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

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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.

Alcatraz_Island,

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.

Officers_Club

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.

illegal campsite cleanup

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.

Abandoned building

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.

fishermans grotto

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.

backside of grotto

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…

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.

Santa Cruz Sewers

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.

slaters created

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.

SC sewers

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.

2vampires in hiding

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.

Downtime, New Kinfolk, Possession, and the Apocalypse… (Game 29)

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Being grounded to the Sept wasn’t the worst punishment in the world, but it certainly felt that way. I understood why they did it though. With so many things going on, it would be easy for any of the other Septs to blame us for their troubles. Still, the downtime did give me some time to take care of things.

I observed a lot during this time. The Vulture Walkers and Lion’s Vengeance packs ran bawn patrol during this time while the Irish Destroyers worked on the forge. Mackie cleaned with Sheeba and Jason while complaining about the lack of parties lately. Ryan and Leein continued working on the kin-fetch hunter spirits. It was something completely new and I hoped I might learn how to do it someday to help find pups in need.

The pack each had things they wanted to accomplish during this time. Born Twice worked on his combat maneuvers and Gina paid him a visit since he couldn’t leave. His brother Magnus stopped by and annoyed him briefly. He still wants to be a big brother to Bjorn, but Bjorn won’t let him. I’ll have to remember to talk to Bjorn about this sometime soon.

I continued my workouts with Stag’s Daughter and we invited Savage Heart to join us. She secretly informed us that she doesn’t believe Minotaur will let the Skin Dancers join the Nation. He acts like a tyrant mad king. I fear something will have to be done about him soon lest all our work be undone.

My father stopped by and I got to spend some time with him. We had a picnic together and I got to learn more about my mother. She was a Garou of two sides. While in the company of her pack she appeared stern and powerful, however, my father told me in private she was very loving and caring to him in spite of the fact it was for the pregnancy that led to me.

I managed to convince Lionheart to let me see Ryan. After some cajoling from Lindsey he agreed, but only if he shadowed me with Lindsey due to the threat of Alyssa and her hive. I took Ryan to the park, not wanting to deal with the pollution. Kenith was cheerful but cautious about all this, wanting to know just about every detail on where I was going. I assured him I was just taking him to the park to play. He relented and we went. However, Ryan seemed nervous and unsure. I wondered if he had ever even been to a park before. Still, it was good day and I was happy to have had it.

The next day, Magnus dropped by again with tacos from a local stand. They were pretty good. He talked about his ideas for getting a job. He figured he would get a low-level job and work his way up from there. He mentioned he was worried about his brother and I tried to comfort him that things were okay. Afterwards, he gave me a small kiss and was on his way. I think I should take the relationship to the next level. He doesn’t act like all the other guys I’ve met.

I checked in with Stag’s Daughter. She had been continuing her Rites. She was concerned about her lack of Rage and her reaction to our packmates he were ejected from the Battleground. Although I believed more Rage for her might be a benefit, I knew myself how destructive too much Rage can be seeing two members enter the Thrall of the Wyrm. She also noted a certain allure to the Black Spirals, their unity, and their mysterious ways. I admit, I also found them fascinating, but it was best to maintain a good distance in observation or be drawn into the Wyrm’s clutches.

Lionheart, when not accompanying me to see Ryan, spent a good deal of time with Q. The totem spirit remained neutral in his position to any conversation Lionheart spoke. He seemed to not take any one side, often repeating any statements or questions with more questions. The rest of the pack did a little training, but mostly just rested around the Sept.

As the downtime wound down, Eli and Bjorn had a discussion about Wrong Moon chasing after Killer-of-Dogs’ mother. While there was nothing stopping him from doing such a thing, if he was doing so to simply annoy his packmate it would be wrong. Wrong Moon lied about his intentions somewhat and Eli forbid him from seeing Maria unless he was truly intent on mating with her.

The next day, Lionheart returned with supplies while Stag’s Daughter, Savage Heart, and I returned from our daily exercises. A four-wheeler could be heard in the distance as Cliff approached. He asked Gina to go with Ariel to see the five kinfolk as Lindsey had some things to take care of. He also asked us to come to the lodge to see something. At the lodge, a TV announced that William’s “father” had made a bid on the land where the Sept was. There would be an audit in order to determine the land’s worth. I questioned whether this was wise because of the risk of Veil breaches and it effectively put a target on our location, but was dismissed at the notion by Eli.

Afterwards, Stag’s Daughter spoke to us about reentering the Battleground and seeing who slaughtered the Sept of the Stone Sea. There was discussion about the involvement of the Three Waters and the traitor, but it was unanimous that we would go. However, first we needed to take care of couple things.

Walks-With-Spirits mentioned that Ryan knew the Rite of Heritage and asked that it be used on Sheeba to determine her parentage. It was deemed dishonorable to do so unless Sheeba herself asked that it be used. I still wondered who her parents were. I felt it would be useful to know who they were. Maybe they could lead us to the traitor, but it was best not to worry about it at the moment.

Eli spoke with Crafty about the audit. He told us he would keep things contained as much as possible. We wouldn’t have to worry much considering the size of the park.

After this, we headed back to the Battleground. Killer-Of-Dogs managed to find the battle we were looking for. We watched the Sept of the Stone Sea going about their business until out of nowhere, six Garou came out of the Umbra and slaughtered them. There wasn’t even a fight. It was completely dishonorable and the Sept couldn’t even defend themselves.

After the battle, one of them shifted into Homid revealing Prestige, which was not surprising. He spoke to one of the Garou who shifted down to reveal Hansen McDoogle of the Gaia’s Wraith pack. He told him to purify the area of Wyrm taint and they will be compensated. We all knew there was no Wyrm taint, but it could not be determined whether Prestige was the traitor or simply duped into destroying the Sept. Either way, we had our first lead to go on and the direct notion who not to trust.

Afterwards, we returned to our battle with the Black Spiral Dancers last week to view our tactics. It was agreed we needed to do more things together as a pack in order to work better as a unit.

Once back at the Sept, we decided to check the Talen bottle quest and find the next clue:

With an enemy’s mutual hate; you shall take the time to build

To change one another’s fate; the enemy shall shield

Then torch this parchment to reveal

Your reward you shall unseal

Stag’s Daughter determined that we needed to ally ourselves with an enemy against another enemy. They would hold onto the parchment. Once trust is earned with this enemy, they will burn the parchment revealing the fetish we have been questing for.

That night, we ran together, howling at the moon in our first group workout. Afterwards, we went to bed.

At about 3 in the morning, Eli heard an unknown howl. After waking us up, we headed to the source of the howl. On the way, we passed the Lion’s Vengeance pack heading to the cabin. Agnis and Bjorn broke off and headed with them. After talking with the elders, we were all to gather at the cabin.

Mackie didn’t seem very happy when we returned. He told us we weren’t his first choice for this, but we would have to do. The Sept of the Raging Storm had a member who needed help, but could not ask their Sept for it. Although he thinks a large group might be intimidating, he thought it might be good for us.

Heading to the location given to us took nearly an hour and a half. We found ourselves in the mountains across Highway 9. There, we came across a woman named Tale Catcher and her wolf kin. She asked us for a favor. Her stepsister Serenity was not blood and could not deal with the Garou lifestyle. The Veil had been lifted for herself and her mother. It had come to Tale Catcher’s attention through another Garou that Serenity was in the process of being possessed. She wanted us to help her.

After being given the address located in Santa Cruz, we returned to the Sept to speak with Ryan about possession. The outlook wasn’t pleasant. He told us Gaian spirits don’t use possession as it is a forceful violation. There are only three ways to deal with it. Kill the host or the spirit possessing them. Either way both will die. The second was to use the gift of exorcism, which none of us had, but it required healers as the process severely damages and usually kills the host. Finally, we could remove the victim from the influence that brought the spirit on and hope it gives up.

Heading to Serenity’s place, we found her mother about to leave in a rundown van. Agnis approached her and asked if we could go inside. She agreed to it and we headed in. There, we found Serenity who was a bit younger than us. She was playing video games and obviously didn’t want to be disturbed, cursing us out when we called for her. Upon realizing we weren’t her mother, she stopped playing the game.

Talking with her, we got the distinct feeling she was becoming something of a temptress as she was very coy with Miguel. William rooted around in her room, attempting to check out her video games. I detected Wyrm taint in the room, which in hindsight was fairly obvious. Still, as William moved a pair of her panties from the console, he heard Serenity’s voice in his head. It appeared the possession had gotten far enough along that she was beginning to exhibit powers.

Realizing it was the technology after Agnis checked the Umbra, we decided to get her away from the area. We opted to take her to where the Sept of the Stone Sea used to be and have her camp there for at least a couple of weeks. We would warn her mother as well just in case. John and Jonathon would take first watch making sure no technology is nearby. Hopefully, this would stop the possession.

After taking care of Serenity, we headed back to the Sept where Ariel and Gina gave us the rundown on the five kinfolk Stained Coat had sent over. The outlook wasn’t good. They had been abused, used, and abandoned by Septs who cared little for their kinfolk. Honestly, I sort of agreed they should get what they wanted. It wasn’t the right thing to think, but kinfolk should be treated with respect, not tossed away like equipment.

It was obvious Kirsten wanted Eli sexually. This put him in a uncomfortable position as he knew that Lindsey wouldn’t take kindly to the idea of sharing. Taking William aside, Bjorn and I convinced him to vie for her affections. I hope that this would prevent any conflict and keep Kirsten from becoming a Skin Dancer. The rest of the feast went smoothly after that.

In the middle of the night, Cliff came by on four-wheeler again. It was an emergency and Eli needed to head to Lindsey’s house right away. Eli went, but not before asking us to be on standby in case something happened.

Inside Lindsey’s house, a woman in a top hat and covered in blood sat with Lindsey. Infuriated, but not willing to risk Lindsey’s safety, Eli asked what the woman wanted. Her name was Massacre and she needed a favor from our pack. There had been other Garou wandering onto her domain and she wanted them gone. She mentioned the names Gretchen and Mordecai, one of which was familiar to us. Apparently, Gretchen and Mordecai had entered into an agreement to work with each other.

The terms of the agreement with Massacre were to never enter the Hunter Hill Winery district and never sell our land. The last part was very curious to me. Why would she be concerned about us selling our land? In exchange for doing this, she would help us in ways that she was capable of like money or information.

Eli asked what if he just killed her right then. Massacre promptly mentioned that she had implanted a command into Lindsey that she would kill herself and her baby if she did not return in two days. The mention of a baby took Eli back and made him pause for a moment. After this, Massacre ordered Lindsey to go to her bedroom and sleep.

Caught in a rock and a hard place, Eli agreed to consider the arrangement only if she returned to remove the command. Massacre then left right before we arrived. Waking Lindsey up, we talked for a while about her pregnancy. It was the reason she didn’t go to interview the new kinfolk. After chatting for a little while, we let go back to bed, the incident being wiped from her mind by Massacre and not causing any emotional turmoil.

Returning to the Sept, we found Cliff with Ariel. Ariel had just had a vision of violence in the city that spreads further until it engulfs everything. It sounded like a vision of the Apocalypse. We must stop it…