The Situations in the PNW

### Tribes

* Black Furies: Composed almost entirely of female Garou, the Furies are staunch defenders of the Wyld. They rage against slights done them by male society. For all their battle prowess, the Furies are a deeply mystical tribe and their rituals are mysterious and hauntingly beautiful. The only males among the Furies are Metis.

* Bone Gnawers: The Gnawers are mangy dog-like Garou who live in the poorest, burnt out parts of the cities. They live literally paw to mouth. However, the Gnawers are supremely informed about anything and everything that goes on within their cities. The other Garou consider them mange-ridden dogs however and have no respect for their urban skills. They are known for taking excellent care of their families, both human and Garou, and in times past were considered to be the most loyal friend one could have.

* Children of Gaia: The Children believe that all Garou are really Children of Gaia who have not realized this yet. They strive for harmony between all the tribes and shun unnecessary violence. The Garou see their peace-loving ways as utter foolishness and consider the Children weak. However, when the Children do strike in battle, they do so with the deep conviction that they are truly Gaia's chosen and fight with the madness of religious zealots.

* Fianna: Traditionally from the Ireland, these Celtic Garou are fond of song and strong drink. They are often seen as drunken fools, but take their fighting just as seriously as their partying. They know much forgotten Garou lore and are considered the lost cousins of the Fair Folk.

* Get of Fenris: The Get are harsh warriors who embody the Norse ideals. They value battle prowess above all else, but also put great stock in personal honor and cleverness. Most Get of Fenris hail from the Norse homelands of Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, and Scandinavia but have seeped into more Germanic countries like Austria and Germany over the centuries via migration. Some Get have embraced the concept of white supremacy and National Socialism in both past and present and have since given the rest of the tribe a reputation that is riddled with misconceptions and stereotypes.

* Glass Walkers: The lords of the cities, the Walkers are always on the cutting edge of technology. They are deeply involved in human society and control much of the human business world as well as the Mafia. They love the toys of the Weaver and are often associated with computers and guns. Some are even partially cybernetic. Many Garou hold the opinion that Walkers serve the Weaver, which is considered just one step above serving the Wyrm. However, this is not the case; Walkers do maintain unusually good relations with Weaver spirits, but serve only Gaia and police themselves against Weaver corruption. The tribe has changed names many times, the most well known prior names being the Warders of Men (Dark Ages and Renaissance) and the Iron Riders (Industrial Revolution and Wild West).

* Red Talons: The Talons consist almost entirely of Lupus with a few scattered Metis thrown in. There are no Homid Red Talons. The Talons believe that the only way to heal Gaia is to kill every human on the planet and to let the Wyld balance things out. The Red Talons despise humans with a passion and have been known to attack humans on sight, even going so far as to devour their flesh. Their participation in the devouring of humans has been both a tribal tradition and pastime since nights gone by, and has proven to raise the suspicion of the other tribes since the act of cannibalizing humans goes directly against the Litany. How a tribe of feral beasts can still manage to fight the Wyrm and not succumb to its influence is perplexing, to say the least. They are known to revel in the hunting of humans and destroying technology but because of their tribes traditional "Lupus cubs only" rule, the wolf population dying off, the destruction of wildlife, and the Wyrm's near victorious status; they seem to be dying out.

* Shadow Lords: The Lords consider themselves to be the only tribe fit to lead the Garou in these dark times. They openly despise the Silver Fangs and seek to overthrow them at every turn. They are seen as ruthless, backstabbing, and manipulative, which is very often the case. However, they have great tribal unity. The Lords are not often respected but are almost always feared.

* Silent Striders: Romani and vagabonds, the Striders originally hailed from Egypt and the Middle East. They were cast out of their ancestral homeland by the vampire Set and have been searching for a new homeland ever since. They are the messengers of the Garou and are always on the move. The Striders very rarely share their secrets, yet conversely are also known for their skill at prophesy. They hate vampires with a passion.

* Silver Fangs: The ancestral leaders of the Garou, the Fangs are slowly rotting from within. By breeding with only the noblest of humans and by breeding with their own family members, they have bred weakness into their house. Many have mental disorders of some sort and more than one Metis has come about from a Silver Fang's incestuous habits. The rest of the Garou consider the Fangs doddering kings who should be overthrown. The Fangs will not let such a thing happen. Younger Fangs have been trying to fix what's wrong with the tribe and bring in fresh blood, though they haven't had much success as of yet.

* Stargazers: The smallest of the tribes, many Stargazers are actually converts from other tribes. They are concerned with balance in all its forms, seeking for perfect harmony both within and without. They often lose themselves in philosophical thought however and most Garou think they spend too much time contemplating their navels and not enough time acting. They walk alone and join packs only long enough to try and impart their wisdom to other Garou. They are deadly when forced to act, for they are the originators of Kailindo, the Garou martial art.

* Uktena: Originally Native American, the Uktena have taken in every minority that has come to the Americas. The Uktena delve into dark secrets, from vampires to ghosts to things that go bump in the night. These dark mystics are often feared by other Garou who think they walk too close to the Wyrm.

* Wendigo: All Wendigo are of Native American stock. They have not forgiven the European Garou (the "Wyrmcomers") for invading their homelands. They consider the Uktena their somewhat misguided brothers, and tolerate the Striders, but dislike most of the other tribes. They particularly loathe the Gnawers, Get, Walkers, Lords and Fangs.

## The Umbra

The Umbra is the spirit world, a land filled with spirits, sometimes friendly, but more often hostile in these dark days. It is divided into several layers around the earth (frequently called The Realm, or the Gaia Realm), like an onion. Closest is the Penumbra, the reflection of the real world. In the Penumbra, things are revealed as they are in spirit. Technological items such a computers, or even buildings, are covered in the webbing of the Weaver, while objects of the Wyrm are covered in a thin film of slime and foulness.