Werewolf(Garou)

Form(s):

Five Forms

1 - Homid: Indistinguishable from a normal human (except for the Curse).

2 - Glabro: Roughly resembles a human, but has too many bestial features to be one.

3 - Crinos: The "War-Form", a terrifying hybrid of human and wolf with superior strength. Resembles the typical "Hollywood werewolf".

4 - Hispo: A prehistoric dire wolf.

5 - Lupus: Indistinguishable from a normal wolf, but with superior speed.

Garou can shift without having to shed their clothes, a process that requires a ritual to bind their clothing to their spirit. Not all Garou choose to do this, nor is it a necessity.

Abilities:

Garou have several special abilities. They heal damage incredibly fast, and can be killed by little but silver or the claws and fangs of other supernaturals. They can change shapes at will and step into the Umbra, the spirit world. They are granted Gifts by the spirits; these are special magical abilities or spells. They are generally instantaneous effects. This can be anything from being untrackable to conjuring a fireball to the ability to speak with animals. Each Breed, Auspice, and Tribe has its own set of Gifts. There are five Auspices that mandate a Garou's function within werewolf society.

Auspices:

Ragabash- Garou born under the New Moon. Their role is the Trickster and Questioner of the Old Ways.

Theurge- Garou born under a crescent moon. They are Shamans, more in contact with the spiritual world, the Umbra, and the spirits.

Philodox- the Half-Moon are Judges and Mediators in Garou society. They usually are the leaders in time of peace.

Galliard- the ones who are born when the moon is Gibbous are the so-called Bards and Keepers of ancient Lore, who know of all the ancient legends and songs.

Ahroun- the Full Moon represents the war aspect of Luna (the Moon) and these Garou are the most fierce Warriors. They usually step into leadership during wartime.(edited)

Tribes:

Black Furies - The matriarchs of the Garou, the Black Furies only accept women as members (save a few male metis), and are known for their honor, wisdom, pride, and fierce skills in battle.

Bone Gnawers - The scavengers and survivors of the Garou, the Bone Gnawers are seen by the other tribes as little more than mongrels who sift through the waste of mankind. The Bone Gnawers see themselves as underdogs, waiting to triumph against overconfident foes.

Children of Gaia - The peacekeepers of the Garou, the Children work for understanding between the tribes and hope to eventually form all tribes into a unified front against the Wyrm.

Fianna - Strongly based on Celtic and European traditions, they are known among the Garou for their passions for the pleasure of life, their skills and ferocity in battle, and as keepers of the music, stories, and lore of the Garou.

Get of Fenris - Fierce warriors with little room for mercy and compassion, the Fenrir view themselves as great heroes, but have been known to shock other Garou with their violent ways.

Glass Walkers - Steeped in technology, human religion, and the ebb and flow of the city, the Glass Walkers live and die by a creed of progress and don't have the strong aversion to human populations that most Garou do.

Red Talons - They are the only tribe among the Garou that is exclusively lupine in nature (save for a very few metis), shunning humanity completely as a blight on the Earth.

Shadow Lords - The politicians and manipulators of the Garou, the Shadow Lords work through their strict hierarchies and secretive ways to wrest as much power as they can.

Silent Striders - Nomadic, introspective, and highly spiritual, the Silent Striders have plumbed the depths of the Umbra, perhaps more deeply than any other tribe of Garou.(edited)

Silver Fangs - The "Alpha Tribe" of the Garou Nation, the Silver Fangs are traditional rulers and war leaders. These noble Garou are known for their physical beauty, courage, and honor.

Uktena - Composed of the broadest base of cultures and considered one of the more "primitive" groups of Garou, the Uktena are also masters of the dark and forbidden knowledge.

Wendigo - Considering themselves to be the purest of the Garou, the Wendigo seek to destroy the influence of Wyrm while preserving their old traditions.

Family behaviours:

Other animals, especially humans, can sense the predator in a werewolf, and they shy from them. Humans will avoid contact with the Garou as much as possible. This avoidance may consist of crossing the street to avoid “that weirdo” or even running in fear. Wolves are also subject to this dread, and most natural wolves will avoid Garou whenever possible. Garou call this phenomenon the "Curse", for it makes normal relationships with humans or wolves all but impossible. Garou cannot usually maintain families among humans or wolves, as their nature as predators makes even their own Kin uncomfortable. Only among other werewolves can the Garou find true, honest companionship — and the logical result of such relationships is prohibited by the Litany.

Werewolves cannot usually  breed among themselves to preserve their lineage; their blood is too potent, and the result is always a deformed Metis. To continue their bloodlines, werewolves must mate with either humans or wolves. However, the chance that any children or cubs that result from such a pairing will breed true is small. In most cases, the spirit half of the werewolf isn't passed on and the offspring is either a normal human, or wolf. However, some, called Kinfolk, inherit a spark of their parents's spirit and may develop minor supernatural abilities.

Werewolves born to human or wolf families are initially indistinguishable from their mortal siblings. There is no detectable "Garou gene" and DNA testing does not reveal anything amiss. Newborn werewolves simply appear to be normal humans or wolves in almost every respect. Only a very few are even told by their parents that werewolves exist at all. However, young werewolves are prone to strange dreams and fits of temper that alienate them from their relatives or friends.

Lore:

Garou is a term used by the werewolves to identify their race and culture. The term is used nearly interchangeably with Garou Nation.

The Garou believe themselves to have been created by Gaia as her defense against the Wyrm and Weaver. They are the ultimate predators in the known world. They revere the Wyld but are also steeped in millennia old traditions. They are fighting to survive in an ever-changing world, but cling to the old ways. Adding to their troubles is the fact that traditionally only one in ten offspring of a Garou turns out to be Garou themselves.

The three main spiritual forces for Garou are the Wyrm, Weaver, and Wyld. The Wyld is raw unbridled creation. The Weaver spins reality into patterns. The Wyrm is supposed to destroy the excess order or the excess chaos. However, the Weaver went insane and tried to spin all of reality into its web, including the Wyrm. This drove the Wyrm mad so that it now seeks not to balance, but to destroy everything. The Wyrm has many agents and many faces, all bent on the utter destruction of Gaia, the Earth.

A Garou is not bound to join the tribe of their ancestry; a cub, for example, may not meet the standards expected of a tribe and is therefore unacceptable as a member. The personal philosophies of an individual Garou may also drive them to seek another tribe that meshes better with their views. Some tribes, such as the Black Furies and Children of Gaia, specialize in taking in cubs who were rejected by their ancestral tribes.

Notable Garou of Mistfall Isles:

Ulfric Brynjolf - Alpha of The Myrkviðr Pack at Ulvehulen

Sigrun Brynjolf - Luna of the Myrkviðr Pack at Ulvehulen