Gareth Hendrix and the Bunker Bigfoot [Tricube Tales Solo], Part 8 (Finale): Oh whistle and I will come to you, my lad

 [Oh, Whistle] [1]

Lina finds herself in a underground bunker she never new existed. One of the smaller RVs at the back hid a trap door that led down to this place. A surprisingly fortified place. Guns and trophies from generations of conquest. A shrine to Barlow and her grandmother. A secret meeting place reserved for the True Pack. The Real Pack. Did Gareth know of this? Somehow, Lina doubts that. This is the kind of place reserved for people have been fully initiated and she suspects she knows what sort of lines have to be crossed to do that. 

In front of her is the woman Jack introduced as his fiancé Lucretia. She is bloodied, deep gashes on her skin and clothes. But she gave as much as she got because Grandma Macy looks...singed. The old werewolf's left arm is at an odd angle and flecks of blood are dripping. Not silver, something else. Lina hears them saying the word "witch". 

She also hears the old wolves, people she had long thought toothless and giving up, praising Gareth of all people. Saying this was a trap of his design. By hiding out away from the pack, the witch would get cocky and try to get to the boy. Leave her support and the crew behind. They do not say "Gareth," of course. "Barlow's boy did it..."

That she is not sure about. Maybe he does have claws she never knew about. She feels the marks on her neck. Even though she put them there, he still easily beat her in a fight. She doubts any one else in this room could do that, except Him. The King. The guys dominating this room. 

The last thing she picks up shocks her the most. Because this is Gareth's mom. Lina has tried very hard to not think about her parents, to think about Gareth's mom, to not think about the other missing pack mates. That's the past. Hanging out in Bunker and getting high with the Lanes...that's who she is. A good chef. A bad kid but a great friend. Not even a kid, anymore. 

Something else.

Then He talks. Huge. Stretched out into full wolfman form. Not angry, though. Well, angry, but also something else. Calculated. "Hello, Lucy," Barlow growls. Deep and dark and Lina feels proper afraid. Understands some of the things that Grandma used to say. Understands better why Grandma said them proudly. Barlow is on another level. And this what she, Lina, thought she wanted for Gareth? For herself? 

"Where is the flute, Lucy?"

"She didn't have it on her," Grandma says, "I checked." A sinister chuckle spreads around the room. All the old fogies finding their wolves for the first time in years. 

Lucy, Gareth's mom, looks strangely unafraid. Lina has been watching Lucy make odd shapes on her shirt and skin using her own blood. Maybe some of Grandma's blood, too. The other wolves not paying attention. Despite some of the sigils being really obvious. Like they cannot see. What other tricks does this witch woman have?

"I don't carry a priceless family heirloom while going out to smoke at a run down city park, believe it or not." 

"No," again, a growl more than a voice. Lina has to stare at Barlow directly or her mind fills him in as taking up the whole room, a wolf the size of a house. By staring at him, it forces her brain to see him actual size. Which, admittedly, is quite large. Bigger than even her. "But I feel it close. You do have it nearby. That new boyfriend of yours. The little ape." 

More sinister laughter.

Grandma steps up, slaps Lucy in the face, and then stares the human in the eyes. Grandma resisting shifting into wolf form. Lina knows it interferes with the magic the Marons brought from the old lands years ago, when the Maron wolves ran across islands like Puerto Rico and Jamaica. Pirates and warlocks and wolves. Before they settled down as first-mates to the Hendrixes. Before Lina was born with the silver fur and none of the magic. Possibly because of the two women in front of her, something they did.

Whatever non-voiced struggle the two women are having, Grandma is losing. After a few minutes Grandma lets out a sigh and collapses at the bound woman's feet. [3]

"What do you say, my old friends. I think it is time we hunt," Barlow enjoying the fight. Barely caring that his literal oldest ally, a woman who helped raised him, is fading fast.

A weak voice from the floor. Grandma. "They got cameras." 

"Ah, right," an even deeper growl. Barlow even larger and darker in the mind's eye, hard to look at without seeing some mythic beast instead of just a merely terrifying one. "Leave no witnesses."

All eyes on Barlow, Grandma, and Lucy so Lina takes a chance. As the pack climbs up the ladder and slams into the night, she pulls out her phone and types to Gareth, hurriedly. [4]

[And I'll Come] [5]

Gareth falls into wolf form and runs to the park at full speed. Faster than many of the pack would have believed possible, now that they are old and retired. Gareth knows they are not coyotes. They are dogs. And while Gareth can barely count as the new Big Bad Wolf, he is still a Hendrix and that counts for something. 

Getting there, he does find the crew car his mom had been borrowing between filming. Empty. Driver side door ripped from the frame. Gareth howls more than shouts, "MOM!' And then begins trying to find any sign. Sure enough he picks up her scent. And Ms. Macy's. Along with a couple of the other members of the pack. He also picks up the scent of scorched fur and wolf blood mixed with human. There was a fight and his mom managed to hold her own for at least a bit versus three werewolves. 

If Gareth was not so panicked, he might be proud. 

It is 10pm. Gareth does not know if that is early or later in the Hoyst household but he calls Tommy. One advantage to not being a particularly large werewolf is that his human clothes still fit. If anything, they get just a little bit baggy. [6]

"Um, Gareth, what's..." 

"Shut up, Tommy. I need you to come to Bunker Park. Bring silver bullets if you got them..." Hoping his wolf voice is not so different. 

"Gareth, are you high? Or um, sick? What the fuck is this about? I'm with Val right now. Valentina. We just got her kid to bed..." In response, Gareth lets out a deep, growl. Tommy seems to get the intent of the message despite the non-verbal aspect of it. "Wait, there, man. I..ah, fuck it. Let me get to my computer real quick."

Gareth paces around the park. Not sure what Tommy can do but figures that with some assistance life just might be better. However, in 15 minutes it is not Tommy he sees but Tommy's drone. Gareth's phone rings. [7]

"Look, I have no idea what the fuck is up but holy fucking shit....IS THAT YOU?" 

Gareth Hendrix. Socially awkward. 21. Likes his solitude. Partially because it helps to avoid situations like this. When he is in werewolf form, wearing Gareth's clothes including the Hoyst Coffee//Bigger They Fall T-shirt he promised his friend he'd wear to promote the partnership. 

To his surprise, though, Tommy seems cool with it. [7]

"HOLY SHIT, That is AWESOME. Makes what Rod said make a lot more sense. I knew something was weird about you trailer park folk."

Tommy goes on to explain by "out with Val" he means that the two of them, along with their kid, took the day go down to the Hoyst timeshare in Gulf Shores. Still, he has access to remote into the drone control station he has been working on and so figured he could send those. 

Tommy is actually giggling as Wolf-Gareth tries to explain about how the future Lucretia Fall is actually his mom and that his dad and his adopted grandma have kidnapped her. 

"Oh shit, dude...I'm sorry but...ok. Want me to scout out something. Fuck, I tell you what, I can land this stupid thing and then drive up there, give me...ummm, Gareth?"

Gareth is looking at his phone. On it, the message reads: "I'm about to get your mom free. Barlow and others have gone to film crew. Some shit about a flute. Will murder everyone. You have to stop them. Trust me to take care of your mom. You have explaining to do." From Lina. [9]

"Tommy. That hotel your dad got the film crew in Cresthill. Can you call them and tell them there is a bomb threat or something. Hell, report seeing a rabid wolf on the premises. We need to get the folks out." [10]

Unfortunately, despite everything Tommy can do...it is already too late. 

[To You, My Lad] [11]

Gareth runs into the Hotel parking lot with his wolf form elongating. Growing. Awakening. The t-shirt tearing. Shoes unable to handle the pace. 

He can hear the screams. Smell the smoke. Smell the blood. Can see the bodies. 

Police sirens in the distance approach but by the time they arrive, at least a couple more minutes, things will be done. 

Gareth sees his dad, a massive dark werewolf, even now so much larger than Gareth's own, holding up what looks to be a flute of ornate design in one large claw. The other claw holds Jack Fall. Still alive, but beaten. 

Others of the pack are smashing up camera equipment. The TV crew, the people, that had been hanging out with Gareth just a few hours ago dead or injured. Lana bleeding in the parking lot, crawling away. Bleeding deeply but already discarded and left to die. By these...jackals. Gareth feels his shoulders push harder. His legs grow longer. His white and black fur growing thicker. The wolfman shape becoming something else. 

A fire alarm is blaring with a growing portion of the hotel on fire. People trying to run out are being caught and tossed back in. A lot of people trapped and the fires growing closer. [12]

Gareth runs across the parking lot without stopping and grabs Jack Fall from his dad's grip and rolls with the tumble to keep the man alive. Then turns to face the pack that are now watching him.

"What the fuck is this about, boy? Wanting to keep a pet?" "Ah, I bet the fucker hasn't paid him yet. Take his credit cards, son, we know some guys." "Old Genny'll crack a bank account in under an hour!"

Such feral beasts that Gareth cannot recognize them individual any more, no idea who is who in this masquerade. A horrible Greek chorus, just assorted fingers and talons of some fell monstrosity. One of the indistinguishable things delighting in picking up a young woman and silencing her. Showing off. For him. For Barlow's kid. Not paying attention the tears pouring down Gareth's face. 

Barlow, though. Barlow barely notices. No one tells a Hendrix what to do. If Gareth is all about saving half-dead reality TV stars, then so be it. Barlow has what he wants. The flute. If only he knew how to break the bonds. 

Gareth is trapped. He can run with Fall but many others will die. Many others are dying. And there is no way he can take on his dad. Not alone. But still, if not now, then when... 

Carefully placing Jack down, Gareth runs and slams into the back of Barlow, managing to knock the large wolf over. Biting down hard on his dad's arm. Barlow, so caught up in his victory that the surprise causes him to drop the flute. It rolls under one of the nearby cars. Gareth shoves the car aside, grabs the flute, and runs. He still does not know what the flute is all about but it was important enough for Lina to text it and Gareth trusts her. [13]

Behind him, the sound of screeching tires tears through the parking lot and a loud crunch. Gareth looks back to see Kametra's mom's car smashing Barlow into the large metal trash bins at the back of the lot, Kametra at the wheel. It only takes the wolf a few seconds to practically lift the car up and off him but in those second the top of the car shreds open and the second largest wolf the pack leaps upon Barlow and then bodily lift him in the air. Lina's fur so silver it practically glows in the firelight. [14]

Gareth watches as his friend manages to overpower the larger wolf. Barlow fights back but cannot break free. Yet. Surely only a matter of time. The other wolves are running towards Lina. Fully aware that the two younger werewolves are no longer playing along. Gareth runs and manages and dives in between them, slashing out and getting slashed in return. In the confusion, it buys enough time for what happens next.

Which is Lucy Hendrix. Gareth's mom. Barlow's wife. The witch who tried a new form of blood magic to make a pack stronger but accidentally made it weaker. Daughter of a long line of werewolf hunters. Future wife of Jack Fall. She takes out the silvered arrowhead she wore about her neck, one hidden by her rapidly applied blood magic, and slices Barlow's throat. Her face showing the same level of confusion as no doubt Gareth's own. And with that one single cut, the Bunker Bigfoot dies. Poor closure for the dozens of lives Barlow ruined while still alive, including Gareth's own. [15]

Gareth gasps as the flute burns in his hand, magic burn so not so easy to heal even for him, and he hears the choked, painful screams of the pack around him. Their blood bound to Barlow. Barlow bound to all of them. With The Big Bad Wolf's death, the pack starts collapsing around them, dead. Shifting into human form. Just more bodies for an inexplicable mystery to likely never be fully solved unless society takes a large step into lala land. Gareth is almost amused to think of all the YouTube videos this one night will generate. The Wikipedia page.

Gareth crushes the flute in his hand and the strange relic turns into dust. A priceless family relic. His to discard. 

Lina wails and howls, still in wolf form, holding the now still body of Lana as Kametra, the ever loyal friend, grabs Lina bloodied body and holds her like a sister. Lucy shouts something at them and then starts shouting something to Gareth, pointing back towards the road. To the stunned Gareth, it might as well be an ancient, occult ritual. 

Gareth snaps back into the reality of the situation. Realizes his mom is trying to get him to run. So he does. Directly into the fire. The infamous Hendrix blood. Fast healer. But he's more than that. Something his dad or granddad could never be. He's something else. 

As his fur burns, it regrows. The pain is excruciating but for a moment it takes his mind off the mental image of his mom killing his dad. His mom he thought his dad had killed. 

Gareth grabs fire extinguishers, slams down obstructions to prevent the spread of fire, rips pipes from the wall to douse the hallways with even more water, and saves everyone he can. Within hours, the story of the Cresthill Creature will spread around the internet. The creature who saved people from a burning building, who blistered and healed and burned and stood triumphant over fire hot enough to melt metal fixtures into the wall. Who carried children as his lung choked, breathing into their lungs. 

He huffed and he puffed and he screamed and he howled. In pain. In despair. In frustration. And, most of all, he was winning the fight against the fire. Clawing back lives that would have been lost. Knowing even then he could empty three hotels and maybe never make up for the destruction his people had done. But this was a start. 

A brand new mythos. A new cryptid. Complete with blurry, smoky photographic evidence. The three-quarters white wolf. His fur a perfect replica of the waning move, above. 

As he is carrying an old woman from the building, the final person to save, fire trucks are already finishing the job he started with dousing the fire.

And roughly all of Cresthill's police are aiming guns at him. Lina and his mom and Kametra and Lana, whos may or may not have survived, seem to have managed to escape. The smashed car gone into the night. 

A stunned Emmanuel John "Jack Fall" Fallard holds a camera and films. 

Gareth walks away. If they open fire, he does not hear it. If they hit him with bullets, he does not feel it. All he knows is that no one tries to stop him as he reaches the edge of the woods and fades into the shadows. 

No one tells a Hendrix what to do. 

["Something Else"]

A month later, Gareth and Lina (along with Tommy and Kametra) are down at the Hoyst timeshare. Life has been crazy for just about everyone in Bunker this past few weeks, but the buzz around the hotel is starting to die down. Tommy pulled some strings to come get them and hide the pair out down here and the two are looking forward to finally being able to leave this small place without having to wear hats and sunglasses and dress like tourists. 

Reports are confused. Some talk about wolf beasts slaughtering a film crew. Some say it was a bunch of trailer park folks and a drug deal gone bad. A bunker underneath the park was found with weapons and lots of evidence attached to a lot of crimes from decades ago. Serial killings. Kidnappings. Robberies and assaults.

A bunker that was filled with more bodies. Lina had left them alive and trapped but the flute magic took them, too. One day she might actually cry for her grandmother but mostly she still cries for Lana. A four day romance but one that might take months, years, to heal. Like Lana's scars. The tiny little beautiful woman still recovering from her injuries. Not blaming Lina. But for now, needing some space. 

Lina could hear the spark still there a bit. The attempts at flirtation. Maybe one day Lana will let Lina back in more fully, once this whole manhunt - or wolf hunt as it is - dies down. Lana is nervous, but hopeful, and has talked a lot to Kametra about forgiveness.  

Still, Lina's glad she watched Barlow bleed out in her arms.

Cops are trying to find Gareth Hendrix and Lina Maron but reports make it clear that is unclear if the two youths were accomplices or victims. The people that Gareth could not save will take another couple of months to fully identify. Cops can't rule out that Gareth's dad killed him, too. A couple rumors on reddit suggest that they were the ringleaders but few of those get anywhere near as many upvotes as the people who have dug up an extensive history of Barlow's past. Gareth has learned a lot.

Jake Lollings, the infamous slingshotter of Bunker High, credits Gareth as being the guy that inspired him to take up painting. Gareth did not even know Jake painted. Footage of candlelight vigils for Gareth and Lina are a fixture of more local news right next to user submitted sketches of what the werewolves looked like. Also interviews with angry folks demanding the two be found. 

Nathan Callum has been in a few interviews walking a fine line to praising and hating on Gareth. Stacy Callum gave an interview on the Today Show where she broke down in tears where she said Gareth was the love of her life. Gareth has no idea what was really going on in Stacy's mind but he's glad they split before all this started. 

The one thing not in doubt is all the damned footage of the Cresthill Creature. The 3/4 White Wolf. Shots of Gareth in wolf form saving dozens of people who had packed into Cresthill's Marriot to meet Jack Fall. Gareth almost does not recognize the wolf he became that night. By the end, he was taller than Barlow ever had been. Not big. Not bad. But something out of legend. 

Last full moon, Lina laughed at him because he was back to being the runt, but she said it lovingly. Anyone willing to take on half a pack to save a boy's mom and then also willing to convince Kametra fricking Lane to smash her mom's car to help protect that boy...that's a keeper. Gareth knows that Lina will die to protect him, as he will for her. He just hopes she will also protect herself.

Jack Fall, maybe at the urging of Lucy or just at a sense of something bigger than his own career, makes it clear that the Creature is a hero. Gives the Creature credit for saving his own life. Bigger They Fall will never return to air but Jack has been working hard to get other footage out there. Footage of that Creature carrying out an old woman and then walking off as cops opened fire and shrugged off bullets like an angelic visitation. 

It's not like the Bigger They Fall seasons 1-4 boxset hasn't already sold out its entire run and has a new special edition coming out. The way Gareth hears it, Fallard got paid a lot to add in just a few seconds of his soon to be award winning footage. 

According to mom, who is still slated to become the new Mrs. Fallard, Jack's new book - The Man Who Was Saved by a Werewolf - will be coming out in a few months. Fast tracked. Jack can cash his own checks for a good minute. Maybe Alone Enough to Heal is about to get a third season. If it does, it will have millions of views. 

Folks will be debating what the Creature was for years and Gareth would bet good money not one would guess anywhere near a sexually confused, socially awkward werewolf who just wanted to get out Bunker and maybe take some photographs. 

Three new werewolf hunting shows are currently in production. Not hunting in the old sense, but no doubt that will be on the uptick as well, too. Nothing like a slaughter to help raise money for a cause.

As for Gareth and Lina, the decision has been made for them to go away for a bit. A long bit. No pack. Just themselves. Kametra is going to come along. Can be useful having a human running interference on certain nights of the month. Tommy's going to help finance it, at least until they can get established. Whatever that might mean. Crime. Art. Cooking. The future is terrible and awesome at the same time. 

They are not sure where they are going, how long they will have to run. But wherever it is, they will run together. 

Lina looks down at Gareth, wraps her arms around him, "Like my grandma used to say, before there was a pack, there was a Hendrix and a Maron running together. We are just like the old days come round again."

Gareth embraces her back. 

"No. We're something else."

-- Mechanic Notes --

1. Whoo, we are getting into the doozies. Scene type chard... Ace --> 3, twist. Ladder down. There's a bunker. Queen of Spades --> bad for saving the pack. 2 of clubs. A scene about skills. Main Task: 6 of Clubs. Standard Brawny. This will be Ms. Macy's challenge, capturing the Lucy. Whiffs round one, knocks it out round two. Both take some heavy blows.
2. "Does Lucy have the flute on her?" No.
3. Lock it into a crafty challenge for Ms. Macy. 7 of Spades = Hard. Ms. Macy is completely outclassed by Lucy's new level of power.
4. Does Lina call Gareth. King of Clubs. 100%. First thought was loyalty to Gareth.
5. Scene Flavor: 9 of Clubs. A Scene about actions. Main Task: 8 of Diamonds. Easy Crafty.
6. Knew it was night so just pulled a card and got a 10 of clubs. Works for me.
7. "Will Tommy come?" Joker --> 1, Positive for Gareth. But 3 of Clubs. So no. BUT, we'll say he does something to help (to explain the positive).
8. How does Tommy react to seeing Gareth in his wolf form? 10 of Hearts. Actually really well. A full Yes, and situation... Makes sense than conspiracy loving Tommy might also love having a friend that is a cryptid.
9. 4 of Diamonds with it looked into Brawny. Hard. Pulled until I got any face card. King: 3 effort. Lina loses 2 resolution but does manage to overpower all the others that are there, including her now weakened Grandmother. She does manage to get Lucy out. 
10. Ten of Spades. Hard Crafty Challenge. Despite his best efforts, Tommy is not able to convince the hotel of an imminent threat. Folks will caught off guard by the attack.
11. Another of those thick stacks. Scene flavor: Jack of Clubs (note, not pulled on an Ace or as a Main task, so it's not bad for Gareth's plot, instead just see it as a scene involving Effort about getting something done...though in this case it will just be one effort since Gareth is the only one there...to start). King of Hearts. Good for stopping the show. Actually, that's bad. 4 of spades. A A Hard Agile challenge. Gareth gets just once success after burning off the last of his Karma. He won't be able to do the two things he needs to do (protect folks AND get the flute...but he can do some of it)
12. Is Jack Fall Still Alive. 9 of Diamonds --> Yes. How many people have they killed already --> 9 of Spades. Quite a few. Do they already have the flute? Jack of spades. Yes, but... they are not quite sure what to do with it. Is Lana safe? 3 of Hearts. No, and... she is caught up in it, but let's not kill her off just yet. 
13. Locked the first one as Brawny --> Standard, actually got two success. Extraordinary. THEN, to figure out how hard it was to get the flute from Barlow, drew a card and got "HARD" but since it was an extraordinary, ruled that Gareth could pull again for free [he's out of karma] and this time got Joker --> 5, "New Person". and then Jack so Easy. Gareth gets three success this time and gets the flute and is well out of Barlow's grasp before the next bit go along...because it's too late in the narrative to have a new person, but...
14. Queen of Clubs + Queen of Hearts -> A 2 effort Agile/Crafty challenge. Lina gets 3 success over two rolls and dominates the fight. 
15. "How can they stop Barlow." Rolled on the image oracle and got 2,1 = "Bullseye". There you go. Got a Standard challenge and Lucy got a exceptional strike to finish him off.
16. The final challenge of the game. I set it as a standard Agile challenge (which reallllly feels kind of off but there's been around 3 boss battles in this single scene, so I gave it to them). 

-- Doug's Notes --

I am going to have to write a full "debrief" about the series so some of my thoughts might end up there (this one is huge already, one of the longest posts on this blog). I just wanted to highlight a few things I liked and thought worked about this session.

I kind of wish I had stumbled upon the "take a phrase and split it up over the parts of the session" thing earlier. I've enjoyed the title of these last few quite a bit. 

This session was deeply complicated to run. With a lot of solo stuff, you get to where you know an ending needs to go and then you have a weird mixture of "stuff that will be because of the story" and "stuff that the oracles say" and you suddenly have to snap the latter into a kind of secondary place. "New Person" can't be a new person when you are in the final fight. Hence how Kametra showed up in a way that brought Lina and Lucy to the final fight before it was too late. I had actually drawn a card to see how far away Lina was and got a Five of Hearts. So she was just a few blocks away. Still, I had already planned to have a chase sequence before getting that "new person" shift. Once there was a chance to fight back the actual fight against Barlow became Lina and Lucy's realm. I didn't know what the magic Lucy got away with would do but that felt like a good enough use of it. It didn't take too long to figure out.

Gareth's main fight was "can he survive the fire long enough to save people" and my boy got all three successes in a single roll. It made a great final fight sequence.

I knew by the structure of RPGs and the structure of stories that a fight was coming. Three sessions back, that fight felt like it might be Lina. Then two sessions back it was definitely starting to be Barlow. Then it became the whole pack (though really, that's still just Barlow and Ms. Macy...really). I was curious to see if Macy and Barlow would betray each other but at the end, the two of them were well bad. I also liked that the focus was really on the two "kids". 

I had planned the "something else" bit to be the final story beat for a while but I didn't know who would be saying it or the exact context. I think this is probably better than any of my early "Gareth ends up taking over the pack" or "Gareth ends up leaving on his home" or "Lina remembers him fondly" type ending. I don't like myself to content when playing but it's almost impossible to not go "well, what if." On the practical side, it helps me to go "Ok, if this and this happens...this is way to reflect that". Little micro-possibilities and alternate universes so things like finding out A MAJOR SHIFT INVOLVING GARETH AND LOVE does not mean I have to completely mentally scramble. Though I am not beholden to them. 

I think the phrase being used to suggest the two of them will not rampaging monsters that prey on people is a good way to blend one of the main catchphrases. The other two being "No one tells a Hendrix what to do" and "It's complicated". Those three phrases were the guiding lights of the whole campaign, but "something else" was the true shining stone. 

Tommy was introduced to be the plucky sidekick to help take down the show but I quickly backed myself into a corner on that one. I just full on went "I'm pulling Tommy back in" for this one. Even when the oracle said "no, Tommy can't be there..." I went "Well, not in person, but..." 

Lana died in the very first writing of the story because I asked the question, "Is Lana dead?" and realized almost immediately that it was too cruel of a thing. BUT, I tried working with that statement through the finale and even incorporated it into the ending before I went, "No, that's not this story." 

I had problems with it before getting to the final scene but kept telling myself "No...no, I shouldn't have asked that question but I did... and what's on the table is canon!" This is already a story where a dead mother came back to life, a sweet grandmother is a criminal mastermind, and bad-werewolf turns out to be actually a really, really good werewolf. Witchwolf. Whatever. 

Lana does not necessarily have plot armor but her dying there was the kind of cheap stunt that TV producers will insist upon to try and snag some ratings. I asked the wrong question and I got an answer that did not make sense in the style of story I was working on. The kind of story where Kametra and Tommy and even Nate Callum weren't even on the table to die. I had basically stacked Jack Fall to living (but Jack Fall could have died if Gareth had went for the flute first). Why does he get to live when the only other named person on the TV crew doesn't? Off camera, even? Without giving Lina a chance to punch someone through the wall? Bah. Even if it said, "Yes, she lived," the question was flawed.

It would be almost like asking, "Are there dragons flying overhead?" in a murder mystery set in the 1920s or "Does the wizard have cybernetic enhancements?" in a fantasy heist. An oracle needs to be a partner to the story, needs to add elements and challenge the player, but the wrong question can do terrible things in the same way a player dedicated to driving a story off course can wreck a campaign.

I do not have a lot of respect for the kind of stories that sacrifices the love interests (not just the petite pretty female love interests, but also those) just to add weight. People died. The two main kids suffered. The whole town suffered. People walked away with scars and losses. All the hope of the ending is shadowed by all the grief of the ending. AS IT IS WITHOUT ASKING DUMB QUESTIONS. I should never have asked a question and left it to random chance when the story could answer it. Oracles are not to take away moral responsibility of the player/writer. So I changed it. My mistake wasn't the retcon, it was asking the question to begin with. 

On the other hand, leaving the questions of "Will Lina help Gareth?" and "Will Tommy accept Gareth as a werewolf?" were both great questions to ask. Lina could have either ran with the pack or stuck with her own, much smaller, two person pack. Getting such a definite answer was nice. Had it gone the other way then the parking lot scene would have been Gareth vs Lina. Not because Lina was bad, but because she was doing what she thought was right. Tommy could have flipped out. He didn't really do much. Just gave Gareth some moral support. Had Tommy screamed and refused to help, Gareth would still have rushed into the building to save people, maybe, before trying to reach out and make it up with his old friend. Those were good questions. "Does this person die without any possible gameplay loop?" was awful. 

Deep down I think that Lina and Lana will meet back up and be happy, living with each others scars and finding strength through them. I wish Tommy and Valentina well. Maybe the two of them will hit a balance neither had before. Maybe Jack Lollings will sell some paintings. Maybe Nate will grow up to be less an asshole. Maybe Emmanuel Fallard and "Lucy" will be happy. 

Gareth...I don't know. I think Gareth will be fine. I have ideas.

It's complicated. 

And so the story about goofy werewolves trying to stop from being spotted ends up with the most socially isolated werewolf becoming the one who opened the floodgates so he could save strangers.