>>> Everybody get up...

"How do you like that, sports fans!? It's a tie going into halftime here at Sakuragawa High's Zone Amphitheater. And, man, has it been a brutal match so far! I dare say that the number of fouls today has been unprecedented in Kami High School Divisional League! Especially the ones that have gone right under the ref's noses, Ken!"

"Indeed, Mark! But it's so hard to prove those to be fouls and not as the accidents that they seem to be. Tsuyosa has a reputation for powerful, forceful plays. But, recently, stories have been spreading about a new style which is both dangerous and crooked."

"Right you are. But there's no way to substantiate those claims. Though, a review of past games might be in order... Now, let's look at these numbers! Tsuyosa's monster of a Power Forward and their number 2nd Year ace, Setsuden Kenta-sama. True to his heritage, he is the very essence of strength, working on a double-double in field goals and rebounds. He is 10 for 15 from the paint and has 9 rebounds so far. Sakuragawa's own starlet, Par-...."

"Mark, there seems to be a commotion at the referees' table! A player from Sakuragawa just walked over and declared something that has EVERYONE agitated! Managers, coaches and players from both sides are mobbing the table! Oh, wait, looks like Setsuden-sama is getting in the Sakuragawa player's face!! What is going on!?"

"Oh. My. Gods! Could it be? Oh, yes, Ken! YES! Looks like there's going to be a halftime JAAAAAAAAAMMM!!!"

"For the first time in three years, Mark, in Sakuragawa High, there's going to be a JAM at Halftime! AMAZING!!!"

"For those watching from home, a Jam is a one-on-one match using the full court. It's like a duel, only with Basketball! And, like a duel, Ken, there's always something at stake, varying anywhere from favours to consorts!"

"Especially with the players being the Scions of the Divine! But who's the challenger!? Wait, wait, wait! The announcement's on the video screens! Looks like it's... Sakuragawa's number 13, Akihito Konamo'i?? Against Tsuyosa's ace, Setsuden-sama!!? Who in the Nine Hells is this kid!? Mark, do you have anything on Sakuragawa's number 13!??"

"Well, Ken, for starters, we don't have much to go on, paper-wise. He's a transfer student from the States, starting his first year of high school here. Plays as a Center Forward, but his stats are non-existent!"

"He's a FRESHMAN!? He MUST be INSANE to challenge one of the best, if not the best, Power Forwards in the Kami Junior Leagues!"

"Hold on, Ken, something's not right here. That kid looks intense. Can you see that aura!? More info is required! We need the ORACLE!"

"Right then, Mark, I've got you covered. The mob and furor around the refs' table has dissipated, but can you feel that tension in the air? The stakes are on screen now: a female player from each side has been laid down on the outcome of the Jam! Whoever wins the Jam has the wagered player transfered to the winner's school!? On a best two-of-three Jam!? Incredible! Unbelievable!"

"The first player to score two baskets out of three attempts in a 1 minute and 30 seconds or under of playtime WINS. If Sakuragawa's number 13 wins, Tsuyosa will lose their talented - and rather pretty, she has a fan club dedicated to her in Tsuyosa - Point Guard Tetsubara Rin-chan. If he loses, he will leave Japan and Tsuyosa will receive Sakuragawa's star player, Parvathi Araviswanadha!! AMAZING!!!"

"Seems like some harsh words being exchanged between Setsuden-sama and Tetsubara-chan. The Sakuragawa bench is strangely quiet... Akihito is waiting, seemingly unconcerned, at the refs' table."

"And the two players have moved to center court... TIP-OFF! Akihito grabs the ball ahead of Setsuden-san. My gods, what a leap! And such height! But, wait! The whistle's been blown! What, Akihito touched the ball before it hit its highest point!? UN-BEE-LEE-VAH-BEL!!! Let's see that in a quick replay!"

"Ladies and gents, Akihito's height and wingspan may become a pain for other teams in future! It's CRAZY!"

"Returning to the Jam at hand, Setsuden-sama has possession and moves in at a quick jog after a quick bounce check from center court. Akihito is crouched between the three-point and free throw lines, arms out. Wait, he's straightened up! His posture's become very relaxed. His head is even crooked to the left! What is he DOING!? Setsuden-sama dribbles, here comes the cross-over and then, suddenly, dashes in, cutting past on Akihito's left! What the... But, Akihito is suddenly right in Setsuden-sama's face! How did he move so fast!? Setsuden-sama has been stopped in his tracks, almost right back at the free throw line! The snarl on his face is fierce! What is he goi-..."

"WOAH! WOAH! A STEAL, A STEAL! AKIHITO HAS STRIPPED SETSUDEN-SAMA OF THE BALL! HE'S GOING COAST TO COAST!! SETSUDEN-SAMA'S CHASING!!! THE CROWD'S ON ITS FEET AND ROARING LOUD!!! SETSUDEN-SAMA HAS ALMOST COMPLETELY CAUGHT UP!!! BUT!!! AKIHITO SUDDENLY LEAPS FROM JUST PAST THE THREE POINT LINE!!!! A LANE-UP FROM THERE, IS HE COMPLETELY INSANE!?!!!!"

"OH! MY!! GODS!!!"

"SLAAAAAAAAAMMMDUNNNNKKK!!! 18 FEET LONG AND 13 FEET HIGH AIRWALK A LA MICHAEL JORDAN!!! UN-FREAKING-BELIEVABLE!!! AND THE CROWD GOES WILD!!!"

"Look at this kid! So composed, so focussed! Just a small fist pump after his dunk! And Akihito calmly backpedals towards the free throw line. And there's the bounce check! Setsuden-sama is powering down woodwork. He's really pulling out the stops, he's so fast that he's almost a blur!!"

"But Akihito is keeping pace! Seriously, Mark, who is this kid!?"

"Still checking, Ken!"

"O-kay, Mark, and... WHAT A MONSTER OF A BLOCK!!! Took my eyes away for only a few seconds and the Jammers already made it to the hoop! But! An impossible block on Setsuden-sama's double clutch dunk!! Akihito slipped in between him and the basket!!! And Akihito is acting like it was nothing special!!!"

"Both benches are stunned! BOTH! I don't think that Sakuragawa was expecting this level of output from Akihito!!"

"Bounce check from the sideline for Setsuden-sama. You can almost taste the aura pouring off of him. He. Is. Pissed."

"And, yet again, Akihito is already up in Setsuden-sama's grille on defence! He's quick, I'll grant him that, his speed has been beyond fantastic so far."

"Less than 50 seconds on the countdown and 18 on the shot clock to go."

"WHAT!? THE BALL'S KNOCKED LOOSE! THEY'RE CHASING IT AS IT BOUNCES UPCOURT TOWARDS TSUYOSA'S BASKET!!"

"AKIHITO SCOOPS IT UP AND HEADS TO THE BASKET! A CUT-IN FROM THE LEFT, A JUMP, SETSUDEN-SAMA'S SUDDENLY BETWEEN AKIHITO AND THE BASKET!!"

"AKIHITO IN MID-JUMP, MID-AIR, DOUBLE CLUTCHES, SPINS OUT A 360 AROUND SETSUDEN-SAMA AND SLAMS IT HOOOOOMMME!!!"

"THIS JAM IS OVER! AKIHITO WIIIIINNNS!!!"

"Akihito offers a handshake but Setsuden-sama slaps it away and walks off. Ooooooohhh. But he suddenly stiffens mid-stride. Was it something that Akihito said?"

"Ken."

"Yes, Mark?"

"Sakuragawa has gotten their hands on a MONSTER."

"Eh? Sory, say that again, Mark?"

"Akihito Konamo'i. Born October 1997 in Hawai'i, USA. Moved to New York 2009. 6 feet, 9 inches tall, wingspan 6'10.5". Ticonderoga High School, Defiants, junior high to sophomore year in high school. Center Forward. Drafted to the Dark River Ferrymen of the Olympean Basketball Association in the beginning of his sophomore year. Played 6 first string games. Averages 20 points a game with a high number of assists, blocks and rebounds, usually double-doubles. Then took a leave of absence after February's end. Transferred here in July as a freshman. There are rumours that he's a Scion of Nike and his leave of absence was actually a quest of some importance."

"He's 17!? And a Dodekatheonite!? AND PLAYED FOR THE HADES' SPONSORED TEAM!? NO WAY!"

"I KNOW! IT'S CRAZY! Sakuragawa has a MONSTER of a player and I don't think that they even realized! But, let's get on with the Halftime Report, Ken, before we run out of halftime!"

"Right you are, Mark!"

"It's going to be a hell of a season!"

"Looks like it's going to be, Mark!"

---

The idea of writing a short story about a combination of basketball, high school and Percy Jackson-esque demigods through the eyes of a third party came to me when I was just thinking about creating a unique character for Scion.

Enter Akihito Konamo'i, Scion of Nike, part-Hawaiian, part-Japanese, the young man nicknamed 'Breeze'. 

And then my brain started churning out ideas for the setting he would be in. And I thought wouldn't it be cool to set him up in a high school for young demigods. A step higher: what if there were several schools like that in a region. So Sakuragawa High School was constructed on an island off the Japanese shore and hidden by the Mist.

And the rest was a snowball travelling downhill from there.

I just thought that it would be cool to do a story using just sports commentary.

Hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed typing it out on my mobile!

Cheers!

_{... it's time to jam now.}

>>> Find a ship...

Korree "Kore" Glavian
Gearhead Racing Pilot
Corellian Human
Smuggler
Pilot/Mechanic

Korree "Kore" Glavian by Arvin Kayz

_{... find a pilot, keep flying.}

>>> Brothers in battle...

Battle-Brother Caendirn
Roaring Iron, Thunder's Vengeance
Deathwatch Devastator Marine

DW Caendirn by Arvinraaj Kanagalingam

--

Geiarsson Krakenspear

Lightning Across The Ice, Young Wolf of the Forge
Space Wolf Iron Priest
Deathwatch Techmarine

Geiarsson, before his elevation to the ranks of the Sky Warriors, was a young, tribeless hunter who wandered the seas of Fenris with his surviving kin, trading half or more of their hunts for shelter and protection of other sympathetic tribes.

While resting under the protection of another tribe, they were set upon by unknown foes while most of its warriors were away. With first bow and arrow, then blade and spear, the young hunter danced along the walls and grounds of the village, carving a bloody furrow through the numerically superior foe. Darting here and there like greased lightning, sweat and blood steaming off his body, protecting kin and ally alike with a song of the hunt and a ghostly grin upon his lips.

Until he was finally surrounded, spent of energy, covered in the bloody gore of the foe and his lifeblood trickling slowly out of over two dozen wounds. Panting heavily, he stood erect with a lopsided grin as a giant in dark crimson stalked across the blood-soaked ground. With a rumbling growl, the giant picked up Geiarsson and corralled his surviving kin, and disappeared into the wintry wastes of Fenris.

That was over two centuries ago. Since then, Geiarsson has been one of the youngest Wolves to be inducted and initiated into the Iron Priesthood, his knack for craft- and forge-work standing him in good stead. He has proven to be a hunter of prodigious skill and fortune, having hunted almost all manner of Fenrisian creatures, from the fabled Wolves of Asaheim to the almost mythic Kraken of the Fenrisian Depths.

He has sailed the Ocean of Stars amongst the retinues Great Companies, setting his own saga in iron and stone amongst the epics of another Great Hunt which set him against many foes of the Imperium, amongst them the Traitor Legions. Now, his saga has brought him to the Watch Fortress of Erioch, to lend his skills and experience to the Deathwatch of the Ordo Xenos.

Description: A giant of a man, wrapped in a leather bodysuit, stands proudly in the middle of his meditation chamber, eyes the colour of a winter storm ringed in gold looking out from a weather-beaten, darkly-tanned face criss-crossed with pale blade scars, his gigantic arms crossed across his immense chest. His scalp half shorn for the trio of electro-grafts implanted behind his ear at the base of his skull, his red mane worn long to fall over the right of his head. He is clean-shaven except for a clean, plaited goatee of red on his chin.

His left eye dons a facial tattoo, a variation of the Iron Wolf totem, its jaws wrapping around his eye socket.

Inscribed around his thick, bullish neck are Fenrisian runes that read, to those who know how, Iron Within, Iron Without, Indomitable Redoubt.

His left arm is a a utilitarian yet artistically wrought work of bionics; the colour of gunmetal, a matte sheen like oil slicked across water. The faint traceries of engravings of the lightning streaked skies, stormy oceans and ice floes of Fenris worked across its surface, the foamy waves worked into the silently howling heads of wolves, can be barely seen under the chamber's luminescent glow-orbs.

A fist-sized pendant of bone lies hung by an adamantine chain fashioned in the shape of prayer beads. Carved exactingly from the tooth of a Fenrisian Kraken into the Cog of the Mechanicus with an Iron Wolf skull at its heart and engraved with minute skulls in sectioned inlays, it glows with a faint bluish cast, projecting a chilly yet calming aura.

A wolf pelt the colour of freshly fallen snow, dusted with granite-like grey, and of unimaginable size girds his waist like large kilt, its legs dangling down and covering his thighs, claws curved downwards across his knees. Its noble head, its eyes still seemingly agleam with life, rests between the legs, teeth bared in a deadly rictus grin.

A ghost of a grin plays across his face, somewhat at odds with his martial bearing, showing off a legacy of his forbears, the elongated canines of the Space Wolf.

A true warrior, an accomplished hunter and a forge-master of Fenris. And, now, a member of the Deathwatch, waiting patiently to prove his mettle and deadly worth yet again.

Demeanor: A man proud of his skills and abilities, undaunted by the universe at large, Geiarsson possesses a calculative, highly analytical mind. Constantly assessing nearly everything around him, his creative mind shuffles and files away details for another time and possible use. Some joke that he is infected by a form of memno-virus, but it is mind that not only helps him hunt but to craft and forge, sorting through all the sensory and mental input plus stimuli to achieve his goals.

Like most Wolves, he is honest to a fault, but is tempered by a sense of tact that usually prevents others from being offended. He also does not possess the typical animosity towards Astartes of the Dark Angels and their ilk. Friendly, talkative and a good listening ear, especially over the odd tankard of Fenrisian ale, Geiarsson is a likable and respectable warrior-priest of the Adeptus Astartes and an unusual representative of the Space Wolves.

Optional: Geiarsson possesses a Data-Slate whose body was carved from the bones of a Kraken and Fenrisian Wolf into the cunning design of a puzzlebox which must be unlocked to view the screen. It's inner workings are interlocked, sophisticated systems of recording, relaying, transmitting and receiving all forms of data, with massive storage banks done in nano-detail, with a large touch-screen that can project flat, 2-D images to full holographic videos. It also posseses a port for electro-graft connections. This Data-Slate, for now known affectionately as the Bonebox, may sometimes be carried into battle under his wolf pelt, chained and maglocked to his armoured belt.

DW Geiarsson (Edit)

_{... clad in black and smeared with blood.}

>>> When you're in a jam...

Black Ops Campaign
Character Idea

United Nations Special Operations Command - Omega Special Service
UNSOC-OSS

Personnel Dossier
PDF-S-FR-082D-31-8084055W
Classified: Top Secret

Djamel "Jammer" Charron
Sergent Chef
Recce Specialist
Parachutist/Armoured Cavalry
French Foreign Legion

Born in December 1982 of mixed heritage, the war orphan Djamel - or Jam to his friends - grew up mostly in Nice, France with Franco-American parents & siblings, though his adoptive family travelled substantially. Due to studying in an International School, he was influenced at an early age by American hip-hop and the British alternative scene. He also picked up a smattering of languages due to his circle of friends. He has a fondness for extreme sports, basketball, breakdancing, tattoos (he sports many on his body, including two full arm sleeves and Legion emblems along the right side of his neck) and very loud music. He possesses above-average creative talent and good physical co-ordination.

Djamel is an ever cheerful and encouraging individual, prone to behaving like a big brother to many. On duty, he is serious and cautious but is said to enjoy his assignment. At the age of 19, following the tragic deaths of his adoptive parents, Djamel dropped out of university and enlisted with the French Foreign Legion to, I quote, "to escape the Dark".

However, after his first tour, he applied for and gained admission to a correspondence degree program with a speciality in military history.

The Legion became a surrogate family, although he has kept in contact with his adoptive siblings, especially his younger sister Jean-Marie.

He has served four 3-year tours with the French Foreign Legion. He is a trained parachute trooper, but his talents were discovered to lie behind the [driving] wheel. After six years (two tours) with the 2e REP, he was transferred to the 1e REC to utilise his newly discovered talent. The rest of his subsequent service was then consequently spent in the recce company of the Legion's armoured battalion. Considered a veteran and a "lifer" (pegged for lifelong service), he has served well in many theaters, including Afghanistan as part of the Coalition's Peacekeeper Corps.

Djamel comes highly recommended to the OSS by several of our "talent agents". It is advised that Djamel be recruited to serve dual duties as both a scout (infiltrator) and skilled driver (wheelman) with his unique skill set and experience.

 -
Theodore McHallens
Captain
Recruitment Officer

_{... and need to get out quick.}

>> A skilled sniper...

The target was standing at the edge of the crowd around the makeshift stage, bopping her head to the heavy beat of the growling band. In her small hands, she held a massive but aged SLR camera. The kids in the crowd had parted for her earlier like she was some sort of royalty or rock star. 

Either that or perhaps the people were just instinctively afraid of her true nature. Intel said differently, though, having read out that she was positioned highly "in the scene".

Smiling unnaturally wide, he vocalised into the mic as he casually touched his ear. "Target spotted."

A hiss of static followed by a sibilant whisper, "Stay on target."

Nodding, he slipped further into the shadows, hands sinking deep into his pockets. His smile stretched ear to ear, flesh splitting bloodlessly and yellowed serrated teeth showing through.

---

She felt tired.

So tired that her camera felt it was going to pull her to the ground and keep her there. She yawned and blinked. Her clothes were sticking to her body and she felt perspiration trickling down her back and face.

Slinging her camera around her shoulder, she walked leisurely out of the small bar which was holding the gig. Yet again, the crowd parted for her. Once upon a time, that would have made her feel really smug, but not now, not tonight. 

Not for a while, in fact.

Once outside, she fished out a battered pack of cigs from her jacket pocket. Sighing, she pulled a stick out and placed it in the corner of her mouth. She sighed again, deeply. Am I getting too old for this or what?, she wondered as she looked up into the sky while leaning against a wall. She stayed like that for a while, her cig getting soggy as it hung from her lips. A couple of kids came out for the air, giving her a wide berth and space. She ignored them, finally lighting up.

Blowing out a stream of smoke, she felt a chill travel down her spine. She rotated her neck, hearing a satisfying creak, while her eyes slowly looked around. She felt someone watching her, like there was a target board hanging around her neck.

She pushed away from the wall and stretched. Yawning, she strolled down a ways to the entrance of an alleyway. Casually looking to her left and then her right, she cocked her head to one side as she exhaled a thick puff of smoke. Sighing again, she walked into the darkness of the alleyway.

A dark figure followed shortly behind, slipping in and out of the shadows, followed by an unusual couple. The couple acted like they were in heat and virtually slithered into the alleyway.

Several pairs of glowing eyes looked on into the alleyway from the shadow cast by the roof of the bar.

This night was about to get bloody.

---

Even if being decked out in the unusual ensemble of silver necklaces, thigh-length cheongsam, fur-trimmed leather hooded jacket, brass knuckle rings, skin-tight dark Cheap Mondays and a pair of industrial Doc Marts wasn't a giveaway, her multi-colored streaked side-fringe, long jet black hair and petite size would be.

This scene queen is famous locally not only for her unique sense of style and presence at every music event & venue but her amazing photographic skills and her loud, outspoken support of the LGBT community & women's rights.

This pugnacious li'l firecracker doesn't talk about her past before her Rite of Passage much, if at all. She clams up if ever asked, some claiming she looks haunted when pressed for details about herself. Grapevine has it that she's an orphan or an abandoned teen who lived around and grew up in the local music scene. There are some other far-fetched stories circulating around the local septs, but it's been chalked up to too much imagination and free time among the younger crowd.

To her, it doesn't matter where she's been and who she was, only that she's here now.

And she ain't going anywhere till the Fat Wyrm sings its last.

[Tsoi] Mei Lien, Flash-at-Dawn

Scene Queen Photojournalist

Black Fury Galliard Homid

Visionary(N) / Rebel(D)

Cliath (1)

Willpower 3 | Rage 4 | Gnosis 2

Physical 5 | neg: lethargic

Social 5 | neg: awkward

Mental 7 | neg: impatient

Brawl, Craft (Camera: Analog), Dodge, Etiquette, Expression (Photography) x3, Language (Cantonese), Performance (Guitar: Acoustic), Performance (Singing) x2, Streetwise, Subterfuge

Contacts x2, Fame x1, Fetish x2 (Camera Obscura), Resources x2

Influence (Media) x2

Dark Secret (f1), Petite (f1), Short Fuse (f2)

(1) Persuasion, Mindspeak, Heightened Senses

Note:
* Negative trait awkward is a lesser version of the negative trait shy.

* Fetish - Camera Obscura: (Level 2, Gnosis 5) The Camera Obscura is a vintage analog camera that's used to detect spirits and other invisible creatures. These rare artifacts are inhabited, and powered, by either an owl-spirit, death-related spirit or, Gaia forbid, an actual wraith. Flash-at-Dawn lovingly crafted hers with a combination of a titanium frame, mahongany veneers carved with roses and ivory inlays as well as charming the owl-spirit into service. Once this fetish is activated, the user can use its viewfinder to see any spirits and other such normally invisible creatures in the area for the duration of the scene. It cannot see through walls and other forms of thick barriers. However, on a critical success, the user may be able to peer into the Umbra.

* Flaw - Petite : Short, Vampire: the Masquerade page 297.

... with a phos-bright camera-flash.

>> From a statement of time...

"2219"

Welcome to the Year 2219.

The world has changed a lot since you were put on ice and spaced up.

It's been broken down into two super-powers: the Euromerican Alliance in the Western Hemisphere and the Pacifica Conglomerate in the Eastern Hemisphere.

Euromerica is not so much an alliance as it is one large federalized union of nation-states dominated by the nation-descendant of the 21st century USA.

The Conglomerate is a representative oligarchy, since the countries of Asia and Australasia Privatized, transforming into corp-nations.

The Yangtze Syndicate and Jai-Hind Megacorp have the largest blocs of voting power on the Oligarchical Council, but Singapura Tech (SingTech for short) and Nippon Foundries own the technologies that every nation uses.

The region originally known as the Middle-East is now known as the Desert Emirates, aligned with neither side and stubbornly holding on to neutrality. The militaristic Emirate of Israestine, the end result of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, maintains its grip on its territory, including the area surrounding the Suez Canal, and resists the predations of the other Emirates.

Russia's been broken down by severe economic pressure & downturn, orchestrated by the pre-privatisation Pan-Asian Bloc, industrial sabotage, internal strife caused by dissenters, agent provacateurs & rebels, the Chechen Problem coming home to roost, "Siberiarization" - the freak Ice Age that hit poor Mother Russia - and the Bratva Russkya hostile takeover of the government nearly a century ago.

Whatever's left of Russia is actually the physical landmass of Siberia, which currently stretches up to Irkutsk and is now the Corpnation of the Russo-Cyberian Enclave.

The Russian Steppes are home to nomads and vast underground warrens, neither side able to claim them wholesale due to the presence of the Kossacks and their underground dwelling Kohl Black allies. Therefore, both sides had to be satisfied to leave it as a buffer zone.

Africa is mostly desert and grassland, its countries having dissolved into supposed anarchy or gone 'wild', its people returning to feudal or nomadic ways.

Except for the remains of South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique & Madagascar and some of surrounding islands which now make up the arcological ecopolises of the Afrikaan Republic.

There are a lot of possibilities for making cred and earning rep, regardless which side of the line you choose, mate.

Unless you choose to be one of the Greys, which is another story by itself.

So, let's get you cleaned up and looking good for the world, ey...


Sent from Catch Notes for Android
https://catch.com


... came a whole idea for a world.

>> Sing a song or two...

The following two lyric sets were written/composed for the small group role-playing the members of the Gaia's Tears Rock Band pack. This was just for flavour and fun.

Enjoy.

Our Mother

Gaia's Tears

Spoken:
Can You Hear it?
Our Mother, She's Crying...
Can You Hear It?
Our Mother, She's Weeping...
Can You Hear It?
Our Mother, She's Crying Out for Help.

Neglected, Uncared for, Unloved
By Her Children, and Generations beyond
None Believed, None Saw the Truth for What it was
Living In Their Own World,
Cocooned By Lies

Can You Hear it?
Our Mother's Cries
Can You Hear It?
Our Mother's Weeping
Can You Hear It?
Our Mother's Crying Out for Help

It Came Too Late, When They'd Stopped Running
Her Skin was scarred, Body Milked Dry
Battles Upon Battles, Wars Upon Wars
Her Children, They Bled,
For Their Own Greed

Can You Hear it?
Our Mother's Cries
Can You Hear It?
Our Mother's Weeping
Can You Hear It?
Our Mother's Crying Out for Help

Listen With Your Heart
Listen With All Your Might
Can You Hear it On the Wind?
Can You Hear it On the Waves?
... Our Mother's Crying Out For Help

Can You Hear it?
Our Mother's Cries
Can You Hear It?
Our Mother's Weeping
Can You Hear It?
Our Mother's Crying Out for Help

A New World (Into Gaia's Arms)
Gaia's Tears

Gaia's arms...

Gaia's arms...

S: No one believed her

No one imagined it was true

No one could see her

winter haven coming into view

F: She says she's seen the land beyond

She said she's walked through Babylon

She felt the cold beneath her feet

And time stood still where the winter won't sleep

S: (where the winter won't sleep)

Chorus
S: I've seen a new world...
F: like nothing before...
just step through the door right
S: Into a new world...
F: Into Gaia's arms
S: I've seen a new world...
F: like nothing before...
just step through the door right
S: Into a new world...
F: Into Gaia's arms

S: All hope was fading, a darkness far beyond their might

But love came crusading on the wings of healing sacrifice

F: She gave them something to believe

Came back in all Her majesty

She conquered evil through Her love and handed them the land they were dreaming of S: (love came crusading)

Chorus
S: I've seen a new world...
F: like nothing before...
just step through the door right
S: Into a new world...
F: Into Gaia's arms
S: I've seen a new world...
like nothing before...
just step through the door right
S: Into a new world...
F: Into Gaia's arms

F: I never dreamed it but it seems that She's alive again

Shaking Her mane She's just the same as I remembered Her

The spell is weakening with every breath She's breathing in

S&F: And when She roars they can't ignore that She's our queen again

S: (There, just beyond the moonlight)

S: I've seen, I've seen, I've seen a new world...

F: Into a new world...

Into Gaia's arms

Chorus
S: I've seen a new world...
F: like nothing before...
just step through the door right
S: Into a new world...
F: Into Gaia's arms
S:I've seen a new world...
F:like nothing before...
just step through the door right
S: Into a new world...
F: Into Gaia's arms

S: Into a new world...

S&F: Gaia's arms...

Note:

* played and sung similarly to Toby Mac's "New World" track.

* slightly modified from Toby Mac's "New World" lyrics.

* S : Siobahn, opera-like intonation.

* F : Faolan, rap feel.

... of sixpence and a pocketful of Gaia.

>> The best deals...

"Scars and Sutures are a strange pair. Scars is a petite girl of 18 years with social insecurities, and yet is still able to charm those who meet her, who wants to forget her past. Sutures is an oversized, happy-go-lucky pup covered with scars who loves Scars - and is more than willing to stand between her and certain death - who can't even remember anything of his life before Scars found him in the Alaskan wilderness. And they're virtually inseparable. Like I said, a strange pair, but nonetheless interesting."

- from the lips of Two-Tales, without his usual reiteration

The girl known simply as Scars was born to mixed Japanese and Eurasian parents under the name of Cassandra Akae Meung, and spent the majority of her childhood and early teens traveling from one oil rich area to the next. It was on her family's last stop in Alaska that she met Sutures, the young Wendigo that, even to this day, has no recollection of his past life before Scars.

Sutures was found, beaten, cut up and already scarred, by Sandra and her dad while out on a camping trip in the Alaskan wilderness. Mistaking him for a large, stray Husky sled dog, Scars convinced her dad to take him in. Sandra nursed him back to health and named him Sutures for the sheer amount of thread-work involved in sewing him back together. Shortly after he recovered, he was trained to be a Seeing-Eye dog for Scars' baby brother Cane, a survivor of an accident that'd taken the life of their elder brother, Kenichi, and had left Cane blind. At this point, Sutures was still unable to remember anything of his past as one of the of Garou, let alone his childhood as a wolf pup; he believed himself to be that which his 'family' called him, a Husky named Sutures.

A couple of years passed, and Sutures was feeling very much at home with the Meungs. And yet, he felt strange, that something was not quite right. Sandra had been having strange disturbing dreams as well, of running through many places with a wolf by her side. A wolf that looked strangely like Sutures only without the scars.

His feelings and her dreams were proved right one night in June when Sandra, Cane and himself were set upon by a group of what appeared to be bulky drunks. Sutures stood protectively over the two of them, snarling and biting any who got too close to them. Until a steel pipe knocked him soaring into a heap in a corner where two of the drunks viciously kicked and beat him repeatedly. In a daze, Sutures saw the forms of the drunks - men and women - shift into things that didn't seem natural; he watched through a red mist as Cane was slowly, almost languidly beaten, and Sandra was beaten and forced to her knees, her clothes being ripped from her body. And then he felt his body stretch, twist and grow upwards, just as the same phenomenon occurred to Sandra. Rage coursed through them, exploding outwards in a fury of fangs and claws.

They ripped through their assailants, and yet more appeared from the shadows to assault them. When they were on the verge of being dragged down to their deaths, a pack of Garou burst in, ultimately saving their lives. They were carried, lost to unconsciousness, to the local Caern where they were told what they had become. They'd assumed that Sutures was a cub. That was, until they saw the Renown markings that trailed down his arms and across his back and torso. A Galliard known as Two-Tales happened to be there and read the glyphs, discovering his name and his deeds. And yet Sutures was unable to remember.

Sandra's injuries, the ones that had broken and torn the skin, had been healed but the scars that they'd left behind were in the shape of stars. Her Rite of Passage was done and her petname from the Sept of the Black Snow became her deedname: Scars-Like-Stars.

Shortly after, the Sept flexed their influence and wrangled her father's re-assignment to the South-East Asian regional headquarters in Singapore as well as quarantine and veterinary documents for Sutures, hoping that Scars & Sutures' infamy as well as past would have difficulties chasing after them.

They have been staying low and out of trouble for a while since arriving in Singapore.

Though it may not stay that way for long.

Scars

Cassandra Scars-Like-Stars

Children of Gaia Galliard Homid

"The Little Girl"

Caregiver(D) / Child(N)

Cliath (1)

Willpower 4 | Rage 3 | Gnosis 3

Physical 3 / neg: docile

Social 10 / neg: naive, shy

Mental 11

Dodge, Performance (Acting & Singing), Rituals, Subterfuge, Survival

Kin Folk x1, Past Life x1, Resources x2, Rites x2

Influence (High Society) x1, Influence (Occult) x1, Influence (Street) x1

Short (f1), Shy (f1), Soft-hearted (f1), Banned Transformation: Star Filled Skies (f3), Ward (f3)

(1) Persuasion, Beast Speech, Spirit Speech, Mother's Touch

(0) Greeting the Sun, Greeting the Moon (1) Rite of Dedication, Rite of Cleansing

Sutures

Scar-Lined-Skin-Bound-By-Blood-Thread

Wendigo Ahroun Lupus

"And Her Big Dog"

Caregiver(D) / Protector(N)

Fostern (2)

Willpower 3 | Rage 5 | Gnosis 5

Physical 12

Social 7 / neg: bestial, feral

Mental 7 / neg: violent

Brawl, Dodge, Primal-Urge x2, Profession (Seeing-Eye Dog), Stealth, Subterfuge, Survival

Fetish x3, Pure Breed x1

Canine Appearance (m3) | Amnesia (f2), Scarred (f2), Ward (f3)

(1) Hare's Leap, Heightened Senses, Razor Claws, Call the Breeze (2) Clenched Jaw, Sense the Unnatural, Spirit of the Fray

Notes:
* Kinfolk (Cane Yori Meung) / Flaw - Ward (Cane Yori Meung) : Scars' 'baby' brother who was left blind by an accident. Sutures' was trained and is used as his Seeing-Eye dog. Cane is 'in the know' and works as a tutor to blind children while living and studying with Scars. _{Cane is the second subject attuned to Sutures' Dog Tags fetish.}

* Flaw - Banned Transformation (Star Filled Skies) : Scars cannot transform into any form - other than her Homid form - on a night where the sky is clear and filled with clearly visible stars.

* Archetype - Protector : Sutures feels the need to defend any and all who are weaker or unable to do so themselves as well as those he considers dear to his heart, and will go to great lengths to do so.

* Fetish - Dog Tags : (Level 3, Gnosis 7) Using a pair of identification discs [military or otherwise] hung from a simple collar or choker, a fetish was created which allowed the owner to keep track of those they love or have been charged with protecting. It allows the owner to know the location and status of his chosen subject or subjects, not more than two. To attune the tags to the subject, the subject must touch the tags while the owner activates it. Once activated, the owner will be able to know the status of the subject, breathed in his ear, though in simple wordings like "in danger" or "hurt". In addition, if the subject is far away, the owner may scry upon the subject's immediate surroundings which will appear in his mind's eye. However, there is a maximum limit on this viewing ability as it will not extend past the city limits and must be attuned to the subject in every different city that they visit. It is also rumored that these fetishes can be used on buildings or other valued sites. Any form of urban, protective spirit - such as a kestrel or watchdog - may be used to power this fetish.

* Merit - Canine Appearance : Sutures can pass himself off as a large Husky in his Lupus form.

* Flaw - Amnesia : Sutures has no memory of his life before meeting Scars.

* Flaw - Ward (Cane Yori Meung & Scars-Like-Stars).

... come in pairs.

>> Follow the road...

"Ol' Two-Tales ain't quite so ol' an' walks a circuit that ranges from the shores of Englan' 'own to the western coast of Australia. With the occasional 'etour an' all by foot, no less. A truly amazin' sonnuvagun, if'n I've ever hear-tell of one.

I once picked 'im up while out on a trucking run from Marseilles to Talinn an', boy, can that boy talk your tail  an' ears off! An' his storytellin's so good that we a'most ran off the damn Autobahn!! If'n you ever meet 'im, tell 'im that Big Road Roller One's a-hopin' that our roads cross again. Hot-damn, do I miss his stories."

- as informed by the trucker Big Road Roller One, a Glass Walker Ahroun

Two-Tales is the misbegotten son of a Wayfarer 'Strider and an enamoured Wise Guy 'Walker. He lived the usual cliché life of one of his breed, with one difference: his mother and her pack actually LOVED the boy and looked after him as well as they could. But it was apparent that he was more 'Strider than 'Walker; ghosts plagued him. Upon his First Change, the circumstances of which still remain a mystery, he was handed over to a passing 'Strider.

The 'Strider sent Two-Tales to the Wheel of Ptah where he received his education and Rite of Passage. His deed-name is a pun, of how he likes to say or recite things twice and of his twin tails deformity.

Now, he wanders the world, from the ends of Europe to the eastern coast of Australia, with stops along the way in the Balkans, the Middle East and Asia. At each stop, he'll check in with the locals at their caerns, swapping stories& news and performing the occasional inking needlework.

Menekh'temses Two-Tales

Spinner of Tales, Scribe of Scars

Silent Strider Galliard Metis

Builder(N) / Loner(D)

Fostern (2)

Willpower 4 | Rage 4 | Gnosis 4

Physical 7

Social 11

Mental 7

Brawl, Dodge, Expression (Tattooes), Garou Lore x2, Glyph Lore, Occult, Performance (Storytelling)

Contacts x1, Resources x2

Influence (Occult) x1, Influence (Transport) x1

Medium (m3) / Compulsion: Twice-Said (f1), Dark Secret (f1), Nightmares (f1)

Twin tails & spinal base malformation (disf)

(1) Call of the Wyld, Persuasion, Sense the Wyrm, Speed of Thought

(1) Rite of Dedication

Note:
* Flaw - Compulsion (Twice-Said) : Two-Tales feels compelled to repeat or recite important things twice, tho' not necessarily in the same form.

* Disfigurement - Twin tails : Two-Tales was born with two tails joined at the stump. It is present in all forms and he either disguises them as a deformed back [ie. hunchback] OR hides them by stuffing them into the bottom of a large backpack or butt-bag, which causes quite a bit of discomfort. He's also known to cosplay as the Two-Tailed Kyubbi form of Naruto. _{[Should we make this a Dark Secret!? - KAZEone]}

* Disfigurement - Spinal base malformation : Due to the twin tails, the base of his spine has been malformed and under constant pressure which causes him discomfort in all his humanoid forms.

... twice walked and traversed.

>> With a nurse in the family...

Cute and bubbly wit' a heart of gold, Sasha was well on her way ter bein' a good nurse an' an upstandin' citizen. That was 'til 'er First Change, o' course, and she foun' out that she was a werewolf, one of the Garou. One of us. Now she's busy trying ter juggle her studies an' ambitions of being a nurse, her duties as one of the Sept, an' bein' a good partner to her gerlfrien'. No, I'm not homophobic, y'hear! I'm just a-lettin' yer young pups know in advance before y'all - Gaia forbid - try to pick 'er up, y'understand. Now, where was I? Oh, yeah, she's copin' alright, tho' I believe the stress of 'er not bein' able ter tell 'er other half the truth is eatin' away at 'er.

She's an excellent healer, believe you me, she sewed me up aft'r a most particularly bad scrap. Wouldn't even know the scar's there, too. But she couldn't 'urt a fly, not even in 'er own defense. Too soft in the 'eart ter 'urt any'un. So, y'all look after 'er, y'hear? I's gotsta go sit wit' the other old folks 'fore they eats all me food.

- As told by Grandpappy Larkins

Sashamani ^d/_o M Krishna

Student Nurse

Children of Gaia Theurge Homid

Caregiver(N) / Reluctant Garou(D)

Cliath (1)

Willpower 5 | Rage 2 | Gnosis 5

Physical 4

Social 7

Mental 7

Athletics, Empathy, Medicine x2, Negotiation

Resources x3, Rites x1

Influence (Medical) x2

Calm Heart (m3) / Soft-hearted (f1)

(1) Persuasion, Mother's Touch, Luna's Armour

(1) Rite of Cleansing

Note:
* Dedicated to KAZE's godsister, Sushma.

_{... you gotta give props somewhere and somehow.}

>> The crash and pound of waves...

Faolan, or "Mac" among friends, is not your run-of-the-mill Half-Moon. Faolan constantly obsesses over lore which he argues lends credence and support to the laws of our people. And to learn, he translates everything into music and sings to memorise what he needs to know by heart. An old Galliard of the sept was overheard remarking "that it was such a waste that he wasn't born a Galliard".

It must be said that music runs in his veins, if not his whole family. The older brother of Siobahn O'Gallagher, born of expatriate common law parents, Faolan has always been immersed in music. Encouraged by his parents, he learnt as much as he could about music. In fact, even his First Change at the age of 18 involved music, in a way. It happened at a heavy metal concert, when a mosh-pit had transformed itself into an ugly riot. When his sister was in danger of being trampled to death, he felt his skin crawl, stretch and twist, unleashing the heart of Rage that he carried within. The period of his First Change is hidden behind a black-out; all he knows is that he woke up, semi-naked and covered in gore, several miles away in a deserted park with his sleeping sister cradled in his arms.

A few days later, while he was contemplating what had become of him, he was set upon by a trio of lean, sickly-looking black dogs. Standing in the surf, under the light of the Half-Moon, he Changed and held his ground, following the rhythm of the sea in his defence. He was rescued by a pack of Garou which had been tracking the trio of dogs. Taken to the Sept and educated by his elders, he learned quickly of what he was and what he had to do. He also learnt that his parents were truly kin in more ways than one.

He is part of Gaia's Tears because of several reasons: his sister Siobahn formed it after her First Change, he loves the music they play and he hopes to reach out to people's souls through the music, to make them aware of their actions and teach them about Mother Gaia. He hopes to change the world, by educating as many people as he can through the music the band plays. Not to say that he is not above teaching others a lesson with his fists, of course.

Faolan mac Conmara, Rhythm-of-the-Tides

Gaia's Tears

Headbangin' Musician

Fianna Philodox Homid

Alpha (N) / Visionary (D)

Cliath (1)

Willpower 3 | Rage 3 | Gnosis 3

Physical 6

Social 7 / neg: condescending

Mental 6 / neg: impatient

Dodge, Expression, Garou Lore, Music Theory, Performance (Rap, Bass & Drums) x3, Streetwise

Fame x3, Kinfolk x1, Pure Breed x1, Resources x3, Totem x1

Street Influence x2

Seldom Sleeps (m2) / Addiction: Nicotine (f1), Short Fuse (f2)

(1) Salmon Leap, Persuasion, Sense Wyrm

Note:
1) Faolan is pronounced "fwail-awn".

2) Translation of name is "Wolf Hound of the Sea".

... heralds a real threat to your system.

>> He who laughs a thousand times...

Wenenses was just another wolf living in the wilds of Minnesota, albeit a much leaner wolf than most. Even as a cub he'd a penchant for games and wandering, always mucking about with his brother and sisters or leading them off to explore their surroundings. This continued even into his adolescence, when even his siblings had outgrown it. His explorations took him further and further away from his pack, until he wandered out into a field of long grass. A small group of humans saw him and gave chase. Wenenses thought it was such a great game; leaping here and there, letting the humans get close and then darting off again. This carried on for a while until one human got fed-up and shot him in the rump.

This sparked his First Change, the pain giving way to Rage for having been hurt in a game that didn't warrant it. Losing sense of where and what he was, he only came to when the moon shined down upon him, illuminating his place in a rough circle of carnage and blood. Feeling some form of horrification, he turned to run but a glint of something shiny caught his eye. Curiousity overriding his better sense, he investigated the shiny object: a golden ring worn on a ripped off finger. Somehow using his teeth and paw, he trotted off with the ring in his maw.

He was found the next day by a pack of strange wolves who opened his eyes to what he had become even as his family shunned him. Wenenses laughed in joy, and has been laughing ever since; journeying the world in all its realms, exploring every nook, cranny and then some, and sneaking off with little trinkets whenever he can.

Wenenses, Laughs-a-Thousand

Laughing Rogue

Silent Strider (Wayfarer) Ragabash Lupus

Jester(N) / Jester(D)

Cliath (1)

Willpower 3 | Rage 3 | Gnosis 5

Physical 9

Social 5

Mental 5 / neg: Impatient

Dodge, Expression, Primal-Urge, Scrounge, Stealth x2, Streetwise x2, Survival

Ally x1 (Raven Gaffling), Fetish x1 (The Whole Gym Bag), Fetish x2 (Swift Fetish, Scar), Pure Breed x1

Medium (m3) / Banned Transformation: Relaxing Music (f1), Kleptomaniac (f2), Too Curious (f3)

(1) Hare's Leap, Blur of the Milky Eye, Open Seal, Sense Wyrm, Silence, Speed of Thought

Note:
* Fetish - The Whole Gym Bag : page 78, Tribebook Bone Gnawers Revised; a gift from a Sept of Bone Gnawers for delivering a cub safely into their hands.

* Fetish - Swift Fetish, Scar : page 81, Tribebook Red Talons Revised; part payment and part gift for services rendered to them for carrying warnings of an imminent assault by Wyrmfoes and participating in the defense of a 'Talon caern.

* Flaw - Kleptomaniac : page 76, Breedbook Ratkin

* Flaw - Too Curious : page 87, Breedbook Bastet

... often laughs last.