The Caldonian Chasm
In their never-ending search for better understanding of primal Darkness, Abyss Mystics whisper among themselves of blasphemous possibilities. Rumors of rifts in the structure of the lightened world draw their attention, and such potential abyssal temples are often swarmed by the servants of these dedicated Lasmobra, each hoping to out-do one another: They may be cooperative in their search for (for lack of a more appropriate term) enlightenment, but they remain Lasombra.
One such rumor that has resisted solving for more than a millennium is that of the Caldonian Chasm.
This legend derives from a single missive sent by a Phoenician Mystic named Ahumm, who took the quest to learn about the Abyss as a much more physical undertaking than most elders. In what is now known as the sixth century of the Common Era (Abyss Mystics rarely honor the Gods of Light in their speech any more than they must, and some have taken to this modern re-naming of the calendar surprisingly quickly), an oral message was delivered to certain mystics in the Fortress of Shadows.
A nocturne speaking with Ahumm's voice related rumors of a tribe of Caldonian Garou who had recently forsaken their traditional nature worship and dedicated themselves to the Abyss. This is the last that was heard from him. Subsequent (though rare) interrogations of other Garou have indicated that this tribe was known as the "White Howlers," and is now known as the "Dancers of the Black Spiral," and that they lived in the northern extremes of the isle of Brittan, associated however loosely with a tribe known to the Romans as Picts of. Incidentally, Ahumm may be single-handedly responsible for the spread of Lasombra beyond the Mediterranean basin in ancient times.
In the seventh century, the apprentice Xavier Pulo, a scholar from Alexandria, pursued Ahumm's lead. A prolific correspondent, Pulo's letters detailed the peoples of Brittonia Minor in the wake of the fall of Rome, and his trek northward in search of rumors of Gaoru. His last correspondence came from a village somewhere in the vicinity of Edinburgh though mortal servants sent to search for him could not identify the landmarks he wrote of nor find a village by that name. Alas, these letters vanished, along with so much else, with the Fortress of Shadows.
Some six decades later, in the early eighth century, Pulo's mistress, Quinta Aurelia Verginia, took a large retinue of shade-infested ghouls, mercenaries, and servants to Brittania. The Gaelic Toreador Robert, who remains Prince of Edinburgh to this day, claims that Aurelia did indeed visit his city. Robert agreed to answer her questions about her apprentice, who he also vaguely remembered, then gave her permission to traverse his lands (at the time, he lay claim to the entire island north of Hadrian's Wall). The Toreador claims that she headed north and west, into the highlands, never to be heard from again.
Prince Robert spoke of this encounter with an envoy from a small cadre of Mystics based in the Horn of Africa during the fifteenth century, to repay a debt. He flatly refused, under pain of the Blood Hunt, to allow any more such expeditions. Apparently, he lost two of his childer and more than a dozen retainers to werewolf attacks during the years that followed. He is sure that Aurelia angered the Gaoru of the Highlands so much that they were not satisfied with her death at their claws.
It wasn't until the fall of the Fortress of Shadows that another expedition left to investigate the mystery. Two Ancillia decided to use their exile as an excuse to investigate the legend. Pablo Ruiz de Quadiz, a Scion and warrior who held his vows to Lasombra and his Clan to be sacred, and Adriano Cuorenero, a gifted Abyss Mystic, made the (by then much easier) journey to Scotland believing they might use this "Black Spiral" to enter the Abyss and locate whatever might be left of Lasombra's soul. In the chaos of those days, they disappeared, there is no evidence of them or their quest after their ship left the port of Catania. The most popular belief is that they may have been ambushed by traitorous followers of Gratiano, who were afraid their quest might succeed.
