Character Sheet: Killer Wind Andu, aka Kwandu Appearance Prelude Journal Entries:
Name: Killer Wind Andu, aka Kwandu Player: Paul Yellin Status: Resigned Breed: Lupus Auspice: Ahroun Tribe: Wendigo Pack Name: Ancient Voices Pack Totem: Redwood Concept: ATTRIBUTES: Physical: Strength-4, Dexterity-3, Stamina-3 Social: Charisma-2, Manipulation-2, Appearance-2 Mental: Perception-3, Intelligence-2, Wits-3 ABILITIES Talents: Empathy-3, Expression-2, Intimidation-3, Primal-Urge-2, Subterfuge-3 Skills: Animal Ken-3, Stealth-3, Survival-3 Knowledge: Enigmas-3 ADVANTAGES: Background: Fetish-4 Gifts: Call the Breeze, Heightened Senses, Razor Claws Merits & Flaws: Ambidexterous (+), Confused (-), Double Jointed (+), No Scent (+), Phobia, severe (Guns) (-), Soft-hearted? (-), Underworld Ties (+) RITES: none RENOWN RANK 0 Glory-0/0 Honor-0/0 Wisdom-0/0 Rage-9 Gnosis-8 Willpower-7 Appearance: KW is a very well built man, that has long, grungy, black hair and blue eyes. His face is always rough with beard stuble. His arms are huge, his legs are also muscular and have more shape than his arms although both can squash a skull. His fashion sense is a bit off, he is usually caught wearing a black tank-top with orange slacks. His roomate is currently giving him help on this. In wolf-form, he is a large timber wolf with black fur. Prelude: Killer Wind Andu is the son of the Leader of the Dancing Clouds Tribe. He was cast out of his tribe at the age of 19 because he asked his father for permission to marry an Italian Woman. His father was outraged and embarrassed that his son, a Wendigo, would even think about marrying an outsider that his tribe was trying to get rid of. He tried to explain to his father that not all outsiders mean harm but it was to no avail. KW challenged his fathers authority and so they fought. KWs father fought valiantly but to no avail, he received a broken nose and was knocked unconscious. The woman that K~ loved was killed and K'W was banished from his tribe FOREVER. It was hard for him to leave his past life but he knew he must. He ventured south to Santa Cruz. He was forced to live in Cowell Redwoods State Park because he did not know how to survive in the city. One day a beautiful female came up to him when he was sleeping and she woke him up. She told him that she was too was a Werewolf. He was amazed that she knew he was and foolishly asked her, "Well" She Laughed, "I umm, Just know." He then noticed that he was in crinos form, he thought he must have somehow changed form in his sleep. She asked him to join the Sept of the Ancient Voices with the park as their cairn. He agreed. The sept held a moot and he was then initiated. He was the only Wendigo in the sept and felt kind of odd but he did not mind, for now he was again part of a group. The group gave him some cash and so he started a new life. He was joined with the female who met him in the park and asked him to join the Ancient Voices. He found a job at the Burger King downtown on 50th St. He can be found there 5AM-5PM on weekdays. During his spare time he reads a book or the newspaper or can be found at the local Billards Parlor. Thursday, June 1st, 1995 8:32 a.m. The deer smelled the wolf too late and though it made a decent effort to leap and run away, the wolf was far too quick and and the buck was brought down hard, more by weight and surprise than anything else. Still, crying mournfully, the deer kicked out savagely, wounding the wolf with its sharp hooves and trying to scratch it with its antlers. Angered, growing angry beyond belief, the wolf changed, hispo, then crinos, its eyes promising nothing but death to the terrified deer. "Now, Kwandu!" The wolf-thing turned at the sound of the voice, but then shaking it off, turned once more to the downed buck, drawn to the kill by its frantic movements, and lusting for the terror the wolf-thing saw in its animal eyes. "Let him go!" Once again, unbidden, unwanted, the voice drew Killer Wind back to his human side, back to the pathetic weak beastless side where the sound of Rage was softest, hardly a whisper. What Killer Wind sought was blood touched by the taste of terror, by prey that could satisfy his hunger, by death and battle, even glory. "It is time, Kwandu. You must let him go." It was a woman's voice. She sounded familiar, somehow. A face, half wolf, half human floated past him. Silver fur and blue eyes that masqued the moon, moonlight changing and like a dream, changing him with it. He was glabro. The buck kicked free and bounded off into the wood. Wind Andu cried aloud, his snarling Rage hurtling the deer even faster away through the Redwoods. He sought to run after it, the taste of its terror still deliciously held in his mind. For a moment, the lupus side of him almost broke through, but then that face, half silver fur, half gossamer hair, linked by a blue eyed bridge that riveted him to Gaia's earth and the lupus' Rage faded from him, howling inside like a voice from the Umbra. He was homid. He was also naked, and the morning sun, already freed from the fog, burned hotly down upon him. Embarrassed lest one of the humans come upon him in his naked truth, seeing the unhonoured self that had come to the ancient wood. He looked, but Sarah Four-kills was nowhere. Only the memory of her voice stayed with him. Kwandu, as they called him, loped off through the ferns, taking a circuitous route through the forest, back to the hidden cairn. Thursday, June 1st 1:19 p.m. "Stone-in-Fist is still healing. Though he still will fight, Sarah has forbidden this, saying he must heal first. This leaves only the one, Kwandu, to battle for us," Odvieg Baneshatter was explaining to Klaivesmourn, who was lolling about in his usual Crinos form, his forked tongue flitting out obscenely while Odvieg ignored this and continued on. "I for one, do not have faith in him. He is too young and too quiet about his past. It is time we turned away from the Ahroun as War leaders. We are not like other septs. Why not a Philodox or" "Or a Ragabash?" Klaivesmourn's sonorous voice finished for her. "I thank you for your confidence, but I doubt the other's would share it just the same." "Still," Odvieg countered, "Better you than the new one. Just because he is Ahroun does not mean his voice caries anything with it but noise." Klaivesmourn had long since seen Kwandu enter the glade but, aside from a look of mirth in his own eyes, Klaivesmourn did not bother to inform Odvieg that Kwandu was standing just behind her. "What I would like," Odvieg droned on, "is to test that new whelp myself. I'll bet I could cut some humility out of him," she finished. The Metis Klaivesmourn smiled, his snake like tongue popping in and out of his sharp teeth like a shiny black worm. "Well, Sarah seems to trust him, and I for one trust Sarah. As for making him humble, here's your chance Baneshatter." Klaivesmourn nodded and Odvieg at once jumped up and turned to face Kwandu, who had just put on his clothes. "You sneaking whelp!" Odvieg hissed. She was Get of Fenris and appeared as a lithe petite human with short blond hair and eyes like blue ice. Her lips peeled back, and Kwandu could see them starting to turn sharp, like a wolf's. Though, as an unusually peaceful Get, Odvieg had found her way to the Sept of Ancient Voices, still, she was still a Get and her Rage bubbled close to the surface in her. Having just come from giving up the deer, Kwandu found he was too tired to fight. "I don't want to fight you," he told Odvieg. "Just leave me alone." He walked past her but then something wet hit him in the neck. He reached back to find she had spit on him. It was an insult no garou could ignore. This time his Rage called to him and found him waiting. He shifted to glabro and then to crinos. Odvieg had done the same and two faced off, each seeming the anti-thesis to the other. While Kwandu was the larger in homid form, his Crinos self glistening with jet black fur was much smaller than the white furred Crinos of Odvieg. Her claws extended as did his and each circled the other, waiting for a chance to bite and rend. He promised his Rage blood, and if he could, a life. The high pitched squeal of a flute bit through their anger and found them. It's melodious tones riveting them. Once again banished, Kwandu's rage left him abruptly, and leaving him, took his strength away with it, so that he sagged to his knees on the mossy stones of the glade. The Ragabash metis, Klaivesmourn, had started to play his flute. It was a magical flute, so it was said, and it at once demonstrated its power. In the wake of its melody, it left both Kwandu and Odvieg on their knees, weak like newborn cubs. "Thank you, Klaivesmourn," a deep gentle woman's voice was heard. "It appears we have two here who have forgotten our laws about shedding blood in the glade." Sarah Four-kills had returned. Thursday, June 1st 2:10 p.m. Diggs-a-lot, Theurge and Chief Ritemaster to the Sept had finished lecturing Kwandu about the history of the Sept. Kwandu, once again had to learn about how peace and not war had prevailed in the hearts of the Sept of Ancient Voices and how the sept had come about to try and heal the wound from the War of Assumption. Though Fianna and Children of Gaia made up the bulk of the sept, all tribes were welcome to join as long as they espoused to try and find peace and tranquility as the means by which to deal with the world. Only in defence of Gaia were the pack members of the Sept allowed to wage war. One of the benefits of the more open viewpoints of the Sept was that garou and kinfolk were allowed in who would not be welcome in other septs. Odvieg herself was an anomaly and embarrassment to her tribe, being relatively, only by Get standards, peaceful. Because of this, she had found her way to the Sept of the Ancient Voices and because of this, was even accepted as packmate by those in the Sept from the Black Furies tribe, an unheard of event in any other Sept. As Kwandu left, the litany finished, he saw that two others waited for him. One was Odvieg Baneshatter, who awaited her turn to be bored. The other was the Ragabash metis, Klaivesmourn. As Odvieg passed him, she muttered, "I'll deal with you later, Wendigo whelpling." "Anytime," Kwandu snarled under his breath in return. As Kwandu passed Klaivesmourn, he asked, "And what are you doing here? Don't think that I want any more of your flute playing." Klaivesmourn snorted in delight. "I thought you might want some company after all that. Diggs' droning does tend to leave one rather catatonic afterwards. Funny thing is, that it appears to work. No one, it seems, wants to repeat the treatment." Klaivesmourn looked at Kwandu. "So, was it like having your fangs pulled?" "No, it wasn't quite so pleasant," Kwandu told him. Kwandu tried not to stare at Klaivesmourn. But it was hard, for he had never seen a metis before and even though repugnant, there was something fascinating about the enigmatic Ragabash. "Excuse me," Kwandu asked the metis, "but you are a metis aren't you?" "Yes," Klaivesmourn nodded, walking alongside Kwandu, on his way to see Sarah Four-kills. "Have you seen many of my kind before?" he asked, his tongue lolling about his face as though it had a mind of his own. "Er, no, not really," Kwandu admitted. "And why's that?" Klaivesmourn pressed him. "I didn't think my kind were that rare these days." "Ah," Kwandu tried to think about a way to change the subject but couldn't. "Ah, well you see, my older Sept was a bit more narrow minded. They strictly forbid mating outside of the Indian people, let alone mating with another garou." "You mean they killed any metis," Klaivesmourn had cut right through Kwandu's attempt to disguise the fact. "Ah, yes," Kwandu was forced to admit, shocked that the metis had pulled the fact out of him like that. "They were seen as an, uh, as an," "Abomination?" Klaivesmourn offered. Kwandu was taken aback. It was as though the metis could read his thoughts. Though he hadn't intended to use the word, it was exactly what he was actually thinking. "Well, don't fret about it," the metis told him. "I don't know. It would have probably been a kindness if someone had done that to me." Kwandu, his thoughts revealed, tried to change the subject back to something he was curious about. "Ah, if you don't mind my asking, what tribe are you from?" "My mother was a Black Fury," Klaivesmourn told him. Kwandu's jaw just about dropped off. "And she let you live? I thought the Fury's killed their male garou offspring?" "And she probably would have, had she had the chance," Klaivesmourn told him. Kwandu knew that the Fury's had no male members, so the metis father had to be from another tribe. "And your father, was he a Shadowlord?" Kwandu asked, guessing after what the metis most seemed to resemble. Klaivesmourn stopped and turned to the the young Wendigo. "Really?" He seemed surprised. "I thought one of the others would have told you by now. My father was a Black Spiral Dancer." This time Kwandu couldn't hide his surprise. His jaw gaped open and just stood there, staring at the metis, not believing his ears. Thursday, June 1st, 1995. 6:03 p.m. Kwandu and Odvieg had been assigned to guard the U.C.S.C. boundary, where the park lands touched those belonging to the university. In truth, the Ancient Voices also laid claim to the upper third of the university land, but now a group of renegade garou had recently moved in and Sarah, not wanting to antagonize possible allies, had let them stay for the time being. Her policy had paid off for word came from these Glass Walkers that human Magi were planning to raid the cairn of the Ancient Voices. Most of the others had been placed near where they thought the attack would come from. Since Kwandu and Odvieg were new to the Sept, and young, they were placed on a boundary not seen as a likely point of egress into the bawn. Also, Sarah Four-kills had decided that Odvieg and Kwandu would make a good team for some insane reason. Stone-in-Fist, Packleader in War was healing at the glade and his knowledge was missed by many packmembers. Perhaps, had he been active, he would have foreseen the gathering now confronting Kwandu and Odvieg. Nine humans were winding their way through the forest. They were dressed in colourful rags and they carried instruments, and they chanted as they walked, playing their cymbals, chimes and drums. "I'm going back for help," Odvieg told Kwandu. "You stay here!" "Don't tell me what to do!" Killer Wind hissed at her. "You are not my chief! I say we should attack them. If they are Magi, we can ascertain their defences. If they are just humans out for a walk, the delirium will take them." "That is the most stupid plan I have ever heard! I truly believe it came from you!" Odvieg snarled back. "We should go warn the others and let them deal with it. Just because you're Ahroun doesn't mean you're a War leader yet you Wendigo idiot!" "When it comes to being an idiot, the Get could chant litanies about it! It's written in stone what imbeciles the Get are!" "When we get through with those humans," Odvieg promised, "I'm going to show you just what Get Fury is made of!" "I know what it's made of!" Killer Wind Andu told her, "It's made of the same thing that's blowing past my ears now! - A bunch of hot air!" They both continued to snarl at each other while the humans walked deeper into the forest. "Look what you did now, all of your whining is wasting time, damn you." KW changed into glabro and then to chronos, just as he did hours ago. "You coming or not Inbreed?" was his last comment to Odvieg before he launched off in the direction of the humans. When he closed the gap to about 100 yards he kissed his claws and charged the humans, passing them by about 5 yards, turned around and looked directly at the humans, "Are you the mages?" he questioned with a large grin. With that he attacked a human with an instrument. Thursday, June 1st, 1995. 6:07 p.m. The man screamed as Killer Wind bit down into his shoulder. The taste of blood was sweet and using his hind legs, Andu gutted the man with ease. Of the rest of the humans, two froze in place while the other six ran screaming, back the way they had come. For a fleeting moment, Killer Wind tried to reign in the beast, but his Rage, so long held in chains, now released would not hold back and Andu leapt upon one of the remaining humans. She tried to scream, but Kwandu bit her throat, relishing in the sound of crunching vertebrae. Shaking her limp body, he pulled her head clean off, tasting her delicate flesh. Baneshatter tried to intervene, but Kwandu backhanded her with a swipe of his claw, sending her rolling down a hill. The last human gave only a whimper before Killer Wind was upon her. Pinning her down with his great weight, he rent her with his claws until she was but shards of bloody pulpy flesh and torn entrails. Looking at the shreds of skin, hair and muscle hanging from his claws, Kwandu was at once overcome with revulsion. He had given the Beast within him full reign and the Beast had killed. "Kwandu! You fool! What have you done?!" Odvieg Baneshatter screamed at him, blood dripping from her cheek. Kwandu just looked at her. Then he looked once more at what he had done. The people had obviously just been humans after all. KW was breathing heavily from his quick burst of rage. "Who? ME? Ohh I was umm, I was killing these people who you said were Magi but were really a bunch of college kids coming to or from a party. Why were you so paranoid about a buncha kids? You know, I killed innocent people." KW forced himself back to his homid shape and looked at his kill. "Stupid kids, why are they out all night? They aren't old enough to even drink legally" KW sniffed the dead childs mouth, "But, they were. Ohh well, we made a mistake, they happen, no big deal, RIGHT?" KW looked at Odveig with eyes that showed hurt and confusion, with rage still lurking in them. He said, again as much with his eyes, "You won't mention this will you? I mean it was both of our faults, I'll GET you if you tell. It was an accident, the kids were drunk, the police won't believe them. We can bury the bodies, nobody will know." KW got up and walked to where he came from. He then sat and watched and wondered what the Get would do next. He knew that if he had to, he would kill Odveig to cover up their mistake.... Thursday, June 1st, 1995. 6:36 p.m. Odvieg continued to glare at him, her eyes burning cold. "Stay here and guard the boundary. If some Real Magi show up, then maybe you will show the same courage as you just did against unarmed humans! But maybe your kind of courage only exists against the helpless!" Odvieg spat as she stalked off. "Where are you going!?" Killer Wind called out. "I'm going to go tell Sarah and Diggs about what happened here. There's going to be some serious shit after what you've done and they need to know about it." Friday, June 2nd, 1995 9:47 a.m. Killer Wind sat alone in the circle, surrounded by the members of the Ancient Voices Sept, some in homid form, some in lupine, some, like the metis Klaivesmourn in Crinos. All eyes were upon him as Stone-in-Fist, huge and terrible war leader of the sept, continued to berate Kwandu as if he were little more than a cub, and not the full fledged warriour he was. "You idiot! Do you know what you have done?!" Stone-in-Fist screamed at him. Sarah Four-kills walked up, her homid hands seeming so small, disappearing into Stone-in-Fists enraged Crinos' fur. Yet, the touch was enough coming from Sarah, and Stone-in-Fist backed down, growling, but his Rage curtailed. Sarah, her voice more sad than angry, continued. "Kwandu, you have done a great wrong to Mother Gaia. Because of your actions, the humans will try to repeal the laws protecting cougars, thinking that this attack was by one of the great cats. The bastet have sent word that they blame us for this and hold all garou responsible. Though our kinfolk in the State Assembly will try to forestall a repeal on the ban to hunt the cats, this does not look promising." There were snarls and cries coming from the assembly, but these quieted as Sarah raised her hand, seeing.that one, who called himself Pieter One-leg, desired to speak. One-leg, standing, despite his name, on two good legs, addressed the assembly. "My brothers and sisters, I wish to point out that though the news service of the human herd calls these killings attacks by Mountain Lions, those among them who hunt the garou will know this attack for what it is, and they will be drawn here. "Let them come!" someone's voice called out. One-leg raised his hand. "No, even if they are killed, they will cause hurt, and maybe even death to those of our number. And we have the young Wendigo to thank for this." One-leg pointed an accusing finger at Killer Wind. A chorus of outrage followed this speech. It looked for a while like KWAndu would be torn apart on the spot. Looking at all the angry and hostile faces, Kwandu thought that had he been back at his former home among the Raging Storm, he would indeed have met a violent end. Just as the assembly's rage was rising, a clear, sharp whistled note cut through and above it all. Klaivesmourn was playing his flute. Everyone at once grew silent. Taking advantage of the lull, Sarah Four-kills at once rose up. "My brothers and sisters," she called out, "We of the Ancient Voice Sept walk the road of peace and forgiveness. Here Gaia brings us a test, to see how we harken to her words of wisdom, and here we answer her song with Rage, when we should only listen. Klaivesmourn reminds us of our hearts or at least, where they should be." Walking up behind Kwandu, Sarah put her hands on his shoulders. "Kwandu's failing is our own failing, just as his victory would have been our victory. If we cannot forgive our own, how can we go out into the world to heal the hurts that ten thousand years of strife have left upon Gaia's face and bones. We must learn to walk the road of peace in our own hearts if we can ever hope to lead others on that path." As her words fell away, a great silence came over the assembly. One young Galliard got up to ask, "What shall we do, Sarah? Won't the Wendigo be punished?" Sarah shook her head. "He is Kwandu, not the Wendigo. Call him by that name and call him your brother as well. As for his future, he shall be instructed, as would any of you be instructed. And to that, we must listen to Diggs-a-lot, the teacher of us all." Diggs-a-lot, an ancient garou who would have been killed as too old in most other septs, got up to address the assembly. "Let him be taken to the Cave of Dreams," Diggs called out. There was a silence, and then several murmurs, some of assent, some of confused anger. Looking over at Stone-in-Fist, Kwandu's commander, he could see only disappointment and anger in the old warriour's eyes. Friday, June 2nd 11:28 a.m. The Cave of Dreams turned out to be a bleak hole lying in a earthen overhang above a small creek. Water which stank of sulphur ran out of the hole and as Kwandu looked at them, Diggs and a philodox named Enya Starcatcher pointed to show that he should enter the cave. In spite of Sarah's words, all of the Ancient Voice Sept had refused to speak to him since the assembly, with the exception of only Sarah and Diggs. "May you find wisdom in your dreams," Diggs-a-lot told him, as Kwandu entered the cave. At first it was dark, and Killer Wind found it difficult to see, but as he made his way deeper through the tightly twisting passage, Kwandu soon found he was able to see. Emerging into a larger chamber, Kwandu changed to Glabro form and sat upon a natural shelf of limestone. The shelf was hot to the touch and at Kwandu's feet, vents of sulphurous mineral water bubbled away. Kwandu found it difficult to breathe and concentrating mostly on that task, he was surprised to find that he wasn't alone. "What's your name?," the garou in homid form asked him. She was naked and Kwandu found himself terribly embarrassed, and he tried not to look at her. Noticing his behavior, she laughed. Kwandu thought her voice sounded like music, the way its lilt carried it up and down. "My name is Katrina Cloud-in-Water, she told him, trying to initiate the conversation. "I still didn't catch yours," she said. "I'm Killer Wind Andu. But many in the sept prefer to call me KWAndu." She seemed to recognize the name. "Oh, Kwandu," she nodded. "You're the Wendigo Ahroun." Smiling at him, she said, "Well, you're welcome, Kwandu. Are you on a Dreamquest also?" Killer Wind looked at her. "Don't you know?" he asked. "Know what?" she looked at him. "I've been in this cave for over a week. I am fasting, hoping to find wisdom." "How can you live without eating?" Kwandu asked her, surprised that she had been able to survive so long in the noxious cave. He had half been expecting that the others had sent him here to die in the poisonous gasses. "I feed in the Umbra," she replied. "The spirit world? Here?" Kwandu looked around him, seeing only hot mineral drippings and steam, though the walls seemed to glow and give off light for some reason. "Didn't you know?" Cloud-in-Wind seemed surprised at his ignorance. "This is a holy place for those of our sept. Here the veil is very thin and it is possible to enter the Umbra very easily." She seemed to regard him for some time. "Why are you here, Kwandu?" Kwandu, fearing that she would also despise him if he confessed, didn't know what to say. Should he tell her the truth, or should he lie to her, hoping that she would not reject him like the others had. "Diggs-a-lot told me to come here," he said, still trying to decide whether to say more. Nodding, Katrina lay back, sweat glistening off of her golden skin. "What is this crap? It reminds me of Bally's Steam Spa. Ya know I got to use it once, I found a free day pass. " KWAndu changes the subject and he waves his hand around in the steam. Killer Wind puts his head up and looks at Katrina-Cloud-In -Water, he finally makes eye contact. His face is red with blood, warm blood. "Is it easier to travel into the Umbra with your clothes off? Where I come from we use totem tokens." KWA chuckles at his joke. KW assumes his human form and sits on the warm limestone rock, still glancing at her here and there. "Why are you on a dreamquest? In fact what is a dream quest?" he ponders. "It seems as though I am stuck here until I get to dream, which won't be until night. So whatta do around here for fun?" KW realizes he will want to eat lunch, "And what is there to eat in this place? Because I certainly don't want to eat umbraian food, it gives me gas." KW chuckles again, but he hopes that she has a serious answer. Friday, June 2nd, 1995 7:38 p.m. "Katrina?" Kwandu asked her, hoping she had returned to a better frame of mind. She didn't answer but growled instead. It was answer enough. Saturday, June 3rd, 1995 11:36 a.m. Katrina had ignored Kwandu for some time. Lulled by something in the vapors that hissed forth between rocky folds, Kwandu had drifted off into sleep. Looking over at him, Katrina could see that he was dreaming from the way his body twitched. Judging by the bared teeth that were reflexively displayed upon his face, she decided that whatever the Wendigo pup was dreaming, it was not pleasant. A thought, half pity, even crossed her mind but she dismissed it. Inhaling deeply, she sought her own wisdom, shutting out everything. But as Kwandu snapped his teeth and bit out at dreams, she found herself locked into the cramped claustrophobic folds of the deep cairn. Later that afternoon Kwandu was falling and though he knew, in an instinctual sort of way that he must be falling very fast indeed, he couldn't help feel that any relevance of his speed was meaningless. He was falling, neither to or from anywhere. Rather he was caught suspended in motion, trapped in movement, hurtling towards nothing and as helpless and isolated as a newborn in its amniotic world. "Hello young Kwandu," the deep slow voice issued forth. Actually, to Kwandu, the voice took very long to issue forth. It seemed like ages before it actually finished what it had to say. It sounded something like, "Hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelllllllllllllllllllllooooooooooo yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggggggg Kwwwwwwwwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnndddddddddddddduuuuuuuuuuu." Finally when it had finished, Kwandu asked the voice, "Who are you? Show yourself who you are and why you have trapped me here!" His words, rushing as fast as they did, seemed as fleeting as wind by comparison. There was silence for a long time and then, just when Kwandu had given up on receiving an answer, the voice started again, and again it flowed with the speed of a glacier, slowly crumbling, eroding all of Kwandu's thoughts. He was focused instead on the slow progress of the voice until he understood finally what it said. "It is not I who have brought you here. I merely greet the traveller who by his own dreamsteps comes to the threshold of my realm. I am the spirit who of old watched your people when their steps first appeared in the dust beside my feet. I am the Totem of your sept, so know me Kwandu, for I am - Sequoia. Kwandu understood. This spirit was the totem of the Ancient Voice sept. He was old it had been said, and it had existed when the young world was much different, well before the arrival of men and garou. This spirit had seen the birth of the great reign of Gaia, when terrible creatures ruled over all creation. And this meant that Sequoia was older even than the Triat itself. "I have not come to you," Kwandu denied. "And call me by my true name, Spirit! Know me, I am Killer Wind Andu!" But Kwandu's fleeting words passed by so quickly that they failed to fill the void of unfathomable silence which reigned so fully after their passing. Killer Wind waited the infinite agonies until the Spirit spoke again. It was as if they were caught in two times, one ancient and slow where Kwandu's very existence seemed so fleeting as to have not existed, and the other quick and vibrant, where the Spirit's world seemed as old as myth and as solid and unmoving as the stone bones of Gaia. Finally the voice began again and Kwandu waited the tortuous infinity until it had said what it had to say. "I call you Kwandu, child of Fire. And yes, your dreams have brought you to my realm. You have come to find a field where your pain and Rage can run rampant. You seek destruction and death, the culmination of cycle. And like the Firebird, you want to rise from your ashes renewed and free, untainted by uncontrollable Rage inside you." "But I love my Rage!" Kwandu insisted. "It is what I am! It is all I am!" Again the unforgiving silence. "NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" the voice boomed on until the universe seemed to shake, such was the power Kwandu felt. "To say your are the sum of Rage and that is all is to deny the kiss of your mother Gaia. Heal yourself, Kwandu. Give your Rage to me and I will keep it for you. You shall not loose it and it shall always be part of you. But it can never be all of you or you will have given yourself to the darkness within." As the voice droned on, taking the days it took to complete what it had to say, Kwandu saw below, or was it above? - a light. Unsure now of whether he was falling or flying, Kwandu hurtled toward the light, until stepping into it glow, he found himself in world of stale darkness, where mere fingers of light escaped the clutches of the towering tree giants above him. Kwandu looked up, awed, seeing as if for the first time, the glory of the Children of Sequoia. Looking around him, he saw the mossy floor of the forest contained strange plants which he had never seen before. Barely had he time to think this when there was a whip of wind behind him. Turning, he saw something that he never thought to see in his lifetime. Standing a full ten feet high, a great reptile walking on two clawed legs gazed at him, reckoning Kwandu in its eyes much as the young garou had once looked upon deer in the forest. "Give it your Rage!" Kwandu heard a voice inside him. And as the dinosaur hissed and circled him, Killer Wind hurtled his angry defiance back at it and the two closed for battle, ready to spill their blood in this Umbral realm. Dinonychus (assume a rating of 0 where the skill/stat does not appear) Str: 3 (This is an overall reflection of the creature's lower body strength, though it's upper body would still probably rate a 2) Dex: 4 Sta: 3 Chr: 1 Man: 0 App: 1 Per: 4 Int: 1 Wit: 4 Alertness - 4, Atheltics - 4, Brawl - 4, Dodge - 4, Expression - 1, Intimidation - 4 Animal Ken - 3, Melee* - 3/4, Stealth - 3, Survival - 4 *First value is for forearms and teeth while second is for legs Weapons" Teeth - Difficulty 5, dam 3 + Forearms (x2) - Difficlty 4, dam 2 Legs (x2) - Difficulty 3, dam 8 aggravated Attacks: Attack pattern will be a series of feints, bites, leaping rakes, or general melee with either one or both feet (roll randomly or decide according to situation). 1. Bite - Dinonychus will bite. Rolls 3 dice, difficulty 5. Damage is 3 plus every success not soaked. 2. Feint - Dinonychus will feint a bite attack but then will whip tail around to whack opponents feet out from under her. Difficulty - 5. If successful, Dinonychus gets one automatic hit with weapon of her choice (probability on d10, 1-forearm, 2-4 teeth, 5-0 leg). 3. Dinonychus will leap (rolls Athletic plus melee - in this case 8 dice) difficulty 2 + (victims dex+dodge). If successful, Dinonychus gets 1 free leg attack which automatically hits and cannot be soaked. If attack fails, opponent gets initiative next round. 4. General Melee - Dinonychus will attack with any three of its weapons. If two forearms ever successfully attack, see special attack: Disembowl below. (Special Attack) Disembowl - If Dinonychus scores one or two hits with both forearms, it will rake with one or both feet and tear out opponent's intestines. If one forearm scores a hit, victim is assumed to be grabbed and Dinonychus will automatically win initiative next round for a followup attack with one rear leg. If both forearms score a hit, the result is the same except that both legs will then attack with initative next round. Victims guts are assumed to be lying on ground.
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