The First Hunt

[Bleeds Well]

3 successes to detect loci

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-02-07 16:38:37	Bleeds Well rolls 9 to Detect Loci (wits +Investigation+PU) (10 Again)	1, 7, 6, 6, 2, 9, 10, 4, 9, 6	3 successes

The midnight wolf silently approaches each pack member as they arrive, giving each of them a quick sniff to capture their scent. He can feel the possum in his mouth stirring as approaches Tristan and gives a quick shake of his head to still to still the creature once more. When Cyan approaches nervously, Bleeds Well attempts to give him a gentle nudge closer to the others.

Bleeds Well observes as Scrapper shifts and begins nosing around, seeing the wolf sensed it in the same direction the Rahu flicks an ear in appreciation. <<Good.>> He praises. <<Go.>> Bleeds Well heads off, determined to ensure the area is safe for the others to approach.

1 success to look for danger

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-02-07 16:58:34	Bleeds Well rolls 5 to Looks for danger (Wits+Investigation) (10 Again)	6, 1, 6, 7, 10, 1	1 success

[Elizabeth Wade]

Elizabeth helped herself to a shirt that would double as a dress on her slight figure. She slung it over her shoulder. Holding it by one crooked digit and going around the corner for a moment. What returned was Elizabeth in Urhan. Just a normal looking North American Timber Wolf.


She chuffed at Derek and Bleeds well, and bumped into them playfully. Tail high and arched. She was excited for the hunt. She started to sniff around, darting in and out of shadows, instinctively hiding from unfriendly eyes. She put her head up and into the breeze trying to catch the scent.

2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-02-07 18:30:29	Elizabeth Wade rolls 7 to Detect Loci: Wits 2 + Investigation 2 + PU 3 (10 Again)	3, 3, 1, 9, 2, 2, 10, 5	2 successes

Elizabeth yipped slightly and seemed excited. Catching the scent. She ran to Emily and jumped up and down in place a few times.

[Emily Makerith]

The Crescent Moon whips out an easy half-smirk as Cyan seems on edge. "That's what Google maps is for, right?" she chuckles, before waving him over. "Come on, kid. Stick with us."

At the others shift and change Emily stretches, muscles and joints cracking as her sleeves pool at her elbows, revealing her tattoed right forearm. "Uhhhhh. That's better," she mutters, more to herself than anyone else. She makes a note of Derek and Elizabeth's Urhan shapes. After all, it was important to recognise them at a glance - or scent - in any form.

The jumping Storm Lord makes the Ithaeur chuckle, and she reaches out to playfully fuss Urhan-Elizabeth. "Somebody's excited, huh?" She makes a point to sniff the air around Lizzie as she yips, before casting her eyes for a locus.

1 success

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-02-08 18:09:49	Emily Makerith rolls 7 to Find Locus - Wits 3 + Investigate 2 + 2PU (10 Again)	6, 8, 5, 7, 1, 5, 1	1 success

It takes her a little longer than the others to spot the direction Bleeds Well and Derek are already trotting in, but she's more concerned with keeping everyone together. "Come on guys," She says, ushering Tristan, Cyan and Lizzie a little ahead before bringing up the rear. With a quick glance around for safety, she grows up to Dalu as she moves, her loose clothes becoming more form-fitting as her frame bulks with muscle.

Time for my old eyeball trick.

6 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-02-08 18:24:09	Emily Makerith rolls 10 to 2-world eyes - Wits 3 + Occult 3 + Wisdom 4 (10 Again)	6, 10, 5, 10, 5, 2, 8, 6, 6, 10, 8, 5, 9	6 successes

One of her eyes glitters with purple as it sees across to the Hisil.

Shapeshifting pool is enough to change without a roll, E-success on 2-world eyes lets her see & smell across the Gauntlet simultaneously for the rest of the scene!

[Tristan Riverstep]

Tristan's expression falls at the mention of Granny's passing. He knows life and death are part of the cycle, even normal folks know that. But still, it didn't make each passing hurt less. "Then let's make this one good, for Granny and her hospitality." For giving us a place to come together. Emily mentions the spirit and its boundaries and he perks up with a grin. "Sounds like we've got ourselves a challenge."

Cyan arrives and Tristan shoots him a friendly grin and a wave. "The gang's all here! Let's get a move on."

2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-02-11 10:36:13	Tristan Riverstep rolls 4 to Detect Loci (Wits + Investigation + Primal Urge) (10 Again)	10, 1, 9, 1, 1	2 successes

Glad to hear that no peeping toms or tessas are around to witness, Tristan steps into his own dark corner. After a moment, and the sounds of fabric shuffling and muscle shaping, out of that dark corner steps a black timber wolf with brown coloration around the eyes and nose. He shakes himself and trots around the group, catching scents and other details as he familiarizes himself with his Pack's truer selves. He catches onto the scent about the same time as Elizabeth, though his excitement is expressed in an eager whining and start-stopping in that direction. He's ready to bolt at a moment's notice towards their prey.

[Cyan Deacon]

Cyan trusted that the others were more in the know than he was, instead electing to follow both the lead of Emily and Tristan since when he moved to a darkened corner to shift, he still couldn't smell anything despite the shift being into Urhan. He might have not known Granny that well, but... it was still a somber moment that he could recognize that much at least.

failure

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-02-07 01:33:34	Cyan Deacon rolls 5 to detect loci (wits+ investigation + primal urge) (10 Again)	5, 2, 6, 4, 3	failure

It frustrated him slightly to be out of the loop, but he'll learn eventually. Just needed to be... patient with himself. And to focus on the hunt.

[pisces]

The pack were off. Derek and Bleeds Well lead the pack with Tristan and Elizabeth close behind, Emily taking up the rear and peeking into the Shadow around them. What she found there was interesting. Cyan kept pace with Emily and the pack as they rounded a corner around a restored stately home and found a Cellar Door.

They find the locus in an underground cellar, and a restored 19th century hearth below. The resonance that the hearth gave off was one of healing. It used to be the hidden hospital of a healer woman. Women back then were forbidden to practice medicine, so her craft was carefully hidden. Mining accidents were very common, and most miners were poor and couldn’t afford going to a doctor. Here hundreds of wounds were dressed and treated by the warmth of the hearth. Thinning the gauntlet and creating the Locus that was claimed by the Alpha Pack.

They weren’t alone. The Alpha Packs Totem watched them warily as they made their way down the creaky steps. No, the Alpha pack did not leave their Locus unguarded. Trust, but verify, was a healthy motto for any pack to adopt after all…

A single bulb swinging from the ceiling on a chain lit the small room. It was empty but for the restored hearth. The people who owned the home above had never disturbed this area. Had no use for it. So when Granny had come along and asked to rent it out, they refused her money, and donated it to her use out of charity. In return the pack restored the hearth and kept the cellar free from pests and molds and the like. Though they often wondered what they could possibly want with such a place….

Indeed the family did not realize their good health was due to the locus below.

Two World Eyes: Emily

The real world fell away to the reveal the area of the Shadow. The buildings facades were strange, with some being very old and some shiny steel and modern. The spirits in this area were scattering due to the wolves being in the area. Afraid that they were the hunted. It was a nicer landscape than what the real world boasted, and since a lot of people lived here there were many concept spirits. One animal spirit in particular would draw her eye: A condor. The wingspan of the spirit a mighty 9 feet, and it displayed a former glory that was no longer seen this far North anymore, but had been noted in the Wilkes expedition in the 1850's of the Sacramento Valley. Spirits associated with healing were crowded around a small mouth of an alley drawn to the resonance of the loci they were seeking. It was a confirmation that they were going in the right direction. The scent of the area was one of fresh baked bread as if a long forgotten bakery had been there, as they neared the Cellar door however the scent changed to that of steel, rubbing alcohol, herbs and linen.

Intelligence + Presence + Primal Urge OR Spend 1 Essence to cross as a Standard Action, you get a +1 for this locus!

[Derek Johnston]

The dark-furred wolf that is Scrapper chuffs back at Lizzie-wolf, watching her emerge and he bumps back against her frame. While she's off yipping her excitement to the others, he sets off, following his nose and Bleeds Well at a quick pace. He shares the lead on this hunt with Bleeds Well, though he manages to keep himself a half-step behind the more experienced Rahu. He does lightly bump his shoulder against the other wolf's side in a sign of excitement and acceptance. He also takes the time while they're searching to try to make sure he sees everyone's forms and scents, to learn how they look and smell like this for future hunts and other things.

When the scent leads to the home, old yet restored, his pace slows. The fog might be thick tonight but light from a window might reveal the collection of wolves roving the property still. When the scent leads to the cellar door, he pauses to circle once to make sure that this is where the scent of the locus seems to be coming from, and also checking for danger as well. The fact that he's also waiting for one person who still has hands at the moment and can open the door is purely a coincidence.

When the door does get opened, he scrambles down the steps, keratin claws clicking on the wood before he finds his way around the room, making a beeline towards the hearth. Scrapper looks around to see if everyone is here as well as glancing around for a possible mirror or other reflective surface and, finding none, growls a rough <Over.> and moves to push start pushing his way through the gauntlet and into the Hisil.

3 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-02-15 20:55:51	Scrapper rolls 9 to stepping sideways (Int+Pres+PU) + 1 for Locus (10 Again)	2, 4, 3, 4, 9, 3, 7, 8, 8	3 successes

[Bleeds Well]

Bleeds runs as only a wolf can, seeming to leap forward in bursts before sliding back into shadow and checking that he still has the scent. When Scrapper-wolf and Elizabeth-wolf bump him, he resists the urge to playful snap at the fur of their neck, mindful of the passenger in his mouth.

Reaching the home, he pauses in the shadows waiting for the door to open. He then slips down the stairs into the cellar, inky black fur vanishing into the darkness below. He bounds down the stairs, paws barely touching before leaping down to the floor. A memory conjures up the image of a swarm of rats in the engulfing darkness and his jaws snap out instinctively.

As his pulse slows once more, the calming effect of the hearth spirits resonance settles on him. He feels the presence of the locus and Scrapper fading in the spirit. Unsure of the other newcomers ability he throats, <<Path. Found>>.

He waits a moment, letting anyone of the pack who wishes to grab his fur. A crunch of breaking bones is heard as Bleeds Well's jaw tightens down on the possum, snapping its neck. He wasn't sure how fresh the kill had to be, but waiting until just before the breached the gauntlet seemed the safest bet.

The line between worlds blur, and Bleeds Well finds himself surrounded by the familiar turbulent energy of the spirit world.

2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-02-15 21:50:33	Bleeds Well rolls 9 to Pathfinding Guantlet Cross (Int2+Pre2+PU4+loci1) (10 Again)	1, 10, 10, 3, 3, 6, 2, 3, 1, 4, 7	2 successes

[Elizabeth Wade]

Elizabeth was having fun at first, but also keeping a keen eye on the others.
Her senses flooded with information as they worked their way slowly to the locus, sticking to the shadows and keeping their ears perked for dangers.


Going down into the belly of the cellar she was finally able to block out the smells and stink of the city to get a better whiff of the others. She whined softly, watching to make sure everyone made it into the cellar before stepping sideways herself.

3 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-02-17 10:45:46	Elizabeth Wade rolls 9 to Stepping Sideways: Inteligence 2 + Presence 3 + Primal Urge 3 +1 Locus (10 Again)	3, 9, 3, 7, 9, 5, 2, 5, 8	3 successes

The Shadow greeted her then…. And she stuck close to the others. Her ears twitching this way and that. There were a lot of hungry things in the Shadow…

[Emily Makerith]

The Ithaeur scanned the Hisil and confirmed there was no threats lurking.... which was good as she saw Bleeds Well, Derek and Lizze hop across the Gauntlet. Still, the Condor gives her pause.

"Wow...."

She stands on the Locus and presses through.

1 success

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-02-20 16:52:29	Emily Makerith rolls 9 to Step Sideways - Int3 + Pre3 + PU2 +1 (Locus) (10 Again)	5, 4, 3, 3, 1, 3, 4, 1, 10, 3	1 success

It's a slow process, but the mechanic makes her way across.

"Watch out for the Condor," she offers lightly. "I reckon theor presence is relevant, either as the target or the watcher."