Post by Zillah on May 6, 2016 19:01:28 GMT -6
“Oh, this is glorious! We have three of the strongest, toughest and most warlike Garou tribes in the Isles, so the Wyrm must be on the retreat! The Spirals must be cowering in their beds! The lords of Malfeas must shake with rage at the mention of the Isles! Ha! The tribes are at war — with each other! We have rival claimants for the lordships! Brother fights brother. Fianna slay Fianna and Fenrir slays Fenrir. The Wyrm laughs! Gobshites. All of you!” — Kierain of Uilidh, Fianna Ahroun
While members of any of the ten tribes of Garou might be found in the British Isles, three tribes — the Fianna, the Fenrir and the Silver Fangs — hold most of the power and all of the caerns. The Fianna are the eldest tribe in the Isles (if one doesn’t count the White Howlers; the current Garou certainly don’t) — they have called the Isles their home since before the word “tribe” had any meaning to the Garou. The Fenrir arrived with Germanic legionnaires, and more of them and their Kinfolk arrived later with Norse raiders. Finally, the Silver Fangs accompanied the Normans to the British Isles, and have made their presence felt all across the land in a relatively short span of time.
In more recent times, the Children of Gaia came to the Isles, attempting to foster peace between the tribes. They claimed leadership of a great caern dedicated to the ancient spirit of the Thames River, and united the tribes, Fenrir, Fianna and Silver Fang, against the vampiric creatures who ruled the streets of London. The Children, through trickery, diplomacy and occasional violence, drove the decrepit Silver Fang leader from the caern and took his throne. They led the tribes in battle against the last of the Great Wyrms. They enforced a peace, and for a time it seemed that the Garou would emerge victorious against the powers of the night.
But in AD 1220, a group of mortal mages called the Circle of Red claimed that caern and killed all of the Garou there. The Circle of Red are not fomori. They do not possess the power to shake the heavens. They are weak human sorcerers, and should have been no match for the power of the werewolves. But the Garou of the Isles did not unite to sweep them out of the caern and save the spirit of the river. Rather they fell, once again, to infighting. A few powerful Garou led their people in raids on the mages in London, but the vampires had long since rebuilt their numbers. The crusading werewolves were separated and slain before ever sighting a single member of the Circle. London was purged of the Garou, and before any werewolf could step forward to lead another attack, tragedy struck again, this time in the form of the Flaying Plague.
Garou cubs died in agony, their skin peeled off by vile, agonizing ulcers. Lupus werewolves went insane, and many more threw themselves into battle with Wyrm creatures or Garou rivals, wishing to die an honorable death rather than the weak and worthless end of the sick. Their numbers decimated, the werewolves turned even further inward and became even more isolationist.
So now, the Garou wait. They do not know enough about their enemies to bring war to them. They do not have the numbers to reclaim their lost caerns. They do not have the trust to make alliances with others. The Garou even shun old allies. Each caern wonders if it will be the next to fall. The High Chieftain of the Caern of the Boyne refuses to speak to his foster brother, the Prince of the Silver Fangs in Ireland. Some say the Black Spiral Dancers are active again, having come further south than ever before. The elders sneer at these reports and instead plot intrigues against fellow Garou.
While members of any of the ten tribes of Garou might be found in the British Isles, three tribes — the Fianna, the Fenrir and the Silver Fangs — hold most of the power and all of the caerns. The Fianna are the eldest tribe in the Isles (if one doesn’t count the White Howlers; the current Garou certainly don’t) — they have called the Isles their home since before the word “tribe” had any meaning to the Garou. The Fenrir arrived with Germanic legionnaires, and more of them and their Kinfolk arrived later with Norse raiders. Finally, the Silver Fangs accompanied the Normans to the British Isles, and have made their presence felt all across the land in a relatively short span of time.
In more recent times, the Children of Gaia came to the Isles, attempting to foster peace between the tribes. They claimed leadership of a great caern dedicated to the ancient spirit of the Thames River, and united the tribes, Fenrir, Fianna and Silver Fang, against the vampiric creatures who ruled the streets of London. The Children, through trickery, diplomacy and occasional violence, drove the decrepit Silver Fang leader from the caern and took his throne. They led the tribes in battle against the last of the Great Wyrms. They enforced a peace, and for a time it seemed that the Garou would emerge victorious against the powers of the night.
But in AD 1220, a group of mortal mages called the Circle of Red claimed that caern and killed all of the Garou there. The Circle of Red are not fomori. They do not possess the power to shake the heavens. They are weak human sorcerers, and should have been no match for the power of the werewolves. But the Garou of the Isles did not unite to sweep them out of the caern and save the spirit of the river. Rather they fell, once again, to infighting. A few powerful Garou led their people in raids on the mages in London, but the vampires had long since rebuilt their numbers. The crusading werewolves were separated and slain before ever sighting a single member of the Circle. London was purged of the Garou, and before any werewolf could step forward to lead another attack, tragedy struck again, this time in the form of the Flaying Plague.
Garou cubs died in agony, their skin peeled off by vile, agonizing ulcers. Lupus werewolves went insane, and many more threw themselves into battle with Wyrm creatures or Garou rivals, wishing to die an honorable death rather than the weak and worthless end of the sick. Their numbers decimated, the werewolves turned even further inward and became even more isolationist.
So now, the Garou wait. They do not know enough about their enemies to bring war to them. They do not have the numbers to reclaim their lost caerns. They do not have the trust to make alliances with others. The Garou even shun old allies. Each caern wonders if it will be the next to fall. The High Chieftain of the Caern of the Boyne refuses to speak to his foster brother, the Prince of the Silver Fangs in Ireland. Some say the Black Spiral Dancers are active again, having come further south than ever before. The elders sneer at these reports and instead plot intrigues against fellow Garou.