(IC) New Bedford by Night: WtF II

[Thundercracker]

Blaze

Blaze stayed still for a moment after the men departed as he processed their conversation. He'd no doubt the three of them could take care of the men, but that would raise questions, not to mention they might be killing some innocent people.

He shifted up to Urshul form so he could speak in the First Tongue.

"Let's backtrack their trail and see if we can find out where the old man came from," Blaze said. He then shifted back down to Urhan and set about trying to figure out where he came from, while keeping an ear out for anyone else approaching.

[Haval]

In Urshul, 'What did they mean by take care of us? That does make it hard not to assume the worst here. I kind of what to meet up with them further up the trail just to see if they try anything.' She'll give the closest approximation of a grin that she can manage to Blaze, 'Although showing up at that guy's house later seems fun too.'

[Daishain]

Bear nods in agreement, but replies, "What, uh, what should I say? I mean, in the old days if I thought someone needed serious cheering up, I'd send them to Kara. I'm no good at it."

[GKnightBC]

Blaze

Blaze stayed still for a moment after the men departed as he processed their conversation. He'd no doubt the three of them could take care of the men, but that would raise questions, not to mention they might be killing some innocent people.

He shifted up to Urshul form so he could speak in the First Tongue.

"Let's backtrack their trail and see if we can find out where the old man came from," Blaze said. He then shifted back down to Urhan and set about trying to figure out where he came from, while keeping an ear out for anyone else approaching.

Nodding, Jeremy remains in wolf form, following the leader's direction. Padding along where the men crossed, well after they were out of earshot, he marks the robed priest's scent and starts backtracking.

Spoiler: Tracking

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Perception (Wits (3)+Survival (0)+Form (4) (7d10)[4][7][3][7][2][8][5](36)

[Bennosuke]

Spoiler: OOC:

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I'm actually just going to rule that the three Anchor Wolves have no trouble tracking the very fresh trail; you are wolves after all and this is as fresh as can be in following a very ripe fishy smell. Especially since it doesn't look like anyone is hitting an exceptional success out of the park here, and I don't want to delay to wait for TC's roll.

Heading in the direction opposite of where the three men were walking, Blaze, Joanna and James follow the scent along the hiking trail. The scent leads back the way they came, and back "into town" towards the urban part of Cuttyhunk, where the ferry had landed.

As they reach the outskirts of town, the Uratha are forced to decide if they wish to stay in lupine form as they entered a more inhabited part of the island. (OOC: Any player wishing to stay in wolf form, please make a Wits + Stealth roll)

But the scent leads the Anchor Wolves back towards the shoreline, though far north of the dock, and a number of small rocky beaches. The scent trail leads through a small residential area, till the pack find themselves standing in front of a large (for the buildings on the island) church, constructed from grey stone and mortar. It's construction is atypical to most classic American or European churches, appearing almost as some sort of primitive castle, with tall and narrow rectangular doors, resting just maybe a hundred yards from the shoreline. A pair of blackened round windows, like the eyes of a fish, hang on the wall above the door, staring down at the Uratha.

Perhaps to no one's surprise, the ancient looking plaque that hangs above the red tall doors reads, "The Holy Church of Saint Daigon”

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

Kara's smile hardens. Attempting to whisper so that the others can't hear she sternly says, "I don't think Kara needs cheering up. She needs a kick in the ass. She needs a leader, an Alpha. She needs to be straightened out a bit, or she'll keep wallowing in this fugue of self pity."

[Haval]

Joanna will stick to Urhan on the basis that most of the town was supposedly out fishing at the moment. Besides, if anyone noticed her like this she would expect them to be more confused then angry.

When she saw the Church she'll make sure she's somewhere where she's not going to run into any of the islanders by accident before seeing what the place looked like in the Hisil. The regular people on the island weren't really a threat, but she couldn't say the same about everything that might be influencing them.

If no one interrupts her Joanna will go looking for a backdoor.

Spoiler

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Wits 3 + Stealth 2
Moon Kissed (Stealth) is 9 again
(5d10)[2][2][5][4][10](23)
Any 10s
(5d10)[9][1][8][7][1](26)

Is there anyone in the Church?
Perception (Wits 3 + Composure 3 + 4 for Urhan)
(Gift of Cunning: Honed Senses - exceptional success for three successes)
(10d10)[7][8][4][6][6][8][5][6][7][2](59)
Any 10s
(10d10)[5][4][8][7][5][6][6][10][10][10](71)

[Daishain]

Bear's mouth twists, not liking the sound of getting... harsh with Kara. But Ciara was probably right.

Setting his shoulders, he heads up with something strongly resembling determination.

[Thundercracker]

Blaze kept his eyes and ears peeled for any observers or potential trouble as Joanna approached the Church.

[Bennosuke]

For the most part, there was almost no one out and about on Cuttyhunk, despite the bright sun and warm weather. The same pungent fishy odor hung over the town, stronger than in any part of New Bedford that Blaze had been to, and the odor seemed to grow stronger as the group approached the Church.

At one point a pair of hunched looking locals, dressed in pressed polo shirts and preppy khaki shorts drove by on a main road in a fancy looking golf cart, but Joanna had snuck into the shadows of an alley before they could come within eyesight. The couple were elderly to the point of appearing decrepit, despite the finery they were waring. The man driving the cart was completely bald, and strained his bulbous eyes behind horn and gold rimmed spectacles. His companion and likely his wife had hair that was so thin you could see her almost grey scalp under the robin's egg blue dye of her hair. Both of them had the familiar stooped posture, and scaly craggled skin, and both eyed those Uratha in Hishu with mixed surprise and distaste as they drove by.

Once in the clear, Joanna began to pad her way around the church, putting her nose to the windless air, ears twitching this way and that. She trotted the perimeter of the church as best as she could, though the lot in back was completely fenced off.

There were a few people inside the church. She could hear the occasional footsteps, and when she was in the right spot, could hear heartbeats as well. But the cloying stench around the Church was overpowering, making it hard to rely on this sense for much further information.

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

When Bear reaches the top of the steps, he can hear music blaring from what was almost certainly Kara's room. He recognized the song almost instantly, "Double Dare Ya", by Bikini Kill. Riot Grrrls stuff was some of Kara's favorite, despite her youthful, social media friendly persona.

Similar to the loud music, Bear was also struck by the powerful stench of booze that assaulted his nose, once he was at her poster covered door. The girl must have spilled a whole handle of vodka by the door or something. When Bear knocked on the door, Kara's voice was barely audible over the screeching voice of Kathleen Hanna, despite the fact that Kara was clearly yelling. "Come in!"

The sound and smell was only more overpowering when Bear opened the door. The room was a mess, (hopefully) empty beer cans, and dirty clothing were strewn all over the floor. Where the carpet could actually be seen, was stained in several places from turned over drinks that had not been finished. Kara's mattress was in the corner of the room on the floor, where Kara lay face down over the sheets, a blaring stereo next to her head. She had sweat pants on, but her torso was covered by what Bear could only hope was a bikini top. The young Uratha did not move when Bear opened the door, or stepped into the room, instead, yelling over the music into her pillow, "What?"

[Daishain]

Bear strides in and shuts off the radio, stating firmly but not harshly, "We need to talk Kara."

[Haval]

Joanna approaches the wall to judge whether she could scramble over it but doesn't want to leave the others behind. She'll find a shadowy place and shift back to human before rejoining the others.

'There's a lot round the back if want to see if they've left a window open. I'm sure one of you boys can give me a leg up to get over the fence. Or we just go in through the front door and act innocent.'

[Thundercracker]

Blaze

“Let me take a look first,” Blaze said.

He shifted his sight over to the Hisil as they spied the church to see what it looked like there, then he switched over to scent to sniff what it smelled like. He left his scent sense in the Hisil while they were close to the Church because it was useless in the Flesh with that overpowering fish smell.

[Bennosuke]

Kara doesn't look up from her pillow, doesn't move to turn off the blaring speakers which are forcing Bear to scream far louder than he wants. "Okay," her muffled voice is barely audible, "what's up Bear?" There is an adolescent apathy, an almost spiteful willfulness in the way Kara refuses to look up or "play ball". Maybe she knew this sort of a conversation was coming... she had to by now, right? But still, the Cahalith doesn't attempt to say anything more, doesn't attempt to engage, doesn't attempt to do anything really.

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

In the Hisil, Blaze's vision is cast over an impossible spire of coral bursting out of the churning black ocean. The porous rock formation looks almost sculpted, pointing up into the sky defiant of the waters crashing against it. Shimmering colors of or aqua and maroon and purple flow through the coral as the light from sickle shaped Mother Luna bleed down on the formation.

At first, the massive and impossible formation appears completely abandoned, the holes in the coral making it appear like the carcass remnants of a dead beehive. No spirits; not in the air nor in the water and almost not a single trickle of essence.

Then Blaze's vision catches sight of figures moving through the waters, as they swim deep under the surface, circling the coral. Too deep to see anything but dark shadow... but for a moment... Blaze is almost certain those shadows have arms and legs... like a human.

[Thundercracker]

Blaze

"They're here, in the Hisil, circling around underneath the shadow of this Church in the spirit world," Blaze said, "this is like, their lair or something, or maybe an outpost."

He licked his lips.

"I say we get out of here, get everyone else, finish the gathra to the fish spirit, and get a Hunt going, and follow it to where the bad guys are," he said, "no sense in stirring up a hornet's nest before we're ready."

[Haval]

'You mean they can cross over like us. That's not normal is it?'

[Thundercracker]

'You mean they can cross over like us. That's not normal is it?'

“No, though I was only able to see shadows that looked like humans, so they might have been something else,” Blaze said, “not good, no matter what they were, and I’d rather keep the element of surprise..”

Spoiler

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does Blaze have any idea what’s going on here?
Int + occult: (8d10)[6][9][2][9][1][10][4][10](51)
9 again: (8d10)[7][4][9][7][8][5][10][5](55)

[GKnightBC]

Blaze

"They're here, in the Hisil, circling around underneath the shadow of this Church in the spirit world," Blaze said, "this is like, their lair or something, or maybe an outpost."

He licked his lips.

"I say we get out of here, get everyone else, finish the gathra to the fish spirit, and get a Hunt going, and follow it to where the bad guys are," he said, "no sense in stirring up a hornet's nest before we're ready."

Finally shifting up to human form, Jeremy says "Sounds like a good plan. Maybe they've found some way of incorporating Shadow into their religion."

[Haval]

“No, though I was only able to see shadows that looked like humans, so they might have been something else,” Blaze said, “not good, no matter what they were, and I’d rather keep the element of surprise..”

'Fair enough. Lets get out of here. I don't want any of them to follow us home.' Joanna looks worried. 'Ever since I changed I didn't think anything might be a threat anymore.'

Finally shifting up to human form, Jeremy says "Sounds like a good plan. Maybe they've found some way of incorporating Shadow into their religion."

Joanna nods in agreement, 'If you saw the other side without anyone to explain it to you, what the hell would that do to you?'

[Thundercracker]

Blaze

"Alright, let's get out of here," Blaze said.

He moved out of sight of the church and shifted back to human form to continue the hike along the loop to the docks.

Spoiler

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I'm assuming the trail loops around, we don't want to run into those guys who were looking for us.

[Daishain]

Bear reaches out and firmly shuts the music off. As silence fills the room, he states, "Get up Kara. This has gone on too long as it is."

[Bennosuke]

Spoiler: What Blaze Knows

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I count six successes on that... yikes. So Blaze is able to process several very significant thoughts at once. The first is that the complete lack of Essence is completely unnatural. Humans produce Essence in the Hisil as a byproduct of simply existing. Any time a person has a strong emotion or does something significant it can produce Essence. Furthermore, the Hisil usually reflects a version of the land on the side of the flesh, and the lack of Cuttyhunk Island itself is incredibly disturbing. Sometimes it can take years or even decades for a a building or a place to develop a spirit reflection, as it has to exist long enough to be associated with Essence production, but there's no way the entire island should not have produced a Hisil counterpart. These things are incredibly alarming to Blaze, indicating that things are VERY VERY VERY off.

Beyond this, there are the concerning swimming humanoids. Most spirits represent a symbolic representation of the concept they embody, so a fish spirit should look roughly like a fish. A more abstract spirit, such as a water spirit may develop eyes, or a mouth, but at it's core should not take on a humanoid form, and so this too is very alarming. Blaze is taken back to his conversation with the deep sea spirit, which warned him that the Idigam was a "father of monsters". Perhaps the things in the waters are not spirits at all, but something all together different. But if that is the case, what are these non-spirits doing in The Hisil?

Blaze gains the Condition Informed (Idigam)

It is not hard for the Anchor Wolves on Cuttyhunk Island to meander their way back to the docks. By now the sun is high in the sky, and the warmth is quiet pleasant... if you can ignore the smell of the island. On their walk back, once or twice they are passed by locals driving what look to be modified golf carts; all bearing the same "New Bedford look".

The Uratha arrive at the dock, with about twenty minutes before the boat takes off, but after only a couple of minutes, the same deck hand who had followed them onto the hiking trail, comes shambling up the road. This time he is alone, and when he sees the three Anchor Wolves his round eyes immediately light with anger. Trying his best to hide his frustration, the deck hand approaches and says with a twitch of his punched in nose, "Already done with your sight seeing?" He does nothing aggressive, but you can see his stubby hands are balled into trembling fists.

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

Kara makes no move to stop Bear as he turns the music off. The sudden silence in the room is almost jarring, and Bear finds himself perhaps shouting louder than he intended.

For a moment, Kara's flesh ripples as a low growl escapes from her lips. Bear watches as her skin turns a flushed red, growing tight against bulging muscle and the coat of fur ready to pierce through like a layer of a million needles. The Cahalith pushes off her belly onto all fours, but when she looks up at Bear, eyes wild with anger, she quickly gains control of herself. The shift into Dalu regresses before it could ever start, and Kara is left on her hands and knees with a scared look on her face.

"Leave me alone," she says stumbling off the bed to her feet attempting to walk past Bear, perhaps to exit the room, "I'm fine!"

[Thundercracker]

Blaze

“Yeah, feeling kinda queasy, you know,” Blaze replied with as much stoner blasé as he could muster, “gonna head home and lay down for a while, maybe self medicate a bit.”

He winked at the deck hand.

[Daishain]

Bear's arms move, and then he's wrapping Kara up into a tight embrace. "No Kara, you're not fine. Our pack needs its voice back. We need you, not this broken shell I'm holding. So talk to me"

[Haval]

Blaze

“Yeah, feeling kinda queasy, you know,” Blaze replied with as much stoner blasé as he could muster, “gonna head home and lay down for a while, maybe self medicate a bit.”

He winked at the deck hand.

Joanna is honestly curious where they were getting all the golf carts. It reminded her of the trappings of a Bond villains lair.

She'll try to look innocent as the deckhand showed up. He looked frustrated. 'Yeah, that and I'm a little hungry. Someone upset the lady who runs the restaurant.'

[Bennosuke]

The deck hand chuckles, but it feels like it's more directed at Blaze than with him. "And you think getting back on the water is going to help your nausea?" he says with a grin. The deck hand looks confused at Joanna's statement but ignores it. He brings a hand with stubby fingers to his head and removes his black wool beanie, revealing a slightly pin-shaped bald scaly scalp. With the other hand he absentmindedly scratches at an area of erythematous irritation, freeing flakes of dried dead skin. "Were you able to get up to much while you were here?" he asks with curiosity.

(OOC: The golf carts are a real thing on the real Cuttyhunk Island, which in real life is not the home of a Lovecraftian monster)

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

When Bear grabs hold of Kara, her lips peal back, teeth bared for just a moment, before she reels in her frustration. "**** you Bear," she snarls, "I'm.. I'm not broken. I mean, what do you want me to say, huh?"

(OOC: I think I'm going to need some sort of social roll here, will be at -2 for Kara's composure)

[Thundercracker]

Blaze

“Ain’t that kinda queesy man,” Blaze replied with a grin, “and naw, we just had a look around, beautiful place.”

[Haval]

Joanna smiles to herself at the man's obvious attempt to dig for information. 'Thought I'd try to get to the top of that hill. See what the view was like from up there and maybe take some pictures.'

Spoiler

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https://static.wixstatic.com/media/e...5dea56000.webp

Huh, I blanked on this being a real place. I suppose we have smaller mobility carts for the elderly but I've never seen anyone just driving golf carts around.

[Daishain]

Bear snarls, saying coldly in hopes of shocking her out of this, "Don't bare your teeth at me pup."

In a softer tone he continues. "You're hurting, we can all see it, but drowning in booze and ignoring your duties isn't going to help. We've been patient with you, but that's obviously not working."

Spoiler: OOC

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presence+Intimidation-2 (3d10)[7][2][8](17)
ten again (3d10)[2][6][3](11)
Mmkay then

[Bennosuke]

"Yeah, well... glad you liked it I guess," the deck hand says with an uncomfortable shrug, placing his cap back on his bald scaly head, and shoving his hands into his pockets. Unless the Uratha have anything more for him, he will say, "Well, the ferry will be boarding in about ten minutes I guess. I'm uh, gonna get back to work." He will turn from the group, hunching over on to all fours like an ape to crawl under the painted white chain that blocks the boarding ramp, before shambling back up onto the ferry.

(OOC: I am happy to move the three of you forward to getting off the ferry, unless there is anything you want to do before then)

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

(OOC: A success is still a success)

Bear’s flash of aggression immediately draws the desired response. Kara takes a step back, her shoulders coming to her ears, a quiet whimper escaping her lips.

After Bear speaks again, Kara says pathetically, "Well what do you want me to do? I... I feel like I'm drowning. My dreams have been terrible uncontrollable nightmares. I... I can't get over what has happened to Iago and Juno... and now even Solomon's left us. We... we were a pack man." Tears have begun to well in Kara's red eyes, her face flushed and lined with pain.

[Daishain]

Bear looks to her, "I know, it hurts. But we are still a pack. We mourn the others, but we must move on."

"Right now though it is as if we have lost you as well, and your ghost occasionally shows up to remind us of that. As to what I want you to do, I want you to be Kara again, the party loving voice of the Anchor Wolves. Snap out of this funk, and join us once more in truth."

"How about a hunt? Something simple, lets all go out and bag a deer for dinner tonight. We can run it down together, as a pack."