by Bill Emerson, 3D Storyteller
History I | History II | History III | History IV | History V
History VI | History VII | History VIII | History IX | History X
Session Thirty-six
After touching base with the Elders about the goings
on with the Vampires, Kyla decides that Jarryd's request to visit his parents
could be what the whole pack needs. So, she gives out a little more
in the way of busywork assignments and takes the Children of the Sun to
the Upper Peninsula.
The Petersons are thrilled to see Jarryd and
to meet his Pack. The sibs ask for a little bit of show and tell
before everyone turns in and everything is just Norman Rockwell peachy
keen.
Jarryd's mom mentions to the kids to be careful
because of a herd of feral pigs that have been in the woods. Kyla
offers to remove this annoyance. After all, what could a few pigs
do to a pack of Garou? Plenty! That is, when they are Bone Pigs,
a special Wyrmbeastie that would rather make sausage out of YOU!
Well, it was close, but the Pack prevails and the
Bone Pigs sing their swine song, but not before inflicting a lot of hurt
on the good guys. The Pack then departs for the pig-less demesne
of the Sept of Gaia's Strength.
Session Thirty-seven
Walks gets the last
dream in the "Water, Water Everywhere" series and shares it with her
pack. After much debate, the interpret the dream as follows: "We
have to go to Pangaea and find something there that will help us restore
the Glass Walkers Caern, but we don't know what yet."
So they start wandering around trying to find the
cliff they fought on the last time they were here, figuring that maybe
the Spirals were trying to destroy whatever it is they're supposed to find.
Soon, a pack of Velociraptors finds THEM. After the a battle seen
that was almost Speilbergian (after all the dinos lost), the Children of
the Sun find themselves on the cliff.
Walks uses her "Find the Heart's Flame" gift and
detects what could be a dormant Caern. In Pangaea?
This qualifies as the "Whatever" they were looking for, eh? Manny
and Walks are quickly dispatched home to rally the troops for a good old
fashioned Caern raising. Zephyr and Madonna are both informed (and
amazed) and start calling in favors to get enough Garou together that the
Caern will be opened successfully.
By the time everyone gets back to Pangaea, Derrick
has Raptorburgers for everyone, and Kyla starts hashing over pre-Sept politics
with Merecedes Steelwall, the leader of the Garou Madonna brought to help
open the Caern.
Kyla takes the Pack to get things arranged with
the Glass Walkers in Ann Arbor so a Moon Bridge can connect Ann Arbor and
Pangaea. They manage to get an audience with the Elders without an appointment
AND get them to pay for lunch.
While dining, a new occult books store across the
street catches Manny's eye. When he goes to check it out he runs
in to a lovely young lady named Stephanie. As she arouses more than just
his curiosity, he strikes up a conversation and finds out she's some kind
of magic worker. She claims to be an Alchemist of Egyptian tradition
and she triggers Walks' Sense the Unnatural and Manny's Sense Magic gifts.
Manny promises to help her
cast a spell later. He is, of course, already enchanted...
Session Thirty-eight (Email session, complete and uncut)
Two days until the Full Moon. Two days to get
everyone everywhere necessary to awaken the Caern in Pangaea and connect
it via Moon Bridge to the Sept Gaia's Strength and the Sept of Work and
Wisdom.
Late in the day, "they" arrive. "They" being
the big shot ritual team from the Freebooters. Eight Black Furies
arrive from parts unknown and immediately make themselves known to the
Elders of the Sept and demand to talk with The Children of the Sun.
The leader of the delegation is Minerva Paledawn.
She seems young, even to The Pack, maybe 16. She arrives wearing (I kid
you not) a flowing white robe, a toga if you will, with her hair done up
in a complicated braid pattern atop her head. Minerva speaks quietly
and makes her requests politely with a calm, but slightly pre-occupied,
manner. She explains the she is to be the Rite Master for the Opening
and is planning on staying on at the new Caern, possibly as Mistress of
the Rite, if no one else has come forward to fill that role.
Minerva is accompanied by something you've never
seen before: a very, very old werewolf. A wizened old woman is introduced
to all as, "Mother Gennivieve, my mentor." Gennivieve, for her part,
smiles at her young charge and to whomever she's introduced to, but says
almost nothing unless addressed specifically, and then she usually directs
questions and such back to Minerva.
If Minerva speaks softly, it's because the other
six of her companions comprise one hell of a big stick! These six
Furies all stand six feet tall or more, are criss-crossed with scars and
are wearing more modern clothing. Most of them carry some kind of
weapon and one of them looks to have an honest to God broadsword strapped
to her back!
These ladies don't do much talking except
to voice loud insistence anytime someone shows any hesitation in complying
with Minerva's requests:
"Sister Minerva is here to ensure success. I am
here to ensure her success. Now, are you going to do as she asks or am
I going to make you?" is almost a mantra with them.
After some brow-beating in this vein, Dmitri is
dispatched, personally, to gather The Pack for Minerva. Derrick is
still in Pangaea at this point and Dmitri makes many apologies for his
absence.
"I need to speak to each of you about the Caern
you've found so I can better understand the land we will be opening.
Also, your finding it is actually the first part of the history of the
Caern and will be important during the Rite," says Minerva, smiling.
"So, I will speak to you each alone so that I can hear of the discovery
in each of your own words and from each of your perspectives. I understand
there is a fifth Pack member who still stands guard over the Caern?
I will talk to him when we get there. Shall I speak with Kyla first?"
Minerva takes Kyla and a bodyguard a small distance
away to begin Kyla's interview. The interview begins with Minerva
taking Kyla's hands and saying, "I'm so happy to meet you finally!
So few Ahrouns come to the Freebooters to make name for themselves."
Here she gives Kyla a big hug.
"Sorry, it's just this is going to be a big victory.
For you, the Freebooters, the Tribe, the whole Garou nation!" She
calms down a bit and starts to get the story of "How we found a Caern in
the land of the lost." As Kyla finishes her story, Minerva thanks
her and has one more request.
"After I finish with your Pack, can you introduce
me to Madonna Backhand? We're related somehow and I've always wanted
to meet her, too."
Minerva takes Walks next. She does a pretty
impressive job (for a Homid) trying to dig out the sensory details of the
story: smells, sounds, feels... She's also particularly interested
in the Find the Heart's Flame gift.
She has never heard of it before, it seems to intrigue her.
Jarryd comes next under the watchful eye of Minerva's
bodyguard. For as tense as the bodyguard seems, Minerva appears very
at ease with Jarryd. Now that she's heard the story twice, Minerva
prompts Jarryd for some details when he's done. But other than that,
the interview is spectacular.
Manny comes last. Minerva pays close attention
to the story for the fourth time with out seeming bored. Some of
Manny's boasts about the aspects of Pangaea seem to really pique her interest.
She seems very anxious to see the site.
"Not yet. We don't move until tomorrow," intones
one of the entourage. For the first time Minerva looks a little disappointed.
---
That night, late, a Moon Bridge opens from Traverse
City. Michimagua steps out, gives Zephyr a ritual
greeting and asks after Joshua. Before visiting Joshua, however,
he stops by The Pack's clearing. After another ritual greeting, Michimagua
tells Kyla he has come in case help is needed in Opening the Caern.
Kyla introduces him to Minerva and company and the
bodyguards bristle. Minerva is awed by the opportunity to meet a
Gurahl on friendly terms (let alone an ancient one), and prevails upon
them to allow it. While Minerva and the bear discuss Ritual Theory
(the Garou equivalent to comparative mathematics), one of the protectors
takes Kyla aside.
"We know about your Sept's relationship with the
bears, and, personally, I'm kind of glad of it. But, know this: If
this one attempts to interfere with our treasure, he will be killed," she
says." I know you don't want to hear that, but some things are more
important than one bear. Or one Caern."
---
The next day, as the Pack wakes, they find
all sorts of activity. Dmitri comes by to remind Walks, "The excitement
of tomorrow night notwithstanding, we must still have our Sept Moot during
the Full Moon. Personally, I'm loath to put it off. So, we
will have it the following night. I hope you will be able to perform
your duties."
It appears that Madonna has already left to take
Minerva to Pangaea. Claudia went along, too. She'll be performing
the Rite of the Opened Bridge after the Caern is opened.
Upon arriving in Pangaea, Minerva catches Derrick
in between mapping forays to get his version of the discovery of the Caern.
She's willing to take his word for it as far as Raptorburgers go, but is
far more interested in what he's found in the immediate area.
---
Back on Earth, Garth is stalking about readying defenses
for the Sept. He doesn't seem to happy about being posted on rear
guard, but then Garth is so rarely happy...
Finally, a hoarse voice calls out from the edge of the Pack's clearing.
"Somebody order a Pathstone?" asks Kati.
She and the other Storm Bitches enter the clearing
looking like they've been awake since they left and spent most of the time
arm-wrestling Thunderwyrms. Callisto is carrying the Pathstone in
both hands, Kati's right arm looks raw and possibly broken. Raina
looks about ready to fall asleep standing up.
"Phoebe sent us to an Umbral realm called the Scar
to steal back some Gnosis that was stolen from her," says Kati. "Of
course the current owners weren't to keen...Anyway, we did it, we got the
rock and She taught Shawna and I a couple new gifts. We really need
some rest, come wake us up when the Apocalypse comes."
They hand over the Pathstone and shamble off to
their corner to sleep.
---
Kyla receives a cell phone call confirming that all
is in readiness with the Glass Walkers in Ann Arbor. Cry of Winds
give similar assurances (without using a cell phone). The perimeter
defenses seem to be in order. So there doesn't seem to be much more
to do than go to Pangaea and get ready. Besides, hasn't Derrick been
unsupervised long enough?
Manny opens the 'Bridge and the Pack goes back to
their little jungle in sun. Derrick by now has sheafs of maps and
notes about the ground around the site. He hasn't found anymore raptors
for meals but he has had a chance to experiment with ocampi nuggets and
boy is the barbecued archaeopteryx tender!
That night there is a brief pow-wow to discuss who
stands where and who does what. Guards are set and people begin to
split up for the last night of looking around and preparing for tomorrow
night. Minerva, her mentor and her guardians retreat to an isolated
corner and actively discourage others from joining them.
The jungle night is raucous with songs and calls
of the various creatures, the waxing moon cast bright light and occasional
movements in the shadows hint at the activities of your scaly neighbors.
Some scavenger-saurs creep toward camp to see if the mammals have left
anything tasty or shiny unwatched but quickly scamper away when confronted.
Derrick leads the Pack on a wild night of Tarzan-style
swinging down by the Great River before everyone heads back to camp for
a quick "greet the sun" and to bed. You'll need your rest.
---
The Pack wakes in the midday sun. There is
an air of activity in the area, but not a lot of noise. Everyone
is focused on their tasks to get ready for tonight. As expected, the Tribeless-ness
of the Pangaea realm has made it pretty easy for all the Garou to get along.
But you all notice that Minerva's handlers still seem uptight around the
bears. Thankfully, Zephyr and the bears are among the last to arrive,
so the tension doesn't build all day.
As sundown approaches, all assemble in what will
be the center of the new Caern. Gennivieve leads everyone in a howl
asking the Ancestors for aid in the task they are about to undertake.
Some Garou, like Kyla, who are blessed with Past Lives, get direct help
and guidance.
Mercedes and the rest of the defenders depart for
their posts, sending last looks to those staying behind to perform the
Rite. A few whisper good wishes to the participants before melting
into the jungle.
A fire is built and people begin to form a ring
around it. There are enough gathered that a second ring is formed.
Minerva stands outside of the last ring, holding something in her hand
that looks like ropes or straps of some kind.
"This is the Sacred Rite, given us by Gaia. This is the Sacred Rite that connects us to Gaia," Minerva begins the Rite. She passes into the outer ring. "Gaia is real, solid, strong. We ask her for a bond to our world." She passes into the inner ring. "The mother is thought, spirit, wise. We ask her for a bond to our spirits."
The others begin the dance and chants that comprise
their part of the ceremony. The pace is set slow, for this will be
going on all night.
As the second verse starts and the howls grow louder,
the thing Minerva is holding seems to float away from her. She looks
unsurprised and keeps on hand firmly around the cord she is holding.
It looks like a bridle or a harness of kind. A spark of light seems
caught in it and is pulling away from her.
Over the next hour the spark grows bigger and brighter
with a deep green color to it, as deep as the green of the leaves above.
It is also pulling harder, forcing the muscles in Minerva's arm to stand
out from the strain.
The chanting grows louder. The dancing gets
faster. Forms shift; Crinos dance with howling lupus and chanting
homid. Howls and roars float over the Rite from outside. The
guardians are fighting someone, or something.
Gradually, a pool of light forms at Minerva's feet.
Small at first, as big around as a wolf's paw, perhaps. But, it slowly
grows brighter.
"The mother's strength nourishes all. Mother, send us your strength," Minerva intones.
As the hours go by the pool of light grows.
It shines with light that somewhere between sunshine and lightning.
Minerva takes the Crinos from to control the Spark that appears intent
on escaping the harness while she dances.
Sounds of struggle echo through the jungle.
A tree falls with a crash. Cries of pain and terror mix with howls
of war. Someone next you whispers, "Concentrate..." And you focus
on the next verse of the chant.
As the pace increases, the pool of light is now
several feet across it looks like the font of energy in the middle of Caern
of Gaia's Strength, if a little smaller. But you feel no presence
of East Wind or any other spirit, yet.
An ear-splitting roar of something out mankind's
darkest dinosaurian nightmares shakes the assembly. Through the ringing
of your ears, think you hear someone begging for mercy. There is
no mercy in the jungle tonight.
"You hold us close, so we will hold to you. We will keep this place holy and hold you forever in our hearts, until the day you call us back into yours. This place is of Gaia, it is of Garou."
Wind pours through the center toward the light. The
wind carries with it the Gnosis of those assembled, and blows out the bonfire
behind Minerva, the light at her feet slowly fades to darkness. She
suddenly cries out it pain as do Kyla and Jarryd and a few others around
the circle. A point of light reappears and 
grows
in size back to the large pool of light that had been there before.
Gnosis flows from the light as the Caern anchors in the realm of Pangaea.
A sharp, pointed horn slowly extends from the light. Then two more, followed
by a large bony crest. Slowly the head of huge Triceratops ventures out
of the Caern center. The giant beast-spirit
climbs out of the pool of light a looks at the group.
"I will guard this place with you, my children.
You have awakened one the Mother's earliest memories and she goes strong
from it. As you stay here, so shall you. Find the resolve for
your battles here in youth of Gaia."
Triceratops fades from view and the pool of light becomes a pool of clear, cold water, banked by a circle of marble stones. Each stone is rounded, as though by a river, and form a perfect rim around the pool which is deeper than anyone can clearly tell.
---
The Sun is coming up. Walks nudges the Pack
awake from their nap to Greet the Sun before returning to sleep.
In the back ground you can hear Claudia performing the Rite of the Opened
Bridge. Two Moon Bridges open and the wind again picks up and carries Gnosis
back to the Realm. One of the Elders from Ann Arbor emerges from one Bridge,
Hunts the Tundra from the other. Both look around in amazement.
Amazement for the task you have completed but also for beauty that now
meets their eyes.
The defenders are picking their way back to the
Center. They look almost as tired as you feel. Mercedes, in Glabro
and bleeding in a couple places, walks over the Pack.
"It looks like I had the easy job! Go back
to sleep. We didn't lose anyone, and it looks like you didn't either."
The Pack sinks back to the ground. One of
you should say something profound here, but you're way too exhausted.
Session Thirty-nine
The Pack heads back to physical world for the monthly
Moot. And this month, there is praise from a corners for their role
in forming a new Caern. Most of the Galliards in the Sept band together
to jam out a musical tribute.
Jarryd also performs, singing the praises of the
Stormies
for their quest to get the Pathstone for the Sept
of Lasting Strength.
Also, when Walks raises the various pack Totems
for the Moot, East Wind also extends an invitation to the Caern Totems
that the Pack is most familiar with. The Ann Arbor City Father, the Trash
Heap from Grand Rapids, Bear from Traverse City and Triceratops from Pangaea
all appear to award the Garou present with a gift from Gaia herself:
They increase the power of the Caern of Gaia's Strength!
In the next couple days, the Pack sorta kicks around
a little bit. Some of the Pack catches up with the other inhabitants
of the Caern, Derrick goes back to Pangaea a few times, etc...
And Manny heads out to meet Stephanie
for a little pre-ritual practice for the spell they're going to do.
The Pack heads into town to talk to Catherine, later,
and hears gunshots! They rush to the scene and find three teen aged
girls in matching prom dresses. Two are freaking out because the
third is bleeding from a huge chest wound. As Jarryd goes to heal
the wounded one, she tries to bite him! (That's gratitude for ya...)
She and her friends are actually vampires and are more than willing to
let the Pack become a snack. But the snack fights back, killing all
three of them.
Hmmm...Vampires hunting on Prom Night....This sounds
like a plot for a pack of werewolves! The Pack goes to the High School
and two of them, Manny and Derrick, attempt to infiltrate. They are
both confronted by a big, strong, fiftyish man who tells them, "You aren't
a person, leave now!"
This disagreeable gentleman then evicts Manny and
Derrick with strong arm tactics, a revolver and lightning bolts.
Lightning bolts??
Manny and Derrick have serious words over
the way this was all handled leaving Manny and Derrick to storm off in
separate directions.
Session Forty
Stephanie (the bewitching
young lady from session thirty-seven) and Manny perform the alchemical
ritual to make a powder which, she says, causes someone to forget things.
Why would she need something like that? Well,
it appears that her family is fated to do battle with an
evil adversary of huge proportions. The adversary, Potiphar, is a
Mummy, immortal in that even if he is destroyed, he comes back later.
Stephanie tells Manny that the stars are right for
Potiphar to return from the lands of the dead and wreak all sorts of magical
nastiness on the world. If only she had some help in fighting him...
Ever eager to come to the side of a damsel in distress,
Manny then goes back to the Pack to convince them to help out. They
agree and begin to do some research about Egypt, mummies, Potiphar, etc.
and try to figure out how to fight him. And how to keep their "Garou-ness"
secret from Stephanie.
(Note: Kyla challenged for Cry of Winds for
Rank 4, and was sent to Wolfhome. Walks challenged Bite of Frost
for Rank 4, and had to do a Wendigo Ritual known as the Sun Dance.
Both succeeded.)
Session Forty-one
The Pack takes a trip to see Derrick's parents in
Vancouver. Derrick does his best to keep them from meeting his folks,
which the Pack respects. They wanted to find out if his mom, a Silent
Strider, can help them with Potiphar. She says the best she can do
is find some more Striders who might be able to help them get into the
Lands of the Dead.
On the way back they stop to hang with another
group of Black Furies who have the hero worship thing going on for Kyla.
They end up going clubbing with these Furies, finishing the night at a
club that caters to...alternative lifestyles. Manny and Jarryd "help"
Kyla "make a friend" at this bar. Kyla shocks the world by NOT pummelling
Manny into a thin red paste.
Now, Manny has to introduce the Pack to Stephanie.
He tells them "Act wild and unpredictable, and act like you met me by saving
my butt once." So the Pack goes into 'weirdwolf' mode and plans a 
scouting
foray into Detroit, where Steph has noticed some strange goings on.
They find a ritual going on, led by a couple mages
of some kind, with a few vampires and cobras thrown in for good measure.
Fire and fangs are applied to the situation, leading to a bunch of dead
cultists, a wrecked building, and one mage escaping.
Manny, playing the wounded bird, is left in the
loving care of Stephanie, who kisses and makes the snake bites better.
The rest of the Pack gets home to find Robert
Blinds the Banes waiting for them. "Where have you been?
I have work for you to do." He promises to keep them busy the next
day.
Session Forty-two
Robert Blinds the Banes introduces the Pack to a
true Michigan tradition: Construction! They immediately commence
work on what will be a duplex log cabin for some Kinfolk who will be arriving
shortly.
The Kin in question are Jarryd's older sister, Susan,
and a dour moody young fellow named Matthew.
Robert hints that more will be arriving in time.
Stephanie gets a lead on some 20-something in Grand
Rapids buying up Egyptian artifacts and tells
Manny that she intends to check it out. Manny offers to accompany
her and (on the sly) arranges for the Alpha Ganka Pylons to back him up
while
the rest of the Children of the Sun are doing construction.
The "simple recon" again goes sour and the baddies
capture Stephanie. Manny calls home and after his Pack arrives goes
on a rescue mission to retrieve her from the evil clutches of the magician
who escaped in Session Forty-one.
The Pack manages to dig through the henchman, rescue
Stephanie and put the magician out of their misery but they take some chances
and almost blow Manny's "I'm not a werewolf" cover. Fortunately,
Stephanie's harrowing experiences seem to have blurred her recollection
of the night's events. However, Manny did have to explain
why his "dog" (actually Walks) suddenly appeared out of nowhere...