[Buda, Hungary, July 7th 1262, 10:00 PM] [It is the night after Sunnifa took a little spirit trip and you have all decided that this is a good time to leave in pursuit of the Fang. You have been given permission to leave early by Jurgen, and if there is anything you would like to do before hitting the road, you should do so now.] [Begin.] 06* Moriel went to go tell Aliz he was leaving and would be back soon, but after that he joins the rest of the group, ready to travel. 06* Varyn has his bags packed and one of his horses with him, the wagon and the herd staying behind. 06* Anstace is up as early as ever. she dresses quickly, grabs her spear and shield, and makes her way to the assembly point to wait for the others. 06* Rolf is ready to rolf and roll, although not quite as cheerily early as Anstace. 06* Eliana is there, wearing peasant clothes with her hooded cloak and gloves. Dressed for the winter in the summer - that's how she rolls. Her hair is even in order, and she has her satchel of books. 06* Varyn looks at the others. "No horses?" 06* Moriel shakes his head and says dryly, "They don't take well to me." 06* Rolf growls, "They don't take well to most." 06* Varyn sighs and will guide his horse back and hitching it. "I see." 06* Eliana waits while Varyn goes about returning his horse to horseland. <@Dreol> [And you set off! You spend the next ten nights with no event of note. Sleeping in various caves or abandoned buildings or, if absolutely necessary, in inns. On the eleventh night you come upon the camp that Blazh directed you to. It looks like any nomads camp. Tents are set up in a loose circle, but they look like they have been there for much longer than a few nights. There is a fairly sizable fire in the center of the camp and there are a few scattered people wandering around in loose- fitting clothing. Most of them look like normal humans, though a few are much larger than average, including the two who stand guard at the camp's entrance, but they all SMELL much different. Sweeter and stranger than humans. The guards stare at you as you approach and they immediately begin to growl, their bodies morphing and becoming larger, their faces elongating and coarse grey fur growing over their bodies and they shift into a hybrid of man and wolf. They look pretty angry and ready to attack.] Rolf, your friends are here. 06* Rolf holds up both of his hands with the talisman in it and says, slowly, "I am Rolf, and your tribesman Blazh sends me, for we have a common enemy in Ruthven." 06* Moriel stays quiet and in the background. 06* Eliana rolls her eyes. Really, it's a lot less intimidating when you know it's coming. <@Dreol> [The guard on the right snaps his jaw and growls. "And how do we know this? How do we know you did not kill Blazh and come here as an agent of Ruthven to destroy us?"] if we were coming to destroy you, we would not walk up and start talking 06* Rolf glances to Anstace, then growls and looks around. "Kresimir can say as much, if he wishes. But I doubt Blazh would tell a wrymling his name for no reason." <@Dreol> [The other guard growls and stomps off "We shall see." And he returns a few minutes later with a man who Rolf recognizes as Kresimir, except he looks normal human sized, rather than enormous. Kresimir looks over the lot of you and nods. "This is the one who aided me. If he has Blazh's talisman and name, we can trust him. Let them in and see what the Wyrm wishes of the Garou."] <@Dreol> [The guards revert to their large, imposing human forms and steps aside, allowing you all to follow Kresimir.] 06* Rolf is allowed to follow like he wanted! So he does. 06* Eliana goes along. "" she asks Rolf in English. 06* Varyn glances over at Eliana and Rolf as he follows. 06* Moriel follows along, looking calm despite being surrounded by people who'd like to kill him. 06* Anstace follows as well, looking at each person in turn as she passes them 06* Rolf responds, in English, "" <@Dreol> [Kresimir leads them into the camp and around the central fire to a large tent. Inside the tent is an older man with shoulder-length white/grey hair which is mostly wavy with two braids on other side framing his face. The front-most right braid is about twice as long as the others, dropping down in front of his chest, which is bare. He wears only rough-cotton trousers, which have been stained <@Dreol> with brown and green, perhaps intentionally and perhaps just from travel and use. Kresimir nods to the older man. "Ahtro Jeske, these wyrmlings have requested to speak with us. They travel from Buda and have the blessing of Blazh, who has given this one," He points to Rolf "his talisman as a show of trust."] 06* Varyn stays behind letting Rolf lead this discussion. <@Dreol> [The older man, who you now assume is Athro Jeske nods to Kresimir and turns to you all. "I am Athro Kyrilu Jeske of the Children of Gaia Tribe. It has been many years since one of your kind has been allowed to enter our camp. What business brings you here with the trust of one of my tribesman?"] 06* Moriel stays quiet some more. Rolf's show! 06* Rolf coughs slightly, then speaks up to say, "Ruthven's army is a threat to all of us, and if his prophecy comes true, it will be even worse. And while he moves, those that enslave your kin in England look to bring demonic power into the world. We need to get past his forces to take from him the weapon which can stop the rise of the demon." 06* Eliana is looking around the camp with obvious interest while Rolf talks. <@Dreol> [Kyrilu nods and sits in silence for a few minutes in thought before breaking the silence. "Our scouts have not reported Ruthven carrying any such weapon. He wields only a sword of admittedly fine craftsmanship, but no relic or artifact appears to be in his possession."] It is guarded back at his castle. 06* Rolf nods slightly and says, "That is why we need to get past his forces." 06* Moriel murmurs, "Well, near his castle. It's hidden in a cave." <@Dreol> [Kyrilu stands, which seems surprisingly easy, given his age and exits the tent. "We have ways to aid you in your journey; however, they are dangerous for your kind."] 06* Moriel follows Kyrilu, watching him curiously for him to elaborate on that. 06* Anstace follows as well, her interest also piqued. I'm not afraid of a little danger. 06* Eliana raises an eyebrow at the danger bit. <@Dreol> [Kyrilu looks into the fire as if in a kind of trance. "We have ways of traveling long distances through a sort of gate that takes us out of this world and into a spirit realm. That is the best way I have to describe it. For the living, like us, it is of no danger, and to the dead, like our ancestors it poses no threat, but to the undead, like yourselves... You would have to be very careful to not be rended from your very existence. Additionally, the Garou who travel through this realm are often in a desperate situation, and they are not under my control. You may not have time to explain yourself to them if you cross one, before they attack you."] 01 That sounds like trading a bad situation for a potentially worse one. Can you provide any protection? 06* Varyn nods in agreement with Eliana. <@Dreol> [Kyrilu shakes his head. "That would be difficult. You would be asking a Garou to travel into the heart of a wyr-Kindred domain... It would be a great deal of risk for whomever accompanies you. We will perform the ritual and open the gate, but you must travel alone. The travel will be very fast. Two hours at most and you shall be where you wish."] How likely are we to encounter other garou in that time? 06* Anstace nods. "two hours at most. noted." How do we know where to go or when to exit? <@Dreol> [Kyrilu picks up a stick off the ground and draws a crude illustration of a tunnel. "Imagine traveling through a cavern. There are other caverns in the network that connect locations, but yours is clear and easy to follow. A traveler on one of those other paths may intersect with yours, but they may not. On the other side of your cavern is an exit. As long as I continue to concentrate, your exit will exist. Luna will grant you passage, as if our kind had established a holding there."] mmm. I see. It doesn't sound too bad then. It will get us there quickly. 06* Rolf takes a deep breath, and then nods and says, "It will at least let us face their forces from the rear." 06* Moriel nods. 06* Varyn nods. "It's important enough." 06* Eliana considers this for a moment, then says, "Very well." 06* Anstace says nothing, but watches the reactions of the others. <@Dreol> [Kyrilu nods and leads you all to the other side of the fire where there is a circle of stones around one larger stone in the center. Kyrilu's body shifts and molds itself into the form of a wolf. Just a normal sized, white/gray wolf and he stares straight ahead. The stone in the center begins to shimmer and a shimmering portal appears. Inside it looks like a reflection of the world you are in, but you can see several spirits moving around the other side as if they, too, live in this camp. You can also see a clear path through it to some sort of exit.] 06* Rolf squints and looks through it for a moment. Weirdo stuff. 06* Moriel bows to Kyrilu. "Thank you." And then he turns to the fearless leader. Time for them to be on their way? 06* Eliana is, in fact. She steps into the glowing portal of questionable stability. 06* Varyn bows too. "Thank you." 06* Varyn will follow Eliana 06* Rolf lets out a big rolfy sigh and steps after Eliana as well. Time to make the doughnuts. Wait, not that. 06* Anstace turns definitively and walks through the tunnel. two hours at most starts now. 06* Moriel steps into the portal as well, looking around in mingled curiosity and caution. <@Dreol> [It's a strange journey, and you do, indeed, feel like your spirit is being pulled at and like you do not belong here. Apart from that, the journey actually is a relatively uneventful 115 minutes and you see an exit, another shimmering portal through which you can see a snow- covered mountain top. It is still, thankfully, dark. And as you exit the portal, it closes behind you. Behind you is an enormous castle that looks eerily abandoned.] <@Dreol> [Moriel, Eliana and Rolf all notice a strange glowing light coming from the mountain wall north of you. After some looking, Moriel realizes it's a cave, and it looks somewhat unnatural, but he is unsure how.] 06* Moriel turns thataway. "I would wager that's our destination." 06* Eliana heads thataway, then, without a word. When does the sun come up? 06* Varyn turns to look at Anstace. there are precisely 10,839 seconds until dawn. we have time, but should move quickly 06* Varyn nods. "You're correct." 06* Moriel moves quickly after Eliana. 06* Rolf moves as well. Lope lope lope. <@Dreol> [As you approach the cave, you notice that it is not really what one would consider a cave... As in, the walls are not made of rock... They are made of flesh... In fact, the whole of the cave looks to be made of flesh and bone and it appears to be breathing. The walls and floor pulsate ever so slightly, pushing against the bone frame that keeps the flesh on the floor steady. Further into the cave you can see the source of the light. A strange dagger that is giving off a strange low red glow. As soon as you see the dagger, though, you also see a man draped in a black robe, his fingers stretched to be twice the length of the palm of his hand with long, razor sharp nails. His face crafted into hard, angular plates and his fangs clearly visible as his lips curl into a smile. "Welcome... Travelers, to the Cathedral of Flesh."] <@Dreol> [End.]