Sept of Scars Atoning

The Caern

Geography

The Caern rests on the eastern edge of a lava plain that is riddled with faults, fissures and tubes. There are also numerous lakes, pools, swamps, creeks and rivers in the district, particularly to the west of the Caern. The land surrounding the area is a combination of bushland and sheep grazing pasture.

Bawn
Protruding about five metres above the earth is a tumbled rock formation, with a cave giving access to a series of tunnels and chambers that twist and turn for more than a mile. The rock formation is surrounded on all sides by bushland, broken by the remnants of Edridge Laboratories and fields. The land, the rock formation and the cave comprise the Bawn of the Caern.

The Centre
Although moving through the tunnel is quite an exertion, the cave floor levels out in the last few chambers, allowing for easy passage. These chambers are great domed spaces, their walls covered with aboriginal-style paintings that seem to run the gamut from truly ancient to comparatively recent (about one hundred years old). The last chamber, the largest of all, is dominated by a still, black pool of water, more than 70 metres across at it's widest point and around 90 metres long. Extending along the northern length of the pool is a beach of pure white sand that runs straight out of the tunnel leading to the surface.

Landmarks
There are very few dramatic landmarks within 20 kilometres of the Caern; Lake Logan and Mt Elephant to the south, Black Swamp and numerous lakes to the west, the town of Skipton to the north north east, and the town of Lismore to the south south east. Mount Vite Vite itself, rising 287 metres above sea level, lies about 5 kilometres west of the Caern. Numerous basalt caves lie hidden throughout the area, ranging from barely passable to large galleries rivaling the caern itself.

At the end of Selkirk Rises Road, the bushland has been cleared in an area of almost two hundred metres. This is the former site of the Egridge science research station.

Umbrascape
Within the Umbra, the roads in the area have had little noticeable impact, such that the bushland is far more extensive and luxurious. Where the land has been cleared and sheep have been grazing for decades, however, the Umbra has come to reflect the reality. The rock formation, the caves and the Caern's centre in the Umbra are indistinguishable from their material counterparts, except perhaps for a subliminal sense of stillness and quiet that persists no matter how boisterous or raucous one is.

At the Umbral site corresponding to the former science station, the bushland has been affected in a very short time. Many of the trees have gone and low ground cover predominates. The Umbrascape does not appear to have suffered any lasting damage from the Weaver emanations produced by the station.

The caern centre itself appears to be one seamless spirit - there is not darkness and water and rock, it is just "the caern".

History
Having only been discovered in early 2010, the Sept has no European history to speak of, and little is known about the history of the previous Bunyip Sept. Although it was generally the case that the Bunyip were driven back and destroyed at their Caerns, no remains have been found at the Caern. Moreover, one would imagine that any European Garou who had defeated the Bunyip would have claimed the Caern for themselves, yet there has never been even the slightest rumour as to the Caerns existence in the area. Jirrawin does not speak of those times, so the fate of the former Bunyip sept remains a mystery.

The Caern was rediscovered by Lost Prophets, and it was decided by the Jindabyne council, despite Silver Fang opposition, that the Caern should be controlled by the Fianna, as it lay within the Gariwerd Protectorate. Word was sent out for guardians of the new Caern, and soon the Sept of Scars Atoning was formed.

The Sept

Tribal Structure
The sept is a fairly small one, which is not surprising given the relative weakness of the Caern. As such some of the sept leaders play more than one function in the running of the Caern. The sept has 13 full members, including 9 Fianna, 1 Black Fury, 1 Bone Gnawer, 1 Red Talon and 1 Uktena - a decidedly mixed bunch.

Elders

• Sept Leader - David Thewlis (Male, Homid, Philodox, Fianna, Rank 4)

  David is in his mid thirties, though he appears almost ten years older. Of average height and thin build, he has short, lank brown hair, grey eyes and an uneven, downy beard and moustache. Although cynical and possessed of a sarcastic sense of humour, David does not belittle those things that matter most.

• Caern Warder and Keeper of the Land - Donald Eyre (Male, Homid, Galliard, Fianna, Rank 3)

  Donald is a man of average height and build in his late thirties, with craggy good-looks, a mop of black hair, blue eyes and a pronounced Irish accent.

• Master of the Rite and Gatekeeper - Marches-The-High-Road (Male, Lupus, Theurge, Fianna, Rank 3)

  Very down to earth and gripped of a lust for life, Marches-The-High-Road is often mistaken for any other auspice than Theurge. However, his knowledge of and power over spirits and the Umbra (the "High Road") is considerable. Marches-The-High-Road is twenty-ish: a happily barrel-shaped grey and brown wolf with brown eyes.

• Master of the Challenge - Jane Redfeather (Female, Homid, Galliard, Uktena, Rank 3)

  Whilst Jane is fully qualified for her role as Master of the Challenge, her apparent lack of motives for joining a Fianna sept puzzles some. Jane is cheerful, out-going and gregarious. Tall and in her early thirties, she is part Native American, with tanned skin, long black hair and greeny-brown eyes.

Packs

Green-Choking-Grey and Wild Rovers

Green-Choking-Grey
Green-Choking-Grey are focussed on the health of the environment, both physical and spiritual. They came to the Sept as a pre-existing pack from the Hunter Valley protectorate.

• Ursula Noble - Pack leader (Female, Homid, Theurge, Fianna, Rank 2 )

  A long standing eco-terrorist and political activist, Ursula provided her pack with it's ideological core, at least as far as the environment was concerned. However, losses she has suffered have mellowed her somewhat. Ursula is in her mid twenties. Her appearance is unremarkable: short brown hair and blue eyes.

• Jolenta Petersen - (Female, Metis, Ahroun, Fianna, Rank 3)

  Jolenta is an enigma: she is known to be metis and yet has no known deformity or defect, wether physical, mental or spiritual, although she is believed to be as sterile as all metis. Jolenta does not like discussing the matter. Jolenta is in her late twenties, a Crinos with thick blonde fur tipped with black, and blue eyes.

• Ian Van Der Leeuw (Male, Homid, Ragabash, Fianna, Rank 2)

  Ian is suffering from an identity crisis. Although born Ragabash, his appearance, demeanour and disposition all proclaim him Ahroun. For now, Ian attempts to play the role chosen for him by Gaia. Ian is a hugely muscled man, 6 and a half foot tall. In his late twenties, he has long, receding, black hair, a great black beard and brown eyes.

• Kim Hoy (Female, Homid, Ragabash, Black Fury, Rank 3)

  Kim seems to be the antithesis of the Black Furies. She is demure, deferential to men, acts the "helpless female", and advocates the superiority of the male sex. Then she laughs. Her pack is never sure in which direction she is going. Kim is in her early twenties. Of mostly Chinese heritage, she has long black hair that she ties back, and hazel eyes.

• Crowns-the-Ruins (Male, Lupus, Theurge, Red Talon, Rank 3)

  Crowns-The-Ruins is far-sighted and tolerant as Red Talons go: he doesn't see the need to exterminate all humanity. However, he is an environmental fanatic, and wreaks horrific, and often poetic, revenge on those responsible for degrading his Mother. Crowns-The-Ruins is a slim red wolf in his early twenties.

Wild Rovers
The Wild Rovers don't have any specific focus - they stick their nose in curiously to anything that catches their attention. The formed as a pack shortly before the Foundation Moot for the caern.

• Nicholas Kanellakos - Pack Leader (Male, Homid, Ahroun, Fianna, Rank 2)

  A hell-raiser for years, Nicholas now sees that joining the sept can give his life some direction, and perhaps benefit Gaia. This is not to say, however, that his hell-raising days are over. Nicholas (Nick) is in his mid twenties, of average height though broad shouldered. He has short, curly, black hair, light olive skin and brown eyes.

• Darkens-The-Earth (Female, Lupus, Ahroun, Fianna, Rank 2)

  Darkens-The-Earth is often at the mercy of her passions, and frenzies far more than is good for her. Although she has no real ill-feelings towards anyone (except the Wyrm) she has a fiendish temper and a tendency to resort to violence. Darkens-The-Earth is a large grey wolf in her late teens. She has grey eyes and several scars.

• Doyle Blackburn (Male, Homid, Philodox, Bone Gnawer, Rank 2)

  Although an itinerant loafer by nature, Doyle's easy-going out-look has enabled him to adapt to responsibility and a fixed address. However, he still enjoys doing nothing much, and looks forward to the travel that working for the sept might occasion. Doyle is a tall, thin angular man in his late twenties, with long blonde hair and green eyes.

Historical Info

Garou

• Teelia Farrow (Female, Homid, Galliard, Fianna, Rank 2)

  Teelia is a serious Beatnik: she loves jazz, Espresso coffee and writing poetry (quite well, actually). Teelia is an attractive woman in her early twenties, with short blonde hair and blue eyes. For the most part she has left her pack and the sept, choosing instead the life on the road. It is known that she often associates with Silent Striders.

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