Session 3. The Past Leads the Way

Previously Detective Simmons ignited C4 during a battle with the Scars, killing himself and incapacitating the rest of the pack. His son, also sharing the name David Simmons, escaped the incident unscathed. The Healing Scars wake up to find that they've been spending the last few weeks at the Lodge of the Hunt receiving medical attention. This is a direct violation of Rids-the-Pain's ban and consequences occur; Rids has been captured by the Ethros spirit clan. Rids-the-Pain's loyalty and sacrifice to the pack obligates them to undo what wrongs they've created. Strikes tells them that their best chance is to seek out an old Bone Shadow called Helo, also known as Shadow Wind. Helo is the authority on the wild realms of Shadow. Unfortunately, their mentor doesn't know exactly where the old man is hiding, perhaps somewhere in London. Marcus meets with Lindsey who is worried sick about him. She tells him that Chelsea is doing fine. Marcus hints that he may be leaving again. She is considerably angry and tells him that he needs to stop living in denial and accept responsibility for the girl. Marcus leaves and promises to return shortly. Knowing that the pack may be gone for some time, Marcus calls Kay, the internal affairs detective, and schedules an appointment to talk to her the following day. He wants to warn Kay about the possible dangers that might befall Hyde Park when the Pure arrive. Meanwhile, Nails has his first conversation with Thane Dakuth, the new spirit in his fetish. Thane Dakuth is a spirit of cunning, a Lune. Thane was one of the choirs that danced at Mary Higgins's deathbed. Dakuth tells him that the Uratha known as Simmons must die. The spirit offers him great powers to fulfill this task, and even more once the deed is granted. The spirit will not confess why it wants him dead. Lunes as fetishes can be incredibly dangerous; they often make a Werewolf go crazy. Nails accepts the spirit's offer and the fetish Crashing Halt is born. Sky undergoes a mission to find the location of the Bone Shadow they desperately need to contact. At the park Eric convinces a local tree spirit, named Whispering Roots, to reveal the whereabouts of the Uratha named Helo. In return, the spirit is granted a small pool of essence from the locus at Diana's Fountain. The spirits tells Sky that a crazy old Uratha by that name lives in a large locus under a church nearby. Later that night, Eric, Nails, and Marcus all experience a different dream/vision. It is said that when an entire pack dreams in unison it is a sort of blessing or curse. Marcus Blair dreams that he is back at the trial, the one where Gerard is found guilty. It is 2004. The prosecutor's name is Benjamin Durbin. Ben and Marcus are meeting behind closed chambers, directly before the start of the murder trial. Durbin informs Marcus that his client should plead manslaughter because his "air-tight" alibi is blown. Ben shows Marcus a security camera picture of Gerard entering the building where his wife was killed. The security tape is 30 min before the murder. Ben sneers and confesses that the picture is really a fake, but that it will still hold up in court. Mr. Durbin is the worst kind of lawyer scum; he's been warping the law his entire life. Durbin hasn't lost a case, and he's hell-bent on keeping said record. Even in light of this Marcus isn't intimidated. The truth will shine through, and he will do everything in his power to see Gerard's side of the story is heard. Durbin leaves the conference, warning that he's through "playing nice." Gerard is escorted into the room by several officers in cuffs. Marcus relays the recent conversation to him. Gerard is furious and wildly denies the allegations. The man sticks to his story: he was at home with his daughter Chelsea. Marcus is interrupted by his secretary, Lindsey. She consoles him and tells him that this case is going to cost him everything he's got. Marcus doesn't care. He knows that this is the right thing to do. Fade to darkness. Eric Sky dreams about his first encounter with the dead. It is 1990. Eric grew up on a small house off the coast of Lancaster. He is around ten; he's playing a game with his good friend, Tonya. Tonya is a bit of a loner and has few friends. Sam, Eric's brother, picks on the girl quite a bit. Today, she is even more depressed than usual as she rambles on about learning the word karma. Tonya says that karma is the good things that happen to the good guys, like she and Eric, later on and the bad guys, like Sam, will get what they deserve eventually. The two are playing their favorite game; one waits on the railroad tracks while a train steadily approaches. The other counts off to see who can break the record of staying on the tracks the longest. It's incredibly dangerous, and ten-year-olds don't always use the best judgment. It is Tonya's turn. The latest record is 115 seconds. This time Tonya is desperately trying to break the record. Eric counts all the way to 115. 116. 117. 118. Eric screams for her to move as the train speeds dangerously close. Although she broke the record, Tonya won't budge. He screams again, but it is too late. The train makes no effort to slow. Tonya is killed instantly, but Eric doesn't see her die. In fact, Eric sees her ghost and doesn't even realize that she is dead. Tonya, like many ghosts, doesn't fully understand what has happened to her. Confused, they both go back to Eric's house. His mother greets Eric, who tells him that his brother has been up to trouble again. Eric tries to explain to her that Tonya is right beside him, but of course his mother cannot see the ghost. Sam enters Eric's room with the usual conversation, making fun of him. Sam has the ability to manipulate and control spirits, while Eric can see and speak to them. They get into a fight, but something different happens. Sam manipulates Tonya's ghost and Tonya attacks Eric. Ashamed of what she's done, she leaves the house and returns to the scene of her death. Eric follows closely behind. The railroad tracks have become her anchor and she is unable to leave. Eric tries to console her. Tonya asks him to protect her. Before he has time to answer, a form of shadow slips upward from the tracks and whisks the girl away. It materializes and looks at Eric with a penetrating stare and utters a single word, "Remember." Fade to darkness. Nails dreams of being tortured by the Destroyer Wolf. The entity reinforces that this Simmons must be destroyed at all costs. The pain is like nothing he has felt before, and in a strange way becomes intoxicating. Nails is the perfect man for the job. He has no attachments, nothing binding him one way or the other. Destroyer tells him that there is indeed a vast difference between evil and destruction, warning him never to confuse the two. He tells him that the werewolf can, in time, become the manifestation of the destroyer. If the Uratha can break his bonds and escape this madness, he will be accepted by the stranger. Nails accepts the proposal, by breaking through a set of spiritual bindings in an awesome feat of strength. Fade to darkness. The next day, the pack briefly discusses their visions at Marcus's flat. As Eric and Marcus ponder over the meaning of last night's events, Nails shuffles about the apartment. While he is rummaging through the fridge, Marcus informs him that the money is "stashed" elsewhere. Nails finally finds his intended target: a bowl filled with various fruits. The other two continue their conversation only to be interupted by a long belch. Nails has apparently devoured the entire stash of produce. Marcus asks him if he has anything intelligent to add to the discussion. Nails smirks and tells them that, in his haste, he thinks he might have eaten a sticker. Typical smart-ass Nails. The coversation regrading visions will have to continue later, perhaps when Nails is full. Marcus meets Kay at the police station and does his best to vaguely warn her of the events to come. She mentions to him that a blood sample was found at the explosion, but the lab results are still pending. Marcus tries to ask her out and inadvertently uses the phrase "stick it in" way out of context. Kay laughs and marvels at the thought of how, even after all of man's technological progress, boys still act like big dummies when asking girls out. He returns to the flat, and the Healing Scars all set out to find Shadow Wind. Shadow Wind's lair is indeed under a church. The vicinity of this area is a large archeological dig swarming with dozens of Uratha. None of them will divulge what they are digging for, but one finally agrees to take them to Helo. The funny thing about the character is that when Marcus used a spiritual gift to learn his name, it failed. It's almost as if he doesn't exist. The strange Uratha leads them to the heart of the dig. The locus there is enormous, more powerful than anything the pack has seen. They step sideways and encounter the Uratha Helo, a.k.a. Shadow Wind. Helo is easily in his eighties. He is in poor health, his wrinkled skin stretches thin across his frail body like sandpaper. Regardless of appearance, Shadow Wind projects an awesome sense of spirit within the Shadow. Even the chair at which he rests appears to be made entirely of mystical energy. He greets the pack and is very interested in the spiritual bond forming between the members and their new visions. To Marcus, he stammers about the pain he is causing everyone, even himself, because of his denial. He will have a chance to prove his worth, when the time is right. But certain events must be recollected first. Eric Sky has gained some insight into his ghostly powers. Protecting a life is not noble or just; it is tedious, hard, and painful. Sky now has a pack strong enough to help him bear this task. Helo doesn't much care for Nails; it also seems that Nails agrees that the feeling is mutual. Nonetheless, he recommends the Healing Scars first go to Lancaster and attempt to solve their individual problems as a whole. The rite Helo must perform to find the Ethros will not prove effective in the pack's current state. He also decrees that Marcus Blair is to be the pack Alpha, a title his must prove in order to hold. He gives them train tickets to Lancaster. Helo always appears to be one step ahead of the pack in this manner; the tickets even have their names and are dated for the next day. The pack leaves and prepares for the journey. Marcus is having a difficult time balancing his loyalties to the pack and his child. His secretary agrees to watch Chelsea but is at her wits end, threatening to walk out. She also asks him when he's going to start working again. Their funds won't last forever. She understands that he's got some deep stuff to work out. She lets him know that his taking care of Chelsea is definitely a step in the right direction. He needs to eventually confront Ben Durbin, and settle this thing once and for all. She upset and asks him when he's going to stop living in denial. Marcus is tired of everyone being so vague and demands to know what the hell he's in denial about. She tells him that this "false" image he gave himself is growing old. Marcus is still confused. But the truth starts to flood Marcus's brain, as Lindsey explains how he's been deceiving himself for over a year. Apparently Marcus has been masking his true self and claiming that he is a good and noble man. Marcus encountered a lawyer, Ben Durbin, and stole his personality. Then he took everything he didn't like about himself (prosecutor, cheat, lair, and deceiver) and switched things around. Marcus was never a defense attorney. Instead he has been a prosecutor all his life, and the worst kind of lawyer sum imaginable. The defense attorney he thought to be himself was really Ben Durbin; everything is backwards. He didn't take Chelsea out of responsibility, he did it out shame. He was the one who framed Gerard, and eventually sentenced him to death. Marcus killed her father. He somehow hoped that by taking Chelsea he could mend the wrongs he had brought upon Gerard. He thought he could make up for his sins. Not much later, hopelessness crept in. Marcus felt he was in over his head, with raising Chelsea and with trying to do the right thing for the first time. He tried to kill himself, but he went through the First Change instead. The Uratha form soaked the bullet and saved his life. Since the attempted suicide, he's been living in denial and pretending to be something he's not. Lindsey claims she has told him the truth several times, but he always goes back to forgetting. Marcus cannot express how sorry he is to her. He promises to make things right. She leaves and tells him that this is his last chance. That night the Healing Scars sleep, all except for a guilt-ridden Marcus. No one experiences any strange visions. The next morning the pack is ready to travel to Eric's hometown of Lancaster, England. The tube allows them to ride to Lancaster and the trip should only take about 5 hours. About a half hour from their destination a locus appears inside the train. As Eric is attempting to cross the gauntlet, something truly weird occurs. He steps sideways and finds himself on a different train. The rest of the pack follows him across the gauntlet. There is no doubt about it; this is an entirely different train. Also it appears that the whole pack can see into the physical world, much like the werewolf gift Two World Eyes. The physical reflection of the spirit matches this different train. This suggests that, by stepping sideways, the Healing Scars have somehow left their train and traveled somewhere else. Something is not right. Upon further investigation, Eric Sky notices the date on one of the passenger's newspaper: 1990. Sky is confused, claiming that travel through time with a locus is impossible. Nails thoughts immediately shift to the werewolf, David Simmons. If it is truly 1990, then he can intercept David as a child and easily kill him. Nails is consumed by this notion and leaps from the moving train, not even informing the rest of the Scars. He runs, at full speed, back to London. Meanwhile, the passengers are growing a bit anxious, the train is speeding up and they appear to have passed Wakefield, this train's supposed destination. Eventually, they make their way to the engine room and confront the engineer, who appears to be spirit-ridden. It looks deep at Sky and utters the phrase from his vision, "Remember." The spirit is known as Reckless-Hate to the minions of the underworld. Combat ensues. During the battle, Hate uses manipulation powers against Marcus and Eric, but is unable to control the two. In his frustration he smashes the controls to the train, as it continues to gain speed. Eric remembers Tonya's unfortunate death by train and desperately battles the shadowed figure, hoping to solve this time puzzle. Marcus uses his sub par technology skills to try to salvage the console. After some time he manages a vicious hack on the wires, bringing the train to a halt. Marcus joins the battle and the two easily best the spirit. Reckless-Hate slinks back into the darkness before the two can steal his energy. Hate curses the pack and vows to find them later. With their Two World Eyes vision Eric and Marcus witness an interesting scene outside the train. Several feet in front of the train on the tracks, a young girl named Tonya is standing. Next to her is a 10 year old boy named Eric Sky. It appears the train didn't kill her, this time at least. The surrounding area begins to loose focus. Reality slips apart as their vision ceases. Nails, using his incredibly stamina, sprints for countless hours until he reaches his destination. He eventually manages to sniff out David's house. He reduces the front door to splinters and finds a baby's room. Before he can find the child, Nails is interrupted by laughter. In the corner of the room, a figure emerges from the shadows. It is David Simmons, all grown up. He tells Nails that he had a feeling he might try something like this, and that it is useless to try to defeat him. The house begins to burn as they battle. David seems distracted but still manages to fight hard. The Crashing Halt fetish is activated; it turns black as the stop sign's blade forms jagged razor-sharp edges. David presents his weapon, a massive klaive quite comparable to a buster sword. Simmons and Nails duel for what seems an eternity. David final makes a critical error, temporarily lowering his guard. Nails acts quickly, and lands a severing blow to his right arm. Both the arm and klaive fall to the floor. David oddly seems uninterested. He gathers his appendage, telling Nails that a simultaneous engagement elsewhere demands his full attention. He is gone. Through Nail's eyes the burning room begins to fade. His vision ends. The Healing Scars awaken at the train station. 10 hours have passed. The ticket attendant tells them that this is the end of the line. They have been on this exact car all day long and their way right back to London. All the pack's battle wounds remain as evidence that the last 10 hours may have not been entirely a dream. Helo is waiting for them when they return to his lair. The old wolf inquires towards their quest; adding later that he wants their tickets back. Shadow Wind informs them that Tonya is alive and well; he is now ready to help them find the Ethros realm. Finding the realm will be incredibly difficult, and Shadow-Wind will only show the Healing Scars the path. The pack must navigate to a specific point in the wilds surrounded with essence of order or balance. Marcus, being an Elodoth, will serve as a perfect host for the locator rite. Shadow-Wind performs the ritual on the pack's Alpha. A spiritual map is imprinted on Marcus's back, only visible in the Shadow. Helo directs Eric Sky with the proper instructions to begin the rite. He warns them that many will sense the essence of the ritual needed to open the portal. They might have to hold off a barrage of nasty spirits until the ritual is complete and the doorway is opened. The Scars step sideways and, using the map, pinpoint the location where the portal must be opened. After hours of sifting through Shadow, they are led to the site of an old courthouse. Eric prepares the location for the ritual. Marcus must remain stationary for the rite to be effective; the spiritual carvings on his flesh are the key. They tactically position themselves so approaching spirits will be forced to attack from one location, creating a bottleneck of sorts. With Marcus and Eric both preoccupied, the brunt of the battle rest on Nails's shoulders. Nails doesn't seem to mind that much; the Crashing Halt is clenched in his hands as he prepares for battle. Sky begins the rite. Spirits begin to crawl and slip from the underbelly of the city. The surge of essence has caught their eyes; they are all hungry for a taste. Nails wields them off using the stop sign as an extension of his body. A much larger and stronger spirit enters the fray. It is Reckless-Hate, and he's had 15 years to prepare for this encounter. Dozens of spider hosts leak from his form. They surround Nails and begin to drain his spirit. He swats them away as if they were mere rodents. Hate is considerably pissed. As Nails and the vile spirit trade blows, Marcus focuses and takes great aim with his firearms. An incredible barrage of bullets twist and rip into the target, in fact so much damage is inflicted that Reckless Hate becomes incorporeal. As his body of spiders and ripped flesh slowly begins to reform, Eric shouts that the ritual is complete. A door of light makes its presence known. The portal is 30 feet directly above, attached to the side of the courthouse. They will have to climb to reach he door. Claws pierce into the courthouse structure as they make their way to the top. Reckless-Hate has reformed, but the Healing Scars beat him to the portal. As the white light dissipates Hate curses the pack once again. The portal leads them on a rollercoaster ride through the Shadow. Everyone's senses are muddled as they twist and turn through the spiritual maze at immeasurable speed. The portal dumps them in a cold and unfamiliar place. The air is stale and hazy. They are standing in front of an enormous structure, a skyscraper towering as high as their vision allows. They have succeeded. The Healing Scars have made their way into the realm of the Ethros.

What I Think your Characters are Thinking

I am very pleased with everyone’s performances. I sound a bit overly optimistic about our group, but the quality of our gaming really has been that good. I’m currently working on the summary for session 3, and I can’t believe how much the Healing Scars accomplished in one night of roleplaying. It’s seriously going to take me a few days to accurately write those events down. An inexperienced group couldn’t have handled half of that content in the same amount of time. Until I finish that project, I leave you guys with some brief internal notes about your characters. Feel free to comment and let me know where you think they are developing as well. Nails is indeed a dark character, but not “Vargus Creed” dark, not by a long shot. Nails is tough, and it’s in his nature to hide his feelings, and actually to kill them off as if they were his opponents. And this type of thinking is working great for him now, but everybody needs to feel something. Now he has been paired against the mysterious David Simmons in a classic battle of good vs. evil. At least Nails would like to think of it that way. But life is more complicated. He has a sketchy past, but it doesn’t plague his waking dreams as it would someone else. His life before really doesn’t concern him, not nearly as much as the future. How long can Nails go through life detached from emotion? Is there really a difference between evil (Simmons) and destruction (Nails)? And, as a natural-born leader, will he eventually challenge Marcus’s authority as pack Alpha? Eric Sky just relived a crucial turning point in his life. He has a twin brother who represents everything he doesn’t want to become. The bonds of blood between the two are thick and there’s little he can do to completely rid himself of his brother’s presence. Eric has an opportunity to take care of the ghost of Shelly Wright, another chance to prove that he is good. Eric knows and fears evil firsthand. When he looks in the mirror, he doesn’t just see himself. He sees the reflection of Sam’s deeds, his hatred, and his wrath. Will he be able to save Shelly? What of the Dark Iron pack and their connections to him? Is there any possibility for forgiveness for Sam? Marcus Blair has shown enormous mental resilience in light of everything that’s happened. His life has sharply turned upside-down. And now he is the Alpha, the one who is supposed to have all the answers. Yet he can‘t answer the simplest question: Who am I? There’s so much raw emotion attached to his family (Lindsey and Chelsea) that blinds his decision-making. Marcus is really two people, his false image (chivalrous, defender, noble) and the real image, the persona of Ben Durbin (prosecutor, liar, and manipulator). He will always have to struggle between the two, and never will one part completely fade away. But Marcus obviously wants to be good; the transformation is already taking place. How will Marcus make up for what he has done to the real Ben Durbin? How will he protect Chelsea? Does he really deserve to protect her in the first place? I personally can’t answer these questions, and that’s what makes him interesting.

The Sky that Binds

"Ah yes, the Sky brothers. Such a sad story with those two. Eric and Samuel were always at odds with each other- as brothers are wont to be. They fought over everything; girls, possessions, and especially their mother's affection. Their mother, Jenna, loved them both dearly, and equally. Most mothers never want to favor one child over the other, but it was especially important to her to show them that; them being without a father and all. It didn't help matters much that Eric and Samuel were twins, no less. Something was odd about the two of them. They weren't just twins, with a few differences here and there. Mirror images of each other, those boys. Never could tell them apart. They grew normally enough, but as you and I know, the Sky boys were a pair of gifted kids. Eric received the highest marks in his class, and Samuel was a born athelete. I don't mean to say that Sam was daft, or Eric a clutz- hell, sometimes Sam could outsmart Eric just as much as Eric could outplay Sam. There was a such a balance between the two. Smarts and game weren't the only things the two boys had in common. When I say gifted, I mean gifted. Eric and Sam could control the dead. Don't get frightened now- we knew Eric and Sam were our kind from the start. Their father had the genes, so we'd been tagging them; waiting for some of the "typical" occurences. This wasn't exactly typical, as I'm sure you agree- thus it merited some investigation. We'd figure out what the kids could do, and when the time came, we'd teach them what they needed to know. What was I sayin'? Oh, right. Necromancers. Both of 'em. Well, kind of. You see, their abilites were unique of each other, yet somewhat equal. See, balanced once again, eh? Eric could see the dead- ghosts, wandering spirits, and such. He could sense their presence, and if he focused for a moment, he could see them clear as day- hold conversations with them, and everything. Sam couldn't see them like Eric could... nope, he could do something a little more dangerous. Sam could command them. If he knew one was around, he'd just mutter a few words and phrases, and they'd bend to his will. If you paired the two of them, Eric could hunt them down, and Sam could tell them what to do. They could make puppets of the damned. Gifted. Bizarre, but gifted. Jenna really had no idea of what their sons were, or what they were destined to be. Her husband intentionally left her in the dark- tried to live a normal life with normal people; but you know how well we handle normal folk. They were doomed from the start. Their father died fighting some Pure, trying to defend his home after they got his scent. No, the Pure didn't make it either. Their father was a tough one, and he let 'em know that his home was off limits. Cost him his life, though. Good man- we were glad to have him- even if he didn't want to have us. The police say it was street violence- they also claim that all the bite and claw marks came 'from some dogs the gang probably trained to cockfight'. Heh. Cockfight? Do people even say that anymore? Anyway, the Sky kids. Eric and Sam always tried to talk the spirits into serving them for some minor purpose. Scare this guy here, knock something down over there. Despite this, they were acted almost responsibly with their abilities. They used 'em rarely, and they never hurt anyone or told anyone. You almost wouldn't know what they were, if we weren't patrolling them for most of their life. Jenna raised them best she could, but you could see the signs forming. The two became more aggressive; more competitive. Sam would start demanding that Eric hunt the dead, for whatever purpose- pranking, stealing, revenge. Eric was a pretty good kid, though- and since he could talk to the spirits, he felt a little sympathy for 'em. He didn't like manipulating the skewed existance they already had, so he stopped helping Sam. That's when Sam lost it. Sam took his aggression out poorly, and his mother wouldn't have any of it. The more he acted up, the harder she was on him. In his teen years, Sam started getting in with the wrong crowd- and just between you and me, I think the Pure had something to do with it. The kids got into trouble for petty crimes here and there, and it just spiraled down. Sam got into drugs, and then he got into the same 'street violence' the police were raving about with his dad. You'd think he would've known better. You know what I think? I think Sam used his ability to get his way. He wouldn't know if anything was around, but all he had to do was speak to anything that listened. If a ghost picked him up, it'd do what he said. It'd make things easier if he got in a jam. I don't know- maybe not. It's possible though, eh? Get caught by a cop, command a ghost for a quick possession? Eh? Hell, I don't know. Eric stayed by his mom's side, keeping his wits sharp and learning a bit about what he was as he grew older. By the time Sam was fighting and vandalizing, Eric could've started his own cult. Ouija boards and all. Good kid, that Eric. You could see the path the boys were taking, and once the time hit- you knew which sides they'd choose. We really could've used Sam, too. Ah, I'm getting ahead of myself. Sam was brought home by the cops one day, sometime around his 16th birthday, and his mom was furious. She let him have it a few times across the face, and Sam just about snapped on her. That was the night. Sam found Eric talking to himself that very evening. You and I know that Eric wasn't talking to himself, though. Sam pounced on the opportunity. Sam ordered the ghost to possess his mother. Eric ran to confront his brother at his actions, and Sam just slugged him right in the face. Eric, stunned for the moment, was unable to stop his brother from locking Eric in his room. The ghost did as it was told, unable to resist Sam's ability. Jenna was helpless against the ghost's command. That's when Sam ended it. 'Kill her.' The ghost commanded Jenna to take a knife, and she unknowingly slit her own wrists. If the ghost could maintain the possession while Jenna died, then she wouldn't be able to stop the bleeding. Eric could hear his brother commanding the ghost, and that is when Eric succumbed to the Wolf. His body twisted and contorted; and the beast became him. Within seconds he had slashed his door to pieces- blood in his eyes. Samuel had almost no time to react to his brother's fury. And as one Sky brother is gifted, so is the other. Eric advanced on his brother at blinding speed, only to be met with a beast his same size and strength. Samuel changed just as his brother did, and the two began the struggle I fear will never end. Teeth gnashing and claws flying, the two mauled each other to near death. Eric lay bleeding on the ground as the cops broke down the door. Poor Jenna died that night. They found Eric next to his mother's body, holding her wrists with his hands. All that remained of Sam was a bloody smear, trailing out the window. The cops couldn't make odds or ends of the situation. Was it murder, suicide, accident? They'll never know. After some hospitalization and a funeral, Eric was without family. That's when we came in. The dear boy had no idea what hit him, and you could tell he was a little dumbstruck. Took us a good month to convince him to talk. We raised Eric from that point on. We told him who we were, and what we do, and he accepted it rather easily- but Eric wasn't foreign to strange events. We told him that we knew all about him; and for a period he hated us for letting his mother die- as if we could've stopped it. I think he understands now... I think. It's been 6 years, after all. Eric's a smart kid. We've trained Eric extensively. We taught him how to use his talents, both known and unknown. He was eager to learn. That's when our alpha decided to make Eric our secret weapon. The kid had a knack for spirits, why not amplify that skill? We got some more of our tribe to decorate him tricks; he's got a binding and banishing cirlce tattooed on either hand, and we even bound a fetish to 'em. He's a bit of a healer now too. We coupled this with some ritual training, and now he's a walking, talking rite. The kid has actually started making his own rites. He's become so proficient, and he's a real quick thinker; I think we're going to make him our 'field agent'. He's got a thirst for knowledge, and he loves the Shadow. Our alpha says he's got a special assignment in the Shadow he wants Eric to take on when he's learned enough. Something we Bone Shadows haven't been able to tackle. We want him to see the world; learn how to advance his skills. I think we're just going to send him out to find his own pack, and then he can check back with us whenever he learns anything. He'll be an incredible asset to us. Maybe while he's out there, he'll find his brother. I'd hate to see the look on his face when he finds out Sam's a Pure. I haven't the heart to tell him." -Adrian Page, Elodoth Bone Shadow of the Dark Iron Pack; retelling the history of the Brothers Sky

Crashing Halt Fetish

Fetish Crashing Halt Spirit Thane Daku, Lune of Cunning User Nails Type Weapon (Stop Sign) Damage +3 Bashing Abilities Terrify: User spends a point of Essence. The sign will reflect an image of terror upon whatever spirit is gazing into the sign. Roll Strength + Intimidation + Cunning, minus Spirit’s Resilience. For a success, lunacy is inflicted on a spirit for a single turn. With an exceptional success (5 successes) lunacy lasts for an entire scene. This power only works against spirits and can only target one spirit at a time. Terrify will only work when inside the Shadow. For example, using Terrify on a spirit-ridden human in the physical world will not scare or exorcise the spirit from the host. Six-Sided Blade: Upon expenditure of 2 points of Essence the stop sign turns black and emits a jagged hexagonal blade around the outer sign. This blade does +2 lethal damage. Also, targeted attacks are easier to achieve with this fetish (-2 modifier). It is important to note that achieving an exceptional success (5 successes) on a targeted point, such as a head, will decapitate the opponent. This blade reeks of Luna’s death and may require a harmony roll, depending on the severity of its use. 1 point of Essence will hide the blade and return the fetish to normal. Seal Locus: Normally if a Werewolf wants to rid the world of a locus they naturally drain the essence of that locus. This does take a considerable amount of time, sometimes even days. If the situation is dire, with the expenditure of essence, this fetish can quickly attempt to seal any locus. The amount of essence spent will equal the rating of the locus. This will be an extended action. Roll Wits + Occult + Cunning. The amount of successes needed to achieve the effect is equal to the locus’s rating times 3. The action is skill based and must be completed within a certain amount of rolls, equal to the user’s Wits + Occult. The amount of time passes with each roll is 3 turns, or 5-10 minutes for non-combat. If successful, the locus is sealed and destroyed. If the attempt to seal the locus fails, the Uratha can immediately try again as long as he spends the appropriate essence. If a dramatic failure ever results, the locus simply cannot be sealed. Note: If the user is in the Shadow world while sealing the locus they do not have access to the spiritual essence. The essence is destroyed with the locus. Drawbacks This fetish is powered by a Lune of Cunning, Thane Daku. Lunes offer incredibly power, but due to their variant nature, are not stable spirits for Urathan use. Many elders downright forbid the use of Lunes, other than for obvious advancement in renown. Many stories tell of Uratha that used mighty Lunes as totems to wield awesome power, but later were driven mad.

The Help Post

Welcome to the infamous help post. Included within is a detailed explanation of each component of the Healing Scars Blog website. This post will be updated frequently, with new changes being logged by date. Users can feel free to use the comment system for this post to ask questions regarding whatever. Blog Format as of 11/16/05 1. New pictures have been added to the blog. Each session summary post has a new set of pictures to increase the realism of these stories. 2. The Sessions section has been moved to the top of the Sidebar. I also changed the links into a drop-down menu. This will keep the Sidebar clean as more and more session summary posts are created. 3. A Moon section has been added to the Sidebar. This handy little script will help the group with keeping track of how to give bonuses from Luna when we roleplay. Blog Format as of 10/26/05 1. The new Healing Scars Home page displays only two posts at a time. I chose this format because the length of our posts was cluttering the Home page. You can look for older posts in 3 different ways: Search, the previous Posts, or the monthly Archives. 2. The Sidebar is the column of links and information on the right side of the website. It contains several sections: Search, the Storyteller, the Pack, previous Posts, Sessions, and Archives. 3. The Search section is a webform that allows users to search the entire blog. Simply enter the relevent data you are looking for and click the "Search Blog" button. You will be redirected to a page listing links to posts that match your search. 4. The Storyteller section is extremely straightforward. This section contains any relevant information about me. I do not expect the format of this section to change much. 5. The Pack section lists the current members of the Healing Scars, providing several descriptions such as character’s auspice and tribe affiliation. As members post their backgrounds, I will put direct links to those in this section. In the future I want to take this concept even further and upload character sheets for each packmate. 6. The Posts section displays the previous 10 posts that were published to the blog. This is an excellent way to search for a post, especially if you know the post was recently added. 7. The Sessions section lists the last 5 session summary posts for the Healing Scars. The session summary posts all have a standard naming format. For example, if you wanted to read the third session that the Scars played, you would need to find the post titled: “Session 3” followed by the name of the session. If the session you are looking for is not listed in the Sessions section, the easiest way to find it is through the Search section. Types in the word “Session” followed by the number of the session "2, 3, 4, etc." and click the “Search Blog” button. It's that easy. 8. The Archives section is where you want to go when you simply can’t find a post by any other means. The Archives section displays a list of links grouped together by different months. For example, clicking on the “January 2006” will display each and every post that was published in that month.

Session 2. Blood of the Wolf

The Pack returns to the physical world and is immediately hounded by several hospital staff, gathering around the body of Mary Higgins. A detective, named Simmons, enters the room demanding to know why Eric, Marcus, and Nails are there. Marcus informs him that he is an attorney assigned to Ms. Higgins and that they have special clearance. Detective Simmons is at first suspicious, but he eventually grants them leave. On the way out, Simmons gives Marcus his card and tells the group not to skip town for a few days, he might have to bring them in for questioning. The group returns to Marcus’s flat to collect their thoughts and sleep. Fortunately, the television confesses that no new crimes have taken place in Hyde Park last night. It does reveal that the park has been closed indefinitely. At the others request, Nails uses his necklace to call Strikes-with-Courage. Strikes arrives and is annoyed that the pack would waste time informing him of obvious events. He scolds the Uratha, stating that they need to act as wolves and remember the hunt. Even though the hospital is not officially their territory, as a pack, they need to assume responsibility for this locus. Nails is also upset, mostly that he let the others convince him to call upon Strikes in this instance. Later, Marcus calls his mob connection, Joey, hoping his underworld influences may shine more light on the situation. Joey is a bit perturbed, cursing Marcus for calling him so damn early. He does tell Marcus that one of his “boys” noticed a new crime scene in the park, located behind the old police station. It would seem that this murder is not being released to the press. Meanwhile, Nails remembers the phone found earlier at the Shelly’s crime scene and presents it to the group. Eric Sky examines the broken cell phone. Though not the most electronically adept, he agrees to attempt to reconstruct the device in hopes that it will give them a vital clue. The process will take some time so Nails and Marcus decide to investigate elsewhere. Nails manages to infiltrate the park and makes his way to the old police station. Tony was right, the area is roped off and crawling with cops. Since Nails has almost no chance of entering the area from the physical world, he searches the surrounding area to find a locus. Luck favors him, as the stump of an old oak tree 50 yards away yields the spiritual energy of a portal between physical and shadow. A considerable amount of time has passed, Nails decides to hold his efforts and return to the flat. At the same time, Marcus takes the subway to the northwest station, near the park. This rural route is out of the way, Marcus has a hunch that he might be able to find a suspicious character about. As soon as he exits the train, he encounters a bum, resting against one of the pillars. Marcus uses a gift to determine the man’s name, which reveals it to be Charlie. Marcus can sense that the man is not himself, probably possessed by some kind of spirit. Charlie is very drunk; he slurs at Marcus that he has witnessed the murders firsthand and is afraid, for the first time in his life. Before Marcus can ask him more, Charlie bids him farewell and murmurs that the train is coming. As a subway car races by, the bum surprisingly dives unto the track and is killed. Confused, Marcus rushes back to the flat to inform his fellow packmates of the events he has witnessed. Nails and Marcus return to the flat just as Eric is wrapping up his work. With fingers crossed he turns on the phone. The display screen briefly flashes the owner’s name: David Simmons. Moments later, Marcus receives a call from the detective, who also shares the name Simmons. He wants Marcus to come by the station to fill out some standard paperwork. Marcus agrees to meet him, receiving a glare from Nails. He and Nails briefly argue over the notion of following the cop’s orders. Eventually Marcus convinces Nails that there is little danger; perhaps he can get more information from the mysterious detective. Before Marcus can leave the flat, they receive an unexpected visitor. Strikes-with-Courage enters the domain and requests Nails’s presence. Outside the apartment, Strikes tells Nails that he has a possible lead, a pinpointed location in Hyde Park were the next murder might take place. He admits it is a long shot, but insists the pack should stake the territory out tonight. Nails agrees and thanks him for the information. Marcus makes his way to the police station to confront Simmons. Unfortunately Detective Simmons is out of the office, away on some emergency. Marcus is greeted, instead, by an attractive woman named Kay. Kay apologizes for Det. Simmons absence and reveals that she is also a detective, assigned to internal investigations. She speaks very highly of the man, and tells Marcus that since the Chief of Police is away Simmons is currently the acting chief. Marcus fills out a few forms and thanks her for the info; he even manages to casually ask her out. She smiles and says she’s seeing someone already. Marcus returns to his apartment and the pack begins to work out a plan for a stake-out of Hyde Park. Marcus purchases a high tech camera and some hands-free walkie-talkies for easy communication. He will take his gear to the roof of the police station, about a half a mile from the point of attack. From there, he should be able to document the crime and, if necessary, use the evidence against Simmons to put him away. Eric Sky decides to put his knowledge of the Shadow into use; he will remain at the reflection of the area where the alleged crime should occur. Nails will go for natural cover of the ground below, positioning himself about 20 yards away from the point of attack, under the cover of brush. The 3 Uratha stick to their plan and wait. About 2 and half hours later, the Pack sees a teenage couple approaching the area. The teenage girl matches the general description of the past victims. Marcus receives some outside chatter with his communications equipment. The message is from Det. Simmons; he commands that the police evacuate the immediate area, which just so happens to be the location of the teenage couple. Meanwhile, the boy is trying to initiate foreplay, and the girl is resisting. This game of affections continues until the boy’s patience is worn thin. He becomes violent, grabbing the girl fiercely and forcing her to the ground. Before the pack has a chance to act, the two completely disappear. Only Eric Sky can see the pair, leading him to believe the disappearing act as being spiritual in nature. Unexpectedly, a barrage of gunshots pierces into Nails’s flesh. The shooter is none other than Detective Simmons, who screams in the direction of the attack for David to get away. Eric helplessly watches from the spirit world as the boy rapes the girl and literally tears her body in two. Marcus attempts to use a gift to learn the nature of the attacker’s name. The spiritual gift reveals that the boy’s name is indeed David. To be precise it is David Simmons II, the detective’s son. Eric, fearing the need for help, calls to a wind spirit and sends for Rids-the-Pain. Combat ensues. Sky manages to break the invisibility of David Jr. and the girl by tainting the spiritual ground beneath them. The attacker is furious, and David Jr. starts to shift uncontrollably thorughout the various Uratha forms. Detective Simmons, noticing that Eric Sky and Nails are both werewolves, pleads that they spare his son. He pleads that he and his son are both kinfolk and that they are protected under the Oaths of the Moon. David Jr. is the one who has the blood of the wolf, and that blood must have been passed into the victims through sexual transmission. David is undergoing the first change and cannot control himself. Nails, who at this point is quite pissed off from being shot at several times, disarms Detective Simmons and puts him in a chokehold. Marcus gathers up all of his equipment and, hoping he can make it to the scene in time, starts hotwiring a nearby van. Rids-the-Pain descends from the sky and is ready for battle. He imbues his spirit inside of Eric Sky, granting the Uratha increased healing powers and an awesome sense of presence. A natural shield of essence has formed around young David, some other strange spiritual act that cannot be explained. Marcus starts up the van and races to the area. Eric Sky, imbued with the powers of Rids, does manage to shortly intimidate David Jr. This is an impressive feat, considering the bizarre powers and strength infused in the boy. Marcus has the pedal to the metal as he approaches within ramming distance of David Jr. Detective Simmons whispers a short prayer and, in the midst of his grapple, manages to press a detonator. Fate would have it that van Marcus stole was owned by Simmons. The crazed detective had a significant amount of C4 stashed in the back. The explosives ignite, completely destroying the vehicle. Marcus is unconscious and dying fast; he would have been dead if his armor had not held up. The massive explosion kills Detective Simmons and mortally wounds both Nails and Eric. David Jr. doesn’t have a scratch on him as his shield deters all the damage. Rids is pissed, leaving Eric’s body, and manifests into the physical world in his warrior form. He screams for Nails and Sky to save Marcus and themselves. The battle between Rids-the-Pain and David rages. Eventually, David gets the upper hand and lands an attack at Rid’s throat, tearing it out. Rids lies on the ground, his body is beginning to break apart, a side effect to spirits when they are beaten in the physical world. David blames his father’s suicide on the three attackers, his eyes begin to glow black with fury. As he raises his arms to the sky, a wall of fire flows forth and races towards the Healing Scars. Nails and Eric carry Marcus and attempt to flee the scene. The unnatural fire surrounds them and engulfs the group, scorching them alive. As they hang on the very edge of death, Rids miraculously summons forth the last of his strength. He attacks David, tearing his David’s physical shield in half and as well as his body. The fire ceases. Strikes has finally arrived and takes the group back to the Lodge of the Hunt. The Pack awakens weeks later to find themselves bloodied and bandaged, but in mostly good condition. Strikes calls for them when they are well enough. He greets them by thanking the Scars for their sacrifice. Strikes-with-Courage informs the Uratha that the spirit totem performed a sacrifice of his own. The entire pack needed immediate medical attention or they would die. Rids was too weak to heal them himself, and with a heavy heart told Strikes-with-Courage to break his ban, allowing the Pack to being healed through medical science. Rids-the-Pain’s defiance to his ban has come at a high cost; he has been captured by a strange spirit clan known as the Ethros. Strikes says that there is more bad news: the latest intelligence reveals the Pure are planning a massive attack towards all of London. The Healing Scars must to find a way to save their friend; they will need every warrior to fight the battle soon to come. And, to make matters even worse, a young werewolf with amazing powers has been sited in northern England. It would seem David Jr. is very much still alive.

David and David vs. the Pack

Well, session 2 brought my very short intro story to a close. I think it played out quite well, and it seems the rest of the group felt the same way. Our next story is a bit deeper than the first, both in length and character development. My Favorite Character Quotes of the Evening "If we don't solve this puzzle tonight, I'm looking up the name David Simmons in the god damn phone book." - Marcus (when the pack discovers that the detective and the son share the same name of the killer) "Hey, I've got a plan!" - Eric (the "thinker" of the group said at LEAST three times during the session) "Stop, motherfucker." -Nails (the greatest/coolest pun of all time, as he bashes his foes with his weapon, a stop sign) Next Session: Fri October 21st.

Session 1. Welcome to Hyde Park

Three young Uratha (Eric Sky, Marcus Blair, and Nails) are led to the Lodge of the Hunt in Westminster. There they meet Strikes-with-Courage, who informs them that they are to replace a pack lost in battle known as the Healing Scars. Eric and Marcus accept the elder’s proposal. Nails refuses, at first, but later joins the pack in Hyde Park. The pack’s first order of business is to scout out their new totem, Rids-the-Pain. They are greeted by the proud bear spirit. Rids agrees to be their ally as long as they abide by his ban. The pack must deny any form of non-spiritual healing. Seeking aid at a hospital or having a surgical procedure is out of the question. When searching their new territory, the Pack finds a raped, dead girl in the Kensington Gardens. They cannot sense anything special about the girl or the murder/rape through scent. Their investigation reveals that the corpse has been dead for hours and fingerprints and all forms of incriminating evidence have been covered up. The ghost of the girl, Shelly Wright, later appears to Eric Sky and confusedly rants on about how she was special and how there was much work for her to do. Nails manages to find a broken cell phone buried in the ground near the crime scene. After the ghostly experience, Eric Sky convinces the rest of the group to join him in looking for clues in the Shadow. Unfortunately, the nearest locus is Diana’s fountain, a considerable distance away. The pack reaches the fountain and enters the hissil. After a treacherous journey through the spirit wilds they find the spiritual reflection of the crime scene. The Shadow world in the immediate area contains a spirit of pain, emulating the dead girl’s corpse. Combat ensues. Moments before the spirit is destroyed, it chants out in the First Tongue. The spirit of pain and suffering conveys a message similar to what the Shelly’s ghost was also saying; she was somehow special. Strangely it admits that is can sense the scent of the wolf-blooded within her. Another rape victim is found the next day; luckily this woman has survived the attack and was taken to a nearby hospital. The victim’s name is Mary Higgins; she’s in a coma due to severe head trauma. Marcus uses his knowledge in the law to convince Mary’s parents that he should represent the victim, giving him and Eric access to her at the hospital. Nails remains in Hyde Park in an attempt to find clues at the new crime scene. He is later joined by Strikes-with-Courage. Strikes tells Nails that nearby hospital is crawling with Lunes, the spiritual children of Mother Luna. Nails decides to render aid to his fellow packmates. He steps sideways and begins a long and dangerous trek through the wilds to the hospital. At the hospital Marcus and Eric are granted complete access to Mary’s room, unmonitored for 15 minutes. Once inside, through spiritual investigation they find that the comatose girl has recently become a small locus of pain. Unexpectedly, this locus pulls them into the shadow. The pack’s totem, Rids-the-Pain, will not render aid there. The shadow realm in this location is truly a sick place, nearby spirits of death and suffering crawl through the walls, ready to kill. The pack is astonished to discover that the locus is gone, trapping them in the shadow realm. It seems hospital staff has moved the girl to another room. Nails makes it to the scene and joins the battle. After much fighting, signs are beginning to show that the spirits of death are not fading, but growing in power. The pack escapes from the room, desperately trying to find Mary. The coma patient, and thus the locus, has been moved to the 5th floor ICU. When the Pack finally finds her, the locus has been reactivated. Quite unexpectedly, the locus is guarded by an entire choir of Irralunim lunes. It is a rare moment, these spirits almost never gather in choirs, and never for a mere mortal. In unison the renowned spirits of cunning sing a sad tale of loss and a great urge to kindle the blood of the wolf inside this girl. The wolf-blooded nature has attracted them to this location; the girl must have had some deeper purpose within that only the wisest of Luna could truly understand. The spirits slowly fade away, as does the life force and soul of the girl that used to be Mary Higgins.

New Changes... More to Come

I hope you guys like the new pretty changes to our site. Do some "visual cartwheels" with your eyeballs! I have absolutely no idea what that really means. Just let me know what you guys think of the changes. I'd like to create a blood-strained background on the webpage title and description. My CSS programming is pretty crappy right now so I'm hitting the books (and the web) in an attempt to figure this bad boy out.