Return to Wray - Northern Regional 2008

By Paul Holroyd, UK0103-1264

The Uratha gathered in the Lake District, near the Old Man of Coniston and met up in the territory of a pack named the Blood-Marked who were last heard of advocating war against the Pure. Gabriel Rawnsley arrived and told the assembled that his father was being held prisoner by the Pure in a Castle, by a pack of Fire Touched. There were other packs of Pure who were part of the Confederation, as many as nine, one of which was actively searching for the Tribes of the Moon to exterminate. Sedgewood, his father, was being held in his old home – Gabriel claimed to know secret paths which the Highborn did not know.

The Irraka deployed to scout the castle and see about rescuing the Father whilst others remained to wait for news. Maximum Overdrive (Iron Master, Irraka), known as Max, recruited Kate Greenwood (Ghost Wolf, Cahalith) to be the Cahalith guardian of Sellafield Power station, traditionally one of each auspice needs to win a challenge and be that guardian otherwise a great spirit, a Magath of pain and radiation would be released. They also took along Wall of Stone (Blood Talon, Rahu) and Captain Reynolds (Storm Lord, Rahu) of the Serene. Both Wall and Mal understood that their only purpose in this was to be meat shields, and they were totally expendable if their deaths meant Kate could succeed.

Max led the party in a van and soon they arrived at a church. The group entered and secured the church, making sure that no-one else would enter. Max showed Kate to the altar which showed St. George fighting the Dragon from ancient lore. Kate was unsure what to do, but under Max’s guidance she cut herself and let the blood drip onto the mural of the dragon. She called to it and asked audience. The dragon turned its head, looked at her and asked why she was there. Kate responded by saying that she wanted to be the next Cahalith guardian, as the previous one was dead. The dragon asked her to say why he should accept her, she said that though she was newly changed she had done much to help the People and was a worthy Uratha. The dragon accepted her challenge, and Kate went limp.

Kate was in a cave, a dungeon, full of heat, fire, brimstone. She proceeded cautiously along, and saw a large dragon that looked more like a giant snake with wings. She also perceived a woman tied up at the far end in chains. Kate decided that the challenge was to rescue her, and so she leapt from stalagmite to stalagtite, avoiding most of the dragon’s attentions but getting one nasty bite on her haunches. She sprang forward, touched the woman’s chains…

And was back in the church, hurt but mostly okay. The dragon said that she had failed the challenge. Kate related what she had done, and Max said that she had misunderstood the challenge. It was not to rescue the woman. It was to slay the dragon in glorious combat, to make a story worthy of the Cahalunim.

Max spoke to the dragon and pleaded for Kate to have another chance, as she was young and had misinterpreted the challenge. The dragon was persuaded, but wanted it clearly understood that no mercy would be shown on a second attempt. Kate looked nervous but bravely accepted her duty.

Again she saw the fire, the heat, the brimstone, the dragon. She leapt forward in Garau form, making her whole world come down to this moment of Rage, fury, anger. The fight was brutal, but almost pre-ordained. The result was not pre-ordained, but it was if both participants’ moves had been decided in advance, as I this fight had happened thousands of times – the victor would be the one who completed their moves first. Kate struck, clawed, bit…and won!

Meanwhile the watchers in the Church had not had it easy, they could see the wounds appearing on her chest, legs, arms. More disturbing was when Kate surrendered self control and became the beast, in the full throes of Kuruth. Mal and Wall grappled and held her to stop her destroying the church.

The dragon spoke as the others gathered around Kate, and said that the challenge was won and for a year and a day the binding would hold on Sellafield station. Unfortunately there was now a new problem – the warform gives great strength and toughness over Hishu – when Kate lost the spark of Death Rage she lay dying. Wall Of Stone refused to believe that so brave a hero could die in such a fashion, so he began emergency CPR. He had a problem in that there was very little of her chest left to push on, but he tried anyway. Max helped by ‘coincidentally’ finding a doctor’s kit that someone had left in a church a few months ago. Meanwhile Mal called for help from some of the Birmingham crew who know the Rite of Healing,

Ultimately the people tried to save Kate, but failed.

Honour the memory of Kate Greenwood for she died well as an Uratha should.

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