Totemquest

The pack gathered in December 1995. For a moon and more they sought, just weathering the death of their cub, Shattered-Moon. February 22, the wind answered...
This is the first part of the first totemquest. The rest of it USED TO pick up with our GM Joe Beason's (BROKEN LINK!) log. He also had part 2 (May 2). Finally, here are parts 3:The Silver River, wherein Sepdet proved she is either insightful or insane and her pack are saints to put up with her, 4:The Valley of the West Wind, which is the one I loved most of all, and 5: The Council of the Winds, kindly run by my bestest GM, the overworked Slick, after Joe had to take his leave of MUSHdom. Thanks guys! Miss you, Joe! Remember in reading these logs that this quest took 8 months, caern time, and years, in the strange time of the umbra.


On the eastern curve, Joseph makes his way out of the woods to the east.
WayFinder follows the Wheel to the Pool.
At the center, Alexander looks around as the Wheel gets flooded, then shrugs at Randall. His grin is wry, "Well, it was peaceful for a while."
Shows-the-Way sniffs the air, then shakes himself and halts by the pool.
On the eastern curve, Joseph heads into the center.
Sepdet fills up the wooden bowl by the pool and leaves the herbs to soak for a while.
At the center, Randall smiles, "Oh come, Alex. I don't think I've seen so many guardians in one place since I accepted the job."
+phoon
The moon's current phase is crescent, which corresponds to the theurge auspice. For more information, examine #1676.
At the center, Joseph chuffs amiably to the Lords and makes his way around the Wheel.
At the center, Joseph heads southeast to the pool.
Joseph has arrived.
Joseph contorts and blurs as he is transformed.
Joseph pauses, his body losing its continuity and twisting into Lupus form.
Sepdet straightens and smiles at Joseph. ~I wanted t'take a turn around the umbra, and thought I'd bring backup _first_ this time.~
WayFinder looks sheepish.
Sepdet gives Wayfinder a gentle pat on her shoulder before stepping through.
Shows-the-Way woofs a laugh as he catches his reflections eyes. ~And Wisdom was had by all.~
At the center, Alexander chuckles softly. "I know, I know. And it's a good thing. But quiet is nice sometimes, too."
+reach
Soulcatcher's posture mirrors his amusement.
You start to reach through the umbra.
Sepdet's eyes stop on her reflection in the pool.
The landscape shimmers, and you are through.
Sepdet gazes into the pool, and suddenly she vanishes.
Umbra: Beyond the Pool

Shows-the-Way has arrived.
Shows-the-Way shifts into Crinos form.
Seshemw surges up into Crinos, looking about alertly.

Pack> WayFinder grrs. TC just called us idiots.
Pack> Seshemw says "Well.. We kindof are. It IS a little dark."
Pack> Soulcatcher figured he would.
Pack> Sepdet grins. "Crisium patrols in the umbra all the time. Hmph."
Pack> Dylan says "It's our job, folks. :)"
Pack> Seshemw nodnods. "Yup. And well, we ARE a litte touched."

Soulcatcher contorts and blurs as he is transformed.
Soulcatcher pauses, his body losing its continuity and twisting into Crinos form.
WayFinder contorts and blurs as she is transformed.
WayFinder shifts into Hispo form.
Dylan contorts and blurs as he is transformed.
Dylan shifts into Crinos form.
Sepdet contorts and blurs as she is transformed.
Dylan settles into his new form uneasily and looks around.
You shift into Crinos form.
Sepdet sniffs the air carefully, taking a quiet circle around the caern to acclimate to the darkness before spiralling south.

s
You walk around the pool and into the woods. You walk through the shimmering forest for a while, and it gets denser the further south you go. Suddenly, the woods end, opening up in a great clear space...
Umbra: Hill of the Stone
This is a great circular hilltop amid the Umbral woods, startling in its lack of trees. The hill is cleared of all but grass from the hill's crown to its foot. A great stone sits on the hill's crown, perhaps three feet in diameter. One face of the stone has been sheared away as though by a great axe, leaving a gleaming silver surface that seems to shine with an inner light. Off to the east, the mountains can be seen, seeming to rise higher here than in the human world. They seem to be watching this place from afar.
Extremely faint pathways descend from the hilltop, leading north and south.
Contents:
Wind(#2639PCcr)
Obvious exits:
North South
[...]
Sepdet stops near the glyph and squints, dropping to one knee. ~Eyes-half-Blind said it looked like everything sloped downhill towards this thing, but I still can't see it.~
Seshemw moves cautiously, ears flicking about in search of possibly hostile sounds.
Selene comes down a spirit path to join you.
Selene has arrived.
l selene
A largeish owl looks back at you from huge eyes. She seems rather a lot more... intelligent, than most owls do. And the perfection of her plumage is somewhat suspicious. But an owl gaffling she appears to be. Those more on the ball may be able to divine she is, in fact, a chimera gaffling.
Selene swoops to a landing on Seshemw's shoulder, digging talons carefully into the fur. *Thought you'd sneak out on me? Just like a man,* she says with a giggle.
WayFinder pads in behind the others, eyes, ears and nose casting about for possible trouble.
Five.
Sepdet gives Selene a loud snort, but her retort is abruptly cut off. She jerks to her feet, scanning the area.
Soulcatcher's large head swings to take in the glyph as well, eyes gleaming as he nods to Sepdet.
North, south, west, east, in.
Five.
Fire, earth, spirit, air, water.
Seshemw blinks.
Five.
Dylan looks at Sepdet's sudden movement, and then turns to scan, himself.
Seshemw slowly circles, scanning the darkness.
Small ring middle point thumb.
None thin half fat full.
Five.
Sepdet gives Joseph a querying glance, then turns back to the glyph thoughtfully. ~Five of us. Yes. But not five moons.~
WayFinder bristles a little, nervously flicking her ears this way and that. She mutters, five... forms?
Soulcatcher senses "Sepdet was trying to see if you are hearing anything."
Dylan chuffs. ~Five senses. Five of us.~
Soulcatcher lays a tufted ear flat, scanning around him with a narrowed gaze. He gives Sepdet a slight nod.
A wind whips up, as winds will do, and one after the other your fur and hair is mussed, WayFinder to Seshemw to Soulcatcher to Dylan to Sepdet.
Duck.
Duck.
Duck.
Duck.
Goose!
Dylan turns his face into the wind instinctively, features curling into an eerie smile.
Seshemw blinks again, scenting the sudden wind.
A painfully thin and broken moonpaths suddenly cracks into existence, a silver thread no wider than a strand of yarn.
Sepdet blinks and takes a step back, but her expression relaxes even as her hackles prickle against the wind. *Heya.*
The path winds through the Penumbra, then...away.
Soulcatcher crouches, posture defensive. His gaze, to Sepdet and Dylan, is now curious.
Seshemw rumbles softly, ~And a Way opens. Shall we see what lies beyond?~
Seshemw says, ~Or wait for what might be coming?~
Sepdet looks back at the others, eyes glittering. ~Seems the wind's noticed we've been listening for it.~ She gives the bridge a measuring glance. ~It's thin, but I'm game. Everyone?~
Dylan says, ~Can we strengthen it in any way?~
WayFinder growls agreement with Dylan.
From afar, Windrunner waves.
Sepdet crouches down at the base of the wavering path. She makes no reply at first, and then, instead of answering, begins to sing a low wordless chant into the air, watching the bridge carefully. It's the rolling soft melody of her meditation-lullabye.
Seshemw murmurs, ~Maybe putting some of our power into it would help. Teacher? Can bridges be strengthened by Gnosis?~
Seshemw shrugs, and turns back towards the darkness, going on guard against interference.
Sepdet shakes her head mutely, and catches her breath. ~I don't know anything but how to run on bridges. But breath is Ma'at, truth, and breath is wind. Maybe if we give that...~
Dylan focuses on the bridge, and slips unthinkingly out of his warform. He comes to Sepdet's side, listens for a beat or two, and then joins her softly, voice rough but sure.
Dylan contorts and blurs as he is transformed.
Dylan shifts into Glabro form.
Sepdet looks up from the bridge to the moon and back, with a sigh. ~Ah. This, packmate: the bridge is cast by the moon. And the moon is a knife's edge tonight.
Dylan nods, and reaches out to touch the bridge very lightly, as though he can somehow channel a healing urge into the spirit path, as he can with bodies, as though the wish could be enough.
Seshemw grins a little manically. ~I've seen people dance on swordblades. We could give it a whirl. What happens if we fell off?~
WayFinder rumbles, deeply, but soft. One must learn balance to walk the edge of the knife.
Sepdet puts one foot up onto it, testing its strength. She tosses her head and turns, hands open, expression calm. ~Then we fall into the umbra, and we may end up alone and lost. The wind offers us this line to walk. It is danger. Will you all walk it?~
Soulcatcher gives Sepdet a narrow look, the fur on his back raising slightly. He straightens and nods.
Dylan nods. "I will. I am glad I am less clumsy than a year ago," he adds with some humor.
Seshemw grins. ~We've done worse, already. No Shadows chasing, yet. Selene can find anyone that gets misplaced, hopefully.~

Long distance to Tasha: Sepdet has this little trouble that the last time I sent a packmate somewhere, she died. So I have to be an f'ing democrat now. :)
Tasha pages: Weak! Weak! We will beat these sentiments out of you! :)
You paged Tasha with 'And I have Balance, and the rest of them plummet to their deaths! Thus ends my second command ignominously. :)'.

WayFinder barks an affiirmative. One will go, if all go.
Sepdet looks at Siobhan with faint worry, but nods. She reaches down to touch her shoulder, then turns back and leaps up onto the thin thread without another word.
Seshemw says, ~I'll pull rearguard.~
Dylan follows Sepdet, his footing very slow and careful, arms extending for balance.


Your tightrope walk feels very strange, as if you were walking along one of those high-speed walkways (except it's only an inch wide).
Sepdet's ears flicker with excitement as we are whisked along. She glances back frequently to make certain everyone's all right, sniffing the air for scent of danger on either side of this narrow path.
Seshemw crouches for balance, looking -very- unsettled but trying to hide it.
Those of you who feel somewhat unnerved find yurselves quickly becoming relaxed. Your balance is arcanely perfect as you zip along. Subtly your body sense changes, and you realize that the thin line is sloping upwards.
Dylan seems very startled at his newfound sense of balance, and tips his head back, eyes geleaming with pleasure at the sensation.
Seshemw's ears flatten back as he points his nose into the wind, looking something like a nightmarish surfer on a board made of light.
But he DOES look like he's enjoying himself.
Bits and pieces of umbral landscape flash by you, images evoking strange emotions, but too soon passed for your conscious mind to assimilate. All too soon the journey ends.
Sepdet climbs eagerly; occasionally her strides hasten and then catch as if she's restraining herself from running. She has to force herself to pull up as we reach our destination, nostrils flaring.
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