Post by Tami on Mar 8, 2007 9:05:37 GMT -5
Revised Core book pp33-34. The Tribes are detailed out in their own category elsewhere on the board.
The Twelve Tribes
Once a Garou completes his Rite of Passage, he is welcomed into one of the Twelve Tribes of the Garou Nation. Before the completion of this rite, he is a cub, and he is treated as little more than a child. He may not learn tribal Gifts or receive the tribe's deepest secrets. Even metis cubs are shut out from such sacred knowledge; they're welcomed enough to work for the sept, but not enough to receive it's privileges. After the rite, however, the tribe teaches each new cliath the ways of the world and how to conquer it.
Each of the Twelve Tribes originally came from a different region of the world. Each has its own tribal homeland, a place in the world where it has always been strongest. Each tribe's Kinfolk and societies reflect these different cultures. During the ancient agreement of the Concord, the 16 major tribes set aside their differences and began the development of a communal society. Three of them have been destroyed. One has rejected the Western Concordiat and found other allies. Now only 12 of them remain allied in their defense of the world.
Black Furies: In a tribe composed exclusively of women, the Furies act as defenders of the Goddess and protectors of her most sacred places. Originating in Ancient Greece, the tribe has since inspired great legends of female heroes.
Bone Gnawers: This urban tribe is tied instinctually to life on the street. Long ago, they began as scavengers in India and Northern Africa. Now they stalk wherever the homeless and desperate struggle to survive.
Children of Gaia: As peaceful warriors and gentle mediators, the Children favor healing and understanding over bloodshed. No other tribe is as committed to helping humanity.
Fianna: Exclusively of Celtic descent, the Fianna are known for their wild passions and artistic insight. They are famous for their skilled bards, great warriors and mystical ties to the fae.
Get of Fenris: Surviving the harsh lands of Northern Europe, the Fenrir have developed a savage, bloodthirsty and fatalistic view of life. As one of the most martial tribes of werewolves, they are also unparalleled at dealing in death.
Glass Walkers: For thousands of years, the Walkers hid in human cities, living as wolves among sheep. Other werewolves typically mistrust them, not only for their proficiency with high technology, but also for their love of human cities and culture.
Red Talons: Composed entirely of lupus Garou, this tribe is well known for its fierce hatred of humans. Talons thrive whenever they can commune with the misteries of the wild.
Shadow Lords: Ruthless, devious and ambitious - the Lords value political power over all else, and they are fascinated by the politics of the Garou society. By struggling against their rivals in Eastern Europe for millennia, they have bacome masters of diplomacy and Machiavellian intrigue.
Silent Striders: Once they dwelt in the fabled lands of Khem in Ancient Egypt, but no longer. Now they roam the Earth, following an insatiable wanderlust. Striders typically join packs that love to travel, often communing with gypsies, wanderers and the restless spirits of the dead along the way.
Silver Fangs: Once the unquestioned rulers of Garou society, the Fangs are descended from some of the greatest werewolves in history. Lineage and ancestry is critical to them. Since their glorious days in their Russian homelands, they have fallen prey to tragic flaws, often spiraling into despair and madness.
Uktena: Indigenous peoples from throughout the world have contributed to this ecletic and mysterious tribe. Ethnically diverse and intensely curious, they hoard knowledge of magic from all over the world... as well as a deep understanding of the occult that they dare not share with outsiders.
Wendigo: This tribe is descended from Native American Garou. Their strongest septs are in the northernmost portions of North America, where they endure some of the harshest conditions on Earth.
Each of the Twelve Tribes reflects the history and culture from a different part of the world, and with good reason. During the Impergium, when great heroes led their flocks of humans away from their rivals, their Kinfolk eventually formed the foundations of different human cultures. For example, many Get of Fenris have Scandinavian or Germanic ancestors, while Wendigo Kinfolk are distinctly Native American. While Garou Kinfolk can breed with werewolves of any tribe, most prefer to remain within their own culture. Most tribes are outraged when others place designs on their Kin.
A werewolf is not born into a tribe; he must prove himself worthy during his Rite of Passage first. A cub usually makes the same choice as his mother or father when deciding what tribe to petition, but he does not have to do so. Every werewolf has a lineage stretching back for generations. Throughout most of Garou history, the vast majority of cubs have made the same choices as their ancestors. A cub with a long lineage will be hounded to "make the right choice." After all, forsaking your heritage is a difficult path to follw.
Theoretically, a cub can approach any tribe, but a cub who is obviously abandoning his ancestors' legacy has to work twice as hard as an "adopted' cliath. If your father was a Bone Gnawer, you'll have to work your ass off to join the Get of Fenris. Often, a cub receives dreams and visions of his past during adolescence, but some of the greatest heroes of Garou legend have defied their destinies.
A few tribes refuse to take anyone who doesn't meet their standards. The Black Furies accept only women; if a Black Fury gives birth to a non-metis male cub, he must eventually petition another tribe to accept him. Silver Fangs will not recognize a hero who does not have an extensive lineage of Fang ancestors. Red Talons accept only lupus garou. Bone Gnawers, by contrast, will accept almost anyone, including the most twisted and deformed metis. Some tribes have rites for tracing a werewolf's ancestry. When performed properly, the rite may reveal visions of an ancestor's greates acomplishments... and epic failures.
Many Garou are very particular about their lineage, reciting the names of their greatest ancestors as they introduce themselves. The noblest are "pure bred", regarded as obviously exemplary specimens of their tribal heritage. Pure breeds are impressive not only because of their superior breeding, but because dozens of generations of ancestors have chosen to support the same tribe. In the mystical world of the Garou it is even possible for a werewolf to be aware of his ancestor spirits. A werewolf can reject this idea utterly, but it is also possible to summon up these memories, or even channel an ancestor to act through a young hero.
As the End Times approach, of course, the Twelve Tribes are increasingly eager to welcome young cubs into the fold, especially if they have a lineage with their tribe. The stodgiest elders complain that Rites of Passage are nowhere near as taxing or rigorous as they once were. At the end of the rite, the cliath has her tribe's sigil inscribed mystically on her body or tatooed there physically. Once this act is complete, the werewolf may never leave her tribe or another. In short, tribal membership is a choice and an honor, not a birthright.
The Twelve Tribes
Once a Garou completes his Rite of Passage, he is welcomed into one of the Twelve Tribes of the Garou Nation. Before the completion of this rite, he is a cub, and he is treated as little more than a child. He may not learn tribal Gifts or receive the tribe's deepest secrets. Even metis cubs are shut out from such sacred knowledge; they're welcomed enough to work for the sept, but not enough to receive it's privileges. After the rite, however, the tribe teaches each new cliath the ways of the world and how to conquer it.
Each of the Twelve Tribes originally came from a different region of the world. Each has its own tribal homeland, a place in the world where it has always been strongest. Each tribe's Kinfolk and societies reflect these different cultures. During the ancient agreement of the Concord, the 16 major tribes set aside their differences and began the development of a communal society. Three of them have been destroyed. One has rejected the Western Concordiat and found other allies. Now only 12 of them remain allied in their defense of the world.
Black Furies: In a tribe composed exclusively of women, the Furies act as defenders of the Goddess and protectors of her most sacred places. Originating in Ancient Greece, the tribe has since inspired great legends of female heroes.
Bone Gnawers: This urban tribe is tied instinctually to life on the street. Long ago, they began as scavengers in India and Northern Africa. Now they stalk wherever the homeless and desperate struggle to survive.
Children of Gaia: As peaceful warriors and gentle mediators, the Children favor healing and understanding over bloodshed. No other tribe is as committed to helping humanity.
Fianna: Exclusively of Celtic descent, the Fianna are known for their wild passions and artistic insight. They are famous for their skilled bards, great warriors and mystical ties to the fae.
Get of Fenris: Surviving the harsh lands of Northern Europe, the Fenrir have developed a savage, bloodthirsty and fatalistic view of life. As one of the most martial tribes of werewolves, they are also unparalleled at dealing in death.
Glass Walkers: For thousands of years, the Walkers hid in human cities, living as wolves among sheep. Other werewolves typically mistrust them, not only for their proficiency with high technology, but also for their love of human cities and culture.
Red Talons: Composed entirely of lupus Garou, this tribe is well known for its fierce hatred of humans. Talons thrive whenever they can commune with the misteries of the wild.
Shadow Lords: Ruthless, devious and ambitious - the Lords value political power over all else, and they are fascinated by the politics of the Garou society. By struggling against their rivals in Eastern Europe for millennia, they have bacome masters of diplomacy and Machiavellian intrigue.
Silent Striders: Once they dwelt in the fabled lands of Khem in Ancient Egypt, but no longer. Now they roam the Earth, following an insatiable wanderlust. Striders typically join packs that love to travel, often communing with gypsies, wanderers and the restless spirits of the dead along the way.
Silver Fangs: Once the unquestioned rulers of Garou society, the Fangs are descended from some of the greatest werewolves in history. Lineage and ancestry is critical to them. Since their glorious days in their Russian homelands, they have fallen prey to tragic flaws, often spiraling into despair and madness.
Uktena: Indigenous peoples from throughout the world have contributed to this ecletic and mysterious tribe. Ethnically diverse and intensely curious, they hoard knowledge of magic from all over the world... as well as a deep understanding of the occult that they dare not share with outsiders.
Wendigo: This tribe is descended from Native American Garou. Their strongest septs are in the northernmost portions of North America, where they endure some of the harshest conditions on Earth.
Each of the Twelve Tribes reflects the history and culture from a different part of the world, and with good reason. During the Impergium, when great heroes led their flocks of humans away from their rivals, their Kinfolk eventually formed the foundations of different human cultures. For example, many Get of Fenris have Scandinavian or Germanic ancestors, while Wendigo Kinfolk are distinctly Native American. While Garou Kinfolk can breed with werewolves of any tribe, most prefer to remain within their own culture. Most tribes are outraged when others place designs on their Kin.
A werewolf is not born into a tribe; he must prove himself worthy during his Rite of Passage first. A cub usually makes the same choice as his mother or father when deciding what tribe to petition, but he does not have to do so. Every werewolf has a lineage stretching back for generations. Throughout most of Garou history, the vast majority of cubs have made the same choices as their ancestors. A cub with a long lineage will be hounded to "make the right choice." After all, forsaking your heritage is a difficult path to follw.
Theoretically, a cub can approach any tribe, but a cub who is obviously abandoning his ancestors' legacy has to work twice as hard as an "adopted' cliath. If your father was a Bone Gnawer, you'll have to work your ass off to join the Get of Fenris. Often, a cub receives dreams and visions of his past during adolescence, but some of the greatest heroes of Garou legend have defied their destinies.
A few tribes refuse to take anyone who doesn't meet their standards. The Black Furies accept only women; if a Black Fury gives birth to a non-metis male cub, he must eventually petition another tribe to accept him. Silver Fangs will not recognize a hero who does not have an extensive lineage of Fang ancestors. Red Talons accept only lupus garou. Bone Gnawers, by contrast, will accept almost anyone, including the most twisted and deformed metis. Some tribes have rites for tracing a werewolf's ancestry. When performed properly, the rite may reveal visions of an ancestor's greates acomplishments... and epic failures.
Many Garou are very particular about their lineage, reciting the names of their greatest ancestors as they introduce themselves. The noblest are "pure bred", regarded as obviously exemplary specimens of their tribal heritage. Pure breeds are impressive not only because of their superior breeding, but because dozens of generations of ancestors have chosen to support the same tribe. In the mystical world of the Garou it is even possible for a werewolf to be aware of his ancestor spirits. A werewolf can reject this idea utterly, but it is also possible to summon up these memories, or even channel an ancestor to act through a young hero.
As the End Times approach, of course, the Twelve Tribes are increasingly eager to welcome young cubs into the fold, especially if they have a lineage with their tribe. The stodgiest elders complain that Rites of Passage are nowhere near as taxing or rigorous as they once were. At the end of the rite, the cliath has her tribe's sigil inscribed mystically on her body or tatooed there physically. Once this act is complete, the werewolf may never leave her tribe or another. In short, tribal membership is a choice and an honor, not a birthright.