Wealth of Knowledge

After some communication and coordination, Dusk invites Gabriel to come to one of his family properties where he and his cousin reside. It's out in La Porte, a property sitting atop a cliff overlooking the ocean. It is walled and gated with a small armed security contingent dressed in Blackwood Security Solutions fatigues with appropriate patches and whatnot, probably from the PMC he referenced earlier in the week. The estate is pretty large, but doesn't interrupt the land too much, other than the walls, drive, house, and a particularly impressive/gaudy/dramatic fountain depicting Poseidon raising trident and arms to the heavens and bringing down a dramatic cascade of water like massive waves periodically. The house is done in Greek Revival style, giving an almost temple feel from the outside. Getting through security doesn't take but a moment, as Gabriel is expected. Dusk is outside to receive his guest and invites him inside. "Thanks for coming," Dusk says as they enter the house. "I have a couple spots that we can use for rituals, but I reckon we should talk a while before we get into all that. Might I get y'all something to eat or drink?"

Given that this is a spider's lair, Gabriel knows better than popping up for an Umbral view here. Place must have a lot of webs, after all, and it's just rude to show up through the Umbra. He glances about, briefly, then nods to Dusk. "I'll take whiskey, thanks." Reaching into his pocket, he unwraps a piece of cinnamon candy and chews on it slowly, before focusing fully on the Ananasi. "Regardless, you said you had questions and rituals you wanted to learn?"

Dusk leads Gabriel towards the dining area and grabs a bottle of whiskey and a couple of whiskey tumblers. It's an upper crust Kentucky bourbon. He gathers a little bucket of ice from the freezer in the kitchen, just in case Gabriel prefers on the rocks. He settles down and pours some drinks. "Yessir," he says at the question. "Among the Ananasi, I'm charged to work as a diplomat as well as a warrior. Understanding one another with so many different species is, in my humble opinion, gonna make us or break us." He pauses, swirling the couple fingers of whiskey neat in his glass. "So I'm doin' what I can to... walk a while in Garou shoes, I reckon. Not to disrepect the other auspices, but theurges seem like they're very complex and have a lot to offer in helping me, as a spider, to start to understand Garou and especially how y'all interact with spirits. It's hella different than how spiders do things."

"Well, you have a connection to the Weaver that is quite a bit stronger than that of others in Gaia's guardians," Gabriel replies, taking the glass and dropping a couple of ice cubes in the whiskey. He likes it on the rocks, but he also likes it neat. "It's difficult to explain what us Theurges do, per se, but think of us as intermediates. We generally act as middle men between our brethren in the other Auspices and spirits, since we are born with a better understanding of how they work, and we are also attuned to our spirit selves more than the others. While the Ahroun are truly the masters of combat and Gaia's shock troops, we are more like... her sorcerers, or priestly class, as pertains to the Garou. There are many approaches to dealing with spirits, that said. Some Theurges are more forceful, others prefer to use flattery and cajoling. It all depends on who they're dealing with or what kind of attitude they have regarding the spirit world. Both approaches are -- valid, honestly. You can't be all in on one or all in on the other. Some spirits, when you summon them, want to hurt you. So you hurt them first."

Dusk listens to Gabriel intently, his green eyes glittering with curiosity to hear a Fostern talk about Gaia, Garou, and their place in the universe. He doesn't interrupt, other than taking a slow sip of his whiskey. "And, as I understand it, it is the various spirits that you work with to learn your people's gifts too? In addition to the crafting of your... uhh... fetishes and talens and such, yeah?"

"Those are two different things. And I think everyone pretty much learns their Gifts through some sort of bargain. Ours are a just more explicit one," Gabriel replies, drinking his whiskey. "We are all, to some varying degree depending on whose Child you are, part spirit. The limitations or blessings placed upon us were calculated perfectly by Gaia. But yes, spirits with fetishes and talens are bound in a different way. One is permanent, the other is not. And even still, that goes back to what I said about your approach in the bargaining process. You can be forceful, you can be nice. But that'll also depend on the spirit's disposition towards you."

Dusk shakes his head a little and shares, "We don't make bargains with spirits. We ask our Mother and she provides or she doesn't." He swallows the last of his booze and pours another couple of fingers. "I reckon the interaction with spirits as far as talens and fetishes is similar, however." He tilts his head curiously. "Do you lean towards force or nice?"

"I see." Gabriel will file that knowledge away, nodding. "Neither of those. Depends on the situation. I tend to want to persuade them verbally, and if that fails or they are hostile, then I will measure strengths with them. I prefer to use facilitators over actually fighting them, as a resentful spirit can do things in unexpected ways, whereas a willing spirit will accept that its life's purpose aligns with your current aims and will aid you in the future. I distributed several bullets and arrows to the Sept at large on account of that. Those war spirits would love to be used in the destruction of Banes. That is their purpose."

Dusk brightens some as Gabriel describes his approach towards dealing with spirits. "Making alliances seems the better strategy." He pauses and takes another swallow. "I was working with a Bone Gnawer theurge, looking to do something similar. He taught me the Questing Stone Rite and we were to do Binding after, but..." He shrugs and makes a 'they left' type of gesture. "It's funny you should mention the war spirits. I was talking to Todrick the other day about his peacocks and elk... uhh... weapons? And was musing about if they were articulate, if a war spirit might be into the idea of inhabiting it for the duration of a battle or something. Like a temporary golem or something?" His eyebrows lift, a little excited by the idea. "I'm not sure it's possible, but... have you ever made a golem like that?"

"The Rite of Binding can be important to learn. But then again, it requires chiminage, patience, and cajoling." Gabriel nods, though something is mentioned about war spirits and he tilts his head. "While I have no doubt something of that sort could be done, one must wonder if it would even be optimal to use a spirit as such. You have one of two avenues: awakening the spirit within the... ah, shell, or binding a spirit there. I am not -ruling it out-, but the more complex the thing, the closer to the Weaver a spirit must be in order to understand what you're asking it to do. After all, he said something similar to me. A Terminator, or something of the sort. And I thought about that for a moment. Still -- that kind of a talen seems impractical for the purposes of a battle."

Dusk listens, swirling the amber in his glass thoughtfully as he gets Gabriel's take on the matter. "Personally, I think most solutions really require more information. I don't think we have much in the way of context to provide good solutions to the problem of swarming enemies. I'm of the mind that any sort of spray weapon is the safest bet. Attacking an area doesn't seem to be something any of us is particularly good at. And then, if the tunnels are tight, that puts those such as Lucien and I at a distinct disadvantage. We get quite large in our fighting forms." He shakes his head, trying to flip his bangs out of his eyes and gives a small, exasperated sigh. "So, the Rite of Summoning. Is it... umm... considered rude to the spirit, versus, say, seeking them out and putting in the leg effort?"

"If someone pulls you from your bed in the middle of the night, you'll be surprised, curious or angry." Gabriel shrugs. "That's a little how it feels for spirits. They are in the middle of doing stuff when you summon them. Sometimes they'll be very mad at you. Sometimes they'll just be curious or well disposed, particularly if you've negotiated with them in the past."

"I think I understand what you are talking about." He doesn't make mention of specifics, instead choosing to say, "If your forms are large, and tunnels are narrow, I think you have a solution to your problem without really thinking about it. You build a bottleneck and sweep a foe up." Gabriel says, “But yes, spirits can help you corral those enemies into said position.”

Dusk's eyes lift towards the ceiling as he takes in the process from the spirit's perspective. "Huh," is all he ends up saying though, other than a murmured, "Connections." "My fear," he says, wrinkling his nose, "is that the tunnels are too small for us to shift at all. Personally, we're hoping for big ass caverns that we can fly in." He pauses a beat. "I can also web up areas pretty well, it's just hard to come up with solutions when we don't know the problems just yet." He sighs and taps his tongue ring against his teeth. "I'm also considering learning how to tunnel. It might be a good tool in the toolkit, although I reckon stone is going to be rough to get through."

"It's not going to be small." Gabriel replies, simply enough. "But whether it is small for you will be a matter of scaling, I suppose. Which," he gestures to himself as if mentioning his pack. "Estimates will be given in this regard. That reminds me it may be good to bring a viewfinder along. Huh." He pauses, thoughtful. "Yeah, that's another thing I should write down in my wish list, I suppose."

"That may be good for later on, when you know the place in question, and need to pave a road for others to follow. Otherwise, it can be dangerous for you, and thus, wasteful." Gabriel has voted for you. You have voted for Gabriel

More clicking of the tongue ring on teeth and Dusk asks, "Do you reckon there is no space for negotiation with these things? Once noble race sounds like there could be some culture there. The songs described... something about that just strikes me as... valuable. Maybe that is how they experience the world too, like echolocation or somethin'." His brows lift some and he says, "Definitely try and bring back what senses they seem to rely on. If it's sound, we could likely devise a way to blind them. Or if the sounds they emit keep them from killin' each other, it might provide us with some method of camouflage." He pauses a moment and then asks, "How are y'all in the realm of scouting, by the by? Is Che Vuoi good at that sort of thing?"

"They are blind; the stories say so. It is possible that they could be negotiated with, or they could be tainted beyond purpose." Gabriel points out. "But if there is room for diplomacy, I don't want to risk it without knowing for sure. A much wiser Theurge than myself does not think they can be reasoned with." He reclines against his seat after the question about scouting. "We can do it. Despite what one might think, we do try to be more roundabout than loud. Loud is just easier, most times. Sometimes you have to get a little creative. A little sneaky."

"I am fairly certain the Thread Walkers are better scouts than us. Which is why I asked them to patrol the Third Ward in our stead. Rue said something that piqued my interest the other day and I suspect she is correct. Should it turn out to be true, it changes things a bit."

Dusk considers and concedes, "I don't really understand what tainted is, if I'm honest. Ananasi aren't typically concerned with y'all's battle with the Wyrm. The idea of smelling it and all the cleansing is... not something I've experienced before I got involved with y'all." He shrugs and then stretches. "The Suns boasts, two Corax, a Ratkin, and my humble abilities. We are quite good at scouting. Most of what we knew of the boat was our findings. Ashton and Noelle mostly," he says with a bit of a laugh. "I ain't a water spider." The things in the Third Ward isn't something he knows a ton about, so he asks, "What's changed?"

"Well, the Spirals are murdering people in the Third Ward. That's why we caught one. But if it's the case that they have tunnels there, it warrants looking into. If we can predict where they come from, we can give them surprises or even close down the holes, cave them in them, and a lot of other stuff." Gabriel explains, though he nods regarding the Suns' pack's intel on the boat.

"Tainted is when the Wyrm corrupts the original purpose of something towards destruction. Like the Spirals, they are... traitors to the Nation, but more than that, they are quite literally insane. Though they tend to be methodic, lest they get hunted down, the Wyrm's corruption is evident in their methods. Or, quite literally, on their very fur. I suggest you ask Beast-Wearer to see the pelt of the Spiral we've killed. They rot even as they live."

Dusk has a look of recognition of Gabriel's story at the meeting regarding the Spirals in the Third Ward. His eyes widen at the implications of caves, however. "It'd be even worse if their tunnels connect to the tunnels under Juniper," he says with some alarm. "I was just explorin' those with Lucien, Archimedes, and Slouch the other day." His face drains of color. "If they find what we did down there, we're in a world of hurt." His eyes narrow just a little at what Gabriel says about the Wyrm, but relax again when he talks about the Spirals more specifically. At the end, all he asks is, "Who is Beast Wearer? Folks having different names and whatnot isn't something spiders do, so it's mighty confusin'."

"Juniper has tunnels? Shit." Gabriel draws in a deep breath, "Okay. We need those explored. They might be digging in to find those, if they suspect they exist. This is what these fuckers do."

"We'll need some heavy hitters down there to stop them if that's the case, Dusk." He finishes his whiskey and furrows his brows, suddenly uncomfortable. "Can you map them for me?" It's a measured request.

"Ajax, the Silver Fang. Anyway, I had to Cleanse that fur cloak of his once we skinned the Spiral." He pauses, perhaps the chat about tunnels makes him pensive. "World of hurt is probably right, if you fucked with the tunnels."

Dusk leans in, wetting his lips, and glancing around his own house, like something might overhear. "You don't understand, man. A couple days ago, we found a labyrinth under the Juniper Caern. Labyrinth like greek friggin' myth. Full of fertility feelin' ancestor spirits. A shrine in the center with a enormous floatin' bull skull with runes of wisdom, resilience, and fertility." He swallows heavily. "It's potent enough that Meridian thinks I might have gotten pregnant just by being there when Lucien woke it up. If we protect it, there could be a lot more Garou in the world. If we lose it, a load more dancers." He leans back and finishes his whiskey in one gulp, relaxing his Resist Toxin gift, suddenly actually needing the drink. He pours another few fingers. "I'll talk to Lucien and Archi about getting information out and maps and such. Slouch is working on it as well, but I don't think he's in the Guardian's pack. I think he might have more than The Suns, but I'll push for the Suns to do our exploration with urgency."

"I'll-- give me the map and I'll do something to keep that place safe. It won't be -cheap-, not for me, but I'll do what I can." Gabriel nods, though he narrows his gaze. A labyrinth? A bull's skull? "It's..." He catches the look he throws around and says nothing, but there might be a theory spinning in his mind about what the place happens to be. "I'll do the same thing I did with the city, above-ground. But I'll add an extra element or two. It'll buy us time for a defense if need be, and that's better than being caught by surprise."

Garou don't normally get drunk, thanks to their regenerative powers; not unless it's Awakened. "Keep exploring; if it connects to the Third ward, shut it down, tell me where the points are, and I'll add it to the alarm system I made."

Dusk nods as Gabriel seems to pick up what he's putting down. He does caution, "Just... hold off on your help for a bit. I think there might be a good chance what's in that maze might be reluctant for Garou help. Quite possibly outright hostile. If anything, I might suggest you consider that there rite of contrition before much of anything. And, if you change what you did, it'll bring attention like we're hidin' something new. I can spin traps and the rest of The Suns have stuff to keep it safe until we have more information. We have very vested interest in this."

"I have my plate full, any ways." Gabriel nods once, then. "I'll have to research what it is. I don't think that will be particularly hard, if it's as big as I suppose it might be. But yes, a Rite of Contrition may be forthcoming depending on its disposition. Don't worry about attention, though. Not until it is time, anyways. There are many things I need to be worrying about. So -- have at it."

"Boy howdy," Dusk says, reaching partway across the table as a gesture of reconciliation, not for contact. "Y'all got your share and then some. I'll get y'all maps as we come up with em and keep you in the loop. We're only two days into it, so you're in a very tight circle of folks that know just yet." He considers for a moment and then says, "I'm hopin' real hard that I got my panties in a twist over nothin', but..." He sighs and shrugs. "Better to know." He scratches the back of his neck and says, "And obviously, if you or the Threads feel like y'all want some Corax getting nosey, just say the word. I'll probably focus a bulk of my efforts on... the maze." He draws a deep breath and lets it out slow. "So, at risk of taking up your whole day, shall we go underground and see if I can understand how that there summoning rite works?"

"Yeah, my two-and-two about how the Spirals are sniffing around the Third Ward haven't been shared yet; it's just that Rue sometimes says things that are very insightful if you listen in close and shut up; that got me thinking for a few days. I knew only part of the why, and it seems I didn't know the how and for what. I do know their Hive is near it, but we weren't sure why there were twenty of them out there, like it's nothing. I think," Gabriel taps the table. "You found the reason why there are so many of them ranging out. And now I have to double down on the above-ground defenses."

"Yeah, let's go. It should be easy to teach. I hope you have no problems wasting salt on the ground." He rises to his feet. "Got any baubles? Might as well summon a fun spirit this time around to demonstrate." To that point, he rises to his feet, looks around. Reaches into his pocket and gets another wrapped candy, unwraps it and eats it slowly.

Dusk nods in agreement. "I feel like, in most cases, we all seem to have pieces, but none make a ton on sense if we don't just sit down and talk. I'm glad we had the chance and wisdom to do just that today." He pauses and admits, "I was pretty skeptical at first, the proverbial dogs and cats sleeping together, ya know?" He shrugs and grins. "But here we are, staving off the end of creation like a boss." Or trying to. Can't keep a perky goth down! "If you and yours might be into it sometime, I'd like to maybe spar with your pack. I've never fought a garou before and it might prove... critical experience what with that hive being neighbors. Is it safe to venture a guess y'all haven't fought an Ananasi before? We do have some that have... fallen." He stands up at the mention of getting down to business. He asks, "What kinda baubles? Like shiny stuff or jewelry?"

"This is a place of significance in Gaia's crusade. You don't get two Kami in the same site for nothing; the fact we're working together is interesting and peculiar to the rest of the world, except maybe the Amazon, where such things occur in a... different way." The Theurge smiles wryly.

"Shiny stuff, jewelry, toys. We'll see what kind of spirit we'll flip a coin to summon." Gabriel reaches into his pocket to produce just that; a solid, polished quarter. "Even a pack of cigarettes would work." He pauses, keeping the quarter within his palm.

"Sure, we can spar, sometime. Enzo probably would want the workout." He laughs. "We fought a lot of things, but a spider wasn't one of them, no."

"Two Kami was enough to even warrant my Mother's attention," Dusk states flatly. "I've never heard of Mother caring about this fight, ever." He doesn't talk much more about spider motivations and hopes that's enough. He gestures to the pantry saying, "I have new box of sea salt in the pantry there. I'll grab some jewelry, but don't have any toys. I'll meet ya in the pantry in a minute." As he walks the opposite direction towards his bedroom, he says, "I've only had occassion to shift to a fight form once... on that boat... and we didn't so much as get a scratch, so wasn't real good for feedback on where I need to improve. As a warrior, I think I really need to see where I'm lacking before it's critical."

"I wasn't wounded. I don't recall if Enzo was, but if he had been, I'd have healed him all the same." Gabriel glances at the holstered pistol beneath the leather jacket he generally wanders about with when he's riding his motorcycle instead of the car. He goes along, then heads to the pantry, since he is not wont to go to the other man's opposite-bedroom-room; it's not his house, after all.

Once Dusk is ready, he'll take the downstairs with him.

Gabriel moves to Poseidon Retreat - Smuggler Cave.

You move to Poseidon Retreat - Smuggler Cave.

<--------------[ La Porte - Poseidon Retreat - Smuggler Cave ]--------------->

The secret door from the kitchen pantry leads into a rough-hewn stone tunnel. There is a light switch at the entrance that activates bright red LED lighting that extends down to water level. There are tracks suitable for mining carts running the tunnel as well as a cart at the base, a testament to when this area was used to transport smuggled liquor during prohibition. The lighting is brighter at the water as the natural cavern, these days, is a naturally sheltered boathouse. There are two boat slips built out along with seating, storage, and supplies.

Shiny things gathered, Dusk meets Gabriel in the pantry. He hits a hidden switch like some he's a Bond villain or Bruce Wayne, and the back wall sings out of the way to open into a long tunnel running down to sea level. The LED lights flit on, revealing the path and Dusk leads the way down to the Suns' hidey hole. "I'm the pack healer too," he says chattily as they make their way down. "My particular place in the web makes my skill set pretty... versatile. I was born under a crescent moon though. Waning. So if I were born a wolf instead of a spider, I reckon I'd be your colleauge. If I survived it all," he shrugs at the last thought, not convinced he would have. Garou life is tough and he's more than willing to give props. "We're just mostly assigned roles based on the Tapestry. Where we're best suited." He gives a grin. "For a pretty dope like me, I think she mostly had me pegged. Fight and make folk like ya, dummy. And here I am!" As they arrive at the bottom, he picks out a spot with some space and he quiets. "This work alright for rite work?"

"You'd probably survive," Gabriel replies, "but Gaia knows best what we're to be born as, and under, anyways." He surveys the spot and nods, before asking for the salt with a hand. "Watch closely, I'll do this once. The first thing we'll do is the circle of salt. Because you want to outline where your summoning will happen. Though this could be anything at all, and it could even happen in the Umbra, but it's different there. I'll not make you go to the other side for this, that said. Just be assured that you'll feel the spirit's presence rather than see it manifest right away. This is the way it goes."

Once given the sale, he starts to make the trail in a circle, clockwise, while remaining outside of it. Setting the bag or can aside, he rises to his feet. "Place the offerings in the middle. If you want to give of your Essence as chiminage, a token of respect, do so. I don't know how your regeneration works, but I'm presuming it's good."

"S'why I'm low-key trying to see what life'd be like as a theurge," Dusk says quietly. "Walk a mile in another breeds skin, so to speak. My most important stories as Kumoti are Wisdom, so in your culture, I really sort of would be a Fostern Theurge. I thought that was a very odd coincidence. In my diplomatic duties, I'm curious to see how I'd be born to all the various species. It's interesting." He quiets and listens intently as Gabriel gets into it. He's a curious spider and doesn't hide his enthusiasm for learning. When bidden to make the offering, he takes platinum chain set with sapphires and holds it tight. His eyes close as he focuses, shifting his bit of Gaia's wisdom into the chain and stones. He breathes after he's done, laying it neatly in the center. "Quite good," he offers with a smile.

<---======##====================[ Dice Roll ]=====================##======---> Gabriel rolls Wits + Meditation (Total: 6) vs 8 for 2 successes. => 2 2 2 3 9 10 <-------------=============++++++++++++++++++++++++=============-------------> Gabriel loses one Magical Essence Gabriel loses one Willpower You lose one Gnosis <---======##====================[ Dice Roll ]=====================##======---> Gabriel rolls Gnosis (Total: 5) vs 7 for 2 successes. => 1 4 10 10 10 <-------------=============++++++++++++++++++++++++=============------------->

Gabriel pulls out a pocket knife and digs into his palm before bleeding all over the chain and stones. "Arise, spirit of wealth," he calls out to it, determined. It's a spirit for whom jewelry chiminage is topical and desired.

"Take these as your offerings; we summon you in good faith, that you may do us a favor," he switches to Spirit Speech for this. The gem shines brightly, then seems obfuscated as something passes over it in the reflection.

"Ask your favor. We'll see if it answers." He says, to Dusk, even as the cut he made into his hand has healed perfectly.

Dusk watches and listens, senses on high alert. He seems to understand Spirit Speech and switches to it as well, beseeching the spirit of wealth, >>I humbly ask for information, sweet spirit of wealth. Juniper is bereft of a place that honors you. Please tell me one thing that I might do in a new Savings and Trust that would please and honor spirits of wealth?<< He glances over at Gabriel with a nervous look, hoping he's doing this correctly.

"You may to try something more tangible; it doesn't know what occurs in this world anymore than we know what happens there without seeing it ourselves," Gabriel murmurs to Dusk, before inclining his head in respect to the spirit. "Ask for it to bless an initiative and give you a token of its blessing in order for you to proceed with your project to honor his brood."

Dusk nods his head, resturctuing his thoughts. >>Please, spirit, I ask for your blessing in a project to help build their wealth. I humbly ask and give of myself to receive this blessing and receive a token of your blessing to go forward with this endeavor and honor you and your brood.<< He glances over with a, 'is that right' glance.

The jewel gleams. Gabriel stops as he listens to something, then looks to Dusk, then to the jewel. He acts as the translator, without adding or subtracting words: "Pick it up. You will put that gem inside a cornerstone of your building, and once it is built, call upon the spirit again and bid it to assist you, and wealth will flow into the building."

Dusk nods dutifully. He picks up the necklace and clasps it around his neck for safe keeping until the building is chosen and the project starts. He gives the stone a little pet and murmurs to it, "I will see you soon." He flashes Gabriel a smile. "Do they... uhh... can they all get home safe and sound when it's all said and done?"

"It's already just left." Gabriel replies, nodding to Dusk. "They don't walk all the way back, some of them can teleport, some of them can't. But don't summon them in a place full of the Weaver, such as a commercial building in the middle of Downtown. They may get preyed upon by Weaver-spirits. To our luck, wealth and prosperity spirits are very well regarded to the Weaver, or I would not have endangered them. This is something important to learn: what you summon means you need to know where you summon. You wouldn't want to kill a Bane in an orphanage anymore than you'd take a spirit of war into the UN Building."

Dusk nods as Gabriel talks about the time and place to summon spirits and touches on the constant war between broods and factions. He's murdered his fair share of other aspected Ananasi getting territorial on his Wyld butt. He touches the necklace thoughtfully and considers everything for a long moment, processing it through his Wyld addled little spider brain. He shakes his head, clearing his revery and smiles at the Glasswalker. "Thank you, Gabriel." He offers his hand. "Thank you so much. I owe you one."