Dances-With-Death

Dances-With-Death was born of wolf in the Outback of Australia. One afternoon shortly after his first year, he wandered away from his pack. This was not unusual for him, as he was recognized from very early on as being very intelligent, as well as intensely curious. The others of the pack were used to him by this point, and since he always returned, were not concerned. This day was different, however. He picked up a scent of something on the wind, but could not place it. So, curious as he was, he followed it. He ran through the bush all day, and still could not locate it. When the sun set, bringing on the light of the moon, he realized that he had gone farther from his pack than ever before. He had started to turn around when he caught the scent again, stronger than ever. His curiosity getting the better of him, he continued after it once more.

Finally, as Luna reached her zenith in the night sky, he came upon a clearing. Centered in the clearing was a pool of the clearest water he had ever seen. He approached the water, for all the running over the day had left him with a terrible thirst. As he bent to take a drink, another creature startled him. This creature was the source of the scent he had been following. It was a very large tortoise. On an instinctual level, Dances realized it was no threat to him, but rather seemed like a member of his pack - as if he had known this creature his entire life. He decided to try to play with the tortoise, but the tortoise simply stood there, staring at him with sad eyes. When Dances tried to jump on it to get it to play, he passed right through it. After that, the tortoise slipped back into the water. Dances-With-Death tried to follow it, but it was gone.

Dances grew very tired after trying to find the tortoise, and decided to sleep by the pool, and then return to his pack the next day. During the night he had images of a vast forest of deep, green trees unlike anything he had seen before. He was running with other wolves, but they were different than any he had seen. Then, he was running through a forest covered in a thick blanket of snow. Next, he was walking on two legs, dancing with red-skinned humans the likes of which he had never seen. He had seen two-legs before, but not of this peculiar color. And then, he sat in a circle comprised of both the red-skinned two-legs, and wolves. An immense sadness overtook the young pup as he then got up and danced a strange dance, shifting from two legs to four. He cried and sang and danced for what seemed like hours.

When the pup awoke, just before the first rays of the sun reached the Outback, he discovered that he was no longer a wolf, but had only two legs. At first he was terrified, and howled as best as he could in this strange form until his throat was raw. He bent to take a drink from the pool, when another approached. This one walked on two legs, but Dances sensed the Wolf in him.

He found out shortly thereafter about his heritage as, unbeknownst to the pup, he had somehow wandered into the bawn of a caern deep in the Outback. He was an Uktena of the Crescent Moon. He learned much in the next months, as he adapted to his new life. One day, he spoke with the caern's Elders about what he had experienced the night of his First Change. One of them spoke of the great Northern Forests, in what was once known as the Pure Lands. He told Dances stories of the three Brothers, who lived in the Pure Lands together for almost forever. He taught of the sacrifice of one of the Brothers, in order to protect his family and Gaia. Dances-With-Death learned of the Croatan, and their great sacrifice.

As the next few years passed, Dances continued to have the dreams of the Pure Lands. He would always awaken in sadness, having experienced what he realized was the howl of mourning for the Lost Brother. These dreams were the source of his name, since he most vividly remembered the dances.

Eventually, the pull grew stronger, until Dances could no longer resist it. With his Elders' permission, he left the Outback, left Australia, and traveled to the former Pure Lands. When he arrived, he spent some time traveling from caern to caern, listening to stories told by Wendigo and Uktena of their lost brethren, the Croatan. He joined a pack of these two tribes, a pack that sought to unravel the mystery of the Croatan. He traveled with them for a number of years, both across the Pure Lands and in Umbral Quests, but found no trace of their spirit.

By the time his 50th winter came to pass, the rest of his pack were no more. Two had died of age, whereas the others had perished in combat along the road. He was traveling alone again, on four legs, when he picked up a scent he had not smelled in almost 50 years. He chased it throughout the day, and finally came to a clearing in the woods. Again he found a pool of crystal clear water. As he approached to take a drink, he noticed a something unusual in the water. It was not a reflection, but rather a vision. He saw a place, far to the north. He saw a group of Garou sitting in a circle, chanting. One looked up and directly at him, and simply nodded.

Dances-With-Death knew instinctively what he had to do. He ran for many days, pausing only when exhaustion took him. Eventually, he arrived at the Northern Caern, where he learned of its purpose. He could not refuse to help, knowing that his sacrificing the rest of his life in order to keep the spirit contained was much like what his tribe's brothers, the Croatan, had done centuries before. And so, to honor them, he has stayed at the caern for the past twenty years, doing his part in containing Kaaktuq Ukiuq.


Concept:

Dances-With-Death has a strong connection to his Ancestors. He knows many stories of the Lost Brother and, while saddened about their loss, understands what it means to sacrifice oneself for the greater good. In his younger days, he sought out any rumor of information relating to the Croatan with a determination that almost frightened his other packmates. He was always willing to sacrifice himself in his search of the truth. Unfortunately, he realizes that his zealousness was at least partially responsible for the death of at least a couple of his packmates. Now that he is older, he has realized that his curiosity must be tempered by the needs of the many.

Dances shows his age. He needs a walking stick to walk on two legs, and even as wolf he is quite slow. Part of this comes from a battle scar he gained a number of years ago, one that severely damaged his right knee. He moves very deliberately now, and only when absolutely necessary.

As a Theurge, Dances-With-Death is most concerned with the activities of the spirits, and spends much of his time when not performing the ritual ensuring that no other spirits are being harmed by Kaaktuq Ukiuq. His curiosity does lead him to find interest in most news from outside the caern, especially that of a spiritual nature.


Roleplaying Tips:

You play the part of the knowledgeable sage. You realize that there is much that you do not know, but dispense whatever wisdom you can to those who ask. You are almost childlike when hearing of a new mystery, and will press anyone who brings this to your attention for as many details as possible. Then, you'll return to being calm while you ponder what it could represent.

You are closely connected to your Ancestors, and spend each night dreaming of the past of your people. This causes you to feel even older than your many years, and it shows in your mannerisms. You feel the weight of your years, and are resigned to your fate of dying at the caern, when the spirit finally becomes too much for you to handle. Yet you have a determination to see your chosen task through to your last breath, and it gives you a reason to continue on.


Suggested Statistics:

Ancestors x5, Sight from Beyond, Lame, Curiosity, Croatan Lore x3.

Composed by AANST Shifters - Setting Development - Tom Brazier (khirsyth@hotmail.com)


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