Chapter One: A World of Darkness

  The world of Werewolf is not our own, although it resembles our world in many ways. Externally, little differs between the two. The established institutions, personalities and attitudes of our world are still there. Yet, far more sinister events take place behind the scenes. Shadows are darker, corruption is more rampant, and despair is commonplace. This world is one of extremes. Vast expanses of untamed wilderness punish intruders with feral brutality. Labyrinthine cities are bleak and gloomy at their core, hiding conspiracies the mundane world does not dare suspect. From the streets of major metropolises to the secret places of the wild, horrific creatures stalk unseen, preying on the innocent and the weak. This is a world where evil breeds: our World of Darkness.
  As in any good Gothic horror story, this ominous world hides terrible secrets. Menace lurks everywhere, and every agenda hides an ulterior motive. Decaying cities filled with huge, looming edifices cast shadows on the destitute and the damned. Stone gargoyles watch from atop the tallest buildings, bearing mute testimony to crime and suffering in the streets. Faith is dying here, even while massive churches perform rituals for the desperate. Even in the suburbs and urban sprawl, fearful people live behind thin walls, numbing themselves by perpetuating empty lives from day to day.
  A few people have the energy to resist this oppressive world, and they do so on a grand scale. Wherever the rich and powerful exploit their influence, rebellion stirs. A thriving counterculture strikes back at an uncaring society, rebelling with words, music and often violence. Hell bent for leather, it lashes out with desperate energy. Yet all too often, these rebels burn out in a blaze of glory. Underground clubs are ready to indulge the most exotic vices of the desperate. Street gangs, vainglorious bands and savvy entrepreneurs incite them into a frenzy of aggression... and they profit from the results. Thus, crime is common, apathy is de rigueur, and cynicism is rampant.
  However, this world is not without hope — after all, there is no darkness without light. Modern heroes, fully aware of the corruption that surrounds them, are ready to fight for their beliefs. Their world is dying, yet they are alive, full of fury and the power of the Earth itself. From the depths of the wilderness they come, with sharpened claws and vengeful rage. As the natural world dies, they seek and destroy the evils that surround them. As monsters, they stalk the night, crushing bones, savaging victims and staining the streets with crimson blood. Yet, despite their brutality, they are the only true guardians of the Earth: mystics in a modern hell, warriors in an unseen battle. Werewolves prowl the Earth in this world, as they have since the dawn of human history.

Caught Between Worlds

  Werewolves are outsiders, trapped forever between extremes. Unlike the monstrous shapechangers of legend, they can change their shapes at will. Assuming the forms of men and women, they walk the streets of the largest cities to protect — or punish — the human race. Wearing a lupine skin, they can run as wolves, free as moonlight in the night. They may try to live in both worlds if they prefer, but they will never truly belong in either.
  Some prefer living as humans do, but such a life is frustrating, to say the least. Over six billion humans populate the Earth. Any werewolf can try to live among them, but modern cities are cold and alien places, vast and sterile. Werewolves are aware of sinister things lurking in the shadows, horrible creatures mankind simply does not understand... or even recognize. The presence of the unnatural awakens their most feral instincts. No matter how civilized human cities may seem, foul things dwell in the darkness.
  A werewolf may try to escape into the natural world, but that realm has also been dying steadily. Thanks to ecological devastation, the wilderness is shrinking. As the werewolves are keenly aware, the number of wild wolves on the planet is decreasing rapidly. Hated and feared by average folk, the wolf is a villain in children's stories, a menace to farmers and fair game for hunters. Only in Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia and Siberia can wolves be found in their natural habitat. There is no place left to hide. Even in the most remote realms, the Earth is bleak.
  No matter how or where they live, werewolves struggle to survive. Caught between worlds, they must choose between two extremes: hunting in urban hellholes and exploring the constantly changing wilderness.

Urban Hell

  For werewolves, the most dangerous hunting grounds are in the cities, for nothing in them is what it seems. Most werewolves openly despise the major metropolises as cancerous tumors on the flesh of the world. Even the human inhabitants find them bleak. Smog dims the sunlight, traffic snarls through the streets, and crime boils under the city's skin. Werewolves, with their superhuman senses and occult talents, are aware of far deeper problems than crime and corruption. Hunting in a city requires great caution, for the quarry is often devious and deadly.
  Two tribes of werewolves — the Bone Gnawers and Glass Walkers — consider the cities to be their natural territory, but other werewolves fear such an unnatural world. A wolf is as out of place in a concrete wasteland as a citizen of the First World would be in the depths of the Amazon or Sahara. The smells are all wrong, the logic of the streets is twisted, and natural laws warp and mutate. In the cities of mankind, werewolves sense strange activity everywhere. Shapeshifters are cautious whenever they leave the relative safety of the wilderness.

Primal Wilderness

  Behind the veneer of civilization, the primal wild waits to reclaim its dominance. If the cities seem bleak, the alternative is even less comforting. Humans erect cities to shelter themselves from nature's capricious ways. The wild is more than just an expanse of tangled forests, stagnant swamps and windswept plains. Humanity's morality does not always apply there. The primal wild is a realm of mysteries, especially to the unprepared. Great lumbering beasts stalk the night, as they have for thousands of years, and only werewolves have the courage to face them.
  Rural towns exist on the fringe of civilization, filled with sullen, insular and mistrustful citizens. Humans there are filled with superstition and fear... and with good reason. Memories of a far more primitive world lurk deep within the human subconscious. While these fears can never be dredged up entirely, wandering into the untamed wilderness stirs up distant reminders of a lost and terrible age.
  Even the werewolves do not understand all the secrets of the wild. Strange events take place away from watchful eyes, and nature is often cruel to those who try to steal her secrets. The Earth is not always loving and gentle. Some places are taboo, and fools who seek them out do not return.

A Spirit World

  Another reality exists beyond what mankind experiences. Mystics speak of a spirit world that the vast majority of humans never encounter. Visionaries and shamans may gain brief glimpses, parting the veil that obscures it from view, but they can never understand fully what they encounter. Werewolves have an animistic view of creation, believing that spirits lurk behind everything around them. Indeed, spirits are everywhere... if you know where to look.
  Most werewolves believe that everything of consequence in the physical world has a reflection in the spirit world. It is as if everything that is truly alive casts a shadow into this separate, thriving dimension. For this reason, the realm of spirit is known as the Umbra, the "shadow" of creation. Werewolves are more than mere humans; they are creatures of both flesh and spirit. Any werewolf can cross over to the other side and enter the spirit world — what their kind calls "stepping sideways" — if she wills it. In a sense, she can escape to another dimension, if only for a short time.

Rage and Gnosis

  Two other extremes are crucial to a werewolf s existence: rage and reason. Because werewolves are both beasts and men, they must balance instinct carefully with intellect. Packs can spend a lifetime hunting monsters in the physical world, but the violence, confrontation and suffering of the "real world" fills them with uncontrollable and overwhelming anger as they spend more and more time away from the spirit world. If they are not careful, they eventually become as feral as the werewolves of legend.
  By contrast, the mystical world encourages contemplation — it is a realm of enigmas and mystery. Werewolves who explore the spirit world gain insights into the physical world. By studying the realms of the Umbra, they learn to understand great secrets, increasing their mystical understanding or Gnosis. However, werewolves who spend too much time away from the physical world lose touch with reality, forgetting responsibilities they have left behind. No place is safe; the werewolf is an outsider no matter where he travels.

Walking Between Worlds

  The world of the werewolves is harsh, yet this harshness provides contrast to great acts of sacrifice and heroism. Quite simply, werewolves fight and die for their beliefs. Warriors fight horrific abominations with tooth and claw, while mystics hunt evil with supernatural insight. Some wise warriors employ even stranger methods, like street-savvy trickery, political activism and cunning intrigue. No matter what tactics they choose, werewolves walk between two worlds: the reality of the violent physical world and the mystery of the enigmatic spirit world.
  Wherever they run — in the cities, in the wilderness, or even in the spirit world — werewolves face the same overwhelming fate. Their world is dying, and their destiny is ultimately tragic. In fact, many of their mystics proclaim that these are the Final Days. The End Times, when all of creation will finally unravel, are here. As the light dies, werewolf heroes are willing to sacrifice everything to hold back the darkness. We live in the age of the final, ultimate Apocalypse.

Mythic History

  That is how the legend ends. This is how it begins.
  The world was not always so bleak. Storytellers speak of a gentler time, when the Earth was governed by simpler laws. In the springtime of the world, the veil that separated the worlds of flesh and spirit was gossamer-thin. While the sun shone, the natural world came alive with a brilliance and beauty our modern world just cannot equal. Quite simply, magic was alive, and its power was evident everywhere. Once upon a time, long before the dawn of human history, werewolves were the dominant species on the planet.
  According to myth, they first learned the art of shapeshifting from the Earth Mother. Werewolves still speak with reverence of their goddess, Gaia, who gave them the power of the changing ways. Because they showed such great promise for the mystic arts, they were taught how to walk among the tribes of men and within the deep wilderness with equal impunity. This legacy was to be passed from parent to child, inherited with each passing generation. In return, the werewolves were to watch over Gala's creation, protecting both their human and lupine cousins. To pass on this gift, some werewolves mated with humans, walking among them to choose the strongest. Others preferred to run with the wolves, raising litters of cubs.
  The natural world was beautiful by day, but monsters prowled the Earth at night. The werewolves claimed that they watched over their human herds to protect them from these evils, but in truth, they also treated humans as herds of breeding stock. Great warriors would often war over the most esteemed human tribes, leading them on journeys far from their rivals. The result was the Impergium, three thousand years of dominance over the human race.
  Humans were herded like sheep and gathered into primitive flocks, a few of which began to develop the agricultural communes that were the precursors to our modem cities. The separation between civilization and the wilderness began, and the schism widened gradually. Every village had stories of what would happen to the foolish traveler who ventured into the woods alone at night.

The War of Rage

  Of the many tribes of werewolves in the world, each has its own interpretation of why the mythical age of the Impergium came to an end. However, they are not the only shapechangers in existence. Others are aware of the occult world, telling their own myths and legends. The werewolves know that Gaia blessed many other races of shapeshifters as well, giving each of them a sacred duty to perform. In the Western world, these fabulous creatures were known as the Fera.
  In a thousand different forms, the Fera stalked the night. Wise in the ways of magic, secretive werecats hoarded mysteries and mystical knowledge. Strong in the power of healing, steadfast werebears guarded many of the world's most sacred places. Relying on cunning and guile, wererats kept down the population of humans when they became too numerous. The Fera were cousins to ravens, spiders, lizards, coyotes and more. Among the dozens of species of shapeshifters, each of the Fera attended to its sacred tasks.
  Yet, according to their own legends, the werewolves were the greatest of these children, and they called themselves the Garou. They held their pledge to protect humanity as the most sacred duty of all. With their power came great pride. First, the most powerful Garou attempted to dominate all other tribes of werewolves, insisting on the formation of a great society throughout the world. When this goal met with even partial success, the most esteemed werewolves then demanded that they should rule over all of the other shapechangers as well.
  In the legends of most shapechangers, the Fera refused, and a vicious era of genocidal warfare followed. Since the other shapechangers would not bow before Gaia's greatest children, the werewolves began to destroy them. Asserting their dominance, the Garou claimed that the others were a threat to the safety of humanity, and they set out to eradicate entire species of shapeshifters. As blood flowed freely, the werewolves demonstrated that they would reign unopposed as Gaia's favored children and the dominant lifeform on Earth, from then on.

The Concord

  Little did the werewolves suspect that they, in turn, would be challenged for dominance... this time, by the very humans they claimed to protect. Horrified by the violence that surrounded them, humans no longer trusted their supernatural guardians. They decided to defend themselves from what seemed to be the most dangerous creatures of all: the Garou. The werewolves were thrown into disarray. Some argued to discipline rebellious villages, punishing them for their disobedience. Others pledged peace, claiming that Gaia had entrusted them with keeping humans from harm. Some especially feral werewolves — lupine Garou who preferred the primal wilderness and the wolves that ran there — argued for the immediate extermination of the human race, considering their obligation fulfilled.

  The werewolves argued and fought among themselves until they reached a compromise known as the Concord. Both wolves and men would have to live together in the same world, but clearly humanity no longer wanted to be dominated by the Garou. The werewolves agreed to maintain their own society separate from the world of men. The result was the Western Concordiat, a civilization thriving deep within the wilderness. The age of the Impergium came to an end, and human history began. The werewolves faded into the shadows, becoming mere legends.
  Since the end of the Impergium, werewolves have never regained their primal dominance. They have remained a myth, a reminder of a distant past mankind dares not remember... and with good reason. Under the right circumstances, the very sight of a Garou is enough to conjure primal memories of fear and bloodshed. Thus, the werewolves have stayed hidden throughout human history. The demarcation between the cities and the wilderness remains, separating two very different worlds. Because legends of werewolves remain, men see them as through a glass darkly, never realizing what they truly are, but instead fearing what they once were. The Garou still see themselves as heroes, but to the humans, they will always be monsters. Perhaps the truth lies somewhere between.

Becoming Garou

  Humans have their own society and their own legends. They also tell stories about the shapechangers of legend, monsters who prey on the weak. Wolfmen in late-night movies typically curse their victims with lycanthropy, infecting them during epic rampages. The werewolves of the modern world have created a separate set of myths, epics and legends. In each such legend, lycanthropy is less a curse than a blessing; a legacy passed from parent to child.
  In modern terms, werewolf blood is inherited. If one of a child's parents is a werewolf, a chance exists that he will be one as well. Sadly, this chance has diminished steadily over the last thousand years. The blood's power is not dominant, and a Garou's child really has only a one-in-10 chance of becoming a "full-blooded" werewolf. Fortunately, the blessing isn't limited to human children. Many Garou prefer to breed with wolves, leaving their cubs to be raised by lupine mates in the wilderness.
  For thousands of years, werewolves bred with both humans and wolves in relatively equal proportions. Unfortunately, as the number of wolves has decreased drastically in the world, Garou blood has become dangerously impure. One in three werewolves bred with wolves as recently as a thousand years ago, but now the ratio is closer to one-in-15. Legendary ancestors once found it relatively easy to balance their feral instincts against their human wisdom, but no longer.

Kinfolk

  Most of a Garou's cubs and children never become full-blooded werewolves. Instead, they are "carriers" for the blood of the Garou, which can survive in their families for generations. Half-blooded children are known as Kinfolk. Although werewolves don't defend these relations as staunchly as they did millennia ago, a wise Garou keeps an eye on his kin. Some do so by commanding spirits, commonly called Kin-Fetches, to watch over their children. While the spirits pledge to observe all of a werewolf s children carefully, many of them lose their way over the span of years and abandon their charges.
  Kinfolk "half-breeds" are markedly different from the rest of mankind. They may have strange and terrifying dreams, wander alone in hopeless reverie for hours at a time or have trouble relating to people around them. An inexplicable longing consumes them. The lucky ones learn about their werewolf relations, and even help them from time to time. Most just remain quietly unaware of the secret world around them.

Cubs

  A child of a werewolf has about a 10-percent chance that he himself will be born a "full-blooded" Garou — not good odds. Some werewolves manage to divine their children's true nature at birth. Those without the proper resources to do so don't discover which if any of their cubs are Garou until the young ones reach adolescence. Although the Garou mark their pure-blooded cubs at birth, werewolves all too commonly leave their offspring to be raised by their mates, sometimes as an effort to draw enemies away from their children. A cub's true nature remains dormant throughout her childhood, manifesting only as dreams and visions. Between the ages of 10 and 16 (if human) or between one and two years (for a wolf), hazy memories and "unnatural" urges begin to surface. A troubled wolf may be driven from the pack for her unpredictable behavior, or an adolescent may be ostracized or even institutionalized. In some way, others begin to notice that this lost soul is different.
  As life becomes more difficult, the legacy remains dormant until a great trauma forces the First Change. The First Change does not wait for a full moon or a curse. When the time is right, flesh and bone rapidly warp the child into a hulking, bipedal, nine-foot monster. If die cub is fortunate, she is found by others of her own kind; if she isn't, the experience is even more terrifying. Legends of monsters driven insane by the light of the full moon have basis in fact.
  Most cubs are rescued — or kidnapped, depending on your point of view — and educated by other werewolves. By necessity, the first lesson is controlling shapeshifting voluntarily. Years of teaching follow... or they should, at least. However, time is a luxury these days. Elders offer various bits of tribal lore, although curiously enough, their oral histories differ remarkably from tribe to tribe. Regardless of age, the "cub" is treated like a child until she decides to accept her destiny and join the community of the Garou.

Coming of Age

  Every tribe has its own traditions for marking a cub's passage into adulthood. The Garou denote a cub's coming of age with a Rite of Passage, a deadly and dangerous quest that tests a werewolf s strength and wisdom to its very limits. The rite is more than a transition into adulthood. It also shows elders that a cub is worthy of membership in one of the greatest tribes. Until this quest is complete, she does not belong to any of them, for she has not proven herself worthy.
  Two choices follow. First, a werewolf may approach her chosen tribe alone. Once she does, the tribal elders may send her out on a test particularly suited to their kind. Solitary visionquests are based on ancient tribal traditions. Usually, however, the elders send the cub to a place where many werewolves gather. There, the child must wait until several cubs are ready to embark on a quest together. In this case, the ritual is also a test of the cubs' ability to work together and resolve their differences. They may later decide to join the same pack. In all cases, the elders send spirits to watch over the petitioners, if only to verify the greatness of their deeds. Once these cubs return, they become cliath, they join their respective tribes formally, and they learn their first tribal Gifts.
  In recent years, the Garou have found an increasing number of adult humans (or even wolves) who once had the potential to become werewolves, but never did. They might have been illegitimate and unrecognized children of Garou wanderers. The spirits who watched over them might have lost them. They might have even been born to two Kinfolk parents far from a sept. Regardless, they never underwent their First Change and Rite of Passage. Such poor souls are known as lost cubs. They have repressed their true nature to such a degree that many go insane or die of depression. When one survives long enough to undergo the Change late in life, it is a cause for great joy. As the Final Days approach, every werewolf is needed desperately. The forces of darkness are legion, and they grow stronger with each passing day.

Breeds

  A werewolf's true nature is shaped long before his First Change. If one of his parents is human, he will grow up in human society, learning the ways of man. If one of his parents is a wolf, he will be raised by wolves, and human society will be a mystery to him. In almost every case, one of the parents is Garou. Whether the child's mother's natural form is that of a human or a wolf determines what his breed will be. (It's also possible that a werewolf might be born to two human parents or to a mated pair of wolves if the werewolf blood is strong enough in his family. However, the odds of such an occurrence are much steeper.) There are three such breeds in Garou society: homid, lupus and metis.

Homid

  A homid is the child of a werewolf and a human, one who lives as a human before his First Change. Although homids often have trouble relating to other children, they understand thoroughly how human society works. They are not quite human, though. The word "homid" refers to a werewolf with a human parent, while the word "human" refers to the race of mankind. By definition, a homid will never quite fit into human society. Something about him — his dreams, his turmoil or his hidden rage — marks him as different.
  Homids find themselves confronted by a moral dilemma. After a homid learns about his true nature, human society begins to seem alien. A true werewolf is drawn to the wild, feeling a deep need to commune with the primal wilderness. Unfortunately, that primeval world is gone, having been destroyed by thousands of years of human civilization. The only place where a werewolf truly belongs is with his own species. Therefore, Garou are social creatures who gather in packs to run together. The cub leaves his past gradually to become immersed in Garou society, where he will face its difficulties and its destiny. The alternative is the madness of facing a dying world alone.
  Some homids never admit the faults and failings of human society fully. They keep going back to their former lives, torturing themselves by trying to rejoin the human race. While they are painfully aware of the environmental destruction humans wreak, most can never fully reconcile the idea of hating humanity because of it. As a result, some homids are very defensive about their human ancestry. A bitter few lash out at those lupus werewolves who question human ways, and they forever consider them "lesser" creatures. Homids, after all, are the most populous of the three breeds, and they're obviously at the top of the evolutionary ladder. Homids are clearly the most fit to rule... at least by their reckoning.

Lupus

  A lupus Garou is the child of a werewolf and a wolf (or more rarely, two Kinfolk wolves). A thousand years ago, about one-third of the werewolves in the world were lupus. Today, the ratio is only about one in eight. Lupus usually spend their formative years around wolves, raised as creatures of instinct. A lupus suspects she is different from an early age. For one thing, she is typically more intelligent than her wolf packmates. However, since she does not learn to think "like a human," she often acts on intuition and gut reactions. Even after she learns to communicate with other Garou, words are not as important to her as actions, feelings and sensory impressions.
  Lupus tend to see the world more simply than homids do, but they are not stupid. Lupus are capable of making complex plans, measuring time, figuring out simple technology and completing tasks quickly and effectively. They also tend to have remarkable insights homids would never develop. Nonetheless, homids sometimes patronize them because the wolf-born express themselves very directly. Homids love to talk and are often caught up in long-winded speeches about simple concepts, a practice lupus call "monkey-babble." Lupus typically speak with a handful of verbs and nouns. They break down complex issues into simple black and white, detesting deceit, hypocrisy or verbal subterfuge. If a lupus doesn't like you, he'll tell you straight out.
  Lupus are also intensely aware that they are a dying breed. Of course, the humans are largely to blame, and the homids are accomplices. While a lupus may decide to join a pack with werewolves of other breeds, a few favor spending time with their own kind. Many such lupus either belong to the Red Talon tribe — a society known for its genocidal policies toward humans — or they at least agree with its philosophy. Even a lupus who trusts the homids in her pack may be overpowered by the call of the wild. She may trust her packmates with her very life but still feel a longing for the company of wolves.

Metis

  Metis werewolves don't belong in either human or lupine society; their parents are neither wolves nor humans. A metis is the child of two werewolves. Garou law forbids werewolves from breeding with each other, but such acts of "incest" do occur. Garou who commit these acts are usually ostracized, or sometimes killed outright, but not without reason: Their offspring, the victims of inbreeding and recessive genes, are always sterile and deformed.
  Every metis has a deformity of some kind. Long ago, these bastard children were cast out or billed. But now, as the Garou race is dying out, metis are accepted reluctantly and grudgingly in Garou society. The parents are usually exiled, since their shame is too great for them to raise the bastard cub themselves. Instead, other werewolves raise metis cubs. A metis cub grows up in a werewolf community called a sept, usually a rural one far from the watchful eyes of innocent humans.
  A metis may undergo his First Change early in life — around the same time a human child begins to walk — or he may stay trapped in his monstrous birth form until early adolescence (usually at eight to 10 years of age). There's really no way to tell when it will occur. For these and other reasons, metis children are kept hidden fromhuman society. Throughout childhood, they are treated with scorn and disdain. Elders teach them responsibility by giving them tasks to do for the sept, but these tasks are almost always drudgery. A high-ranking metis may have the task of watching over a sept's metis cubs. If the sept also includes lupus cubs or homid children, elders usually raise them separately. Despite this segregation, metis grow up learning the intricacies of Garou culture, and they are intimately familiar with the workings of their sept.
  As they grow older, metis find shapechanging relatively easy, especially when the threat of danger is nearby. Therefore, they are recruited to help defend their sept throughout their adolescence. Those who survive may undergo their Rite of Passage, join a pack and be accepted by a tribe. However, they are still considered second-class citizens, and their deformities are still obvious. Until his dying day, each metis must display his stigma openly at all times within the territory of the sept. A few metis are able to conceal their genetic flaws at least partially when among humans, but their relatives hate them all the more for "cheating nature." As a result, the average metis is a hostile, bitter creature who may never trust others enough to join a pack. The few that can overcome this hatred are tragic figures. Even if their packmates accept them fully, Garou outside the pack hardly ever return their admiration or affection.

Forms

  A werewolf always feels most comfortable in the form she grew up in, which is known as her breed form. For instance, homid werewolves prefer to wear a human skin, largely because they are the most adept at dealing with mankind. When a werewolf shapeshifts into a human being, he is said to be in Homid form (with a capital "H"). By contrast, lupus-breed werewolves prefer having sharpened teeth and claws, warm fur and the heightened senses that come from being a wolf. When a werewolf shapeshifts into a wolf, he has taken Lupus form. When in this form, he is quite obviously a wolf. A werewolf trying to pass himself off as a "wild dog" is either demented, a disgrace or a buffoon.
  Most metis spend their adolescent years defending the sept that raised them. When someone sounds the call to battle, they prefer to take a form halfway between Homid and Lupus. This shape is their battle form, the infamous Crinos form. A werewolf in Crinos is a killing machine, a massive, nine-foot tall monster plodding to battle on two stocky legs. The very sight of one conj ures up images of an age long gone, when massive shapeshifters stalked the Earth and herded their flocks of human breeding stock. Homids and lupus can "shift to Crinos," too; they're just used to a different way of life.
  If you ask a werewolf how he sees himself, he will usually think of his breed form first. A werewolf is born in his breed form, and he keeps it until his First Change. A metis is born in his Crinos form, in rare cases even killing the mother who gave birth to him. Cynical werewolves insist that such tragedies further prove that their laws are right: The mother's act of incest results in her death.
  Homid form and Lupus form are the two extremes of shapeshifting — shifting completely from a man into a wolf for the first time is a brutal and painful ordeal. Eventually it becomes easy, and werewolves learn to make more subtle changes. For instance, they may take a shape halfway between Homid and Crinos, one halfway between Crinos and Lupus, or even (with great effort) temporarily shift a small part of the body. Regardless of breed, any werewolf can shift freely between these forms, but he will always be most familiar with his breed form. These three skins — Homid, Lupus and Crinos form — are the most commonly worn, and they reflect three very different aspects of Garou society.

Delirium

  When a human sees a werewolf in his true Crinos form, suppressed racial memories of the distant past rise from her subconscious. Because werewolves culled human "herds" systematically for three thousand years, they have scarred the collective psyche of the human race permanently. If a human sees a werewolf in his true and terrifying majesty, overwhelming fear and madness results. Garou call this phenomenon the Delirium.
  The Delirium may be seen as a sort of supernatural blessing, for it prevents the horror of the primeval world from returning. Humans never see Crinos Garou as they really are. Instead, they rationalize such sightings away instinctively, concocting elaborate and horrific stories about what they thought they saw. They may not see anything at all, simply reacting to something they will never remember. Because of the terror of Delirium, most humans refuse to accept that werewolves are real, even when confronted with very direct evidence. The racial memories run so deep that it's a rare and strong-willed human who can see so much as a photograph of a Crinos-form Garou and not subconsciously dismiss it as "some sort of hoax."
  But despite the protection this fear affords, the Garou cannot afford to take chances. Werewolves who unleash the panic of the Delirium without good cause are punished severely or possibly exiled. Their survival depends on staying hidden and acting discreetly; indiscretion has its consequences. Werewolves hunting in human cities are loath to force the Delirium without a very good reason. Since the Concord, they have kept their existence secret, maintaining the Veil, the illusion that the primitive supernatural world no longer exists. If even the slightest chance exists that a werewolfs shapeshifting was caught on film, for instance, the werewolves and their human kin will move heaven and earth to make sure that the footage isn't brought to daylight. Even if one human in a thousand believes what he sees, that's far, far too many.
  Kinfolk are unaffected by the Delirium. After all, they possess Garou blood; they see their relations as they really are. Some werewolves choose to keep in very close contact with their Kin, and they are very open with them. Therefore, the Veil does not always apply to Kinfolk. Because they can see the world of the werewolves for what it really is, many are eager to work with their relations. Many, however, become resentful and bitter that they are just poor cousins the werewolves call on whenever they're needed, rather than "true Garou."

Auspices

  At the moment a werewolf is born, she inherits an ancient legacy. Her breed will shape her view of the world, and one day, her tribe will teach her how to survive. Her fate in life, on the other hand, is shaped by something far more mystical. The phase of the moon at the instant of a werewolf's birth determines her auspice, the role she is destined to play in Garou society. Every werewolf upholds one of these five aspects and receives mystical gifts to help fulfill it. A shapechanger is strongest when the moon's phase corresponds to her auspice; the first time each month a werewolf sees her auspice moon, she is filled with an uncontrollable rush of energy. The Garou's greatest warriors, for instance, are born during the full moon, which has led to the most infamous werewolf legends.
  New Moon: Children born during the new moon are destined to become great tricksters, for sly creatures stalk unseen in the darkness when the light of the moon is absent. New Moons are masters of stealth and guile. Their talent for theft is so great that they often love to mock the orderly ways of Garou society, a trait their packmates accept grudgingly. With this freedom comes a carefree disregard for society's laws and a wicked sense of humor. Such a cub is fated to become a Ragabash.
  Crescent Moon: The crescent moon cuts through darkness like a knife, bringing spectral glory to the landscape below. Cubs born under this auspice are of a mystical disposition, often fascinated by the supernatural and the spiritual. Long before a Crescent's Rite of Passage, elders teach her myth, lore, the mysteries of cosmology and the secrets of the occult. By the time she comes of age, the cub is ready to serve as a Theurge.
  Half Moon: Just as the half moon is caught between light and shadow, so too are cubs born under this auspice. Werewolves are faced with many conflicts and contradictions — the struggle between man and nature, the balance of human thoughts and lupine instincts, existence as a creatare of both flesh and spirit or even the conflict between good and evil. Half Moons can see both sides of any issue, which makes them expert mediators and judges. As they are prepared for their Rites of Passage, they are taught the intricacies of Garou law. Such a cub is destined to become a Philodox.
  Gibbous Moon: Cubs born under this sign are known as Moon Dancers, since they're inspired easily by the radiant moonlight this auspice moon brings. Although some may see them as flighty or temperamental, they have terrific bursts of artistic insight. When the moon is bright, they are often moved to song or story. Many develop phenomenal memories, especially for the sagas and histories of great Garou. Because of their great passion and sociable bravado, such cubs become Galliards.
  Full Moon: When a cub is born under the full moon, she grows up full of rage and fury. When her auspice moon hangs in the heavens, she is eager to unleash her wrath and give in to the glory of bloodlust. Like the wolfman of legend, she revels in violence and feral frenzies, meting punishment with her cruel claws. After years of intense physical training, she will howl at the moon that she is Ahroun.

The Twelve Tribes

  Once a Garou completes his Rite of Passage, he is welcomed into one of the Twelve Tribes of the Garou Nation. Before the completion of this rite, he is a cub, and he is treated as little more than a child. He may not learn tribal Gifts or receive the tribe's deepest secrets. Even metis cubs are shut out from such sacred knowledge; they're welcomed enough to work for the sept, but not enough to receive its privileges. After the rite, however, the tribe teaches each new cliath the ways of the world and how to conquer it.
  Each of the Twelve Tribes originally came from a different region of the world. Each has its own tribal homeland, a place in the world where it has always been strongest. Each tribe's Kinfolk and societies reflect these different cultures. During the ancient agreement of the Concord, the 16 major tribes set aside their differences and began the development of a communal society. Three of them have been destroyed. One has rejected the Western Concordiat and found other allies. Now only 12 of them remain allied in their defense of the world.
  Black Furies: In a tribe composed exclusively of women, the Furies act as defenders of the Goddess and protectors other most sacred places. Originating in Ancient Greece, the tribe has since inspired great legends of female heroes.
  Bone Gnawers: This urban tribe is tied instinctually to life on the street. Long ago, they began as scavengers in India and Northern Africa. Now they stalk wherever .the homeless and desperate struggle to survive.
  Children of Gaia: As peaceful warriors and gentle mediators, the Children favor healing and understanding over bloodshed. No other tribe is as committed to helping humanity.
  Fianna: Exclusively of Celtic descent, the Fianna are known for their wild passions and artistic insight. They are famous for their skilled bards, great warriors and mystical ties to the fae.
  Get of Fenris: Surviving the hash lands of Northern Europe, the Fenrir have developed a savage, bloodthirsty and fatalistic view of life. As one of the most martial tribes of werewolves, they are also unparalleled at dealing in death.
  Glass Walkers: For thousands of years, the Walkers hid in human cities, living as wolves among sheep. Other werewolves typically mistrust them, not only for their proficiency with high technology, but also for their love of human cities and culture.
  Red Talons: Composed entirely of lupus Garou, this tribe is well known for its fierce hatred of humans. Talons thrive whenever they can commune with the mysteries of the wild.
  Shadow Lords: Ruthless, devious and ambitious — the Lords value political power over all else, and they are fascinated by the politics of Garou society. By struggling against their rivals in Eastern Europe for millennia, they have become masters of diplomacy and Machiavellian intrigue.
  Silent Striders: Once they dwelt in the fabled lands of Khem in Ancient Egypt, but no longer. Now they roam the Earth, following an insatiable wanderlust. Striders typically join packs that love to travel, often communing with gypsies, wanderers and the restless spirits of the dead along the way.
  Silver Fangs: Once the unquestioned rulers of Garou society, the Fangs are descended from some of the greatest werewolves in history. Lineage and ancestry is critical to them. Since their glorious days in their Russian homelands, they have fallen prey to tragic flaws, often spiraling into despair and madness.
  Uktena: Indigenous peoples from throughout the world have contributed to this eclectic and mysterious tribe. Ethnically diverse and intensely curious, they hoard knowledge of magic from all over the world... as well as a deep understanding of the occult that they dare not share with outsiders.
  Wendigo: This tribe is descended from Native American Garou. Their strongest septs are in the northernmost portions of North America, where they endure some of the harshest conditions on Earth.
  Each of the Twelve Tribes reflects the history and culture from a different part of the world, and with good reason. During the Impergium, when great heroes led their flocks of humans away from their rivals, their Kinfolk eventually formed the foundations of different human cultures. For example, many Get of Fenris have Scandinavian or Germanic ancestors, while Wendigo Kinfolk are distinctly Native American. While Garou Kinfolk can breed with werewolves of any tribe, most prefer to remain within their own culture. Most tribes are outraged when others place designs on their Kin.
  A werewolf is not born into a tribe; he must prove himself worthy during his Rite of Passage first. A cub usually makes the same choice as his mother or father when deciding what tribe to petition, but he does not have to do so. Every werewolf has a lineage stretching back for generations. Throughout most of Garou history, the vast majority of cubs have made the same choices as their ancestors. A cub with a long lineage will be hounded to "make the right choice." After all, forsaking your heritage is a difficult path to follow.
  Theoretically, a cub can approach any tribe, but a cub who is obviously abandoning his ancestors' legacy has to work twice as hard as an "adopted" cliath. If your father was a Bone Gnawer, you'll have to work your ass off to join the Get of Fenris. Often, a cub receives dreams and visions of his past during his adolescence, but some of the greatest heroes of Garou legend have defied their destinies.
  A few tribes refuse to take anyone who doesn't meet their standards. The Black Furies accept only women; if a Black Fury gives birth to a non-metis male cub, he must eventually petition another tribe to accept him. Silver Fangs will not recognize a hero who does not have an extensive lineage of Fang ancestors. Red Talons accept only lupus Garou. Bone Gnawers, by contrast, will accept almost anyone, including the most twisted and deformed metis. Some tribes have rites for tracing a werewolf's ancestry. When performed properly, the rite may reveal visions of an ancestor's greatest accomplishments... and epic failures.
  Many Garou are very particular about their lineage, reciting the names of their greatest ancestors as they introduce themselves. The noblest are "pure bred," regarded as obviously exemplary specimens of their tribal heritage. Pure breeds are impressive not only because of their superior breeding, but because dozens of generations of ancestors have chosen to support the same tribe. In the mystical world of the Garou, it is even possible for a werewolf to be aware of his ancestor spirits. A werewolf can reject this idea utterly, but it is also possible to summon up these memories, or even channel an ancestor to act through a young hero.
  As the End Times approach, of course, the Twelve Tribes are increasingly eager to welcome young cubs into the fold, especially if they have a lineage with their tribe. The stodgiest elders complain that Rites of Passage are nowhere near as taxing or rigorous as they once were. At the end of the rite, the cliath has her tribe's sigil inscribed mystically on her body or tattooed there physically. Once this act is complete, the werewolf may never leave her tribe for another. In short, tribal membership is a choice and an honor, not a birthright.

Garou Cosmology

  The Twelve Tribes teach their cubs and cliath the ways of the world, giving them purpose and inspiration. Werewolf cubs are told a distinctly unique legend of why the Earth is dying, a mystical and spiritual account. As is the way of the spirit world, events in the Umbra appear as reflections of the physical world. According to myth, Gaia created the world and all living things in it. When time began, she released three primal forces upon the Earth: the Weaver, the Wyld and the Wyrm. These elements of creation are known collectively as the Triat. The spirit world is complex, but werewolves can reduce all of its workings to these three primal forces.
  The Weaver created all structure in the world, from the highest mountains to the depths of the oceans. She gave birth to a host of spirits to preserve order, and Weaver-spirits have been known for their predictability, ruthlessness and determination since that primal time. Legions of them weave the fabric of reality with long legs and spinnerets, reinforcing the tapestry of creation. In the modern world, wherever law triumphs over anarchy, whenever technology kicks into overdrive, or when anyone rebuilds what has been torn down, werewolves claim that the spirits of the Weaver are scurrying nearby.
  The Wyld was the breath of life in the world, allowing the Weaver's creations to thrive. Wherever nature is alive, the Wyld is there. The spirits that serve it are capricious and effervescent, unpredictable and indefatigable. Just as the Weaver brought order, the Wyld brought chaos, surging with energy wherever it could not be contained. Rebellion, frustration and raw feral instinct all give it strength. Yet nature can also be gentle. Behind every serene glen and tranquil brook, the Wyld returns its energy.
  Garou mystics say that Gaia created a third force to maintain the balance between order and chaos, between the Weaver and the Wyld. Like a great serpent wriggling through all creation, the primal Wyrm snipped at the threads of creation that could not otherwise be controlled. Once the Wyrm was the force of balance in the world (as the Garou say), but no longer. The mad Weaver grew too ambitious, trying to tip the balance by trapping the Wyrm within its lifeless web. Confined and denied, the Wyrm went slowly insane, and creation listed out of balance.

The Truth Revealed

  For mystics, this story is not mere myth. Each portion of the Triat has spawned a host of lesser spirits, mystic servitors who are still at work in the world. In the shadow of creation, in the spirit world of the Umbra, werewolves can see these forces at work. Over the last few centuries, the spirits of the Wyrm have become more powerful than ever before. The most fanatic Garou share a common belief: If there is corruption and misery spreading through the world, the Wyrm is at the heart of it. Beyond all other ideals, the greatest goal of the werewolves is to protect all of creation by destroying the servants of the Wyrm.
  The Wyrm's servants have become a cancerous corruption, and its servitors have become the Garou's greatest enemies. For millennia, its rage and hatred has grown to the point of insanity. Its pain ceases only when it can pare back creation, destroying the Weaver's order and polluting the Wyld's purity. The Wyrm can suborn even human beings, especially when they practice sinful and malicious acts. Wherever the Earth is despoiled and befouled, the Wyrm grows stronger. Wherever order is perverted and law is denied, the Wyrm shudders in glory. When humans fall prey to darker emotions, succumbing to vice and sin, the Wyrm exploits more victims. It is beyond reason, and its servants are legion.
  The Wyrm's strength is such that it now overpowers the efforts of the werewolves to contain it. In prophecies, in visions and in the world around them, the Garou see evidence that this treacherous evil is achieving its goal to destroy all creation and free itself forever. Therefore, the world that remains is cold and bleak. As prophecy has foretold, the werewolves must fight to the last to defeat the Wyrm. Now is the time of the final confrontation, the Apocalypse. Confronted by a dying world, they have contained their rage for far too long. This is the final battle, and so shapechangers are returning from the shadows, bringing heroism, valor and horror back into the light of day.

The Weaver's Webs

  Fanatical werewolves believe that their only duty in life is to defeat — or even kill — the Wyrm. It's a very direct philosophy, but one with which some cubs and cliath just cannot agree. A heretical idea is spreading throughout the Western Concordiat: The Garou's real enemy isn't the Wyrm, but the Weaver. After all, it is the Weaver that is responsible for the largest human cities. She was the primal force that first drove the Great Serpent insane, and she brings her own brand of suffering on the world as she continues her mad designs.
  Most elders are horrified by this idea. Some refuse to send packs to investigate the mad Weaver's activities, and some even refuse to award renown for succeeding in such enterprises. Nonetheless, a new generation of cubs has dedicated itself to shredding the Weaver's webs, regardless of what their mangy, crusty old elders might believe.

The Lost and the Fallen

  Once there were 16 tribes in the world, but only 12 remain in the Western Concordiat. One of the original 16, the Stargazers, has begun isolating its septs from the rest of the tribes. Three other tribes have fallen before the talons of the Wyrm. Each of their stories is a source of despair, grief and shame. Although many young cubs learn about their ancestor's mistakes, most elders are loath to speak too openly on these taboo subjects. After all, the fates of the Fallen reveal some of the deepest and most tragic flaws of the werewolf race.

The White Howlers

  Once they were guardians of the frozen north, heroes who sent their cubs into the deepest pits of hell to prove their prowess. Descended from the ancient Picts, the Howlers not only dominated the harsh wilds of Scotland, but also attempted to master the stygian depths of the Underworld. With each passing generation, their heroes descended into the Labyrinth of the Black Spiral, a horrifying Realm of the spirit world.
  Yet as they journeyed deeper and deeper into the Abyss, they were eventually overcome by the very evil they taunted. In retribution, dark forces rose from the earth to devour the Howlers' caerns and drag their greatest heroes back into hell. Torture, torment and mystic revelations shattered their minds. A few survivors emerged, but they had become twisted, mutated horrors by then. Thus arose the Wyrm-spawned tribe of Black Spiral Dancers.
  The Spirals are still alive today. They still capture their werewolf rivals, often turning them to the service of the Wyrm. The White Howlers, on the other hand, are extinct. Many werewolves prefer to forget their memory, refusing to contemplate that any Garou can be corrupted so thoroughly by the Wyrm.

The Croatan

  As one of the tribes of "Pure Ones," this Native American tribe originally guarded the shores of North America. Once they believed that they could live side-by-side with the early European settlers, but with these incursions came evils the tribe had never encountered before. The Eater-of-Souls, one of the three major aspects of the Wyrm, exploited starvation and despair, gaining enough strength to manifest in the physical world. Because of their ancestors' pledge to the Goddess, the Croatan decided to fight this evil to the bitter end.
  Outside the famed Roanoke colony off the Carolina coast, the Croatan sacrificed themselves one by one to drive this evil from the world. Countless heroes faced the Wyrm's titanic beast, some braving ultimate evil by rushing straight into its hideous, gaping maw. The legend remains, but both the tribe and the colonists are gone, memorialized by a few carvings on gnarled trees. Many modern heroes still believe that it is worth the ultimate sacrifice to drive the Wyrm from the world; few of them dare gainsay the lesson of the Croatan.

The Bunyip

  The saga of the Bunyip is not one of glory, but shame. In many ways, it is the most tragic of the three tales. The tribe was not slain by the talons of the Wyrm, but by its own brethren. During the Impergium, the Bunyip tribe was strongest in Australia. European Garou and their settler Kinfolk, eager for a new home far from the Wyrm, invaded the Bunyip's tribal homelands and fought with them for dominance. In some caerns, Black Spirals set the Garou against each other. Overcome with despair at their brothers' pettiness, Bunyip in other caerns stalked off into the spirit world of the Dreamtime, never to return.
  Over the course of centuries, the Bunyip and their strange Kinfolk, the Tasmanian wolves, were driven to extinction. Tribe continues to war with tribe, and since few would dare admit that they are capable of destroying each other completely, storytellers whisper the tale of the Bunyip only when they are most ashamed.

The Stargazers

  Although they are still quite active and alive, the Stargazers have also become a source of great sadness for the Garou. The Stargazers are an Eastern tribe known for their command of mysticism, their contemplative natures and their enigmatic philosophies. Their history is decidedly different from that of the other tribes. In the West, the War of Rage brought about the deaths of thousands of shapechangers of all species. In the East, more species survived and continued to hide from the werewolves. In fact, many Eastern Garou rejected the harsh philosophies of their Western brethren, remaining estranged from the Western Concordiat. The Stargazers were once an exception. No more.
  The Stargazers have worked with their Western brethren for centuries, yet it has hardly been an equitable arrangement. Over the last 200 years, the tribe's homelands have fallen to the Wyrm. While the Stargazers have sided with Western Garou continually to fight on other continents, Asian sacred sites have repeatedly been captured and corrupted. With each successive generation, more Stargazers have undertaken journeys to the East to contemplate their history... often dying in the process.
  Now the Stargazers have abandoned the Concord and found new allies. Their tribe has always been fascinated by enigmas, and the other shapechangers of the world are certainly enigmatic. The Stargazers have found common ground with the mysterious hengeyokai, the shapechangers of the East. Part of the tribe's compromise involved turning away from the Western Concordiat and joining the hengeyokai's Beast Courts. Stargazers have always favored peace and reason over pointless warfare, therefore, they have formally abandoned the ways of the West. They are returning to their old traditions, reclaiming what's left of their culture, heritage, sacred sites and Kinfolk.
  The decisions made by tribal elders now weigh heavily on the hearts of younger Stargazers. Many are reluctant to leave packs that they have run with for countless years, and some do not want to abandon sacred places they have pledged to defend. Yet throughout the tribe, more and more are becoming fascinated with their past, sometimes receiving visions and dreams in the depths of their meditations. Two unusual philosophies have seized them. First, like the hengeyokai, more Stargazers are accepting the idea that the Apocalypse need not be the end of creation, but is perhaps the dawn of a new age. It is as though a great wheel is turning, and while the Wyrm may gnaw at its axle, there is a chance that the cycle of creation and destruction may renew itself.
  A few have integrated a far more heretical idea. In the East, the Wyrm is not regarded with the same revulsion as it is in the West, since many still see it as a force of balance. It is a desperate force spiraling out of control, to be certain, but it is still one that must ultimately pare back the madness of the Weaver and begin the new age. As a result, other Garou have answered the Stargazers' decision with resentment and suspicion. The Stargazers who remain in the West are met with increasing contempt, continually torn between the decisions of their tribal elders and loyalty to their former septs and packmates.

Caerns

  From the time when the tribes first watched over their earliest homelands, they have held a deep understanding of the mystical world. The modern world is a shadow of what the Earth once was, for mysticism and magic are dying. Only a few places remain where the spirit of the ancient world lives on. Near menhirs and burial mounds, along ley lines and "dragon tracks," decaying in old "haints" and cemeteries, mystical nodes of ancient energy remain. Just as the sun has its solar flares, there are places in the world where this primal power leaks into the mundane world. Werewolves have claimed some of them as their own, building temples and shrines to protect their power. They perform rituals to keep them alive, fight continually for control of them and meditate on deep and spiritual mysteries inside them. The Garou call these places caerns.
  Caerns are critical to Garou culture. They act as sites of worship, meeting places and even burial grounds for fallen heroes. By tapping into their power, werewolves become stronger. Mystics use them as sacred "lightning rods" to summon ancient spirits or awesome mystical energies. Because so many werewolves are drawn to such places, some settle down and dedicate their lives to protecting a single caern. Garou society is based around the formation of these extended packs, known as septs.
  Each tribe dominates a handful of caerns, but most septs are communal. Tribal caerns often reflect the philosophy or history of the septs that protect them. A sept led by the Children of Gaia may meditate in a serene glen, while Shadow Lords septs look down from craggy, stormy mountaintops. Each caern is also dedicated to a particular spirit, often one that serves the dominant tribe. When the proper rites are performed, the spirit blesses the werewolves who serve it.
  Of course, other supernatural creatures are drawn to these sacred sites as well, claiming some of them as their own. Ghosts haunt the most decayed and dilapidated ones. Sorcerers seek out caems and deplete them of their quintessential energies systematically. Faeries allegedly defend their own sites of power so that they may remain eternally young. Minions of evil may occupy and corrupt them as well, turning them to the power of the Wyrm. Great heroes gain renown by recovering these sites, but other occult societies reclaim them when these heroes fail.

Urban Caerns

  Many ancient caerns have been swallowed up by rapidly growing cities. A few "urban caerns" retain their spiritual properties as nodes of mystic might in the midst of urban desolation. As more of the natural world dies, young packs of Garou are willing to brave the dangers of the cities to reclaim what was once theirs. Such quests are not without risk. If humans see werewolves stalking about in their true forms near an urban caern, particularly in Crinos form, urban legends and horror stories result. If, for instance, werewolves revel through a city park each full moon, people will avoid that spot instinctively. Seizing and maintaining an urban caern requires a great deal of secrecy, but the effort is worth it for the power of a sacred site.

Garou Society

  A werewolf's primal instincts make him a monster, but the noble aspirations of his society make him Garou. Shapechangers live in a vicious, uncaring and brutal world, but they survive because they have learned to live together. Hidden from human society, they preserve their own laws, their own faiths and their own politics. Life is harsh — elders must often choose who among them will live and who will die — but the intricacies of Garou society place them above the status of mere animals... or petty humans.

The Litany

  Werewolves are often depicted as solitary monsters, but by gathering in septs and protecting caerns, the Garou have developed a communal culture. Across the ages, they have codified a system of law, handing it down from one generation to the next. As one would expect, it is a largely oral tradition that is subjected to endless interpretation. To preserve the old ways, the Garou have created the Litany, a great song of ages containing the traditions, codes and laws of their people. In its full form, it is as much an epic poem as a legal code. Chanting it in its entirety can take hours. One tribe of werewolves, the Fianna, are the acknowledged masters of this epic. Four times a year, they gather in their tribal homelands to recite it in its entirety.
  Most modern werewolves prefer a straightforward culture with little patience for legal subterfuge. To simplify matters, the Litany can be summarized in 13 basic precepts. If a werewolf violates one of these laws, he'll usually be aware of his transgression. Each tribe, of course, has its own views on right and wrong. In fact, a disparity often exists between what Garou elders preach and what werewolves actually do. Masters of Garou law can cite dozens of examples of precedent, but as fewer cubs learn to chant the details, more argue ways to bend the rules in their favor.

Garou Shall Not Mate With Garou

  The Law: Werewolves should mate only with humans or wolves. Because metis offspring are deformed, twisted or even insane, Garou are forbidden to mate with their own kind. Of course, this law is enforced largely because of age-old prejudices against metis. This stricture forms the basis for some of the greatest tragedies of Garou culture. Galliards have been known to move listeners to tears by telling ballads of two werewolves who fall in love and can never express their passion... or who do so at the cost of their lives.
  The Reality: The number of metis in Garou culture is increasing steadily, showing that this law is not as inviolate as it once was. A handful of tribes claim to actually be kinder to their metis than others. Unfortunately, these claims are often little more than tactics used to recruit and exploit metis for tasks lupus and homids would just as soon avoid.

Combat the Wyrm Wherever It Dwells and Whenewer It Breeds

  The Law: The Wyrm is a source of evil in the world. Gaia created the werewolves to protect humanity, and destroying the Wyrm is the most direct way to do so. The fastest way for a Garou to become respected is to prove himself in battle against the servants of the Wyrm. The Apocalypse may be close at hand, but the surest way to delay it is to fight without restraint against the Great Serpent and its minions.
  The Reality: Werewolves suspect that these days are the Final Days of the world, especially as age-old prophecies have become reality. Even if it were possible, some whisper softly, killing the Wyrm would only delay the inevitable. Jaded elders are distracted by other tasks, such as securing territory, contesting for political power or crippling their rivals. Accepting that the Apocalypse has already begun is a bit too much for some Garou, who would much rather build their own reputations and legacies.
  When confronted with this part of the Litany, cubs typically ask questions their elders are loath to answer. What happens to a Garou that is possessed, but not fully in the thrall of the Wyrm? Should he be destroyed? Is a Wyrm-spirit really destroyed if it is "killed," or will it just re-form somewhere else? Can werewolves expect to change the course of history by destroying all of the Wyrm's servants, or should they choose their battles more carefully? A growing number of young wolves demand that the Weaver is just as dangerous as the Wyrm. Wasn't it the Weaver that forced the Wyrm to such heights of insanity? Such dangerous ideas must be whispered carefully. More zealous werewolves have been known to challenge and kill Garou who speak such treasonous thoughts.

Respect the Territory of Another

  The Law: Whenever a Garou approaches another werewolf's territory, he must announce himself first and ask permission to enter. The traditional method involves the Howl of Introduction, reciting one's name, sept, totem, tribe and home sept. Many Silver Fangs and Shadow Lords also insist on a visitor's lineage, establishing whether he is pure bred. In addition to these precautions, a werewolf should mark his territory, whether with scent or clawed sigils, to keep peace with other Garou.
  The Reality: As the population of humans in the world keeps growing, howling and urinating on trees becomes impractical. In urban caerns, some technologically proficient werewolves (like the Glass Walkers) prefer a telephone call, email or fax. Many younger werewolves ignore this part of the Litany entirely, considering it a "fascist" tradition in what should be a communal culture. Who cares what your ancestors did centuries ago? A Garou should be judged by what he does today.

Accept an Honorable Surrender

  The Law: Duels between werewolves are common. While many homids prefer to talk their way out of disputes, most tribes emphasize martial prowess, stressing trial by ordeal and single combat. As a result, many werewolves die. As the race dies out, peaceful Garou have reemphasized this dictum. They can't stop their septmates from killing each other, but because of this portion of the Litany, a werewolf being attacked by another Garou can end a duel peacefully by exposing his throat. The loser shouldn't suffer a loss of reputation or renown for doing so, but a victorious Garou should be praised for his mercy. Theoretically, any dueling Garou is honor-bound to accept a surrender.
  The Reality: In practice, peaceful werewolves invoke this law freely, but cunning Garou are far more selective. After all, in the heat of battle, anything can happen. Even the most feral and violent werewolf struggles to obey this law, but when blood begins to flow, instincts overcome reason. Some warriors are infamous for "accidentally" overlooking a surrender and sinking their teeth into an exposed throat.

Submission to Those of Higher Station

  The Law: Like the wolves with whom they breed, werewolves maintain a strictly hierarchical society. Someone's always alpha, and some poor fool always ends up skulking behind the rest of the pack. Therefore, the concepts of Renown and Rank are integral to Garou society. A werewolf must always honor reasonable requests from higher-ranking Garou.
  The Reality: An increasing number of cubs and cliath have little respect for their elders. If Garou society has done so little to heal the world, how exactly are elders worthy of respect? Each tribe has its own culture, and not all of them believe in kowtowing to tyrants or humoring egotistical alphas with long lineages. A werewolf will honor the elders of his tribe generally, but opinions vary when it comes to the highly ranked of other tribes.
  Bone Gnawers have a habit of disregarding this dictum entirely. In their eyes, all werewolves are equal. Otherwise, they'd find themselves bowing and scraping to everyone. Children of Gaia and Silent Striders respect personal choice, and therefore, they prefer to earn obedience rather than demanding it. Get of Fenris respect any elder... as long as said elder can kick their asses. Red Talons prefer not to hear "monkey babble" about complicated hierarchies; you should know your place instinctively. Shadow Lords and Silver Fangs, on the other hand, enforce this law with iron fists and sharpened claws.

The First Share of the Kill for the Greatest in Station

  The Law: Elders are well known for invoking this custom repeatedly. While this "kill clause" originally applied to hunting, it has since been expanded to include spoils of war. In theory, the most renown Garou has a right to the most powerful fetishes found by their packmates. Silver Fangs and Shadow Lords demand what they see as their due; other tribes accept grudgingly.
  The Reality: Pack mentality may be a strong instinct, but not everyone thinks the same way. Most individuals wouldn't abide handing over all the loot they find to one companion. A respected Garou can get away with using this law against her packmates for a while — and maybe even get the elders to back her up — but there are consequences, of course. They begin with mistrust and end with blows.

Ye Shall Not Eat the Flesh of Humans

  The Law: This portion of the Litany was first sung shortly after the Concord. Stargazer mystics noticed that many werewolves of the Western Concordiat took a bit too much pleasure in devouring human flesh.. Such cannibals found themselves vulnerable to the corruption of the Wyrm. Elders grown fat off human stock also became weak at stalking and killing more challenging prey, like the Wyrm-spirits they should have been hunting. In the 21st century, this law is more than a simple spiritual matter. Human beings now consume a frightening amount of preservatives. Their chemical-laden diet makes their flesh unwholesome.
  The Reality: Werewolves are feral creatures, and they lose control occasionally. Far too many times, a hero gazing at the full moon has been overwhelmed by his rage, awakening the next morning with a strange taste in his mouth... and a craving for more. Red Talons quietly ignore this portion of the Litany; some hunt and devour humans openly. One atavistic camp of Bone Gnawers, the Man-Eaters, bases entire rites around cannibalism. As for the Shadow Lord tribe, they consider this law a moot point. They have more effective ways to dispose of human victims....

Respect Those Beneath Ye - All Are of Gaia

  The Law: The werewolves of human legend are skulking solitary monsters, but Garou are communal creatures. Their legendary ancestors pledged to become the world's protectors, so they must respect every creature's place in the natural world. Every Garou is likewise worthy of respect. Chivalry is a classic Garou concept, and chivalrous behavior is a respectable way to gain renown.
  The Reality: All septs may cite this dictum, but not all tribes regard their cubs, cliath and metis Garou the same way. Shadow Lords twist this law's meaning, applying only what they see as the "proper amount of respect" to lesser creatures. Get of Fenris won't kill their weaker septmates openly, but they'll put them through sheer hell, giving them the "honor of earning respect." Bone Gnawers just laugh at this precept. They sure as hell don't get respect, and who could be lower in station than them?
  Fortunately, lupine instincts often keep these practices in check. Wolves often show respect for their prey — human Kinfolk marvel when a wolf looks deeply into the eyes of the animal it is about to kill. Noble Garou have even been known to mourn the passing of their foes, earning the respect of others in the process. Werewolves kill when it is necessary, but must be careful not to degenerate into unthinking monsters.

The Veil Shall Not Be Lifted

  Here, the law and reality are the same. Werewolves must be discreet when acting among humans. This practice is far more than simple respect for the Concord, the decision to respect humanity's right to its own civilization. The world is a dangerous place. Human hunters, religious fanatics, ancient vampires and far more sinister supernatural creatures stalk the night. And, of course, the servants of the Wyrm are lurking everywhere, exploiting the weak. If werewolves choose to act like monsters, other creatures will hunt them like the beasts they are.
  Garou also have an obligation to protect humanity. When human see werewolves lumbering about in Crinos form, insanity grips them, and they concoct all sorts of outrageous rationales for what they've seen. Fear mounts, panic results, and the populace resorts to drastic measures of defense. In short, rampaging werewolves can cause almost as much damage as the Wyrm creatures they hunt.

Do Not Suffer Thy People to Tend Thy Sickness

  The Law: Sadly, people at war do not always have the resources to care for their infirm. Long ago, an infirm, aged or mortally wounded Garou would be torn to pieces by his septmates. Such a pitiable hero should not suffer further. In the modern world, it is considered more dignified to let such an elder choose how to end his own life. In Garou legends, many of the greatest heroes simply set out on one last journey, never to return.
  The Reality: The Children of Gaia vociferously argue against this law. They believe in a natural death, caring for their elderly through the most prolonged and horrifying illnesses. A few older Garou, especially those crippled by depression and remorse, simply return to human or lupine society to die, making peace with the life they left behind.

The Leader May Be Challenged at Any Time During Peace

  The Law: A werewolf's pack mentality may be strong, but he should not tolerate a weak alpha. If no immediate threat is nearby, a Garou of sufficient rank may challenge the pack leader for his position. A contest results, usually a duel, a test of wits or a simple, snarling display of intimidation. In a pack, this contest is resolved quickly and decisively. In a sept, the assembled werewolves enact the contest with great drama.
  The Reality: An extremely powerful alpha may be virtually immune to challenge. Some packs challenge their leader one at a time, wearing him down until he must relent. Tyrannical Shadow Lords insist continually that greater threats are lurking nearby, postponing the most dangerous duels. Cunning werewolves insist on choosing the type of duel that should result, playing off their rivals' known weaknesses. In short, alphas who claw their way to the top through treachery and deceit defend their authority with the same methods.

The Leader May Not Be Challenged During Wartime

  The Law: The most dangerous spirits are capable of manifesting in the physical world; in their true aspects, they are monstrous in size and power. For werewolves, pack tactics are the best defense against such invasions. Therefore, obedience in a pack is essential. Once a fight begins, the pack alpha's word is law. A packmate who disobeys may be punished or assaulted by his companions, or possibly even by his sept, after the danger has passed.
  The Reality: After bloodlust passes, rage gives way to reason. Half Moons may want to judge why this lapse in obedience took place. If a werewolf was under magical control, corrupted or possessed by the Wyrm — or if the alpha was just startlingly incompetent — such disobedience may be excused, especially if the action saved a pack or the sept. Unfortunately, any renown the wolf would have received for her valor may be canceled out by her insubordination.

Ye Shall Take No Action That Causes a Caern to Be Violated

  This law is obeyed as strictly as the need to preserve the Veil. Caerns surge with mystical energy, the lifeblood of the Earth. If one is destroyed or corrupted, part of the Earth dies, and so does the power of the Garou. A werewolf who leads a proven or potential enemy to a hidden caern is punished severely, even if the act was unintentional.

Justice

  In Garou society, most simple crimes and mistakes are easy to redress. If a problem looms, an elder can usually caution a younger werewolf of a potential error. Garou settle disputes by a reprimand, a mediator or possibly a duel. If these measures are not enough, disapproval from a werewolf's pack, sept or tribe is typically enough to correct misbehavior. Most ambitious cliath do not want to lose renown. However, a few crimes are so severe that they must be punished severely. Simply put, someone must pay when the Litany is violated.
  Each sept and tribe has its own methods of conducting trials. Get of Fenris and Red Talons prefer trial by combat, measuring a werewolf by his deeds, not his words. By contrast, Shadow Lords petition sept leaders with lengthy and elaborate arguments, intimidating anyone who refuses their right to speak. Bone Gnawers have a democratic approach to such affairs, convening a jury of peers to pass judgment... even if the jurors are easy to bribe. Uktena summon spirits to discern the truth, while Glass Walkers employ modem criminology. While one or two tribes may dominate a sept, many caerns attract a wide array of Garou. In these cases, the sept leader may choose the methods of her tribe, the tribe of the highest-ranking Philodox or that of the offender himself. Political consequences arise for each choice.
  Once sentence has been passed, a sept enacts a formal rite to punish the offender. If a criminal escapes, the Garou may offer a bounty for his capture... or his skin. The worst punishment is outright ostracism, an offense feared more than death itself. Most Garou believe that great heroes are reborn; some even have visions of past lives to prove it. An outcast, declared a "rogue" or Ronin, is shut out forever from his brothers and sisters. Unless he can commit some great deed to prove his valor, he remains mistrusted and alone. Sadly, fatalistic werewolves convince themselves that there is no future for the Garou as the Apocalypse draws closer. Entire packs of Ronin wander the Earth rejecting the strictures of the Litany completely.

Hierarchy

  Every gathering of Garou, from the smallest pack to the largest sept, has a few remarkable similarities. Part of being a werewolf is knowing the ways of wolves. Instinct plays a big part in how they relate to each other. Like wolves, Garou establish a pecking order almost immediately. One among them must become the alpha, and all must obey. In most small gatherings, an alpha proves his dominance by brute force. In larger gatherings, however, doing so is impractical. If a ruler has to fight off rivals constantly, he will soon become too weak to govern properly.
  Garou society establishes hierarchy through a system of renown, a measure of a hero's deeds and service to her sept. Constant infighting wounds and weakens a sept, but this system channels such energies in a positive direction. ("If you want to show your strength, cub, then show us how well you hunt! I know of a spirit that intrigues me....") This "caste system" may sound disturbing, but a werewolfs instincts and thousands of years of tribal conditioning reinforce it. Pack instincts demand hierarchy. Every werewolf has his place. Elders rarely need to demonstrate power by abusing their lessors, and their vassals are usually content to serve.
  Based on their renown, each werewolf also holds a certain rank in Garou society, and he is often addressed by his proper title. For instance:
  — Cubs are at the bottom of the pecking order, treated as little more than children. They're eager to learn, and they ask many confusing questions.
  — Once a cub completes her Rite of Passage, she becomes a cliath, a young Garou enlisted continually to perform all sorts of tasks for her sept. Because packs of cliath know that they are in demand, some travel all over the world to learn about Garou society.   — As cliath continue to gain renown, they eventually become fostern. These Garou are educated enough to act as esteemed emissaries between septs. At this stage in life, an entire pack may undergo a period of fosterage in a distant and seemingly alien caern.
  — Adren outrank fostern, often taking on some of the lesser political positions in a sept. By this time, a pack of adren usually limits its travel to a handful of caerns. Political rivalries develop over time.
  — Athro outrank all these commoners. They are typically swept up in some of the most perilous and compelling adventures their tribes can offer. Silent Strider messengers have been known to travel around the world to summon the right pack of athro for critical adventures.
  — Only the most esteemed and highest-ranking Garou are addressed as elders. Even if an elder does not currently serve as a tribal elder, as a sept leader or in some other esteemed position, a werewolf with enough renown is still treated with the greatest forms of respect.
  When two Garou of vastly different rank interact — as in a conversation between young cliath and their elders — their relative positions are fairly obvious. When two werewolves have roughly the same rank or renown, social niceties are not so clean-cut. When heroes of equal status disagree, matters may come to blows. Fortunately, Garou society has developed protocols for dealing with such conflict. It has developed ways for Garou to contest for leadership without killing each other: tests of dominance that are usually based on the type of problem facing the sept.
  When danger approaches, the power struggle among werewolves is fluid. When many Garou gather, their alpha may change from hour to hour. Since werewolves know instinctively that each auspice has its particular strength, they are usually willing to follow the strongest and most qualified leader of the proper auspice. For instance, the highest-ranking warrior will usually lead a tribe or sept in battle. Once the skirmish is over, if the group is confronted by a devious group of spirits, the warrior may then be defeated in a mental challenge by a clever and cunning mystic. If negotiating skills are needed shortly thereafter, a Philodox known for his social acumen might then challenge the alpha to a different type of contest. When a Garou is especially renowned for his skills, a wise rival steps down from a challenge once he realizes he's outclassed.
  Outright challenges are rarely necessary in a pack. A pack of werewolves works together for so long that its members already know who does what best. When a fight breaks out, it's often the Ahroun that becomes alpha. The Galliard usually steps to the fore when someone must address the pack's sept and speak eloquently. A Philodox is an excellent choice at mediating a dispute or conversing with creatures the pack doesn't understand fully, or even resolving disputes within the pack. The Theurge deals best with spirits and mystical problems, often acting as alpha in the Umbra. And, of course, when trickery and guile is needed, the Ragabash leads the pack in matters of mischief and misdirection.

Domination and Submission

  Even if you think the choice for an alpha is obvious, other werewolves may not agree. As the Litany says, as long as a group isn't in the middle of immediate danger, its leader may be challenged at any time. Thousands of years of conflict have resulted in the three most common methods of testing dominance: the facedown, gamecraft and duel. If the pack or sept faces a particular crisis, the type of problem influences the type of challenge, such as a duel fought to see who leads a midnight raid. Otherwise, the challenged werewolf is allowed to choose.
  The facedown is a contest of wills. The challenger initiates it by growling at his opponent and staring him in the eye with an unblinking gaze. The first werewolf to back down loses. While this may seem to be a simple contest, it is not without risk. Once a werewolf's hackles are up, he may work himself into a frenzy and attack. Should such happen, the frenzied werewolf loses not only the confrontation, but renown as well.
  Gamecraft is a test of skill, cunning or wits. It may be a riddle contest, a game of chess, a competition to name various hierarchies of spirits or some similar mental exercise. Sometimes Ragabash win these contests with a clever bit of cheating. The leader must demonstrate his superior intellect if he is to continue as alpha.
  The duel is exactly what onlookers expect: single combat. The challenged Garou may choose the type of weapons used; such contests are rarely to the death. Unfortunately, as with facedowns, duels may lead to frenzies of violence. Some septs, such as those dominated by Get of Fenris, rely on such challenges almost exclusively.
  The loser of a test of dominance must show some sign of submission immediately — an "honorable surrender," as the Litany puts it. Doing so might involve falling to the ground, exposing his throat, lowering his head and whimpering or what have you. Gamecraft has its own signs of submission, from the chess master who knocks over his own king to the storyteller who bows with a nourish and buys his rival a drink. In a physical contest, if the loser does not show some sign of relenting, the winner may follow through with a quick attack, cuffing or clawing his lesser until recognition is given.

The Pack

  One of the greatest strengths a wolf has is his pack mentality. One wolf can be strong, but he can help bring down a creature 10 times his own weight by working with a pack. Werewolves are no different. Packs make up the foundation of Garou society. Septs may be conquered and tribes may argue, but a pack works together despite all adversity. In fact, much of the mistrust and prejudice that exists between different tribes is set aside when a pack runs together long enough.
  Packs include from two to 10 werewolves. Usually, each of the five auspices is recognized, but this representation is not mandatory. It is possible, for example, to form a pack of several Ahroun or have a Ragabash team up with more than one Theurge. All of the werewolves may be of the same tribe or several different tribes. A cub may tag along with cliath, a few fostern may attend to a pack of elders, or the entire pack may decide to go Ronin. It's said that Stargazers even form temporary packs (called sentai) with the other shapechangers of the East. Stranger things have happened.
  Each pack also shares a common purpose. Cubs always gather together in a pack for a reason, even if it is no more than a simple declaration. This declaration may begin as something quite simple ("Aid and defend the sept that brought us together."), something ambitious and long-lasting ("Seek out the breeding places of the Wyrm and destroy them all," or "Help our Silver Fang become sept leader.") or even a mystical or cryptic agenda ("Travel to the East and share knowledge with other supernatural creatures."). The pack may, of course, decide to take on many other types of tasks along the way, but its unity often comes from dedication to one purpose.
  Some packs are built around a particular strength, bringing together werewolves with similar or complementary talents. A pack can take on a wide range of adventures, but it excels at its specialty. One may be dedicated to monkeywrenching, sabotaging businesses that work with the servants of the Wyrm. Another may be obsessed with the spirit world, traveling continually deeper and deeper into mystic realms. A third may be intensely political, traveling between a handful of septs and becoming embroiled in intrigue and espionage. A pack can take on almost any adversity, but elders learn quickly what they do best.

Totems

  Each pack also dedicates itself to a particular totem when it is first formed. Many of these totems are great animals spirits, such as Raven or Bear. Others, such as Grandfather Thunder are more personified. Lesser known, more esoteric totems, like Almighty Dolla' and the Great Trash Heap, are cryptic and bizarre. These great spirits each have their own special strengths, so the choice of a totem often relates to a pack's goals or strengths. The choice is made during an intense and mystical rite. The pack then receives a totem spirit, a spiritual servitor of the totem that can act as their guardian, guide them through the spirit world and even lend them mystical power.
  On some occasions, the pack is gathered expressly to serve a specific totem, and all the cliath who serve it are first brought together to form a pack with this affinity in mind. For instance, if a Wendigo sept decides to form a Raven pack, it may gather together the most infamous tricksters and sagest masters of knowledge. Once, it was easy for elder Theurges to simply summon these guides. However, since magic is dying rapidly in the world, many packs now undertake a great quest into the spirit world to find their totem spirit. Until it does so, the pack travels without such guidance.
  Of course, the pack does not have to stay together forever. Some packs disband after many years of cooperation, especially if their goals in life change. If the pack makes this decision, such as when their purpose is accomplished, the totem spirit is released ceremonially.

The Sept

  Larger groups of werewolves gather around caerns, largely for the purpose of guarding a sacred site. Septs are the societies that form around caems. The oldest ones are dominated by one or two tribes, usually not far from their tribal homelands, but septs have become increasingly multi-tribal over the last few centuries. Such cooperation may be the last hope of the Garou. If they cannot set aside their prejudices and stereotypes, their enemies will divide and conquer them easily.
  The primary task of a sept is guarding its caern. Through powerful mystic rites, a sept can help heroes travel great distances to aid them. Drawing upon Luna's power, mystics form powerful moon bridges between the largest caerns. Because of this ability, septs are also gathering places for travelers. After a wandering pack is welcomed, the elders may extend an opportunity for the pack to stay a while and rest. This honor usually demands that the visitors pay some form of chiminage in return. This payment may be a simple as reciting a story of their journey, as esoteric as bringing back something valuable from the nearby spirit world or as onerous as performing a brief task for the sept's benefit.
  Older Garou settle down eventually into one sept that they particularly favor, usually assuming a political position there. An elder may dedicate many years to protecting one caern, and many eventually become loath to leave it... ever. For this reason, elders commonly offer younger Garou the chance to perform missions on behalf of their sept as an easy path to honor and glory.
  Young cliath are wise to remember which elders in a sept are responsible for which tasks. Every sept has a sept leader, the sagacious ruler who organizes the sept and directs the local packs. The highest-ranking Theurge becomes the Master of the Rite, performing many of the day-to-day rituals that maintain the sept. She is also responsible for caring for the spiritual center of the caern, where werewolves meditate. The caern Warder protects the area surrounding the caern, known as the bawn, and keeps an eye out for trouble. Many young metis are enlisted to help him in this task. Septs often have a wealth of other positions, from the den mother or den father who watches over cubs to the Talesinger who chronicles its history. Every werewolf has a place in Garou society, and most are eager to speak to young heroes in need of advice.

The Tribe

  Werewolves speak about their ancestors with great loyalty and pride. Throughout their lives, they help their tribes, and their tribes help them. Each one has a very different hierarchy, from the constant conflicts for power among Shadow Lords to the relaxed, informal democracy of the Bone Gnawers. As noted before, one or two tribes will dominate most septs, which gives rise to tribal politics. Young cliath serve their pack first and their sept second, but when a tribe has a pressing issue that only werewolves of that tribe can truly understand, an elder may call upon the tribe's cliath to aid him, possibly with the help of their respective packs. In some tribes, such as the Silver Fangs and Shadow Lords, this imperative is undeniable. The chance to gain renown for serving one's tribe is usually sufficient motivation, however.
  Every tribe also includes smaller societies, groups of werewolves who share a common purpose but who don't necessarily belong to the same pack. These groups are known as camps. For example, a Bone Gnawer might belong to the Frankweiler Camp, tending to public parks and museums during his spare time, or he might decide instead to join the Hood, watching over run-down neighborhoods in the city suburbs. A follower of a camp may still decide to join in a pack with werewolves from other tribes, but occasionally, he'll have to leave to carry out a personal task on behalf of his camp. He may even recruit his pack to help him in such a quest, sometimes in exchange for similar favors. For instance, if a Fenrir helps her packmate in the Frankweiler camp rescue a fetish stolen from a museum, she might later insist that the Bone Gnawer should help her Valkyria friends punish some wayward Ahroun.

Moots

  Werewolves gather regularly in moots, events that serve a variety of social, political and religious functions. These gathering are part of what makes them Garou, communal creatures dedicated to common causes and sacred responsibilities. Usually, moots are convened every full moon, although a sept may call smaller gatherings as circumstances wan-ant. For cliath, these gatherings are vital. When a pack returns from one of its adventures, one among them should tell the events that occurred at the next moot. The various werewolves in the pack can then earn renown. By contrast, Garou who avoid moots regularly are viewed with suspicion, often because of their unwillingness to aid their own kind.
  Moots are always held at caerns, and powerful spirits are often summoned as part of the proceedings. Theurges perform great rites, Philodox attend to protocol and the "business" aspects of the gathering, Galliards organize the social and storytelling events, and Ahroun see to the defense of the assembly. Werewolves debate policies, discuss plans, send heroes off to perform great tasks, celebrate heroes who have returned triumphant and revile criminals who violate the Litany. Matters are handled with decorum and weighed by the sept as a whole. When matters become too grim, Ragabash satirize foolish decisions, jape at pretentious elders and taunt those who take themselves far too seriously. The most powerful moon bridges are opened during this time. Most importantly, the spiritual energy expended keeps the caern alive, for as the Garou prosper, so do the sacred sites they attend.
  There are many types of moots, varying in size, purpose, grandeur and attendance.
  Hearings may be convened at any time, usually when a pack returns from a great adventure. Elders assemble to listen to what the young heroes have found, pressing plans are discussed immediately, and renown is awarded. The sept leader decides which elders are vital to the discussion. As a pack's Galliard relates what has just occurred, his packmates should watch the elders' reactions carefully. Those reactions often reveal volumes about political struggles within the sept. Not everyone in the sept is required to attend a hearing, although many elders hate to receive information after their rivals have.
  Sept Moots are the regular monthly meetings of a sept. Any Garou can attend, although those from outside the sept are often regarded with suspicion. This meeting is more than a simple voicing of complaints; it often resolves with a raucous celebration that no cliath would dare miss.
  Grand Moots are convened to discuss the weightiest matters, often those that affect an entire tribe. All werewolves of the specific tribe within a reasonable distance are required to attend; others may be invited as well, but only with special permission.
  Concolations are the largest moots, and all werewolves nearby are required to attend, regardless of pack, sept or tribe. They are extremely rare and accordingly critical. The gathering is announced during a normal moot, and it always requires at least five elders of five different tribes to support it. Once the decision has been made, messengers are sent out from region to region and caern to caern. The event is held exactly three months later at the exact same site. Legends speak of a few grand concolations where messengers are dispatched to retrieve some of the greatest heroes in the world, but such an event has not occurred in decades.

Tribal Moots

  A tribal moot is a less critical version of a Grand Moot. It is as much a show of solidarity as anything else. Elders believe that these gatherings reinforce a tribe's political power. Once it was rare for one tribe to scheme directly against another, but vengeful elders have increased the conflict between tribes as tensions mount and the End Times approach. Pity the poor wolf who must choose between the needs of his sept and the dictates of his tribe.
  Black Furies gather in their most sacred tribal holdings, isolated and idyllic spots untouched by encroaching civilization. Choral chants and sacred hunts are common pursuits, along with tribal rites no man has ever witnessed. As more of their tribal lands fall before their enemies, Black Furies have also begun hosting far less traditional gatherings in the cities, events casually dismissed as innocuous by the uneducated.
  Bone Gnawers rarely hold formal moots. Instead, they find solidarity by launching into epic binges. They gather up spare change, stock up on booze, steal some cheap food and then get trashed. Occasionally, a drunken mob of Bone Gnawers may work up their courage to mess with the nastiest urban spirits in the area. Elders call these gatherings "Orkins."
  Children of Gaia hold tribal moots based around the concept of community. A few are fairly innocuous affairs where human Kinfolk (or even highly esteemed humans) gather to discuss political activism and environmental issues. Some moots are remarkably peaceful, involving endless meditation, tranquil singing and quiet contemplation. Of course, even the Gaians have a raucous, joyous side. Since ancient times, the tribe has also held a fondness for hallucinogenic reveries and wild musical revels.
  The Fianna are known for two styles of tribal moots. During the holidays of the Celtic calendar — set at each solstice and equinox — they hold solemn affairs where they recite or sing great epics and preserve their bardic history. At other times of the year, they hold wild parties, occasionally inviting potentially useful allies from other tribes to share in song, dance and drink. Fianna Galliards spend months rehearsing for performances at both types of events.
  When the Get of Fenris gather, the result is an epic contest of endurance, martial prowess, howling, drinking, eating and even more fighting. The event resembles a massive brawl, with gauntlets to be run, ceremonial burning or scarification and inspiring sagas from the skalds. Younger Fenrir usually prefer drinking insane amounts of alcohol, slam-dancing in a mosh pit and beating the crap out of each other.
  Glass Walkers hold professional and thoroughly corporate meetings, often with an agenda, minutes and proper rules of order. In abandoned warehouses and corporate offices, they not only discuss tribal goals, but also summon urban spirits to trap in batteries and floppy disks. Younger Walkers are dismissed early, often so that they can go to their own raves, drink strange beverages, ingest stranger chemicals and appreciate music far too cutting edge for the elders to understand.
  Red Talons isolate themselves from all other Garou and completely lose track of what they've learned from humans. Hunting, howling and running with the nearest wolf pack are all common pursuits. Unknown to Garou of other tribes, the most extreme Talon moots involve far darker rites, often enacted as a mockery of human rituals. Human sacrifice is common here, such as when Talons feast on an eviscerated human's entrails and string the remains around a "Yuletide tree."
  Shadow Lords hold gloomy, brooding, somber affairs high atop mountains beneath stormy skies. Great pomp and circumstance celebrates rank, conspiratorial accomplishments and the latest intricacies of the tribal hierarchy. Thundering drums and majestic Gregorian chants speak of the grandeur of the tribe, sometimes leading to the sacrifice of a weak, hapless human to the tribe's dark god, Grandfather Thunder.
  Silent Striders rarely congregate, but they do often gather with other travelers to share stories and songs. Striders invite their trusted traveling companions. One festival may be attended by Gypsies, another by wandering fae and still another by the spirits of the dead. Sometimes the moot takes places deep in the Umbra, but it rarely stays in one place for long. Races, relays and long hikes are all typical activities.
  Silver Fang moots are all about tradition, involving ancient, beautiful dances and long recitations to the spirits. White-robed nobles lead candle-lit processions to isolated, idyllic locales. Tales of great ancestors are spoken with reverence, often to set an example for the latest generation of Silver Fang nobility.
  Uktena maintain absolute secrecy, conducting strange rites, summoning great spirits and performing cryptic incanations. Mysticism is celebrated, and Galliards recite lengthy paeans from ancient tomes and occult epics.
  Wendigo are distinctly Native American, particularly in the northern septs, and their moots preserve a wealth of traditions. One gathering may involve visionquests and peyote, while another can depend on sacred tobacco, fire dances and ritual combat. Some moots employ Umbral travel, such as when the entire assembly placates a great spirit and hunts it into the Penumbra.

Revelry

  The greatest moots typically end with a revel, in which Garou transform into Crinos form and run madly about the area to clear away anything that may pose a threat. This rampage is often so strenuous than some elders fall behind the cubs and cliath, or even die trying to keep up the pace. Packs do not always run together during a revel. Instead, most of the sept begins the run as one, then fragments into smaller groups as the night proceeds. Individual werewolves may work themselves into a frenzy, possibly becoming a danger to themselves and others — the revel is not performed without risk. Most run themselves to exhaustion. The staunchest and strongest Garou continue until dawn, immediately gaining renown for their great stamina and fervor.
  The revel is not performed every time the sept gathers, but is instead reserved for special occasions. Urban caerns begin it with great trepidation, fearing that cliath swept up in the moment may destroy portions of the caern others have pledged to protect. An urban sept may find other ways to unleash this chaos and frenzy at the end of their moots. Martial tribes like the Get of Fenris and Red Talons are shocked to hear about tribal moots ending in (what they consider) sad substitutes for a traditional revel. Examples of modern revels include Fianna pub-crawls, Bone Gnawer feasts, Glass Walker "fragfests" on networked computers and Uktena drumming circles.

Language

  Garou who have completed their Rite of Passage can converse with each other in a variety of ways. Homids, of course, know at least one of the languages of the human world, if not more. Lupus can communicate very simply when they are in wolf form, often by using a great deal of body language. Each breed can learn the other's language, but conversation can be difficult. Lupus rarely communicate concepts that use more than a handful of verbs and nouns, while homids find it frustrating to limit their speech while in a wolfs skin. Even homid Garou from distant lands have difficulty speaking with each other.
  Fortunately, the Garou themselves have developed a separate language over thousands of years to bridge the gap. Galliards know this worldwide language as the "High Tongue" or "Garou Tongue." Most claim that the Fianna conceived it first. Bone Gnawer Ragabash, on the other hand, describe its lofty tones as "High-Falutin'," and unfortunately, this name has stuck as well. All Garou are taught the High Tongue immediately following their Rite of Passage, although differences in regional accent and dialect do come up. Garou language depends as much on body language and tone as on actual words. Much of it is instinctive, accented by pheromones, growls and whines. A few spoken words cannot be reproduced by a human or wolf throat, as they require partial transformation to articulate. These words represent some of the loftiest concepts tied to Garou culture.
  Of course, some lupus never really master this language. They prefer to speak as simply and plainly as wolves do. For the record, Garou in Lupus or Hispo form (halfway between Lupus and Crinos) may communicate freely with wolves. This same "lupine language" can be used in other forms, but a greater chance of misunderstanding arises. While the formal and complex Garou High Tongue requires training, any werewolf in Lupus form can speak in "lupine" instinctively. The first time a homid or metis shapeshifts into a wolf, he can communicate with other wolves.

Howls

  The most powerful, evocative and effective way to communicate with other werewolves is by howling. Enormous amounts of information can be condensed into a few wailing sounds. All of them incorporate the Garou language, although not all of them are as "high-falutin"' as the High Tongue. Just as every Philodox studies the Litany, any Galliard should be well versed in all the common howls.
  Howls can vary greatly from one sept to another — enough so that an attentive Galliard may even be able to recognize a performer's tribe or auspice, or possibly part of his personality. Optionally, a Storyteller may allow a Galliard skilled in expression or performance to convey further information. Thirteen of the most commonly used howls are listed here. Sane Garou use 12 of them, while one is reserved for a fallen tribe.
  Anthem of War — Ahroun muster their septmates to war with this battle cry. Moon Dancers use it to rally them if their morale is waning. The howl can convey where the enemy is, approximately how many are attacking and how soon reinforcements are needed.
  Call for Succor — One pack member may use this howl to summon his comrades if he is in great danger. Some find it embarrassing, since it sounds like a puppy's bark for his mother. An expressive howl may include sensory impressions of what danger is near.
  Call to Hunt — A long, low ululation informs the pack of the position of its prey. When done properly, it may also identify what the prey is, describe its wounds or even coordinate the tactics of the pack that's hunting it.
  Chant of Challenge — This howl begins very much like the Howl of Introduction, but it is quickly contrasted by a horrible mockery of an enemy's deeds, ancestry and odious personal habits. The Fianna not only invented this howl as a method of initiating duels, but also further elevated it to a satirical art form. Everyone hearing the chant can discern exactly why the challenge is taking place.
  Cry of Elation — In the heat of battle, young heroes may think themselves almost invincible, and they may attempt ridiculous feats of courage that no sane werewolf would attempt. The cry basically means, "Look at me!" or (as some elders put it), "Watch me do something incredibly stupid!" With enough expression, it may also convey who should get out of the way, what four or five objects are going to be used, where they will be inserted in the victim and why the pack's healer should ready her mystic Gifts if the attempt fails.
  Curse of Ignominy — This howl is a horrible, discordant snarling whine used to insult violators of the Litany. As more werewolves lend their voices to the whine, it becomes increasingly painful. The strain on a listener does not subside until he joins in the cry. Garou who have fallen into disfavor are subjected to this cacophony. The sounds convey a mocking account of a villain's failures and shortcomings. An entire sept can memorize all of the excruciating details by sharing in the chant.
  Dirge for the Fallen — This dirge is a somber, low-pitched howl used as a requiem for the honored dead. Its length depends on the status of the fallen. An attentive listener can learn which participants are hurt the most by this tragedy, and he may even gather brief images of the hero's deeds, rather like the memories after a great eulogy.
  Howl of Introduction — The Litany commands werewolves to respect the territory of others; this howl is the result. It details a Garou's breed, tribe and auspice. Some werewolves include parts of their lineage. The Howl of Introduction may even include a sensory impression of why a visitor is worthy of attention.
  Snarl of Precedence — This short violent outburst is directed against a chosen foe, and it usually means, "You're mine, punk." Packs use these snarls to coordinate their tactics, establishing who is attacking whom. A higher-ranking Garou does not have to recognize this howl — and he even has the right to "steal the kill" from a lesser werewolf — but most react to a well-executed snarl.
  Song of Mockery — A Ragabash can take any other howl and twist it into something perverted and infuriating. Shadow Lords and cocky Ahroun are common victims of well-timed mockery. An undeniably insulting gesture, it's the musical equivalent of "the finger." If done properly, the recipient can be taunted into attacking or just losing his composure altogether.
  Symphony of the Abyss — The Garou's greatest enemies, the Black Spiral Dancers, unleash an insane reverberating whine as they stalk their prey. Victims who listen too closely can identify the fate that lies in store for them. Even those who don't are usually terrified.
  Wail of Foreboding — Whenever danger approaches, this sound is the general cry of distress. The Anthem of War alerts werewolves of an attack, but the Wail of Foreboding is typically used for natural disasters, unusual phenomenon in the Umbra or anything strange that bears further investigation. A practiced Galliard can give impressions of what the danger may be, but such sensations are usually cryptic or contradictory.
  Warning of the Wyrm's Approach — A sharp-pitched howl, followed by a series of brief staccato bursts, announces the presence of the Wyrm's minions. If a scout can scent the true form of these creatures, he may be able to describe it. All who hear the howl can see and feel the foulness that surrounds them.

Rage Across the World

  Garou society is far older than human civilization. Vast cities have arisen since the end of the Impergium, but the old ways and old mysteries remain hidden from the human realm. As mankind has evolved, the Garou have also continued to adapt. Some werewolves preserve the past by remaining close to their ancestral homelands, but the Twelve Tribes have expanded their territories across the planet. Even lupus, who vastly prefer running where wolves roam free, know that defending the wild requires them to travel far from home. The I Garou's sacred duty to the Earth Mother has set them on a series of epic quests around the globe.

North America

  The Pure Ones were the first werewolves to arrive in North America. The Uktena, Croatan and Wendigo originally led their human flocks across the Bering Strait, then migrated south gradually. Unlike the brutal European werewolves, the Pure Ones preferred to exist harmoniously with their human brethren. As a result, Native Americans developed a respect for nature and the creatures of the Earth. The Impergium on this continent was more an exercise in co-existence than a matter of dominance and submission. The three North American tribes accepted the Concord grudgingly, largely because they favored the idea of humans evolving enough to survive on their own. For thousands of years, North America remained a refuge from the Wyrm.
  The Pure Ones had no need to maintain moon bridges with the other tribes, but they didn't foresee the possibility of human invasion. In the early 16th century, European immigrants began to land on North American shores, bringing a very different culture along with them. Starvation and privation summoned the hungry minions of the Wyrm; the notable manifestations occurred in a Virginia settlement called the Roanoke colony. Croatan Garou sacrificed their lives to prevent the Great Serpent from spawning its progeny in the surface world, but to little avail. Centuries of "manifest destiny" followed as the Europeans — now known to the Uktena and Wendigo as the Wyrmcomers — devoured the tribal homelands of the Pure Ones rapaciously.
  Within a few scant centuries, other tribes offered eagerly to help the Uktena and Wendigo establish moon bridges so that they could rush to their aid. Fianna and Get of Fenris watched over new generations of Kinfolk immigrating to the New World, and they demanded prompt acceptance in the caerns they found there. The Glass Walkers (then known as the Iron Riders) were drawn by their fascination with the Weaver's minions. With every telegraph wire erected and railroad track laid, their claims to territory grew. The Shadow Lords soon followed, demanding that proper leaders help keep the peace in rapidly growing multi-tribal septs. Before long, the clamorous howling of many tribes demanded that the last of the Pure Ones cede control of more caerns so that the Garou could "help them." Their lands have long since lost their innocence.
  Both Uktena and Wendigo have remained bitter, yet further threats have forced them to work with werewolves from other tribes as the End Times approach. Garou of every coat and claw can be found across America. The Bone Gnawers are undeniably the most common tribe. The spirit of American democracy, cheap cable TV and bountiful dumpsters overflowing with loot draws in many of them. The tribes have learned to tolerate each other, but tensions still flare. The most embittered Wendigo have retreated farther and father into their tribal lands in Canada, isolating themselves from other septs.
  Despite the proliferation of some of the most banal and corrupt cities in the world, North America remains one of the few places in the world where wild wolves can roam freely. Just as the Wendigo's lupus Kinfolk are prevalent throughout Canada, the Red Talons are attempting to maintain extensive breeding grounds in Alaska. Sadly, wolf hunting in both areas is winnowing their population.

South America

  Few Garou consider this continent their home. It has long been a refuge for the world's other shapechangers, who still harbor great anger over the War of Rage. Although Spain and Portugal laid claim to vast tracts of land in the l5th century, a relatively small population of Kinfolk went with them. Cunning packs of Fera have kept communities of Garou Kinfolk isolated from their werewolf relations, sometimes even striking at them directly to hurt the Garou. The largest South American cities are marvels of the modern age, but poverty and despair are commonplace in the depths of the Third World.
  The Uktena and Bone Gnawers have managed to secure a few caerns on this continent, but their Kin are well acquainted with oppression, exploitation and abuse. Shadow Lords attempted to organize them centuries ago by working with the Spanish conquistadors, but they met with epic failure instead. South American Fera fought fiercely to defend their lands, and although many died in the process, they have remained there to this day. A few have even begun breeding with Garou Kinfolk, much to the horror of the werewolves who find out. Other tribes have only just begun to realize how populous their Kin are on this continent. While there are only a handful of moon bridges leading into South America, there are plenty of isolated caerns waiting to be reclaimed... or stolen. Lost Kinfolk may help turn the tide of battle, but only if the Garpu can also help them.
  One of the most notable locations in supernatural South America is the Amazon. Over the last 10 years, it has become one of the Garou's greatest battlegrounds against the Wyrm. Minions of the Wyrm have corrupted a few powerful corporations intent on profiting from the rainforest's destruction. Within the shrinking jungles, vicious shapechanging "jaguar gods" defend their Den Realms savagely, lashing out at werewolves and corporate raiders with equal ferocity. It's a losing battle for all concerned. Even without the influence of the Great Serpent, human encroachment is eliminating a realm that the Earth needs desperately to survive.

Europe

  The Fianna, Black Furies, Get of Fenris and Shadow Lords all originated in Europe. All four tribes still maintain caerns in their tribal homelands. Since the time of the Dark Ages, Europe has remained a vital part of Garou history. From the craggy peaks of the Carpathians to the depths of the Black Forest, this realm has long been one where werewolves reign supreme. A thousand years ago, Irish farmers, Transylvanian serfs and German settlers all whispered legends of werewolves stalking the night, punishing fools who dared investigate their activities.
  Unfortunately, the Wyrm has always been strong here as well. Medieval legends of dragons, manticores and other fantastic creatures can be traced to its foul work. As long as there have been stories of incubi, succubi and other demons, the Great Serpent has tempted weak humans and lured them to corruption. The Fianna recite great epics of warring with corrupted legions of fomori spawned beneath the sea, while the Shadow Lords have always been keenly aware of evil in their midst, from the sinister vampires of Transylvania to the spiritual servitors of forgotten gods.
  Evil has grown stronger steadily, and the werewolves' supremacy has come to an end. Once Europe was canopied with great stretches of forest — a pack could run for days and only barely see sunlight through the trees the whole time. Now human habitation encroaches on the greatest tribal caerns. The Weaver grows stronger as Europe grows more urbanized.
  The Fianna still control massive caerns in Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland, but many cliath find political struggles in the cities more fascinating than endless paeans to their grand Celtic heritage. The Get of Fenris dominate powerful caerns in Northern Europe, but ancient caerns in the Black Forest of Germany are surrounded by urban development. The Black Furies have focused their attention more on the entire globe and less on their Greek territories, although a few island caerns still remain. Near the Shadow Lords' homelands in Eastern Europe, their vampiric rivals remain as powerful as ever. As the Lords continue to pursue political intrigues both with vampires and their own kind, their tribal lands fall to dissent, warfare and ethnic hatred. Humanity still has its own civilization, and it's tearing the societies of the Garou in Europe apart.

Africa

  By and large, the Garou are not welcome in Africa. Other species of shapeshifters roam the continent freely, and they have no patience for werewolf incursions. The most dangerous of these species are dragonlike beasts who thunder through the most isolated stretches of wilderness. The great cats who roam the savannas and jungles have werebeasts among their number, while one species of rat-shifters is said to thrive on spreading modern plagues in overcrowded cities. Of course, the Fera here have their own internal struggles and even covert wars, but most Garou are completely unaware of such complications. Instead, they have come to realize that this land is filled with many spiritual hellholes, neglected lands that demand immediate action. Werewolf packs planning on exploring the continent further run the risk of retribution from the African shapeshifters, a type of "safari" that is certain to end in bloodshed.
  The werewolves are not without influence on this continent, but packs venture here cautiously. Silent Striders still travel ancient Umbral trods across the continent, sometimes seeking visions of Ancient Khem in Egypt's Penumbra. Recently, they have made alarming discoveries of their tribe's past. A handful of Silent Strider cliath have found out that they've had past lives in Khem. This miraculous occurrence has no explanation, and many Theurges wonder whether it was brought about by some other supernatural society.
  Bone Gnawers are predominant throughout Northern Africa, but they are among the most destitute and poorly organized in the world. An isolated camp of the tribe still lives in South Africa, gathering in moots in Capetown, but it also refuses to accept its relations in other parts of the world. African Red Talons are even more unusual creatures. They are the only ones of their kind who enjoy their Homid form, but they use that form to exploit human suffering wherever starvation and disease are prevalent.

Asia

  Much of Asia remains an enigma to the Garou. Although primal tribes once ran with packs of Mongol and Hun Kinfolk, the Concord never gained support in the East. Asian werewolves were not as fanatic about developing one culture and destroying their Fera rivals. Many tribes have developed niche cultures here, but the werewolves of the East have always been poorly organized. By contrast, the other shapechangers of the Asia, the hengeyokai, have learned to set aside their differences and form packs as need demands. When werewolves are on the prowl in this territory, the hengeyokai are quick to drive them off and give them scars they will never forget.
  Russia is the last great domain for the Asian Garou. The Silver Fangs have maintained their supremacy here for thousands of years, but just as inbreeding degenerated the tribe's elders, the elders have lost their grip on territory they once commanded. The 20th century has not been kind to the Fangs' noble relatives. After the Bolshevik revolution, the power of the Russian aristocracy has evaporated. With the rise of the Communist regime, strange spiritual phenomena cut off many ancient Silver Fang caerns from the rest of the world. A spiritual gauntlet known as the Shadow Curtain once made travel between the oldest caerns and the outside world almost impossible. After the break-up of the old Soviet Union, the Curtain fell, but political turmoil has made the Silver Fang's homelands more dangerous than ever before.
  Remote Siberia remains one of the most valued places to the Garou. As one of the few places in the world were wild wolves can roam their natural habitat, it has become home to both Red Talons and Silver Fangs. One isolated Silver Fang camp, the Siberakh, remains aloof and isolated from the rest of the Garou. However, over the last 20 years, many of the packs and caerns of this region have disappeared mysteriously. Although the Shadow Curtain is no more, entire caerns are still found drained of their spiritual essence. The mystery remains, baffling those brave enough to investigate.
  For centuries, solitary Stargazers wandered the rural areas of China, Southeast Asia and Tibet. In fact, it is rumored that the sightings of Stargazers in frenzy (an admittedly rare occurrence) may be responsible for stories of the legendary yeti. The Stargazers are returning to their tribal lands in numbers. The loss of their ancient caerns in Tibet was a terrible blow, but recent reparations with other Asian shapeshifters have renewed their chances of restoring their traditional way of life.
  In India, an age-old conflict simmers between the Children of Gaia and the Red Talons. The Gaians have done their best to relieve suffering in India; the Talons would just as soon wipe out humans in one of the most overpopulated places on the planet. Feral Red Talons appear to have found sinister allies to help turn the tide of battle, including lost cults of shapechangers and an insidious breed of wererat.
  The Glass Walkers are drawn to more affluent parts of Asia. They have created their own pocket societies in cities like Hong Kong, particularly in realms dominated by organized crime. The "HK Glass Walker" has become something of a stereotype in the West, glamorized by Asian action films. With the hand-over of Hong Kong to China, more Glass Walkers have begun expanding their business interests to Western cities.
  Japan remains a battleground for several tribes of werewolves. The code of bushido meshes well with ancient variants of the Litany, forming a Garou culture unlike any other in the world. Glass Walkers are drawn to the technological aspects of Japanese culture, while Shadow Lords are fascinated by powerful zaibatsu. A few scattered Uktena still care for the Ainu, a beleaguered Japanese minority. A relation of the Shadow Lords, the Hakken Garou, is far more numerous, preserving a society that is antithetical to that of their brothers in Eastern Europe.
  Indonesia is far less accepting, for it is still one of the strongest homelands of the hengeyokai. From Thailand to the Philippines, they are numerous and well organized. Legends speak of horrible creatures that defend their territory fiercely, from enormous shapeshifting pythons to ingenious sentient orangutans. Whether these stories are true is another matter entirely. The only rumors that have been confirmed involve the Rokea, a race of weresharks prowling the waters. So far, no Western pack has been bold enough to confirm the existence of any other atavistic freaks.

Australia

  The barrier between the physical and spiritual world is tenuously thin in Australia. Aborigines have their own tribal visions of the Umbra, manifesting in a realm known as the Dreamtime. At the most sacred times, mystical creatures are able to cross the boundary between worlds easily. This land was once the homeland of the Bunyip, a bizarre race that used fertility powers to change from wolves to marsupial thylacines. Their tribal totem, the Rainbow Snake, granted them powers over both the Dreamtime and physical reality.
  The Bunyip were once celebrated as the wisest and most powerful Garou... until other werewolves demanded to share in their good fortune. Silver Fangs and Shadow Lords alike exploited human colonization to invade Bunyip lands, insisting that the Wyrm was powerful there. The Bunyip's enigmatic perception of the Wyrm only complicated attempts at communication. Twisting such miscommunications to their own benefit, the European Garou forced the Bunyip further and further into the Outback until their indigenous culture began to perish. At the same time, environmental devastation began wiping out the Bunyip's Tasmanian Kinfolk. In 1934, the last Tasmanian wolf died in captivity; the rest of the tribe followed soon thereafter.
  Many werewolves who have remained in Australia are consumed by Harano, a great sadness resulting from their guilt and grief. Yet the tribe's mysteries remain, although the Bunyip themselves are gone. Packs of Garou have been disappearing here for years. In many of the reclaimed caerns, the tracks of Tasmanian wolves are the only evidence remaining. Fear of these legendary ghosts has been sufficient to keep werewolves far from the Outback at night. Packs of idealistic cliath continue to charge in to investigate, but many are never heard from again.

Antarctica

  No Garou septs live in Antarctica. In fact, much about this land is unknown. Even the Wendigo see it as a barren, icy wasteland. The Get of Fenris argued once that it may be the legendary land of Thule, and they even attempted to settle there. All such efforts at exploration have failed... all except one. Since the Garou have not been vigilant in defending this land, other creatures have claimed it as their own. Unknown to the Garou, one of their fiercest rivals, the Black Spiral tribe, has claimed this continent as its own. Burrowing deep into the ground, they have uncovered secrets of a lost world, using them to develop vast breeding grounds beneath the ice. It is rumored that the Black Spirals, aided by far more sinister creatures, have recovered lost cities that defy conventional archaeology. Anyone wanting to confirm this myth is welcome to die trying.

The Wyrm

  Heroes become great by opposing terrible villains. Werewolves have an instinctual need to hunt, one they direct against their most insidious foes. The evils they face are not always supernatural, of course. Many werewolves fight seemingly ordinary battles, from crusading with political activism to protecting victims of crime and exploitation. Yet wherever the Garou hunt evil, they often find the same foul stench of corruption behind it. Behind the shadow of reality, werewolves see the spirits of the Wyrm ready to exploit, corrupt and victimize.
  The Fenrir describe the Wyrm as the Great Serpent of Darkness spawning monsters for them to kill. Black Furies see it as spiritual despair lurking near families devastated by domestic violence and abuse. The Glass Walkers smell its foul stench in corporate corruption and ecological exploitation. The hydra has a thousand heads, yet all of them are formed from the body of the Wyrm as it slithers an scurries toward the weak, the helpless and the sinful. Save perhaps for the most blasphemous Black Spiral Dancers, no werewolf has ever spoken to or met with an actual physical incarnation of "the Wyrm" itself. Typically, it is known only through the deeds of its servants an imagined evil lurking behind very real acts of perversion, corruption and outright destruction. Certain powerful Theurges question whether a separate and distant entity guides all of these minioris. A vast and calculating intelligence does seem to lurk behind their actions, but such speculation is difficult to prove. Although the Wyrm remains an abstraction for most Garou, they still speak of it directly, based on the horror and destruction its spiritual servants unleash.
  Occultists are aware of three major aspects of the Wyrm, each with its own legion of servitors. The Beast-of-War gluts itself on violence and delights at spreading entropy throughout the world. The Eater-of-Souls seeks to devour all of creation, feasting on matter, energy and spirit with equal propensity. The Defiler Wyrm is the most insidious aspect, as it concentrates on corrupting human society.

Banes

  The Great Serpent often acts through mortal agents, but it also directs legions of evil spirits. Werewolves call these foul ephemera Banes. While some mystics believe that Banes are avatars of various aspects of the Wyrm, most regard them as separate entities with individual sentience. Some Banes even speak of the Wyrm with dread, obviously acting in fear of their unseen master.
  Banes are strongest in the spirit world, for it is their natural element. There, they use spiritual powers called Charms to seduce, corrupt or assault their enemies. Powerful Banes possess humans or animals in the physical world, using them as vessels. Typically, these possessed creatures are "spiritually weak," already overcome by sin or dark emotions, such as lust, greed, envy or wrath. The Wyrm's minions do not cause all acts of "evil" in the world. They seek out ideal victims to possess, perverting and exaggerating their most horrific tendencies. Once a victim has been possessed, the whisperings of the Wyrm urge him to commit further horrible acts. Banes can also manifest physically, creating as loathsome a form as possible to unnerve those who oppose them.
  Countless varieties of these wicked spirits exist. Many students of the occult have attempted vainly to gather the facts they can confirm into hierarchies and categories, but such attempts typically drive scholars insane. Some Banes appear as manifestations of malevolent forces or personifications of weird phenomena. Others are simply hideous freaks spawned with no obvious purpose. A current theory holds that Banes serve masters tied to the great themes of evil: Hatred, Pollution, Seduction and so forth. Despite all attempts to confine them with rigid rules, the Wyrm continues to pervert its minions into grotesque and disturbing new permutations.

Wyrm Caerns

  Just as werewolves have dedicated sacred sites to the Goddess, the minions of the Wyrm have desecrated caerns in its unholy name. Surrounded by the liveliest awfulness, its cultists perform unspeakable rites and blasphemous magic to aid the forces of corruption.
  Originally, Wyrm caerns remained far underground, eternally basking in the light of chilling, poisonous balefires. Its hideous minions shuffled, oozed and undulated in subterranean chambers around the balefires' sickly gleam. While the bowels of the Earth churned with such evils, the surface remained relatively unmarred, largely due to werewolves' vigilant patrols. A shambling horror crept occasionally to the surface on a mission of desecration or a straightforward killing spree. The Veil has mercifully obscured these nightmare memories, allowing them to resurface as human myths. Odysseus and the Cyclops, St. George and the Dragon, Beowulf and Grendel — the heroes and villains have been renamed, but the essence remains the same.
  Near the end of the 20th century, myth was replaced by science gone astray. Disastrous mistakes heralded the dawn of the End Times. Nuclear warfare, biological havoc and ecological devastation on an unprecedented scale overwhelmed the werewolves' efforts, summoning the Wyrm into the world in forms never witnessed before. As below, so it was above. Throughout the last century, the Wyrm established and befouled more caems on the surface, rejoicing in landfills, toxic waste, ecological devastation, atomic tests sites and urban hellholes surrounded by crime and human suffering.
  The armies of the Apocalypse have assembled, and they are legion. They congregate by unholy sites, preying on the innocent and the damned. People living near Wyrm caems disappear suddenly, or they grow suspicious, sullen and apathetic. New generations of humans are born twisted and deformed, with defects ranging from the subtle to the grotesque. Humans make easy prey, and some are hardly challenging at all.
  The Wyrm also hunts the Garou themselves, along with the caerns they dedicate as sacred. Nothing delights the Wyrm more than to have its emissaries capture a werewolf caern, seed it with toxins and balefire, and then channel its potent mystic energies to its own service. With every victory, the Garou are weakened further and the end of creation draws nigh.

Wyrm Corruption

  The Wyrm's minions claim many victims, yet the most esteemed are the Garou themselves. The Great Serpent lusts at the thought of luring its ancient foes into its own service. Despite high ideals and readied claws, countless werewolves have been seduced into acts of treason against their own kind. Heroes, packs and even entire tribes — such as the infamous Black Spirals — have succumbed to its wiles.
  A faithful servant of the Great Serpent begins by seeking a disgraced or disgruntled Garou, one whose moral dilemmas have become more compelling than any abstract notions of good or evil. In the guise of a spirit or disguised as creature of flesh, it whispers temptations, from the material to the perverse, to garner the victim's complicity. The bait may be a fetish, supernatural power, forgotten lore, the chance at revenge or simple acceptance and understanding if the victim is truly alone and abandoned. In return, the corrupter asks a little favor: information, an act of violence or perhaps an item that "no one will miss." If the victim is almost discovered, the servitor whispers promises of further aid to delay discovery. As the dark dealings continue, spiritual decay is inevitable.
  Traitors are the werewolves' greatest foes, for they can wreak havoc as no obvious evil can. They know the locations of secret caems, the weaknesses of their elders, plans made at moots and even the needs of their former packmates. As the Wyrm gains its hideous strength at the end of time, treason is becoming more commonplace. Septs respond with paranoia and xenophobia, aiding the Wyrm unwittingly in the process. Shadows lengthen, and great heroes plunge into the depths of despair. The Great Serpent hisses its pleasure.

Black Spiral Dancers

  Garou who turn to the Wyrm are destined to join the ranks of the Black Spiral Dancers. Originally, the founders of this tribe were known as the White Howlers. Subtle corruption suborned them over generations, until the minions of the Wyrm conquered the last White Howler caern and captured its greatest heroes, dragging them into the depths of the underworld. When the Great Serpent had finally seduced its prey, the survivors emerged once again, this time as the Black Spiral tribe.
  For thousands of years, the Black Spirals spawned in tunnels beneath the earth, waiting for the time when they would be numerous enough to decimate their Garou rivals. That time has arrived. The Spirals no longer spend generations lurking in subterranean caverns, only emerging in the surface world to rend and slay. They are a vast army, easily outnumbering the combined: strength of the two largest tribes of Garou. While they favor committing wanton acts of bloodshed and devouring the flesh of other werewolves, their greatest joy comes from capturing Garou and corrupting them to the ways of the Wyrm, recreating them in their own shattered image.
  Once the Garou believed that all Black Spirals were utterly and completely insane, but they have since uncovered a far more sinister truth. Only the weakest minds are shattered during the tribe's:rites of passage. Black Spiral cubs and Garou initiates are dragged to a realm of the Underworld known as Malfeas, where they are forced to walk a spiral labyrinth containing unimaginable horrors. Those that survive and return to the surface world are forever changed. Even for those whose sanity is shattered, there is a method to their madness. Black Spiral werewolves are capable of serving the Wyrm of their own free will. Once their perspective on creation is forever altered, they pledge themselves to Wyrm totems willingly, receiving insights from their amoral gods.
  Madness and insight breed great power. Centuries of exposure to balefire and radiation have twisted their genetic strands. Many display bizarre deformities, especially in their Crinos form. Sharklike teeth, leonine or batlike ears, sickly gray green fur and wrinkled scabrous hides are typical genetic enhancements. While the Garou shun the deformities brought by inbreeding, the Black Spirals hold no qualm against spawning legions of metis shock troops. Their genes have been polluted; their minds are already twisted and disturbed.
  Spirals breed in vast underground lairs known as Hives, sinister counterparts to Garou caerns. It is said that vast networks of underground tunnels, or at least labyrinths that extend into the spirit world, connect many hives. By the sluggish light of balefires, they conduct blasphemous rites and demented moots, often inviting weird and forgotten creatures from the bowels of the Earth to join them. Some even drag humans from the surface to sate their appetites.
  Most Garou Theurges associate the Black Spirals with the Whippoorwill totem. A pack on the hunt will mimic its haunting cry, calling out their desire for the souls of their victims. It has since been revealed that the Spirals serve many totems and are keenly aware of the hierarchies of Wyrm spirits. No doubt by their reckoning, the most devolved creature in this spiritual genealogy would be the Black Spirals themselves.

Pentex and its Subsidiaries

  Pentex is a very different adversary: It's one of the largest corporations in the world. As with many institutions in the werewolves' world, it hides vast conspiracies behind layers and layers of corporate security. Originally investing in oil and mining, Pentex has since become a holding company, diversifying its resources into hundreds of subsidiaries. A Glass Walker could spend years tracking all the financial dealings of companies it allegedly controls, organizations like Magadon Pharmaceuticals, Eridton Oil, Sunburst Technologies and even the Black Dog Game Factory. Unfortunately for the Garou Nation, Pentex is subtle, and only a few septs are aware of the true nature of the megacorporation behind much of the world's ills. Working with its corporate allies, Pentex holds monopolies in many areas of the world, acts as a leader in the global economy, provides jobs for countless employees and spawns corruption and despair continuously throughout the world.
  Pentex's prime agenda is planetary corruption in the name of the Wyrm. Oddly enough, this goal makes a handsome profit in the process. Ecological devastation is one of its greatest tactics. Pentex companies produce toxins, mutagens and carcinogens routinely, then they dump them wherever they can — preferably in areas sacred to the Garou. After buying out vast tracts of land surrounding werewolf caerns, they then begin transforming that land into a lifeless waste. The result is often the acquisition of more Wyrm caerns, along with blights spawning Banes and other Wyrm-spirits.
  Like many real-world corporations, Pentex incorporates numerous strategies and tactics to cover up its violations. Savvy lawyers, underworld contacts and government shills are ready to sell out to anyone to make a profit, and Pentex pays well. The megacorporation's standard tactics pale next to its supernatural resources. Entire packs of Black Spiral werewolves act with Pentex's sponsorship. Banes breed extensively around many company holdings. Werewolves encountering such plants can sometimes literally smell the taint of the Wyrm in the air.
  Hunting corruption within the megacorp is not as easy as it first appears. Not all of Pentex's actions are evil, and many of its employees are completely free of Wyrm taint. In fact, many of its managers are ordinary people performing ordinary jobs. Corporate horror is often hidden behind seemingly innocuous or altruistic activities. Many employees simply do not realize the ulterior purposes behind their projects. For some, working for a subsidiary of Pentex is simply a way to get a paycheck — an apathetic belief that suits the Wyrm's plans perfectly.
  Garou investigating Pentex are often baffled by the contrast between the innocence of many of its employees and the vileness of its master plans. Monkeywrenching its activities takes patience, resourcefulness and dedication, but once a weakness has been found, it also requires heroes ready to destroy the monsters hiding behind a vast and powerful corporate titan.

Fomori

  Every army needs foot soldiers. The Wyrm can create monstrous creatures and spawn foul Banes, but it finds seducing one of Gaia's creatures and warping it into a monster far more satisfying. It employs countless tactics, which include exposing a victim to mutagens or balefire, tricking it into ingesting toxins or Wyrm-tainted chemicals or simply seducing it with promises of power. When the Wyrm corrupts a human or animal, that victim can be forced through a monstrous transformation. The victim becomes a fomor.
  The Fianna believe that fomori first spawned off the shores of Eire, breeding in vast undersea kingdoms. In those early days, the Great Serpent chose its servants indiscriminately, creating a vast array of dragons, chimerae, undersea monsters and terrible ogres. These creatures became mythical, representing evil not only in Celtic legends, but also throughout the world. In the modern age, the Wyrm prefers to exploit a far more resourceful creature: human beings. Not surprisingly, they are capable of subtler evils than the titanic beasts of legend.
  A fomor is ultimately suited to engage in combat, and most are bred or mutated specifically to kill werewolves. A single fomor is an easy kill, but packs of them can be deadly. The Wyrm bestows them with an arsenal of unholy powers, from supernatural strength and chitinous carapaces to psychic and mental disciplines. The Wyrm does indeed grant power to all who serve it, and the price is eternal damnation. Just as a victim's body is deformed, his very soul is twisted. The weakest fomori become stalking horrors drawn to toxic waste dumps, urban landfills or backwoods refuges. The strongest retain a spark of sentience and develop human camouflage. They infiltrate human society and enact grand schemes on behalf of the Great Serpent.
  Pentex and its subsidiaries have also made the creation of fomori one of their agendas. Some Wyrm-tainted corporations befoul and poison the lands around their work sites and offices deliberately, luring employees into "lifetime employment." Others maintain laboratories specifically for the development of such creatures. The most unspeakable ones use more insidious methods of recruitment, ranging from violent video games to tainted fast foods. Foulness takes many forms, and only the Garou possess the instincts, knowledge and training to hunt them.

The Weaver

  Rebellious cliath insist that the Wyrm is not the only spiritual threat to creation. After all, it was the Weaver who first drove the Wyrm insane. Wherever her servitors thrive, human civilization forces the natural world into submission. Snapping the threads of the Weaver's schemes is a very different sort of campaign from a war against the Wyrm, one that requires subtlety and restraint.
  Crude tactics do not work. Outright anarchy and wholesale destruction harms human society as much as it heals it, in addition to rending the Veil and inviting retribution. A more common tactic involves attacking Weaver-spawn directly in the Umbra, then shutting down her favored weapons in the physical world. Of course, the Weaver's minions typically have a strong affinity for technology, devious intellects and ruthless natures, making them difficult prey for primitive or brutal Garou.
  While many septs don't support this type of Umbral espionage, various secret societies and camps are willing to recognize the renown of packs who practice "spiritual monkeywrenching." Sometimes the Weaver's minions' elaborate schemes pose an overwhelming danger to a sept, forcing a sept's elders to recruit, support and praise packs who specialize in shredding the Weaver's webs.

Developmental Neogenetics Amalgamated

  Many septs are so fanatic about killing the Wyrm that they overlook other dangers threatening their existence. Developmental Neogenetics, a biotech firm on the cutting edge of genetic research, is a perfect example. DNA has no reputation of environmental devastation, and it steers clear of researching chemical warfare, defoliants and other biogenetic hazards. Yet behind its respectable and profitable facade, it has employed scientists and researchers routinely who are ruthless in the extreme. DNA employees managed to capture their first werewolf in 1993, and the company has never been the same since.
  After months of tests, studies, experiments and vivisection, DNA agents began to realize the value of the scientific anomaly they had captured. The creature had amazing regenerative properties, genetic mutations that seemed to defy current scientific thought and an admirable combination of human intelligence and animal instinct. The heads of the DNA corporation scoffed at the superstitious notion that their captive was a "werewolf," but they began to speculate that genetimutation was responsible for evolving such a remarkable organism. By the end of the decade, they had captured another "lupine mutant" and fought two more.
  The Weaver has a habit of repressing and entrapping things she does not understand or cannot accommodate. The Garou have only just begun to realize the danger that DNA poses to their kind. Their secrecy has clearly been compromised, but how to respond remains a subject of debate. Just as the corporation does not understand the Garou, the werewolves believe that the spirits of the Weaver are lurking behind DNA's activities. Some Theurges insist that the Weaver has already enlisted the corporation as a way to suppress the Garou. The truth remains to be seen, but the threat is undeniable.
  DNA agents are formidable foes. They have access to advanced weaponry, they can formulate chemical compounds capable of inflicting aggravated damage, and they are well aware of the "mutants' allergies to silver." However, they have no interest in killing Garou — they prefer to take their quarry alive. Tear gas and knockout gas are common weapons that are currently in mass production. The corporation heads have decided to invest heavily in further acquisition and research.
  The Garou are still uncertain how to stop DNA. While they could theoretically charge into the nearest corporate research center and kill everyone inside, the agents and scientists involved are not "of the Wyrm." Some werewolves insist that killing these humans would confirm that they are the monsters DNA imagines them to be. The DNA corporation and the Weaver-spirits who lurk behind its activities continue their insidious activities unabated. As the world continues to evolve, the supernatural world does so as well, spawning new and terrible foes for Gaia's greatest heroes to hunt and destroy.

Common Parlance

  These words are in common use among the Garou.
  Anchorhead: A spirit gate between the Near and Deep Umbra. (See Membrane.)
  Anthelios: The portentous Red Star that has recently appeared in the Umbral heavens; largely seen as an omen of doom. Also called "the Eye of the Wyrm."
  Apocalypse: The age of destruction, the final cycle, the birth of death, the everlasting corruption, the end of Gaia. A word used in Garou mythology to describe the time of the final battle with the Wyrm. Many consider this time to be the present.
  Auspice: The phase of the moon under which a particular Garou was bom, which is thought commonly to determine personality and tendencies. The auspices include: Ragabash (New Moon; Trickster), Theurge (Crescent Moon; Seer), Philodox (Half Moon; Judge), Galliard (Gibbous Moon; Moon Dancer), Ahroun (Full Moon; Warrior).
  Bane: Evil spirits that follow the Wyrm. Many different kinds of Banes exist, including Scrags, Kali, Psychomachiae and more.
  Bawn: A boundary area around a caern, patrolled and monitored carefully.
  Blight: Any corrupted area in either the spirit world or physical reality.
  Breed: The ancestry of a Garou, be it wolf, human or other Garou.
  Caern: A sacred place; a meeting spot where the Garou can contact the spirit world.
  Celestine: The greatest spirits; the closest things the Garou have to gods. Examples are Luna (the Moon) and Helios (the Sun).
  Concolation: A great moot, wherein many tribes gather to discuss matters that concern the Nation of Garou.
  Concord, The: The agreement all the tribes reached nearly 9,000 years ago, after which the Impergium ended. The traditions thereof are still obeyed today.
  Corruption: The act of destroying, devolving or debasing life; also, the often overwhelming effects of the Wyrm's actions. In the present age, it often refers specifically to the ecological ruin humans wreak upon the environment.
  Crinos: The half-wolf, half-human war form of the Garou.
  Deep Umbra: The aspects of the Umbra that lie outside the Membrane. Reality becomes more and more fragmentary the farther one travels from the Realm.
  Delirium: The madness and memory-loss suffered by humans who look upon a Garou in Crinos form.
  Domain: A mini-Realm in the Umbra, usually connected to a larger Realm in the Deep Umbra.
  Fera: Garou term for shapeshifters other than werewolves; most are presumed extinct.
  Feral: Slang term for lupus.
  Fomori (singular "fomor"): Humans who have turned to the Wyrm and who draw their power from it. Common enemies of the Garou.
  Gaffling: A simple spirit servant of a Jaggling, Incama or Celestine. Gafflings are rarely sentient.
  Gaia: The Earth and related Realms, in both a physical and a spiritual sense; the Mother Goddess.
  Garou: The term werewolves use for themselves.
  Gauntlet: The barrier between the physical world of Earth and the spirit world of the Umbra. It is strongest around technological (Weaver) places and weakest around caerns.
  Glabro: The near-man form of the Garou.
  Harano: Inexplicable gloom, inexpressible longing for unnamable things, weeping for that which is not yet lost. Some say it is depression caused by contemplation of Gaia's suffering.
  Hispo: The near-wolf form of the Garou.
  Homid: A Garou of human ancestry. Occasionally used disdainfully by ferals (e.g., "That boy fights like a homid."). Also the human form of the Garou.
  Impergium: The 3,000 years immediately following the birth of agriculture, during which strict population quotas were maintained on all human villages.
  Incarna: A class of spirits; weaker than the Celestines, but still greater spirits by any measure.
  Jaggling: A spirit servant of an Incama or Celestine.
  Kenning: The empathic calling some Garou perform when howling.
  Kinfolk: Those humans and wolves who are related to the Garou and are not prone to the Delirium, but who are not actual werewolves.
  Klaive: A fetish dagger or sword, usually of great spiritual potency and nearly always made of silver.
  Litany: The code of laws kept by the Garou.
  Luna: The Incarna of the moon; powerful spirit patron to all shapechangers.
  Lupus: A Garou of wolf origin. Also the wolf form of the Garou.
  Membrane, The: The barrier between the Near and Deep Umbra. To breach it, an Anchorhead must be found. Alternatively, the Garou can travel through the Dream Zone.
  Metis: The sterile and often deformed offspring of two Garou. Generally reviled by Garou society.
  Moon Bridge: A gate between two caems; it most often appears during moots.
  Moot: A sept or tribal conclave that takes place at a caern.
  Mule: Slang for metis.
  Near Umbra: The spirit world surrounding the Gaia Realm.
  Pack: A small group of Garou bound to each other by ties of friendship and mission as opposed to culture.
  Penumbra: "Earth's Shadow"; the spirit world directly surrounding the physical world. Many, but not all, terrain features have reflections there.
  Protectorate: The territory claimed and patrolled by a pack or sept.
  Reaching: Traveling into the spirit world.
  Realms: The worlds of "solid" reality within the Tellurian. Earth is referred to as the Realm.
  Ronin: A Garou who has chosen or been forced to leave Garou society. It is a harsh fate to become a "lone wolf."
  Sept: The group of Garou who live near and tend an individual caern.
  Stepping Sideways: Entering the spirit world. Many elders consider this term flippant and disrespectful.
  Tellurian: The whole of reality.
  Totem: A spirit joined to a pack or tribe and representative of its inner nature. A tribal totem is an Incarna, while a pack totem is an Incarna avatar (a Jaggling equivalent).
  Triat, The: The Weaver, the Wyld and the Wyrm. The trinity of primal cosmic forces.
  Tribe: The larger community of Garou. Tribe members are often bound by similar totems and lifestyles.
  Umbra: The spirit world.
  Veil, The: A poetic term for the false assumption that the supernatural does not exist, which the Delirium reinforces.
  Ways, The: The traditions of the Garou.
  Weaver, The: Manifestation and symbol of order and pattern. Computers, science, logic and mathematics are examples of the Weaver's influence on the material plane.
  Wyld, The: Manifestation and symbol of pure change. The chaos of transmutation and elemental force.
  Wyrm, The: Manifestation and symbol of evil, entropy and decay in Garou belief. Vampires are often manifestations of the Wyrm, as are toxic waste and pollution.
  Wyrmhole: A place that has been spiritually defiled by the Wyrm; invariably a location of great corruption.

Vulgar Argot

  The younger Garou use these words to help distinguish themselves from their elders.
  Cadaver: A derogatory term for a vampire.
  Flock, The: All of humanity, particularly those humans from whom the Garou recruit their members.
  Gremlin: A malevolent spirit.
  Leech: See Cadaver.
  Run: A ritual hunt or revel that takes place at the conclusion of a moot.
  Sheep: Humans.
  Throat: To best another in ritual combat. Used as a verb (e.g., "I throated his sorry butt!").

Old Form

  These words hail from the distant past of the Garou and display their Fianna origins. They are no longer used frequently. However, all Garou know these terms.
  Adren: A pupil or a student who learns from a Mentor.
  Airts: The magical paths within the spirit world (e.g., Spirit Tracks, Moon Paths, etc.).
  Aisling: A journey into the spirit world.
  Anamae: "Soul-friend"; most often a bond with a pack totem.
  Anruth: A Garou who travels from caem to caern but is bound to none of them.
  Athro: Teacher, Mentor.
  Awen: The sacred Muse, the creative impulse. Some say she is a spirit, but she has never been found. Moon Dancers go on quests for her periodically.
  Brugh: Any sort of mystic place, whether a Garou caern or a Wyrmhole. Often a glade or cave located somewhere in the wilderness.
  Charach: A Garou who sleeps with another Garou or has done so in the past. Often used as a word of anger.
  Chiminage: A form of "favors done for services rendered." A werewolf may perform a task as chiminage in order to repay a spirit for teaching him a Gift, or to repay a sept for allowing him to use its caern.
  Cliath: A young Garou, not yet of any significant rank. Fostern: Your pack brothers and sisters; those who are your family by choice.
  Gallain: The Kinfolk of the Garou.
  -ikthya: "Of the Wyrm"; a suffix appended to a name.
  Inceptor: A Garou who guides another through a rite. An inceptor is also called a ritemaster.
  Kinain: The relationship among Garou who are related by blood through an ancestor. This term of endearment and pride is never used when referring to metis.
  Moon-Calf: Idiot, simpleton.
  Pericarp: The Near Umbra around each Realm.
  Phoebe: An Incarna of Luna, representing the Moon.
  Praenomen: The guardian spirit of a pack.
  -rhya: "Greater in station"; a suffix appended to a name.
  Urrah: Garou who live in the city; also, the tainted ones.
  -yuf: "Honored equal"; a suffix appended to a name.