Werewolf: The Forsaken - Blank It

fight, but with a –2 penalty on all rolls made to attack or
harm another. This penalty also affects any shapeshifting
rolls made to enter the warlike Gauru form. Conversely,
those defending themselves gain a +2 bonus on all rolls
made to prevent harm to themselves or others.
WOUNDS
Dangerous as a shoal is, the Shadow contains much
worse. Where the spirit world has been even more grievously
damaged by atrocity, it bleeds out resonance of
particularly negative aspect and gives birth to spirits of
the worst sort. These places are called Wounds, where the
spirit wilds are not simply injured, but infected. Wounds
are reflections of every act of violence, natural or otherwise,
that has torn through the world. They are the
memories of wars, plagues, atrocities, natural disasters,
mass extinctions or acts of genocide. A Wound might
form anywhere that cruelty, suffering or hatred are at their
worst — a vivisection lab, a concentration camp, a prison
overseen by a particularly cruel and hateful staff, a brutal
mental hospital. The cruel spirits of negative concepts
such as pain, hatred, suffering and despair are the maggots
that write within these infected gashes in the Shadow. But
as malevolent as these spirits that thrive on suffering may
seem, the grim truth is that they are not the cause of the
misery that feeds them — merely the symptom.
The only positive thing to be said for a Wound is
that it’s easy to recognize for what it is. Not only is the
tainted resonance of a Wound like a subtle but prolonged
assault on one’s emotions, but the spirit landscape clearly
reflects the area’s suffering. Walls may bleed or shudder
in emulation of diseased flesh, or the air may reek of
carrion. Unwholesome symbols can appear like graffiti,
dimly burning with a strange greenish flame or sometimes
appearing as infected, bloody gashes carved into
the very rocks or concrete of the area. Most werewolves
who recognize the signs of a Wound will give it a wide
berth — if they can. However, sometimes a pack must
penetrate into the heart of a Wound to destroy a powerful
spirit that lives there. Worse off are the packs who
step sideways at a locus and find themselves at the heart
of a Wound, with no safe way out.
System: The tainted resonance of a Wound presses
on the soul like a cancer, and prolonged exposure can
even drive one mad. All Harmony rolls and all rolls made
to resist the Death Rage are at –2 while within a Wound;
this includes rolls made to perform rites or to resist degeneration.
In addition, any injuries suffered within a Wound
are increased by one Health point (or Corpus point, in the
case of spirits).
LORDS OF THE WOUNDS
It’s the nature of the spirit world that great
spirits can rise to the top of the food chain. Just
as Father Wolf was said to be the greatest and
most powerful of wolf-spirits, and perhaps even
of predator-spirits as a whole, there are mighty
Incarnae that reflect other aspects of the world.
All of these strange spiritual demigods are worthy
of fear and respect, but perhaps none are
more feared than the Incarnae of the Wounds.
The Forsaken know them as the Maeljin, and
even the name causes them no small amount of
concern — for the word “Maeljin” is not derived
from the First Tongue. No Cahalith has been able
to pinpoint just what language the phrase comes
from, or what it properly means. No truly reliable
accounts exist of a pack coming face to face with
one of these terrors and surviving to tell the tale.
Still, some werewolves have gone deep enough
into the Shadow to bring back some lore, enough
at least to tell that the Maeljin are dangerous,
dangerous entities.
The lords of the Wounds reflect the world’s
seeming desire to turn on itself, the mad impulses
that turn brother against brother or mother
against child. It is in their best interests to prolong
the world’s agony, that they can remain fat
and strong until time itself ends. It is very fortunate
that there are no signs that the Maeljin work
well with one another, and rumor has it that they
often feud over tainted Essence rather than pooling
their resources. Their cause is common, but
they are as fractious as any other spirits.
The names and number of the Maeljin are
uncertain; sometimes there seem to be many
names that refer to one entity, or a given Incarna
is attributed with different areas of influence.
The most recent accountings that the Ithaeur
share with one another charge these monstrous
beings with embodying specific sins recognized
by most human cultures, of which the traditional
Christian seven deadly sins are but a portion.
Most assume that this most current list is by its
nature incomplete, merely detailing the names
most commonly spoken.
Carnala, Lady of Lust
Mammon, Feeder of Greed
Maastraac, Master of Envy
Baalphegor, King of Gluttony
Lamashtu, Calipha of Pride
Beliar, Slave to Sloth
Asmodai, Queen of Wrath
Pseulak, Minister of Deception
Thurifuge, Architect of Violence
BARRENS
Some areas of the spirit world have been blasted and
drained, leached of all the Essence that would ordinarily
sustain a spirit ecology. These are the Barrens, areas
of spiritual drought. Sometimes Barrens arise when the
Gauntlet grows too thick, and the symbiotic relationship
The Other World
259