Wendigo Rites

# Rites of the Wendigo

Ivalu Ghost Fingers of the Stony Ledge Caern speaks:

“Garou are always asking me what it’s like to be a ritemaster. All it really means is that I’ve been taught a lot of rituals. It means I listen and I remember when I’m told a story. If I don’t understand what’s being taught to me, I ask. If I still don’t understand it, I’m not ready to. Gaia makes it easy for Garou to know what’s beyond them. I trust Her to use me for Her benefit, for the benefit of Wendigo, and for the benefit of my sept. Most of the time, when I’m performing, or guiding a sept through a rite, I’m not absolutely sure what is going to happen. I give myself up to the knowledge. I know what it feels like to me, but I can’t tell other Garou how to do it. There isn’t a secret formula or incantation that unlocks the rest of mysticism. You can’t magically make magic work.

“Most of the time, when I give out this explanation — which I’ve done more times than I can count — werewolves get upset. They want things to be predictable, under control. They want it to be about fighting and winning, not surrender. They want to believe, like humans do, that they are protected somehow by noble, lonely, singular greater beings with superpowers and special toys. Sure, there is a recipe for opening a caern. There are all sorts of methods, and techniques, and prescriptions for songs and scars and klaives and fetishes. There are things you always do the same way when performing a rite. But that repetition, those objects or those words or those howls, they aren’t what makes the rite work. The ritual exists to remind everyone how power feels, to help to draw the spirit world closer, to bind the tribe together, to maintain the bond between Wendigo and Gaia. I’m a traditionalist, at least in this sense. The sacred power belongs to the tribe and to the Land, not to a single Garou.

“There wouldn’t be much point to a ritemaster who could just make magic happen without bothering to perform a rite.”

## Rites of Accord

### Rite of the First Fruits

Level One

This rite gives thanks to the spirits for a bountiful harvest. Usually performed by Wendigo Kinfolk of the lakes region, some Wendigo participate in the rite to solidify their bonds with their human Kin.

System: No roll is necessary for this rite, but all the participants bring a small bowl of rice to a central place, where smoke from sacred tobacco is used to alert the spirits to the presence of the rice. Grains of rice are then scattered in the four directions as gifts to the spirits, thus ensuring their continuing favor in future seasons of harvest.

### Song of the Longest Night

Level One

Even the wild spirit of Great Wendigo grows weary, after eons of battle against the ever-encroaching madness of the Wyrm and the Weaver. His cold fury, like all sources of Gaia’s might, needs renewal and respite in order that he continue to guide and guard his children. In gratitude for the blessings he grants his tribe, for the enduring strength he lends them, once every year, Wendigo’s children offer to him the gift of rest. On the longest night of the winter, all Wendigo gather respectfully at their closest caern, or simply in a place of safety with their pack. Upon the setting of the sun and the rise of Luna, the Garou join their voices together in a howling lullaby, serenading Wendigo into his only night of sleep. The sound of these gentle, sustained and soothing howls allows him to rest in the bosom of Gaia, replenishing himself from the uncorrupted and chaotic fount of the Wyld. Meanwhile, Wendigo’s children remain quiet and awake, keeping a vigil through darkness, protecting their Kinfolk and themselves. On Midwinter morning, when the sun rises, the Garou waken Great Wendigo with a howl of welcome and joy akin to the Cry of Elation, welcoming him back with pride and singing the glories of the coming year. Then the partying begins; all should rejoice with feasting, merrymaking, brawling, and reveling in their bonds to each other and to Great Wendigo. Often Galliards regale their Kin with stories of exceptional bravery, gratitude and wisdom. Camp celebrations have been known to last for several days. Usually all activities and travel come to a stop on the Longest Night, and it is considered a damnable crime to perform any rites or use any Gifts that would need Wendigo’s attention or participation. Wendigo himself deals with the foolish Garou who wakes him before dawn immediately and severely, if other werewolves don’t get to her first. Interrupting Great Wendigo’s sleep may endanger the lives and spirits of the entire tribe — nobody knows for sure what horrible things may happen, though, because so far no one has been quite that stupid.

System: In addition to the usual roll of Charisma + Rituals made by the ritemaster at a difficulty level of 6, in order to mark the beginning of the rite, every participating Garou has the option of spending a point of Gnosis, as their personal offering of energy to aid in Great Wendigo’s rejuvenation. Whether Wendigo returns the favor later remains at the Storyteller’s discretion.

### Washing the Spirit

Level One

By going to water, attending a sweat lodge or performing some other sort of cleansing, the Wolf Changer purifi es mind, body and spirit. He does so to make himself inoffensive, thus readying himself to speak with spirits and ask their aid. This rite shows the Garou’s sincerity and respect to the spirits and incidentally cleanses him. Before undertaking greater rituals and rites, many Garou perform this rite so that no unclean or evil emanations sully him and leave him open to their infl uence or to inadvertently giving offense where none is intended.

System: The Garou performs a cleansing ritual as usual, chanting his intentions to become a pure and clarifi ed being without stain. He states his good intentions, then makes a Charisma + Empathy roll (difficulty 6). Successful completion of the rite may, at the Storyteller’s discretion, make subsequent dealings with spirits or the performance of other rites easier.

### Rite of the Black Drink

Level Three

Some nations purify themselves and prepare to speak in council by partaking of a noxious black liquid that causes them to vomit. It is thought that purging their bodies in this manner cleans them of all impurities and thus gives weight to the truthfulness of their words. Despite its black color, many nations call this the White Drink because of its reputed cleansing properties. The Uktena (and later generations) call it the Black Drink and have built a rite around the consumption of this purgative. When consumed as part of this rite, the Black Drink not only purges as it is meant to do, ensures that all words spoken for the next hour are true and also reveals whether anyone drinking it harbors a Bane or other unclean spirit within his body. Those so afflicted will seek to escape drinking the liquid and if forced to imbibe it, will be unable to regurgitate it. Their skin mottles visibly with black patches which last for an hour.

System: This rite may only be performed when freshly made Black Drink is available. The drink cannot be carried along and used as a “Banedetector.” The point of the rite is to make certain that all parties intend to speak truthfully and cleanly; discovering tainted spirits is an added bonus. No roll is needed to enact the rite, but a Perception + Awareness roll (difficulty 6) allows those in the ritual to notice if someone fails to drink or cannot purge the liquid.

### Rite of the Heavy Heart

Level Three

This rite is generally performed after the completion of any rite where a Garou is killed for her transgressions, in an attempt to restore Gaia’s balance to the tribe. For example, the rite’s ameliorating effects are cast upon a pack or sept after the conclusion of the Hunt of a cannibal Garou, the Rite of the Vipers, Gaia’s Vengeful Teeth, or the Summoning of the Tupilaq. The participants chant to Gaia and Great Wendigo their regret for the killing of a brother or sister; regardless of the fact that she deserved to die, the loss of a Garou life is not a thing to celebrate. No matter how difficult it may be, each werewolf at the rite should recite something redeeming, worthwhile, or memorable about the dead Garou. The ritemaster and the participants then declare to the spirits their sorrow that they were unable to lead the traitor back from her offending path, and request that Gaia bear the traitor’s spirit into the afterlife of the ancestors with forgiveness and relief from shame.

System: The ritemaster spends one point of Gnosis to awaken an untouched talen of Gaia, symbolizing the purity that is sought, and then makes a Charisma + Rituals roll at a difficulty 8. All participants in the rite also spend one point of Gnosis. Finally, at a difficulty of the Storyteller’s discretion, each participant should roll their Charisma + Empathy, in order to manage a sincere offering-tale for the redemption of the traitor Garou’s spirit.

### Rite of the Second Birth

Level Five

This rarest of ceremonies is performed in order to absolve a cannibal Garou of their sin and remove the taint of their actions, at the cost of all their Rank and Renown. Because of the difficulty in completing this rite, and the ghastly nature of the situation itself, it is seldom finished, always performed in utter secrecy, and even more seldom discussed. Many ritemasters have argued that the risk of redeeming a cannibal can never be outweighed by the cannibal’s usefulness to the pack or tribe. It is generally decided, in a secret Council of the Second Birth, that the Garou in question possesses an ability or asset that is absolutely vital to the survival of the tribe. Only when this Council has come to this conclusion will the rite be prepared. The details of the rite itself are simple in contrast to the politics surrounding it. At the full moon, the cannibal Garou is brought blindfolded, bound and gagged, to the center of a concealed earthen circle. If the circle is discovered by anyone outside the rite’s council, the area is considered polluted and the rite fails. This ritual area must have been purified and consecrated to Gaia nightly over the course of one entire lunar month, using the Rite of Cleansing, the smoke of burnt birch or willow branches, and copious amounts of blood from two different ritemasters. One of the ritemasters howls the transgressions of the cannibal Garou in a Curse of Ignominy, standing at the westernmost point of the circle, reviling the villain’s deeds with discordant disdain. Simultaneously, the other ritemaster performs a Howl of Introduction from the easternmost point, reciting the new identity that the Garou will assume, assigning all the committed sins to the previous, vile persona. Both howls must end precisely at the same time. At this moment, the target of the rite, for all intents and purposes, has his Wyrm taint torn out by the hand of Gaia. Note that this taint remains a coherent spirit-thing in the nearby Umbra: it may evaporate, manifest as a spirit of some kind, or affix itself to another target, as befits the Storyteller’s needs. Whether or not this reborn Garou (always an Ahroun) still possesses the very powers and Gifts that made him so valuable is an entirely different risk undertaken by the Council.

## Caern Rites

### Rite of the Fire Dance

Level Two

To renew the power residing in a caern of Healing, werewolves may perform this rite, which counteracts the effects of pain and allows the cooling powers of a Water elemental or other spirit to rise further to the surface. The ritemaster should prepare a layer of burning coals, wood chips, peat, moss, or caribou droppings. The participating werewolves then dance upon the fire, howling and capering, proudly declaring their imperviousness to the searing heat. Sometimes the dancers smear their paws or feet with layers of white clay, if such can be had, to prevent burns and blisters. They can also chew the leaves of several herbs known to reduce pain. Only these worldly natural gifts of Gaia, such as plants, animals, earth, or wind, may be used to protect a dancer from being burned. Mystical aids only drain more power, and so a fire dancer should never use another Gift, fetish, talen, or other rite to guard her from the fire. Wendigo believe that they should enact this rite on the night of the 13th full moon of each year.

System: A fire dancer must roll her Stamina + Rituals successfully to take part in the rite without damaging herself. Together all the dancers must spend more combined Gnosis than five times the current level of the caern, in order to refresh the caern’s power. The completion of this rite also earns a dancer a point of Glory Renown. It is considered particularly good luck if the ritemaster cannot keep the fires lit once the rite has begun.

## Rites of Death

### Rite of Remembrance

Level One

To perform this rite, the werewolves in mourning for a dead Garou gather in solemnity. Occasionally, human Kinfolk are invited to join, if they were particularly close to the departed Garou, or of her bloodline. Everyone in attendance at the rite should bring with them an object or item: one that belonged to the deceased, was given to them by the deceased, or commemorates something about her life and deeds. Then, during the rite, each participant should step forward and display the item, relating its story. The objects are often collected into a medicine bundle, or stored in a ritually carved box or chest, although what is done with the items varies from tribe to tribe. The items and the sadness all should be sacrificed, regardless. The box can be burnt, sending the collected smoke of all the memories onto the wind, into the next world along with the spirit of the dead Garou; or the box can be buried for a period of time (usually a lunar year) until the pain of mourning has lessened, then unearthed to signify the continuance of life, before being destroyed. The place where the box is buried is considered sacred, like a caern, for the duration of its interment.

System: The ritemaster indicates who is to tell their story, usually in order of rank, from lowest to highest. Enemies of the deceased Garou have been known to attend a Rite of Remembrance. Unlike a simple Gathering for the Departed, which sometimes can make a connection to the spirit world through the power of released emotion, this is a rite performed chiefly to aid in the grieving of the living, and does not influence the spirits of the dead or any other ancestor-spirits. At the Storyteller’s discretion, this rite may improve the Renown of the dead Garou; a particularly good story may also give the teller a point of Wisdom Renown as well, especially if she is a Galliard.

### Rite of the Sin-Eater

Level Two

Performing this rite allows the ritemaster to take into herself, literally, the outstanding issues or sins of a restless spirit or ghost. She does this by meditating and summoning the spirit, binding it into a prepared piece of food, and eating it. She then calls out the name of the ghost and chants aloud the essence of the unsolved matter, declaring that she has taken the matter upon herself to settle. The ritemaster is then compelled to right whatever wrongs keep the ghost from passing on peacefully. Only when the matter is resolved can the spirit find its way to its deserved next life in the afterworld. Since the ghost in question usually brings itself to someone’s attention through its unquiet nature, it is much easier for a mystic to summon it. However, depending on how unsettled the spirit is, it may be conversely much more difficult to coerce it to cooperate with the rite, admit that it cannot solve the problem itself, and allow itself to be bound and consumed. Often other trusted kin of the spirit attend this ceremony and help the ritemaster to convince the ghost that the rite can help it.

System: The ritemaster does not need to pierce the Gauntlet or enter the Umbra, as in most Mystic rites such as the Rite of Summoning, but she does need to spend a point of Gnosis in order to contact the spirit. The Storyteller should determine ahead of time what crime or sin has kept the ghost from passing on to the lands of its ancestors, and what clues this rite might provide the sin-eater to aid it. To bind the ghost to the piece of food, she must successfully make a Charisma + Intimidation roll against the difficulty of the ghost’s Willpower. Once the binding has been achieved and the ritemaster has consumed the food, she makes a Charisma + Rituals roll against the difficulty of the ghost’s Rage. The more successes she rolls, the easier it is for her to absolve the sin or find the source of the problem and solve it, restoring all things to their natural balance

### Rite of Nightshade

Level Four

The Garou participating in this rite must all partake of a carefully brewed tea that contains a considerable amount of a particular narcotic, usually including nightshade as one of the ingredients. This sends all who drink it into a state of Reaching — piercing the Gauntlet and allowing the Near Umbra to become more accessible — that generally lasts for at least three days. The ritemaster and the participants must then focus their attention upon a particular object that is placed at the center of a ritual circle. The ritemaster calls upon Wendigo ancestor-spirits, asking them to tell the story of the object, from its birth until the current time. In this way, the rite can chain together a history of whoever touched the object, what the object was used for, or what it saw, heard, or experienced. If the object is the focus of a very powerful emotion or meaningful event, the ancestor-spirits are more likely to retrieve and share more of their memories.

System: Anyone drinking the poisonous nightshade tea automatically spends a point of Gnosis and loses a Health Level. The ritual participants must spend at least 6 Gnosis point to discover any useful information about the object. The success of the rite is dependent on the Gauntlet rating of the place where the rite is being performed. The ritemaster must match this number with an extended test of Charisma + Rituals. If she does not make this roll, she may spend a point of Health and a point of Gnosis to add an additional success. As the rite continues, the ritemaster may make one roll on this extended test every hour.

## Mystic Rites

### Rite of the Sun Dance

Level Two

A worthy Wendigo can make contact with the spirit-world without the use of drugs or smoke, driving herself into a state of Reaching simply by enduring pain. At the center of the caern or Glade, the participants must carve and erect a wooden totem pole, decorating it with long straps of rawhide or caribou skin. At the top of the pole, a caribou skull should be affixed, facing northwards. At the end of each strap hangs a sharpened hook, sometimes made of silver. At sunrise, the ritemaster, or the Garou who will undergo the rite, allows the hooks to be fastened into her flesh. Once the hooks are secured, the participants encourage the werewolf with a Howl of Introduction, announcing her intentions to Helios and the spirit world. Then they depart, leaving her alone, and the Sun Dance begins. Frequently, the Garou also cuts or otherwise mutilates herself repeatedly for a maximum amount of pain, offering up her blood in sacrifice to Gaia and Great Wendigo. The Dance usually lasts until the werewolf rips free of the hooks or otherwise collapses, although the longer she can continue through the pain and blood loss, the more power she can draw to herself. System: The ritemaster or the invoking Garou makes a Charisma + Rituals roll to announce the rite to the Umbra. She then makes a Gnosis roll, and any successes above the single one required add to the effectiveness of the rite, which endows the Garou with increased blessings of Helios.

Whenever the sun shines upon her, for the remainder of the month, she is guarded by mystic spirits of Helios, the power level of the summoned spirit constrained by the difficulty level of the rite, as determined by the Storyteller (as in the Rite of Summoning):

Spirit Type Difficulty

Gaffling 4

Jaggling 5

Avatar 6

Incarna 8-9

Avatar of Helios 10

Additionally, Garou who fully take part in this rite may gain a point of Glory Renown, as well as an additional die to Social dice pools when interacting with any of Helios’s brood.

### Rite of Deliverance

Level Three

Like the Gift of Wormwood’s Balance, this rite is performed so that Garou close to each other in a pack may depend upon each other to defeat the poison of the Wyrm. However, the spirit of Great Wendigo can bestow an even greater strength upon the bonds among his tribe. During this rite, the ritemaster may learn to combat Derangements that another Wendigo close to her may possess — even the Derangements of a metis, although she must be of Wendigo blood. The two Wendigo must belong to the same pack, and both the characters must have fought together in a battle where the werewolf’s Derangement has taken hold and caused a defeat to their pack or sept. A controlled situation is set up, preferably with the target Garou’s knowledge, to cause her to become Deranged. At her side, offering complete trust, the ritemaster as deliverer guides them both through the ritual, fully sharing in and enduring the effects of this Derangement alongside her, forging a link between them through the Umbra. Through this bond, the deliverer forces her will upon the Derangement, subduing it herself, and then lends courage and support, aiding the Deranged character to do the same. When the effect of the Derangement has been mastered, the two linked Garou both complete the ritual by calling upon the spirits of Gaia and Great Wendigo and offering thanks.

System: The rite itself begins with the triggering of the Derangement. The ritemaster then spends a point of Gnosis and makes a Wisdom + Empathy roll against her target’s Willpower, to share the Derangement. Finally, the ritemaster must then make a successful Willpower roll of her own (difficulty 5) to gain enough control to complete the rite. For every failure, the difficulty rises by one point. If she succeeds, the target character may resist her Derangement for the next lunar month. If the rite should fail, then the ritemaster absorbs the target’s Derangement, instead, for the same period of time.

### Rite of Weeping for a Vision

Level Three

The native tribes adopted this rite from their Sioux brethren . After preparing a sacred pipe of tobacco and entering meditation on a hilltop, the Garou receives visions. Unlike the Sioux ritual, however, the Garou's spirit actually leaves her body and travels into the Umbra . Once there, spirits assail her with visions of her possible futures or memories of her past.

System: The ritualist prepares all the necessary implements prior to the vision seeker's journey. Once secluded, the Garou smokes the sacred pipe and meditates throughout the night. With a successful Gnosis roll (difficulty 7), her spirit leaves her body and enters the Umbra. If anyone disturbs her physical form, the visions end immediately. In the Umbra, the Garou experiences visions and delusions created by spirits who wish to frighten the stranger out of their realm. Among these images, fortunes of the future and reflections of the past can be discerned. Interpreting these visions should never be easy, and the Storyteller should do her best to conceal their true meanings.

### Rite of Death-Crafting

(Level Five)

When an enemy has quickened a deep and all-consuming rage for vengeance within the heart of a Garou, that werewolf may choose to fashion a ritual weapon to be used for only one purpose — the death of this hated foe. The weapon must be fashioned over the course of a complete cycle of the moon (one month) while concentrating upon the one it is intended to slay. The weapon must either incorporate some object previously taken from the foe or a drop of blood and the tears of the maker brought forth under the full moon. During the rite proper, the Garou calls forth a spirit of vengeance, which enters the weapon, which becomes imbued with the power to slay the one who truly wronged him. A deserving enemy is struck down by even the slightest blow or scratch, but, if the foe has not truly harmed the Garou, the weapon inflicts only normal damage.

System: Creating the weapon of vengeance requires the Garou to spend one point of Gnosis and make a Dexterity + Crafts roll (diffi culty 7). During the month in which the weapon is constructed, the Garou can do nothing else strenuous that takes him away from the caern, nor can he leave his work to return later. If the attempt to create the weapon fails, another month must be spent to repeat the crafting. The rite itself is performed once the weapon is completed.

The weapon itself inflicts ten health levels of aggravated damage, but only against the intended target. Once the weapon has struck the Garou’s enemy, it shatters, wounding the slayer for two aggravated health levels as he has allowed vengeance to so rule his path. If the enemy dies from the blow (as is likely), her spirit is ravaged by agonizing pain at the time of death.

### Rite of Luna’s Answer

Level Five

This is one of the few ceremonies that Wendigo hide from their Kinfolk, and it is never undertaken lightly. Galliards say that the rite has been passed down through the generations, from Grandmother Luna, for Garou alone, so that they may speak to Luna in times of need. When great trials and questions plague the tribe, the Elders meet in council and choose a Theurge to lead a moon dance. A sacred vessel is crafted in a fashion befitting the nature of the question, and purified in preparation to contain a great spirit. The Theurge and a chosen pack of dancers begin the dance by passing into the Umbra and choosing a moon path to follow. As they run down the path, they howl and sing of the troubles of their people, letting their cries for help echo through the Umbra. If Luna favors their prayers and judges that her aid is needed, she sends a Lune to appear and test their strength. The Theurge chosen to lead the rite must then count coup on the spirit, using the ritually-prepared vessel in place of the customary wand. The Theurge and the Lune test their wills against each other. The longer the battle, the more pleased Luna is, and the more auspicious the answer received. Should the Theurge overcome the Lune spirit, it submits utterly and passes into the vessel, where it remains until the next spring, when the fetish shatters with the first cracking of the ice. Should the Lune overcome the Theurge instead, the Lune escapes, and the Theurge’s spirit is bound inside the vessel to dwell there so long as it remains whole. The vessel, upon first being lifted, speaks whatever answer Luna has seen fit to grant, directly into the heart of the holder.

System: This rite is performed similarly to the Rite of Counting Coup and the Rite of the Moon Dance; the Theurge ritemaster must roll Charisma + Rituals at a difficulty determined by the Willpower (8) + Rage of the summoned Lune. A Theurge that completes this rite earns a point of Renown for every success she rolls past the Lune’s Willpower + Rage. This rite may take place at any time during the lunar cycle, but the Elders must determine the time, depending on the talent of their Theurge and the seriousness of the trouble. If the rite is performed during the new moon, the Lune puts up less of a fight, and is most easily subdued, ensuring the success of the ceremony and a solution, although it is not Luna’s most powerful or pleasant answer. Conversely, at the full moon, Luna herself can exert more of her energy and good will to aid the Wendigo with their problem, and the Lune will similarly be at its strongest and most difficult to defeat.

### Raise the Sun

Level Six

This rite is almost legend; the last reliable report of its performance dates back to 1300 AD, when the Croatan were still allied with the Mound Builder Dreamspeakers and Helios. The rite is performed only at night, for good reason: it is said to call the sun to rise over the horizon regardless of the hour, bringing on the next day. Whether this calls on an avatar of Helios to light the hours between the rite and actual daybreak or it actually alters the fl ow of time for the target area is unknown.

System: Unknown. The effective rite level of six represents the extreme difficulty of enacting such a rite with any success; the actual chances of the rite working are left to the Storyteller’s discretion.

## Rites of Punishment

### Rite of Counting Coup

Level Two

At the new moon, the ritemaster must carve a wooden rod or wand, preferably taken from the trunk of an ash tree or a pine tree. The rod must be the length of her own forearm, from tip of the elbow to tip of the longest claw. Into the rod, the ritemaster must carve a message of punishment, detailing either with symbols or words the transgressions of the Garou to be punished. Three eagle feathers are sometimes tied to the end of the rod, using a strip of leather or sinew. The ritemaster may keep this rod, or award it to someone who has been wronged by the werewolf in question. To complete the rite, she only needs to tap the target Garou on the shoulder or head with the rod. The taking of this coup triggers deep submission and remorse in the punished Garou, lessening their Renown, an effect that is not relieved until the next new moon.

System: The ritemaster must make the standard Charisma + Rituals rolls at a difficulty of 7. The act of counting coup must take place in public. If the punished Garou is guilty, the amount of Honor Renown she loses increases by one point for every 5 witnesses. Similarly, the amount of Honor Renown awarded to the coup-giver and/or the ritemaster increases by one point for every 5 witnesses. However, if the Garou is not guilty of the deeds that have been inscribed onto the wand, it breaks when she takes the coup, and the ritemaster and the wielder of the wand suffer a loss of 1 point of Honor Renown and 1 point of Wisdom Renown.

### Summon the Tupilaq

Level Five

The ritemaster collected the bones of a bunch of different animals: bear, seal, fish, walrus, horse, deer. Since the totem of Yellow Fang’s pack was Wisagatcaq, the ritemaster added the bones of a jaybird’s wings. Then he bound the pile of bones together, with sinew and fresh intestines, tying knots in an order I didn’t understand, singing in a language none of us knew. He laid the entire thing onto the whole skin of a wolf that’d died of natural causes, and sewed the wolf skin shut with a needle of bone. With his bare hands, he dug a grave into the earth of the caern, which scared the piss out of anyone who hadn’t already wet themselves. And then he just… threw the bundle into it. The rest of us put a rock on top of the grave and said Yellow Fang’s name. We covered it up fast. Nobody wanted to see the empty wolf skin, lying there in the ground.

The wrath of Great Wendigo rose, then. I could barely believe what I was seeing. I saw the curling of ice-smoke seeping out of the jumble of rocks, making the bloody heap underneath twitch, shudder, and finally crawl to its feet. With a horrifying, halting jerk, the thing awoke — its skin was lurching and shuddering around, but I could tell the bones inside it were knitting together somehow. The abomination scrabbled to get its balance and then started off southward, unstoppably plowing through the snow, leaving an incredibly corrupt stench in its wake. I think we all threw up then, even the ritemaster. The Tupilaq was on the Hunt.

Two days later, Jini Grey-Cloud found what was left of Yellow Fang, outside the cave where he had been hiding. The Tupilaq must have dragged him out. Jini never could bring herself to tell me what she saw. She told us she left him there for the crows.

— from the writings of Theodore Sha-wun-uk, Wendigo wildlife conservationist

System: The ritemaster must ascertain, through the successful completion of another Rite of Punish - ment of lower level, that the traitor Garou is worthy of death. Because of the horrible nature of this rite, it is generally reserved only for those who commit the worst offenses, such as eating the flesh of humans or wolves, openly ignoring an honorable surrender, or damaging or destroying a caern. The Tupilaq is summoned by assembling a group of accusers, each of whom offer their own knowledge of the traitor’s transgressions during the rite, either aloud or silently. The ritemaster must make a Charisma + Rituals roll, as usual, and all other participants in the rite must spend a point of Gnosis to contribute to the rite. Once the Tupilaq has been unleashed, nothing keeps it from killing its quarry.

((The Tupilaq

This spirit is a remorseless, unstoppable predator, completely single-minded in its pursuit of the wretch that has been selected as its prey. It obeys the desires of Great Wendigo and Gaia alone, who decide if the targeted Garou has gone astray from the pack and the tribe, beyond any redemption or forgiveness. The Tupilaq always wears the shambling skin of a wolf, but the jumbles of bones inside it are never Garou, signifying the complete alienation of its target. Everything about the Spirit is repulsive, from the vile stink it leaves in its wake, to the blank spaces behind its empty eyeholes.

The Tupilaq does not suffer a loss of Essence if it fails its Tracking or Disorient rolls.

Willpower 10, Rage 7, Gnosis 10, Essence 24

Charms: Tracking, Materialize, Airt Sense, Disorient))

## Rites of Renown

### Rite of the Potlatch

Level One

This rite enjoys its greatest popularity among the Wendigo and Croatan, although the Uktena sometimes practice it as well — particularly in areas where multiple tribes share common Kinfolk. Most commonly used to commemorate a rise in rank, Garou also perform this rite to mark other signifi cant occasions, such as a change in pack or sept leadership or a particularly glorious deed.

System: The Garou enacting this rite announces his intention to other sept members at least ten days before the actual performance. Preparation for the rite includes gathering together a bounty of food and making or acquiring suffi cient gifts for the attendees. The actual rite consists of hosting a feast, giving gifts (which may include fetishes or talens) to all who attend and entertaining them with stories, songs and dances. Although this rite benefi ts a single Garou, her pack usually participates in the preparation and performance of the rite. Three successes on a Charisma + Etiquette roll guarantees a successful potlatch; fewer successes means that although the Garou’s rise in rank or attainment of a position of leadership is accepted, the Garou must offer some other tangible proof of her worthiness to receive the honor she has just celebrated. In addition, the ritemaster gains a one-die bonus on all Social rolls when interacting with participants for the following year.

### Rite of the Song Duel

Level Two

This rite enables the settling of feuds without resorting to bloodshed. Although Garou may use this ceremony to resolve differences between themselves, it is more commonly used on behalf of warring Kinfolk.

System: The participants in the rite take turns deriding their opponent through insulting songs accompanied by appropriate dance movements. After one party has completed his song, the other participant has the right to respond in an attempt to best his dueling partner. The rite ends when one of the duelers fails to reply with a more insulting or demeaning song than his rival.

No roll is necessary, since this rite should be simulated through role-playing, with the Storyteller as the fi nal arbiter of who gains the victory. The loser loses one point of temporary Glory from her Renown score. If done on behalf of her Kinfolk rather than herself, the Garou also loses any infl uence she has over those particular individuals for one month.

### Rite of the Great Bear

Level Three

The Great Bear is one of the most easily identifiable constellations; ever-present over the frozen horizon, it serves as a constant reminder of the power of the North and the Sacred Pole. Stories have given it different forms and names — a reindeer, a coffin, a dipper, a chariot for kings, a spurned maiden — but in most legends told by Gaia’s people, it takes the shape of the Bear. One of the oldest legends tells of three stars, the bright spirits of three brave warriors. Throughout the year they pursued their prey, a pure white bear bigger than all three men put together. When autumn came, their spears finally found their target, and the blood of the Great Bear dripped down from the heavens, to turn the leaves of all the trees red as he died.

This rite celebrates the fierce and determined spirits of these three Star-Hunters, by sending three brave new avatars back into pursuit of a single target of the ritemaster’s choice. For the Rite of the Great Hunt, a sept or a ritemaster is usually sent a vision from Gaia, indicating a worthy victim or sacrifice. In order to add to this rite a hunt for the Great Bear, the Spirit of Great Wendigo conveys his own, separate message and target, but to the ritemaster alone. A ritemaster must be confident in her bond with Gaia and Great Wendigo, and also confident that her septmates are willing to trust her vision and risk shame to achieve even greater glory. Although Gaia has been known to sacrifice one of the Garou as the quarry for Her rite, Great Wendigo never chooses one of his children as the target. Usually the prey of each hunt is different, but tend to possess some mystical bond or connection that may not become evident until both rites are completed.

System: This is a seasonal rite, and should be incorporated into the Rite of the Great Hunt, which is traditionally performed at Midsummer. The Rite of the Great Bear cannot be completed unless the Rite of the Great Hunt is successful. The hunt for the Great Bear, however, lasts longer than a day, and must be completed by the autumnal equinox. If the Star-Hunters have not captured and killed their quarry by this time, the shame becomes truly damaging. Any points of Glory Renown earned by a character for the completion of the Great Hunt are totally lost. However, if the hunt for the Great Bear is finished successfully, the gain of Glory for each character participating in the rite rises another three points — once for each of the three Bear Hunters.

### Rite of the Vipers

Level Four

Two enemies agree to meet within the bounds of a neutral caern. A magical circle is inscribed by a neutral ritemaster, surrounding the caern. Once the circle is closed, the foes may neither leave the circle nor fight each other until they have completed their part of the rite — the carving of two sacred knives, from a common piece of ivory tusk or bone. They may bring no tools, but only use the sharpness of their claws. Together, they must crouch and work, side by side like kin, controlling their Rage and their form. The two foes must dedicate themselves without rest, food, or aid, to the creation of their weapon, the instrument of their vengeance. Once a knife is perfected, to the pleasure of Gaia, its edge bursts into an unmistakable glow of cold blue light. The creator of that knife may then attack her foe as she desires. The slower Garou, if she can survive the first blow, may not depart the magic circle or defend herself until her knife is finished and found satisfying to Gaia. Usually this rite ends with the death of one of the two rivals; because of this, the performing of this rite is naturally discouraged, because any loss of Garou life brings the Apocalypse one step closer.

System: For every hour that passes within the circle, each Garou must make a Rage roll of increasing difficulty, beginning at 4. They each must also roll Crafts + Ritual against each other, to indicate how well the knife is being carved. If either opponent should fall into frenzy before completing her task, the rite is considered to have been violated. The ritemaster may then either dissolve the boundary circle, allowing external interference or aid, or she may keep the circle closed and simply allow the non-frenzied Garou to fight back in her own defense, without finishing the carving of the knife. As in all duels, the ritemaster is considered to be the Master of the Challenge. Any Garou that is wounded must make a check not to frenzy. If the latter situation is chosen, it’s considered proper for the victor to finish the carving her knife in thanks to Gaia, after her foe has been defeated. If the ritemaster wishes, additional Renown may be awarded to the victor, depending on the beauty or quality of the knife, which then is usually worn openly with pride. The knife thereafter is ready to be enchanted as a fetish, with a particular affinity for spirits with high Rage.

## Seasonal Rites

### Rite of the Green Corn

Level One

This rite, unlike many Garou powers, is meant mainly to benefi t their Kinfolk. When performed in a certain area, it causes the ground to become more fertile, to produce more food and to feed more animals from its bounty. It is a seasonal rite, performed just before planting time to ensure the maximum yield. System: The Garou performing the rite walks the area to be blessed, sifting corn pollen onto the ground. Once the area has been covered, she rolls Charisma + Rituals (diffi culty 6) to call forth friendly spirits to nourish the land. The Storyteller decides how much greater the yield will be and whether the food thus produced will have additional nutritional value or other properties depending on the number of successes achieved.

There is a degenerate version of this rite practiced by some modern-day descendants of Croatan Kinfolk who have lost the bloodline but not their traditions. These backcountry folks have interpreted the water the rite calls for as blood — which is dangerous business for strangers who come to town.

## Minor Rites

### Boat Song

As the name implies, this minor rite takes the form of a short song used to keep a boat from running aground or getting tossed in rapids while on its journey. No one aboard gets seasick, and the boat makes good time regardless of the weather.

System: If the Garou performs this rite each time before he gets into a boat for a full month, he and everyone in the boat gains two dice to their Drive Skill (when boating), even if inexperienced. However, failure to perform the Boat Song before boarding a boat revokes the blessing, and the Garou must begin anew.

### Confederacy

This rite is performed before peaceful meetings between different tribes. The Garou involved in the meeting must recite specifi c oaths as part of the rite; the oaths are short and simple and formed as a command. (“None here shall raise claw against another”; “Each swears to defend the honor of the other;” “No lies shall pass our lips,” and so on.)

System: All the participants in a meeting must perform this rite just before the talks start. If all do so, it becomes more diffi cult for them to frenzy as a reaction to one another’s actions (one extra success on a Rage roll is required), for so long as all adhere to the oath. If broken by a single member, though, the pact is void.

## Camp Rites

These rites are taught within a specific Wendigo camp; as local, focused lore, they are usually only shared with other camps within the Wendigo, and are not generally shown to other Garou.

### Sacred Hoop

#### **Rite of the Sacred Hoop: Black Blood of Gaia**

Level Three

The Wyrmcomers’ hunger for oil has destroyed and desecrated many of Wendigo’s lands, driving his people from their homes, tearing apart the bones and blood of Mother Gaia. If a cunning Garou discovers where an oil well has been sunk, or if she sees surveying or drilling happening in her territory, she may use this Gift to alert Gaia, and ask elementals of the Earth to aid Her in redirecting the flow of the oil elsewhere, blocking it, or stopping it altogether. The ritemaster and participants hunt and kill a large animal, usually a caribou or deer, and the ritemaster tears the heart from the animal. She intones blessings upon Gaia and the sacred lands, while clenching the heart in her claws. She squeezes all the blood from the organ onto the ground, offering it to be absorbed by the Earth in sacrifice. Then the ritemaster and all other able participants of the ritual cut themselves and proffer their blood as well, giving their strength in exchange for the great forces that must be put to work beneath the surface of the Earth. Some Garou have bled themselves to death during this ritual, in an effort to offer the ultimate strength of their spirits, as well as their blood, to preserve the lands of Gaia from being despoiled.

System: The ritemaster rolls Charisma + Rituals to determine the success of the ritual, at a difficulty of 7. If she succeeds, she and every participant spend at least one point of Gnosis, and one Health Level in blood. The sum of the pooled Gnosis, in addition to the Ritemaster’s extra success dice, measures how thoroughly the oil has been held back.

Desired Result # of Successes

Drilling equipment damaged by strata shift 5

Oil volume becomes irregular 6

Oil volume slows to a trickle 7

Oil stops completely, redrilling fails 8

Oil in surrounding acres disappears 9

Oil well spouts blood instead of oil 10

### Warpath Rites

#### **Warpath Rite: Twitch of the Idlak**

Level Four

The Warpath have preserved this method of hunting seals and put it to a unique use. The idlak, a tool used by arctic Kinfolk for many years, is created out of a delicate feather tied to a long thin sliver of wood or bone. A hunter sticks this tool into a breathing hole in the ice; when a seal swims to the hole and surfaces for breath, it makes the idlak flutter and tremble. Similarly, this rite allows a Wendigo to pierce the Gauntlet with a fetish idlak, capturing a friendly spirit or Gaffling inside its slender form. This sets an alarm that makes it unnecessary for a Garou to peek through to the Umbra and thereby leave her Earthly back defenseless. Any Bane, or any other dangerous spirits that belong to the Weaver or the Wyrm, may draw near the idlak’s place in the Penumbra without noticing it. If the vile spirits pass too closely, or cross the Gauntlet by Materializing, the Gaffling sends a warning by setting the idlak in motion, both physically and spiritually. When it is triggered, it enables the Garou who planted it to track the spirit’s manifestation, or helps her to cross quickly into the Penumbra to follow the spirit’s tracks and to engage in battle with it.

System: The player spends at least two points of Gnosis when planting the idlak, and then rolls Gnosis + Perception. The number of successes the player rolls, or the number of additional Gnosis points spent, determines any additional Gnosis levels for the Gaffling. The spirit senses any thinning or puncture made in the Gauntlet, or the approach of any Bane or hostile spirit nearby in the Penumbra, and makes the idlak shake visibly in the Realm. It also calls mentally to the Garou who bound it into the idlak, alerting her that danger is near.