Werewolf: The Forsaken - Blank It

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Chapter III: Special Rules and Systems
packs almost always belong to a pack. After all, the bond
that a pack shares enables it to be an unparalleled fighting
force. Garm doesn’t require that his children belong to all-
Garmir or even exclusively Blood Talon packs. He knows
that all the tribes have their own refinements on battle
that could prove useful.
The Garmir wear their allegiance openly, usually by
branding or scarification of ancient runes. These marks
bear a passing resemblance to Norse runes, but even the
most skilled human occultist is hard-pressed to recognize
the exact derivation. They also make no secret of their
beliefs, and while the Lodge of Garm doesn’t admit werewolves
of other tribes, its members are happy to explain
the lodge philosophies to any werewolf who will listen.
Members believe that the Blood Talons need to unite
even more strongly, each pack swearing oaths of loyalty
to defend other Talon packs as if they were one, and thus
to act as an army for the People. Once this organization
is achieved, the Forsaken could go about the business
of cleansing the spirit wilds once and for all. The highest-ranking
Garmir postulate that when such a goal is
fulfilled, Fenris Wolf can ascend and take on the duties
that Father Wolf once had.
Prerequisites: All applicants must maintain a Harmony
rating of 7 or greater and Glory •• or higher, and
must have a Brawl, Weaponry or Firearms skill of •••• or
better.
Membership: The Lodge of Garm is open to all
Blood Talons. Anyone who wants to join must first petition
a member for sponsorship. Typically, doing so involves
facing the would-be patron in battle, but victory isn’t
necessary (or likely). The sponsor simply needs to know
that the applicant can fight well and with honor.
The period of sponsorship lasts for three cycles of the
moon (three months). During this time, the applicant
isn’t permitted to retreat from any battle unless he’s the
last member of his pack to do so. Breaking this prohibition
disqualifies the applicant from joining the lodge. If the
would-be Garmir gains either Glory or Purity Renown, his
chances of being allowed in improve greatly. The Garmir
sponsor usually arranges for a Ralunim or Elunim spirit to
watch the applicant at all times during this trial period.
After the period of testing is over, the sponsor meets
with other, more renowned members and discusses his
applicant. One of these Garmir must be of the same
auspice as the petitioner. If they agree that he’s the right
sort of Uratha for the lodge (obviously, it behooves the
applicant to distinguish himself in some way before this
meeting takes place), they set a final challenge for him. It
varies based on auspice and the whims of the testers, but
it always involves a measure of the applicant’s ability to
control his Rage, uphold the Oath and, of course, fight. If
the applicant passes, he’s granted membership. If he fails,
he’s congratulated for having come that far, and is allowed
to begin the process again in one lunar year.
Benefits: Garmir are given a minor fetish upon joining.
This fetish is sometimes a weapon of some kind, but
is more often a Mercy Gem (see p. 206). Lodge members
are trained in several different foci. The experience costs
of raising or purchasing these Skills — Brawl, Weaponry,
Athletics and Persuasion — becomes new dots x2 instead
of new dots x3.
BONE SHADOWS —
THE LODGE OF HARBINGERS
The Lodge of Harbingers isn’t dependent on ritual
and secrecy, as lodges go. Members don’t hide their affiliation
if asked, yet they don’t go out of their way to affirm
their allegiance to other Forsaken. After all, any information
they give out changes the world in ways they’ll never
perceive. Better to give what information they must and
keep moving.
The Harbingers revere Death Wolf as their tribal
totem, but as a lodge, they look to White Hare as a second
source of wisdom. White Hare is strong, swift and clever
— everything a good messenger should be. He helps the
Harbingers get in and out of other packs’ territories without
starting up dominance disputes. Because he’s a small,
unassuming totem, the Harbingers don’t emit a threatening
vibe when they come to grace a pack with news. Their
presence is often ominous — but not in the sense of a
threat to territory.
Harbingers are interested in prophecies and mystical
clues that have immediate repercussions for the physical
world. They jump from one dangerous locale to another,
stirring up the local Uratha to investigate and staying only
long enough to see the matter resolved (which sometimes
takes months or years — one of the few reasons a Harbinger
might be found in a mixed-tribe pack). Harbingers
don’t communicate much with each other. If two cross
paths, they exchange as much information as possible
and then go their separate ways. The lodge is easily the
smallest of the major Bone Shadow factions, and one of
the smallest lodges of all of the tribes. This is due in part
to the fact that few Harbingers belong to packs. Few other
werewolves are willing to join them in claiming no territory.
Lodge members are also rare simply for the nature of
their work — a dangerous business at the best of times.
Prerequisites: Cunning or Wisdom •, Athletics ••,
Stealth ••
Membership: The Lodge of Harbingers is open to
Bone Shadows only, although members of other tribes can
join with special intervention from both Death Wolf and
White Hare. Since those two spirits are uneasy allies at
best, however, such special members have come along only
a handful of times in history.
Joining the Lodge of Harbingers is a much quicker
process than joining most other societies. The Bone Shadow
simply performs a ritual of supplication to Death Wolf,
asking for permission to honor White Hare in addition to
the tribal totem. If Kamduis grants this request (and she