The Litany (Garou)

The **Litany** is the code of laws kept by the Garou. It was codified at the end of the Impergium.

# Overview

The laws of the People are ancient. Their traditions vary from tribe to tribe, but all Garou must remember and hold to the central code of law called the Litany. In its full form, it is as much an epic poem as a legal code. Chanting it in its entirety can take hours. Four times a year, the werewolves of the Fianna tribe gather in their tribal homelands to recite it in its entirety.

While it takes the greatest scholars to master the entirety of the Litany, most werewolves learn it in the form of 13 basic precepts. Each precept has a practical basis, but not all of them are universally upheld as unquestionably moral. Each tribe has its own views on right and wrong. In fact, many perceive a hypocritical gap between what Garou elders preach and what werewolves actually do. Masters of Garou law can cite dozens of examples of precedent, but as fewer cubs learn to chant the details, more argue ways to bend the rules in their favor.

## The Tenants

The tenets are as follows:

* Garou Shall Not Mate With Garou

* Combat the Wyrm Wherever it Dwells and Whenever it Breeds

* Respect the Territory of Another

* Accept an Honorable Surrender

* Submission to Those of Higher Station

* Respect Those of Lower Station, for all are of Gaia.

* The First Share of the Kill for Greatest in Station

* Ye Shall Not Eat the Flesh of Humans

* The Veil Shall Not Be Lifted

* Do Not Suffer Thy People to Tend Thy Sickness

* The Leader May Be Challenged At Any Time During Peace

* The Leader May Not Be Challenged During Wartime

* Ye Shall Take No Action That Causes a Caern to Be Violated

# A Closer Look

## Garou Shall Not Mate With Garou

**The Law:** Werewolves should mate only with humans or wolves. The law forbids the creation of metis because of the deformities and insanity that settles on the wretched children of Garou-Garou pairings. This stricture forms the basis for some of the greatest tragedies of Garou culture. Many ancient songs tell of werewolves who loved deeply and carelessly, only to be undone by their passion.

**The Reality:** Every year, more metis are born. Modern Garou often claim that prejudice against the metis is a primitive and foolish mindset. Homids are increasingly prone to conceive metis as well, as modern ideals frequently stress romance in a relationship, rather than the old custom of arranged marriages for political gain.

## Combat the Wyrm Wherever It Dwells and Whenever It Breeds

**The Law:** The Wyrm is a source of evil in the world. Gaia created the werewolves to protect the world, and the Wyrm is the greatest enemy the world has. The fastest way for a werewolf to become respected is to prove himself in battle against the servants of the Wyrm. If any Garou neglects this duty, the Apocalypse draws that much nearer to eruption.

**The Reality:** These are the Final Days. So say all the elders. The Wyrm is too strong to kill, and even if it were possible, many suspect it would only delay the inevitable. Jaded elders are distracted by other tasks, such as securing territory, contesting for political power, and crippling their rivals. Few want to accept that the Apocalypse has begun, for it would mean sacrificing personal ambition to accept a painful truth.

As straightforward as this tenet seems, it also raises questions. What happens to a Garou that is possessed, but not fully in the thrall of the Wyrm? Should he be destroyed? Is a Wyrm-spirit really destroyed if it is “killed,” or will it just re-form somewhere else? Can werewolves expect to change the course of history by destroying all of the Wyrm’s servants, or should they choose their battles more carefully? Should the Weaver be challenged as well? Many questions arise in the course of debating this law, in an age where there’s little time to spend finding the correct answer

## Respect the Territory of Another

**The Law:** When one werewolf approaches another’s territory, he must announce herself first and ask permission to enter. The traditional method involves the Howl of Introduction, reciting one’s name, sept, totem, tribe, and home sept. Many Silver Fangs and Shadow Lords also insist on a visitor reciting her lineage. In addition to these precautions, a werewolf should mark her territory, whether with scent or clawed sigils, to keep peace with other Garou.

**The Reality:** As the population of humans in the world keeps growing, A Garou’s howling and urinating on trees to mark territory becomes impractical. In urban caerns, some technologically proficient werewolves (like the Glass Walkers) prefer emails, telephone calls, and texting, and some set up apps to work with GPS systems to keep track of territories electronically. As pressure mounts from outside, many young Garou argue that the territories that remain should be more communally managed — though progressive human-influenced thought has a difficult time winning over a wolf’s territorial urge.

## Accept an Honorable Surrender

**The Law:** A warrior people typically settles its grievances with bloodshed. The Garou have a long dueling tradition, stressing trial by ordeal and single combat. Many werewolves have lost their lives to overzealous practices such as these; they may have died honorably, but their losses are keenly felt all the same. A werewolf being attacked by another Garou can traditionally end a duel peacefully by exposing his throat. The loser shouldn’t suffer a loss of reputation or renown for doing so, but a victorious Garou should be praised for his mercy. Theoretically, any dueling Garou is honor-bound to accept a surrender.

**The Reality:** In practice, peaceful werewolves invoke this law freely, but some are far more selective. After all, in the heat of battle, anything can happen. Even the most feral and violent werewolf struggles to obey this law, but when blood begins to flow, instincts overcome reason. Some warriors are infamous for “accidentally” overlooking a surrender and sinking their teeth into an exposed throat.

## Submission to Those of Higher Station

**The Law:** Like the wolves with whom they breed, werewolves maintain a strictly hierarchical society. When one’s pack or sept is not pure family, the hierarchy of alpha and lord becomes necessary. The concepts of Renown and Rank are integral to Garou society. A werewolf must always honor reasonable requests from higher-ranking Garou.

**The Reality:** The weakening bonds of Garou society have done little to reinforce this tenet among the young. Too many elders don’t understand or can’t cope with the human world. Each tribe has its own culture, and not all of them believe in kowtowing to tyrants or humoring egotistical alphas just because they have long lineages. A werewolf will honor the elders of his tribe generally, but opinions vary when it comes to the highly ranked of other tribes.

Bone Gnawers are highly egalitarian, and although they’ll show their bellies if the need is there, they tend to make a note of it and plot a later payback. Children of Gaia and Silent Striders respect personal choice, and therefore, they prefer to earn obedience rather than demanding it. The Get of Fenris respect only those elders who can best them in combat. Red Talons prefer not to hear “monkey babble” about complicated hierarchies; you should know your place instinctively. Shadow Lords and Silver Fangs, on the other hand, enforce this law with iron fists and sharpened claws.

## The First Share of the Kill for the Greatest in Station

**The Law:** This “kill clause” originally applied to hunting, but has also had a long tradition of being invoked regarding spoils of war. In theory, the most renowned Garou has a right to the most powerful fetishes or other valuable goods found by her packmates. Silver Fangs and Shadow Lords demand what they see as their due; other tribes accept grudgingly.

**The Reality:** Pack mentality may be a strong instinct, but not everyone thinks the same way. Again, modern concepts of egalitarian or democratic philosophy tend to get in the way. Only the strongest or the most trusted Garou are able to repeatedly invoke this tenet for their own benefit, and even then it can strain the bonds of a pack.

## Ye Shall Not Eat the Flesh of Humans

**The Law:** Grotesquely, this tenet arose not from compassion, but from practicality. Not long after the Concord, Stargazer mystics noticed that many werewolves took a bit too much pleasure in devouring human flesh. Such cannibals found themselves vulnerable to the corruption of the Wyrm. Elders grown fat off human stock also became weak at stalking and killing more challenging prey, like the Wyrm-spirits they should have been hunting. In the 21st century, this law is more than a simple spiritual matter. Human beings now consume a frightening amount of preservatives. Their chemical-laden diet makes their flesh unwholesome.

**The Reality:** Werewolves can still lose control of themselves in a frenzy, and some still feel a certain hunger even when fully lucid. Most man-eating Garou act alone, concealing it as best as they can from any packmates, or running without a pack in order to keep up their appetites. Some gather in groups to take part in forbidden feasts, though — the Bone Gnawers, Silent Striders, and Red Talons are all said to have secretive camps that ritually devour human flesh.

## Respect Those Beneath Ye — All Are of Gaia

**The Law:** The Garou ancestors of legend pledged to become the world’s protectors, so they must respect every creature’s place in the natural world. Every werewolf is likewise worthy of respect. The Garou believe in an animistic and warrior version of noblesse oblige, and chivalrous behavior is a respectable way to gain Renown.

**The Reality:** Many cubs, cliath, and metis Garou have learned the hard way that this tenet isn’t always enthusiastically enforced. Shadow Lords and Get of Fenris quantify “respect,” and give those beneath them only what they believe is “fairly earned.” Bone Gnawers just laugh at this precept. They sure as hell don’t get respect, and who could be lower in station than them? The lupus are often stronger at respecting this tenet. Particularly noble Garou have even been known to mourn the passing of their foes, earning the respect of others in the process.

## The Veil Shall Not Be Lifted

The existence of the Garou must remain secret. Here, the law and reality are the same. Werewolves must be discreet when acting among humans. This practice is far more than simple respect for the Concord or humanity’s right to its own civilization. The world is a dangerous place. Humans have more powerful weapons every year. Ancient vampires and far more sinister supernatural creatures are capable of acting on what humans learn. And, of course, the servants of the Wyrm are lurking everywhere, exploiting the weak. If werewolves choose to act like monsters, other creatures will hunt them like the beasts they are.

Garou also have an obligation to protect humanity. When human see werewolves lumbering about in Crinos form, insanity grips them, and they concoct all sorts of outrageous rationales for what they’ve seen. Fear mounts, panic results, and the populace resorts to drastic measures of defense. Rampaging werewolves can cause almost as much damage as the Wyrm-creatures they hunt.

## Do Not Suffer Thy People to Tend Thy Sickness

**The Law:** The warrior who cannot fight or hunt also weakens those who must care for him. Long ago, an infirm, aged, or mortally wounded Garou would be torn to pieces by his septmates. Such a pitiable hero should not suffer further. These days the merciful and dignified practice is to let such an elder choose how to end his own life. In Garou legends, many of the greatest heroes simply set out on one last journey, never to return.

**The Reality:** The Children of Gaia despise this law. They believe in a natural death, caring for their elderly through the most prolonged and horrifying illnesses. A few older Garou, especially those crippled by depression and remorse, simply return to human or lupine society to die, making peace with the life they left behind.

## The Leader May Be Challenged at Any Time During Peace

**The Law:** A werewolf’s pack mentality may be strong, but he should not tolerate a weak alpha. If no immediate threat is nearby, any Garou of sufficient rank may challenge the pack leader for his position. In a pack, the challenge takes the form of a quick and decisive duel, test of wits, or snarling display of intimidation. In a sept, the assembled werewolves watch the challenge play out as high ritual.

**The Reality:** Many tyrannical leaders resist challenge by simply being too strong to defeat. Some mutinous packs challenge their leader one at a time, wearing him down until he must relent. It’s also an uncommon tactic for werewolf leaders to declare a state of constant war, denying any “peace” in which a challenge would be appropriate. Cunning werewolves insist on choosing the type of duel that should result, playing off their rivals’ known weaknesses.

## The Leader May Not Be Challenged During Wartime

**The Law:** Every military relies on a clear and decisive chain of command, and the Garou are no different. Obedience in a pack is essential. Once a fight begins, the alpha’s word is law. A packmate who disobeys may be punished or assaulted by his companions, or possibly even by his sept, after the danger has passed.

**The Reality:** As previously mentioned, some alphas declare a constant state of wartime to abuse this tenet. Those who disobey usually have some chance to defend their actions, standing before a Philodox in a form of court martial. If a werewolf was under magical control, corrupted, or possessed by the Wyrm — or if the alpha was just startlingly incompetent — such disobedience may be excused, especially if the action saved a pack or the sept. Unfortunately, any renown the wolf would have received for her valor may be canceled out by her insubordination.

## Ye Shall Take No Action That Causes a Caern to Be Violated

No Garou argues against this tenet. Caerns surge with mystical energy and the lifeblood of the Earth. If one is destroyed or corrupted, part of the Earth dies, and so does the power of the Garou. A werewolf who leads a proven or potential enemy to a hidden caern is punished severely, even if the act was unintentional.

# Tribal Takes

## The Black Furies

Commentary from Symon World-Reacher (Black Fury, Metis, Philodox), Carlotta Parts-the-Mists (Black Fury, Homid, Galliard), and Amethyst Wingss-Mender (Black Fury, Lupus, Theurge).

I’m quite sure you’ve heard it all. Stay awake and listen again. This is important stuff, you know

Why? Well, consider this. You’ve no doubt heard unpleasant things about all of the other tribes, and probably some good things as well. But you know all the tribes have their own take on the world and how it should run. So, when you think about the Litany, remember that all of the tribes agreed on these tenets quite a lot of years ago. Changing the Litany requires a unanimous decision on the part of the Garou Nation. Think that’ll ever happen again?

### Garou Shall Not Mate with Garou

Now, why is this the first law of the Litany, hmm? Must be pretty important. I think that it was put first so that by the time you got to the last one, you’d forget about it. No, I’m not serious. But it’s hard to look a metis in the face and say “it would be better if you had never been born, you walking breach of Gaia’s law.” That kind of cruelty doesn’t really help anyone, does it?

The Furies don’t exactly go easy on us metis, as I’ve said, but they’re better about it than some tribes. Others tend to shun metis completely or use them as cannon fodder, and even among the Furies, we work twice as hard. I understand it. I really do. We really are children conceived in sin, and while we can’t be faulted for our parents’ mistake (and they are punished), we are asked to make up for it.

All that said, if you really feel you can’t control the urge to mate with another werewolf, go confess your impure thoughts to a sept elder. By the time your ears stop ringing, odds are you won’t find him so attractive anymore anyway.

Carlotta adds: Note that there’s a big difference between “breeding” and “having sex.” The Children of Gaia feel this way, I believe: Sex with other werewolves is all right, so long as pregnancy doesn’t result. Now, the problem is that for whatever reason, be it our unique physiology or a curse from Gaia, we tend to conceive easily during such matings. There’s a really obvious solution, of course, and it happens fairly frequently among the Furies. Of course, taking pleasure with another woman isn’t for everyone.

### Combat the Wyrm Wherever It Dwells and Wherever It Breeds

The Law actually states that “the Wyrm is the source of all evil in the world.” What a load of shit. That’s just so convenient, isn’t it: point the blame for all of our problems at this one adversary and then anytime something goes wrong, we can all yell “Wyrm!” Frees us up from little things like responsibility.

The Wyrm is not responsible for all the evils of the world. Rape, murder, and so forth happen, and I’m willing to bet they’d happen without the Wyrm’s influence. So, first of all, free your mind from that part of the law.

Now, that said, it’s still vital to fight the Wyrm, because the Wyrm just makes things worse. If we could get the Wyrm to knock off trying to corrupt and destroy everything, there would still be a lot of work to do — but we could do it without having a near-omnipotent entity working against us! So when the Wyrm presents and obvious target, take your shot. The Black Spiral Dancer you tear to pieces today won’t be around to rape your Kinfolk tomorrow. The Bane-tainted food you burn won’t ever poison anyone.

Amethyst cautions: The problem is, all we do by fighting Wyrm-things is delay. We don’t really help. Kill one Dancer, even one Dancer pack, and still more are born. Jump at any chance you get to hurt the Wyrm, and you’ll be burned out or dead soon. I think the Final Battle won’t be a battle at all, as much as the Amazons and many other Garou would like. I think the Wyrm’s going to get us to fight some huge beast, and we’ll think we’ve won, only to find the Wyrm has slipped behind us and captured the prize.

### Respect the Territory of Another

I don’t leave my sept much, other than in the Umbra. My opinion has always been that announcing one’s presence and intentions when entering another’s territory is polite and proper behavior.

Carlotta answers: Yes, it is. But I’ll add a bit more to that. A predator sees any encroachment on her territory as a threat. If the intruder nears her den, expect her to become very violent. Thus, bear this tenet of the Litany heavily in mind if you ever have occasion to visit a caern held by the Red Talons, as they will attack intruders without questions.

In urban caerns and septs, announcing howls are impractical at least. But then, it is nearly impossible for a Warder to guard more than the actual heart of the caern in a city. If you visit an urban caern and have the means, call ahead to the Warder or sept leader and announce yourself that way. As Symon says, it’s just polite; you wouldn’t want uninvited guests dropping over all the time, would you?

Amethyst laments: This Law is often overlooked. Europeans stole from Pure Ones, we all stole from other Fera. If we had paid attention to this Law, maybe there would still be Bunyip and Croatan. But we didn’t, we went to their homes without announcing, and got angry when they fought.

If you enter another’s territory and announce yourself, that doesn’t mean you can stay. The one who lives there can still tell you to leave, and you should respect her wishes. While all Garou should help each other, you cannot presume to know what is happening in a strange sept. Be careful when traveling.

### Accept an Honorable Surrender

Look, we’ve all got anger control problems. It’s part of who we are. And that means that someday, some Garou, either Fury or otherwise, is going to piss you off and you’re going to throw down the gauntlet. When that happens, Gaia runs the risk of losing two champions.

Fighting another werewolf is just stupid. If anybody ever challenges you, remember that you usually have the right to invoke a challenge of gamecraft, or endurance (like a race), or something other than straight combat. Even if it has to be a fight, you could try to get the Master of the Challenge to rule that the fight goes until first blood, or even first fall. If it’s got to be fang and claw, however, try to know when you’re beaten. If you’re hurt, quit. If it’s a life-and-death matter of honor, ask yourself whose. I’ve got news for you: I’ve never, never, heard of a dead Garou coming back to us and saying, “I’m really glad I let that Ahroun kill me instead of surrendering, because dying with my honor intact makes me a greater force for Gaia.”

Die to be a hero if you want, but don’t die to prove you were right. And, likewise, don’t kill to prove it either. When the challenge is over, when the winner is declared, accept the ruling and live with it. That means not holding a grudge if you’re beaten and not gloating if you win. This is one tenet of the Litany I’m in full agreement with.

Carlotta reasons: All well and good, if you’re fighting someone you trust not to tear your throat out if you expose it. The problem is, you never know who’s going to go berserk in a fight and see you as a moving shape to be torn in two instead of a Garou. Challenges are serious business — never initiate one without good cause.

### Submission to Those of Higher Station

This one is dangerous. “Higher station” is sometimes used synonymously with “man,” and you can guess how well that goes over with the Black Furies. I’d love to be able to say that Furies understand that someone of higher rank isn’t necessarily of higher rank because of gender, but that just isn’t so. A lot of younger Black Furies (the Amazons of Diana in particular) try to make it a point to heckle males of any tribe, regardless of rank, and that gets them into trouble.

“Submission” is the other problem. Furies don’t like the word or the concept. Following a good leader is fine. Obeying orders in battle is good. But submitting to an alpha’s will sticks in the throats of most Furies, especially if that alpha happens to be male.

In recent times, this Law has become less important as Cliaths have gotten more independent and wonder about the wisdom of sticking to the old ways when the old ways don’t seem to be getting them anywhere. That’s especially true in our tribe, as the divide between young and old Furies grows wider. I once heard one Cliath ask, “What’s the elder going to do? Come down from the Calyx and kick my ass?” Crude, but valid, I’m afraid.

Carlotta adds: Symon fails to mention that alphas fall back on whatever laurels they can to keep control. Sometimes that means reciting the deeds of their ancestors, sometimes it means rallying others around them, but sometimes they try to do it by force. If ever a Garou tries to dominate one of your sisters, no matter what her tribe, help her. Do not look away. I hardly need to explain what that will lead to.

### The First Share of the Kill for the Greatest in Station

“Greatest in station” usually means “highest in rank.” The tenet means that the alphas eat first, leaving cubs and metis the scraps. This works all right for normal wolves, but for Garou, it tends to chafe somewhat.

Like the previous tenet, this Law commonly devolves into a pissing contest between men, and is disregarded among women. When a pack of Garou led by a Black Fury makes a kill, be it in a hunt or in battle, she usually tries to give credit where it’s due. If that means letting a younger pack member have a fetish or some other “spoil” that she’d rather have, that’s the way it goes. I don’t want to suggest that all Furies are this mature and egalitarian, but the greed and haughtiness that drive other Garou to keep all the best stuff just because they can isn’t very common in our tribe.

Amethyst relates a story: I heard about a pack that included a Freebooter. Her alpha, a proud and rather pompous Glass Walker Ahroun, enforced this tenet pretty severely. After a battle in which they destroyed a powerful Leech, the pack discovered a long-lost fetish in the vampire’s home. The Glass Walker immediately seized it, claiming that the glyphs on it marked it as belonging to his tribe anyway. And that was true; the Glass Walker glyph was indeed etched on the side of the odd statuette. The Black Fury objected, but he shouted her down.

Three months later, the pack had to hunt down and slay its own alpha for the crime of eating human flesh. It seems that the “fetish” he had found was in the vampire’s collection for a reason; another Glass Walker had planted it there to act as a deterrent to the Leech’s bloodsucking. It had a… strange effect on the Garou who attuned himself to it. The Fury could have warned him, had he let her.

### Ye Shall Not Eat the Flesh of Humans

Amethyst’s story leads us directly into the next Law. We all know why it isn’t good to eat humans; for one thing, their flesh is fouled by the chemicals they eat, and for another, we’re meant to protect and avenge them, not prey upon them. The Impergium already did irreparable damage to the human psyche; we have no reason to inflict more. If it becomes necessary to kill humans, do so, but remember that you are what you eat.

From the face you’re making, I can assume you find the notion of cannibalism to be truly repulsive. That’s good. Here’s a word of warning, though, Anxi. You were born human, which means if you descend too deeply into rage, you may find yourself breaking this tenet regardless of your intentions. That might give you some clemency if you’re found out… but then again, maybe not. Also, I’m told that human flesh is addictive. Those who start out preying on humans by accident sometimes end up seeking out situations where they know everything will end in violence, reasoning that what they do in frenzy isn’t their fault. I’ve heard tell of Amazons of Diana put down in shame by their own sisters for getting a little too deeply into their work.

### Respect Those Beneath Ye — All Are of Gaia

Yet another dominance Law, if a little more subtle than those before it. This can be interpreted as a kind of “Do unto others” sort of tenet — everything on Earth is of Gaia, after all, and while life feeds upon life, we must recognize that in the end we become food as well. Lupus don’t often need this tenet explained for them, as it comes naturally; they know that the prey exist to be eaten, and the lupus respect their sacrifice.

Of course, some Garou see this as a kind of noblesse oblige, a reminder to be kind and sympathetic to their lessers. These are ones you’ll see nodding blandly when young Garou speak up about the dangers of the Weaver as well as (or instead of) the Wyrm. And as much as I’d like to say that Furies follow the first interpretation, the fact is we’ve got plenty of both in our tribe.

### The Veil Shall Not Be Lifted

When people see our war-form, they go insane for a short time. Sometimes, that “short time” is the rest of the unfortunate person’s life. Sometimes the person has nightmares for years. Sometimes the person remembers everything, and then we have to worry about a hunter stalking us, or a reporter snooping around a sept.

Do not use the Delirium as cover. While the vast majority of people will forget what they saw or have delusions about wild dogs or bears, the one person who remembers might be enough to cause you problems later. Likewise, police carry firearms in most nations, and when faced with a raging Crinos, they might start firing indiscriminately. Find other ways to hide your action. If Rage is called for, then leave no one alive. That may seem harsh, but living by that rule will certainly make you less likely to change shape without need.

Also remember that the war-form is the only one that incites the Delirium. You might change from your wolf skin directly to your natural form, Anxi, and no one looking on will forget or lose her mind.

Hiding from humanity dismays some of the haughtier Furies, who enjoy seeing grown men wet themselves and flee in terror. The problem is that humans are resilient and tenacious, especially in fear or hatred. If they knew we existed, they would feel threatened, and they would come for us with silver and fire. Discretion, little sister.

### Do Not Suffer Thy People to Tend Thy Sickness

Old age usually isn’t a problem for Garou. We die in glorious battle and resign our souls to Gaia much more often than we die of natural causes. But this tent doesn’t just apply to death by old age. A Fury of any age may be wounded beyond hope, or poisoned by Balefire or some other such Wyrm-toxin. When this happens, the healers of our tribe do everything they can to save their sister’s life. Quests into the Umbra to find mystical herbs or to entreat spirits are not uncommon.

Sometimes, however, we must let go. It’s hard to face, but when there’s nothing more to be done, the Furies try to accept their fates and move on to the next life. Better to die in peace than live in agony, I’ve always said. When the time comes for me to die, assuming, of course, that I do not die in battle, I shall walk into the sea and let the waves take me on my last journey.

### The Leader May Be Challenged at Any Time During Peace

Clever law, this. It requires peace, after all. And in the last days, when are we ever at peace?

The leaders of the Black Furies — the Inner Calyx — have another way around this Law. No one knows who or where they are! They can’t be challenged if no one can find them. But there shouldn’t be any need to challenge them, as they are chosen by Artemis herself, right?

I’m not saying that the system is corrupt, only that it could be. Of all the tenets of the Litany, this is the one that angers the younger Furies the most, because it puts the possibility of change in front of them, and then yanks it away.

### The Leader May Not Be Challenged During Wartime

What this is supposed to mean, I think, is that during a battle, the alpha’s word is law. You can’t ask “Why?” when the alpha yells a battle tactic at you, you just have to go along with it. Disobeying the orders of an alpha in battle will cost you Renown at the least, and quite possibly your life. Even the Ragabash, questioners that they are, know better than to pause during combat to poke holes in the alpha’s strategy.

### Ye Shall Take No Action That Causes a Caern to Be Violated

There’s really very little to say here. This tenet of the Litany isn’t open for discussion or re-interpretation, and since you live at one of the most unique and powerful caerns remaining, I don’t think it’s necessary to explain it.

I will say, however, that if a caern Warder seems harsh or if the rules seem strict, this tenet is why. Better a little inconvenience for you than a lost caern.

## Bone Gnawers

[The excerpts of the dialogue that follows were recorded at a moot held at the Sept of the Green in Manhattan; the notes you’re reading were later transcribed by one of Simon Gentle’s Glass Walker Kinfolk. Zachary Ellison, a Shadow Lord, has been asked to evaluate whether the Bone Gnawer rabble of Manhattan should be held accountable for recent violations of the Litany. It is a dangerous precedent, for the rabble are not regarded as citizens of their septs, even though they hide within the protectorates of the caerns. The outcome of this hearing will influence whether all of the city’s Bone Gnawers should be invited to attend moots at the caern.]

Zachary Ellison, Shadow Lord Philodox, addresses the sept:

Honored sept leader, tribal elders, and esteemed representatives of the Garou Nation: We have gathered at this moot today to consider the role the Bone Gnawer rabble shall play in this sept. My tribe, the Shadow Lords, has been diligent in detailing the Bone Gnawer tribe’s numerous violations of the Litany, particularly among the “rabble.” I shall repeat for you what I have heard, for even I find it shocking. Before I am done, you will see why we must forbid them to attend the moots of our sept.

Allow me first to praise Anwar Huskar, of Jonas Albrecht’s court, for gathering so much of this information. He has traveled across the entirety of New York State for precisely this purpose. And before I begin, let us consider Victor Bonecrusher, the foolish metis who stands opposite me. He has the temerity to defend a tribe of cowards and scavenging curs who would vitiate the strength of our caerns for the sake of their own survival.

By the time I have given you my thirteen arguments, you will see why these rabble should not be admitted to our sept again. They have refused to attend our gatherings. Furthermore, they have not earned the right to stand beside the worthies I see arrayed before me… or even the impudent metis that openly speaks out against me.

### Garou Shall Not Mate With Garou

*Zachary Ellison, Shadow Lord Philodox, repeats the arguments of his tribe:* My lord sept leader, I have found the Bone Gnawers within our protectorate to have ignored the first precept of the Litany with impunity. Our scouts have repeatedly found metis of the tribe sheltered within the ranks of the rabble, sheltered from their obligations to patrol and defend the septs their parents shamed with acts of incest. It is well-known that the Bone Gnawers have more metis than any other tribe. By breeding indiscriminately, the tribe increases its own ranks, demanding the privilege of a voice within our septs, yet neglecting the obligation of their duties to them. Thus, if we continue to allow rabble into our sept, we will find our ranks swelled with indigent metis that refuse to fully carry out their responsibility to the Garou Nation.

*Victor Bonecrusher, metis Bone Gnawer Philodox, defends his tribemates:* Our Litany does indeed state restrictions on the mating of Garou. But if this crime has been committed, it is ridiculous to punish the children of these unions, especially by an act as extreme as exile from a caern. They are blameless. They are born innocents, and yet they suffer abuse throughout their lives. If you can prove a Bone Gnawer has bred with another, bring both of them forward and we will put them on trial. If you actually believe the rabble are hiding as part of a conspiracy to outbreed the other tribes, then by all means, you must encourage them to come into the caern where we can watch them more closely. And if you feel that the metis are not working hard enough to defend this caern, then you must welcome them as equal brothers and sisters in the caern, not persecute them because of a crime their parents committed years ago.

**The Reality:** As the Shadow Lords claim, the Bone Gnawers watch over more metis than any other tribe. Some are castoffs, bastards adopted from other tribes. Others are the tribe’s own children, the result of a cold night or a frightened young warrior who thought he wouldn’t live to see tomorrow. Regardless of the punishment visited on the parents, Bone Gnawers treat their metis with a great deal of tolerance. The tribe’s metis still take on some of the most thankless and grueling tasks in the tribe, but some are almost treated as equals.

The tribe has a rather extreme view of sex with their own kind: the only real crime is getting caught. While few Bone Gnawers would admit this openly, long, lonely hours of living on the street sometimes drive them to seek sympathy and comfort. This doesn’t mean that they intentionally breed packs of metis — the crime is still punished by the Garou Nation. However, Bone Gnawers quickly learn to prepare for such an eventuality. Simply put, even the most uncivilized lupus learns the value of a little protection. Many aren’t terribly open (or open-minded) about sex, preferring to keep their liaisons furtive and transient.

Save perhaps for the Children of Gaia, other werewolves are horrified by this idea. On the few occasions where an act of “incest” is performed, the tribe as a whole is reviled for such attitudes. From the Bone Gnawers’ point of view, comforting another werewolf isn’t a crime. Admittedly, this has created something of a double standard, since getting pregnant (or getting someone pregnant) still is. In the few septs where Bone Gnawers have some modicum of political influence, the crime is often punished by exile from the sept. By contrast, in caerns where Bone Gnawers are treated like serfs and peasants, the punishment is often death or ostracism from the Garou Nation.

### Combat the Wyrm Wherever It Dwells and Whenever It Breed

*Zachary Ellison accuses:* Bone Gnawer cowardice is legendary. In previous moots, I have detailed to you how the local Bone Gnawers have consorted with Wyrm-tainted Ratkin, conspired with Leeches, and even brought these Wyrmspawn into their tribal moots! I have evidence of so-called “Rat Finks” trading information with Nosferatu, an act of treachery I have heard blamed on the Shadow Lords, but without similar proof. They have suffered for their lapses in judgment, reaping the betrayal of their treacherous acts, but we have suffered even more for their complicity with the Wyrm. Yet they continue to make such alliances! Would you have them bring the taint of the Wyrm into our sept as well?

*Victor Bonecrusher responds:* If Bone Gnawer cowardice is legendary, so is Shadow Lord treachery. We know how many times you have “negotiated” treaties with the Leeches, Mr. Ellision, and how often they have failed. Maybe you can’t sense the stench of the Wyrm, Ellison, but I can, and so can the Warder who keeps the Wyrm’s minions from our bawn. I should also say that the local rabble have their own way of fighting the Wyrm, by living among the humans who are typically exploited by it. Let us address this Shadow Lord and speak of our obligations to Gaia. We would not hide from humanity, as he does in the safety of a sept, but seek firsthand the humans that have been victimized by the Wyrm’s depredations and heal them. Evidently, this sept does not share such fervor. Instead, we waste time listening once again to a Shadow Lord’s monkeybabble.

**The Reality:** Survival often depends on choosing your battles carefully. Bone Gnawers often see little honor (or sense) in charging into battle against impossible odds. Some other Garou call this cowardice, but urban Garou may consider it common sense. For instance, many cities are crawling with vampires. Wars against them seem to end with heavy casualties on both sides. No matter how “Wyrm-tainted” they may seem, common sense suggests that trying to kill them all is futile.

Cynical Bone Gnawers come to see their more martial brothers and sisters — like the Fenrir and Red Talons — as shock troops in the war against the Wyrm. A wise Garou knows that an experienced hero who’s lived long enough to learn how to fight is more useful in the long run than a bloodthirsty cub that’s eager to throw his life away.

Recently, more practical Garou have espoused another interpretation of this dictum, one that (admittedly) isn’t fully supported by tradition. If the Wyrm must be destroyed wherever it dwells, then tending to places where it typically festers is a wise act of prevention. Stopping abuse, exploitation, or suffering before it allows the Wyrm to take over the victims (or command the perpetrators) is therefore almost as important — or just as important — as ceaseless violent warfare against unseen spirits. For traditional Garou, this is a radical and provocative idea, but among outcasts like Bone Gnawers, it is rapidly gaining popularity.

### Respect the Territory of Another

*Zachary Ellison preaches:* It is the accepted custom of cultured Garou to announce one’s name and lineage when entering the bawn of a caern for the first time. Not so with the rabble. They skulk and creep into our domains, ashamed to admit the names of the disreputable ancestors who spawned them. Yet their disrespect involves far more than the breach of this formality. If they respected our territory, they would report each full moon to our esteemed elders to attend our sept moots. Look around. How many do you see? If they cannot respect us by attending our moots regularly, this privilege of theirs should be revoked.

*Victor Bonecrusher responds:* Perhaps my colleague would like the Bone Gnawers attending our moots to present themselves properly, stating their full lineage. Unfortunately, not all of them can. Metis don’t always know the names of their parents, nor do Bone Gnawers know of Garou fathers who abandoned their mothers. They’d no doubt give their names if they could. As such, this is a trivial offense at best. If we truly welcomed the rabble, they would attend more moots. If we gave them a voice in the sept, they’d speak. As it is, we have become more obsessed with line and lineage than the opinions of the Garou we are supposed to serve. You would shame them further when they attempt to approach us, instead of letting them share what they have seen and heard. The mere fact that the rabble can survive on the streets is a testimony to their ability to respect territorial boundaries.

**The Reality:** “Territory” means a lot to wolves in the wild, but the concept becomes twisted in big cities. Garou have instincts to follow older ways, marking their territory with scent and warning intruders with howls, but they must mute these instincts considerably when surrounded by mankind. Human gangs might kill each over for control of a few city blocks, but Bone Gnawers cannot be so indiscreet. To preserve the Veil — and more importantly, to survive — they must be far more subtle. Most know that cities crawl with other supernatural creatures as well, from Banes and vampires to urban shamans and technomancers. These forces are even more discreet, and tend to notice conflict as readily as they watch for the rending of the Veil. Howling your ancestry is just not practical; thus, many Bone Gnawers don’t learn the subtlety of this practice.

Instead, for this tribe, respecting another’s territory involves remembering many little things. Don’t stir up trouble in someone else’s home. Don’t threaten the Veil where someone else lives. Don’t raid places where another Garou needs food. Don’t mark walls and lampposts with your urine unless you’re damn sure you can defend that territory, and don’t beg on another pack’s street corner. The laws of the street have many unwritten rules, and Bone Gnawers must learn them quickly. This becomes just as much a matter of streetwise etiquette (or Streetwise and Etiquette) as instinct. When they are broken, most of the offended parties appeal to a Father or Mother or their tribe, but barring that, democracy rules. If a Garou can’t play fair, the rabble have a right to rise en masse and drive out an offender, either with punishment rites or outright violence.

Rural Garou obey stricter rules. Territory includes the protectorates guarded by your relations, your Kinfolk, and possibly even your mundane relatives. Many stay near their Kin — their extended families are often blood relations. As amazing as it may seem, some Kinfolk families maintain feuds that reach back to the 19th century. In America, many of these rivalries can be traced back to the Civil War. No outside force can intervene when one family offends another. Of course, some Wyrm-tainted Kin keep their own territory. When a Garou trespasses, an entire family of fomori, Black Spirals or Wyrm-spirits descends on the hapless transgressor. Territories are far larger in the country, and are protected by more overt and obvious means than in the city.

### Accept an Honorable Surrender

*Zachary Ellison scoffs:* Surely someday we shall put this dictum to the test again! Unfortunately, we would have to find someone weak enough to be defeated by a Bone Gnawer. Perhaps then, once they have found someone more shamed than them, that they would harry them through the streets.

*Victor Bonecrusher cracks his knuckles:* If you would like to test this dictum, I should be delighted to oblige you. If you would respond to one of my challenges not with words, but with your claws, we shall see what happens when I force a surrender from you. Until then, perhaps you should not speculate what will happen when you are forced to defend yourself with something other than words. Challenge the Swarm. Challenge our Ahroun. Challenge me. We will see what happens when your throat is in my teeth. Don’t speak to me of cowardice when you won’t face me in a fair fight.

**The Reality:** Bone Gnawers often test this dictum to its limits. Fighting with other Garou wastes lives, and many would rather bear the disgrace of losing a challenge than running the risk of losing one’s life. As a result, many Bone Gnawers are masters of groveling, scraping, and bowing to get out of a brawl. This tendency has helped to make them one of the most reviled tribes in the Garou Nation, for few flaws are as ugly to a Garou as cowardice.

Yet in other sorts of challenges, Bone Gnawer heroes excel. In tests of wisdom, urban Theurges use the mysteries of the city to their own advantage, drawing off their own “home court advantage.” In tests of cunning, Ragabash use the dirty tricks they’ve mastered as part of survival. Ahroun earn scorn by insisting on non-violent challenges, like sports and athletic contests, but rivals who accept these challenges often get their asses kicked in basketball, baseball, and football. Galliards and Philodox struggle to take what they’ve learned from human society to impress their more rural rivals. This may seem unfair, but if it a Garou takes up an urban Garou on a challenge, the winner will at least humbly accept an honorable defeat.

Rabble bend the rules of “honorable challenges” until they break. When survival is on the line, there’s no such thing as honor. If someone challenges the rabble, they’ll fuck up their rivals so badly that they’ll never mess with them again. If your opponent is groveling on the ground, it’s fair game to break a few ribs with your steel-toed boots. If elders were to see these transgressions, they’d strip the offenders of their Honor, but since the rabble have rejected most sept-based activities, they’ve forsaken the protection of this dictum.

### Submission to Those of Higher Station

*Zachary Ellison condemns:* Is it really respect these creatures display? Unlike my somewhat crude adversary, they haven’t the impudence to physically threaten their elders. Instead, they cower. They cringe. They fawn over their superiors. And in typical deviance, they invoke the Rite of Contrition to atone for even the most minor transgressions. Yet if the rabble truly showed respect and submission, they would do us the honor of attending our moots each month. As it is, they only reveal themselves when they stand to benefit. You have all seen how readily they feign sincerity — let us not indulge this prevarication.

*Victor Bonecrusher feigns surprise:* You feel our expressions of submission are insincere? How odd for a Shadow Lord to accuse us of insincerity. We have submitted in more ways than you can understand: submitted to shame, submitted to scorn, and submitted to prejudice. Now you would have the rabble submit to exile. When we come to your sept, we obey the proper forms of obeisance. Forgive us if we aren’t willing to let you kick us more when we’re down on all fours.

**The Reality:** In most septs, just about everyone is of “higher station” than the Bone Gnawers. Because the tribe harbors many outcasts and dropouts, this precept is exploited repeatedly. Bone Gnawers do a lot of bowing and scraping, but this is as much a survival tactic as anything else. It’s possible to submit to elders openly, but honestly respecting them is another matter entirely. For this reason, in any major city, a few urban werewolves are hesitant to go near Garou gatherings at all. They’ll show up at tribal moots, but the thought of kneeling before intolerant, greedy or power-mad elders isn’t terribly attractive.

Despite this, a vast number of Bone Gnawers are actually content, and even comfortable, to keep this role in Garou society. Outsiders should keep one consideration in mind: the low social status of Bone Gnawers isn’t really a role that’s forced on them. In fact, it’s accepted, almost as second nature. Werewolves are inherently hierarchical creatures. Just as every pack of wolves has an alpha, a Bone Gnawer intuitively knows that he’s the straggler (or sometimes, the maverick) in the group. This doesn’t prevent the odd Bone Gnawer from becoming a great leader, but it does encourage most to feel more comfortable following one. In a pack, of course, the same instincts encourage Garou to treat all their packmates as “equals” to a degree, regarding them more by their auspice than their tribe.

Within their own tribe, Bone Gnawers hold the highest reverence for their elders. Survival is difficult, and life is hard, so any Gnawer who has lived a long life is worthy of respect. However, not every elder holds a position of influence in the tribe. The tribal Mothers and Fathers who can support the largest extended families, feed and clothe the most people, and throw the best tribal revels are accorded the highest esteem among all elders. In this fashion, respect to those highest in station is based on genuine admiration, not instinct or protocol.

### The First Share of the Kill to the Greatest In Station

*Zachary Ellison drips sarcasm:* Here I may concede this portion of the Litany. I have been invited to gatherings of Bone Gnawers, and seen firsthand their hospitality. As an adren among them, they gave me the best food they can: a pile of wet cardboard from a simmering cauldron, stale macaroni diluted in powdered milk, and the remains of an animal they found in a nearby dumpster. We can rest assured that if the rabble frequent our sept gatherings more often, we can expect similar treasures.

*Victor Bonecrusher expresses disgust:* If the food a starving man gave you wasn’t good enough, I really have nothing to say in response.

**The Reality:** Historically, the tribe was first called Bone Gnawers for an obvious reason. Other Garou want the first share of the kill, but Rat’s children are content to scavenge through whatever’s left over. Gaia provides. Of course, this works both ways: A Bone Gnawer typically doesn’t mind letting another Garou strike first if he’s really dead set on getting the greatest share of the kill. Let the poor fool risk his life for a more succulent haunch of meat — rats learn to live off the remains. Usually, the only time a Gnawer insists in the greatest share is when a whole pack scavenges. When dumpster diving, for instance, the eldest Garou is accorded the choice bits of leftovers. When Gnawers of equal rank compete, however, the democratic ideal endures: it’s every wolf for himself.

### Ye Shall Not Eat the Flesh of Humans

*Zachary Ellison scowls:* Very well. You would speak of culinary habits. Let us ask the Galliards present if they are familiar with the saga of the Dandelion Hill? It is the most infamous example of this transgression. Perhaps there is a reason so many of the rabble are hiding?

*Victor Bonecrusher snarls in return:* If you knew the whole story, you’d know how it ended! A vast conspiracy of the Man-Eater camp was wiped out after the incidents at Dandelion Hill. We have even created rites for seeking and destroying these deviants. If the rabble held a place of importance in our moots, we could actually perform these rites to root them out.

**The Reality:** To most other tribes, the Man-Eaters are an urban legend; some believe they’re still around, others feel they’ve been wiped out, and some never thought they existed in the first place. Bone Gnawers, on the other hand, still vigilantly seek them out. They still see signs of urban cannibalism, and with what little reputation they’ve got left, they don’t dare repeat what they’ve seen. When a cult of Man-Eaters is found, Bone Gnawers prefer to slay them swiftly and decisively, so that these corrupt Garou don’t bring further disgrace to their tribe.

### Respect Those beneath Ye — All Are of Gaia

*Zachary assumes a stance of scorn:* Because of the apathy and ignorance of so many Bone Gnawer elders, their tribe’s cubs and cliath — the tribalists “beneath them” — must scavenge and scrounge for long hours simply to hunt enough sustenance to avoid starvation. Because they are lazy, they raise their children in poverty. Because they are ignorant, their children are uneducated. Many even fail to teach their children to read, or abandon them entirely. These are the sorts of rabble you would continue to invite into our sept, creatures so base that they cannot care for their own Kin.

*Victor Bonecrusher responds with equal outrage:* My friend, I think I would turn this accusation back at you. You speak of Bone Gnawers as though they are the least and lowliest of our society. If this arrogance of yours is well-founded, you should respect all Bone Gnawers as Gaia’s children. You would also feel some obligation to see that they are fed, clothed, and educated. You would care when they came to our caern for help, instead of persecuting them for imagined and fabricated crimes. It is because of the disrespect of Garou like you that the rabble have little interest in rushing to our moots to suffer further abuse.

**The Reality:** As one would expect, this precept doesn’t come up much within the tribe. Bone Gnawers rarely need to enforce respect for those beneath them. However, American Bone Gnawers typically use this idea to justify their democratic and often chaotic society. While elders are accorded respect, everyone should have a say in the way a sept or family conducts its business. A Bone Gnawer trial, as an example, often involves a jury of peers, so that a representative sample of the tribe can pass what they see as a fair judgment.

A Bone Gnawer elder who doesn’t listen to lower-ranking Garou may find herself with a revolution on her hands — or at least a pack of disgruntled brothers and sisters who leave the sept to wander the streets in their own families. Because of the attitudes other tribes have toward Bone Gnawers, the same impulse drives tribalists to leave septs where they feel that they’ve been ripped off. They may return eventually, usually to scam food, clothes and shelter, but nothing requires a member of this tribe to endure abuse. If they aren’t shown respect, rabble drift into their own separate societies.

### The Veil Shall Not Be Lifted

*Zachary Ellison appeals to the elders:* The Garou of our sept are watched closely, for if one of them were to break the Veil, we must move swiftly to erase all traces of this transgression. We have seen the need for proper punishment of such carelessness in this sept. Yet with so much of the rabble existing within our protectorate unseen, we cannot be sure how many times they have violated this sacred law. They have not come forth. They will not come forth. We can extend amnesty to one sect of Garou and so closely monitor another. If they have no interest in revealing their crimes, we must seek them out and purge them from our protectorate.

*Victor Bonecrusher reminds the elders:* If the rabble are so well-hidden that you cannot find them all, it is a testimony to their ability to uphold the Veil. Countless times I have seen cliath sent out to die to repair a rending of the Veil instigated by a member of this caern. If the sept’s cliath are careless, they are shamed. If rabble are not discreet in hiding their true nature, they cannot survive — they are killed. It is that simple. It is we who have much to learn from them.

**The Reality:** A few urban septs have their own very strict laws regarding the Veil. They may, for instance, insist that all visitors remain in homid form for the duration of their stay, particularly if the High Ban is in effect. In addition, it is possible that only the Master of the Rite may be able to perform rituals within the caern’s bawn. In times of trouble, the sept may even have to discourage visitors from staying overnight and drawing attention to the sacred site. Contrary to common misconceptions about Bone Gnawers and their Lupus form, most urban caerns also discourage others from wearing the skin of a wolf in the city. Understandably, this has heightened the tension between Bone Gnawers and other tribes. While these ideas may seem very conservative for urrah, recent events leading to the annihilation or capture of urban caerns have taught the tribal elders some very harsh lessons.

### Do Not Suffer Thy People to Tend Thy Sickness

*Zachary Ellison:* The rabble are indeed sickly — in body, mind, and spirit. It is their custom to make the eldest Bone Gnawers the leaders of their tribe. It is their wish to revere the mentally ill among them, according them as great mystics. No matter how sick or starving the weak of their tribe may be, they waste what little food and clothes they have to keep them alive. Let me remind you of the number of times Bone Gnawers have shown up for food, learn a rite or Gift, take what they can, and leave us without proper chiminage. If we welcome the rabble, they will bleed us dry.

*Victor Bonecrusher:* Yes, we revere those who have lived long, for they have much to teach us. Certainly, we listen to those infused with the Wyld, for sometimes their prophecies are correct. Our esteemed Glass Walker Philodox, Simon Gentle, can tell you of how our mystics predicted the Crash of ’29, for instance… and what happened when they were ignored. Do not forget: When our brothers and sisters come to us for help, we help them. If the rabble want to approach this sept, we should welcome them, for that is one of the reasons Gaia revealed her sacred sites to us. They are not for a few privileged Garou, but for all that would fight the Wyrm. With so many enemies around us, and our very race dying out, we cannot afford to do anything less.

**The Reality:** Someone who cannot survive on his own is a liability to others. Mothers and Fathers who lead and rule wisely are treated with care, and sometimes even given a choice share of food and loot that is scavenged. Yet if an elder can no longer rule wisely, he must prove again that he can fend for himself. Many old Bone Gnawers volunteer to “disappear” from Garou society for a while to prove they’re still worthy of respect. It is a said fact of life that people die on the street every day, slowly killed by exhaustion, starvation, inclement weather, hopelessness or loneliness. If a Bone Gnawer cannot recover from these ailments, he is left to these elements to die.

The tribe considers this precept to not only apply to physical sickness, but mental illness as well. Such sickness isn’t “tended” or coddled; in fact, it may be seen as a blessing. Street people with outbreaks of madness are often treated as visionaries. Urban Garou sometimes react to primal forces the common populace ignores or refuses to accept. As long as a madman can support himself, without threatening the Veil, his dementia is tolerated. Bone Gnawer Theurges and other prophets are often extremely eccentric. They react to unseen spirits, treat trash as treasure, and dance to the beat of invisible drummers. If a prophet can endure such trials — without others to tend to his sickness — his insights are worthy of respect.

### The Leader May Not Be Challenged During Wartime

*Zachary Ellison condemns:* Clearly the rabble have no interest in challenging our leaders during wartime. Instead, they simply disregard their commands and instructions. Rather than reporting for duty, most hide until hostilities have passed. As for their own leaders, they are rarely challenged. Instead, they indulge in this strange custom of democracy, where any Garou may have the esteem of an elder.

*Victor Bonecrusher issues equal condemnation:* Only a tyrant refuses to listen to the ideas of his lessers. It is the custom of tyrannical rulers to enforce continual states of war, using them as an excuse to persecute those who would not support their rule. May I remind you the number of times our tribe has summoned rabble you later forgot to fight for us in our darkest hours? Do you remember the names of those Garou who died to keep this caern secure? Did they question the dictates of their elders? No. They did not question; they obeyed. They fought and died like Garou, and by recognizing the rabble, we honor them.

**The Reality:** The tribal totem, Rat, is a totem of war. Urban warfare, orchestrated rebellion, the element of surprise, and strength in numbers are powerful weapons in his arsenal. Pack instincts are essential to the tribe’s swarm tactics — thus, those who command the swarm should not be questioned. Even the weak have a role to play in battle when they follow the strong. By following the leader’s actions, they wait to strike when the time is right. Thus, Bone Gnawers uphold this instinct religiously. Freedom is a privilege in times of peace, but pack tactics are crucial in times of war.

### Ye Shall Take No Action That Allows a Caern to Be Violated

*Zachary Ellison cites what has been seen:* The rabble have already begun to plot against us. They form their own temporary septs, with only minimal concern for secrecy and security. After all, these temporary unions result in them abandoning their “stomping grounds” within a week or so. They flee, leaving enough evidence and rending of the Veil for suspicious humans and vengeful creatures to take their vengeance on the nearest Garou — namely, us. Again I say they are unworthy of the protection and sagacious leadership of our sept.

*Victor Bonecrusher explains practical concerns:* What you describe is an act performed out of necessity. Most cities don’t have urban caerns to welcome the rabble, or even to defend humanity against the predations of the Wyrm’s minions. Even worse, there are septs that recognize some Garou and shun others. If you refuse to allow the rabble to come within the bawn of our caern, you will not reduce the number of stomping grounds, but increase them. If you turn them away, they cannot help us protect our sept in times of need. As a result, the chances of our own caern being violated increase.

**The Reality:** Urban caerns are few and far between. Every time one is lost, it is a major defeat. A Bone Gnawer who violates this precept may find himself exiled from all septs, forced to live solely on the streets — if he lives. Those who endanger the survival of the tribe give up their own right to survive.

### The Verdict

[My employer, Mr. Gentle, has asked me to append a description of the verdict of this debate. I am indeed impressed that Victor Bonecrusher has done such a thorough job of responding to the charges of an adren Shadow Lord. His rhetoric has convinced a majority of Mother Larissa’s elder council of “advisors” to continue welcoming the rabble inside the sept. To address the concerns of the opposition, these guests will be asked to provided the most complete description of their lineage that they can. The Philodox, with their knowledge of the “Truth of Gaia,” have offered to adjudicate inquiries regarding the parentage of the rabble, particularly their metis. Here in Manhattan, their chiminage for learning rites and Gifts will then include a minimum number of moots that must be attended, particularly during the period of instruction.

Zachary Ellison has purchased a few additional concessions. He has reinforced the idea that the rabble must report to the sept during wartime, introduce themselves long enough to answer to the Rite of Man-Taint, present their metis for a minimum amount of guard duty, and submit to investigations regarding their parentage. In exchange, as far as I can tell, they will be offered food at moots as part of their “respect as creatures of Gaia.”

Victor Bonecrusher thinks he has won, but that Shadow Lord is a slippery one. I almost think he intended to lose this debate to further his investigations of the rabble. Bonecrusher, as part of his insistence that the rabble should play a more active role in the sept, has allowed his rival the opportunity to investigate their activities further. We shall see if they can live up to the high opinions this metis has of his own tribe.]

### The High Ban

In urban caerns, two precepts of the Litany are of vital importance: preserving the Veil, and avoiding activity that would place a caern in danger. When one of those dictums has been grossly violated, sept leaders take extreme measures to ensure their safety. The Bone Gnawer tribe devised one of the most extreme methods, the High Ban, as a drastic solution for a critical threat to the caern’s safety. Despite all this justification, upholding the High Ban is a pain in the ass.

If a sept leader issues this decree, it is taken as seriously as a declaration of war — none may question it. While the High Ban is in effect, no Garou may shift out of Homid form unless he enters the Umbra. The danger is so great that the mere sight of a Crinos or Lupus form may further endanger the Veil. This can be deadly to homid Garou, since they cannot heal in their breed form. However, if a homid is wounded, he is encouraged to find a place where he can step sideways, shift forms, and heal.

Sometimes Garou voluntarily pledge to uphold the High Ban so that they can justify working closely with normal humans. Throughout the history of the Bone Gnawer tribe, it has allowed Garou to pursue activities the elders would normally shun — living closely with humans outside the sept, volunteering to fight in human wars, and so on.

While it is not held with as much reverence as it was in previous eras, a metis or lupus gains 3 Honor for voluntarily upholding the High Ban for a full cycle of the moon. The Garou is praised for trying to understand the very humans the Garou once pledged to protect. A homid Garou gains 5 Honor for making the same pledge. Breaking the Ban after promising to uphold it costs 5 Honor, no matter what the Garou’s breed is. In game terms, a Storyteller may award an extra point or two of Honor if a pack can survive an entire adventure during a declaration of the High Ban without shifting.

## The Children of Gaia

Ringer, half-awake, stretched on the air mattress. The tent was big enough for him to stretch, at least. First time’s never that good, they’d told him. The guy had been great, had been wild, had been…. He turned.

A wolf slept beside him, legs moving in dog-dreams.

“Hack, wake up. We gotta talk.”

“Morning.” Wolves were morning people. Ringer was not.

“Hack, uh, about last night—”

“You feel okay? Happy? Didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“Yeah, uh, I feel really good.” He smiled, hung his head. “But… I mean, don’t you think it’s wrong or something?”

“You didn’t think so ’bout two a.m.” Hack was wearing his human form, possibly in case Ringer wanted more. “Going to blame it on the cheap beer? Come on, you know you’re a kweerboy.”

“Yeah, I know I’m gay.” Ringer wondered briefly where Hack learned everything about human society when he’d been pupped a wolf. Not important. “But, I mean, you’re a wolf!” Dawn reddened the tent’s fabric.

“Not now. And when I’m a wolf I don’t want you, or anybody, except when the time and the company are right.”

“Huh?” Ringer’s Garou senses could still smell last night.

“It’s — no, don’t ask. It’s too complicated, take my word for it.”

“But, look. I’m human, or at least mostly human. You’re a wolf. And we’re both Garou. Aren’t we supposed to… not do this?”

“Well, the Bible stuff is for humans, one or two religions’ worth. And I’m not a wolf when we’re hittin’ the mat. Now, the Litany’s another story. I’m not mating with you, because I mate once a year—.”

“—In good years.” They both laughed. Ringer thought I’ll never leave him. Never.

“And if you’re hoping for cubs I have some explaining to do.” His face grew serious. “But the Litany is for real. Remember Mandy’s lesson?”

---Mandy's Lessons---

“Other tribes don’t like our take on the Litany….” Mandy blew across a cup of coffee in Sally Ann’s as cars whizzed by. Woodstock was already steamy this early on a summer morning.

“Like the Talons?” Joné dug into a tofu scramble on toast. The owners had let Hack in (good reason to come here) and Ringer had given him last night’s Chinese leftovers while the other patrons smiled.

“Like most of them. But,” Mandy went on, steam misting her glasses as the patchouli-scented waitress poured more coffee, “the Litany is there for a reason, and it’s phrased the way it is for a reason. And things change. Oh, things change.”

### Garou Shall Not Mate With Garou

Mandy pushed her eggs aside. The diner crowd was thinning as the morning passed. “Yeah, this is a tough one, because humans don’t understand us, and wolves are only up for it during estrus. Basically it means don’t, really don’t, make metis. I know, Rich, you don’t like that. Sorry. But that’s what it means.”

Joné asked, “So two Garou, if they like each other, they can—”

“Careful. Really careful. Our bodies don’t work like a human’s, so pills and condoms don’t always work either. If you’re gay, just have a pup by Kinfolk and no one will care; if you’re straight, watch it with other Garou.”

“But isn’t that rule kind of, well, outdated?” Joné was curious.

“No. For one, if you flaunt a Garou lover, other people get jealous, and you don’t want to go through what a proven charach goes through. For another… well, I know a Fury who had a metis pup aborted —” Rich growled softly — “because it would have killed her before birth. So watch it.”

### Combat the Wyrm Wherever It Dwells and Whenever It Breeds

They were back in the truck, highway rushing past. Hack said, “The Litany orders us to battle, but Garou have fought for eons against the Evil One and the Wyrm just grows stronger no matter what we do. If we’re working for peace, we’ve failed.” He was in Lupus as usual, sprawled across Ringer’s lap. How lucky we are, Ringer thought. If I was dating a human, I couldn’t have his head in my lap, not most places.

“There are a lot of ways to ‘combat’ the Enemy.” Mandy turned in the shotgun seat as Rich drove. “Violence really just makes the Beast-Of-War stronger, and it’s how the other tribes have kept on losing. If you kill a dozen Black Spirals, the Hive can just go out raping and make more — sorry, Rich. But it’s true. But if you create a lasting peace, like the peace between Japan and the US, then the Wyrm loses strength. It’s harder work than fighting, but it yields a better crop.”

“And if you have to abandon your work for peace because a call to battle goes up?”

“Then you do it. But only if it’s a real call to battle. Going slumming downtown, looking for vampires to pick a fight with, that’s a manufactured need. You have to learn to tell the difference.”

### Respect the Territory of Another

“This is one of the lesser commandments these days,” Mandy said as they parked the truck amidst myriad vehicles. Hack jumped from the tailgate as Ringer and Joné left on human feet. His nose twitched, maybe, Ringer thought, at the crushed and poisoned grass that lay round them. “Most septs will at least leave you alone unless you cross them. I don’t even know why the elders—”

“What the coil is wrong with you?” Hack exploded in the High Tongue. He trotted among them through the festival gate. “Look, you’re born human, but you can smell someone else’s piss as well as I can. Maybe homids can squash it, but the feeling is real. Any warm-blood, maybe the deaders too, gets jumpy around strangers! It’s not something you can wish away. You twolegs scent yourselves, wash yourselves, and keep your distance even then. Your blood knows if you don’t. There’s a reason for that rule.”

Yeah, our sept was always really careful, even if we did follow One-Horn,” Rich added.

“I think it’s good to be polite.” Mandy was careful. “We can make alliances more easily if we respect others’ beliefs, not just their territory. We are the diplomats of the Garou. That’s a good thing to remember.” The pack trotted along through a crowd so motley that they looked almost normal, Ringer thought.

### Accept an Honorable Surrender

The pack had gotten back to where tents leaned on cedar-bark mulch. Ringer took up his staff and swung into practice, listening as the talk rattled on. Sometimes he thought that the Children were less a tribe than they were a perpetual argument. “Joné, I think you’re bent on disputing every point of the Litany! Do you think that your preaching nonviolence means we don’t have to fight?”

“No. It means we have another way, another eye to see the All. Look at the commandment to accept a surrender. Show mercy. Doesn’t that mean that it’s even better to resolve problems without fighting?”

Hack sat up. “It’s Gaia’s way. All Her creatures have ways to avoid fighting —.”

“’Cept humans,” Joné muttered, plying cords into some kind of complex braid.

“That’s not really true. Even humans created diplomacy and statecraft. Look at the Congress of Vienna! Easy to fight. Harder to talk things out. Humans aren’t monsters, no matter what some of my lupus buddies say.” Ringer listened, interested in spite of himself.

Mandy added, “It means more than that too. When we must have a leader, when we need to order, there are better ways than fighting. We didn’t invent democracy, but it does work better than one—man rule….”

Hack spoke. “Wolves decide things together. We always have. Look at us crossing the ice. One goes, sees how the ice bears her. Others watch. If the alpha goes and the others know the ice won’t carry them, he isn’t alpha long!”

### Submission to Those of Higher Station

“Speaking of which, who’s our alpha?” Rich asked. “It sure as Wyrm stink isn’t me!”

“Do we need one? I don’t think we do.” Mandy pursed her lips. Kevin finished a series of squats and began practicing the Sepu Istu An. Run, jump, staff, turn and begin again….

“You’re the alpha!” Joné was laughing. “You have to be. You started it!”

“I am not some kind of patriarchal authority figure. I think it’s an outmoded idea.” She folded her arms defiantly.

“Outmoded?” Hack growled. “No wonder you homids don’t breed with wolves. You don’t even try to understand them.”

“Hack, please. Look, no offense, Mandy, but you’re crazy. How can we do anything with no one at the center, no one to see all? You got us together, got us here. You’re not dominating us. You can’t make us do things. But we need you. Someone. Someone to intersee, not oversee. Someone to subvise, not supervise. That’s what I mean.” Joné was serious, Visor pushed into a pocket. Hack nodded. Mandy sighed in the heat and sprayed herself with water before continuing.

“I… thanks. Thanks, everyone. Look, I don’t want to tell people what to do. It would take too long. But, yeah, I see what you mean. The Children have usually had leaders, alphas, whatever. But they don’t get there by feeding people, like among the Bone Gnawers, or by fighting—” Kevin saw a man approaching at a distance.

“Like the Get.” Hack showed interest. “And not birth, like the Fangs. So how?”

Mandy warmed to the topic. “Well, sometimes it’s ad-hocracy. That’s how Garret got the Knights of Gaia’s Hand together. He was willing to stroke enough Full Moon egos to get a fighting force, Children and not. Sometimes the spirits choose, like Inanna got chosen.”

“The Voice, the lady from Australia? I met her a little while ago.” A marvel of spaced-out mysticism, Inanna had gathered a large following of Garou. Ringer was amazed that someone like her, spirits filling all her sight, could function in the daylight world at all.

“Yeah, she’s… well, she sees too much, too clearly, to be sitting and watching. Others are the most popular. That’s practical, because it means you can get others to listen to you. This tribe just has a lot of ways to run things, maybe because running things is such a pain in the ass. We recognize that leadership is a complex status.” Kevin stopped the Sepu Istu An and moved to stand with his pack, staff in hand. A woman went by with a sign saying NEED SHROOMS! She passed another man, who looked at her with faintly disguised contempt, then approached the pack directly.

“Excuse me,” the stranger said in slightly accented Garou, “Moon shine always on you. I am Ten Bulls, and come with news. Who is your great blessed alpha?”

“I… I am. A star shines on the hour of our meeting, Ten Bulls. I am Amanda.” The human names sounded odd in the Garou sentence.

“Your fame goes far, Amanda.” Clearly it hadn’t if he didn’t know her deed name, but he was being polite. “Four Winds Howl sends his greetings and bids you to the council fire at moonrise. The Pipe will pass among us then. Is it your pleasure to attend?”

“It is… we’d be honored, yes.” She nodded.

“May Mother keep you till then.” He loped off toward another campsite.

### The First Share of the Kill for the Greatest in Station

“That was weird,” said Joné. “Who was that?”

“Another Gibbous Moon. We aren’t always so florid,” replied Amanda. “Now who wants to go?” They all did, even Rich. “Yeah, there are a lot of old forms of courtesy you’ll see sometimes. The whole ‘share the kill’ thing, y’know.”

“Well, I’ve hunted.” Hack growled. “And there’s a reason for that one too. Food isn’t always plentiful. The strong need to be strong. Someone in the pack has to be in fighting form.”

“Social Darwinism, dammit. Well,” Amanda insisted, “I’m not a wolf. And I don’t hunt for my food. So what good is that to me?”

“It’s about sharing, period.” Rich was sitting by the fire’s ashes. “About portioning out. You said the leaders aren’t always the old, the strong, the lucky. Well, if the greatest gets the first share, then he should use it for the good of the tribe. Maybe he needs to feed his warriors. Maybe mothers, maybe the poor among the Kin. Maybe he is wise enough to know what to do with it. And it’s not just about deer’s meat. It’s everything. It’s your damn passion for social justice, okay?”

“You two-legs turn the Litany upside down!” Hack growled. “It is the truth, not grass to be twisted and woven.”

“It’s words. If they mean something different to me, you’ve no right to call me wrong.”

### Ye Shall Not Eat the Flesh of Humans or Wolves

“You won’t argue that the Litany’s precept against eating The Forbidden is mistaken, surely!” Hack was trotting round the campsite with agitation. Kevin had gone back to the Mahasu Qatu

“No. Save for the starving. If we eat our own kind, we’re bad as Black Spirals, or worse.”

“Well, Mandy,” Joné said thoughtfully, “just about every human society I ever heard of has rules against eating human flesh, most human flesh, most of the time. So is that one also a command not to ‘eat’ people by taking away their food? What they need to live?”

“Yeah… we should speak on that, at the moot. It’s a good thought.” Ringer twirled his staff, then Hack caught it in his teeth, the two playing tug-ofwar for a while.

### Respect Those Beneath You — All Are of Gaia

“You especially have to watch it about Kin and ordinary humans.” Amanda spoke as Ringer sprawled exhausted. “You can do things they can’t, but there’s a reason we have the Gifts, our strength and our shapeshifting powers. Mother let us have them to protect Her, and to protect the weak. Never hurt one wantonly, and especially do all you can to protect our Kin. Remember Sam Haight! He taught us a lesson about what happens when we ill-treat the humans and wolves we came from.”

“The Get are beneath us, beneath our contempt, at least. Do we respect them?” Rich was smiling.

“We show them respect — sometimes just by keeping our distance.”

### The Veil Shall Not Be Lifted

“This is the worst one for us. We’re all of us closer to the humans than safety would wish… the Veil is weak for us.” Hack walked with them toward the council ring, Umbral webs around the distant building reflecting Luna’s light strangely.

“But that’s the beautiful thing about the Children!” Mandy objected. “We can share Gaia’s blessing with everyone. That’s why she gave us this gift.”

“That would be why thieves for medlabs took my mother’s pack? Why humans killed eleven Children that I’ve known? When other Garou would send them screaming, the protection of Gaia is missing… maybe your blood’s too thin or something, but it sure is no blessing.”

Kevin knew that the Crinos form of the Children of Gaia still sent humans into screaming fits. Even among Kin, some could not look at the man-wolf, or didn’t want to. If the other tribes caused something worse, then the Garou must truly be alone. How could anyone truly know, much less love, a being that killed at the drop of a hat, that none could look upon? I’m lucky to have Hack, I guess. Lucky to have anyone at all..

Lucky in his pack. It was the Garou way.

### Do Not Suffer Thy People to Tend Thy Sickness

The pack sat in Council on the grass of Woodstock’s Umbra. Raised-By-A-Power, Galliard of the Mother’s Eye Sept, wheezed and tottered into the circle on the shoulders of two cubs. Even with the Glabro form’s additional strength, she could barely walk. Mandy cried, “That’s Raised-by-a-Power. Have you ever heard her howl? She saw Jacob Morningkill on his throne! She must be a hundred and ten now… my grandmother studied High Tongue with her and she was old even then.”

The ancient Garou wore a great woolen shawl even in summer heat. She reached the center of the ring and broke into a thin, wavering howl, head thrown back. Ringer sat, rapt in the ululating beauty of the tone, the way that she poured herself into each flowing passage.

The circle was long silent after she was done, then others took up the call, voices folding and twisting, some singing overtones in almost Tibetan style, harmony piling on harmony as the Children howled to the eternal mother. The prayers of the Inner Sky were brief; there was business at hand.

“The Litany says not to tend the sick. But did they mean… old people?”

Hack pondered for a while as Garou made speeches and argued. “I think that it meant not to waste resources. The old way was to leave the sick and weak to die. But it was always a pack’s decision, a sept’s. Never something that everyone had to do. After all, the wording speaks to the ailing Garou and tells him not to be a burden; it doesn’t condemn others for volunteering to help.”

“Our elderly do not suffer us to tend them. We choose to do so. Raised-By-A-Power had stomach cancer five years ago.” Mandy was serious-faced. “She was ill for a long time and the Crescent Moon spent much to heal her. She has taught four apprentices since then. The sept needed her; she’ll go someday soon anyhow.”

Ringer nodded. There was no merit to losing a hero because he stubbed his toe or got sick. Gaia needed every Child who could do anything at all for her.

It wouldn’t be a problem for him, he didn’t think.

Ahroun didn’t usually get old.

### The Leader May Be Challenged at Any Time During Peace

“Mandy, you say you’re not a leader, but what would you do if we ever ran into bad trouble? Fomori, Black Spirals, those crazy humans with burning baseball bats? In battle, you need one person in charge.” Ringer sat in the council ring with Hack’s head in his lap. This way, Ringer thought, this shape, he’s just an animal. My animal companion. Nothing sexual. Strange… shapeshifting is more than most Garou think.

“Step back and let you tell us what to do. You’re the hero. You should know.”

“Huh. Maybe I will. I think we might want some practice… join me if you want to.”

“The Children of Gaia,” announced a Philodox that Ringer didn’t know, “have always held to the Litany. I therefore challenge True Silverheels for dominance before Gaia and Garou. He seeks to turn the Children toward such passivity that the Evil One will crush us. Hear me. I am Winter-Stars, Half Moon of the Knights of Gaia’s Hand.” An Amazon War veteran, then.

“How will they do this?” Ringer asked. “Just fight?”

“Probably not. We have too many other ways to settle disputes.

True Silverheels of the Sept of the Hand of Gaia arose from among his packmates and stepped to the center of the ring; Hack went to where Half Moons were gathering to judge. Ringer wondered how many years collectively had gone to legal wrangling while species went extinct daily. Gaia, forgive us for the snail darter. In the distance, a band was playing. He couldn’t tell who.

### The Leader May Not Be Challenged During Wartime

The two heroes circled in the council ring. They disputed judges, argued over what gamecraft was appropriate. Finally a Garou approached armed and in jungle fatigues. “Warriors of Gaia! War not with each other. Winter-Stars, let us return to our seats. There is much that we must attend to.” Rich sat bolt upright, startled into Crinos.

“Mule! That’s Garret Faithful! Look, Ringer!” Ringer saw the hero lead Winter-Stars toward the ranks of chairs that the Knights had erected. Garret’s ash-blond hair and kingly features made him as hard to ignore as a battlefield flare. A female Knight sat by Winter-Stars and spoke into his ear.

“So his alpha can just call him off like that?” Ringer was curious.

Rich leaned closer. “He called war discipline on him. The Knights are fighting down there in the Amazon; Garret can’t be challenged until the Garou withdraw. Believe me, he’s not power hungry. But he’s the only one they’ll listen to.” As well as a hero to Full Moons, Rich didn’t add. That made sense, Ringer thought. No anarchists in foxholes.

“Especially not in a sacred place. That’s the biggest rule of all.”

### You Shall Take No Action That Causes a Caern to be Violated

“This is a caern here? At Woodstock?” Joné looked at a display of Gnosis on her Visor’s screen. “Is there someone here all the time?”

“No, the caern is further away. There used to be one here, probably a Croatan spirit-mound. I don’t know the sept. I know at the original Woodstock a spirit came, Smoke Ring; he was happiest when everyone was wasted. This is a powerful place, no lie. I think that Justice and Pearl want to see if they can open the caern here… if there is even anything left. Somehow I doubt it; I mean, this festival wasn’t spontaneous. It was funded, advertised, all that. Some of the people here are sincere, but it’s not as sacred as it could have been.” The moot was breaking up into songs and stories, Eric the guitarist and a girl with a flute setting up to play for the Garou. “I think that the humans are safer with us here than not. I know, bringing humans and the People together like this is a little weird. But it can really dispel suspicion that there’s something weird going on if people walk through a park and don’t see anything strange. Hiding in plain sight has saved a lot of Garou.”

“What if there’s trouble?”

“Other tribes blame it on us ‘breaking the Litany’ again. Funny, when we save a caern they aren’t as quick to praise us. Caerns and septs have to make these decisions themselves. So always ask if you bring someone, anyone. The Skinner may be dead but there are many just as bad.”

The Pipe of Gaia passed, along with a firepot and tongs for lighting it with a coal. Ringer drew on it as it came to him: tobacco and kinnickinnick, traditional among the Children. He blew smoke, satisfied with the trip, with the pack, with Gaia.

## Fianna

Morning lass. Glad you could join us. Here’s the pack, ugly bastards that they are. Chuck over there’s our Galliard and his songs are good enough that we forgive him for being American. Moira I mentioned yesterday. And the surly Welsh sheep-shagger goes by the name of Geraint Hunts-in-Holes, although we all call him Gere. Now, is there anything you want tae ask about? Ah, the Litany. Chuck?

**Chuck “Sings-of-Home” McCormack gets annoyed:** Look you, don’t you go questioning our commitment to the laws of the Garou. You won’t find a tribe that is more staunchly committed to the Litany.

### Garou Shall Not Mate With Garou

Makes sense, doesn’t it? If we could breed with each other, we’d soon loose track of our other Kin, and that would be a damn shame. Without our family we have nothing to live for. Without family that aren’t part of the fight, there’s no one to wait home for you, that you don’t want to disappoint by dying. That’s a Mother’s wisdom for you. We breed mules as a living reminder to not forget our Kinfolk.

Now, I’m not gonna lie to you, we birth our fair share of mules. OK, OK, more than our fair share. It’s certainly common enough for two people who live and fight with one another to fall for each other. It’s hard to keep those passions from becoming physical. Yeah, it’s all very well saying “shag some Kinfolk senseless and get it out of your system” but sometimes that’s not enough. When you really love someone, and the Fianna never do anything less, it’s hard to even contemplate being with anyone else, let alone actually making the beast with two backs with them.

No, it’s not the failure of the parents of the metis. It’s the failure of the rest of us not to watch over each other, to stop these problems before they lead to sex and bastard babies, and if need be, to separate the two werewolves that can’t keep their genitals to themselves. There’s not a sept on the Mother that has so many Garou that she won’t accept another Fiann amongst their number. A new home can always be found for some love-struck pup, well away from the object of their affections.

Metis conceived in casual passion? Doesn’t happen. That’s what our Philodox watch for at moots. I defy you to prove otherwise.

**Geraint snorts:** Yeah, right, Chuck. When did you go blind?

### Combat the Wyrm Wherever It Dwells And Whenever It Breeds

Damn obvious. That’s what we’re here for. That’s why we have Kin in the scabs, and some caerns there too. We might not like them much, but there’s jobs to be done and sometimes the Gnawers and Walkers just aren’t enough. Where the Wyrm goes, we go. When the job’s done, we go home.

### Respect the Territory of Another

Also damn obvious. Why waste resources fighting someone else’s fight? Why distract ourselves from the enemy by fighting with the other tribes? When we go visiting, we respect the home of others and treat them as we would want out own homes treated.

Territory means more than just a place, though. We understand that it extends to breeding rights, too. You don’t try it on with another Garou’s mate, whether of this tribe or another. The Kinfolk mates of humans or wolves are fair game, though. They should be damn proud to bring up a Garou cub, even if it isn’t their own. You also stay well away from the Kinfolk of another tribe, unless you have their explicit permission to pursue the romance. We have enough fights over breeding rights within our own tribe, without getting into vendettas with others.

### Accept an Honorable Surrender

This one only applies to other Garou. What do the minions of the Wyrm know about honor? Once you remember that, this is dead easy. There are so few of us left that losing anyone to internecine conflict is just dumb. Fight for dominance, sure. Just don’t get pissed with them and do it to the death.

**Rab adds:** Hey, we fight when pissed all the time. What’s wrong with fighting drunk?

**Chuck replies:** No, you Scots bastard, “pissed” means angry in civilized countries.

### Submission to Those of Higher Station

Now, some would say that we have a problem with this part of the Litany. We’re an unruly lot at the best of times, and never entirely happy under any leader. Now, I say that that’s a good thing. By always chafing at the leash, as it were, we keep our alphas on their toes. We have no right to let them become complacent and there’s a world of difference between testing an alpha and actually challenging her. We’re doing them no service by being completely compliant. Sometimes we serve them better by giving them something to test their strength against.

### The First Share of the Kill for the Greatest in Station

Never understood why this is in there. The Greatest in Station is in that position because he’s the best able to take the first share. This one happens without us putting any effort in. Maybe it’s just there as a warning to young pups not to get themselves into challenges that they can’t deal with.

### Ye Shall Not Eat the Flesh of Humans

Or, you don’t eat your family or their friends. That means wolves, too, lest you forget. I know of a howled version of the Litany that makes that very clear. There are three good reasons for following this. First, eating human flesh drives you mad. No, thank you. I’ve seen the Wyrm Howlers. I’m not going there. Two, it really scares the shit out of the Kin if they hear you’re doing it: bang goes any chance of getting laid. Three: From what I hear — and this is Galliard talk, don’t think I hang out at the wrong restaurants — it tastes godawful. No amount of whiskey takes it away. Never had it happen to me. I pray to the Mother that I never get caught in the Thrall of Wyrm and start eating long pork by mistake.

### Respect Those Beneath Ye — All Are of Gaia

Common sense again. We’re not here to fight for our own sake, we’re here to fight for the Mother and all the things in the world and the Umbra that are part of Her. It all comes back to remembering just what it is we are fighting for, which those dumb-ass Get never seem to remember. If everything is gone, but a few bloody Garou at the end of the battle, it will be a hollow victory indeed. No, we have to remember what we’re fighting for.

### The Veil Shall Not Be Lifted

Well, duh. We’re fast, we’re strong, but we’re probably outnumbered hundreds of thousands to one by the humans, if not more. Yes, they’re scared of us. But like us, they know to fight and kill the things that scare them. If ever the Veil was lifted, even I don’t relish the opportunity to fight hundreds of heavily armored humans all at once. That’s not my idea of a good way to die for the Mother. What do you think I am? A Red Talon? The Veil’s there for a damn good reason: It lets us go about our business without the humans getting in the way, and that’s a darn good thing.

### Do Not Suffer Thy People to Tend Thy Sickness

Probably the single hardest part of the Litany to keep. Your family and your pack naturally want to care for you and look after you. That’s part of what being a Fiann is about. It can be really hard to say “no” to them and take yourself off somewhere to die: either in battle or alone with the Mother. However, if you love them, you should do it. We have tasks enough in these last days, without having to care for those who won’t be able to fight when it really counts. We’re a warmhearted lot. It’d be a crime to take advantage of that.

### The Leader May Be Challenged at Any Time During Peace

“May be”? Should be, more like! Alphas should be strong and they shouldn’t be in place if they’re not. Now we all have good times and bad times. Constant challenges make sure only those who are at their best stay as alphas. If they’re having a bit of a ropy patch, then it’s best that they step down until things are back together for them. And if their replacement continues to grow stronger? Well, that’s all to the good of the tribe. Look, dominance isn’t a once and for all deal, it’s a constant battle that keeps the family strong.

And besides, we all like a good fight. I’ve won a decent fetish or two betting on some dominance battles.

### The Leader May Not Be Challenged During Wartime

Common sense yet again. Fighting with each other when there’s any enemy to take down just wastes your energy. Now, as a tribe we’ve made this mistake once two often. Why do you think our Galliards spend half their bloody lives telling the stories of great rivalries between two Garou that always have a tragic ending? To stop people making the same bloody mistake again, that’s why. Nothing worse than a Fiann who doesn’t know when to pick his moment, if you ask me, and nothing more certain to put a big old grin on one of the Wyrm’s faces.

### Ye Shall Take No Action That Causes a Caern to Be Violated

Or I’ll smash your fucking head in. You don’t let the bad guy into your home. It’s really as simple as that. Now, caerns are far more than homes, they are the sacred groves of the Mother and the place where we can feel Her love, and anger, most clearly. Without them, we lose our links to Her and our sense of family. This is the one crime for which there can be no atoning in life. A violator of this part of the Litany who is unrepentant is put to death quickly, lest she taint any of the rest of us. Someone who begs Stag’s forgiveness may be granted a quest by him — one that offers the miserable cur the chance to redeem herself in noble sacrifice.

Oh, and allowing a caern to be violated by inactivity is just as bad. That’s why we’ve had to take caerns off the hands of those other tribes who were unable to defend them properly in the past. We didn’t like doing it, but we knew that it was our duty to our Mother and we took comfort in that.

**Moira adds:** This goes double for the other things out there in the night. No bloodsucker, wizard or other thing gets anywhere near one of our caerns. If anyone tells them about one, we’ll hunt the traitor and their friend down.

**Geraint mutters:** Not all of us agree with what happened in the West, whatever Chuck says. Bloody Americans.

## Get of Fenris

Yes, I know, you’ve heard this all before. Shut up and pay attention anyway! The Litany serves as the foundation of our culture as Garou, and it is not something to be taken lightly. No matter the tribe, or the camp, or the breed, every Garou that serves Gaia has agreed to follow these tenets, at least in theory. It is vitally important that you understand what they mean and how they work, and that you follow them to the letter. Your hide is at stake if you don’t.

### Garou Shall Not Mate With Garou

This is the first of the Litany’s laws, and it is the most important. We Garou are not a breed unto ourselves — we are beings of spirit, and of wolf, and of human, and that balance must be maintained at all times. Fucking other Garou is a violation of the role Gaia has ordained for us, and you must never, ever forget this. Failing to adhere to your responsibilities in this regard will result in harsh punishment, for you and whomever you choose to lie with.

Though the crime of mating with other Garou is quite serious, we do not punish the progeny of that mating. Metis suffer enough from their parents’ foolishness, and we give them the same chance as anyone else to prove themselves. Do not harass, or torment, or taunt the metis among us, any more than you would any other youngling to harden them. You will find that the circumstances of their birth have made them fierce fighters, and they are as deeply committed to our cause as anyone. Give them the chance to prove themselves, and you will like as not be surprised by the results.

Finally, if you are found guilty of violating this tenet, you will be forced to raise the child, to teach him about the greatness of Fenrir society, and to instill in him a desire to rise above the circumstances of his birth. You will be shunned by all in the tribe, while your progeny is given the chance to redeem your thoughtless and stupid actions. And I can assure you, if you think raising a child is difficult among humans, you have no idea what it is to raise one filled with Rage. Do not violate this law. It is the first, the most basic, of our laws for a very good reason.

**Sophie observes:** Some Garou believe that the operative word in this rule is “mate,” and that merely having sex with other Garou is all right. This is a lie. This law exists so that we will focus our attentions on our homid and wolf Kin, not so that we might prevent the existence of metis. The metis are the evidence of the law’s righteousness, not the reason for its existence. Thus, having sex with another Garou is every bit as abominable as is the production of metis.

**Hide-of-Iron adds:** Of course, the question arises as to whether or not it is acceptable to have sex with a Garou of the same gender as your own. Such an act is doubly damned, for the perpetrators not only turn away from their homid and wolf Kin, but also turns away from the possibility of producing offspring. We are at war! You must never forget that! Sex is not something you can afford to treat as a recreational activity. Forget your human upbringing! Among the Garou, we mate with Kin to produce offspring, not for pleasure. Find your satisfaction elsewhere, preferably in battle against the Wyrm.

**Hans retaliates:** It’s that kind of talk that makes the rest of the tribes think we’re masochistic bastards whose only joy is combat. We should savor our bonds with your Kin. Love your mate; enjoy the intimacy you have together. A loveless pairing won’t help your children be as strong as we all need them to be.

### Combat the Wyrm Wherever it Dwells and Wherever It Breeds

This, of course, is the portion of the Litany we most often take to heart, as we seek out and destroy the Wyrmspawn around the world. But take care, pup, for the Wyrm is not simply the father of monsters: It burrows into the hearts and minds of men, and we must combat it on spiritual and philosophical levels as well as physical ones. You must fight the Wyrm on every front, and you must never surrender.

Some would have you believe that the Wyrm is not responsible for all the evil in the world, and that men and women do evil of their own accord. It does not matter. Whether their vile actions are the result of the Defiler whispering in their ears or undertaken of their own accord, they must nonetheless be stamped into oblivion. Though the Wyrm is a physical entity, it is also a metaphor for the evil in the world, and you must fight it all.

**Hans warns:** This does not mean, however, that you should be rash and foolish in your battles. Indeed, to act in such a fashion will only get you killed. Rather, you must act with forethought and consideration, choosing your battles wisely so that you might inflict maximum damage on your enemy. Sometimes, this can lead a Get down truly strange paths, as seen in the case of the Fangs of Garm. While I do not pretend to fully understand their motives, remember always that they and their kind fight the Wyrm as fiercely as do we all.

### Respect the Territory of Another

This is a hard law for us to obey, because it is in our nature to destroy those who threaten Gaia, even if doing so means we must overstep the bounds of our authority. We can hardly be blamed for this; many of the other tribes are weak and foolish, and we are at war. We do not have time to be nice and friendly with other Garou under such extreme circumstances.

That said, we should at least make the attempt to be respectful of others when it is feasible to do so. There is no reason to generate unnecessary conflict with other Garou, to say nothing of other Fera, when a simple howl of greeting can sidestep the entire issue. Common sense and courtesy will save you many battles, so have a care when you are in unfamiliar territory. And if they do not respect you after you have been polite — none would fault you giving them a quick lesson in etiquette.

**Sophie adds:** Do note that the methods vary from place to place. A howl is sufficient in the wilderness, but not so much in a heavily populated city. In these places a phone call is usually more appropriate, though it’s not always feasible. Mainly, you have to wait for residents to come to you under these circumstances, and if they tell you to get out do your best to accommodate them. Do not let them sway you from your path if it is righteous, though; fighting the Wyrm takes precedence over any attempts at civility.

**Hide-of-Iron speaks further:** If I had been the Forseti making this law, I would have added that if you can’t hold a territory, it isn’t yours. How many caerns have fallen because they were “held” by weaklings too busy playing at politics to learn to defend Gaia effectively? How many could have been saved if we hadn’t had to “respect their territory?” As long as the other Garou remain weak, this law is flawed.

### Accept an Honorable Surrender

We Fenrir are the proudest, fiercest, most disciplined Garou in the world, and as a result is it difficult for us to accept the capitulation of an enemy in battle. Our every instinct tells us to tear him limb from limb, and this is a good and just perspective to have in battle. However, when the opponent is a Garou much like us, or even another Fera, we must remember that we are all children of Gaia. We cannot simply eradicate other champions of Her cause because they have had the unfortunate lack of vision to challenge us in battle. They may be foolish, but they are still Her servitors, and we must treat them accordingly. And so, if an opponent surrenders in good faith, you must honor it.

Honor battles are an inevitable part of our lives. We are beings filled with rage, and we do not take slights lightly. But we also have a duty to consider, which means that once the battle is done, we must let it go. The victor must move on, and the defeated must accept his lot. That is the only way our society can continue to function when locked in a constant state of war.

**Hide-of-Iron adds:** These battles might seem strange to the lupus among us, as we tend to deal with challenges via threats and intimidation rather than through actual battle. You must never forget, however, that baring your throat to an opponent will not necessarily end the battle; more often than not he will tear it our, be it right or wrong to do so. Challenges are not a matter of mere submission: the opponent must be defeated utterly, or he will not be defeated at all. Be cautious, and mindful of your own and your opponent’s limits.

**Sophie comments:** Sometimes accidents happen, though. We have a bad reputation among the other tribes because sometimes there was no other way to remove a weak or flawed ally than to challenge him, and then fight a little more vigorously than he could take. This law is important, but there are those who don’t deserve its protection.

### Submission to Those of Higher Station

This law is straightforward. We are a martial society, and cannot function without some semblance of order within our septs and packs. Listen to the words of elders, and do not oppose them without extraordinary reason. Punishment for failing to do this is severe, and you will not be able to count on your pack to help you: Lax tribes like the Black Furies might be willing to abandon their hierarchy of command during these lax times, but the Fenrir will ruthlessly punish anyone proven guilty of insubordination. We will not allow you to disobey orders, because doing so endangers us all.

**Sophie warns:** While this is true, many among us must be cautious, particularly the females and the lupus of the tribe. Some homids think this law entitles them to certain liberties among the “dogs and women” beneath them, and that is not so. No respectable Fenrir would abuse his position in such a fashion, but remember that there are plenty of Get that aren’t exactly respectable. We rooted a lot of them out when we annihilated the Swords, but their sentiments persist within the tribe in muted form even now.

**Hans adds:** While this may seem harsh, the reason for our rigorous adherence to this law stems from the fact that we are, in fact, fighting a war, and must conduct ourselves accordingly. A breakdown in the command structure cannot be tolerated, because it would throw the operations of our people into utter chaos. We can’t have people going off and doing their own things, and we cannot undermine the authority of our elders if we expect to get anything done. You are not free to do as your please among the Get; that sticks in the craw of many Fenrir, particularly those from America, but that’s the way it is, and that’s the way it has to be. Never forget that.

### The First Share of the Kill for the Greatest in Station

To the lupus, the reasoning behind this law is obvious — the leader of the pack must be strong and capable, and so he receives the greatest portion of the spoils that he might maintain his strength. Among homids, the reasoning is less clear. To them it is more about greed and possession, rather than nourishment and sustenance. In any event, among the Fenrir packs it is largely ceremonial. We don’t actually eat the Wyrm things we kill, and any trinkets we seize are given to those who might make best use of them in our battle with the Wyrm. Those of lower ranks obviously must honor the law, and trust in their elders to partition wealth wisely, if not necessarily fairly.

**Hide-of-Iron cautions:** Be careful, as some Fenrir use this as an excuse to appropriate possessions from other pack members if they were gained in the course of normal service to the sept. This is especially true if the Get who discovered the item is lupus, as they are not supposed to “need” material possessions. That might be true, but it doesn’t make the theft of a choice talen any less galling.

**Sophie adds:** Also, even though actual enforcement of this law is typically fairly lax, be certain to observe it at all times. If you do not, an elder who feels his authority is threatened might use it as an excuse to challenge you, whether the challenge is truly warranted or not. Such despicable beasts are thankfully fairly rare, but they do exist, so take heed.

### Ye Shall Not Eat the Flesh of Humans

This is a truly bizarre law, since neither homids nor lupus have any desire whatsoever to eat humans to begin with. Wolves have no interest in humans, and humans themselves have strict cultural taboos against cannibalistic acts. So on the face of it, the rationale behind this law is difficult to fathom. That said, however, we must remember that Garou are neither wolves nor humans, but rather avenging spirits of rage and fury dedicated to the protection of Gaia at all costs. While in such a state a Garou does not think rationally, and might succumb to the urge to rend an opponent to pieces and consume him. This is to be avoided at all costs.

While the impetus for the law is unclear, the reasoning behind it is not. While the horror the humans feel for us gives strength to the Veil, it also fosters their hatred and fear of wolves, which in turn makes life difficult for our lupus Kin. To actually hunt down and consume a human only worsens the situation, so try to avoid it if possible. Most of this is common sense, but keep it in mind anyway.

### Respect Those Beneath Ye — All Are of Gaia

It is of course true that we are Gaia’s greatest defenders, but that is neither here nor there. The lesser tribes, and indeed all living things, are worthy of your consideration and respect, and you must never forget this. We do not defend Gaia for our own sake, but for theirs. In battling the Wyrm, we serve them. Show them respect and compassion, and when appropriate mercy as well. Do not steal from them, or treat them unjustly, or challenge their abilities or authority without ample reason. Because we are Gaia’s greatest defenders we must also demonstrate more restraint, more wisdom, than the other Garou are capable of showing. This is what it means to be the greatest warriors in the world. Remember this and act accordingly.

**Sophie agrees:** Thunder’s Teeth might seem a little over the top here, but the spirit of his words rings true. When you see a human in danger from the Wyrm, you must protect him if feasible, even if he is fearful or angered by your presence. That is our duty, the sacred trust Gaia has given us. Of course, sacrifices often have to be made if we are to accomplish our goals; no one denies this. The law simply tells us not to be arbitrary or capricious about it.

**Hide-of-Iron laments:** It is a pity we so often fail to observe this law; if only we had remembered it in the Amazon, the recent tragedies there might have been averted. The third law of the Litany and this one go hand in hand: do not think you are entitled to ignore a lesser’s territory just because he is, in fact, your lesser. Your greatness obliges you to act with wisdom and restraint, not with the pettiness of a bully.

### The Veil Shall Not Be Lifted

Long ago, we culled the ranks of the humans in order to keep them firmly under our control. Our zealousness in this regard came with heavy consequences, especially for humanity. The merest look at one of our kind whilst wearing the wolf shirt is enough to make them insane, and if this occurs in a crowded area the result is nothing less than chaos. Do not allow this to happen; as I said before, we are here to protect the humans as well as the rest of Gaia’s children. Failing to do so is bad enough, but inciting a riot in the process is unforgivable.

More importantly, however, is the fact that our existence must be kept secret, to the extent possible. Humans only remember the Impergium, and as such see us as nothing less than monsters. They will try to destroy us if they learn who and what we are, and that’s something we obviously wish to avoid. If you are forced to assume your war form with other people around, deal with the threat at hand and then destroy the witnesses soon after. This seems a barbaric thing to do, and it is, so make sure the situation does not present itself to begin with. Pick your targets carefully, and choose the time and place of your engagement. Anything less is irresponsible, and will be dealt with in the harshest manner possible.

**Hans adds:** This is especially difficult with families, presuming they are not already part of the sept. Our natural instinct is to share our true nature with them, but remember that doing so will inevitably place them in danger, and force them to cope with something they are not prepared to understand.

### Do Not Suffer Thy People to Tend Thy Sickness

We Get lead a harsh life, and it shows. Few of our elders are truly old, as most Fenrir die in battle before they have the chance to age much. That is our lot, though; there is nothing more glorious than dying in battle in defense of Gaia, and you should be proud to be afforded such an opportunity. But sometimes, we are crippled, or maimed, or sickened by the Wyrm, and as such are not killed outright. This puts the tribe in an unfortunate position: we are not eager to kill our own kin and packmates, but at the same time we cannot support those who do not contribute to our war. This makes the sick and wounded a strain on our resources, and it falls to you to minimize that strain if possible.

It is an unpleasant thought, but if you cannot fulfill your duties to the tribe any longer you must bid them to release you, that you may go in peace and let us remember your contributions to our cause. None will do this gladly, even if they hate you in life. There is no glory in killing a weakened ally, but it is sometimes necessary, and merciful, and so it must be done. Be strong, should this happen to you, and go into death knowing that you will continue to serve Gaia in the world beyond our own.

**Sophie adds:** Remember, too, that you may serve the tribe in ways other than fighting. The few elders we have who can no longer fight serve as powerful Theurges, loremasters, or icons of our ways and traditions. Some honor the dead, even though they can scarcely move. These tasks are important, as they strengthen the tribe’s resolve. If a tribe member is ill or infirm, yet can still contribute to the tribe, you must allow him to do so to the best of his ability until he has the honor to die in battle like all the rest of our tribe. We all deserve the chance to gain honor and glory in war against our enemies, so do not force this law unless you have no choice but to do so.

### The Leader May Be Challenged at Any Time During Peace

We are much stricter about this rule than most other tribes. There’s a time and a place for everything, and in the case of challenges that place is a moots. Do not challenge your leader during the normal course of events; doing so is disruptive, and interrupts our ongoing fight against the Wyrm.

**Hide-of-Iron contributes:** This isn’t just a law, it’s a reminder of your duty to challenge a weak, foolish or otherwise unfit leader. An unfit leader is a danger to himself, all the Garou who serve him, all the allies who rely on him, and ultimately to Gaia Herself. As usual, it’s mostly left to us to make the necessary challenges while the other tribes are wringing their hands, and we take shit for it. Oh well.

### The Leader May Not Be Challenged During Wartime

This rule is ironclad. You do not challenge your leader during battle, under any circumstances save total and complete incompetence. If your leader is taking actions which grossly violate the Litany, or which further the cause of the Wyrm, then you should kill him and assume command. But you never, ever challenge his commands during battle. We are extremely hidebound about this particular law, so make certain you understand what it means.

**Hans observes:** Do not let this law prevent you from letting the leader know about problems or misgivings you have with the way things are being done. It is in our nature to submit to those of higher station, but our leaders command us by our will alone, and if they are being foolish it is our responsibility to make them aware of our displeasure. Formal challenges are one thing, but be active in the way your sept operates whether you intend to formally challenge the leader or not.

**Sophie adds:** This includes commentary during battle as well. We like to keep things ruthlessly efficient if at all possible, and that means keeping the chatter to a minimum when fighting. Fighting the Wyrm is serious business, so treat it accordingly.

### Ye Shall Take No Action That Causes a Caern to Be Violated

Caern Warders tend to be very strict, and with good reason: Our caerns may be powerful, but they are few in number. Preserving them is essential. Obviously, we do not want the Wyrm defiling them, but this law points to more than that. It tells us to be careful about fetishes and artifacts, about corrupt humans and wolves, about battles brought to our very shores. Keep the Wyrmspawn out, even the dead ones. Do not bring trophies of your kills to the caern, as they can defile it without your knowledge. Always use caution with unknown people, places, and things, and be careful to keep the stench of the Wyrm off of your hide. This can be trickier than it looks, so check with your packmates if you have any doubts. A good Theurge can tell you if a thing will violate a caern, so this shouldn’t be an issue for you.

**Hans reiterates:** We Fenrir value a good death because we know what a bad death is like. And if someone violates this law, they find out just how bad a death can be.

## Glass Walkers

### Garou Shall Not Mate with Garou

We don’t help our Kinfolk situation here, either. We don’t have a tremendous reputation like, say, the Bone Gnawers or Children of Gaia for siring metis, and true enough, we don’t sire that many. But we have a lot of them in the tribe anyway. They weren’t necessarily born into this tribe, is all. The Rite of Renunciation is costly, but when you consider how most tribes treat their metis, a lot of them think the price is worth it.

See, we’ve got a lot of time for metis. Part of it is the practical concerns. Metis make awesome fighters since they shift to their breed form fast as anyone, and their breed form is nine foot tall with big pointy bits on their paws. They have a stronger connection to Gaia than we homids do, and as I said before, we really need that. Our weak point has always been stepping into the Umbra, and any help offered there is more than welcome.

*Elizabeth Genereader raises a voice of dissent: I worry about how permissive we are of metis. It’s great to have theories that show how metis deformities might just be the results of recessive genetics, but I can’t help feeling we’re extending our faith in science just a little bit ahead of our faith in Gaia. We see things that just can’t be explained by science on an everyday basis, or at least, you do if you spend any length of time in the Umbra. I don’t think we should start killing them again, but we seem to almost reward them for being metis. Is this a good way to tell young cubs that boinking your packmate is a bad idea?*

*Worse, I’ve been keeping track of the remnants of the Cyber Dogs. And I’m seeing a lot of metis. Unless I’m wrong, I think they’re specifically targeting metis for recruitment, and it’s a technique that’s giving them a lot of worrisome strength.*

But there’s more to it than sheer practicality. There’s an ideological basis here too, and it’s worth noting that back in the seventeenth century or so, we have stories of metis being slaughtered at birth and a really intriguing, disturbing diary of a doctor who dissected metis to try and find their soul. He argued it would be black, “stain’d with the very stuff of the Wyrm.”

Charming stuff. But I think our tribe really swung around in the Age of Enlightenment, listening to the ideas of liberty and equality offered by philosophers like Kant. Those ideas, and the politics founded on them, definitely carried over into our tribe. Prejudice against metis started to seem barbaric. Not all at once, certainly, but that’s how it stands now.

However, here’s the other side of it. If metis aren’t wrong, then why is making a metis wrong? There are a lot of answers. (Here’s one: Surgical techniques are awfully difficult on werewolves not in their breed form, so we find it very difficult to improve the atrociously high maternal mortality rate for metis births.) Unfortunately, that’s the way the reasoning goes. From there, it’s a hop, skip and a jump to asking why actually mating, or just having sex, with another Garou is a problem. Rationalizations such as “if you’re using contraception, it’s okay” kick in, and pretty soon you end up with a tribe that, even if it doesn’t give birth to a lot of metis, certainly has a lot of Garou mating with Garou.

Frankly, I’m neutral on the matter. While I’m not going to crucify anyone for breaking this tenet of the Litany, I’d also be pretty livid with any Garou that suggested a night alone with me personally. I don’t see anything wrong with it, I guess, but I feel queasy enough on the issue to believe it’s not for me. Even in a progressive tribe like ours, taboos have strength.

### Combat the Wyrm Wherever It Dwells and Whenever It Breeds

I personally adore the way this tenet is phrased. If it were just “Combat the Wyrm Wherever it Dwells,” we’d be in real strife. Because we don’t. Consider it. The city is a hive for Wyrm cults, puppet corporations, vampires, fomori, and Banes. The Wyrm besets us on all sides, every day of our lives and if we tried to wipe it all out, there’d be only eleven tribes left in the Garou Nation.

Thankfully, the tenet adds “wherever it breeds” and that gives us justification to prioritize what we go after. Wyrm cults nearly always get a temporary pack devoted to them, simply because all but the largest can be wiped out reasonably easily if we get there quickly. We’re going after “where the Wyrm breeds.” Meanwhile, vampires rarely get much attention. Not because of any ridiculous “treaties” or so forth, but simply out of respect that they could, if they wished, probably slaughter us in a decade if they so desired, while our hopes of ever getting rid of them are minimal. It doesn’t mean we like them, they’re Wyrm-riddled walking corpses, it just means we bide our time with them and wait for opportunities. Ditto most Wyrm Corporations.

Let me make it clear, again. We’re committed to the cause. We love Gaia with all our hearts. But it’s better to make a series of small victories than to win one large one and then get killed. That’s why I love the way this tenet is phrased. I’m certain most other Glass Walkers do too.

### Respect the Territory of Another

Our interpretation of this tenet goes back to the Wise Guys. They defined territory in their own terms, it was where they ran the protection rackets, did business, so on and so forth. Basically, what you’d call “turf.” You could enter someone else’s turf and be respectful, but it meant not interfering in the area. The Corporate Wolves added a second dimension to this, defining property and other forms of influence as territory. If one Corporate Wolf was making a lot of money in one area, you didn’t go into competition with him. You set off and made your money elsewhere. Made sense, and made the tribe as a whole stronger. The Random Interrupts have started trying to come up with some new interpretations of this tenet to cover “cyberturf,” but I don’t think you’ll see too much new. It’s just not something that concerns them.

### Accept an Honorable Surrender

Time for a surprise for you: Within the tribe, this one barely gets observed at all. But wait, aren’t we the nice, civilized urbane tribe? Well, sometimes, and that’s why gamecraft is usually a more popular challenge than duels or staredowns. Surrender in gamecraft? Why bother? But still, we’re werewolves. The warriors of Gaia. And fights do break out, and when they do, we let them go. Get it out of the system, so to speak. A lot of us have enough medical wherewithal to know when someone’s in danger of dying, and short of that, we all heal pretty quickly. If need be, a Theurge or Kin doctor can often speed along the process.

In dealings with the other tribes, of course, it’s more strictly enforced. But that’s true of all Litany tenets.

### Submission to those of Higher Station

Backup-Circuit hijacks the discussion: Grrrr! I hate this damn one. We don’t like mentors because they make everything work top-down and ensure only a few of us use our brains. I don’t like this tenet because it entrusts too few people with the decision-making. You know how it should work? Submission to those with the best ideas, that’s how. Everyone gets to pitch in, everyone says their piece, we all vote on the best course of action. That’s democracy, folks!

*Elizabeth Genereader offers a rebuttal: So the door’s just been kicked down by goons wearing nothing but mutated limbs, a spiral carved into each of their chests, and malevolently warped smiles. “Excuse me,” you implore, “Please let us convene to decide what we should do.” You need a hierarchy, Backup. In those times, people pull rank for good reasons.*

Backup-Circuit continues to be a stubborn jackass: C’mon, Elizabeth. We train for those situations. When crises break out, we all know what to do. Other times, we should talk and make rational decisions.

### The First Share of the Kill for Each According to his Need

I’m joking. We still call it “The First Share of the Kill for the Greatest in Station.” To non-Glass Walkers, anyway. But amongst ourselves? We outright ignore this tenet. The greatest in station can damn well handle himself, can’t he? Instead, we tend to share the toys around the sept and whoever can use the thing best gets it. Maximum efficiency, that’s what we like to see.

*Slick Sims adds: Doesn’t always work that way, though. If something has that zing, that pizzazz, that straight out “cool factor,” then you end up with a fight for it and whoever has the most clout tends to get it, even if they’re not what you’d call the best choice. Am I right? Or am I right?*

### Ye Shall Not Eat the Flesh of Humans

Yep. We uphold it. What? You expected any differently?

### Respect Those Beneath Ye — All Are Of Gaia

Supposedly, we’re one of those elitist tribes. You’ve got your Bone Gnawers, who hang around with the trash; you’ve got your Fianna, who are happy with any drinking companion so long as they bring their own booze. Then you have your Silver Fangs, Shadow Lords, Get of Fenris and… us. The ones who think that some folks just don’t cut it and need to be gotten rid of.

I can’t speak for the Fangs and so forth. I’m not one of them. But may I just remind everyone that we’re a tribe devoted to following an insect? Once you get your head around that — and it’s an omnipresent feeling, like every minute I can feel Cockroach watching me — you start to look at everything a little differently. If a tiny insect, and not one of the nice clean ones either, can do so much, then what can even the most seemingly worthless person do?

We uphold this tenet. Not because it’s the “right” thing to do, but because we just can’t help it.

*Elizabeth Genereader scoffs: Right. And we’re shiny and happy and see potential in everyone, and we find all our Kinfolk wonderful roles to fill! Sorry, but this one grates on me. We see the potential in a cockroach, but can’t in our own sister? What is wrong with us?*

### The Veil Shall Not Be Lifted

You’d better believe this one gets rigidly enforced. I know this one is a big deal everywhere, but it’s a bigger deal in our tribe. See, unlike most tribes, we have street addresses. We walk around where there are security cameras. Also where there are police forces, and police detectives. Where people start putting together facts and figures and clues and work out that — hang on, something’s not right here.

You’d better believe this one gets rigidly enforced. I know this one is a big deal everywhere, but it’s a bigger deal in our tribe. See, unlike most tribes, we have street addresses. We walk around where there are security cameras. Also where there are police forces, and police detectives. Where people start putting together facts and figures and clues and work out that — hang on, something’s not right here.

The good news is we’re equipped for the task. Getting spirits to jam technology works wonders on security cameras; contacts in appropriate places can get stories or investigations dropped fairly readily. But you need to uphold those tactics, which means having the discipline to rein yourself in, and knowing the right times and places to Rage.

And if you don’t, to play to my Wise Guy roots a bit, we’ll learn you some discipline real good now.

### Do Not Suffer Thy People to Tend Thy Sickness

Most tribes interpret this one to mean, “When you’re getting too old to fight, waste yourself.” As a result, it’s a real tearjerker. Beats a Julia Roberts film any day.

We have a much simpler workaround. When we get too old to continue, we just retire. We sever all ties with the sept, and make arrangements to take care of ourselves. Those of us that are still reasonably healthy find it fairly easy to survive in old age, especially those of us who’ve lost the wolf. Which as you might imagine, happens a lot in our tribe. The Rage and passion to fight for Gaia is just gone, and the desire to take up macramé kicks in instead. It’s sad, and we fight against it, but when it comes? It’s time to treat it as a reward rather than a punishment, and spend our last days away from the war. Those of us who aren’t as healthy often get a “retirement fund” from the sept, and hire someone to take care of them, and they also retire away somewhere they can enjoy life.

Incidentally, whenever we hear that the Wyrm has found one of our retirees and killed them, we prepare for bloody vengeance. Very bloody vengeance.

### The Leader May Be Challenged in Private. The Leader May Not Be Challenged in Public.

For all it’s worth, that’s how these tenets tend to get enforced. As always, we don’t change the actual wording on them, because if we did we’d be in for a lot of explaining to the other tribes all the time.

One of the problems we suffer with these two is that there’s a really wide spectrum of opinion on just how much “leadership” should really be exhibited. At the one end you have the traditionalists, who are still employing the organization and titles of the Wise Guys, like calling their sept leaders “Dons” or “Lords.” There, any challenge at all can be seen as an insult, a lack of respect, and “The Leader May Be Challenged at Any Time During Peace” is a defense more than anything else. Standard response is acknowledging the validity of the challenge and then demanding a duel to settle it, whereupon the challenger can put up or shut up. Packs from septs like these are little different, very strong alphas who demand to be obeyed mostly as a matter of pride.

Then you get more radical septs that embrace the Random Interrupts and try to adapt the sept to the kind of organization they favor. Here, the leader is little more than a moderator; their job is to let everyone have their say and tally the votes. Challenging isn’t just expected; it’s how the entire system works! Sure, you don’t challenge the leader, you challenge whoever happens to leading the current project, but the point is that the tenets are almost ignored in these septs.

Lastly, you get the majority of septs. These are the ones coming out of the Corporate Wolves’ hierarchy and slowly transitioning into the Random Interrupts. The leader is sort of a chairperson or corporate president type figure. Challenges in wartime can be tolerated if they’re strongly seconded and have popular approval. If this happens, the leader is expected to be gracious and back off without a fight.

What is true of all these groups is that in private, a challenge is generally held as legitimate, even in the most traditional of septs. You’ll get throated for it in some, but you won’t get sneered at for challenging. By contrast, even in the most liberal of septs, challenging out where nonGlass Walkers can see is regarded as the height of stupidity. You’ll get throated, and you’ll be seen as a sap. Don’t do it.

### Ye Shall Take No Action That Causes A Caern to Be Violated

Or we kill you. Unlike the previous two tenets, there’s never been any change in that policy since, I daresay, the beginning of our tribe. You think that, because we live in the city where there are so many other, shall we say unusual? people around that we’d let a few slip in where other tribes wouldn’t? Think again. It just makes us even more paranoid about the dangers. Bringing in a Glass Walker is fine. Bringing in a Garou from another tribe is fine, although we’ll keep an eye on them. Try to bring in one of the Fera, and we’ll turn you both away and probably ask you not to come back. We don’t know them, and don’t trust them. (No offense.) And if you go beyond that, without a very damn good reason, we kill you. And them.

You don’t bring people. You don’t tell people about us. You don’t screw up on your watch and let people get the drop on us. We’ve no room for misplaced compassion, loose lips, or incompetence. You bring any of those, and we kill you.

Don’t tempt us. We have a lot of twitchy Ahroun who’d love to get some easy glory.

## Shadow Lords

Alexandra stretches. “Have you talked about the Litany yet, Mara?”

The Theurge bares her teeth in reply.

Binding nobles and peasantry alike, the Litany is our most sacred code. All Garou, no matter their tribe, bow to the tenets which have bound us to one another and the world around us since the birth of our kind, oh so many years ago. However, while none may flaunt their disregard of the Litany with impunity, it is nonetheless true that different tribes and, indeed, different septs within each tribe choose to ascribe different meanings to the letter of the laws on which we all agree. These are matters of obeisance and tradition, and you must understand them if you are to prosper within the tribe.

### Garou Shall Not Mate With Garou

The cardinal rule, this law of the Litany may never be broken without severe consequences. None are immune to this, no matter their station. From Gaia we were created, to preserve the wolf and guard the human, and we must never forget this. The Garou are your pack, but it is to humans and wolves that you must turn when siring children. We do this to continue our lines, to fortify our hold on humanity, and to ensure that we may walk among them unnoticed.

**Alexandra adds:** Note that “mate” here does not merely refer to the production of offspring; it refers to sex as well. The purpose of this law is to keep our attention on the humans and wolves we are charged to protect, not to prevent the production of metis. They’re a by-product, the proof that we’ve fouled things up, nothing more.

### Combat the Wyrm Wherever it Dwells and Whenever It Breed

Another of our most sacred tenets, and one that is often forgotten or ignored by the young or the foolish. Far too many Lords place their own personal gains above the needs of the tribe, which can only weaken us. Be that as it may, this law is one whose influence is heavily colored by interpretation. Remember that strength is more than physical, and that the battle with the Wyrm is fought on many different battlefields. Do not be afraid to use other tribes to obey this law. Any fighting force needs strategists as well as warriors to be effective, and you must always remember fall into the former camp. If you are clever, you will find that you can use the other tribes to destroy the Wyrm and also advance your own position within the tribe. If you are foolish, however, you will only be consumed by your own ambition. Tread carefully.

**Roar-of-Storms disagrees:** Bah! An excuse for cowardice! It is of course a given that we are to manipulate the actions of our alphas for the greater good; that is Thunder’s mandate, and we carry it out. But this “interpretation” business is nonsense. If what we’re doing doesn’t involve directly fighting the Wyrm at some point or another, we’re doing something wrong.

### Respect the Territory of Another

It is a given that we must be mindful of the fact that, as a mix of wolf and human instincts, we Garou tend to be quite territorial. While it is a wise thing to respect the boundaries of such territories, you should always remember that it is only overt displays of aggression which are typically frowned upon. Do not let this law restrict your activities overmuch; we are, after all, in a war for survival, and trivialities such as this one need only be respected in the broadest sense of the term.

**Alexandra cautions:** Do not lure the cub into a false sense of complacency, Mara. Disobeying this law could get you killed as quickly as it takes to tell the tale, so it must be observed whenever possible. It is mostly a matter of courtesy and ceremony, which means observing it is no great bother.

### Accept an Honorable Surrender

While all the tribes agree that this law is reasonably important, it is of particular relevance to our tribe. Only other Garou or, infrequently, other Fera, can offer a truly honorable surrender; Wyrmspawn do not warrant such consideration. This means that accepting an honorable surrender leaves your opponent beholden to you, which gives you a tremendous advantage over that individual and all that are allied with him.

**Roar-of-Storms adds:** Always turn a surrender to your advantage; use the power it grants you to advance your position, and thus better enable you to orchestrate battles against the Wyrm. Also remember that not every surrender is honorable. If you suspect an opponent is being dishonest, you may feel free to kill him on the spot.

**Alexandra agrees:** This is particularly relevant in Klaive duels, which are sometimes fought to the death. An opponent who surrenders in this instance is either attempting to trick you, or not very honorable to begin with. Dispatching him is thus perfectly legal.

### Submission to Those of Higher Station

Heh. There is submission, and then there is submission. Always bow to your betters, but do not let them cow you into submission unless they truly are your betters. Remember that your ultimate goal is to strengthen the Garou Nation, and orchestrate its battle against the Wyrm and its minions. Do not allow others to impede that goal, no matter their rank or supposed capabilities. By the same token, however, you must swallow your pride and bow before those who are executing their duties in good faith. You must never interfere with plans or operations which directly harm the Wyrm, unless your own would do so more effectively.

**Pavel adds:** Remember that Grandfather Thunder himself tells us that we should only follow those who are worthy of our obedience. This means we can essentially ignore this law so long as we are acting in good faith. Many a Lord has tried to defend treachery using that excuse, though, so be sure you know what you’re doing before you disobey an elder.

### The First Share of the Kill for the Greatest in Station

Many of our laws are of cardinal importance to us, but this is not one of them. It is a holdover from older, simpler times, and has little application now. The kill is to be divided according to the guile and cleverness of those who make it, and if the highest ranking Lord is not clever enough to take what he desires, that is no concern to the rest of us. So long as you act with proper decorum and do not endanger the other laws of the Litany, you need not bother yourself with such trivial concerns.

**Roar-of-Storms disagrees:** Not so fast, Mara! This law is important, since it reinforces the pack’s structure and reminds us to respect a worthy leader. Elders must be respected, and you can bet that they’re worthy if they’ve lasted long enough to become elders. Do not dismiss this law lightly.

### Ye Shall Not Eat the Flesh of Humans

The wisdom of this law should be obvious. Even the wolf-born must not violate it, for doing so will only undermine our already tenuous relationship with humanity. It is the corruption of the Wyrm that consumes human and beast alike, and it is that corruption that we fight with all the tools at our disposal.

**Roar-of-Storms points out:** The intent of the law may be obvious, but the fact remains that we are creatures of Rage, and hence have the potential to sin even if the consequences are obvious for all to see. This law exists to ensure that we keep humans away from our battles, so that they do not become unfortunate victims of our frenzied ways.

That said, I hear they’re rather tasty, from a wolf point of view. I wouldn’t know that myself, of course. Just something I’ve heard, here and there.

### Respect Those Beneath Ye — All Are of Gaia

Many of the other tribes, and not a few of the Lords, take the “beneath ye” in this law to refer to other Garou, and treat them accordingly. That is, of course, the farthest thing from the intent of this statute. The interaction of Garou is dealt with in other laws; this one refers to the relationship between the Garou and the other living things in the world. It reminds us to tread lightly upon the Earth, and that the people, and animals, and spirits of the world are significant, even if they do not figure strongly in our plans. These things are not trivial; indeed, they are the very reason we fight. Always remember this, lest your ambition cloud your judgment. Many a Lord has fallen when the Garou around him realize that he cares nothing for the world beyond his petty schemes.

**Alexandra clarifies:** Of course, this applies to prey as well — even though you eat them, you still have to show them the proper respect. Some Garou get all mystical about this, but that isn’t necessary; all you have to remember is that respect and killing aren’t exclusive concepts, and shouldn’t hamper your decisions as though they were.

### The Veil Shall Not Be Lifted

We respect this law due not to any particular veneration for what it represents, but rather out of a healthy sense of pragmatism. Humans have always feared us, and with the advent of an industrialized civilization they now have the tools to turn that fear into hatred and persecution. What’s more, new threats such as hunters with strange powers are showing up every day, and it is only through secrecy and prudence that we can manage to stay a step or two ahead of them. Remember that most of the other supernatural entities in the world seek to pervert or consume it in some fashion. The vampires violate it by their mere existence, the mages twist it to suit their whims, and the ghosts resist the most basic dictums of Gaia Herself. These are our enemies, and they are legion; we must work against them in secret if we are to have any hope of destroying them.

**Alexandra speculates:** It’s possible that Gaia created the Veil to remind us that we are not truly a part of the world. In the natural scheme of things, there would be no Wyrmspawn, no vampires, no maddened Weaver to throw things out of whack. But these things do exist, and so Gaia created us to deal with them. Be that as it may, She still wants to keep the world as “normal” as possible, and to that end she gave us a curtain to hide behind. Whether that’s true or not, it’s something to keep in mind.

### Do Not Suffer Thy People to Tend Thy Sickness

This rule stems from the ways of the wolf. Roar-of-Storms, if you would?

**Roar-of-Storms:** Mmmm. If a warrior, to say nothing of a leader, is not fit to pull his own weight within a sept, then he is not fit to live. That may sound harsh, but it’s the truth. We have limited resources, and we can’t waste them on old or feeble Garou. If you cannot continue to contribute to our cause, you must have the presence of mind to step aside and let other, more capable Garou take your place. Remember that our survival is at stake here; we can’t afford to be lax when it comes to honoring this law.

**Alexandra responds:** At the same time, however, you also have to remember that this is not a club you may use to remove leaders you happen to find inconvenient. Even an old and frail leader can prove to be surprisingly fit in mind and spirit, and if he is capable of performing his duties you damn well better mind your business and leave him be. Challenge the unfit, but do remember that it takes more than being old to qualify. Pick your challenges carefully, lest you yourself be culled for the good of the pack.

### The Leader May Be Challenged at Any Time During Peace

This isn’t just an option for us; rather, it’s a mandate. Our leaders must be continually tested to keep them in fighting trim, and that means making power plays when you can get away with it. Any leader worth his position won’t let you get away with much, and they’ll expect you to keep things interesting on a fairly regular basis. A common problem with this law, of course, is that many of the leaders who should be challenged are far more powerful than those intrepid Garou who realize their pack leader must be removed from power. Should you find yourself in this unfortunate position, do not be concerned; everyone has enemies, and those enemies will be in your debt if you choose to help them topple a corrupt pack leader. This is a dangerous ploy, however, so be sure of your motives and allies when you pursue such a course of action.

Alexandra cuts loose: Okay, that’s the party line. Now, remember this: many Lords think it’s okay to embarrass or undermine their leaders for their own personal gain. Most of these Lords will be dead by the year’s end. Don’t be a fucking asshole. Don’t sabotage plans that work to combat the Wyrm or its minions. Don’t let innocents or, worse, Garou get killed just to make a leader look bad. Remember that you’re a champion of Gaia, and act like it. Yes, we manipulate the other tribes when our plans call for it. We even manipulate other Lords, if they’re so stupid that they don’t see it coming. But always remember why it is we’re doing this: to fight the Wyrm. This isn’t about you, you little shit. We’re fighting for a cause, and that comes first. Make your challenges accordingly. If you don’t understand that, you will be dead within a week of taking control of your first pack.

### The Leader May Not Be Challenged During Wartime

Some Lords will tell you that we are always at war, and that as such they cannot be challenged at any time. This is a lie. While some areas are constantly under siege from vampires, Banes, or other minions of the Wyrm, the fact is that this law only applies during battle. Never challenge a leader during battle, but should he prove unfit you are obligated to challenge him as soon as the battle ends. You must do this not only to advance your own status, but also to maintain the integrity of your pack and, ultimately, the tribe as a whole.

Pavel adds: This doesn’t just apply to battle, either. The leader shouldn’t be challenged so long as the pack is trying to accomplish something. Basically, this law isn’t just a law — it’s a way of life. Stay on target, get your tasks done, and deal with any problems in leadership only after your immediate task is completed. We have to do it that way, because if we don’t the result is chaos.

### Ye Shall Take No Action That Causes a Caern to Be Violated

**Roar-of-Storms snarls:** This law is unquestioned, even by the most ambitious Lords. Violate this law, and you will not merely be punished. You will die. Painfully. We cannot afford to lose, or even endanger, any of the few caerns we have left, and you are not to allow even the possibility of a threat to their sanctity. There are no exceptions to this rule — even if you act in good faith, actions that cause a caern to be violated are punishable by death. No exceptions. Ever.

## Silent Striders

As upstanding, forthright members of the Garou Nation, it’s important for us to know all the rules. It’s also important to understand the spirit of those rules. If all you focus on are the words, when it comes time to decide if the rule applies or not, you waste time arguing over this word or that word and how it applies. But if you understand the spirit of the thing, then you know, instinctively, when it applies.

### Garou Shall Not Mate With Garou

Sigh. Why the fuck is this one so hard for people to understand? No, I don’t care that you’re both head over heels in love and no, I don’t care that you’re “being careful.” What you are being is an incredibly selfish bastard. All you are caring about is your own needs and wants and you are completely ignoring everyone else involved. For Garou, mating and sex is not just a private activity between two people. We have a sacred duty to Gaia to continuously increase the sizes of our bloodlines. Metis are a dead end in the bloodline. We’re a dying race and the more fertile Kin and Garou we have, the better our odds of survival. And if we die out, Gaia has no Fangs to protect Her. The Wyrm wins and we have failed the duty appointed to us. You are ignoring Gaia’s needs for your own selfish pleasure. You are also ignoring the needs of your offspring. If you produce a metis, all you have to live with is scorn and shame. Your kid has to live with all of that plus crippling deformity or even insanity. And for our metis, it’s even worse. They start attracting ghosts from birth, and unlike you, they can’t run away from them. You are inflicting on that kid a lifetime of pain and shame, all because you couldn’t keep it in your pants.

If I seem like a hard-ass about the subject it’s for a simple reason. We’re the only tribe who can’t disown our metis. Every metis that carries our blood also carries our curse from birth. At least the female half of our tribe doesn’t run off and pretend it never happened. I’ve met too many jackasses in this tribe who think that just because they don’t have to stick around and deal with the consequences, it’s okay to leave some local girl high and dry with their inbred freak of a kid. Luckily most of them don’t escape that easy. Owl has a habit of eventually leading his metis children to their parents. And Gaia help you if your partner decides to kill the cub to hide her own shame. That’s one ghost you almost never outrun.

### Combat the Wyrm Wherever It Dwells and Wherever It Breed

This one is fairly straightforward. If you find a creature of the Wyrm, you combat it. That’s your job as one of Gaia’s Fangs. That said, it’s also your job to not get yourself killed if you can help it. If you find something that’s too big for you and your pack to handle on your own, go and get help. Then come back and deal with it. There’s a reason why our people consider Wisdom to be just as important as Glory. Just try to remember that there are other ways to combat things than by killing it. Humans and animals haunted by Banes can be exorcised. Poisoned lands can be cleansed. Corruption can be weeded out. If it’s a vampire, though, kill it. Always.

### Respect the Territory of Another

This is one of our tribe’s two most important rules. The curse dictates that we have to spend at least part of our time drifting from one place to the other. Hence, our basic rule of Don’t Be An Asshole. Announce your presence to any caern you come close to. Follow whatever rules they have. And if they ask you to leave, do so. This rule doesn’t just apply to the Garou, either. For us, it applies to the Fera as well. We travel in lands where our kind aren’t looked upon all that fondly, and the only reason we have survived doing so while others have failed is because we respect the territory of the natives. That’s why this rule is also the cornerstone of the Ahadi. It’s good manners and good sense.

### Accept an Honorable Surrender

Another simple one. As I said before, we’re a dying race. We can’t afford to be killing each other. If you can’t control yourself enough to recognize when another Garou yields, you have a problem. And if you kill another Garou over something petty and stupid — and I’m firmly of the opinion that anything that doesn’t involve someone having fallen to the Wyrm is pretty petty — you might find that your deeds literally come back to haunt you.

### Submission to Those of Higher Station

Respect your elders. We only have access to their wisdom and secrets for as long as they are here, so learn from them while you can. That doesn’t mean coddling a fool. If you come across someone of a higher rank who happens to be a complete git, just nod and smile at his bullshit. The exception is if that bullshit is something that is going to get other Garou killed, threaten the security of the caern or otherwise result in some major fuck up. If that happens, you have a responsibility to challenge him. But if someone has honestly learned the right to lead, we will follow.

### The First Share of the Kill for the Greatest in Station

The best example for understanding the spirit and not the letter of the Litany. Basically, whenever a group of Garou finds some cool shit, the leader gets first pick of what he wants to keep. By and large, the only things we own are what we can carry with us. So our “cool shit” tends to be information. Tell your elders everything you’ve learned. Then they can decide what information is worth their remembering it. As for fetishes and other material goodies, our elders are usually pretty easy-going when it comes to letting the young keep what they find. The only exceptions are if the kid finds something really dangerous, which he either has no idea how to use safely or can’t protect it properly, or when a group of Wayfarers work together, and the oldest member always makes sure he gets what’s rightfully his.

### You Shall Not Eat the Flesh of Humans

Monkey meat is addictive. If you try it once, the Wyrm gets a hold of you and then you want more and more and can’t stop. I’ve never understood why anyone’d want to eat a human anyway. With all the shit they eat, they’re probably poisonous. And obviously, this rule applies to the flesh of wolves and other Garou as well.

### Respect Those Beneath You — All Are of Gaia

Gaia charged us to defend and protect the world and everything in it. To kill and destroy without reason is to betray Gaia’s trust. To hunt without honoring the spirit of your prey is to disrespect Ma’at and the prey’s role under it. This rule also applies to Garou of lesser rank. The young are our future. When I die, their memories will be all that remain of me in this world. I’d just as soon not be remembered for being a dick, thanks.

### The Veil Shall Not Be Lifted

Again, this is common sense. If humans found out we lived among them, there’d be mobs armed with flamethrowers and silver bullets out for our hides. So don’t go around taking Crinos form in front of crowds and for fuck’s sake don’t tell them about us. And that goes for all humans. I don’t give a fuck what you’ve heard about Gypsies or Native Americans or whoever the Little Brown Brother du jour is. If they’re Kin, then they should already have been told all they need to know, just like any other Kin. If they aren’t, then they don’t need to know shit and they don’t have access to some secret ethnic mystical insight into who we are either. And besides, if you can’t keep your mouth shut about our existence, what the fuck are you doing in this tribe anyway?

### Do Not Suffer Your People to Tend Your Sickness

This one’s a sticky one for us. You see, we value our elders, as we can’t learn from their wisdom once they’re gone. But if he can’t outrun the ghosts any longer, then he might end up going mad. If one of us dies in battle, we do like we did with Vik: bury the body, mourn the spirit and honor the memory. But if one of us starts to get to where he’s a burden on others, we have our other death rite. The elder will gather as many tribemates as he can around him and tell them his life story. Everything he’s done and everything he’s learned. Then he goes off into the Umbra to make one last quest for the Tribal Homeland. And he’s never seen again. Better to end your days doing something than to give in and let someone else end your life for you.

### The Leader May Be Challenged at Any Time During Peace

This is the way of things. Constant challenges keep a good leader sharp and keep a bad leader from being a leader. When it comes to challenges, most other Garou expect us to favor facedowns and gamecraft. And, yes, we’re good at that. We go places and see things that would scare most folks shitless, so we aren’t easily intimidated. Owl doesn’t want dullards for children, so most of us work at keeping our minds sharp. However, since we don’t go around bragging about our great warrior traditions, they also expect us to be pushovers in trials by combat. Few make that mistake twice.

### The Leader May Not Be Challenged During Wartime

Again, this is the way of things. In battle, lives depend on people doing what they are told and acting without hesitation. But it’s also possible for a leader to give bad orders. And that can lead to failure or even to pointless deaths. There is no good guideline here. You just have to be smart enough to be able to tell the difference between a good order and a bad order, and to be smart enough to know when a leader might just be good enough that he’s giving what seems like a bad order for a good reason you haven’t figured out yet. Sound unfair? Well, life’s tough.

### You Shall Take No Action That Causes a Caern to Be Violated

Or you die. End of story. This is the other of our two most important rules. Once, we lost the lands Gaia entrusted to us. Never again. We defend every caern to the death. No one besides Garou and trusted Kin are allowed in. Only in the lands of the Ahadi is this rule even slightly different. There, it’s possible that a known and trusted member of one of the Fera might be admitted. But no others. If wizards or other creatures feel the need to meet with us, they can do so somewhere other than a caern. If any vampire ever comes anywhere near a caern, we kill it. If one of their blood slaves comes near a caern, he’s tortured until he tells us everything about his master. Then we kill him and hunt down the creature that sent him. And if you ever, ever bring a vampire to one of our caerns, we will not only kill you, we will see to it that your soul is destroyed and your name stricken from every record we have. In this, there is no compromise.

## Silver Fangs

**Lord Byeli Speaks:** Our tribe was most responsible for the Concord and the Litany. We could not rule all the tribes from afar, so we felt it best to give them firm guidelines with which to rule themselves until emissaries from our tribe could join them or migrate to nearby territories. We had no idea of the wealth of interpretations such simple laws could create. Children are quite creative when avoiding rules their parents set for them; the other tribes are as children when it comes to honoring our rules.

Of course, we did not create the Litany ourselves. Gaia inspired it, and is Her law given shape in words. To breach any tenet of it is to sin against Gaia. As the initial translators and enforcers of Her will, our “interpretation” of the Litany is clearly the most correct.

### Garou Shall Not Mate With Garou

All Garou know the punishment for breaking this tenet: the birth of a metis Garou. These poor creatures bring shame on us all, for they are living reminders that we cannot control our passions in the name of Gaia. Those who commit such sin should be singled out and marked for it: the sigil of the oathbreaker should be carved into their backs, where they cannot erase it. As for the metis, they are not to blame, but neither should they be held as anything but impure. They should be given a place in Garou society, but among the lowest.

### Combat the Wyrm Wherever It Dwells and Whenever It Breeds

Self-evident. Of all the tribes, we have done the most to rally the Garou Nation against the Wyrm and its incarnations. We suffered the most in the early days from its depredations, staying to fight its armies so that others could escape into new, free territories. But the Wyrm soon arrived in these other lands, and the tribes had to fight them on their own, without our leadership. Some did well and proved themselves worthy, while others failed and died.

The other tribes have taken to accusing us of such quaint things as “insanity” and “madness.” This is raw cowardice. They fear to tackle the Wyrm when we’ve identified it and so come up with any excuse to avoid fighting it. They say we are the last to attack, ordering other tribes to lead the assaults. Untrue. If we are not in the frontlines, it is because our kind must survey the entire battlefield and direct the assaults of many.

### Respect the Territory of Another

Technically speaking, with the voice of ancient authority, all lands are ours. We are the leaders of the Garou Nation. The others hold their lands by our sufferance. The truth of the matter is we can no longer enforce this on the other tribes, who have taken our lack of enforcement as endorsement of their claims. If and when we feel it is necessary to reclaim our lands, we shall do so. Until then, we practice realpolitik and respect these tribes’ territories as if they were their own.

If we are to be exemplars of the Litany, we must show an example to the other tribes as to how they should behave. By respecting their territories as if they were theirs, the other tribes will do the same with our territory and the territories of other tribes, and so maintain truce among our kind.

### Accept an Honorable Surrender

One of the most misused tenets of the Litany by others, and yet, to us, it is one of the most inviolate. As the children of Falcon, honor is our watchword. If one acts with honor, he is to be accorded honor. There is no other acceptable interpretation. If the person is known to be dishonorable even if he speaks with honor, we are under no obligation to treat him honorably — we aren’t fools. But those who are truly honorable are due our respect.

It is easy to accept an honorable surrender from a low-class Garou. It is hard to offer one. If we should lose a challenge to an honorable person, we should honorably tender our surrender. It is not easy, of course, and too many of us often choose never to surrender, no matter the honor involved.

### Submission to Those of Higher Station

Another obvious and inviolate tenet. As lords of the entire Garou Nation, our tribe naturally has the higher station, even if the other tribes refuse to accept it at times. We deserve their submission, although we have come not to expect it. Realpolitik again.

We must also recognize the hierarchies of others, however. Even though we are their lords, they have their own tribal and pack structures that we should respect. Hence, one who holds higher rank than we deserves our submission, even if he be a Shadow Lord. This tenet will mean little to you, oh king, for there are none higher in station than you on this continent, and perhaps only one in the world your equal or better: Queen Tvarivich. There is, of course, the Shadow Lord Konietzko, but your relation with him is of your higher to his lesser, unless you choose to pretend he is an equal for the purposes of realpolitik.

### The First Share of the Kill for the Greatest in Station

This is a traditional tenet meant to enforce the right of leaders as leaders. Rarely do they ever accept the first share, most often graciously giving it to he that caught it. But the ceremony must be maintained, to keep us from complete anarchy.

By “kill,” this tenet refers not only to prey, but also to things: treasures and artifacts found or won. By right, the leader has first pick of any hoard.

### Ye Shall Not Eat the Flesh of Humans

The Animal Elders all made pacts in the Dawn Times determining who could eat whom. The humans made no such pact, for they had no Elder spirit to make such a decision for them. They were alone, with only those allies they could make in the world or those spirits who took pity on them. No wonder they fared so poorly, without the guidance of an Elder spirit.

It is unwise to eat the flesh of any being whose Elder did not make such a pact. Not only does it risk the anger of that Elder, it risks Wyrm-taint — for it is a practice of the Wyrm to eat anything, especially the pactless. Eating humans is especially tainted, for it mimics the devouring hunger of the Eater-of-Souls. For this reason, we do not suffer any Garou to eat human flesh, be he homid or lupus.

### Respect Those Beneath Ye — All Are of Gaia

This is a hard tenet, for it is not always easy to show respect to those who break the Litany. And yet, it is our duty to do so. We rule not by might alone, but through the grace of the Sun and Moon, at the behest of Gaia. We do not rule out of self-aggrandizement or egotism. Hence, it matters not whether they truly respect us; we shall show respect to them.

It is the proper thing to do. It is, nonetheless, difficult.

### The Veil Shall Not Be Lifted

We learned this lesson long ago when we first walked among humans in their own shapes. They cannot abide to see us in our glory — such was the price of breaking the Weaver’s curse, when we turned against those we had taught and slaughtered their leaders. Nonetheless, this tenet is often broken these days, for it is harder and harder to combat the Wyrm wherever it dwells and wherever it breeds without doing so in plain sight of humans — for the Wyrm most often nests among them.

For some reason I have yet to uncover, many of our kind suffer from Harano, the desolate despair that prevents them from acting proactively against whatever assails them. Perhaps this is because of the many losses our tribe has suffered over the years, or the crushing weight of responsibility we bear for the welfare of the entire Garou Nation. Regardless, some of these afflicted individuals have outright ignored this tenet, forcing us to hunt them down and incarcerate them.

### Do Not Suffer Thy People to Tend Thy Sickness

Many claim that we ignore this tenet. Of course, these are the same fools who accuse us of madness. They say that, by allowing our mad rulers to maintain their thrones, we are “tending their sickness.” Certainly, there have been those rulers who have become decidedly unhinged, such as your predecessor and Queen Tvarivich’s father. I know not the cause of this disease, but it is nowhere near as endemic as the other tribes claim.

Hence, I see no breach of this tenet. Were a king to become truly ill, beyond a cure, then yes, he must be deposed. But this is a rare thing, and has not happened of late.

**Nightmane Speaks:** Lord Byeli has perhaps the most common form of madness among us: willful ignorance. He knows as well as you or I that our kind is indeed suffering from an insanity that grows worse. He does not wish to accept it. If your sept had heeded this tenet earlier, perhaps you would have been king without need of the Silver Crown.

### The Leader May Be Challenged at Any Time During Peace

**Lord Byeli Speaks:** Certainly, kings may be challenged. Even Falcon reminded us of this when he offered his pact. But it is not our custom to do so. For one, times of peace are rare. It is a grave risk to overturn successful leadership just because the Litany allows for it. Of course, if leadership is not successful, then yes, Silver Fangs are free to attempt to depose their leaders. However, we furnish our kings with the greatest fetishes and Gifts known to our tribe; they are not easy to challenge.

Other tribes have, at times, sought to use this tenet to overthrow our rule of the Garou Nation. Ridiculous. This tenet was designed to allow the “alpha” to be overthrown by his better if he grows weak or old, not to abrogate our sacred relationship to Helios and Luna as the only divine leaders of the Garou.

### The Leader May Not Be Challenged During Wartime

Inviolate. To do so is an act of idiocy, for who would risk changing rule during a time of martial crisis? That every hour of every day is now a time of war is inarguable. Hence, the previous tenet is almost never applicable. It is always war, until the ash of the Apocalypse fires settles and a new world dawns.

### Ye Shall Take No Action That Causes a Caern to Be Violated

Caerns are too sacred too allow to come to harm. The other tribes interpret “violation” many different ways. We, however, see what it clearly means: do not let another misuse a caern, whether it be to allow the Wyrm to come too close or to fail to use its resources to defend Gaia. This latter is one of the main reasons we had to take over caerns in certain places in Europe and the Americas. The other tribes howled in rage at our “presumption,” but the Litany clearly calls for action in such matters. To sit on a caern and refuse to use its power to fuel the fight against the Wyrm is as much of a violation as is allowing the Wyrm to take up residence within it.

## Uktena

“Tell me something else, then,” said Erishka. “I’m a Lawgiver, so it’s my job to interpret the Litany among my pack and sept. But it seems so… brief. Sure, there’s a lot to guide me, but these rules seem open to quite a lot of individual interpretation.”

### Garou Shall Not Mate With Garou

To her surprise, it wasn’t the Crescent Moon who spoke, but the Trickster, who for the most part had been quiet during the meal. “If you’ve noticed that, then you’ve learned something already. My packmates and I have an understanding,” said Natesa, with a slight inclination of her head. “They can’t help but recoil a bit at the fact I’m a metis….”

“You’re selling us short!” Josh snarled. “We never….”

“Did I say you had treated me wrongly? No! You must let me finish,” snapped Natesa. “What I was going to say was that even though your gut reaction is to flinch, you and Ellen have welcomed me as a pack member and judged me for my deeds, not my parentage. The general Uktena view on metis is that the parents have done wrong and must face punishment, but their child is not guilty.”

“But not necessarily innocent, either,” said Erishka, slowly.

The No Moon rewarded her with a bitter smile. “Ah, see, you already know both the letter and the spirit of the law. I’m more fortunate than some Uktena metis, who face unspoken scorn and mistrust all their days. If you want an opinion, our lot in this tribe is better than many, but still, life is harder than that of a homid or lupus.”

### Combat the Wyrm Wherever It Dwells and Whenever It Breeds

“I can speak about fighting the Wyrm,” Josh said. “You saw tonight that we take the battle against Grandfather Serpent most seriously. Even if those Spirals hadn’t been nosing around the caern, we’d still have killed them as quickly as possible. That is our way, plain and simple.”

“Well, I don’t mean to contradict you, pack leader, but there’s a bit more to it than that,” Natesa piped up.

“Yes, we slay things that belong to the Wyrm, but we also make a point of learning as much as we can about them before moving in for the kill. Let’s take that book your wife’s young shaman friend toted around for a while.”

Josh’s mouth dropped open. “Now, wait a minute. That’s different. He….” The Trickster cut him off.

“Nope, not a bit different. And before you tell me to hush up, remember that Erishka here has earned the right to hear a secret or two. Okay, to make a long story short, this shaman friend of Rosie’s brought this old book here for Ellen to see. It was called The Diaries of Zeerne, and it had the scent of Grandfather Serpent all over it. I guess other folks would have tossed it into a fire, but some of us read it, silently, of course. Dark stuff about the Spirals and this old group of Wyrmbringers called the Society of the Weeping Moon. I did some checking, and I think they’re long gone. But if a few are still poking around, by reading that book, I learned something about how to fight them, how to defeat them. To know the enemy is to know their weaknesses. So don’t discount getting information from agents of the Wyrm before you destroy them.”

### Respect the Territory of Another

“I’m not sure I can give a fair view on the issue of respecting territory,” said Josh, changing the subject. “We Uktena do it, but the Wyrmcomers and Wyrmbringers obviously didn’t. So should we ignore it, since they did, or honor it more strongly to show them a better example?”

“I think the tribe is split on that,” Ellen replied. “You’ll find, ah, extremists who think we should have a big uprising, open up casinos everywhere and take the belagaana for every cent we can. And then there are others who say now is now, not a century past. It was the will of Gaia that we should lose our lands, for whatever reason, and we must do the best with what we have left. I think I personally err on the side of living by example. If we take the lands of others, we’re no better than those who stole what was ours. And I believe this is doubly true when talking about our Changer brothers and sisters, werewolves and Fera alike.”

“You’re awfully optimistic,” Natesa grumbled, but she said nothing else after the Crescent Moon gave her a hard stare.

### Accept an Honorable Surrender

Josh took up the thread of the conversation again. “Getting to the rules of war, we show honor in ourselves by accepting honorable submission from others. To scorn what is nobly given shows we aren’t worthy. Still, most Uktena demand amends, and this isn’t unique to American Indian culture. Even some of the Wyrmbringers have legends of taking an ‘eye for an eye.’ And what reparation do most Uktena want in return for accepting surrender?”

“Secrets,” Erishka answered. “That’s a no-brainer.” “Right… most of the time, anyway. Knowing a secret about an adversary grants you power. The type of secret, of course, should fit the situation. In a fair fight, don’t ask for more than is deserved. But if the opponent has acted dishonorably, you have every right to demand something more dear.”

“Still,” said Natesa, “don’t forget that we have no problem with an opponent being clever or wily. After all, that’s something Uktena treasures in his own tribe, and if another imitates this trait, then in a way, it’s an honor to our totem as well.”

### Submit to Those of Higher Stations

Josh gnashed his teeth. “Though it galls me sometimes, as a pack leader and adren, I believe strongly in submitting to those of higher station. Not because I’m too proud, but because I think this law applies to both the Pure Ones and those of Wyrmcomer tribes. Again, it’s the whole thing of doing what’s proper. Gaia gave us an understanding of who is alpha, and the respect that should be accorded to those of rank. To defy this is to scorn Her path, and that’s not something any of us should do, even if we detest the ones to whom we show deference.”

“I’d like to point out that those of higher station should be worthy of the submission we give them,” Natesa added. “Most of the time, they are, but not always.” Ellen nodded in agreement.

### The First Share of the Kill for the Greatest in Station

“The submission to those who are greater is also reflected in granting the first share of the kill,” the Theurge said. “But this is where we can see their wisdom most clearly displayed. Are those we honor judicious in how much meat they take? Do they see where the need is greatest and give to those who are weak and hungry, so the pack thrives? To put it bluntly, a good leader is not much fatter than his sept. Yes, he may eat first, but he should not devour all that is available, lest the elders who are tired and the young who are slow starve because of greed. It’s a good rule by which to judge the quality of those who lead, young Lawgiver.”

### Ye Shall Not Eat the Flesh of Humans

“Speaking of food, I guess we don’t need to tell you not to go around eating humans,” Natesa said, with a raised eyebrow. Ellen shuddered.

“No, we should never do this. It reminds me too much of Younger Brother’s totem, Wendigo. Maybe it happened long ago, but times and ways change.”

“But it did happen?” asked Erishka. “What, you mean like the Aztecs and others in Mesoamerica? I remember reading about blood sacrifices and dark death rituals, but I’m not sure about the whole flesh-eating part.”

“Yes, I’m afraid it’s true,” answered Natesa. “Now, before you recoil in horror, don’t judge them with your modern sensibilities. The Aztecs, among others, were a society of warriors. Some people think the sacrifices and preoccupation with death were a means of keeping order and controlling the population. Others maintain that drinking blood was a way to consume protein. But a bit of Uktena legend has it that by eating flesh, one could capture the memories of the dead in dreams. Pretty potent medicine, if you ask me.”

Erishka thought it over a moment. “Hmm. I wonder if there are some of us who still partake of this practice. And don’t dare tell anyone?”

Natesa’s white eye seemed to glimmer. “Well, they sure as hell aren’t saying anything about it if they do.”

### Respect Those Beneath You — All Are of Gaia

Josh coughed. “As far as respecting those who are beneath you, this is just the flip side of giving respect to elders. Because you’re a Lawgiver, you’ll probably be a pack leader, or maybe even a sept leader someday, Erishka. When that happens, don’t forget to listen to your less-experienced brothers and sisters. You’re the one who ultimately has to make decisions for the good of everyone, but you’d be surprised how much those of lesser rank can contribute.”

“Respect isn’t just something for werewolves, either,” Natesa added. “You should also value animals and spirits who may be lesser beings. That goes for times that you kill prey or ask for guidance.”

“Respect for Kin goes a long way, too,” said Ellen. “We cannot accomplish nearly as much in the world of humans without their input, and only foolish Changers, like some of the Wyrmcomers, devalue their Kin.”

### The Veil Shall Not Be Lifted

“Still,” the Crescent Moon continued, “I disapprove of telling Kin too much. The Veil exists for a reason, and this is doubly true for humans. Even those of the Pure Ones who have the capacity to believe and understand many things shouldn’t be overly burdened by our troubles. Keeping the Veil intact is one of the many great secrets we hold.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” the Ahroun said slowly. “I think there are a bunch of wise and worthy humans among the People that would gladly join our fight, if they could.”

Natesa’s voice dropped to a whisper. “That reminds me of something I’ve kept for the right time to tell. The Children of Gaia have a ritual to do this. They can lift the Veil and bring in humans as if they were Kin.”

“What?” yelped Ellen. “You mean they turn humans into Kin?”

The Trickster shrugged. “I’m not positive if that’s how it works, but at the least, the chosen ones can stand to see us in our war form. It would make mating a lot easier, though, wouldn’t it?”

Ellen bit her lip. “It is both a blessing and a curse. If they used this ritual wisely, then it could be a wonder for all werewolves. But if they performed it without forethought, I can imagine few harsher curses. Perhaps we should investigate further?” she asked Josh.

The big Warrior nodded. “Absolutely. As soon as we can.”

Erishka started to ask where in the world the No Moon had learned this information then decided she didn’t want to know that badly.

### Do Not Suffer Thy People to Tend Thy Sickness

Ellen turned the conversation away from the Veil as quickly as she could. “Elders among both Changers and Kin have great value and honor among us, yet there comes a time in everyone’s life when they can no longer contribute. At this time, the elder usually undertakes a final quest or battle inspired by visions and dreams, knowing he will not return. We respect him for knowing that it weakens the tribe to have to tend those who are sick and frail.”

“Well, it’s sort of a mixed blessing,” muttered Natesa. “I mean, those who are eldest know more than most of us younger ones put together. And yet, they’re expected to go off and die alone. That seems kind of cruel.”

“You misunderstand,” the Theurge contradicted. “Most times, it’s only when the burden of their sickness outweighs the wisdom they give that the elders leave us. As long as they can offer something, yes, they stay. But it’s much better for them to go when their minds and bodies are so infirm, they cannot share their knowledge and experience. Even some humans realize that it’s better to die than endure a tortured life.”

The Leader May Be Challenged at Any Time During Peace, the Leader May Not Be Challenged During Wartime

“As the pack’s No Moon, it’s my part to keep Josh here on his toes,” grinned Natesa. “But there’s a right time and a wrong time to do this, just like the way we tell our stories. It’s plain stupid to harass a leader or challenge him in the midst of war. He or she needs all the energy and wisdom possible then, and the pack’s job is to support him, usually without question. But in peace, some leaders have a tendency to get lax… though I’ve never known Josh to do that,” she added quickly. “Still, in the quiet times, giving challenge makes a leader better. If they are victorious, they know they’re in their rightful place and can gain confidence. If they lose, well, that’s sort of the ‘law of the jungle,’ if you will. The strongest and most clever werewolf needs to lead, that’s simple enough. Challenging is merely the best way to assure that our alphas are the best they can be.”

“I think those army people need you to write their ads,” Josh snorted. “But yes, I agree with you. If I’m not worthy to lead, and I’m too stupid to see it, then it’s my packmates’ duty to make things clear.”

### Ye Shall Take No Action That Causes a Caern to be Violated

“The Litany is quite specific about protecting caerns,” explained Ellen. “And we take the words seriously. Even though we are collectors of secrets, by no action or inaction do we ever cause the violation of a caern.”

“You’re probably wondering why we’re a little edgy about this law,” Natesa chimed in. “It’s because so many of our caerns were taken or violated by the Wyrmcomers. So we’re more protective than ever of them today.”

“What you say is true, Natesa, but you’ve left a bit of something out,” muttered Josh. “The thing is, many of our caerns are built right on top of, well, places that shouldn’t be broken.”

“I don’t understand. What’s under the caerns?” their guest asked.

Ellen gave a long sigh. “Since our pack leader brought it up, I will speak of it. Long ago, we Uktena took on the task of capturing and imprisoning powerful spirits. Some were of Grandfather Serpent, others of Grandmother Smoke and Grandfather Spider. A few of the most terrible ones were even bred from two of the Grandfathers. Our ancestors gained much accord from capturing and binding these awful creatures deep into the bowels of the earth. What better place to hide them than under our caerns? These were sacred places always under watch and guard, where protectors would give their lives before surrendering the caern’s secrets. All went well until the arrival of the Wyrmcomers. When we lost our caerns, we dared not tell the thieves just what they had stolen. Was this wise? I can’t say. So the end of the tale is that more than a few caerns that were once Uktena now belong to the others, who are without a clue. They have no idea what lurks beneath. And if we were to tell them….”

“Then they’d think the worse of us,” finished Erishka, remembering what Wind-in-the-Spruce had said. “We’d be named servants of the Wyrm or Gaia knows what.”

“Yes. That is what I fear.” The Theurge’s eyes were bright with concern.

### Seek Knowledge Wherever You May

“Which sort of rounds off this conversation,” Josh said, stifling a tired yawn. “The heart of being Uktena is the collection of knowledge. This is something all of us do, no matter what moon we serve. But you,” he pointed at the Philodox, “have a heavy burden in this. Our Lawgivers are in large part responsible for deciding how to use what we’ve collected and learned. And with the help of our Medicine Folk and all the others, it’s your responsibility to lead the tribe and decide where we should keep looking for new knowledge. As a Warrior and a pack leader I know sometimes it’s hard to make those decisions. Shoot, I love life just as much as the next guy and I don’t want to throw away my last breath for no good reason. But a leader often has to make those judgment calls, to go into Grandfather Serpent’s den knowing not everyone in the pack will come out alive, if the stories hidden there are worth something to our tribe as a whole.” Ellen gave him a wan smile, and Natesa nodded approvingly.

“That’s why he’s pack leader,” the metis joked. “He’s no Songkeeper, but he has a real way with words sometimes.” The door burst open then, accompanied by a loud exclamation of distress.

“Didn’t I clearly tell you bunch to get some rest?” fussed Rosie. “Now shush up and sleep! Geez!”

Even Josh had the good manners to look a bit sheepish, and Erishka smothered a grin as she covered up with a thick wool blanket and caught some shuteye.

## Wendigo

### Garou Shall Not Mate with Garou

All you have to do is look on one of them to know that the metis are an affront to nature. They are twisted from the moment that they are conceived. Just as we keep our blood pure of the Wyrmcomers’ taint, so we keep our ranks pure of the stink of the metis.

Still, mistakes happen from time to time. And in those very rare cases, we give the cursed progeny far more than any other tribe might. At the very least, a Wendigo metis certainly isn’t going to be white. Our metis are kept well and given a place among our people, but they are not coddled. Wendigo is not a merciful spirit, nor are his people soft with indulgence. It is the fortunate creature that dies in Gaia’s defense. Many of our metis find honor in this way despite the unfortunate circumstances of their birth and Wendigo is made stronger for it.

### Combat the Wyrm Wherever It Dwells and Whenever It Breeds

None are stronger than Wendigo. None fiercer in defense of our Mother. We were made for this and we, of all tribes, know our purpose, our nature, and ourselves. How could we be lax in this, our duty, if all those things are true? We cannot. We are not. We will never be.

Be mindful as well — the Wyrm is everywhere. It is not hindered in the least by boundaries of law or tradition or blood. Just take a walk around the reservation some time — its touch is everywhere. It is our good fortune that or Kin are more resistant to its touch — a truer testament to the rightness of our ways there never was — but even so, the Wyrm does find its way in from time to time. It true as well that, because we lived so closely with our Kinfolk for so very long, and shared so many of our ways with them, they are more likely to submit and to benefit from the cleansing rituals our Theurges perform. If you come upon an Indian who has succumbed to the Wyrm and will not be cleansed, there is only one thing left to you. We do not kill our Kin needlessly, there are too few of us to let those that might be saved wither for lack of effort. But if they cannot or will not be saved, then death is all that is left to them. For most it is a mercy. For some — justice. Regardless, it is what we must do. If we cannot keep our own people free of the Wyrm’s touch, then we do not deserve to live ourselves.

### Respect the Territory of Another

This is a joke. For thousands of years we held these lands. We prospered. Our Kin prospered. The land was not called Pure for nothing. Under our guardianship, the peoples of North America learned to live with the land. We learned from the mistakes of the Impergium and our peoples were the better for it. The land was better. Gaia grew and flourished, game was plentiful, the spirits of the land were thick as flies in summer. And then they came. The whites. They broke the Litany. They turned their backs on the traditions of our people, pushed us from our protectorates and plunged the Pure Lands into the waiting teeth of the Wyrm.

All of these lands are our territory. We will come and go as we please. If we give those that dwell on our lands notice of our passing, they should count themselves lucky. They are trespassers in our territory and deserve no more respect than the poaching coyote come to rob the wolf’s den.

### Accept an Honorable Surrender

Our numbers are too few to waste the lives of strong warriors on petty disputes. There is no glory in painting your spear in the blood of a brother. With the foe standing outside our door there is no grievance so great Wendigo must kill itself to find satisfaction.

The Wyrmcomers, though, hold pride too close to their hearts and wisdom too far. Do not seek their death, but if they are so foolish as to think they can make false surrender, educate them. If it means they must die, then at least they can do so knowing they can be a lesson to the rest of their tribe.

### Submission to Those of Higher Station

This hardly needs to be said. It has been our way since Gaia turned us out on this land and gave to us our people. We have always listened to the counsels of our elders. Their wisdom guides us in all things. We are well acquainted with our strength, and in war we let our strongest lead. It is obvious to anyone who knows herself — this is as it should be.

### The First Share of the Kill for the Greatest in Station

The Wyrmcomers do not understand this law. They think that, because they are strongest, it is given to them to take as they will and leave those beneath them to fight for what scraps remain. So far have they fallen from the path of Earth. Yes, to the leader goes the first share — but not to hoard for himself. It is the duty of the leader to provide for his tribe. The wise leader sees that all are fed according to their needs. This is the right way, our way.

### Ye Shall Not Eat the Flesh of Humans

We do not eat of men. No Garou with an inch of sense would do so, but the Wyrmcomers point to Great Wendigo and say ‘See — their own totem eats of human flesh! So must they!’ It is a bogey tale born of fear. Fear of our strength. Fear of our spirit. Fear of the connection to the land they cannot break, though five hundred years they have tried. Their fear is rightly placed, but not because we indulge in the appetites of the Wyrm. Give them no fodder for their fairy tales. Make no meals of men.

### Respect Those Beneath Ye — All Are of Gaia

How else did we and our Kinfolk grow so close? We hold to the same traditions, call to the same spirits. We taught them to live with the land. We taught them to live rightly, to revere the Earth and Her spirits, great and small. It is our duty to protect those beneath us, even if we must protect them from themselves. What greater show of respect could there be?

### The Veil Shall Not Be Lifted

The Kinfolk of the Wyrmcomers do not know them. They gibber and moan at the very sight of their Garou cousins. We always lived close to our Kin, and chose strong peoples from the start — strong in body and in mind. They fear us, as well they should, for Gaia has made us great and terrible to match our purpose; but our Kin (or those, at least, that have not given in to the ways of the whites) do not deny us when their fear has left them. In their hearts, they know, Great Wendigo looks after them and keeps from them a thing more terrible than any one of us.

### Do Not Suffer Thy People to Tend Thy Sickness

Wendigo teaches strength in all things. Strength in body, strength in spirit. Wendigo teaches us to rely on ourselves. To take from the tribe when one cannot give in return is not our way — it is the way of the Wyrmcomers and we will have none of it. The greatest of us go out on the ice, when it is time. And if he has lived rightly, Wendigo himself runs down from the sky to eat his heart and return the strength of his spirit to the people. Death is part of life. Only a fool or a white man would fight against Gaia’s plan. It is not our way.

### The Leader May Be Challenged at Any Time During Peace

A leader that knows she must prove her strength is a leader that keeps herself strong, in all things. To do otherwise is foolishness. No one wolf knows every watering hole.

### The Leader May Not Be Challenged During Wartime

Idiocy and madness. Only the Wyrmcomers would turn their hatchets on their own when the Wyrm is at the door. We are made to fight for Gaia. All other disputes must fall aside when our duty, our sacred purpose, calls us to battle.

This is one of the Silver Fangs’ favorite drums. They’ll beat it all day long if you let them. They go on and on about the legacy of their line, the authority of their blood. Their blood isn’t what’s going to kill the fomor on my doorstep. The Wendigo need no kings — a king a thousand miles away doesn’t know the land I run every day. He doesn’t know the spirits that roam the Umbra of my home. Our leaders lead us. They don’t sit on fancy chairs in fancy rooms whining because we won’t heel at their call. The Fangs expect us to acknowledge their claims when they’ve made careers of ignoring ours. Where was the Litany when they were stealing our lands? Hypocrites — don’t waste your breath arguing with them. They are not our leaders, we are. Challenging them is our duty. It is they who should be showing us their bellies.

### Ye Shall Take No Action That Causes a Caern to Be Violated

This is our greatest grievance against the Wyrmcomers. This is their greatest crime. Let all else fall by the wayside — the theft of our lands, the decimation of our Kinfolk, the insults made to our honor and our pride. That their coming has brought the desecration of countless numbers of Gaia’s most sacred places is unforgivable. Some among them press for cooperation and offer recompense. How? I ask them. How can you make amends for the Caern of the Little Stone, paved under forty acres of parking lot? Or the Tall Water Caern, stripped away by white miners digging for tin. They cannot, and so we may never forgive them.

This is our greatest task and their most terrible sin. For the crimes we have suffered alone we would drive them into the sea. But those who would cause or permit the desecration of Gaia’s holy places, we can offer nothing but cold, cold death.