Wherein the True Seekers conclude the matter of the steroids, meet one of the friends of the Fianna and are approached with an intriguing proposition.
Steve and Lisa are on watch that night when a van rolls up. One of the manager-types, who isn't normally at work at this hour, lets them in. In the van are 6 non-descript, casually dressed guys with a faint tinge of Wyrm taint. From the van they unload cages containing animals (dogs, cats, rats) which they swap for some of the animals already present. They also seem to be taking skin and blood samples from some of the other animals that they don't take. Steve nicks out to the car, phones the rest of the True Seekers, then follows the van when it leaves. The rest of the True Seekers assemble and discover that Steve has turned his phone off, so they head for the Caern. After about half an hour, Steve says "D'oh" and contacts the others, who set off in pursuit. Steve follows the van to Croydon, where it drives around the back of the Victorian Animal Aid Refuge. Steve sneaks up and sees the guys unloading the cages and taking them inside. Steve goes back to the car, calls the others and waits.
Half an hour later, when all assembled, the True Seekers do an umbral recc-y of the refuge. They find no sign of the guys, although there is one person drinking coffee by the phone. They do find an odd room, empty but for a panel by the large rolling door. They eventually decide that it is probably a lift going down. They pull back to think about the situation, and Steve rings the Refuge to find out what they do - they give aid and refuge to Victorian animals. It is decided to watch the lift for a while.
In the late morning the lift goes down and comes back up with a man in a white lab coat. He goes and talks to the head of the Refuge and asks if they could get some non-essential supplies. He then goes back down in the lift, which comes back up. Naomi manages to climb into the roof space of the lift, which heads down again about three hours later. This time three casually dressed guys get in. Once up, they get in an unmarked van and drive off, with the True Seekers in hot pursuit. They drive all the way to Kooyong station, where one of them surreptitiously slips something behind the Coke machine. One of them then rings from the public phone, informing someone called Rob that "it" is - yes, you guessed it - behind the Coke machine at Kooyong station. All three get back in the van and drive away. Checking behind the Coke machine, the True Seekers find a bag of capsules amazingly similar to the steroids as used by Ed. What a happy coincidence!
Back at Croydon, the True Seekers ring the Caern for some advice. Cossack suggests that if there is an underground, Wyrm corrupted complex, then it will probably have an umbral presence. In the umbra the site is just an empty lot. However, when the True Seekers scratch around in the dirt where the lift is, they come across a sheet of weird umbral perspex, covering a descending shaft. The shaft is coated in a black glistening membrane, and constant moans rise up.
Having Dedicated and secured a rope, they descend the shaft which enters into one end of a long, two-level hall, with a walkway around the top level, and various rooms opening up along both sides. Everything is covered with the black membrane. Peering into the real world, the physical dimensions are the same, but the place seems to be some sort of research installation, with living quarters above and labs below. Moving around, first Vilna and then Naomi are grabbed and almost enveloped by banes that erupt from the walls. Having destroyed two, others emerge from the walls and let out a great wailing sound. The True Seekers make a dignified, if hasty retreat up the shaft. They then put in a call for back-up.
Soon they are joined by The Scryers as well as Ends-The-Quiet, Nadine Holloway and Ian Shatter-Glass. They enter the complex again, although now it seems that all the personnel inside are alerted. There are about 25 men in familiar-looking blue jump suits, all toting assault rifles or shotguns, all looking wary. The lab people are all standing by their computers, apparently ready to delete everything.
The Garou move through the place, killing some more banes as they go. They find the security room and the armoury, both on the second floor. They also find another elevator shaft leading down. The True Seekers head down and find two more levels (separate this time), the first dealing with bacteriology and virology (as deduced from all the warning signs and the dying animals), while the second is more lab stuff, but exactly what is unknown. More lab people are waiting here to press delete buttons, while in the corridor on each level are 5 Rottweilers. From here they find yet another elevator shaft.
This shaft leads down to two large rooms, which in the real world are in total darkness. From one can be heard the sound of a generator, from the other is the endless screaming of animals. The True Seekers rejoin their sept mates.
Climbing back to the surface, it is decided to ask the other septs to lend assistance, especially since it has been confirmed that some of the guys with guns are using silver alloy bullets. Cossack is informed, and within a few hours, the Steel Hunters from Hidden Green, and Gaia's Balm and the First Wave from Reconciliation have arrived. Everyone gets together to discuss strategy ("Let's pour napalm down the shaft!" "Shut up, Vilna." "Let's pump nerve gas down the shaft!" "Shut up, Vilna.").
Strategical discussions continue, and it is decided to get Elaine RDI to advise about the computer systems. As people keep talking, Ian Shatter-Glass, who has been monitoring the installation, comes over and says that one of the scientist types is apparently trying to communicate with the Garou. Naomi and Vilna go to check him out. He is calling out, saying that the Garou should talk with him as he has some information concerning Kinfolk which they might find interesting. More talking about this new development leads to a call to Cossack to check up on known Kinfolk to see if any are missing. However, they decide not to talk with the guy.
Feeling that the place may well have a self-destruct mechanism, ten Garou search through the place, looking for anything like a big red button, or packs of hidden explosives. No-one finds anything. Ultimately, they strike upon a course of action. One group will block the elevator shaft, another will take out the security room and armoury, a third group will attempt to save the mainframe, whilst a fourth group (the True Seekers) will check out the as-yet-mysterious darkened fifth level. It is also decided to summon a Wyld spirit to lower the Gauntlet inside the installation.
The Wyld spirit has been summoned and everyone is in position. The True Seekers sans Vilna step through. Vilna, having verified that the others aren't stuck, follows them. Unfortunately, where they take five minutes to get through, Vilna takes no time at all and arrives alone in pitch darkness surrounded by screaming. Feeling that his claustrophobia is objecting to his current location, Vilna tears upon the lift door and scrambles up the shaft before falling back down again. Oh dear, Vilna frenzies! He leaps up the shaft, smashes through the floor of the elevator, wrenches open the doors and tears down the corridor toward the five rapidly approaching Rottweilers who also appear to be fomori. With one large mutating dog clinging to his arm and four more closing rapidly, Vilna manages to find a moment of lucidity and step sideways. When he has calmed down, he heads back down the shaft and waits for the others to enter the real world. Eventually they do, and Vilna joins them (leaving scorch marks through the Gauntlet). By the light of the silvery Lisa, the True Seekers find themselves in a large room filled with cages containing massively deformed and mutated animals, all crippled and virtually immobile. They also locate the generator, switch it off and disable it. They re-enter the umbra and rejoin the others.
The group at the mainframe say that the data was erased before they arrived - something must have tipped the scientists off that they were coming. No-one blames Vilna too much. The security room was taken and destroyed, and most of the weapons left in the armoury were trashed. Dirt and debris is being heaped onto the elevator. Some of the Garou advocate a war of attrition against the bad guys by keeping the elevator inoperable and picking them off one by one. Some of the fomori are loading up on remaining ammo in the armoury, so Steve, Naomi and some others step through to take them out. Unfortunately, this takes them five minutes, so the fomori are long gone before they arrive. Steve decides "what the hell", and takes some potshots with the shotgun at the guys near the elevator. He wounds one and enters the umbra. The fomori start lobbing smoke grenades to obscure their locations. Meanwhile, the fomori have blasted open the roof of the elevator, showering themselves with dirt and chairs. They start pulling the rubbish out. Vilna rustles up some Molotovs and hoiks them over the edge. The fomori respond with tear gas, and the Garou and the fomori play pass-the-parcel for a while, until Vilna closes the roller door. Further strategical discussions take place. It is decided to test the effectiveness of using the Gift Jam Technology on the fomori's guns. Nadine Holloway surreptitiously steps through and uses the Gift successfully. The final plan is that four Garou keep using Jam Technology to render the guns inoperable while the rest attack. The plan works well, and all the fomori are killed without loss, as they are caught rather flat-footed. The scientists are taken alive for further questioning. The scientists are taken in the Refuge vans out east to a barn and interrogated.
The Garou learn that the installation was designed for experimentation; specifically, destroying academic research by subtly mutating animals on a large scale, researching drugs with particular effects on animals (such as "time-bomb" animals like the monkey), virology with the intent of destroying specific breeds of animals, and animal fomori research. This last area was being extrapolated to human fomori research, of which the distribution of the steroids was a field test. The head scientist guy also knew nothing about any Kinfolk - it was just a ruse to see whether they were dealing with Garou or not.
The Garou begin the mopping-up operation. They proceed carefully to investigate the virology level, and all tainted, mutated or fomori animals are destroyed. The True Seekers head back to the Caern and report to Cossack. The scientists will be questioned further and then killed, the steroid fomori will have to be dealt with, whatever data remains in the computers will be examined, any financial or supply details of the installation will be followed up, and the place itself will be monitored to see if anyone comes nosing around. Ultimately it will be cleansed and destroyed.
The True Seekers head out to talk with the manager of Pearce Supplies, a Dr Norman Tenaglia, about his relationship with the men who came to pick up and deliver animals. Dragged from his bed at three in the morning, the good doctor is happy to answer all their questions. He claims that he had substantial gambling debts, which a mysterious benefactor promised to take care of, if Dr Tenaglia aided the implementation of certain "activities". Basically he just let the guys in and kept his mouth shut. Back at the Caern, Cossack is still concerned about the chemicals found at the uni. The Pentex installation didn't ship chemicals, only animals. The true Seekers foist that problem onto Aquinas and ask him to check the department for possible Wyrm taint.
Steve heads for home, whilst Naomi, Lisa and Vilna Moon Bridge out to the Scars Atoned sept for some intensive meditation. Naomi and Vilna also seek to be recognised for rank 2 by Marches-The-High-Road. He sets them both the task of creating a Talen. Steve returns to the Cemetery and challenges Nadine Holloway to recognise him for Rank 2. After consulting with Cossack, Nadine requires that Steve demonstrate his combat ability by touching her - once. With the rest of the sept cheering them on, Nadine leads Steve a merry chase around the cemetery, in and out of the umbra, until finally Steve does a leaping grab at Nadine when she's on the roof of the cemetery office, which takes them both over the edge. It still counts, and the sept celebrate his elevation.
Naomi and Vilna gather and prepare the receptacles for the Talens, locate the appropriate spirits and bind them into the items. Naomi creates a Clear Water talen, Vilna creates a Slagger talen. Marches-The-High Road recognises them as Rank 2. They both return to the Cemetery.
Cossack speaks to the True Seekers, saying that there is still much cleaning up to do in the wake of the Pentex incident. He charges them to seek out the remaining steroid test subjects and "deal" with them. The True Seekers are unable to cure any of the fomori, so it is decided to seek them out and kill any that have become fomori. Any who are not yet fomori will be cured (maybe). Not counting Ed Biezen, there are eight other names gathered from Bruce (the former dealer), who are checked out one by one. Four are located, confirmed as fomori and destroyed. Two of them, Bill Keys and Kyle Gemes, are not to be found. At Leonard Hardman's place there's police tape up, bloodstains and bullet holes in the walls. At Stewart McEntree's place they find his parents beaten to death and Stewart hanging from the stair banister apparent suicide. The sept has already agreed to deal with the bodies, so each body is taken back to the Cemetery (and no, they aren't buried at the Caern).
Using Rite of the Questing Stone, the True Seekers place Bill and Kyle at the Russell St Police Station (hasn't shifted yet), and Len at the morgue. They decide to deal with Len first. Ringing up the Caern, Graeme suggests that they should also deal with any autopsy results that have been performed, as the fomori have no doubt undergone physiological changes. While Lisa guards the door, Vilna performs Rite of Talisman Dedication. The body is going to effectively count as three items, so it's probably just as well that people did that meditating (chuckle).
Vilna is almost done with the Rite when Lisa spots someone coming down the short corridor. Thinking quickly (and discussing at length), Lisa changes to Crinos, steps through the door and glowers at the man. The man runs back the way he came, screaming a lot. Soon two other men cautiously approach the door. Lisa, now in Glabro form, runs out and ducks into a side door. As the two men pound on the door, Vilna completes the Rite. Naomi grabs the body and steps sideways, and Lisa steps sideways as well. Looking back shows one guy searching the building, another guy on the telephone, and the third guy wrapped in a blanket and spilling hot coffee on his lap. Vilna stops long enough to chat to the computer spirit and have it erase all files pertaining to a Leonard Hardman. It happily complies.
At Russell St, Bill and Kyle are in solitary confinement, and both have been "subdued". Vilna does a quick check with the computer spirit and finds that Bill was arrested on charges of assault and rape, whilst Kyle was arrested on charges of multiple assault. It is decided to do the same deal here as at the morgue, although they're going to have to kill these guys first. Basically, everyone steps sideways and quietly kills the guy. Then Calvin stays in the Umbra and watches the real world while Naomi stays in the cell but watches in the umbra. If Calvin sees anyone coming he signals to Naomi, who alerts Vilna who is performing the Rite. Vilna then has time to duck against the wall for a few seconds, which doesn't interrupt the Rite (much). Both Bill and Kyle are killed and dedicated (Naomi dedicates Kyle, as Vilna is running out of Gnosis), and both are spirited away at the same time. Vilna also messes with the computer, altering the files to say that Bill was transferred to Pentridge and Kyle was released on bail. The True Seekers return to the Cemetery after a job well done
The True Seekers now have guard duty until the next Moot on the 10th. Vilna and Naomi wish to learn Rites which will take at least 2 weeks. They arrange so that the pack will swap duty with one of the other packs after the Moot, so that they can hang around for the extra time. Learn, learn, learn.
The news is full of the story of the disappearance of eight young men, all of whom knew each other, two of whom were in prison and one who was dead. There was also a ninth man associated with the group, who disappeared about two weeks earlier. Also the parents of one of the men have disappeared, although traces of blood were found. Police assure the public that they have several leads and that arrests are imminent.
The pack is hanging around at "Carmel's" (they obviously got another pack to cover them for half an hour). Steve is waving a newspaper around ("Factory manager rescued from fiery death by security guard") when he sees 3 girls, probably uni students, walk in. One of them sees Vilna and turns a funny colour She grabs the other two and whispers something to them. They leave; the two girls giving Vilna (who missed the entire incident) strange looks.
Steve asks Vilna if he has been scaring school girls lately, and explains what happened. Vilna says that it's all her own fault, 'cause she showed concern when he started screaming in the night. Apparently she saw him in Crinos form. Vilna is making plans to change accommodation. Naomi talks to Emma about it. Emma says not to do anything unless it's obvious that the situation is getting worse.
The True Seekers head out to the Tower Hill Caern. Usual moot-stuff happens, and the True Seekers are asked whether anything is happening in Melbourne that should concern the sept. With Lachlan absent and Lisa sulking, there is some jostling and pushing until Calvin steps up and talks about the Pentex operation. Naomi also overcomes her shyness to mention the Black Spiral Dancers (Therewerethesemurdersandtheywere causedbyaBlackSpiralDancerandwehaven'tfoundhimyetthankyou). The sept then deals with the serious matter of chicken stealing before Bret raises the topic of the Fianna representative on the Jindabyne Council. Bret feels that Fingal is senile and intractable, and an obstruction to getting anything done for the Fianna. There is discussion of ramifications and consequences and possible challengers. Someone mentions Mae Fischer, which Bret thinks is a great idea. Mae does not seem to think that it's such a good idea, and says that she will consider it. Kinfolk turn up and the party begins. Lisa, Vilna and Naomi wander around, lost in thought. Steve gets completely smashed and cracks on to a Kinfolk girl.
At midnight, the True Seekers re-assemble and head off to Warrnambool to seek out the Wyrm. Wandering around, they see a drunk guy in imminent danger of being plastered by a truck and run to the rescue. When the driver sees the drunk, he slams on the brakes and the truck jack-knifes on the slippery road. The drunk guy steps blithely out of the trucks path, as the True Seekers step sideways or dive off the road to avoid being smashed. Eventually the truck judders to a stop, and the driver screams at the drunk guy for a while. Steve sends the drunk down a side street and then waits for the ones who stepped sideways to get back. When everyone is assembled, they look back and see that the drunk is walking towards and group of guys hanging around the mouth of an alley. They run in that direction.
Steve, in Glabro, attempts to intimidate the three guys, then undoes all his good work by talking to his dog, Fido (Naomi growling in the alley). The three goons jump Steve and the rest of the True Seekers leave him to it. Soon the three bruised and bleeding goons run like hell. The drunk, meantime, has wandered ahead. It is decided that it's time to get him home.
Steve is walking with the drunk, whose name is Joe, when a store sign falls from the wall above them. Steve dives aside, dragging Joe with him. Steve then inadvertently lets slip his choice of life-style, but Joe is a broad-minded sort and doesn't hold it against him. Meanwhile, in the umbra, a rather perplexed Naomi and Lisa are using every power they have available to scan the area and work out what's happening. They get zip. Naomi uses Sense the Unnatural on Joe and gets a sense unlike anything she has experienced before. Having found out where Joe lives, Naomi and Lisa run ahead to his house and check it out for anything unusual. They find nothing.
On the way to Joe's house, Steve steps on a nail and falls in a puddle, Vilna attempts to trip Joe but somehow gets tripped and lands in the dirt, and a possum shits on Calvin's head.
Once at Joe's house, Joe and Steve and Calvin all drink together, until Joe passes out. As they are about to leave, there is a small flash of green light and a tiny shaggy man appears on Joe's shoulder. Naomi gets the same unnatural sense from it as she got earlier from Joe. It says it's name is Bill (it talks very slowly for the more simple members of the pack), that it was just having fun and that now it's going home. Naomi asks if they can come. Bill says "sure" and disappears. There is no trace of him in the real world or in the umbra. The True Seekers head for the Caern. They ask Bret about the incident, and he says that it would have been one of the Fae, with whom the Fianna have an affinity. He says that they are rarely found in the real world any more, but occasionally appear at certain times of the year and around the moots. He says that you deal with them as best you can. The pack then head for home.
Having slept all day, the True Seekers head for the Caern. Cossack tells them that there were no murders last night (or at least none which matched the relevant M.O.). They resume guarding and learning and stuff.
Well, it seemed too good to be true. The mutilated bodies of 5 vagrants were found in vacant land near the docks. They had been shredded and then burned.
Naomi talks to the others, saying that a human has moved in with Lisa. Lisa points out that Vilna and Steve live with humans, and that it's no-one's business but her own.
Naomi and Vilna finish learning. Or, to be more precise, Vilna finishes learning and Naomi doesn't.
Lisa calls the rest of the pack together and says that she was visited by Michelle Leaps-Beyond-The-Reach-Of-The-Wyrm, seneschal to Darius Winchester. Michelle was here to ask the True Seekers to meet with Darius on a matter of some importance and secrecy. Lisa, thinking about the incident with Mandras Sky-Watcher, is just paranoid that it might not be Michelle. Various options are discussed, and Questing Stone used to roughly confirm locations, until it is decided to contact Michelle at the Hyatt and accept. Michelle comes around but is unable to tell them anything more. The True Seekers contact Cossack and tell him what's happening. He suggests that they keep in touch. Everyone piles into Michelle's van and off they go.
It soon becomes apparent that they are not heading for the Crackenback Caern. Michelle claims that Darius is meeting them in Echuca. Again, Questing Stone seems to confirm this. Arriving in Echuca after dark, Michelle drives into the parking lot of a local mall, where another car is parked. Darius gets out, but it seems that there is a second somebody in the car. Naomi uses Sense Unnatural and determines that the other person is a Garou. Darius thanks the True Seekers for coming. He claims that he is acting as a go-between for a friend of his, and that this matter concerns the Bunyip. His friend wishes to remain anonymous until the pack agrees to help him. His friend will also wish to test whether they have, in fact, any particular affinity with the Bunyip at all.
The True Seekers excuse themselves and go into a huddle to discuss options. They also talk to Kanau about it. The up-shot is that they agree to help Darius' friend.
The other person gets out of the car. It is Cernonous, one of the two Child Of Gaia representatives on the Jindabyne Council. He was not present the last time the True Seekers appeared before the Council. He claims that what he seeks would in some way help redeem the crime that the other tribes committed in destroying the Bunyip. However, he will not elaborate further until after the True Seekers have completed the test. He explains that following the genocide of the Bunyip, strange umbral disturbances were noted, packs were attacked by maddened animal spirits and Garou would sometimes disappear. This becomes more prevalent the further away one moves from more settled lands. There were dubious sightings and rumours about the Bunyip which were not substantially confirmed until the incident at Grinding Stone. It would seem then that these umbral "storms" are caused by Bunyip spirits. Cernonous proposes that in order to test the True Seekers, they should seek out one of these "storms" and see what happens. If they have some connection with the Bunyip, well and good. If not... they shouldn't be in too much danger, what with 6 Garou present. Steve asks why all the secrecy. Cernonous claims that other tribes, specifically the Uktena and the Red Talons, would probably oppose his idea. The True Seekers agree to go along with the test.
Darius and Michelle drive off in the car. The True Seekers jump in the van with Cernonous and head north west.
Heading north, Cernonous points out the increasing discontinuity between the real-world landscape (scrub and desert) and the umbrascape (tropical rainforest). There are also many strange animal spirits around - giant ground sloths and megatherium wandering around. The Garou are at a loss to explain the phenomenon, although it is far less prevalent closer to human populations.
The True Seekers pass some SEC workers (or the local equivalent) replacing power poles. It seems that in removing one of the old poles they destroyed a wedge-tailed eagle nest. Oh dear oh dear. In line with their totem's wishes, they decide to teach these people a lesson. Vilna steps sideways and collides with a tree. He pulls himself together, moves back to one of the SEC trucks and steps sideways underneath it. He then proceeds to demolish the engine. A worker comes over to see what the noise is, and has a screaming fit and Vilna steps sideways again.
Meanwhile the van has stopped, and Lisa and Naomi are wandering back, Followed by Steve and Calvin in the umbra. The check the remains of the nest, but find no sign of eggs or young. When asked what they are doing by one of the workers, Naomi goes off on some commie-pinko-hippie spiel which scares the worker away again.
Vilna reappears beneath another truck and reconditions the engine. As the workers move to stop him (they can't quite see what it is under the truck), Vilna attempts to step sideways and fails. Ah well. Naomi changes to crinos and howls. Lisa tries to change to crinos, fails, blushes and slinks back to the van. Never mind - all the workers run screaming into the desert anyway. Naomi, Vilna, Steve and Calvin trash the trucks and then pile back into the van. On we go.
Further along, the True Seekers are flagged down by a family whose car has broken down. As Calvin helps fix it, the family dog in the car runs around in a yapping frenzy, barking at the pack. Despite some rather nasty suggestions, everyone restrains themselves until Calvin fixes the car. The grateful family go on their way. Toward evening, a police car heading south passes the van, then screeches around in a hand-brake turn and pursues the van. Everybody except Steve, who is driving, step sideways. Steve pulls over and spends a few tense minutes negotiating with the police, trying to convince them that there is no-one else in the van. Eventually they believe him, and ask him some questions about a bunch of hippies with a pack of Rottweilers that destroyed some SEC vehicles earlier in the day. Steve smooth-talks the police, who really don't have terribly much to go on, and they eventually allow him to go about his business (thank you for your co-operation, citizen).
As night falls, the True Seekers and Cernonous take rooms at some crappy little pub somewhere.
Towards midday, they are driving westish when people who are peeking into the umbra notice that there don't appear to be any animal spirits around. A bit later, the umbra appears to have grown darker, and the vegetation is moving on it's own accord.
The True Seekers pull over, step sideways and wait, fairly sure that they have found the first signs of an impending umbral storm. About fifteen minutes later, nothing much has changed. Lisa climbs to the top of the rain forest canopy to look around. Firstly, she notices that, although it is around midday, the sun in the umbra is on the western horizon, while the moon is on the eastern horizon. She also notices swirling umbral storm clouds a few miles away that don't appear to be moving. Peeking sideways, Lisa spots an approaching dust storm in the real world, several miles beyond the umbral storm. The umbral storm appears to be near a small town in the real world.
Everyone piles back into the van and drives on. As they get closer, they notice a plane flying ahead of the dust storm. It appears to be in serious trouble - almost out of control. As they watch it descends towards the town and disappears behind the buildings. Also the umbra is getting darker and windier and wetter. The True Seekers park about one kilometre out of town, step sideways and head into town via the umbra - a slow process given the conditions.
Eventually they reach the town. The dust storm has already hit, and those peeking through see the plane resting in the main road. At this point a Giant Pre-historic Hippopotamus Thing (actually a Diptrodon, but from now on referred to as a GPHT) rushes out of the undergrowth and hurls itself at Lisa in a rather frenzied fashion. Lisa scarpers up a tree. Having found Lisa out of it's reach, the GPHT turns on Vilna, who also attempts an arboreal ascension. Everybody else does likewise, as the GPHT attacks the trees they're in. Soon a giant goanna lumbers up and also attacks the trees. Naomi finds that ant spirits are swarming out of the tree and biting her. As more and more animal spirits turn up, a man suddenly appears from nowhere - a very ordinary looking guy in jeans and a flannel shirt. The animal spirits converge on him and rip him up. Soon after, a decaying corpse pushes it's way out of the umbral earth and wanders around with the animal spirits. Naomi uses Sense Unnatural and gets a general ambience of strong Wyld, with a hint of Wyrm and just a pinch of Demonic.
At this point a little girl appears nearby. Lisa decides enough is enough, leaps from the tree and runs to save the girl. Of course, being in crinos form, this doesn't do a lot for the little girl's mental equilibrium. Lisa grabs the girl, stuffs her into her mouth, changes to hispo form and runs like hell. Naomi leaps down and sets off after Lisa in lupus form.
Vilna soon spots the appearance of another person and leaps down to save him. The guy takes one look and the huge, hairless thing charging out him, and the he takes off, screaming all the way. The man doesn't see the GPHT heading for him, so Vilna attempts a flying tackle to grab the man...misses completely and head butts the GPHT, which cheerfully tramples Vilna into the ground. As Vilna struggles to get out from under the GPHT, a giant goanna bites his arm. At this point Vilna steps sideways. As he does so he realises that there is virtually no gauntlet in the area.
Lisa and Naomi have guessed the same and decide to try to step sideways and take the girl with them. Naomi easily takes the girl through and Lisa follows shortly. They are now in the middle of a raging dust storm and move toward where the plane was. Vilna appears in a bathroom, and cautiously moves into the hall. A giant goanna bites him unexpectedly on the behind, so he runs into the nearest room and slams the door before jumping out the back window. Moving around the house, Vilna finds a man crouched down in the alley way. Vilna suggests that they should try to get to the hotel. The man says that he's not going anywhere, whereupon he vanishes.. Vilna swears, steps sideways, grabs the guy, then steps back again. He leaves the man in the alley and heads off through the storm.
Lisa and Naomi reach the plane, and find that the interior is a wreck, with blood and upholstery and glass and metal everywhere. They move to the hotel and walk in (changing to homid form first though, which proves to be very easy for Naomi). Inside is a large crowd of panicking people running around as a few people beat a giant ground sloth to death with chairs. Lisa and Naomi run up stairs and find a cupboard and place the catatonic girl inside. They then go back down.
In the bar room the ground sloth has disappeared. Lisa and Naomi notice a badly mauled aboriginal man lying on a table, covered with a blanket. Naomi uses Sense Unnatural and realises that he is Garou. Lisa heals him (no one is really paying much attention) and he starts to come around. He is Jacky Gecko of the Uktena, and he was flying his plane, trying to outrun the dust storm, when something appeared inside the plane and attacked him. He didn't get a good look at it, but somehow managed to fight it off and land the plane.
At this point a corpse lurches through the door. Naomi runs up, grabs it, steps sideways, leaves it in the umbra and steps back. The corpse promptly follows. Naomi sighs, takes it back into the umbra, changes to crinos, rips it to bits, changes back into homid and returns to the real world. Vilna turns up at the hotel and asks what's going on. Cernonous and Steve also turn up, and everyone is brought up to date. Cernonous and Steve offer to stay at the hotel and protect the people there while Lisa, Naomi and Vilna move around the town trying to save as many people as possible. No-one has seen any sign of Calvin.
As Lisa moves up towards on end of town she sees the figure of a thylacine emerge from the red dust. She greets it, but it runs at her, frothing and snarling. She briefly debates between standing or running, then turns and runs like hell. Glancing behind her she can see no sign of the thing. Lisa moves back to the hotel and tells Cernonous that she saw a Bunyip, but that it wasn't happy to see her, and it certainly didn't try to communicate with her.
Naomi is moving along when she notices movement through the dust, as something circles her just far enough away to prevent identification. As she waits, the thing hurtles out of the dust and attacks her side. She recognises it as a thylacine as it runs into the dust. Naomi attempts to speak with it, saying that they have come to seek it out and that they are here to help, but the Bunyip keeps circling and attacking. Eventually, Naomi is wounded and heads for the hotel. She staggers in, bleeding heavily, and says that she saw the Bunyip, but failed to achieve any sort of rapport.
Vilna is moving down an alley when the Bunyip in thylacine form appears ahead of him. He raises his arms, but the Bunyip charges him. Vilna tries to dodge, but the Bunyip slams him to the ground. Vilna lies unresisting on the ground as the Bunyip buries it's teeth in his throat. At this close distance, however, Vilna makes eye contact with the Bunyip, and a lightning montage of images flood through his brain. Most are gone too fast to be seen, but some stick in Vilna's mind. He sees a storm raging across the outback; a vast reptilian eye opening in darkness; the Cracking Stone lying on the sand, when the ground opens up and swallows it; a new-born baby sprouting fur and claws; the Melbourne Cemetery ripped up and ruined, with the surrounding buildings in flames; a rainbow arcing across the sky; and rain washing away the blood that covers a forest of ghost gums.
At the hotel, every body notices that the Dust storm seems to be dying rapidly. Peeking into the umbra, they notice that the umbra storm is also breaking up. They split up and start to search for Calvin and Vilna. Steve comes back supporting the badly mauled Calvin, whilst Lisa find Vilna in an alleyway. He's alive but badly injured, and he is taken back to the hotel. By this time the dust storm has all but disappeared, whilst the umbra is perfectly calm and light again, with the animal spirits placidly munching on the vegetation and with no sign of the walking dead.
At the hotel Vilna is healed and tells the others what happened with the Bunyip. People discuss the implications of the event, as well as what, if anything, should be done to repair the veil. Cernonous suggests that nothing really can be done, and that they should leave before any relief arrives. Jacky says that he will stick around to help. The townsfolk are wandering around shell shocked, and the incident will probably be put down to "mass hysteria", which will hardly explain the missing people. At least all the spirits went back into the umbra.
Having helped Jacky with his plane, the True Seekers and Cernonous head back to the van, dig it out, and start driving back east. Cernonous claims that he is convinced about the pack's link with the Bunyip, although what the link might be, he has no idea. He therefore explains what he is proposing. He is an expert geneticist, and following a vision he received of Gaia walking with a thylacine, he has dedicated his work towards bringing the Bunyip back by cloning. What he is hoping is that the pack can find him some Bunyip remains and, more importantly, determine whether his efforts are worthy.
Cernonous hopes that by the True Seekers link with the Bunyip, they can determine whether it is what Gaia and the Bunyip want. His proposal is slightly contentious, and there is much discussion and debate about the implications of the plan. Cernonous claims that his methods are a mixture of science and spiritual power, which is why he is fairly close to an answer. He also claims that it may be possible to clone the Bunyip and yet not be able to clone any other Garou, if it is what he is meant to do. Ultimately, the True Seekers are not unwilling to help him, but request to know a lot more about the process before committing themselves. Cernonous agrees. He also tells them of a Fianna, Bartholemew Wise-In-The-Ways-Of-The-Wyrm, who lives in the Blue Mountains and may be able to help them find any Bunyip remains. The True Seekers decide to go to Sydney with Cernonous first and check out the cloning facilities.
The True Seekers and Cernonous drive up to Sydney University and go into Cernonous' lab. Although the True Seekers hoped to appraise Cernonous' efforts, the rather large gaps in their education make this difficult. There is further discussion about the procedure, including who will be the mother of the Bunyip and where the child should be raised. Cernonous agrees that there are many issues to yet be resolved, and that the True Seekers will have a definite say in the matter.
The True Seekers drive off into the Blue Mountains. Cernonous said that they should look for old battle sites where Bunyip were killed, but that they should keep their agenda a secret from Bartholemew. They drive up to a large, rambling lodge and are met by Bartholemew, who says that he wanted to come and see the True Seekers at some point anyway. They tell Bartholemew that they are seeking greater knowledge about the Bunyip, and are interested in finding old battle sites. Naomi shows Bartholemew the Cracking Stone, whereupon Bartholemew brings out a very similar looking stone - the Waiting Stone.
While these discussions are going on, a magpie flies into the room and lands on Bartholemew's shoulder. It seems to whisper to him, and he says that someone else is coming. Soon, Jane Redfeather walks in. She has come to find out what Bartholemew has been able to determine about any of the pictographs on the walls of the Cave Caern. Bartholemew says that many of the pictographs are common to most former Bunyip Caerns, although their significance is barely understood. He also says that some of the symbols have potentially alarming connotations. He suggests that Jane should go with him, and asks if the True Seekers would like to join them, as it is their sept too.
They all drive through the Blue Mountains for a few hours, then trot through the bush until they come to an overhanging rock face, covered with aboriginal paintings. Bartholemew takes out the Waiting Stone and holds it up to the rock face, whereupon an opening appears in the wall. Everyone except Vilna walks in. Using the torches that Bartholemew brought, the group move along a short sloping passage that ends in a fissure plunging straight down. Everyone changes to Crinos form and descend about 30 metres, into a large cavern. The cavern has no exits, and is filled with broken rock and piles of earth. Bartholemew claims that the Bunyip once performed the same rituals that the Uktena Banetenders perform - rites to keep the great Wyrmbeasts dormant beneath the earth. During the War of Tears, the existence of a Wyrmbeast in this area was rumoured, but the exact location was unknown. It wasn't until Bartholemew had acquired the Waiting Stone that he managed to re-discover the site. Unfortunately, when he came in, there was no sign of the Wyrmbeast.
Bartholemew picks up some of the shattered rock pieces and indicates to the remains of symbols etched in the rock - symbols which seem to be identical to some found at the Cave Caern. He doesn't know whether the symbols were wards intended to keep the Wyrmbeast dormant, which might imply that there is a Wyrmbeast under the Cave Caern, or whether they were part of a defence system intended to prevent the Wyrm from locating the Wyrmbeasts, which would seem to imply that they are just part of the Cave Caern's defences. Bartholemew says that without constant renewal of the rites, the emanations from the Wyrmbeasts eventually destroy the wards that bind them. The Uktena have found some Wyrmbeasts and are performing their own rites, but there are probably other Wyrmbeasts undiscovered, which are eventually going to be freed once more, as the one that was here has been.
Everybody makes their way back to the surface, Vilna is given the cheerful news, and then they drive back to Bartholemew's house. Jane leaves for the Sept of Scars Atoned. Bartholemew returns to the matter at hand. He claims that most of the known battle sites occurred at Caerns, now controlled by European septs. The True Seekers say that they don't want to tread on anyone's paws. Bartholemew mentions three other locations known to him. The first was an aboriginal encampment near Capella, which is west of Rockhampton in Queensland. Several Bunyip were present when Garou and their kinfolk attacked the camp. The second site was near Mullewa, which is east of Geraldton in Western Australia. A Black Fury pack had been tracking a Bunyip until it met up with a few other Bunyip. The Black Furies attacked and killed the Bunyip. A few months later the Black Fury pack disappeared. The third site is actually a Caern near Ettadunna, which is east of Lake Eyre is South Australia. The Caern lies very close to the border between the Flinders Protectorate and the Mount Isa Protectorate. The Get of Fenris and the Red Talons still dispute the ownership of the Caern, and it is currently without a sept, although it is constantly watched. Although the Caern lies inside the Flinders Protectorate, the Jindabyne Council is loath to adjudicate on the matter, probably because it fears that if it did, it's ruling would be ignored.
The True Seekers decide to drive out to Western Australia and check out the site there. Bartholemew says that he also has to leave, as there was a weird storm, probably Bunyip related, that hit the town of Fiddle Dee in South Australia. The True Seekers say "er...that was probably us..." and tell Bartholemew what happened. He says he'll head out and have a look anyway. The True Seekers depart.
Having driven for about two and a half days, the True Seekers arrive in Mullewa and head out toward the site - a track that crosses a seasonal riverbed on the edge of the desert. The landscape is flat and completely unremarkable, with low shrubs and grasses. The umbra, however, is made up of temperate forest. Having scouted around for a while, Naomi steps into the umbra and climbs a tree (to see what she can see, presumably). What she sees is a slowly moving figure a few hundred metres away. She climbs down and moves in that direction. The figure is apparently a woman, although she mummified and dry like a twig. Sense Unnatural reveals a predominantly Wyld sense, with a touch of Wyrm and just a hint of Demonic - rather like the sense they got back during the Bunyip storm.
Naomi tries to speak to the woman, but gets no response. Then the figure of the woman changes into a mummified she-wolf and keeps shuffling along. The True Seekers decide to watch her for a while. At one point she disappears. The True Seekers peek sideways and find that the woman is now moving along in the real world. A while later she moves back into the umbra. Further along in the umbra she stops for a time and stands swaying before shuffling on. In the umbra it is noticed that there is a definite trail, as though she has walked the same path many times. There is no trail in the real world.
The meandering track that she seems to follow is about 3 kilometres long, and she seems to change forms largely at random. She also appears to step into the real world, step into the umbra and stop at the same points along the track. Steve decides to dig in the umbra at the point where she stops, but finds nothing. Digging in the real world he hits a layer of charcoal, which he disturbs as little as possible as he digs more holes, trying to determine it's extent. Other excavations are made, both in the real world and in the umbra, at the points where she steps sideways and at points where she changes form. Nothing is revealed by digging at the spots where she changes form. At the point where she steps into the real world, digging in the real world locates a human skull. At the point where she steps back into the umbra, digging reveals a skeletal hand jutting upwards. Further digging around the hand reveals four almost intact skeletons: three humans and a wolf (definitely a wolf and not a thylacine). It is also noted that the lone skull and the charcoal were at approximately the same depth, while the four skeletons were much deeper down.
Steve has a meander down the creek bed for a few kilometres but discovers nothing. The skull is taken from where it was found over to the van. When the woman reaches the spot where the skull was buried, she veers away from the path she usually follows and heads straight towards the skull. When she reaches it, she steps into the real world and moves straight back to where the skull was buried, before continuing along her usual course. Once the four skeletons have been taken out of ground, when the woman reaches them she stops walking and simply stands there.
Steve drives into town to buy some camping gear, as the True Seekers have decided to spend the approaching night at the site. When he returns he then has to drive Lisa back into Mullewa to ring Bartholemew and ask him a few questions. Lisa asks Bartholemew, who has made it back from Fiddle Dee, whether he has any more details about the incident with the Black Furies. He says that the pack was largely opposed to the war against the Bunyip, particularly the pack leader Beth Proudly, but joined in out of loyalty to their tribe and to the Garou. They returned to Perth after the battle, and disappeared shortly after the War of Tears ended. Lisa thanks Bartholemew, and she and Steve return to the site.
Using the rite of Questing Stone, they discover that the lone skull is all that's left of Beth Proudly. Also that the four skeletal remains are those of Beth's pack mates. As night has fallen, the pack decides to get some sleep.
The next morning, the True Seekers find that Beth has turned to face a different direction during the night. They sit down to discuss what should be done. It is decided that they should contact a nearby Black Fury sept, as they are in a Black Fury protectorate, and see if they can help in laying the bodies to rest, or at least communicating more effectively with the ghost of Beth. Soon after, a car is heard coming down the track, so the van is moved until Beth is standing inside the van. Fortunately the skeletons had been reburied for the nonce. After the car has passed, the van is moved and rocks piled over Beth, to hide her from passers-by (who may wonder about the large pile of rocks, though). Everyone then drives to Mullewa.
They ring back to the Cemetery and ask Cossack for the location of any Black Fury septs in the West Coast Protectorate. Cossack mentions that there is one, the Sept of Five Hands, at Jurien Bay, which is a couple of hundred kilometres from Mullewa. He is thanked, and they head south.
The True Seekers arrive at the National Park surrounding Jurien Bay and trek through the umbra, howling as they go. Soon they are met by a Black Fury pack, the Mist Treaders. Naomi tells the pack leader Gail Vinnicombe that they are here on Black Fury business, so they are taken to see the Sept Leader, Christina Merakis. They walk down to the beach and are met by Christina and the Caern Warder Vivian Guererra. Naomi relates the sad tale (leaving out the details of what their aims are), to which Christina replies "Give us a mo'." Soon she returns with the Mistress of the Rite, Snaps-At-Snow, and says that they will come to do what they can.
Everybody, including the Mist Treaders, pile into vehicles and head north. The arrive back and remove all the rocks. Snaps-At-Snow starts doing Theurge-y stuff while the others hang around waiting. After a while, she comes back to tell them what happened. Apparently, after the War of Tears, Beth went mad when she realised her mistake. She lured her pack back out to the "scene of the crime", killed them and buried them." She then wandered around in the desert until she died. Snaps-At-Snow suggests that providing her pack mates with the proper burial rites, and offering some punishment against Beth for her own crimes might lay her to rest. Christina says that this is really only a Black Fury matter, so the others should probably leave for a while. Vilna, Steve and Calvin drive to the pub in Mullewa. Lisa decides to walk it.
It is well after dark and Lisa is still walking when the Black Furies drive up and give her a lift. They drive into Mullewa, and Christina thanks Naomi (and the others) for their help in the matter. The Black Furies drive away. The True Seekers rent a couple of rooms and go to sleep.
The next morning, the True Seekers decide that they will head for the disputed Caern in South Australia. But first they make a final stop at the dry river bed, on the off chance they might find some Bunyip remains. There is no sign of Beth anywhere. In the umbra, the spiritual wildlife has returned to the area. Vilna chats to a wallaby spirit for a while, to see what it knows about the history of the area. It doesn't know much (it's a fucking wallaby!!) but does know of a spirit which does. The wallaby leads them a fair way off to a large tree, inside which a luminous figure can be faintly seen. It is the same sort of spirit that the True Seekers encountered during their Rite of Passage (well, some of them anyway). Vilna speaks to the spirit and asks it what it knows about the history of the area. The spirit presses it's "hand" against the inside of the tree, and Vilna reaches out to touch it. He stands unmoving for a minute, then tells the others that after the battle between the Black Furies and the Bunyip, another Bunyip came and spirited the bodies away via a Moon Path. He thanks the spirit, and they all head for the car. They look forward to another 36 hours on the road.
They drive into he town of Ettadunna around evening, and immediately head out towards the Caern, which is out in the desert. They drive as close as they can and start trekking towards the spot where they think it is. They step sideways and arrive in a great swamp. Vilna decides that he got the priorities all wrong last time, and talks to the spirits FIRST. He chats to a snake while it eats a frog, but doesn't learn much Actually, he doesn't learn anything. So everybody flips back to the real world and keeps walking, which is quicker than wading through waist-high muck.
They are stopped by a sudden growl behind them. Everybody turns to see five Red Talons behind them. Naomi greets them cordially. She meets Flies-Like-A-Stone, the pack leader of Head Harvest. Flies-Like-A-Stone doesn't mince it with words: he tells them to leave. And so begins the patient diplomacy ("We come seeking...", "Leave!", "Hang on, you haven't...", "Leave!!!", "But couldn't we just...", "LEAVE!", "We only want...", "LEAVE!!!!!"). Then, just when things were going really well, a Get of Fenris pack turns up: Raging Storm; pack leader Miles Korrin. Now there is a three way face off. Flies-Like-A-Stone accuses Miles of bringing in "rabble" to aid his cause. Naomi (Greek for 'She of Great Patience...NOT') lets fly with a few well chosen words about certain Garou's priorities, then moves towards the Caern. Flies-Like-A-Stone rushes passed her and blocks her way. They Facedown until Flies-Like-A-Stone gives way slightly. Steve, meanwhile, is arguing with Miles. Miles position is simple: if they can get passed him then they can visit the Caern. He then swings at Steve. There is a brief but intense fight in which Steve is pulped and gains a new Battle Scar when his left arm breaks. Vilna and Lisa remain to offer assistance to Steve, Calvin and Naomi keep walking.
Miles turns to lupus and trots up to Naomi. Naomi attempts to face him down, but has drawn upon all her reserves. She falls over and decides it's just not fucking worth it. Vilna gets into a particularly heated exchange with Miles, in which insults are flying thick and fast, until Lisa breaks it up and takes Miles to one side for some diplomacy. She speaks with Miles for a few minutes, then moves to speak with Flies-Like-A-Stone. She speaks with him for a much shorter time.
Whatever she was attempting, it doesn't seem to have worked, because Lisa simply turns and heads back to the van. Naomi slowly follows. Vilna decides that he hasn't risked his life enough yet, and continues arguing with Miles. However, he doesn't make any progress, and eventually he turns and leaves, along with Steve and Calvin.
They have almost reached the van when Lisa turns and starts racing madly back towards the Caern, howling warnings as she goes. Naomi keeps trudging for the van. The others turn and follow Lisa. Some peek into the umbra where they see many tiny flying banes moving in the direction of the Caern. Steve and Vilna step sideways and start popping banes, while Lisa and Calvin keep running in the real world. Lisa and Calvin come across some of the Red Talons fighting banes that have come into the real world. They stop and help until all the banes are dead. Everyone then rushes towards the Caern. Steve and Vilna are moving as fast as the can towards the Caern, smushing banes as they go.
In the umbra, the Caern appears as a vast tree. A great cloud of banes are swarming around it, with more arriving all the time. Everybody starts ripping at the banes. Soon, Vilna and Steve show up and help. The banes are starting to gather in a droning black cloud above the Caern. New banes keep flying in and move to join the cloud. Steve and Calvin start throwing Vilna at the cloud, and he takes great chunks out of it. The Red Talons and Get of Fenris see the light and start doing likewise...right up to the point where the cloud opens as Vilna rises to meet it, and some sort of blast liquefies him. Vilna patters back into the water and spreads. The cloud turns in on itself and becomes a single thing. It is emitting the same droning, warbling scream that the True Seekers heard in the Scar, which one of the spirits there attributed to a Nexus Crawler. Everybody still in a solid state fling themselves at the thing as it descends and start tearing into it. Even as they rip at it, more tiny banes fly up and are absorbed in it's body. In the course of the battle, Steve and Calvin are both reduced to liquid, and "merge" with Vilna. Lisa strikes it one last time, and it breaks up into tiny banes again. Everybody in a liquid state suddenly coalesce. The tiny banes attempt to form another cloud, but most of them have been destroyed, and the flow of reinforcements has stopped. The last of the little squeakers are popped.
While Head Harvest and Raging Storm check the site for contamination, the True Seekers step into the real world. The centre of the Caern is a lone tree, twisted and bare. Hanging by strips of plaited bark are momentos from the time of the Bunyip: stones, sticks, hair and bone. The possibility of petty larceny is suggested but knocked back.
Head Harvest and Raging Storm come through, and Miles and Flies-Like-A-Stone grudgingly thank the pack for their help. The pack decides to use this new-found and probably fleeting favour, and ask to speak to the spirit of the Caern. Get of Fenris and Red Talon Theurges perform the rites and the spirit emerges, apparently some sort of spirit of life in the form of an aboriginal woman. Vilna tells her why they have come (the overall theme if not the details) and convince her of their good intentions. Vilna asks for a fragment of bone from a Bunyip, and the spirit returns to the tree as a finger bone falls from a branch. After thanking Head Harvest and Raging Storm for their generous hospitality, the True Seekers head to Ettadunna for the night. It is decided to head for the Sept of Scars Atoned to speak to Jirrawin and to get back some Gnosis