Silence of Time Update
The pack woke up and got ready to head to the sewers to investigate the Nihar. Fletcher, having joined the Lodge of Scrolls, got to ask his one question of the Alpha Matrix: "Given the situation in the sewers with the Nihar, what weapons and tatics will ensure success in removing the threat posed while minimizing damage to the
physical and spiritual realms?"
Damned good question. The Alpha Matrix told them that the Banish Spirit rite would work well with a low rate of collateral damage. Fire would work quite well, but the collateral damage would be devastating. Conventional weaponry was hit or miss, but silver had a 10% chance of working for them and a 100% chance of going horribly wrong. Breathing a sigh of relief that they hadn't shot the creatures with silver bullets, they rested up that day and met up at sunset to go crab-hunting.
Max Roman led them in a howl to begin the hunt and then rent the Gauntlet to allow the werewolves (and their erstwhile vampiric allies) into the Shadow. The packs split up. The Crucible found their manhole and lowered the tar-baby into the sewers, and then had Stalker hang back to watch Paula (who was there to carry the tar-baby, remember, since it drains Essence from werewolves). They didn't need to wait long. A Nihar, moving silently and so swiftly they almost didn't see it, pounced on the tar baby. They jumped down to see what was happening, and saw the creature stuck to the tar-baby, trying either to get free or eat it. But then they noticed that it didn't contain a werewolf...meaning there were more of them now.
Indeed. Two of them appeared almost immediately. One jumped on Phil's head. Gordon fired a tranq dart at the other, but it seemed unfazed. It fired tiny barbs at Gordon and poisoned him, while Fletcher and Phil beat the first one with the mace made from the meteorite ( refresher?), which nearly melted the damn thing, but it tried to skitter away. Reese hit it with Rend, and it discorporated. Gordon shot the other one and discorporated it.
Now alone with one of them, still stuck to the tar baby, they performed the Banish Spirit rite. This normally sends a spirit back into the spirit world, but used on these alien beings, it sent it into the physical world...whereupon it felt apart, howling in pain, destroyed. Now the pack knew a way to destroy them, but how many were there?
They headed up to the surface and howled for the other packs to check in. They all did except for Caeser's pack, so the Crucible headed to that locale. They saw no sign of the pack, but listening, they heard a whimper. They jumped down and found the ghoul that had been transporting the tar baby wounded, apparently from werewolf claws. He wasn't helpful, so they bound up his wounds and sent him back. Gordon heard labored breathing from down the hall, and so they searched and found Simon, the talen-maker, in Urhan form hiding in a hole. He had dozens of those little poison barbs in him. He told them at Caeser and Emily (the pack's fourth member) had been enveloped by the Nihar - he thought there must have been ten of them attacking the pack. Blaine had flown into Death Rage, but he wasn't sure where they all were now.
Fletcher noticed a Lune fly by them, and mused that the only Gifts he knew that would call a minor Lune like that were Read Spirit and an initial use of Silver Jaws. Scylla and Reese argued briefly about what to do; Reese felt that in war, casualties happen and charging into battle wouldn't help. Scylla (and the others) were unwilling to leave Uratha behind to this fate. They followed the tunnels and found Blaine facing off against seven Nihar, all of which already had werewolves enveloped...two of which were his packmates.
They called out to him to hang on, and Gordon used Invoke the Water's Wrath. When the waters receded, all of them, Blaine included, were gone. Fletcher sent the Lune after Blaine, and it found him a ways down; he smashed into a wall between tunnels. They pulled him up to the surface and he was somewhat gladdened, at least, to see Simon was alive.
The other werewolves regrouped, and they began to share information. They know, now, how to kill the Nihar, and there have already been good theories thrown around about how to kill them all quickly. But will it be enough to save Emily and Caeser?
physical and spiritual realms?"
Damned good question. The Alpha Matrix told them that the Banish Spirit rite would work well with a low rate of collateral damage. Fire would work quite well, but the collateral damage would be devastating. Conventional weaponry was hit or miss, but silver had a 10% chance of working for them and a 100% chance of going horribly wrong. Breathing a sigh of relief that they hadn't shot the creatures with silver bullets, they rested up that day and met up at sunset to go crab-hunting.
Max Roman led them in a howl to begin the hunt and then rent the Gauntlet to allow the werewolves (and their erstwhile vampiric allies) into the Shadow. The packs split up. The Crucible found their manhole and lowered the tar-baby into the sewers, and then had Stalker hang back to watch Paula (who was there to carry the tar-baby, remember, since it drains Essence from werewolves). They didn't need to wait long. A Nihar, moving silently and so swiftly they almost didn't see it, pounced on the tar baby. They jumped down to see what was happening, and saw the creature stuck to the tar-baby, trying either to get free or eat it. But then they noticed that it didn't contain a werewolf...meaning there were more of them now.
Indeed. Two of them appeared almost immediately. One jumped on Phil's head. Gordon fired a tranq dart at the other, but it seemed unfazed. It fired tiny barbs at Gordon and poisoned him, while Fletcher and Phil beat the first one with the mace made from the meteorite ( refresher?), which nearly melted the damn thing, but it tried to skitter away. Reese hit it with Rend, and it discorporated. Gordon shot the other one and discorporated it.
Now alone with one of them, still stuck to the tar baby, they performed the Banish Spirit rite. This normally sends a spirit back into the spirit world, but used on these alien beings, it sent it into the physical world...whereupon it felt apart, howling in pain, destroyed. Now the pack knew a way to destroy them, but how many were there?
They headed up to the surface and howled for the other packs to check in. They all did except for Caeser's pack, so the Crucible headed to that locale. They saw no sign of the pack, but listening, they heard a whimper. They jumped down and found the ghoul that had been transporting the tar baby wounded, apparently from werewolf claws. He wasn't helpful, so they bound up his wounds and sent him back. Gordon heard labored breathing from down the hall, and so they searched and found Simon, the talen-maker, in Urhan form hiding in a hole. He had dozens of those little poison barbs in him. He told them at Caeser and Emily (the pack's fourth member) had been enveloped by the Nihar - he thought there must have been ten of them attacking the pack. Blaine had flown into Death Rage, but he wasn't sure where they all were now.
Fletcher noticed a Lune fly by them, and mused that the only Gifts he knew that would call a minor Lune like that were Read Spirit and an initial use of Silver Jaws. Scylla and Reese argued briefly about what to do; Reese felt that in war, casualties happen and charging into battle wouldn't help. Scylla (and the others) were unwilling to leave Uratha behind to this fate. They followed the tunnels and found Blaine facing off against seven Nihar, all of which already had werewolves enveloped...two of which were his packmates.
They called out to him to hang on, and Gordon used Invoke the Water's Wrath. When the waters receded, all of them, Blaine included, were gone. Fletcher sent the Lune after Blaine, and it found him a ways down; he smashed into a wall between tunnels. They pulled him up to the surface and he was somewhat gladdened, at least, to see Simon was alive.
The other werewolves regrouped, and they began to share information. They know, now, how to kill the Nihar, and there have already been good theories thrown around about how to kill them all quickly. But will it be enough to save Emily and Caeser?