Welcome to Gaia! ::

Vangreth is a Windigo aura of the Fire redou. She's about the size of a large beach ball. She's generally easygoing, but rather picky about who she interacts with; she won't bother with someone unless she deems them worthy of her time, which is why she doesn't interact much with the residents of Inle's household. Her relationship with Inle is an odd one: while Vangreth usually wouldn't hesitate before eating a human, she values her guardian's company and feels a sense of loyalty to her.

Vangreth is a descendant of Wagosh, the weakest of the three Ancient Sisters. She is very defensive about this, and hates to be called weak. She's got a sort of mean, violent streak, which is completely at odds with her lineage. It doesn't appear often, however, as it takes quite a bit to bring her to that point. Currently, she is looking for a host, and she seems to have found one she deems suitable...



Lenore is the girl Vangreth has chosen to be her new host. Lenore is almost 20, but looks to be a few years younger. Not much is known about her yet, but Vangreth has a good feeling about this one...

Kota comes from a talisman Inle picked up on a shopping trip. He has the power to change his size (to a degree), but not his outward appearance. He loves mimicing people and things, almost to the point of annoyance. He is often seen floating aimlessly around the house.


Narawen is a wild Feli, and was Inle's first pet; it was actually Narawen who adopted her. Because of this, the two have an unbreakable bond. Narawen is intensely curious, and seems to get along well with the other members of the household. She will often leave the house for days to visit the Feli House, where many of the other Felis live.


Tama is a Cremello Ocelot Banthi, the youngest cub of his clan's Alphess and her mate. Like his mother, he's got wings, and will often soar the skies for no other reason than the sole pleasure of flight. He's fiercely loyal to his family and (most) of his clan. He is a battler in his clan, and trains nearly nonstop; although some might take him as overly serious, those who know him know that he's got quite the sense of humor.


Very little is known about Scylla, a ghost dragon, as he is rarely seen. He arrived on Halloween, circling the house with the other ghosts that night, and hasn't quite left yet.


Gideon (left) and Nil (right) are Leguanis. They showed up in boxes on Inle's doorstep one day and haven't left the house since. They're like really big, lazy dogs, who don't do much but eat, sleep, and look cute. They're handy for scaring off would-be burglars, though.


Maggie is a CrocoStyle, and one of the first. She came from a high heeled shoe. She's a sassy, spunky little croc who never fails to get into trouble. She may be small, but she doesn't let any of the bigger creatures in Inle's house take advantage of that.


Mina is a vampiric Blath. She doesn't come into the house much, preferring to stay outside and raid Inle's garden for fruits, vegetables, and small rodents. She and her sprite Seras are an inseparable pair.


Nebel is a fog Wethkin. It's only about the size of a gumball, so it's rarely seen. It wanders with Kota around the house, and you can often hear it coming before you see it because of the "myuh" sound it will often make.


Stolza is obviously still an egg. Nothing is known about her, except that one day she will hatch as a Guardian of Gaia. Inle often carries her around, not trusting the others in the house to leave the egg alone.


Tessa is more like an overgrown puppy than a gryphon. She is incredibly playful and attempts to get the other pets to join her in her games, usually to no avail. She's also got a chewing problem, as no piece of furniture is safe from her sharp beak and claws.


The Sprocket Army comes from Moorgahaine's Emporium & Forge. One of each Sprocket populates the house, and they all do different things. Some of them have bonded themselves to various members of the household, but some still remain independant.

12/14/04 - Arrpee Session

Although Inle had said that she was never going in the woods again, she found herself in them once more, drawn towards them at the insistence of Vangreth. The aura had been emitting a high-pitched whine all day, showing her guardian visions of her dead children and pets. When Inle had asked Vangreth what she wanted, images of CWL's house had come to mind.

Grudgingly, she followed the aura into the forest; hopefully this time, with Vangreth as her guide, she wouldn't get lost. Sure enough, they soon came to the house, and Vangreth circled above Inle as she knocked on the door.

CWL looked up from her book of recipes. A memory of a half-heard sound echoed in her head, and it wasn't until it was repeated that she realized that she was hearing someone a-rapping on her door.

She abandoned her search of the perfect cannibalistic recipe for shin's christmas gift and made her way through the scattered crayons Deka had left on the floor after his coloring session. She spared a glance at the happy, blinding picture of a yellow lion before continuing to the door.

The icy weather seeped into the crack of the door when CWL opened it, and she was tempted to slam it shut to keep warm. Instead, she peered outside. Her gaze fell on another woman on her porch. Again, a memory poked at her brain, but she couldn't remember it for the life of her.

"Hello? Were you tapping?"

Inle instinctively drew her coat closer around her as Vangreth's motions stopped at the side of her head. "Um...yeah," she said hesitantly. "Vangreth's been kinda antsy lately. She wanted to come here, and she said that if I didn't bring her, she would eat my family or something. I dunno, her images have been kind of blurry lately."

Vangreth moved in front of Inle's face, and the woman batted at her as if to get her out of the way. Her hand went right through the aura, however, and Van's hum grew louder and more insistent. She sent CWL an image of a sad emoticon.

CWL blinked at the little aura, then raised an eyebrow at Inle-roo. "Did you...I dunno....FEED her, or anything?"

Inle's head dipped regretfully. "I went out with her when she fed once, just to make sure she would be alright. She seemed to be fine and happy and whatnot, so I left her to herself after that. She's gone out several times since then, and when she comes back she glows brighter, so I don't think it's that."

Van sent the pair images of a person applauding, and then a group of clapping hands, followed once more by the sad emoticon.

CWL, in the way of all people who are Not Quite There, blinked again. She was getting mixed messages from the emoticons, but supposedly (if her reasoning was Still There) Vangreth had fed, and that wasn't the problem, but the aura was still bitchin.

"Perhaps you need to come inside." She stepped back, opened the door wider, then walked back towards her sitting room without looking back.

Inle nodded, quickly stepping in and shutting the door. Vangreth had followed CWL, circling around her like a friendly cat might wind around its owner's ankles. Inle had a vague feeling of dejavu, and rightly so; she had only been here about a week ago, only this time, the circumstances were much different. She perched herself on the edge of the chair.

Vangreth floated between them, from one to the other. As she did so, she showed the pair a series of images: first, images of a sad-looking neko child, a green-haired child with wings coming out of his head, and a pale baby, with purple hair and snow-white wings. These were followed by a happy face. Then, she showed them an image of the homeless man she had eaten the first night she had been with Inle, and a few more pictures of normal looking people, followed by a sad face.

Inle sighed. "She keeps showing me these things, but I don't know what they mean. I've already told her that she can't eat my kids."

CWL smiled at the floating aura before settling down into an understuffed couch and concentrating on the images Vangreth was sending.

"These are your kids?" CWL fell into quiet contemplation. If Vangreth was just showing images of her surroundings, then nothing was wrong. Maybe the sad face meant someone was picking on her? ...But the thought of two little children picking on a ravenous flesh eating windigo ten times older than they were was quite ridiculous, and alltogether unlikely. There was only one conclusion CWL could find.

"I think she wants to either eat or possess your children."

Inle's jaw dropped, although she had sort of suspected it all along. Now that she thought about it, the kids DID have a tendency to avoid her, except for Ephenrix who still couldn't bring himself to care either way.

Vangreth's hum grew into a higher pitched whine. The aura floated towards Inle, circling around her head like an affectionate cat twines through its owner's legs. She showed both women images of Inle herself, and then a <3 symbol. Afterwards came an image of a barely school-age child, floating in the air. A giant straw came from out of nowhere and plunged itself into the child's chest, and an image of Vangreth appeared and literally sucked the flesh, fluid, and spirit from the kid, leaving it a withered husk.

The images vanished, and the aura settled itself upon Inle's lap. "Do...Windigos have a thing for kids, or something?" Although CWL had explained to her the basics, she still found herself confused as a whole.

CWL shrugged "Usually they go for people in their prime, such as people in their twenties. Sometimes they go younger, depending on the personal tastes. But I've never seen a windigo go for such young specimens. Unless..." She peered at the aura that was twining its way around Inle-Roo.

"Well, it seems to have a personality that would fit...." She mused, eyeing the friendly windigo.

Inle looked worried. "Great," she thought to herself, "I've got the Peewee Herman of Windigos." CWL's last statement brought her back to reality. "Unless what?"

"Well..." She began, shifting her weight and getting a gleam in her eye as she leaned forward. "She has the personality of a descendant of Wagosh." Her face split into a grin. "Which is actually a bit unique, since they tend to be weakest among the windigo, and are thusly consumed." OOh, poor girl. She was going to have to nurse a bullied child. CWL snickered, and settled back into her seat, grabbing a lollipop from the low table nearby and unwrapping it carefully.

Vangreth shot off of Inle's lap, coming to a halt mere inches away from CWL's face. She was humming angrily, her light glowing brighter than Inle had ever seen it. To CWL alone, she showed images of a previous form: long limbs, tipped with deadly claws, lifting what appeared to be hunters bodily and ripping them apart. A paw reached out, grasping one by the head and squeezing it until it was squished like so many grapes. Some she ate, others were killed for fun, but all of their spirits were consumed.

A fast forward in the scene saw the seasons change, a full year going by before the vision ended. A whispered voice entered the room, its sibilant tone saying, "Not...of Wagosh. Of Magan...silly child." Another vision then, again of Vangreth's previous form. Beside her was the broken, though still living, form of a man, what looked to be his wife slain before him. In her deadly hand she held an infant; the hunter's child. As the hunter looked on in horror, Vangreth tore the child's head from the body, proceeding to eat it as one might an apple before consuming the rest of it. Once finished with her snack, she turned and slowly walked away, the shrill screams of the man echoing in her ears.

Cruelly, she smiled. The disjointed voice called out again. "Understand?"

Throughout this picture show CWL lounged back, licking her lollipop. Living with Shin had taken the edge out of near death experiences for her.

"Vangreth, dear, you cannot fool me. Windigo do not measure their strength against humans. They measure their strength against other windigo. I am human, I know you could kill me. But Shin, and Aubrey, and the others, they are the ones you need to measure yourself against." The lollipop was pulled from CWL's mouth with a pop.

"As for Maigan, she breeds emotionless types." CWL stared at the aura pointedly, gesturing a lemon lollipop in its direction. "Demens, I think, is one of hers. You are either Wagosh's child, or a far removed relative of Maigan. Your aura does not blind me as Shin's did."

Inle glanced from the aura, to CWL, and back again. She had not been privvy to her aura's movie. "What uh...just happened?" she asked, painfully slow on the uptake. "...was that her talking? I didn't think she could do that."

Vangreth's glow had subsided somewhat, and she began circling CWL, her hums almost contemplative. A stream of flowing, calligraphical text entered the woman's mind. "You are wise...not like the others. It is intriguing, to me. And you are right: my glow is not now what it used to be. Far too long have I been without a suitable host, and I have suffered for it. Inle does not understand as you do. She expects me to be content, feeding off of mere humans. I need--crave--the magic hidden inside the shamans of old, but they are no more. I seek out new magics, but these are different times, and such power is not as easily found.

Your belief in my descent is nothing to me, mortal. You will see, soon enough." A smiley faced emoticon appeared. "I like you. You get to live another day."

CWL stuck her lollipop back in her mouth. "Twas a pissing contest between two species" She garbled around the candy. "All is good. I think she's worn out from speakin, though." Her attention focused back on the aura.

"Wise? Nope. Just quick on the uptake. Shin has told me a lot about the windigo, and an elephant never forgets." Her head bobbed sagely. "And your posturing in front of me does not dissuade me from my theory. When Shin gets back, he will be able to tell me for sure." CWL's gaze bore into the depths of the aura, before she beamed at it.

"Yeup, I think she's alright. Nothing serious. I recommend getting a babysitter for your kids while she finds a host. She seems to be on the market, as it were. Now..." CWL began, standing up from her chair. "I have creatures to see to. I trust you know where the door is?" She intoned with a raised eyebrow, before twirling and stalking off into the depths of her lair.

Inle blinked bemusedly at both woman and aura. She hadn't SEEN Vangreth do much of anything, but...well, she was willing to take CWL's word on it. As CWL left, she stood, calling out, "Uh...thank you!" She stood to leave, Vangreth already drifting towards the door.

"What was that all about?" she asked the aura as the two left, walking through the dimly lit forest. She got no response, and she frowned. Inle sighed, and the two went home.

Vangreth had changed since that night. Where she had once avoided Inle's young wards, she now went out of her way to harrass them, resulting in numerous crying fits on their parts. On one of these occassions, Inle snapped.

She glared at the aura, eyes narrowed. "What the hell is WITH you lately, Van?! You know you're not supposed to bother the kids!"

The aura's disjointed voice rang through the room. "Need...their power..."

Inle scowled at the aura, not budging an inch. "You can't HAVE their power! Look...I know of a place, alright? If I take you there, you HAVE to leave the kids alone...deal?" The aura bobbed in place, as if nodding.

Reluctantly, Inle trudged out the door, leading the aura to what looked to be an abandoned warehouse. Inside, however, was a party: bodies crammed into the large space, and none of them were natural. The aura sent Inle an evil looking smiley face before floating through the door. As Inle walked away, she could hear franting screaming coming from the building.

Vangreth came home near sunrise, her glow now like a tiny sun. She settled herself on a chair near Inle's bed, and a soft, content sigh rippled through the room.

1/11/05 - Journal Entry

Vangreth has stayed at home for the past week or so. While she does go out to feed, she doesn't stay out as long as she used to, nor does she return shining as brightly. I'd be worried, but there seems to be no change in her personality; she still doesn't like anyone but me, although she's beginning to tolerate the children as long as they don't come too close.

Speaking of which, it's the oddest thing: Eki seems to be utterly fascinated with Vangreth. I don't know if it's her shinyness or what, but he keeps crawling around the house, following her everywhere. Her angry humming noises don't seem to put him off like they do everyone else, either. It just makes him giggle. I've always known my child was a bit off, but...hmm. I guess I should keep a close eye on them both, just to make sure.

3/13/05 - Narrative

It was dark, and Vangreth was on the prowl. Her prey tonight was male, tall and lean, dressed simply. He looked average, like everyone else Van had encountered. He looked like someone that nobody would miss. He had just gotten off work, and made the almost too-perfect mistake of taking a shortcut through a dark alley.

Perfect.

The man didn't even have time to scream before the aura that was Vangreth began sucking him dry from the inside out. All at once, he seemed to grow thinner as his flesh and organs were devoured, leaving him little more than a dried skeleton, now-sallow skin stretched tightly over protruding bones. His mouth was open slightly as if in surprise at his own untimely death, and the clothes that had fit him so well only a moment before now draped over his sticklike form--a modern day death shroud.

All in all, Vangreth was pleased.

Her glow was just a bit brighter as she exited the scene of her latest kill, pausing at the mouth of the alley. To go home, or to prowl some more, looking for the host she knew she needed? She opted for the latter and began to search the streets again...only this time, she was looking for a much different type of prey.