Werewolf: The Forsaken - Blank It

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Appendix II: The Rockies
a virtually unstoppable force of nature, obliterating everything
that stands before them. Their primary victims are
those werewolves whose territories lie beyond the bounds
of Denver and the other local cities, but they stand ready
to descend upon any urban werewolves that their Pure
Tribe brothers can flush out into the wilderness for them.
OTHER THREAT S
Ever since the earliest days of Colorado’s history the
Azlu have been quietly at work, strengthening the walls
between the worlds of flesh and spirit. Colorado’s railroad
barons laid the path for the spiders, and the foreign settlers
who came along unwittingly helped create an environment
where the Azlu could thrive. The Spider Hosts are content
to work subtly for the most part, but a gathering of Azlu
that found an isolated and weakened pack of Uratha would
not hesitate to snare such prey and devour their delicious
innards. By contrast, the Beshilu of the Rockies are bestial
and primitive, and none of the local werewolves can quite
predict what their next moves are going to be. The Beshilu
do appear to be as upset about the blasted state of Denver’s
Shadow as the werewolves are, though. While it’s true that
Gurdilag left the city’s spiritscape in a shambles and stirred
the local spirits up into flurries of chaotic contempt for their
mandated roles, its efforts also motivated the local Azlu
into a frenzy of activity. That activity has preventatively
thickened the Gauntlet all over the city, which drives the
Beshilu to retaliate in kind.
SPIRIT CONFLICT
Having endured decades (some would even say
centuries) of abuse and turmoil, the ancient spirits of this
region have turned in anger on the spirits and werewolves
of Denver, making the city’s spirit reflection an even more
unstable and dangerous place than it once was. As a result
of Gurdilag’s usurpation, destructive spirits ran rampant
through the spirit streets of Denver, and spirits of loneliness,
detachment and conformity drifted idly along the
sidewalks. Further, the spirits of the mountain were driven
to resist the expansion of the new taint festering within the
city, fighting the intruders and attempting to take back territory
they claimed was rightfully theirs. Now, spirits from
both sides attack the Uratha — the newcomers want them
to suffer and die, and the mountain spirits ironically blame
them for taking so long to cut back the atrocity.
Moreover, Azlu have strengthened the Gauntlet surrounding
some parts of Denver to quite an extent without
any werewolves in the city to attack their nests and drive
them away. Many local spirits have been driven out by this
activity, and they’re now desperately doing whatever they
can to get back where they belong. Some are willing to aid
(or at least tolerate) werewolves if doing so will help them get
back to their homes, but others would just as soon lash out
at the Uratha lest the werewolves mistreat them as Gurdilag’s
agents did. Also, many of these spirits relied on the werewolves
before Gurdilag came, and they remember all too well
when their protectors and stewards abandoned them.
To put it mildly, the spiritscape in the Rockies’ urban
territories is in a shambles. Barrens dot the urban landscape.
Werewolf packs often find themselves riding herd
on out-of-control spirits, trying desperately to exorcise the
more malicious sorts and bring some kind of order to the
rest. It’s a frustrating job, but it needs to be done. Most
of Denver’s urban spirits are as reasonable as spirits in
any other region are toward the Uratha, and as long as a
pack takes its duties seriously and doesn’t throw its weight
around, it stands a chance of winning over local spirits as
allies. Gurdilag’s occupation of the area led to the spirits
suffering in many unexpected ways, after all, and many
of them find themselves just as damaged and broken as the
humans who survived Gurdilag’s reign of terror. Therefore,
whether the spirits like it or not, it’s up to the werewolves
to help them reclaim the territories they represent.
The fringes of Denver (and other Rocky Mountain
cities), however, are chaotic places where constant skirmishes
for territorial control take place. Boundaries and
allegiances are constantly shifting in these border areas,
and werewolves entering these regions of the spirit wilds
could find themselves in grave peril. Any preference for
one side in a given conflict can place the werewolves in
the center of the struggle, alienating the other side and
creating a host of enemies for the pack. Contrarily, a pack
that claims such a border zone as its territory might find
itself constantly renegotiating pacts as the spirits’ territorial
boundaries shift.
Still further away from the major cities and towns
lie hamlets and villages, and even remote cabins in the
woods. For the most part, the spirits of these smaller
human settlements have forged grudging agreements
with the surrounding natural spirits, as they don’t have
the strength to win a direct conflict. Many smaller towns
don’t impact the surrounding environment enough to be
noticed by the older spirits of the land and are totally ignored.
Still others harbor dark and twisted spirits that are
best left alone, or form shoals that trap the unwary.
LOCAL FIGURES
The following is a selection of the prominent or
recognizable Forsaken packs in the Rockies territory. They
could make for strong allies, potent rivals or just familiar
faces, depending on the style of your chronicle and the
tastes of your players.
THE SILVER SYNDICATE
The Silver Syndicate is one of the most powerful
packs in Colorado. Under the leadership of Max Roman,
these werewolves formed the core of the coalition of Forsaken
packs that ousted Gurdilag from Denver.
Unfortunately, the crusade to destroy all of Gurdilag’s
agents cost the pack dearly, just as Gurdilag’s initial
rise, the Brethren War and the subsequent attacks by the
Pure all had previously. After the final battle, only three
of the eight members of the Syndicate lived to tell the