excavation
Somewhere in the valley east of Roxborough
State Park a rental car with Wyoming plates was hurtling south well
over the speed limit when it smashed grille-first into an obstacle and
came to a dented stop.
Anyone out in the open air and falling
nighttime temperature would have heard the howling of damp brake pads
clamping down on the machinery below before the final stop. The sound
carried for miles and no portent came with the sound but so far out is
the Sept and the people who guard the Sept know emergency response will
be slow in coming.
Those close enough and with their eyes open to
the land beyond besides could hear the drawing and the chattering of the
spirits. The tree-spirits whisper to themselves and the rock-spirits
grumble. Those not so enmeshed with the otherside still heard the
collision of one manmade thing against another.
Maybe Milton was
just hanging around the Sept when someone told him there'd been a
disturbance out there on one of the roads running by the creek. Go check
it out, New Guy.
The car doesn't go anyplace in the time it takes
the packsisters and the Ahroun and the Ragabash to respond. It's butted
up against a low brick wall set back against the road and its
headlights shine stubborn and stupid into a dark that has nothing for
them at a first glance. The motor still runs. The radio blares through
rolled-up windows and exhaust pours out of the muffler.
Beyond the headlights gape the pines and the cliffs. No path for the car to take and less of one for human feet.
Over Sea, Under Stone
Winona hears things.
More
precisely, Winona hears spirit-things, and so when trees and winds and
rocks and birds and bugs and more start whispering and rustling, it
comes to her ears. Why she's out here? Well, it's more comfortable
than the city, really. There's no ocean here, but if she sits in the
right places, if she closes her eyes and opens her ears, sometimes the
wind sounds like waves on the beach and feels like salt on her hair and
skin. But that's not really here or there - it doesn't matter why she's
here so much as that she's here, moving closer with her ears perked and
nose sniffing, testing, tasting.
When there's that sort of disturbance, it's rarely for no reason, after all.
[Sense Wyrm!]
Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (1, 1, 5, 6, 10) ( success x 2 )
Over Sea, Under Stone
[that doesn't work for me, asshole dice.]
Dice: 5 d10 TN7 (4, 7, 7, 8, 10) ( success x 5 ) [WP]
Siren of Persephone
One
of the great things about running around scooping up Theurges as soon
as their presence ripples through the city is that only in rare
occasions does an Oracle run alone. In the weeks that became the months
after the tragic event on the top level floor of 1999 Broadway the
women of Desert Oracle were physically separate a lot. Theurges were
spread out everywhere then, scattered throughout the city working in
shifts to soothe, calm, command, banish. To deal.
It's a little
quieter nowadays. Not much, but a little. They can take care of their
duties and they can take care of them together.
So it was that
Phoebe and Winona were together on the bawn of Forgotten Questions,
dealing with spirits or preparing to make talens. There are more
Guardians than non-Guardians really know what to do with on the land of
Roxborough, and it's one of them that tell the women to go check it
out. Someone could be hurt. The spirits could be distressed.
Whatever, just go fucking deal with it already.
So they went.
Grouped up with a Ragabash and an Ahroun, the wolves head out to the
place where the noise of squealing, screaming brakes rent the air. A
little ways out, Phoebe turns to Javed and she offers him a smile that
is not broad but is somehow glorious.
"If there are spirits to be
handled it's my call. Anything else is yours, deal?" she asks the other
Fostern. It's not much by way of command or concession, it's sort of
How Things Are, but said out loud there won't be any confusion should
plans shift.
Winona isn't the only one who listens to the spirits,
who and who peers around through the dark. Luna is with her this
night, strengthening her senses, bolstering her abilities.
[percept+alert+1 (moonbound)]
Dice: 6 d10 TN6 (6, 7, 7, 8, 9, 10) ( success x 6 )
Pokes-the-Mind's-Eye
Leave
it to a Glasswalker to bring a pile of gear with him, but Milton
without his tools really wasn't much! Sure he COULD fight, in a pinch,
but if someone was injured he really wasn't about to go wandering around
wagging his tail... And if there was danger, he sure as fuck wasn't
coming unarmed!
So with his gear in tow the Glasswalker keeps his
distance, not about to approach until he knew things were cool. He took
the time to pull out a pair of Nightvision Binoculars which he used to
get a good view of the area and who/what might be lurking around in the
darkness out there.[Per+Alertness to check out the area! Nightvision
Binoculars should help take care of some of that annoying glare from all
that moon and stars! So I dunno if that helps for night time... Seeing
stuff! So feel free to adjust or whatever ST!]
Dice: 4 d10 TN6 (4, 6, 7, 10) ( success x 3 )
Javed Anubis-Sight
The
Strider may be packed now, but he still likes to wander around the city
and he usually does it alone. There are those that might not
understand his bond with Reverence of Dawn; they don't seem as close as
some packs might be and that would be both a completely accurate and
entirely wrong assessment, depending on which level you looked at. They
don't communicate through their totem and they don't seem like
packmates "should" behave at all sometimes, but one could argue that
they acted of the same mind even before they were bound through Falcon.
And
this is how Javed heard the crash. He is out in the valley, walking
along in Homid in his single set of dedicated clothes. (Avery's love of
shopping has not yet rubbed off on him.) Perhaps the one new thing is
not something that people would see immediately, as it is a knife hidden
underneath that jacket of his. A gift from his new packmate. His head
snaps up at the sound of that crash, his single eye shooting its gaze
to the direction of the cacophanous sound. A low sound like a growl
sounds from him and he sets off running, worn hiking boots thudding on
the ground as he moves toward it to investigate.
He joins the
others en route, establishing the other's identities on the way. He
gives the other Fostern a conceding nod when she mentions who's in
control for what situation; there is neither argument or disagreement
because she is dead right. He was actually about to say the same.
"I
will go and investigate the vehicle itself, then, if you will check the
spiritual aspects?" Said as a proposal to the Theurge, not an attempt
to state how things will be. He looks to Milton. "You will come with
me."
excavation
From the battered radio comes the
warped grind-organ sound of a once-recognizable staple of rock and roll
now threatening to short out and fall silent. The driver's side door
yawns open and anyone poking their head in to investigate the interior
of the vehicle can see it is smashed in. The airbags deployed and blood
stains the one deflating on the driver's side.
The air reeks of
hot metal and leaking antifreeze but the gas line is intact. Nothing
vital is going to catch a spark while they're standing here.
Maps
and an industrial box-cutter and a few empty cola bottles lay strewn
around the backseat of the vehicle. Nothing worth snooping around for
yet. The driver is nowhere in sight.
Siren of Persephone
The air reeks. There are sounds that everyone can hear and sounds only the Theurges hear.
And
there are things only Phoebe hears (or maybe someone else catches it,
but c'mon let's be honest. Phoebe is on fire right now.).
Javed
says he's going to go check the vehicle personally and Phoebe, well.
The night is dark and wet from rain, the sky mostly but not completely
choked with clouds, but despite that Phoebe sees well enough. Luna's
face is shrouded, but the Black Fury feels her strength. Her vision is
sharpened, as is her hearing, as is her sense of smell.
She looks back at the wreckage, her head tilting almost dreamily before turning it toward the Ahroun.
"The spirits are frantic. Whatever was in that, whoever,
they're trouble." She turns her head, off in the direction where she
hears the creek not far away, and where she hears something else, too.
"They're headed that way," she says, lifting a long, slender arm to
point away. She shifts, up and up and then down and down to four
slender legs. She does not take off, though, she is no scout, despite
the strength of Luna that infuses her this night.
She waits,
standing with four paws braced and ready to run, for what Javed and
Milton might find. Her ears are pinned back, though, tracking that
noise, tracing it, keeping it in her head.
Pokes-the-Mind's-Eye
Milton
looks at the two Fosterns who are deciding who is going to take charge
when it comes time to do battle, and he gets a curious look on his face.
"Are you sure it's not just someone who got injured hoping someone
comes along to help?" He asks them curiously, before hearing Phoebe's
words and nodding his head. "Got it! So whatever it is... We gotta kill
it!" He says calmly enough with a growing grin on his face. "Looks like
there's a good deal of damage to the car, driver's side door is open and
there's someone headed northwest, right about there!" He says while
pointing. "Towards the creek! Shouldn't be too much work to catch up to
them."
When Javed informs him that he'll be coming with, he lifts
his hand to salute. "You're the boss!" He says before taking the time to
concentrate in an attempt to cloud the vision of anyone who might be
trying to watch the group, and he quickly falls in line with the Full
Moon ready to follow his lead.
[Blur of the Milky Eye! Cuz!]
Dice: 5 d10 TN8 (2, 4, 7, 10, 10) ( success x 2 )
Over Sea, Under Stone
"There's
Wyrm," Winona offers, "but it's not clear whether it's looking for a
snack or the driver is dedicated to the cause." And she's no more scout
than her packsister, her Alpha, and so she stays by Phoebe's side,
rippling into dire wolf form --
black mottled with coppery patches
and the occasional pure white streak to match the diamond on her
forehead, and a scar that bisects her diagonally from right shoulder to
left hip
-- to wait for news of Javed's findings. She'll fight if she needs to, obviously, but that's hardly her first instinct.
Javed Anubis-Sight
When
Phoebe agrees with his assessment, he starts to make his way down to
investigate the car, moving with urgency but not running. Speed is of
the essence, but by no means are they going to rush things and do
something stupid in order to get themselves killed.
And on that
note... "Pokes-The-Mind's-Eye, we are not killing anything yet, as we do
not know if it is Wyrm tainted or being pursued by something tainted.
No, this way if you please." It's a calm tone, but not a request as he
slips down to the car, his knife drawn. It is a jagged thing, the
handle carved from the bone of some creature with an owl in flight
etched and burned into the pommel. The blade held just in case, he
starts digging through the car to see if there is anything else to be
discovered.
[[Per+Invest, +2 diff for vision issues]]
Dice: 5 d10 TN8 (2, 2, 3, 8, 9) ( success x 2 )
Pokes-the-Mind's-Eye
He
shrugs his shoulders and smiles back at the man. "Like I said, it's
your show! Just sayin' my part." He says as he wanders closer to the
scene, getting just a little fidgety. He had a weapon, a shotgun to be
precise, which he kept over his shoulder, it was actually a rather
intimidating looking thing when compared with his slight form. Though,
Milton wasn't exactly a large man so it helped to have a large firearm
to make it look that much meaner against him.
When Javed begins
investigating, Milton does the same, peeking around for something,
anything, that might give them a hint as to what might have happened
beforehand, what led up to the accident, his familiarity with machines,
chemicals, trajectories and... Whatever else, might help him figure out
what might have caused the crash!
[Per+Investigation!]
Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (2, 4, 7, 8, 9) ( success x 3 )
Javed Anubis-Sight
There
are several moments as the metis shuffles around in the car, checking
the things that can't be seen on an outside examination. The click of
the glove box opening and a quick rifling through of paperwork is
followed by that glorious knife being set down so he can reach down and
pick up a telephone off the floor. And a bag is grabbed, along with a
journal which he is looking through as he gets out, his frown growing
increasingly as he does.
"The driver may be at risk of being our
target," he rumbles, walking over to hand the journal with its
increasingly erratic text throughout (until the end when it's nearly
illegible) to Winona. As she looks it over, he opens up the
overnight bag he has obtained to see what's inside.
Siren of Persephone
[Int+Enigmas+1 (Themis) +1 (moonbound): hm let me adjust my monocle and see what we see]
Dice: 7 d10 TN6 (1, 1, 3, 5, 5, 7, 9) ( success x 2 )
Over Sea, Under Stone
[Int + Enigmas, no Themis cos Pheebs used it]
Dice: 6 d10 TN6 (2, 2, 3, 4, 4, 6) ( success x 1 )
Over Sea, Under Stone
[TRY HARDER, WINONA, YOUR DAD'S LAUGHING AT HOW DUMB YOU ARE]
Dice: 6 d10 TN7 (1, 2, 5, 6, 10, 10) ( success x 2 )
excavation
Puddles
of machinery-nourishing fluids congregate in the grass beneath the
car's belly as the two Garou dig through the contents of the vehicle.
Beneath the hood the motor keeps on running and the lights keep on
spitting out flicker-weak illumination at the grass beyond the wall.
An
overnight bag reveals itself to the Ahroun. If Milton goes around back
to dig through the ailing trunk he'll find a roll of still-wrapped duct
tape and a tire iron thrown around from the impact. Nothing to indicate
something used to be there other than the negative space inside.
Javed
pushes the journal at the two female wolves and they get the gist of
the entries but no true illumination: the person who wrote the journal
is frantic and hoping to head back to the place where "everything
started" and if they want to get more details they're going to have to
find a better source of light.
The battery gives up and the lights
and the radio and the engine all quit at once. Like a half-ton bulb
blowing out in an upstairs corridor. This is what Lola finds when she's
responded to the sound of the initial collision and rolled up in her
truck: the headlights and dome light and exhaust-spewing tailpipe all
quitting. Two lupine Garou and Javed and Milton stood around it. No
driver belongs to the car.
Beneath the gurgling of the creek something tugs at Phoebe's ears.
Over Sea, Under Stone
So, there's a thing about Theurges. Sometimes they hear things, right? And sometimes those things tell them hey hey hey go look over there, there's something go look go look what is it, see that?
And this is what happens to Winona right.
About.
Now.
There's
communication both by totem link and body language that indicates what
Winona is doing, and where she's going - she doesn't just flake out and
take off, oh no. But soon, she's gone none the less.
Lola Hawkes
Lola
had been doing goodness knows what along her property when she'd heard
the crash. It was a sound not natural to the landscape, so of course it
had grabbed her attention. She knew full well that there weren't a lot
of people around to dial 911 for an auto accident loud enough to carry
the sound of metal colliding with something else echoing its way out
along her road, and the good Samaritan in her convinced her to go to the
house, get in her truck, and drive out to see what was up.
When
her big 1980-something white truck rolled up on the scene, her
headlights shone down on a twisted wreck of a car crunched up against a
brick guardwall. The lights flood down upon two men-- both with faces
immediately recognizable even as they're struck with severe shadows and
cast down to examine the contents of whatever it is they're looking
into. They're digging through the wreck of the car. She's able to spy
two wolves of varying dark shades assessing the situation as well,
sniffing and listening about nearby.
Lola isn't kind enough to
leave her headlights on for them. When the truck pulls up about a dozen
feet behind the wrecked car she kills the engine, taking the headlights
along with it, and hops down out of the truck. When she descends from
the driver's seat, she's shouldering a rifle by its strap and looking
severe, as was her norm when approaching a situation.
She's
dressed against the chill of the night in a brown canvas jacket, jeans,
and boots. There's a black knit cap on her head and her hair is twisted
into a braid that's been tucked down the back of her jacket. Her dark
eyes skim the situation, hunt for something very specific, and then land
upon Javed's face-- Javed because she knows him, because he's an
Ahroun, and because he's Fostern. This is why he's addressed first.
That respect doesn't quite reflect in her choice of words, though:
"So, where the fuck's the guy that crashed this thing? And why are you digging through his shit?"
Siren of Persephone
Phoebe
doesn't stay lupus formed for very long. She hears that truck rumbling
up the road and, well, Denver doesn't have a native wolf population.
If the driver happens to play Good Samaritan, she can't be seen on four
legs, long scar running from her right shoulder down her side.
So
she shifts, takes that book in both her hands to try and make sense of
what's written on the pages, but she lowers the journal when she hears
something back toward the creek.
She hands it back, glancing up to Javed with a sly look.
"I'm
going to try something, but it'll take some time. I'm going to ask the
spirits for their aid. I promise I won't go far," she says, and with
that she heads to stand just out of sight within the treeline.
[piercing the Gauntlet! Gnosis +1, diff 5]
Dice: 7 d10 TN5 (3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 10, 10) ( success x 6 )
Pokes-the-Mind's-Eye
He
looks between his elders, Phoebe and Javed were in charge and he wasn't
about to question that, but he was also getting anxious to start after
the threat. So he gets a smile on his face and waits anxiously for the
two of them to make their call as to what is happening next!
"Where
do you need me?" He asks the both of them. He was young, full of rage,
and had one hell of an urge to make a name of himself. Though there was
also the matter that he was somewhat on the impatient side. As long as
there was talking going on, discussion, he could keep that much at bay,
but it was becoming clear he needed something to do!
Lola Hawkes
[Perception 3 + Alertness 2: What's up?]
Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (2, 5, 8, 9, 10) ( success x 3 )
excavation
You
know all the nature sounds you can hear sitting on the front porch of
the cabin at night in between the lighter clicking and the jokes and the
stories - the songbirds rustling and the small mammals running and the
crickets and the owls and the deer?
All you can hear is the wind in the trees and the rain from earlier falling down to ground.
Underneath that you can hear a distant voice to the northwest, near the creek. A young man saying "Come on!"
Javed Anubis-Sight
The
bag is summarily thrown to the side once it's looked inside, because if
it's just underwear than it's useless, except perhaps to track and they
should already have a scent. He scowls when the lights for the car die
with the battery, though the onset of the lights from the approaching
truck is a relief...until they die, plunging them into darkness once
again.
A sound like a frustrated sigh comes from the Strider. He
nods a little bit to Phoebe when she says she won't be far. "As fast as
possible. The longer we wait, the further away they get." Because
it's clear to him, at the moment, that they need to start tracking the
individual.
Lola's questions and her rudeness are summarily
ignored, and the metis turns to drop his single-eyed gaze on the woman
who, while he has spoken to her twice before (plus warmoots), he doesn't
know. "Who are you?" After all, they're not in the bawn and there's
nothing to indicate she's more than a motorist that came up at this
point. Thus the rather lacking of his usual courtesy...the situation
may have just become more complex than they possibly thought in terms of
the Veil.
At least, he thinks so.
excavation
As
easy as she would have running a knife through the side of a canvas
tent Phoebe opens up a seam between this world and the next. They cannot
see anything for her having stepped further into the woods but they can
all of them hear the tear as it opens up.
Phoebe is out of
commission until her summoning is complete. The world around them seems
to hold its breath but not in wait of Lola and Javed as they question
each other.
Out of the darkness those who are paying attention can
hear the sharp-on-soil sound of a shovel hitting dirt for the last time
and then another tearing sound. Not as loud as Phoebe's. Not as pure in
its intent either.
And then a cut-short scream from a man's throat.
Siren of Persephone
[wits+rituals+1, diff 5 (jaggling of Water), -1 (spirit magnet)]
Dice: 6 d10 TN4 (2, 5, 7, 9, 10, 10) ( success x 5 )
Lola Hawkes
Lola
stares at Javed like he's stupid for half of a second before she
remembers a discussion that they'd had, sitting side-by-side on a log in
a dried up creekbed several nights ago.
He can't remember faces. She'd had to introduce herself to him.
Half
of an apology scrawls itself across her expression before she becomes
distracted by something else. She's no wolf, but everything about her
body language says that if she was, she'd have her ears perked, tail
high, head just as high, and eyes sharp. Instead she just stands up
straighter, lifts her chin like she can catch scents on the wind, and
stares off into the distance, into the darkness.
Then she
remembers herself, glances after the retreating woman, glances to Milton
(oh, hey you), then looks to Javed once again. "Lola Hawkes. The
Uktena Kinfolk. We know each other." But there's no great pause to
allow him time to place the identity to the name, because she's
shrugging the weight of the rifle on her shoulder and taking off at a
brisk walk away from the road, the brick wall, and the car. "Come on, I
heard--"
Then the tearing, and the scream. She doesn't need to
finish. She just glances back toward the Garou at the car again,
eyebrows lifted in a way that suggests significance, then looks forward
and into the dark night once more. By the way her boots fell and her
hips swung her legs forward to eat up distance, Lola was waiting for no
one.
Siren of Persephone
[Gnosis: BE FRENZ PLZ YES??]
Dice: 7 d10 TN6 (1, 3, 6, 7, 7, 9, 9) ( success x 5 )
Javed Anubis-Sight
There
is half a moment where he recognizes her, begins to offer an apology in
respect to making her identify herself. And then there's that scream
and his attention is shooting that way.
And Lola is starting to
run, and for a second, Javed is gaping. And that is just for a moment
before he springs into action, snapping up into Glabro and reaching out
to--
Yes, literally--
Grab Lola by the back of the shoulder
and stop her. Because no Garou with any sense of Honor would let a
kinfolk run their way into battle in the middle of the night against an
unknown foe, skill with a gun or not.
Pokes-the-Mind's-Eye
[Rolling Impatient!]
Dice: 6 d10 TN6 (2, 3, 3, 9, 9, 10) ( success x 3 )
Lola Hawkes
Lola
wasn't quite running, not really. It was more like a brisk jog, if
anything. Not enough to bounce the frame, but enough to make a smooth,
fast stride across a bumpy terrain that she was incredibly familiar
with. She didn't get too far away from the car, though, due to a
jarring stop.
A huge hand, human-shaped and skinned but dense with
hair along its back and palms and with thick, thick nails that had
grown and hooked at the ends of those dense fingers, had clapped down on
her shoulder and gripped. Reflexively, nearly with a snarl, Lola
twisted about, jerking her shoulder to try and wrench it out of Javed's
grasp but not struggling against him if it doesn't quite make it.
Her
eyes are alight with impatient fire when she looks back up at Javed--
further up, now, into a face that was different while being the same
both at once. She's hardly phased by the Metis's Glabro form, doesn't
even bat an eye. She doesn't even seem upset with any crossing of
personal boundaries-- she's just clearly upset that:
"If you think I'm babysitting this wreck of a car you're impossibly mistaken. Now come on!"
Pokes-the-Mind's-Eye
Milton
is pretty much in the same boat as Lola, he hears the scream and the
second he hears it it takes quite a bit of willpower to keep himself
from charging out into the darkness and confronting whatever the hell
might be out there.
Javed and Phoebe were all like blah blah blah
let's not do stuff! He doesn't recall the specifics of what they said,
he just knows that right now, out there in the darkness, is something
nasty, and he's totally ready to kick it's ass, and he TOTALLY doesn't
understand why in the hell they are still waiting, but, he manages to
restrain himself even as Javed restrains Lola.
He gets a little
smile at the Kin's attitude, and he nods his head before looking in
Javed's direction. "Sounds like someone already killed whatever's out
there for us!" He says with a little laugh. "We gonna start movin' soon?
Rhya?" He asks eyes moving from one to the other. "If not, I'ma go see
if that car had a gas can!" You can do a lot with little more than a gas
can and a rag! You'd be surprised.
Javed Anubis-Sight
His
expression is impassive as she whirls around on him, no apologies.
There are few that would understand why in this city, but Javed has
reasons well above and beyond the standard protectiveness toward kinfolk
for wanting to ensure their safety. It is part of a deep-seeded code
within him and thus, he has no sense of remorse in the face of Lola's
frustration.
"I am not telling you to babysit the car, Miss
Hawkes," he says calmly. "I would not dishonor your abilities to
suggest that is all you are capable of. However, if you attempt to run
into the darkness ahead of us to face an enemy we do not yet know, then I
will put you back in your vehicle and crumple the metal around the door
so that you cannot get out. Behind us, please. With your gun at the
ready."
And with that, he looks to Milton and nods his head.
"Let's go. Siren of Persephone!" The latter is shouted out as he
starts to move toward the scream, about to melt up to his Breed Form.
"Behind us when you can." And that's when the transformation begins.
Lola Hawkes
Milton
flashed a bit of a smile to see Lola's assertive go-getter attitude
when it came to charging in to battle. She'd told him before not to let
her being a Kinfolk fool him. She was, at her heart and core,
one-hundred percent an Ahroun. It's clear that being reminded in the
face of battle that she actually wasn't made her want to grind her
molars to dust, but she refrains.
Javed explains that he wouldn't
waste her skills by having her stay behind, but so help him if she
didn't let them go first then he'd lock her in the car himself. Her
nose is wrinkled with distaste, but after his hand moves from her
shoulder she takes the rifle strap away from where it had been hitched
and held the rifle ready-- aimed down for now but easy to pull up and
aim a shot in this position.
"Fine." This is what she lands on.
There's no doubt in anyone's mind that was listening that she had plenty
more she would've liked to say, but some thread of mutual respect for
the Silent Strider had her holding it back. There were more pressing
matters at hand anyways.
When they start to move forward, Lola
falls in behind Javed, but doesn't make it a point to actively bring up
the rear. Wherever Milton or Phoebe fell into line was where they'd be,
as the Kinfolk wouldn't adjust her pace or stance to alter formation
for them.
excavation
Through the tear the Fostern
Theurge's call carries and beckons forth a curious and friendly Water
jaggling. They are very close to a free-flowing and timeless creek and
the spirits within it are ready to spring up and dance. She does not
have to plead with the Jaggling to lend them its aid.
Whatever she
asks of it it will do, after letting itself through the tear between
worlds and briefly winding itself around her thighs and waist like an
old friend giving an embrace before hurrying off on a most important
errand.
After a brief frisson of impatience on the blurred
Ragabash's behalf and some short-lived scuffling between the near-man
and the kinswoman the quartet starts forward again. No light held by a
one of them but as they tramp the distance from the wrecked vehicle to
the creek they can follow the sound of heavy breathing.
Something
cracks in the darkness. A wet and final sound. They can hear something
writhing, like a bodiless entity forcing its way into a suit too small
for it, and then a retching. The driver of the car brought an electric
Coleman camping lantern with him and it illuminates the space
immediately around whatever work he was doing. A small mound of dirt
lies next to a hole. A handle protrudes from the hole but they cannot
identify the object from this distance yet. They have other things to
worry about.
Like a young man now roughly the size of Javed in his
near-man form. Two extra arms fresh-grown from his shoulders and
fingers new and old all sport long black claws. This creature twitches
and belches as the Bane finishes binding itself to him.
At the creature's feet something lies rolled up in what appears to be a green plastic tarp. It too twitches.
Javed Anubis-Sight
And
here it is, upon them to act like the warriors of Gaia that they are.
Javed is up to his Crinos at this point, the form alluding to his very
Deed Name in the jackal-headed shape that his Tribe embodies. That
single eye is still the only functional one, the other still a smokey
clouded-over orb. And that single eye is locked on the four-armed
once-man, claws flexing.
He forces the words, difficult as it is,
from his through with a growl. "Kill it. Watch out for grave. And
wrapping." And he dips down, claws shredding through the ground as he
charges in the hopes that he finds a good solid rocky surface down there
to sharpen them against, his course headed straight for the
monstrosity.
[[Razor Claws if he can pull that off]]
Siren of Persephone
When the moon wanes life is terrible for Phoebe Stavros. Well, not terrible,
but it's difficult. There was a time when she kept herself
self-sufficient, before she had the idea for this unique and special
pack of hers. Only her brother had to deal with her, and you'd better
believe there were fights on those dark nights. Then a few nights of
peace. And then...
What Luna does to punish this particularly
moon-attuned Garou, she more than makes up for a few nights later. The
Fury stands a little taller those days, she practically glows with
Luna's grace.
And when she steps away from Javed and Milton,
leaving the men to deal with the truck and its driver and the searching
of the wreck, she goes to make a bargain. An easy one to be made, truth
be told. Phoebe is light and life and kindness, and there is something
about her that draws spirits inherently to her.
Which could pose
some problems very soon. But for the moment, she sends the Water spirit
of to go, raise the creek's edge, hold back their quarry and keep it
from getting away.
Finished, her head snaps in the direction of
Javed's call. She does not enter the space in formation with them, but
from the side, a tall, lanky figure with soaked cloathes from the waist
down, her hair down around her shoulders, eyes wide. And there she
sees...
Water was already asked to flood that plane. If it looks
like it needs to be reminded, Phoebe will do so, but first her form
ripples to something more appropriate.
[Shifting to Crinos or Hispo, whichever is appropriate to the space! Spending a Rage if necessary.]
Javed Anubis-Sight
[[Init+18]]
Dice: 1 d10 TN8 (2) ( fail )
Pokes-the-Mind's-Eye
Milton
doesn't take his war form, not immediately anyway, but instead he takes
the time to pull out a single shotgun shell and load it into the
weapon, before cocking the weapon and giving a nod to Javed. "Let's do
this bitches!" He says in the coolest voice he can muster while holding a
shotgun, cause nothing makes the new-moon feel more powerful than when
he's holding a shotgun! Also it gives him a chance to posture
dramatically in front of Lola!
Milton is going to get into the
shadows, so it was unlikely they would even see him as he shifted to his
crinos form, and suddenly that weapon of his seemed so much smaller as
he slung it over his shoulder, and the shoulder strap now wrapped firmly
around his shoulder. He was best attacking from the shadows, as any new
moon would be, but he does at least try to remain somewhere in the
vicinity of Lola! She might be able to dish it out but that doesn't mean
she can take it! He expected Javed would look out for her whatever the
case, and it'd allow him the opportunity to get into position behind,
or... To the flank... Or... Wait... What are we attacking?
Oh,
right! That thing! What is it, a four armed teenager? Whatever the hell
it is... I'ma get behind it! It won't know what hit it!
[Stealth
roll Dex+Crinos+Stealth, to avoid getting seen, anyone attempting to see
him is +1 difficulty cause of Blur of the Milky Eye! Gonna try to get
behind the thing!]
Dice: 6 d10 TN6 (1, 2, 2, 3, 4, 6) ( success x 1 )
Lola Hawkes
Kill it, is the order.
Lola was already on it. She doesn't announce this, the sound of her rifle safety clicking from 'on' to 'off' does instead.
[Init: Die + Dex 3 + Wits 3]
Dice: 1 d10 TN6 (10) ( success x 1 )
Pokes-the-Mind's-Eye
[+7]
Dice: 1 d10 TN6 (2) ( fail )
Siren of Persephone
[+7+1 (moonbound)=8]
Dice: 1 d10 TN6 (4) ( fail )
excavation
Big Dude
[+7]
Dice: 1 d10 TN6 (7) ( success x 1 )
excavation
Little Dude
[+6]
Dice: 1 d10 TN6 (8) ( success x 1 )
excavation
ROUND ONE - FIGHT!
javed: 20
lola: 16
big dude: 14
little dude: 14
phoebe: 12
milton: 9
declare in reverse, y'all! go go go!
Pokes-the-Mind's-Eye
[1a Get Behind Dude
1R Shotgun Backstab!]
Siren of Persephone
[1a/b: Bite/bite Big dude!]
excavation
Little Dude
1: GET UP
R1: ANGRY. HUNGRY. BITE MILTON.
Big Dude
1: Claw Phoebe!
Lola Hawkes
[Key in on the thing wiggling under the tarp, because everyone else is clearly going to focus on the big guy
Headshot on whatever springs up from under the tarp. Spending WP.]
Javed Anubis-Sight
[[3 Rage Spent.
1a: Claw Strike Big Dude
1b: Take Hit for Phoebe (Protect the Mage/Healer, Not the Rogue)
1c: Claw Strike Little Dude
R1: Claw Strike Big Dude
R2: Grapple Big Dude's head
R3: Pull On Grappled Head]]
Javed Anubis-Sight
[[Claw Strike on Big Dude, -1 diff for Razor Claws]]
Dice: 6 d10 TN5 (1, 3, 3, 5, 7, 10) ( success x 3 )
Javed Anubis-Sight
[[Damage Str+2 for Razor Claws +2 for succ]]
Dice: 11 d10 TN6 (1, 1, 3, 5, 5, 6, 6, 8, 9, 9, 10) ( success x 6 )
excavation
[soaking maybe?]
Dice: 4 d10 TN8 (5, 5, 7, 8) ( success x 1 )
excavation
[sploosh, he's stunned]
Javed Anubis-Sight
[[Claw Little Dude, -2 diff because of tarp, -1 because of Razor Claws]]
Dice: 4 d10 TN3 (4, 7, 8, 10) ( success x 4 )
Javed Anubis-Sight
[[Damage Str+2 for Razor Claws +3 for succ]]
Dice: 12 d10 TN6 (1, 4, 4, 6, 7, 7, 7, 7, 8, 8, 8, 9) ( success x 9 )
excavation
Little Dude: x_x
Lola Hawkes
[Switching to Big Guy: Dex 3 + Firearms 3, Headshot + 2 diff, Stunned -2 diff. WP Spent.]
Dice: 6 d10 TN6 (3, 3, 4, 6, 9, 10) ( success x 4 ) [WP]
Lola Hawkes
[Base Damage 8 + 3 suxx]
Dice: 11 d10 TN6 (1, 1, 2, 3, 3, 6, 7, 8, 8, 9, 9) ( success x 6 )
excavation
[lol so not happening]
Dice: 4 d10 TN8 (1, 5, 5, 7) ( fail )
excavation
Big Dude: x_x
excavation
In
the span of a few seconds a Fostern Ahroun and an Uktena kinswoman
drench the area in Wretched blood and a pleased Water spirit comes
soaring through the sky to cleanse the soul-stain left in their wake.
Later
when they go back to the car to piece together what happened they will
find the journal Javed pulled out of the overnight bag spans back to the
first of the year and serves as a chronicle of the lives of the two
young men who now lie dead on the side of the creek. They were brothers.
One of them unearthed something out here when they were camping and did
not tell the other about it until it was too goddamn late. The journal
makes less and less sense the further they go. The gist they get is that
the young man who sprouted extra arms and claws either stole his
brother from the morgue or unearthed his body after it had been buried.
They
can only guess what happened that caused him to swerve off the road and
smash into that low brick wall. They don't stop to chat. Javed lops off
one of the hulking creature's arms and then splatters the reanimating
body through its plastic confines. Lola puts one high-powered round
between the eyes of the one Javed left grasping at its own stump.
Neither its eyes nor its head are left by the time the bullet has
started off on its journey.
Milton ends up wearing some of its
gray matter before he can even shoulder his shotgun but it doesn't
matter. The Jaggling flies overhead and lets itself go. The banks of the
creek rise up and soak into the soil on its banks and they can feel the
blight on the place loosen and wash away.
That hole is big enough
to fit a person's fist without a mound rising up to announce its place.
The handle belongs to a small trowel. Whatever the man unburied is gone
now.
Javed Anubis-Sight
He's such a calm person
normally. Javed doesn't snarl at people, he rarely snaps at people and
the one time he's looked close to losing it was on that pathetic member
of his breed that suggested he might be tempted to force himself on male
kinfolk if he found housing in that abbey. He is an honorable Ahroun
in every sense of the word, and that he chose to follow Falcon with
Avery is probably not too surprising.
But he is still an Ahroun,
and that Rage is always present just under the surface. It is only his
Honor and his sense of duty that keep him from unleashing it, as far as
he is concerned. And when it's time for war, he unleashes war. And
that's what they do here.
He's spattered with gore by the time
it's over (which isn't long at all). And he looks around, makes sure
everything is finished before he drops back down to Homid. And that is
when he realizes, with a frown, that he forgot to take his jacket off in
the frustration and the heat of impending battle. It's not the first
time in his life and he is not attached to it. But it is a minor
inconvenience that at some point, as the nights get colder, he will need
a new one.
He doesn't pay any mind to the blood and bits on him,
even in Homid form, and he looks about the place as the water floods and
cleanses. He frowns at the open grave, and he looks at Lola with a
little nod of respect. One for Phoebe too, and for Milton.
"This
is handled," comes his gravelly voice. "The bodies must be disposed
of..." Oh look, a grave. "...after the place is Cleansed." Said with a
nod to Phoebe.
"And then I wish to look a bit closer at the car.
Examine that book so we may determine if something else escaped here
that we must track. Otherwise, I believe we are done."
And they don't need to stick around to help; he does not ask them to. But he plans to do this.
Pokes-the-Mind's-Eye
Milton
can't help but laugh a little and when things look clear he returns to
his homid form easily enough "That was amazing! You two shoulda been
back here where I was! I could feel the chunks of brain and blood
spraying on by face like I was at the front row of a live production of
an 80's horror film! I didn't even get to pull the trigger! You two
fucked them up!" He says excitedly.
It would appear the matter was
settled easily enough, and they really didn't need him, but he got to
take part in the action, and in the end that was all he really wanted.
Though he eyes the hole curiously enough.
"I'm guessing there
might have been something in there..." He shrugs his shoulders. Whatever
it was he had no clue what it might have been or if it had been
destroyed or simply carried off by the sudden flood.
The first few
things Javed mentions went without saying. Javed mentions the book and
he nods his head. "Sounds like a plan!" He says in response. Lotsa stuff
to do, hopefully quickly!
Lola Hawkes
Lola is
swift and efficient, but without all of the gusto and glory and beauty
of a fully-formed Crinos ripping through limbs like they're butter. She
had been watching the tarp, expecting that all of the Garou would go
for the bigger, more imposing thing that stood twitching and full of
muscle and claws. When the massive dark Warbeast descended upon that
tarp and ripped it to bloody shreds, Lola switched her aim, seamlessly
lined up a shot with the big wounded thing's head, and blew it to
pieces.
Then, it is over.
The other two Garou may be
disappointed that they didn't get to join in the fray. Milton hadn't
even gotten to jam his shotgun spray into the spine of a bad guy yet.
Lola doesn't feel bad for them, though. She drops the rifle's barrel
toward the ground, takes in a deep breath that swells her chest outward
and curves her back, then exhales with a loud, victorious 'Hah!'
Javed
nods toward her, and for a second it looked like Lola might take a leaf
out of her tribesman's book and grab her comrade by the face and press a
kiss to his bloody mouth. The elation, the pride, the adrenaline all
shine bright in her eyes. But something held her back, kept her
restrained, and instead she smiled bright, vicious, all teeth and huffed
a breath.
He wanted to go examine the car. Phoebe, after her
summoned spirit drenched the world in a cleansing rain, wanted to listen
to the aggitated spirits. Milton comes up to express how fucking cool
the whole thing was, and Lola grins for him too, though it's not the
bright-eyed toothy one she'd flashed for Javed, and reaches out to cuff
him wordlessly, approvingly on the shoulder.
She'll stick around
and help with the clean-up, whatever that may entail. She'll load the
bodies into her truck with someone's help and say that she'll make sure
they're taken care of. The car would be left for the Garou to take care
of. The artifact, for the Theurge to find more about.
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