Disclaimer: This fanfiction story was written by me to entertain fans of the genre and other interested readers. The concept of The World of Darkness, ed., however, belong to White Wolf. I do not make any money by publishing these stories, I am just writing for fun.

This is a revised edition of my first story 'The Silver Lotus Pack - The boardwar in Paris'

Prologue - Preliminary sessions

Yumiko Sato The-Wise drank her matcha tea calmly, while looking around the guestroom of the Shinto Shrine. The green tea had been carefully prepared in a tea-ceremony by a girl in a light brown monk robe. She stood near the entrance, waiting silently for her master and Yumiko to finish their cups. As soon as Yumiko put hers down on the little bamboo table, the girl refilled it. "Thank you, Aiko Rin. Please leave us now, and see to the needs of Yumiko's companion." Aiko Rin took a slight bow, first to her master, and then towards Yumiko. Then the girl left the room, making her way toward the temple's square, where Fang Yin was waiting.

Yumiko met the eyes of her host and old friend, Ciran Far-Traveller. Kind and peaceful eyes, that made her feel comfortable. Ciran was the Grand Elder and Gatekeeper of Cherry Blossom Shrine, which was located within the territory of the Peaceful voice of Zypher sept. Yumiko and Ciran were both from this sept, and had been friends since childhood.

"So you've accepted the council's mission, Yumiko? I expected nothing less of you," Ciran said, his voice soft as a gentle whisper. "Yes, I accepted. I will fly to Paris tomorrow afternoon. Thank you for nominating me, Ciran.", she answered him. He smiled a kind smile, but she noticed a slight change in his composure. Something Ciran barely ever showed. The Elder was a Master of Kailindo after all, like Yumiko. A Garou well in control of his emotions and his Rage. But Yumiko knew him too well, and she knew what to look for.

"I nominated you, because you are one of the few Stargazers I know who can lead a crucial mission like this successfully. Sadly we cannot count on the support from the other Tribes this time. They have become ignorant to the pleas of Gaia and Luna. Moreover the council has decided not to involve the Hengeyokai. Did you find the right Garou to accompany you?"

She took a small zip from her teacup, while her old friend was staring at her. "I am taking my pack with me to Paris. There are four of us, all Stargazers. Shinobu is Theurge, Miyoko is Ahroun, and you just met Fang Yin. She is Philodox. The girls are still young, but they are full of passion, are loyal to me, and are skilled in different areas. And most importantly, I can trust them with my life!" The expression in Ciran's eyes changed, showing concern, and he put his cup on the little table.

"The Wyrm is pure evil, its minions corrupting, defiling, and destroying the good of our mother Gaia. In the West the Wyrm manifests itself differently than in the Middle Kingdom. Here in Tokyo, or in Shanghai, Hongkong, and Singapore we mainly have to deal with Kuei-Jin, Bakemono, Kumo werespiders, and mostly disorganized Vampires. The dreaded Yama Kings pull the strings from their respective hells in Yomi... In European cities the Pentex organization has a big influence on society. Each city has its own board of directors and powerful executives. They are protected by Pentex First Teams, which are commando units made up of the strongest Fomori, Black Spiral Dancers, and corrupted military men. Next to Pentex the Sabbat Vampires have organized themselves in a effective political structure. You will have to deal with these powerblocks before you can reach your goal." Ciran spoke calmly, while he lifted his hands towards his neck, and took off a red scale necklace, which he laid on the little table between him and her.

"What is going to happen, Ciran? I know you have the ability to predict a Garou's future. What have you seen?" Her old friend looked at the necklace silently, then met her eyes again, and finally nodded. "I'm sorry for not telling you this the moment you arrived, Yumiko. But I've learned that sometimes my gift does more harm than good." He swallowed, and he folded his hands on his lap. "If you undertake this mission, you will die. You will sacrifice yourself for your pack, at a crucial moment." Yumiko swallowed, and she felt a shiver go through her entire body. Ciran was never wrong, when he predicted a Garou's future.

"There is something else. In your party is a Theurge. You must keep her alive at all costs, because she is essential to the mission. Give her this necklace. It's a powerful Fetish equipment, that only a Theurge can use. It is made of scales of a red Kirin and, among other things, it can be used to summon a Kirin spirit as an ally. Your Theurge will need this to neutralize the evil of the Heart of Madness." Yumiko carefully picked up the necklace and studied it. Then she put it safely away in her robe.

"By taking the necklace I presume you will not back out of the mission?" Ciran asked with a voice that had lost the previous emotion. Yumiko met his eyes, and gave him a surprised look.

"You know me well enough, to be sure that I will never break an oath to the Stargazer council, Ciran! I am a member of the Zypher camp. If duty to Gaia and the Stargazer tribe asks me to find and destroy this artifact, I will do that, even if it will mean my possible death." Ciran nodded slowly, closed his eyes, and for a while they both just sat on the floor, opposite each other in complete silence. Yumiko pushed away the thoughts of death and the insecurities and dangers of the upcoming mission. She closed her eyes too, and she tried to relax every muscle in her body. She could hear the wind blow through the temple grounds outside. She thought she heard Fang Yin's voice in the background. Yumiko opened her eyes slowly, and noticed the shadows on the wooden walls had changed. It was late in the afternoon. She and Fang Yin had to be back in Tokyo tonight.

"Ciran, what can you tell me about the Heart of Madness? What is it, and why is it so important for us to destroy it?", she softly asked her friend. Ciran opened his eyes, and his face showed a thoughtful frown.

"According to the historical sources the Artifact was originally brought from Egypt to France by Napoleon. Later it was rediscovered by the Nazis in World War II. It seems to give a human wielder the power to spawn an army of evil. When the power of the Heart of Madness was discovered at the end of the War, two Glasswalkers managed to recapture it. They took it into the Umbra, and hid it there, out of the Wyrm's grasp. Artificers, which are spirits affiliated to the Glasswalker Tribe, protect its location. You can only find it with the assistance of a Glasswalker."

Yumiko nodded, as Ciran finished his explanation. "So only a human can wield it? That means it is saved in the Umbra. Humans that have been corrupted by the Wyrm, can't enter the Umbra." Ciran shook his head. "Humans can't enter the Spirit world by themselves. But Black Spiral Dancers and Banes can. It will only be a matter of time until a Pentex Executive will send his minions to get it for him."

Yumiko sighed, while she watched the growing shadows on the wall again. "You need a contact in Paris!" her old friend suddenly whispered. "I will give you the name and address of a Garou that you can trust. She is Black Fury. You will need her help to get in touch with Garou of the Glasswalker Tribe in that city." Ciran got up, and walked to a small wooden cupboard with three drawers, which rested against one of the walls. He took out a small paper notebook, tore out an empty sheet, and copied a name and address from the book. Yumiko accepted the sheet with the address and put it away in the inner pocket of her robe. She made a small bow toward her old friend.

"Ciran, however much I would like to stay longer, I need to leave and take care of some things in Tokyo. Thank you for your hospitality and advise!" Her friend made a small bow in return. "You are always welcome here, Yumiko Sato The-Wise! I wish for you to succeed in your mission, for the good of the Stargazer Tribe, the Garou nation as a whole, and all other peaceful creatures of mother Gaia." Yumiko thanked her friend again, and they walked toward the outer door of the Shrine. Yumiko glanced one last time at the shadows on the wall. They had covered most of the wood by now. She suddenly turned to her friend.

"Dear Ciran, if I will not return from this mission, please keep an eye on my girls! They could use your support and advise. I was lucky enough to benefit from it for all these years. It has molded me into the confident Garou I am today!" "I will do as you wish, my dear Yumiko," the Garou whispered to her softly. Moments later Yumiko was on her way to Tokyo, with Fang Yin by her side.


Caroline Diret entered the boardroom and closed the door behind her. She had rushed out of her business meeting in the city center and back to headquarters, after receiving the coded message on her PDA. She was used to never rush things, always taking her time to plan carefully. To rush meant a chance to stain or wrinkle her pin striped, black skirtsuit, or to ruin her hairbun. Every morning her personal stylist dressed her and did her hair to impress any businesscontacts she would meet that day, and she did her utmost not to ruin all that effort. Rushing also meant the possibility to overlook something, and that could be disasterous for a businesswoman like herself. Especially for the business she was in. But this time she had told her personal driver to step on it or be replaced. There was no excuse to be late, when summoned by Pierre Guidot.

She looked around the room, and saw him standing in front of the giant window, his hands folded behind his back. The Managing Director of the Pentex Corporation in Paris was not a patient man. To be honest, he was a ruthless man, which was to be expected of someone in his position. Caroline had always thought of herself as ruthless too, but she couldn't help feeling inferior to Pierre.

She was the manager of the Operations Division of Pentex, which made her one of the most powerful people in Paris. She was also in charge of the intelligence network of Pentex in the French capital. She had been a gifted, determined young woman, when she started working for the Corporation, and she had swiftly risen on the ladder of power. That's when Pierre's eye had fallen on her, and he had helped her rise to her current position. That help had not been unconditional of course. Nothing was unconditional among the minions of the Wyrm. She had to perform certain personal services to the Managing Director, which were degrading and abusive. But in the Pentex corporation an Executive showing weakness, hesitation, or compassion, no matter what his or her position was, would be replaced without hesitation. Replacement could mean simply getting fired, but sometimes it meant being fed to expirimental Fomori. And there were rows of power-hungry collegues, waiting for the right moment to pull her down and take her position.

She was a businesswoman to the core, and had not been able to refuse the offer. Her powerhunger had been greater than her pride as a woman. Pierre had once told her, that this attribute made her an excellent servant of the Wyrm. Since she had given in to Pierre's needs, the man had given his full support to all her business- and reformplans. He had personally purged some of her worst competitors and consolidated her place on the Pentex board of directors. In turn she supported his policy, and made sure she was never late when he summoned her.

"Caroline, welcome. I hope you didn't mind me disturbing you in that meeting? Did you seal the deal before you left?" Caroline watched the tall man, as he turned to her, and his dominant gaze met hers. "No Pierre, you didn't disturb me. And yes, I got the contract. I assigned Gwen, my personal assistent, to continue the rest of the negotiations about the details of shipment." Pierre had beautiful blue eyes, which could steal a woman's heart instantly. But his eyes were also hard and cold as ice, ruthless like a razorsharp knife, ready to cut an enemies throat. "So the weapon-shipment is secured. Well done! Come to me now. It's time for our preliminary session."

Caroline put her small suitcase down on one of the chairs, and walked over to the Managing Director. She knew what he wanted her to do now. She stood in front of the giant window, and put her hands against the glass. From here she could look 50 stories down at the bustling city of Paris. She leaned forward against the glass, and waited in silence for one or two minutes, only hearing the man's breathing. The minutes seemed like hours, and she felt a longing build up in her. He liked to tease her like that. To make her feel his power over her. She felt as if she wasn't doing him a personal favor, but more like he was doing her one. Then she suddenly felt his large hands touch her hips. They tenderly moved across the fabric of her skirtsuit. Then they pulled her pin striped black skirt up, and she swallowed as her panties were violently pulled down. Pierre now stood behind her, moving his body close against hers. She could feel his manhood grow against her buttocks.

"The Heart of Madness hasn't been found yet, despite all the manpower we have invested in its search since the last boardmeeting. What did your sources report to you, Caroline?" She sighed as the Executive slid his manhood inside her, without any attempt of foreplay. She bit her tongue to fight the cry of pain that was caused by the first penetrating movements that ripped against her tender skin. She just hoped the friction wouldn't cause as many wounds inside her uterus as it had last time. But soon pain became pleasure, and she rested her forehead against the glass.

"We have...been searching in the wrong place. My...agents tell me that the artifact is hidden in the Umbra, the spirit world. Only certain...spirits know where it is hidden," she said, while moving with the rythmic pushing of her boss. The Managing Director stopped his movement, and pulled his manhood out of her.

"So the Spiral Dancers have been turning the Louvre upside down for nothing! What spirits can find the artifact for us?"

Caroline panted as the man re-entered her. "My sources say... the spirits affiliated with the Glasswalker Garou... can reach it. Artificers... they are called. But I'm pretty sure... our stronger Bane-spirits... will be able to get to it!" That answer seemed to satisfy Pierre, because he started to push slower, and more regularly.

"I will send some Banes into the Umbra today to find it, and report to us when they do. Secondly we need to make sure that the Glasswalkers don't get in our way. The Garou might decide to destroy the artifact before we reach it." Caroline screamed as the man pushed against her frantically once more, his weapon of flesh shoving in and out of her as if he wanted to impale her with it.

"We...could send.. a Pentex First Team...to kill the...Glasswalker pack...that is surveilling us?" Her forehead bounced hard against the glass window twice, and she bit her lip against the pain.

"That's a good suggestion. We'll ask Skeleton in the meeting later to arrange it!" "Do not inform Warmongerr about this. I want him to keep his Spiral Dancers in the physical world." Caroline tried to stand up, and turned her upper body towards the Managing Director. The surprised man stopped his movement.

"Why do you keep him on the board, Pierre? He is a dirty, brainless animal. He is only raw muscle, and shouldn't participate in the descision-making."

"He might be a dirty animal to you, Caroline...but he is in control of a small army of barbaric Spiral Dancers, who follow him to the death. He could do serious damage to the Corporation, if he would let his troops wreak havoc in the city center. He needs to be controlled, and I'm doing that through the board." The buzzing sound of the small intercom phone on the large table in the middle of the boardroom, cut off Caroline's arguments about the Spiral Dancer. Pierre pulled out of her, and walked to the table, his manhood hanging out of his pantalon, probably staining it. He picked up the phone, and spoke to his secretary, who sat behind the desk just outside the boardroom. He glanced at Caroline, and gave her a wicked grin.

"No, Claire! I don't care what the other Executives demand. I'm in a preliminary with miss Diret at the moment. Let them wait outside!" Pierre gestured her to come over to him. She slowly slid across the marble floor, her skirt still hanging in a strange angle above her bare ass and thighs. She stood in front of the man, looking down at the floor behind her. Stains of bodily flued from him and her were visible on the marble.

"You've ruined my skirtsuit!", she yelped. The Managing Director cursed and pulled her hairbun loose, causing her blond hair to fall loose across her shoulders. Then he pushed her forward across the wide tabletop, and lay a large hand on her back to keep her down. Pierre resumed his animalistic pushing, and her chin was pressed to the cold wood, while her boss pulled her head backwards. Her loud moans and screams were muffled by the sound-proof walls of the boardroom. She prayed that noone could see her like this...not now. Not ever! The shame of the situation would mean her downfall and eventually her death.


Warmongerr followed his fellow Executives into the boardroom. In his Crinos form the Black Spiral Dancer was towering high above the mere human colleagues that preceded him. Monsieur Skeleton, a short, broad-shouldered man wearing a dark blue suit, an orange Pentex tie, and small round glasses, was clearly not amused by the 15 minute delay. The man didn't like the fact that he had not been invited to take part in the preliminary session. Warmongerr could feel the Rage build within the man, and it somehow amused him. How could a puny human like Skeleton be in charge of the most dangerous Division of the Pentex Corporation.

As head of the special projects division, Skeleton controlled the Pentex First Teams, and he was in charge of the secret Fomori experiments. The man had been some sort of military bigshot before he had joined Pentex. There were many men like him filling the ranks of Executive in the corporation. The Spiral Dancer could hardly suppress a loud roar of laughter. With one swipe of his talons he could just kill the weakling.

Pierre Guidot, the Managing Director, was the reason that kept him from killing Skeleton and people like him. Pierre would surely purge him from all his power in the board of directors. That power and influence was just what Warmongerr wanted... Moreover, he liked Pierre. He liked the Managing Director's ruthlessness. Warmongerr didn't give a damn thing about preliminary sessions. His influence and power was secured just by being the supreme leader of the Black Spiral Dancers in France. No Pentex First Team could match the raw power of an agressive horde of Black Spiral Dancers. He controlled about fifty werewolves within the city of Paris. If needed, he could assemble an army of an additional hundred french Spiral Dancers within a week. He knew Pentex could not ignore those numbers, and so he had applied for his place on the board of directors a year ago. That had resulted in a mutual agreement between Pierre Guidot and himself, to keep a steady balance between the Pentex Corporation and the Black Spiral Dancer packs roaming the French capital. When Pierre had nominated Warmongerr as new member during a boardmeeting, no Executive had dared to vote against him. They all knew too well, that an alliance between Pentex and the Black Spiral Dancers was needed, because of the war with the Sabbat.

Warmongerr sat down in his black, leather chair, between Skeleton and the other man, an important Executive from Berlin. Guidot had introduced him to the board during their last official meeting. His name was Hertz, Siegfried Hertz, and he had come to Paris to help fight the Sabbat. Warmongerr was not sure what to make of this man. He was not exactly a military man and not a scientist either, but Guidot treated him like a friend, so he had to be powerful in some way.

Opposite the three of them, next to Guidot, sat Diret. The female Executive had the appearance of a hard businesswoman. She had to be hard, to keep her position as head of the Intelligence bureau of Pentex. She controlled all the information obtained by the Corporation's best spies and agents, so it was not a surprise that it was her that had a preliminary session with the Managing Director before each meeting. The woman gave a cold and ruthless impression, but the Black Spiral Dancer could sense things the other Executives would overlook easily. He could smell excitement and insecurity on her. Something that he only sensed in her at the beginning of each boardmeeting. He also noticed the smell of human male and female bodily fluids in the room. Glancing at her, he suddenly noticed some small stains. One in her hair, and two on her skirt-suit. Had Guidot and the woman been mating in the boardroom? He could not help showing a grin, and for a second his eyes met Diret's. She, however, turned her attention swiftly to Guidot, who welcomed them to the meeting.

"The first point on today's agenda is the elimination of a Gaia pack." The Managing Director turned to Diret, who seemed to have recovered from her temporary scent of insecurity. The woman met the eyes of Warmongerr and the others with a confident look, and she sat straight in her chair. Warmongerr realized that the woman could be more dangerous than he had thought previously.

"Since a couple of months a pack of Glasswalker Garou, specialized in surveillance, has been spying on us. According to my sources they share their information with other Gaia packs in the city. There is also the danger of them selling their data to the Sabbat. This pack needs to be illiminated, because it is becoming a danger to the Corporation." After she finished her last sentence, she focused her attention on Skeleton. The man met her glance, and touched his small glasses with the fingers of his right hand. It was a habit Warmongerr had noticed before.

"I can send a First Team within the next forty-eight hours. The pack will be exterminated smooth and quick, without attracting any unneeded attention.", Skeleton said, turning toward Warmonger. His face showed a slight grin. Warmongerr felt a hurricane of Rage build within him, and he jumped out of his chair, slamming his huge paw hard on the mahogany wooden table. Skeleton jumped up to, moving away from the table, out of the Black Spiral Dancer's reach. His right hand was halfway inside his jacket. Guidot immediatelly got up, and gestured the short, broad-shouldered man to sit down. Then he turned to the Black Spiral Dancer.

"Warmongerr, control yourself! You know darn well there will be a big bloody mess if we send your Black Spiral Dancers. They will march through the area like an earthquake, trashing cars and buildings, and the entire city would be able to follow it live on the six o'clock news. What we need to send here is a small team of specialists. Not an Army! You know the rules of war better than I do." Warmongerr clearly saw the sense in this argument, and he sat down, supressing his Rage.

Guidot waited for everyone to take their seats, before he continued. "The second point on today's agenda is the Sabbat. In a minute I want an update of the status from both Diret and Skeleton. But first I want to thank Siegfried Hertz for his support the past month."

The German Executive stood up and adressed Warmongerr and his colleagues. "It has been my pleasure working with you the past month. In two days I will return to Berlin, and retake my place on the board there. As a final gift of support I want to present to you the commander of Blutgruppe." The man glanced at Guidot, who pushed the button of the intercom, and spoke shortly to his secretary. Warmongerr noticed the surprised look on Skeleton's face, as the German Executive pronounced the name Blutgruppe.

"What's this Blutgruppe", he asked him bluntly.

"It's...a Pentex First Team...notorious for it's vampire-hunters," Skeleton spoke silently. He turned toward Guidot. "Why wasn't I notified of Blutgruppe's presence in Paris? Am I not responsible for all the Pentex First Teams in Paris!" Warmongerr smelled a mixture of anger and exitement coming from Skeleton. The Managing Director remained calm as always, making a small gesture with his hand, summoning him to be patient.

A moment later the door to the boardroom opened, and a tall man in a beige raincoat walked in. He carried a wooden box in both hands. The man stopped at the head of the table. Warmongerr noticed that the attention of all the executives present was fixed on the tall man. The man nodded towards Hertz and Guidot, and put the box on the table.

"This is Blutnarre, the commander of Blutgruppe. He and his team will remain here, when I return to Berlin. Please open the box, and show them our present!" Hertz said. The tall man took the lid of the box, and his hands moved inside it. When he lifted them again, they held the head of a man. The head of a Vampire. "I give you the head of Muradin Tillet, leader of the Brujah and Sabbat in Paris!"...