Sept of the Crescent Moon

Like the Silver Fangs he serves, Falcon is a most noble spirit. His keen eyes look deep into the Garou heart, rewarding and inspiring the valorous and honorable. A respected totem, Falcon brings unity to the Fangs and thus to the Garou. Rumors of the Silver Fangs’ less-than-sterling performance of late have tarnished Falcon’s reputation only slightly.

### Totem Benefits

Individual Traits: Each pack member gains two temporary Honor.Pack Traits: Packs chosen by Falcon gain three dice to Leadership as well as an extra four Willpower points per story.

### Totem Ban

Ban: To Falcon’s children, dishonor is worse than death; they can never allow themselves to lose permanent Honor. If they do, they must either put right the wrong or, if that proves impossible, perform a Rite of Contrition and further atone for their offense by hurling themselves at a powerful minion of the Wyrm. While essentially a suicide run, their blood will wash away the stain on their names.

## Sept Leadership

### Den Parent(s)

Konstantin Vinogradov

The **Sept of the Crescent Moon** is a Silver Fang caern located deep in the central Ural Mountains of Russia. It has nearly 30 Garou.

## Geography

The caern claimed by the Sept of the Crescent Moon lies nestled deep within the Ural Mountains of Central Russia. It is located within a nearly inaccessible valley surrounded by the rocky crags of the Urals. Access is restricted to footpaths through the mountains or Moon Bridge; although it would be possible to fly over in a helicopter or plane, the thickness of the forest and unpredictability of the terrain preclude landing. Game abounds in this protected valley , but the Garou take care to only use what they need.

A stream flows out of the mountain at one end of the valley and winds its way through the center to finally disappear into the mountains at the other end. Along the course of the stream are numerous small waterfalls and pools. It is near the largest of these that the residences of the Sept leaders can be found. These are generally concealed in thick groves or dug into the earth.

Natural beauty abounds here, and the Silver Fangs have worked hard to encourage it. There are no major structures, and all meetings take place in the open under the great trees. However, should Garou not desire to make a meeting a formal occasion by the central pool, there are some open places, such as clearings in the thick woods, where they can gather.

## Bawn

The bawn surrounding the caern consists of the Urals themselves and the paths leading to the valley. A few human settlements are clsoe enough to be watched, but the Silver Fang leaders of the Sept do not consider them as threats, and are comprised primarily of kinfolk. Unless accompanied by a Garou, no humans are allowed to reach the valley. Most are driven off by scare tactics or fall victim to some sort of "accident".

## Central

Central to the caern is a good sized pool at the base of a 60 foot waterfall. The pool is clear except for where is silt is disturbed by the force of the falling water. The water has a year round temperature of 45 degrees. The pool is the central focus of the Caern's power. Bare rocks, falling water, and great trees in the forest are all found here or nearby.

Nestled behind the waterfall, and accessible only through permission of the water spirits, is a small cave. This cave leads to a crystalline grotto that is strongly linked to the umbra. Any garou gazing into one of the crystals of this place will find themselves int he Umbra. The grotto has some other qualities as well, but the Silver Fangs will not reveal them. In fact, the spirits will not allow entry to anyone who is not a Silver Fang.

## Landmarks

There are a number of sacred sights within the valley, locations where the Garou can communicate with Ancestral and lesser spirits that dewll here. Numerous trees bear marks on the roots signifying heroes buried beneath them. On the cliff walls North of the caern is a detailed mural depicting the history of the caern and the history of the Garou in Russia. There are also a number of ways leading into the mountains, and several waterfalls that tumble down the tiered landscape.

See the map for the following locations:

### 1.

This is a path that winds its way into the mountains. It is one of a few routes to the outer world, and it is one of the safest. There are a few areas where the trail is slightly trecherous. A climbing check (Dexterity+Athletics, difficulty 6) will suffice to allow safe passage. Failure indicates a minor slip or fall. A botch will result in an embarrassing complication such as a twisted ankle.

### 2.

This path is more trecherous than the first. It requires that climbing checks be made at difficulty 8. A failed roll means that actual damage may be suffered. Typical damage from such a fall would not be greater than a wound level or two. Although a botch would indicate that the damage is aggravated..

### 3.

Another path. This one leads off into the mountains in the direction of the legendary battlefield where the Silver Fangs fought and destroyed the Zmei Sharkala the Cruel (see History below).

### 4.

Yet another path. This one leads absolutely nowhere, eventually ending in a major rockfall.

### 5.

Still another path. This trecherous route requires a great deal of climbing skill and luck. All checks are made at difficulty 9 or 10, and failure or a botch indicates a fall. The distance of the fall can be anywhere from 10 to 150 feet. However, the view from the mountaintop of the surrounding peaks is absolutely breathtaking. Meditating in this spot for a full day will give the Garou a point of Gnosis; the spirit of Gaia is quite strong here.

### 6.

This is the waterfall that feeds the stream running through the valley's center. Water plummets 70 feet into a small pool that narrows into the shallow, noisy stream.

### 7.

Grimfang's Den. The former Caern Warder, Grimfang, used to reside in a den concealed in a thick copse within this grove. It is quite beautiful here, ina wild sort of way. The Black Fury Pack resides on the edge of the grove in natural shelters. When they are not on a mission, they are the ones who care for the nearby area.

### 8.

In this grove, the leaders of the Sept maintain their dwellings. Several small cabins are nestled among the trees. Piotr, the former Sept Leader, once spent much of his time on the cliff nearby that overlooks the center of the caern, surveying the beauty... And his territory.

### 9.

This is the center of the caern. A waterfall plunges 60 feet into a clear pool, causing a perpetual, shimmering rainbow.

### 10.

Next to the center, but close enough to be considered part of it, is the ritual area. This is a circle marked by low standing stones that serves as a place for general moots as well.

### 11.

Within the forest on this side of the river lie the Graves of Hallowed Heroes. Many of the greatest Russian Garou lie beneath the trees here. For each hero that lies here, there is a tree marked with their name.

### 12.

This is an ancient fir tree. Legend maintains that is was old when the caern was built long ago. Whatever the case, is it the largest tree in the valley and the only one that stands alone.

### 13.

The Wall of Heroes. This mural is constantly being added to by the Galliards of the Sept, it is said that the mural will come to life for any who truly wish to learn the history of the Sept and those within it. Having one's story added to the mural is one of the highest honors a Russian Garou can recieve.

### 14.

The Keeper of the Land lives in a den near the base of the waterfall. Cries-at-Night dwells here, away from the other Sept leaders, where she can speak to and play with her cubs in peace. The waterfall nearby only drops 30 feet, but the Keeper's work has made it one of the most beautiful in the area.

### 15.

This waterfall tumbles down a double tier and is one of Speaker to Mountains favorite retreats when she is not wandering the mountains nearby.

### 16.

A 40 foot waterfall plunges into a 10 foot deep pool.

## Umbrascape

The Umbra of the Valley is a Glen virtually identical to the valley itself. However, the spirit content of everything is more visible, and the spirits of old heroes may sometimes be seen wandering among the trees. The leaders of the Septs of Russia come here for counsel. There is a great fir near the central pool whos topmost branches support a great nest. Falcon is rumored to occasionally reside here. Legend holds that he will manifest for any Garou brave enough to risk the dangers of climbing the great tree, whose Umbral representation towers a good 300 feet high. The last known Garou who tried this, fell from the Umbra onto the bank of the pool, covered with wounds burning with silver. the shame of this Garou, Bane Render of the get of Fenris, is recorded on the mural wall.

## History

Much of the history of Russia itself is deeply intertwined with the history of the Garou. So is the history of the Sept of the Crescent Moon. During the Impergium, a group of Silver Fangs decided that a seat of their leadership must be established, so their tribe would always be remembered.

Many years passed, and may battles were fought before the valley was discovered. The Glen was situated on was hidden deep in the northern portion of the Middle Urals, and it was perfects for the needs of the Garou. However, the nearby mountains were the nesting place of the Zmei. Many Garou died wresting the Urals from their influence.

Finally, it was time. Within the hidden, sylvan valley, a group of the greatest Silver Fang Theurges of all time bent their wills to the creation to the creation of a caern there. Even at that time, the caern was a rarity. Caerns of Kingship have never been common. Thus was created the caern that would become the seat of the Silver Fangs in Russia.

Time passed, and the Impergium was lifted. Humans began their slow domination of the world, and the Wyrm began to stir anew. But the caern in the mountains remained safe, and the Silver Fangs retained their power. Little ever changed, Garou came and went, but the Silver Fangs ruled. They were able to defeat all challenges to their sovereign domain. They were vigilant in the defense of their caern. Even recently, when Wyrm creatures spawned from a nearby industrial sites attacked, the Sept defeated them easily.

Now, the Silver Fangs are waning in Russia. While they are always heard and acknowledged, they are now subjected to disobedience. The caern in the Urals is occasionally referred to as a "retirement home" by younger Russian Garou, as most of the Garou who control it are past their prime. While they are powerful, they are not as respected anymore. Despite efforts to the contrary by some of the more powerful Garou of the Sept of the Crescent Moon, the world is passing the Caern by. It is even believed by some that the Wyrm no longer considers the Sept a threat due to their isolation.