Session 5. The Last Two

The Ethros realm is under attack. Nails pulls Marcus over his shoulder as he carries him into the elevator. Eric and Tonya follow directly behind. Alarms sound as their elevator progresses higher and higher up the building. Finally, the elevator stops. By this time Marcus Blair is beginning to wake from the toxin’s effects. He is weary from the blade’s poison but will manage in time. The elevator doors open; the Healing Scars are on the floor 34,382, the same level they met with the Ethros council. The council members are all dead, and the room is in shambles. Something big came through here and left a hefty trail of destruction. It is very dark in the room; the glass windows are blocked by something. Upon closer examination they find that the darkness over the window is a massive swarm of locusts. Millions of the insects have wrapped themselves around the building. The creatures are slowly chewing at the frame of the skyscraper, hoping to find a weakness. Amongst the maze of broken circuits and wire one of the video conference equipment monitors is still functional. The face of councilman Eternal Balance appears on the screen. He demands to know Killer-of-Lies’s location. Marcus regrettably informs the Ethros spirit that Killer-of-Lies has been destroyed by the pack’s hands. Balance smirks and informs the Uratha that things work much differently here in the Ethros realm; spirits do not die from “mortal death.” Killer-of-Lies is merely incorporeal and will not take form until reunited with the realm’s essence. Balance further explains that within the building is a Hub, the heart of the Ethros realm. It contains enough essence to fuel the entire realm and will easily give Killer form once more. Magaloth must not encounter Killer-of-Lies. If Killer joins with him, very bad things will happen. Killer is a “spiritual cousin” and his power will only increase Magaloth’s. Above all, Magaloth cannot enter the Hub. If he does so, he could take out the entire realm. Before Eternal Balance can unravel more details the power is shut down. His monitor flickers off and the lights are replaced by total darkness. During the commotion and loss of power, no one realized that the attackers were still in the room. Three rather large and nasty black dragons lie mounted to the ceiling ready to strike. Each dragon falls down and grapples its intended target, only Eric Sky manages to dodge the beasts. He pushes Tonya to the side and clicks off the safety of his Uzi. A hideous sound travels through the air and stings Sky’s ears. One of the beasts is shrieking at the Uratha in a deafeningly tone. It wants to know where the book is. Sky quickly answers the dragon’s question with a long burst of 9mm rounds from his weapon. Even in the darkness he manages to find the target, his other Urathan senses make up for his lack of vision. Bullets rip flesh; the dark reptile is bleeding profusely. Tonya retreats to the corner of the room and is safe for the time being. Nails takes a beating but eventually manages to overpower his opponent dragon. He finishes off the aggressor with a well-placed back-breaker. Meanwhile Marcus, still woozy from the effects of the toxin, has some trouble defending himself. The third dragon wraps its forked tongue around the Alpha, tightening its grasp in a vicious choke-hold. Marcus cannot breath, and instinctively decides to give into his rage. The Iron Master shifts into his warrior form. Muscles bulge as he turns into Gauru. The dragon’s tongue swells with Blair’s change, eventually snapping as Marcus flexes his neck. Blood spews forth from the confused creature’s mouth. Gauru Marcus tears into the dragon with tooth and claw. The battle is over as quickly as it had started. In an uncontrollable rage, Marcus devours the beast’s flesh, a quick fix from the malnutrition imposed during the trials of Seven. Nails and Eric also have they fill of the other two beasts. The rage slowly subsides and Blair returns to human form, covered in flesh and blood. Marcus is appalled that he just ate raw meat and does his best to clean up. “Nails” DeWinter grins and licks his bloody lips; obviously he felt quite different about his meal. Eric Sky’s first thought after battle is to check on Tonya’s status. He finds her on the floor, shaking and shivering. Rain tells Eric that something is attacking her spirit, and she cannot fight it off any longer. Her eyes turn white and she shakes violently. The tremors within her eventually fade. She quickly regains her footing and looks at the Sky with a menacing stare. Eric Sky grits his teeth, he can smell Killer’s stink inside the girl. The Ethros spirit, inside Tonya, tells the Healing Scars that he has temporarily possessed the girl. Tonya will serve as a vessel until he can regain his essence. Sky doesn’t like the situation one bit, but Eternal Balance said to protect the whelp so there is little he can do for the moment. The Ethros looks down the girl’s shirt, smirks, and confesses that the girl does have a nice rack. It would be a pity for him to kill her. Eric Sky’s fury boils. The Uratha Bone Shadow carefully buries his hatred for the time being, warning the spirit that he will exact revenge if harm should befall the girl. Killer will become whole once they reach the Hub, which is only five stories above. Unfortunately, the elevator will no longer be an option for traveling. After opening the elevator doors the shaft reveals a pillar of unnatural fire, a new defense of the building in light of the attacks. The Healing Scars quickly close the doors and escape the approaching flames. Nails pulls out the RPG and points it to the ceiling as everyone else scrambles for cover. Two blasts later the five stories have been breached. The group climbs each level and enters the Hub, the brain of the entire building. Killer-of-Lies wastes no time and goes to the control console to open the gates. After several attempts he curses in the ancient tongue. With the power cut, the console will not function properly. They need to restore the main grid to obtain access to this room. Killer-of-Lies sighs and informs the Scars that the power grid is on a sublevel within the basement. Nails only has three RPG rounds left, hardly enough to blast through the structure of the building to that destination. The Healing Scars continue to discuss how to travel thousands of floors without the elevator or any stairs available. Killer, overhearing this, corrects them and explains that the Ethros floor number system is different than mortals. Humans number their buildings off of the first floor above ground, while Ethros number their building off of the first basement floor and work their way up. There are exactly 34,000 basement levels so the “first floor” of the building is really labeled 34,001. If they are on Ethros floor 34,382 then, by simply math, the group is really only 381 stories in the air, much lower than they had originally thought. Breaking the glass and climbing down would be possible, if not for the millions of locusts that would devour them and gain access to the building. They formulate a plan: why not use the building’s defenses to their advantage? If they break the glass, all the locusts will undoubtedly enter through at that point. Perhaps they could simultaneously open the elevator door and use the fire to kill the swarm. Nails stands by the elevator and waits for Marcus to break the glass. Blair draws his Katana and strikes the window. Locusts pour through the opening. Nails pulls the door open, releasing a pillar of flame in the insect’s general direction. It is working, the bugs are not smart enough to learn from their mistakes, more and more enter to meet their demise. After a long while the bulk of the locusts are destroyed. Nails pulls the large doors to a close and the fire ceases. With the majority of the locusts gone, the hole in the window allows the Healing Scars to climb to the surface below. Marcus offers himself as a host to Killer instead of Tonya, but Killer-of-Lies refuses. From the side of the building, the pack notices an army of undead soldiers mounted around the building hundreds of feet away. The hordes are quite comparable to that of Nail’s vision from the book. He scans the thousands looking for the one known as Magaloth. No such figure emerges from his field of vision. The army is not attacking; they must be waiting for a signal from Magaloth before advancing. After the climb to ground below, they enter the front doors of the building. Killer tells them that sublevel can be entered through a trap door on the first floor. Inside the group meets the secretary again sitting at her desk. She laughs and admits that she was the one who betrayed the Ethros realm by revealing its location to Magaloth. Her false image fades away as she shifts into a spider host. She is an Azlu, one of the fiercest fiends of the Uratha. The spider hosts are shards of an ancient greater spirit that once battled Father Wolf. Marcus quickly draws his duel Uzis and prepares to fire. The Azlu returns a cold stare that turns the Alpha to stone. Completely immobilized, there is little Marcus can do but try his best to break free. Nails engages the creature, striking it squarely with the butt of his RPG. Eric Sky protects Tony/Rain/Killer-of-Lies while the Blood Talon continues to battle. DeWinter leaps high in the air above the creature and fires his weapon at the spider. The RPG round buries into its abdomen and explodes. The Uratha returns to the ground just in time to smash its severed head with his feet, which happened to be the only recognizable part of the spider remaining. Upon the Azlu’s destruction, Marcus Blair is returned to normal. There’s no time to waste, the Scars descend the trap door and begin climbing. Eventually they descend for several hours until the walls are not longer scalable. With little light they cannot see to the bottom. Everyone releases their grasp and falls down into darkness. They all land on solid ground, finding themselves in the middle of a war zone. The Healing Scars have reached the power grid sublevel. A dwindled group of Ethros lead by one individual is fighting off a faction of approaching zombies and various other nasty creatures. They leader, named Dirge, is barking commands as he wields a mini gun as if it were a mere pistol. Dirge quickly explains that the enemy took over the power control station and the Ethros have spent the last few hours trying to gain it back. Eric Sky searches the countless corpses and finds a few grenades. Dirge agrees to draw the aggressor’s fire as the Scars make a suicide rush on the power control console at the other side of the room. Dirge warns them not to let any of the “fuckers” touch them; the beasts can infect anybody by physical contract. The Scars take heed and begin their assault. Dirge and his followers concentrate their cover fire on the brunt of the attackers. Sky also uses the grenades to blast back several opponents, but the fiends are beginning to surround the Healing Scars. Dirge tells the Uratha to keep going as he rushes on the countless zombies. He pulls several grenade pins attached to his hip as the creatures steadily come within range. Several grenade balsts erupt into a fireball that destroys most of the opposition, including Dirge. The Scars don’t have time to dwell on his sacrifice; they quickly rush on the control panel and start mashing buttons. Seconds later, the building begins to power up. The powered defense systems spring forth to life, as several automated rail guns detach from the ceiling and take care of the rest of the intruders. With power restored the Healing Scars will be able to gain access to the Hub. An elevator located next to the power terminal will easily take them to the appropriate level. They all enter the elevator and the doors close. It races upward, much faster than the other they had previously ridden, and drops them off at floor 34,387 in just a few seconds. Killer and the Scars input the correct code and enter the central room of the Hub. A giant sun-like sphere of essence spins at the core. It is flowing with thousands of points of essence! Killer is immediately made whole again, and Tonya gains control of her body. In presence of Hub sphere, the werewolves have also regained their connection to their essence. An enormous explosion rocks the building. One side of the skyscraper is reduced to ruble to reveal a dark figure mounted on a black dragon. His armor is laced with various wardings of the First Tongue. Though humanoid, his appearance bares strange features; one might say that there is savage animalism to it. A thick scar runs down the middle of his face. Nails immediately recognizes him from the book. It is Magaloth, and he wants Killer-of-Lies. The newly formed Killer-of-Lies cowers in the corner of the Hub in fear. Magaloth is taken back when his eyes fall upon the mage called Rain. With cold words he declares that she should have been killed by his servant Reckless-Hate. Tonya appears to know him as well; her skin begins to turn silver as she initiates a spell. She whispers a few words and it begins to rain. The Ethros sphere dims with her magic, as if she is harnessing the entire power of the realm itself. The silver mage tells the Healing Scars to stand close to her. A layer of protection forms around the caster, Killer-of-Lies, and the Scars. The sky continues to rain. Magaloth laughs and sneers, telling her that it will take more than water to sway him. The rainfall is steady now. The drops grow more frequent and powerful with each passing second. Over time the raindrops have turned into needles, long and sharp blades that piece and puncture everything in their decent to the ground. Magaloth’s body is literally torn apart, and his surrounding army is also washed away by the deadly downpour. Magaloth and his invading forces have been banished from the Ethros realm. From behind the sphere the Ethros councilman Eternal Balance makes his presence known. He thanks the Healing Scars and decrees that the final two trials of the Seven are complete. With the sixth trial they saved the entire realm from total destruction. The final act of the Seven involved them returning Killer-of-Lies to form. Through this action a balance was created, an answer to the imbalance that began with Killer's death at the pack's hands. He proclaims that the Ethros are the only spirits who believe in balance, the idea that harmony can and must exist between all things opposing. The rest of the spirit world follows a “kill or be killed” philosophy and cares little about such things. The Ethros attempt to enforce their moral code throughout the shadow, but the small troupe can only do some much. He understands their resentment towards Killer, but balance holds a blind eye in its resolve. The lesson learned here bears great importance; this example of balance amoung the Ethros spirits might give Marcus Blair the insight needed to save their totem spirit.

Experience Points

I've always hated the concept of dealing out experience, especially with the World of Darkness system. The fix I provide below is by no means "perfect," but with our game I desperately need a more accurate way to gauge one's progress. This is a draft that will be used for session 6. By the way, the session 5 summary is 90% complete and should be posted tomorrow. The mini-blogs are also 90% complete. I shall contact the players to iron out the details of posting and all that jazz. Hopefully everyone's excited about this stuff; again these journals will be optional. But posting in the eyes and ears of your Uratha character will definitely earn you EXP points in the future. Behold the new system for handing out experience in the Healing Scars sessions. It mostly follows White Wolf's current formula, with a few twists. With these new mechanics it is possible to lose points if a character follows ego and tries to gain experience points for non-herioc deeds (See Heroism). Also added is MVP points that reward the deeds of one particular packmate. The learning curve system has new flavor by associating the deed proposed with a certain skill or attribute. That way, if a character wants to spend EXP points to raise a stat, I might require that they have a learning curve associated to that stat through roleplaying first, even if they have the number of EXP points required to raise it. Experience Points System 1) Breathing. That's right; you get ONE experience point for just being in the session. [+1 EXP, Automatic for every Character] 2) Learning curve. Each player can attempt to explain "what they learned this session" towards a particular attribute or skill. If they represent this claim well they receive ONE experience point. Also, I will be tracking learning curves for each player and might deny someone boosting their stats if they haven't grown enough in that particular area. [+1 EXP, for Characters Proving Learning Curve] [0 EXP, if Character Fails to Prove Learning Curve] 3) Exceptional Success. This is very simple, if the character performs at least one action that yields an exceptional success, they received ONE experience point. Dramatic failure has nothing to do with this system, failing one of those rolls is dangerous enough as it is. [+1 EXP, if Character has at least One Exceptional Success] [0 EXP, if Chracter has No Exceptional Successes] 3) The Incredible "Fuckup" Point. The character gets ONE EXP point for fixing/surviving some tremedously stupid action. This is storyteller's discrection. [+1 EXP, If Character Overcomes the Feat] [0 EXP, if Character does not Overcome any Feat] 4) True to Form. Sticking "true to form" deserves experience, simply because people fine-tune that which is steadily practiced. This ONE EXP allows characters EXP even if they "suck" for an evening, but still grow from their actions as a character. [+1 EXP, If Character Holds True to Form] [0 EXP, if Character Does Not Stay True to Form] 5) Heroism. Performing heroic deeds is not all that stands to being a hero. To receive TWO experience points for heroism the character must recall a situation they handled in regards to one of their primary Renown skills. This must be something extraordinary, something a normal Uratha would not have done in their place. Characters should be very careful when considering their deeds heroic; they should always listen to their heart and not their ego. Hero points are graded harshly and if not represented one can loose ONE experience point instead of gaining it. If a character doesn't want gamble on heroism points, they can deny the attempt all together. [+2 EXP, If Character Attempts and Proves Heroism] [-1 EXP, if Character Attempts and Fails to Prove Heroism] [+0 EXP, if Character Denies Attempt to Prove Heriosm] 6) MVP Award. Each player secretly votes who they feel contributed most to the success of the session. I, the storyteller, will also cast a vote. The winner of the vote gets THREE experience points. Note: In the event of a tie, no points are awarded. [+3 EXP, if Character Wins MVP Vote] [+0 EXP, in the Event of a Tie for MVP Vote] Thanks to Ben for the updates and changes to the system. With it currently in place it is possible to recieve anywhere from zero to ten EXP points. On average, I expect the characters to recieve between 5-7.

"Alex Loves His Dog"

The following is a post I meant to put on the site a while ago, but due to technical constraints (my computer got sick), I did not. Last session Alex had a small encounter with the rat/dog of his named Pumpkin. I was fortunate enough to witness the entire ordeal, and capture the major events on camera for your viewing pleasure. Disclaimer: This post is not for the faint of heart. It displays the raw emotion that exists between master and servant: the unspoken bonds of love, trust, and companionship. Watch at your own risk! You have been warned! Side note to animal lovers: Pumpkin wasn't harmed or anything like that. Like the Grinch at the end of that movie, Alex's heart grew a couple of sizes and he let her back inside.

Change of Address

Since the new term "gauru" is confused with its older "garou" counterpart, I took a bold step and changed our url (web address) of the Healing Scars blog. The address http://gauru.blogspot.com/ will no longer link you to the site. I used the words "Healing Scars" because the blog centers of the adventures of said Urathan pack. You can now enter our lovely site by entering the following into your browser: http://healingscars.blogspot.com/ The truth of the matter is that, if you're reading this, you should already know about the change. I sent out a mass email to the bulk of the blog users informing them of the new address. You guys (you know who you are) can forward this info to anyone left out of the digital loop. Besides writing session summary 5 and the upcoming stories, I'm also working on "miniblogs" for your individual characters. My goal is for these blogs to serve as an outlet for players to spew information from each packmate's point of view. They can be diaries, journals, whatever. I leave the proverbial “ball” in your court. This is, of course, not mandatory. But I've been thinking about awarding exp. points based off of added content. The miniblog template designs are going well and I expect to wrap them up sometime next week. More updates on that to follow. Dreaming Eye. I really need everybody’s help in testing out this rpg. I was thinking of running it on a Sunday, perhaps on a weekend that we don't roleplay Werewolf. Any ideas?

Session 4. Five of the Seven

The realm of the Ethros contains a towering skyscraper looming over the dull green horizon. The building is so vast that the Healing Scars cannot gauge its height; countless floors are lost in the clouds above. After a bit of debate they decide to enter the building. The Uratha pass through a set of revolving doors that lead to a lobby. An attractive young woman greets the Scars. She phones a spirit known as Killer-of-Lies and asks them to have a seat and wait. Elevator music softly plays in the background. The whole place reeks of "corporate America." Some time later Killer-of-Lies tactfully greets the pack. He is rather tall and dressed in very expensive business attire, perhaps Italian. Marcus attempts to explain their situation. After a brief exchange of dialogue the Ethros spirit is rather taken back at the mentioning of Rids-the-Pain. He requests that the Scars follow him immediately. With some reluctance, the Uratha follow him into an elevator and descend several levels. The elevator opens and the Scars enter the confines of a small library. Unexpectedly Killer-of-Lies quickly steps back into the elevator and closes the door. The elevator melds into the wall and disappears, leaving the Scars trapped. Eric Sky strongly feels something spiritual is out of place. He later comes to the realization that a gauntlet has been drawn between the werewolves and their essence. Their Uratha powers have been blocked somehow. After some investigation, they discover that the walls cannot be broken down; they are reinforced by thick steel. After some searching Marcus finds a first aid kit in the office. Sky researches various texts in the library and finds two unusual books bound by mystical powers. One of these books contains an accurate history of his life, exactly up to this moment. The last page even reads that he is holding this book. It would appear that the book is being written by itself; pages are added with every one of Eric's actions. The other book is similar in nature except that it is written for the girl named Tonya. Unlike Sky's, her book ends with the scene at the train; there are many blank pages after this point in the book. When searching the confines of the library the Healing Scars find that one room is completely locked out; a four digit code is required to open the door. Eric dusts the control pad revealing the last numbers entered were one, nine, and zero. After entering many different variations, one set of numbers opens the door: 1-9-9-0. Eric recalls that 1990 was the year they saved Tonya from the train by defeating Reckless-Hate. Somehow this must be all connected. The locked door was hiding a small room filled with even more books. Marcus Blair and Eric Sky notice the bloody pentagon inked in the center of the circular room, a clear indication of evil at work. A spiritual boundary separates them from the texts; anyone attempting to touch a book cannot maintain a hold and is fiercely burned. Eric Sky cannot make out the language on any of the books and suggests that it might be older than the First Tongue. Outside Nails experiences an unseen force pulling him into the newly opened room. As he enters a large book suspiciously "falls" from the shelves and hits the floor. Against Marcus and Eric's advice Nails picks up the book; it does not burn him. The words look like a variant of Chinese. Some of the words begin to form in Nails's mind. It is titled Resurrection. Somehow he can read small sections of the book. The word "Ethros" surfaces several times followed by one name: "Magaloth." He will have to search the contents of the book later, as it will take some time to truly understand the nature of this text. Killer-of-Lies appears inside the room as a holographic projection and tells them that the council has agreed to hear them. He regrets having them contained in this fashion. They agree to follow and ride the corporate elevator to floor 34,382. During the trip, Killer is curious why Uratha would want to defend such a spirit. Once on floor 34,382 they enter a board room filled with a dozen or so chairmen of the Ethros council. Their leader, Eternal Balance, is on assignment and is linked to the room via video conference. Actually, about half the seats in the room are rigged in the same way. A great deal of arguing occurs. The Ethros bicker about how they can't afford to let certain events repeat themselves. Marcus acts as leader and makes a plea to the council to defend Rids-the-Pain in trial. Eternal balance asks everyone to leave the room, save the Healing Scars Alpha. Eternal Balance is quite impressed with the Marcus's tact and grants him his request. In this private meeting he decrees he and his packmates will have to pass the Seven. The Seven is a test of sorts that allows the accused in question legal representation in trial. Due to Rid's sketchy past, his option to take the Seven was denied. Eternal Balance will let the Scars bear this burden in place of Rids. Eternal Balance makes a snide comment on how Killer-of-Lies is young and that the Ethros council are normally more swift and assertive. Marcus thanks him for his generosity. Killer-of-Lies escorts the pack back to the elevator. It appears the "rookie" has been scolded a bit by Eternal Balance. Marcus renders Killer speechless as he jokes about the young spirit being "just a rookie." Infuriated, Killer leads them back to the library and tells them the Seven will begin tomorrow. The pack undergoes a vision that night. Through this vision Helo "Shadow Wind" manages to break through the shadow realms and commune with the Healing Scars. He warns them about the Ethros and their mind games. The Ethros clan often uses riddles to confuse their prey during their capture. Helo also mentions that some things cannot be taken at face value, the laws and physics of shadow realms vary from the physical world. He answers as many questions as he can before his powers begin to fade and their connection is lost. THE SEVEN. ONE. Killer-of-Lies greets them the next morning with a simple message: they have exactly 7 hours to escape from the library. After uttering these words he disappears back into the elevator. The first of the Seven has begun, and time is not on the Healing Scar's side. Their weapons are gone, undoubtedly taken during the night. The pack tries various things such as breaking the walls and looking for an escape route, but all these things reiterate that the library is unbreakable. Nails seems much more interested in his book than the first trial of the Seven and instead continues searching for more answers in its pages. After pouring over the text, he is consumed by a vision. He finds himself inside the Ethros realm in a different time. The skyscraper has been replaced by a castle. An unholy army of thousands marches to destroy the realm. The horde is lead by a figure in black, Magaloth, riding a winged serpent. Nails smirks at the thought of the conquest. This Magaloth character knows how to throw a party. The Ethros do their best to defend the realm from Magaloth's army. Countless Ethros perish. After the long and gruesome battle, the walls of the castle are breeched. The Ethros realm has been overun. The vision ceases. Meanwhile, Marcus and Eric both agree that there must be a way to escape the room without actually leaving it. In his frustration, Marcus finally gives up. He decides that he might as well pass time by reading something as well. In his recent search, he found a copy of Twain's "Tom Sawyer." In the midst of reading, he accidentally solves the first puzzle. By reading the book, he has mentally escaped the room and himself for that matter, by fictionalizing with the story's characters. The answer to the riddle hit him and, with the 7 hours nearly up, tells Eric to grab a book from the fiction section and read it as well. Since Nails has been reading the Resurrection book he also has passed the first trial. When the 7 hours have passed, Killer applauds their efforts and tells them to rest; the next trail will begin tomorrow. TWO. They awaken and find that they have a new prisoner. The young woman is bound with metal chains. Killer-of-Lies enters and tells the group that one of them is a traitor and must be subdued. Killer gives them a large rope and tells the Scars that this traitor must be tied in 7 hours, when he returns. After he leaves, the Scars untie the girl, who tells them her name is Rain. Rain is a mage, and when she learns that they are werewolves she is quite disturbed. She tells them that her powers in this realm have also been sealed by some barrier. Rain has no idea where she really is; immediately after exorcizing a spirit from a small child she was brought to this place. Nails wants to tie the girl with the rope and end this test. They argue for a while which leads to a dead end. Through some analysis of the riddle the pack deduces several clues: the traitor may not be the girl and to solve the puzzle the traitor doesn't need to be found. With this information Eric Sky formulates a different plan. After judging the size of the rope, he concludes that everyone could be tied together. With everyone in the rope, they will pass the test. When the 7 hours are over, Killer-of-Lies returns to find the group bound together. The Scars, and prisoner, pass the test. Killer sneers and tells them not to get carried away, as the harder tests have yet to come. He also mentions that while they passed the test, they still do not know who the traitor really is. THREE. Killer-of-Lies returns the next morning. The spirit informs them of their next test. In 15 minutes, a manticore will be released inside the library. They all have to survive the fiend's attacks for 700 seconds. The Healing Scars quickly formulate a plan of attack. Nails breaks off a leg to a table for a make-shift club and holds his ground in the main lobby. Marcus Blair goes to the office and grabs the first aid kit. Rain's protection is left up to Eric Sky. He takes the girl into the fiction room and finds a suitable place to hide. They wait. The 15 minutes pass. Unexpectly, Rain enters convulsions. She begins to twist and change. Sky immediately retreats the scene and shouts at his packmates. It would seem that Rain is the manticore. He tells Nails not to kill it, as everyone in the room, Rain included, must survive to pass this test. The transformation has taken place, the visage of Rain has been replaced by a hideous beast. This "mythical" animal is massive, at least 15 feet tall. The manticore closely resembles a winged lion with a scorpion's tail. It breathes fire and its tail is laced with poison. Eric Sky, as usual, has a plan. He makes his way to the restroom and finds a fire extinguisher. He also breaks a mirror and makes a dagger out of the glass. Marcus rummages through the office. Using his crafts to the limit, he creates a make-shift sword out of random supplies in the room. He quickly fumbles through the medicine cabinet in the office. He also has a plan. Taking various drugs, he attempts to make a sleeping agent. He dips the blade of his weapon into the chemicals. With some luck, perhaps his creation will bring the beast down. Using its towering wings, the beast soars to the top of the ceiling and rests on an archway. With foul breath it rains down a stream of fire in Nails direction. He dodges the blast in the knick of time and leaps into the air towards his attacker. As the two battle the scorpion's tail penetrates Nails's body. The poison digs deep but cannot take hold; Nails's iron-will amazingly nulifies the toxin. He vicously clubs the beast over the head causing it to fall back and crash onto the floor below. With blade in hand, Marcus rushes the manticore and stabs its side. Eric also enters the room and helps the others keep the beast at bay. Marcus's concoction works well, the substance eventually knocks the animal out. After the 700 seconds pass, the manticore changes back to Rain again. She is beaten and bloody, but the sword wound is not fatal. Killer-of-Lies applauds their efforts and whisks the girl away. He tells the Scars that they need not worry about her any longer. Eric screams as Rain is taken away. FOUR. The next day Killer-of-Lies meets them once again. The spirit tells them that this next test is very simple, but often proves hardest of all to accomplish. Each member must confess a secret. This secret must be severe enough to question each other's loyalty. Killer informs them that the Ethros know the Scars better than they know themselves and will be able to tell if they are lying. After a great deal of reflection, each member confesses a secret. Eric Sky admits that he has a twin brother who looks exactly like him. He tells them that Sam represents everything he doesn't want to become and that he's afraid that he can't escape his brother's mistakes. Nails tells them that he used to be a Predator King, one of the Pure tribes. The Pure are the worst of the Forsaken's enemies. Nails tells them that is all they need to know about his dark ties. Marcus confesses that he has doubts that he should be a trusted member of the Scars, let alone their Alpha. He admits that he doesn't know his past and many recent visions have led him to believe that he is in league with a corporation called Pentex. With this information revealed Killer-of-Lies returns and reveals a secret of his own: the girl named Rain is really Tonya. Eric is quite angry and demands he return her. Killer-of-Lies tells him he'll do so when he's "finished" with her. FIVE. The next day Rain is brought back to library as Killer had promised. She has been tortured and is barely alive. The spirit informs them that he'll be gone for a while; they will have to make due with what they have. Lights fade as the power is shut down. The room becomes very cold. Rain/Tonya has been nearly beaten to death. When Tonya finally regains consiousness she tells the pack that this test can only be beaten if someone dies. Killer-of-Lies plans to wait until someone starves to death in this prison. Nails uses his survival skills and plots out a plan at making the best of their resources. The vending machines have a few snacks left in them. The water fountain is turned off, but there is a small amount of water in the reservoir. Rain pleads with Eric to let her go; that she has to sacrifice herself. When Eric is not looking, she grabs a shard of glass. Eric quickly wrestles it away from her. There must be a better way. Each member of the Healing Scars silently formulates a plan. It is as if they can read each others minds, the sign of a true pack in action. Without saying a word the three Uratha put their plan into action. Nails grabs Tonya and begins to choke her. He wants to put an end to this nonsense. Eric quickly intervenes and he and Nails trade blows. Nails tosses Eric, slamming him against the wall. In a blind fury Marcus charges Nails with his sword drawn. The two Uratha connect. Nails intercepts the blade and turns it against the Alpha. The blade, still covered in toxin, pierces Marcus's flesh. He lets out a howl of pain, collapsing on the library floor. Eric recovers and rushes to his ally. Marcus has perished, or so it would seem. Nails tosses the blade to the ground and demands for the next trial; he has met the challenge at hand. An elevator appears from the wall and their captor, Killer-of-Lies, emerges. He slinks towards Nails and congratulates his bold manuver. As soon as Killer is in attacking range, both Eric and Nails grapple their target. With hands trembling in fury Sky snaps Killer-of-Lie's neck. The spirit is dead and the 5th trial has been passed: someone has been killed. Nails and Sky check on Marcus's condition. The wound does not look serious, and the toxin from the blade has put him in a deep sleep. Killer-of-Lies has also made another critical error; the elevator door is still open. Without a moment to loose, Nails and Eric each carry Marcus and Tonya and enter the elevator. The doors automatically close, and they begin to rise. The entire building begins to shake. Alarms sound and red lights flash as an emergency compartment in the elevator opens, revealing a stash of automatic weapons. An emergency message is broadcast throughout the building. It is in First Tongue. One word in the message catches Nail's attention. It is a word he read in the resurrection book, the dark word "Magaloth." The message reveals that his forces are attacking the realm. With guns drawn the Healing Scars prepare for battle.

Some Eye Candy

Here are a few pictures I've been working on. This should help to pass the time as I tediously write the session summary. It's OBVIOUS I was going for a "Sin City" feel for 'em. They turned out much better than expected. My photoshop skills are really only so-so, so anytime I make something decent it makes me happy. By the way, they all make very nice wallpapers on the desktop. Just click on the pictures to view them as large pics. Let me know what you think of them.

Nicholas "Nails" DeWinter

Eithan asked for a summation of Nails' philosophy, so here it is... Nails' simplistic background betrays the complexity of his emotional state -- he is at once an avatar of destruction, who thirsts for nothing more than absolute war, and a man, who processes every thought by its relevance to the constructiveness of his affiliation with the Destroyer Wolf. Other than his pack, few know any historical details about Nails. One little-known fact is that he was once a Predator King of the Pure Tribes. Why he left is uncertain; in truth, he feels very little about this save he does not want it discussed. He understands that this may cause problems later on, but status and rank among his peers is not important to him at all. The rest of Nails' background, whether due to the influence of some external force or just his own lack of attention, is unclear to him. It's not in Nails' nature to dwell or brood on the past -- rather, he puts all thought and effort into the present. He focuses on his function within the pack, and his first thoughts in any situation are most likely to be on how "problems" can come to immediate resolve, without regards to ramifications or morality. Both future and past are irrelevant. Nails' has a profound connection with the Destroyer Wolf. No one is certain why this is, or the history behind it, but Nails makes it clear that destruction in its purest form is at the core of his being. He recognizes that he still needs to work on the distinction between constructive entropy (if there is such a thing) and evil, none of which comes from any emotional response. The only emotion Nails values is Rage; everything else just gets in the way. Nails could be considered a blend of Marv from Sin City, Porter from Payback, and the Incredible Hulk -- he began as a tribute to these sort of characters but is still evolving into his own identity. In response to the post "What I Think Your Characters are Thinking", I have to say I got a good idea of how Nails is perceived. Nails does feel -- he just quickly pushes feelings aside. Though he is not at all smart, Nails is coldly logical at times (whatever "logical" means to him). Nails grants Simmons (whom he refers to as "Junior") his respect as a powerful opponent, and sees him as a constant reminder of his need to grow. Eithan's observation that it's unclear as to who the "bad guy" is illustrates Nails' need for identity in this regard. A sense of right and wrong conflicts with Nails' philosophy that he is merely a vessel for Destroyer Wolf without true name or any purpose but Destroyer's. Nails' is not decidedly "good" or "evil", but merely an extension of the Destroyer, whatever He may desire. Though subconsciously and consciously he does consider himself to be physically superior to his packmates, he leaves the thinking and talking to them to promote the unity of the pack. And what he thinks of Eric and Marcus he keeps to himself.

The Life Tap Fetish

Fetish Life Tap Spirit Atman & Brahman, Life Jagglings User Eric Sky Type Support (Tattoos/Hands) Damage *1 Health/Round -Abilities- Drain/Heal: User activates Life Tap, spending 1 essence. The tattoos glow lightly, and are warm to the touch. The user then attempts to make contact with a living being, be it physical or spiritual, then rolls Intelligence + Occult vs. the target's Stamina + Composure. *For a success, the user and target's health can be transferred to one another, at a rate of 1 health level per round of combat, or for every six seconds. For an exceptional success, the user can transfer additional health and possibly essence at GM's discretion. If the user fails, the fetish deactivates and the user loses 1 health. In certain circumstances, primarily combat, the user must succeed in a grapple against an unwilling target. Provided that the grapple is successful, the health transfer will begin at the beginning of the next round. Note: The user loses his defense for every round the fetish is used- it is assumed that focus is needed for the desired effect, thus the user foregoes his self-preservation. Only the tattoo with the desired effect need be in contact with the target, i.e. the tattoo that drains health (Atman/Right Hand/Circle of Binding) can still drain, without the effects of the tattoo that bestows health (Brahman/Left Hand/Circle of Banishing). Health can be taken or given from a third party, provided that both targets are willing and/or grappled. Drawbacks Aside from the possible damage and vulnerability the user undergoes during usage, there is no negative effect. If the user decides to kill a neutral/unhostile target through the use of this fetish, it will require a harmony roll, and a possible harmony deduction.

Ben's Summary of Session 4

Ok, since I have a feeling it's going to take a bit for the real summary and our pictures to be posted, I've decided to put this temp summary up for our amusement. Eithan, feel free to take any of, or delete this post if you feel the need. It's simply for happy. -There's a really big building. Enter Asshole. Marcus is all like, "Hey, give us that spirit guy back." Random guy is all, "Well, maybe. That new guy sucks." Asshole is all, "Seven trials. I'll be back later." First trial, Eric tells Marcus to play with a door, then to go play pretend. Nails leaves. Marcus plays with Tom Sawyer. Eric forgets to execute his own plan until Marcus gives hits him with Da Vinci. Second trial. Uh, something. I'm sure it involved rope. A girl is there! Third. The beast. Eric and Marcus prove useless, until the end of combat. Again. Fourth. Sharing is caring. Fifth. It's Tonya. She's all, "I gotta go." Eric's like, "Nope." Marcus is all, "Lets think about this." Nails is like, "I wish everyone would shut the fuck up." The greatest execution of unspoken planning unfolds, the pack argues, Eric insults Nails, Nails hits a girl, Marcus attacks Nails, Nails stabs Marcus, Marcus passes out, Eric plays a drama queen. Then, Nails punches Asshole, and Eric snaps his neck. Cue alarm. Nails gets to carry Marcus, and then he gets an RPG. Eric carries Tonya, and gives her some uzzis. Everyone is about to get stomped. Some quotes I remember: "Everyone speaks Latin in the World of Darkness." "I'd like to make a roll to read the Manticore's body language." "Don't fuck this up." Or, if you'd prefer: "Fuck you."