1/29/2014 - Seeking a Raven Spirit

Adam King, in Hispo, is wandering the Umbral side of Niagara Falls asking various Spirits for help locating a Raven spirit. He addresses each Spirit politely, using Spirit Speech. He doesn't ask them to do much, just to tell him where one might be found.

Raven spirits are fairly easy to find. One squaks up and lands on a nearby power line. Also, there is a power line there now.

((THERE IS A POWER LINE IN THE UMBRA?! My Spirit Lore tells me that's like... a problem... right?))

Adam nods respectfully to the spirit, and addresses it in it's tongue.

<<"Hail to thee, oh wise Raven. I am Adam King, Cliath Galliard of the Uktena Tribe. I have sought you out to trade secrets. I have much hidden knowledge and rumors to offer in exchange for the many secrets you and your brethren have collected. Will you barter with me?">>

((Not really, I mean, everything reflects eventually.  Also, [Spirit Lore] Birds like sitting on them.))

" Oh, you're the horned-snake in Tyr's clothing I've heard about, " He says in vaguely Brooklynesque English.

Adam chuckles.

<<"Worse things have been said of me. I am glad to hear that my reputation grows. There is no such thing as bad publicity, as they say. If you've heard of me, then you've likely heard that I've been privy to some secrets that Cliaths rarely have the honor of uncovering. I have some tales worth telling, friend, if you can offer the same.">>

" Have you found the Stone of Help, the Key of the Dawn, or the Shepherd's Crook? What have you heard of the buried secrets of the Old Mayor or the Pleas to the First People? Do you know the last tale of Father Robin, or the first song of Gavin Hammerhand? Cause those would be pretty great. "

<<"I think I may actually be able to shed some light on the buried secrets of the Old Mayor, actually. Assuming the Old Mayor to which you refer is Hiram Pratt.">>

Thirty more Ravens appear on the line.  The voice shifts to spirit speech and loses its affectation.

<< You have my attention. >>

<<"First, we deal. The Lord of Snow taught me the value of dealing specifically in such matters recently, so I will not make the mistake of being vague again. Let me explain what I desire, and then we can discuss what shiny secrets I will offer your brood in exchange.

Your brood is known for your secret knowledge, and for being privy to the events surrounding the Nation. As you know, the role of the Galliards is to record the Nation's history and tell the tales of our brethren. It is our responsibility to see to it that the deeds of the Garou are made known to the Spirits.

While it is possible for us to sit back and wait for our brethren to approach us and ask us to tell their tales, it is far more effective to be proactive. I seek your aid in this. I wish to arrange a mutually-beneficial situation in which you and your brethren will approach the Galliards of Falling Waters once each month and inform us of the changes to the reputations of our fellows. This will allow us to be aware of when our fellows require Rites of Accomplishment, rather than relying on them to know when the spirits are speaking highly of them.

We both know you are already aware of these changes to reputation when they happen, so the only service I am requesting is a short information delivery each month. To begin negotiations, I offer what information I have regarding the Old Mayor, and one additional secret each month in exchange.">>

One of the ravens, perched on the far left puts on a pair of spectacles and pulls out a pad of paper and a pencil from under its wing.

<< Point the first. This would be a fee for service exchange, not a one time trade.  While your story may well be interesting to us, it cannot recompense us for an on-going and opened ended deal such as this.  The quality of your secrets are what is in dispute here, not their quantity.  Who will arbitrate the value of said secrets?  Who will serve as surety should there be some disagreement or failure?  Are alternative payments to be prearranged or to be handled on an ad hoc basis?  

Secondly, is this deal being made on behalf of all the Gibbering Gibbous of your Sept, or to you alone?  What influence will your death have on these negotiations?  Can you bind them into an arrangement?  Is so, what are the terms implied therein.

Thirdly, reporting of base changes in relative standing would be what we would call an entry level package.  If you want specifics, you pay more on a one-to-one basis, and we aren't willing to lay down a flat arrangement in THAT regard, let me assure you. >>

<<"On point the first, I would say that has already been covered in my offered arrangement. One secret will be provided in each month in which you provide the requested information. As to the quality of secrets provided, I can think of no better arbiters of value than yourselves. What better expert on valuable secrets exists? Secrets are precious, yes, but they are also in large supply for those of us who make a habit of collecting them. I am more than happy to trust you to determine the value of an offered secret. If a secret offered does not strike your brood as valuable enough to compensate you for the information you provide, we will simply provide another, or we will go without the information that month.

It is possible we will not be able to make an exchange each month, because there are not always valuable secrets to be found. In the event that we don't have what you need, no harm done, simply don't provide the requested information and offer it again the next month. Maybe we'll have something for you then.

To the second point, I cannot bind my fellows to any arrangement, though I have been authorized by the Eldest Galliard of the Sept to make this arrangement with you on behalf of us all. I will personally provide the secrets you desire, and if I cannot I will reach out to the other Galliards in the hopes that they can. If none of us can, then we will not be able to deal that month. Should I die, another will step up to continue the arrangement. If you are not contacted within a month of my demise, the arrangement will end.

On the third point I can only say that I assumed as much. The basic information requested would be a list of the Garou of the Sept, and the changes to their general renown. To discover what they did to cause those changes would be asking for a story, and we Galliards know not to expect such valuable things for free.">>

<< Point the first.  You grant to us the power to determine quality of secrets.  Accepted.  Matter closed.

Point the second. Accepted.  Matter closed.

Point the third.  Accepted Matter closed. >>

The accountant-spirit nods to the first Raven, who nods back.

<< We agree to the offered terms.  Begin your tale, so we may judge its quality. >>

<<"One final point. Obviously, this arrangement is subject to termination at any time by either party. If at any point the Galliards of Falling Waters feel that our secrets are being undervalued consistently, we may choose to end the arrangement with no recourse to mediation or punishment. Equally, if at any point the Ravens feel they are being asked to provide too much for too little they may choose to end the arrangement with no recourse to mediation or punishment. Is that acceptable as well?">>

<< Mutual out clause accepted. >>

Adam nods.

<<"Then I will begin my story. I warn you, it's meaning is not entirely clear to me as yet, but it should certainly reveal much about the secrets buried with the Old Mayor, as requested.">>

Adam then launches into his tale, speaking with great care and skill. ((Expression x3: A reverent tone with building suspense, right up to the very last sentence.))

<<"And so it was that in the tenth month of the year two-thousand and thirteen the youngest generation of Gaia’s Warriors of the Sept of the Falling Waters were asked to perform a moot for the glory of the Spirits. The young Garou were instructed by the sons of Adom to take the roles traditionally held by their elders and raise the howl to introduce themselves to the spirits.

Many of the Cliaths and Fosterns of the Sept showed themselves wise and honorable that day, and many packs were in attendance. Only two of these, however, are relevant to our tale. Artie “Quills” Kokkinos, Homid Fostern Ragabash of the Black Fury Tribe acted as the Fool for the Moot that night, bringing honor to herself and her fellows by challenging each tenant of the Litany so that it might be once again proven unassailable. She acquitted herself well but in the end Adam King, Homid Cliath Galliard of the Uktena, was victorious in their vigorous debate and the Litany was upheld once again.

The Moot, as they often do, ended in a revel in which Jason SOANDSO, Lupus Cliath Ahroun of the Children of Gaia took up the standard of the Wyrmfoe and led the Garou to slay a minion of the Wyrm. As the mighty warriors of Gaia marched through the Hall of Hallowed Heroes, their ancestors watching proudly as they marched to War, The Fool and The Master of the Howl each noticed something strange - a small glint in the corner of their eyes, indicating a secret passage.

Quills-Rhya stepped up to investigate, and followed the corridor deep into the bowls of the earth. Hidden deep beneath the Hall of Hallowed Heroes was a room of obsidian. Obsidian pillars and walls of little adornment which seemed to swallow the light itself were all she could make out before she wisely chose to return to the Caern and seek her pack.

The intrepid ragabash brought her discovery first to her pack, but then to Adam King as well, for he had noticed the passage too. Adam and his nascent pack chose to join the Troubleshooters in investigating this anomaly.

So down they traveled, through a winding passage barely large enough to crawl through, across broken rocks, fighting claustrophobia all the way. They could see little and feel even less, save the crushing weight of thousands of tons of rock above their heads. Still, the experienced Black Fury led her charges with great skill, and both packs came then to the obsidian room.

After a few moments of study, the young Uktena reached out with the gifts of his Tribe and discovered a hidden lever on one of the pillars. Eager to discover what secrets might await them, he pulled it without hesitation. The scraping and grinding sounds of ancient machinery accompanied this action and the walls and pillars, once solid unmarked obsidian began to crack and shatter. Blood began to flow from the walls themselves.

The stalwart Garou were unafraid. Such trickery, they said, was simply a sign of the value of what they had found. The lever had opened a door leading deeper into the earth, and once again without hesitation the Garou descended into the Tomb of Hiram Pratt.

In the center of the room lay what they first took for a grave, to either side a carving in the stone. The carvings depicted the Maid herself during her sacrifice, and the arrival of the Wyrmbringers to the Great Lakes. In each image was depicted an ancient spear.

As the Garou stepped forward to inspect the bier, they discovered that rather than holding the body of Hiram Pratt, inside was a spear of great age. The spear’s carved shaft was covered in runes, and it’s story was literally written on it. This was the Spear of Leadership of Falling Waters, in it’s ancient glory.

After some debate, Adam King lifted the Spear from it’s hiding place and with his allies sought to return to the surface. They had decided that an ancient artifact of leadership such as this should be returned to the Sons of Adom.

On their way to the surface, however, the Garou were presented with a new anomaly. A shimmering green form, pale and indistinct, stalked them from the chamber and sought to retake the Spear. Though it harmed some, it seemed unable to manifest enough to take back the artifact, and so the Garou were eventually able to leave.

Adam and Quills, having started this adventure, were the pair to whom the honor of delivering the artifact to the Beta fell. When they attempted to bring the Spear into the Caern proper, a mysterious force barred their path. Rather than risk another conflict like what had occurred with the green spirit, they called for the Eldest Ahroun from just below the Hall of Hallowed Heroes.

They felt great honor at being chosen to return this mighty artifact to the Sept, and they fell to their knees before the Beta. They presented him with this ancient artifact, once lost and now recovered, and told him the tale of it’s discovery. Though no reward was expected, the Garou felt they had accomplished much.

Calmly and with great care, James Seta, Homid Athro Ahroun of the Silent Striders, Beta and Eldest Ahroun of Falling Waters, broke the Spear of Leadership over his knee and walked away.">>

The bird chirps and flies away. You get a sense of satisfaction.

Adam watches as the birds fly away, a confused look on his wolfy mug. After a few moments, he sighs ((pants?)) and walks away.

The steady sound of slow, methodical clapping can barely be heard over the roar of the waters, but it's there, and can be easily traced to a large rock on which Artie is sitting, close to the brink of the Bridal Veil Falls.

"Good story,  but I so owned your ass in the Litany recitation.  I thought you were going to keep that story on the QT until things settled.  Or got pushed aside.  Or forgotten.  Or all three."  She considers, fidgeting with the fletching on one of her arrows.  "Nah, then.  I guess you're good to go."  She scoops up mittenfuls of snow, and makes miniature snowmen on the rock.  

"Ravens are like that, you know.  Straightforward and direct one minute, cagey and distant the next.  It's part of their charm, really.  You did good, considering you're not a Theurge and you're the Whitest Uktena I Know."  She sets the snowmen, of which there are 5, gently to one side of the rock and clears off a space for Adam's large wolfish behind.  "What'd you get for the story?"

((OOC: Regretfully, I must point out that every word Adam spoke was in spirit speech. Unless you have it, you didn't understand the story or the deal. It sucks, because this scene could be awesome and your presence here makes me wish I could say otherwise, but it's the truth. Had to be respectful and all in dealing with the spirits, and he didn't know he was being observed, so he'd never have broken spirit speech. Really sucks too, because I was actively looking for feedback. Don't suppose you have spirit speech?))

((OOC: On second thought, I'd love some PC RP in this scene, since I really loved it, and sometimes minor changes can be made for good story, and this conversation makes good story. So, IF Brian is okay with it, I'm cool with saying Adam wasn't sure he could tell an epic like that in the tongue of spirits, so he shifted to Homid and told the story in english. Just the story, not the lead-up. Brian?))

((That's fine))

Adam seems unsurprised by Quills' appearance. He smiles and takes the offered seat.

"I definitely won that debate, but that's okay because if I hadn't, the moot rite wouldn't have worked. As far as the story is concerned, it had to be told eventually, and this opportunity was a good one."

He sighs.

"Depending on the way you look at it, I either got nothing or everything out of this story. The Ravens have agreed to provide the Galliards of our Sept with monthly updates on the changes in renown as our fellow Garou impress the spirits. It's a goal I've had for some time, and I think it'll be good for the Sept. The Galliards will be able to be proactive and will be able to approach our heroes and offer them rites of accomplishment as they become appropriate, rather than waiting for them to know when the Spirits are speaking highly of them. So, technically this does me no good personally, but what is good for the Sept is good for me too."