Post by Admin on Jul 7, 2015 5:42:28 GMT
As told by Ginko, Elder Forest Walker.
As far back as I can remember the county of San Diego has always been one of growth and endurance. Now I know many cities in the country can boast that as well, but San Diego really has endured and kept with its original stance of feeling “Safe” and “welcoming”. While the rest of the nation, even the world, festers in a sort of pool of dark filth, San Diego has held a much higher seat and that may have something to do with the Sept of New Dawns.
Sure, there was a small spat in the beginning with a burning church, but compared to other areas, even today, that is small, and was actually acknowledged as two groups of people not understanding each other. In time the natives and the settlers learned to work together and because of that the surrounding area was bathed in the spiritual energy needed for something grand to grow.
Some may argue when the Sept was first formed and will state things like the formation of the Caern it’s self or try and point out specific moments. I personally feel it started a long time ago, even before there were natives in the area calling it home, but most people wave me off with a scoff and a rolling of the eyes. However, the area always had a cleaner feeling than any other place I have been, a way of inviting you in not just with its physical beauty, but with something that made your spirit want to settle in, like a warm blanket on a cold winter night. That speaks to me as something more than just the efforts that have been made here to make this a home.
Now I am not going on with intent to give no credence or acknowledgment to those that did do the things they did, and a few of them did really reach out.
The first recorded was Pumonca known as “Gentle Branch”, well as best as I can translate it. She came from a people who was known to be filled with pride to the point of rather being alone then admitting they needed others. This hurt her so much, and others like her, so when the Uktena came about she reached out and offered them a home. Her lonely heart soon swelled, and with her new found friends came new found family, and in time more friends among other Fera. What she offered them was a home, a place to feel free and relaxed while doing our duties. She didn’t make an effort to try and wash away the War of Rage, she did so in an effort to no longer be alone, and to ensure no one else ever had to.
Now with all these different Fera in one area you did have many arguments and debates come up on all sorts of topics, but nothing ever got heated or aggressive. They all just remembered to respect one another, to understand each had a duty to fulfill and trusted in each other to do those tasks. So Yes, it would be a lie if I told you it was all sunshine and rainbows, but it was never out right murder or war.
From the Eastern side of the continent you here old stories about the first Garou showing up in force with blood wet on their tongues and a desire to dip their claws in flesh. Now I am not saying that Uktena are not Garou, or a part of the titled ‘Garou Nation’, but they are definitely different than their European counter parts. With the first official settlers we had a few packs of Garou come with their Kinfolk. They were led by a Child of Gaia known as “Wisdom’s Secret”, and he from what the stories tell he was not only good at listening, but also keeping his opinions to himself. He led by letting others lead, and I know that sounds really odd, but it worked. He let others step up to the plate and the whole situation usually worked it’s self out as he made sure the community was also involved. His methods were a bit untraditional, and some have tried to bring them back, but whatever secrets he held to make it a success he hid well.
Now the Mexican-American War was a nasty thing just to read about, but from some of our documentations we have note of it being the turning point that solidified the Garou in the area as being accepted by the other Fera. You would think a war would be the time for Garou to go and get there blood lust on, but by their own decree they refused to get involved and add to the “senseless killing”, as they put it. They rode it out and none of them jumped into the fray, in fact none of the Fera got involved in the fighting. They assisted with nursing the wounded people, land, and spirits.
Now is a good time to mention that San Diego County has always had a strong Military presence. Starting from the American-Mexican War to now we have always had a hands off approach with the military, only going so far as to guide and direct their attentions, but that was decades ago when they were much smaller than they are now. The military is huge here, proud, capable, and dangerous. Let the humans have their thing, none of the supernatural of the area get involved as it causes way more problems than is necessary.
The Depression was the next big event, and not in the way you are thinking too. The Depression never hit San Diego as bad as it did the rest of the U.S. and in fact it was the opposite. San Diego didn’t “flourish” so to say, but it swelled both financially and in population. With the coastal city doing so well people came from as far as Maine and New York to strike a better life out here. With them came an evil, some it chased or followed, others it had control of, some it worked through to deliver its efforts on others. This was ‘The Gray’ or also known as ‘The Emptying’. It was a bane that was reaching out from the East Coast to here to try and spread it’s lingering effects and wither on the minds and souls of all those in the city. The Fera saw this coming and as one they worked together to shred away it’s grasping hand and show it to never reach here.
Now it sounds simple, but it wasn’t.
Everyone had to trust each other to do their part, a perfect plan to protect the spirit and body of San Diego and everything living in it. Some did die, others suffered worse and lived. However, our efforts not only showed that we can work together as one, but also awakened a spirit that had been growing and developing in the city for some time.
Hope.
Now hope is an ideal, a feeling, and as far as spirits go it is an enigma that has never been truly seen as a tangible entity, and some spirits may inspire such a feeling, none have ever been an aspect purely of such an ideal. This entity was widely accepted by the Fera, and with the same loving hand you would give to a child it was welcomed and adored, brought into our world in the same way a baby is. Over the decades it has grown so much that anyone living in the area of San Diego, and by the standards that have been set forth by those who came before, it gifts even the littlest amount of its power it can. In short, it makes life easier for all of us so try not to do anything to upset that.
As far back as I can remember the county of San Diego has always been one of growth and endurance. Now I know many cities in the country can boast that as well, but San Diego really has endured and kept with its original stance of feeling “Safe” and “welcoming”. While the rest of the nation, even the world, festers in a sort of pool of dark filth, San Diego has held a much higher seat and that may have something to do with the Sept of New Dawns.
Sure, there was a small spat in the beginning with a burning church, but compared to other areas, even today, that is small, and was actually acknowledged as two groups of people not understanding each other. In time the natives and the settlers learned to work together and because of that the surrounding area was bathed in the spiritual energy needed for something grand to grow.
Some may argue when the Sept was first formed and will state things like the formation of the Caern it’s self or try and point out specific moments. I personally feel it started a long time ago, even before there were natives in the area calling it home, but most people wave me off with a scoff and a rolling of the eyes. However, the area always had a cleaner feeling than any other place I have been, a way of inviting you in not just with its physical beauty, but with something that made your spirit want to settle in, like a warm blanket on a cold winter night. That speaks to me as something more than just the efforts that have been made here to make this a home.
Now I am not going on with intent to give no credence or acknowledgment to those that did do the things they did, and a few of them did really reach out.
The first recorded was Pumonca known as “Gentle Branch”, well as best as I can translate it. She came from a people who was known to be filled with pride to the point of rather being alone then admitting they needed others. This hurt her so much, and others like her, so when the Uktena came about she reached out and offered them a home. Her lonely heart soon swelled, and with her new found friends came new found family, and in time more friends among other Fera. What she offered them was a home, a place to feel free and relaxed while doing our duties. She didn’t make an effort to try and wash away the War of Rage, she did so in an effort to no longer be alone, and to ensure no one else ever had to.
Now with all these different Fera in one area you did have many arguments and debates come up on all sorts of topics, but nothing ever got heated or aggressive. They all just remembered to respect one another, to understand each had a duty to fulfill and trusted in each other to do those tasks. So Yes, it would be a lie if I told you it was all sunshine and rainbows, but it was never out right murder or war.
From the Eastern side of the continent you here old stories about the first Garou showing up in force with blood wet on their tongues and a desire to dip their claws in flesh. Now I am not saying that Uktena are not Garou, or a part of the titled ‘Garou Nation’, but they are definitely different than their European counter parts. With the first official settlers we had a few packs of Garou come with their Kinfolk. They were led by a Child of Gaia known as “Wisdom’s Secret”, and he from what the stories tell he was not only good at listening, but also keeping his opinions to himself. He led by letting others lead, and I know that sounds really odd, but it worked. He let others step up to the plate and the whole situation usually worked it’s self out as he made sure the community was also involved. His methods were a bit untraditional, and some have tried to bring them back, but whatever secrets he held to make it a success he hid well.
Now the Mexican-American War was a nasty thing just to read about, but from some of our documentations we have note of it being the turning point that solidified the Garou in the area as being accepted by the other Fera. You would think a war would be the time for Garou to go and get there blood lust on, but by their own decree they refused to get involved and add to the “senseless killing”, as they put it. They rode it out and none of them jumped into the fray, in fact none of the Fera got involved in the fighting. They assisted with nursing the wounded people, land, and spirits.
Now is a good time to mention that San Diego County has always had a strong Military presence. Starting from the American-Mexican War to now we have always had a hands off approach with the military, only going so far as to guide and direct their attentions, but that was decades ago when they were much smaller than they are now. The military is huge here, proud, capable, and dangerous. Let the humans have their thing, none of the supernatural of the area get involved as it causes way more problems than is necessary.
The Depression was the next big event, and not in the way you are thinking too. The Depression never hit San Diego as bad as it did the rest of the U.S. and in fact it was the opposite. San Diego didn’t “flourish” so to say, but it swelled both financially and in population. With the coastal city doing so well people came from as far as Maine and New York to strike a better life out here. With them came an evil, some it chased or followed, others it had control of, some it worked through to deliver its efforts on others. This was ‘The Gray’ or also known as ‘The Emptying’. It was a bane that was reaching out from the East Coast to here to try and spread it’s lingering effects and wither on the minds and souls of all those in the city. The Fera saw this coming and as one they worked together to shred away it’s grasping hand and show it to never reach here.
Now it sounds simple, but it wasn’t.
Everyone had to trust each other to do their part, a perfect plan to protect the spirit and body of San Diego and everything living in it. Some did die, others suffered worse and lived. However, our efforts not only showed that we can work together as one, but also awakened a spirit that had been growing and developing in the city for some time.
Hope.
Now hope is an ideal, a feeling, and as far as spirits go it is an enigma that has never been truly seen as a tangible entity, and some spirits may inspire such a feeling, none have ever been an aspect purely of such an ideal. This entity was widely accepted by the Fera, and with the same loving hand you would give to a child it was welcomed and adored, brought into our world in the same way a baby is. Over the decades it has grown so much that anyone living in the area of San Diego, and by the standards that have been set forth by those who came before, it gifts even the littlest amount of its power it can. In short, it makes life easier for all of us so try not to do anything to upset that.