didn’t want us going down into Malfeas and the other dark Near Realms.

Bjorn then asked about the lost spirits. Ryan doesn’t know, but he told us Lion would speak with us about them. He will likely present it from easiest to hardest. However, there is a strong chance we would lose pack members along the way. This is nothing to take lightly. Because of how important this rejoining is to the world, they didn’t want us involved in their war in the Nation. They wanted us to take the war to the Triat itself.

With the gravity of the situation ahead of us, we decided it was time to speak with Daniel about his Descent. I was nervous to say the least…

Family Reunions… (Game 32)

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The next seven weeks went by like a blur. The Sept was extremely busy. Wrong Moon’s father finalized the purchase of the park and had a mansion built for him. I found myself worried about the added activity and damage to the forest, but the elders were ok with it and I let it go for the time being.

Along with all of the work being done on Wrong Moon’s mansion, Crafty decided that four more cabins would need to be built to house the growing Septs Garou. Mackie bonded with the Vulture Walkers at this time and was teaching Sheeba and Jason. His jokes and lessons were all the same as when he taught us, but they were still effective nonetheless.

Ryan worked hard with us during this time teaching any Rites he could. I spent a great deal of time with him and fully mastered my knowledge of Rituals. I felt more confident and hopefully had enough Rites to fill in the void left by Jonathon’s death. I know I’d never be as good with the spirits as he was, but I could always try my hardest.

The Irish Destroyers also worked on rituals with the elders. Killer of Dogs bugged them to let him help them, but never followed through oddly. During this time, the Vulture Walkers goaded Sheeba and Jason to join their pack.

Lion’s Vengeance did bawn patrol with the Vulture Walkers. Scourge of the Woods had been spending a lot more time in Lupus form, but he had taken an interest in Cindy Lawson who was rooming with Stanley Locke. Stanley, himself, was working at Costco and had become very close with Leein. The two were quickly becoming an item.

Born Twice was still struggling to get along with his brother Magnus. Things were getting a little better, but I don’t think Magnus realizes how Bjorn feels. I may have to talk to him about it. When not dealing with his brother, Bjorn summoned his ancestor from the Dark Ages, Talks-with-Herbs and learned a gift. He also learned another gift with the help of Ryan. He still spent his time with Gina who continued on working to graduate school. She also began hinting at wanting to become pregnant.

Killer of Dogs, apparently, was forced to pester everyone for a request to learn gifts. Hopefully, he doesn’t get hurt for his actions.

Stag’s Daughter spent time learning Rites and Gifts. She proposed an idea to tattoo Serenity to protect her from evil spirits, but Ryan shot the idea down. He did applaud her thinking however.

Lindsey continued working while pregnant. Everyone showered her with attention and seeing her stomach grow over time sparked my maternal desires. I wanted to get pregnant again and I now thought I could do so safely because of how strong the Sept was becoming.

Ariel and Cliff haven’t been around much as they would like. Both have been very busy with their jobs.

Rusty and Rivet got themselves into some trouble getting too close to the construction zone. They were reprimanded by Scourge and I don’t think they will be doing that again.

Monica had been getting along great with Scott. It looks like they might be an item soon. I’m glad I suggested it because I know they had a lot in common and could understand each other better than anyone else.

Maria now had an apartment and legal status. She worked at a local Mexican restaurant. Tomas, however, isn’t seen outside of Moots.

Kristen has been attempting to get close to Wrong Moon. He’s resisting and it’s making her want him even more. I hope that he will stop being afraid of girls and give in to her. When not hitting on him, she works at the state hospital in the cafeteria.

Magnus has been happy to spend all of his time with me. He keeps talking about saving up for nice things, dates, etc., but I told him he doesn’t have to. I’m just happy he’s around.

The only real problem during this time was Nick. He doesn’t like the Fianna lifestyle and missed his old life with the Glass Walkers, minus being robbed by them. Worse still, after the Glass Walkers got done taking over his life, they left it in disarray and would have black marks for the rest of his life. My father got him a job, but even after that, we can all tell he’s not happy. We may have to let him go.

After the downtime, another Moot arrived on Halloween. Apparently, this Moot was special. It was the festival of Sam Hain. The Fianna used this time to have a grand feast and there was a lot of celebration. During this time, the gauntlet is very thin and communing with the ancestors is much easier.

The cracking of the bone took place as usual and the first order of business was Daniel Morris and James Sever joining the Sept. James was a given, but Daniel was a little in the air. The elders were completely fine with the idea. They found him honorable, but shy which was unbecoming of most Garou his rank. Lionheart was worried about if a Glass Walker joined the Sept that the Weaver presence would be increased. I interjected that the presence has already been increased with Wrong Moon’s mansion being built.

Ryan said he doesn’t like the Glass Walkers as a tribe, but as a Garou, he knew Daniel was solid. Still, there was some question of how he escaped the destruction of his Sept when most believed he should have died with it. There was a lot of debate about what to do next. Most agreed that they wanted to hear his story and how he made it out of the Sept alive. Some wanted him to work with Nick on improving his views on life. A few, like Mackie, didn’t want him to join at all. In the end, since the vote fell to us, we decided to hear his story and then decide what to do next moot.

The next order of business involved Wrong Moon. The deal with his father could be very dangerous. The elders wanted to ensure his name was on the deed in case someone managed to get to his father and cause all kinds of problems. Personally, I wasn’t happy that he bought the land at all, nor that he was building a mansion on the strip.

With the business taken care of for the moot, our usual fun began. We drank and spent time with the kinfolk while they played music of all varieties. Most of us spent our time with respective mates and friends. I took the time to have sex with Magnus in one of the rooms of the lodge, though I would have preferred something a little closer to nature.

After the party, we went for our run, killing a deer along the way. Eli got the first of the kill as usual and then we all dined. It was a good moot.

[The next morning from Miguel’s perspective…]

Miguel awoke early in the morning to someone running their hands through his hands. He could hear a voice speaking.

“Free me!”

It was Mabe. Miguel, without even opening his eyes, responded.

“Why should I?”

Ominously, Mabe retorted that now she would have to make him.

[Back to the group…]

After doing our regular exercises, Eli sent Agnis and I to the drop point to check for letters like usual. This time, there happened to be a letter there.

“Mister Fathom is in San Francisco. Last seen leaving Kincaid law firm. Mordecai not seen, but always nearby. Can’t lift the Rite on them so you’ll just have to do old-fashioned detective work.”

Returning to the Sept, we delivered the letter to Eli. Debate broke out on how to approach the situation and how we would even travel there. We weren’t sure if we should just go to Kenith directly. There was still some curiosity if he was the Mind Mage. Finally, we decided to just take a van and talk with him directly. On the way there, we searched out a good place for moon bridging later.

We called ahead to let Kenith know we were coming. After we arrived, I mentioned that it would be better for me to play with Ryan during this time, in case he said something that set me off. Eli agreed and we knocked on the door. Kenith answered the door, unusual for him. He already had a lunch packed for Ryan, but I told him we would just be in the backyard while Eli spoke with him.

[With the pack…]

As the pack sat down to talk with Kenith, Agnis attempted to sense Wyrm taint. She didn’t get any more than the usual that you would for being in the city. After accepting some drinks from Kenith, Bjorn laid it all out about Morgan and the potential danger to Ryan and Caitlyn. Even after Eli tried to sway the conversation with Morgan being a great danger to Caitlyn, he wouldn’t bend on lawyer/client confidentiality. He was curious why Caitlyn hadn’t said anything, but he decided on a Quid Pro Quo sort of arrangement.

He wanted to know if Caitlyn was seeing someone else. Bjorn responded honestly with yes and that it was his brother, but he wasn’t sure how serious the relationship was. He asked if Caitlyn loved her, but Bjorn wasn’t sure. He did know that his brother definitely loved him.

At this point, Kenith revealed that Morgan was staying at the Four Seasons Hotel. He was buying up real estate in San Francisco. Right now he was trying to buy Navy Pier, the location of the Hive where Alyssa resides.

His next question was whether Magnus was the reason Caitlyn didn’t come around. This was a flat no from Bjorn who told him it was obligations. He then asked if his brother needed a job, but this question never got answered.

During this time, Bjorn determined that he was definitely a Mage. Kenith went on to tell the pack that Morgan had legal troubles and was rumored to be in human trafficking. Kenith did refuse to divulge anything regarding that, but the information they got was enough to find Morgan.

[To Caitlyn…]

I enjoyed spending the little time I got with Ryan. He was very smart, but curious. I felt like he didn’t get enough interaction from the rest of the world. Still, it was good to spend time with him.

After getting the scoop from the pack that Kenith was a mage and that the pack was heading into town to eat, Eli suggested I stay there for a while and get some quality time with Ryan and Kenith.

The time together was a little unnerving. Kenith wasn’t shy about asking hard questions. He asked why I never came around. I told him he seemed different to me now, more concerned about money and the flashier things in life than before. He laid it out that he was a father now and had to provide for Ryan. I could accept that. The rest of the dinner went fairly smooth although I still had to deal with hard questions. I felt like I should just take the renown and tell him what I am, especially since I knew what he was.

[Meanwhile, with the rest of the pack…]

Eli and the gang headed to the Stinking Rose to touch base with the Fae. They were given their usual table and fed like before. Royal Ascot came by and mentioned all of the free meals they had been getting. Eli felt uncomfortable by this conversation as he might have to use the bird to pay for the hospitality. Royal just laughed and said he just busting his balls before taking care of the check.

[Back together…]

Once we had gotten back together, we decided to case the hotel that Morgan was staying at. Eli sent Agnis and Miguel to find the scoop on how many were staying in the penthouse. During this time, I offered to enact the Rite of Heritage on Eli and determine who his parents are. I performed for the first time in my own special way, but the results were terrifying. Instead of it working, an extremely loud lion’s roar was heard, nearly strong enough to break the windows of the car. Realizing we would stand out because of this, we moved the van while we waited for Agnis and Miguel.

After they returned from casing the hotel, we learned there was only one person in the penthouse. Deciding we could no longer be in the shadows, we went up to meet him. Eli went in first while we waited in the hallway. A man named Danny passed us on the way in, but didn’t pay us any mind.

Eli approached cautiously, and Morgan confirmed his identity and Eli’s. With it appearing as though it was safe, Eli motioned for the rest of the pack to enter. Eli wanted to know how things got the way they are and why he was trying to kill him and his pack.

Morgan said that he took on the contract to kill all of us from Gretchen. However, Morgan found out about Eli being one of the targets and decided to not follow through with it. He later found out the targets included the entire bloodline of his family including his other son Mordecai and his daughter Randy. During this time, Gretchen hired the Dead Man’s Hand because Morgan wasn’t moving fast enough. Morgan, however, had developed so many contacts over the years that he was able to call them off with just a phone call.

When Eli asked how this all started, Morgan kind of rambled about how it all started back in New York with a falling out with his cousin Mal. Afterwards, he took up hunting Garou. His mother was Renee “Dreamseeker” Fathom of the Sept of the Three Waters and she died during childbirth, but Bjorn determined that part was a lie. During the course of his time hunting, he took up other unsavory activities like human trafficking and smuggling.

However, Morgan said he was out of the hunting business. He was in San Francisco strictly for land purchasing. When asked why, he told us he wanted to leave something for his family. He had been here for two months, which is how Gretchen managed to get a hold of him. He was willing to set up a meeting with Mordecai and clear everything up if we liked. We agreed and he gave us the location of the Golden Gate Bridge Park. Before leaving, he offered his card to Eli in case anything happened, he could call on Morgan to help take care of it.

We traveled to the park, unsure of what would happened next, but determined to resolve things. Mordecai could be seen with four others, his pack. He was strangely friendly. He asked us if we had seen it. At first, we didn’t know what he meant, then we remembered the messages that played on the news. It was a warning since neither he nor Morgan were willing to follow through with the contract.

After this, he showed us a medallion. It was Roman in make and very old. He told us he could help us find the Ahroun, the source of all the trouble in our area. The medallion had ties all the way back to the White Howlers. He talked about how they fought the Romans and went into the Spiral looking for more power to defeat them, which became their downfall.

He wanted Eli to join him. When asked what he meant by that, he cryptically said to set things right with the Garou Nation. His pack traveled around the globe to different Septs. He would speak with them about killing both Spirals and Gaians alike. When the Sept attacked, they would kill them. Eli politely turned down this offer, but Mordecai said it was an open invitation whenever he wanted.

Eli then asked about his mother. Mordecai didn’t remember much of her, only that she was gone a lot. She actually died two to three years after Eli was born. He had suspicions that their father killed her. After the conversation ended, Mordecai gave Eli a hug and we entered the Umbra.

In the Umbra, we debated what to do before finally activating the medallion. The medallion turned into a white elk. He asked us why we smelled like lion. We told him we were followers of lion. He said he would lead us to the one we seek and opened a moon bridge. As we traveled the moon bridge, he recalled the history of the Fianna and the White Howlers and how we are joined to them. As we arrived, he asked us not to take vengeance out on the Ahroun because too much violence has been done against ourselves.

Peeking out of the Umbra, we could see a shadowy figure standing over the body of two Lupus Garou. Emerging from the Umbra, he caught out gaze.

“Looks like someone found out they were being betrayed. Who tipped you off?”

He then suggested we return to our Sept with the bodies. We could see glyphs carved in the nearby trees, just like Jonathon’s death. We weren’t sure of what to do and then we heard the howls. We knew we were in a bad situation. We could see in the far distance Red Talon Hispos charging forward in full frenzy.

The Ahroun shifted to Crinos and prepared for an attack. Agnis and I shifted as well. She hit him with Drona, lightly dazing him. I followed up with a haymaker, surprisingly knocking him out in one shot. We grabbed his body and headed into the Umbra. This was not going to end well…

Vampire Hunting and New Revelations… (Game 31)

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After returning from Lindsay’s place, John met up with us. The Vulture Walkers pack guarded Serenity while John went to Scourge of the Woods who dictated his challenge: he must sustain a severe beating under the full moon without frenzying and all Sept members must assist in the beating.

With his challenge assigned, we decided on a course of action for taking down the vampire. Because it was going to be day soon, we opted to go as quickly as possible and look in the sewers where it was believed he was hiding. The trip was fairly quick and we found a large sewer drain that we could fit in, but is still a great game for this, while for gambling games there are also great options out there in the olympic kingsway casinos so you can enjoy as well.

We all went in Lupus form, but the drain was capable of having us in Hispo form. The smells were extremely nauseating to say the least and more than one time I thought I might vomit. Still, I pushed onward. Light was limited, but our wolf senses gave us a bit of an advantage. We had to travel slowly as the sound of us all sloshing water made it difficult to determine where the enemy might come from.

After coming to an intersection that split, we suddenly heard scratching and clicking like someone was crawling along the wall. Sure enough, an emaciated figure scuttled down and tried to attack John. Another appeared near Miguel and attacked. Both were easily dispatched and turned to ash upon dying.

Traveling a bit deeper into the sewers, we found ourselves at an intersection that broke into four paths. Hearing more scratching sounds, we quickly got into formation and prepared for the attack. William tried to be flashy and howl bitterly at them, but he only induced himself into a frenzy as one of the things closed in. He destroyed it as I moved up into position.

We began fighting furiously as they poured in from all sides of the sewer. One of them even managed to bite, but Eli pulled it off. Some of the creatures even began to appear from the water itself as we fought on. We destroyed them all in a quick, but furious fight as William calmed down. I did note that some of the creatures turned to ash on death and others became like a black ooze.

After the battle, we investigated the area. John healed me with a Talen as Bjorn noticed something in the corner. There appeared to be many different wallets including bits of cash, no doubt from the creatures before they were turned. Amongst the items were many tickets to a roller derby event taking place tonight. We realized this vampire had intentions on creating an army by going to the event.

We decided to hunt for them while Wrong Moon returned to the Sept to relay what had happened. In the end, we only found three more and decided to return to the Sept. At the Sept, Wrong Moon suggested that the Vulture Walkers join us because the situation could grow out of hand quickly. They agreed and we decided to get a little rest before the event.

During our rest in the Sept, Eli had a vision of a voice screaming out for someone named Logan. The boy named Logan kept getting in the mind of a man and he told him to stop it. He didn’t want to go insane like Mordecai.

After waking up, we all got together with the Vulture Walkers pack and ate lunch. Eli discussed his vision with us and I mentioned a similar vision I had four years ago. It involved a boy named Logan getting beaten by a man. I never mentioned it because at the time it made no sense.

After getting some food, we set off to the auditorium with the Vulture Walkers in the park’s van. We decided to ask them if they had any strange visions from the Sept. Pasthealer mentioned he also had visions of someone named Randy and Logan as well. Randy was arguing with Logan. Their father was doing something to them, but he couldn’t tell what. There was also something about an older brother, but he wasn’t sure who.

As we arrived at the event, I stayed topside to look for any suspicious characters while the rest of the pack and the Vulture Walkers looked for underground entrances. There were only two underground entrances so the packs split up to cover them.

As I surveyed the area, I sniffed for the scent of the vampires we fought earlier. I caught four distinct scents and told the packs that they were here and to come up. As I searched, I found one standing right behind Kelly Ward. I came up and make small talk with them in the hopes the creature would wander off. She asked about Jonathon and I lied and said he went back to take care of a sick Aunt and Uncle, too saddened to tell her the truth. All of the Fourth of July partygoers were there and they kept hitting me with questions.

The creature then wandered off and I made an excuse about having to go to the restroom in order to continue following him. The creature, distinctly a male, was heading to the snack bar. I asked for Eli’s advice on the situation, but he was unsure what to do. Worried, but determined, I grab him around the arm and attempted to pull him into a secluded area to deal with him.

Unfortunately, I didn’t pull hard enough and he freaked out, attacking a nearby girl. He bit into her and she began to bleed out. People were terrified and I used the emotions to slip in and kill the creature with Faith. With the girl severely injured, but myself unable to heal without a breach of the Veil, I escorted her to the medical section.

As I made my way there, I passed a man who looked more like a fomor than anything and had the same scent as the others. He was escorting one of the creatures. I knew it was the master vampire. I passed him, but asked Eli what to do. Still unsure and not up topside yet, he could not decide. I chose to take action, placing the girl down as I said I would look for help.

Returning to the man, I quickly approached him as he headed into the security area and stabbed him with Faith. Unfortunately, in my haste, I didn’t aim properly and did not real damage to him. He spun around and attacked me, but from the security room came two people, a man and a woman. The man’s face was a blur, but I could distinctly make out the woman’s as she shifted to Crinos. Her coat gave her away as a Black Spiral Dancer immediately.

She attacked the vampire, but didn’t do much damage. He knocked her back to the wall as her partner began slaughtering nearby humans to keep the Veil. The vampire snatched up the girl and began pummeling her; even in Crinos form he was overpowering her. I ran up behind and landed a killing blow with Faith.

As he fell to ash, the girl shifted back to Homid and grabbed me unexpectedly. She wielded a feather with a poisoned tip and held it to my neck as the rest of the pack finally arrived. Her partner quickly fled back into the Umbra.

She wanted to be heard out. She was Gretchen “Wyrm’s Bile” of the Hive. Oddly, she said she was sorry for our loss of Jonathon and wanted to ensure that we were with our ancestors together. She said there was a reason we were drawn together. We were the last of our line and the Pride Slayers are tidying up. Mordecai and his pack must be stopped. If we want to learn more and open a line of communication, we must leave a message at parking A18 on the Santa Cruz pier; the place where we killed our first pack of Black Spirals.

She then, curiously, licked my face and went into the Umbra. As she left, John began destroying the phones of the victims and the Vulture Walkers pack unfortunately dispatched the girl I tried to help earlier. We quickly headed into the Umbra before security and the police arrived. There were Scrags hovering around, but they did nothing and left without any incident, another curious event. The Vulture Walkers split off and took the van back to the Sept.

Returning to the Sept, we saw in the distance near the lodge, several muscle-bound men talking with Gina. Eli had only himself and Bjorn approached. As they did, one of them could be seen whispering something to Gina that made her eyes widen. As Eli and Bjorn got within conversation range, one of the men grabbed Gina by the throat and picked up off her feet.

Asking who they were, the men mentioned they wouldn’t be beaten again like at the Battleground. Eli realized these were the Spirals we fought there. Eli asks them what they want and to release Gina. The apparent leader of the group, Brody the Cancer, has his man put her down, but is still holding onto her. He tells Eli they are here to send a message from an ally. Rumors have reached the Queen and we must work to find the traitor quickly. She wants us to meet her at the place we went last time. Eli agrees provided they don’t hurt Gina. Letting her go, they back up slowly and shift to Lupus before running away.

Bjorn took Gina back to the cabin to calm her down after the whole ordeal. On the way to the cabin, I saw Daniel and my heart jumped a beat. He smiled and waved at me as he went to speak with the elders of the Sept. As we entered the cabin, Miguel disappeared. He returned shortly afterwards and said Mabe had summoned him, but didn’t elaborate on it any more than that.

A half an hour passed and Crafty returned to the Cabin. He told us Daniel had come to join the Sept after the vampires assault destroyed his. He brought James Sever as a peace offering. He asks me what I know about Daniel if he was a threat to our Sept, but I told him he was a more solemn Garou and did not appear power hungry.

After hearing about our experience at the auditorium, Crafty was leery about getting too involved with too many different Spiral groups. It’s unlikely the elders would let us do that.

Werewolf: The Return

The Sleeping Lion has awoken…

Tag Archives: mordecai

Negotiating a Truce and the End of the Pride Slayers… (Game 40)

Darkness Rising and the Return of an Old Friend… (Game 38)

Family Reunions… (Game 32)

Vampire Hunting and New Revelations… (Game 31)