The return of the Iron Age

Zas found himself looking at the White Ash caern's umbral space. The place was quite large and certainly had spirits tending to their own business here and there.

It was nice to imagine this place being clean and free from the not so far away corruption filled tainted and foul pit of Houston. He walked along the caern bawn for a night's stroll in his lupus form. No rush. No hurry. There was probably something better or more productive to do to prepare for the coming days and he would get to it but for the moment, it was nice to just enjoy the night.

After his walk around the border he began to make his way inwards. He gazed longingly at Luna seeming to bask in her light as he wandered about. his mind considering what all other heights of umbral reaches his pack may continue to see and explore provided that their plans here succeeded. The umbral sky just seemed to stretch on forever. The other spirits seemed to pay him little to no heed.

When he once more brought his focus to bear on the ground beneath him, he found his wanderings had led his feet to the burial mounds.

The bodies of all the worthy heroic dead of the caern lay here to sleep forevermore. The philodox stopped at the entrance and did not go further. He simply bowed his head.

I wish you could be with us. Here now, in the moment of the King's reclaiming his rightful position. The martialed forces of the might of this caern's war packs striking true and deep into the distant wyrm pit of Houston. The defenders of this sacred space standing tall and proud as they bring to bear their own forces to maintain the grip over all. Your deaths are not in vain.

All that has happened has led us to this point and we have made preparations as best we can. We will need your strength of spirit. The wisdom and guidance you passed on will carry us to victory. I know all who are here have served Gaia faithfully--given their all.

I only hope one day to be able to claim such a feat myself.

The Silent Strider opened his eyes and walked away. The enemy should make peace with itself.

As he began to leave the area he noted Zoe off in the distance. He approached her and requested she aid him in calling upon an earth spirit. She eagerly accepted. He calmly waited and watched as she proceeded to summon his desired spirit. Now--now is the time. I will prepare my hands for the destruction of the wyrm

Zoe had hardly begun her call to the spirits when a screaming wind descended blew over them and a searing arc of light tore across the formerly serene umbral sky. For a moment Zas felt sure the Storm Eater was bearing down on them- and then both werewolves braced against a shockwave that showered them with dirt and leaves and sent the many of the local Storm Crows and Falcon spirits flapping off in alarm, their cries filling the night.

The werewolves whirled to find a small smoking crater, their claws and fangs already emerging as they instinctively shifted to deal with whatever threatened the Caern. Out the crater rose a tall shape, twice as tall as a human but half as thick, its body liquid iron laced with bands of bright nickle and titanium. Around it orbited a halo of earth and stone shards, debris kicked up by its landing, but they had yet to fall to earth. Its face was three burning cinders arranged in a straight vertical line. It smelled like scorched earth and cooling metal, with just a hint of the void. Within moments Hard Rain and three or four Fianna had come barrelling out of the woods, summoned by the cries of the distressed spirits. The newly arrived spirit moved its hardening limbs, solid, earthen fingers coalescing around its metal skeleton as it shaped the dirt and stone that floated around it-

The shifting debris field molded itself into whirling, curving glyphs, revealing the spirit's nature and intent.

Zas approached the spirit, waving the other Garou, who had shown up to face this threat-to stand down.

He spoke in the tongue of the spirits as he said, "Your arrival strengthens my resolve-powerful spirit of our mother. The foes we face in the vile stain on Gaias face will be brought down and broken to shattered nothing."

The philodox stretches out his clawed hands toward the spirit as he says, "The dead consorts of the destroyer wished to make me suffer by turning my claws brittle and black to remove me from Gaia's calling to tear them apart. I ask you for the knowledge and strength needed to harden my claws and fashion them to be as strong as iron so that our foes may see that the mother does not allow the guilty to go unpunished- that I may pound those who stand against the mother into dust."

Zoe greeted the spirit and thanked it for its quick response.

"I, too, wish to learn from you, spirit of earth and peace. We strive to return peace to this land by removing all the enemies of Gaia. Many of these enemies come against us with weapons made of iron taken from the earth. With your help, I can repel these weapons and use your earthen metal for the good of Gaia."