Werewolf: The Forsaken - Blank It

to heel, and Red Wolf was made to swear an oath even he
could not wriggle free of.
With the patronage of our half-brothers and half-sisters,
we were now more than ever before. We were tribes.
Tribes among the Uratha are not like tribes among
primitive humans. They aren’t tied together by blood,
although blood ties within tribes are common. A particular
tribe doesn’t claim a particular patch of land as a
tribal home, nor do its members roam as a group across
the steppe in search of fertile resources. Uratha tribes
have neither acknowledged chieftains nor strong political
structures — they don’t seem to need them. For example,
although the Blood Talons were scattered across the world
and separated by oceans, their tribal totem watched over
each new generation of his children. All the children of
Fenris were aware they had cousins even unto the ends of
the earth. They didn’t know exactly who or where those
cousins were, but they knew they weren’t alone. American
werewolves did have lodges unseen in Europe, and vice
versa, but otherwise the tribes remained remarkably unified
despite their separation.
Two characteristics define werewolf tribes. First, all
members of a Forsaken tribe follow the same one of five
powerful Incarnae, said to be the spirit children of Father
Wolf. These totems, called the Firstborn, look over modern
Uratha tribes as elder siblings.
Secondly each tribal totem has a unique ban just as
all spirits do. The totem’s ban informs its outlook and way
of life, and it’s frequently reflected in the vow that binds it
to its tribe, and its tribe members to one another.
The tribal totems are all at least half-siblings with one
another. They cooperate in the largest things but scuffle
with one another over lesser issues. They are frequently
rivals for status or particular treasures, but they also form
factions. The various points of cooperation and rivalry
among the totems are reflected within the Tribes of the
Moon, even causing strains within individual packs. It is
fair to say, however, that no rivalry among the totems of
the Uratha is strong enough to do permanent damage to a
pack’s internal loyalties.
Those strong bonds don’t exist between the Tribes of
the Moon and the Pure Tribes. Cooperation occasionally
occurs, but no packs exist that include both Forsaken and
Pure. If two totem spirits on opposite sides of that divide
happen to have a strong interest in common, they might
encourage their tribes to cooperate. Any such cooperation
is in the short term only, though, and likely to end
in betrayal, as the mutual antagonism between the two
groups is too great to be overcome even by great affection
between totem wolves. The Pure Tribes’ culture of hate is
simply too poisonous.
The proper choice of tribe resonates in a werewolf’s
heart — sympathy for a particular totem, agreement with
its goal, willingness to adhere to its vow and even a certain
affinity for the other members of a tribe. The choice
of tribe is the choice of how best to live up to the legacy of
Father Wolf, and the bond of a tribal totem connects the
souls of all those who share that choice.
Tribes teach specific philosophies and specific pacts
with specific spirits, and they generally try to follow
specific paths to knowledge, wisdom, renown and power.
They also exhort their members to follow tribal agendas
and their totems’ bans in order to make the world a better
place — at least, a better place for the People.
LODGES
Most members of a tribe devote themselves
to their tribe’s broad ideals while managing their
territory, interacting with their packmates and
neighboring werewolves and so on. Some Uratha,
however, devote themselves to certain aspects
of their tribe’s totem spirit. Every tribe has a
number of “lodges,” which are societies within
the tribe that are dedicated to a particular facet
of the tribe’s totem and activities.
Lodges have associated spirits, but not true
totems, which represent special areas of interest
or expertise within a given tribe. Members
of lodges generally teach unique rites and Gifts
that other werewolves do not have access to, and
membership in a lodge comes with additional
responsibilities that membership in a tribe doesn’t
include. At the very least, lodgemates owe one
another more loyalty and assistance than tribemates
do.
Lodges are not open to the very young or
inexperienced. Every lodge has specific requirements
for entry, and no werewolf can join a lodge
simply by asking to join. An invitation must be
extended from Uratha who are already members.
Some lodges are geographical in nature,
focusing on a particular aspect of local culture.
There are said to be many strange lodges among
the werewolves of Africa, for instance, which
teach secrets of survival in those wolf-less lands.
Rumors also persist that some lodges cross tribal
lines, but any such societies are truly secret.
BLOOD TALONS (SUTHAR ANZUTH)
The Blood Talons are the most aggressive warriors
among the Forsaken. They follow Destroyer Wolf, the warrior
and devourer. Also called Fenris, he is the fiercest of
the spirit children of Father Wolf, though not the wisest,
and he can be led into a trap by the cunning.
The Talons live by a warrior’s code. They believe that
they must emulate Fenris’ ferocity in combat. According
to their credo, any foe that can be bested in combat is an
inferior one. This belief occasionally backfires, particularly
when Blood Talons face an enemy who shows less aptitude
for direct forms of combat yet can still outthink and
Bonds of the People
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