April 2006 Revel: Drive Friendly
4/22/2006
06:36 PM
Logfile from GarouMUSH.
Currently the moon is in the waning Crescent Moon phase (35% full).
It is currently 18:48 Pacific Time on Sat Apr 22 2006.
Currently in Saint Claire, it's a sunny day. The temperature is 58 degrees Fahrenheit (14 degrees Celsius). The wind is currently coming in from the north at 15 mph. The barometric pressure reading is 30.17 and falling, and the relative humidity is 35 percent. The dewpoint is 31 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius.)
Center of the Caern
This is the central point of the 30-meter-wide clearing. The ground is a mixture of dark, rich, muddy soil mixed with clay, though there is an occasional patch of grass. At the center rests a large white boulder, immovable even by the strongest crinos. The boulder is shot through with streaks of quartz that produces scintillating colors when light strikes it just right. It is, for lack of a wholly adequate word, beautiful.
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:
Cycle-Breaker
Savages-Enemy
Grebbsy
Leaves-None
Child-Holder
Song-of-Luna
Obvious exits:
Rock Slab Windy Spot WaterFall Steam Vents
Runner returns towards the center once she finishes washing off the blood of the Walker ragabash from her being. Even so, the scent of it remains. Coupled with her generally simmering demeanor tonight, the fostern is definitely hyped up for the Revel.
Quiet since her announcement in the Cracking, Child-Holder bids farewell to her tribe's cub, then joins the other revellers in the Center. Her thoughtfulness belies a certain controlled energy, as her bright eyes seek the one who will be the Wyrmfoe.
Cycle-Breaker wanders over towards the others in the Center, standing near Child-Holder, expectant and eager.
Leaves-None scrambles to her feet when she sees Runner return, giving herself a shake and dancing a little from paw to paw in a display of nervous energy. There is very little about the younger no-moon that would predict any restraing in the Revel to come.
Savages-Enemy comes down front and center from somewhere in the moot crowd, the Ahroun Bone Gnawer looks born ready. Although he cannot very well howl, so instead, the Ahroun rises into hispo. Come! The large wolf jumps in front of the closest Garou, silently snarling in their face. Come with me! Tonight we take on the Wyrm! Come! His ears flicker back against his skull, teeth baring in a twisted snarl as he gets the crowd lingering around the bawn worked up for the Revel. His hackles rise stiffly before he jumps into another's personal space. Tonight we seek renown, we take back what is Gaia! His tail is wagging despite that the rest of him looks tense, muscles rippling through his two-toned pelt.
Song-of-Luna looks somewhat less than enthusiastic, even as she slides back to her birthform and turns her attention toward Aaron. In fact, her overall demeanor seems far more resigned than anything else.
Runner paces in a tight circle, and belts out a howl in place of the Wyrmfoe. Defiant, angry, challenging.
The Bone Gnawer Ahroun does not hesitate and he springs at Song-of-Luna, snapping his jaws. The Enemy does not wait! We must go now! His eyes flicker in defiance as he looks upon the Black Fury and among the other Garou. You are Luna's Children! You were born to fight come! He does not wait another spare moment as he runs up to the waterfall and emits a silent huffing sound of a howl in his battle scared throat. We go together, he remarks by a half turn that he makes and pans his black tipped ears forward.
Child-Holder joins Runner's howl with a startling burst of enthusiasm. She plants her feet and gives her Ragabash tribesister a solid nudge to the ribs with an elbow, then rushes after the Wyrmfoe.
Leaves-None's tail flags up slightly and she snarls back at her ahroun tribemate enthusiastically. She continues to bounce in place until Savages-Enemy takes off and then hightails it after him with much eagerness. Together!
Song-of-Luna gives a startled snap in return, though she's already backpeddling, eyeing the Bone Gnawer with a great deal of wariness and confusion. She follows too, yes, though considerably /behind/ him.
Cycle-Breaker gives a mighty growl of enthusiasm for the Wyrmfoe's words. With that she heads right after Child-Holder, eager to shed blood tonight.
~Go, Savages-the-Enemy! Lead us, and show the way!~ Runner looks around at those who will go, and then back to the Wyrmfoe.
Savages-Enemy looks even impatient as he waits for the others to arrive. When they do, he crashes into the waterfall pool waters. We go, he remarks in a silent chuff and a toss of their head. The Ahroun then concentrates on the pool, beginning to center his attention on reaching into the Shadow.
Child-Holder skids to a halt near the Ahroun, focusing on the pool as well. Though her rage is starting to run higher, she's practised at Reaching. Her eyes glaze, then she tumbles forward and across the Gauntlet.
Runner eyes around one last time, before proceeding to the pool and looks deep into her reflection. She stills what Rage in her heart there still is, before focusing and stepping sideways.
Umbra: Center of the Caern
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.
Obvious exits:
South North West
Savages-Enemy waits until everyone has crossed into the Umbra before issuing out orders. Runner will run alongside me, then Cyrcle-Breaker and Song-of-Luna, and Leaves-None and Child-Holder. Anyone notice anything different, alert me. He then turns and starts heading off into the umbral woods. The Ahroun trots with his ears open and eyes darting about as he sniffs occasionally at the ground while making his way out to the furthest part of the bawn with the idea of slowly moving inward, back towards the center.
Child-Holder dutifully falls back, taking her time to make the shift to her hispo form. Once she's on all fours, she takes up a low, threatening growl. Her nostrils flare, her ears cup forward and she pays close attention to the spirit-woods, watching for anything out of place. Occasionally, she extends her senses to include her Gifts, seeking Wyrm stench.
Runner chuffs in acknowledgement of the order, moving herself to take the side of the lead. ~Eyes and ears sharp,~ she rumbles quietly, keeping herself nearby, but not overly close as she circles with the group.
Leaves-None chuffs an assent and moves alongside Child-Holder, scanning the Shadow around them with ears high and alert. She stays in lupus for now, occasionally dipping her nose to the ground in a habitual scent-search.
Song-of-Luna moves along on all fours, though she remains in crinos. Obediently, she drops back to the second rank, though her shoulders hunch, and she tries to keep out of touching distance of the others.
Cycle-Breaker obediently follows Savages-Enemy's orders after shifting down into lupus, using her own gift to blur her form.
The bawn in the Umbra appears fairly quiet. The six revellers patrol it for some minutes without seeing any sign of trouble, and though some may have had qualms about entering the Umbra at a thinner moon than normal, all seems well; until from up ahead in some trees towards the edge of the Bawn, you all notice some form of umbral light source. A bright one.
Savages-Enemy turns his head back towards the others. If we need to pan out, Runner and I take center. You two, he remarks gesturing his nose towards the center, will take the right side and the last will take left. Be on guard and stay in pairs always, try not to seperate yourselves from the pair or the rest of the group. With that, the Ahorun dips his head and progressively walks towards the light ahead, but as he does this, he tries to lead the group towards a shadowy area to protect them from whatever enemy they will about to engage.
Runner lifts her head at the sight of the light, ears swiveling in that direction and nose sniffing. Rumbling with suspicion, she adds, ~Those who can sense the Wyrm, better to use that when we are closer and make sure.~ The ragabash then follows the Wyrmfoe forward, taking steps alongside him in the center of the spread.
Child-Holder's growl goes a little muted as she pads along behind the others. She's already preparing to flank left, checking that direction for unseen traps and enemies. The theurge shakes out her ruff and gives a short chuff to acknowledge Runner's words.
Song-of-Luna keeps close to Cycle-Breaker, ears slicked back. She glances toward Runner briefly, before returning her attention to the light in front of them.
Cycle-Breaker's eyes squint a bit at the light as she pauses for a moment to just stare at it. She growls lowly, but cuts it off before it goes on too long. ~Stay near me,~ she says to Song-of-Luna before glancing to the right, where they should go if there is a problem, but then she follows after Savages-Enemy.
Leaves-None rumbles and tails along Child-Holder's right side, eyeing the light ahead with a mixture of wariness and anticipation.
As the garou move towards the light, so it too moves; towards them. It resolves itself into a vaguely human-shaped creature, except that where its head is, or should be, is a light source; twin light sources, in fact, and very bright ones.
What is that? Savages hisses quietly to Runner through his broken vocal-cords. The Ahroun imediantly takes a step backwards before curling back his lips and starling. Those in back, this would be a good time to take position. It is heading towards us.
Song-of-Luna's nostrils flare as she fixes her gaze on the thing heading toward them. For a moment she goes still, and anyone looking at her might notice that her eyes lose focus.
~Sensors?~ Runner rumbles, blinking away spots from seeing the bright lights and trying not to look directly. ~What is it, Child-Holder?~ An ear skews to a side towards the Fury theurge.
Child-Holder immediately stalks out to the side, staying as low as she can. Her intense glare fixes on the bottom half of the creature as she tries first one, then the other gift. ~Neither Wyrm or Wyld, Runner-rhya,~ she growls, taking a step back from the approaching light.
Song-of-Luna's nose twitches several times, and her eyes focus once more. ~No Wyrm,~ she announces, sounding somewhat bemused. Still, she's clearly still sniffing the thing, and her wariness hasn't lessened.
Cycle-Breaker's ears go back as they get a closer look at whatever the hell the light is. ~Neither?~ she echoes after Child-Holder's statement, surprised.
Leaves-None lets Child-Holder move a head, then trots slowly out along her left side to increase the spread on that side. She comes up to a point perhaps a head's length ahead of the Fury and drops to a good height for slinking forward.
The light grows brighter as the being draws nearer, and resolves itself into two round dazzling sources, sufficient to dazzle any who look directly at it. By squinting out of the corner of their eyes the garou can see, now, that it's a silvery metallic colored figure, and the light sources are set in its head just about where a human would have eyes. And then it speaks, in a slightly harsh, artifical sound. "Garou. Gaia's warriors."
Runner flickers her ears, and though it's said to not be Wyld or Wyrm, she doesn't look comfortable. Her stance remains in place, standing in the way from the creature and the caern. An ear turns as it speaks. ~Who can speak to it?~ she asks of the other Garou.
~I can speak with it,~ Child-Holder volunteers, taking a few steps closer. She tests again with her Wyld-sensing gift, still a little uncomfortable. She gives a side-glance to Savages-Enemy, checking his opinion on this.
Savages-Enemy takes a defensive position as he watches the figure drawing closer. The closer that it comes, the more the hackles of the Ahroun rise.Yes, he replies with a twitch of his ears. But do not get too close, we still do not know what it is.
Cycle-Breaker approaches Child-Holder, nudging her side gently with her nose as if to encourage the other Fury. ~Go.~
Leaves-None looks a bit dubious and moves closer to Child-Holder just in case. Eyeing the figures sidelong with their brightness, she follows their movement closely.
The silvery thing keeps moving forward slowly, and repeats, in plain English, "Garou. Help."
~What do you want, spirit?~ Child-Holder asks, stalking forward to stand near the Bone Gnawer Ahroun. Her words resonate with that strange sound that comes with Spirit Speech.
Runner growls, and it heightens to an extent as she bristles. ~Why come here?~ she rumbles aloud, not bothering to be furtive about it.
Savages-Enemy narrows his eyes, ears flickering backward. And tell it not to move any closer, we can hear it just fine from here. He flares his nostrils, Can someone smell it again from here?
"I am out of my proper place," the spirit replies. Its lights continue to dazzle the Umbra around it, and it has a scent of oil; though, to draw a hairline distinction, it's clean fresh oil rather than old stale oil. "You are warriors. Therefore you mend things that are broken. The other one displaced me. Therefore I cannot return to my place. Therefore I am in the wrong place now."
Leaves-None tilts her head slightly, nostrils flaring at the scent with the spirit. The no-moon is obviously torn between abject curiousity and an already heightened wariness.
~Stay where you are, spirit. What will put you right?~ Child-Holder asks, those odd-echoed words coming out a little snappish. Her nostrils flare again, this time seeking only Wyrm. Something about the spirit is making her bristle.
The Ahroun keeps his eyes narrowed while he watches Child-Holder and then back again towards the spirit. The Wyrmfoe looks unease and begins to silently snarl.
Cycle-Breaker just watches, glancing from the spirit to Child-Holder and back again curiously as the exchange goes on, not having much of a clue what's going on.
"The other has displaced me," the spirit says again in its flat, computer-like voice. "Therefore I am wrongly placed. The other is also wrongly placed. It does harm. You are warriors. Therefore you mend the broken and prevent harm. The other has more horsepower than I. Therefore I cannot prevent the other displacing me without help."
Song-of-Luna's nostrils flare again, ever so briefly. She doesn't seem to have any input, however--she glances at Cycle-Breaker, then back to the spirit.
Runner flattens back her ears. ~If it will get you off our lands and back to where you belong, then lead us to it,~ she addresses the spirit directly, dipping her head towards the Wyrmfoe and Child-Holder.
Child-Holder growls, then casts a look at the Ahroun leading the Revel. She translates Runner's words for the spirit, cocking her head to the Wyrmfoe as well.
Savages-Enemy dips his head, although the Ahroun as a mixed expression on his muzzle about this situation. Ask it to lead us to its partner, he relies. We will keep back.
Leaves-None growls her agreement with Runner and paws a little at the Umbral ground. Put things back and right for once.
Child-Holder passes on the sentiment to the spirit with a short bark of ~Lead us,~ then readies herself to follow the Wyrmfoe once more.
The spirit speaks again. "You will need to follow me. Therefore I shall lead you." And it turns, its twin beams sweeping round like a lighthouse's beacon, and starts to move away from the Bawn. It leads the Garou through the umbral trees, between webs and small spider-spirits who watch the larger creatures pass, in the direction of Kent Crossing whose shadowy buildings on this side of the Gauntlet are a mixture of light and dark in an eerie spiritual patchwork. "The other is this way," it intones. "It has told me it will not leave. Therefore you will have to force it to. You are Gaia's warriors. Therefore you will be able to force it," it says with perhaps an optimistic opinion of the Garou.
The silver spirit finally leads the Garou to a fairly new-seeming structure on the edge of town, without the webbed covering that many of the older buildings have. A strange vibrating sound comes from within the garage to the side of it.
~This will be fun.~ And Cycle-Breaker seems rather enthusiastic about where they've been led to. She stays back with Song-of-Luna.
Savages-Enemy looks back at the others and then towards the spirit guiding them. He slinks forward, crouching as he moves towards the structure where he can hear the vibrating. His ear perks, listening keenly. His claws stratch at the cement to sharpen his claws.
Travelling along, Runner gets more and more wary. ~What is in there? Wyrm? Something else.~
Child-Holder flanks left again, licking her chops with anticipation. Her tribesister's comment gets a grim huff from her before she stalks closer, testing with her gifts again. The result is an enraged growl. ~WYRM,~ she states definitively. ~THERE.~
Runner bares her teeth then. ~If the spirit will aid us in the fight, let it be so!~ There's an eagerness in her tonight indeed. ~Lead on, Savages. We are behind you.~
Leaves-None paralells Child-Holder and inches forward, growling eagerly as the Fury's statement names the nature of the displacer. She shifts up to Hispo with hackles raised and eyes bright.
Cycle-Breaker's teeth are revealed as she pulls back her upper lip with a growl once Child-Holder announces that she can sense the Wyrm nearby.
"I wish to be back in my right place. Therefore I will help you as I can. Therefore you should follow me." The spirit leads them up to the garage. "My place is inside. Therefore we should go inside."
Savages-Enemy squints his eyes and then follows the other spirit slowly, sniffing and twitching his ears as he leads the rest of the group towards the garage. His scenses remain sharp and his hackles rise stiffly to show his anticipation.
Child-Holder is all but chomping at the bit, slinking low in emulation of her totem. She keeps up that low, threatening growl, her claws scraping on the umbral ground as she waits for their target to reveal itself.
The garage door at the front stands open. Inside is shadow, and once more the scent of oil. This time, the oil is dirty, old, polluted oil, the scent of the scrapyard and the heap of junk behind the repair shop. The silver spirit moves smoothly up the drive to the garage with the Garou flanking it. And inside, there's a near-twin of the spirit. This one too has the dazzling eyes, but its silver skin is flawed and pitted, and dents mark it here and there. And when it sees the Garou charge, it opens its mouth, revealing no teeth but a kind of grille, and snarls at them with the noise of a roaring engine, choking black smoke beginning to pour from it.
Savages-Enemy takes his guard position, tail up to tell the spirit that this group means business. He growls silently with the combing of his ears against the back of his skull. This must be it, he replies. His eyes look briefly to Yi then he shakes his head, we go! The Ahroun rushes for the spirit, urging the others with him forward.
Runner stares at the new spirit and growling right back as it roars at them. Her eyes look to the Wyrmfoe, and when he charges, so does she. ~Flank it, and bring it down!~
Song-of-Luna pulls her lips away from her teeth in a silent snarl. All hesitance of the past little while seems to fade, as if it were never there in the first place. She waits just a moment, and then she too charges forward.
Shifting up into the warform, Cycle-Breaker charges from the right at the spirit just as soon as both Savages-Enemy and Runner instruct all the revelers to do so.
Child-Holder whips out the left side, charging the thing jaws-first. Not a lot of finesse there-she immediately blurs with rage when she's close enough to attack the thing in earnest.
Leaves-None snarls openly and bolts into action, her form going hazy and fuzzy to the eyes as she also charges in from the left. All the pent-up anger and tension from earlier in the evening fuel her into the battle with jaws agape.
The second spirit's choking smoke soon fills the air inside the Umbral garage, and the Garou are soon filled with the urge to cough and choke on its monoxidish fumes. Also, it doesn't do much for their senses of sight or scent. The spirit raises both arms, tipped with cruel metallic spikes that might remind those who have seen then of a '50s automobile's fenders, and slashes. One whistles past Laura's nose so close that she can see her own reflection in its metallic coating; the other is more accurate, and slashes a long line of fiery pain across Aaron's ribs. The contact throws off Aaron's own attack, but the six Garou are surrounding the spirit, and several of them strike home -- Laura, Yi and Morgan. Helen too strikes it, but her claws seem to bounce off its metallic covering with an ugly scraping sound.
Savages-Enemy slides back in an unbalanced stumble, but he's not about to give up and he is right back into the mass. He uses his rage with his claws ready to give the attack a new drive and angle to put his beast to its grave.
Growling at the disgusting fumes, Cycle-Breaker is still not deterred; she continues to attack relentlessly at the thing.
Song-of-Luna seems encouraged by her first strike. Her eyes flash, and she lunges again with her claws. This time her snarl is anything but silent.
Runner takes a couple steps to a side, coughing and sneezing out of the smoke that burns her lungs. She shifts rapidly to her warform, and doesn't relent her attack. This time, it's with her claws.
Child-Holder spits blood at the machine and continues her enraged assault, diving at the metal monster with her fangs. She lets her Rage carry her faster again, adding a claw strike to her attack.
Leaves-None makes a throaty coughing sound that's oh-so-pleasant and growls, changing to Crinos and attacking low on the spirit with her claws.
The single machine-spirit, slash though it might, has little chance against the claws of six furious Garou. Though its metal claws dig at their flesh, their own claws are six times as numerous (well, more, thanks to Morgan's presence) and the last straw comes when Aaron calls upon his Gift and sends the wounded being crashing to the ground. It roars in seeming pain, and starts to shudder and vibrate, rolling around making an unpleasant throbbing noise which increases in pitch and volume steadily.
Savages-Enemy flattens his ears against his head as the pitch increases. The sound drives the Ahroun to unleash more rage, thrashing his claws down upon the spirit. His lips are curled up into a silent snarl as the Garou around him help to end the taint that this spirit is emiting.
With the dying 'screams' of the spirit, Runner utters out her own howl of pain with the sound and stops attacking to cover her ears. If anything she gives a last kick to the felled being. ~Begone!~
Cycle-Breaker's growling gets louder as the noise of the spirit gets louder as she joins Savages-Enemy in still attacking the noisy spirit.
Song-of-Luna flattens her ears against her skull. If anything though, this seems to intensify her attacks, as if, should she hit hard enough, she could make the noise stop.
With the thing felled, Child-Holder forces herself to draw back to survey. She looks around the garage, then outwards, interpreting the thing's sudden screeching as a cry for aid. She bares her fangs and snarls.
Leaves-None pulls back as the sound intensifies, shaking her head to try and get the sound out of her ears. When that doesn't work, she takes a step back and eyes the spirit nervously. ~Is it going to blow up?~
The first spirit speaks again over the roaring of the interloper. "The other is overloaded," it says in its calm monotone. "Therefore it is about to scrap itself. Therefore we should not be nearby. Therefore we should leave." It starts trying to push and shepherd the Garou away. As it hustles them through the door of the penumbral garage, the wounded spirit does, as predicted, 'scrap' itself; it explodes. Jagged metallic shards fly in all directions. Many bounce off the walls and ping to the ground harmlessly. One, however, strikes Laura in the back, and punches a hole clean through her to exit through the theurge's belly. And several hit the silver spirit, nearest as it is to the explosion. It gives a wail and it too collapses to the ground. "I am... beyond economic repair," it gasps. "Therefore... I am about... to scrap myself... I will return... to my Maker... to... the mystic place called De-troit..." It waves the Garou away frantically.
Runner eyewidens, and then ducks for it when the first spirit explodes. The second spirit, when it starts to go, the fostern roars out. ~Everyone out! Go go go!~ She urges them out, taking stock and making sure that the others get out the way they'd come.
Child-Holder's growl turns into a squeaky whine as she is impaled. She doesn't precisely stop moving, just sort of lurches to the side, blindly trying to get out of the way.
Leaves-None needs no urging as her own hypothesis proves true and the second spirit starts to prove it again. She moves to help Child-Holder and get both herself and the Fury as far out of range as she possibly can.
Song-of-Luna's dislike of being touched seems to stretch to spirits as well as Garou. She shies away from the ushering spirit, half stumbling, even though she looks as though she'd dearly like to continue hacking away at their enemy. She seems mildly confused, but not at all alarmed, until the first spirit actually explodes. THAT gets her attention. She yelps, scrambling back and backwards, and more by luck than actual design nearly staggers over Child-Holder. The metis fumbles for the Theurge with her lower pair of arms, trying to grab onto her even as she continues to try and stagger away.
Cycle-Breaker rushes towards Child-Holder as opposed to rushing far, far away, moving to help Leaves-None with getting the other Fury the hell out of there.
Savages-Enemy ducks as debris goes over his head as the spirit explodes. He looks back to make sure that all of the rest of the Garou are safe, eyes widening suddenly at the start of the other spirit. For Child-Holder limping behind, Savages blurs into Crinos and helps to get everyone out, although he sees that the Fianna and his tribemate have a grip on the injured Fury.
The Garou, including the injured and bleeding Laura half-carried by her friends, escape from the garage and manage to run, stagger or otherwise get themselves to a safe distance before the second spiritual explosion occurs. Other spirits in the vicinity are starting to cluster round, drawn by the noise and bright lights, and it's plain that this will soon become an unhealthy place to linger and that a quick return to the caern and to the Realm is very much in order.
Back | Next | 2006 Logs | Main