(IC) New Bedford by Night: WtF II

[Thundercracker]

Blaze

“Unfortunately I have little to offer in exchange,” Blaze said, “the locus essence is already to your liking. What I can do is promise to perform a ritual to honor your greatness and your prowess, should we prevail together.”

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Blaze is proposing a supplication ritual in exchange for KSH’s help in the fight.

[Erulasto]

At the grocery store, Kara offered beaming smile to the woman behind the check-out, and as soon as they had made it back outside, she lit up a smoke for the walk into the Hisil.

When they arrived, Kara stopped in the tracks abruptly at the sight of the glowing red eyes.

"Whoah!" Kara said with a sharp gasp ay the behemoth in the cave. "You make some interesting friends...uh...Bear. Pfft. Figures."

"Greetings, mighty one. I am Kara, Cahalith of the Anchor Wolves." She said, giving a respectful bow.

[Bennosuke]

The moment that Bear says "honey", the burning anger seems to leave the massive spirit's glowing eyes. Immovable Hunter steps forward through the fog, lumbering on all fours and still towering over the heads of any Uratha in mortal form. It takes long loping steps, it's fleshy pink tongue hanging out of its mouth between long fangs, and a playful grin plays upon its face. "You brought friends; you did not say you would bring others," the spirit admonishes, but still it strides forward till it is perhaps within it's long arm's reach of Bear, the grin still on its face, and adds, "But I see you did bring me my honey." It opens its massive maw and yawns, licking its lips at the end of the gesture, and shakes out its body, sending its dark mangy fur bristling in waves.

It reaches out a massive paw, the size of a man's ribcage, and tipped with long black claws, gesturing for Bear to hand over the honey. "Your offer is accepted Bear. And well met Kara, I appreciate your honoring our deal." The spirit licks its lips again as a thread of drool pools out of its mouth.

Once the honey is handed over, the bear spirit begins tearing into containers; biting holes in plastic and smashing glass to spill honey over its massive hands to use as massive spirit lolly pops. It's long pink tongue works quickly over its paws, worming between digits to lap up the amber colored honey. "You have my assistance," Immovable Hunter says between smacks and licks, its large black nose now covered with honey, "thank you."

(OOC: You do not have to spend the XP for this. I was explicit that I wanted players to roleplay through this, which you have been doing. Please keep the XP)

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The massive falcon's head darts to the side so that it can glare at Blaze with one curious eye. It hops forward on its massive scaled claws and says, "You would devote your territory and your Essence to my hunt? You would align your energies with mine in your ritual?" King Sky Hunter pauses for a moment, then throws its head back and opens its serrated beak to shrilly laugh. "You are a strange one, Blaze of the Anchor Wolves. Very well, I will accept your ritual, and shall join your fight." The thing seems to smile at Blaze, though of course it has no lips with which to do so.

[Thundercracker]

Blaze

“I only hope we can prove worthy of your assistance,” Blaze replied.

Flattery will get you everywhere, after all.

With the help of King Sky Hunter secured, Blaze returned through the locus to share the news with the others and continue planning their attack.

[Daishain]

Bear nods, privately glad that the spirit did not seem to have discerning tastes to go with that prodigious appetite, "I had not planned to bring them specifically, but they were with me when it was time, and you would have met sooner or later."

"We seek a way to finish off He who Obliterates Breathing in order to end the Beshilu infestation. We know his bane, and are seeking out areas associated with medicinal remedies to do battle with him. Would you happen to know of such a place?"

[Erulasto]

"It's always a pleasure to help my friends, Oh Mightily Furred One, and a friend of my Packmates is a friend of mine." Kara said with wide grin, and nudged Bear teasingly in the ribs.

She listened with rapt attention as she awaited Immovable Hunter's response to Bear. Was it Bears or Elephants that had great memories, Kara mused. Maybe this spirit had some great stories to tell?

[Bennosuke]

King Sky Hunter nodded with approval as Blaze departed. Was it just his imagination, or did The Uratha notice that while healthier, this part of The Hisil was starting to become depleted of some of the normal scavenger and prey spirits?

Regardless, Blaze would have to get materials together for the right he had promised Sky Hunter, if he hoped to get the assistance the spirit had promised.

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As the Uratha spoke, the massive bear spirit was working its way through the containers of honey. The fur on its muzzle and paws were covered and matted with the sticky substance, and a delighted grin played on the things countenance.

"That will not be an easy task," Immovable Hunter replied between lip smacks and mouthfuls of honey. Having finished the containers, the spirit begins licking its paws with its long pink tongue. "The only place that comes to mind is the old stone castle where the last pack of Uratha were staying. They had planted a bunch of Tannis Root. But I think the area has been overrun with wretched Beshilu. They tunneled the ground right out from under those Uratha, and took them out in a bad way."

[Thundercracker]

Before Blaze returned through the locus, he decided to check the hideout in the Hisil, make sure the Belishu weren’t infesting the place and tunneling underneath.

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what kind of materials will Blaze need for the rite?

[Daishain]

Bear nods, "We found the tannis, harvested what we could, we'll be using it to attack the plague king with, but the question now is where do we have the battle. Away from the old uratha stronghold would be best, He who obliterates breathing will be dangerous enough without the many thousands of beshilu nesting there."

[Bennosuke]

To Blaze's satisfaction, it appears that there is no evidence of any Beshilu encroachment on The Anchor Wolves' territory. Perhaps it was the proximity to the ocean, or the concrete foundation to the warehouse, or perhaps the wards that Blaze had installed over their territory, but it seemed like there was little evidence of Beshilu even in the nearby sewers.

Spoiler: OOC

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I leave that completely up to you. Per the text, the performer of the ritual leaves physical anchors specific to their target all over the territory to strengthen the resonance specific to that kind of spirit. So for a hunting spirit maybe nets and fishing hooks, or for a bird maybe feather and nests. You could even add some punk rock aspects, though ultimately this is all flavor, so it is ultimately up to you as to how you want the ritual to look

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Immovable Hunter nods, its attention still seemingly drawn on lapping up every last sticky bit of honey from its paws. "Then I am not sure I can offer much more assistance. But my claws will be your when the time comes, as promised."

[Daishain]

Bear nods, "Of course, I look forward to seeing it, I imagine it is a magnificent sight. I'll be in touch shortly."

If none of the others wish to say anything, he'll step away, explaining, "I needed some guidance, among other things. It seemed appropriate to seek out a spirit of his nature, willing to defend that which is his with unmatched ferocity. So, what else can we get done today?"

[Erulasto]

”Not sure off the top of my head?” Kara said, eyeing Immovable Hunter and the finished feast of honey with a small smile. ”I don’t think we’ve got anything else immediately pressing, y’know? Like…we’ve got the tannis root, some spiritual backup and a place in mind to fight.” The Cahalith shrugged idly. ”I’m open to suggestions. I’d be perfectly fine with grabbing a couple drinks. Maybe we can find out when our next gig is. Though…it sorta seems a bit small given what we’re up to, yeah?”

[Daishain]

Bear rubs his head, "A few drinks sounds good right now."

"That reminds me. Assuming we live through the next week or so, what do you guys think about opening up a small meadery? I'll be needing honey to keep the big guy back there happy anyways, and then we could sell the mead at our gigs. I'm sure reveler would approve."

Spoiler: ooc

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In case anyone's not aware, mead is a kind of alcoholic drink fermented from honey. It can be quite strong, in the 40 proof range, or down below 10 proof if you're looking for for a party beer like drink.

It is also commonly associated with the Viking warriors of old, which are a theme for my guy anyways. Ooh, we could name the meadery after Fenrir, the Great Wolf.

[Erulasto]

Bear rubs his head, "A few drinks sounds good right now."

"That reminds me. Assuming we live through the next week or so, what do you guys think about opening up a small meadery? I'll be needing honey to keep the big guy back there happy anyways, and then we could sell the mead at our gigs. I'm sure reveler would approve."

Spoiler: ooc

Show

In case anyone's not aware, mead is a kind of alcoholic drink fermented from honey. It can be quite strong, in the 40 proof range, or down below 10 proof if you're looking for for a party beer like drink.

It is also commonly associated with the Viking warriors of old, which are a theme for my guy anyways. Ooh, we could name the meadery after Fenrir, the Great Wolf.

"Oooh, that's a fantastic idea!" Kara said excitedly. "I call dibs on quality control."

A quick google search would show the nearest watering hole to grab a drink.

Spoiler: OOC

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I love mead. A friend of mine has a home brewery in his basement set up specifically for mead. Makes a few bottles for me every year. His is about 18 proof. Not that strong. But delicious.

And I love the name!

[Bennosuke]

With their tasks done, the Anchor Wolves returned to warehouse to reconvene and game plan further. It was now the early afternoon. Outside the warehouse, the sea winds were gusting hard, causing the shuttered windows of the second floor of the warehouse to rattle. It was still warm inside, heated by a number of space heaters that the wolf blooded had set up throughout the building.

Spoiler: OOC

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Moving things along then. I'm going to give the group a moment to game plan, then I want break for another set of individual interlude scenes, to accomplish individual tasks or explore interactions. Please let me know if there is something in particular you want to go for.

@Daishain: That sounds like a good Aspiration ;)

[Daishain]

Bear walks into the warehouse, calling out, "Blaze! How much work would it be to set up those wards around a field? would it be doable to trap Obliterates within a particular place? We didn't find a natural field of lavender as we'd hoped, but there's this big nursery that should do just as well, lots of lavender and other plants that he should dislike."

Spoiler: OOC

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Yes, yes it does sound like an aspiration

[Thundercracker]

Blaze

“I mean, how many lavenders are we talking about, and how close together are they?” Blaze replied.

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benno need you to chime in here.

“Also good news man, King Sky Hunter’s gonna help us out too,” Blaze said.

[Bennosuke]

There was a table of maybe twenty or so potted lavender plants all together on the same table.

[Ladorak]

Solo looks from Blaze to Bear and back again, nodding to Blaze, or maybe at what Blaze had said. His eyes were flat and his features expressionless. Doubt was eating into his gut and burning holes in his stomach. The bile of fear was seeping into his blood, a bile that might freeze his joints at the very worst moment. He kept it all to himself, lest the infection of his doubt should spread to them. He fooled the wolfbloods, he was sure, but not them , not the Uratha crowded around. Luna's chosen predators had eyes too sharp to miss and mixed in their blood was an animal that only communicated by body language and physical display. They would be able to smell his doubt on him as clearly as if he had spread fear musk. He tried to find something to say, to inspire or reassure, but nothing came and his tongue felt too large and stuck to the roof of his mouth besides

[Thundercracker]

Blaze

"So here's what I think we could do," Blaze said, "set up the wardstones we have upstairs around the nursery, but leave them inactive. I'm sure we can incorporate the lavender into the wards somehow as well; maybe I can figure something out there. Anyway, we lure the thing to the nursery, should be easier now we've got the hunting grounds set up, and then we spring the trap on it, keep it stuck in there until we, and our spirit allies, can kill it. We'll have to make sure it doesn't suspect a trap, but once its in there, we bring everything to bear and wipe it out before it can break free."

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How do we go about doing this benno? I'm a bit out of my depth.

[Bennosuke]

Spoiler: OOC@TC

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The easiest way that Blaze can conceive is to simply create a perimeter with the ward stones and lavender (there should be well more than enough, but to leave one ward "Out", effectively leaving the circle incomplete. Then once the spirit is led through the gap in the circle, a pack member places a ward to complete the circle and seal the perimeter.

There are no hard rules for this, so its just me spit balling.

[Daishain]

Bear scratches at his beard, "The timing on this needs to be good. The nursery is pretty busy during the day from the looks of it. But it doesn't look like anyone will be near the place at night. We could head there an hour or so after dark, make our preparations, and then those of us acting as bait head off and try to make contact with Obliterates at about midnight. Lead him back, complete the ward, and pile on."

He holds up three fingers, "I see three issues. We need obliterates to not see the trap coming. I suspect that would require that he be in an absolutely blinding rage. Then there are our spirit allies. They will be just as trapped by this ward as obliterates, we need to make sure they're okay with that and trust us. Finally, there's the aftermath. Somehow I think that a battle in the middle of the nursery will leave damage that will be noticed. Perhaps we could dress the damage up to look like a bunch of delinquent punks on a drunken dare or something?"

"Anything I might have missed? and any thoughts on dealing with those issues?"

[Bennosuke]

Kara shrugs and says off hand, "Don't forget, we also have the Wolf Blooded to help us, and the groupies that Michael's been assembling. They may be able to help out with some of these issues." She eyes Bear uncomfortably before adding, "Not that we have to get every Wolf Blooded directly involved in the fight."

[Thundercracker]

Blaze

"Worst case we could burn it to the ground afterwards and then play a benefit show or three to help them rebuild," Blaze said.

[Daishain]

Bear twitches at Kara's comment before muttering, "No, I suppose not." Hurriedly moving along he states, "I don't know if we can trust Michael's groupies to help out here, at least not directly. Helping with a gig is one thing, in this case we'd be asking them to participate in covering up a crime involving a bunch of property damage. That's a pretty big ask, and a lot of trust I don't think they've earned."

[Bennosuke]

Kara shrugs and says, "Ya, probably the less people who know about it the better." A devilish grin crosses her face and she adds, "I promise to only instagram it a little... Anyways, I guess I should leave the war strategics up to you and Solomon." She glances over at Solo as if to invite him to give his say.

[Ladorak]

Solo blinked, it was so obvious he assumed the others would be thinking the same 'We burn it down when we're done. It's all vegetation, shouldn't be hard. That thing bleeds corruption, we need to make sure we dispose of all of the remains.' Assuming we get that far he silently added.

[Daishain]

Bear frowns, "That sounds like a lot of trouble. It goes from vandalism to arson. Maybe I'm worrying about things too much, but the police will likely let the former go with a cursory investigation, but the latter? Our job here is tough enough without ending up on some detective's desk."

[Thundercracker]

Blaze

Blaze chose that moment to pipe up.
"So, I'm thinkin' I could come up with a layout that could contain it once it's inside the outer wards. The inner wards wouldn't last long but maybe it'll keep it still and give us a few free shots while it breaks loose," Blaze said.

"The wolf blooded have been building weapons and stuff, and we can have them and maybe the dog spirits patrol the perimeter, especially if a bunch of Belishu show up," Blaze said, "plus if they're outside the wards, Lord PlagueFace can't get to them, while they can launch arrows and other stuff inside."

"We're gonna have to tell our allies they'll be stuck inside the wards with Obliterates, so they're not surprised," Blaze said, "I'll tell King Sky Hunter, who's going to tell the others?"

[Bennosuke]

Michael raises his hand like an excited child who knows the answer to Teacher's question. "I'll work it out with Izidakh and the dog spirits. I'll make it clear I need them to help us." The pup pauses for a second and then hesitantly asks, "So like, how do we find the plague spirit and lure him into our trap?"