THE TWILIGHT ISLE THE ISLE OF MAN IN THE WORLD OF DARKNESS By Mitch Kelly (MK00NF@CSL.GOV.UK) and Al Stuart (ian@ialas.demon.co.uk) Part 2: The Garou and Kindred Disclaimer: The World of Darkness is copyright to, and property of, White Wolf Game Studio. No infringement is intended. The Garou The Impergium was never strictly enforced in Mann. The Lutran did not believe in it, and those few Garou on the island, mostly Fianna and White Howlers, were relatively well-disposed toward the human population. The problem came with the War of Rage. Although the Fianna and the White Howlers were less enthusiastic than the Get of Fenris and the Silver Fangs, they still hunted down the Corax and the Lutran. Finally, the last few Lutran who were not dead or in hiding, made their final stand on the Calf of Man, a small island about a kilometre from the south tip of the main island, at the site of Manannan's Caern. As the Garou charged forward, great clouds blotted out the moon, and the sound of hooves filled the air. The Lutran had called upon Manannan, and he came to help his children. The Garou heard a voice tell them that he, Manannan, would never again ally himself with those who slaughtered his children, and that if the Garou wished to fight, they should not pick on those weaker than themselves. Shortly after, the White Howlers and Fianna were exterminated by Manannan, in what has become known as the Night of Righteous Anger. The Fianna and White Howlers now saw their error in killing the other changers, but their sorrow at what they had done was replaced by a terror of the Lutran and their totem. So, they simply told a story that the island itself had risen against them and was no longer safe for the Garou. Mann was free of Garou for many centuries after this. The Get of Fenris, who were none too convinced by such bogey-stories, came to the Isle of Man with their Viking kinfolk. Those who landed were quickly slaughtered by the Lutran, the Corax and the Verbena mages of the Mannin Chantry. Later, others of the Get tried to reach the island to discover what had become of their kin. Those that were not drowned in huge storms that blew up in a few seconds were driven far off course to Scotland or Ireland. The Get now decided that there might be something in the old wives' tales of the Fianna after all, and never came back. The Norse who settled on the Isle of man were free of the "taint" of the Garou, as the island's Awakened residents saw it. Since then few Garou have tried to occupy the island. Most of those who have tried have died. At the moment there are two Garou in Douglas: a Bone Gnawer and a Glass Walker. Neither feels very comfortable, and nothing would tempt either to go and have a look at the rest of the island. They keep very much to themselves, and realise there is a powerful presence that rejects their Kind. They suspect that it is the Corax, or possible certain mages, but cannot prove it. The do realise that the island is virtually free of Wyrm taint however, and are wondering how this can be. CHARACTERS Rose Wright, Homid Bone Gnawer Theurge, Rank 2 Nature: Caregiver Demeanour Gallant Attributes STR 2 Man 3 PER 3 DEX 3 CHA 3 WIT 4 STA 2 APP 2 INT 2 Abilities: Streetwise 4, Alertness 3, Expression 3, Performance 3, Stealth 3, Subterfuge 3, Brawl 2, Enigmas 2, Occult 2, Rituals 2, Empathy 1, Investigation 1 Gifts: Persuasion, Mother's Touch, Sense Wyrm, Cooking, Blissful Ignorance, Spirit Speech, Jam Technology Rites: Spirit Awakening, Spirit Binding, Spirit Summoning, Talisman Dedication Rage: 3 Gnosis: 5 Willpower: 6 Backgrounds: Allies 2, Contacts 2, Past Life 1 Merits: Common Sense Rose Wright was born on the outskirts of Liverpool in 1973. Her parents, or at least her father, since she never saw her mother, were working class factory people - wage slaves. Rose grew up with little discipline and no guiding figure. By the age of ten she was bunking school and hanging around on street corners with drunks and junkies. She rapidly slipped into the darker world of the streets: gang fights, drug pushers, pimps and the like. Her first change, at age fourteen, scared her witless. She ran back to the squat where she lived and didn't come out for days, until a smelly old tramp wandered in. Just as she was about to hit him with a fire-iron, he shifted form. Rose didn't know whether to be relieved or scared. She went off with Old Alf and after a few months, the two came back to Liverpool and started to try to help the street people. This lasted for about three years until the two of them stumbled onto something big: arms were being shipped through Liverpool, both for shipping on to Ireland, and for distribution among the local gangs. Rose and Alf uncovered two shipments before the smugglers caught up with them. The chief of the smugglers was an Anarch Vampire called Tony Hayes, who was very put out by Alf and Rose's efforts. Alf died in the ensuing fight, but gave Rose enough time to get away. She took the first way out of the city that she could: a ferry to Douglas on the Isle of Man. Rose has been on the island since 1991, and now knows as much about Mann as any Garou for the last thousand years. She knows there are other changers on the island, but is too frightened by the sights she sees in the Umbra outside Douglas to go and seek them out. She is aware of Andrew Shearer, but is rather scared by him. She has sensed the taint of the Wyrm on him, and realises that soon she must act to stop him. It remains to be seen whether her fear of him or the other changers is greater. Rose looks like a typical "Crusty": big boots, bleached dreadlocks, leggings and a dog on a string. She always carries her mandolin, which she is can now play quite well: at least well enough to feed herself. She is not especially pretty, but is quite forceful and generally rather likeable, if one can get past her brash outside. Andrew Shearer, Metis Glass Walker Ragabash Rank 3 Deformity: withered left leg Nature: Deviant Demeanour Confidante Attributes STR 2 Man 4 PER 3 DEX 2 CHA 2 WIT 4 STA 2 APP 2 INT 4 Abilities: Computer 4 Streetwise 4, Alertness 3, Drive 3, Enigmas 3, Investigation 3, Repair 3, Streetwise 3, Brawl 2, Firearms 2 Primal-Urge 2, Rituals 2 Gifts: Create Element, Control Simple Machine, Persuasion, Open Seal, Burrow, Cybersenses, Powersurge, Data Flow Rites: Spirit Summoning, Spirit Awakening Rage: 4 Gnosis: 4 Willpower: 5 Backgrounds: Contacts 4, Resources 3, Allies 1 Merits Corporate Ties, Computer Aptitude Flaws Notoriety, Dark Secret (Wyrm Tainted, and worked for the Kindred) Andrew Shearer was born and dumped by his parents. He was adopted into a wealthy Glaswegian Protestant family. He lacked for nothing, except a good left leg. He could not play sports with the other boys, and hated them for it. It was in the 1980's when computers took off that Andrew found his forte, finally finding something he could beat the other kids at - just in time for his First Change. Unknown to him, the Glass Walkers had been watching him, and were waiting to take him away. Andrew rapidly fitted in: he used his skills to make money for the tribe, ruin their enemies and spy on those they did not trust. Andrew began to work more autonomously, reaching deeper and deeper into dark places, until he was captured by a representative of the Glasgow Brujah. This Cainite, wishing to sink the current Prince, used the Garou's powers to his own ends, and very nearly won. At the final stage though, he forced Andrew to use the Garou as shock troops against the Prince. Somehow, the Prince was tipped off, and several Garou died. By this time, Andrew was working for the Brujah willingly, seeing his own power and prestige mounting. The Garou found out. Andrew was declared outlaw, and had to run for his life. He escaped to Douglas, and soon found that he could make a living as a computer consultant, and that no Garou seemed to want to chase him. Recently, he went a little too far in one of his hacks, and realises that whatever is out on the island knows about him. Andrew is rather short and slim, with a twisted left leg. He walks without a stick, but is ungainly. His face has a few old acne scars, but bright eyes. His hands seem to flow across a keyboard, and he is unfailingly polite and well turned out. Anyone with Auspex or Sense Wyrm who examines him will find what lies below the facade very disturbing. Andrew has a small consultancy business, with state of the art equipment. He also owns a sawn-off shotgun. The Kindred The Isle of Man has always been too small and too thinly-populated to hold any real population of Kindred. The Lutran have kept a close eye on the island, and most attempts to infiltrate Vampires onto the island have failed. The vigilance of the Lutran and the Corax is partly responsible, but there is another power at work. Mann is the home to a single, powerful Kindred. Eileena McKensie is a curious, rather unique vampire, who keeps very much to herself and takes no part in the politics of the island. Eileena is described in more detail below. She is a member of the Inconnu, and more than usually watchful. She watches the many sacred sites, to ensure they are not plundered, or misused. She watches that the Kindred do not interfere with the island. She maintains ties to the faeries that inhabit the island, and defends Mann against those who would rape its charms. Indeed, her control over the weather was in part responsible for the great storms that wrecked the ships of the Get of Fenris. Although she has been on Mann for well over a thousand years, it is doubtful if anyone is even aware of her presence on the island. CHARACTER Eileena McKensie, Inconnu Monitor of Mannin Vampire, Caitiff, seventh Generation Nature: Caregiver Demeanour Mystic Attributes STR 3 Man 4 PER 4 DEX 4 CHA 5 (bewitching) WIT 5 STA 4 APP 5 (elfin) INT 5 Notable Abilities: Awareness 5 Music 5 Occult 5 Linguistics 5 (english, Gaelic, Manx, Latin, faerie dialect, old Norse) Acting 4 Alertness 4 Kindred Lore 4 Melee 4 Animal Ken 3 Changer Lore 3 Empathy 3 Faerie Lore 3 Intimidation 3 Investigation 3 Disciplines: Thaumaturgy 6 (Weather Control 5, Elemental Mastery 5, Movement of the Mind 4, Path of Conjouring 4, Spirit Thaumaturgy 3), Auspex 5, Presence 5, Protean 4 (form of a huge white hound, with red ears) Animalism 3, Fortitude 3 Conscience: 5 Self-control: 5 Courage 4 Humanity: 7 Willpower: 8 Backgrounds: Contacts: 4 Allies: 3 Awakened Allies: 4 Resources: 4 Inconnu Status 2 Merits: Faerie Affinity, Mystic Ability, Occult Library, Enchanting Voice Flaws: Infertile Vitae, Casts No Reflection Eileena McKensie was born in the Scottish borderlands about 435 BC. She was a beautiful child, and grew into a beautiful woman. Eileena, although that was not her name then, always had a touch of "The Sight": she would look at a man and see the manner of his death, know where lost things were - and she could see faeries. One faerie in particular she saw a great deal of: Graffyn, the Blue Knight, a very minor faerie noble, had seen her on one of his rides, and kept returning to Eileena. Eventually, Graffyn came for her, and the two together rode off "under the hills". Eileena spent the next three hundred years in Arcadia, where she and Graffyn were happy. Eileena had two children by Graffyn, and wanted nothing more than to remain. Then, one night, she and Graffyn were awakened by a howling gale, and leaving their manor house, were swept through a rent in space, back into the mortal world. At the instant that they were dragged through, something grabbed Eileena. She felt sharp teeth on her throat, then pain and emptiness - then a kind of life returning...The Vampire had embraced her, and had killed her faerie lover. Her sire's hope was to find a way to use the faerie powers he felt sure Eileena had to boost his own. He was disappointed. Only in her unusual appearance was Eileena different. Still, her sire used and abused her over the years, until one night, Eileena found the strength to stake the evil fiend and leave him in his own burning haven. Eileena took a ship to the Isle of Man, and hid herself there. She took to feeding on cattle and sheep, and slowly building a herd of sympathetic mortals, whom she protected, and still protects vociferously. By this time, it was about AD800. Although the others did not know it, Eileena lent her powers to the destruction of the Get of Fenris's ships when they attempted to land. Eileena made herself the self-appointed Guardian of the Islands, keeping all other Kindred off Mann. Then finally, in about 1570, Eileena found one Kindred whom she could not remove or evict. This tall lean man did not attempt to destroy her as she thought he would. She had had little contact with any Kindred but her sire, and thought all were like him. This one was not. His name, he said, was Diarmid, he was of Clan Gangrel, and he represented the Inconnu. Diarmid spent several years on Mann with Eileena, telling her of Kindred society and politics, before asking if she would continue her guardianship of the island, but in the name of the Inconnu. Eileena agreed, and became Monitor of Mann. Eileena has not been unduly threatened over the years: the Ventrue attempted to annex the lands for the mines that were there, but soon decided agianst it in the face of many unfortunate accidents... Eileena has had no contact with any Kindred but Diarmid in the last fifty years, and is beginning to wondeer if something unusual is afoot in the world. She is toying with the idea of sending someone to find out more of what is going on on the mainland, but is unsure as to how to proceed. Eileena is slender and willowy, with long red-blonde hair falling nearly to her waist. She has small, delicate features, and tends to dress in loose, flowing clothes. Her time in Arcadia has left its mark on her: Eileena's ears are lobeless, and slightly pointed, and her toes are almost webbed. Eileena's mystic ability relates to her Second Sight: she can see the future to a limited degree. This power is enhanced by the use of an obsidian mirror, created for her by the fae after her embrace. Eileena can use the mirror to focus her visions, or bring her a view of what is hapening far away.