After the sleepless night Nancy walked directly to the alpha with a serious face.
Her head was hurt a bit, not because of the hacking, but because of what she found.
"You should read this, most of it is confidential..., and far from clear..., but it is from a trusted source."
She give him her notebook, where three file was opened.
--File 1--
Overhead Luna's dimmed light falters
Her gaze reflected in blood
Times of sorrow are upon us
The red swan falls from the sky
It dies
In the belly of the Wyrm
It transmogrifies
In decay it is reborn
Our daughters and sons
Die
In the hands of Darkness
Die
Wicked creatures most foul run free
Our horsemen of Apocalypse, they come
We shall meet them
Under the blood red glow
Death reigns supreme
Gaia pity us.
The date is June 12, 1925 .
Last night I was visited by Unicorn, spirit of my tribe. She brought me a vision most terrible, but one I must not forget . She gave me a glimpse of the
future . Now it is my duty to spread word, hoping the steps may
be taken to prevent my nightmare from coming true .
I first remember this : I could not breathe . No-I could draw
heavy, watery gasps. Only this was not water, but a salty,
coppery thickness I knew well from my hunts . I screamed, but
no voice emerged in the dead silence ; only an air bubble floated
out of my mouth. I refused to die . Treading the viscous weight,
I forced myself to the surface . Bloody, blood all around me, I
treaded until my muscles screamed and I could hold myself up
no longer. Then I saw her. Powerful Unicorn, sister spirit . The
blood reached her knees . She galloped to me and bowed her
head. I grabbed her horn, and she lifted me upon her back.
Without a word we were off through the pool of blood. As
we went, the stars turned red and a swan perched upon my
shoulder . Wyrmlings raced at us from all directions . Unicorn
fought them valiantly and soon a multitude of Ahrouns,
Uktena by the look of them, joined the battle . The Wyrmlings
soon scattered and the Uktena ran after them. Unicorn took me
onward into the darkness.
The blood on my fur had clotted and cracked away . I turned,
noticing that the swan had left us and the sky no longer blazed
crimson. We traveled endlessly ; I lost track of time .
Soon, beyond the horizon, I again spotted the red glow . It
appeared as a sunrise before us . I could even feel the heat. But
I learned it was not the red glow above which warmed my flesh .
Before me a city, a city built upon this lake of blood, was afire .
Unicorn did not hesitate . She leaped into the flames and strode
the city streets . Around us, dancing scarlet demons ate buildings
and tortured humans. The heat should have peeled my
flesh, but Unicorn's protections were strong .
The swan returned once more, landing on Unicorn's head .
Slowly we walked the streets . Before us vampires gnawed out
each other's hearts and bashed in each other's brains . As I
looked closer, we came upon a second group of vampires
battling one another. Then my vision cleared and I saw the
vampires were not vampires at all, but my Garou mothers and
fathers . I screamed at them to stop their madness, but they
could not hear me. Unicorn took no action but traveled onward
at steadily increasing speed .
A shape appeared in the distance and soon a white wolf ran
beside us, trudging neck-deep through the blood lake . I called
to him but he did not answer ; instead, he looked away in shame .
As he turned away, I caught a glimpse of his soul . He was of
the Damned, no longer one of us . As I again looked ahead, the
swan flew away . Unicorn traveled swiftly and I lost sight of the
Abomination behind us .
I heard the wails before I saw the tormented ones . Out of the
darkness, the red glow emerged again and we soon came upon
them. Hundreds of bodies, a twisted, moaning wall of flesh,
stabbed and bit one another . Half were Garou, while the others
were undead . I turned away, but Unicorn spoke to me . "This is
the most important part," she said, "for it has not yet happened .
Look closely and learn ."
Unicorn sallied forth with unearthly speed . With head tilted,
she charged the wall, ripping apart those in her path . Cries and
howls fell like cannon shots . Unicorn stopped on the other side
of the wall . Before us stood the city, much bigger than before ;
it had been rebuilt from glass and steel, made stronger and
colder . Unicorn walked before my home, the Fanum . Then we
traveled the street beside the temple and came upon a sight
most foul : Black Spiral Dancers gathered into a circle and
speaking the gibberish of the Wyrm . Behind them stood
vampires dressed in red .
Storm clouds formed above and rain began to fall . Luna
shone her sanguine beams upon us . I thought that Unicorn
trembled, but this could not have been so . We moved on
through the streets .
A swan flew down at us from the clouds . Unicorn would not
let it land on her back . She shook and writhed to prevent it . I
shrugged it off with my hands . This swan was unnatural ; its
body was mutated and disfigured .
The storm worsened . Lightning struck all around us . Banes
crept from the shadows and crawled about, unconcerned with
us . Some took flight and joined the storm -what a battle must
have raged in the heavens above!
We came upon many Garou and vampires fighting one
another. I thought I saw the white furred vampire-Garou .
When I turned to get a closer look, it was gone .
The storm continued to worsen. Thunder drowned out the
sound of the pouring rain . Still Unicorn continued . Soon we
came upon a clearing in a park and she stopped .
"These things I have shown you not out of anger, but out of
love," she said . "Remember well the horrors of this dream and
speak of this future to your people . As the future flows from the
past, the river of time may yet be changed . " She turned and
looked to the sky . The swan was flying down from the clouds
above. Unicorn told me to dismount and I obeyed . The swan above
grew larger as it approached us ; it slowly transformed into a
dragon . The dragon swept down before us and Unicorn charged .
The two forces locked in combat . Behind me I heard growls .
I turned and saw many vampires . On their knees they bathed
and drank from the lake of blood .
Legends of the Garou
I awoke and it was morning .
Heed the words of this future, my children, for it may be
your own .
May Gaia protect you and keep you safe from harm .
Before the coming of the Europeans, the land where Chicago
stands today was home to great numbers of Wyrmlings .
This changed when a large number of Uktena arrived in the
area . The Uktena had recently lost a major battle with a Wyrm
creature as they marched on their trek southward ; they were not
ready to go to war again . After calling on the Limes and praying
to Gaia for days, the Uktena Theurges received a vision
depicting a solution to their predicament . The Uktena realized
that part of the area was an Anchorhead to the Deep Umbra .
The Wyrmlings did not know this ; it was only revealed through
Uktena magic .
The Uktena Theurges used the Anchorhead to summon a
number of strange spirits- The Uktena used the spirits to attack
the Wyrm creatures by surprise, slaying all who did not quickly
flee into the earth. The cries in the night were deafening and the
creeks and streams blackened with the blood of the Wyrmlings .
The Wyrm creatures vowed revenge for the theft of their
lands, but feared to act, for they were now weak and injured .
The Uktena gained control of the local human population and
for years peace reigned in the land . The remaining Wyrm
creatures were eventually driven under the earth ; the Wyrmholes
were sealed shut and placed under guard by spirits . The tribe
hunted and ruled the land, raising its cubs free from danger .
When the Europeans reached the area they brought with
them death, not only for the local humans, but for the Garou as
well . The settlers also (albeit unknowingly) brought the taint of
the Wyrm with them : strange diseases which brought down
even the toughest Garou, and insidious Banes which crept
silently into the Garou's camps .
Besides the European humans, the European Garou also
presented a grave threat, especially the Get of Fenris, Shadow
Lords and Black Spiral Dancers . To keep their lands, the
Uktena were forced to contend with a number of new tribes .
However, the European Garou were small in number and the
Uktena had allies among the native people . For the most part,
the Uktena were victorious in their fight against the newcomers.
It was under General "Mad" Anthony Wayne that the
Indians were defeated at the Battle of Fallen Timbers, in 1795,
and the Europeans settled the area. Fort Dearborn was established
in the territory to protect the settlers .
--File 2--
Menele's braves managed to rescue his body and the Uktena
did everything in their power to save him. They succeeded and
Menele's minions were forever in their debt.
But the Europeans kept coming. They were far too numerous
and they had advantages that the Native Americans did not.
The use of firearms, disease, professional armies and good
supply lines soon overwhelmed the natives . By 1833, the
United States decided to establish a city along the Des Plaines
River, near the shores of Lake Michigan . This city was
Chicago. The Cadavers soon filled the city and took control of all the
human institutions. The European Garou invaded the region . Menele had no
reason to deploy his pawns against this threat, even though he
had sworn to aid the Uktena. He realized using his influence for
such a cause would expose him to assault by Helena . This was
too dangerous, since he ..... The European
Garou pushed into the region, and the outnumbered Uktena
could do little to stop them . The tribe lost most of its human
allies, as the Native Americans were pushed from their territory.
--File 3--
From 1872 until 1923, peace reigned among the Garou . The
Fianna established the Wind Catcher Sept in 1888 . Because of
pressure from the other tribes and the need for unity in the face
of the growing vampire population, it eventually opened its
membership to others . The Fanum, however, remained strictly
in the paws of the Uktena, Stargazers and Children of Gaia; all
other tribes were excluded .
In 1923, a mining operation uncovered the catacombs of the
Wyrm creatures, just north of present-day Chicago . The creatures
invaded the city, requiring all the Garou of Chicago to
unite in defeating them . The Fanum could no longer be used to
summon spirits, as there was a danger of releasing Jupiter once
again . The Garou diligently battled the Wyrmlings and eventually
pushed them back into the earth . However, this brought
the attention of Black Spiral Dancers .
In 1949, a strange individual named Jonathan Peabody
presented himself to the Garou of the Fanum, claiming to be an
ancient Egyptian architect . Peabody was a mummy, and soon
proved his immortality and great supernatural potency to the
Garou. He built a great temple near the Fanum . He named this
temple the Orthodox Temple of Akhenaton, and offered the
Garou any assistance he could provide as long as they watched
over the temple for him while he was dead .
