In the Realm... The Clinic is a very non-descript building, with its plain brick exterior, a simple sign that reads "Halifax Free Clinic" and small parking lot, found deep within the are in Halifax known as Spryfield. Poverty is seen at its peak in these streets. The homes are run-down, most of the shop windows are either empty or boarded up and graffiti litters every possible service. Crime, gang activity, drugs and prostitution run rampant here and often the peacefulness of the night is interrupted by the ringing of gunshots. For a long time the city tried to clean up this area but in the past few years it has gotten so bad that not even the police go into Spryfield after dark.
The lot that the Clinic sits on was an empty lot for many years. Records show that it was a church until the early 1960's to a mostly black congregation. However, in what many believed to be a racist act of violence, it was burned to the ground and has sat barren until recently. In early 1999, a small independent group received a small government grant and bought the land. On the same foundation that once held the church, a free clinic was erected. While the government does provide minimal funding for it, it exists almost solely on private donations.
The Clinic provides a variety of public services. Family services, counseling and day-care are provided for low-income families. A soup kitchen provides two hot meals daily. The Women's Shelter provides battered women and children temporary housing. The Drug Rehabilitation Center provides a 30 and 90 day detox program, as well as weekly Narcotics and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. All of these programs are badly under-funded and over-crowded.
Only recently, while replacing a piece of floor that had been damaged by a broken pipe, a lost piece of foundation was found. A narrow staircase that leads down to simple chambers. And there is something different about this place.
In the Umbra... Replacing the box-like building of the Clinic stands a modest, yet proud, church. Built from wood and painted a simple white, this church is a beacon of hope in the dying land around it. The bawn in the Penumbra, surrounding the structure, is a messy place, with the weaver's webs present and rat spirits scuttling about. Once you enter the structure you pass through a heavy set of wooden doors. As you approach the chapel the air seems to shimmer and quiver with an unseen energy. Even in the grim half-light of the Penumbra, the simple stain-glass windows dance with colour on the floor and rows of dark wooden pews. Behind the altar is a narrow set of stairs, leading down into the belly of the church.
The heart of the Caern... As you walk down into you begin to sense the "flavour" of the caern, your heart begins to swell, you spirit is soothed and you are invoked by the feeling of hope. Hope of a thousand prayers whispered on a thousand Sundays Hope of families trying to make it work, hope of freedom from ailments and addictions. It is a simple room, furnished sparsely but it is here that the garou can find solace from the taint that so often surrounds them. Yet everyday the feeling that is invoked is growing weaker.