TRIBAL INFO | houndsofhell

The Black Furies

A tribe comprised mostly of female Garou, the Black Furies aggressively defend the Wyld and fertile places that are holy to Gaia.

Description: Hailing from ancient Greece and undoubtedly responsible for that land’s legendary Amazons and Maenads, the Black Furies tribe consists almost entirely of female Garou. The only males that are welcome are metis, and even then only those born to the tribe; a male metis of another tribe joining the Furies is simply unheard of. Many of the other tribes - particularly the Get of Fenris and Shadow Lords - write off the Black Furies as nothing more than “warrior women,” but nothing could be farther from the truth.

The Black Furies do not see themselves as mere warriors: They are a force of nature, acting to right wrongs done against women and, through them, Gaia. Men who do not understand the proper way of things might commit these wrongs, or the Wyrm itself might cause them. To the Furies, it makes no difference: The souls of these defilers’ victims cry out for retribution, and they are retribution’s vehicle.

The Furies both defend and aggressively seek out Wyld sites that

might make suitable caems. Their own caems are reputed to be

treasure troves of ancient fetishes and powerful talens, but few

members of other tribes can get close enough to discover the truth

of this; many Furies are particularly suspicious of the Silver Fangs,

Shadow Lords and Get of Fenris for their “ Curiosity” About such

rumors. On Particular cam of the Black Furies, the Freebooters,

scour the world for Wyld sites that could serve as a Caern once the

sites are properly purified. They succeed only rarely, making such

success the cause for great celebrations.

In the End Times, young Black Furies have begun to seize territory

inside large cities, hoping to make an impact on women's lives

there. In the heart of the Wyrm. Whether they will succeed or not

remains to be seen, but many tribal elders warn of great calamity

should their daughters and nieces continue on such path; they

believe the furies most important role is not as counselor and

friend to the homids, but as Avenger.

Tribal Totem: Pegasus -- though he is a male Totem, the

winged horse of legend is rightly subservient to Mother Gaia,

symbolized by his gelding.

Advantage: Once per day, at a site holy to Gaia like a Caern,

you can regain a number of Willpower Traits equal to your Rank.

Drawback: Men drive you to Frenzy more easily with their

inexcusable behavior. You must spend an additional Willpower

Trait when you are trying to avoid a Frenzy triggered by a male.

Restrictions: Male characters may not be members of

the tribe unless they are Metis.

Beginning Tribal Gifts: Breath of the Wyld,

Heightened Senses, Sense Wyrm

Starting Willpower: Three

Wolf Form: In Crinos, Hispo and Lupus forms, a Black Fury’s fur is black or a very deep gray; some exhibit white, gray or silver highlights.

Organization: Females dominate the Black Furies’ tribal hierarchy; although male metis are permitted to remain in the tribe, they rarely take positions of authority. The ruling body of the tribe is known as the Outer Calyx, consisting of 13 veteran Black Furies from across the world who coordinate tribal activities on a global scale. The Outer Calyx is answerable only to the Inner Calyx, five elder Furies rumored to be selected by the Incama Artemis herself.

Habitat/Protectorate: Since legendary times, the Furies have acted to defend women and to punish those who violate the natural way of things; they hold fast to the former part of their protectorate more than the latter in these final days. They have a strong affinity for the ancient, wild and sacred places, and will defend those to the last, but in modern days have taken up arms in the cities to better strike at their foes’ hearts. Their Kin are both male and female, but males are more likely to be tasked with building influence in mortal society, and some are viewed as little better than breeding stock.

The Bone Gnawers:

Scavengers and survivors of the streets, the Bone Gnawer's shared struggle to endure has forged their identity.

Description: If you asked the member of any other tribe which Garou are furthest from Gaia, fingers would unerringly point to the Bone Gnawers, who live in sewers, garbage dumps and slums in the greatest cities of the World of Darkness. But the Bone Gnawers know the truth. Gaia isn’t just in the virgin timberland or at the top of a craggy peak: Gaia is in the city, too. Unlike their cousins, the Bone Gnawers fight for Gaia every day. The Wyrm is at its strongest in the heart of great cities, and so it is there that Gaia is at Her weakest and in most need of defense.

The Bone Gnawers can’t help the material fact of their situations. They don’t have decent homes or much money; they live on the streets, alongside the homeless, the crazies, the muggers and the Wyrm-things. The Gnawers are self-reliant, though: They have found their own places of power amid the trash, and they can create fetishes and talens out of discarded junk. Social standing among the Bone Gnawers has very little to do with one’s wealth or combat prowess and everything to do with one’s ability to provide for those in need and combat the Wyrm in less obvious fashions. That isn’t to say that the Bone Gnawers can’t fight when they have to; the tribe’s totem spirit is rat. A Gnawer Ahroun fights as well as any other tribe’s warrior does, and he is entirely willing to fight dirty.

As a group, the Bone Gnawers are on moderately good terms with the Glass Walkers - though they surely do not travel in the same circles, each group has something the other can use. The Gnawers have an ear to the streets at just about all times, and the Walkers have nearly un- matched material resources. Most Red Talons and many Silver Fangs revile the Bone Gnawers, wishing that the tribe would just go away. Most of the other tribes grudgingly tolerate Rat’s adopted children, leaving them to fight heir war as they see fit.

Tribal Totem: Rat -- the ultimate survivor, Rat shows the tribe

how to thrive in the dirty places of the cities, despite being unwanted.

Advantage: You are always well-connected to the goings-on of

the cities. Once per session, you can gain one Influence Trait per Rank

for the purposes of gathering information. You may not know any

senators or CEOs yourself, but you know their janitors, their plumbers

and their dry-cleaners.

Drawback: You're held in little regard, if not outright contempt,

by the rest of Garou society. Take a one-Trait penalty on all Social

Challenges with other Garou.

Restrictions: You get none of the Backgrounds Ancestors,

Pure Breed or Resources. Those are for nobler sorts than you.

Beginning Tribal Gifts: Cooking, Scent of Sweet Honey,

Tagalong

Starting Willpower: Four

Wolf Form: Bone Gnawers are mangy mutts; their coats usually exhibit the marks of their mixed background, showing two or three patterns and colors. They are often flea-bitten; small Bone Gnawers may try to pass themselves off as (big) stray dogs, but it is hard to conceal their lupine heritage.

Organization: Bone Gnawer society is not particularly organized. Wise elders are referred to as “Mother,” “Father,” “Grandmother” or “Grandfather,” but there is no Rite or ceremony that accompanies such a title: It happens when it happens. One of the best ways to get status among the Bone Gnawers is to accumulate useful cast-off items, the sorts of things that others might think are junk but that have a great deal of utility left in them. There is no global hierarchy among the Bone Gnawers; each must make his own way.

Habitat/Protectorate: The Bone Gnawers live in the poor parts of big cities; they see the occasional sacred place there and those innocents they find to be their charges. Their caerns can often be found in the least probable of settings: in the hearts of vast junkyards, condemned buildings, underground tunnels or the like. Bone Gnawers can be found patrolling the darkest streets of their home city; some have the defense of humans in mind while others aim to keep all humans away from their greatest prizes. While most werewolves think of the Gnawers as strictly urban, some of the tribe have more rural roots, living in the rural South and the Appalachians. Others speak of humble origins amid the poor of India and northern Africa or among migrant workers and dirt farmers. What the tribe truly shares is a connection with the downtrodden and disenfranchised who are found anywhere

"Peace" isn't a concept most people would link to a tribe of warrior-wolves, but the Children of Gaia see it as the cause for which they fight.

Description: The Western Concordiat seems unanimous in its hatred for the Weaver and Wyrm. The Children of Gaia alone stand against this. They know - or at least claim to know - that war is the creation of the Wyrm and strengthens the Wyrm. They desire to make peace, first among the 12 Tribes and then between the Garou and humanity. And then, who knows how far such an upswelling of good sentiment might go?

The Children suffer the slings and arrows of the other tribesfor their attitude, of course; epithets like “hippie” and “peacenik” are the least damaging things they run into. However, because the members of most tribes know that the Children do not really hold grudges against any of them and do genuinely wish to improve the rapport between the tribes, the others often turn to them to act as mediators. The Children of Gaia have the best relations with the Uktena and Wendigo of all the so-called Wyrmcomer Europeans.

However, these peace-loving Garou do have their breaking points, and their Rage can be frightening after being pent up for so long. They also understand that, as werewolves, sometimes they just need to “pop claws and go to town” for sanity’s sake. What they stress is that they look for good targets (like Wyrm-things) to vent their Rage on, rather than the wasteful destruction of another Garou. The Children of Gaia are one of the most active tribes within homid society. They work as environmental activists, teachers, lobbyists and similar roles, trying to educate humanity to the danger of their actions. Where possible, they take direct action against the worst depredations of humanity, but since they are less likely than many other Garou to cause the Delirium in homids, they are the most useful working within homid society.

The Children are an unusually large tribe by Garou standards, and are as diverse as they are large. This is mostly because the Children of Gaia and their totem, Unicorn, welcome almost any werewolf to join the tribe. Males born to the Black Furies, the metis of many tribes, “weaklings” born to the Get of Fenris, lost cubs

Tribal Totem: Unicorn -- the mythical creature of purity, the touch of

Unicorn's horn can heal any wound... or deal them out to the corrupt.

Advantage: As part of a tribe of skilled mediators and persuaders, you

gain two additional Social Traits of your choice (choose two from

Charismatic, Impressive, Manipulative, or synonyms). These may

increase your total beyond the usual maximum for your Rank.

Drawback: our war-form inspires less terror in human witnesses,

reducing the effect of the Delirium on them as if they had three

additional Willpower. Their Delirium is reduced even if there are

Garou of other tribes present in their war-forms. Ironically, this

effect is a drawback because it makes it easier for you to damage

the Veil. The Children believe this happens because they never

participated in the Garou's Impergium of the human race,

millennia ago.

Restrictions: None

Beginning Tribal Gifts: Mercy, Mother’s Touch, Resist Pain

Starting Willpower: Four

Wolf Form: Children of Gaia are shaded mostly with gray or brown, with a dappling of white. Lupus-form Children do not loom menacingly in the way that other tribes do; they instead give off an aura of calm and safety.

Organization: On the local level, the Children of Gaia operate by consensus, working together to forge solutions that are equitable to all involved (save minions of the Wyrm, who do not, contrary to the japes of other tribes, get a vote). At a Children of Gaia sept, the three leaders are the Voice of the Goddess (usually a veteran female), who acts as the policy-maker for the tribe; the Arm of the Goddess (usually a veteran male), who carries out the Voice’s decisions; and the Heart of the Goddess (a metis, or an elder beyond childbearing years), who acts as judge.

Habitat/Protectorate: The Children call no one place home; they travel to the places they are needed across the globe. They range from Calcutta to California. Their greatest concern is the welfare of humans subject to the depredations of the Wyrm; the Children of Gaia believe that they alone understand that the Wyrm will always take root in humans unless those humans are protected against it. Their Kinfolk tend to be unusually aware of social and environmental issues, and come from every nationality.

The Children of Gaia:

The roots of the Fianna tribe run deep into Celtic soil, and bloom into epic adventures, rousing musics, good food, strong drink, and unquenchable passions

Description: Many onlookers suspect that the blood of the Fair Folk runs in the veins of the Fianna tribe; these Garou share an ancestral home with the legendary fae in the British Isles, and have the same love of a good song and strong drink as those mythical creatures. The Fianna are master storytellers - a good Fianna yam, whether true or not, will set you back a case of beer and half a night, and you’ll wonder where the time went as you stumble to the door.

The other tribes see the Fianna as merrymakers and drunkards, but that’s not quite the whole story. The Fianna are famed for their wild mood swings and may spend weeks in a melancholy bordering on Harano before cheering.

A Fianna’s mood can just as quickly turn to anger; their frenzies are no less frightening than those of more openly warlike tribes. Of all the tribes, the Fianna are certainly the most sociable, but they also provide most of the material for ballads of unrequited or tragic love, especially for humans and other Garou.

Some Fianna in North America and Australia try to get away from the stereotype of the drunken Irish brawler or bard, but it is hard to eliminate a stereotype that the other tribes seem so determined to see within them. New World Fianna work as activists within homid communities rather than holding themselves apart from humanity. Certainly cities with large Irish population have more Fianna than others do, but the tribe is, like most of the other of the Garou Nation, truly global entity in these days. The rise of the Celtic Tiger economics boon in Ireland and the fight for peace in Northern Ireland has begun to tear a rift in the tribe, as the youth seek the benefirs of the movement and the elders deccry the lost of traditions.

Tribal Totem: Stag -- the lord of the forest, a guardian of the boundary between light and dark, Stag's ties to the Fae and the wilderness bring balance to his tribe.

Advantage: Bards and brawls typify a Fianna heritage. Choose

two of these four Abilities: Brawl, Expression, Melee, Performance.

You begin with an extra Trait in your two chosen Abilities. Your

normal maximum for these two abilities is six.

Drawback: A creature of passion, your moods are as mercurial as

the fae. You are two traits down in all challenges to control your

emotions, resist Frenzy, or resist powers that influence emotion.

Restrictions: None

Beginning Tribal Gifts: Faerie Light, Persuasion, Resist Toxin

Starting Willpower: Three

Wolf Form: When in Lupus, the Fianna are terrifying to unprepared

homids: They seem to be the dire wolves of old, with shining red or

black fur. Their howls can rend the heart for their beauty and sadness.

Organization: At the local level, Fianna septs elect their members to

“Chairs” of various performing arts: There is a Chair of Poetry, a

Chair of Song and a Chair of Stories. These Chairs lead moots for the

local sept. On a global level, a high king or queen, known as the

Ar-Righ, leads the Fianna. The traditional seat of this office is at

Tara in Ireland, though not all Ar-Righ hold court there, some preferring their own homelands (be they Sydney or Boston).

Habitat/protectorate: In older times they preferred the moors, forests and peat bogs of the “auld sod,” although they have traveled across the globe with their Kinfolk. They are most commonly found in the British Isles, the United States (especially Appalachia), Canada, New Zealand and Australia. They usually settle close to their Kin, whom they protect with great ferocity.

The Fianna:

These Nordic Garou claim to be warriors among warriors, devoting themselves to Glory and bloodshed with a singular focus.

Description: The Get of Fenris are the Fenrir, the chosen children of Fenris Wolf, the mightiest warrior spirit in the heavens. They are the fists of Gaia and the greatest warriors of the Garou Nation. Anyone who cares to disagree is welcome to challenge these proclamations in person. The Get hail from

northern Europe and Scandinavia; those are harsh lands, not prone to forgiving individual frailty, and the Get have absorbed this attitude from their surroundings. They want no truck with weaklings of any kind, Caring only for the Strongest Garou.

The mythology of the Get revolves around ancient Norse Legends. They see the coming Apocalypse through the lens of Ragnarok, the final battle between the Norse gods and the wicked giants; the Get see themselves numbered among the Einherjar, the chosen warriors of the gods. The Wyrm itself

they call Jormungandr, the World Serpent. It is said that a true warrior of the Get of Fenris would gladly let himself be devoured by Jormungandr if he was sure to get a few moments rending and tearing at the beast’s face.

The tribe’s belief that the weak must be culled saw a black mark against the Fenrir in the middle of the 20th century as more than a few members of the Get of Fenris fell in with the ideals ofNazi Germany. That cancer was excised rather painfully as the tribe fell to infighting while some of the worst crimes against Gaia of that century were taking place, and it took a few years for the Get to return to their former stature. The most poisonous of Get rhetoric has softened somewhat in the intervening years.

The Get of Fenris see no problem in seizing caerns “misheld” by other tribes; if the Get can take

a caem, obviously it was not well-defended against the minions of the Wyrm. The Get see their own stewardship of such caerns as the best and most obvious solution to that problem. This has put them on bad footing with several 1 other tribes; the Wendigo and Uktena, in particular, have no great love for the Fenrir. A few tribes are too strong to assault in such a fashion: The Shadow Lords, Silver Fangs and Black Furies can generally hold their own against a Get assault. The others watch the Get warily; the Fenrir know that they will lead the assault against the Wyrm in the final battle for Gaia, and now they only wait the signal

Tribal Totem: Fenris Wolf -- the legendary villain of Norse myth is a

hero in the eyes of his tribe, a paragon of strength and brutality in war.

Advantage: Only the hardiest of Garou make it through a Fenrir Rite

of passage. You have an additional Healthy Health Level.

Drawback: You despise a particular form of weakness -- as the Fenrir

define weakness. Possible targets of your contempt might be

cowardice, peaceniks, physical frailty, Weaver-things, or

compromise. You must succeed in a Willpower Challenge when

in the presence of an object of your contempt, and if you fail, you

have to take action against it -- possibly violent action.

Restrictions: Fenrir may not have the Contacts Background -- they

have no use for passing acquaintances. If a Fenrir has the Mentor

background, the Mentor will never give more direct aid than

instruction and advice.

Beginning Tribal Gifts: Razor Claws, Resist Pain, Visage of Fenris

Starting Willpower: Three

Wolf Form: The lupine forms of the Get of Fenris resemble the

savage wolves of the Far North from ancient times. They are gray

and muscular, with cunning eyes and powerful jaws. Some few have dark patches in their fur, but those are often regarded with contempt by the rest of the tribe as lacking in

pure blood.

Organization: Each Get of Fenris sept is ruled by a Jarl who is almost invariably the mightiest warrior in the sept. Any warrior who wishes to challenge him can depose the Jarl, but this challenge must take place in ritual combat after a moot, and other Get of Fenris must witness it. This ritual requirement is often rendered moot, since many Jarls prefer their challenge duels to be to the death. There is little organization to the tribe above the local level. The entire tribe is held on the seats that are held within the Temple of Isensol. These seats include the Jarls of Northgard, Isensol, Walhalla and the Fenris Jaw, the tribes diplomacy is dealt between each of these Garou who meet together once every full moon.

Habitat/Protectorate: The Get of Fenris typically reside in harsh lands where their mettle (and that of their Kinfolk) is constantly tested. This preference for tough living does not prevent the Get from forcibly acquiring caerns that other tribes are slow to defend. They are concentrated most strongly in the Black Forest of Germany, Scandinavia and the north central United States. They lash out at any force that threatens their Kinfolk, who are generally of Northern European extraction.

The Get of Fenris:

Leave the other tribes to their musty old traditions; the Glass Walkers are city wolves, embracing the cutting edge of the fight against the Wyrm.

Description: The Glass Walkers are the most modern and forward-thinking of all the tribes of the Garou Nation. They alone truly embrace modern technology and turn the Weaver’s tools on the Wyrm’s minions for Gaia’s benefit. They do their best to bring their technology and resources to the other tribes so that all can benefit from the latest advances, but, as is often the case, the Red Talons get frustrated and smash new cell phones, while the Get of Fenris hurl laptop computers into nearby lakes. In the end, it seems, most of the more primitive tribes are interested in new weapons and weapon accessories, and rely on the Glass Walkers to use the other stuff on their behalf.

This is a role the Glass Walkers are all too happy to take; they love toys. The epithet “Weaver-thing,” considered an insult when applied by the Red Talons, is used in loving jest by Glass Walkers (“Ooh,new Weaver-thing! Lemme see....”). Their affinity for technology is unmatched among the 12 Tribes.

The Walkers are not obsessed solely with computers and high tech; they also embrace business, politics

and high finance. Only a city’s Leech population matches the Dons when it comes to having a finger

in every pie. The Glass Walkers have contacts in many white-collar industries and no small number

of trade unions and other blue-collar labor. Glass Walker business investments often provide the operating capital for extended Garou operations, and a few warlike septs now find themselves in debt to the Glass Walkers for previous raids. Most Walkers wouldn’t call a debt like this in, but it is good to know the marker is there when you need a favor.

The Glass Walkers do fight the Wyrm. They just take the fight to the boardroom and the Internet.

rheir finest warriors stalk those who exploit urbanization and they reclaim urban areas to create patches of green in the cities. One of the tribes greatest assets is the “ Monkeywrenchers,” Saboteurs of various talents who turn there efforts on corrupt companies, especially Pentex, and its subsidiaries. When they're not duking out with public corruption, The Glass Walkers are dealing with the city's vampire population; such a close quarters ensure the ancient enemies encounter each other, and the Glass Walkers know as many dirty tricks as the Leeches to get things done.

Tribal Totem: Cockroach -- a spirit of adaptability, Cockroach's

closeness to human civilization has made him an expert on its

ins and outs.

Advantage: You connect and influence human society with an ease

other Garou don't possess. You gain one free level of an Influence,

and you can buy further Influence for 1 XP per level (as opposed

to the usual 3 XP).

Drawback: You are so spiritually linked to the cities that you have

difficulty employing Gnosis anywhere else. Anywhere the Gauntlet

is 7 or less (except on a Caern), add one Trait to the difficulty of your

Gnosis challenges.

Restrictions: Eschewing ties to their past, Glass Walkers cannot take

the Ancestors, Mentor or Pure Breed Backgrounds.

Beginning Tribal Gifts: Control Simple Machine, Diagnostics,

Trick Shot

Starting Willpower: Three

Wolf Form: Having degenerated from ancient lupine majesty, the

Glass Walkers are smaller and weaker than most other Garou when in wolf form. Their fur is often mottled, as befits their mixed heritage. Many Glass Walkers shave or dye their Crinos-form fur in accordance with similar modifications they make to themselves in homid form.

Organization: At the local level, city elders known as Lords or Dons rule the Walkers. These elders have wide-ranging influence throughout the city, rivaled only by local Leeches. As is the case with many tribes, the Glass Walkers lack a large-scale organization, but as the world becomes more interconnected through an electronic web, Dons are better able to cooperate with one another and make certain that a werewolf cannot escape punishment simply by fleeing to a remote city. The Main hub of organizational control for the tribe resides within the "Trio" Caerns of Houston Texas, The Deep Caern (even though it has a STRONG Bonegnawer presence), Charter's Hill Hospital and mainly The Shatterdome Battle Station.

Habitat/Protectorate: As might be expected from their name, the Glass Walkers prefer to live in the wealthiest parts of cities across the world. The centers of power - political, financial or electronic - are their stomping grounds. They prefer to stay close to their human contacts, from board rooms to underworld society or ritzy clubs to seedy street life. Their Kinfolk are equally widespread, mostly connected through electronic means (cell phone, e-mail, pager).

The Glasswalkers:

The Shadow Lords are a severe tribe, earning their ruthlessness and cunning from long millennia serving faithfully behind the Silver Fangs. Perhaps it's time to change that.

Description:The Shadow Lords cultivate an air of menace in the same way that a Child of Gaia cultivates her herb garden. Dark, looming, brooding - such traits personify these Garou of Eastern European descent. The Shadow Lords know with precise certainty that they are more qualified to lead the Garou Nation than the Silver Fangs; the Fangs’ leadership consists of doddering old fools, lost in yesterday’s glory, they say.

They hold themselves to be the guardians of the Litany, well-versed in the “correct” interpretations of the tenets. Above all, they respect power and strength; the weak are worth only Disdain or a swift death.

The Shadow Lords must watch their own flanks at all times: In addition to competing with Garou of other tribes for position and influence, a Lord dares not show weakness to another Lord lest she lose face and position within the tribe. Cubs revere their elders as dignified, cunning and proud, but often do so from fear. Elders are known for arrogance as much as ability. Add this to a steaming cauldron of political intrigues, tribal solidarity, conspiracies and spies, and the tribe is more likely to suffer from internal conflicts than outside interests.

The Shadow Lords are adept at manipulating others to do their bidding; some darkly joke that they learned that skill from the vampires that stalk the night in the tribe’s ancient homeland, the Carpathian and Balkan mountain ranges. It is certainly the case that the Shadow Lords are more willing to enterinto dealings with such dark creatures than other tribes are. Some Lords end up on the wrong sides of such bargains - apparently some Leeches have a fondness for werewolf blood- but others can and do play games with the Undead

The Shadow Lords revere Grandfather Thunder as a spirit only slightly beneath Gaia in importance -

most Garou believe that the Shadow Lords feel that Grandfather Thunder is Gaia’s equal, a sky god to the earth goddess. If the Shadow Lords really do consider the two to be equal, they keep that fact to themselves. By all indications, Mother Gaia is foremost in their hearts, but Grandfather Thunder is a capricious patron. He does not tolerate weakness, but sends his Stormcrows ahead to warn favored Shadow Lords of coming danger.

Tribal Totem: Grandfather Thunder -- slow to gather his power yet

swift to strike, the sky-god tests his grandchildren constantly.

Stormcrows are his favored messengers.

Advantage: You can deftly outmaneuver an unworthy opponent in

most social situations, be they manipulation or intimidation. Once

per session, in a Social Challenge, you may choose to gain a Trait

bonus equal to your Rank.

Drawback: Grandfather Thunder is utterly merciless toward your

mistakes. When you fail a task and lose Renown, you lose one

additional Renown. If your failure would somehow gain you

Renown instead (it was an honorable effort, perhaps) -- you gain

one fewer Renown.

Backgrounds: Shadow Lords cannot take the Allies or Mentor

Backgrounds. Such things discourage self-reliance.

Beginning Tribal Gifts: Aura of Confidence, Fatal Flaw, Seizing the Edge

Starting Willpower: Three

Wolf Form: A lupus form Shadow Lord retain his hauteur and arrogance. The Lord is typically black-furred and broad-shouldered, with an air of smoldering menace about him. More spend time as Lupus during bleak, rainy days.

Organization: The Shadow Lords are organized along much the same lines as the Get of Fenris (though you would never hear members of either tribe suggest such a thing): The stronges leads alone. The primary difference between the two is that while Get of Fenris moots are rowdy, drunken, debacles, Shadow Lord moots are quiet, almost solemn as the sept's leader sets the plans for the next months activities. Shadow Lords leaders must be perfect. The must have the social skills necessary to manage the tribe's activities, the strength to crush any opposition and the mystic knowledge to turn even the spirits to their will. Shadow Lord leaders are rarely challenged openly; only when the leader has shown obvious weakness is he considered to be a viable target for deposition. The Caern known to the Shadowlords for it's considerable power and thought of as it's base is Nightsky in Romania.

Habitat/Protectorate: Though the tribe’s true home lies in the Balkan and Carpathian mountain ranges, they now range across the Western Concordiat. The Lords’ preferred homes lie amid rocky mountains and spooky plateaus, with haunted coniferous forests all around. Other than their own Kinfolk - generally of Eastern European descent - and business interests, the Shadow Lords do not have a favored group of homids to defend, although powerful men like military dictators, crime lords or ruthless businessmen may find themselves pursued by female Shadow Lord lovers. Like the Get of Fenris, they ruthlessly seize undefended caerns, insisting that the Garou Nation must ensure that such holy places are in the hands of those best capable of protecting them.

The Shadowlords:

A tribe of wanderers without a home, the Silent Striders carry messages between Septs and investigate the secrets of the longest journey -- death.

Description:The Silent Striders are wanderers, messengers and travelers; more than anything else they are enigmas. Though the tribe originally hails from Egypt, they no longer reside there, instead wandering the globe. Though it is claimed that no Garou can enter the lands of the dead, the scent of the Dark Umbra clings to them. And though they rarely do any other Garou wrong, few werewolves completely trust the Silent Striders.

When acting as a messenger or bearing tidings of the wyrms activity, the Silent Striders are welcome visitors at nearly any caem. If rumors are to be believed, the Striders even find welcome among the fae and wizards of the world, and ghosts are said to follow them.

When wandering the world, the Striders have an uncanny tendency to poke their snouts in where they don’t belong and come out with trouble on their tails. This may be the reason they are so widely distrusted. Most Striders make a living

acting as couriers or messengers between caerns; they know the hidden byways well enough, and, it is rumored, afew secret Moon Bridges to boot.

With the usual exception of Banes aand Black Spiral Dancers, the Striders hold their greatest hatred for vampires. Tribal legend holds that the Striders fought an army of vampires led by a dark undead godling called Sutekh. Sutekh supposedly cast a great curse on the tribe that drove them from Egypt, scattered them to the winds, and worst of all, severed their bonds with their ancestors. Since then many Striders take Egyptian names as a link to their past, and search the Umbra in vain for some sign

of their forbears.

The Silent Striders do have a relationship with the Restless Dead. The origin of the relationship is unknown, but Striders tend to attract ghosts' attention when passing through the Gauntlet 1into or out of the Umbra. Rare is the Silent Strider who doesn't have at least one wraith tagging along as he travels Out of a sense of respect and politeness, the Striders will generally avoid mentioning such ghosts in front of strangers.

Tribal Totem: Owl -- swift and silent, a gatherer of mysteries.

Advantage: Your experiences on the road have made you especially

alert. You may freely cancel any retests called against you for the

purposes of Surprise.

Drawback: An ancient curse on the tribe draws the restless dead to

you at inopportune moments. When you lose a challenge to step

sideways, you may (at Narrator discretion) attract a ghost -- treat

this as the Haunted Flaw. The ghost won't leave until you perform

a service for it.

Restrictions: You may not take the Ancestors and Resources

Backgrounds; your past is lost to you and you can't put down roots.

Beginning Tribal Gifts: Sense Wym, Silence, Speed of Thought

Starting Willpower: Three

Wolf Form: The Silent Striders have the look of the jackal about

them, lean and muscular. They have black coats and yellow eyes,

appearing as though they just sprang from the hieroglyphs on a

tomb’s wall. However this is open also, if your character comes

from another area of the world and you feel a Jackal would not represent this, talk to your storyteller and make a note on your character sheet.

Organization: The Silent Striders are loners, without explicit hierarchy or titles, but they do occasionally gather ingreat moots. Typically these moots take place alongside barren, empty expanses of road, although outsiders remain mystified about how the tribe knows where and when to meet. More commonly, rather than congregating, the Striders leave one another messages on roadsigns or in subway tunnels, using a pictographic scrawl whose meaning is generally kept secret.

Habitat/Protectorate: Whether as individuals or as a tribe, the Silent Striders do not have a single homeland. They are wanderers, travelers, born to the road. They may stay in one place for an extended time, but for the most part they do not congregate for long periods at any particular caerns, save for a rumored caem in Casablanca. Their Kinfolk are likewise disparate -Rrom, circus troupes, nomadic tribes, truckers or hitchhikers.

The Silent Striders:

At their best, the Silver Fangs are a noble tribe of kings and queens, ancestral rulers of the Garou Nation. But at their worst, they are despots mad with power.

Description:The Silver Fangs are the traditional rulers of the Garou Nation. Their Kinfolk hail from the most highly placed noble families in Europe, northern Africa and western Asia, and their regal blood and pure breed are obvious to any Garou they encounter. At the same time, the Silver Fangs' continued breeding among the same noble families has concentrated some mental eccentricities within the tribe; in the modern days, few Silver Fangs have all of their mental faculties. Some see visions of the tribe's heroic past, others lose memories, and others have even more dangerous derangements.

Still, the tribe's noble blood, general coherence and millennia of tradition combine to allow them to easily command respect and obedience from most Garou. The Silver Fangs are wealthy in land, money and magic, and most Silver Fang kings are quick to reward loyal service. Silver Fangs rarely step into occupied septs and demand control of the caern, but they often rise to positions of power within multi-tribal septs due to their natural charisma and combat prowess.

In the modem day, fewer and fewer Garou are willing to submit to the Silver Fangs' claim of Gaia-

blessed right of rulership; it seems obvious to younger werewolves that the Silver Fangs may be as much a liability to the Western Concordiat as they are born leaders. Rumors abound that the Silver Fangs themselves will fight at the head of the forces of the Wyrm, when the final drum sounds. Young Silver Fangs speak of refreshing the tribe's bloodlines, but the elders exhibit shock and horror at the very suggestion.

Tribal Totem: Falcon -- soaring high above all his subjects,

Falcon's honor is unquestionable and his wrath strikes swift

and true.

Advantage: Generations of perfect breeding have anointed you

for leadership. Once per game during a Social Challenge against

a Garou or a Garou Kinfolk, you have a free "First Tribe" retest.

Drawback: Those same generations may have entangled a

few branches of the family tree. As a result, you're a bit

mentally unstable. Begin play with one Derangement.

Restrictions: Silver Fangs must spend at least three of their

initial Background Traits on Pure Breed; after those are

purchased, all Backgrounds are available to them.

Beginning Tribal Gifts: Falcon’s Grasp, Lambent Flame, Sense Wyrm

Starting Willpower: Three

Wolf Form: The wolf form of a Silver Fang is suitably majestic,

especially given the tribe’s strong bloodlines. With mighty jaws

and lush tails, they command attention as easily in lupus form

as in homid or Crinos. Their fur is usually silver or white.

Organization: The Silver Fangs have a rigid hierarchy; seven great noble houses cover the Fangs’ territory across the world, and within each Fang sept there is a King (the term applies whether the elder is male or female) and associated members of his court. The King is the eldest active Ahroun of one of the great bloodlines or one who has ennobled himself through legendary deeds. The court consists of two members of each of the other auspices in the roles of shamans (Theurges), stewards (Philodox), squires (Galliards) and seneschals (Ragabash). Members of other auspices fill these other roles more often these days as the Fangs’ numbers decrease. A Silver Fang King’s sept is divided into two courts, the Lodge of the Sun, which deals with business affairs and day-to-day operations, and the Lodge of the Moon, which handles spiritual affairs and interactions with the Wyld.

Habitat/ Protectorate: The Silver Fangs pay careful attention to the scions of nobility, for breeding purposes. Their pickings have gotten slimmer over the past 50 years as nobility as a lifestyle has begun to vanish from Europe and was never as grand in the rest of the world. The Fangs do have the choicest territory to be found in much of Europe and Russia, with majestic views from mountain eyries and the like. In the Americas and Australia, things are considerably more egalitarian, and the Fangs scrap with the other tribes for the nicest digs. The Fangs keep close track of their Kin, and tribal “pedigrees” take up several volumes in any library. Money is not a consideration to noble blood - an exiled Romanian prince reduced to teaching high school in the US is worth far more to them than a nouveau riche industrialist descended from horse thieves.

The Silver Fangs:

Knowledge is power, and power should not be shared carelessly. Or ever. The native "Tribe of Secrets" embraces the mystical traditions of marginalized peoples across the world.

Description:The Uktena tribe is one of the two remaining “Pure Ones” tribes; they, the Wendigo and the long-vanished Croatan lived in North America for thousands of years until the invasion of the so-called Wyrmcomer tribes of Europe some 500 years ago. Despite fierce fighting by the Uktena and Wendigo to help their Kinfolk preserve a traditional way of life, the Wyrmcomers and their Kinfolk swarmed across the continent like a plague.

The Wyrmcomers’ Kinfolk, called the Wyrmbringers, slaughtered and confined the Native Americans over the next few centuries until eventually Native Americans were restricted to reservations spotted across the United States and Canada.

There were two possible responses to this great change in the population of the continent: fight it to the last, or accept it and integrate with the newcomers. The Wendigo chose the former road and the Uktena the latter, especially embracing those Asians and Africans the whites brought in as slaves. In the 21st century, the Uktena is one of the most ethnical1y diverse tribes in the world; Uktena have Kinfolk from Vancouver to Miami, Halifax to Los Angeles and just about every place in between. The majority of Uktena come from oppressed or lower-class social groups.

In the ancient days, the Uktena were the shamans, and they have never lost this talent; indeed, it has grown as they and their Kinfolk lost power in the physical world. They have good relations with most nature spirits, and excel at creating fetishes and talens. They ate considered some of the most talented and powerful shamans and occultists in the Nation. The Uktena have an insatiable thirst for discovering ancient secrets, and once discovered, at hiding and holding on to them. Some few Uktena, called Bane Tenders, choose thedifficult and possibly corrupting task of monitoring foul Banes and Wyrm-beasts to make sure they remain bound and somnolent. While such knowledge has proved useful - the Uktena are exceptionally skilled at scouting out the presence of the Wyrm and other blight - it has come at a terrible price. Members of many tribes whisper that the Uktena have gotten too close to the secrets the Wyrm holds and that they themselves might soon walk the Black Spiral to join the forces of corruption.

The Uktena take their name from a Native American water spirit

with the features of a serpent, cougar and deer known for its love

of secrets and disguising its appearance

Tribal Totem: Uktena -- a water-serpent with the forequarters of

a cougar and the antlers of a deer, this Totem conceals its

wisdom from the unworthy.

Advantage: You are so attuned to the spirit world that you can

"peek" from Earth into the Umbra. (Most Garou can only peek

from the Umbra to Earth.)

Drawback: An undiscovered secret is like a stone in your shoe --

you just have to work it out! When you become aware of a

secret or mystery close at hand, you will be at a one-Trait