Post by Zillah on May 1, 2016 17:01:05 GMT -6
The Galliards sing that all Garou belonged to a single tribe during the First Times. If that ever was true, it is no longer. Many different tribes of werewolves now exist. Some are tied to certain human groups and cultures, such as the Fenrir and the Fianna, while others cross many boundaries and borders, such as the Bone Gnawers and Warders. Garou divide themselves among tribal lines, and battles between tribes are not uncommon. Werewolves, like their human counterparts, are the greatest threat to themselves.
Although all tribes revere Gaia, each tribe has its own totem spirit whom they venerate. These totem spirits set rules and teach special Gifts to members of their tribe.
In Dark Ages: Werewolf, 10 tribes of Garou stalk the wilds under the night skies. Hailing from all the corners of Europe, these tribes set their finest warriors, shamans, bards, judges and tricksters to the task of protecting Gaia. These tribes all have different traditions, outlooks and practices, but many Garou run in packs with werewolves from other tribes. Thus they stand united despite their tribal differences.
But some Garou do not run with their tribe or their pack. Some are cast out for transgressing against the Litany. Some deliberately seek out solitude as a form of grief or solace. Others have different reasons all together. What is common to all these Garou, however, is the fact that they are not recognized by werewolf society. Either of their own volition or as castigation, they have been subject to the Rite of Renunciation and therefore been excommunicated by their tribe. They are known as Errants, and their path is a lonely one. An Errant can expect no mercy, no aid, no understanding. These pariahs are not even acknowledged, let alone spoken to, by other Garou.
Legends among the Garou hold that once there were more than 10 tribes. Songs of the past tell many glorious stories of sturdy Pict warriors known as the White Howlers. Sadly, this tribe, under the totem Lion, fell to the Wyrm. From these savage warriors, it is said, a new, dark tribe is emerging to wage an underground war on the rest of the Garou. They call themselves the Black Spiral Dancers, and they burrow deep underground and strike where they are least expected. Others scoff at these dread tales, dismissing the Dancers as more of a cult of lost cubs and vengeful Errants. Nonetheless, all agree that a dark threat thrives underneath the lands of Europe and is constantly growing.
The world is still a place of mysteries. At sea, damp mists obfuscate the horizon that is thought to be the Edge of the World. It is deemed too dangerous to approach, and it discourages sailors to venture outside conventional routes. At land, travelers fear the Moors and Nubians of the south and the Arabs to the east, who seem to almost jealously guard whatever secrets lie beyond their borders. The wastes that stretch out almost infinitely past those lands and the foaming, angry seas outside the safe waters of Europe’s ports could possibly hide foreign tribes of Garou. Travelers from far-away lands speak of rumors of these tribes with foundations in ancient tales. If such tribes should prove friends or foes to the ten tribes is impossible to say, for none can attest to having met one of these fabled werewolves. Yet the legends speak of them as guardians of strange places yet to be seen by the eyes of men. Some say that they were once part of the Garou Nation and that they traveled all the way through the lands of Russia for some unknown reason to unknown realms beyond, but few believe this to be true. If such is the case, though, why would they not bring word to their Western Cousins? A few Red Talons growl silent tales of Umbral encounters with alien Garou from across the sea, and some among the Fenrir claim that their ancestors sailed to those foreign shores in the west and trades stories with Garou of those lands. Few believe these accounts. There is nothing beyond the great sea.
Then there are tales of a mysterious and strange tribe unlike any other in the lands of the East. A precious few among those who run with the Mongol hordes tell tales of warrior wolf-men, and what else can these be but Garou? Silent Striders venturing far into the dark Eastern lands claim to have heard these tales of how they nestle high in the mountains like birds on a branch. What are their goals? Who are they? The Garou of the Ten Tribes do not know.
Although all tribes revere Gaia, each tribe has its own totem spirit whom they venerate. These totem spirits set rules and teach special Gifts to members of their tribe.
In Dark Ages: Werewolf, 10 tribes of Garou stalk the wilds under the night skies. Hailing from all the corners of Europe, these tribes set their finest warriors, shamans, bards, judges and tricksters to the task of protecting Gaia. These tribes all have different traditions, outlooks and practices, but many Garou run in packs with werewolves from other tribes. Thus they stand united despite their tribal differences.
But some Garou do not run with their tribe or their pack. Some are cast out for transgressing against the Litany. Some deliberately seek out solitude as a form of grief or solace. Others have different reasons all together. What is common to all these Garou, however, is the fact that they are not recognized by werewolf society. Either of their own volition or as castigation, they have been subject to the Rite of Renunciation and therefore been excommunicated by their tribe. They are known as Errants, and their path is a lonely one. An Errant can expect no mercy, no aid, no understanding. These pariahs are not even acknowledged, let alone spoken to, by other Garou.
Legends among the Garou hold that once there were more than 10 tribes. Songs of the past tell many glorious stories of sturdy Pict warriors known as the White Howlers. Sadly, this tribe, under the totem Lion, fell to the Wyrm. From these savage warriors, it is said, a new, dark tribe is emerging to wage an underground war on the rest of the Garou. They call themselves the Black Spiral Dancers, and they burrow deep underground and strike where they are least expected. Others scoff at these dread tales, dismissing the Dancers as more of a cult of lost cubs and vengeful Errants. Nonetheless, all agree that a dark threat thrives underneath the lands of Europe and is constantly growing.
The world is still a place of mysteries. At sea, damp mists obfuscate the horizon that is thought to be the Edge of the World. It is deemed too dangerous to approach, and it discourages sailors to venture outside conventional routes. At land, travelers fear the Moors and Nubians of the south and the Arabs to the east, who seem to almost jealously guard whatever secrets lie beyond their borders. The wastes that stretch out almost infinitely past those lands and the foaming, angry seas outside the safe waters of Europe’s ports could possibly hide foreign tribes of Garou. Travelers from far-away lands speak of rumors of these tribes with foundations in ancient tales. If such tribes should prove friends or foes to the ten tribes is impossible to say, for none can attest to having met one of these fabled werewolves. Yet the legends speak of them as guardians of strange places yet to be seen by the eyes of men. Some say that they were once part of the Garou Nation and that they traveled all the way through the lands of Russia for some unknown reason to unknown realms beyond, but few believe this to be true. If such is the case, though, why would they not bring word to their Western Cousins? A few Red Talons growl silent tales of Umbral encounters with alien Garou from across the sea, and some among the Fenrir claim that their ancestors sailed to those foreign shores in the west and trades stories with Garou of those lands. Few believe these accounts. There is nothing beyond the great sea.
Then there are tales of a mysterious and strange tribe unlike any other in the lands of the East. A precious few among those who run with the Mongol hordes tell tales of warrior wolf-men, and what else can these be but Garou? Silent Striders venturing far into the dark Eastern lands claim to have heard these tales of how they nestle high in the mountains like birds on a branch. What are their goals? Who are they? The Garou of the Ten Tribes do not know.