Log edited with Logedit 2.6.6pl on Mon Aug 24 17:56:14 EDT 1998

Using configuration file /turquoise/homes/ammer/.logeditrc Editing out: arrive/left ANSI tf-messages Regexp stripping: Queue, Semaphore, ^Huh\? +Type, ^I don't see that Word-wrapping at 72, 0, 2 Statistics at end of log

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Scab-Survivor pads in behind his alpha, quietly surveying everyone and everything.

Hope-star enters from the forest.

Iceheart settles a little ways from the tree, ears turning to catch all the sounds of arrivals.

Defends-Wolves enters from the forest.

Soulcatcher pads in with his packmate, settling to the ground somewhere under the great tree, comfortably.

Quiet looks around, then shifts upward to a form better suited for long talking. She glances at Soulcatcher, then asks, "You will convey what is said to Robert? He said he would try to make it, but his duties may make him late or absent."

Nightflash greets those that he knows as the arrive, particularly his tribemates.

Luna-Singer enters from the forest.

Defends-Wolves pads into the area surrounding the tree and settles down near Nightflash, ears flicking in greeting to the others.

Soulcatcher dips his muzzle to Quiet respectfully. I will, of course.

Luna-Singer comes in at a lazy lope, pausing as she looks around at the others and whuffs a soft greeting.

Scab-Survivor settles in besides Quiet, shifting up once he is in a comfortable place.

Andrea smiles her thanks. She looks around the clearing, nodding to those that meet her eyes, especially smiling at the two Gaians sitting together. Briefly, her eyes wander from them up into the trees, where she studies the empty branches with a slight frown. Shaking her head then, she returns to business. "We gather tonight not to moot, but to hold council. The bane that fled my pack's territory is a menance and danger to all, and to Gaia." Her eyes fix on the beta of Dawn's Fire with a slight frown. "Is Scott coming?"

Iceheart whuffles. I am...not sure. We have not talked for awhile. Iceheart seems a bit upset, and flicks her ears in a rapid series, and paces a bit.

Andrea raises her eyebrows slightly. She glances at the two members of Whispers, then, then looks back at Iceheart. "Do you want to speak for your pack, and what you have seen and know? I don't know if Scott has told you everything, and he has made forays into dream. We can start with the pack Whispers if you rather, then return to yours."

Iceheart would like that, yes. I do not know of Spirit-of-Words success or failure at the dreamwalking.

Andrea turns her gaze then first to Joseph. On the way, she sees Defends-Wolves and Nightflash looking at her. Pausing, she asks, "Does everyone understand the full nature of of the threat, and know the story of how this has come about?"

Iceheart licks her muzzle. I have heard only scraps, sequestered with the cubs as I have been. That Wyrm things drive the normal spirits from glens?

Defends-Wolves only heard what Echen and Peacekeeper were discussing a few nights ago. That a spirit of some power had recently escaped its prison.

Nightflash indicates that he's heard much the same.

Iceheart chuffs. Ah. Consumer of Stone. She settles back down. Oddly, she seems distracted and upset, having trouble concentrating. Perhaps.

Andrea gives the galliard that last spoke a considering look. "Seirian, you are a galliard. In your alpha's absense, could you tell the story to all, up until the spirit burst its prison? I will if you won't, but I am no gibbous." The theurge smiles slightly.

Soulcatcher's ears twitch and turn toward the galliard, expectant.

Touch Deer sits up straight, respectfully waiting for Seirian to begin or decline the offer.

Seirian slips to her birth form to relate the tale, crouched on one knee on the groud. "Aye, I'll tell wha' I know. It started at SCCU...the lot of us were standin' round, mindin' our own business, when a great ruckus came from on o'the buildin's nearby. After watchin' Sally taunt the police tha' came t'investigate, most o'us went flipside t'have a look. Long and short o'it, we ended up in th'office of one o'the professors. In there, we found ourselves two would-be robbers, lookin' for what they though was money or such in a safe. After takin' care o'the bandits, with little effort and few injuries on their part, we had t'get out o'there. But, we knew there was somethin' there that needed investigatin'."

Iceheart chuffs. I know some of this, fromm my packmate Spirit-of-Words, who was there. A large bane had escaped from..something. It almost took the life of a kinswoman before being dispatched. After that...she licks her muzzle and looks to Quiet. Is there more, before the expedition to the cave? I know a little of the theft but..not much.

Andrea nods. "Scott came to my pack and asked us to investigate a room they'd found. He'd thought that they'd found a fetish, but something that might be more like an Uktena pack should handle. Soren and I went through the Umbra and scouted. We found the residual taint and a smudge on the floor, but the impression was gone. The object was gone, too, we found. My pack got the fetish back: a medicine wheel." She turns to look at Joseph. "I've told you what my pack found about it, and you went to ask more. Will you tell us from the beginning?"

Robert enters from the forest.

Scott enters from the forest.

Robert slips out of the forest quietly, listening to the ongoing conversation and recitation of the facts at hand.

Scott slips into the clearing a few moments after Robert, looking a touch winded and blushing profusely. He offers an apologetic smile towards Andrea and his packmates before settling to lean against a tree.

Joseph nods to Scott before continuing, "I could not read it all, but what I could spoke of the children of Wendigo's blood setting down this thing--the fetish--to guard and imprison a great spirit of the enemy, Consumer of Stone. Another part of it spoke as if from the guardian itself, 'I draw my strength from the land and until the land itself is pulled asunder, I will remain vigilant, steadfast, and strong against this Enemy.' But of course, the land has been disturbed, and we fear the enemy is loose.

Hope-star's long ears are alert and eager as Joseph fills in more of the pieces which she's been lacking.

Joseph shifts in his seat, leaning forward, "There is more to this tale, but much of it Quiet and others can tell better--of visions I myself have not received, but I will tell what I know first. When this business first came unto us, I send word to settlements of kinfolk native to these regions, asking for any knowledge they might have of the ancients that once guarded the Wheel. I did not get much response from them, and after the fetish was broken and Quiet came to me with the tale of her and her pack's shared vision, I decided to go and visited a very particular man. He's a great seer among our kin called Five Eagles, and his time upon the Mother in this life goes back 5 winters more than most of us combined."

Mark enters from the forest.

Joseph breathes out heavily, "Five Eagles had an uncle, a full moon of my tribe that spoke the tale of Consumer of Stone, and he related it to me as best he knew it. The winter that year was harsher than anything they had ever known. Only the brave and the very very hardy dared venture into these lands then. But, eventually outsiders did come and they brought their iron rails." Joseph says "But, at the same time, he says, a greater threat came among them, and this was Eater of Mountains. Consumer of Stone. He did not say how, or from where, only that it came. It was the doom of many great warriors and a great council was called to try and find a way to rid the Mother of this blackness. It was thought by the council too strong to be destroyed, and they convened for three days so that the greatest of our crescents could go to the Shadow, and try and find answers. The greatest of them returned after three days--though he himself seemed to have been gone a much longer time. He brought with him the wheel and said one of Wendigo's own children would lend his spirit power to a it, a door by which to hold back the Wyrm spirit. And so it was done. The sept lured Consumer of Stone to its prison, and in the rite the door was shut on him with the Wendigo guardian to keep him there."" Joseph looks about again, and then he speaks a little quieter, "After that, the Wyrmcomers were driven out, since they had stopped construction of their iron road while the black spirit was attacking." Joseph concludes, looking toward Quiet herself, "This was all Five Eagles knew of the tale. I asked him if he knew anything of the woman you described from the vision, but he had nothing."

Andrea chews her lower lip, lightly. She glances up sharply, then looks down again. Her eyes settle on Scott. "The woman you speak of is named Ashley Turner. Scott is the one that brought her to my attention. Will you speak of her, Scott, and mention also anything your pack had done alone before the rite on the island?"

Scott takes a deep breath and steps forward. "I came across Ashley Turner's name from one of the Bone Gnawers in the city. I informed the other city packs of the loose details of the situation involving the fetish, and he mentioned this Turner woman who happened to be interested in artifacts or some such. I had one of the Silver Fang kin, Micaela Jaymes-Ferguson do some digging on her, and she uncovered that Ms. Turner was a well known philanthropist, independently wealthy and that she funded many archaelogical digs in this area of the country, as well as contributing money to St. Claire University. It was simple enough then with that groundwork laid down to link her to the dig. I tried to walk her dreams to acquire more information, but it proved wholely unsuccessful. Meaning she is either warded." He pauses, and then adds,"Or that she sleeps during the day or something like that." Another pause, and a deep breath.

He continues,"Before we even reacquired the fetish from the Mages, I did some dream walking into the dreams of those involved with the dig. What I found was ... disturbing to say the least. Within the professor's dreams seemed to be several unnatural visions. One was of the binding ceremony Joseph described. Another of some dark, evil force killing the man's family, accompanied by the dark laughter of a woman. The third, the unearthing of the fetish, after which the ground fell out from underneath the dig team and they fell into a lake of fire. Again, to the sound of the laughter of that same woman."

"Beyond that, we tried to track down any leads on whom commissioned the thieves that brought the fetish to our attention as well as ensuring no one at the University was tainted from their exposure to the fetish."

Andrea gives the galliard a nod as he draws to the end of his tale. She looks around to see if there are any questions for those that have already spoken before she moves on.

Hope-star shakes her head after a moment, still mulling all of this over grimly.

Scott takes a deep breath, and asks,"So, I suppose the question is how to proceed from here?"

Joseph pages to Andrea and Hope-star: Ok, I need to idle for a bit. I'll be back asap, but wanted to let you both know I was afk.

Nightflash supposes we should attempt to determine where the consumer of stone is currently.

Scott glances over to Andrea. "I assume you've utilized what resources in the realm of Spirit that you have on that account?"

Andrea holds up a hand. "Yes, and no. Let's tell all there is." She then continues. "We suspect that the woman that Scott heard in the dreams may be the same as my pack saw in the past. My pack was visited by a group vision, something I had never before experienced. We were in the past, when the railroad was being laid and the Wendigo were disrupting the progress. There was a woman there, a Miss Bartholomew. She drew our attention in the vision, and we suspected that she was crucial. While following her, we heard men speak of the wolves in the woods, and the rail line. And we saw the Rialto young and whole." The theurge pauses for a slight smile and a deep breath. "Before we entered her hotel, no one saw us. But as we followed her there, that changed. While regrouping, the vision faded. Three nights later, I had another dream, this one alone. I saw the Wendigo empower the medicine wheel. This was the ritual that I used in part to attempt to strengthen the good spirit in the fetish. Patrick also had a vision, that of four crinos shredding a rail worker to bones." She glances at Touch Deer. "Touch Deer had a different seeing, while inside the Wendigo spirit." She explains briefly before waving Touch Deer on to speak. "The powering the fetish caused it to shatter, and the Eater-of-Stone and the Wendgio battled on my pack's island. Touch Deer was pulled through the gauntlet and embodied in the Wendigo spirit."

Touch Deer goes on to explain his experiences inside the spirit, speaking of how he knew he would die to save the others. The ahroun looks at Joseph as he relates the tale. Andrea picks it up again. "The spirit also told him that there was yet a leash holding the bane. Jade confirmed this, but we still have no idea what bond holds the creature. Scott, Cassandra and I went to check out Miss Turner, under the pretext of her funding our shelter." The theurge grimaces slightly. "She may be a dupe, for there was nothing the least supernatural about her. Either that, or she is heavily warded, and I sensed nothing. But she had an amazing resemblance to the woman in the past."

Hope-star's eyes widen as she shoots the ahroun a quick glance. She wonders grimly if the woman herself is the leash.

Scott narrows his eyes a little at Andrea's last words. "When we went to meet her to try to ascertain just what she was, I iniatated a waking dream to try and draw forth some hint to her connection with the supernatural. While she seemed convincingly afraid of most of the supernatural types we know of, she also seemed almost obsessed with the fetish, unhealthily or unnaturally so. The fact that I could iniatate a waking dream tends to indicate she isn't warded, but I don't think it's proof one way of the other."

Hayes simply looks grim, and a little bit ill.

You say "It could be that the spirit of the woman of the past rides her, or she is that woman reborn, and she knows nothing. When our gifts show us nothing, there is little to go on but guesses." She frowns, then says, "That's why we haven't spent our energy in hunting out the spirit. I'm not sure even a full Revel could take it in combat, and I think any ragabash or Fury with the gift of finding could pinpoint it. I know its name. But how to bind it again is a puzzle I haven't solved. I want to hear your ideas tonight, before we decide where to go."

Hope-star ventures softly, ~I mentioned this to Eligio-rhya the other night. He reminds me that even most Uktena cannot bind great Banes until first the Bane has been attacked, cornered, and greatly weakened of its power.~

Hayes frowns. "Is it possible to...directly see, somewhere in Umbra, how they made the original fetish?"

Andrea frowns thoughtfully. "It might be in the realms of legend. I saw the ritual when they bound the fetish to the place, but not the making of the fetish itself."

Scott nods slowly,"I saw the binding ritual as well. And I'd think the Legendary Realm would be the best place to try and find a replaying of the whole story."

Nightflash looks amused.

Robert remarks, "Always assuming, of course, that we have the time for a jaunt off to the Realm of Legend."

Hope-star's ears splay as Robert expresses the worry crinkling her own muzzle. Send one and hope, and brace for siege in case there isn't time? she asks ruefully.

Hayes mutters, "And it's such a lovely place, too. Anyway, way I see it, we have to try to kill it or bind it again. And possibly delay it, to give us time for either of those options. Which is actually a question--why is it not attacking now? Don't get me wrong, I'm hardly complaining, but from the tone, it sounded like promising imminent destruction. Luna's hid her face since then."

Andrea shakes her head. "All I can think of is either the leash is holding it back, or it is regaining its strength from fighting the Wendigo, or both."

Scott says "So, what are we going to do?"

Hayes says "Delaying it's probably first priority, I think. It'd be nice if we could figure out what's up with that leash thing, and grab hold of the handle." After a pause, "Be nicer if it's a choke chain."

Nightflash would attempt to learn what we can of stone-eater: whom it serves, what its goal is. That may help us determine a way to hold it.

Hope-star fears it licks its wounds. However, it does give us time to prepare surprises. Talens to bite, or to boost the Wards when threat strikes. Eyes to watch both sides. And prepare cubs for retreat if it hits, so we do not have to worry about them.

You say "Learning would be wisest. But where to get the information, and quickly enough to make it worth it." A worried frown settles back on her face. "I had thought of going to ask Wendigo himself, or Uktena."

Scott shakes his head. "I don't think it will come after the Walk. That ... doesn't seem to be it's intent. I'd be more worried about the people of St. Claire to be honest, although I could very well be wrong."

Nightflash look at Andrea curiously. Which, the same that Soulcatcher visited?

Andrea shakes her head at the lupus. "The Incarna, or as close as I can get to him."

Hope-star lowers her head at Scott's suggestion, for she cannot very well cache talens in easy reach of caern _and_ scab. Can a watch be set upon the woman?

Nightflash's ears press tightly to his head.

Hope-star doesn't seem too surprised by Andrea's declaration, although she does shoot Soulcatcher a ruefully anxious glance. Someone make sure honored Wendigo does not simply throw her into the top of a tree?

Andrea answers Sepdet absently, still frowning. "Miss Turner lives in Seattle."

Hope-star heaves a faint sigh: so much for that idea.

Scott eyes the Strider for a moment, assessingly before glancing back to Andrea.

Andrea shakes her head. Andrea then looks around the group. "What we need is a plan of action, now that we all know what is known. Robert is right, we may have little time. But I hadn't thought we even had this much. Are there any other suggestions?"

Scott considers for a moment. "If this is the kind of threat this ... seems to be, perhaps we should call for some outside assistance? Especially if it becomes neccesary to attack the bane directly. There also may be resources, spiritual or otherwise that other Garou not from the Walk have that would be of use to us." He pauses, and then adds,"Assuming Fog is ameniable to such an arrangement and doesn't feel it a violation of her ban."

Andrea waits for other suggestions. If none are forthcoming, she glances at Robert to hear his advice.

Hope-star's hackles hunch uncomfortably at the suggestion, although from her expression it looks like she's already been mulling over a list of allies.

Robert sighs slightly before speaking up. "First of all, I'd like to be pro-active as possible. Since I'm not entirely sure that we can deal with this thing directly, even weakened though it may be, I'm not for attacking it just yet. However, any information we can get about it would be good, starting with capabilities, enemies, and this ... 'leash' thing." Robert ticks another point on his fingers. "Also, I wouldn't mind keeping some sort of eye on this Turner woman. If there's some sort of relation here, and she's interested in the fetish, then she could be another key. Then again, she could be a total red herring, butI'm in 'better safe than sorry' mode right now."

Hope-star ventures cautiously that we might be able to set a spirit to watch her, as kinfetch watch cubs, for a time.

Robert nods at Hope-Star, replying, "If it could work, and we could be sure of getting some sort of response from the spirit, that's a possibility." He purses his lips for a moment, then continues, "The wards are fine for now. We may or may not be able to hold off a direct assault from something like this, which is why I'd like to know more about it. I'll probably be upping the patrol frequency, just in case, especially since I've had a few more volunteers recently."

Andrea glances at Hayes and Touch Deer, then directly at Robert. "When the moon starts to grow, if nothing has been forthcoming before that, we can go investigate either the Legendary realm or the other I spoke of. Do you think we'll have the time, or it'll yield anything worth the risk?" She pushes back her hair and frowns. "There's little I can research in the written folklore of the humans, and little more the world-shapers know that I'm aware of. I'm at a loss of where to look for more information."

Hope-star suggests very tactfully that the Uktena know most about chaining and binding Wyrm-foe, and one of them might have heard of this, or at least have more advice.

Andrea listens to the Strider. She glances at Scott before turning back to Robert. "I do have contacts among the Uktena at Western Eye."

Robert nods. "That would be one possibility. Did you find anything about its capabilities when you encountered it before? One could try more research into the time when it first appeared, into this Blankenship woman, into any attacks on the rail workers."

Andrea frowns. "Hints. Nothing definite. Soren still seeks more answers in vision, even tonight. But I can do this research, yes."

Hope-star asks Peacekeeper-rhya where he wishes her to cache the defensive Talens she is collecting. They are not a solution, but will provide a few more teeth whether we are defending or hunting it.

Robert sighs again. "It could be a start, and possibly show us other routes to take."

Nightflash volunteers for whatever duty the Warder would like him to perform.

Robert nods at Sepdet. "I'm sure we can find something to do with them. For now, though, I'm afraid I've been off my own patrols long enough."

Hope-star dips her eyes at the Warder respectfully, looking a little preoccupied herself. Walk well, Rhya.

Robert nods to the group and heads towards the edge of the clearing. As he reaches it, he calls back, "If anything else is decided, please let me know. Obviously," he adds with an understanding smile. "Luna's faces ever shine brightly on you," he says as he waves and steps into the forest. Robert steps out of the clearing.

Andrea watches people disperse, smiling vaguely to those that speak to her. Her eyes follow a length behind Robert, then fall back to the ground with a worried sigh.

Hope-star pads over to Andrea quietly and brushes past her leg, as the Strider herself prepares to depart.

Andrea lowers her hand absently to the Strider's ruff, her own packmates gone into the forest and back to patrol.

Scott doesn't seem to pleased with the concept of beseeching or dealing with the Uktena for aid in this, but keeps quiet. In fact, he does as much up until Robert leaves, before saying,"I'm not sure we got the answers we were looking for tonight, but it seems we should simply continue on the path we've already chosen, Andrea. As before, my pack and I stand ready to assist in whatever manner we may. Unless there is something else, I think I'll call it a night." He pauses, and then adds,"I think what Nightflash said was the key though. We need to know our Enemy, and what he wants, before we can do much more."

Hope-star simply leans against Andrea's leg in subtle reassurance for a little while, posture oddly confident, or simply resigned to yet another unknown threat. Finally, she whuffs her usual blessing to the remaining company, glances at Soulcatcher with a grim, determined expression, and slips off eastward into the shadows with tail high.

Andrea nods at Scott, pulling her hand from Sepdet's ruff as the Strider pulls away. Her tone is low and tired. "I'm not sure there are answers, true answers, Scott. But I at least wanted everyone to know what was known. That got accomplished, at the least, and we will just do the best we can with the rest."

Scott nods, and smiles faintly. "That we will. Gaia's grace go with you, Andrea. I'm going to call it a night. There is a nice warm bed and dark haired kin lass waiting for me."

Andrea actually manages a laugh. "Soren's waiting at the cave for me, but somehow that's just not the same. Mother walk with you, Scott."

Scott grins openly at the Gaia, his eyes dancing and smile mischievious. "No, I suppose not. As good a packmate as he may be. Night Andrea." With that he turns, and goes.

Joseph lays a hand on Andrea's shoulder in a reassuring gesture.

Andrea raises her hand in turn to Joseph's, meeting the Wendigo's eyes with her own. Her lips twist in a wry grin. "I need that vacation more all the time."

Joseph's voice is soft, almost a whisper, and its tone is touched with some concern. Overall, the Wendigo seems rather peaceful, as if the dark business they'd been discussing tonight was far away. "I know. I see it in you. We'll have to..see about making sure you take it the moment this crisis is over. Uktena's burden isn't an easy one."

Andrea pauses thoughtfully, her eyes going out toward the woods. "It's funny. When you're young, a cliath, you worry about learning things. You worry about becoming better, measuring up to your Elders so you can gain rank and renown. But when you become an Elder, your yardsticks of accomplishment disappear into a dark pit of uncertainty. Young Garou think the Elders have all the answers. It wasn't until we readied to go to the Deep Umbra when I realized how little I really knew."

Joseph lets out a small laugh. "Really? Only then? I think that every time I come out of my den." The Wendigo wears a playful smile, but there's element of sobriety to his words that is undeniable.

Andrea gives the other theurge a wry look, a dark humor on her. "You were just wiser than I was, to realize it sooner."

Joseph shakes his head, his eyes darting to the woods, the ground, and other variously interesting things other than his teacher. "No, I'm just still young. Not that you aren't, of course. It's not like we're venerable old Athros sitting around a fire talking about how much our bones ache." Smiling again, he returns to Quiet, "I guess the point is we /are/ a little too young around here, all of us. But the fact is that no matter how much you know, or how long you've been here, you'll never know it all."

Andrea gives a chuckle. "I can only try."

Joseph's shoulders lift in a faint shrug, and his face grins once more. "As the rest of us. Try not to worry /too/ much about us, at least for the rest of this night, Mother. We will repair, and we'll see to this thing, and Gaia's Will, we'll see it through. And, we'll have done everything we could, and that thanks to you, as well. So, sleep tonight. You've earned it."

Andrea touches the other theurge on his shoulder. Her answer is simplistic, but heartfelt. "Thanks. Mother watch your path."

Joseph nods, growing silent again. His smile is his answer, though, and he retakes the wolf to return to his place by the pathstone.

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