CAST OF PLAYERS:

Debora Silkotch…………..Casey Gavin…………………………..…Human Psionic

Jeremy Whitener………….Korin Alabaster…………………………Were-Mongoose
Aron Head………………….Story/Setting/Everything Else…….Game Master

*********************************************

“There’s dark magic eating away at you,” Casey said urgently to Korin. “It will consume you if we can’t break its hold. Heal yourself now. Put all your power into it. I’ll help you.”

The Mongoose stared blankly at her for a long moment, then slowly nodded. Closing his eyes, he attempted to block out the sounds of battle and the smells of decay and death, focusing on his own familiar healing powers.

Attuned to his efforts, Casey felt him dig, deep down into his center, that core of strength that got him through his early changes, that had kept him sane in the Goblin King’s dungeons. He plumbed those depths of his core knowing that they were depleted, empty.

Not a drop left in the well.

Dry as a bone it was. Only dust and ashes there.

Dust. Ashes. And a heaping dollop of despair.

…wait…

Something?

A flash of spring air, an overwhelming sense of renewal…

Deeply, he drew of that strength and at once was keenly aware of the terrible thing feeding upon him. Black and corrupt, a thing of diabolical intent using his life force to power its own wicked ends. Read the rest of this entry »

CAST OF PLAYERS:

Debora Silkotch…………..Casey Gavin…………………………..…Human Psionic

Jera Morrison…………..….Alseyne Aulaudin……………………Sidhe Changeling

Kendall Nye………….……Joseph McAdoo………………………..Ronin Garou
Aaron Murphy……………..Claws-of-Honor…………………….Were-Tiger
Jeremy Whitener………….Korin Alabaster…………………………Were-Mongoose
Rachelle Phifer…………….Amaya……………………………….Ghoul

Aron Head………………….Story/Setting/Everything Else…….Game Master

*********************************************

“Everyone watch your backs!” Alseyne called as Yggthor, Claws and the Stonewolf bolted toward the leaning structure. “And try to stay within sight of each other — we don’t need any doppelgangers! Casey, if you can do it safely, please try to keep a mental lock on each of us so you can warn us if anyone gets into trouble.”

It only took a moment for Casey to establish very passive links among the group. It was rather like monitoring more than one radio station: it would be easy to lose focus on what she was doing. She let the connections hum quietly in the background, sparing them only enough attention to catch any twangs of alarm or surprise.

Alsyne started across the lawn more cautiously than the impatient warriors, her sword at the ready. Casey fell in beside her.

Pip tossed a nod to Wynne, who answered it with a nod herself. She disappeared into the trees. The satyr rushed up between Alseyne and Casey, brandishing his polearm. “Ass-whompin’ time, ladies…”

Alseyne kept her watchful pace. “Fools rush –”

BLAM! BLAM! Read the rest of this entry »

CAST OF PLAYERS:

Debora Silkotch…………..Casey Gavin…………………………..…Human Psionic

Jera Morrison…………..….Alseyne Aulaudin……………………Sidhe Changeling

Kendall Nye………….……Joseph McAdoo………………………..Ronin Garou
Aaron Murphy……………..Claws-of-Honor………………………Were-Tiger
Jeremy Whitener………….Korin Alabaster…………………………Were-Mongoose
Rachelle Phifer…………….Amaya……………………………………Ghoul

Aron Head………………….Story/Setting/Everything Else…….Game Master

*********************************************

“We just need a moment to prep,” Alseyne said to the restive Mongoose.

She, Pip and Wynne all extended their hands over each other’s. With closed eyes they murmured,

“Bitter death you may control
But over living’s light you have no hold!
Break now we demand!
Break now we command!”

They pulled back their hands. Pip turned his over, revealing a brilliant sphere beaming with golden daylight.

Korin shielded his eyes from the glare, but it quickly dimmed.

“It will glow once you’ve reached the Necromancer.” Pip handed the object to Korin. “Smash it once you’ve reached him. The closer the better.”

Korin nodded. “Okay…get close, smash this and then hold out for the calvary. Casey, can you guide me to him? I mean if you can find him?”

Casey shook her her head regretfully. “I can definitely sense the Necromancer’s presence in the house, but I can’t tell where he is physically. His magicks are interfering with my psionics.”

Korin took the sphere carefully in hand. “How gentle do I need to be with this thing? I mean I don’t want to break it before I get in there.”

“Well,” Pip offered, “It’s not Grandma’s china. But it ain’t Tupperware either.”

“You’ll want to be careful with it,” Alseyne cautioned.

The Mongoose took a deep breath. “Well here goes nothing….anyone wanna give me a push?” Without waiting for a response he turned to face the house, and with one final rub of the button he murmured, “Full speed ahead.” Springing forth with all the lithe power gracing his form he made a beeline for the front porch. Read the rest of this entry »

CAST OF PLAYERS:

Debora Silkotch…………..Casey Gavin……………………………Human Psionic

Jera Morrison…………..….Alseyne Aulaudin……………………Sidhe Changeling

Kendall Nye…………………Joseph McAdoo………………………Ronin Garou
Aaron Murphy……………..Claws-of-Honor……………………….Were-Tiger
Jeremy Whitener………….Korin Alabaster…………………………Were-Mongoose
Rachelle Phifer…………….Amaya………………………………….Ghoul

Aron Head………………….Story/Setting/Everything Else………Game Master

*********************************************

Amaya squirmed, then stopped as the ropes binding her to the chair bit painfully into her arms. She struggled to open her eyes; the urge to throw up was extreme. The room was dark…her ghoulish eyes adjusted quickly though. The night was her time.

Outside with the raiding party, Casey stood motionless in something resembling a psionic trance. Her mind inhabited Amaya’s: she saw and heard and felt everything the captive ghoul experienced.

Wallpaper peeled from battered walls. A wide picture window lay across from her — smashed — looking out onto the porch beyond. Other windows were about, but they were boarded up.

On the floor near her chair lay the battered and beaten body of a boy no older than eleven years. He was wearing shorts, a blue t-shirt, and a cape. His head was turned at an angle for which his neck should not be capable of accommodating. Eyes open, the poor fellow looked on at nothing, life having left his body some time ago.

Out in the yard, Casey grimaced. “Ulek, I’m sorry. Your man is dead.”

The boy nodded. “We heard…” He struggled with the words. “…We heard… the struggle.”

Across the room the baboon — Phil — was pacing in front of an opening leading into a hall beyond. He stopped, seeing Amaya’s wakefulness. “Well, hello sleepyhead.” Read the rest of this entry »

CAST OF PLAYERS:

Debora Silkotch…………..Casey Gavin……………………………Human Psionic

Jera Morrison…………..….Alseyne Aulaudin……………………Sidhe Changeling

Kendall Nye…………………Joseph McAdoo………………………Ronin Garou
Aaron Murphy……………..Claws-of-Honor……………………….Were-Tiger
Jeremy Whitener………….Korin Alabaster…………………………Were-Mongoose
Rachelle Phifer…………….Amaya………………………………….Ghoul

Aron Head………………….Story/Setting/Everything Else………Game Master

*********************************************

The group moved through the trees toward the house, and soon it came into view: three stories of rotted wood, flaking paint and broken glass.

“I…we believe the house is trapped,” the Stonewolf rumbled. “Those inside know we prepare to attack.”

Alseyne looked speculatively at the structure. “I wonder if we could perhaps spring the trap: drive them out to meet us rather than go in there? Perhaps causing a small localized earthquake or setting the house ablaze? Even if they leave the hostage behind when they come out, an extraction team would likely have a better chance going in after her, even with the added danger caused by whatever our distraction is. It could work out even better if they bring her out with them — no need to divide our forces then.”

Pip and Yggthor both thought on that.

“An excellent thought,” BranAdoo agreed. “However, the house sits on a node, Lady. Will that effect your castings?”

“A Node?” Claws frowned. “Is that like a Caern?”

“I think so,” the Stonewolf responded. “My knowledge of magic is inadequate to say for sure. ”

“That house is rotting away,” Casey said dubiously. “It would be a total inferno within minutes if we set it on fire, and the girl’s in no shape to help herself if for whatever reason we can’t reach her fast enough. Same problem with an earthquake — what if part of the structure collapsed on her?” Read the rest of this entry »

CAST OF PLAYERS:
Debora Silkotch…………..Casey Gavin…………………………..…Human Psionic

Jera Morrison…………..….Alseyne Aulaudin……………………Sidhe Changeling

Kendall Nye………….……Joseph McAdoo………………………..Ronin Garou
Aaron Murphy……………..Claws-of-Honor………………….Were-Tiger
Jeremy Whitener………….Korin Alabaster…………………………Were-Mongoose

Aron Head………………….Story/Setting/Everything Else…….Game Master

*********************************************

Alseyne looked up from mentally calculating the resources in her purse. “Well, if we need silver we’ve got about 100 bullets available. 9 millimeters.” Her sword slid out of its sheath with a glissando of steel; she casually held it in her usual point-downward stance as she waited for the others to ready themselves. “So are we going to do this as a straightforward ‘storming the castle’ raid or are we going to try diplomacy first?”

Pip and Yggthor looked at each other, then burst out laughing.

“She’s funny!” Yggthor observed to the satyr.

“Isn’t she?”

“I almost peed myself!”

“I know!”

“Diplomacy!”

More laughter.

“That’s me — I live to be the life of the party,” Alseyne said dryly. “Besides, I never said what TYPE of diplomacy. Intimidation can work quite well. But if you boys are in a bloodthirsty mood, by all means let’s shout ‘Charge!’ and storm the gates….err…door.”

“The baboon’s a sly one,” Yggthor said. “Diplomacy provides only time for him to work his lies and mischief. A follower of Loki that one.”

“Green spandex Loki brother of Thor from the comic books?” Pip asks, “Or blood brother of Odin Loki from the Eddas?”

Yggthor glared sharply. “The *real* Loki!”

“I return to my original question,” Pip mumbled. Read the rest of this entry »

CAST OF PLAYERS:

Debora Silkotch…………..Casey Gavin…………………………..…Human Psionic


Jera Morrison…………..….Alseyne Aulaudin……………………Sidhe Changeling


Kendall Nye………….……Joseph McAdoo………………………..Ronin Garou

Aaron Murphy……………..Claws-of-Honor………………….Were-Tiger

Jeremy Whitener………….Korin Alabaster…………………………Were Mongoose


Aron Head………………….Story/Setting/Everything Else…….Game Master

*********************************************

“…I’m just saying that I think it’s a bit much is all.” Pip frowned, steering the SUV out of the parking lot and onto North Lamar. “All of us? For a baboon?”

Behind him in a middle seat, McAdoo smiled without humor. “Better to have and not need.”

 Korin sat quietly in a back seat of the SUV, looking utterly bemused. Beside him, Casey saw his mute bafflement and remembered that he knew even less about what was going on than she did.  Quietly, she leaned over and shared what little information she had.  ”Pretty crazy, isn’t it?  As I understand it, Austin was a much safer place to be until just recently.  All the different factions have always been here — the garou, the vampires, the Fae and so on — but they maintained a kind of…balance, a status quo, amongst themselves.  They weren’t allies, but they kept the peace; they followed certain rules of conduct.”

Korin nodded, listening intently.

“Then something changed,” she went on.  ”Bronwen, the Vampire Prince of Austin, somehow formed an alliance with a subgroup of garou, the Red Talons, and with Mardmor and his goblins, and with a demon prince called Kilarothes who’s in exile from his own world.  Between them they seem to be recruiting all the local figures of power who will join them, and destroying the ones who won’t.  Bronwen killed his own closest vampire Lieutenant, Gerard Houseman, and someone apparently hired this baboon to kill a powerful garou named Bruce Lobban.”

“And we are going to stop this baboon and keep him from killing this…Lobban?” Korin smiled. As always, it made him look more feral than friendly. “Sounds simple enough. Just have Sinatra up there sing him a song. That’ll bring him to our side faster than you can say…well think of a really short word and say it really fast. Faster than that.”

“Lobban’s dead,” McAdoo snorted from the seat in front of Korin’s. “His neice too.” The werewolf thought, clearly enough for Casey to hear without trying, that claws and fangs were nice short fast words. Read the rest of this entry »

CAST OF PLAYERS:
Debora Silkotch…………..Casey Gavin…………………………..…Human Psionic

Jera Morrison…………..….Alseyne Aulaudin……………………Sidhe Changeling

Kendall Nye………….……Joseph McAdoo………………………..Ronin Garou
Aaron Murphy……………..Claws-of-Honor………………….Were-Tiger
Jeremy Whitener………….Korin Alabaster…………………………Were Mongoose

Aron Head………………….Story/Setting/Everything Else…….Game Master

*********************************************

“The nordic mythos is not known for stories ending in ‘happily ever after,’” Alseyne pointed out. “Which doesn’t mean that we can’t still fight and prevail. I’m not much one for letting someone else try to determine my destiny for me.”

“Me neither,” Casey agreed. “Claws’ memories are blocked after a certain point, so I can’t shed any light there. What I did see…” She described in meticulous detail the memories that she was able to access. “Not sure how that ties in with the prophecy.”

Leaning across the table, Korin looked at the Bastet. “Wait…so Claws was on the moon for a few hours which in moon time translates to years? Who would he bring back? Why would they follow him here?”

The black-haired Sidhe shook her head. “I think he was on the moon for a few hours — or what his mind saw as the moon, then he was sent to a different time for what appears to be several years, then returned back here. As for who would follow…presumably his enemies. Why…to kill him, perhaps, or for some information he carries? Their motive is unclear.”

Glancing around for a clock, Casey commented, “It’s getting late, I should head back. I’m supposed to be helping Falco with something.”

Claws seemed deep in thought, half listening to the exchange going on around him. He looked up, his eyes moving to each person seated at the table. With no further discussion, he stood and took a step back from the table. “Then it seems that I have something I need to set right. May Selene watch over each of you.” With a deep sigh of determination, he turned towards the door. Read the rest of this entry »

CAST OF PLAYERS:
Debora Silkotch…………..Casey Gavin…………………………..…Human Psionic

Jera Morrison…………..….Alseyne Aulaudin……………………Sidhe Changeling

Kendall Nye………….……Joseph McAdoo………………………..Ronin Garou
Aaron Murphy……………..Claws-of-Honor………………….Were-Tiger
Jeremy Whitener………….Korin Alabaster…………………………Were Mongoose

Aron Head………………….Story/Setting/Everything Else…….Game Master

*********************************************

“Our friend Claws has been far and long from us,” Iggthor said ominously. “And I suspect he has brought his foes back with him.”

Alseyne frowned.

Casey’s baffled expression shifted slowly to one of horrified comprehension.

“Yes, I was wondering about the word Wyrm used,” McAdoo commented in a quiet tone. “Our friend carries no scent of wrymtaint.”

Claws cocked his head to the side. “Something I said… yes, I did, didn’t I?” His brow drew tight, trying to remember. “I don’t understand it, but it seemed important.” He pondered, “Brought them back with me? I remember no one. I was in the room alone, until Alseyne arrived. Alone with a sword, a dripping sword. Dripping…fresh blood? If it weren’t fresh, it would have dried.”

McAdoo slid his half-eaten pie away, shifted his chair away from the table. “I fear the story unfinished. ”

Now it was Alsyene warrior who smiled. “Unfinished stories are the best kind because you can write your own ending.”

McAdoo snorted in wry humor. “Bloodthirsty elf.”

She raised an elegant eyebrow, “I am not a bloodthirsty elf.” She paused, and then a wide feral smile broke over her face as she laughed, “I’m a bloodthirsty Sidhe.”

“From the sounds of it, bloodshed follows me.,” Claws scowled. “Are you sure you don’t want to let me depart, as I offered earlier? If I have brought enemies to the fight, I may have served to tip the scales against us.”

Alseyne brushed that away, turning to Yggthor. “Why do you think he brought back foes with him?” Read the rest of this entry »

CAST OF PLAYERS:
Debora Silkotch…………..Casey Gavin…………………………..…Human Psionic
Jera Morrison…………..….Alseyne Aulaudin……………………Sidhe Changeling

Kendall Nye………….……Joseph McAdoo………………………..Ronin Garou
Aaron Murphy……………..Claws-of-Honor………………….Were-Tiger
Jeremy Whitener………….Korin Alabaster…………………………Were
Mongoose
Aron Head………………….Story/Setting/Everything Else…….Game Master

*********************************************

Casey’s question seemed to snap Claws from his reverie. With a shrug, he looked over at her. “I wish I could say. I remember being drawn to Selene’s realm and a short bit after that. Then I remember sitting in the common room at the hotel, studying a bloody sword. Between that is nothing but a blur.”

Casey frowned thoughtfully at his phrasing. “‘A bloody sword’? Not your own sword?” She tried to recall the weapons he’d carried in Sanctuary, and flashing silver hakarrs took form within the blurred images of those adrenaline-soaked hours. “You don’t remember how you got it, or how it got bloody?”

He shook his head. “No, I don’t think it’s my sword. I really don’t remember ever learning to swing a sword. And the blood, I figure that it belongs to whoever the last person the sword was used on.”

“Who’s Selene?”

“‘Who is Selene?’” Claws looked as though he couldn’t believe anyone wouldn’t know who she was. He just shook his head, as if talking to a young child who hadn’t studied her lessons.

Casey didn’t mind; she’d settled rather comfortably into the role of semi-clueless student.

“Selene is the moon-mother, sister of Gaia.” There was a reverence in the Tiger’s voice, as he told the tale with honor. “From her tears were we,” he motioned to himself and McAdoo, “born, to protect her sister.”

The werewolf nodded, glanced at Korin and then back to the Bastet.

“And our companion, Korin,” Claws added.
Read the rest of this entry »