[Crimson Summit] Werewolf, the Apocalypse (No Rolls); Rage Across Gaia (Closed)

[Aethyrium]

August Beckett

Blood Moon

Brooke Wolfe

Aoife Fáelad

Essie Jacobs

Ayesha Harrison

It was on the second day of February in 2018, by firelight in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest of the White Mountains that the elder garou August Beckett presented a revelation to dozens of the next generation. The ancient spirit, Blood Moon, had rallied potential candidates from across the world to be judged by her last remaining champion. In the hours that followed a new pack was formed:

Brooke Wolfe, Cries-Beneath-the-Brooks-Babble, a lupus theurge of the Silent Striders.
Aoife Fáelad, Fiery Heart That Hunts In Shadows, a lupus galliard of the Fianna.
Mason Sky, Strikes-As-Suddenly-As-Lightning-From-A-Clear-Sky, a lupus ahroun of the Uktena.
Yanisin Tsosie, Engulfed-by-Thunder, a metis ragabash of the Wendigo.
Essie Jacobs, Guides Him Home In Fur, a homid ragabash of the Children of Gaia.
Ayesha Harrison, One-Who-Sings-to-Luna, a homid galliard of the Glass Walkers.
Calvin Wallace, Soft-Heart, a homid philodox of the Children of Gaia.
Roisin Dorcha, Law-Before-All, a homid philodox of the Black Furies.
Eve Taylor, Massacres-by-Moonlight, a homid philodox of the Glass Walkers.

From the next world, Blood Moon smiled upon her new pack and laid before them a delicate task. By its end only six remained of the pack, but with determination they set out for their first task. Over the next weeks the remaining pack members began to bond as they travelled north to Edmonton. They were greeted by new allies before setting in at the task presented before them. However, before any headway could truly be made, the pack was stopped by an outcry from the local elders. Despite their terrible plight, the caern has turned away the help of the newly formed Crimson Summit and banished them collectively from the city. Another trial, and one that took its toll heavily on the pack. Six had become eight with allies, but eight has fallen to four. On the brink of fracturing the pack looks to their totem spirit for guidance and Blood Moon has once more let out a howl across gaia for those who worthy to answer...

Suggested Reading #1

How long have you been traveling? It really doesn’t matter, you know that you need to be here. The wind told you. Or was it the brook? Could have been that hare in the field. Where ever you came from, now you’re here in California. An hour east of Bishop, you find yourself in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest of the White Mountains, home to the oldest living trees recorded on earth. A millennium older than the Giant Sequoia trees in the nearby Sierra, many are well over 2,000 years old and the Methuselah tree in Schulman Grove is dated at more than 4,773 years old. These trees were young and growing at the time stone axes were being used in Europe, the Great Pyramid of Khufu was being built, and cuneiform clay tablets were being used in northern Syria. The stories they could tell…

As you started your journey into the mountains you were surrounded by desert, but soon as you climbed upwards the elevation changed the environment and you were in a Pinyon-Juniper woodland. You hiked through that until eventually entering the realm of the Ancient Bristlecone Pines. Over 9,000 feet up, you started to see the trees springing up on outcrops of dolomite. You gaze at the twisted trunks and weathered bark of the Bristlecone Pines, and you realize that you are looking at something that has been growing for almost 5 millennium. To try and imagine the time when one of these gnarled ancients was just a seedling is unfathomable. It is ancient even among ancients, and for a brief moment all of life is put into perspective for you. This is truly the glory of Gaia. This is what you fight to protect. But could you truly have been brought all this way just to learn this lesson? The wind that caresses your cheek guides your gaze to the ridge just ahead of you…

The sun set hours ago. As you ascend what you feel to be the final peak of your journey you gaze into the vast cosmos above. The endlessness of it all makes you dizzy, and you feel small. Tiny. The Lambent Lady is Gibbous, and bathed in her brilliance every story of your people that you have ever heard floods your mind. The weight of the deeds of those who came before you crushes you, making every step a contest of mind over matter. Though your mind screams, it is quieter here than you have ever experienced. In that quiet stillness you can feel the hand of Gaia on your back, giving you the strength to crest this apex. You are not alone in carrying this burden, you alone do not defend Gaia, you are but one of her claws, one of her fangs. You are Garou. Your eyes adjust to the change in light as you stand victorious over what should have been a simple climb. You peer down into the shallow valley below and confirmation of not being alone swells in your still heaving chest. A roaring fire crackles in a well prepared pit of earth and stone. Surrounding it are two dozen or more others, all of them Garou, you can feel it. You’ve arrived…

You carefully slide down the slope, stumbling for a moment when you arrive at mostly level ground. As you move to take your place in this makeshift moot, you pass a group of three,w waggling cellular devices at one another and complaining about a lack of wifi. Glass Walkers no doubt. One small woman stands out to you, away from the rest of the crowd. She’s sitting at the base of the only Pine in the area, a Silent Strider perhaps. As you scan the area you take notice that all twelve tribes seem to be represented in this gathering. Why have so many been summoned here, and what is your role in all of this? You move around others to find somewhere to rest from your journey while waiting for answers to become apparent…

The last of you has arrived, it is time.

The voice is distant but so strong that it feels near. The hushed mutterings of those around you go silent and the collective turns its attention to the dancing blaze. It’s orange light flickers and for one glorious moment the whole mass of it goes blue before receding into no more than a gently flickering campfire. Out beyond the edge of the fire a man stood silhouetted by the falling sky light. He stepped forward, cane cracking against a rock before pushing it aside and sinking into the dirt. Step by step he approached the gathering until he was fully illuminated by the fire.

You felt it when you made your way here, didn’t you? The pain? The overwhelming need to protect her? I’m talking about the Mother Goddess of course, but if you didn’t know that already you wouldn’t be here. She’s in danger, but that isn’t news to any of us. Well I’m here to tell you that it’s worse than you know, worse than any of us knew. Who am I? My name is August Beckett, and you haven’t earned the right to know any more than that.

Not yet, at least.

Yes, I can see it in some of your eyes. You are questioning why you’re here, why you should be listening to me. You’re young, I don’t blame you for your doubts and lack of respect. The truth is, you’re not the ones I’m here for. If you’re already questioning things… leave. Go home, return to your life as it was. Reflect on the journey that brought you here and find some meaning in it, but you’re place is not here.

Silence and stillness followed his decree. Slowly a handful of the gathered Garou began to break away from the gathering, some in small groups, others fanning out and walking into the darkness of the night as they’d been instructed. Less than two dozen remained by the time all the doubters had removed themselves.

August Beckett

I’m going to be honest with the rest of you. Most of you aren’t cut out to be here either. I mean no insult, but only a handful of you have what I need. I can’t tell you what it is, because I don’t know. But we’ll know soon.

Times have changed. We have hidden for so long, protected the world from our lands. But our lands are diminishing. Humanity is spreading and we can not stop it. Worse, though, is that they are starting to realize that they are not alone. Perhaps the frantic skittering of the Weaver has finally reached their ears. We face threats not only from what they do the world as they grow, but now from them directly. Agencies, few for now, but still present, are emerging to hunt our kind. Yes, others as well, they deal blows to leeches, but make no mistake they are not our friends, we are not safe from their crusade. A new breed of hunter has emerged, and they are a threat to all things inhuman.

Then there are the leeches. They wriggle in the dirt, slow to adapt to humanity, but they are very skilled at lurking in the shadows and manipulating the feeble minds of their food. They are damaged, but they are not broken. As we should know well, it is when cornered that a predator is most dangerous.

We’ve long known of mages and their disrespect to Gaia and the Wyld, but only in the recent years are we feeling the repercussions of their hamfisted manipulations. Our kind is dwindling, there are fewer of us than ever. The nation is weak, and our enemies are plentiful. The agents of the Wyrm claw boldly at the fraying edges of world, and the crazed antics of the Weaver caused more fraying.

Each of you has a choice to make as you go forward. For many the choice will be made for you. If you wish to proceed, you must be judged by flame. Reach into the pit and take from it a burning coal. If burst with blue flame, you have passed. If you succumb to the pain, or it burns out, you are not who I am after. Know that there is no shame in backing out now, or before you must take a coal. You will know better than any if this is a path you can walk.

You watch as the first of the group stands boldly and reaches for the pit. He snatches fire into his hand with a howl to Luna. Nothing happens, and when he opens his palm nothing but ash flies out. Two more go, only to be disqualified in the same manner. You watch a fourth step walk away without taking the test, leaving with the first three. Then comes the fifth, who reaches in and clutches a coal. Their hand erupts in blue flame, but they don’t shriek with pain. They marvel at it until it burns away, before being beckoned closer to August…

More go, and soon you find yourself ready to undergo this test. You did not come all this way simply to walk away on your own, you have to know what all of this is about. You step forward and steel yourself for the pain. You reach down and scoop a coal into your hand. It sears your flesh, and like all before you, you wince. But the pain stops, and for a moment you fear that you have been eliminated. Your fingers spread to look at ash, but as they open a burst of blue flame swallows your hand whole and a great tension leaves you body. When the flame fades you take your place with the others…

Before long only those of blue fire remain. You look around at the others and realize that you stand among a pack that is now bonded together, forged by literal flames...

Suggested Reading #2

S T O R Y T E L L E R
2.2.18, approximately 1am PST - 7am PST
Chapter I: Forged in Fire

August Beckett

Homid | Galliard | Get of Fenris

Mechanics Health [-][-][-][-][-][-][-] Willpower: 6/6 Rage: 6/6 Gnosis: 7/7 Honor: 6 Glory: 10 Wisdom: 9

“Look around you,” August suggested, his own eye roughly dragging from one individual to the next, “These are your brothers, your sisters. Whatever else you may be, you are now a pack. A family.” He turned and stepped slowly away, walking away from the few stragglers that hadn’t begun their exodus from the gathering point. “You have questions, and I have some answers. Come with me, this isn’t for prying ears.” The silent march lasted for little over ten minutes as the group made their way vaguely north. August’s pace was steady for a man walking in loose dirt and rock, supported by a cane, but far from rapid. Neither was it leisurely, each step had purpose in its weight, and once they were far enough that all could sense they were as alone as they could be in a world filled with spirits of nature. He spoke again, “You’ve been bound together, called here by a great spirit. Blood Moon, who has many names, sent out the call. She asked me to perform the rite on her behalf, so that she could test those who could hear her and make the proper selections. Congratulations, you passed the first test.”

August lead the group up an easy slope, pausing to look down the quick decline that would take them into a large grouping of the ancient trees. “You want more basic information though, right? Who am I, why did she ask me, who is she, and things like that.” He dug his cane into the dirt and leaned into it, content to answer some of those questions without proceeding any further. “As I said, my name is August Beckett. Like each of you I am Garou, but I didn’t learn that until a week after we elected Kennedy into office. They said I born to dance with the moon, but two left paws.” His humor was genuine, if on the dry side and not well delivered. A wolf as old as him was rare, and judging by his wounds he’d seen too much. The weight of his life made the lofty nature of jokes difficult to deliver; he didn’t seem to mind though, it amused him, even if only internally. “But I have been called other things. Decades ago when I underwent my rite of passage, Fenris called me Sunlight-at-Midnight. Simpler times. Later they would start to call me Sunsinger, and it was with that name I found my family...” He reached up and touched the scar on his face, the melted flesh surrounding his right eye and much of that side of his face. His fingers moved slow to the edges of the empty socket, where an eye had seemingly detonated within his skull. “And it was with that family, and through their loss that I have come to be called another name. Now they call me Rage-of-Helios.” The name rolled from his tongue with pride, but a mournful undertone that revealed the cost of his glorious title. His hand returned to his side, thumb hooking into a loop of his belt and tugging on the faded jeans.

“For almost sixty years I have protected, and fought for our kind. And forty of those, I have served Blood Moon. She brought my family together, not unlike how you’ve been brought together now. For almost four decades we raged across the world and destroyed those of our kin that had become so twisted by the Wyrm that not only had they lost their path, but they rebelled against it.” August sighed, lifting his cane and stabbing its base at a rock to send it and a small slide of dirt down the slope before them, “But the world kept spinning. No matter how many we killed, there were always more. I look back now at all we did, everything we accomplished and I can’t help but wonder what good it was. Despite it all the world has still become what it is now...” He reached up, scratching his beard, “All of that to say that she asked me to perform this rite, because until now, I was her last child. Blood Moon is an ancient spirit, daughter of Luna. Forgotten by our people in another age, she has lived on through select packs that have dedicated to her through time. In this age, however, there is no time to wait for another pack to find its way. With the fall of the Black Hide Hunters, it is time for the Crimson Summit to rise. The world is different than when my family found each other, in many ways it is new. Fitting, poetic perhaps, then that a new family should do what is needed to stop the Apocalypse.”

A breeze from behind the group climbed the hill and washed over them, rolling down the slope that was waiting for their descent. “It’s time for us to move on. We’ll travel together, follow close.” A series of familiar changes followed. August’s body morphed from a human to a wolf. It started as bone cracking and stretching flesh as he gained mass, moving from man to partial man; for a moment the war form was seen, as his body shaped to the large primal wolf; only for it to continue to collapse until standing on the hill was a soft furred brown wolf, still sporting scars that made bits of the creature hairless; his face, scarred beyond repair, a heavy gash along his left rear leg. With faded gray eyes that betrayed his inner pain, August waited for the rest of you to join him in the lupus form. Once done, he started down the hill, ripping a howl into the air to guide them. For hours they ran across the White Mountains like that, dipping into valleys and climbing back out of them on the other side. Eventually it was just climbing, heading higher and higher until they came to an outcropping of rock that was awkwardly reminiscent of the Lion King’s pride rock. On the solid earth August shifted again, back through the forms until he stood a man; still clothed, with cane still in hand. He tapped it along the stone as he inched his way towards the edge of the rock. The moon was lowering toward the horizon, blasting them with its undiluted reflected rays.

“I will not speak to you in riddles. I won’t treat you as children. War is upon us, there is no time for those things. The Mother Goddess is dying. This is not new, but it is worse than it has ever been. We worry of threats looming in an unforeseen future, distant but ever present. Yet right under our noses these threats have manifested, all while we squabble over ancient traditions. We teach cubs the Litany, our laws, but we don’t even follow them like once we did. And to what end? Only to distract ourselves from what is really happening. The world is changing, and not for the better. While we scramble like dogs in the woods, trying to rationalize our losses, the humans have become aware of our kind again.” August reached the very tip of the rock. He dropped his cane to the ground, letting it clatter loudly in the otherwise silent night. His arms outstretched at his sides, allowing him to absorb the moonlight in full. “There was a time when we hunted mankind… In these days, they are starting to hunt us. Some of them have become aware, and that awareness will spread with time. For all our might, what will we do against a force of billions? How do we combat weapons that can wipe our sacred places off of their maps? Perhaps we had overstepped our authority, perhaps in an age where we culled these feeble creatures we had gone too far. Perhaps we, then, did need to stop. But from our moral high ground we were blind to a cancer that grew and spread uncontrolled, far beyond what even our wisest elders ever dared fear. In a world where we were created to be the ultimate predator, that which could defend Gaia from its greatest threats, our complacency has turned us to prey to a festering wound that we created.” August leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “And they alone are not our only enemy. From the shadows of the cities of men, the Kindred, Leeches, lurk and scheme. Their own war spills into the streets, and as they manipulate humanity we are at even greater risk. In many ways they are like us, slow to adapt to a new world. Even worse than us perhaps. But that too changes. I have seen packs of their kind roam the streets and burn their elders to ash. A younger generation will bring their factions to the modern world, and those elders cunning enough to survive the anarchy will temper these reforged factions into cutting edges more deadly than a grand klaive. Some humans dabble in sorcery, power they don’t understand, that doesn’t belong to them. They steal power from the Mother Goddess and represent yet another threat to her, as they weaken her the binds of the Weaver grow that much tighter. All of this to say nothing of the agents of the Wyrm, even our own kind fall at alarming rates, turned against us.” Unceremoniously his hands fell to his side and slapped his thighs. He turned to face the pack, grimacing, “Let no one fool you, the Apocalypse does not loom in the distance. It is upon us. The choices we make, not our children, us, will determine the fate of the Mother Goddess. Now is the time to act, not squabble over… tradition.”

August stood straight and recited for them a song. One each of them had certainly heard before. The tale of The Litany, each of its tenants and how it was formed. An epic and stirring tale, one that lasted way longer than it needed to; both when heard before, and heard now. For over an hour August performed for them, passionately weaving the epic for them… and epic he did make it. With decades of experience telling the tale, the elder galliard put on a show that was both something they knew and yet entirely new. By the time he finished the moon was lower, and on the other side of the world the sun was threatening to emerge.

He reached for his cane and pulled it to stand in front of himself. He laid one hand over the other and leaned his full weight into the object. “Garou shall not mate with garou.” He restated from the Litany. “One of my sisters was Metis. She died in battle, protecting a caern from the Wyrm. Our world is dying, our time is running short. If you can find happiness in these times, do not allow a hatred birthed by purebloods centuries ago dictate your actions. There’s not enough time for such petty squabbles among us.”

“Combat the wyrm wherever it dwells and whenever it breeds. And yet we spend our time worrying over territory and power. Leave politics to the Leeches, they’re better at it. We have one charge, to protect this world. Others might shy away from your questions, we teach the wrong lessons to our cubs. We can no longer afford to retract our claws, due to some sense of morality. The agents of the Wyrm must be destroyed, or they will destroy us.”

“Respect the territory of another. Do we have time for this protocol? We have so little territory left, and with each year we lose even more. Gaia is our territory and it belongs to all of us. Perhaps in another time, but that time is long past. We can not allow ourselves to be divided by ancient lines, drawn on maps that are no longer accurate.”

“Accept an honorable surrender. To lose yourself to the sway of Luna is one thing, but to knowingly ignore this is foolish. How can you ever justify claiming the life of one of our warriors, knowing what we are up against?”

“Submission to those of higher station.” August paused, chuckling and looking down at himself, “Even I, who would most often benefit from this, realize that it is a failing. In our age we don’t always know, and in many cases our inability to adapt to a changing world does not leave us knowing best. Know your pack, your family, and respect one another. Stay true to yourselves, and offer respect and submission where it is reasonable and appropriate to do so, but never allow station to blind you to truth. Always measure your actions though, allies in this time are priceless, and enemies are energy wasted.”

“The first share of the kill for the greatest in station.” His eye bounced around them, giving each a moment of evaluation. “Family should take care of family. Greed among you will bring you only ruin. The pack is only as strong as its weakest member, neglect none. Outside of the pack, though, once again you must measure your actions.”

“Ye shall not eat the flesh of humans. There is better prey. They are meat that has gone bad, do not taint your bodies with their waste.”

“Respect those beneath ye, all are of gaia. As I’ve said, the world is changing. Do not let pride blind you to truth, no matter where that truth comes from. We are defenders of the Mother Goddess, we are not monsters that kill without thought. Without the timid deer, we are without food, and so even it deserves your respect. And where is this tradition when our peers look at our Metis brothers and sisters?”

“The veil shall not be lifted.” August raised a hand to draw their attention, to ensure that this was listened to in particular. “Measure your actions. We can no longer be idle, but we must take care not to turn humanity against us in full. The knowledge spreads on its own, we do not need, nor can we afford, to help it along. To win this war, we may need help from even humanity. It is their civilization that is cancerous to Gaia, not the individual. You must be aware of every action you take, and what the repercussions of those actions, or inactions, will be. Be cautious among humans, but do not let caution drive inaction.”

“Do not suffer thy people to tend thy sickness. Save what can be saved, but know where your energy is going. Be mindful of your resources, and the demands of war.”

“The leader may be challenged at any time during peace. Do what you must, but accept your faults, and the strength of your pack. Let those best suited to shoulder a burden carry it.”

“The leader may not be challenged during wartime. Unity will keep you alive, and it will allow you to deliver meaningful results. Do not jeopardize everything foolishly. The Wyrm excels at slithering into cracks, present it none to use against you.”

“Ye shall take no action that causes a caern to be violated. We’ve lost too many. Many more and we will be overrun by our enemies. Die to preserve these places.”

Finally with his monologue concluded, August’s shoulders dropped an inch and he lowered himself to sit on the edge of the rock. He laid his cane out in his lap and wrapped his hands around either end of it. “I do not tell you these things to tell you how to live. You must discover that on your own. I do not tell you these things as though they are the only truth, only the truth as I have come to know it. I am not here to lead you into glorious battle, or to tell you how to proceed. I am here to offer my counsel. I have come to offer the wisdom of my age and my experience. I come to offer you a chance to defend Gaia. I can not, will not, would not, force you to stay or to walk this path. But I ask you, as brothers and sisters… as a child of Blood Moon, to not turn your backs on this. We have lost too much, but we have even more yet that could be lost.”

“I come to assist the Crimson Summit. The future is uncertain, but the time to shape it is now. I come at the behest of Blood Moon, who sees a future reclaimed. I come in honor of my fallen family, who gave their lives to secure that vision. I come of my own volition to beg that you, those in the now, untainted by the stagnation of our people, the future of our nation, open your eyes to the truth of the world, and do something to secure our future before there’s nothing left to grab onto.”

[Aethyrium]

Welcome!
Hello and welcome writers and friends alike!

Crimson Summit is a Werewolf the Apocalypse game set in 2018. The Apocalypse hasn't happened, but it looms ever threatening on the not so distant horizon. This game will explore the relationships of the new Crimson Summit pack, a group of new (more or less) werewolves that have been brought together to fight the enemies of Gaia. The game will alternate between sandbox for players to explore the world and their characters, as well as guided stories presented and run by me. Such stories will have lasting impact on the world, which will create an evolving story that you help build. The actions of the pack could very well shape the future of the Garou nation and steer it away, or closer, to the impending Apocalypse. Characters will be confronted will all sorts of the supernatural, including Vampires, Mages, Spirits, and other changing breeds. The game will feature combat, but equal parts exploration and social, so that a character from any walk of life or specialization will have time to shine. This game will touch on Garou and human politics, religion, and the nature of good and evil, right and wrong.

As this game takes place in the world of darkness it will be placed in the extreme board. Things could get rough out there, but as a storyteller I will work with players to make sure their limits are respected personally; however these elements are present in the world and can not be avoided to some extent.

World Building & Guide
Out of Character

Check out the story!

Questions & Answers
1. Is this a system game?
Only in the sense that it utilizes the system to create characters and for marked improvement / growth of those characters. Players will never be required to roll dice. *The Storyteller may use dice off screen to facilitate the random nature of some features in the game and give it a more "living" feel, but you'll never interact with those numbers directly.

2. I am unfamiliar with the source material and do not have access to the canon lore, can I still play?
Yes, absolutely. Beyond the basic premise of the game (Werewolves defend the world from threats) this game will not utilize much of the canon lore, and any information you do need will be presented as it is required. If you wish for additional details about a non-essential element I can help you find or provide it on request. Most of this information is already available in the world building thread.

3. I don't have access to the system to create a character, can I still play?
Yes. Everything needed to build your werewolf is contained in the games world building thread.

4. I am extremely familiar with the source material and would like to do something that is covered in a splat book, or utilize some more advanced concepts, can this be done?
Subject to approval, please message me directly with your inquiry. *I will not be accepting non-Garou characters (Hengeyoki, or other changing breeds), this story is for Garou.

5. Looking over gifts, or some of the world building information I see numbers like +1, +2 or +3 difficulty, and words like "slightly" and "greatly", how do these translate to game play?
I have taken care to use words in places they should be. For the purposes of the game, "slightly" means +1, "greatly" means +2, "substantially" means +3, and "dramatically" means +4 or more (any of these can also mean -1/-2/-3/-4 respectively).

6. How many characters will participate in the game?
Somewhere between 5-9. This excludes my character. With that in mind we'll be looking to add 3-6 new characters to the mix. The key is going to be everyone able to post reliably and character mesh with the pack, rather than strict number... But I lean on the side of leaner total members so that everyone has the ability to shine and be properly included!

7. Can characters die? What happens if I leave the game?
Characters can absolutely die, and if they do you will be allowed to make a new character if you so desire that will be worked into the current story. We will address "catch up mechanics" as needed. If you leave the game for whatever reason, the storyteller reserves the right to utilize your character in whatever way they see fit within the game world.

8. What are the posting requirements for the game?
You must post enough for other players and the storyteller to work with for their own posts, but no firm word count or size will be enforced. Posts should be in the third person. Posting frequency will be determined by the scene and those involved. When it comes to storyteller lead sections of the game, I will be striving to make one ST (GM) post every 4 days; if you are unable to post for multiple (3 or more) cycles in a row, we'll talk.

9. Will recruitment ever reopen?
If there is a need and we lose players, we will attempt to fill those vacancies yes.

10. How will duplicate breeds/auspices/tribes be handled?
It is my hope that the pack will contain at least one of each Auspice, but preferably no more than two of either (with the exception of perhaps Ahroun). I will not be looking to limit Breed in general, however I would like the pack to contain no more than two Metis, and ideally only one. Tribes are wide open, and while I would like to see a nice spread this is not a concern; with the exception of Silent Striders, given their penchant for being so lone wolf, and the fact that the game will already feature one, I will be selective (but not opposed) about additional strider concepts.

11. Is this a reboot? Do I need to read what has been written? Am I going to feel lost stepping into this game?
No, this is not a reboot of the game but rather a continuation. The game was moving at a lovely pace before for outside Elliquiy reasons I was forced to step away. Upon my return players expressed interest in continuing. The game will proceed with those characters that wish to continue, while filling the holes left by those who were uninterested in moving forward. You do not at all need to read what has been written already (the above mini story is a decent summary of the general flow of what went down). You'll be starting off with us just as though this game was new, the pack is fractured and needs to rebuild. There will be some established connection between the four remaining characters, but they have only had a few weeks together (and less than 200 total posts) in character. You shouldn't feel lost at all, as this will be kicking off everyone at the same point. A new plot point has been added, which kicked the pack out of Edmonton - and this change to the story should square new players and old players in the exact same spot... What happens next?!

Character Submission
Step 1: Fill out the "Concept Submission" code and post it here in this thread. From there we'll discuss anything that stands out. Eventually you will be given approval to continue on to the full character sheet. If you have multiple concepts you would like to submit, please post each of them to me separately in their own code. Each concept must have a full concept submission, and sheet. *It is very important that if you submit multiple characters that you want to play all of them roughly equally, as in the end I will accept characters not players, which means if you submit two, I might pick (B) instead of (A). Please limit yourself to at maximum three concept submissions. You may lay Face Claims in the recruitment thread at any point.

Step 2: Proceed with character creation on the full sheet. Sheets should be messaged directly to me. You can follow the standard path detailed in the Werewolf the Apocalypse (Revised) core book, or jump into the world building thread and follow it through each step. A break down follows:

• Step 1: Choose character concept, two or three words that describe your character: "gothic punk rocker", "stalwart defender", "aggressive champion", "mistrusting soldier".
• Step 2: Choose your breed
  
  • Homid. (born as a human)
  • Metis. (born as a 'traditional werewolf', inbred)
  • Lupus. (born as a wolf)
• Step 3: Choose auspice (phase of the moon you were born under)
  
  • Ragabash. New Moon, the Trickster.
  • Theurge. Crescent Moon, the Seer.
  • Philodox. Half Moon, the Mediator.
  • Galliard. Gibbous Moon, the Moon Dancer.
  • Ahroun. Full Moon, the Warrior.
• Step 4: Choose tribe. (see world building thread for details)
• Step 5: Prioritize your Attributes (Physical/Social/Mental), your primary gets 7 dots, secondary gets 5, tertiary gets 3.
• Step 6: Prioritize your Abilities (Talents/Skills/Knowledges), your primary gets 13 dots, secondary gets 9, tertiary gets 5.
• Step 7: Choose Backgrounds, you get 5 dots to spend how you want (check tribe restrictions).
• Step 8: Choose Gifts (you may select one from each you Breed, Auspice and Tribe).
• Step 9: Fill in your Renown (as dictated by your auspice, in the renown section of the world building thread).
• Step 10: Fill in Rage (as dictated by your auspice).
• Step 11: Fill in your Gnosis (as dictated by your breed).
• Step 12: Fill in your Willpower (as dictated by your tribe).
• Step 13: Fill out any remaining details on the sheet.

You will not spend Freebie Points at this stage

Step 3: Once approved to this stage you will be given Freebie Points (and maybe some extras, hint hint!) to spend and further develop your character. We will touch on any further questions and flesh out anything remaining about your character. I may have hook questions at this point that I will need answered for future game use. At this point you will be waiting until recruitment has closed to go any further.

Step 4: I will make my final decisions for characters and PMs will be sent out everyone, letting them know if their character has been invited to the pack or not. At this point the game will begin.

Concept Submission

Code Select Expand


[b]Name:[/b] [i][/i]
[b]Deed Name:[/b] [i][/i]
[b]Breed:[/b] [i][/i]
[b]Auspice:[/b] [i][/i]
[b]Tribe:[/b] [i][/i]

[b]Primary Attribute Category:[/b] [i][/i]
[b]Primary Ability Category:[/b] [i][/i]

[b]Pre-Rite of Passage Synopsis:[/b] [i][/i]
[b]Rite of Passage Synopsis:[/b] [i][/i]
[b]Post-Rite of Passage Synopsis:[/b] [i][/i]

[b]Long-Term Personal Goal:[/b] [i][/i]

[b]Why do [i]they[/i] think they were summoned for Crimson Summit Pack (What makes them unique, what do they bring that no one else does?):[/b] [i][/i]


Name: What is your character's name? If Lupus, have they adopted a homid name?
Deed Name: What was the name given to them during their rite of passage? If Lupus, is this what they go by in day-to-day life?
Breed: Which breed are they?
Auspice: Which auspice are they?
Tribe: To which tribe do they belong?

Primary Attribute Category: Which of the three (Physical/Social/Mental) attribute categories will this character primarily focus?
Primary Ability Category: Which of the three (Talents/Skills/Knowledges) ability categories will this character primarily focus?

Pre-Rite of Passage Synopsis: What was life like before their first change and subsequent rite of passage? No more than a long paragraph or two is needed at this stage.
Rite of Passage Synopsis: What did they do in their rite of passage? Please include why they were given the deed name that they were given. No more than a long paragraph or two is needed at this stage.
Post-Rite of Passage Synopsis: What have they been up to since their rite of passage? No more than a long paragraph or two is needed at this stage.

Long-Term Personal Goal: As an individual what are they wanting to achieve? What is their personal ambition, desire, or driving fire?

Why do they think they were summoned for Crimson Summit Pack (What makes them unique, what do they bring that no one else does?): Explain what sets them apart, why they should be chosen for the pack. This can be personality, quirks, or anything that you feel makes them a good candidate to save the Mother Goddess.

Example of Completed Concept

Name: Brooke Wolfe
Deed Name: Cries-Beneath-the-Brooks-Babble
Breed: Lupus
Auspice: Theurge (Waning)
Tribe: Silent Strider

Primary Attribute Category: Mental
Primary Ability Category: Knowledges

Pre-Rite of Passage Synopsis: As a wolf, Brooke ran free an arctic grey wolf in tundras of Nanavut, Canada. Her kin were considered endangered, but none could have known how true that was for. Laying with the pack that she had claimed as her own, beneath the Northern Lights, Brooke underwent her first change. It was only because of the combined efforts of that pack to keep her warm that she survived the night. Naked and clueless she was stumbled on by a wild life ranger who also happened to be a Kinfolk. Taking her in he recognized what she was and brought more qualified aid. Taken in by a sept in the area she was educated on what she was, and shown the way to proceed.
Rite of Passage Synopsis: With a pack that she did not know, Brooke (not yet known by that name) was pushed into the umbra on a spirit quest. Smaller and weaker, and awkward to boot, she was shunned by her pack who felt they had to carry her through the rite rather than rely on her. The hunt for the object they were after took them deep into the spirit world where each of the cubs was greeted by one of their ancestors... With the sole exception of Brooke. When she went to find her family, none came. She parted from the pack and stepped towards the brook, howling in hope to find them, but when there was no response she shed tears and sobbed just silently enough to be drown out by the river. When the rite was over and they returned to the sept, they were each accepted into their respective clans, and the nameless cub of the canadian tundras was called Cries Beneath the Brooks Babble by the great Owl totem of the silent striders.
Post-Rite of Passage Synopsis: Hurt by what had happened during her rite of passage, Brooke left the sept in hopes to explore the world and find what she could not. Eventually she met another Garou, a homid, who helped her learn more of what it meant to live in the world of man. He 'cleverly' gave her the name Brooke Wolfe to use as her own when in the company of people. Since then she has been journeying the world, looking for clues as to why her ancestors did not appear to her, and why no one was there for her when she under went her first change. She can't truly be alone in this world... Can she?

Long-Term Personal Goal: To discover the fate of her family. Brooke has the blood of legendary Garou in her veins, so it seems unlikely that they would have simply forgotten about her. Her survival is entirely luck. She wants to know why she was forgotten, who forgot her, and why they did so. Uncovering the mystery that is her existance, and that of her family, is paramount to her.

Why do they think they were summoned for Crimson Summit Pack (What makes them unique, what do they bring that no one else does?): In her mind she hopes that her calling here was a clue as to her history, that it was her ancestors that called her to the pack. She believes that through the pack that she might find the clues that she's looking for. History has shown her she is the weakest in the pack and others will not rely on her, and to that end she doesn't believe she offers anything unique to the pack; it is, in her mind, that she needs to pack, not the other way around.

Sheet Submission

Code (Character Sheet) Select Expand


[font=courier][b]Crimson Summit Character Sheet[/b][/font][hr]
[table]
[tr][td][color=black][b]Name:[/td][td][/td]  [td]   [/td]  [td][color=black][b]Breed:[/td][td][/td]  [td]   [/td]  [td][color=black][b]Pack Name[/td][td]Crimson Summit[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][color=black][b]Deed Name:[/td][td][/td]  [td]   [/td]  [td][color=black][b]Auspice:[/td][td][/td]  [td]   [/td]  [td][color=black][b]Pack Totem:[/td][td][/td][/tr]
[tr][td][color=black][b]Player:[/td][td][/td]  [td]   [/td]  [td][color=black][b]Tribe:[/td][td][/td]  [td]   [/td]  [td][color=black][b]Concept:[/td][td][/td][/tr]
[/table]

[font=courier][b]Attributes[/b][/font][hr]
[table]
[tr][td][color=black][b][u]Physical[/td][td][/td]  [td][/td]  [td][color=black][b][u]Social[/td][td][/td]  [td][/td]  [td][color=black][b][u]Mental[/td][td][/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Strength[/td][td]●○○○○[/td] [td][/td]  [td]Charisma[/td][td]●○○○○[/td] [td][/td]  [td]Perception[/td][td]●○○○○[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Dexterity[/td][td]●○○○○[/td]  [td][/td]  [td]Manipulation[/td][td]●○○○○[/td]  [td][/td]  [td]Intelligence[/td][td]●○○○○[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Stamina[/td][td]●○○○○[/td]  [td][/td]  [td]Appearance[/td][td]●○○○○[/td]  [td][/td]  [td]Wits[/td][td]●○○○○[/td][/tr]
[/table]

[font=courier][b]Abilities[/b][/font][hr]
[table]
[tr][td][color=black][b][u]Talents[/td][td][/td]  [td][/td]  [td][color=black][b][u]Skills[/td][td][/td]  [td][/td]  [td][color=black][b][u]Knowledges[/td][td][/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Alertness[/td][td]○○○○○[/td] [td][/td]  [td]Animal Ken[/td][td]○○○○○[/td] [td][/td]  [td]Computer[/td][td]○○○○○[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Athletics[/td][td]○○○○○[/td]  [td][/td]  [td]Crafts[/td][td]○○○○○[/td]  [td][/td]  [td]Enigmas[/td][td]○○○○○[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Brawl[/td][td]○○○○○[/td]  [td][/td]  [td]Drive[/td][td]○○○○○[/td]  [td][/td]  [td]Investigation[/td][td]○○○○○[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Dodge[/td][td]○○○○○[/td] [td][/td]  [td]Etiquette[/td][td]○○○○○[/td] [td][/td]  [td]Law[/td][td]○○○○○[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Empathy[/td][td]○○○○○[/td]  [td][/td]  [td]Firearms[/td][td]○○○○○[/td]  [td][/td]  [td]Linguistics[/td][td]○○○○○[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Expression[/td][td]○○○○○[/td]  [td][/td]  [td]Leadership[/td][td]○○○○○[/td]  [td][/td]  [td]Medicine[/td][td]○○○○○[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Intimidation[/td][td]○○○○○[/td] [td][/td]  [td]Melee[/td][td]○○○○○[/td] [td][/td]  [td]Occult[/td][td]○○○○○[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Primal-Urge[/td][td]○○○○○[/td]  [td][/td]  [td]Performance[/td][td]○○○○○[/td]  [td][/td]  [td]Politics[/td][td]○○○○○[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Streetwise[/td][td]○○○○○[/td]  [td][/td]  [td]Stealth[/td][td]○○○○○[/td]  [td][/td]  [td]Rituals[/td][td]○○○○○[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Subterfuge[/td][td]○○○○○[/td]  [td][/td]  [td]Survival[/td][td]○○○○○[/td]  [td][/td]  [td]Science[/td][td]○○○○○[/td][/tr]
[/table]

[font=courier][b]Advantages[/b][/font][hr]
[table]
[tr][td][color=black][b]Allies[/td][td]○○○○○[/td]  [td][/td]  [td][color=black][b]Rage[/td][td]■ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □[/td]  [td][/td]  [td][color=black][b][u]Gifts[/td][td][color=black][b][u]Rites[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][color=black][b]Ancestors[/td][td]○○○○○[/td]  [td][/td]  [td][color=black][b]Gnosis[/td][td]■ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □[/td]  [td][/td]  [td]1.[/td][td]1.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][color=black][b]Contacts[/td][td]○○○○○[/td]  [td][/td]  [td][color=black][b]Willpower[/td][td]■ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □[/td]  [td][/td]  [td]2.[/td][td]2.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][color=black][b]Fetish[/td][td]○○○○○[/td]  [td][/td]  [td][color=black][b][/td][td][/td]  [td][/td]  [td]3.[/td][td]3.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][color=black][b]Kinfolk[/td][td]○○○○○[/td]  [td][/td]  [td][color=black][b][/td][td][/td]  [td][/td]  [td]4.[/td][td]4.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][color=black][b]Mentor[/td][td]○○○○○[/td]  [td][/td]  [td][color=black][b][/td][td][/td]  [td][/td]  [td]5.[/td][td]5.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][color=black][b]Pure Breed[/td][td]○○○○○[/td]  [td][/td]  [td][color=black][b][/td][td][/td]  [td][/td]  [td]6.[/td][td]6.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][color=black][b]Resources[/td][td]○○○○○[/td]  [td][/td]  [td][color=black][b]Glory[/td][td]□ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □[/td]  [td][/td]  [td]7.[/td][td]7.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][color=black][b]Rites[/td][td]○○○○○[/td]  [td][/td]  [td][color=black][b]Honor[/td][td]□ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □[/td]  [td][/td]  [td]8.[/td][td]8.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][color=black][b]Totem[/td][td]○○○○○[/td]  [td][/td]  [td][color=black][b]Wisdom[/td][td]□ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □[/td]  [td][/td]  [td]9.[/td][td]9.[/td][/tr]
[/table]

[font=courier][b]Spark of Life[/b][/font][hr]
[float=left][img padding=10]https://via.placeholder.com/150x200[/img][img padding=10]https://via.placeholder.com/150x200[/img][img padding=10]https://via.placeholder.com/150x200[/img][/float][b]Face Claim:[/b]
[b]Appearance:[/b]

[b]Pre-Rite of Passage:[/b]
[b]Rite of Passage:[/b]
[b]Post-Rite of Passage:[/b]

[b]Long-Term Personal Goal(s):[/b]


Crimson Summit Character Sheet

Name:			Breed:			Pack Name	Crimson Summit
Deed Name:			Auspice:			Pack Totem:
Player:			Tribe:			Concept:

Attributes

Physical			Social			Mental
Strength	●○○○○		Charisma	●○○○○		Perception	●○○○○
Dexterity	●○○○○		Manipulation	●○○○○		Intelligence	●○○○○
Stamina	●○○○○		Appearance	●○○○○		Wits	●○○○○

Abilities

Talents			Skills			Knowledges
Alertness	○○○○○		Animal Ken	○○○○○		Computer	○○○○○
Athletics	○○○○○		Crafts	○○○○○		Enigmas	○○○○○
Brawl	○○○○○		Drive	○○○○○		Investigation	○○○○○
Dodge	○○○○○		Etiquette	○○○○○		Law	○○○○○
Empathy	○○○○○		Firearms	○○○○○		Linguistics	○○○○○
Expression	○○○○○		Leadership	○○○○○		Medicine	○○○○○
Intimidation	○○○○○		Melee	○○○○○		Occult	○○○○○
Primal-Urge	○○○○○		Performance	○○○○○		Politics	○○○○○
Streetwise	○○○○○		Stealth	○○○○○		Rituals	○○○○○
Subterfuge	○○○○○		Survival	○○○○○		Science	○○○○○

Advantages

Allies	○○○○○		Rage	■ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □		Gifts	Rites
Ancestors	○○○○○		Gnosis	■ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □		1.	1.
Contacts	○○○○○		Willpower	■ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □		2.	2.
Fetish	○○○○○					3.	3.
Kinfolk	○○○○○					4.	4.
Mentor	○○○○○					5.	5.
Pure Breed	○○○○○					6.	6.
Resources	○○○○○		Glory	□ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □		7.	7.
Rites	○○○○○		Honor	□ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □		8.	8.
Totem	○○○○○		Wisdom	□ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □		9.	9.

Spark of Life

Face Claim:
Appearance: What does your character look like? How do her Traits affect her appearance? If she has four dots in Strength, those muscles will show. If she has high Charisma, that rating will translate to how she moves and talks. Go over her concept and Traits to see how you can use them as descriptive hooks. Your choices will reflect not only your character's appearance, but also how she dresses, how she acts and how she speaks. Does she move with confidence and have a steady gaze, or is she hunched over, refusing to look anyone in the eye? Does she prefer casual, rugged clothing, or does she have more expensive and refined tastes? It is much more evocative to say, "My character walks with a pronounced limp, possibly from an old injury," than to say, "My character has one dot of Dexterity."

Pre-Rite of Passage: Expand on your concept synopsis. How old are you? What was your family life like? What was normal before you knew you were a Garou?
Rite of Passage: Expand on your concept synopsis. When did you have your first change (where did it happen? did others see it and suffer delirium? did you injure or kill anyone? how did you handle the situation?)? What was your rite of passage like? What did you do in the weeks or months that immediately followed?
Post-Rite of Passage: Expand on your concept synopsis. Where do you live now? Do you continue to live a normal life? What has happened to you since? If you have contacts, or allies, or mentors, or a fetish, this might be a good time to detail how you acquired them (though they could also come from prior to this). By the end of this length, combined with the previous two, your character history should be outlined.

Long-Term Personal Goal(s): Expand (if needed) on your long term goals. This is a good place to give the storyteller hooks for your character.

Example of Completed Sheet

Crimson Summit Character Sheet

Name:	Brooke Wolfe		Breed:	Lupus		Pack Name	Crimson Summit
Deed Name:	Cries-Beneath-the-Brooks-Babble		Auspice:	Theurge		Pack Totem:
Player:	Aethyrium		Tribe:	Silent Strider		Concept:	Forgotten Dreamer

Attributes

Physical			Social			Mental
Strength	●○○○○		Charisma	●○○○○		Perception	●●●○○
Dexterity	●●●○○		Manipulation	●●●○○		Intelligence	●●●●○
Stamina	●●○○○		Appearance	●●●●○		Wits	●●●○○

Abilities

Talents			Skills			Knowledges
Alertness	●●○○○		Animal Ken	●○○○○		Computer	○○○○○
Athletics	○○○○○		Crafts	○○○○○		Enigmas	●●●●○
Brawl	○○○○○		Drive	○○○○○		Investigation	●●●○○
Dodge	○○○○○		Etiquette	○○○○○		Law	○○○○○
Empathy	○○○○○		Firearms	○○○○○		Linguistics	●○○○○
Expression	○○○○○		Leadership	○○○○○		Medicine	○○○○○
Intimidation	○○○○○		Melee	○○○○○		Occult	●●●○○
Primal-Urge	●●●○○		Performance	●●○○○		Politics	○○○○○
Streetwise	○○○○○		Stealth	●●●○○		Rituals	●●●○○
Subterfuge	○○○○○		Survival	●●●○○		Science	○○○○○

Advantages

Allies	○○○○○		Rage	■ ■ ■ ■ ■ □ □ □ □ □		Gifts	Rites
Ancestors	○○○○○		Gnosis	■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ □ □ □ □		1. Spirit Speech	1. Rite of Talisman Dedication
Contacts	○○○○○		Willpower	■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ □ □ □ □		2. Heightened Senses	2. Rite of Binding
Fetish	○○○○○					3. Sense Wyrm	3. Rite of the Fetish
Kinfolk	○○○○○					4.	4.
Mentor	○○○○○					5.	5.
Pure Breed	●●●●●					6.	6.
Resources	○○○○○		Glory	□ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □		7.	7.
Rites	●●●●●		Honor	□ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □		8.	8.
Totem	●●●○○		Wisdom	■ ■ ■ □ □ □ □ □ □ □		9.	9.

Spark of Life

Face Claim: Nataly Machado
Appearance: Tiny. Even in forms that are large by comparison, Brooke is small among other Garou. Barely taller than five feet, and less than a hundred and twenty pounds soaking wet, she has a dainty frame that is void of any sort of built muscle. She's lithe and built like a model, with the genetic features that make that a genuine consideration; if she had the interest in it. She prefers simple clothing, and anything that reminds her of fur, favoring hoodies and sweaters if she can get away with it. In a crowd she's a listener, not a speaker; shy might be the wrong word, but self concious probably fits, even if when she does talk she usually has something insightful to add to any conversations. She makes a habit of watching whats going on around her and picking out peculiar details that stand out to her brain which is looking for answers in everything. Long brown hair meets her elbows at its fullest length, and she's highly protective of the hair her homid form has, often found touching, playing, or manipulating it in some way. Perhaps the most defining feature of the Lupus born Garou, however, is her amber eyes that she keeps in all forms, that always retain that animal within stare.

Pre-Rite of Passage: I remember running in the tundras of Nunavut, in 1994, but I didn't learn those numbers until later. Snow beneath my paws as I ran free with my brothers and sisters, my pack that had fallen in behind me. It was instinct, I guess, to show them the way, I had the keenest nose for sure. I can still recall the long nights, huddled up together beneath the burning sky lights. I think I knew even in those days that something wasn't right. They followed me, but I didn't really belong there. Ever since I was a pup I remember wanting to stray. It was probably only my loyalty to them, since they needed me, that kept me from wandering off and exploring on my own. Though I did get lots of that, even with them. I lead them across the craggy mountains, through the remote villages, and over the expanses of tundra. The people respected us, and mostly we stayed out of their way. I don't know if it was luck or fate, but it's a good thing that I never wandered too far away from my pack. One night we were huddled together and I remember looking at the sky lights, and how intense they were. I was captivated and they made something in me stir. I don't know what, or why then, but I remember the pain. I remember that my cries frightened my pack and they scattered away from me. I remember my body... Changing. It was so cold. The ground chilled me to the bone, in a body that I was unfamiliar with. I might have frozen to death if it weren't for my pack. They came back to me, and huddled for the night. But then they left... I wasn't one of them anymore. I barely remember what happened after that, I remember walking but not much more. I remember light being flashed at my eyes. They were making human noises, but I didn't know what they were saying. Who ever he was, he took me to shelter and saw to my health. I'd never been in a house before, so I curled up in a corner beneath fake fur... Uhh, I mean a blanket. I don't think I was a prisoner, but I didn't know what to do other than to panic. He gave me food, but it was not like anything I had ever eaten before. It tasted fake... Disgusting, but my stomach demanded that it have something. A couple days later, I think, another came for me. He helped me find my way back to my real body, and I found that he was a man who could do the same. He taught me what I was, and took me to his home where there were more like us.
Rite of Passage: I found out that the man who had found me was named Obi, and he was what we call Kinfolk, werewolf descendant but not full Garou. I learned to control my shifting while I stayed at this place, they said I was waiting for others like me. Every few weeks another cub came to the sept until there were eight of us. We waited for about six months before we were ready for what they called a rite of passage. We were guided to the world of spirits, of which we had learned. The elders wanted us to get a fetish that had been lost a few years prior. When they left the pack formed itself and for once I was not the leader. Virgil was the one we all looked too, and he looked to all of us. But not me. When he shunned me, so did the rest of them. They scoffed because I was small. I remember the fire that made me feel. They tore into the depths of the spirit world and I followed them, vigilant from the rear. They wouldn't leave me behind, we were a pack, but they did not accept me; I still don't really understand why. They didn't believe in me, or maybe because there was a more confident theurge among us. Eventually the pack found its way to the spirits lair that held our goal. We engaged it in a fierce battle, where I was able to do little to prove myself to the pack. We were, however, successful eventually. With the fetish in hand we prepared to go home, but then from the fog that surrounded us we were approached by ancient Garou spirits. Slowly they paired up, until each of my pack was communing with one of their own ancestors. I waited eagerly to meet mine, but none came. Angered I ran from my pack and found a near by brook. I called for my ancestors, howling as loud as I could for them to come find me, but still none came. I remember crying beneath the sound of the water, hiding my fear and my sadness from my nearby pack with the sound of the flowing water. But Owl had seen it. When we returned to the caern, we were greeted as members of our tribes. It was Owl, totem of the Silent Striders that accepted me. He named me Cries-Beneaht-the-Brooks-Babble, and that name earned me no shortage of mockery from my would-be packmates. My shame demanded that I could not remain there, and my curiosity compelled me to leave. I was finally free, and I had things to learn... But the world was bigger than I ever imagined.
Post-Rite of Passage: Finally I was running free. An arctic wolf far from where it belonged, making its way south. Sometime I crossed the border into America. That's when I had my first encounter with a 'real' human city. They called it Detroit. Terrified, but curious, I made my way into the city. Of course I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I didn't even know how to really speak their language. I don't know how Matthew found me, but he was a Garou too. He sensed something in me the moment he saw me, he said. A Glass Walker that showed me around. He spent the next year teaching me english, and since I was in a city he said I needed a name. He asked me what I wanted to be called, but I didn't know how to choose. So he called me Brooke Wolfe, and that's what I've been using ever since when dealing with people. We had to do this thing called... paying rent? So I took a job with a woman named Faith, who was a human wolf. She tracked people, and needed help with that. She didn't mind my odd mannerisms so much, thought they were funny. I got a good chance to explore humans with her and Matthew, they even mated and had a baby. I got to run things while she was pregnant, and they called me aunt. But I haven't seen them in a few years. It's not their fault, but I woke up one day and went to go to work, and just needed to move on. So I left. Sometimes I wonder how they're doing, but I can't get back there right now. Maybe someday. Since then I've been wandering across the globe. Mostly the Americas though. Visiting caerns and learning from others. I went to a caern in Yellowstone and met an elder named Trips-on-Wind, and when I asked him about my ancestors he said he had no idea, but he could feel the power of my blood. Which has always been true, the elders everywhere I go acknowledge my blood but have nothing to tell me. I was in Mexico tracking a water spirit when I heard the call, a voice in my dreams that I didn't know but am positive I recognized. I abandoned my hunt and came as quickly as I could...

Long-Term Personal Goal(s): Brooke has one primary goal: to figure out the mystery of her heritage. She was a wolfkin that was not watched over, but is of the purest Garou blood. Elders across the world acknowledge her station of blood right, but none can tell her anything of her ancestery. The deeper she has dug to find answers, the more elusive they seem to get.

Current Cast Information
Brooke Wolfe, faced by Nataly Machado, and played by Aethyrium.
Aoife Faelad, faced by Susan Coffey, and played by Curvykitten.
Essie Jacobs, faced by Frances Bean Cobain, and played by Amarlo.
Ayesha Harrison, faced by Aiyanna Lewis, and played by Lisa2lady.

[Aethyrium]

I believe... We're officially open for business. *Squints* Give me your werewolves!

[Raziel]

Will have to give this a proper read through but I had to comment with not just interest but a bit of irony too, while it has been a while since I've ventured into the Werewolf section of the World of Darkness, I was talking with some friends the other day about how I always tend to see Vampire: the Masquerade RP's but never a lot of Werewolf: The Apocalypse ones only to come here and see this...kinda creepy but definitely interested.

[Aethyrium]

Well, see how perfect that timing is? It's an omen!

Truth be told I don't think Werewolf gets the love it deserves. VtM is way more popular, and generally "easier" to get in to for new players. The vampires of VtM aren't that different from a lot of other media sources, whereas the garou are werewolves but they don't play the same as werewolves are depicted elsewhere. So it creates this unfortunate disconnect.

But here we are! Werewolf forward!

[Bibliophilia]

We were just looking for someone to run a W:tA game!

[Rummy Tum Tum]

This is eerily perfect timing. I had just put up a thread searching for a Werewolf game for me and a friend.

edit: What Bibs said

[Aethyrium]

Well... Hello you two! And what impeccable timing I have indeed. I'm glad this might scratch your itch. I took a second to go track down what you were looking for, and I believe this should do what you're after. The primary thing is that this is running off of Revised, rather than the 20th Anniversary. If that isn't a deal breaker, we are super newbie friendly (none of the remaining players have any experience with W:tA past this game), and we're general ball parking the lore and what have you but filling it in as we need for the story. Pretty much anything canon can be used, but a deep knowledge of the system/setting/etc is very much not needed to get into it.

So, we'd love to have you along. The worldbuilding thread has all of the information you'd need to play, and I am available to answer questions / poke about setting / whatever you need!

[Rummy Tum Tum]

It's great that this is newbie friendly--and dicebot free for that matter. Dicebot has been fucking me right over lately >.>

[Chulanowa]

Y'knowhut? I think I'll mull something over for this.

[Rummy Tum Tum]

Name: Samuel Grant
Deed Name: Laughs-in-Death's-embrace
Breed: Homid
Auspice: Ahroun
Tribe: Get of Fenris

Primary Attribute Category: Physical
Primary Ability Category: Talents

Pre-Rite of Passage Synopsis: Sam was raised mostly apart from his Garou heritage. His mother being a Glass Walker and his father being a human comedian, this was not too surprising. While his father told him jokes and made the funniest faces, his mother told him stories in his childhood; grim stories of wolves and dark spirits. He still doesn't know if she meant to scare him away from the idea of fighting for the Garou's doomed cause, but he found himself enamored by it all. These doomed Garou, fallen from grace by the sins of their fathers...they were heroes in his mind--the underdogs. And by the time he neared his first change and learned it was all real, he could react with little but glee.
Rite of Passage Synopsis: Eager as he was to prove himself, he approached the Get of Fenris for his trial. Unsurprisingly, his rite of passage was a brutal one. The first few Banes were a non-issue for a trio of wolves, but when a few turned to dozens, that was when things got dicey. One wolf died that day, and in turn, another fled. Sam, whether out of stupidity or bravery, stayed and fought, letting out a howl of laughter with every strike that carved into him and brought him closer to the brink. His father had always taught him to laugh at life's problems--that it took away their power--and following that mantra, he earned his name.
Post-Rite of Passage Synopsis: The Get accepted him with open arms--or at least a mildly satisfied collective nod. Needless to say, being the child of a Glass Walker and of 'questionable' culture made him less popular than your average initiate. And his tendency to joke and play arrogant did little to rectify that. He had proved himself; however, and resolved to keep on doing so until those angry stares turned into looks of begrudging respect at the very least.

Long-Term Personal Goal: To become a hero like the ones he imagined in his mother's old tales; to achieve greatness without losing what makes him...him.

Why do they think they were summoned for Crimson Summit Pack (What makes them unique, what do they bring that no one else does?): Unlike all the stuffy, tradition-loving Get, he is cut from a different--but still hardy--cloth. He feels he represents something more than an ideal to save the world: a desire to make it better for both his kind and mankind. And he's juust dumb enough to die for that cause.

[Wolfling72]

so wants this...

[Bibliophilia]

Name: Esther Kairis
Deed Name: Gabija-Guides-Her
Breed: Metis
Auspice: Philodox
Tribe: Shadow Lord

Primary Attribute Category: Social
Primary Ability Category: Talents

Pre-Rite of Passage Synopsis: Esther's birth was a stain on her there-to-for respected lineage among her tribe and caern.  Her mother survived her birth, but found herself the bearer of the scarlet letter, unable to reclaim the level of status she once had in her caern.  She never revealed who Esther's father was, not to the other Garou nor even her own child, though by the time she was old enough to care...Esther wasn't interested in finding out.

She grew quickly, as all Metis do, and developed a surprisingly affable and charming personality, possibly in response to the scorn and indifference she received from the other members of her caern.  While she never managed to really win them over, by the time she reached the age when she experienced her first shift, she was grudgingly accepted as a useful part of the tribe.
Rite of Passage Synopsis: When the time came, the elders of the caern into which she was born set Esther the task of reciting the litany whenever asked, no matter who asked or how often she was forced to repeat it.  For nearly a week, the senior members of the caern grilled her on the meaning of the litany, set her the difficult task of mediating mock disputes and passing judgment on crimes of their devising.  Day in and day out, not allowed to sleep or eat, forced to engage in fierce debates with Garou many times wiser and more learned than herself, she was tested and knew that to lose her cool would mean disaster.

Finally, after five and a half days and five nights, she had proven not only her knowledge, insight and endurance, but the strength of her conviction and character.
Post-Rite of Passage Synopsis: Since then, Esther has proven fascinated by human philosophers and scholars, reading everything she can about the nature of existence, discourse, debate and politics.  Most of what she has learned can't be applied directly to her role as adjudicator and adviser to other Garou, but she's quite good at finding the universal ideas at the root of such things and seeing how they can be applied to the issues of the Nation.

Long-Term Personal Goal: See herself become the adviser and moral compass of a tribe that is respected among the Garou, earning respect for her abilities that makes the stain of her birth no longer the main focus of how others view her.

Why do they think they were summoned for Crimson Summit Pack (What makes them unique, what do they bring that no one else does?): My knowledge of the way humans think, how their most brilliant minds engage with one another and what desires and passions drive them is not common among our kind.  Especially not among those born as I was.  I can provide valuable insight to any who might listen.

[Amarlo]

As you know, I'm still here. 

Also, haaaiii Biblio -waves spastically.-

[Aethyrium]

@Rummy Tum Tum & Bibliophilia: Those both look great, and should fit right in. Go ahead and write up the full character sheets and send them my way!

We'll probably keep this open through the weekend, maybe a bit longer. With two more additions we're already at 6 and that's comfortable!

[Amarlo]

We need moooaaaar. Hey those of you still peeking in and not quite sure if you'd like to join - yes, you! That's right, you - join! Aunt Crimson needs you!

[Aethyrium]

I just had a chance to review the two sheets from Rummy & Bibliophilia, and they were great. They're gonna make awesome additions to the pack... And as Amarlo said, we could totally use some more.

@Wolfling72 & Chulanowa, if you need anything, don't hesitate to give me a shout! I'd love to work with you and see what you come up with.

And anyone else who is still browsing, there's definitely room left for us to pick up a wolf or three, and we'd love too. The game is steady, but laid back enough that you can just flow right into it.

For those already playing, I should be looking at getting us up a story post sometime by... Let's say Tuesday at the latest? That should tie up our last adventure and set us up to bring in the new bloods, so look forward to that.

[Rummy Tum Tum]

Lookin forward to this :)

Even more so after all the bullying Dicebot's been doing lately. Hard to play a competent character when you get more ones than successes >.>

[Z Kami]

Super duper interested. Going to draft something up though I'm completely blind! Thankfully the world building thread is very helpful.

[Z Kami]

Taking a blind swing at this let me know if I can improve/change anything!
Name: Abel B. Marshall
Deed Name: Silent-Among-The-Dead
Breed: Metis
Auspice: Ragabash|Waxing|
Tribe: Bone Gnawers

Primary Attribute Category: Social
Primary Ability Category: Talents

Pre-Rite of Passage Synopsis: Never shielded away from the harsh reality of everyday life of a Garou. Abel's father was less than an honorable man who had long since forsaken the traditions of the Garou and his mother a dedicated pack member of the Bone Gnawer tribe. He had many half-siblings from both of his parents though none of them considered nearly as much of a burden as the young Abel but his love for them never waned in the slightest. His early years learning from his mother were cut short after his father returned a few years after his birth and subsequently murdered the single mother and her growing family. Whether out of pity for his kin or the boiling rage inside his father he failed to land the killing blow to his son and Abel survived hidden amongst the bodies of his loved ones. He was a terrified young child and through the teachings of his mother was able to survive off of the bountiful heaps of garbage not far from his own front porch until discovered by his uncle who would take him under his young and continue his teachings of the glorious life amongst the Bone Gnawers - his family in the slums.

Rite of Passage Synopsis: Though his new family wasn't particularly sentimental about their first changeAbel's was followed with a day of celebration. Like weeds growing through the cracks of cement he was a survivor. The following week would be the night of his rite of passage and amongst his cousins they set themselves upon the town to scavenge through the pockets of the well-kept. They would gather their bounty stealing, distracting and putting on a show of bizarre scenes in the public eye that hid their true intentions. They were expected to do such with tact and skill without being caught and that night they were more than successful. Like the stories of Robin Hood they took that night from the 'rich' for the poor feeding the hungry mouths of Garou and Human alike that suffered beneath the boot of higher society but tonight instead of feasting upon a bounty hidden amongst trash they would use the money donated by the participants of the night.

Music. Booze. Laughter. Food.

To succeed with nothing to provide for those you Love, regardless of blood or race.

The Great Trash Heap shall forever provide and raise its young to do so as well!

Post-Rite of Passage Synopsis: Abel has continued to grow since that night and he has progressed as the empathetic and completely whacked out young man he is today. Sure he is a little off but his bizarre questions always seem to poke at the deeper meanings of life. Socializing was sort of like scavenging through trash wasn't it? People speak but veil their intentions or feelings and sometimes you had to rummage through the garbage to find the gems beneath.

Long-Term Personal Goal: Abel wants nothing more than to provide safe shelter for those who were just as down and out as he was. His mother and uncle are the most precious members of his life and raised him with joy regardless of the blemish his birth caused upon their line. He hopes to one day be a mentor and friend to all Garou and provide back to this world in honor of The Great Trash Heap.

Why do they think they were summoned for Crimson Summit Pack (What makes them unique, what do they bring that no one else does?): Why? He's tenacious, resourceful and a little bit crazy. He has lived his entire life amongst the dregs of society and has little trouble fitting in with the right crowds. He's empathetic and sometimes a bleeding heart which can be useful amongst harsher peers. He can be useful in a variety of ways if you were to ask him but if nothing else he is sure it is a blessing to be chosen. He's crazy enough to fight for what he believes in and what he cares about and he has just enough wit to find alternative ways to protect what he wants to if a head on fight isn't going to work out.

[Aethyrium]

Hello Z Kami! I'm glad that the world-building was helpful! :)

I really enjoyed reading over Abel's concept, and I think he's good to go. Write him up the full sheet and send it my way when you have a chance! It'll be fun to get a Gnawer in here.

[Aethyrium]

I think I'm going to issue the last call here. I'll stop accepting submissions on Friday the 5th. So if you're interested, make yourself known and be sure to send something my way. IF you need a bit of extra time, send me a message and we'll work something out.

[Amarlo]

Oooh, I really like Abel, Kami! I can already feel a potentially fun relationship between him and my Essie. xD

[Z Kami]

Oooh, I really like Abel, Kami! I can already feel a potentially fun relationship between him and my Essie. xD

Fun is fun! Who doesn't love mischief and long searches through trash.

[Amarlo]

Essie can certainly relate. xD