Shattered Hisil

Various
Location	Various
Date Began
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When the first trickle of the Tribes of the Moon started to filter back into Sacramento, something was readily apparent. Something had happened to the Hisil, something warped and twisted and cruel. A Rite had shattered the Hisil, laying waste to every spirit in the city and leaving the Shadow a bleak and barren place. While some spirits remained, they were few, and either very powerful or drained and starved.

When a pack would find a locus, it was almost always guarded. There were Rat Hosts, Claimed, and powerful spirits that lived off the only essence flowing into the land. The Tribes of the Moon have it hard enough – whatever had wreaked havoc on the Shadow in Sacramento was something that needed to be investigated and dealt with. In October, 2009, the Alphas of the Tribes of the Moon gathered in the Shadow Seekers territory. While the beginning of the meeting was crowded with greetings and the trading of information, it quickly disintegrated into what was almost a fight. Uratha rage affects all, and this was just further proof that, while the Tribes of the Moon could work together, no one will be closer than pack. Once the disturbances settled in the meeting, the tone quickly returned to business like. It was confirmed that the Anshega, the Pure to the north, had slew the spirit of Downtown Sacramento in a rite to cut off all essence flow from the Material world to the Shadow. They left the meeting with two plans: to reverse the Anshega rite, and to launch an attack Pure to the north. While not everyone was in agreement on the second plan, the first was undeniably the most important. Bidding their farewells, the packs each went back to their respective territories to learn what they could on how to reverse it.

The Hunt for the Shards

The Ascendant Crescent Brotherhood and The Sworn inadvertently looked in the right place first, by approaching the spirit Wild Sacramento. Wild Sacramento informed them that the Pure slew the spirit of Downtown Sacramento, and that its shattered pieces were in the Northwest, Northeast, South West and South East parts of Sacramento. After relaying this information, Ascendant Crescent Brotherhood was the first to hunt and find a shard, with the Sworn following soon after.

Northwest Corner

They traveled to the Northwestern most portion of their border, hunting for a place that was probably hidden in mystery, silence, and death. Ascendant Crescent Brotherhood uncovering a cave, and as one of their members notably exclaimed, ‘This is some Indiana Jones shit going on.” First, they had to wait until 3:15 to dial a fetish, or machine, or something, to the correct time, sliding the first door out of place. Next, they came to a blocked off area, with Runes painted on the ground, and the words F-A-T-H-E-R W-O-L-F written across the top of the room. After some experimentation, their Beta, Chantay Jones, discovering that stepping on the tiles in order to spell Father Wolf opened the last door. Bull Rush, Chantay Jones, and a prospective Cahalith walked into, to find a polite and honorable spirit that, sadly, was allied with the Pure. He stood guard over the shattered piece of Downtown Sacramento, a Leg placed upon a sacrificial altar. The spirit challenged the pack to a one-on-one duel, and if the spirit won they must leave. The Cahalith fell to Kuruth and left the room, leaving Chantay Jones to finish where he started. Bull Rush, trying to beat the Cahalith into submission, accidentally killed Seth. Chantay Jones, however, defeated the spirit, who handed over the piece of Downtown Sacramento and showed them the way out.

The Northeast Corner

The members of The Sworn, Mateo Benavides, Cory, and Vincent Bailey, went to their corner of their territory. They discovered that the corner was located inside a gated community with nicely manicured lawns…and a security guard. However, the guard was nothing for the ever convincing Vincent, who was able to talk the entire pack in through the gate for a birthday party. They found the only house with their lights on, and knocked on the door. The woman who answered, Sarah, was clearly seen with a spirit in Twilight whispering in her ear. Once the three members of the pack went inside, they found five claimed humans who were, apparently, intent on eating the three Uratha. With ruthless precision, the packs quickly dispatched with the claimed, earning Vincent Bailey the deed name Last Laugh for his actions in battle. The Sworn noticed the spirit who was whispering to Sarah had abandoned her and, after questioning, was headed towards Pure territory. With regret for what he had to do, Mateo went to each of the Claimed humans and, with sadness in his heart, quickly ended their lives. The pack found the torso and arm of the Downtown Sacramento spirit, and left the gated community.

The Southwest Corner

The Shadow Seekers, reunited with their lost Cahalith and former Alpha Matthew Greene and now led by Andrew Welhan, went searching for their own piece of the puzzle, though they stumbled upon it dealing with an old nemesis, Light Engulfing Forest. This spirit had lorded away in their territory despite early attempts to drive off the spirit. Along with their Omega, Alex Broman, Ph.D., Rahu, and a new comer Leo who was a Cahalith, the Seekers looked upon a sight they could barely believe. The forest, which had formerly only stood upon an island, had branched out into the surrounding Hisil, covering the landscape in trees and brush. Steeling their resolve, and attacking during the pre-dawn light in hopes to exploit what might be the spirits ban, they waded into the brush. They crossed through the early forest easily enough, and started swimming to the island. When they got ashore, Matthew used a gift to turn a broken branch into a flare of light, a torch to guide the packs ways; Light Engulfing Forest had done just that, soaking the Uratha in a pitch blackness an Irralune would dream of. With the torch lit, the Seekers saw their opposition – an array of animal and nature spirits, poised and ready to attack. Alex slew one single-handedly, while the rest of the pack dispatched their own foes with the quickest of ease. Then Light Engulfing Forest decided it was no longer time to play around, and showed himself. The Seekers Full Moon leapt into the fight, using his maw of teeth with a gift of Luna to inflict terrible harm to the spirit. The spirit tried to pull Alex Broman away from the pack, but their resolve and abilities proved too much for the spirit to out run or out fight. It was discorporated along with the rest of its brood, and it took the Seekers no time to find the spirits Arm, sitting atop a locus the spirit had claimed for itself.

The Southeast Corner

Nick, Alpha of the Heart of Granite pack, along with his pack mates Steve, and Dana, made their way to their locus to meet their packmates. They were followed by a new comer, Eli. They were waiting on their pack mates Alison and Tim to show up. Tim never made it, and Allison, the Beta, was severely late due to personal issues. This caused some differences among the pack – Allison, Steve, and Eli continued to search for the last shard of the spirit, while Nick and Dana decided to remain with their totem.

When Alison and the others reached the corner of their territory, they assessed what they found. The only person about was a man with a shotgun, asleep in a chair on his porch. It was a run down neighborhood and they didn’t have to worry about being spotted from anyone other than their target. Eli and Steve crept around back, careful not to wake the man on the porch. Hope was everywhere – there would be no fight, and the two Uratha would sneak in and out before anyone knew any the wiser. Their first look at the Claimed of the building came when a man with a bear head, fur, and claws came down the stairs and started yelling at the man asleep on the porch. Eli found the Leg of the spirit, Steve on the lookout, when an ear piercing shriek shattered the silence. A glass-woman came running down the stairs, yelling at the claimed and the guard to protect the piece. Steve shifted to Gauru, hulking up to take on the glass woman. Meanwhile, out front, Allison charged the man with the shotgun while the Bear was running to Steve and Eli. Allison shifted to Gauru and started to kill the man on the porch, sending the Bear into a confused state, not knowing whether to help the Queen or kill Allison. He leapt at Allison, and while she was able to subdue the man with the shotgun, she collapsed to her injuries from the bear. Eli jumped out the window, making a run for the front while Steve held off the Queen. Upon seeing Allisons battered form, Eli shifted to Gauru and started laying into the Bear Spirit. Soon enough, Allisons regeneration caught up with her, and she also lurched upward in Urshul form to bring the beast down. Once the Bear Claimed was down for good, Allison stuck her head inside to see Steve try to run away – and have a whole blasted in his chest because of it. Despite already grievous wounds, Allison fended off the Queen until Eli pulled Steve to safety, then fled herself, getting dealt another series of vicious wounds in the process. Fenris would be proud. Upon gathering with the rest of the pack later on, their totem told them that Nick and Dana had decided to move on to another city, but that shouldn’t be a match for a pack that just so thoroughly bested their given task.

Repairing the Damage

All Tribes of the Moon packs in Sacramento converged on the Tur, save the Justicars. They had gathered the broken pieces of Downtown Sacrament. Heart of Granite drew particular attention as most of their number arrived half-dead, and were still ready to do their part. The warriors of the packs spread out in a perimeter around the ritual site, while the rite masters converged on the body to discuss their options. Whatever they decided to do, they know that if they waited too long the Pure would halt everything. The ritualists compared the rites that they knew, and what might be most befitting the spirit. They initially tried the Rite of Healing, but to no avail – the spirits corpus was still bleeding, but missing a head, and its hard to heal anything without a head. The warriors were getting restless, with some barking orders back to the ritualists. After a quarter of an hour, the ritualists decided that a Funeral Rite was what was necessary. Quickly, 7 wolves pounced on the ground, digging a proper sized grave in almost 20 minutes. Scouts were reporting back – there were Pure on the other side of the bridge, and were preparing to attack. The ritualists hurried not, for proper respect had to be paid, or the spirit would not truly rest. The warriors tensed, ready to stand firm against the oncoming wave of Pure.

One Irraka, Starseeker, excelled at his given task. When he and the rest of the scouts found the Pure, he went as far across the bridge as he dared, listening to what was being planned, and recognizing one of them. His name was Echo, and he had met Starseeker on the night of his change. Attempting to kill him with Silver bullet, Starseeker was saved by other Urdaga, saved from an early death to live through a hell hole of a life. When the Pure marched out, Echo and his pack sighted Starseeker, and gave chase while the main throng of Pure wolves ran to the Tur, surprise ruined. Starseeker ran swift as the wind, cutting through abandoned spirit reflections of building, always staying one step ahead of the massive Alpha. Eventually, Echo was able to use a devious Pure gift to inflict massive pain onto Starseeker. Fighting through the pain, the brave Irraka fended off the elder Alpha, before eventually driving him away, foxridden and urinating in defeat, with the rest of his pack in pursuit. Starseeker knew he had triumphed – Echo was defeated, and that was five Pure who weren’t joining the attack on the ritual.

The main Pure contingent, lead by Delta, marched onto Tur grounds, met first by a lone Elodoth, Chantay Jones. She tried to discuss reason with them – and like Pure reason, theirs was poisoned and vile. They tried to attack her, a lone Uratha showing Purity and Honor before a numerous foe, when everyone bolted into action. Andrew Welhan of the Shadow Seekers picked up a torch and ran straight towards the Pure, assuming Gauru, looking like walking death itself, he fell to a Kuruth that the Pure could not match in ferocity. Eli of the Heart of Granite was attacked by three, and he held them off single-handedly in Gauru. Cory Duncan of the Sworn was having an Irraka wet dream, using his stealth and sheer muscle capacity to crush opponent before they even knew he was upon them, wrenching their necks in different directions as well as pinning enemies for his allies to finish off.

Not all stays good long. Eli, suffering from more and more damage, finally fell to a ripped jugular. He had held off a large section of the Pure single-handedly, and not a single one of the killers was felled in their retreat. When the ritualists finished their Funeral Rite, the Pure started to withdraw. Alex Broman had very nearly killed Delta, and was intent on his death. Steve Baldero of the Heart of Granite had fallen to Kuruth when Eli had fell, and charged headlong into the throng of retreating Pure. The only actions that saved the Blood Talons left were those of Matthew Greene and Vincent Bailey, who grappled and talked down the raging wolf. Alex Broman had been caught, knocked unconscious, and held as a hostage as the Pure withdrew. Chantay Jones saved his life, speaking up where his pack could not. The warring tribes committed a prisoner exchange, content with the slaughter of the night so far.

Exhausted, tired, and amazed, the Forsaken of Sacramento reflected on their victory. One by one, the Cahalith, the Ithaeur, all varying sorts of the Tribes of the Moon let loose a mournful wail of a howl, a sad song mixed with hope, a requiem for the dead while shining the light for the living. The Forsaken converged on the grave, content to pause for a minute to catch their breath. Before long, a great rush of spiritual energy could be felt, damn near seen, flowing back across the Hisil. It had worked! The ritual had been reversed, and the Shadow would be returning to normal!

The amazement didn’t last long; the unity they shared this night might have been their last. They deepened into petty squabbles, showing that in Uratha life, Tribe might be important, but pack was life, with each Alpha concerned about their fallen and injured brothers and sisters. However, the pure were set back, and the Tribes of the Moon could finally set about repairing their individual territories.

Scenes

• October Alpha Meeting
• Hunting the Broken (Northwest Corner
• Enjoying the Forest for the Trees (Southwest Corner)
• Shard Hunting (Northeast Corner
• Picking Up the Pieces (Southeast Corner)
• The Tur, Hisil Side Meeting