(IC) New Bedford at Night

[Erulasto]

Kara slings her bag under one of the seats haphazardly and stretches with a small grin as Bear and Juno make their way out of the winnebago. She pulls her hoodie over her head and tosses it across one of the seats and follows the others out into the cool seaside air.

She takes a deep breath, filling her lungs with the stinging salty air and sighs.

"This humidity is going to kill my hair." she plucks at one of her braids lazily, before practically skipping ahead while looking around with wide, sparkling eyes.

"Though, this place could be so freakin' lit!"

Fortunately, she hadn't heard Juno's comment about the best room.

[Ladorak]

Solomon gets out of the van and makes a big show of stretching out his limbs. While the Irraka was one for subtle thinking and subtle action, he certainly wasn't one for subtle acting 'All depends on the acrostics Kara. Let's take a look inside.'

[Bennosuke]

Once Bear has finished unlocking the gate, Pine backs the van back past the wolf statues, crossing a paved path surrounded on either side by soft wet grass. As the car enters, and Bear begins closing up the gate, the sky begins to pour again, and all members of The Pack can feel the rising tension from across the Gauntlet.

The Warehouse towers over the van, a large brick building with brownstone buttresses, and many long black windows which seem to stare down at the car. The main strip of the building appears to be three stories, though two sections on either side protrude out and expand into a fourth floor, creating a shallow U shape to the front entrance of the building. A run of shallow steps lead up to the rusted iron double door entrance. A flag pole stands bare and off to the corner of the field, looking naked and dangerous.

[Thundercracker]

Blaze stood in the rain and pondered the likely threats which could be waiting for them inside the warehouse.

Spoiler

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int + occult: (9d10)[1][3][6][10][5][3][3][7][1](39)
9 again: (6d10)[5][8][4][7][8][2](34)

[Daishain]

Bear stands there for a moment, placing a palm on the wall, almost reverently. "This place... I believe it will serve us well."

Trying to address any spirits that might be woven into the stone in simple language, "Will you? We can bring honor and importance back to this place, if you but allow us."

The big Rahu starts stalking the grounds, heading around to the back, where the group was told the keys would fit. He's focused on anything that might be awaiting them, but can't help but imagine the potential here. That roof in particular... Put up a visual barrier on that final end, and moonlit rituals could be held up there without observers.

[Madmal]

Iago stays for a while inside the car, leaving off last. "Remember we don't know jack about the nature of the loci, the breeze does give me an Ancient Mariner vibe, but when you assume..." He trails off with a yawn and turns to look through the game as he slowly walks back, prioritizing signs of human activity.

Spoiler: Perception

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7 dice: Wits+Resolve+1 (wolf senses)
(7d10)[47](5d10)[31]

[Ladorak]

Solomon's eyes flick from the wolf statues to the flagpole while he tried his best to ignore the pressure mounting from the Gauntlet 'Iago's right. Smells a lot better than we were expecting though... We'll have to get a flag soon, if we're staying. That thing looks bare.'

[Erulasto]

The temptation to grab an article of her clothes and shimmy up the flag pole and deposit it there like a parody of patriotism is strong, but while Kara looks wistfully at the naked pole she eventually sighs and makes her way towards the front door. The flag could wait. But she does smirk at Solomon. "I've got a couple ideas on what we could hang up there...." She lets the rest remain unspoken.

When she arrives at the steps to the door, she takes them in two's. She leans forward, and presses her face to the glass on the door to try and peer inside. She's not planning on sticking around there long, but a little peek couldn't hurt. Could it?

[Bennosuke]

Blaze studies the warehouse but sees nothing overtly supernatural in design of the building. However, there is the same symbol graffitied several times over the bricks. The symbol represents a Uratha’s paw and symbolizes a werewolve’s territory.

Bear sets off down the side of the building, finding that it is far longer than it’s front is wide. The many rows of windows along the side are barred, and some have dark wooden storm shutters. As he descends down the side of the warehouse, a large wooden dock comes into focus. Interestingly, the far end of the dock appears to have been scewered by a large jagged rock, that juts up about five feet above the dock. The stone is bejeweled with hundreds of barnacles and mussels, shining wet and glossy in the moonlight. Essence pours from this rock, and Bear is quiet confident the stone must be the Locus. Through the increadible thin Gauntlet, Vanders can feel the frantic rustling of many many spirits, but he sees no sign of spirits on the wrong side.

Kara hustles up the stone stairs to the large iron double doors. A square porthole sits in the middle of each door. Leaning forward, Kara wipes away the greasy layer of dirt and grime that has settled on the glass. Pressing her face near the glass, Kara peers into the warehouse. The inside is dark and unlit, but appears mostly empty. There is no movement that she can see, but she can’t see much.

Iago struts out of the van last, peering around as he enters the yard. As he walks, he can feel the eyes (if you could call them that) of many many spirits gawking at him from across the Gauntlet; ripples of spirits seeming to push away as the pack spreads out over the compound.

[Ladorak]

Solomon moves up to flank Kara, ready to pounce on anything that tries to pounce on her. Inhaling deeply he involved his wolf senses, flooding his eyes with sharp images in black and white, and filtered the air for anything suspicious.

[Bennosuke]

Before approaching Kara, Solomon sniffs at the air, and then following his nose, bends down on all fours to sniff at the ground. He would have to actually walk around the grounds to get a full sense of things, but there is a the distant bitter odor of urine coming from the gates. It's old, but it's Uratha territory markings. Based on pungincy, he'd say it was a male, probably older like in his 30s or 40s.

Otherwise, he can't pick up on any other animal scents, just the ever-present lick of salt and dirt and musk that hangs over these grounds.

[Daishain]

After looking around the locus for a while without approaching, Bear turns back to the warehouse, and tries to open the back door with the keys.

He will wait to enter until the others are with him, but he'll go ahead and take a look.

He is heartened by what has been found so far. His pack is vulnerable without being able to claim at least this place. If that can be done without a major fight, so much the better. Let the hunt be done on the pack's terms, at a time and place of their choosing.

[Erulasto]

After looking around the locus for a while without approaching, Bear turns back to the warehouse, and tries to open the back door with the keys.

He will wait to enter until the others are with him, but he'll go ahead and take a look.

He is heartened by what has been found so far. His pack is vulnerable without being able to claim at least this place. If that can be done without a major fight, so much the better. Let the hunt be done on the pack's terms, at a time and place of their choosing.

Kara steps back from the greasy porthole and sighs, before turning and skipping down the steps.

She flashes a wry grin to Solomon as she descends. "Charming place, right? Needs a bit of love to get it fixed up, but it's got some potential, y'know?"

She jerks her head in the direction Bear wandered and started off that way herself. Half-way there, she abruptly spins on her heels, and keeps walking - backwards - to smirk at the rest of the pack.

"I call dibs on the first shower!"

Eventually, she comes to stop next to Bear and nudges him gently with her shoulder.

"Ready for a peek?"

[Ladorak]

'You guys go on inside.' Solo says as Kara passes 'It's beautiful out here, in an austere way... A very austere way. I think there's a song in it.'

Solo walks back to the front of the yard, taking up a position he can see both sides of the building. If anything comes out when Bear and the others go in through the back he wants to see it.

[Daishain]

Bear nods to Kara, but says, "Stay back a little, I know its been quiet so far, but most traps start that way. If something is waiting beyond the door, don't give it an easy target"


Bear will unlock the door and look within, trying to be ready for anything.

[Bennosuke]

Bear undoes the bolts, and pulls back one of the metal doors with a loud screech. It takes more than a little effort to open the door, and the hinges protest noisily.

A loud roar echoes through the factory and blasts Bear and Kara in the face. It takes a moment to realize that the roar is the sound of the option, bouncing off the walls and pillars of the primarily cement main entranceway. Why the sound is so loud in here is unclear, but... at least you know the building has good acoustics.

The entranceway is maybe a 400 square foot room with a decrepit looking wooden front desk. On either side of the desk are swinging doors that appear to enter into the main factory space, based on dirty porthole windows. Several potted plants that had been used to decorate the room have been smashed and tossed about, and several folders and books from the desks have been strewn about the floor.

The room smells of dirt and mold, and the faint tang of salted fish. There are no signs of movement inside the building, and the Gauntlet seems to be less disturbed here.

Solomon watches them enter, but nothing too exciting happens.

[Ladorak]

Satisfied that there is no threat on this side of the gauntlet Solomon takes a deep breath and gazes sideways.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Roll in OOC. 4 successes

[Erulasto]

Bear undoes the bolts, and pulls back one of the metal doors with a loud screech. It takes more than a little effort to open the door, and the hinges protest noisily.

A loud roar echoes through the factory and blasts Bear and Kara in the face. It takes a moment to realize that the roar is the sound of the option, bouncing off the walls and pillars of the primarily cement main entranceway. Why the sound is so loud in here is unclear, but... at least you know the building has good acoustics.

The entranceway is maybe a 400 square foot room with a decrepit looking wooden front desk. On either side of the desk are swinging doors that appear to enter into the main factory space, based on dirty porthole windows. Several potted plants that had been used to decorate the room have been smashed and tossed about, and several folders and books from the desks have been strewn about the floor.

The room smells of dirt and mold, and the faint tang of salted fish. There are no signs of movement inside the building, and the Gauntlet seems to be less disturbed here.

Solomon watches them enter, but nothing too exciting happens.

Kara winces as the stench from the room hits her nose. It's not so much the mildew, or the dust - but the spice of the salted fish causes her to abruptly sneeze - and then snicker as the acoustics turn the sneeze into something fierce and resonant.

She takes a deep breath, and begins to sing....

"Hello Darkness, my old friend....
I've come to talk with you again.
Because a vision softly creeping,
Left it's seeds while I was sleeping.
And the vision, that was planted in my brain,
Still remains,
Within the Sounds of Silence."

Kara actually grimaced a bit at the sudden realization of the significance of the lyrics that popped into her head as appropriate for this moment.

Huffing with a bit of a scowl, she takes a few steps further into the warehouse as her voice's echo fades and decides to take a...deeper...look.

The Cahailith closes her eyes and takes a steadying breath before allowing her eyes to open, and peer into the Shadow within the Warehouse.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Wits 2 + Composure 2

(4d10)[10][9][4][4](27)

[Bennosuke]

Solomon sends all his human senses across the Gauntlet. The sensation is like plunging his head into arctic water, and comes with a certain stinging pain.

In the place of the warehouse is a large structure, part wooden walls and part cement. While parts of the warehouse remain, the majority of the structure appears to be an old shipyard. Peaking through the open roof is even a series of wooden spines that were clearly a ship’s masts.

Hundreds of Water spirits, Blightlings, and Bisugin Lagaha are swarming around the compound, mostly behind the building, over by the locus. However, a number of lesser spirits have begun floating closer to the factory and the werewolves, buzzing and chittering amongst themselves in a cacophony of feeding frenzy. Larger spirits swoop between the lesser spirits, gobbling up easy prey.

But king among all these spirits is what appears to be a giant golden falcon, with sharp bone talons the size of a human hand and giant serrated bloody beak. The bird floats high above the mob of spirits and gives a mighty shriek before diving down like a bullet and gobbling up a dozen spirits into its beak. As the might bird hunts, pockets of minor spirits break off to flee, though most seem careful to stay clear of the Pack of Uratha now on the premise.

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

Inside the warehouse, Kara stops dead in her tracks, and closes her eyes. The Cahalith experiences the same painful rush, but the sensation is more like a return home. The inside of the factory is similarly altered. Kara stands at the prow of a mighty vessel which towers about 50 feet above her head. The great ship is equal parts wood, and metal, and immaterial spirit essence. The ship’s figurehead is a mighty human with harpoon raised to strike. He learns down at Kara, but is only peripherally aware of her, as she is still on the other side.

The ship house is otherwise relatively bereft of spirits, though Kara can still hear the rustle and chitter of spirits outside the building.

[Daishain]

Bear stands there at the door, and waits for the dust to settle before making a move.

Stepping across the threshold, he starts stalking through the building, poking into any likely hiding holes, ready to shift into Dalu form at a moment's notice.

The Rahu figures it best to eliminate the possibility of physical threats first, then move on to the spirit.

[Bennosuke]

The pain of changing never truly gets easier. Bones elongate, pulling with them muscle and tendon and ligament. Extra hairs force their way through Bear’s skin in an instant, creating little trickles of blood that dry in a moment. Bear’s jaws stretch and teeth sharpen and grow causing the mandible to dislocate and then relocate with a sharp click.

Once Bear has reached Dalu, he has gone from large and burly human to nearly a seven and a half foot tall monster of muscle and fur. At a near jog, Bear begins prowling through the warehouse.

He moves pas the desk and into the main factory room. It is a large and open space that has been divided into long and narrow halls by stacks of boxes. As he moves, there is no signs of life, no signs of Beshilu, no signs of anything but a storage space that has not been used in months if not a year. The space smells heavily of dust and mold and rotting wood. A few old canning machines and conveyor belts stand at odds with the cardboard boxes, and wooden crates and plastic containers that have been stacked into towering piles.

[Erulasto]

Inside the warehouse, Kara stops dead in her tracks, and closes her eyes. The Cahalith experiences the same painful rush, but the sensation is more like a return home. The inside of the factory is similarly altered. Kara stands at the prow of a mighty vessel which towers about 50 feet above her head. The great ship is equal parts wood, and metal, and immaterial spirit essence. The ship’s figurehead is a mighty human with harpoon raised to strike. He learns down at Kara, but is only peripherally aware of her, as she is still on the other side.

The ship house is otherwise relatively bereft of spirits, though Kara can still hear the rustle and chitter of spirits outside the building.

Kara gasps, and stumbles - just about landing on her bottom with the sudden yawning presence looming above her - majestic and terrifying. Somewhere inside, a little voice chides her on her lack of composure - will she ever get used to this?

"B..Bear...." Kara manages to rasp out, eyes blown wide as she tries to take in the massive ship and the figurehead looming above. "There's....something big in here....a ship...."

She's only dimly aware of what's going on around her, but she is keenly aware of the Gibbous Moon shining it's silvery light through the Shadow.

"Why'd it have to be a boat..." she mutters under her breath, and jumps slightly - startled - when her unconscious backpedaling brought her into contact with a wall and arrested he motion.

Eyes still didn't leave the figurehead - strangely drawn to the harpooned shape - warily watching in case it seemed to take a deeper notice of her, or perhaps waxed hostile.

[Daishain]

Bear stands there among the refuse, and keeps looking around until sure his senses aren't missing anything, then he jogs back to the others. "We'll need to spend a good bit of time cleaning, but this side of the gauntlet appears safe. What's this about a ship? Oh. Wow."

Extending his senses as other have, the Rahu pauses, looking up at the spirit of the great ship.

He gets another big grin on his face, "She is magnificent! Or is it a he? Nevermind, I don't even care." Bear raises a hand to the figurehead in what he hopes is a universal sign of greeting.

[Bennosuke]

The ship seems aware of Bear and Kara’s presence, but cannot seem to see them. The figurehead does not return Bear’s greeting.

[Ladorak]

'Yeah, it's pretty impressive all right, but you should see the giant falcon outside.' Despite their excellent hearing they had not heard Solo approach. As Kara jumps and a hulking Bear spins ready to kill Solo quietly reminisces about a time he had been able to move normally, before slinking in shadows and cushioned footfalls became natural. 'Nothing's been near this place for months. No birds, no humans, no Beshilu, not even any rats or mice. I'm willing to bet this one and the one outside are the reason the Beshilu left this place alone. They may even know what happened to the Harbour Fangs. Do you want to go say hello?' Solo points his thumb over his shoulder at the Locus stone behind him

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Before he comes in Solomon stops to pick up a stone and scratch a symbol into it. The symbol that Blaze found

[Erulasto]

'Yeah, it's pretty impressive all right, but you should see the giant falcon outside.' Despite their excellent hearing they had not heard Solo approach. As Kara jumps and a hulking Bear spins ready to kill Solo quietly reminisces about a time he had been able to move normally, before slinking in shadows and cushioned footfalls became natural. 'Nothing's been near this place for months. No birds, no humans, no Beshilu, not even any rats or mice. I'm willing to bet this one and the one outside are the reason the Beshilu left this place alone. They may even know what happened to the Harbour Fangs. Do you want to go say hello?' Solo points his thumb over his shoulder at the Locus stone behind him

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Before he comes in Solomon stops to pick up a stone and scratch a symbol into it. The symbol that Blaze found

Kara laughs softly and gives Solomon a light swat on the arm. "You're damn right I wanna say hello!"

Then again, the Locus stone was near the water and it made her a bit nervous. She was a Cahalith, damn it! She shouldn't be so uneasy. She should be the first one through, and so with a huff and a drawing up of herself, she marched towards the Docks.

[Daishain]

Bear nods, slipping back into Hishu form so he can step outside again, "To the locus. All together then?"

[Erulasto]

Kara seems a bit anxious as she stands near the Locus Stone on the pier, trying to avoid looking at the choppy water that surrounds them.

When Bear arrives and makes his statement, she nods with an uncharacteristically timid grin. "Of course..."

She centers herself, expanding senses and feeling the flow of the Shadow around her. The Cahalith allows the power of the Locus to wash over her, as she begins to Reach through the Gauntlet and past the lands of Flesh.

Spoiler: OOC

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I think I got 2 successes on the OOC thread roll for this. Does 10 again apply in this case?
If it does?
(1d10)[4]

If it does not, disregard that roll.

[Madmal]

Iago walks up to the others, motioning Blaze to follow along as he steadied himself inside. He had gotten a little nervous once everyone dared to go on their own way, as he had been told on casual stories during the last parts of his indoctrination. "So far, so good" He thought to himself.

He held his hand up at Bear's invitation. "Quick recount first. Big ship-like spirit inside. Golden falcon on Locus outside. Weird and inviting flagpole. Anything else to note?"

[Bennosuke]

(OOC: Moving things along, though feel free to chat amongst yourselves still. Perhaps use spoiler boxes for side chat or chat that occurred prior to events now)

After a quick discussion, the entire pack moves in on the dock. Pretty much once reaching the long wooden walkway that leads to the massive protruding stone, the pack can feel heavy presence of resonance emanating from the pillar, and the massive spirit activity on the other side of the gauntlet. Without coming any closer, the pack can feel how thin the gauntlet is, and are capable of reaching.

The act is something between letting one’s eyes refocus, and performing a trust fall. Once begun, there is the claustrophobic sense that one is tunneling, though physically the Uratha do not need to move their limbs as they push through the greyish claustrophobia that is The Gauntlet. The Reaching ends as the thick membrane of the between place tears, and the Pack burst through to the other side covered in ectoplasm.

The Uratha’s arrival is met with an explosion of activity. Hundreds if not thousands of Muthra and Hursihim (the two lowest forms of spirit) scatter away from the Locus. Spirits shriek and chitter in the First Tongue fleeing the locus and the wrath of the Hisil’s greatest hunters and law keepers. Some more foolish and powerful spirits huddle around the great pillar, which now appears as a large coral monolith, laden with strange barnacles and appendages of breathing bulbous meat.

Amongst the cacophany, the Falcon Spirit stops its hunting and settles down on the locus stone, staring intrigued at The Pack. It puffs out its golden brown feathers and flaps its enormous wings that must be 20 feet in span, and indifferently preens. The bird’s beak and talons are mighty appendages of killing. It’s eyes glow with an intense focus. Growing from it’s face is a long fleshy fisher’s net. The Falcon Spirit does not greet the Uratha but appears to be waiting for them to introduce themselves.