Tribe

Tribe Initiation

Its a choice that can affect a werewolf for the rest of his life, and its a choice that comes soon after the Change. Once a werewolf has been calmed down and told something of who he is, he is given the choice of entering a tribe. No werewolf must joine a tribe, and although other Uratha might pressure him to join one particular tribe, they cannot force him. The choice of being initiated into one of the five Tribes of the Moon is up to the werewolf, and no one else. The Oath of the Moon - the vow to abide by the principles that guide the Forsaken - is offered, but not forced.

A tribe is like an extended family, providing potential allies bound by oaths and common cause. It offers a loose support network to guide a werewolf down a specific path of power. Further, a tribe offers a specific goal to a lost and frightened shapeshifter; it offers principle that may help him master what he is. Even when a werewolf ends up on the opposite side of a conflict from his tribemates, the tribe's laws provide common ground from which to work toward peace.

The Five Tribes

Bone Shadows (Hirfathra Hissu)

Shamans and ritualists, medicine men and wise women, these werewolves the Bone Shadows now devote themselves to the study of the unknown and the reestablishment of the ancient relationships that Father Wolf maintained with the spirit courts. Uncovering and understanding the knowledge that perished with Father Wolf requires venturing into the most pristine wilderness, the darkest corners of the city and the deepest reaches of the spirit world. It is to these hidden places that Bone Shadows go with fearless curiosity.

Totem: Death Wolf was the quietest of Father Wolfs pups, and her hunt encircled the Earth. Seeking to learn from all beasts as prey, she ascended the mountains and witnessed wild goats give birth. She chased the sky and witnessed the wisdom of the eagle in flight. She traveled to strange places in search of the unique perspectives they offered on ordinary situations, and it was often given to her to liaise between Father Wolf and the lesser spirit courts. The first Bone Shadows labored for years to create rituals capable of summoning her and binding her so that they could strike a pact with her.

Tribal Ban: Pay Each Spirit in Kind
Primary Renown: Wisdom

Hunters in Darkness (Meninna)

The Hunters in Darkness concern themselves primarily with the sacred places of the world. Many mark out large tracts of territory in the pristine wilderness, tending these wild areas and minding the spirits endemic to those environs. Others recognize that the sacred places in the urban Shadow Realm are no less important than those beyond humanitys reach. They devote themselves to taking care of important urban locales without upsetting the strange ecosystems of city life. Hunters in Darkness are no less the consummate hidden predators in urban territories than they are in the wilderness.

Totem: The Firstborn hunted both night and day, but as the Hunters in Darkness tell the tale, Black Wolf was the one who was most at home in the night. When Father Wolfs pack hunted at night, she was first to find the trail. When the pack rested after a tiring day hunt, Black Wolf guarded her brothers and sisters dens as they slept. When the sun set and the moon rose, there was no hunter more swift and silent than she. The first Hunters in Darkness stalked her for years before finally cornering her in her den and extracting her oath of patronage.

Tribal Ban: Let No Sacred Place in Your Territory be Violated
Primary Renown: Purity

Iron Masters (Farsil Luhal)

There are werewolves of all tribes in the cities, but the Iron Masters would argue that the others are never truly in the cities. In the same geographical location, certainly, but never a part of the city itself. The city isnt somewhere you live, its something you plug into. Its spiritual, mental, physical, sexual and visceral, all at once and its their territory. Iron Masters keep up with the rapid pace at which humanity changes, marking how well it goes. And as humans change the face of the world and the Spirit Wilds, the Iron Masters apply the best products of human ingenuity toward bettering and honoring their territories.

Totem: Red Wolf spent his every waking hour asking Father why the rain fell, why the mountain stood, why the wind blew For every question, Father Wolfs answer was the same. They do, and it is good. Nothing more need be known. But Red Wolf was never satisfied with this answer, and to him was awarded the responsibility of watching over humankind and tracking for Father Wolf the effects those creatures unknowingly had on the Shadow Realm. The first Iron Masters won his patronage by arguing their cause and unraveling his riddles, proving their worthiness.

Tribal Ban: Honor Your Territory in All Things
Primary Renown: Cunning

Storm Lords (Iminir)

The Storm Lords are the alphas among alphas. They try to lead their cousins in the other tribes to do the work that Father Wolfs death left undone. They know that they must be strong and unyielding in order to live up to their responsibilities, never holding themselves back out of fear, weakness or the worry that their cousins might not approve of their methods. All that matters is doing whats required without fail and without complaint.

Totem: Winter Wolf, the second oldest spirit child of Father Wolf, minded and protected his brothers and sisters when Father Wolf was otherwise engaged. When Father wolf died he howled in grief but then took up the mantle of leadership as his Father had taught him. The Storm Lords demanded that he show that same responsibility to his half-flesh cousins, and by force of will and strength of sinew they compelled him to agree.

Tribal Ban: Allow No One to Witness or to Tend Your Weakness
Primary Renown: Honor

Blood Talons (Suthar Anzuth)

Matching warrior ethos with a religious kinship to their ferocious totem, the Blood Talons are creatures as much of the battlefield as of the hunt. Father Wolf, they point out, was first and foremost a warrior it was from the progenitor of their race that werewolves gained their great strength and terrible claws. To the Blood Talon way of thinking, the most serious problems must be solved permanently, and the greatest tools they have to do so are their fangs. The soft, privileged human world into which they were born is a lie. One must fight and kill to survive and flourish, and only a fool would not strive to be the finest warrior he could be.

(Of the five tribes, Blood Talons are the only ones that are perhaps going to have difficulty during the game - their ethos might make things a bit tricky through some bits. This isn't to say "no Blood Talons", but to think about it a bit....)

Totem: When Father Wolf hunted with the Firstborn, Fenris Wolf was always the first to leap into battle and the last to unlock his jaws from his preys throat. Only by besting him in battle were the first Blood Talons able to compel him to agree to serve as their totem. Called the Destroyer, the Devourer of Mountains, he visits great and terrible anger upon those who are not his, and teaches his own to do the same.

Tribal Ban: Offer No Surrender That You Would Not Accept
Primary Renown: Glory

Ghost Wolves

Some Uratha declare that they are meant for no tribe. They become known as a Ghost Wolf - a Uratha with no one but his pack to care for him. The Tribes of the Moon do not treat Ghost Wolves with hatred or prejudice, merely pity or regret.