Post by BadAdam on May 19, 2010 17:19:45 GMT -8
The glow of a furnace lit the room as the scraping of a file against steel resounded.The Heat emanating from the forge lit Visili's face and small beads of sweat fell from his brow onto the watermarked gauntlet in his lap. He finished the filing and flipped the gauntlet over. Torn leather straps soaked in blood were attached to it, but obviously worn. Visili began mending these as well. He finished riveting in the last leather strap and slipped the gauntlet back onto his arm. After fastening the new leather straps to his shoulders and back, he stretched to test their resilience. The straps moaned and the steel creaked under the immense pressure as Visili flexed in crinos.
He sat down and looked the gauntlet over, viewing all Two hundred and seventeen notch marks that circled the forearm,some larger than others. On the back of his hand, he looked at the fourteen cross notches and sighed. Finally he turned over his hand and looked at the Eighteen tiny glyphs etched into the palm.
As he looked at each glyph, he remembered those that had fallen in battle beside him. He grabbed a red hot chisel and etched the symbol for Hannibal into the palm next to the others and turned over his hand as he sighed.
He then looked at the cross notches, he remembered those garou that had died by his hand for losing their way, his father and mentor among them. Shaking his head, he felt sorry for them.
Finally, he looked over the hundreds of notches in the forearm and shoulder and began thnking back on all the enemies whos blood had been shed by this gauntlet. He thought of vampires, of Black Spiral Dancers, of Formori, and of powerful spirits. He remembered the tainted drugs and the tainted clubs. The sorcerers and the mages. Most of all, he remembered the caern building. So many enemies, so much glory, and so much at stake. As a smile began to creep back onto his face
He got up and as he walked out the door, looked at the many notches up and down the watermarked gauntlet and thought "Just a few more."
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As he lay down to take a rest out on the bawn, A dream took hold of him. He was floating in the midst of a great thunderstorm. Two large eyes cracked with thunder and the clouds themselves seemed to gain intensity. The Wind howled in his ears speaking to him and the lighting seared him as he moved.
Grand Father Thunder: Do you know what i called you for?
Visili: I do...
Grand Father Thunder: So you feel you are worthy of a storm gauntlet?
Visili: I know i am, and so do you.
Grand Father Thunder: Very well. The task you have been waiting for is ready. The twelve tribes have been tainted.
Visili: What is it you will have me do?
Grand Father Thunder: You must assist Unicorn in the cleansing...
Visili: Uhh...I don't understand, how do you cleanse an entire tribe?
Grand Father Thunder: If you cannot complete this task, you are not one of my children...
Visili: Then I will surly succeed. Just tell me what to do.
As Visili finished his words, he began to fall from the storm with words echoing in his mind, "Only one of the twelve is still pure." The clouds seem to laugh at him as he fell, and with a jolt he woke up, scorche marks and bruises across his body.Visili sat up, trying to figure out what had happened. As he contemplated it he he knew that he couldn't do this alone.
Visili started around the Sept, sensing everyone for wyrm taint, something was off but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. As he looked for inconsistencies, his instincts began to pull him in a direction into the umbra. At first he fought it, but then saw a lone storm crow circling in the direction he was to go. Visili began walking, but after a few paces stopped. Through pack link he called to the rest of his pack mates "Everyone form up! We have a mission, you will be briefed en route." After a minute or so, during which he left a note for the elders, his whole pack was there, including a cliath he had just be acquainted with. Visili looked at him and stated "If you want to be a part of this pack, you gotta show us what you're made of." The cliath nodded with confidence and stepped forward. "Alright then, Move out!"
The storm crow flew off as the five of them made their way east into the umbra.
