7/28/2004

06:50 PM
Logfile from GarouMUSH.

Currently the moon is in the waxing Gibbous Moon phase (78% full).

Center of the Caern
This area of the clearing is about 30 meters wide and is a mixture of dark soil and clay throughout. The ground is mostly mud, but patches of grass, halted by winter's cold, are beginning to peek through the ground and take root. Near the center of the clearing, a small cairn has been built with white stone and quartz--what was left of the beautiful boulder that was once there. None of the stones is bigger than a softball.
Around you, twenty yards in every direction, stretches the caern. To the southeast, a waterfall plummets over the edge of the chasm into a small pool in the caern; nearby, to the southwest, steam comes from cracks in the ground, perhaps some of the same water. Northwest, a rocky spar juts out of the ground at a low angle, showing a sloping but smooth top. The chasm walls narrow a bit to the northeast, causing some of the mist to swirl in that area.
Contents:
Jarred
Cutter
Obvious exits:
Rock Slab Windy Spot WaterFall Steam Vents

Jarred stands silently in the middle of the caern, hands clasped behind his back as he waits for his challenger to arrive. Occasionally, he looks into the clear night sky, deep in thought. Or so it seems.

The Galliard Child of Gaia resides among the steam from the vents, wearing a pair of baggy sweats and a matching shirt that covers her pregnant form. She is leaning against a walking stick forged from Oak, the tip of it sharpened into that of a painfull looking unicorn horn.

By the waterfall, Cutter picks his way down the trail to the floor, grunting in acknowledgement as he spots the collection at the center of the caern.

Kenneth sits upon a nearby rock not far from his current tribe elder and the no-longer lost cub, waiting as well. His dark gaze settles into a scanning pattern, sweeping around the caern as the anticipated challenge grows closer. A brief glance goes to Lucas, the two cubs brought by their elder to witness the fate of the Shadow Lords.

Jarred turns to regard the fostern theurge. He nods politely, though his eyes are filled with an alien intensity that only those partially inhuman can possess. He glances to the others, but says nothing.

[Jarred]
A handsome young man of 25 years, Jarred's coal black, shoulder-length hair frames a swarthy, clean-shaven face. His dark eyes seem to appraise his surroundings with a carefully architected aire of carelessness. A pair of jeans taper down the lower half of his 6'2" form, meeting a pair of matte-black boots. An expensive-looking black crew neck sweater shrouds his upper body. While he cuts quite an appearance of physical strength, he is not overly large. He carries his frame and musculature with fluid grace and ease. His every move suggests careful planning and execution, making him seem at once relaxed and ready to fight. Upon his right hand a large emerald glitters, set in a ring of lustrous gold. (Appearance 3, Pure Breed 3)

"Well now, I suppose you both know what you came here for.." Alicia drawls from the mist as she lids her dark eyes towards the pair. "I assume you guys will do this all official like." Her words are firm as she blows a strand of brown from her face.

[Alicia]
Here we have Alicia Jackson, a young woman who just turned 18, but has that hard look in her eyes which could easily be mistaken for older. Slender in form, her body is composed of lean, compacted muscle. She looks quick, with new budded muscle which has formed on her upperbody. Her eyes are a dark brown, curious and wandering, lit up playfully most of the time. She stands of average height, perhaps about 5'6 or so, carrying herself well when she moves. Her flesh is lightly tanned, kissed by the sun from the many years of running with the gangs on the street. Four ear rings adorn her left ear, two more upon the right, composed of small, goldeny hoops. The Galliard's hair falls down just past her shoulders. Once brown and red streaked to those who's seen her before. Now, pale blonde with slightly darkened roots.
Her clothing consists of a pair of baggy, over sized camouflage pants. Black, green, and brown patterns splashed along the fabric. A tight fitting sports bra hug her upper frame, revealing the curves of her upper body, flat stomach and lean arms. She wears a golden hoop in her navel. Knee high boots travel up her legs, firmly laced in each hole. Finishing off, she has a worn, dusty old black trench coat which hangs just below her knees. Her tongue ring is almost always seen, clicking in thought, or when she speaks with that ghetto accent of hers.

Cutter glances at Alicia and nods, picking his way across the clearing with his cane. "Yep. Went down to City Hall and got a license and everything. The Rabbi's coming with the Huppah and you three can be witnesses."

Jarred only smiles... a cold thing. He is all business tonight, it seems.

Kenneth drums his fingers against the rock he sits on, seeing Cutter coming down into the center. Cutter's humor is not lost on him, but only a glimmer in his eyes shows he got it. His fingers stop drumming only to be replaced by a bobbing leg.

Lucas returns the brief look to Kenneth, but his attentions largly remain on the two challenging Fostern. He's quiet, attentive, alert, his arms folded in his lap.

"I believe this would be Jarred-Yuf's terms then." Alicia intones quietly as she half lids her eyes, trying her best not to grin at Cutter's jokings. "I do hope the pair of you got enough pride to let me patch one or the other of you back together once this is over, if it comes to that. The Sept doesn't need to lose any heros tonight."

Cutter snorts. "I don't think you have anything to worry about on my end," he says. Whether this means he's not planning on needing healing or he's not a hero is not entirely clear. "Let's get this over with, hrm?"

Jarred clears his throat softly. "My terms are these: Cutter and I will fight until one of us submits or is killed. No gifts will be used but the Shadow Lord gift that allows us to sense the fatal flaw of another. It is part of who we are and should not be ignored. If Alicia will be good enough to toss a coin, the results will determine where this fight will take place. Heads, we fight beyond the velvet shadow, where Cutter will have distinct advantages. Tails, we fight in this realm, where I hold the advantages. In this way, Cutter and I are subject to both the will and whim of Fate, and the fortune we create with our own skills and cunning. Cutter, are these terms acceptable to you?"

Kenneth looks to both elders, hitching a shoulder at the terms. "Unless one of 'em uses the Force and flips the coin the way they want," he half-whispers to Lucas as an aside.

Cutter glares at Kenneth. "No using the Force. It's one of the conditions," he admonishes. Then he looks back to Jarred and nods. "I agree, sir."

Jarred nods to Cutter and turns to Alicia. "If you please, Guards-Flame-Yuf?"

Lucas gives the faintest smirk in response to Kenneth as he watches the terms be set.

Alicia stuffs her hand into her pocket and pulls out a nice shiney Quarter. "Heads, Tails." She says, turning it around and around to display both sides. She flips it hard into the air, letting it circle end over end. Sharp eyes spot the glint in the darkness and she snags it with her fist, slapping it ass end over onto the top of her other hand, and slowly reveals..... heads.

Kenneth sits up straighter to see the result, but at the distance he sits, the decision is not clear to him in the darkness. He stands up, for a better look.

Cutter blinks. "Be damned. Didn't expect that."

Jarred doesn't blink. "Very well. We will battle in the Umbra."

Lucas quirks up a brow at the determined location and leans in closer to Kenneth. "I've never been there yet." He murmurs.

Alicia nods her head and tucks the coin back into her pocket, features impassive as she lifts up the staff above her head, spinning it around once, before slamming the sharp end into the ground. "To the shadow we will travel then." Her eyes narrow towards the cubs. "Jarred, as current Elder, your decision. Do you want the cubs in the Umbra to witness this?"

Kenneth looks at Lucas, then back to the elders.

Jarred nods. "They will learn from what they see, though it may not at times make sense to their natural mind. The Umbra is a strange and mysterious place."

Cutter grins at Lucas. "You're going to really dig it. It's a trip." He waves his fingers in a 'V' sign.

Kenneth hehs quietly, and nods at Lucas. "Twilight Zone, here we come."

Lucas scrunches up his features briefly, but doesn't offer any protests. He seems more interested in watching, than being is a strange place.

Nodding her head, Alicia makes her way slowly to the pool, glancing at her reflection within the moon streaked waters and wills herself across.

The landscape seems to be an overlay of two worlds at once for a moment, then snaps into the Umbra.
Kenneth's form seems to be more real for just a moment, then he vanishes.

Umbra: Center of the Caern(#3844RJ)
A subtly spine-vibrating thrum of power issues once again from the once-dead caern, pricking hairs and fur. Slowly but surely, the rejuvinating actions of the Garou have slowly been transforming the recently spiritually dead caern back into something befitting a caern. The caern is once again alive with a variety of spirits, though spirits of war seem a rarity now, and Wendigo spirits are never seen. The caern, visually, falls just short of the wildest rural utopia imaginable. Only hints of the previous pollution remain--slightly less than green grass, young sapling trees where there ought to be mighty oaks and pines--and these are things that, with time and care, should eventually replace what was lost.
The air crackles with tingles of spiritual potency, though it's obvious to Garou who'd witnessed the caern earlier that the caern just isn't quite as powerful and potent as it was before the BSD invasion.
Contents:
Cutter
Jarred
Alicia
Lucas
Obvious exits:
South North West

Cutter stretches nominally before shifting down. Clothes cane and hat flow into his body as he drops to all fours.

After a short bit of explanation on the cub's take of how to reach, Kenneth steps sideways. The philodox makes his way through with a shimmer and takes in a deep breath of the Umbral air once he's fully in, feeling alive.

Following shortly after Kenneth, Lucas materializes with a wobble and a bewildered look on his face. Feeling vaguely like he's taken a sudden, heavy drug trip, the Ahroun forgets for a moment why he's here and just stares at his surroundings.

Already waiting for them, Alicia is on the other side, motioning the cubs to take a stand behind her with a light clear of her throat. She settles herself down into the grass a good distance from them.

Jarred's clothing likewise melt into his skin as he takes the form of rage, shifting into a huge man-beast.

Kenneth smiles when Lucas gets across, and lifts a hand to wave in the ahroun's face. "Welcome to the flipside," he says quietly, before glancing to the elders shifting and arranging themselves.

Lucas gives a rather weak smile to Kenneth as he totters his way over behind Alicia, acting more like he was trying to walk on a waterbed. Umbra-legs? He soon ends up deciding sitting would be better, and sits himself down right quick behind the Gaian.

Kenneth also get the cue and moves with the ahroun cub, looking somewhat steadier in the spirit realm. He sits, but only after a blur down to the form of the near-wolf.

Song-of-Fury roars, a gut-wrenching sound. A call for the fight to begin. His dark eyes blaze at Cutter, but he does not initiate the hostilities.

Severs does not roar. Nor does he show any scruples about not attacking first. He lunges in directly for Storm Singer's ankles.

Edgewalker earflattens at the roar, only to swing them back up as Severs is the first to attack. A splay of one ear shows his doubt of the first move's strategy.

Song-of-Fury seems ready for the attack and blurs into action even as the Theurge makes his move. His claws flash like lightning, almost impossible to make out in the bright moonlight.

The moon, bright as the sun would be on the other side of the realm creates a light glow upon the ground, casting shadows about the pair of sparrers. Severs leaps quickly forward, but Song-Of-Fury is obviously the more faster of the two. He speeds forth, utilizing every bit of his talents at his disposal, gaining a nasty gleam in his eye. As the two fly into each other, the Galliard's claws reach out and sink deep into the shoulder of the Theurge, causing him to take quite the nasty spill as he fumbles over his paws, caught completely off guard by the Lord's gift of finding the weak spot. The Theurge hits the ground and twists, just in time to catch a pair of speedy talons into his guts, finding them suddenly torn from him body. It's at that moment it appears the fate of the Theurge resides in the tribal Elder's claws. Darkness swallows up the Metis, and yet... out of pure mercy of the other, he lives, but he isn't moving. The fight is over in nearly a matter of eyeblinks and seconds, leaving the breed form of a Crinos covered in blood, downed and curled against the ground.

Edgewalker twitches in place as the elders collide. When the fight spills blood, the hispo cub leans over his forepaws expecting a tough battle. Instead, the challenge is over within a matter of seconds. As he peers at the downed metis, there's no question he's surprised at the swift end.

Lucas almost feels as though he's missed something, with the speed in which the fight is begun and concluded. He frowns just slightly, perhaps dissapointed in something, and mutters whilst scratching the back of his neck. "Well, that was... decisive."

Song-of-Fury's claws raise into the air and the Crinos Galliard freezes, momentarily stunned by what he has done. A full minute passes, and he shifts back to his glabro form, his eyes wide with alarm. "Cutter..." he barks out hoarsely. He falls to his knees near the fallen Theurge. "Goddes...."

"Damn Jarred, straight kill a dude. Yer a hater." Alicia drawls from the sidelines as she continues to watch, then tilts her head to one side. "I guess that means yer the winner. Is he still breathing?"

Edgewalker leaps to his feet too, once his wits come back to him. Ears sweeping forward, he pads forward a few steps, breath puffing out. ~He might still be alive,~ the cub rumbles out in hope.

Lucas pulls himself up off the ground and follows after, looking past Kenneth towards Severs. He's still quiet, but there's worry on his face.

Jarred looks to Alicia, nodding nervously. He's normally not this disquieted. "I think he is. He's.. Yes, he is. Please hurry. I didn't mean to do so much damage so quickly. I... I overestimated his intentions."

Making her way over, Alicia can only go as fast as a fat pregnant chick can go. Once she makes it to Cutter's side, she grunts and lowers herself down to her knees, inspecting the wounds. "Dag Yo." She drawls, eyeballing the gore. "You really wanted to test my magical touch, huh?" She grits her teeth and glances down at the gored remains of his stomach, then starts to push them back into place. ".. I'm so ganna puke." Her nose wrinkles, and soon she begins to work her own gifts.

It also shows why Alicia is the one you scream MEDIC for. The touch of the Child of Gaia is indeed working a miracle on the fallen Metis. She heals almost too easily, sealing the gaping holes in the stomach, leaving only shallow cuts here and there along his body.

Edgewalker whuffs something of an undertone that he's really impressed. Gradually he shifts out of the hispo form, sniffing without his keener senses at the amount of gore left in the Umbra. Watching the Mother's Touch do it's work, Kenneth doesn't change expressions out of its darkly calm mask.

"...damn." Mutters Lucas as he stares at the wound that heals unnaturally fast, and never having seen such a gift used, is utterly fascinated. It'd only stand to reason he'd be keen on seeing just what someone can live through.

Jarred looks at the two cubs, but doesn't address them. He looks to Alicia, utter relief evident on his face. He reachs down to lay a hand on Cutter's chest lightly for a moment, before standing slowly. "It is done. For better or worse, this challenge is concluded." There is no triumph in his voice, and no glee at what he has done. He backs off a few steps to allow the vanquished Theurge some room.

Giving Cutter a pat on the stomach once she heals the worst of it, Alicia rises up, staring at her bloody hands and grunts lightly. "I swear, I should get a new deed name.. Saves-The-Lives or something.... Brings-Back-The-Dead." She grins. "Or.. Reattaches-Limbs. Hey Galliard, why don't you tell yer cubs about that one." She chuckles.

Kenneth finally takes his gaze off of the gorey Cutter and looks around the Shadow again. "Maybe you could change your name to Dr. Quinn," the cub suggests, attention turned to a lune flying overhead.

Lucas straightens himself back upright and furrows his brows, hmfing to himself as he glances towards Kenneth, then the older Garou.

Jarred watches the two interact with Alicia for a few moments. During this time, his authority re-asserts itself. He shifts down to Homid and speaks. "I'm not sure you learned everything you could have in this short battle. I ended it quickly, but I don't know if that was a good thing, or merely prevented more suffering on both ends further down the road."

Alicia waves a hand to the trio of conscious Garou as she waddles her way across the Umbra, yawning to herself. After making her way down near the waterfall, she disappears in the mist.

Kenneth returns his gaze to the scene when the lune disappears. "Well, two things. One, you're the boss still. Two, there ain't no way to end a crinos fight clean."

"And three, don't blink." Lucas adds onto Kenneth's observations as he crosses his arms over his chest, glancing momentarily over towards Cutter.

Jarred nods. "True enough. Be prepared, however, to hear some nasty things about me. I had intended this fight to be... held on someone more of an even playing field. This may seem to others to be a dishonorable way for me to retain my position. He is, after all, a Theurge and I a Galliard. But it won't be the first time I have regarded harshly by others within our sept."

Kenneth shrugs. "Like that changes anything about it." He walks over, not minding the blood he steps in, dropping to a knee. "How're we going to get him back across?"

"I always made my own opinions anyway." Lucas says with a shrug of his own, "I'll decide on my own what I think is honorable or not."

Jarred nods. "I'll take Cutter through the curtain. Can you come through on your own, or do you need my assistance?"

Kenneth shakes his head, standing up then. "Cutter-rhya showed me how before. We'll get back." He remains confident, glancing to Lucas with a nod. "Same way as coming here, but this time, it's flippin' back to reality."

"I'll be glad to get back to it." The young Ahroun admits openly, sounding grateful they'll be going back. The spirit world, it seems, is not his favorite place to be, and he looks in a hurry to be out of it.

Jarred shifts back to his war-form, but his touch this time is gentle as he lifts the theurge from the ground and begins his translation from this reality to the other. He nods to the others as he begins to grow translucent.

Kenneth shifts as well, seeing as the way he knew how to get back was to be in crinos. ~Remember to imagine everything about real life.~ Then, the cub goes to the pool to gaze through it and reach back.

The landscape shifts wrenchingly, and you are through.

By the Waterfall
The rugged walls of the canyon reach their highest at this point of the caern. A small underground spring exits the rock face, some 20 feet up the 30 feet high cliff, spilling gently and playfully across angled rocks, running down its face. The chilled, garden hose like flown contributes tiny ripples upon its entrance to an otherwise placid, shallow pool of water. A light mist rises up from this place, cooling any who loiter long.
The old growth forest surrounding the caern has been hewn down out to 150', leaving only stumps as tombstones for the mighty trees that once sheltered the caern. The ground has a light covering of grasses and weeds and wildflowers and occasional sapling trees, but nothing larger than that.
To the west, cool mist kicked up by the falls mingles with warmer steam from geothermal sources; these mists swirl around the caern to the north. The caern's center lies northwest of here. You can pick out what seems to be a hazardous trail over rock and up the wall, to the side of the waterfall.
Contents:
Jarred
Severs
Lucas
Obvious exits:
Steam Vents Center Windy Spot Up the Trail

Jarred lays Severs carefully near the waterfall, allowing the mist from its cascade to waft gently over the crescent moon's prone form.

Kenneth arrives not long after, stepping out of the Umbra in crinos, and shifting to his breed form once he's fully across. "What a trip," he says with a cough, making himself breathe the all too real air again. Looking over by the elders, he sniffs again. "You gonna stay here? Lucas and I could head back to the farm by ourselves."

After getting back across, Lucas releases a reassured breath. Still, he seems a bit disconnected and uncomfortable, and in no time at all, announces, "Farmhouse sounds good. Can always catch up with you later, Jarred-rhya, once things are... back to normal."

Jarred watches you both go. "I'll be there as soon as I've attended to Cutter, here. You know the way back, yes?"

Kenneth nods in reply, shifting down to the lupus form. We can get back by scent. It's pretty easy now. Then, with a flick of his tail as a goodbye, the halfmoon is off, trotting out of the caern towards the woods.

Lucas nods his head to the Galliard and then follows suit, dropping down to four paws and padding off after his fellow cub.