Cliodhna didn't feel it, but she spent about 23 years in a nightmare-state. Images of her cairn being destroyed, and the IRA defeted and dissolved flashed through her mind. Finally she awoke with a start and couldn't see a thing. Something was over her face, and it should have been smothering her but it wasn't. For some reason she not longer felt the need to breathe. Her body felt odd...cold like a stone left out overnight...but it didn't bother her. She started pulling at the skin-like substance covering her face in a panic, and when it wouldn't come off, she started thrashing around. After tiring herself out, she rested a while, and realized she still had the precious Mac-10 with her that had never left her side for 6 years in life, and she was somewhat comforted.
Suddenly the skin was ripped from her face and she could see. There was an incredibly tall skeletal figure covered in a robe bent down in front of her. The figure was...floating in a boat, holding the skin-thing in one hand and a scythe in the other. When the figure spoke, Cliodhna knew it was a woman. She explained that Cliodhna has passed into the world of the dead, and asked her to step into the ferryboat. Cliodhna put up a fight at first-- how could she be dead? All her life her mother had gone on and on about how she was to fulfill this great purpose-- to help in the fight against Markova! Surely if she was dead she had already failed! What a waste her life had been! She sat dejectedly in the boat as the woman poled it along with the scythe.
The woman stopped to pick up more passengers-- some rocker-looking guy with an ego larger than his hair, a Goth-looking guy who wouldn't stop going on and on about his woman Susan, a mild-mannered-looking man in his 30s who said he was a doctor, and a large blonde jock-looking guy with a foul mouth who looked like he wanted to start trouble. When they stopped to get the hippy-guy, he reacted in such a frightened and desperate manner that it awakened Cliodhna's own fear and desperation, and she joined with him in demanding to be allowed to return home. It was only when the ferry-woman told the guy that he would be able to see his woman that both of them calmed down.
The ferry-woman took her new crop of wraiths to the New York Necropolis to be processed. Once everyone stepped out of the ferry-boat, the woman pulled off her cowl and suddenly shrank down to a normal woman's height, and became a lovely blonde girl-- Cliodhna guessed she was in her 20s. She introduced herself as Anaceron Brianna, and told them they would be joining the army of the Heirarchy. It was very apparent that Cliodhna's group wanted nothing to do with being recruited into any weird army, and suddenly a voice spoke up inside Cliodhna's head that she was going to be forced to march in Markova's army. Cliodhna had never experienced anything like this voice-- it was literally a voice in her head, and she didn't like it. She immediately stopped Brianna and asked what army this was, and Brianna told her that their job was to destroy Markova and his minions of spectres. Cliodhna was overjoyed! So THIS was where she would be fighting Markova...in the afterlife? Well, she knew Markova was dead...something called a Malfean...so it made perfect sense. After this revelation, Cliodhna's army training kicked right back in and she became a model soldier.
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As the group was being taken to the building where they would be sorted and given their equipment, Cliodhna had to step in a couple of times to try to bring the hippy-guy and jock in line. This was the army that would be fighting Markova-- the place where her life's purpose would be realized-- and anyone who wouldn't take that seriously and get in line was a threat to that purpose. The group finally learned one another's names-- the hippy-guy was Ray, the jock was Aaron Slays-Spirals-- he was a Garou in life, and Cliodhna was so excited when she found out that she dropped her strict demeanor and practically hugged the guy-- the rocker was some singer who'd become famous after Cliodhna's time named Jonny Brashly, and the doctor was Dr. Richard Steele.
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Brianna took the group around and introduced them to her friends-- they met a knight-looking guy named William and an Italian mob-guy named Angelo...a German guy named Hans...too many people for Cliodhna to remember at once. Angelo was an interesting character. Apparently he had been changed into something called a Risen in order to protect a boy named Matthew. Brianna took them to Matthew's house to peek in on him while he was sleeping, and Matthew's father could actually see them, and was not pleased to see them. Apparently Matthew was doomed to die soon-- Cliodhna wasn't sure exactly why-- and was someone important who other beings wanted to destroy, but Brianna and Angelo had to make sure that Matthew died when he was supposed to...the whole thing made no sense to Cliodhna based on what she's overheard. She made a mental note to ask Brianna to explain it to her when she had a chance. The group was also taken on board a ship called the Ulysses, and that's when Cliodhna remembered her men and cairn back home and started inquiring how she could book passage back to Ireland. She didn't get very far before the group was brought back into the city.
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Brianna next took them to the Met where they waited to be admitted into the presence of someone called Ahura. This name tickled the back of Cliodhna's mind for some reason, but she couldn't remember why. They were shown in, and found themselves in a huge Egyptian-looking chamber with guards dressed in Egyptian clothing standing around a naked woman. Cliodhna cleared her throat and stood at attention, but this was very odd. Suddenly all the stories her mother told her about being in ancient Egypt came back to her, and she commented under her breath that it looked like everything she'd been told had been correct!
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Ahura looked at each of them one at a time-- a very powerful gaze that made Cliodhna feel naked, too-- but Cliodhna's conscience was clear, and she stood straight and still. Ahura spoke to Brianna for a time-- she had a very deep and calm voice-- and then asked each of the rest of them if they had any questions for her. Cliodhna waited while the others asked their questions-- her own question burning suddenly and painfully in her mind. Jonny actually had the nerve to hit on this strange woman! Finally Cliodhna asked Ahura if her mother had lived after she had run for her life, and Ahura shook her head sadly. Cliodhna felt herself choke up with tears, but lowered her head and nodded in understanding-- not wanting to show weakness to her companions. When she got her voice back, she asked where her mother was, and was told that she had gone on to Turtle, and Cliodhna felt herself started to get emotional again, and quickly went to the back of the room and sat huddled in the corner with her face pressed into her folded arms.
Brianna then excused the group and began to escort them out. Cliodhna stood up, thought about something, and then walked back up to Ahura. She asked Ahura what had happened to her army after she died, and Ahura simply told her that it was not her concern any longer. Cliodhna thought about leaving on the ship again-- wishing she could get more from this woman-- but finally followed after Brianna. Then Ahura smiled and asked Jonny to come back, and the doors closed behind them. Now Cliodhna had no idea what to think of this Ahura!
The rest of the day was very eventful. A large spectre broke into the city right in front of the group, and the group was able to destroy it single-handedly. One of the centurians of the army heard about this, was very impressed, and approached the group. He told them that they had not been assigned a centurian to lead them, but because of their show of skill and bravery in dispatching the spectre, he felt they could chose one amoungst their group to lead them and be centurian. The group discussed the matter, and their decision was that Cliodhna should lead them since she had the most leadership experience. Cliodhna was very proud of this honor, and started feeling even more at home in this weird new place. Right after this decision was made, Jonny came roaring up to the group in a new sports car! Cliodhna rolled her eyes and wondered if Jonny had just been turned into a man-whore!
Each member of the group was placed in a legion based on how they died. Both Cliodhna and Aaron died by violence, so they were part of the Grim Legion. Cliodhna wasn't sure how this legion figured into her afterlife...until she and Aaron were left with them for a week to be trained. Apparently each legion specialized in some sort of wraithly power, and this-- as well as many others-- were selectively taught to each of the new Wraiths. The Grim Legion assessed Cliodhna's strengths and experience, and decided that because of her skill at dodge and stealth she would be taught Argos, because of her fighing experience she would be taught Outrage, and because her mother had been a dreamwalker she would be taught Phantasm. Cliodhna had time to learn another arcana of her choice, so she picked Embody because she longed to see her grandparents again and be able to tell them everything that had happened to herself and her mother, and to find out what had become of her army after her death...but she kept these reasons to herself.
Cliodhna also learned what fetters were-- they were people, places, or things in the world of the living that each Wraith was emotionally attached to, and they could go into these fetters to rejuvenate and rest. Unfortunately, all of Cliodhna's fetters were on the island of Eire, so she had to go to some salesman who could bind her to her fetters so she could immediately go to them at any time. This was such a valuable thing to Cliodhna to be able to do-- forget booking passage on a ship-- so she was willing to pay all the money she'd earned so far in order to have the procedure done...except that she was short a week's pay of the price the salesman was asking. But she was so desperate that she signed a contract to repay the money by the next day, or else start accruing interest.
Before she had time to try out the link between her and her fetters, Brianna was back, and asked them to accompany her back to talk to Angelo and check on Matthew. Cliodhna watched Brianna carefully, and soon caught on that Brianna had feelings for Matthew! Was Brianna related to Matthew somehow? Maybe he was her little brother...she wasn't sure. Before she had time to ask, there was an attack on Matthew that the Wraiths tried their best to assist in. Luckily, Angelo and one of his friends were able to protect Matthew. Cliodhna suddenly got an idea in her head-- as stupid as she thought she was being for getting herself involved with the Mafia-- and asked Angelo if he could lend her a week's pay so she could pay off the fetter-binding-salesman. Angelo told her that she'd been badly ripped-off, that he knew this guy, and that her fetter-link might even prove faulty given time, but he gladly gave her the money in exchange for a service from her which he was free to call her on about at any time in the future. Cliodhna then altered the deal so that if she payed Angelo off she wouldn't owe him the favor, and the two shook on it, sealing the deal.
The group returned to downtown necropolis to rest for the night, but Cliodhna's head was clouded with anger at the saleman who'd taken advantage of her, and she tossed and turned for hours festering about what she was going to do to him!
