2022.07.28: Sinkhole Patrol

Sinkhole Patrol
Patrol kills a bane.
IC Date	2022.07.28
IC Time	ic time.
Players	Kennard, Sean, Tinlin, and later on Finn
Location	Deep Forest
Prp/Tp	Just a patrol randomly found.
Spheres	Gaian
Theme Song	Loved by the Sun - Legend

Tinlin came and got him. Wherever he is. Because everyone else is SLEEPING, after either partying at the pub, or late night patrols. Sean got handpicked to harass for help. "I need help out on the trail. I saw something 'odd' out there this morning around dawn. I was looking to pick boring mushrooms before they dart back down in the ground. They are very lazy in the full sunlight. Didn't find any, but you know how that goes. Boring mushrooms are boring." Yes, it is an easy thing she's asking him to do. "Just come look at this thing I found. I marked it so we'd find it easily enough again."

Sean happened to be wandering around doing helpful things, so when he's tapped, "Before they..what?" He's puzzled, but he goes regardless, because someone needs help and he's very helpful. "I'm coming. Lead the way, Tinlin, dear." And so he packs up his things and grabs the metal ... whatever it is that he wears at his hip. He gives it a shake and taps it hard on his palm and it schnicts open into a full staff, which he uses more or less like a walking stick, just for ease. Pretty nice trick, huh?

Tinlin looks over at his walking stick. "I didn't know you had acquired such a wondrous thing." She has a light weighted shovel carried over one shoulder. Because you never know when you have to bury something, or thwack at it. She also carries a yellow and blue umbrella with the handle tucked into her belt.

They walk the deer trail through the woods, and when they get close to the spot, they will find all kinds of colorful satin ribbons draped around a circular and yet very square area of trees, where she earlier entwined them to X mark the spot. It's a semi medium sized area, about twenty feet around where she marked it. Tons of spool ribbon used in robin egg blues, and sunshine yellow, with violet-reds.

<---======##====================[ Dice Roll ]=====================##======--->
Sean rolls Perception + Alertness vs 6 for 3 successes.
2 2 4 5 +7 +9 +10
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THAT is when he sees it. It's an area inside the ribboning of trees flat on the surface floor of the forest. The leaves, and pines mixed don't look entirely stable. It's like they are moving whenever they stomp on the ground, or vibration travels to make a water like liquid ripple the tiniest bit. The area is circular shaped ten by ten feet, in a perfect sink hole, filled with water.

Sean gives it a little spin around his hand and does a little basic swishing and showing off. "I had a Coggie friend years ago who taught me their Way. It isn't very good for something like murdering. But it's good for poking at things and thumping." See? Great minds and all that. He's about to say more when he spots things and he reaches out to take hold of Tinlin's arm. It isn't AGGRESSIVE, exactly, but it's definitely intended to stop her forward progression. "The fuck am I lookin' at?"

Tinlin stops short when he uses his hand on her arm. "I'm nae rightly sure. It's either someone's frickety frock of a toilet! Or, it's a trap. Or it could even be a bog wort's house fer all I know. It wasn't here three days ago, when I last passed this area searching for boring mushrooms. My imagination is running wild, but the Wendigo are breeding out all these kids now. And they run the forest, and if one were to fall in and drown, it would be a sad sort if'n not handled. Or any innocent forest animals, would be not a good thing."

She points at his stick, "I dare you to poke at it. If something comes up? I swear I'm running ... that way." She picks a direction. "Have you ever seen Meg Knucklebones from the movie Legend? Vintage film. That's what I see inside me head maybe coming out of that." Her eyes are wild. Yep, she's curious as heck.

"Not with this. This was a gift. If something snags it and I'm not in the process of dying for Gaia's Sweet Grace, I'm going to be REAL pissed." He looks around. Rock? Stick would be better. He gives his staff a good tap on the ground at his feet though, to schnict it back up into it's little collapsed area and tucks it back into its sheath - unless that act itself does something. THEN he'll go look for a stick.

Tinlin offers one better. "Why don't you use my shovel? It was borrowed from the shed in the Kinfolk house. If the water eats it? I'll replace it with my pottery money." She offers him the shovel. Sean takes the shovel, making sure his staff is secure. He moves forward, careful but not hesitant, other than the hesitancy needed to make sure that his footing is sure. He does, indeed, poke at things, from the greatest distance possible and not look like an idiot

The water ripples when he shovel pokes the water. It shifts the forest debris on top, and some of the water laps at the earth around it where an inch touches the dirt. There's an odd smell coming from the water itself once he does that. Like water stink, of rotting something. Meat? Rotting meat in water.

Five seconds after the first water poke, something POPS up from down below the water's surface. White matted fur with brown is seen first, and then it kinda bob rolls in the water, until it turns from natural gravity and water surface tension. It's a severed goat's head! And on the brow of the goat is an upside down pentagram.

Tinlin behind the ribbons asks, "What is that?!" She's standing back far enough she only sees /something/ surfaced.

Sean is pretty chill, even if he isn't the singular, most fightiest Garou ever. He IS packed with an Ahroun, afterall. He winces though, and steps back "It's a severed goat's head with an upside down pentagram," Sean says. Rather than freak out about it, he just sighs and takes a few steps back. "Well. Shit. Food? Meat? I don't have my pack with me, so nothing to toss in." A few more steps, to bring him closer to Tinlin so she doesn't have to come out from under cover.

The ground feels soggy near the edge of the watersink.

Tinlin remains on dry ground and behind the cordoned off ribbons. She will hold a ribbon up as he passes by her way, if he wants to dart back under. "I think I got something in my pack." She's cool about this too. You don't see a lot of weird shit in your time, and not learn to cope.

"You think it's kids being idiots out here? The stupidest people can think the occult is cool, but we know better. It's amazingly messy. Can be." Digging in her pack, she hands him a Libby meat pie wrapped in wax paper. It smells delicious. Pork, and mashed with gravy inside the pastry shell. Shame to give it to the SATANpool. She hands it over, and wiggles up a metal waterbottle container. "I got twizzlers too. More ribbon, and some talens still you gave me if things get real complicated." He'll get a meat pie, and a handful of twizzlers.

<---======##====================[ Dice Roll ]=====================##======--->
Sean rolls Perception + Enigmas vs 4 for 7 successes.
1 +4 +5 +7 +8 +8 +9 +10 10
<-------------=============++++++++++++++++++++++++=============------------->

<---======##==============[ Proving note for Sean ]===============##======--->
<---======##=-----------[ ABILITY_APTITUDE (PRIVATE) ]-----------=##======--->
Status: APPROVED by GardenSlug on Sun Feb 23 06:57:07 2020
Performance and Occult
<-------------=============++++++++++++++++++++++++=============------------->

Kennard has arrived.

Sean ducks back under the ribbon. He's tall. He ducks under things. He takes the meat pie and turns it over in his hands and then he takes a bite. "Fucking delicious," he mutters, then looks back over at the hole. "Clearly someone's summoned something and it's IN there. I don't like it." He looks at Tinlin and points just.. away. "Isla's still asleep. I'm the early riser. Maybe go see if you can snag someone on patrol, but you stay on paths. Snag the first group of Ragemonsters you see.

For Ken: Tinlin finds Ken on patrol with a phone call. <<Need help on patrol, Ken. Got weird mojo in the forest Sean is poking at it now.>> Because it's FAST and easy. The Fianna ahroun locates her with his tracking app on her phone. Ken will find the deer trail through the woods, and when they get close to the spot, he will hear Sean and Tinlin talking. Ken will find all kinds of colorful satin ribbons draped around a circular and yet very square area of trees, where Tin earlier entwined them to X mark the spot.

It's a semi medium sized area, about twenty feet around where she marked it. Tons of spool ribbon used in robin egg blues, and sunshine yellow, with violet-reds.

THAT is when Ken will see the problem inside the ribbon cordoned off area. It's an area inside the ribboning of trees flat on the surface floor of the forest. The leaves, and pines mixed don't look entirely stable. It's like they are moving whenever they stomp on the ground, or vibration travels to make a water like liquid ripple the tiniest bit. The area is circular shaped ten by ten feet, in a perfect sink hole, filled with water. There is also a severed goat's head floating on top now with an upside down pentagram burned into its forehead.

Tin stands outside the ribbons waiting for Ken to approach.

Meanwhile, Sean is now noticing some hatch jobs carved into the surrounding trees way up high, that were done with a knife. Mud is caked over the bark to try and hide them, but yeah, he sees Occult Foolery.

At her call, Ken comes running. He's on all fours when he arrives. The large red wolf doesn't slow till he sees Tinlin and then shifts to human form, a greatsword strapped to his back. "I got here as quick as I could." He looks around. "That's gee-in me the boak." He says, making a face.

Sean was just about to point out the carvings to Tinlin when Ken comes up. "Look. Something's been summoned. It's in that hole. I'm going to toss this pie in.." He takes another bite. Because it's delicious and he hasn't eaten breakfast. ".. and see what happens, then we'll go from there. Be ready for.. whatever." He looks at Tinlin. "Another twenty feet back. Be ready to just run like the wind and scream your head off like a small child who's been told no. Yeah?"

Tinlin starts to back up by the time Ken arrives. Yeah, no one has to tell her twice. "Run like bait? I can be -very- fast if I need to.' Silly kinain squib magic. She backs up counting steps softly, "One... four, six..."

Kennard just gets a little bit taller and bulkier. He cracks his neck, unlimbering the sword off his back. It takes both hands to hold it. He looks back to Tiana and then to Sean. He takes a deep breath and moves closer so he has a clean swing area. His voice is deeper, just a touchy growly, "Ready." Writing reality out to disk. Please wait... Reality saved. Thank you for your patience.

Tinlin gets to 'twenty'....

Sean eyes Tinlin. "No, not like bait. Like someone who doesn't want to BE bait. Just if something weird happens, get out. WHatever you gotta do." He glances over his shoulder at Tinlin and then nods, then he takes the meat pie and... one more little bite.. God, so good. And then he chucks it toward the hole, just waiting to see what happens.

Not taking any chances, Kennard shifts to war form and prepares to swing at whatever comes out of the hole. !

Tinlin says twenty feet away, while holding something up in the air between fingers, 'Hurry home talen. Thanks to Jaysus Sean'. She's ready.

"Yeet." First he says it, then he does it. Sean, that is

Ploop.

Goodbye meat pie. Nothing happens as the sandwhich begins to sink at first. But then bubbles begin to surface from the middle of the sink SATANhole. It burbles. It bubbles, and it's NOT Meg Mucklebones.

It's, a goat hoof, clomping onto the edge of the soggy murkhole. And then another hoof, clamps the mud edge, and then it's the whole goat body belonging to the once severed head! It leaps up onto the ground like an undead pony-goat, and where it's head once was? IT IS NOW, a mass of tendril tentacles from a weakling bane, who didn't quite possess a full living creature. In full failure, this thing has manifested to the body to animate it, but whatever direction it uses? It uses the tendrils sticking out of the severed neck to sniff and see! It is quickly assessing whom to possess next. And only one victim is even NEAR the immediate grounds outside the ribboning. All muscles inside the dead goat, look like it's about to leap in the kinfolk's direction!

Wrath-of-Morrigu has rolled initiative: 15 Sean has rolled initiative: 16 Tinlin has rolled initiative: 18

<---======##===========[ Initiative order for turn 1 ]============##======--->

18 Tinlin

16 Sean

15 Wrath-of-Morrigu

• Characters declare low to high (unless ST chooses high to low)
  
• Characters act high to low
  

<-------------=============++++++++++++++++++++++++=============------------->

Much as he'd love to launch in there and do some big bad voodoo fighty shit, Sean is far more practical than that. He waits.. waits.. waits.. and then he launches himself at the thing, claws on his hand that actually has five claws rake out and slash deep.

<<GET OUT TIANNA!>> roars Wrath of Morrigu. Broken Claw takes his swing at it. Once the coast is clear, like winding up a bat, Wrath swings at the Bane! How dare it dodge! But that's okay, using the momentum created, Wrath completes the circuit, bringing the giant sword to bear again! This time it digs deep into the Bane! <<DIE!>>

The headless SATAN-goat bane monster sinks down as if it were about to leap and go after the kin! But just as one hoof takes it to leap up into the air, Sean's claws SLASH it back from making any sort of athletic move to be chasing his tribal kin. The creature is shoved to the right of his body and the goat hide starts to ooze not blood, but something black. Stench of the creature grows worse as it's cut open, as it was rotting in the water just moments prior to being found.

Next, Wrath attempts his sword, and the creature-bane dodges out of the way on his SATANhoofs. The headless creature makes no noise, as it's headless. But it does STOMP the ground, when it gets the fuck out of the way. But he's not fast enough to see the second swing coming in. And it hits the goat body to cleave it in two. Literally, the goat hide falls around the bane entirely. Wrath's sword wounds the weakling bane severely, and it loses its material shell.

It slithers out of the body, still alive. It has enough strength to still cause some damage, as it's reforming itself on the forest leaves. Tendrils leave the body, and the inkblot of bane is trying to survive!

Slithering banes are bad! It may be two handed, but Wrath swings it about around with ease, striking the Bane again! But with all that rage, he twirls the helicopter blade of a sword around for another pass!

The bane begins to swell and puff up to make itself look bigger than it already is. Like as if it were breathing, and forgot to exhale since it left the waterpool. It may be purposeful, as the spirit balloons. But as Wrath of Morrigu slices it again, it loses two more tendrils. They deflate in a fallooopey balloon hiss, but it's STILL ALIVE. It's trying to get up from the ground, and reshape.

Broken Claw is an experienced fighter, but he doesn't have a WHOLE lot of energy to give. As Kennard proves at LEAST capable in combat, rather than waste precious Rage that he doesn't have, he hangs back to see if the Cliath can take this thing down

As it puffs up, Wrath doesn't slow down, fueled by Rage, he brings the sword around and comes down with an overhead strike. The blade bites into the Bane and the ground. Using it like a stake, Wrath drives the blade in and twists.

And all that steel swooshing around provides a small breeze to help keep Broken Claw cool while he supervises the death of a Bane.

And POP! The creature dies. Wrath of Morrigu twists that blade into the meatiest section of the weakling bane on the ground, and they hear that balloon like air escaping, as the thing obviously loved water more than air.

And when it pops, grotesque sinkhole water from the SATANpool explodes all over Kennard. He's been goobered good. Slimed with stench.

Oh yeah, this is gunna stink.

I mean, maybe it was totally on purpose! Sean's used to getting splashed by gross shit, but not today. There's a CLIATH around to take a splooge to the face. When that happens, Sean looks down at himself and then over at Kennard and he nods. "And we shall name you Splash Guard."

Coughing and spitting, Wrath pulls the sword out of the Bane. He shakes it to the side, trying to get the goo off. He looks back to Broken Claw and makes a flicking motion. Not trying to get him splooged, but takes the jest in good humor. <<I'll add it to the list.>> He grumbles with a nod. It could be a worse name. Tinlin has ended combat

The bane melts into goobered sludge along the forest floor. It's there. Evidence. But goobered ich.

"Put it at the top. You look like you've been running the porn circuit." He slips aside, maybe getting some on him, maybe not. "But now you're fucking disgusting. Let's get you and everything else clean and we'll go from there."

Broken Claw shifts back to homid before all this

There's still the severed head floating on the sinkHOLE pool. And now there's dead goat guts and bones on the ground. It's very putrid smelling, like rotten flesh.

Finn has arrived.

Howling, Wrath calls for help from the castle, not far away. He stabs the sword into the ground next to him and tries to wipe most of the goop off himself. << This is disgusting. >> He looks around, << I can assist with the Cleansing. >>

Sean nods to Wrath. "Shift. Makes it easier to get the stuff off. Then you can remove clothes and go from there. Long years of experience." HE isn't going to help. That's gross. He does start to pull out his cleaning kit though

Hearing the howl, Finn bolted towards the sound of the howl - shifting to lupus to cover the ground quickly. Once near, he blurs back up to his human form. A bit of a face as he spots all the ick around. "What in the bleedin' hell happened here?" He asks, keeping a fair distance so as not to cover himself in grossness.

There's colorful ribbons wrapped around trees in a squarish area 20 feet apart. Someone girlie marked the area off to cordon it from animals or children from running into what was inside. Within the ribbons, there is a ten foot area sinkhole pool. It's been disturbed with water in it, and within is a severed goats head floating with an upside down pentagram on its head.

OUTSIDE the pool, is a shredded goat body, with no head, and its rendered with claw and sword, to now be in bits, gooped organs, no blood, just black stench. There is some black goop nearby it though. There's some of it all over Kennard. Sean looks clean!

Shifting back to homid form, Ken looks down. "This was my favorite suit too." He grumbles and starts to undress. Once down to his boxers, he tosses the clothes into the pile of goat guts. He looks back to Finn. "We killed a bane." He says, as if that weren't obvious. That ginormous pigsticker is stuck in the ground next to him, covered in goop.

Finn gives a low whistle, surveying the mess. "Yeah? Looks like you got it, for certain. Took the head off an ev'rthin!" He grins, looking up to the sky. "I wish I had a hose this far out. Soak you down good." A look to the pile of clothes and gore. "Ya need me to burn those?"

"Wash it. It'll be fine," Sean assures Ken. "Once it's cleansed, just.. like.. wear it again." He plucks at his shirt. "ANY idea how many fucking times I've been in battle in this shirt?" He turns as Finn approaches and waves. "Intros later. Right now, cleanse. Can you do it?"

Taking a deep breath, Ken looks down at the pile, "No, don't burn it. I'll get it cleaned." He says. He looks to Sean, "I know the Rite." He looks to Finn, "I don't think my cousin does."

Sean gives Finn a little salute. "Well, that's one of the three that you pretty much need to have immediately. So, watch and learn." Sean gets everything ready and shifts once more to crinos, howling and circling and scaring off all the Wyrm taint

Finn perks up, watching now. "Yeah, I ain't had a bit of Rite learning - I mean, I've seen them. Just never had a chance to learn them yet." A nod to Sean, then to Kennard. "Soggy suit, then. Get it all dry cleaned once you cleanse it, right?"

Shifting to crinos as well, Wrath follows Sean. He's howling and circling to scare off the Wyrm taint. Sean is bold and brazen about his howling. As best as the Garou tongue can manage, he's saying all sorts of things like 'Your mother never loved you' and 'Even an enticer wouldn't fuck you. Get out of here'. Creative curses and things!

<---======##====================[ Dice Roll ]=====================##======--->
Sean rolls Charisma + Rituals vs 7 for 3 successes.
2 3 3 4 4 5 5 +8 +9 +10
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Sean loses one Magical Essence
Sean loses one Magical Essence
Sean loses one Magical Essence
Sean loses one Magical Essence

Sadly, Scottish curses don't translate well into Garou. Good thing, Ken's a bit of a potty mouth when cussing at the Wyrm!

Kennard loses one Magical Essence
Kennard loses one Magical Essence