Book of Auspices
WtA: Players Guide to Garou
WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
WtA: Tribebook Black Furies (rev)
WtA: Tribebook Bone Gnawers (rev)
WtA: Tribebook Children of Gaia (rev)
WtA: Tribebook Fianna (rev)
WtA: Tribebook Get of Fenris (rev)
WtA: Tribebook Glass Walkers (rev)
WtA: Tribebook Red Talons (rev)
WtA: Tribebook Shadow Lords (rev)
WtA: Tribebook Silent Striders (rev)
WtA: Tribebook Silver Fangs (rev)
WtA: Tribebook Stargazers (rev)
WtA: Tribebook Uktena (rev)
WtA: Tribebook Wendigo (rev)


Rites of Accord

Rites of accord restore a place or particular Garou to harmony and balance with Gaia. These rites purify and renew by bringing the object of the rite through a symbolic rebirth from Gaia’s womb.

System: Any Garou attempting to perform a rite of accord must possess a talen, a fetish or some piece of Gaia never touched by minions of the Wyrm or by human hands (for example, a willow branch from a remote forest or a stone from a protected caern). The ritemaster makes a Charisma + Rituals roll (difficulty 7 unless otherwise stated).

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Caern Rites

These rites are of vital importance to Gaia, for they aid in the opening, protection, and renewal of the sacred spaces dedicated to her. Without such rites, the mystical flow of Gaia’s spiritual nourishment might cease, and her children, the Garou, might no longer rest themselves within her protecting bosom. Without such renewal, even the most ferocious of werewolves would grow weary of battle.

System: These rites can be performed only within a caern. The dice pool required varies with each particular rite, but the maximum number of dice used cannot exceed the ritemaster’s Gnosis. Unless otherwise stated, the difficulty of such a roll is 7.

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Rites of Death

Garou perform rites of death both to honor the departed and to reaffirm their connection to the cycle of life, death and rebirth. In facing and acknowledging death as a necessary part of the dance of life, the pack and sept release themselves from the debilitating poisons of grief and fear.

System: The ritemaster must make a Charisma + Rituals roll (difficulty 8 minus the Rank of the honored Garou).

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Mystic Rites

Mystic rites bring the Garou into direct contact with the Umbra and/ or spirit beings. Unlike most other rites, a Garou usually performs these rites alone.

System: When performing a mystic rite, the ritemaster must make a Wits + Rituals roll (difficulty 7 unless otherwise stated).

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Punishment Rites

Punishment rites levy the sanction of the tribe or sept against a transgressing werewolf. Such rites strengthen the Garou by establishing clear limits of acceptable behavior. By joining in the punishment, each Garou strengthens her commitment to the pack over the individual.

System: Punishment rites are performed only for major transgressions or after less structured punishments fail to cause a werewolf to mend her ways. The ritemaster must make a Charisma + Rituals roll (difficulty 7 unless otherwise stated). A failed rite is considered a sign from Gaia that the offending Garou’s crimes are not considered significant enough to warrant such a punishment. At the Storyteller’s discretion, punishment rites may fail automatically if the target is truly innocent — leading to a sure Renown loss for her accusers.

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Rites of Renown

These rites celebrate both the specific accomplishments of an individual Garou and his achievement of a new station in the pack or sept. Garou long to receive such rites as much as they fear facing a rite of punishment.

System: When performing this type of rite, the ritemaster’s player must make a Charisma + Rituals roll.

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Seasonal Rites

Seasonal rites vary from tribe to tribe and place to place. Each tribe and sept has its own means of celebrating the turning of the seasons. Some septs celebrate only the major rites of the solstices and equinoxes; others perform a rite at least once per moon. The rites below are the most popular. They are fundamental rites celebrating Gaia’s constant cycle of life-in-death-in-life. These rites renew the Garou’s connection to Gaia as the Earth Mother. Some Garou even believe that were such rites to cease entirely, dire repercussions would result. A few of the more mystic (or perhaps just crazier) Garou insist that if such rites weren’t performed, Gaia herself might find no point in continuing the cycle, and the world would enter a perpetual Fimbulwinter… or worse.

System: Seasonal rites must, obviously, occur at the exact time of year the particular rite celebrates, and at least five Garou must attend. When performing the rite, the ritemaster must make a Stamina + Rituals roll (difficulty 8). If performed at a caern, the difficulty of the roll is 8 minus the caern’s level. Therefore, a seasonal rite performed at a Level Three caern has a difficulty of 5.

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Minor Rites

Minor rites are the rituals that the Garou incorporate into daily living. Almost all Garou know and use at least a few such minor rites. An almost infinite variety of minor rites is available to the Garou. The following rites are but a small sampling. Many Garou develop their own unique minor rites to help them reaffirm their connection to Gaia, their totem spirit or each other.

System: Players may purchase minor rites at one-half the normal Background cost (two for one). Similarly, minor rites may be learned in half the time it takes to learn other rites. Minor rites take only two to five minutes to enact, much less time than other rites require. Werewolves who perform a minor rite regularly find it easier to achieve certain goals. The Storyteller should require players to roleplay the invocation of these rites occasionally, to emphasize that a character is performing them regularly.

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Age Role Rites (Black Furies)

The following rites can only be used by Garou in the appropriate age roles: Maiden Rites can only be used before the gestation of the Fury’s first child — even if, technically, she is no longer a maiden (see the “Motherhood” section in Chapter Two for further discussion of this). Mother Rites can be used from the birth of the first child until the Fury can no longer bear children (due to menopause or injury); Crone Rites can only be used after that point.

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Название Уровень Описание Cистема Примечание Источник
The Rite of Silver Death 4 Only the Rite of Gaia’s Vengeful Teeth is a worse punishment than the Rite of Silver Death. The werewolves reserve it for those who kill their own kind without provocation or lawful challenge but rather through cold, calculated murder in order to achieve some aim or goal. For example, a werewolf who kills another to steal a fetish or ascend to power would be a likely candidate to suffer this punishment… if he could be proven guilty. A lesser crime might warrant a Hunt, where the offender may at least redeem herself by dying well; but in the Silver Death there is no redemption, only further shame and humiliation. Before the assembled werewolves (at least two others) and spirits, the ritemaster recites the crime(s) of the offender. As he does so, all strength drains from the offender’s body, so that she may do nothing but cower as one of the Garou (usually the ritemaster, sometimes the murdered one’s packmate or Kin) raises the klaive for the deathblow. A Charisma + Rituals roll (difficulty 7) is all that is necessary to rob the offender of all strength. The doomed one cannot step sideways or move from her spot. A Willpower roll (difficulty is 4 + ritemaster’s successes) is necessary to stand bravely at the end; a failure costs 1 temporary Glory and 2 temporary Honor, while a botch costs twice as much (as the doomed one broke at the end and groveled most pathetically). Rite of Punishment Book of Auspices
The Rite of the Pack’s Blood 1 Most Garou form packs that are bound with and dedicated to a totem spirit. In these days of mixed septs and thinning ranks, some werewolves are forced by necessity to run together temporarily. This ritual binds a group of werewolves into a pack dedicated to a particular purpose, such as a quest, a battle or a fortnight’s stint of bawn-guarding. The effects of this expire after the task is done, or after a lunar month, whichever comes first. Elders usually expect more permanent associations to ask for the blessings of a totem spirit.
Though the supernatural benefits of this rite eventually end, mutual respect and friendships are a common byproduct. Rival septs may join their warriors with this rite to improve relations. It is not uncommon for such packs to reform into “true” packs down the road, devoted to a specific and appropriate totem spirit.
The members of the prospective pack each swear their united purpose as they slice a palm or pad and dribble a small amount of blood into a cup. The blood is mixed and painted on face, hand and chest (over the heart) of each member. Upon a successful completion of the ritual (Charisma + Rituals, difficulty 7), the pack may take on benefits such as simultaneous initiative and special combat maneuvers. Note that packmembers already in a “true” pack may join this temporary pack, but will likely have some explaining to do to a miffed totem. Rites of Accord Book of Auspices
Rite of the Great Council 4 In these days when unity is so important, it is often sorely lacking. Too often, a rift pits pack against pack, tribe against tribe, or sept against sept. A popular Garou may be (possibly wrongly) accused and sentenced, or old resentments flare into open warfare. Despite the Half Moons’ best efforts, the fabric of werewolf society is torn asunder. This risky but impressive ritual draws together the most powerful spirits involved in the contention — usually the totems of contending packs, although caern or tribal totems may also be involved. It is a perilous venture, but success will almost certainly bring peace; when the most powerful spirits of a sept speak with one voice, even warring packs will take notice. The target number for the Charisma + Rituals roll is equal to the highest spirit type summoned (as per Rite of Summoning, page 161 of the core book). What follows should make for some intense roleplaying (although the Storyteller may adjust the totems’ initial attitude by the number of successes rolled). Once all the spirits are in attendance, the Philodox must lay out the situation and/or plead the case. The spirits give council to, or perhaps interrogate, the Half Moon. If they agree with his decisions, they will stand behind him as he makes (or reiterates) the judgment. If on the other hand they disagree with the arbiter’s decision, that too will be made abundantly clear (usually resulting in a loss of Honor Renown and credibility). Rites of Accord Book of Auspices
The Rite of the Blackened Moon 3 his rarely used rite creates a spiritually dead zone, essentially closing off a small space to Umbral access. The space can be no larger than a small hut or large room. Garou feel distinctly uncomfortable in this dead zone, and spirits trapped there can wither away to nothingness. The bounds of the space are inscribed with glyphs, and an herbal smudge or incense is burned to banish spirits and spiritual influences from the room. Each success (Wits + Rituals, difficulty 7) increases the Gauntlet by one, to a maximum of 10. In addition, no Gnosis can be regained in any way within the warded space, and materialized spirits trapped within begin to unravel at the rate of 1 Essence/hour. The ritual’s effect lasts a number of days equal to the ritemaster’s successes, fading at sundown of the final day. This takes half an hour to perform, and can be continued as often as necessaryю Mystic Rites Book of Auspices
Rite of the Phoenix 5 When all the elders in the concolation are satisfied with their candidates, they assemble in the center of the caern. The Caller of the Wyld then starts a howl that the other elders then join in, auspice by auspice. All of them are beseeching Phoenix to attend the gathering and choose the werewolves he deems to be worthy. As the rite draws to an end, a column of cold, icy blue fire should appear in front of the candidates. They then walk through the fire one by one, with Phoenix’s mark, an icy blue flame on their left shoulder blade, appearing on those the totem deems worthy. When Phoenix has made his choice — on occasions before all the candidates have walked through the fire — the flame draws inwards into a tight pillar which then ascends sedately into the sky, to hang above the caern for anything from a few minutes to an hour or so. The longer Phoenix remains, the better the omen for the success of the Silver Pack. The ritemaster rolls Wits + Rituals (difficulty 7). If the roll succeeds, the column appears as described above. Those chosen members of the Silver Pack are picked at the Storyteller’s discretion. Successful members pass through the flame unharmed. Failed candidates suffer a single level of aggravated damage. Truly unworthy candidates — Litany breakers, would-be traitors or those with a guilty secret — can suffer up to four levels of aggravated damage. Phoenix does not take kindly to his time be wasted with unworthy candidates. If the rite is attempted without representatives of all five auspices being present, the ritemaster will suffer five levels of aggravated damage when the fire materializes around him and then dissipates. - WtA: Players Guide to Garou
Rite of the Opened Sky 4 By sacrificing something of personal value and dancing a complex rain dance, the ritemaster can beckon great, purifying showers of rain to fall from the skies. This rain cleanses all Wyrm impurities, and can even heal wounds. This rite works in much the same way as the Rite of Cleansing (Werewolf, p. 157), but can encompass an entire caern and those within it. The ritemaster expends only one point of Gnosis to cleanse an area, but for every two additional points he spends every character within the caern heals one level of damage. The difficulty of this rite depends on the level of taint, such as a tainted spirit’s Gnosis rating. Like the Rite of Cleansing, the difficulty of this rite can also be lowered by one if performed at dawn. Beings of the Wyrm and vampires suffer excruciating pain if exposed to this rite, though they are not cleansed or genuinely damaged. To use this rite outside a caern, the ritemaster must sacrifice three permanent points of Gnosis. Rites of Accord WtA: Players Guide to Garou
Enchant the Forest 4 Everyone has heard about the mystically enchanted forests in which the trees themselves seem alive, strange voices whisper, wicked witches roam, and goblins and fae of all manner plague the weary traveler. The Garou used to rule the wilds, but humanity encroaches more and more on their ranges. Hundreds of years ago, Theurges developed a rite with which to frustrate such expansion. This rite, Enchant the Forest, awakens the spirits of the land and urges them to protect the Wyld. These spirits awaken and move to resist any human settlements in the area. Suddenly, springs dry out. The winter grows harsher than ever before, yet the forest and the trees are remarkably fast-growing and resilient. Food decays and rots in no time, and vermin and insects infest the inexplicably. Not to mention the TV reception, which displays disturbing, unusual images when it functions at all. The humans eventually either leave or die, and the wilderness will reclaim its lost property. The area seems haunted for years afterwards. The trees are dark and threatening, strange sounds emanate from the woods at night. The spirits, once roused, do not rest again for a very long time. Superstitious tales of haunted lands circulate, and many humans give the area a wide berth — unfortunately, many others become very interested — government agencies, the press, other supernatural beings. The ritemaster takes a twig from a tree never seen by human eyes, and makes a container from the belly of an animal never hunted by humans, which he fills with water from a pond never touched by mankind. He then stirs the water, and pours it close to the borders of the wild woods, and calls on the spirits of nature to awaken and defend themselves. He sends messengers to the north, south, east and west, to call to the spirits there. The ritemaster must sing to the spirits for three days. The immediate effects of this rite last for a full lunar year, if not disrupted by some sort of supernatural intervention. The area so charmed cannot exceed the furthest distance the messengers have traveled by foot in the three days. Larger areas can sometimes be ensorcelled, with the expenditure of a Willpower point, and an addition of +1 to the difficulty per mile beyond. If the Garou’s caern is located within five miles of the ritual location, the difficulty is reduced by one. Larger caerns, at the storyteller’s decision, can call to the spirits of a wider area. Whole swathes of the Black Forest, for instance, are thus “haunted.” If tribal totems are called upon, the protected area retains a little of the character of the totem, or the tribe. Fianna areas retain a little of the faerie aura, Get areas are colder and boast harsher weather, Shadow Lord domains are haunted by terrifying, ghostly creatures. Some even claim that the Glass Walkers have developed a version of this rite, which allows them to enchant areas of cities, and claim them for Cockroach. Rites of Accord WtA: Players Guide to Garou
Rite of Adoration 2 This particular rite is a way in which the Garou can celebrate and honor Gaia, or other subjects important to him. It generally involves putting up a small shrine, although many caerns have only one such shrine where the local Garou and visitors pay their respects and leave tokens and sanctified symbols as they perform this rite. The Rite of Adoration has countless ways of being performed, but it has a faint resemblance to certain Buddhist practices, as the practitioner often burns incense, chants, meditates and prays. It always includes leaving an item of personal value, which has some relevance to the subject of adoration. It costs one point of Gnosis to perform this rite, but when all the Garou permanently inhabiting the caern have erected a shrine and performed this rite, the difficulty of opening the caern decreases by one. If the shrine is removed the caern loses this benefit. This rite is usually performed alone, and is thereby subject to some divergence even among the most conservative of the caern. Caern Rites WtA: Players Guide to Garou
Lesser Rite of Mourning 2 Through the Lesser Rite of Mourning the Garou honor a dead hero with a small personal ceremony commemorating the great deeds and virtues of the dead. Unlike the Gathering for the Departed or Rite of Lasting Glory, which takes place once and soon after death, the Rite of Mourning can take place many times (often annually). There should be no more than ten participants at this rite, and only those closest to the memory of the departed partake in this intimate ceremony; loved ones, offspring, packmates and the closest of allies. The execution of the rite varies greatly from situation to situation and from tribe to tribe, but the most common version is moderately complex. The ritemaster calls the participants to him, and declares the name and deeds of the one to be honored. This can take the form of a long mournful cry, or a barely audible groan. This is followed by a small period of silent contemplation by everyone involved as they meditate upon what is lost. Then one by one the participants approach the site of worship (a dedicated shrine, a grave marker or something else representing the deceased) to offer a small token or gift of remembrance. The token may be a physical object like a weapon or fetish, or a symbolic offering like a teardrop or a smear of one’s own blood. Upon the offering each one offers a remark on why they honor the deceased (whether for a personal reason, or for some quality or virtue they believe the deceased embodied in their life). As the mourners settle in front of the site of worship the ritemaster leads them in a sharing of tales of the deceased, where everyone shares their fond memories. This is often followed by a chant or song led by the ritemaster, but performed by all, calling on the deceased to watch over them and lend them his strength and virtue in their continuous struggle. As the song concludes the deceased may sometimes appear for a small delicate period of time to be with those closest to him again in his life. (It is not unheard of for those so honored to become ancestor-spirits due to the love and respect offered them during this ritual. After the spirit dissipates, if it shows at all, the participants give a farewell howl before breaking company or partaking in some revelry or another. The ritemaster must succeed on a Charisma + Rituals roll, difficulty 8 minus the rank of the honored Garou, with additional minus 1 for every five participants. On a marginal success (one success) the honored receives one posthumous point of Honor. On a moderate success (two successes), the honoree receives an amount of posthumous Renown equal to the number of participants, to be distributed among the categories the deceased is being remembered for. The participants all receive one point of Honor. On a complete success (three successes), the deceased receives Renown equal to the total ranks of all participants divided by two. The participants all receive an Honor reward equal to the rank of the deceased. With four or five successes the deceased has a chance of appearing as an apparition to comfort the participants; if this happens, the participants all have their Willpower replenished. If six or more successes are achieved the spirit is sure to appear unless somehow restrained, and the Storyteller should consider rewarding the participants with an extra point in the Ancestors Background, representing the ancestor-spirit of the deceased. Although the rite can be performed more than once for any given hero, all rites of mourning after the first have no game effect, Renown gains or otherwise. Death Rites WtA: Players Guide to Garou
Greater Rite of Mourning 5 The martyred hero represents all that is good and righteous to the cause. Unlike the private and intimate Lesser Rite of Mourning, the Greater Rite of Mourning is an elaborate and formal event dedicated to full-scale hero worship. There must be at least 10 participants in addition to the ritemaster. The Greater Rite of Mourning serves a dual purpose. First of all it empowers the chosen cause of the ritemaster and the participants, strengthening their resolve and ability to succeed in their struggle. Second, it bestows great posthumous renown to the honored, strengthening his or her memory and spiritual essence. As with the lesser version of this rite, the honoree may appear or even become an ancestor-spirit as a result of the worship given during this ritual. Due to the great power of such a rite if well performed, and the difficulty in assembling such large numbers of participants, rites like these are not common except during times of great struggle. The Greater Rite of Mourning is performed only once.
The rite usually commences with the calling to order by the ritemaster. This is followed by a chanting recital of the fundamentals of the honored hero’s career, struggle and death, and its relevance to the struggle at hand. Following is a moment of silent meditation in honor of the deceased. The ritemaster then declares the different virtues of the hero, while offering symbolic sacrifices in the deceased’s name. This leads in to a common chant, where the ritemaster leads the participants in calling to the hero to bless them with his virtues and aid them in finishing his noble struggle. At this point the deceased may or may not appear as an apparition in order to bless them in person. The song flows naturally into a chanting “war speech” by the ritemaster, restating the purpose of their gathering and the necessity of their noble struggle. If delivered properly, the speech whips the participants into a proper mood, and many a Greater Rite of Mourning has been followed by a bloody and heroic attack against the enemies of the People.
The ritemaster, who must be of a rank at least equal to the number of participants divided by 10, makes a Charisma + Rituals roll, difficulty 10 minus the rank of the honored hero. The difficulty further decreases by one for every 10 participants. One success has no other effect than an Honor point to all involved. Two successes grants the honored hero a point of Renown for each 10 participants, plus an additional number of Renown equal to the ritemaster’s rank, to be distributed to the categories the hero was honored for. The participants all regain lost Willpower, as well as a point of spent Rage or Gnosis (depending on the purpose of the rite), and gain two points of honor each. The ritemaster also receives a number of Honor points equal to the rank of the honored hero. Three successes grants three points of Honor to all participants, except for the ritemaster, who receives Renown equal to the rank of the honoree, plus a tenth the total number of participants. All participants also gain the use of one of the hero’s abilities or Gifts for the struggle at hand. The hero being honored receives a point of Renown for every five participants, in addition to the points gained from the ritemaster’s rank. Four or five successes results in the participants gaining the use of two of the abilities or Gifts of the honored hero, and each participant regains two points of Rage or Gnosis, or one of each. The ritemaster gains the use of an additional Gift. The hero has a 50% chance of actually appearing as an apparition, and gains the ritemaster’s rank plus one for every five participants in Renown. >With six or more successes the participants regain all lost Rage or Gnosis. The hero is guaranteed to appear, and gains an additional five points of Honor Renown, as do the ritemaster. The Storyteller can opt to give the ritemaster or all the participants a point in the Ancestors Background if he chooses. Supernatural bonuses granted by this rite, apart from temporary Renown awards or replenished Rage and Gnosis, last for only one hour per success scored on the ritemaster’s roll. Death Rites WtA: Players Guide to Garou
Preserving the Fetish 1 his rite is designed to honor and preserve a spirit within a fetish, or other spirit-imbued object. Each Garou who practices the rite introduces small variations, depending on the type of spirit and fetish involved. The rite generally includes cleaning the fetish, and perhaps even re-coating damaged layers of paint or making other such similar repairs, though many Garou (and spirits) prefer fetishes that appear to be veterans, not brand-new. This rite is often assigned to cubs, who are subsequently given the task of maintaining the fetishes of the sept. This is usually also the only time cubs are allowed near the arsenal of the sept. The player rolls Wits + Rituals, difficulty 8. Good roleplaying and clever ideas for honoring the spirit (emphasis on honoring here) could warrant bonus decreases in difficulty level. This ritual should be performed at least once a month, but most Garou are encouraged to use it as often as possible, especially afterhaving used the fetish. Mystic Rites WtA: Players Guide to Garou
Renewing the Talen 2 As a form of lesser fetishes almost, talens are spiritimbued items that have a limited number of uses: one. Some talens can be “refueled,” however, with this rite. This rite charms and seduces the spirit involved to return to the talen, and it must be performed through singing and enticing and other forms of beguiling. By performing this rite prior to the Rite of Binding, the character effectively lowers her difficulty to perform that rite by one. Mystic Rites WtA: Players Guide to Garou
Calling the Spirit Guide 3 This rite serves as a quicker way to summon spirits while in the Umbra, but only spirits that can guide the summoner to a location. The spirits summoned with this rite will not teach the character anything or assist in the usual ways, but can be asked to help find a place, person or item within the Umbra. The rite involves calling out through a specialized dance and chant taught to the Garou as she learned this rite. Standard roll for performing this rite, but lower the difficulty by one if the character seeks a particular spirit whose name she knows. As usual, failed or botched rolls often involve angered or hostile spirits appearing (see charts under Rite of Summoning, Werewolf, p.161). When the spirit appears, it can lead the character or her pack to a Near Realm without difficulty. There is no further roll required here, but as customary it will want something in return for its services. It can also help search for a place or a person. The spirit is not omniscient, and can only help locate the target. The ritemaster gains five bonus dice to his Perception + Investigation rolls throughout the quest, as long as the spirit assists him. The spirit can also attempt to lead the characters to the Deep Umbra. In this case, stakes are much higher, and the characters may need to haggle a great deal (but not so much as to offend the spirit) to get a reasonable price. Also, the characters must locate an anchorhead themselves, and they travel into the Deep Umbra at their own risk. If the characters manage to persuade the spirit to accompany them on their entire journey, they will be able to return safely to the anchorhead. Mystic Rites WtA: Players Guide to Garou
Tears of Luna 3 The Tears of Luna are said to be a foolproof way of determining the guilt of a suspected criminal. If there is ever any doubt about the guilt of the author of a serious crime such as deliberate violation of the Litany or rape or murder, this rite is invoked. The suspected offender is first subject to markings on his body made by the ritemaster. Generally this mark can be the shape of the offender’s auspice glyph carved with silver and painted a silvery color. The offender is then splashed with ice-cold water, and exiled for one phase of the moon, starting with his own auspice. From that day to the next moon the offender believes that all rain that falls on him is liquid silver. The rain actually causes him harm, and he is unable to soak or heal these wounds. The wounds themselves are illusory. If the offender is innocent, he does not take any real damage from this “silver” rain, only believe that he does, but if guilty he suffers aggravated damage. Assuming he survives, the violator nonetheless suffers terribly. The one moon this trial lasts the suspected criminal cannot replenish his Gnosis. The drops of rain hitting him feels like shards of silver driving into his skin. The “silver” does one point of aggravated damage per rainfall. The suspected offender can spend Willpower to ignore the illusion for the duration of one scene, but he cannot heal any of the wounds caused by the silver rain until the trial is over. For some reason, it always seems to rain just a little bit more when this rite is invoked. Punishment Rites WtA:Players Guide to Garou
Rite of Praise 2 This rite honors a werewolf who has given more, risked more, and sacrificed more than necessary for the good of other Garou, Gaia or anything related. The entire sept is gathered as the ritemaster presents the commendation, often with a token worthy of the honoree, such as a fetish, as a final reward. This rite is not used lightly, or to reward expected behavior — it honors only the greatest. The ritemaster presents to the sept the deeds and actions of the chosen Garou warranting such praise. For each success on a Charisma + Rituals roll (difficulty 6), the praised Garou gains an extra die to use for Social dice pools within the sept over the next three months. Rites of Renown WtA: Players Guide to Garou
Rite of Cleansing 1 This rite purifies a person, place or object, allowing it to be used without fear of Wyrm-taint. The most common form of this rite involves the ritemaster inscribing a circle on the earth, walking widdershins (counterclockwise) around the afflicted person(s) or object(s) while holding a smoldering branch or torch. She must use a branch (preferably willow or birch) dipped in pure water or snow to sprinkle the object or person cleansed. As the ritemaster does so, all Garou present release an eerie, otherworldly howl in an attempt to “frighten away” and thus banish the corrupting influence. Ideally, this rite is performed at dawn, but it can be performed at any time. This rite can be cast upon more than one person or object, but the leader must spend one Gnosis point on each extra thing or person in need of cleansing. The difficulty level depends on the level of taint. For instance, taint caused by a spirit might set a difficulty equal to the spirit’s Gnosis. Only one success is required. If the character performs the rite at dawn, the difficulty of the rite decreases by one. Note that this rite cannot heal wounds or damage caused by Wyrm-taint; it removes only any existing contamination. This rite cannot cleanse taint of the most innate sort, either. The rite inflicts agonizing pain when performed on a fomor, vampire, unrepentant Black Spiral Dancer or other similarly accursed creature, but it cannot wash the recipient clean. Rites of Accord WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
Rite of Contrition 1 This rite is a form of apology used to prevent the enmity of spirits or Garou whom an individual has annoyed, or to prevent war between septs or tribes. The rite most often involves the enactor dropping to her belly and sliding forward. The ritemaster may also whine and lick his paws or hands. If performed well, however, a simple inclination of the head may suffice. To enact this rite successfully, the Garou must either give a small gift to the offended individual or, in the case of a spirit, possess some aspect of the spirit in question (for example, a clay falcon if the Garou is appealing to the totem spirit Falcon). The difficulty level of the rite equals the Rage of the target spirit or werewolf. A single success suffices for a gracious apology, but it may not be enough to mend friendships or forgive grievous errors. The more successes, the greater the wrong that can be forgiven. Werewolves who refuse to recognize a Rite of Contrition are looked upon badly by elders. Most spirits will always accept a well-performed rite. This effect lasts until the Garou performs another action that could harm or insult the other. Rites of Accord WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
Rite of Renunciation 2 In this rare rite, a werewolf rejects the auspice under which he was born and chooses a new auspice. The Garou must perform this rite during the phase of the moon he wishes to embrace. Most commonly, water from a silver basin exposed to Luna’s radiance is poured over the naked supplicant, washing him clean of all he once was, including all rank. He is now free to start anew as a member of his adopted auspice. Almost free, that is, for many werewolves view such a “Shifting Moon” with suspicion. The Shadow Lords and Silver Fangs in particular see this rite as a grave insult to Luna, and they are loath to trust those Garou who cannot bear the weight of their assigned burdens. A character who changes auspices must start anew at Rank 1. Although he may keep any Gifts he has already learned, he may never learn new Gifts from his old auspice. However, Gifts of his adopted auspice are now available to him. Sometimes this rite is performed for purposes other than shifting auspice, such as when a Garou wishes to give up his name and start over in Garou society. (See Renunciation, p. 185.) A variation on this rite also allows a werewolf to renounce his tribe and join a second tribe. Doing so, however, is a severe insult to his formal tribal totem, who will likely view him poorly for the rest of his days. In no case can a werewolf return to an auspice or tribe that he formerly renounced. He’s made his bed, so he must lie in it. Rites of Accord WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
Moot Rite 1 A moot cannot open until this rite is completed. The rite recharges the caern with Gnosis. The rite always includes a prolonged howl led by a Garou known as the Master of the Howl. The howl varies by tribe and sept, but it always expresses the unique nature of the sept. All werewolves present must form a circle within the caern itself before they commence howling. Numerous variations on the basic requirements exist. The Red Talons often bite their own paws and scratch their blood into the earth, while the Uktena pass their most powerful fetish from one to another as each in turn adds her voice to the howl. However, the howl must always echo forth and the eternal circle must form. The rite must be performed at least once per month to keep the caern consecrated. During the course of a moot, the participants must empower the caern with a combined total of five Gnosis points per caern level in order to replenish it fully. Caern Rites WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
Rite of the Opened Caern 1 Caerns are highly spiritual places that are sacred to those who create them. Each caern has a specific power associated with it, generally of a beneficial nature. Thus, there are caerns of Rage, caerns of Gnosis, Strength, Enigmas and so on. If a character is knowledgeable enough, she may tap into the caern’s power and use it herself. Doing so is commonly called “opening” a caern. Opening a caern should not be attempted lightly. Caerns do not give up their energies easily, and failure to harness such power properly can result in serious damage to the Garou. Each caern has its own requirements of the ritemaster. The ritemaster must prove herself worthy of the caern’s energies. In order to open a caern of Enigmas, a Garou might walk a spiral path while calling out the Greek myth of Persephone. To open a caern of Rage, the Garou might transform into Crinos and chant the litany of his ancestors who have fallen to the Wyrm. The key is forging a connection to the particular spirit of the caern. To open a caern, a character engages in a resisted, extended success test of Wits + Rituals (difficulty 7). The number of successes needed equals the caern’s level. The character must overcome the caern spirit to prove herself worthy. The caern spirit uses its caern level as a dice pool. Its difficulty equals the character’s Gnosis, while the number of successes needed equals the character’s Willpower. The first one to garner the necessary number of successes wins. If the character wins the test, she can add the caern’s rating to her dice pool when performing actions appropriate to that caern’s focus. If she loses, however, she takes wounds equal to the number of success by which the caern beat her. A botch indicates that the wounds are aggravated. These physical and spiritual wounds are the results of a backlash of spiritual energy. See Caerns Mechanics (p. 226) for a list of caern types, their powers and the spirits that can be encountered near them. Caern Rites WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
The Badger’s Burrow 4 The guardians of the caerns become so connected to their bawn that they can sense all that goes on within its boundaries. The ritemaster enacting this rite gazes intently into a bowl of water, pool of ink, mirror, or some such. At the same time, the Garou pours a small amount of witch hazel or other strongly scented astringent (such as urine) on the ground in front of her. Any other Garou watching or participating encircle the ritemaster and growl softly in the backs of their throats. Some of the younger Garou (Glass Walkers and Wendigo in particular) enhance the ritual through the use of mild psychotropic drugs, although many Garou frown upon this practice. The celebrant must make a successful Perception + Rituals roll against the given difficulty level. Each success enables the ritemaster (or the caern Warder) to ask one question regarding a defined area. The difficulty varies with the size of the area. Failure indicates that the Garou sees nothing, while a botch means that the Garou sees what she desires to see, regardless of the truth.
Area / Difficulty
Small Room - 5
Ballroom - 6
House - 7
Acre of Land - 8
Small Forest - 9
Caern Rites WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
Rite of the Opened Bridge 4 This rite creates a moon bridge, a shimmering portal serving as a mystical means of transportation between two caerns. Such moon bridges are vital links between the sacred spaces of Gaia. Once per year, a caern must renew its connection with other caerns to which it wishes to maintain moon bridges. This rite is always held during a moot, and it must be enacted simultaneously by both participating caerns. The primary requirement to open a moon bridge is a moongem, or pathstone as it is most often called. Pathstones are found in the Umbra, and they are often the objects of quests. These extraordinarily rare stones resemble flat pearls with the imprint of a wolf’s paw on one side. It is possible to steal a pathstone from a caern, but such a theft is considered blasphemous, and it may well result in war between two Garou septs. The rite establishes (or reestablishes) a spiritual connection between the pathstones of two second caerns by way of the caerns’ totem spirits. At the rite’s culmination, a moon bridge opens between the two participating caerns. During this time, Garou from both septs can travel between the caerns to join in a wild revel. Moon bridges allow Garou to traverse distances in 1/1000th the normal time required. This rite must be renewed once every 13 moons (roughly a year). The roll is Wits + Enigmas (difficulty 8 minus the level of the ritemaster’s own caern). The ritemaster may spend Willpower on the roll. If her pack totem is the same as the totem of the caern, she receives a bonus of three dice to the roll. If the rite was unsuccessful previously, the difficulty level of the rite increases by one. The ritemaster needs to obtain a number of successes equal to the target caern’s level to complete the rite. If the rite succeeds, the moon bridge opens immediately, and the spirit-bond between the two pathstones is established. Moon bridges may now be opened at any time between the two caerns. The bridges may be opened with the Rite of the Opened Caern or the Ragabash Gift: Open Moon Bridge (if performed at the caern). If the rite fails, no moon bridge opens, and the rite must be tried again next year. Moon bridges to the caern may still be opened, but they are not as safe as they might be… If the rite botches, no moon bridge opens, and the pathstone in the caern is scorched by the badly handled energies. Botching this rite often leads to another rite — the Rite of Ostracism — being performed against the offending Garou. See Caerns Mechanics (p. 226) for moon bridge distances. Caern Rites WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
Rite of the Shrouded Glen 4 This rite causes an area within the Umbra to become invisible, so that it cannot be seen from any other part of the spirit world. At least five people must participate in this ritual, and they must fast for at least three days to purify themselves. The Uktena, who are particularly adept at this rite, maintain that all participants must come to the rite with their bodies clad only in painted symbols representing earth, air, water, fire, and (for the ritemaster) the spirit world. The difficulty of this roll is the caern’s Gauntlet + 4. Any participating Garou can contribute Gnosis to this rite. The participants must spend a total of 10 Gnosis points to make the effect permanent. Otherwise, the number of successes achieved equals the number of hours the Umbral Glen remains hidden. If the area the Garou attempt to hide is larger than the caern itself, the amount of Gnosis required increases by two for each one-mile radius the participants attempt to enshroud. Caern Rites WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
Rite of Caern Building 5 This powerful rite actually creates a permanent caern by drawing the spirit world and the physical world closer together. Simply reciting the rite draws the attention of the Wyrm’s servitors, and actually performing the rite has been known to prove fatal. Only the most powerful and wise mystics dare lead such an undertaking. A powerful Theurge is almost always selected to perform this most sacred of rites. Many Garou must channel their energy through a powerful leader to have even a hope of success. Whole packs have been known to die in agony of failed attempts. Once the physical focus for the heart of the caern is chosen, the area must be cleansed of all taint in preparation for its transformation. All Garou participating in the rite must undergo a Rite of Cleansing. The ritemaster performs a series of minor rituals, meditation and other physical preliminaries to prepare for her awesome task. The sept must post sentries (very often the players’ characters), for servants of the Wyrm almost invariably attempt to disrupt such a great rite. Only the mightiest warriors are chosen for such an assignment, and their protection is critical to the success of the rite. The leader of the rite is helpless while he chants a long litany of verses designed to draw a great spirit into the prepared caern. Although it is possible to create a specific type of caern, most leaders leave this choice to Gaia and accept whatever caern she grants the sept. The rite must be performed between the hours of sunset and sunrise during the waxing of the moon. Only the Black Spiral Dancers create caerns during the moon’s waning. The rite requires an extended roll of Wits + Rituals, although the leader may use only as many dice as she has Gnosis. The difficulty begins at 8, and it is modified downward by one for every five Garou participating and spending Gnosis over and above the 13 necessary participants, and 40 successes are required. Only one roll can be attempted per hour of the ritual. Because an enormous amount of Gnosis is needed to create a new caern, a minimum of 13 Garou, one for each moon of the year, must participate in this rite. Regardless of the number of Garou aiding her, the ritemaster can channel such a powerful stream of Gnosis through her system only once per hour. The rite must be performed at night. Therefore, the ritemaster has only eight rolls (one per hour) in which to accomplish her task in most places and at most times of the year. This limit makes success fairly unlikely. If indeed, the rite does fail, all involved suffer five wounds. These wounds are not aggravated, but they are very painful, and they always leave small teardrop-shaped scars scattered across the Garou’s body. Such scars are considered marks of bravery, and these “tears of Gaia” are often highlighted by tattoos or paint and worn with pride by the Garou. The Garou say the scars are the result of Gaia crying out for her children’s pain. Once the leader scores the required number of successes, all those involved in the rite must contribute Gnosis points — 100 are needed. If the total Gnosis available is not 100, all those participating begin to suffer aggravated wounds. Each wound counts as three more Gnosis points toward the total. Botches during this rite are particularly deadly. All characters involved suffer seven health levels of damage, which means that even a Garou previously at full health becomes Incapacitated. Those Garou reduced to below Incapacitated suffer severe Battle Scars (see pp. 189-190). If the minimum number of successes is rolled (40), the caern is ranked Level One. The Gauntlet of such an area is 4, and the spirits bound into the caern will grant powers approximately equal to Level One Gifts. Every five additional successes raise the level of the caern by one, correspondingly raising the magnitude of the powers the caern grants. At Level Three, the Gauntlet of the area is 3, while at Level Five, it is but 2. Immediately upon the rite’s successful completion, the ritemaster must sacrifice a number of permanent Gnosis points equal to the level of the caern. If a player’s character should somehow assume the role of ritemaster and succeed, she receives three points of Glory Renown, five points of Honor Renown and seven points of Wisdom Renown. Anyone else participating in the rite receives five points of Glory Renown and three points of Honor Renown. This task is a legendary one that deserves a suitable reward. Caern Rites WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
Gathering for the Departed 1 This rite is enacted in honor of the newly dead. A Galliard or a packmate of the departed werewolf usually performs the rite. This rite varies dramatically from tribe to tribe. For example, a Fianna ritemaster leads the sept in the telling of tales, both raucous and heroic, about the fallen Garou. In contrast stands the Wendigo’s solemn rite, in which the ritemaster and all the fallen one’s packmates stand on the highest peak available, tails to the wind, and howl out their pride and grief to speed their companion onward to her next life. The exact form the rite takes does not matter, only the acknowledgment itself. The ritemaster leads the release of the Garou’s combined emotions into the spirit world. The Uktena say that such emotions have a real impact upon the Umbra and that they help ensure that the departed Garou retains ties to her mortal relatives. At the Storyteller’s discretion, this rite makes the deceased’s spirit easier to contact through the Ancestors Background. Rites of Death WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
Rite of the Winter Wolf 3 Once a Garou becomes too wounded or aged to fight with his tribe, he performs this solemn and bleak rite. Upon announcing that he will undergo this rite, the werewolf sits at the center of a gathering of his pack- and septmates. This meeting is an onerous, solemn affair during which the Moon Dancers sing hymns of the celebrant’s life and deeds and invoke the spirits for glory in the next world or life. The celebrant then slowly and proudly walks through the closed ranks of the tribe. As he passes his people, they begin howling a dirge similar to that sung during the Gathering for the Departed. Some Garou beat heavy drums or play mournful pipes as the celebrant drags himself to a secluded site where he ends his life, usually with a silver klaive. Rarely, two werewolves, usually packmates, will perform this rite together, sometimes killing each other simultaneously, although Ahroun may give each other a last fight to finish, with the victor ending his life beside his fallen opponent. Immediately after the suicide, the sept performs the Gathering for the Departed. Members of the Red Talons and Get of Fenris are the staunchest supporters of this rite. It is almost unheard of among the Children of Gaia, who value the knowledge and experience of their aged and wounded. This rite is always performed at night, and it requires that at least three other Garou be present to acknowledge the solemn event. The weapon used by the Garou must be silver, although it need not be a klaive. Rites of Death WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
Baptism of Fire 1 Most tribes attempt to track down all children born to their Kinfolk within one month of the children’s birth to see if they “share the blood.” (Most commonly, this search involves the Gift: Scent of the True Form.) Those who are Garou are “baptized” in the light of their auspice moon, beside a ritual fire. Such a baptism most commonly involves mingling ashes with a few drops of Garou blood. The mixture is then touched to the child’s ears, nose, eyelids and tongue. In the presence of a lesser tribal spirit known as a Kin-Fetch, the babe is then held up to the moonlight while the baptizing Garou howls Gaia’s greeting to the newborn. The ritemaster then has the Kin-Fetch kiss the infant. The spirit’s fiery kiss inscribes a spiritual brand upon the babe in the form of the newborn’s tribal pictograph. This mark is not visible on the newborn’s body; the only mark left is spiritual. It is impossible to remove this spiritual brand. Such a mark can be traced and recognized by all Garou (including the Black Spiral Dancers, who all too often track down cubs of other tribes and capture them in order to create more of their foul number). The participating Kin-Fetch spirit is assigned to watch over the young Garou as she grows to maturity, so that the tribe may always know the child’s location and whether she is endangered. When the child is about to undergo the First Change and is ready for the Rite of Passage, the spirit alerts the tribe. Unfortunately, such minor spirits are notoriously weak-willed and easily distracted. All too often, a Kin-Fetch loses track of its charge or becomes lost itself, leaving the young cub on her own. Such “lost cubs” often become Lunatics or recluses, terrified of themselves and unable to understand their powerful primal urges. The ritemaster makes a Charisma + Rituals roll. Only one success is required, but additional successes improve the chance that the Kin-Fetch will keep track of the child. This rite must be performed at night under the moon in which the child was born. Although this rite is normally performed within a month of birth, the brand can be inscribed at any time before the cub reaches adolescence and undergoes her First Change. The brand fades out of existence after the cub’s Rite of Passage. Mystic Rites WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
Rite of Binding 1 This rite binds a spirit to a Garou, making it his servant. The more powerful the spirit is, the more difficult the process is. Although any encountered spirit is subject to binding, the Garou generally feel that spirits should be bound only when needed. They do not feel good about binding spirits for great lengths of time. This point does not go uncontested, however, particularly by the mystics of the Uktena tribe. Spirits trapped through this rite may be bound into temporary service or into objects to create talens (see Fetishes and Talens, pp. 240-241). No spirit allows itself to be bound unless it is friendly to the binding character’s totem. Spirits can be bound into objects, places and people, although the Garou generally don’t perform the last feat unless the need is great. Failing this rite can be dangerous, for the spirit is very likely to become hostile and attempt to harm the mystic. A Garou can attempt this rite only in the presence of a spirit, and it is usually performed in the Umbra. When attempting to bind a spirit, a Garou must first spend a number of Gnosis points (minimum one). Each point of Gnosis spent reduces the spirit’s Gnosis rating by one. The Garou’s player must then roll Willpower (difficulty of the spirit’s adjusted Gnosis). The number of successes indicates how long the spirit may be forced into service (one week per success). In the case of a talen, the spirit is bound until the object is used. See the Appendix for examples of spirits and a list of sample talens. Mystic Rites WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
Rite of the Questing Stone 1 This rite allows the werewolf to find a person or object (locations do not count). He must know the name of the object or individual. The difficulty of the rite is reduced if the Garou has some piece of the object or person (for example, a clipping of hair or piece of cloth). He must dangle a stone or needle from a thread while concentrating on the item or person sought. Glass Walkers often use maps and substitute a compass for the traditional stone and thread. Standard roll. If the Garou has a piece of the item or individual, the difficulty drops by one. The rite gives the Garou a sense of only the object’s general location, not its exact position. Mystic Rites WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
Rite of Talisman Dedication 1 This rite allows a werewolf to bind objects to her body, allowing these objects to fit her various forms (jeans will grow to accommodate the size increase of the Crinos form, for instance) and accompany the Garou into the Umbra. Such talismans are most commonly mundane items, for spiritual items such as fetishes and talens remain with the werewolf in all forms automatically. A werewolf most often performs this rite during the phase of the moon under which he was born. Each auspice has its own peculiar ritual. The cost is one Gnosis point per object dedicated, and a character may never have more objects bound to himself than his Gnosis score. Certain large objects (Storyteller’s discretion) are considered to be more than one for the purposes of “cost.” Similarly, the Storyteller may allow multiple objects to count as one object if they are sufficiently related (and not an abuse of the rite). The most common example is permitting a set of clothes to count as “one object” rather than one shirt, one pair of pants and so on. A generous Storyteller might allow a container’s contents (at the time of dedication) to count as part of the container — if, again, the players aren’t abusing the rite by doing so. The Storyteller and the player should decide what happens to the object when the character assumes certain forms. For example, when the character assumes Crinos form, her backpack’s straps may simply grow to fit around her shoulders (although the pack still cannot hold more items than normal). When the character is in Hispo form, her knife may meld with her body. In such cases, the object will appear as a tattoo. Others must spend a Willpower point to remove the object from the character. Mystic Rites WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
Rite of Becoming 2 Werewolves must perform this rite at an Anchorhead Domain. Once completed, it enables them to travel into the Deep Umbra. The most common version of this rite requires that the Garou must make a braid from three of her hairs, three pieces of fine copper wire and three tendrils of ivy or other vine. Lengths of silk thread are sometimes substituted for the hair or wire. When the braid has been constructed, the Garou ties it around his own wrist and howls three words of power. The Uktena often drink a bitter potion that loosens the Garou’s spirit from the Tellurian, while the Black Furies always perform this ritual in threesomes, never traveling the Deep Umbra alone. If the braid is destroyed while the Garou is in the Deep Umbra, the Garou takes one health level of aggravated damage and risks becoming lost forever if she does not return to the Near Umbra immediately. Mystic Rites WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
Rite of Spirit Awakening 2 This rite is used to awaken a sleeping (inactive) spirit. To perform this rite, a Garou must play a rhythm on some form of instrument (drums being the most common). While the Garou plays, any other participating Garou pace around the ritemaster howling and growling in counterpoint to the beat. When performed on a mundane item, this rite enlivens the object’s spirit, causing it to awaken and appear in the Umbra. For example, if the rite is performed on a VW bus, any Garou stepping sideways could see the bus as a true part of the landscape. However, it would appear as a stationary object in the Penumbra unless someone on the physical plane began to drive it, in which case it would appear as a driverless vehicle to anyone in the Umbra. When performed on plants, this rite is known as sanctification. Plant-spirits are generally benevolent, and an awakened plant spirit will lend its powers as though it were a talen (one use). Different plants grant different abilities when sanctified. For example, sanctified foxglove protects against faerie magic (adding two to the difficulty of any faerie spell). The ritemaster must play a musical instrument or sing a song (talent doesn’t matter). The difficulty of the roll is the spirit’s Rage. Failure means that the spirit remains dormant. The Storyteller must decide whether the spirit is hostile or friendly to its awakener. Awakening a spirit does not allow any control over it. Commanding an awakened spirit requires either a Rite of Binding or a Gift. This rite doesn’t work on sentient beings such as humans. Such individuals are already as “awakened” as they’re going to get. Mystic Rites WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
Rite of Summoning 2 Garou mystics are adept at calling spirits, be they minor Gafflings, totem spirits or even Incarna. Summoning spirits involves complex rituals, long periods of meditation and tribal mantra chanting. Within the Umbra, this process is far easier. This rite compels spirits to seek those who call them. Furthermore, the spirit cannot escape its caller once the summoning is completed successfully, and it must attend the mystic. Many spirits, particularly minor ones, are too weak to resist a powerful summoning. Powerful ones come out of curiosity. The chance of a successful summoning depends upon the skill of the mystic, the power of the spirit and the strength of the area’s Gauntlet. The ritemaster must pierce the Gauntlet just as if he were entering the Umbra (Gnosis roll against the Gauntlet). A mystic already within the Umbra is not required to pierce the Gauntlet. The power level of the spirit determines the difficulty level of a successful summoning. The Storyteller can determine target numbers from the following chart: Spirit Type // Target Number
Gaffling 4
Jaggling 5
Totem avatar 7
Incarna 8-9
Celestine avatar 10
For each hour the Garou spends invoking the spirit, his target number drops by one. No target number may fall below 3. The player must then make a Gnosis roll and achieve as many successes as possible, with the following results: Successes // Effect
1 - Spirit comes eventually and is initially hostile
2 Spirit manifests quickly, but it is still initially hostile
3 Spirit comes immediately and is neutral
4 Spirit comes immediately and is passively benign
5 Spirit comes immediately and is friendly
A botched roll is likely to have disastrous results. Often a botch summons the wrong type of spirit — or even Banes — in great numbers or with great hostility. The Storyteller should feel free to adjust the previous tables as she wishes, particularly as appropriate to totems. In certain cases, a Garou who attempts to summon a specific spirit will have no chance of success. At other times, he will have almost no chance of failure. The Storyteller is advised to treat each use of this rite individually and to use common sense in her decisions. A Garou who summons an Incarna or Celestine avatar successfully gains two points of Wisdom Renown.
Mystic Rites WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
Rite of the Fetish 3 This rite allows a werewolf to create a fetish (an object with a spirit bound into it). To do so, the Garou must first cleanse the potential fetish by placing it under running water (sufficiently drinkable tap water counts), burying it in pure earth, exposing the object to constant breezes or suspending it above flame for three consecutive nights. The Garou must then force or persuade a spirit to enter the prepared object. The Fianna claim that cajoling or flattering a spirit produces the best results, while the Bone Gnawers and Silent Striders claim that bribery (expending Gnosis) works best. The ritemaster rolls Wits + Rituals (difficulty 10). Each point of permanent Gnosis that the character spends during the rite reduces the difficulty by two; going to great lengths to prove one’s sincerity to the spirit may also reduce the difficulty. A botch indicates that the spirit is released suddenly. (If the spirit was coerced into participation, it will almost assuredly attack.) If the Garou attempts to force a spirit into the fetish, she must first attack the spirit and reduce it to zero Essence before attempting to bind it into the fetish. A newly created fetish will not work until the bound spirit has recharged its Mystic Rites WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
Rite of the Totem 3 This rite binds a totem to a group of Garou, joining them together as a pack. During the rite, all werewolves who wish to bind their destinies to a particular totem spirit must coat their eyes with an infusion of saliva and mugwort, tobacco or a similar substance holy to Gaia and step sideways into the Umbra. In the spirit world, the ritemaster leads the Garou in a hunt for the spiritual spoor left by a totem spirit. Such evidence varies with the spirit, but Garou worthy of the totem’s attention can always found it. Even tracking down the spirit does not guarantee success, for the totem must decide whether the Garou are worthy to become its fosterlings. An undecided totem may require a quest of the supplicants, although one is almost never required if the pack has just completed a Rite of Passage successfully. haracters must purchase the Totem Background to benefit from this rite. Otherwise, the rite is simply not performed. The roll is standard. Mystic Rites WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
Rite of Ostracism 2 This rite is a fairly common punishment for lesser crimes, yet its effects can be devastating during wartime. This rite estranges the punished Garou from her tribe, sept and sometimes even her pack. The tribe will thereafter treat the individual as a nonentity. She is ignored as much as possible and forced to fend for herself for even basic needs, although no hostile actions are taken against the non-wolf (in theory at least, although some Garou have been known to injure ostracized werewolves “accidentally”). In a life-or-death situation, the tribe (friends and packmates in particular) might aid the offender, but even then only grudgingly. Otherwise, the punished Garou is ignored utterly. Garou present at this rite form a circle around the chastised werewolf (if present), and each participant calls out once to Gaia, then to her brethren the name of the offender, followed by the words: “Of all Gaia’s children, I have no such brother/ sister.” The speaker then turns widdershins to face away from the circle. Once all present have spoken, they drift away into the night. This punishment normally lasts from one phase of the moon to the next. It can, however, last as long as the sept or tribe leaders desire. For serious crimes, the punishment may even be decreed permanent, essentially exiling the offender from her sept or tribe. The ostracized Garou loses one point of Glory Renown, five points of Honor Renown and one point of Wisdom Renown. Punishment Rites WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
Stone of Scorn 2 The Stone of Scorn is a rock imbued with malicious spirit personifications of shame, sorrow and the like. Some septs have a permanent Stone of Scorn to which an offender is dragged, although most merely imbue a small stone with mocking energies. Starting with the ritemaster, this stone passes to each Garou present at the rite. The scorned werewolf is forced by his septmates to sit and watch. As each Garou receives the stone, he carves or paints a symbol of derision or shame onto it while telling a mocking or embarrassing tale about the offending behavior and other flaws of the scorned Garou. Moon Dancers are particularly creative in their verbal portrayals of the miscreant. This rite often lasts all night, with successive stories becoming more and more outrageous and derogatory. Once the night ends, so does the punishment, although the best stories are often whispered behind the offender’s back for some time to come. Such behavior causes the Garou to lose Renown for a time. Standard roll. The punished Garou usually loses eight points of Honor Renown and two points of Wisdom Renown until he performs an honorable deed, thus removing the taint of scorn. Punishment Rites WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
Voice of the Jackal 2 When a werewolf’s behavior has shamed not just herself, but her entire sept or tribe, then this rite may be called. When the ritemaster performs this rite, he blows a handful of dust or ashes onto the offender and speaks the following: “Because thy (cowardice/ gluttony/ selfishness/ etc.) has proved thee to be of jackal blood, let thy voice proclaim thy true breed!” As the dust and words envelop the punished Garou, her voice changes. Thereafter, she will speak in an annoyingly shrill and piercing nasal whine until the ritemaster repeals the punishment. Jackal-hounds, as such punished Garou are known, subtract two dice from all Social rolls. They also lose two points of Glory Renown and five points of Honor Renown. The ritemaster can repeal this punishment at any time, although it may be made permanent for particularly serious crimes (and the Renown loss always remains). Certain jackal-hounds have reclaimed their true voices by completing a quest of great benefit to Gaia. Punishment Rites WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
The Hunt 3 The Hunt is called against a werewolf who has committed a capital crime such as unwarranted murderer, yet who still retains a vestige of honor. All Garou participating in a Hunt streak their bodies with ancient symbols in paint or clay. These symbols mark the werewolves as part of a Hunting Pack, and all other Garou will make way for Hunters so marked. It is an honor to be chosen for inclusion in a Hunt. The ritemaster, or Master of the Hunt, leads the pack. The Hunt is just that; the criminal is hunted down and killed by the pack. There is no quarter given, although (for what it’s worth) death exculpates the condemned Garou. Many tragic stories tell of a werewolf forced to choose between violating his word and committing a grave crime. Such Garou, so the stories go, chose to honor their word and were Hunted, but displayed such valor during their last stand that they gained much posthumous renown. This rite can be roleplayed using the tracking rules given in Chapter Six. Alternatively, it can be simulated by rolling the ritemaster’s Charisma + Rituals (difficulty of the condemned’s Rank + 4). Failure means that the condemned fought well and is accorded much posthumous Glory, while a botch means that he eluded his Hunters and can live out his life as a Ronin. Punishment Rites WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
Satire Rite 3 A more serious version of the Stone of Scorn, a Satire Rite is a special song, dance and/ or drama crafted by the Half Moons and Moon Dancers for the sole purpose of ridiculing the offender. This rite is always performed at a moot while the offender sits in full view of the sept. Because the Garou keep careful oral histories, the Satire will be remembered and passed down through the ages. Any werewolf so “honored” loses much renown. Cubs snicker as they sing lewd verses from the rite, and adults will forever use some of the wittier quotes and embarrassing movements from the rite when referring to the offender. While such stories are usually confined to members of the offender’s own sept, Tricksters and Moon Dancers are all too happy to spread the new Satire to any Garou they encounter. The difficulty of this rite is the offender’s current Rank + 4. If successful, the offender loses one permanent Rank level (reduce his Renown to the beginning amounts for the next lowest rank). The Garou can earn new renown and rank normally. If this rite fails, the Garou loses nothing, while a botch causes the ritemaster to lose five points of Wisdom as she becomes the object of the rite. Punishment Rites WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
The Rending of the Veil 4 Sometimes known as Actaeon’s Folly, this rite is used to punish a human who offends the Garou greatly. The offense does not have to be against the Garou per se, but it may be any act against Gaia or Her children. This rite drops the Veil, forcing a human to see and remember the Garou for the duration of an all-night hunt. The ritemaster leaves a small bag of burning dung and herbs near the sleeping victim. When the victim awakens, the Veil has been burned away from his mind. The following hunt may or may not end in the human’s death. Those humans left alive are often rendered insane, their unprepared minds unable to accept the truth revealed by the rite. Some few, however, overcome their fear and heal. This rite is not considered a breach of the Litany. The ritemaster must place the specially prepared bag of dung and herbs within 10 feet of where the victim sleeps. The bag smolders when the ritemaster performs the rite. The ritemaster does not need to be near the bag to enact the rite. Failure leaves the Veil intact. A botch causes the Garou herself to fall under the Delirium for one night. Punishment Rites WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
Gaia’s Vengeful Teeth 5 As one of the greatest punishments among the Garou, this rite is reserved for traitors, those who consort with the Wyrm or cowards whose actions (or lack thereof) cause the deaths of many others. At least five werewolves drag the traitor to a spot of hard, cracked earth and stones. The ritemaster then stabs a sharpened twig or stone into her own hand as she recites the traitor’s sins against Gaia. Smearing her blood over the traitor’s eyes, ears and forehead, the ritemaster cries in grief and rage. As the blood and tears drip to the hard ground, the rite takes effect. From that moment on, whatever of Gaia touches the traitor transforms into razor-sharp silver so long as it touches his flesh. Crinos hunters then chase the traitor like a dog. The ground beneath the traitor chews into his feet, and his death becomes an agonizing ordeal. The offender’s name is then stricken from all histories, and it will be spoken only as a curse from that moment forward. As long as the ritemaster’s blood touches the traitor’s body, the traitor cannot step sideways into the Umbra. >No one survives this rite. Punishment Rites WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
Rite of Accomplishment 2 This rite is used to honor a werewolf and recognize the trials he has endured to attain his current standing. An elder will call the honored Garou forward, much as the Garou might be called forward should the elders want to punish or criticize her. As the Garou advances, the elder begins listing all of the things the Garou did to gain the acclaim. The Rite of Accomplishment then takes place, and anyone who wishes to speak on behalf of the Garou being honored may do so. In conclusion, the elder says something along the lines of, “She is made greater in her tribe, her sept and greater among the People everywhere. Let this be known.” This rite is performed when a character has 10 points of temporary Renown in a category and wishes to gain a point of permanent Renown. The difficulty is only 4 unless someone disputes the rite. (In such an instance, the difficulty rises to 6.) Only one success is required. A failure on the roll is considered indicative of a failing in the applicant. The ritemaster often receives a portent from Gaia showing the unworthiness of the applicant. If the roll botches, the applicant must undergo a penance before anyone will again give him the Rite of Accomplishment. Such is the injustice of society. It is possible, although rare, that someone will dispute the rite. In this case, the disputer stands and heckles the ritemaster as he performs the rite, making bold assertions about the negative qualities of the applicant. The applicant so insulted must make a Rage roll not to frenzy; if he frenzies, the rite is over. If he keeps his cool, and the rite is successful, no one can rightfully question his worthiness for at least three moons (i.e., no one can dispute any Rites of Accomplishment performed on him during the next month and a half). Rites of Renown WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
Rite of Passage 2 After a cub undergoes his First Change and becomes aware that he is a werewolf, he must undergo his Rite of Passage. Werewolves are not accorded adulthood or respect until they pass this seminal rite; they are mere cubs until that time. They are not even considered true Garou, and Shadow Lords do not refer to them as such until this rite is completed. Similarly, a cub is not a member of any tribe until his Rite of Passage. A male cub born to the Black Furies, for example, becomes a member of whatever tribe will offer him a place among them by use of this rite. During a Rite of Passage, the cubs must complete a dangerous quest meant to prove that they have courage, honor and wisdom befitting a werewolf. However, few cubs undergo this rite alone. They are often joined by their pack-to-be, other cubs who are also coming of age. The ritemaster commands the would-be pack to go out into the world with a definite goal to achieve, and he forbids it to return until it has tried its best to accomplish this goal. Different tribes impose different goals, although multitribal septs usually reach a compromise. A Wendigo rite often takes the form of a visionquest, while the Get of Fenris commonly send their cubs into combat with Wyrm-spawn. Invisible spirits sometimes accompany the cubs in order to watch over them and report their doings to the elders. If the cubs succeed in their quest, a ritemaster performs this rite upon them, marking them with a pictogram that brands them as full-fledged Garou. These pictograms are usually painted, but the Red Talons carve them into the flesh of the young heroes. If the cubs fail, however, they are considered second-class citizens until they are granted another opportunity to prove themselves. Before the Rite of Passage, Garou are not yet Rank 1. Their teachers do not teach them any Gifts until the Rite of Passage is complete. Rites of Renown WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
Rite of Wounding 1 This rite celebrates a Garou’s first battle wound. Each tribe marks this moment differently, but all honor this sign of courage. Many tribes rub ash into at least part of the wound to form a scar of remembrance. The Get of Fenris always end this rite with a fierce all-night revel filled with drinking and fighting. By contrast, the Children of Gaia end their Rites of Wounding with prayers for peace and understanding among all creatures. Only the wounded character and the ritemaster must be present for this rite, although the werewolf’s pack and sept are normally present. The wounded character receives two points of Glory if this rite succeeds. Rites of Renown WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
Rite of the Winter Winds 2 On the longest night of the year, Garou enact this rite as a salute to Helios and an encouragement for him to begin lengthening the days again. Some werewolves believe that if this rite is not performed, the nights will continue to lengthen until Gaia has fallen into a terrible twilight state of perpetual pain. Most modern werewolves consider this mere superstition, but even such skeptics participate enthusiastically in the rite. The Rite of the Winter Winds is rarely the same from sept to sept. European Garou practice a common version that begins with the ritemaster gathering the Garou in a circle around a small bonfire. She then leads the group in an extended howl that begins as a low, rumbling growl and eventually rises to an ululating crescendo. When the ritemaster feels that the tension is at its height, she leaps forward, snatches up a burning branch and runs into the woods. The other Garou follow her, grabbing branches as they go. Running as swiftly as they can, the Garou make as many frightening and strange noises as possible. This rite is performed both to encourage Gaia’s labor in giving birth to the sun, and to frighten off any minions of the Wyrm that might be lurking about, ready to snatch the newborn sun or harm Gaia as she turns her attention away from the surface world. The ritemaster finally leads the howling pack back to the bonfire, where they hurl their branches into the conflagration. Once the fire is raging, the Garou celebrate with a revel that lasts until dawn, at which time they greet the newborn sun with one last, triumphant howl. - Seasonal WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
Rite of Reawakening 2 This rite celebrates the vernal equinox, the time of rebirth. The ritemaster begins the rite at sundown by leading the gathered Garou on a quest into the Umbra. Such a quest is sometimes symbolic, but more and more often as the time (or it finds them) in the Umbral Realms. The quest always involves seven trials. These trials represent the seven gates that bar the way to the Underworld. Such trials vary dramatically from tribe to tribe, but there are always a variety of challenges presented to the members. One test might involve facing a Bane in combat, while another challenge might consist of finding a fetish lost within the Deep Umbra. Each test requires the participants to relinquish something of themselves, be it a cherished personal fetish, an old grudge or false pride. If the Garou can win their way past these challenge gates, they can renew the Earth, banishing the winter-spirits and paving the way for the green, growing season. At the end of the rite the werewolves return to their bodies. At this time many tribes seek out Garou Kinfolk, or other humans and wolves, and reacquaint themselves with the joys of the flesh, celebrating the incredible beauty of life and the necessity of its continuation in future generations. Not surprisingly, this is the night when a large percentage of metis cubs are conceived. Although such couplings are always taboo, the intense drama of the rite sometimes overrides such concerns. - Seasonal WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
The Great Hunt 2 This rite falls on the eve of the summer solstice, or Midsummer, when Helios stays longest in the sky and is thus at the zenith of his influence. The short hours of darkness offer the creatures of the Wyrm little place to hide, and the werewolves respond by holding a sacred hunt. Exactly at midnight, just at Midsummer begins, the ritemaster calls upon Gaia to bring to the attention of the sept a creature or creatures worthy of the Great Hunt. In preparation, the Garou chant, howl and tell tales of bravery. Also common is a ritual bloodletting, wherein each Garou cuts herself and sheds some of her blood into a large bowl. The mingled blood is then painted in the form of pictograms on the forehead or breastbone of each of the hunters. At dawn, Gaia sends the waiting sept a sign proclaiming the target of the Great Hunt. This sign may come in any form, from a vision seen by an entranced Wendigo ritemaster to a news story flashing on the screen of an old television in a Bone Gnawer caern. Although the person or creature chosen by Gaia is almost always associated with the Wyrm, Gaia demands on rare occasions that one of her own be sacrificed in the Great Hunt. Only the greatest warriors are ever chosen as the targets of a Great Hunt, and Gaia demands such a sacrifice from her children only in times of great need, for the freed spirit of such a warrior is said to transform immediately into an avenging angel for Gaia. The Garou have only until midnight to complete the Great Hunt. If successful, the blood of the fallen creature is spilled onto Gaia’s soil (or into the ether if the Great Hunt >takes place on the Umbra) as a sacrifice to Gaia. If the hunters fail to slay their quarry, it is considered a terrible omen for the coming year. Some Theurges say that no sept will succeed at the Great Hunt during the year of the Apocalypse. At the least, a failed Great Hunt means poor luck for the sept in the year to come. Anyone participating in a successful Great Hunt gains Glory. The danger of the particular Great Hunt determines the amount of Glory gained. Characters participating in a successful Great Hunt gain — presuming the target is of average threat level — three points of Glory Renown. If the Great Hunt is unsuccessful, each participating character loses two points of Glory Renown. In addition, the difficulty levels of all rites performed by the sept increase by one until the next Midsummer. Seasonal WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
The Long Vigil 2 This rite marks the autumnal equinox, when the season of long days gives way to the season of long nights. Although summer is the traditional season of war among many human cultures, the Garou know that their shadow war will be all the more difficult during the lengthening hours of darkness. To prepare themselves, they hold the Long Vigil, a rite designed to sharpen their appetite for the battles ahead. The Long Vigil begins at sundown, around a raging bonfire (save in some urban caerns). The sept spends the day before the Vigil bedecking the caern with trophies of war collected during the previous year. From bent rifles and shredded flak jackets to broken Wyrm-fetishes and strings of teeth to the skulls of Wyrmish monsters to smeared blood mixed with the dust of vampires, all manner of mementos adorn the heart of the caern. As the sun slips below the horizon, the ritemaster begins to chant praise to Helios, thanking him for his blessings during the summer, and praying for his safety in the coming winter. The ritemaster then praises Luna and beseeches her aid in the long nights to come. To aid in the ritemaster’s plea for aid, the Galliards of the sept come forward and begin to recite tales of the most glorious battles of the last year and the deeds done in her name. They point to each trophy in turn to tell the story of how it was won from its owner. Particularly eloquent members of other auspices who distinguished themselves in the previous year are sometimes allowed the honor of being the first to tell their own tales. Once the Galliards have finished, the other members of the sept begin to recount their own versions of the great deeds of the previous year. The tale-telling lasts all night; as dawn approaches, the ritemaster invokes Luna one final time. He dedicates all the deeds of the previous year to Luna, her brother Helios and her sister Gaia, and he promises that the year to come will be just as glorious with Luna’s blessing. As the rite concludes, the Garou hurl as many trophies as possible into the bonfire, destroying their hard-earned mementos as a sign of faith that they will take many more in the year to come. - Seasonal WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
Bone Rhythms - A werewolf performs this rite in homage to her totem spirit. Each spirit has a different rhythm connected to it, and the Garou taps out her spirit’s rhythm with special drumsticks to honor her totem. Such “sticks” are traditionally made of bone, but they can be fashioned from any material. Any werewolf who performs this rite three times per day for at least three consecutive days gains an additional die to any one roll while in the Umbra. Once this die is used, the Garou must rebuild the energies for an additional three days before regaining the extra die. Minor Rites WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
Breath of Gaia - During this rite the werewolf breathes deeply of Gaia’s breath — that is, clean air — 13 times. While so breathing, she clears her mind of all things save her love of Gaia. The character must perform this rite at least once per day for one full cycle of the moon. So doing enables the Garou to lower the difficulty level of any one healing or detection roll by two. Minor Rites WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
Greet the Moon - This rite is an exuberant paean to Luna. During this rite, the Garou howls an elaborate greeting to the moon. This greeting varies with the phase of the moon. Performing this rite each night at moonrise for a full phase of the moon enables the character to add one die to all rolls involving social interactions with Garou of that phase’s auspice the next night the moon reaches the phase in question. Minor Rites WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
Greet the Sun - Certain Children of Gaia and a few Uktena and Wendigo practice this rite. It is similar to Greet the Moon, but it is performed at sunrise. The Garou must sing Helios’ praises for nine consecutive days. If the Garou does so, Helios grants his devotee an additional die when attempting to sense Wyrm creatures or Wyrm-taint, provided the werewolf continues to sing his praises daily. If the Garou misses even one day, he must begin this rite anew to reap its benefits. Minor Rites WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
Hunting Prayer - This common rite takes many forms, but it always involves pausing before the start of a hunt to praise Gaia and all her creatures. In addition, the Garou chooses some item to hold her prayers. This item can range from an old belt to a tooth, but the werewolf must have it with her when she hunts. If she loses the item, she must choose a new item and start her prayers anew. If a Garou performs this rite before every hunt for three turnings of the moon, she receives an additional die to all tracking rolls as long as she continues her pre-hunt prayers. If she hunts even once without praying, she must renew her prayers for another three months before again receiving the bonus. Minor Rites WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
Prayer for the Prey - A specific form of the Rite of Contrition, this rite involves the werewolf stepping sideways into the Umbra just after making a kill, subsequently thanking the spirit of the prey for giving its own life that the Garou might survive. Performing this rite is a sign of respect to Gaia, her children and life itself. The character must perform this rite upon every beast of Gaia (not including Wyrm-spawn) she slays for one full turning of the moon. Should she do so, all of her difficulty numbers drop by one when dealing with nature spirits. This bonus lasts until she kills an animal without taking time to thank the creature’s spirit. Minor Rites WtA: Werewolf The Apocalypse
Rite of Motherhood 1

This simple Rite marks a Fury’s shift from Maiden status to Mother status. As is noted elsewhere, the title “Maiden” is not strictly accurate; the spirits begin to treat a Fury as a Mother as soon as she becomes pregnant. In some septs, this spiritual change is sufficient, while in others it might take until the child is born, and in the most conservative septs a Fury is considered a Maiden until she gives birth to a child who lives for one lunar year. Regardless of when the sept declares the Fury to be a Mother, when the time is right, this ritual is performed. Mother and child are separated, and the young mother is bound — this may be simply a symbolic binding, a rope lightly draped over her, or it may be shackles and chains. The mother breaks free of the bonds and comes to her child’s side while the Mothers and Crones of the sept watch; when she reaches her child again, the older women of the tribe welcome her.

There are no game mechanics to this rite, though the Fury may have to make a Strength or Willpower roll to escape from sufficiently strong bonds. Rites of Accord WtA: Tribebook Black Furies (rev)
Ritual of Acceptance 2 Although a Garou can give up her tribal affiliation with the Rite of Renunciation (see Werewolf: the Apocalypse, p. 157), the Black Furies have their own ritual to welcome a female Garou from another tribe into their own. The prospective Black Fury must fast for 24 hours to purify her body; afterward, she enters a ritual circle while her tribemates-to-be quietly invoke Pegasus from outside the same circle. The invocation takes a few hours (the Mistress of the Rite should roll Charisma + Occult with a target of the local Gauntlet; the invocation takes 5 hours, minus one for every success after the first, with a minimum of 1 hour). At the end of this period, an avatar of Pegasus arrives. The prospective Fury must prove her worth to the avatar. This may involve a test, at the Storyteller’s discretion, or it may simply involve a roll of Charisma + Etiquette (difficulty 7). A failure on this roll means that the Fury-to-be must complete a spirit quest to join the tribe; a botch means that she has somehow offended Pegasus and is not welcome to join. Should the character succeed, however, she is welcomed into the Black Fury tribe, and will be treated as a child of Pegasus from that point forward. Rites of Accord WtA: Tribebook Black Furies (rev)
Soothe the Scars 2 Black Furies perform this rite on human women and children that have suffered at the hands of an abusive spouse or parent. Such abuse can harm the soul in ways still unknown to the Black Furies, but it is certain that sufficient abuse can open a hole wide enough for a Wyrmling to crawl into. It is in the Furies’ nature to stop such a fate, and while it is their modus operandi to put a halt to such abuse (violently, if need be), Soothe the Scars is one of the Furies’ best tools for healing abuse once it has been stopped. The rite itself is designed to put the victims at ease immediately; the smoke of gentle incense and scented candles should fill the air, and inoffensive soft music — not necessarily “spiritual” music; folk songs or children’s music are equally appropriate — should play. In the case of victims not acquainted with Gaian spirituality, prayers are offered to the “spirit of motherhood across the world,” though prayers to Gaia can be said in their place. Memories of abuse are coaxed from the victim, and each one is symbolically cast into a purifying fire. When the rite is over, the victim can begin the long road to real spiritual healing without risking a fall backward into a dangerous cycle of self-degradation. This rite has no game effect; the Storyteller should adjudicate its roleplaying effects. - Rites of Accord WtA: Tribebook Black Furies (rev)
Fertility Rite 3 Many Garou and human women lack the ability to give birth on their own; perhaps they were born with congenital reproductive difficulties, or have become infertile due to the influence of Wyrm-created technology or chemicals. In the case of Garou, battle scars and similar wounds often lead to infertility. This ritual invokes spirits of fertility, often avatars of Gaia in the Mother aspect, to return fertility to those without. This ritual also improves any ordinarily fertile subject’s chance of conceiving. The Fertility Rite does work on males, but it’s almost never performed on them. It also works on wolves, and is occasionally used in secret by those Garou who have access to zoos and their wolf populations. The rite does not work on metis, not that Furies would be so arrogant as to try such a thing. The subject of the ritual removes all clothing save possibly a homespun robe, and sits or lays in an obviously growing area: in the midst of a healthy forest, or in tall grass. The Mistress of the Rite traces a circle around the subject, using the menstrual blood of a fertile woman. The Mistress of the Rite then invokes the spirits of Gaia for their aid in restoring the woman’s birthright to her. In the case of battle scarring or injury, Gifts such as Mother’s Touch may be brought to bear during the Rite, but those Gifts alone will not heal the woman’s injury. At the heart of the ritual, the Mistress of the Rite should roll Charisma + Medicine (difficulty of the local Gauntlet) to heal the subject. Failure or botching has no further adverse affect on the target; otherwise, the woman’s womb will be restored to health in (6 minus successes) weeks. If, rather than healing infertility, the Mistress of the Rite intends to improve an otherwise fertile woman’s chances of conceiving, the number of successes should simply serve as a rough indicator to the Storyteller how much more likely it is that the character conceives. The ritual works similarly for men; simply change references above from “conception” to “impregnation” and the general rules apply. Rites of Accord WtA: Tribebook Black Furies (rev)
Meandering Path 3 The Freebooters represent one of the premiere groups of Garou when it comes to finding new places to open caerns. Such locations have become extremely rare in these End Times, but every few years another pack of Freebooters will call nearby Garou to open a brand-new caern. The Meandering Path rite is the primary tool in finding such prospective sites. Its use is not easy, or rapid, but over a long period of time it helps Freebooters settle on a worthwhile location for a new caern. Finding an appropriate location for a new caern has always been difficult and time-consuming; in these days, with a high Gauntlet and the Wyrm and Weaver crowding Gaia in at all times, it’s even harder. In the last few years, the Order of Our Merciful Mother camp of Black Furies has begun to develop a rite similar to this one, which works in appropriately spiritual parts of cities. The Order has approached some Freebooter Theurges for aid with the rite, and that cooperation seems to be leading down a fruitful path. First, find an appropriately pristine patch of wilderness by rolling Perception + Survival, difficulty 9 after a week’s worth of investigation. Success on this roll will indicate a broad swath (perhaps a square mile, or even more) with high enough traces of the Wyld that the characters might find a suitable home for a caern within. This roll will automatically fail if the wilderness the character investigates is unsuitable for a caern; if this is the case, success on the Perception + Survival roll will correctly indicate that the entire area is unsuitable. A botch on the Perception + Survival roll may, at the Storyteller’s discretion, suggest a particularly inappropriate location (one with a history of Wyrm or Weaver activity) for a prospective caern. Then, spend a point of Gnosis and roll Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 9) to carefully explore this swath of land for a low enough Gauntlet and the favor of the spirits. The Garou must collect ten successes on this extended roll; each roll and Gnosis expenditure represents three days of communing with the spirits and cautiously investigating the terrain. Note that if multiple Freebooters in the same pack have this Gift, they can pool successes, but the investigation still takes a minimum of three days to complete. Once a sufficient number of successes have been gained, the Furies still must use the Rite of Caern Building (or Bearing the Caern, below) to actually create the Caern. This Gift simply points out the best location for such a thing to be done. Caern Rites WtA: Tribebook Black Furies (rev)
Bearing the Caern 5 While Black Furies may use the Rite of Caern Building (Werewolf, p. 158), many traditionally prefer this ritual, which ties the opening of a spiritual site in with one of Gaia’s other most sacred mysteries. After the Furies discover, cleanse, and purify an appropriate area, they simply wait until an appropriate focus for the ritual is ready. The focus, called Maia during the rite, is a pregnant female who is near to term. She can be human, Garou, or wolf — though a Garou who is heavy with a metis child is an especially inauspicious choice. The woman need not be Kinfolk, but if she is not, she may well suffer the effects of the Delirium if any of the Furies in the rite enter a war-form. In the event that the involved Garou feel that they cannot wait for one of their own (or one of their Kin) to reach term, they may kidnap a likely-seeming human or wolf female to act as Maia. In the End Times, this practice is becoming distressingly common. When Maia is near labor, she is brought to the center of the caern-to-be; female Garou surround her, singing hymns to Gaia. Non-Furies may be present, but they must be female; male metis of other tribes are forbidden, though Fury male metis are allowed. A single Crone may aid the mother during labor, but no other assistance can be given: the Furies present must instead fill their hearts with love for Gaia, beseeching her to take Maia as an inspiration, and create a caern here with the child’s birth. Should the rite succeed (see below) it is said that fates of the newborn child and caern are tied for the remainder of the child’s life. The newborn is forever after immune to the Delirium, even if she is neither Garou nor Kinfolk. Different septs will treat Maia and the newborn caernchild differently, particularly if the pair is not Kinfolk. Some septs take the child from its mother to raise it in its new “soul-home,” while others adopt both mother and child as honorary Kinfolk. At least one sept has let mother and child return to their ordinary lives, believing that if the child’s fate is tied to the caern’s, it is best for the child to live out its true destiny. Even such liberal septs, however, generally set a minor spirit or low-ranked Ragabash to keep an occasional eye on the child and check after his well-being. The circumstances of labor and delivery also hold omens for the caern itself. The most auspicious birth is a healthy and quick one, where a Garou is born to a human or wolf Maia. A non-metis Garou born to a Garou (particularly a Black Fury Maia) is also considered to be a strong omen for the caern’s future. If a Garou mother gives birth to human or wolf Kin children, the caern’s greatest promise lies in the distant future, after the child’s death. As mentioned above, if a Garou Maia is heavy with a metis, the sept of the new caern will need to work hard to receive respect from other Garou. Long, hard labor tends to suggest the influence of the Wyrm near the caern. If Maia dies in giving birth, many Theurges believe that the caern and its Garou will play an important role (for good or ill) in the coming Apocalypse. If the child is stillborn, the rite fails; the death of both Maia and child during the ritual is considered to be a profoundly bad omen for Garou participants. As with the Rite of Caern Building, the Mistress of the Rite must make a series of successful Gnosis rolls against a difficulty of 8, and she must achieve a total of 40 successes. She can make this roll twice per hour during Maia’s labor, and must succeed before the child is born. For this ritual to succeed, at least ten Garou (one for each moon of pregnancy) must participate, in addition to the Mistress of the Rite, Maia, and the Crone who attends her. A botch here deals seven health levels of damage to all involved in the Rite, including Maia. However, the Crone attending Maia may roll her Gnosis (difficulty 8) to absorb Maia’s damage; she can take one wound level onto herself for every success rolled. Unlike >the Rite of Caern Building, the Garou present do not have to sacrifice their Gnosis to fuel the new caern; the creation of new life suffices as this spark. If all goes well with Maia, child, and ritual, the new caern has a base Level of 1, with a Gauntlet of 4. Additional successes improve the caern just as with the Rite of Caern Building. Those Garou participating in Bearing the Caern receive Renown as those participating in the Rite of Caern Building; additionally, Maia, if a Garou, receives an additional point of each type of Renown (giving herone Wisdom, six Glory, and four Honor Renown). Caern Rites WtA: Tribebook Black Furies (rev)
Birth the Fire Warrior 3 In ancient days, legend holds that the goddess Coatlicue faced an angry horde of her own children, who charged her with betraying their father, Mixcoatl, by the hand of a sky-spirit. When all seemed lost, Coatlicue crouched and gave birth to the child of her union with the sky-spirit, the god of fire and war Huitzilopochtli. Huitzilopochtli emerged from the womb full-grown and fully armed; he drove off or slaughtered the mass of his half-siblings in his mother’s defense. With Birth the Fire Warrior, a Mother can mimic Coatlicue’s desperate act of incarnation, and give birth to a warrior child spirit to fight on her behalf in times of peril. She must ingest a foul mixture of herbs, hot spices, and spring water, and then calmly and quietly invoke Gaia. The warrior emerges from the Mother’s womb as bloodily and messily as one might imagine such a thing — however, the spirit “labor” takes place far faster than would otherwise be the case. The warrior emerges from the Mother’s loins in a plume of fire, sword in hand, and proceeds to attack her enemies until it is destroyed or there are no enemies remaining. Birth the Fire Warrior can be used whether the Mother is pregnant with a real child or not, and its emergence generally does not affect a child in the womb. Roll Stamina + Primal-Urge (difficulty 8). Success on this roll indicates that the character will be able to birth the Fire Warrior. This spirit takes ten minutes to emerge from the Fury’s womb; successes beyond the first decrease this time by 1 minute each or can be used to improve the Fire Warrior’s physical traits at the rate of one attribute point per success. The Fire Warrior will fight unceasingly for the Fury until it is destroyed, there are no enemies remaining, or the scene ends. The Fire Warrior has the following base game traits: Strength 4, Dexterity 4, Stamina 4, Perception 1, Wits 3. It has Melee 4 and Dodge 3, and an effective Gnosis of 4 and Willpower 10. Its fiery armor gives 3 additional soak dice against all attacks, and does 5 dice of fire damage against any foe that tries to grapple it. Its fiery sword does 8 dice of damage on a successful hit; this damage is considered aggravated against Wyrm creatures and those vulnerable to fire. Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Black Furies (rev)
Python’s Trail 4 In the ancient days of Greece, any human who wished to consult the Oracle at Delphi was obliged to pay a tax, the “telono,” which gave him the right to approach the great altar of Apollo to offer sacrifices (boars, goats or bulls). Having purified herself in the water of the Kastalian Fountain, Pythia bent over the Navel of the Earth (a cave opening), ate a laurel leaf and, inhaling the vapors emitted from the chasm, entered a state of ecstasy, uttering incoherent words. These were then composed into verses by the Priest, while the interpreter endeavored to render some meaning out of the prophecy. The Greeks say that Python, a great snake-spirit and Gaia’s son, defended the rent in the earth from which oracles could receive visions of the future; they tell of Apollo’s great victory against Python and his prophetic works of later days. Python wasn’t truly destroyed, of course; he and his servants walk the tunnels through Gaia’s bowels that lead back and forward in history. Loyal and wise Garou can use Python’s Trail to walk those same metaphorical tunnels and gain glimpses of the future. Black Furies who use this Rite take on a distant demeanor, and their prophetic utterances obey only dream-logic, not Weaverthink. A second Fury must stand by the Mistress of the Rite while she performs the Rite of Python’s Trail, to interpret the nearly mad utterances of her sister. After an hour of trance, roll Perception + Enigmas (target 8). Gaia’s dream-tunnels travel throughout history, through a given character’s personal past and future as well as all the ages of Gaia. The Mistress of the Rite might well become overwhelmed by the visions before her: she needs three successes to convey anything sensible from the signs she sees — less than three and the character notices only sensations like pain and joy, color, and extremes of sound. Three successes yield poetic or metaphorical visions of important parts of the character’s past or future. Four successes let the Garou explore the timeline of a packmate or loved one; five let her look at the past and future on a larger scale (for her entire pack or tribe, or she may just stare forward to the fires of the Apocalypse). To portray the prophecy correctly, the Priestess must roll Intelligence + Expression, difficulty 8; more successes indicate that more of the Mistress of the Rite’s vision is passed on to the pack or sept. The Storyteller is encouraged to use dream-logic or nightmare-logic to fabricate the character’s voyages through the past and future as a result of this Gift. It is intended to allow the Storyteller to grant glimpses and hints of things to come without forcing him to caper his storylines around madly to fit an overly literal interpretation of a character’s vision. Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Black Furies (rev)
Avenge the Innocent 4 This is one of the few Garou punishment rites that are generally applied to humans, rather than other Garou. It happens, on occasion, that a human — not always a male, despite what some Furies would prefer to believe — commits a serious crime against Gaia and cannot be easily slain. In other cases, the Furies would prefer not to give a violator the honor of a warrior’s swift death. To these criminals, the Black Furies assign curses like Avenge the Innocent. Avenge the Innocent works simply: once the Furies have some core element of the crime that a violator has committed — a bloodied sheet from a violent crime, an accountant’s ledger from a con artist’s defrauding a community, or a judge’s gavel from a painfully biased divorce settlement — they take it as close as they can to the place of the crime. With these two elements in place, they do not need the criminal to be present to pass judgment on him. After a suitably bloody and fiery destruction of the weapon, roll Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty 7). If they succeed, the Furies invoke the spirit of Hippogriff to rend the criminal’s youth away. The subject ages one year per day until his death or until the Furies who cast the curse agree to withdraw it — which most will not do for crimes for which restitution cannot be equitably made. Punishment Rites WtA: Tribebook Black Furies (rev)
Curse on the Household 5 Curse on the Household is a longer-lasting, more serious curse than Avenge the Innocent. As the name implies, the Mistress of the Rite creates a long-lasting curse that cascades down through generations of the criminal’s family. This curse is largely left in the hands of the Mistress of the Rite, though there are some restrictions on it (see below). It does not have a set effect. However, for a ritual of this power, it is important that the subject of the rite be physically present for its casting; no doubt he will have to be bound, since no sane person would knowingly allow himself to be cursed in such a fashion. This rite is reserved for the most heinous of criminals against the laws of Gaia: the rapist, the mass-murderer, the incestuous parent, the cannibal. The Mistress of the Rite chooses four things about the curse: how the curse will pass down the family line, when it takes effect on a particular child, its exact effect, and how the curse may be alleviated: it may pass from parent to all children, and so on down the line; or it may only “infect” the eldest child, or only males (or only females). It usually does not take effect right from birth; it may wait until puberty, or until marriage, or some other simple condition may bring it about. Accordingly, the curse doesn’t generally kill its targets outright — if it did, there would be no future generations to torment. Instead, it makes their lives unpleasant, perhaps eventually unbearable. This could be almost anything: mild schizophrenia; regular bad luck; a plague of ghosts or malevolent minor spirits; inability to hold a regular job; a serious skin condition or non-life-threatening chronic medical condition; or many other things. The Fury who performs this ritual must assign a condition to allow its breaking. She cannot break the curse on her own, under any circumstances. She must inform the cursed what the condition is, even if he cannot possibly satisfy it. The condition is often implausible on its surface: “Your infant child’s sixth daughter must marry a Catholic priest.” The condition cannot be impossible, however. Knowledge of the condition does not have to be passed down from parent to child; if the information is lost, the family will be cursed forever. To perform this rite, the subject must be present; the Mistress of the Rite rolls Intelligence + Expression, difficulty 8. She must achieve 3 successes on this roll; additional successes have no other effect. The Fury’s player must write down the precise effects of the rite before the roll takes place; if it fails (that is, achieves 2 or fewer successes), the subject of the curse is free to leave the Fury’s presence and that particular curse cannot be used on him in the future. If the roll botches, the Fury who performs the rite has the curse afflicted upon her and her descendants, and the subject of the curse is forever immune to cursing rituals performed by this Fury. Punishment Rites WtA: Tribebook Black Furies (rev)
Autumn: Rejuvenate the Soil 1 In the earliest days of agriculture, and even before the advent of agriculture, when humans hunted for meat and gathered fruits and vegetables as they could, they were fully aware that spending too long in one place would leach the life from the soil. When tending to herds of mortals still mattered to the Black Furies, they taught their charges the ways of the Earth Mother; Rejuvenate the Soil is one of those secrets. The planter takes a pound of seeds from the choicest crop produced or gathered this year, and burns that mass in a bronze bowl while murmuring prayers to Gaia in her guise as Demeter. She must insure that no ashes or cinders leave the fire, lest the ritual lose its efficacy. When the fire is complete, the Fury mixes in a few drops of her own blood. Using a labrys, the Fury next carves a glyph of fertility — at least three feet across, and preferably larger — into the soil at the center of the area to be affected. She then smears or pours the blood-ash mixture into the glyph. An area radiating out from the glyph will regain some of its bounty over the winter. The player should roll Stamina + Survival, difficulty 6 (unless the area is a former blight, in which case it must be ritually cleansed and even then the difficulty is 7 the first year). Every success yields an acre of improved cropland for the next year. Seasonal Rite WtA: Tribebook Black Furies (rev)
Rite of Pure Breeding >2 The mysteries of breeding and reproduction can never be wholly eliminated. Gaia gives members of many species tools to discern good mates, and to attract them: cues from symmetry and obvious health to more subtle things, like pheromones, give animals an idea of which mate would be the best for them. In the dying days before the Apocalypse, however, the Black Furies use magic to help them discern the best possible mates; after all, time is short, and wasting time breeding with a male whose bloodline is weak is no longer acceptable. Through the Rite of Pure Breeding, a Black Fury can determine if a particular mate will help her produce Garou or strong-blooded Kinfolk children. To test a male, the Fury must acquire something meaningful to him, or part of his body (no, not a finger, unless she’s of the Amazons of Diana and he’s really patient — hair or fingernail clippings do just fine). The ritual requires a droplet of the Fury’s blood, smeared on the stolen thing. She then breaks it (or cuts it, if too small to easily break) over a white sheet and views the pattern created by the bloodstains. Symmetrical or circular patterns mean that the male would be a good mate and more likely to produce Garou children. Wilder, angular patterns suggest a worse match. Adjudication of this rite is best done at the Storyteller’s whim, but if the player insists on mechanics, Perception + Occult can be rolled, with a difficulty of 8 to properly interpret the omens. Age Role Rites: Maiden Rites WtA: Tribebook Black Furies (rev)
Free the Wayward Child 1 This rite, a simple one, frees a male Garou child of a Black Fury from any spiritual ties to Pegasus and the Black Furies. It is a quick, emotional rite; the mother traces the Black Fury glyph on her son’s forehead in tears, and then blows on the boy’s forehead until the glyph dries up. This rite’s popularity is relatively new as such things go; in the ancient days, a male child was often simply left out to die of exposure. There are no game mechanics involved with this rite; it simply acknowledges that the child is unmarked by any Fury blood and free to become a fullmember of whatever tribe will adopt him. Age Role Rites: Mother Rites WtA: Tribebook Black Furies (rev)
Curse of the Crone 2 Curse of the Crone is reserved for philanderers; rapists deserve vengeance, not the mockery and numbness this rite creates. This rite renders a male target infertile and impotent, physically causing his member to shrivel into near-uselessness. The rite requires something distinctly male about the target — this can be nearly anything from a dirty undershirt to a drop of his semen. This physical element is torn and scattered, while the Crone quietly murmurs an incantation to Gaia. Roll Charisma + Primal-Urge against a target of 6; every success indicates a week of duration for Curse of the Crone’s effects. The Crone can undo her own curse with the snap of a twig and a magic word — if she so chooses. Age Role Rites: Crone Rites WtA: Tribebook Black Furies (rev)
Find the Scythe 3 Crones are traditionally associated with learning and teaching, and also with the end of life. These two aspects both feed Find the Scythe, which allows a Crone to determine the means by which a given Garou will meet her end. This ritual does not work on humans. Find the Scythe can be performed on a willing or unwilling subject, but the subject must be present for the ritual to work properly. The Crone must inspect the Garou from all angles; to accomplish this, she walks clockwise around the stationary subject while looking across her right shoulder at him. When this is complete, she inspects the top of his head, and the lines on the bottom of his feet. After half an hour of meditation on all that she has seen roll Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 9 if the subject is a Maiden by Fury standards — regardless of her tribe — or 8 if she is a Mother, or 7 if a Crone). If successful, the Crone will be able to describe the manner of death that will befall this Garou. A failure results in a vision that is incorrect in one important detail (the character’s killer uses a gun, not a klaive, for instance); a botch indicates a vision that is wildly inaccurate, preferably a vision that will unnerve the subject as much as possible. The Storyteller is free to describe this vision in whatever means he sees fit, and the Fury is equally free to pass the vision off in her own manner. The vision is occasionally metaphorical, though it is often quite literal. However, it is generally somewhat impressionistic; for instance, it might be obvious that a black-furred werewolf will rip the character’s heart out, but that werewolf’s identity will be unclear. Find the Scythe is a dangerous rite, because it seems to ferret out the absolute truth of a future event. No amount of wheeling and dealing with the spirit world will alter the death shown through Find the Scythe. This may cause Storytellers some headaches, and they are encouraged to think quickly on their feet to cope with the results of Find the Scythe. Remember, Storytellers, vagueness can be a virtue. Age Role Rites: Crone Rites WtA: Tribebook Black Furies (rev)
Rite of the Cardboard Palace 1 Through this rite, a Garou can transform any flimsy structure into a decent place to sleep. This often involves a lot of cardboard and newspaper, but the rite can be invoked just about anywhere you want tO call home for the night. The new "walls" of your home become water-resistant and insulated, keeping everyone inside warm and dry. Not surprisingly, you can perform this rite in full view of the mundane populace without breaking the Veil. For some travelers, performing this ritual is just a matter of habit. It may simply involve making a few personal touches to make your space feel secure and safe. For powerful Theurges, the cardboard palace becomes a place of healing as well. When performing this rite, roll Intelligence + Survival (difficulty) 6; with at least one success, you can tum an ordinary shelter into a comfortable place to sleep. If you spend a point of Gnosis before the roll, the shelter is more than just comfortable. The Garou (or other shapechanger) living in the cardboard palace can roll Stamina for every day of rest; three successes heals an additional aggravated wound. Whether the space is dedicated or not, it can be cast on anyone's structure - not just the ritualist's. Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Bone Gnawers (rev)
Rite of the Pizza 1 Rabble-rousers sometimes try to bring Garou together for a quick, temporary enterprise. Buying them food (or beer) is one way to encourage them to work together, but this minor rite formally acknowledges the alliance and calls upon urban spirits for a quick blessing. This rite requires a public telephone and enough spare change for a call. The goal is to gather enough food to feed everyone for one meal. This may seem like a simple task, but because of a wide variety of urban traditions, it's actually fraught with peril. Take, for instance, its most common application: ordering a pizza. The Garou must decide where to order from, what toppings to get, what the tip should be, and most distressing, who gets which slices. If they can overcome this Herculean task, there is a chance they may work together to achieve greater goals. At the culmination of the ritual, the highest-ranking Theurge "gives thanks" (or "says grace"). This must be done very, very quickly, since many Bone Gnawers are ravenously hungry for warm pizza. The highest-ranking Philodox then declares the reason why the temporary pack has been formed. (The Storyteller should demand a more specific explanation if the defmition is too broad. "Breaking into Warehouse#8 to recover a Croatan fetish" is a specific goal; "killing the Wyrm" or just "killing shit" is not.) While wolfing down hot morsels of food, the group then coordinates its plan. The Theurge rolls Charisma + Rituals (difficulty 8); increase the difficulty by 1 for every ten Garou participating in the ceremony. Each success yields one temporary die; for the sake of convenience, we'll call this dice pool the "pizza pool." These temporary dice pool lasts until the temporary pack achieves its temporary goal. On any dice roll that directly relates to the goal at hand, a Garou can burn off one of the temporary dice for the pizza pool. The whole group shares the pizza pool. This rite carmot be performed more than once a day by anyone in the alliance, and the pizza pool can't last for more than 24 hours. Additionally, Garou who are already in a pack cannot perform this rite. At the Storyteller's discretion, if the players actually roleplay this further by ordering a pizza during the game session, paying for it, and offering up a slice or two to the Storyteller, he may lower the difficulty to 6. Rites of Accord WtA: Tribebook Bone Gnawers (rev)
Rite of Crash Space 2 Ratkin developed this rite initially, then traded it to a handful of Bone Gnawer Theurges for a big pile of shiny Loot. This rite is much like thatof the Cardboard Palace, but further "dedicates" the space for peaceful reflection and meditation. This rite works differently for Bone Gnawers than it does for Ratkin. The ritemaster must spend one Gnosisand make a Wits+ Rituals roll (difficulty 7). Recovering Gnosis becomes easier in the "crash space"; reduce the difficulty of any rolls to recover Gnosis while inside the structure by 2. If the ritualist scores three successes on the roll for casting this rite, any Garou meditating in the crash space can regain Gnosis by meditating for an hour; the amount of Gnosis regained equals the number of successes he scores on a Wits + Enigmas roll after an hour of meditation. (Outside the crash space, the number of points regained depends on the number of hours spent meditating). Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Bone Gnawers (rev)
Rite of the Shopping Cart 2 When the ritual is performed on any carrying space or cargo-carryingdevice, it can be expanded to hold more stuff, loot, or junk. In a sense, the inside becomes slightly larger than the outside. The container doesn't bulge or distort; even bulky items become easy to carry. Roll Wits + Rituals (difficulty 7) and spend one Gnosis. For each success, you can place another ten pounds in the container. The rite must be renewed each week or the contents will spill out of the container (and possibly into the street). On a botched roll, the container breaks or tears and is rendered useless. Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Bone Gnawers (rev)
Rite of the Cardboard Fortress 3 This rite, an amalgam of Rite of the Shopping Cart and Rite of the Cardboard Box, requires thinking "outside the box."The results would look something like this: Using duct tape and at least one cardboard box, the ritemasterdedicates the box so that it's much larger on the inside than it is on the outside. This involves creating a "pocket realm" of the Umbra accessible to anyone with the Gnosis Trait. The box must at least be large enough for the ritemaster to crawl inside, along with a flap that can open and close. Depending on the success of the ritual, once the proper rites have been finished, up to five Garou can fit inside with enough room to barely move around without bumping into each other. (In theory, they could square dance or do calisthenics, but couldn't play tackle football.) If the box is opened or destroyed, there is nothing inside it, at least in the physical world. Instead, the Garou may exit their secret cardboard fortress through the Umbra. Multiple cardboard boxes can be taped together to hold multiple shapechangers. Spend one Gnosis and roll Wits + Rituals (difficulty 7). Each success allows one shapechanger to move about freely inside, even if it's in the equivalent of Crinos fonn. The Gift does not work on Corax or Mokole, perhaps for reasons involving Helios. The effects last for one full day or until the cardboard box is destroyed. Fighting in the Cardboard Fortress inevitably destroys the cardboard box. Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Bone Gnawers (rev)
Rite of Man-Taint 3 Bone Gnawer ritualists can reveal when a werewolf has eaten human flesh. The furtive activities of Man-Eaters (see Chapter Two) have made this something of a necessity. As the Litany states, "Ye Shall Not Eat the Flesh of Humans." If enacted within seven days of a transgression against this dictum of the Litany, the rite forcefully expels every chunk of human flesh consumed from the suspect's body. If the werewolf can't vomit up incriminating evidence through his mouth, the meat may ooze up out of the skin or surge out of another orifice. The ritemaster rolls Charisma+ Rituals (difficulty 7 ); the subject can resist the rite with a Willpower roll (difficulty 7). If the ritemaster wins the contest by at least one success, the transgression against the Litany is revealed. Punishment Rites WtA: Tribebook Bone Gnawers (rev)
Rite of the Leash 3 Bone Gnawers hate being treated like dogs. Every Garou is a wolf at heart; even the lowest among them finds some dignity in that fact. Treating them like mangy curs infuriates and shames them no end. This Punishment Rite is reserved for Gnawers who have acted so shamefully that even the Bone Gnawer tribe is repulsed. The criminal is bound in Lupus form, usually within the bawn of a sept. The ritemaster spends one Gnosis while holding a rope, chain, or leash of some kind. He then states the crime and makes a Manipulation+ Law roll (difficulty 7). If the number of successes is higher than the offender's Gnosis, the offender can be trapped by the "leash." Once bound, the Garou cannot be moved or handed off to someone else without freeing him. Through Gaia's grace, only one of her Philodox can hold the "leash." However, if the offender is later found innocent, the Garou who cast this rite loses 5 temporary Wisdom. Casting the rite over trivial offenses also results in a loss of Wisdom. Punishment Rites WtA: Tribebook Bone Gnawers (rev)
Rite of the Signpost 4 Bone Gnawers often surround their urban homes with wards and rituals to discourage passers-by from wanting to notice what's really going on there. Through the Rite of the Signpost, a ritemaster slowly works his way around a stomping ground or urban caem, leaving signs or markings to intimidate, misdirect, or confuse ordinary people from wandering into the bawn. Trash, graffiti, dead animals, and general signs of squalor can all convince the average human that there are some darkened streets you just don't want to go down. Participating The urges and Galliards stomp about the area as part of this rite. As shameful as it may seem, this also involves marking a few sidewalks and walls with urine and stink. As an added effect to a successful rite, humans may get lost in the area surrounding the warded area, even a few blocks away. Garou must inhabit this area at least overnight; you can't cast this on a random neighborhood just to confuse people. The rite cannot be performed on an area larger than a single building or alleyway. If the warded area ever approaches the size of a city block, the wards will begin to fail. The ward must be renewed each month (for a caern) or each week (for stomping grounds). Enacting this ri tc rcqu ires one hour of activity, the expenditure of ten Gnosis (any participants may contribute to this total), and a Wits+ Rituals roll (difficulty 7). Record the number of successes. A human that consciously decides to go against his better judgment and enter the area must beat the number of successes on a Willpower roll (difficulty 7). This rite cannot be performed on an area where the Gauntlet is higher than 8. Caern Rites WtA: Tribebook Bone Gnawers (rev)
Rite of No Trespassing 5 Performed on rural caems, this ritual keeps the Bone Gnawers' most sacred places hidden from humanity. The ritemaster enacts the help of a pack to slowly working their way around the bawn of a caern. By scratching on trees and stones, marking locations with urine and scent, calling on the steadfast power of the Earth and even hanging faded "BEWARE OF DOGS" and "TRESPASSERS WILL BE SHOT" sign, they actively discourage humans from finding their way into the heart of the caern. This doesn't act like an absolute "Ward Against Humans." Humans can still uncover the caern if its inhabitants aren't careful, but the rite forces them to take a bit of effort to actually work their way to a caem's spiritual center. The system is much the same as that of the Rite of the Signpost, even to requiring the expenditure of ten Gnosis. Only one ritemaster makes the final Wits+ Rituals roll, but any participating Oarou may spend one Willpower to grant an automatic success to the roll. Anyone within the bawn of a caern who passes the Caem Ward must make a Willpower roll (difficulty 6); if he can't score as many successes as the Garou did on this rite, he gets lost and cannot find his way to the spiritual heart of the caern. If he succeeds, he can only find it by searching the area - an activity that's sure to draw the attention of nearby Garou. Because of the strength of the Weaver, this rite can only be performed in the wilderness, and even then, only in a place where the Gauntlet is below 6. Caern Rites WtA: Tribebook Bone Gnawers (rev)
Rite of the Teachers Minor Rite This rite involves using the teacher plants of Gaia (hallucinogenic plants) which have had their spirits Awakened (using the Rite of Spirit Awakening). The ritemaster must prepare the plants carefully and then use them in the appropriate manner (such as smoking jimson weed or eating sacred mushrooms). Note that the use of the plants is forbidden in some cases by human law. For each level of bashing damage that theGarou takes from exposure to the drugs in question, the Gauntlet is effectively lowered by one for the purposes of using Gifts or rites or stepping sideways. The reduced difficulty lasts for five minutes after the completion of this rite. - WtA: Tribebook Children of Gaia (rev)
The Bowels of the Mother Minor Rite This simple rite enables other rites to be performed in less than ideal circumstances. 1l1e Ragabash Soldier-ofParadise developed it while serving in the US military. Rites requiring Gaia's physical presence (that is, that natural earth, air, water or fire be present) are difficult to perform while the rite master is in a setting where they do not exist, such as a ship at sea. The clever No-Moon reasoned that "there's wind in your lungs, water in your veins, fire in your heart and soil in your bowels." When a ritemaster performs this rite, she may substitute the body of any living creature for the required earth, wind, etc. for a rite that immediately follows. For example, when a rite requires the ritemaster to touch earth, she may hold another's hand instead; a fetish may be held over the heart instead of over a fire. No roll is necessary, although the difficulty of the rite for which the substitution is made is increased by one. It has sadly been shown that even the rite of Gaia's Vengeful Teeth can be cast this way. Soldier-of-Paradise was not successful in his attempts to perform the Rite of Spirit Awakening on his intestinal bacteria, but perseveres nevertheless. - WtA: Tribebook Children of Gaia (rev)
Rite of the Pregnant Mule 1 This rite is known only to metis. No one else would ever want to learn it. It honors Father Mule, patron of the middle breed. It enables metis to adopt other metis as their children. Since most met is are abandoned or worse by their biological parents, older metis see these Crinos pups as a personal responsibility. And who better to raise a troublesome and often differently abled metis pup? The adoptive parent asks the consent of the child's biological parents, if they can be found; if not, she asks the sept elders. (They may refuse.) She then takes the cub to the sept's caern and calls Garou, Kin and spirits (especially Mule, whose coming is taken as a blessing on the cub) as witnesses. The cub is put on the earth and allowed to crawl between the adoptive parent's legs as if being born again. The adoptive parents are then counted as the true parents of the child in every way (including Renown). Metis of rank 5 or greater are very rarely allowed to adopt an orphaned homid or lupus cub; the rite is the same. Rites of Accord WtA: Tribebook Children of Gaia (rev)
Rite of Comfort 2 This rite is a healing ritual for Harano. It does not cure the condition, although the rite of Asklepios can indicate possible cures. The ritemaster can, however, prevent the afflicted one from passing any deeper into Harano. The ritemaster chants, burns mystic incense and engages the sufferer in breathing exercises. The dispirited one may leave before the rite begins, but not after it has started. This ritemaster may perform this rite more than once for each werewolf suffering from Harano. The ritemaster chants, leads the sick one in breathing rituals, and makes a Charisma + Rituals roll. The recipient takes the number of successes as extra Willpower, which she may spend to resist Harano. She may not harm herself (such as through self-mutilation or suicide) until all the bonus points of Willpower are gone. Rites of Accord WtA: Tribebook Children of Gaia (rev)
ite of the Clouds and Rain 2 This rite is kept a careful secret by Children of Gaia, and all who so much as know of it must swear never to mention it among non -initiates - if revealed, anyone involved would likely be ostracized by the rest of the Garou Nation. It allows the partial control of Rage at the price of violating a basic Garou law: the first precept of the Litany. The rite involves channeling the force of Rage by having sex in Crinos form. To avoid injury or death to the partners, both must be Garou. Because the fear of producing a metis is so great, metis are often asked to perform the rite, as they are sterile. Some Garou actually enjoy multiple partners while performing this rite, although having more than one sexual partner during the rite can be somewhat confusing. Some say that the more Garou are involved, the more powerful the rite becomes. The truth of this is unknown. The sexual partners invoke the spirits of peace and of desire, spending a point of Gnosis. They must demonstrate genuine affection for each other, or the rite will not work. If it works, the Garou can control the tendency to frenzy for the rest of the story. The Storyteller must determine the chance of pregnancy, if it is possible at all. Everyone involved in the rite loses a temporary point of Honor; the spirits who empower the rite, permissive though they may be, are still witnesses to the participants' transgression. Rites of Accord WtA: Tribebook Children of Gaia (rev)
Rite of Anger’s Purge 3 Rage makes a shapeshifter what they are. But it is a curse as well as a blessing. Some Garou can contain their Rage sufficiently to live with a Kinfolk family or enjoy a quiet dinner at a restaurant. But some are so out of balance that they can barely function without exploding. Others require punishment. For whatever reason, a Garou occasionally needs to have his potential for Rage lowered. In this rite, the subject changes into Crinos and is encircled by the participants who all wield wh ips, clubs, and other instruments of punishment (the "gauntlet"). They then proceed to beat the subject into submission, until he lies unconscious on the ground. A Garou can have the Beast beaten out of him in this way if such a punishment is required. Each participant in the rite must expend at least one point of Rage. The subject loses one point of permanent Rage for each point spent in this way. If he frenzies shortly thereafter, the Storyteller may decide that the loss of Rage is not permanent, although few Garou have enough Rage to endure this rite and still be capable of frenzy in any but the most extenuating circumstances. Rites of Accord WtA: Tribebook Children of Gaia (rev)
Last Blessing 1 The mere existence of metis threatens the Veil, as they are born and die in Crinos form. This blessing is given to a me tis by the ritemaster after going to war and before the me tis' face is cold in death. It simply ensures that the met is' corpse will be in that form which she most preferred (apart from her breed form, of course): human or wolf, arousing no suspicion. Many metis have received this rite with joy, seeing it as a sign of Gaia's forgiveness. The ritemaster lays hands on the met is and chants theSong ofthe True Form; then spends one permanent Gnosis. The metis' body changes to Hamid or Lupus form, and the change is permanent. Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Children of Gaia (rev)
Rite of Asklepios 3 The ancient Greek healer Asklepios was the greatest physician of the ancient world, and the Children and their Kin aided his cult for a thousand years. This rite allows the ritemaster and his patient(s) to see the correct cure for diseases and wounds untreatable normally. Only a few Children of Gaia still know it. The ritemaster prays over the patient, who then sleeps all night in an underground shrine, either a small room (hence, "incubation") or a burrow for lupus. The ritemaster then rolls Wits + Rituals, difficulty 7, or 8 for illnesses of unknown origin. In the night, a spirit such as Asklepios, Clara Maas or Carlos Finley (the discoverer of yellow fever vaccine) will appear to the patient and explain how to cure the disease. The patient will then awaken and perform the steps described. For each success of the ritemaster, one level of damage will be cured. The patient and the ritemaster will then perform a sacrifice to Gaia. This can be a gift of goods or treasures, but can also be a service or quest to aid the ritemaster. Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Children of Gaia (rev)
Rite of Blood Kin 3 The Children of Gaia have perhaps more and better-organized Kin than any other tribe, but even they are sometimes outside the Kinfolk network. This rite seeks Kin that the ritemaster does not know. The Garou will entrance himself and then whisper the names of all the ancestors whom he knows. (Some homids write the names, use a computer, etc.) At the end of the rite the names of previously unknown Kin will be added to the list. This rite does not tell the Garou anything at all about the Kin; more than one Child has run afoul of Skin-Dancers this way... The Garou rolls Wits+ Empathy, difficulty 5. For each success, one new Kinfolk is added to the list. Mystic Rites

WtA: Tribebook Children of Gaia (rev)

Sin-Eating 3 This rite allows the ritemaster to end the suffering of others by taking their Wyrm-taint onto himself. It can cleanse both the living and the dead . The rite is reflected in a few rural communities in the Appalachians and elsewhere, where humans attempt to take the sins of others onto themselves to release a dead soul from Hell. The Garou lays out a meal on the body of the person (usually on their chest or in their hands) and eats it. As he does so, he makes a Wits + Rituals roll, with the difficulty being the sinner's Willpower. Success transfers the subject's Wyrm-taint into him; the Storyteller may require extra successes to transfer larger amounts of Wyrm-taint. This rite is said to be able to cleanse even Black Spirals (if huge numbers of successes could be achieved), but no such attempt has succeeded in living memory; Banes and fomori cannot be cleansed in this method, as they are, at least in part, Wyrm-taint itself. Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Children of Gaia (rev)
Sing the Many Shapes 3 The Garou are warriors, even the Children of Gaia. But the Garou have warred not only on the enemiesofGaia but on the Fera, and even on their own kin among the Bunyip. This rite mourns the lost and brings understanding of the reasons and results connected to the long-ago battles. The Speakers for the Dead often perform it in Australia in Bunyip bora rings or in the Camazotz caves of Mexico. The ritemaster seeks a place associated with one of the long-lost Changers and enters into meditation on the vanished race. She must plead with the dead to hear her apologies or elegies for them (this should be roleplayed). The greater her knowledge of the lost ones, the greater her chance of success. For the following year, the dead wi ll not haunt any that take part in this rite. At the Storyteller's discretion, the dead may communicate with the ritemaster; one or two who have partaken in this rite claim to have gained new knowledge or insights thereby. Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Children of Gaia (rev)
Rite of the Talisman Adaptation 3 This is similar to the Rite of Talisman Dedication but is more powerful. Talismans under this rite actually shapeshift into forms which are usable by the Garou, instead of "disappearing." Each counts for triple the Gnosis of a dedicated item: a Garou with a 7 Gnosis can have only two items adapted to her. For example, a Garou's clothes would adapt to the new body shape: a Garou might have a vest for tools in her Homid form, which would change into a Crinos-sized vest, and then shapeshift to Lupus, when it would become fitted to the wolf-body. A backpack would become a dog-pack, and soon. Note that frivolous items,such as high heels, stereos or coffee mugs, will not work and will cause loss of 3 permanent Gnosis if adapted. The ritemaster recites the rite and places the item on the Garou's body. If extra items are attached, they will be torn or crushed when the Garou shapeshifts. Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Children of Gaia (rev)
Rite of Resolution 4 This rite is also called the Rite of the Harena (or the Rite of the Sands). It prevents Garou who combat one another ritually from frenzy ing during the combat, whether it is wrestling, klaivaskar, lskakku or kailindo. Other tribes often ask the Children to perform this rite lest their warriors slay one another over a minor dispute. The combatants approach one another, shake hands or sniff one another, and howl out their respect for one another. The ritemaster stands as referee and rolls Charisma + Rituals against the highest Rage score of any combatant. For each success, one failed Rage roll for Frenzy may be ignored. Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Children of Gaia (rev)
Rite of the Sacred Peace 5 Only the most brazen would violate a sacred peace. The entire sept, including Kin and representatives of the community, must gather at the caern and each participant must declare himself dedicated to the peace of the land. The strength of the peace equals the number of Garou plus half the number of Kin who join in the rite. Anyone deciding to make war on such a community must make a Willpower roll, difficulty 8, with as many successes as the strength of the peace. If ever this peace is broken, the leader of the community may utter a destructive curse upon the violator, using as many dice to curse as the strength of the peace. T rear chis as the Flaw: Dark Fate with a strength equal to the strength of the broken peace. - Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Children of Gaia (rev)
Alternation of Generations 5 The ancient lupus among the Children of Gaia beheld the "eternal heat" of humankind and realized chat this ability could vastly increase their breeding capability as well as enhancing the pleasures of mating. In the present, as the blood thins more and more, homid women have employed it to increase the measure of wolf blood in the tribe. It allows a homid to bear lupus offspring and vice versa. At the conclusion of the rite, the Garou spends a permanent Gnosis point, shapeshifts to match the form of the beloved one and approaches their intended. A homid mating in Lupus form must wait until the mating season, of course, but in all cases conception is guaranteed. The mother's breed form temporarily ch anges to that of her partner; the change lasts from conception to delivery, in order to prevent miscarriages. Metis, of course, cannot use this rite- and none would teach it to them. Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Children of Gaia (rev)
End Time Rite 5 This ritual gives insight into the nature of the Apocalypse. As such, enacting it is frightening, and many septs either forbid ritemasters to perform it or forbid them to speak publicly on what the rite reveals. Ritemasters who are able to speak on the rite say many different things about their visions. The rite master must lt:ad a group of Garou (and often Kin) in three days of chanting, dancing and meditating. If they manage to last through the lengthy and t iring rite, the ritemaster and o thers will see visions of the Apocalypse and of their own actions which are related to it. They will also see glimpses of how the actions of the Garou Nation have affected the Apocalypse. Some ritemasters have emerged hopeful, saying that the Children's peacemaking can change the world into a new and better form. Others predict extinction in a great battle, and still others some bizarre Weaver "singularity" involving giant computers. Other tribes are always invited to participate in this rite, and Stargazers always seemed eager to do so, speaking of a new and transformed reality beyond the Apocalypse. This rite requires the invocation of spirits of prophecy and time, which are by nature a cryptic lot. The ritemaster then leads three days of dancing and chanting and rolls Wits + Rituals, difficulty 7. The Storyteller may use the enactment of this rite as a story device; how "true" the visions are will be up to her. Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Children of Gaia (rev)
Rite of the Parted Veil 5 This rite is the Children of Gaia's ultimate gift to Gaia-cherishing humans. When it is performed, the Veil is not pierced (as in the deadly Rite ofRending the Veil) but parts seamlessly to admit one or more humans (or wolves!). The person on whom the rite is performed thus becomes Kinfolk. Two Children unrelated to the human must witness that he loves Gaia and would aid the Children's cause. Most often this rite is done for mates of Garou or Kin. Some of the Patient Deed say that they hope to extend the rite to whole nations. The rite consists of the Garou dancing round the subject, while the ritemaster chants from the Songs of Welcome. As the rite progresses, the Garou slowly shapeshift, until finally they assume the Crinos form without frightening the human. The ritemaster makes an extended Wits +Rituals roll, difficulty of the human's Willpower. He must accumulate successes equal tO the human's age before the rite succeeds; children are easier to "adopt" than adults. Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Children of Gaia (rev)
Rite of Hospitality 2 Hospitality is one of the three great virtues of the ancient Celts, and a similarly honorable virtue to the modern Fianna. Ordinarily, hospitality is a given at a hearth, but occasionally it needs to be formally stated in a binding fashion; perhaps the seeker is a rival, or has bad blood with others at the sept and needs protection. In such circumstances, the rite is performed. The grantor (typically the righ or the owner of the hall or territory) is required to give his guest food, shelter and reasonable comforts for three days, as well as protection from foes (without or within). In return, the supplicant is expected to be the model guest, neither stealing, starting fights nor otherwise bringing trouble to the household. And be sure that even if the offense isn’t obvious, the spirits that witnessed the oath will find a way to bring it to everyone’s attention. Typically, only the grantor needs to know the ritual. The supplicant formally asks for hospitality, usually reciting lineage and titles in the formal way. The host replies in formal language, granting her protection and a place in her hall. If the rite fails, the delivery seems forced and all present will feel the awkwardness of the moment. If successful, both parties are bound to their bargain. Should either one break the bargain, that party loses Honor Renown (-4 for the host, -2 for guest). Ordinarily, no Renown is gained if both live up to their ends of the bargain, but if there is an element of danger (guest and host are bitter rivals or even enemies, for instance) the righ and guest gain two and one temporary Honor respectively. If the righ is notably miserly, she gains but one point; if outstandingly generous, or required to go to great lengths to defend the guest (sustaining grievous injury, destruction of the hall, loss of honor, or something equally costly), she may gain three. The Storyteller should be careful that this doesn’t become a font of “free Renown”; Honor should be awarded only if there’s something at stake — for instance, being a polite host to a guest that’s insulted you or is a rival, or being a model guest despite constant provocation. After three days (usually measured to sunset, but typically stated during the rite), all bets are off; if the guest is in trouble, he’d better make tracks. Rites of Accord WtA: Tribebook Fianna (rev)
Rite of the Hero’s Sleep 5 This rare and powerful rite has been used on some of the greatest heroes of the Fianna. When a Fianna of greatest renown falls in battle, he is placed in the earth (such as a cave, or a chamber of a burial mound), where the ritemaster dedicates the body to the land, tying soul and earth together. The body heals, then falls into a deep sleep. On rare occasions, the hero’s pack or shieldmate is allowed to join the warrior in sleep. The champion and his pack then lie in state, ageless, without need for food or breath, until he awakens to take up arms once again — at the dawn of the Apocalypse. The ritemaster spends three permanent points of Gnosis when performing the ritual. If she succeeds, the champion’s wounds heal in a moment and the flush returns to the hero’s cheeks. There is usually time enough for a few final words before sleep overcomes the hero. If the ritemaster gains five or more successes, then the champion may awaken for a short while and return to the caern at any time of great crisis (at the Storyteller’s option). Rites of Death WtA: Tribebook Fianna (rev)
Rite of Boasting 1 Boasting and bragging have always been a vital aspect of warrior cultures. Boasts serve to work up a warrior’s courage while putting fear into the opponent. But to truly impress, the boaster must back up his claims. This rite is more than formalized bragging, for it forces the Garou to “put up or shut up.” Before a battle or mission, the Garou boasts before all assembled that he will perform a particularly impressive feat (for example, “I will kill three Black Spirals with only my claws,” “I will scale the electrified razorwire of the refinery” or “I will be first to reach the shield wall, there to wrest the enemy’s standard from his dead hand.”). The boast is performed in a ritual fashion, with a short recitation of lineage and a summary of glorious deeds performed to date. If he makes good on his boast, he magnifies the Glory of the act. If he fails, the resulting derision of his peers costs him Glory; boasting is only respected if you can back it up. This rite is most commonly used among the Fianna, Get of Fenris and Wendigo, but most tribes have some version of it. For every two successes on a Charisma + Rituals roll (difficulty varies according to the feat proposed, with more difficult and glorious feats lowering the difficulty; the number should probably range from 4 to 8), the boast earns a potential extra temporary Glory, up to the amount of Glory the feat would ordinarily garner. If the rite is performed properly and the Garou successfully achieves his goal, he gains the Glory bonus. If he fails and lives, he loses that amount. If he dies while carrying out his deed, there is neither loss nor gain of extra Renown. A single pack may boast of a deed, but only the pack leader can perform the rite. In this case, difficulty is increased by one, and the entire pack gains or loses the Glory award. Rites of Renown WtA: Tribebook Fianna (rev)
Feast for the Spirits 2 Since the dawn of religion, worshippers have made offerings of food to gods and spirits. The Fianna do so to honor ancestors at feasts, reminding them of their former lives and strengthening their ties to kith and kin. Theurges also enact the rite as chiminage to spirits who want a taste (literally) of what the living enjoy. The ritemaster sings or plays a tune of welcome for the spirits while investing Gnosis in the food (one point is good for a plate of food and a drink), and rolls Wits + Rituals (difficulty of the local Gauntlet). Only one success is required to make the essence of the food as tangible to spirits in the Penumbra as it is to the Garou in the physical realm. Once its essence has been consumed, the physical food and drink loses any appealing taste or texture as well as much of its nutritional value. Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Fianna (rev)
Rite of the Foeman’s Vigil 3 Severed heads can be more than a trophy, they can be a ward. In this modified version of the Rite of the Fetish, the ritemaster takes the head of a newly taken foe (within the last 24 hours) and rebinds the spirit within it in service to the Garou. When put in place (usually buried under a pile of stones or placed on a pike or wall), the head emits a shrill, undulating wail if any unwelcome visitor approaches within 20 yards of the head. It will cease to function if moved or broken, if it is activated too many times, or until the third Samhain after its creation; then the spirit flees. A rarely used variant of this rite (known as Hero’s Vigil) uses the head of a recently killed Fianna hero (should the spirit be agreeable to the binding). The ritemaster rolls Wits + Rituals (difficulty 10, 9 if the slayer conducts the rite). At the end of the rite the head is placed in its permanent position. It will activate a number of times equal to successes rolled. Normal intruders will automatically be detected if they enter the alert radius; those with supernatural concealment (such as Obfuscate, human magic or a Gift) may evade notice if the being rolls more successes for their respective concealment power than the ritemaster. This does not detect intrusion across the Gauntlet, but a Black Spiral Dancer head (for example) could be placed in the Penumbra with similar effects. If Rite of Hero’s Vigil is enacted on a willing Fianna’s spirit, difficulty is 10 - Rank of the dead Garou, and the head may be good for up to nine Samhains. As the two rites are very similar, Garou who know one only require three days of study to learn the other. Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Fianna (rev)
Samhain (Oct 31-Nov 1) - The Fianna calendar year begins on this night. An uncharacteristically subdued celebration with a grand feast, music, and drink, the Samhain Rite is a time for reflecting on the year just passed. Tributes are given to honor the year’s fallen, whose spirits are often in attendance; for these honored fallen the sept saves places at the table and choice seats in the bardic circles; Theurges frequently enact the rite Feast for the Spirits so the dead may revel once more with their comrades. It’s believed by some that the dead wait until this night before moving on to their next life, or perhaps their essences become “fully fledged” spirits at this time. Because the Gauntlet is slightly thinner (-1 to the Gauntlet at Storyteller’s discretion) on this night than on any other night of the year, it is also a night when all manner of spirits (benign and otherwise) cross over to cause mischief or simply to observe the living world. Those who take part in the Samhain ritual regain Gnosis equal to the ritemaster’s successes. - Seasonal Rites WtA: Tribebook Fianna (rev)
Imbolc (Feb 1-Feb 2) - Imbolc is a festival of fertility and of hope; though many cold nights may lay ahead, winter is ebbing before the promise of spring. Ritual bonfires dot the caern, and the night is filled with tales of struggles won and the surety of better times ahead. It is also the sacred festival honoring the goddess Brigid, and deemed a favorable time to ask for the spirits’ aid in endeavors of art or craft. Children born of Garou on this day are considered especially lucky, for more often than not their Garou blood runs true. Participants in the Imbolc rite regain Willpower equal to the ritemaster’s successes. Furthermore, Fianna that have overcome Harano often claim that taking part in the Imbolc rite was the moment they began to claw their way back. - Seasonal Rites WtA: Tribebook Fianna (rev)
Beltane (April 30-May 1) - The celebration of the dawning of the light half of the year is as abandoned as that of the dark half (Samhain) is reflective. Just after dark, the ritemaster bids every fire in the caern extinguished; after a few minutes of darkness, a new fire is lit, and its flame distributed to rekindle all the others, symbolizing a fresh start and the return of light. Music, food, dancing and loving are the order of the night. Kinfolk are especially welcomed to the party, not only to share the fun; children conceived during Beltane are reputed to have a greater chance of breeding true. On the downside, the Litany is very fragile on this night as the heat of passion burns away all rationality; elders watch over the cubs, but even the older sept members have occasionally succumbed to temptation. Beltane is a festival celebrating new vitality. Those who participate in a successful Beltane rite gain an extra dot of Stamina for the next three days. During the festival, Rites of Cleansing and other purification rituals are at -1 difficulty. - Seasonal Rites WtA: Tribebook Fianna (rev)
Lughnassa (August 1-2) - In the ancient agrarian communities, this was the celebration of the beginning of harvest. For the Fianna it represents the fruits of labor, and the gathering of strength for the coming winter. Bread made from grain of the year, and freshmade mead and beer as well, are ceremoniously consumed. Those who participate in a successful Lughnassa rite gain an extra dot of Strength for the next three days. During the festival, rolls involving lore and wisdom are at -1 difficulty, as the Fianna find it easier to remember the fruits of mental labor as well. - Seasonal Rites >WtA: Tribebook Fianna (rev)
Twilight Song - The period between day and night is considered a magical time by the Fianna, a transitory time when >the world grows still and the hidden dances almost within vision. The Fiann must howl or play a mournful tune just before sunrise and just after sunset every day for nine days. The Garou then gains an additional die when attempting to cross or see through the Gauntlet. The bonus lasts until the Fiann fails to perform the ritual; she must then perform it for nine more days before regaining the benefits. Minor Rites WtA: Tribebook Fianna (rev)
Rite of Heritage 1 This genealogical rite is a favorite of Skalds and Forseti alike, albeit for slightly different reasons. Some Fenrir use it to verify the identity of a hero’s descendants before passing on an inheritance; others use it to identify the father of a metis cub if none is forthcoming. The ritemaster draws the blood of the subject with a silver knife and sings a long paean to the ancestor-spirits of his tribe and any others that might be watching over the subject. As he completes the song, the ancestor-spirits whisper the subject’s heritage into his ears. The ritemaster rolls Wits + Rituals, difficulty 7, as normal. Success reveals the subject’s true heritage for one generation back per success (for example, two successes would reveal the subject’s heritage as far back as his grandparents). In addition, the ritemaster receives the answer to one specific question about the subject’s heritage per success; e.g., “What was this cub’s paternal grandfather’s profession?” or “Does the blood of any other tribe run in this cub’s veins?” The answer will be accurate, as long as the answer can be found within the number of generations revealed; if the ritemaster gained four successes, for example, he could not ask “Is this child descended from Frode?”, but he could accurately tell if the child’s great-great-grandfather claimed descent from Frode or not. The Rite of Heritage works just as well with humans or wolves (although wolves, lacking names, are harder to accurately identify), even non-Kin or magi. It does not, however, work on the undead or on fae. Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Get of Fenris (rev)
Rite of Rune Carving 1 Get of Fenris Crescent Moons learn early on to respect and appreciate the power of the written rune, whether it takes the form of Garou glyphs or of runes of human origin. This rite is a prerequisite to the Rite of Rune Casting (below); it is with this rite that the rune-seer creates her talismans. The runes must be carved into the bones of enemies slain in battle, but may take whatever form is most spiritually relevant to the ritemaster. Most Fenrir choose Garou glyphs or the Futhark runes of the Norse, but a few Get have been able to make rune-bones carved with the Cherokee alphabet and even I Ching trigrams function. Standard roll; the rite lasts for eight hours of carving and ritual empowerment. At the rite’s completion, the Garou must spend a Gnosis point to “charge” the runes. The runes are commonly stored in a bag, and drawn forth just one to three at a time. Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Get of Fenris (rev)
Rite of the Lodge House 3 The Fenrir are well aware of the dangers of letting their tempers get out of hand. Although a visitor or rival might deserve to be ripped limb from limb, it is neither honorable nor prudent to slay other Gaian werewolves in a fit of frenzy. Fenrir often bolster their self-control at formal moots with this rite, which soothes the Rage of participants so that they can avoid “diplomatic events.” To enact this rite, the Get must be inside a house pleasing to the spirits in some respect; the lodge-houses, longhalls or other structures within a Get caern are ideal, but any building that has been marked as open to the spirits of Gaia will suffice. The ritemaster opens each door and window in turn, inviting in the spirits of wisdom and granting the spirits of Rage permission to leave if they see fit. If the rite is performed correctly, those within the lodge are much less likely to lose control of their Rage until the meeting ends. Standard roll; if successful, the rite’s effects last until the first person leaves the lodge. While the rite’s effects are in place, any shapeshifters within the lodge are calmer than usual; the difficulty of any Rage roll made within the lodge has a difficulty of 9 (although Rage may be spent without restriction). Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Get of Fenris (rev)
Rite of Rune Casting >3 This prophetic rite enables the rune-caster to see hints of the future in the patterns the runes form as they fall. At the climax of the rite, the ritemaster casts a few runes from her personal rune-bag onto a hide skin or other sacred cloth, studying the patterns there to see what the spirits mean to tell her. The rune-caster must use her personal set of runes, created by the Rite of Rune Carving (above); the roll is Wits + Rituals, difficulty 8. Success reveals an accurate, but vague prophecy; the ritemaster may roll Intelligence + Enigmas (difficulty 8) to make more sense of the casting, but prophecy is by nature never crystal-clear. The Storyteller is encouraged to use symbolic language to create the runes’ warnings; “you will encounter an obstacle” is rather bland, but “warrior-rune reversed, against icerune — Ymir’s prison walls may sap your strength” is considerably more interesting. /td> Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Get of Fenris (rev)
The Coward ’s Brand 3 The Get of Fenris have very little use for cowards. Where other tribes are content to use punishment rites to punish cowards socially, the Get often do so physically. This rite is used to punish those whose cowardice endangered their packmates or Kin without actually causing their deaths (those cravens whose cowardice killed a packmate are more often subject to the Hunt, or worse). Although the Get primarily use this rite to punish other Fenrir — werewolves of other tribes are not expected to live up to the Fenrir’s high standards — they have been known to give the Coward’s Brand to Garou of other tribes whose cowardice endangered several Get of Fenris. As the rite begins, the ritemaster repeats a litany of names, names of Garou who lost their lives from being abandoned by cowardly packmates. She then ritually names each packmate or Kinfolk that the accused werewolf abandoned, and anoints the accused with blood drawn from each. At the conclusion of the rite, the ritemaster brands the sole of the offender’s foot with a heated silver brand. The brand is permanent, an encouragement for the offender to never show his heels to his loved ones again. Standard roll. At the culmination of the rite, the offender takes two levels of aggravated damage, and loses five Glory and five Honor Renown. The brand cannot be removed by healing Gifts, even those that remove Battle Scars. Legend holds that a Fenrir who received the Coward’s Brand managed later to atone with deeds of great valor. His reward came when Great Fenris appeared and bit off the branded foot, leaving him crippled but his honor fully restored. Punishment Rites WtA: Tribebook Get of Fenris (rev)
Rite of War 2 Although the Get are not, as some werewolves joke, “a tribe of Ahroun,” it’s true that the Get’s Full Moons are held to an exacting standard. This rite is a clear illustration of the Fenrir’s lofty expectations. After a Modi has successfully challenged for Rank Two, but before she has been formally awarded that rank, she must undergo ritual combat with two fellow Ahroun. She may use no weapons but her natural body, while her attackers are allowed to use weapons if they choose (die-hard traditionalist septs always arm the attackers with silver). If for some reason, there aren’t two Get Ahroun available to fight with the aspiring Fostern, the ritemaster may substitute Get of other auspices, or Ahroun of other tribes if no other Get are available. (If no other Ahroun or Get can be found, the rite is waived; combat against non- Ahroun of other tribes is simply not considered sufficiently impressive.) The young Ahroun need not win against her two combatants (if the other two are of higher rank, she’s not even expected to stand a chance); she must merely put up a good fight. The ritemaster paints the wounds achieved during the rite with dyes made from various plants, and the scars become permanent reminders of the Ahroun’s success. Standard roll. If the challenger actually wins against two Get Ahroun, even if they are both Rank One, she gains three Glory for her outstanding performance. Renown Rites WtA: Tribebook Get of Fenris (rev)
Rite of Challenge 3 This rite is the most formal of challenges, most often the challenge for leadership of an entire sept. Although a would-be Jarl need not know this rite to challenge the current sept leader, this rite is accepted as the most formal and proper way to do so. Proper performance of this rite marks the challenger as one well-versed in Fenrir ways and worthy of facing the Jarl in challenge, and therefore adds extra weight to his claim to the position. Get of Fenris may also perform this rite to formally challenge rivals of other tribes or positions; the rite has less binding power in such occasions, but still (if performed properly) carries great weight. The challenger must be the one to perform this rite. He must confront his opponent and formally recite his lineage, deeds and strengths, each one a ritual declaration of his worthiness. He then calls out each of the reasons for his challenge — which must be carefully done, as the accusations must be strong enough to win the onlookers’ support, yet not so bold as to provoke the challenged party to frenzy. With the final accusation, he formalizes the challenge. If the rite is performed properly, the challenged party must accept or lose significant Renown. Standard roll. At the culmination of the rite, the offender takes two levels of aggravated damage, and loses five Glory and five Honor Renown. The brand cannot be removed by healing Gifts, even those that remove Battle Scars. Legend holds that a Fenrir who received the Coward’s Brand managed later to atone with deeds of great valor. His reward came when Great Fenris appeared and bit off the branded foot, leaving him crippled but his honor fully restored. Renown Rites WtA: Tribebook Get of Fenris (rev)
Rite of Conquest 5 This is one of the rarest of Fenrir rites, performed whenever a Jarl has gained his rank by slaying his predecessor in fair combat. The rite was more popular in olden times, but in these days the Get of Fenris don’t have the numbers to permit many lethal challenges for the post of Jarl. The rite acknowledges the history of both the fallen sept leader and the new Jarl. The ritemaster guides the new Jarl through the steps of establishing his new rank. The new Jarl must devour the heart of his predecessor, thus symbolically gaining the wisdom to rule his sept properly. The fallen leader’s possessions are turned over to the new Jarl in accordance with the Litany, but relatives with a claim on weapons or fetishes are allowed to challenge the new Jarl for their possession. Standard roll. If successful, the new Jarl gains instant knowledge of one of the fallen leader’s Gifts (Storyteller’s choice; higher-level Gifts are more likely, even if the new Jarl is still not yet of the rank to use them). Renown Rites WtA: Tribebook Get of Fenris (rev)
The Little Rite 3 Another way we keep our ties to Cockroach is through the ironically named “Little Rite,” which is held on the 15th of March every year. Why the Ides of March? Maybe to remind ourselves not to get above our station like the Roman conspirators, since this rite honors all the things that we forget, but can’t live without. Whether it’s Cockroach and his tiny children, the machines that make us coffee and keep our juice cold, or the paperboy who never gets a word of thanks; we dedicate this day to keeping our relationships with others pure. To that end, we give gifts. We dump whole sacks of powdered sugar onto our kitchen floor overnight for the cockroaches, or spend time listening to the binary chatter of Net-spiders, or tip the boy a few hundred bucks. Septs often celebrate the Little Rite together as well with a massive gift to the minimum wage workers in the mail room below the caern, or with an all-out assault on the Banes in a Netspider nest so that the thing is entirely clean. However we do it, the Little Rite makes sure that we don’t forget anything or anyone. The city is made up of details, and forgetting any one of them is dangerous. After a full day of gift-giving, the ritemaster engages in a private ritual of prayer, frequently before an icon of the sept totem. This is a rare ritual that can only be performed by a single Garou, no more Garou may gather to assist. The player rolls Charisma + Politics (difficulty 9). Every success will grant a -1 difficulty bonus to all dealings with all spirits associated with the Gifts given during the day. This can be flexible; tipping the news paperboy $100 will make money-spirits easier to deal with. This bonus applies to all Garou in the caern for the rest of the year. A failure represents cordial acceptance of the rite for no bonus. A botch here insults the caern totem; all dealings with all spirits in this caern will be at +1 difficulty for the rest of the year. Seasonal Rites WtA: Tribebook Glass Walkers (rev)
Memorial Day 2 Though we belong to many nations, the only one that counts in our hearts (for most of us) is the nation of Gaia and the Garou. Every nation has a day to honor its fallen in war, and on that day, we honor ours. At dawn on Memorial Day (which, by the way, varies from country to country; we observe similar holidays in every land), every Glass Walker in the city gathers in the Hall of Honor. It’s similar to the Grave of the Hallowed Heroes, but is kept within a caern only if that’s our only caern within the city. In the Hall is a record of the name of every Glass Walker in the city that died serving Gaia or Cockroach. Sometimes it’s a dedicated computer with a touch screen monitor, other times a more dignified statue or engraved marble wall serves. During the rite, we add any new names to the record and then call a spirit of the city into the Hall. In exchange for a favor, the spirit agrees to keep the Hall, and by symbolic extension the souls of the fallen, safe for another year. May they rest in peace. The ritemaster rolls Wits + Rituals (difficulty 6). If the roll is successful the spirit agrees to guard the Memorial Hall for a year. If the roll is botched, the spirit attacks all those gathered. Seasonal Rites WtA: Tribebook Glass Walkers (rev)
Promethean Daze 2 This aspect of the rite refers to the second portion of the week. (All that is necessary to ensure the success of the first portion is good food, wine and company.) The ritemaster supervises the assembled Garou in their predictions and closes the week with a toast to the sept’s good fortune for the oncoming year. Afterwards, everyone gathered bows their head in a moment’s silence. Sometimes this aspect of the rite is performed after other seasonal rites, but delaying the rite so is rare. At first glance, this rite appears almost generic. A week of feasting and cleansing isn’t unique to the Glass Walkers. But look at when we hold it, and the reason behind the rite becomes clearer. The Promethean Daze happens right at the end of the year, along with human celebrations like Christmas, Kwanzaa, Chanukah, and, of course, the New Year. We’re often called the “tribe of Man” and this rite certainly gives some weight to the moniker. This rite breaks down into two parts. The first part is marked by gluttony, and as a result tends to take up most of the week. We eat, drink, fight and make love (to Kinfolk, in theory) to our hearts’ content. During that time, we supposedly work to throw off our limitations. It all happens through conversations, old grudges break down over wine and dinnertime conversations find an informality that lets us find simpler ways of operating. But as our Elizabeth proved, it can also happen in grander ways. Thanks to GWnet and video conferencing, this rite is becoming more global every year, and thus it can make a great platform for political moves. Elizabeth sighs: If there had been a better way to get the word out, I swear I’d have used it. I just hope I haven’t doomed us to endless shock announcements every Daze. The second part begins when everyone is too full to eat anymore and too hung over to party. In this, we try to foresee the oncoming year. It happens in various ways, Theurges call on spirits for guidance, while others try to use clever deduction to make logical predictions. We all try to see concrete ways in which the tribe could further its spiritual, Garou, and human ties. In so doing, we renew ourselves. The ritemaster rolls Wits + Rituals, difficulty 7. If a simple success is achieved, all participating Garou recover all Willpower to face the new year. If three successes are gained, one Garou also has a vision of a minor event in the oncoming year. If five are gained, several Garou might have minor visions, or one may have a vision of a very major event indeed. This is left to Storyteller discretion. Seasonal Rites WtA: Tribebook Glass Walkers (rev)
Rite of Growth 1 This rite is a remarkable backup measure for traditional City Farmers, allowing them to cause plants to grow in strange locations. The plants do not grow unusually quickly, but can grow in plastic, concrete or other unusual places, drawing nutrients from the source. Three Garou are needed to make this rite work. The ritemaster makes an indentation in the surface using a claw, and plants the seed of the plant into it. The three then hold hands in a triangle around it, kneeling, and request the spirit of the material that it nurture and care for the plant. If the spirit agrees, a small green shoot will appear immediately. The ritemaster rolls Wits + Rituals. The difficulty depends on the surface and area. An abandoned lot is 5, a typical city building is 7, an oil spill would be 9. Each success guarantees the plant’s survival for one month. After that as much regular watering and care as for any other plant is required. City Farmers Rites
Mystic Rites
WtA: Tribebook Glass Walkers (rev)
Bonding Rite 1 This literally named rite is quite simple, but is absolutely crucial to the entire camp’s understanding of modern Garou war tactics. The rite temporarily binds a number of Kinfolk into a pack, asking the pack totem to accept them. To perform this rite a length of surgical thread is passed through the knuckles of one hand of each pack member and prospective Kinfolk. Every Kinfolk must stand next to at least one Garou, which means at least a third of the expanded pack must be werewolves. In the gaps between each hand a steel charm in the shape of a glyph is hung from the surgical thread. The two ends of the thread are tied together to form a circle. Following this the ritemaster recites a prayer to the pack totem three times, speaking more incoherently each time. At the conclusion of the last prayer, each member rips their hand away, causing the surgical thread to rip through their skin. The thread will remain embedded in the ritemaster’s knuckles. She then wears the ring of thread like a necklace. From now, she is the lynchpin of the pack. If she dies, the effects of the rite vanish. The ritemaster rolls Charisma + Leadership, difficulty 6. All Kinfolk involved in the rite receive the blessings of the pack totem exactly as the Garou do and may take part in pack tactics with them. Dies Ultimae Rites WtA: Tribebook Glass Walkers (rev)
Rite of the Winter Pack 3 This rite is only invoked when a new Winter Pack — a pack of five young Red Talons, one of each auspice, specially trained to kill humans and bring chaos and devastation to the scabs — is formed. Currently, only one such pack exists, but no one can say for certain how many Talon septs house Winter Packs only waiting for this rite to sanctify them before they launch their bloody mission. The ritemaster assembles the prospective pack on the first night of the new moon, away from the heart of the caern. Other members of the sept may watch from the brush, but are forbidden to make a sound. At the ritemaster’s command, each of the cubs in turn states her name and auspice and then howls a variation of the Anthem of War. The ritemaster then howls to the heavens, calling down blessings from Gaia, the pack’s totem and Rorg, the Many- Taloned Hunter upon the Winter Pack. The Pack must then venture to the nearest human settlement and stalk and kill one human each (although they may act in concert to slay a group of humans). Afterward, they howl the Anthem of War in concert, and begin to execute whatever plan they have been given. The ritemaster performs the aforementioned ceremony, and the player rolls Charisma + Rituals (difficulty 7). If the roll succeeds, the Winter Pack has only to complete their first hunt (as described above) to complete the ritual. If they complete this hunt before sunrise, they each gain three temporary Glory and three temporary Honor. Rites of Accord WtA: Tribebook Red Talons (rev)
Rite of Defiance 2 This rite, a rite that the Talons don’t mind teaching to other tribes, is commonly performed by a Red Talon Galliard when a sept suffers a setback. The sept gathers at the caern’s heart and the Galliard begins the rite by recounting the sept’s recent defeats. The Talons believe in facing their difficulties realistically, and it is considered proper to allow the ritemaster to finish before the next phase of the rite begins. When the ritemaster finishes his howl, the other Garou begin their own cries. The Talons howl of hope and of possibility, beginning with whichever of them has the most hope to offer. As the howls continue, others join in, until eventually the entire sept stands together, howling their defiance to the sky, their spirits rekindled. The player rolls Charisma + Rituals (difficulty 7); her character finishes her song of woe. If successful, the other Talons take up the howl, and all Garou present regain one point of temporary Willpower. If the roll is a botch, no one feels hopeful enough to begin the rite, and everyone present loses a point of Willpower (the ritemaster also loses a point of temporary Wisdom). Caern Rites WtA: Tribebook Red Talons (rev)
Warding the Lingering Human 2 While Red Talons do not normally have any truck with the restless souls of dead humans, they do manage to create a fair number of ghosts. Human ghosts are capable of doing a great deal of harm to a Red Talon sept, should they put their vengeful minds to it. Leading enemies to the heart of the caern, frightening prey animals away from hunting Red Talons, and generally disrupting the harmony of the area with their very presence are all possibilities. The Red Talons developed (or learned from the Silent Striders, depending on whom one asks) this rite to drive off or forbid a human ghost from entering the bawn of a caern. Performing the Warding the Lingering Human rite requires the ritemaster to have a piece of the human’s body or something that he touched in life (if this object was important to him, the rite works even more effectively). The Talon must then stand behind the object with his back to the caern and snarl, howl and bristle at the object. After a few moments, the Talon grabs the object in his teeth and shakes it until it falls to pieces. The ghost is thereafter forbidden to enter the bawn of the caern without expending a great deal of energy. The Talon must perform the rite as described above. The player rolls Manipulation + Rituals. The difficulty is usually equal to the ghost’s Willpower, but if the Talon uses an object important to the ghost in the rite, the difficulty drops by two. If the roll succeeds, the ghost cannot enter the bawn of the caern without spending one point of Willpower for each success the player achieved on the roll each day (so if the player rolls three successes, the ghost must spend three Willpower for each day she wishes to remain within the bawn). Note that this rite has no effect on the walking dead or on any other kind of spirit. Caern Rites WtA: Tribebook Red Talons (rev)
Rite of Feeding the Land 2 The rite is the province of the Dying Cubs camp. It allows the Garou to use the pain of a dying human (or Garou, in theory) to feed and heal the land. The Dying Cubs cannot say where they learned this rite; every sept that knows it seems to have learned it from a visiting Talon, but no one can trace the rite back to its origin. The ritemaster and any other Garou that participate bind and torture the victim for as long as they wish. The longer the victim remains alive and in pain, the more potent the rite. The Garou may use any means of inflicting pain they wish, and may even heal the victim to prolong his agony provided the victim always suffers from one health level of damage (if the victim is ever fully healed, the rite fails). When the victim can bear no more and finally expires, the rite master spills the victim’s blood on the ground to replenish the land. Wyrm-taint is burned away and even the touch of the Weaver weakens somewhat. Any characters involved in this rite lose one point of temporary Honor for torturing a helpless victim (the Dying Cubs usually don’t care). Any player whose character participates in the torture of the victim must roll Wits + Intimidation at a difficulty of the victim’s Willpower in an extended, resisted test against the victim’s Willpower (difficulty 8). Each turn, if the torturer has more successes than the victim does, the victim loses a temporary Willpower point. If the torturer and the victim are even or if the victim has more successes, the victim does not lose Willpower. The Storyteller must decide based on what kind of torture is being employed how often the victim takes damage. The torturers can keep building the rite until the victim runs out of Willpower and health levels. When the torturers have extracted all that they can from the victim (i.e., said victim runs out of Willpower and/or dies) the ritemaster rolls Wits + Rituals (difficulty 7). For a 20-foot radius per point of Willpower and health levels taken from the victim, the area is cleansed of Wyrm-taint (as if the Rite of Cleansing had been performed). Also, the Gauntlet in that area drops by two (to no lower than three) for one full month. Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Red Talons (rev)
Rite of Prophecy

3

Similar to the Rite of Weeping for a Vision (see the Werewolf Players Guide), this rite allows the Red Talon to ask Gaia for a glimpse of things to come. Talons of all auspices learn this rite, but the Theurges are normally the only ones who use it more than once. The Red Talon must go somewhere that she will not be disturbed. She must then find something that holds her attention; the movements of clouds in the sky, a parade of ants marching to their home, the swirling of running water — any of these will do. The supplicant simply allows her mind to unfocus and waits for the vision from Gaia. The vision thus granted may be helpful and might well grant the Red Talon some insight into an immediate problem. However, Red Talon “history” is fraught with tales of Talons who have foreseen events such as nuclear blasts, the War of Rage, the War of Tears, and battles that might or might not be the Apocalypse itself — and simply haven’t been able to interpret the visions in time. While nearly every Master of the Rite at a Red Talon caern knows the Rite of Prophecy, they rarely use it. To know the truth, but not what the truth means is more painful than most Garou can bear. The player rolls Willpower (difficulty 7) to focus the character’s attention, and then rolls Wits + Rituals (difficulty 7) to begin the vision. The vision is left entirely in the Storyteller’s hands, but it is recommended that the more Pure Breed the character possesses, the more likely she will see a vision pertaining to the tribe (or the Garou Nation) as a whole rather than her or her pack. Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Red Talons (rev)
Rite of False Justice 4 Red Talon lore holds that since the tribe never received a vote on the Litany’s tenets, they are not bound by them. While the tribe follows the Litany for the most part, sometimes a Talon is forced to act against the Litany in order to follow her calling as a true predator. The Red Talons recognize that the other tribes may punish the Talon for her “transgression,” but have devised a means to remove the stigma from her. This rite is only performed if the ritemaster and the sept leaders feel that another tribe has unjustly subjected a Talon to a Punishment Rite (such as Ostracism, Voice of the Jackal, or Stone of Scorn). The Rite of False Justice cannot disrupt a rite that also confers a death sentence, such as The Hunt or Gaia’s Vengeful Teeth (though the tribe may physically protect a Talon whom they feel is being persecuted by such a sentence). The Rite of False Justice is always performed on the half moon. The ritemaster calls the punished Garou before her and asks her to describe in what capacity she was serving Gaia when she broke the Litany. If the Garou’s answer satisfies the ritemaster, she howls to the Philodox moon to lift the stigma from the supplicant, as she was serving her true nature, not the false laws, when she transgressed. The Talon is then freed from any Punishment Rite that she currently suffers from and is usually granted a measure of Renown for her honesty and bravery. The ritemaster hears the supplicant’s case as described above. If the ritemaster judges the Talon worthy of her suffering, no further penalty is incurred. If the ritemaster feels the Talon has been wrongly judged, the player rolls Wits + Rituals (difficulty of the level of the Punishment Rite under which the target currently suffers + 5). Success cancels the mystical effects (such as the altered voice granted by Voice of the Jackal) of any previously performed Punishment rite on the supplicant. Any Renown reimbursement or award is up to the Storyteller. Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Red Talons (rev)
Rite of Gaia’s Rebirth 5 This extremely powerful rite has only recently been rediscovered and is currently known only to one sept of Red Talons, the Sept of the First Rage (see the Appendix). Gaia’s Rebirth allows the ritemaster to sacrifice her own Gnosis, and, if necessary, her own life to reclaim Gaia’s pure form from human defilement. The form of such corruption does not matter — the rite would work just as well destroying a path through a state park as it would leveling a building in a major city. The end result is the same: The land returns to the state it would be in had humans never seen it. Trees push their way through concrete, cars are covered and crushed by vines and overgrown with moss, although any organic matter (such as corpses) is consumed at the normal rate. Performing this rite is complex. It requires a precise sense of timing, and the ritemaster must be guided by nothing but instinct. If she begins the rite even one minute too early or too late, the rite will fail, but the energies released may well destroy her. Gaia’s Rebirth can only be performed on the last night of the waning crescent moon, the night before the start of the Ragabash cycle. The climax of rite must occur between the setting of the moon and rising of the sun, and the rite must be performed at the site to be purified (meaning a Red Talon cannot perform the rite outside city limits and expect the city itself to be consumed). The rite requires a special moot, attended by no fewer than six Garou (the ritemaster plus one werewolf of each auspice). The moot begins with howls to any totem spirits in the area (a caern totem, if the rite is performed at a caern, the totems of any packs present, and the tribe totems of all Garou present) in addition to an elaborate howl to Gaia Herself. The ritemaster must walk or run in a circle around the center of the area to be cleansed, howling to Gaia to awaken the spirits of the land to reclaim it. She gives of herself — this can be physical, in which case she bleeds onto ground, or spiritual, in which case she simply howls and gives up part of her own spirit. In either case, if the rite is performed correctly, the plant life in the area quickly overtakes any human “development” and restores Gaia’s true order. The player must first roll Perception + Primal-Urge (difficulty 9) to be sure of the correct timing for the rite. The Storyteller may want to make this roll in secret, so that the player does not know the results. If the roll succeeds, the character knows when to start the rite so that the end coincides with the moon and sun properly. If the roll fails, the character is unsure, and must wait a full month before attempting the rite again. If the roll is a botch, the character is sure of the timing, but has actually miscalculated. She will automatically fail at performing the rite (see below). The character must lead the moot as described above. At the moot’s climax, the player rolls Wits + Rituals (difficulty 9, or 7 if the character has both the Pure Breed and Ancestors Backgrounds at 2 or higher). If the roll fails, the rite fails, and the character receives three health levels of aggravated damage. These appear as teardrop-shaped wounds on her body, similar to the “Tears of Gaia” commonly suffered by Garou who attempt the Rite of Caern Building. If the roll is a botch, the character loses Gnosis or Stamina as described below, but the rite still fails. If the roll succeeds, however, the player must decide how much land to reclaim from human corruption. For each dot of Stamina or two dots of Gnosis the character is willing to expend, roughly one square acre of land reverts to the state it would be in had humans never developed it all at. This rite does not destroy any materials — that is, buildings and vehicles do not simply disappear — but the plant growth will quickly crush and cover any human structures. Living things within the area of effect are not affected (except that they may find themselves trapped in buildings or carried to the tops of very large trees). The Gnosis or Stamina spent on this rite is considered permanently gone unless bought up again with experience. Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Red Talons (rev)
Rite of the Human Mind 4 The Red Talons don’t employ a wide variety of Punishment Rites. A serious offense usually merits a sentence of ostracism from the sept (or from the tribe, in extreme cases) or death. However, sometimes an offender must be disciplined severely but left alive and intact. On these occasions, the Talons employed the feared Rite of the Human Mind. All Red Talons — indeed, all Garou — have both a human-mind and a wolf-heart, according to the Talons. The human mind is dominant in Homid form, while the wolf-heart dominates in Lupus form. A Red Talon who relies too heavily on his human-mind, or shows mercy or compassion to a human that then comes back to bite him (as is often the case), might be subject to this rite. Any incompetence or faulty logic that the elders believe to stem from the human-mind, or relying on human babble when instinct is clearly called for, might also result in the Rite of the Human Mind being employed. To perform this rite, the ritemaster must assume Homid form, as must the accused. The ritemaster calls the accused by his name in whatever human tongue is convenient, and then changes to Lupus form and howls in derision. Any observers also take up the howl, but at no time during these howls is the accused referred to by his howl-name. When the howls die down, the accused finds himself unable to access his wolf-heart, even in Lupus form. This punishment may last for any amount of time, but the Talons usually consider it too cruel to maintain it for longer than one moon. Roll Charisma + Rituals (difficulty 7). If the rite succeeds, the accused does not gain Perception bonuses while in Lupus, Hispo, or Crinos forms and is considered to have no dots in Primal-Urge for as long as the rite lasts. On lupus Garou, the attendant discomfort this brings also levies +3 to all Willpower difficulties and a -2 to initiative results for the duration of the punishment. The character thinks like a human being, even in Lupus form, and a player whose character is subjected to this rite should do her best to roleplay this experience. The Storyteller is free to impose additional penalties if she feels that the player is having too easy a time of it. Punishment Rites WtA: Tribebook Red Talons (rev)
Murmur Rite 2 Developed by the Lords of the Summit, this rite is one of the many ways Shadow Lords keep their activities a secret. A Lord needs to know the Murmur Rite if he plans on leading a Shadow Moot, since it is used to open the moot and keep the discussions therein private. Though normally used to mask the conversations of many werewolves, this rite can be performed with as few as two Garou. Each of the Garou taking part in the rite contributes one Gnosis at the ritemaster’s prompting. Once the Gnosis is collected, the conversations of all of the rite’s participants are masked for the duration of the scene. Any Gifts, technology, or supernatural abilities that allow an individual to eavesdrop on private discussions automatically fail. If the eavesdropper botches whatever roll she was using to try to listen in, she actually gains some piece of misinformation that serves to mask further the activities of the rite’s participants. Caern Rites WtA: Tribebook Shadow Lords (rev)
Thunder’s Blessing 3 This rite is used to draw Grandfather Thunder’s favor upon a particular caern, investing it with a portion of his great power. In addition to bolstering the Gnosis of Shadow Lords who visit the caern, the rite also allows those affiliated with the caern to call down bolts of lightning upon their enemies, so long as they are within the confines of the caern. Performed during a raging storm, this rite requires an extended roll of Charisma + Rituals (difficulty 8). The ritemaster must accumulate 10 successes to successfully complete the rite, and may attempt this roll only once per 15 minutes (though for every three Garou beyond the minimum required to complete the rite, the difficulty is reduced by one). If the rite is not completed in one hour, it fails, and the thunderclouds above send down bolts of lightning to punish the offending Garou (inflicting five levels of aggravated damage). If the rite is successful, however, the Garou performing the rite must give up 25 points of temporary Gnosis. Once they do so, a bit of Grandfather Thunder lingers around the caern, granting an additional point of Gnosis to all Shadow Lords so long as they remain within the caern’s boundaries. Caern Rites WtA: Tribebook Shadow Lords (rev)
Communion with the Storm 2 It is easy to lose oneself in the intricacies of Garou society, and to forget that the ultimate goal of all the politicking of the Shadow Lords is the defeat of the Wyrm and the restoration of Gaia to her normal state. Many Shadow Lords thus turn to this rite to remind themselves of why they’re fighting, and of what it is that they’re supposed to be fighting for. In the process, they focus their Rage and their ambition so that they may more effectively accomplish their tasks. This rite is always performed in the midst of a heavy thunderstorm, but that is its only constant. It may be performed singly or in groups, at any time of day or night, and in any part of the world. So long as Grandfather Thunder’s touch is present, that is all that matters. Standard roll. While this rite is in effect, all Enigmas rolls have difficulties three lower than normal (minimum 4). In addition, the ritemaster may bring any single problem (usually nominated beforehand) to the attention of Grandfather Thunder in an attempt to seek his counsel. If he is invoked with a successful Wits + Enigmas roll (difficulty 8), Grandfather Thunder presents them with an appropriate course of action and girds their resolve with either a point of Rage or a point of Gnosis, depending on the nature of the problem. Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Shadow Lords (rev)
Rite of the Hurricane 5 Used almost exclusively by the Shadow Lords of Mexico, this rite is a more potent version of the punishment rite Calling the Storm. Whereas that rite is used to rebel against a corrupt or unjust leader, this rite is designed to focus the fury of the Garou into a powerful storm, which may then be used to shatter the grip of the Wyrm upon the land. It is used to destroy nests of vampires, to sweep oil refineries out to sea, and to attack other artificial structures throughout the storm’s area. Most Garou frown on using this rite in all but the direst emergencies, for it is quite destructive to the land it scours clean. The counter-argument is that Gaia is resilient, and it is better to let Her heal Her wounds than suffer in the coils of the Wyrm. Even so, the questions raised by the rite ensure that the Rite of the Hurricane remains a last resort, to be used only when the need is dire. This rite may only be performed in a tropical area, and even then only during the storm season. If these conditions are met, a single day is enough to call up a storm cell in the general region. Manifesting hurricane-force winds for a single scene is easily done, but maintaining the storm is another matter. Doing so requires the expenditure of three points of Gnosis per day, which may be paid by any number of willing participants. Once the cost is not paid, the storm dissipates normally. Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Shadow Lords (rev)
Calling the Storm 3 Given the rigors of Shadow Lord society and emphasis on goals, it is inevitable that some become corrupt and put their own selfish desires over the good of the tribe. This rite was developed to counter fallen Lords with Shadow Lord justice. When a leader within the tribe has fallen to the Wyrm, the Garou ruled by him may use an outside agent to announce his transgressions to the tribe at large. If the accusations are true, the Garou may enact this rite. Stormclouds gather above the moot, and the Garou invoking the rite gain the strength they need to destroy the one who has turned his back on Gaia. If the charges leveled against the corrupt Garou are true, the storm that gathers above the moot empowers those who conspire against him. They gain two points of Rage, and if they are Shadow Lords they also gain a point of Gnosis. In addition, Primal-Urge rolls are made at a difficulty two lower than normal. If the charges are untrue, however, the gathering storm punishes the offenders, striking them with lightning that deals five health levels of aggravated damage. Rite of Punishment WtA: Tribebook Shadow Lords (rev)
Rite of Dominance 2 No matter how true they remain to the ideals of Gaia, Shadow Lords still live in a society where dominance over others is the rule instead of the exception. A Lord uses this rite when she has ousted a corrupt leader, or when she has dominated those beneath her and forced them to submit to her will. By coercing them into taking part in this rite, she ensures that their loyalty to her is strong and that they will be loath to work against her in the future. During the course of this rite, all participating Garou except the ritemaster lose one permanent Willpower, which are given to the totem of the pack for safekeeping. So long as the pack members remain obedient to the ritemaster (who must be the pack’s alpha), they may use the lost Willpower normally. Should they ever act against her, however, they will lose the Willpower permanently. The effects of this rite can be undone using a variety of punishment rites, presupposing the ritemaster has acted inappropriately or abused her position as pack alpha. Rites of Renown WtA: Tribebook Shadow Lords (rev)
Rite of Conquest 5 More celebratory than it might seem from the name, the Rite of Conquest is performed to welcome back a Bringer of Light who has successfully Chapter Three: Thunder’s Blessings 77 endured an extended stay in the presence of the Wyrm (and emerged unscathed, both physically and spiritually). It is similar in many respects to a Rite of Cleansing, but it is far more powerful. Recipients of this rite are true paragons among the Garou, and even Garou of other tribes bow down before them in respect, as they have accomplished things few others would even dare to attempt. This rite may only be performed by one who has himself received the rite, and it is only performed under a sky filled with storm clouds, under Grandfather Thunder’s watchful gaze. To receive this rite, a Shadow Lord — typically a Bringer of Light — must endure the horrors of the Wyrm for a period of no less than six months. He must interact with fomori, Banes, or corrupted Garou during this period, and he must successfully resist their influence without falling to the Wyrm, or even being tainted by its presence. If the Garou survives such an ordeal, he may receive this rite and be recognized as one of the strongest of Gaia’s warriors. Truly, he has conquered the Wyrm. The Garou performing this rite, who must be a Theurge, expends a number of Gnosis points equal to the recipient Garou’s rank. The recipient pours forth all of his Gnosis points, giving them up to the storms above him. Once this is done, the ritemaster makes a Charisma + Rituals roll (difficulty 10 - the target Garou’s Rank) and draws the power of Gaia into the recipient’s body. On receiving the rite, the recipient gains one of several possible benefits (player’s choice). Possible benefits are as follows:
• The recipient becomes highly resistant to the thrall of the Wyrm. He must roll eight or more successes on a Rage roll to enter a frenzy, and 10 or more successes to enter the Thrall of the Wyrm. Further, the character may spend a Willpower point to halt the frenzy normally, even if he would normally fall into the Thrall of the Wyrm.
• The Lightbringer becomes highly resistant to Wyrm toxins. He receives no penalty from supernatural radiation, balefire, Wyrm elementals, and the like (although he does still suffer damage from such attacks). He is likewise immune to Bane possession.
• The character is immune to Harano.
• The character’s sanity is absolute. He becomes immune to any and all circumstances that might inflict him with temporary or permanent insanity, and will maintain his sanity even if forced to dance the Black Spiral (although he is not protected from any other aspect of this gruesome ritual).
Rites of Renown WtA: Tribebook Shadow Lords (rev)
Rite of the Midwife 1 This rite is taught as a rite of accord because it is enacted to protect a newborn from harm or taint by hurrying or delaying its birth. The unsullied focus necessary for this rite is an owl’s feather, as Owl intercedes on the mother’s behalf. The mother must ordinarily be a Silent Strider or one of their Kinfolk, though Owl may be convinced with proper chiminage to intercede on the behalf of Garou or Kinfolk of other tribes, or even a normal human woman. The rite may be performed for several days in a row to achieve the necessary result — in fact, it may be necessary to do so. This rite is often considered the province of female Striders, though most are willing to teach it to any male Strider who wishes to learn. The “midwife” and the mother must first decide whether they will try to hurry the delivery of the child or delay it. Then the ritemaster’s player must spend one point of Gnosis and roll Charisma + Rituals (target 7). Simple success delays or hastens the birth by one day. If the rite is begun at the onset of labor, it ceases immediately and will not begin again for a full day — in all other cases it is difficult to be sure if the rite was effective at all. It may require several days of ritual to bring a child into the world early; usually it is considered preferable to delay the birth unless a healer is sure the child is viable, or the mother is headed into great danger. Rites of Accord WtA: Tribebook Silent Striders (rev)
Gathering of Wanderers 2 Even though the Silent Striders hold caerns in the far-flung places of the world, the tribe must occasionally meet in the bare wilderness, far from any wellspring of Gaia’s power. The Garou present take their places in the circle as they would around the heart of a caern. As their howls reverberate, a silent call races through the Umbra, summoning an Engling into the circle to sanctify the proceedings. The Striders say that the location of one vagabond moot, where great deeds were done and great stories told, was later successfully opened as a caern by another tribe. The player whose character leads the rite must roll Wits + Enigmas (target 7). If successful, the Engling arrives at the center of the circle within the hour. The leader of the rite must give the Engling a point of Gnosis; also, each Garou who wishes to bring a matter before the moot must also donate a point of Gnosis. When the moot is over, the Engling returns to the Umbra without having been hunted. Caern Rites WtA: Tribebook Silent Striders (rev)
Rite of Purification 2 This is a burial ritual to honor the dead that is only performed by Silent Striders for their fallen tribemates, only in the company of other Striders. If there are members of other tribes who wish to mourn, a Gathering for the Departed will be held at another time and place. The body of the deceased must first be washed (the Rite of Cleansing may be necessary if the werewolf died fighting minions of the Wyrm). After the body is laid out, the Master of the Rite invokes Scarab, who sends beetle-spirits from her brood to strip the hair, skin and flesh from the body (the player rolls Charisma + Rituals, target of 8 minus the Rank of the honored Strider). When only bones remain, the spirits depart, and the bones are placed in a small grave, preferably at a caern. Other times the bones are laid to rest in some place significant to the departed, or simply by the roadside. This is no dishonor among the Striders — it is the reality of a wanderer’s life. Better to bury the bones when there is time, than die carrying them and so leave two unburied. Rites of Death WtA: Tribebook Silent Striders (rev)
Rite for the Watchful 4 This rite is not concerned with tracing a Garou’s heritage — that is a matter for Galliard songs. Rather, this rite deals with the more practical matter of which of those ancestors take sufficient interest in the doings of their descendant to watch over her and lend her aid in times of need (in other words, what spirits the werewolf can channel using her Ancestors Background). It may be considered strange that a tribe cut off from its ancestors would know this rite, but they were not always thus deprived. They have preserved the rite through the many years of their homeless travels, often bartering the knowledge provided by the rite for passage on moon bridges or access to caerns. An unexpected benefit of maintaining the rite has become clear: it can be used to discover which Strider cubs have the ability to call on the lost ancestor-spirits, or who have the potential to do so in the future. The ritemaster pulls on the nebulous energy of the Dark Umbra to reveal the faint traces left on the Garou’s spirit by her ancestors. The player rolls Charisma + Rituals (target 8). For each success, he learns the deed name of an interested ancestor-spirit and its relationship with the Garou. Rites of Death WtA: Tribebook Silent Striders (rev)
Rite of the Spoken Page 2 The Garou seldom write things down, and the Silent Striders commit words to paper even less frequently. Humans write all the time, however — and so do some other supernatural beings. This rite summons an ibis-spirit and sets it to reading the designated manuscript (or sarcophagus, or hand-written notebook) aloud. It has practical uses beyond simple hands-free reading: it has been used to “read” many books at once, listening for a key word or phrase; to learn to read a language the Garou can only speak; or to simply decipher criminally bad handwriting. Curiously, if the writing is less than one month old, enough of the author remains with the message that the ibis-spirit reads it in the author’s voice. The player makes a Wits + Rituals roll (target 7). If successful, the ibis-spirit arrives and begins reading, and will continue for one hour per success or until dismissed. The spirit reads aloud in the language written — it does not translate the material. If the message is less than one month old, the hearers may attempt to identify the voice of the author (which may require an Intelligence roll), or even make guesses as to the meaning behind the author’s words as if she were there in person (requiring a Perception + Empathy roll). Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Silent Striders (rev)
Descent into the Underworld 3 Most Garou think of the Umbra, the Gaian spirit world, as the only spirit realm that sits close tothe physical world. Most Garou are wrong. The Underworld — the Land of the Dead, the Dark Umbra — sits astride the physical realm just as the Umbra does. Within it lie the ghosts of thousands of humans who died unable to let go of some aspect of their mortal lives. These days, the Underworld is a tremendously dangerous place. A few years ago a cataclysm set off a series of hellish storms that still threaten to rip the lands of the dead apart. The ghosts are more desperate these days, and the storms that rage outside the cities of the dead can harm even the doughtiest Silent Strider warrior. Owl accompanies the Garou into the Underworld, but few other traditional totems do the same. This rite takes five minutes to perform. The character must sacrifice a living mammal and touch every character to be affected by the rite with at least a fingerprint of its blood. He then draws sigils in the ground nearby with the remaining blood. The player should roll Intelligence + Occult (difficulty 7). Success on this roll takes the ritemaster to the Underworld. Each additional success takes one of the other characters marked (in the event that the character does not achieve as many successes as the rite has subjects, those with he highest Gnosis go through first). The Underworld is a dark and storm-tossed realm whose inhabitants feed on the strong emotions of the living. Storytellers who wish to go with further detail are advised to check out Wraith: the Oblivion and its final supplement Ends of Empire. Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Silent Striders (rev)
Rite of the Jackdaw - Silent Striders fortunate enough to parent children sometimes jokingly refer to this rite as the Rite of the Toddler. The Rite of the Jackdaw is used to punish those Garou who have broken a promise of secrecy. It causes the subject to uncontrollably tell everyone he meets about the most private and trivial matters of his life. This ritual will not cause the subject to reveal other secrets he’s been sworn to keep, but it will almost certainly cause him to reveal personal information that embarrasses only him. This rite can be rather humiliating, and many Garou who are subject to it find themselves overcome by Rage at their embarrassment. It is considered the height of dishonor to take retribution against a Garou who has used this ritual in a just fashion. Subjects who wish to avoid the rite’s effects simply abandon all contact with others for a few days, which is considered to be an acceptable response. This rite takes ten minutes to perform. The ritemaster symbolically carves a number of open-mouth sigils into bits of wood and distributes them ritualistically around the subject of the rite (who must remain more or less still during the rite, though he doesn’t necessarily have to be willing). The ritemaster rolls Manipulation + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). For each success, the target suffers for one day from the effects described above. The target can expend Willpower to avoid stating some particularly odious personal secret, but Willpower so expended does not return until the rite’s duration has expired. Punishment Rites WtA: Tribebook Silent Striders (rev)
Rite of Meeting and Parting - Two Striders meeting on the road is a rare occurrence, but often a pleasant one. Even if one or both are traveling on missions of desperate importance or even certain doom, at least for a short time neither has to travel alone. Each traveler greets the other with a traditional salutation in his or her native tongue. If time permits, they share food and water, and exchange news of their travels. On parting, they exchange blessings in the Garou tongue; the most common is “Gaia soft beneath your feet, Luna’s light on your path.” Even in emergencies, two Striders who recognize each other will howl out as much of the greeting and farewell as they can as they pass each other at a full sprint. This rite is not usually performed on arrival at a caern, but Silent Strider caerns often have their own rituals to welcome travelers. - Minor Rites WtA: Tribebook Silent Striders (rev)
Ritual of Life 5 The Seekers have rediscovered one of the greatest secrets of ancient Egypt — the ritual that brings life back to the dead. Because of Sutekh’s curse on the tribe, a Seeker wishing to bring one of his tribemates back from the dead must act quickly (the rite must begin before the body cools, as a guideline), before the spirit is irretrievably lost. This ritual has not yet been performed on a Garou from another tribe since its rediscovery, but Seekers theorize that any complete body will do. This ritual is not without cost to its dead subject: Nothing that has died may dwell in the land of the living. The re-vivified werewolf must enter the Umbra (or the Dark Umbra), never to return to the physical world. Eventually, the Garou will disconnect and become a spirit-like creature. The Seekers argue amongst themselves about the ritual’s possible effects on normal humans, and even on vampires, but for now they are proceeding withfurther research, and extreme caution. In a lengthy ritual abundant with Egyptian symbology and ceremonial tools, the ritemaster and his assistants repair, clean the body inside and out and embalm it. The player rolls Intelligence + Rituals against a difficulty of 10 for Silent Striders (reflecting the hurry with which the ritual must be performed), or 8 for Garou; other beings may be harder or easier to call back from the dead. Success indicates that the spirit returns to the body, and that the revived Garou must immediately step sideways into the Umbra. If the revived Garou enters the physical world again, he immediately loses three health levels per turn until he returns to the Umbra or dies; this damage is aggravated. Failure indicates either a mistake by the ritemaster, or that the spirit simply refuses to return. The results of a botch are left entirely to the Storyteller, who should feel free wreak all kinds of havoc on those who mess with the powers of life and death. Mystic Rites (Seekers Camp) WtA: Tribebook Silent Striders (rev)
Rite of Dormant Wisdom 4 This rite is forbidden. Its very existence is denied outside the tribe, for the Silent Striders believe that the other Garou would turn on all of them if it were discovered that even one camp among them practice this ritual. In truth, most Striders do not know that it exists, or believe that it is only a myth. The Rite of Dormant Wisdom is only taught to trusted and experienced members of the Eaters of the Dead camp. The ritemaster and his fellow cultists use the Rite of Dormant Wisdom to gain the secrets and memories of the dead by ritually devouring the dead person’s brain. The ritual will function properly so long as the brain is intact, regardless of the length of time since the subject’s death. Each participant is likely to get a different kind of memory from the subject – for instance, one might get the subject’s memories of love, another his memories of voices and sound, and a third the subject’s darkest secrets. The Storyteller can vary this thematically based on the participants and the nature of the rite’s subject. The Wyrm has its tentacles all over this rite; cannibalism of any sort is expressly forbidden by the Litany. Each use of the ritual brings the character a step closer to the service of Foebok, Urge Wyrm of Fear. All those participating in the ritual must roll Intelligence + Occult (difficulty 9). Those who succeed gain some small portion of the dead one’s memories and secret knowledge. A participant who gets just one success will get the most recent memories of the deceased, while one who gets five successes will learn the broad range of the subject’s life, including many of his most treasured secrets. >No participant can gain game abilities (Knowledges, Disciplines, Gifts, Rites, etc) directly from the use of this ritual, but at the Storyteller’s discretion the rite can be used to justify the expenditure of experience points on game abilities that the rite’s subject knew. As described elsewhere, the Wyrm’s touch is on this rite. By default, any Garou who takes part in the Rite of Dormant Wisdom a number of times greater than the Garou’s permanent Gnosis trait will become a slave of Foebok. However, Storytellers are encouraged to change this mechanic to make the Garou’s safety zone less predictable and stimulate roleplay among the troupe. This ritual will work on the corpses of supernatural creatures (such as Garou and immortals) if the participants expend a permanent point of Gnosis. It will also work on vampires, already corpses, if the vampire is unconscious and immobilized. Using this rite on a vampire destroys it. More than five successes are needed to absorb the full life experience of a creature that has lived longer than two centuries. Mystic Rites (Eaters of the Dead Camp) WtA: Tribebook Silent Striders (rev)
Rite of Breeding 1 The rite is one of the secrets behind the Silver Fang’s unusually high levels of Pure Breed. When a Fang feels that it is time for her to start a family, she enacts this rite and asks her house’s totem to guide her to her best-matched mate. The werewolf meditates on her ancestry, using pictures, stories, photos or keepsakes and then calls to the totem for guidance. If the rite is successful, the totem grants her a vision of herself carried aloft in the talons of the totem to the home of the best prospect for a strong, worthy child. The rite does not guarantee that the prospective mate will welcome the werewolf’s advances; just that he is a good genetic and spiritual match. Standard roll. This rite normally takes place within the boundaries of the home caern, and shows the Kinfolk most likely to prove a good mate within a few days’ travel. The more successes achieved the more details the vision gives about the prospective mate and his location. This ritual does not help with seducing or winning the heart of the Kinfolk in any way. Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Silver Fangs (rev)
Walking With the Dead 3 Only the members of the secretive Ivory Priesthood learn this rite. To perform the rite, the priest must first spend a day ritually purifying herself of all sins, according to the Priesthood’s creed, and any negative thoughts. She must also spend a few hours mediating on the idea of her own death and her attitude towards it. A priest who is not reconciled to her own mortality can find the Dark Umbra a disturbing and unsettling place, especially in recent years when a terrible spirit storm has rendered it even more more dangerous than usual. Once the purification is complete, the Garou faces a Death’s Breath spirit in the early twilight of that evening. She must let it breathe into her mouth, which sends a chill like a rod of solid ice through her body. She may then step sideways into the Dark Umbra. She may remain there until dawn the following morning. The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Willpower (difficulty 7). If the roll fails, the rite ends and the character is plunged into a terrible Haranolike depression that costs her two dice from every dice pool for the next 24 hours. If it succeeds, the character may make a normal stepping sideways roll to enter the Dark Umbra, as described above. Once in the Dark Umbra, the priest appears as a dark patch in the normal Penumbra. If she fails to return to the material world by dawn the next morning, she is trapped in the Dark Umbra unless another Ivory Priest or a kindly Silent Strider helps her back across into the material world. Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Silver Fangs (rev)
Rite of the Omega Wolf 3 The tribe takes the failure of a pack alpha very seriously indeed. If all the members of a pack agree that their alpha has failed them catastrophically, then they may enact this rite to prevent him ever becoming a pack alpha again. The pack takes their fallen alpha and sits him on a rock. They then crown him with a mock crown and bow down in pretend obeisance to him. They then stand up and commence mocking him one by one, before tearing the crown from his head and casting him to the ground. When each member of the pack has spat or urinated on the fallen alpha, the rite is done. Standard Roll. The fallen alpha loses four points of Honor Renown and two points of Wisdom Renown. If he ever becomes a pack alpha again, he will lose two points of Gnosis every time the moon rises and will be unable to regain Gnosis until he relinquishes the position. Punishment Rites WtA: Tribebook Silver Fangs (rev)
The Rite of Meeting 1 The population of living Stargazers is growing thin, and as such, many of the tribe consider themselves fortunate when encountering a new (or previously unmet) Stargazer. This rite, known in India as the “Rite of Namah-te” and in China as the “Rite of Gong Xi,” is meant to allow two tribe members to greet one another with proper respect. The rite is a traditional greeting that’s been used for many centuries. Two Stargazers meeting for the first time place the flat of their palms against their chest, and bow their heads at one another. They hold the bow for as long as necessary, and then each Garou takes a small smear of ash or soil and anoints the other’s forehead with it. Finally, both Stargazers utter a prayer to Gaia. The meanings to this ritual meeting are many. It is a wish for extended friendship, but in it is also the unspoken wish to have both minds joined in service to both Gaia (the Emerald Mother) and the Jade Emperor. Both Garou are equal in the eyes of those two cosmic forces, even if they are not technically equal in rank. In this meeting, egos are set aside and the two are — however briefly — conjoined in the service of Gaia. Stargazer may only enact this rite when meeting another Stargazer for the first time. If the two have met previously, the rite may be performed, but without any spiritual benefits. Each Stargazer bows his head for a number of minutes equal to the other Stargazer’s Rank. When the rite is completed, the player rolls Charisma + Rituals (difficulty 6). If 1-2 successes are rolled, the Stargazer gains a single die on any Social roll involving the encountered Garou. However, if 3 or more successes are rolled, the Stargazer also gains a Willpower point alongside the bonus die. Rites of Accord WtA: Tribebook Stargazers (rev)
Banishment of the Self 4 This rite allows a Stargazer to dampen her own ego so she may give aid to those closest to her (typically her pack or sentai). The werewolf meditates for an hour beneath the moon and continually recites the following in whatever language she chooses: “I give my body to the hungry, my blood to the thirsty, my skin to the naked, and my bones as fuel to those who suffer cold. I give my good fortune to the unlucky, and may the breath of my life restore the dying. Shame on me if I draw back from this sacrifice! Shame on all who hesitate to accept it!” Those she chooses to aid from this ritual find their spirits lifted and find a renewed sharpness to their minds. The player rolls Strength + Rituals (difficulty 7) and must spend a Willpower point for each werewolf within her pack or sentai that she intends to aid with this rite. If she desires to extend the benefits of this rite to another outside pack or sentai, she must spend two Willpower points per individual not in her pack. For the next 24-hour period, those “gifted” with the advantages from this rite can ignore all wound penalties. At the end of that 24-hour period, the Stargazer who performed the rite must sleep for a full eight hours. Until she does, she acts at +1 difficulty to all rolls. Rites of Accord WtA: Tribebook Stargazers (rev)
Thaipusam 3 The rite called “Thaipusam” is an act of consecration meant to separate a Stargazer from the profane world and officially become part of the greater sacred sphere. Few Stargazers among the Stargazers of India, despite the fact that its origins actually lie among the native peoples of Malaysia. At its roots, Thaipusam is an act of ritual piercing. The Stargazer, after washing his hands in both milk and honey, then pierces his own flesh to insert a ring. While chanting the universal mantra (aum), salt is rubbed in the wound to heighten the pain and ensure that it won’t heal over immediately. The ring itself needn’t be made of any specific material, though may Stargazers favor simple rings of steel, jade, or hematite, though some decorate their bodies with more ornate trimmings. The bodily location of the piercing also is insignificant. Many pierce their ears, lips, nipples, and some even go so far as to pierce genitals, the flesh around the throat, or bunches of pinched skin around the forehead. Many elder Stargazers can be seen with countless rings adorning their scarred bodies. The player rolls Stamina + Rituals (difficulty 7). If the roll is successful, the ritemaster takes a single, unsoakable aggravated level of damage. For the month following the enacting of the rite, the Stargazer may freely step in and out of the Umbra without a roll. Merely concentrating on the cleansing pain of the Thaipusam rite allows her to ease between worlds with nary a thought. This rite may only be performed (for its benefit) once a year. Rites of Accord WtA: Tribebook Stargazers (rev)
Rite of Rebalancing 3 This variation on the Rite of Renunciation has been all but lost — though some Stargazers know it and see it as the only means to bolster their tribe’s numbers. By means of this rite, a Garou of another tribe loses his tribal affiliation and instead becomes a Stargazer in blood, if not by birth. The Garou wishing to become a Stargazer may not perform this rite herself; it must instead be performed upon her by an able and willing ritemaster. In this rite, the ritemaster must take the Garou beneath the new moon and together they must stand in a body of running water (a creek, stream, or river will do). The ritemaster must, with a claw, etch the Stargazer glyph into the Garou’s body, and let the blood mingle with the flowing water below. The Garou mustn’t let this wound heal right away, and instead must allow it to scab over and become a natural scar. After seven days has passed, the Garou is now a full-blooded member of the Stargazer tribe regardless of her tribe of origin. The rite is performed according to the description above. The player rolls Charisma + Rituals (difficulty of the Rage + 2 of the changing Garou, to a maximum of 10). The river washes away a Garou’s tribe, and it also removes any semblance of Rank. Garou with this ritual performed willingly upon them begin at Rank 1. The Garou may keep the Gifts she has learned from her old tribe, but she is unlikely to learn any new ones except under very special circumstances. However, Stargazer Gifts are now available to her. The Garou may never return to her old tribe, nor will she ever gain favor again with her past tribal totem. Rites of Accord WtA: Tribebook Stargazers (rev)
Rite of the Beating Heart 5 These days, Stargazer caerns are particularly vulnerable places. There is, however, a rather perilous Stargazer rite 76 Stargazers that some have learned in case their caern is threatened and beyond the ability of the guardians to protect it. With this rite, a Stargazer may take the powerful heart of the caern into her own heart and secret it away from the place so its power may be planted anew, or at least added to the strength of an already existing caern. In performing the rite, a single Stargazer must first successfully perform the Rite of the Opened Caern. Once this is complete, the werewolf must then consume some part of the land surrounding the caern — this may be soil from the ground, water from a lake, or even pieces of brick or concrete if it’s an urban caern. Finally, the Stargazer must plead with the totem spirit of the caern, begging and cajoling until finally the caern heart is relinquished for a time, taken deep into the Stargazer’s own still-beating organ. But this rite carries with it an exhausting price; the Stargazer who takes this burden unto herself will die soon after performing the rite, as her flesh is simply too frail to handle the potent energies that accompany a caern’s own spirit. Her time to affix the caern’s heart back to the flesh of the Emerald Mother is severely limited. Knowledge of this rite is exceedingly rare. As directed, the Stargazer must first successfully open the caern using the Rite of the Opened Caern. After consuming some part of the caern, the player must roll for the Stargazer to engage in a contest of pleas and supplications versus the caern’s totem spirit. The player rolls the ritemaster’s Charisma + Performance, with a difficulty of the caern’s rating + 4. Even a single success allows the caern heart to be “carried” by the Stargazer, but every success increases the time the Stargazer may “carry” the caern with her. One success allows the Stargazer to hold the caern spirit within for a number of hours equal to 10 minus the caern’s rating. Every success beyond the first on the roll allows for one full day to be added onto the time allowed. If the Stargazer attempts to keep the caern within past this “time limit,” she takes one unsoakable aggravated level of damage per hour until she dies. If the Stargazer dies, the caern dies and cannot be recovered. “Dropping” the caern heart into a new location requires that a number of permanent Gnosis points be spent equal to the caern’s rating. If the Stargazer does not have the requisite Gnosis to spend, she may take two aggravated levels per one Gnosis point missing. She must still spend at least one permanent Gnosis point in this manner, however, or the caern is not re-anchored to a new location. At any time during the “carrying” of the caern’s heart, the Stargazer may simply reject the caern spirit and eject it from her form without any roll or Gnosis expenditure — but this unequivocally destroys the caern, and it may never return. Caern Rites WtA: Tribebook Stargazers (rev)
Vigor of the Departed 2 Two things are important to many Stargazers: the veneration of their ancestry and the tamping down of uncontrollable Rage. This ritual is an answer, somewhat, to both of these presumed Stargazer “duties.” With this rite (which can only be performed under the werewolf’s own birth moon) a Stargazer calls upon his ancestors to help him understand some mastery (however temporary) over his anger, wrath, and fury. The Garou must sit in the middle of an empty room, or if outdoors must perform the rite where there are no people within sight. Then, the Stargazer must concoct a makeshift shrine to his ancestors, cobbled together of items that were important to his ancestors or somehow symbolize the departed. Finally, the Garou must also place two slips of paper, one in each palm. On these slips of paper, called kangshin, there must be written a list of her ancestor’s names. From there, the Stargazer meditates upon her antecedents, and seeks enlightenment from those who have come before him. Come morning, the werewolf will find that his Rage has been lessened. The primal fury within has been dampened, and up until the next dawn of his auspice moon, the Stargazer can try to deny any frenzy with a simple memory of her ancestor’s wisdom. The vigor of the departed is thus transferred, for a short time, to the Garou. The Stargazer must perform the rite as described above. The player rolls Charisma + Rituals (difficulty 8). If even one success is obtained, the rite is successful. When successful, the Stargazer can attempt to deny any potential frenzy that may happen until the next rise of his auspice moon. The player may re-roll any failed frenzy check called for during this period; the results of the second roll stand. If the roll to perform the rite fails, nothing happens. If the roll botches, the Stargazer enters an instant frenzy that lasts for the remainder of the scene. This rite only functions when performed under the Stargazer’s own birth moon. Rites of Death WtA: Tribebook Stargazers (rev)
Buying Back the Soul 2 Also called the “Rite of Lalu-chilu,” this rite is meant to help a Stargazer track the next incarnation of another of his tribe. Incarnations are important to the Stargazers — when one dies, it’s believed that, while their spirit may linger for a time, the Emerald Mother returns them quickly to the world to do her work once again. The quandary is then, so why aren’t there the same number of Stargazers now as there were in the beginning? The problem is, new Garou aren’t being born. The body is like a vessel, and while in the womb it sits, vacant of the ancestral incarnation. But the biology is already determined. While the ancestral spirit may “become” the new child, that new child is more than likely not a Stargazer werewolf. Hence, the incarnations are still being born, but into the bodies of kin, not Garou. To perform this rite, the ritemaster must be present at the death of the Stargazer whose soul he wishes to track. Once the Garou has departed, this rite must be performed within twelve hours, or it will provide no answers. The one performing the rite mixes some of the fallen Garou’s blood in a bowl with equal parts milk. The liquid must be stirred by the ritemaster’s own fingers or hands, and then a piece of cake or bread must be soaked thoroughly in the mixture. The ritemaster eats the bread or cake, and when next he sleeps, he will be granted a vision of the newborn meant to house the next incarnation of the dead Stargazer. He will also be given a location, but no name or other pertinent information. Many Garou performing this will then seek out the newborn caught up in this transmigration of souls in the hopes that a kin-fetch spirit will be there and the child will be Garou. The Stargazer must enact the rite as described above, with all conditions present. The player rolls Perception + Rituals, and the difficulty of the roll is the departed Garou’s permanent Rage score. The greater the successes, the longer the vision. This allows the ritemaster to more clearly see details of the identity (or other pertinent information) regarding the child. At the Storyteller’s behest, the player can roll a Perception + Investigation roll, with the difficulty being 10 minus the number of successes gained on the roll to perform the rite. This roll can allow the Stargazer to pick up on key details that may help her further track the child. Note that the presence of this rite does not guarantee that any given Stargazer will undergo a second incarnation; if all Stargazers reincarnated, the tribe would have no ancestor-spirits. Rites of Death WtA: Tribebook Stargazers (rev)
Rite of Knowing 2 The Stargazers, ever on a quest to answer the riddles of the cosmos, often turn to divination to puzzle out some of the more oblique conundrums of the universe — sometimes to even solve those questions that haven’t yet been asked. There are many forms of divination available to Stargazers (or to anybody, really). Sciomancy is divination by shadows or darkness. Divination by smoke is called Capnomancy. Onomancy is the divination by the letters in a person’s name. Tephramancy is divination by ashes, catoptromancy is divination by mirrors, and austromancy is divination using the wind as a guide. There are other popular divination tools, as well. The chosen form of divination ultimately doesn’t matter, only that the Stargazer uses it and believes in it. The Stargazer lays out her divination tools as proper (which may involve throwing bones, dice, or standing on a peak and examining the winds). The items before her then literally become infused with their spiritual counterparts. Dice may begin rolling of their own accord, the winds may begin blowing and whispering in the Stargazer’s ear, and ashes may hang suspended in the air and reveal a shadowy face. Secret truths are imparted to the Stargazer, though they are not particularly clear at first. The ritemaster rolls Wits + Rituals (difficulty 7). She must perform the divination for at least the scope of an entire scene. Each success on the roll to perform the rite allows her to “collect” an additional Enigmas die that may be used at a later time. These added bonus dice do not need to be used all at once. (For instance, Matthias Heavens-Turning performs the rite and achieves four successes with translate into added dice for later Enigmas rolls. The next day he is trying to solve a particularly frustrating riddle given to him by his mentor, so he uses three of the four dice then. The following night he is stargazing, seeking truth about his own mission from the celestial bodies, and he adds his final bonus die to the Enigmas roll called for by the Storyteller.) The additional dice, if unused after 24 hours, go away. A Stargazer can only perform this rite once in a given week, and thus may not accumulate further bonuses by performing this rite several times in a row. Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Stargazers (rev)
Rite of the Seed of Desire 3 Desire, in and of itself, is unavoidable. Everybody wants something, and few Stargazers deny this. However, many Stargazers also openly deny their own desires, giving in only to the beneficial desires of others (or the desires of the world). Lust, greed, gluttony — these traditional “sins” are also the seeds of desire that afflict all. Stargazers would seem the model of desire denial, and many of them are. Unfortunately, however, this repression also lends itself to the theory that every action has an equal and opposite reaction, and sometimes tamping down one’s own desires causes them to pop up later at twice the strength. The longer one denies, sometimes the harder it is to deny the sweet succor of want. This ritual helps curtail that, to a degree. When performed, it literally gives spiritual form to a Stargazer’s desires, in the form of an Urge-Spirit. In the Umbra, around the Stargazer, the Urge-Spirit manifests and can thus be communicated with, defeated, or even bound into a fetish. If the spirit is thus diminished, so are the Stargazer’s prevalent “bad” desires. This rite is only performed on those Stargazers found truly desirous of negative things, however. For instance, a Stargazer with a bad chocolate habit or unrequited love in his heart doesn’t usually count as one who is besieged by negative urges. Only those Stargazers who are plagued by grievous desires (or who have already given into them) are the subject of this rite. A Stargazer who is addicted to pain medication (or, alternatively, pain) is a good choice, as is a Stargazer with a dangerous love of money, women, or alcohol. The ritemaster must spend at least eight hours in the company of the “afflicted.” After the eight hours is complete, the ritemaster must speak the mantra of desire (Aum-Klim) over the subject before blowing bone dust in the subject’s face. The rite must be performed as above. The player rolls Charisma + Rituals. The difficulty begins at 10, and is reduced by the number of Willpower points spent. Both the ritemaster and the subject of the rite can spend Willpower to reduce the difficulty of this roll. The successes achieved determine the temperament and demeanor of the Urge-spirit that manifests according to the following results: Successes - Effects
1 - Spirit comes eventually and is initially hostile
2 - Spirits manifests quickly, but is still initially hostile
3 - Spirit comes immediately and is neutral
4 - Spirit comes immediately and is passively benign
5 - Spirit comes immediately and is friendly
If the roll botches, there are disastrous consequences. The Urge-spirit doesn’t manifest, but becomes Wyrm taint that afflicts both subject and ritemaster. If the Urge-spirit is successfully summoned and dealt with, the subject is “clean” of the negative desire (although it may grow strong again if unchecked). If the spirit isn’t successfully dealt with and is allowed to escape and return “home” to the Stargazer at the end of the scene, the subject loses one point of Wisdom renown, and the ritemaster loses two. The Urge-Spirit has the following Traits: Willpower 7, Rage 9, Gnosis 5, Essence 20-30
Charms: Materialize, Blast, Corruption
Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Stargazers (rev)
Pilgrimage of Non-Being 4 This rite is forced upon a Stargazer who has committed a grievous sin against sept or tribe. It is reserved for one who has brought deep shame to himself and others. The Stargazer’s hands are bound, and he is lead over a period of months to a number of Stargazer holy places. At each caern, the offending Garou must eat ashes while the caern guardians condemn and then ignore the Stargazer. At the final caern, upon completing this grim pilgrimage, the Stargazer’s entire identity and memory fall away, toppling like a house of cards that can never be rebuilt. He becomes tabula rasa, a clean slate, unable to regain the most simple and intimate of memories — not even his own name. Most of the tribe views this rite as the utmost of punishments, but a rare few view it as a reward. Some believe that one of the highest states of being is actually a state of non-being, and they seek to have this rite performed upon them so that their souls may transcend. There is an even lesser held belief that this rite is useful for curing Harano; however, to make that worthwhile, one would have to find a way to allow the old memories and identity to resurface after the rite is completed, but as yet, nobody has come forth with a means to make that happen. The ritemaster must travel with the Stargazer to be punished, and must escort him to a number of caerns equal to the offender’s Rage score. The punished must be taken to the very heart of each caern, where each guardian congregates, aiding in the ritual as defined above. Once this pilgrimage is completed and all caerns have been visited accordingly, the player rolls Charisma + Rituals roll (difficulty of the offender’s current Rank + 4). If successful, the punished Garou loses all Renown, and must start anew. He also loses his identity and all the memories associated with it. All other Traits, however, remain the same. If this rite fails, it’s assumed to be a sign from the Emerald Mother that the offending Stargazer can be redeemed by other means. A botch on this roll means that the ritemaster loses five points of Wisdom, and the offending Garou loses nothing (including his memory). Punishment Rites WtA: Tribebook Stargazers (rev)
Tea Ceremony -

The Stargazer tea ceremony is a both a social

occasion and a meditation practice. It allows a Stargazer

to center herself, both through uncomplicated

conversation and through the calming simplicity of

drinking hot tea.

The Stargazer must engage in the tea ceremony with at least one other person (they need not be a Garou) once a day for an entire lunar cycle. Should the Stargazer do so, she gains an extra die on all rolls involving understanding the motivations and desires of others. If the Garou misses even a single day’s ceremony, she must start anew during the next lunar cycle. Minor Rites WtA: Tribebook Stargazers (rev)
Ancestor Veneration - As has been stated, Stargazers are often closer to their forebears and spiritual ancestors than most other Garou. They tend to erect and maintain sometimes simple, other times elaborate shrines to their antecedents, hoping to gain favor from them and elevate them above their once-living stations. Many Stargazers sit at these constructed shrines and pray in an effort to venerate their ancestors, partially to honor them, and partially to gain a greater connection to them. The Stargazer’s shrine must be composed of items appropriate to their ancestors — ancestral items, pictures, writings, or anything else that elicits an honorable and wise memory of them. If the Stargazer worships and prays at the shrine for at least an hour, every day, for a month, he may reroll one die on any Ancestors roll (the second result stands, however) provided he makes an effort to continue venerating his ancestors daily. Minor Rites WtA: Tribebook Stargazers (rev)
Rite of Balance 3 The Triat is in everyone, but sometimes one aspect touches a person more strongly than another. This imbalance manifests in many ways, from a Wyld-fed madness to Wyrm-spawned depression or the joyless routine of the Weaver. Packs delving into Cyber realms for extended periods or conducting raids on Black Spiral Dancer Hives come back changed, Tainted. This rite seeks to bring them back into balance, to restore the Garou’s harmony with Gaia. The ritual varies depending on the relative strength of each of the Triatic influences within the subject. The ritemaster and her assistants paint glyphs and sigils of power on the subject, followed by a bath in a stream to wash away the markings (this cleansing ritual is similar to the rite Washing the Spirit, given in Croatan Song). Then, in a medicine lodge or other neutral place, the ritemaster conducts a series of chants and songs and drumming, using sacred herbs, bones and stones, as well as a sacred fire. At the end of the rite, the player rolls Wits + Rituals (difficulty 7, higher if the Taint is particularly strong). Three successes completely restore the balance within the subject, while fewer successes indicate partial rebalancing. In addition, the untainted subject regains a temporary Willpower point. The rite lasts half a day and usually begins at sunrise or sunset. For particularly strong Taints, the rite may be repeated up to three more times (but must be held consecutively, with no one leaving the lodge). At the beginning of each repetition, the ritemaster must make a successful Stamina + Rituals roll (see Endurance and Rituals, below. Alternately, if you use the 1-5 Taint rating system given in the Players Guide to the Garou, the difficulty will be 4 + Taint level; each success decreases the Taint rating by one). Note that when a Taint runs more deeply, performing this rite alone won’t cure it. Taints bought as Merits or Flaws must be bought off with experience points, and usually require a more rigorous treatment (often a quest to a sacred place of balance). This rite treats symptoms — a Triatic Imbalance — without addressing the cause. Someone recently exposed to yrmish spiritual energies could be brought into balance, while a Fomori still possessed by a Bane would regain his Taint immediately. Rites of Accord WtA: Tribebook Uktena (rev)
Rite of the Sacred Fire 1 The sacred fire is a focal point of spiritual life in many septs, for like the heart of the caern it connects the physical and spirit realms — the flame burns in both. Sacred fires are tended with reverence in medicine lodges or caves, or more rarely outside — spirits are attracted to them like the proverbial moths to a flame, so such a fire would make a site pretty crowded even for an Uktena caern. Building a sacred fire in turn increases the effectiveness of other mystic endeavors. A sacred fire is to be treated with respect. While an individual may remake sacred fires at need, it is considered more honorable to maintain one. Many septs maintain the fire for a year at a stretch, while others have kept theirs burning for years or even generations. The fire is built using sanctified materials (including a small pinch of spiritually active tobacco) and started with flint sparks or with wood friction — never a lighter or match. The base of the fire consists of four logs that point in the cardinal directions. At the moment of lighting, the Garou expends a Gnosis point and makes a Wits + Rituals roll (difficulty is the local Gauntlet rating). Each additional Gnosis point spent lowers the difficulty by one. If successful, the flame ignites in the Penumbra and all Mystic Rites or other Rites dealing with spirits (such as Contrition) may be performed at -1 difficulty per two successes (after the first). At the Storyteller’s option, other spirit dealings may go more smoothly, for the building of the fire indicates a respect for the old traditions and knowledge of the ancient pacts between spirit and Garou. The area covered by this rite is typically as far as the flame’s heat can be felt (a medium-sized room or medicine lodge counts). The sacred fire lasts for as long as it is tended with sanctified materials. Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Uktena (rev)
Prayer of the Seeking 1 This is actually a modified (and much more complex) Prayer for the Prey, which is only taught to Uktena’s children. Before a hunt for a specific item of lore or magic (such as a lost fetish or tome), the Garou prays while holding an attuned object (usually a water snake skin or, for the fortunate, an uktena scale). If successful, the Uktena finds the search much easier. If the attuned focus is lost, a new one must be found and attuned in order for the rite to work; attuned foci are personal and cannot be transferred. Smart Garou usually give some token of their gratitude for particularly successful uses of this rite. Initial attunement of an ordinary focus requires the expenditure of a temporary Gnosis point; an uktena scale is already considered attuned to the owner. Before the search begins, the Garou prays to Great Uktena while holding the focus; the player makes a Wits + Rituals roll (difficulty 7, or 6 if the focus is an uktena scale). For every two successes, the player may add one die to any Enigmas, Investigation or Occult roll related to the search for the object in question. Alternately, in difficult cases the Storyteller may drop hints in the form of omens, waking visions or intuitive leaps to get the ball rolling. The object must be of lore or magical value. The bonus ends when the Garou diverts from the quest for any reason (including sleep or eating, not including fighting guards who bar the Garou’s path to the goal). Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Uktena (rev)
Rite of the Spirit Cage 3 The Uktena believe that killing a spirit, even a Bane, is not always the best thing to do — particularly when time is needed to question, bargain with or even bind said entity. This rite allows the Uktena to trap a spirit in a cage of energy. The Uktena creates a circle (usually less than 9 feet in diameter) in the physical realm. The circle is often made of flint or obsidian chips, but sometimes of candles or burning wood. Succeeding in the Wits + Rituals roll (difficulty 7) “primes” the cage; when the spirit has been lured to the circle, the The Penumbral air around the spirit comes alive with spiritual representations of the circle — in the above example, that would be rapidly whirling slivers of obsidian or leaping tongues of flame. The barrier inhibits the use of most Charms. To push through the barrier, the captive has to score more successes on a Rage roll (difficulty is the ritemaster’s Wits +Rituals) than the ritemaster had. Even if it manages to push through, it suffers Aggravated damage equal to the ritemaster’s successes. This works both ways. Garou cannot breach the circle without damage, although the ritemaster can drop the cage at any time. The rite lasts an hour per success, and each additional Gnosis contributed extends the duration by an hour. However, if the circle is disturbed (a candle flickers out or the boundary is broken), the power collapses. Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Uktena (rev)
Rite of Invitation to the Ancestors 4 Most often used in conjunction with the Spirit’s Horse Gift, this rite readies a moot or council of Uktena to welcome an ancestor spirit into its midst. Usually, the werewolves sing and dance to honor the tribal ancestors. Special foods are eaten, and invocations of sacred words may be made to the sun, moon or other natural elements, depending on the cultural backgrounds of the Uktena. Some werewolves use this rite without the Gift of Spirit’s Horse, to honor their ancestors and fallen heroes. While no rolls are needed, some werewolves expend Gnosis as an offering to their ancestors. Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Uktena (rev)
Rite of Bane Binding 5 One of the Uktena’s most important self-appointed tasks is the capture and binding of powerful Banes that, for whatever reason, cannot be destroyed. The Uktena performing this rite consider it one of the most sacred and dangerous of all their mystical duties; they know the chances are great that many will die in completing the ritual, so it is never undertaken without serious forethought. The ritemaster begins by leading participants through a ritual chant and dance intended to subdue the Bane. All the werewolves then sacrifice Gnosis (usually many points) so the ritemaster may weave a net of power to contain the Bane; if all Gnosis is expended, then Willpower and finally Stamina is spent to successfully complete the rite. The ritemaster’s player then rolls Wits + Rituals, difficulty 9. For every 20 points of combined Gnosis, Willpower and Stamina spent, the difficulty drops by one, to a minimum of difficulty 7. One success is needed to create the cage that holds the Bane; additional successes add to the strength of the Bane’s confinement. Should the ritemaster’s player fail the roll, the character remains alive, but the Bane is not contained, and is extremely angry. A botch indicates the immediate and messy death of the ritemaster. All players must also make a roll on their characters’ current Stamina. Even one success at the same difficulty indicates they survive, but are likely exhausted. A failure means the werewolf dies from the rigors of participating in the rite. Needless to say, living or dead, participants in this rite deserve a good measure of Renown for their bravery and honor. Note that while this Rite works for many powerful Banes, the greatest spiritual evils (such as the Storm Eater) require still more powerful rites, which are specific to the individual Bane. Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Uktena (rev)
Mockery Curing Way 5 From time out of mind, one of the worst nightmares for a Garou was for one of her Kinfolk to be possessed by a Bane. Taint could be cleansed, but the Wyrm-spirit joined body and soul too thoroughly to extricate without destroying the host; even with a powerful healer at the ready, an exorcism frequently left the host shattered in mind and spirit. Worse still, the Bane often escaped into the Umbra to possess again another day. More often than not, Garou saw killing the victim as an agonizing but necessary task. Recently, an Uktena pack returned from a decadelong quest with a ritual that offers a (slightly) better chance to both destroy the spirit and preserve the patient. Rather than ripping the Bane from the body, the rite drains its energy until it shrivels and pulls away like a withered creeper vine. So far, the pack’s sept has kept the Rite quiet as they perfect their practice of it. Several fomori have been cured, but many more have died; two Garou nearly died in the process. Soon, though, they will present it to the Grand Council. It is hoped that the rite will disseminate throughout the tribe, and as word spreads the Garou Nation will have a newfound respect for the dark questers of the Pure Lands. The fomor is usually bound, and rendered generally powerless, but state of consciousness is irrelevant. The chants that open the rite ensure the Bane is locked within the body — for better or worse. Other werewolves may assist the ritemaster, but all must be consecrated to the purpose beforehand by undergoing a purification ritual. The ritemaster spends a Gnosis point; the player rolls Wits + Rituals (difficulty is the Bane’s Willpower), adding one die for every additional Gnosis point spent (other participants may contribute). Successes count against the Bane’s Essence; when Essence reaches zero, the Bane falls into Slumber. Seen from the Umbra the shriveled Bane is draped around the victim and may be pulled off and destroyed. A new roll can be attempted every hour with an additional expenditure of Gnosis, but the ritual is exhausting for all participants (See sidebar). A very powerful Bane can take hours or even days to defeat. Unfortunately, the host may not be able to stand the strain. The Bane fights back if it can. If it is unable to do so, it tears the victim apart, doing three levels of aggravated damage, minus successes for that hour (in other words, if the ritemaster gets two successes, the victim takes one health level of damage). On a botch, the Bane can make a break for it, doing its Rage in unsoakable aggravated damage on its way out. Damage may be healed by a Gift, assuming the healer can touch the subject. Afterward, the ritual area and all participants are tainted by the corrupt Essence that hemorrhaged from the Bane during the rite, and all must be thoroughly cleansed through a purification ritual. Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Uktena (rev)
Rite of Counting Coup 2 At the new moon, the ritemaster must carve a wooden rod or wand, preferably taken from the trunk of an ash tree or a pine tree. The rod must be the length of her own forearm, from tip of the elbow to tip of the longest claw. Into the rod, the ritemaster must carve a message of punishment, detailing either with symbols or words the transgressions of the Garou to be punished. Three eagle feathers are sometimes tied to the end of the rod, using a strip of leather or sinew. The ritemaster may keep this rod, or award it to someone who has been wronged by the werewolf in question. To complete the rite, she only needs to tap the target Garou on the shoulder or head with the rod. The taking of this coup triggers deep submission and remorse in the punished Garou, lessening their Renown, an effect that is not relieved until the next new moon. The ritemaster must make the standard Charisma + Rituals rolls at a difficulty of 7. The act of counting coup must take place in public. If the punished Garou is guilty, the amount of Honor Renown she loses increases by one point for every 5 witnesses. Similarly, the amount of Honor Renown awarded to the coup-giver and/or the ritemaster increases by one point for every 5 witnesses. However, if the Garou is not guilty of the deeds that have been inscribed onto the wand, it breaks when she takes the coup, and the ritemaster and the wielder of the wand suffer a loss of 1 point of Honor Renown and 1 point of Wisdom Renown. Rites of Punishment WtA: Tribebook Wendigo (rev)
Summon the Tupilaq 5 “The ritemaster collected the bones of a bunch of different animals: bear, seal, fish, walrus, horse, deer. Since the totem of Yellow Fang’s pack was Wisagatcaq, the ritemaster added the bones of a jaybird’s wings. Then he bound the pile of bones together, with sinew and fresh intestines, tying knots in an order I didn’t understand, singing in a language none of us knew. He laid the entire thing onto the whole skin of a wolf that’d died of natural causes, and sewed the wolf skin shut with a needle of bone. With his bare hands, he dug a grave into the earth of the caern, which scared the piss out of anyone who hadn’t already wet themselves. And then he just… threw the bundle into it. The rest of us put a rock on top of the grave and said Yellow Fang’s name. We covered it up fast. Nobody wanted to see the empty wolf skin, lying there in the ground. “The wrath of Great Wendigo rose, then. I could barely believe what I was seeing. I saw the curling of ice-smoke seeping out of the jumble of rocks, making the bloody heap underneath twitch, shudder, and finally crawl to its feet. With a horrifying, halting jerk, the thing awoke — its skin was lurching and shuddering around, but I could tell the bones inside it were knitting together somehow. The abomination scrabbled to get its balance and then started off southward, unstoppably plowing through the snow, leaving an incredibly corrupt stench in its wake. I think we all threw up then, even the ritemaster. The Tupilaq was on the Hunt. “Two days later, Jini Grey-Cloud found what was left of Yellow Fang, outside the cave where he had been hiding. The Tupilaq must have dragged him out. Jini never could bring herself to tell me what she saw. She told us she left him there for the crows.” — from the writings of Theodore Sha-wun-uk, Wendigo wildlife conservationist. The ritemaster must ascertain, through the successful completion of another Rite of Punishment of lower level, that the traitor Garou is worthy of death. Because of the horrible nature of this rite, it is generally reserved only for those who commit the worst offenses, such as eating the flesh of humans or wolves, openly ignoring an honorable surrender, or damaging or destroying a caern. The Tupilaq is summoned by assembling a group of accusers, each of whom offer their own knowledge of the traitor’s transgressions during the rite, either aloud or silently. The ritemaster must make a Charisma + Rituals roll, as usual, and all other participants in the rite must spend a point of Gnosis to contribute to the rite. Once the Tupilaq has been unleashed, nothing keeps it from killing its quarry. Rites of Punishment WtA: Tribebook Wendigo (rev)
Rite of Remembrance 1 To perform this rite, the werewolves in mourning for a dead Garou gather in solemnity. Occasionally, human Kinfolk are invited to join, if they were particularly close to the departed Garou, or of her bloodline. Everyone in attendance at the rite should bring with them an object or item: one that belonged to the deceased, was given to them by the deceased, or commemorates something about her life and deeds. Then, during the rite, each participant should step forward and display the item, relating its story. The objects are often collected into a medicine bundle, or stored in a ritually carved box or chest, although what is done with the items varies from tribe to tribe. The items and the sadness all should be sacrificed, regardless. The box can be burnt, sending the collected smoke of all the memories onto the wind, into the next world along with the spirit of the dead Garou; or the box can be buried for a period of time (usually a lunar year) until the pain of mourning has lessened, then unearthed to signify the continuance of life, before being destroyed. The place where the box is buried is considered sacred, like a caern, for the duration of its interment. The ritemaster indicates who is to tell their story, usually in order of rank, from lowest to highest. Enemies of the deceased Garou have been known to attend a Rite of Remembrance. Unlike a simple Gathering for the Departed, which sometimes can make a connection to the spirit world through the power of released emotion, this is a rite performed chiefly to aid in the grieving of the living, and does not influence the spirits of the dead or any other ancestor-spirits. At the Storyteller’s discretion, this rite may improve the Renown of the dead Garou; a particularly good story may also give the teller a point of Wisdom Renown as well, especially if she is a Galliard. Rites of Death WtA: Tribebook Wendigo (rev)
Rite of the Sin-Eater 2 Performing this rite allows the ritemaster to take into herself, literally, the outstanding issues or sins of a restless spirit or ghost. She does this by meditating and summoning the spirit, binding it into a prepared piece of food, and eating it. She then calls out the name of the ghost and chants aloud the essence of the unsolved matter, declaring that she has taken the matter upon herself to settle. The ritemaster is then compelled to right whatever wrongs keep the ghost from passing on peacefully. Only when the matter is resolved can the spirit find its way to its deserved next life in the afterworld. Since the ghost in question usually brings itself to someone’s attention through its unquiet nature, it is much easier for a mystic to summon it. However, depending on how unsettled the spirit is, it may be conversely much more difficult to coerce it to cooperate with the rite, admit that it cannot solve the problem itself, and allow itself to be bound and consumed. Often other trusted kin of the spirit attend this ceremony and help the ritemaster to convince the ghost that the rite can help it. The ritemaster does not need to pierce the Gauntlet or enter the Umbra, as in most Mystic rites such as the Rite of Summoning, but she does need to spend a point of Gnosis in order to contact the spirit. The Storyteller should determine ahead of time what crime or sin has kept the ghost from passing on to the lands of its ancestors, and what clues this rite might provide the sin-eater to aid it. To bind the ghost to the piece of food, she must successfully make a Charisma + Intimidation roll against the difficulty of the ghost’s Willpower. Once the binding has been achieved and the ritemaster has consumed the food, she makes a Charisma + Rituals roll against the difficulty of the ghost’s Rage. The more successes she rolls, the easier it is for her to absolve the sin or find the source of the problem and solve it, restoring all things to their natural balance. Rites of Death WtA: Tribebook Wendigo (rev)
Rite of Nightshade 4 The Garou participating in this rite must all partake of a carefully brewed tea that contains a considerable amount of a particular narcotic, usually including nightshade as one of the ingredients. This sends all who drink it into a state of Reaching — piercing the Gauntlet and allowing the Near Umbra to become more accessible — that generally lasts for at least three days. The ritemaster and the participants must then focus their attention upon a particular object that is placed at the center of a ritual circle. The ritemaster calls upon Wendigo ancestor-spirits, asking them to tell the story of the object, from its birth until the current time. In this way, the rite can chain together a history of whoever touched the object, what the object was used for, or what it saw, heard, or experienced. If the object is the focus of a very powerful emotion or meaningful event, the ancestor-spirits are more likely to retrieve and share more of their memories. Anyone drinking the poisonous nightshade tea automatically spends a point of Gnosis and loses a Health Level. The ritual participants must spend at least 6 Gnosis point to discover any useful information about the object. The success of the rite is dependent on the Gauntlet rating of the place where the rite is being performed. The ritemaster must match this number with an extended test of Charisma + Rituals. If she does not make this roll, she may spend a point of Health and a point of Gnosis to add an additional success. As the rite continues, the ritemaster may make one roll on this extended test every hour. Rites of Death WtA: Tribebook Wendigo (rev)
Rite of the Fire Dance 2 To renew the power residing in a caern of Healing, werewolves may perform this rite, which counteracts the effects of pain and allows the cooling powers of a Water elemental or other spirit to rise further to the surface. The ritemaster should prepare a layer of burning coals, wood chips, peat, moss, or caribou droppings. The participating werewolves then dance upon the fire, howling and capering, proudly declaring their imperviousness to the searing heat. Sometimes the dancers smear their paws or feet with layers of white clay, if such can be had, to prevent burns and blisters. They can also chew the leaves of several herbs known to reduce pain. Only these worldly natural gifts of Gaia, such as plants, animals, earth, or wind, may be used to protect a dancer from being burned. Mystical aids only drain more power, and so a fire dancer should never use another Gift, fetish, talen, or other rite to guard her from the fire. Wendigo believe that they should enact this rite on the night of the 13th full moon of each year. A fire dancer must roll her Stamina + Rituals successfully to take part in the rite without damaging herself. Together all the dancers must spend more combined Gnosis than five times the current level of the caern, in order to refresh the caern’s power. The completion of this rite also earns a dancer a point of Glory Renown. It is considered particularly good luck if the ritemaster cannot keep the fires lit once the rite has begun. Caern Rites WtA: Tribebook Wendigo (rev)
Rite of the Great Bear 3 The Great Bear is one of the most easily identifiable constellations; ever-present over the frozen horizon, it serves as a constant reminder of the power of the North and the Sacred Pole. Stories have given it different forms and names — a reindeer, a coffin, a dipper, a chariot for kings, a spurned maiden — but in most legends told by Gaia’s people, it takes the shape of the Bear. One of the oldest legends tells of three stars, the bright spirits of three brave warriors. Throughout the year they pursued their prey, a pure white bear bigger than all three men put together. When autumn came, their spears finally found their target, and the blood of the Great Bear dripped down from the heavens, to turn the leaves of all the trees red as he died. This rite celebrates the fierce and determined spirits of these three Star-Hunters, by sending three brave new avatars back into pursuit of a single target of the ritemaster’s choice. For the Rite of the Great Hunt, a sept or a ritemaster is usually sent a vision from Gaia, indicating a worthy victim or sacrifice. In order to add to this rite a hunt for the Great Bear, the Spirit of Great Wendigo conveys his own, separate message and target, but to the ritemaster alone. A ritemaster must be confident in her bond with Gaia and Great Wendigo, and also confident that her septmates are willing to trust her vision and risk shame to achieve even greater glory. Although Gaia has been known to sacrifice one of the Garou as the quarry for Her rite, Great Wendigo never chooses one of his children as the target. Usually the prey of each hunt is different, but tend to possess some mystical bond or connection that may not become evident until both rites are completed. >This is a seasonal rite, and should be incorporated into the Rite of the Great Hunt, which is traditionally performed at Midsummer. The Rite of the Great Bear cannot be completed unless the Rite of the Great Hunt is successful. The hunt for the Great Bear, however, lasts longer than a day, and must be completed by the autumnal equinox. If the Star-Hunters have not captured and killed their quarry by this time, the shame becomes truly damaging. Any points of Glory Renown earned by a character for the completion of the Great Hunt are totally lost. However, if the hunt for the Great Bear is finished successfully, the gain of Glory for each character participating in the rite rises another three points — once for each of the three Bear Hunters. Rites of Renown WtA: Tribebook Wendigo (rev)
Rite of the Vipers 4 Two enemies agree to meet within the bounds of a neutral caern. A magical circle is inscribed by a neutral ritemaster, surrounding the caern. Once the circle is closed, the foes may neither leave the circle nor fight each other until they have completed their part of the rite — the carving of two sacred knives, from a common piece of ivory tusk or bone. They may bring no tools, but only use the sharpness of their claws. Together, they must crouch and work, side by side like kin, controlling their Rage and their form. The two foes must dedicate themselves without rest, food, or aid, to the creation of their weapon, the instrument of their vengeance. Once a knife is perfected, to the pleasure of Gaia, its edge bursts into an unmistakable glow of cold blue light. The creator of that knife may then attack her foe as she desires. The slower Garou, if she can survive the first blow, may not depart the magic circle or defend herself until her knife is finished and found satisfying to Gaia. Usually this rite ends with the death of one of the two rivals; because of this, the performing of this rite is naturally discouraged, because any loss of Garou life brings the Apocalypse one step closer. For every hour that passes within the circle, each Garou must make a Rage roll of increasing difficulty, beginning at 4. They each must also roll Crafts + Ritual against each other, to indicate how well the knife is being carved. If either opponent should fall into frenzy before completing her task, the rite is considered to have been violated. The ritemaster may then either dissolve the boundary circle, allowing external interference or aid, or she may keep the circle closed and simply allow the non-frenzied Garou to fight back in her own defense, without finishing the carving of the knife. As in all duels, the ritemaster is considered to be the Master of the Challenge. Any Garou that is wounded must make a check not to frenzy. If the latter situation is chosen, it’s considered proper for the victor to finish the carving her knife in thanks to Gaia, after her foe has been defeated. If the ritemaster wishes, additional Renown may be awarded to the victor, depending on the beauty or quality of the knife, which then is usually worn openly with pride. The knife thereafter is ready to be enchanted as a fetish, with a particular affinity for spirits with high Rage. Rites of Renown WtA: Tribebook Wendigo (rev)
Song of the Longest Night 1 Even the wild spirit of Great Wendigo grows weary, after eons of battle against the ever-encroaching madness of the Wyrm and the Weaver. His cold fury, like all sources of Gaia’s might, needs renewal and respite in order that he continue to guide and guard his children. In gratitude for the blessings he grants his tribe, for the enduring strength he lends them, once every year, Wendigo’s children offer to him the gift of rest. On the longest night of the winter, all Wendigo gather respectfully at their closest caern, or simply in a place of safety with their pack. Upon the setting of the sun and the rise of Luna, the Garou join their voices together in a howling lullaby, serenading Wendigo into his only night of sleep. The sound of these gentle, sustained and soothing howls allows him to rest in the bosom of Gaia, replenishing himself from the uncorrupted and chaotic fount of the Wyld. Meanwhile, Wendigo’s children remain quiet and awake, keeping a vigil through darkness, protecting their Kinfolk and themselves. On Midwinter morning, when the sun rises, the Garou waken Great Wendigo with a howl of welcome and joy akin to the Cry of Elation, welcoming him back with pride and singing the glories of the coming year. Then the partying begins; all should rejoice with feasting, merrymaking, brawling, and reveling in their bonds to each other and to Great Wendigo. Often Galliards regale their Kin with stories of exceptional bravery, gratitude and wisdom. Camp celebrations have been known to last for several days. Usually all activities and travel come to a stop on the Longest Night, and it is considered a damnable crime to perform any rites or use any Gifts that would need Wendigo’s attention or participation. Wendigo himself deals with the foolish Garou who wakes him before dawn immediately and severely, if other werewolves don’t get to her first. Interrupting Great Wendigo’s sleep may endanger the lives and spirits of the entire tribe — nobody knows for sure what horrible things may happen, though, because so far no one has been quite that stupid. In addition to the usual roll of Charisma + Rituals made by the ritemaster at a difficulty level of 6, in order to mark the beginning of the rite, every participating Garou has the option of spending a point of Gnosis, as their personal offering of energy to aid in Great Wendigo’s rejuvenation. Whether Wendigo returns the favor later remains at the Storyteller’s discretion. Rites of Accord WtA: Tribebook Wendigo (rev)
Rite of the Heavy Heart 3 This rite is generally performed after the completion of any rite where a Garou is killed for her transgressions, in an attempt to restore Gaia’s balance to the tribe. For example, the rite’s ameliorating effects are cast upon a pack or sept after the conclusion of the Hunt of a cannibal Garou, the Rite of the Vipers, Gaia’s Vengeful Teeth, or the Summoning of the Tupilaq. The participants chant to Gaia and Great Wendigo their regret for the killing of a brother or sister; regardless of the fact that she deserved to die, the loss of a Garou life is not a thing to celebrate. No matter how difficult it may be, each werewolf at the rite should recite something redeeming, worthwhile, or memorable about the dead Garou. The ritemaster and the participants then declare to the spirits their sorrow that they were unable to lead the traitor back from her offending path, and request that Gaia bear the traitor’s spirit into the afterlife of the ancestors with forgiveness and relief from shame. The ritemaster spends one point of Gnosis to awaken an untouched talen of Gaia, symbolizing the purity that is sought, and then makes a Charisma + Rituals roll at a difficulty 8. All participants in the rite also spend one point of Gnosis. Finally, at a difficulty of the Storyteller’s discretion, each participant should roll their Charisma + Empathy, in order to manage a sincere offering-tale for the redemption of the traitor Garou’s spirit. Rites of Accord WtA: Tribebook Wendigo (rev)
Rite of the Second Birth 5 This rarest of ceremonies is performed in order to absolve a cannibal Garou of their sin and remove the taint of their actions, at the cost of all their Rank and Renown. Because of the difficulty in completing this rite, and the ghastly nature of the situation itself, it is seldom finished, always performed in utter secrecy, and even more seldom discussed. Many ritemasters have argued that the risk of redeeming a cannibal can never be outweighed by the cannibal’s usefulness to the pack or tribe. It is generally decided, in a secret Council of the Second Birth, that the Garou in question possesses an ability or asset that is absolutely vital to the survival of the tribe. Only when this Council has come to this conclusion will the rite be prepared. The details of the rite itself are simple in contrast to the politics surrounding it. At the full moon, the cannibal Garou is brought blindfolded, bound and gagged, to the center of a concealed earthen circle. If the circle is discovered by anyone outside the rite’s council, the area is considered polluted and the rite fails. This ritual area must have been purified and consecrated to Gaia nightly over the course of one entire lunar month, using the Rite of Cleansing, the smoke of burnt birch or willow branches, and copious amounts of blood from two different ritemasters. One of the ritemasters howls the transgressions of the cannibal Garou in a Curse of Ignominy, standing at the westernmost point of the circle, reviling the villain’s deeds with discordant disdain. Simultaneously, the other ritemaster performs a Howl of Introduction from the easternmost point, reciting the new identity that the Garou will assume, assigning all the committed sins to the previous, vile persona. Both howls must end precisely at the same time. At this moment, the target of the rite, for all intents and purposes, has his Wyrm taint torn out by the hand of Gaia. Note that this taint remains a coherent spirit-thing in the nearby Umbra: it may evaporate, manifest as a spirit of some kind, or affix itself to another target, as befits the Storyteller’s needs. Whether or not this reborn Garou (always an Ahroun) still possesses the very powers and Gifts that made him so valuable is an entirely different risk undertaken by the Council. - Rites of Accord WtA: Tribebook Wendigo (rev)
Rite of the Sun Dance 2 A worthy Wendigo can make contact with the spirit-world without the use of drugs or smoke, driving herself into a state of Reaching simply by enduring pain. At the center of the caern or Glade, the participants must carve and erect a wooden totem pole, decorating it with long straps of rawhide or caribou skin. At the top of the pole, a caribou skull should be affixed, facing northwards. At the end of each strap hangs a sharpened hook, sometimes made of silver. At sunrise, the ritemaster, or the Garou who will undergo the rite, allows the hooks to be fastened into her flesh. Once the hooks are secured, the participants encourage the werewolf with a Howl of Introduction, announcing her intentions to Helios and the spirit world. Then they depart, leaving her alone, and the Sun Dance begins. Frequently, the Garou also cuts or otherwise mutilates herself repeatedly for a maximum amount of pain, offering up her blood in sacrifice to Gaia and Great Wendigo. The Dance usually lasts until the werewolf rips free of the hooks or otherwise collapses, although the longer she can continue through the pain and blood loss, the more power she can draw to herself. The ritemaster or the invoking Garou makes a Charisma + Rituals roll to announce the rite to the Umbra. She then makes a Gnosis roll, and any successes above the single one required add to the effectiveness of the rite, which endows the Garou with increased blessings of Helios. Whenever the sun shines upon her, for the remainder of the month, she is guarded by mystic spirits of Helios, the power level of the summoned spirit constrained by the difficulty level of the rite, as determined by the Storyteller (as in the Rite of Summoning): Spirit Type // Difficulty
Gaffling - 4
Jaggling - 5
Avatar - 6
Incarna - 8-9
Avatar of Helios - 10
Additionally, Garou who fully take part in this rite may gain a point of Glory Renown, as well as an additional die to Social dice pools when interacting with any of Helios’s brood.
Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Wendigo (rev)
Rite of Deliverance 3 Like the Gift of Wormwood’s Balance, this rite is performed so that Garou close to each other in a pack may depend upon each other to defeat the poison of the Wyrm. However, the spirit of Great Wendigo can bestow an even greater strength upon the bonds among his tribe. During this rite, the ritemaster may learn to combat Derangements that another Wendigo close to her may possess — even the Derangements of a metis, although she must be of Wendigo blood. The two Wendigo must belong to the same pack, and both the characters must have fought together in a battle where the werewolf’s Derangement has taken hold and caused a defeat to their pack or sept. A controlled situation is set up, preferably with the target Garou’s knowledge, to cause her to become Deranged. At her side, offering complete trust, the ritemaster as deliverer guides them both through the ritual, fully sharing in and enduring the effects of this Derangement alongside her, forging a link between them through the Umbra. Through this bond, the deliverer forces her will upon the Derangement, subduing it herself, and then lends courage and support, aiding the Deranged character to do the same. When the effect of the Derangement has been mastered, the two linked Garou both complete the ritual by calling upon the spirits of Gaia and Great Wendigo and offering thanks. The rite itself begins with the triggering of the Derangement. The ritemaster then spends a point of Gnosis and makes a Wisdom + Empathy roll against her target’s Willpower, to share the Derangement. Finally, the ritemaster must then make a successful Willpower roll of her own (difficulty 5) to gain enough control to complete the rite. For every failure, the difficulty rises by one point. If she succeeds, the target character may resist her Derangement for the next lunar month. If the rite should fail, then the ritemaster absorbs the target’s Derangement, instead, for the same period of time. Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Wendigo (rev)
Rite of Luna’s Answer 5 This is one of the few ceremonies that Wendigo hide from their Kinfolk, and it is never undertaken lightly. Galliards say that the rite has been passed down through the generations, from Grandmother Luna, for Garou alone, so that they may speak to Luna in times of need. When great trials and questions plague the tribe, the Elders meet in council and choose a Theurge to lead a moon dance. A sacred vessel is crafted in a fashion befitting the nature of the question, and purified in preparation to contain a great spirit. The Theurge and a chosen pack of dancers begin the dance by passing into the Umbra and choosing a moon path to follow. As they run down the path, they howl and sing of the troubles of their people, letting their cries for help echo through the Umbra. If Luna favors their prayers and judges that her aid is needed, she sends a Lune to appear and test their strength. The Theurge chosen to lead the rite must then count coup on the spirit, using the ritually-prepared vessel in place of the customary wand. The Theurge and the Lune test their wills against each other. The longer the battle, the more pleased Luna is, and the more auspicious the answer received. Should the Theurge overcome the Lune spirit, it submits utterly and passes into the vessel, where it remains until the next spring, when the fetish shatters with the first cracking of the ice. Should the Lune overcome the Theurge instead, the Lune escapes, and the Theurge’s spirit is bound inside the vessel to dwell there so long as it remains whole. The vessel, upon first being lifted, speaks whatever answer Luna has seen fit to grant, directly into the heart of the holder. This rite is performed similarly to the Rite of Counting Coup and the Rite of the Moon Dance; the Theurge ritemaster must roll Charisma + Rituals at a difficulty determined by the Willpower (8) + Rage of the summoned Lune. A Theurge that completes this rite earns a point of Renown for every success she rolls past the Lune’s Willpower + Rage. This rite may take place at any time during the lunar cycle, but the Elders must determine the time, depending on the talent of their Theurge and the seriousness of the trouble. If the rite is performed during the new moon, the Lune puts up less of a fight, and is most easily subdued, ensuring the success of the ceremony and a solution, although it is not Luna’s most powerful or pleasant answer. Conversely, at the full moon, Luna herself can exert more of her energy and good will to aid the Wendigo with their problem, and the Lune will similarly be at its strongest and most difficult to defeat. Mystic Rites WtA: Tribebook Wendigo (rev)
Black Blood of Gaia 3 The Wyrmcomers’ hunger for oil has destroyed and desecrated many of Wendigo’s lands, driving his people from their homes, tearing apart the bones and blood of Mother Gaia. If a cunning Garou discovers where an oil well has been sunk, or if she sees surveying or drilling happening in her territory, she may use this Gift to alert Gaia, and ask elementals of the Earth to aid Her in redirecting the flow of the oil elsewhere, blocking it, or stopping it altogether. The ritemaster and participants hunt and kill a large animal, usually a caribou or deer, and the ritemaster tears the heart from the animal. She intones blessings upon Gaia and the sacred lands, while clenching the heart in her claws. She squeezes all the blood from the organ onto the ground, offering it to be absorbed by the Earth in sacrifice. Then the ritemaster and all other able participants of the ritual cut themselves and proffer their blood as well, giving their strength in exchange for the great forces that must be put to work beneath the surface of the Earth. Some Garou have bled themselves to death during this ritual, in an effort to offer the ultimate strength of their spirits, as well as their blood, to preserve the lands of Gaia from being despoiled. The ritemaster rolls Charisma + Rituals to determine the success of the ritual, at a difficulty of 7. If she succeeds, she and every participant spend at least one point of Gnosis, and one Health Level in blood. The sum of the pooled Gnosis, in addition to the Ritemaster’s extra success dice, measures how thoroughly the oil has been held back. Desired Result // № of Successes
Drilling equipment damaged by strata shift - 5
Oil volume becomes irregular - 6
Oil volume slows to a trickle - 7
Oil stops completely, redrilling fails - 8
Oil in surrounding acres disappears - 9
Oil well spouts blood instead of oil - 10
Sacred Hoop Camp WtA: Tribebook Wendigo (rev)
Twitch of the Idlak 4 The Warpath have preserved this method of hunting seals and put it to a unique use. The idlak, a tool used by arctic Kinfolk for many years, is created out of a delicate feather tied to a long thin sliver of wood or bone. A hunter sticks this tool into a breathing hole in the ice; when a seal swims to the hole and surfaces for breath, it makes the idlak flutter and tremble. Similarly, this rite allows a Wendigo to pierce the Gauntlet with a fetish idlak, capturing a friendly spirit or Gaffling inside its slender form. This sets an alarm that makes it unnecessary for a Garou to peek through to the Umbra and thereby leave her Earthly back defenseless. Any Bane, or any other dangerous spirits that belong to the Weaver or the Wyrm, may draw near the idlak’s place in the Penumbra without noticing it. If the vile spirits pass too closely, or cross the Gauntlet by Materializing, the Gaffling sends a warning by setting the idlak in motion, both physically and spiritually. When it is triggered, it enables the Garou who planted it to track the spirit’s manifestation, or helps her to cross quickly into the Penumbra to follow the spirit’s tracks and to engage in battle with it. The player spends at least two points of Gnosis when planting the idlak, and then rolls Gnosis + Perception. The number of successes the player rolls, or the number of additional Gnosis points spent, determines any additional Gnosis levels for the Gaffling. The spirit senses any thinning or puncture made in the Gauntlet, or the approach of any Bane or hostile spirit nearby in the Penumbra, and makes the idlak shake visibly in the Realm. It also calls mentally to the Garou who bound it into the idlak, alerting her that danger is near. Warpath Camp WtA: Tribebook Wendigo (rev)