Interlude in the Cavern

5/1/2007

09:05 PM
Logfile from GarouMUSH.

Currently the moon is in the waxing Full Moon phase (98% full).
It is currently 21:04 Pacific Time on Tue May 1 2007.
Currently in Saint Claire, it is mostly cloudy. The temperature is 52 degrees Fahrenheit (11 degrees Celsius). The wind is currently coming in from the north at 3 mph. The barometric pressure reading is 29.71 and falling, and the relative humidity is 83 percent. The dewpoint is 47 degrees Fahrenheit (8 degrees Celsius.)

Grand Cavern -- Thunder Cave
This cavern is the most amazing part of Thunder Cave. A huge, soaring cavern, larger than almost anything you may have seen. First there is a wide, flat area that could hold dozens of people without any problem. A huge chasm fills the rest of the area, stretching down into the depth. In the center of the cavern, a small outcropping of rock juts over the chasm, making it a natural podium/altar. But it is what can be seen beyond the outcropping that is truly amazing. In the last weeks of his life, Distant Thunder spent all his days working on a cave mural in the style of the ancient Garou. He succeeded. The mural fills the wall, showing the five auspices of the moon on the top. Below that are a series of portraits of Garou, representing each tribe. The portraits show the most notable traits of each tribe. Even the Croatans, Bunyips, and yes, the White Howlers are included. Below this is a mural of Distant Thunder's most compelling work. To describe why Garou must fight, he drew two pictures of the Caern of the Wheel renewed. On one, the Caern is as we know it, glowing with Gaia's power and beauty. In the other, the Wyrm has won. In the center of the mural is a representation of the Triat, the Wyrm, Weaver and Wyld, forever and eternal.
The main passageway is on the south wall, and leads back to the surface.
Contents:
Stacey
Obvious exits:
Main Passageway  

Deep in the hidden wonder of Thunder Cave's grandiose cavern, where the secret carvings of the Garou grace the walls of rock and crystal, there is a lingering scent of old smoke and fire. The banked ashes of the source of that scent sit far from the walls, more centered in the middle of the large cavern in a small pit surrounded by local rocks. Only the faces of the Garou carved in relief look down upon the cooling ashes. Otherwise, the cave holds no occupants readily in view. Not until Kenneth comes back to revive the fire inside is there a living soul present in the area. The Shadow Lord philodox gently stirs the ashes, adding some tinder extracted from his pants pocket. And soon, there is more light bouncing off the walls and shadowing the faces of the Wheel Renewed.

The sound of small pebbles being displaced and the echo of soft footsteps upon the hard cave floor is what first alerts the single soul within that another is approaching. It is not until she has reached the entrance of the grand cavern, the firelight barely illuminating her small form from that distance, that Stacey speaks up. "Far-Cry." It's a tense greeting, the tone reflecting the pull of the moon, the lingering rage, along with an overtone of concern. "Wasn't sure you'd be here."

The Shadow Lord is already looking up at the tunnel entrance's direction by the time the Gaian enters. Her greeting echoes in the cavern along with the light popping and crackling sounds of the fire. "Stacey," greets the philodox in return. A wave of his hand in a come on in motion invites her. "Moon's big and low tonight. This place is a good place to be."

There is a slight hesitation, or at least what appears to be one, as Stacey moves her gaze from Kenneth to the mural. "It is large," she admits, then steps further inside, moving closer to the fire. "How goes?" she asks, still with that tired tension in her voice, as she eventually chooses a place to sit nearby.

"I meant to stay with the wolves in Wolf Woods tonight," Kenneth answers with a small shrug, "but we all know how that ends up on full moon nights. Didn't want to test my limits there." He folds down into a sit near the Gaian, staring meditatively with half-slitted eyes at the dancing light. "Things aren't looking so good for us though, is it." Clearly, he too bears a weight of concern on his shoulders. The slump in his back still looks tense as a result. "The moot was crazier than usual. But maybe that was just because Cedric asked me to be the judge of Blackriver's challenge to him."

Stacey gives a slight nod regarding the wolves. "Been out there a lot? I've still been sticking around the bawn. Habit." At his question, she tears her gaze away from the wall, peering up at him. "No. It's not. But the moot... don't blame yourself. That started long before us." The hint of a smile surfaces as she adds, "You'll judge well."

Kenneth shifts his gaze from the fire to the ahroun. "Somewhat, yeah," he answers her question. "Feels better to be out there. Wolves and the wolf mind don't care much for politics, and... well, Xia isn't at the forefront whenever I'm out there." His gaze returns to the flames, and his hand feeds it a few more sticks. "Hope I'm not too out of touch, though, to be considered worth being the judge of that. What did you think of Cedric's terms?"

"I'm not a fan of killing," Stacey answers in a wry tone. "But I am obviously one that recognizes there are times when it's necessary. I hope she finds one deserving." She lets out a sigh, then shakes her head. "It's more than just politics." She scowls towards the fire, lifting a hand impatiently to brush back her hair. "Gaia..."

Kenneth answers the ahroun's wry tone with one of his own, laced with that lingering bitterness and rage wrapped about him. "Killing is what we do best, and what we train others to do. Might as well make sure we each know when and how to do it. So you agree that the terms don't have to be changed." He too looks back to the fire, warming his hands by it. The sigh gets his attention again. "What is it?"

Stacey shakes her head. "I see no reason to change them," she admits before looking up at him. "As if this growing problem between the pure tribes and the rest wasn't enough, my tribemates discovered Black Spirals. During Aja's chiminage."

That gets Kenneth's attention. Quick as a whipcrack, the Shadow Lord sits up straight and comes alert. "You guys found Black Spiral Dancers? Where? How close are they?" Concern mixes with the inner anger tickling dangerously so like flame tips. "Why didn't any of you say something at the moot?"

The concern and anger from the Shadow Lord causes Stacey's invisible hackles to raise, and she bares her teeth briefly at the question. "I don't know! I told Aja to take others and seek out their exact location. As for Moot... The claim is still bein' investigated. I can't just jump up there and say 'There are Spirals!'"

The tension tightens like a winding spring until Kenneth forces himself back to a calmer state. Deep breaths now. After a moment's mulling, the philodox stands to pace away and back. "No, no it's good you didn't say anything at the moot. Especially given what happened after, the last thing we needed then was more awkward, angry tension. You said Aja was looking into it though, so it's not going unwatched." His eyes stray towards the carved mural on the wall of the cavern. "Think they're building up forces again outside our borders?"

Stacey continues to glare until Kenneth has stepped away, her own tension only starting to ease after he agrees with her. "Like hell I would let it go unwatched," she growls, then forces her own gaze toward the mural. "Not sure yet. If they are... this Sept had better have its act together to face it. Jacinta's words left me all sorts of unsettled."

"She's pushing the 'Ways' too hard," Kenneth states flatly and without flourish. "What kind of sept does she think this is?" He turns back to the ahroun, dark eyes reflecting the firelight. "Even if her words had a ring of truth around them, she had no call to be wishing the Wyrm on us. At the caern, no less. Even though it sounds like her wish is going to be granted with these Dancers sitting on our doorstep."

"What kind of a Sept /is/ it?" counters Stacey. "Much hers as ours. And she didn't wish it on all of us... if ya caught that. Full moon... Things get said. What /was/ she thinkin' with that challenge anyways? Fuckin'... And don't talk that way about things bein' granted," she snaps. "They'll cool down. Stop the Spirals. It'll get done."

Kenneth looks up at the swearing, but makes no comment about it. The philodox does stare at the ahroun however, pitting his dark sardonic expression against hers. "I haven't heard very many stories about what happened to cause this caern to fall. But being scattered in forces certainly couldn't help. Moot was evidence enough that we aren't as nearly as effective as we could be." He puts hand to chin, touching his knuckles beneath his lips in thought.

Stacey lets out a long breath in an attempt to further calm her already high rage. "Yeah," she answers simply, lowering her gaze to stare at the ground near the fire. She lets the silence drag on for a moment before adding, "Which is why my tribe's got a lot of work ahead. Let these problems fester too long."

Kenneth lets the statement linger. As he turns around to add another couple slivers of wood to the fire, he notes, "On the bright side, your tribe is growing in numbers here. You'll have help. And not just from your tribemates."

At that, Stacey finally offers a hint of a smile, reaching to help him add to the fire. "That's why I haven't given up. Nothing's so broken it can't be fixed yet, not with the right help."

"Still, a contingency plan would be nice." Kenneth, the ever bright black spot, tosses in one last piece of wood for now and seats himself again. Now with the fire crackling merrily, the light illuminates the mural with more activity in the glow. "Does this mean you plan on staying here tonight too, or are you going back on to the bawn?"

Stacey nods. "Or two. Knowing how plans seem to go 'round here." She lets out a sigh, wrapping her arms around her knees and closing her eyes. "Could I? It somehow feels more peaceful here tonight."

Kenneth nudges a few rocks closer to the fire, letting the heat seep in to their grainy surfaces. "Yeah," he agrees with a gesture towards the cavern's general area. "God knows I don't take up that much space in here. I don't have blankets though, so... but who'm I kidding? You were a Guardian for how long? You're probably thinking having a fire's luxury." For the first time since their brief meet, he smiles faintly.

Kenneth nudges a few rocks closer to the fire, letting the heat seep in to their grainy surfaces. "Yeah," he agrees with a gesture towards the cavern's general area. "God knows I don't take up that much space in here. I don't have blankets though, so... but who'm I kidding? You were a Guardian for how long? You're probably thinking having a fire's luxury." For the first time since their brief meet, he smiles faintly.

Stacey smiles a bit more as she opens her eyes and stretches out near the fire. "Regular five star hotel, this," she says, a lighter tone creeping into her voice.

Kenneth's smile turns into more of a smirk at the joke, kicking off some dirt to the side ineffectually. It's just for show. "In that case, I'll take first watch. Have to have the right security for the place and all." As he speaks, he unzips his jacket and takes it off, rolling it up into a loose pillow of sorts and offers it to the ahroun.

Stacey smiles as she reaches for the jacket. "Alright. ...And Kenneth..." She hesitates, then shrugs as she sets down the jacket-pillow. "Some point, would ya be willin' to go check somethin' else out with me in the city? Guess some guy has been looking for me. Claiming to be a Glass Walker and carryin' around some picture of me when I was young. He spoke with Aja some. Just... Truth of Gaia would be useful, specially with the enemy around. And if it's past stuff, might want it kept between family and friends until I know more."

"Didn't know you had a stalker," Kenneth remarks, though the philodox ends up nodding to the request. "Sure, I'll go with you to check this guy out. Pictures of you when you were young. Hey, you're only ... what, fourteen? We'll see." After that note, he shifts down, slipping through each form until his clothes replace with fur and his senses grow keener in the firelight. The Shadow Lord shakes out his pelt, pads closer to the ahroun and with a chuff he lies down, readying himself to rest as well.

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