08-22-2013, 07:12 AM
She had heard the story, and yet she was not frightened away.
They felt betrayed, they felt as if a man who they had once stood beside had turned his back upon everything he had once sworn to protect and defend. In the most technical sense they were correct, but Sophia knew all too well that a matter such as this was never a simple one. It is a rare case in which a garou simply awakens evil and dedicated to the destruction of all they believe. This was, in essence, a fairy tale told to the young Garou to keep them from dreading the very real possibility that corruption comes slowly, and without the slightest hint of warning. Doubt, fear, hopelessness, these things sink in and for the good of our pack and loved ones we keep them shielded from the truth.
The sad truth of corruption was that it functioned as any disease and it slowly infected the body bit by bit and the only way to stop it when it sinks it's teeth in is to first realize that is is happening, a fact which most garou will deny to their graves, and to next seek help from the only people who can help, and garou are not exactly known for being the most helpful to those who are succumbing to corruption. Since neither of these possibilities is likely to result in success the garou is forced to hope they overcome their corruption or seek out some means of overcoming it themselves.
Sophia arrives at the grave with sympathy in her heart. Sympathy for a life lost, sympathy for a soul ripped apart by it's own emotions and internal struggle. You see Sophia knows that somewhere deep down inside there was a Champion of Honor and he did not take this lying down. He fought with all his might as his mind was ripped apart, shredded by the overwhelming power of something far more dangerous than anything any garou had ever likely faced. The sad fact of the matter is... When the Wyrm actively decides it desires your soul, there is nothing that can be done to stop it. Brave as this garou might have been his battle was hopeless... Because the Wyrm is not an enemy which can be overcome with strength of body, strength of mind, or strength of soul. This was the other great delusion that the Elders fed to the young.
It was sad, really, that this creature was seen as a traitor when, in her mind, it was the elders of the Garou who committed the greatest betrayal by masking the truth of what they face from the young. By feeding their minds with the belief that somehow courage and honor will save the day. When, in the end, Every garou who had ever sacrificed their life believing the war could be won by tooth and claw, had been ripped to shreds the very way they sought to solve their problems. Why is this you ask? Ask Sophia and she'll tell you softly. "War... Is... The Wyrm". How can you beat War itself... With more war?
Secrets, understanding... The path to winning this struggle would not be something that would be gained with tooth and claw. It was something that would only come through seeking to understand the problem, and in figuring out what the problem is, taking the time to set that problem right again. That is why Sophia was here, no to threaten, not to condemn, but to seek out answers.
She placed, at the site of the Half-Moon's grave, a single dandelion. The flower might be seen as a weed to some, but to Sophia the Dandelion represented the garou themselves! A plant who seeks out homes between the cracks and crevices of a world that it toxic to it and no matter how many times you kill it, no matter how many new ways and means of learning to confront it and do away with it once and for all... It still thrives, proudly peeking it's ugly head from beneath the concrete to reach for the heavens overhead. So in that she honors the fallen man, not the monster who was killed but the man who lived before the wyrm had devoured it's soul.
Then, when she is certain there is no one else around, she takes the time to close her eyes and she simply lets her mind wander. For Sophia meditation wasn't about emptying the mind, there were too many voices in there to ever expect anything close to quiet, instead she let her mind wander through the seemingly endless catacombs of lives long since gone. It mattered little to her if she drifted off to slumber, or remained in a state of meditation, either way would work for her. She came to see if spending time at this grave would give her anything that would help those who still lived to solve the questions that were eating at them.
They felt betrayed, they felt as if a man who they had once stood beside had turned his back upon everything he had once sworn to protect and defend. In the most technical sense they were correct, but Sophia knew all too well that a matter such as this was never a simple one. It is a rare case in which a garou simply awakens evil and dedicated to the destruction of all they believe. This was, in essence, a fairy tale told to the young Garou to keep them from dreading the very real possibility that corruption comes slowly, and without the slightest hint of warning. Doubt, fear, hopelessness, these things sink in and for the good of our pack and loved ones we keep them shielded from the truth.
The sad truth of corruption was that it functioned as any disease and it slowly infected the body bit by bit and the only way to stop it when it sinks it's teeth in is to first realize that is is happening, a fact which most garou will deny to their graves, and to next seek help from the only people who can help, and garou are not exactly known for being the most helpful to those who are succumbing to corruption. Since neither of these possibilities is likely to result in success the garou is forced to hope they overcome their corruption or seek out some means of overcoming it themselves.
Sophia arrives at the grave with sympathy in her heart. Sympathy for a life lost, sympathy for a soul ripped apart by it's own emotions and internal struggle. You see Sophia knows that somewhere deep down inside there was a Champion of Honor and he did not take this lying down. He fought with all his might as his mind was ripped apart, shredded by the overwhelming power of something far more dangerous than anything any garou had ever likely faced. The sad fact of the matter is... When the Wyrm actively decides it desires your soul, there is nothing that can be done to stop it. Brave as this garou might have been his battle was hopeless... Because the Wyrm is not an enemy which can be overcome with strength of body, strength of mind, or strength of soul. This was the other great delusion that the Elders fed to the young.
It was sad, really, that this creature was seen as a traitor when, in her mind, it was the elders of the Garou who committed the greatest betrayal by masking the truth of what they face from the young. By feeding their minds with the belief that somehow courage and honor will save the day. When, in the end, Every garou who had ever sacrificed their life believing the war could be won by tooth and claw, had been ripped to shreds the very way they sought to solve their problems. Why is this you ask? Ask Sophia and she'll tell you softly. "War... Is... The Wyrm". How can you beat War itself... With more war?
Secrets, understanding... The path to winning this struggle would not be something that would be gained with tooth and claw. It was something that would only come through seeking to understand the problem, and in figuring out what the problem is, taking the time to set that problem right again. That is why Sophia was here, no to threaten, not to condemn, but to seek out answers.
She placed, at the site of the Half-Moon's grave, a single dandelion. The flower might be seen as a weed to some, but to Sophia the Dandelion represented the garou themselves! A plant who seeks out homes between the cracks and crevices of a world that it toxic to it and no matter how many times you kill it, no matter how many new ways and means of learning to confront it and do away with it once and for all... It still thrives, proudly peeking it's ugly head from beneath the concrete to reach for the heavens overhead. So in that she honors the fallen man, not the monster who was killed but the man who lived before the wyrm had devoured it's soul.
Then, when she is certain there is no one else around, she takes the time to close her eyes and she simply lets her mind wander. For Sophia meditation wasn't about emptying the mind, there were too many voices in there to ever expect anything close to quiet, instead she let her mind wander through the seemingly endless catacombs of lives long since gone. It mattered little to her if she drifted off to slumber, or remained in a state of meditation, either way would work for her. She came to see if spending time at this grave would give her anything that would help those who still lived to solve the questions that were eating at them.