Post by Tami on Nov 21, 2007 22:32:36 GMT -5
(This information comes from Past Lives copyright 2003 from White Wolf Publications. The information presented here, i my opinion is up to the individual storyteller to decide if they wish to allow or not. But this is the 'cannon' rules for these lost breeds as presented by White wolf.)
The odds against it are astronomical. That the ancestor-spirit of one of the Lost Breeds could have survived for millennia after the extinction of the Breed -not only is it not a guarantee, it’s almost impossible. Many abstract concepts are reflected in the spirit world, and extinction is no exception; if a species is wiped out in the physical world, the animistic nature of the Werewolf world might well doom that species’ spiritual reflections to the same fate.
But most epics worth telling begin with by bucking the odds somehow. Officially, no Garou in the Werewolf universe are in contact with the ancestorspirits of Lost Breeds - but a troupe lives to be the exception, yes?
These Gifts, and the spirits who teach them, are the trickiest to use properly. The events of Time and Tide are sufficient to explain how a few of these ancestor-spirits could potentially return to the world more readily, but that’s only half the struggle. Winning the trust of an Apis, Grondr or Camazotz ancestor-spirit is almost worthy of a chronicle in itself - particularly considering that a character is sure to have ancestors of his own who participated willingly in the War of Rage.
Note that no Lost Breed Gifts of Level Four and Five are listed. This is because the greatest powers of a Changing Breed are generally the province of that Breed alone, and often hinge on the particular physiognomy or spiritual makeup of the Breed in question. The Gifts that Garou (or other Changing Breeds, for that matter) are able to learn are tricks that are somewhat more accessible in nature. In some cases, these Gifts are higher level as Garou Gifts than they would be for the Breed in question; after all, it’s much easier to learn the Camazotz’ many secrets of flight if you naturally possess a bat’s wing structure.
The odds against it are astronomical. That the ancestor-spirit of one of the Lost Breeds could have survived for millennia after the extinction of the Breed -not only is it not a guarantee, it’s almost impossible. Many abstract concepts are reflected in the spirit world, and extinction is no exception; if a species is wiped out in the physical world, the animistic nature of the Werewolf world might well doom that species’ spiritual reflections to the same fate.
But most epics worth telling begin with by bucking the odds somehow. Officially, no Garou in the Werewolf universe are in contact with the ancestorspirits of Lost Breeds - but a troupe lives to be the exception, yes?
These Gifts, and the spirits who teach them, are the trickiest to use properly. The events of Time and Tide are sufficient to explain how a few of these ancestor-spirits could potentially return to the world more readily, but that’s only half the struggle. Winning the trust of an Apis, Grondr or Camazotz ancestor-spirit is almost worthy of a chronicle in itself - particularly considering that a character is sure to have ancestors of his own who participated willingly in the War of Rage.
Note that no Lost Breed Gifts of Level Four and Five are listed. This is because the greatest powers of a Changing Breed are generally the province of that Breed alone, and often hinge on the particular physiognomy or spiritual makeup of the Breed in question. The Gifts that Garou (or other Changing Breeds, for that matter) are able to learn are tricks that are somewhat more accessible in nature. In some cases, these Gifts are higher level as Garou Gifts than they would be for the Breed in question; after all, it’s much easier to learn the Camazotz’ many secrets of flight if you naturally possess a bat’s wing structure.