From:    Justin Rude <SonofRude@AOL.COM>
Subject: Pit 9, BSD Caern
 
This was written by Joe, one of my players, for our Chronicle based out of
washington D.C..  I did some revising before sending it.   Any comments or
additions you can make would be most appreciated.  This is my first post so I
hope this works.  He also wrote a file of some relevant characters, and
interesting fomori, I will try to send that if you want.
 
 
Pit 9
by Joe Giuliani
 
This is based on the actual Pit 9, which was used as a dumping sight by the
government.  However, facts have been manipulated so that it better fits into
the world of darkness.
 
History:
 In the mid 1940s, the United States began its first nuclear testing.
 However, it was still extremely naive and rather incompetent.  Uncle Sam
decided that the byproducts of the experiments needed to be very accessible
for testing, so they decided to put them relatively close to Washington D.C.
 They found a perfect place in the Appalachians, which was unnaturally devoid
of human settlement.  The government, now that it could safey hide it, began
dumping millions of gallons of radioactive, untreated nuclear waste in the
crater like valley.  As the idea of researching the waste faded, the area
became a dumping sight for all of the most hazardous garbage the government
had.  Animal carcasses with rabies, anthrax, bubonic and ebola plague, and
things of the like were thrown into the waste.  Gallon after gallon of AIDS
infested blood was poured in as there was nowhere else to put it.  Yet, the
area, now dubbed "Pit 9" remained untreated and unknown to the main flow of
society.  All the trees in the area were dead and all animals had feld the
area because of the toxic emissons from the pit.  When a guard grew ill, even
with an extremely thick protection suit, and was rushed to a hospital, the
turning point was reached; the government realized something must be done.
 Their resolve was strengthened when the guard died, the medical workers
working on him died, the people the medical workers so much as communicated
died, and the ambulance the guard was driven in was so radioactive, it had to
be buried.  Everyone died a different way, some spewed up their lungs, some
had their blood thicken into putty, others even became so pressurized, they
exploded through osmoses.  However, all deaths were in under thirty minuets.
 Had they not been in an environment as sanitary as a hospital, much of the
District would be dead.
 This incident made the government realize that something had to be done, and
so they put up an open contract, looking for a company with revolutionary
means of waste disposal, who would clean up the mess for a substantial sum of
money.  Out of five responding corporations, one stood out among the rest,
not only in its amazing new methods, but its its clean cut, high gloss
profile, Pentex. The government turned the place over to them and got out of
the picture.
 It did not take Pentex long to realize that there was more to the area than
sludge and the Wyrm, it was an ancient site of mystic power, a Caern.  Hoping
to change the place into a caern of the Wyrm, they sent in some Black spiral
Dancers that they had previously manipulated.  Soon after inhabiting the
ancient caern, however, the dancers grew very greedy.  They found a tap for
huge amounts of gnostic energy, and with it they drove away Pentex, so Pit 9
could be all theirs.  This of course greatly angered Pentex, and they swore
to have their revenge.
 Shortly after, some Glass Walker hackers decrypted a Pentex message about
Pit 9.  When They went to investigate, they never returned.  This alerted the
Glass Walker Regent of the area, who used his substantial channels to check
on the area.  He was shocked at what he found.  The air was not safe for a
many miles around the pit.  There was no vegetation or animals anywhere near
the area.  The radioactivity diractly around the pit was lethal to humans,
and he was horrified at its contents.  He sent a remote into the pit to get a
more info and found something quite interesting.  At the bottom there were
ancient runes, carved in rock.  He was only able to get a few images before
malfunctions began happening.  First, the robot started acting up on its own,
then the microwave transmission began to break up.  One of the last seens
that was transmitted was a picture of the robot itself, its metal exoskeleton
had become fleshy.  When word spread of this place, most of the tribes became
involved in one way or another in the taking of the pit.  Pentex, however,
was also fighting, for control of the pit, so a three way war came into
being, everyone for themselves.
 The Glass Walker Regent, after determining that, strangely enough the runes
were those of the Get of Fenris, was able to convince a Get Philodox to
translate them.  Although the information was probably not all true, as it is
third hand, there are questions answered and brought up.
 It seems as though, when Vikings (and Get of Fenris) crossed the Atlantic
and settled parts of northern Canada, a pack of Get traveled down the coast
of the new land, and found a valley with an extremely thin gauntlet and
absolutely no humans.  After investigating more, they determined that the
area was a powerful caern, abandoned for unknown reasons.  Also, they
discovered many fetishes, and a record telling the history of the place.
 They decided to record their findings (in Get runes) in the bedrock of the
area.  However, as they were doing this, a pup was fiddling with a strange
fetish, and accidentally activated it.  All of the pack was changed into pure
spirit.
 All of this,however, is just a hypothesis based on the information given and
the fact that the caern remained a secret.
 The following history has been observed:  Originally, the area that Pit 9
now resides on was a lush, green valley.  A Croatan Galliard by the name of
Fival came upon it and was awe struck by the beauty.  He fell unconscious and
had a vision.  Gaia told him to make the valley into a great caern.  He was
so inspired by the vision that at the next moot, he told a grand story of his
dream of having it be a caern, and convinced his entire pack to make it so.
 A while after, when all the rituals were completed, a caern of immense power
was completed, and blessed by spirits of the Wyld.  The pack decided to keep
its existence a secret, for if it fell into the wrong hands, it would be
quite threatening.  Over the next few centuries, the pack prospered and made
many fetishes with the help of the caern.  Then, rather suddenly, Gaia
approached their leader in a dream and told her that the pack would be needed
for the Great Battle, the Apocalypse.  The leader, Runs Like Water, was
slightly confused, but said that she and her pack were willing to do whatever
Gaia wished.  With that, Runs Like Water was taught a powerful ritual and
then woke.  When she told her pack what happened, they all agreed to do
whatever pleased their mother, and the ritual was preformed.  As soon as the
last syllable was spoken, all of the Garou disappeared into the Umbral
realms, lying dormant, and somehow connected to the land.
 It is guessed that the powerful presence of the Wyld repelled humans and,
therefore, kept the location secret.  There is a strange twist to the plot
too, and only the Star Gazers and Uktena know this.  Even though there is so
much Wyrm ridden filth in the area, the Wyld is still powerful, and the
Dancers are actually being tainted by the Wyld.  Who knows what will happen
if they remain there long enough?
 
Opinions:
Black Furies-
 "Pit 9, no matter how tainted, is still a Caern of the Wyld.  It is our duty
to protect it, and after we have won it over, it will be ours to own."
 The Furies believe that Pit 9 is their problem and no one else should be
involved, though they secretly appreciate any help they can get. They are
spending a good amount of resources to win the battle in all out attacks, but
have completely underestimated the problem.  Should they gain control, they
hope tp cleanse the caern and keep it for themselves.
 
Bone Gnawers-
 "Yes, the pit needs to be reclaimed, but at what cost?  The ancient caern
was not powerful enough to ward off the waste, so can it be that potent?
 Recover the caern, but don't kill yourself doing it!"
 The Gnawers desperately want the pit to be reclaimed by the untainted Garou,
for it is so close to D.C., a major home of theirs, and could be very
destructive.  However, they are unwilling to suffer great losses, so they let
other tribes fight.  When they do fight, they usually battle Pentex rather
that the Dancers, but most of their work is done behind the seens, sabotaging
Pentex equipment being transported to the valley.
 
Children of Gaia-
 "The fight is a waste.  Not only is unecessary blood spilt, but success is
very unlikely.  Do your work behind the scenes, get the government to do
research on cleanup.  Retrieve the caern without losses."
 Not surprisingly, the Children are against an all out physical fight.
 However, this doesn't mean that they don't want to spend time trying to get
the caern back.  They are spending a lot of time trying to get research done
on how to clean up the area.  Often they will work with Glass Walkers to
accomplish this.  The Children feel that if this is accomplished, the pit
will once more relive its full glory.
 
Fianna-
 "Look at the history lads.  Why do ya think Gaia is holding the Croatian
pack as spirits?  She has something big planed for 'em, and we must help Gaia
by making sure the caern is not destroyed."
 The Fianna are convinced that the legend of the caern, as deciphered by the
Glass Walkers, must not be taken for granted.  Gaia obviously has something
big planned for the place, so it must not fall into the wrong hands.
 
Get of Fenris-
 "Ha, a real surprise.  Again the "pure ones" have failed in protecting their
territory from the Wyrm.  They are too weak to have responsibility.  Only the
strong should be allowed control, for only they can keep it!"
 Most Get blame the Wendigo for the Wyrm infestation of the caern, although
this is rather unjustified.  There are two reasons, incompetence and greed.
 They take any chance they get to show that the week can't have power, and so
they should have the power.  Although the Get want control of the area, and
speak strongly for its cleansing, they send Garou there mostly for Rites of
Passage.  This is because most of their resources go to fighting in the
Amazon.
 
Glass Walkers-
 "This battle will not be won through bruit force, natural organic life
simply can't hope to stand all the toxins and biohazards of the pit.  If we
want to win we must spend time making machines to clean up the pit, for if
the source of their power is gone, how long can the wyrmlings survive?"
 The Walkers are quite scared of the threat   of Pit 9.  It is too close to
D.C. to be ignored.  Because they aren't willing to suffer major losses (why
suffer when others will) they are trying two tactics: Get the government to
give them the right to do anything with the area (the government still thinks
Pentex is cleaning the area) and the Walkers are building robots run by
remote.  The robots have extremely powerful and short range flame throwers
called arc-torches.  The arc-torches are so powerful that when they burn an
object, the objects atoms split apart, later rejoining into simple gasses
like hydrogen and carbon-dioxide.  This is the perfect way to dispose of
waste.
 
Red Talons-
 "(Grrrrr) What a surprise, the humans have desecrated Gia again!"
 The Red Talons are spending a large amount of their energy trying to take
control of the ancient caern.  They know that to survive as a tribe, they
will need more power, so they have put the most into the fight.  Because of
this, and as the caern is not claimed by most of the thirteen tribes, the
Talons believe it should be theirs.  Few dispute that the Talons are fighting
most passionately, and a few believe that if retrieved the caern should go to
the Talons.
 
Shadow Lords-
 "When this fight is over, remember who led you into the fight.  Remember who
made it possible for you to win.  Remember, and pay us homage, for you would
be nothing without our guidance."
 The Lords have done little to nothing in the fight, though they claim to be
the leaders and heros of the battle.  The Lords normally don't send their own
out to fight there, but that one Lord who always votes against the flow and
stirs up trouble is quickly drafted to go, where he will in all likelihood be
disposed of.
 
Silent Striders-
 "............."
 The Silents aren't talking much.  They, for unknown reasons, are keeping
their position a secret.  They don't support (politically) any of the other
tribes and stay neutral among the thirteen tribes.  Occasionally they appear
in battles, mostly against the Dancers, but are rather uncommon.
 
Silver Fangs-
 "Listen to us, follow us into battle.  Only united can we defeat the Wyrm
and regain the pit.  So unite under us,  and celebrate as we lead you to
victory.  By Gaia I swear, united we shall not fail."
 The Fangs have taken the same position as the Shadow Lords, except that they
have invested a good amount of man-power and resources in the fight.  They
expect a lot of gratification for their efforts and point out that their
victories show how well they lead.  The Fangs are fighting mainly for
political power rather than to revive the caern.
 
Star Gazers-
 "Do not be blinded by hate or revenge, look past that.  Open your eyes to
what is really happening.  Take advantage of it and use it to exterminate the
Wyrm, it is the only way."
 The Gazers have made an incredible discovery: The Dancers inhabiting the pit
have become Wyld tainted due to the ancient caern!  In time they may even
return to Gia.  For this reason, they never kill any of the Dancers (only the
strange Fomori and Pentex).  They have tried to share their findings, but
only the Uktena have listened.  Together they are trying to exploit this
advantage, but are keeping their findings secret (it is embarrassing to be
mocked).
 
Uktena-
 "You are afraid to go and fight?  You should be more afraid not to fight for
in dormance the Wyrm will surely destroy you."
 The Uktena have listened to the Gazers and are also trying to take advantage
of the unusual situation.  However, the Uktena are very encouraging of
fighting the Dancers and Pentex.  This is due to the fact that it was a
Croatan caern, and seeing it desecrated is extremely painful.
 
Wendigo-
 "The wyrmcomer government has brought this horrible fate on us all.  If we
were allowed to control our own lands, we would never have let this happen!
 Once again, the wyrmcomers have destroyed our home."
 The Wendigo seek only revenge.  Revenge against the wyrmcomers, revenge
against the rapists of the Croatan caern, revenge against the wyrmspawn now
inhabiting the caern.  Luckily they have been able to channel this anger at
fighting.  Using Croatan war cries they kill indiscriminately: Dancers,
Pentex, the strange Fomori, sometimes even other Garou accidentally(?).  They
have become lost in their rage, and only recovering the caern will calm them.
 
Pentex-
 "I can't believe that we were betrayed by the Black Spiral Dancers!  They
shall pay for their insolence.  All of the other Lupines have no business
here, and will fall with their brethren."
 Pentex is determined to destroy the Dancers that kicked them out.  They are
sending as many fighting materials there as they can while still remaining
undetected to the rest of humanity.  They aren't quite sure why the other
shape shifters are fighting them with so much passion, this is none of their
business (they are oblivious to the area's history).
 
Black Spirals-
 "Ha!  You think you have a chance against us, do you know how powerful we
have become.  No matter, your stupidity will not save you, you will die
horribly."
 The Dancers have become greedy with power.  They will defend their
wyrm-caern with their last drop of blood.  With greed, they have developed
paranoia.  The paranoia is why they chased away Pentex, and why they don't
think anything of the fact that so many Garou are spending so much time
attacking them.  They do not realize that they are being Wyld tainted, and
they are also oblivious to the history of the area.  The strange fomori that
they make seem to be completely controlled by the Dancers, and both species
would gladly get killed defending Pit 9.  All of the dancers are of low rank,
for Pentex took that precaution when sending them there.
 
Architecture:
 Pit 9 is in northwestern Virginia, secluded in the Appalachians near the
West Virginian border.  The old Wyld caern naturally repelled humans, so the
area remained basically untouched for millennia.  Now, however, with the
touch of the Wyrm, the caern is beginning to attract war.
 The influence of the Wyld is still strong, and this is illustrated by the
fact that the area is continually changing.  The pit itself varies from 1 to
3 miles in diameter, and the trees for ten miles around are dead and
radioactive, a few even glow during the darkest hour of the night.  No wild
animals, except for rats and ticks, go within 15 miles of the pit (anyone
within 15 miles must have some special way to breath, have some toxin
resistance, and be rather determined, or they will fell slightly ill until
they leave, and contract some form of dormant dissability).  There are no
roads in or out, and there is only one building in the area, the old guard
house.  The Dancers are using it as a base of operations, and it strongly
resembles a fortress.  All of the walls are made four feet thick of pure led
and asbestis.  This was originally a precaution taken by the government
because much of the waste is unstable, and the house should survive an
explosion.  The entire area has been booby trapped by the Dancers, mostly
made from wooden spikes.  There is also a Dancer ceremonial area.  Here, once
a moon, the Dancers preform a strange ritual and throw two humans (or animals
or whatever) into the pit.  As long as the "sacrificed" has committed some
act of violence, no matter how small, they remain submerged in the toxins for
two days then emerge.  When the are "reborn" they are relatively powerful
fomor.  All are different in size, shape, appearance, powers, and texture.
 The only common thing they have is their level of power, and the fact that
they are all different.  The reason these beasts haven't destroyed the world
is that every night they must drink from the pit (specifically from the pit,
the waste being put in a canteen and carried around will not work) or they
will turn to ashes at sun rise.  This confines them to the area.  These
strange fomori have no recollection of their past, and live to serve the
Dancers as powerful weapons.  It is unknown what would happen should a thing
that hasn't committed some act of violence be sacrificed ...
 [The Architecture section has intentionally been left vague so adventures
and GMs are allowed more flexibility]
 
End