Garou Rites

General Information

Rites are the outward forms of the Garou's rituals and celebrations. Rites form and reinforce the spiritual and social ties that bind the Garou to each other and to Gaia herself. The common bond formed by rites resonates in the souls of all Garou. Many werewolves maintain that without the continuous practice of such rites, the Garou would lose their ties to the Earth Mother. In so doing, Theurges warn, the Garou may become something less than their true selves, possibly reverting to simple wolves and humans instead of Gaia's chosen.

The special ties werewolves have with the spirit world allow rites to function. The Garou invoke these bonds with Gaia's spirits when performing rites. In the dawn of time, shapeshifters struck a great pact - the Pact - with the spirits of Gaia. In return for the shapeshifters' fealty and service, the spirits would empower the werebeasts' rites, flooding them with supernatural power. For this reason, nobody but a shapeshifter can perform rites and expect them to work. The spirits will not answer the call if they are not legally bound to do so. This relationship is unique to the Garou and certain other Fera, and it makes the performance of these rites their sacred right and privilege, and theirs alone.

Through rites, Garou weave the social, emotional and religious fabric connecting werewolf to werewolf, pack to pack and tribe to tribe. When Silver Fang meets Black Fury or Silent Stricter meets Glass Walker, the rites of their ancestors give them common ground on which to tread. Even the simple Rite of Contrition has prevented many meetings between werewolves of different tribes and packs from erupting in argument and violence.

Rites also allow tribes and packs the freedom to define themselves and to develop their unique roles in Gaia's defense. Often tribes, and many individual septs, have their own rites and their own versions of common rites. The raucous, howling tumult of the Fianna's Rite of Spirit Awakening has little external similarity to the Shadow Lords' dark and brooding rite of the same name, yet the essence and purpose of the two rites are the same.

Types of Rites

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Rites have both religious and magical connotations, and they serve both social and mystical purposes. Most rites can be performed in either the Umbra or the physical world. When teaching rites to young pups, Garou may group them by the purpose each type of rite serves for the Garou and for Gaia. Rites of accord, caern rites, rites of death, mystic rites, rites of punishment, rites of renown, seasonal rites and minor rites are the most common types of rites that Garou practice. The basic requirements for each of these types of rites must be fulfilled to perform any of these rites successfully.

Descriptions and requirements for each type are listed here, along with common rites from each category.

A werewolf has the potential to learn any rite. All she must do is find a teacher. A Garou's auspice usually determines the rites she is expected to learn. Most elder Garou are more than willing to teach rites. In fact, the number of young werewolves who seem to discount rites as antiquated or cumbersome disturbs the elders. Many new packs fail to see the importance of rites, preferring to spend their time doing things that have a more "immediate" impact. However, these same gray furs criticize young wolves that insist on modernizing or individualizing rites to meet the needs of their packs.

Enacting A Rite

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Ritemasters generally lead groups of Garou in the performance of rites. These rites are grand ceremonies usually held at caems with much tradition and socializing going along with them. It is the nature of rites to be social affairs. Most rites require the presence of at least three Garou, although a lone werewolf may conduct certain minor rites and mystic rites. Many older septs frown on the practice of performing rites away from the group.

Rites require great concentration and skill on the part of the celebrant. A rite takes a minimum of 10 minutes per level to cast, while minor rites take from two to five minutes to enact. Rites almost always require some form of trinket or special material. The general requirements for particular categories of rites are detailed in the following lists.

It is the responsibility of the ritemaster to ensure that all the requirements are met and that all Garou present participate fully in the rite. The player or Storyteller should roll to determine the success of the rite. The exact nature and difficulty of the roll will vary with each rite. Storytellers may decrease the difficulty of a roll if the ritemaster and participating characters enact the rite particularly well (i.e., if the players roleplay it well).

For every five Garou beyond the base number required (again, usually three) who are present and helping perform the rite to the best of their ability (in addition to the ritemaster), the difficulty level of the rite decreases by one (to a minimum difficulty of 3).

Rites are considered to be a natural way of affecting the natural order. They are part of how things work. Werewolves believe that if a rite is performed properly, the effect will occur naturally, just as a scientist would follow cause and effect. If you drop a rock, it will fall; if you perform a rite as it was handed down to you by your ancestor's ancestors, then the desired effect will occur. However, some rites do require Gnosis. These rites are particularly powerful breaches of the natural order.

Learning A Rite

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The tribal elders who teach rites were themselves taught by their elders, who were taught by their elders, and so on back through the ages. In order to gain the knowledge (and tacit permission) to perform a rite, a young werewolf must approach an elder who possesses such knowledge. In the vast majority of cases, the elder will request payment (in the form of talens) from the young whelp in question. The number of talens required varies with the amount of teaching needed (level of the rite) and the elder's opinion of the cub (comparative rank and roleplaying) . Elders will often allow the young Garou to do a favor instead of (or in addition to) donating talens. Such favors may range from providing the elder with fresh rabbit meat and caviar for three full moons to tracking down a minor enemy of the elder's and tearing out his throat. In any event, the favor asked is normally proportionate to the power and importance of the rite the young wolf wishes to master.

Learning a rite is an extended action. A Garou must have a Rituals Knowledge at least equal to the level of the rite she wishes to learn; a character with Rituals 3 cannot master a Level Four rite. She must also spend time — at least one week per level of the rite she wishes to learn (three days for minor rites) — with the elder who knows the rite. The player must roll Intelligence + Rituals (difficulty of 10 minus Intelligence). The number of successes required equals the level of the rite. The student may make one roll per period of teaching ( one week for a Level One rite, three weeks for a Level Three rite, etc.). If the student fails a roll, she must spend a Willpower point to continue her studies. If she botches a roll, she is not yet ready to learn the knowledge she seeks. The character must wait at least three turnings of the moon, or until she has more life experience, to try again.

A character can begin the game with knowledge of rites by purchasing the Rites Background. Subsequently, however, rites can be learned only through roleplaying; they may not be purchased with experience points.

A character can attempt to enact a rite in which he has previously taken part, but which he does not know. Needless to say, he has little chance of success. The difficulty is three higher than normal, and the player must spend double the amount of Gnosis points if any are required. In addition, elder Garou often see such an attempt as impertinent or even sacrilegious. Attempting an unlearned rite in the presence of an elder may decrease the Garou's Honor or Wisdom in the eyes of his sept.

Finally, it's possible - but obscenely difficult - to create new rites. Such a task is no small matter, as it involves convincing a great portion of the spirit world that a new rite is necessary, and that they must empower it whenever called to do so.

Auspice Roles

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Not all Garou have a natural affinity for leading the Great Rites. Many are content to know some minor rites and a smattering of rites most significant in their own eyes. In fact, Garou traditionally view werewolves born under certain auspices as the rightful ritemasters of the tribes. In particular, Theurges and Philodox are groomed for such positions from the time that they first enter the sept as adolescent cubs. It is almost unheard of for a Garou of either auspice not to have at least some skill in the enactment of rites. In general, Theurges tend to learn mystic rites, seasonal rites and caern rites, while Philodox traditionally leam rites of accord and rites of punishment.

This is not to say that Garou of all auspices do not learn rites, or even lead rites occasionally. Galliards are likely to lead rites of death and rites of renown. Ragabash and Ahroun may also learn and enact rites, although the sept is unlikely to encourage such behavior unless a particular reason comes up for such a Garou to lead a rite. For example, an Ahroun might lead his war party in a Rite of Wounding after a cub's first battle. It is wise to remember that individual packs are of ten ( but not always ) more flexible when interpreting such traditions, being more concerned with which packmate will best carry out a rite than with following every musty old tradition. Any Garou is allowed to learn a mystic rite, regardless of auspice.

Rites Chart

These rolls are the standard ones required by type to enact any given rite. If no roll is mentioned in a system's description, assume that the roll is standard.

Type	Roll	Difficulty
Accord	Cha + Rituals	7
Caern	Varies (max. Gnosis)	7
Death	Cha + Rituals	8 - Rank
Mystic	Wits + Rituals	7
Punishment	Cha + Rituals	7
Renown	Cha + Rituals	6
Seasonal	Sta + Rituals	8 - Caern Level
Minor	none	none

Accord Rites

Rites of accord restore a place or particular Garou to harmony and balance with Gaia. These rites purify and renew by bringing the object of the rite through a symbolic rebirth from Gaia's womb.

System: Any Garou attempting to perform a rite of accord must possess a talen, a fetish or some piece of Gaia never touched by minions of the Wyrm or by human hands (for example, a willow branch from a remote forest or a stone from a protected caern). The ritemaster makes a Charisma + Rituals roll (difficulty 7 unless otherwise stated).

Level One

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Rite of Cleansing
Level One
This rite purifies a person, place or object, allowing it to be used without fear of Wyrm-taint. The most common form of this rite involves the ritemaster inscribing a circle on the earth, walking widdershins (counterclockwise) around the afflicted person(s) or object(s) while holding a smoldering branch or torch. She must use a branch (preferably willow or birch) dipped in pure water or snow to sprinkle the object or person cleansed. As the ritemaster does so, all Garou present release an eerie, otherworldly howl in an attempt to "frighten away" and thus banish the corrupting influence. Ideally, this rite is performed at dawn, but it can be performed at any time.

System: This rite can be cast upon more than one person or object, but the leader must spend one Gnosis point on each extra thing or person in need of cleansing. The difficulty level depends on the level of taint. For instance, taint caused by a spirit might set a difficulty equal to the spirit's Gnosis. Only one success is required. If the character performs the rite at dawn, the difficulty of the rite decreases by one. Note that this rite cannot heal wounds or damage caused by Wyrm-taint; it removes only any existing contamination. This rite cannot cleanse taint of the most innate sort, either. The rite inflicts agonizing pain when performed on a fomor, vampire, unrepentant Black Spiral Dancer or other similarly accursed creature, but it cannot wash the recipient clean.

Rite of Contrition
Level One
This rite is a form of apology used to prevent the enmity of spirits or Garou whom an individual has annoyed, or to prevent war between septs or tribes. The rite most often involves the enactor dropping to her belly and sliding forward. The ritemaster may also whine and lick his paws or hands. If performed well, however, a simple inclination of the head may suffice. To enact this rite successfully, the Garou must either give a small gift to the offended individual or, in the case of a spirit, possess some aspect of the spirit in question (for example, a clay falcon if the Garou is appealing to the totem spirit Falcon).

System: The difficulty level of the rite equals the Rage of the target spirit or werewolf. A single success suffices for a gracious apology, but it may not be enough to mend friendships or forgive grievous errors. The more successes, the greater the wrong that can be forgiven. Werewolves who refuse to recognize a Rite of Contrition are looked upon badly by elders. Most spirits will always accept a well-performed rite. This effect lasts until the Garou performs another action that could harm or insult the other.

Rite of the Honorable Oath (Silver Fang)
Level One
The Silver Fangs take their oaths of service very seriously indeed. When anyone wishes to swear service to a Silver Fang Lord who follows the old traditions of the tribe, the Lord may ask them to undergo this rite, but will never press the point. Many Silver Fangs voluntarily undergo it if offering service to another werewolf, but are offended if others demand it of them. To swear the oath, the character swears to undertake a single task, which is outlined by the recipient of the oath and repeated by the character undergoing it. The character offering up service then gives a small object of value to himself to the recipient of the oath.

Should the oath taker stay true to their word, he will receive Renown whether or not the mission is successful. The recipient of the oath should return the gifted item at the conclusion of the service.

System: The player of the oath giver spends one Gnosis to activate the rite. If the character keeps her word and attempts the mission to the best of her abilities, she gains four points of Honor, irrespective of the quest’s outcome - if she does not do so, she loses four points of Honor. The recipient of the oath is under no compulsion to return the object gifted to them, but may lose two points of Honor if she does not do so.

Rite of the Hunting Ground
Level One
Lupus Garou mark their territory by urinating on trees and bushes. After the rite, no wolf or Garou can come into the area without immediately realizing they have entered another's territory. There is no compunction not to enter, however.

System: Typically, the Garou must spend an hour marking her territory. Special messages, such as a greeting to other Garou, can be left with an Intelligence + Primal-Urge roll (difficulty 7).

Rite of the Midwife (Silent Strider)
Level One
This rite is taught as a rite of accord because it is enacted to protect a newborn from harm or taint by hurrying or delaying its birth. The unsullied focus necessary for this rite is an owl’s feather, as Owl intercedes on the mother’s behalf. The mother must ordinarily be a Silent Strider or one of their Kinfolk, though Owl may be convinced with proper chiminage to intercede on the behalf of Garou or Kinfolk of other tribes, or even a normal human woman. The rite may be performed for several days in a row to achieve the necessary result - in fact, it may be necessary to do so. This rite is often considered the province of female Striders, though most are willing to teach it to any male Strider who wishes to learn.

System: The “midwife” and the mother must first decide whether they will try to hurry the delivery of the child or delay it. Then the ritemaster’s player must spend one point of Gnosis and roll Charisma + Rituals (difficulty 7). Simple success delays or hastens the birth by one day. If the rite is begun at the onset of labor, it ceases immediately and will not begin again for a full day - in all other cases it is difficult to be sure if the rite was effective at all. It may require several days of ritual to bring a child into the world early; usually it is considered preferable to delay the birth unless a healer is sure the child is viable, or the mother is headed into great danger.

Rite of Motherhood (Black Fury)
Level One
This simple Rite marks a Fury’s shift from Maiden status to Mother status. The title “Maiden” is not strictly accurate; the spirits begin to treat a Fury as a Mother as soon as she becomes pregnant. In some septs, this spiritual change is sufficient, while in others it might take until the child is born, and in the most conservative septs a Fury is considered a Maiden until she gives birth to a child who lives for one lunar year. Regardless of when the sept declares the Fury to be a Mother, when the time is right, this ritual is performed.

Mother and child are separated, and the young mother is bound - this may be simply a symbolic binding, a rope lightly draped over her, or it may be shackles and chains. The mother breaks free of the bonds and comes to her child’s side while the Mothers and Crones of the sept watch; when she reaches her child again, the older women of the tribe welcome her.

System: There are no game mechanics to this rite, though the Fury may have to make a Strength or Willpower roll to escape from sufficiently strong bonds.

Rite of the Pack’s Blood (Philodox)
Level One
Most Garou form packs that are bound with and dedicated to a totem spirit. In these days of mixed septs and thinning ranks, some werewolves are forced by necessity to run together temporarily. This ritual binds a group of werewolves into a pack dedicated to a particular purpose, such as a quest, a battle or a fortnight’s sting of bawn-guarding. The effects of this expire after the task is done, or after a lunar month, whichever comes first. Elders usually expect more permanent associations to ask for the blessings of a totem spirit.

Though the supernatural benefits of this rite eventually end, mutual respect and friendships are a common byproduct. Rival septs may join their warriors with this rite to improve relations. It is not uncommon for such packs to reform into “true” packs down the road, devoted to a specific and appropriate totem spirit.

System: The members of the prospective pack each swear their united purpose as they slice a palm or pad and dribble a small amount of blood into a cup. The blood is mixed and painted on face, hand and chest (over the heart) of each member. Upon a successful completion or the ritual (Charisma + Rituals, difficulty 7), the pack may take on benefits such as simultaneous initiative and special combat maneuvers. Note that pack members already in a “true” pack may join this temporary pack, but will likely have some explaining to do to a miffed totem.

Rite of the Pizza (Bone Gnawer)
Level One
Rabble-rousers sometimes try to bring Garou together for a quick, temporary enterprise. Buying them food (or beer) is one way to encourage them to work together, but this minor rite formally acknowledges the alliance and calls upon urban spirits for a quick blessing.

This rite requires a public telephone and enough spare change for a call. The goal is to gather enough food to feed everyone for one meal. This may seem like a simple task, but because of a wide variety of urban traditions, it’s actually fraught with peril. Take, for instance, its most common application: ordering pizza. The Garou must decide where to order from, what toppings to get, what the tip should be, and most distressing, who gets which slices. If they can overcome this Herculean task, there is a chance they may work together to achieve greater goals.

At the culmination of the ritual, the highest-ranking Theurge “gives thanks” (or “says grace”). This must be done very, very quickly, since many Bone Gnawers are ravenously hungry for warm pizza. The highest-ranking Philodox then declares the reason why the temporary pack has been formed. (The Storyteller should demand a more specific explanation if the definition is too broad. “Breaking into Warehouse #8 to recover a Croatan fetish” is a specific goal; “killing the Wyrm” or just “killing shit” is not.) While wolfing down hot morsels of food, the group then coordinates its plan.

System: The Theurge rolls Charisma + Rituals (difficulty 8); increase the difficulty by 1 for every ten Garou participating in the ceremony. Each success yields one temporary die; for the sake of convenience, we’ll call this dice pool the “pizza pool.” This temporary dice pool lasts until the temporary pack achieves its temporary goal. On any dice roll that directly relates to the goal at hand, a Garou can burn off one of the temporary dice for the pizza pool. The whole group shares the pizza pool. This rite cannot be performed more than once a day by anyone in the alliance, and the pizza pool can’t last for more than 24 hours. Additionally, Garou who are already in a pack cannot perform this rite.

At the Storyteller’s discretion, if the player’s actually roleplay this further by ordering a pizza during the game session, paying for it, and offering up a slice or two to the Storyteller, he may lower the difficulty to 6.

Rite of the Pregnant Mule (Child of Gaia)
Level One
This rite is known only to metis. No one else would ever want to learn it. It honors Father Mule, patron of the middle breed. It enables metis to adopt other metis as their children. Since most metis are abandoned or worse by their biological parents, older metis see these Crinos pups as a personal responsibility. And who better to raise a troublesome and often differently abled metis pup?

System: The adoptive parent asks the consent of the child’s biological parents, if they can be found; if not, she asks the sept elders. (They may refuse.) She then takes the cub to the sept’s caern and calls Garou, Kin and spirits (especially Mule, whose coming is taken as a blessing on the cub) as witnesses. The cub is put on the earth and allowed to crawl between the adoptive parent’s legs as if being born again. The adoptive parents are then counted as the true parents of the child in every way (including Renown). Metis of rank 5 or greater are very rarely allowed to adopt an orphaned homid or lupus cub; the rite is the same.

Sweat Lodge (Wendigo)
Level One
A version of the Rite of Cleansing, this rite specifically pertains to one’s own self and health. The rite participants all gather in a sealed tent or lodge and pour water on heated rocks to create hot steam. Sage and cedar are sometimes burned to help cleans the atmosphere.

Tricky spirits sometimes interrupt ceremonies, often yanking things from a person’s hand or even disrobing a participant. Ritualists should greet these visitations with patience. If one behaves properly, he may be rewarded with some tidbit of knowledge.

System: In addition to the usual roll made by the ritemaster (Charisma + Rituals, difficulty 7), each participant makes a Willpower roll. If the roll is successful, all Stamina rolls are made at one less difficulty for the next two days. In addition, characters are considered cleansed, as if they had participated in a Rite of Cleansing.

Level Two

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Ritual of Acceptance (Black Fury)
Level Two
Although a Garou can give up her tribal affiliation with the Rite of Renunciation (see below), the Black Furies have their own ritual to welcome a female Garou from another tribe into their own. The prospective Black Fury must fast for 24 hours to purify her body; afterward, she enters a ritual circle while her tribemates-to-be quietly invoke Pegasus from outside the same circle.

System: The invocation takes a few hours (the Mistress of the Rite should roll Charisma + Occult with a target of the local Gauntlet; the invocation takes 5 hours, minus one for every success after the first, with a minimum of 1 hour). At the end of this period, an avatar of Pegasus arrives. The prospective Fury must prove her worth to the avatar. This may involve a test, at the Storyteller’s discretion, or it may simply involve a roll of Charisma + Etiquette (difficulty 7). A failure on this roll means that the Fury-to-be must complete a spirit quest to join the tribe; a botch means that she has somehow offended Pegasus and is not welcome to join.

Should the character succeed, however, she is welcomed into the Black Fury tribe, and will be treated as a child of Pegasus from that point forward.

Rite of Comfort (Child of Gaia)
Level Two
This rite is a healing ritual for Harano. It does not cure the condition, although the rite of Asklepios (see below) can indicate possible cures. The ritemaster can, however, prevent the afflicted one from passing any deeper into Harano.

The ritemaster chants, burns mystic incense and engages the sufferer in breathing exercises. The dispirited one may leave before the rite begins, but not after it has started. This ritemaster may perform this rite more than once for each werewolf suffering from Harano.

System: The ritemaster chants, leads the sick one in breathing rituals, and makes a Charisma + Rituals roll. The recipient takes the number of successes as extra Willpower, which she may spend to resist Harano. She may not harm herself (such as through self-mutilation or suicide) until all the bonus points of Willpower are gone.

Rite of the Clouds and Rain (Child of Gaia)
Level Two
This rite is kept a careful secret by Children of Gaia, and all who so much as know of it must swear never to mention it among non-initiates - if revealed, anyone involved would likely be ostracized by the rest of the Garou Nation. It allows the partial control of Rage at the price of violating a basic Garou law: the first precept of the Litany.

The rite involved channeling the force of Rage by having sex in Crinos form. To avoid injury or death to the partners, both must be Garou. Because the fear of producing a metis is so great, metis are often asked to perform the rite, as they are sterile. Some Garou actually enjoy multiple partners while performing this rite, although having more than one sexual partner during the rite can be somewhat confusing. Some say that the more Garou are involved, the more powerful the rite becomes. The truth of this is unknown.

System: The sexual partners involved the spirits of peace and of desire, spending a point of Gnosis. They must demonstrate genuine affection for each other, or the rite will not work. If it works, the Garou can control the tendency to frenzy for the rest of the story. The Storyteller must determine the chance of pregnancy, if it is possible at all. Everyone involved in the rite loses a temporary point of Honor; the spirits who empower the rite, permissive though they may be, are still witnesses to the participants’ transgression.

Rite of Hospitality (Fianna)
Level Two
Hospitality is one of the three great virtues of the ancient Celts, and a similarly honorable virtue to the modern Fianna. Ordinarily, hospitality is a given at a hearth, but occasionally it needs to be formally stated in a binding fashion; perhaps the seeker is a rival, or has bad blood with others at the sept and needs protection. In such circumstances, the rite is performed. The grantor (typically the righ or the owner of the hall or territory) is required to give his guest food, shelter and reasonable comforts for three days, as well as protection from foes (without or within). In return, the supplicant is expected to be the model guest, neither stealing, starting fights nor otherwise bringing trouble to the household. And be sure that even if the offense isn't obvious, the spirits that witnessed the oath will find a way to bring it to everyone's attention.

System: Typically, only the grantor needs to know the ritual. The supplicant formally asks for hospitality, usually reciting lineage and titles in the formal way. The host replies in formal language, granting her protection and a place in her hall. If the rite fails, the delivery seems forced and all present will feel the awkwardness of the moment. If successful, both parties are bound to their bargain. Should either one break the bargain, that party loses Honor Renown (-4 for the host, -2 for guest). Ordinarily, no Renown is gained if both live up to their ends of the bargain, but if there is an element of danger (guest and host are bitter rivals or even enemies, for instance) the righ and guest gain two and one temporary Honor respectively. If the righ is notably miserly, she gains but one point; if outstandingly generous, or required to go to great lengths to defend the guest (sustaining grievous injury, destruction of the hall, loss of honor, or something equally costly), she may gain three. The Storyteller should be careful that this doesn't become a font of "free Renown"; Honor should be awarded only if there's something at stake - for instance, being a polite host to a guest that's insulted you or is a rival, or being a model guest despite constant provocation. After three days (usually measured to sunset, but typically stated during the rite), all bets are off; if the guest is in trouble, he'd better make tracks.

Rite of the Peacock
Level Two
The Rite of the Peacock is performed either once a year, once a season, once a month, once a week or even once a day, and is designed to stroke the ego of the spirit of a fetish and keep it happy.

The rite varies highly depending upon the breed performing it and the human culture (if any) surrounding the ritualist, but always possesses some common themes. The rite begins with a performance of some description, either singing, poetry, dancing or howling. Once this is completed, the ritualist continues with a string of praises for the fetish and the spirit within the fetish. To complete the rite, the fetish is held above the ritualist’s head and its name is chanted three times.

System: The ritual is handled with a Charisma + Rituals roll, difficulty of the fetish’s level + 3. If the roll succeeds, the fetish will not become cursed for at least one month, regardless of anything else. In extreme circumstances, the Storyteller may say the level of abuse the fetish is subjected to overrides the power of this Rite.

Rite of Renunciation
Level Two
In this rare rite, a werewolf rejects the auspice under which he was born and chooses a new auspice. The Garou must perform this rite during the phase of the moon he wishes to embrace. Most commonly, water from a silver basin exposed to Luna's radiance is poured over the naked supplicant, washing him clean of all he once was, including all rank. He is now free to start anew as a member of his adopted auspice. Almost free, that is, for many werewolves view such a "Shifting Moon" with suspicion. The Shadow Lords and Silver Fangs in particular see this rite as a grave insult to Luna, and they are loath to trust those Garou who cannot bear the weight of their assigned burdens.

System: A character who changes auspices must start anew at Rank 1. Although he may keep any Gifts he has already learned, he may never learn new Gifts from his old auspice. However, Gifts of his adopted auspice are now available to him. Sometimes this rite is performed for purposes other than shifting auspice, such as when a Garou wishes to give up his name and start over in Garou society. A variation on this rite also allows a werewolf to renounce his tribe and join a second tribe. Doing so, however, is a severe insult to his formal tribal totem, who will likely view him poorly for the rest of his days. In no case can a werewolf return to an auspice or tribe that he formerly renounced. He's made his bed, so he must lie in it.

Soothe the Scars (Black Fury)
Level Two
Black Furies perform this rite on human woman and children that have suffered at the hands of an abusive spouse or parent. Such abuse can harm the soul in ways still unknown to the Black Furies, but it is certain that sufficient ause can open a hole wide enough for a Wyrmling to crawl into. It is in the Furies’ nature to stop such a fate, and while it is their modus operandi to put a halt to such abuse (violently, if need be), Soothe the Scars is one of the Furies’ best tools for healing abuse once it has been stopped.

The rite itself is designed to put the victims at ease immediately; the smoke of gentle incense and scented candles should fill the air, and inoffensive soft music - not necessarily “spiritual” music; folk songs or children’s music are equally appropriate - should play. In the case of victims not acquainted with Gaian spirituality, prayers are offered to the “spirit of motherhood across the world,” though prayers to Gaia can be said in their place. Memories of abuse are coaxed from the victim, and each one is symbolically cast into a purifying fire. When the rite is over, the victim can begin the long road to real spiritual healing without risking a fall backward into a dangerous cycle of self-degradation. This rite has no game effect; the Storyteller should adjudicate its roleplaying effects.

Level Three

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Fertility Rite (Black Fury)
Level Three
Many Garou and human women lack the ability to give birth on their own; perhaps they were born with congenital reproductive difficulties, or have become infertile due to the influence of Wyrm-created technology or chemicals. In the case of Garou, battle scars and similar wounds often lead to infertility. This ritual invokes spirits of fertility, often avatars of Gaia in the Mother aspect, to return fertility to those without. This ritual also improves any ordinarily fertile subject’s chance of conceiving. The Fertility Rite does work on males, but it’s almost never performed on them. It also works on wolves, and is occasionally used in secret by those Garou who have access to zoos and their wolf populations. The Rite does not work on metis, not that Furies would be so arrogant as to try such a thing.

The subject of the ritual removes all clothing save possibly a homespun robe, and sits or lays in an obviously growing area: in the midst of a healthy forest, or in tall grass. The Mistress of the Rite traces a circle around the subject, using the menstrual blood of a fertile woman. The Mistress of the Rite then invokes the spirits of Gaia for their aid in restoring the woman’s birthright to her. In the case of battle scarring or injury, Gifts such as Mother’s Touch may be brought to bear during the Rite, but those Gifts alone will not heal the woman’s injury.

System: At the heart of the ritual, the Mistress of the Rite should roll Charisma + Medicine (difficulty of the local Gauntlet) to heal the subject. Failure or botching has no further adverse affect on the target; otherwise, the woman’s womb will be restored to health in (6 minus successes) weeks. If, rather than healing infertility, the Mistress of the Rite intends to improve an otherwise fertile woman’s chances of conceiving, the number of successes should simply serve as a rough indicator to the Storyteller how much more likely it is that the character conceives. The ritual works similarly for men; simply change references above from “conception” to “impregnation” and the general rules apply.

Rite of Anger’s Purge (Child of Gaia)
Level Three
Rage makes a shapeshifter what they are. But it is a curse as well as a blessing. Some Garou can contain their Rage sufficiently to live with a Kinfolk family or enjoy a quiet dinner at a restaurant. But some are so out of balance that they can barely function without exploding. Others require punishment. For whatever reason, a Garou occasionally needs to have his potential for Rage lowered. In this rite, the subject changes into Crinos and is encircled by the participants who all wield whips, clubs, and other instruments of punishment (the “gauntlet”). They then proceed to beatthe subject into submission, until he lies unconscious on the ground. A Garou can have the Beast beaten out of him in this way if such a punishment is required.

System: Each participant in the rite must expend at least one point of Rage. The subject loses one point of permanent Rage for each point spent in this way. If he frenzies shortly thereafter, the Storyteller may decide that the loss of Rage is not permanent, although few Garou have enough Rage to endure this rite and still be capable of frenzy in any but the most extenuating circumstances.

Rite of Balance (Uktena)
Level Three
The Triat is in everyone, but sometimes one aspect touches a person more strongly than another. This imbalance manifests in many ways, from a Wyld-fed madness to a Wyrm-spawned depression or the joyless routine of the Weaver. Packs delving into Cyber realms for extended periods or conducting raids on Black Spiral Dancer Hives come back changed, Tainted. This rite seeks to bring them back into balance, to restore the Garou’s harmony with Gaia.

System: The ritual varies depending on the relative strength of each of the Triatic influences within the subject. The ritemaster and her assistants paint glyphs and sigils of power on the subject, followed by a bath in a stream to wash away the markings (this cleansing ritual is similar to the rite Washing the Spirit, given in Croatan Song). Then, in a medicine lodge or other neutral place, the ritemaster conducts a series of chants and songs and drumming, using sacred herbs, bones and stones, as well as a sacred fire. At the end of the rite, the player rolls Wits + Rituals (difficulty 7, higher if the Taint is particularly strong). Three successes completely restore the balance within the subject, while fewer successes indicate partial rebalancing. In addition, the untainted subject regains a temporary Willpower point.

The rite lasts half a day and usually begins at sunrise or sunset. For particularly strong Taints, the rite may be repeated up to three more times (but must be held consecutively, with no one leaving the lodge). At the beginning of each repetition, the ritemaster must make a successful Stamina + Rituals roll (See Endurance and Rituals, below. If you use the 1-5 Taint rating system given in the Players Guide to the Garou, the difficulty will be 4 + Taint level; each success decreases the Taint rating by one).

Note that when a Taint runs more deeply, performing this rite alone won’t cure it. Taints bought as Merits or Flaws must be bought off with experience points, and usually require a more rigorous treatment (often a quest to a sacred place of balance). This rite treats symptoms - a Triatic Imbalance - without addressing the cause. Someone recently exposed to Wyrmish spiritual energies could be brought into balance, while a Fomori still possessed by a Bane would regain his Taint immediately.

Rite of the Loyal Pack (Silver Fang)
Level Three
The Silver Fangs do, despite claims to the contrary, understand that leadership is a two-way street. A leader needs respect from those that follow him if he (and they) wish to succeed. Usually, only packs that have been working together for some time and who trust each other enough to further cement those bonds perform this rite.

The rite makes the whole pack’s focus and commitment dependent on the pack alpha. In effect, they submit completely to him, in the hope of gaining an advantage from it if he is committed to working for the benefit of all. Each member of the pack must take a small item of personal significance and a length of his or her own hair and give it to the ritemaster. She then binds together all the objects using the hairs and buries the bundle within the pack’s home caern.

System: The player of the werewolf enacting the Rite rolls Charisma + Rituals (difficulty 9 - the pack Alpha’s Leadership). If the roll succeeds, the entire pack gains two extra points of Willpower per chapter as long as the pack alpha is acting in the best interests of the whole pack. However, if the alpha has not been doing so, the entire pack loses two points of Willpower for the chapter. The gain or loss is entirely at the Storyteller’s discretion. Should the pack alpha change, the rite’s effects immediately end.

Rite of the Omega (Ragabash)
Level Three
It is often the duty of the Ragabash to add levity and defuse a tense situation. When division and anger threatens the unity of the sept, some Ragabash choose the dangerous and often sacrificial Rite of the Omega. Once it is performed successfully, the ritemaster becomes reviled; everything she says or does steps on the last nerve of everyone in the sept (plus any visitors there at the time the rite begins). Elders put her to work and punish her for being slack, and the Ahroun want to practice their Ragabash-throwing skills. Even the lowest metis says, “Sucks to be you.” The ritemaster will be driven from kills, suffer beatings if she isn’t quick and may even have her gear stolen or damaged for spite’s sake. Even her own pack treats her like dirt. All the tension and hate and anger that threatened to tear the sept apart is now directed at one individual, bringing unity and catharsis to the Garou. The effects last a minimum of one day, although for an ongoing situation the Ragabash may continue to play the ultimate omega to ensure harmony.

System: Using her own blood mixed with the soil from the caern site, the ritemaster inscribes the Garou glyph for Shame on her chest and intones a chant. If successful, the Ragabash drops to Rank One for the duration of the rite.

It the tension in the sept is the result of a singular event (a death, a divisive challenge, etc), the rite’s effects last a single day. In the case of an ongoing crisis (intersept negotiations or a heated concolation), the rite may last as long as a week. At the end of the rite, the glyph disappears and the Ragabash’s Rank is restored, plus 3 temporary Honor (up to 5 for an extended rite) and hopefully some decent treatment to make up for the sacrifice. The sept members will be more inclined to compromise and have greater understanding of opposing views, staying unified for a time.

The put-upon ritemaster may end the rite prematurely simply by wiping the glyph away and shouting “I’ve had enough!” but loses 2 Honor and 1 Wisdom, and worse, the sept loses all benefits of the rite.

The is specifically a Ragabash ritual; any other auspice (assuming they can find a teacher) has a +2 difficulty to the roll and gains or loses only 1 Honor.

Rite of the Winter Pack (Red Talons)
Level Three
This rite is only invoked when a new Winter Pack - a pack of five young Red Talons, one of each auspice, specially trained to kill humans and bring chaos and devastation to the scabs - is formed. Currently, only one such pack exists, but no one can say for certain how many Talon septs house Winter Packs only waiting for this rite to sanctify them before they launch their bloody mission.

The ritemaster assembles the prospective pack on the first night of the new moon, away from the heart of the caern. Other members of the sept may watch from the brush, but are forbidden to make a sound. At the ritemaster’s command, each of the cubs in turn states her name and auspice and then howls a variation of the Anthem of War. The ritemaster then howls to the heavens, calling down blessings from Gaia, the pack’s totem and Rorg, the Many-Taloned Hunter upon the Winter Pack. The Pack must then venture to the nearest human settlement and stalk and kill one human each (although they may act in concert to slay a group of humans). Afterward, they howl the Anthem of War in concert, and begin to execute whatever plan they have been given.

System: The ritemaster performs the aforementioned ceremony, and the player rolls Charisma + Rituals (difficulty 7). If the roll succeeds, the Winter Pack has only to complete their first hunt (as described above) to complete the ritual. If they complete this hunt before sunrise, they each gain three temporary Glory and three temporary Honor.

Level Four

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Rite of the Great Council (Philodox)
Level Four
In these days when unity is so important, it is often sorely lacking. Too often, a rift pits pack against pack, tribe against tribe, or sept against sept. A popular Garou may be (possibly wrongly) accused and sentenced, or old resentments flare into open warfare. Despite the Half Moons’ best efforts, the fabric of werewolf society is torn asunder. This risky but impressive ritual draws together the most powerful spirits involved in the contention - usually the totems of contending packs, although caern or tribal totems may also be involved. It is a perilous venture, but success will almost certainly bring peace; when the most powerful spirits of a sept speak with one voice, even warring packs will take notice.

System: The target number for the Charisma + Rituals roll is equal to the highest spirit type summoned (as per Rite of Summoning). What follows should make for some intense roleplaying (although the Storyteller may adjust the totems’ initial attitude by the number of successes rolled). Once all the spirits are in attendance, the Philodox must lay out the situation and/or plead the case. The spirits give council to, or perhaps interrogate, the Half Moon. If they agree with his decisions, they will stand behind him as he makes (or reiterates) the judgement. If on the other hand the disagree with the arbiter’s decision, that too will be made abundantly clear (usually resulting in a loss of Honor Renown and credibility).

The Rite of Kingship (Silver Fang)
Level Four
This rite is used to crown the true kings of the tribe. The rite is rarely used for obvious reasons, but the shamans of the Silver Fangs traditionally teach it to multiple promising students, so that it will never be lost through a shaman’s untimely death. To be taught the Rite of Kingship is a distinct honor, and many Theurges vie to be recognized as worthy of the rite.

System: Standard roll. Success indicates that the recipient has been properly marked as a Silver Fang king, and that all spirits that owe allegiance to Gaia, Luna or Helios will automatically recognize him as such (as may some Banes). As noted, certain omens may overturn this result, depending on circumstances.

Snow Walk (Wendigo)
Level Four
Snow Walk, a powerful but dangerous rite, is attempted only by individuals whose taint or spiritual sickness cannot be cleansed with a Sweat Lodge. The supplicant goes off alone, without clothing or tools of any kind, into the frozen tundra of the far north (or into a fierce local snowstorm) and must survive there for at least three days. The first day may be trying, but it is on the third that the real test begins. If the rite is successful, Wind-spirits summon harsh gusts, hard hails and piercing ice to attack the Garou. If she survives, she is cleansed of any Wyrm-taint or spirit toxins and may even be freed of Harano.

System: The supplicant rolls Charisma + Rituals (difficulty 7). If successful, the storm comes. She must then roll Stamina + Survival. Only one success is require to cure Wyrm-taint or spirit toxins, but four are needed to banish Harano. If the roll fails, the Garou is reduced to Crippled and must heal as if she had taken aggravated wounds. In addition, she must roll against the Battle Scar chart.

Caern Rites

Caern Rites

These rites are of vital importance to Gaia, for they aid in the opening, protection, and renewal of the sacred spaces dedicated to her. Without such rites, the mystical flow of Gaia's spiritual nourishment might cease, and her children, the Garou, might no longer rest themselves within her protecting bosom. Without such renewal, even the most ferocious of werewolves would grow weary of battle. These rites can be performed only 'within a caern. The strength of the rite is largely dependent on the Gnosis of the ritemaster.

Moot Rite - Level One
A moot cannot open until this rite is completed. The rite recharges the caern with Gnosis. The rite always includes a prolonged howl led by a Garou known as the Master of the Howl. The howl varies by tribe and sept, but it always expresses the unique nature of the sept. All werewolves present must form a circle within the caern itself before they commence howling. Numerous variations on the basic requirements exist. The Red Talons often bite their own paws and scratch their blood into the earth, while the Uktena pass their most powerful fetish from one to another as each in turn adds her voice to the howl. However, the howl must always echo forth and the eternal circle must form. The rite must be performed at least once per month to keep the caern consecrated. During the course of a moot, the participants must empower the caern with a combined total of five Gnosis points per caern level in order to replenish it fully.

Rite of the Opened Caern - Level One
Caerns are highly spiritual places that are sacred to those who create them. Each caern has a specific power associated with it, generally of a beneficial nature. Thus, there are caerns of Rage, caerns of Gnosis, Strength, Enigmas and so on. If a character is knowledgeable enough, she may tap into the caern's power and use it herself. Doing so is commonly called "opening" a caern. Opening a caern should not be attempted lightly. Caerns do not give up their energies easily, and failure to harness such power properly can result in serious damage to the Garou. Each caem has its own requirements of the ritemaster. The ritemaster must prove herself worthy of the caern's energies. In order to open a caern of Enigmas, a Garou might walk a spiral path while calling out the Greek myth of Persephone. To open a caem of Rage, the Garou might transform into Crinos and chant the litany of his ancestors who have fallen to the Wyrm. The key is forging a connection to the particular spirit of the caem. The character must overcome the caern spirit to prove herself worthy. If the ritemaster does so, he may channel the power of the caern in performing any actions appropriate to the caern’s focus. If the character fails, he suffers aggregious, Lethal wounds. In cases of particularly botched tests, the character suffers –aggravated- damage. These physical and spiritual wounds are the results of a backlash of spiritual energy.

Level One
Rite of the Solstice - Used to open a moot on the Solstices. Fianna Tribebook Page 49

Level One
Rite of the Equinox - Used to open a moot on the Equinox. Fianna Tribebook Page 49

Level One
Rite of Abscission- Book of the Wyld page 59

Level Two
Rite of Defiance - Red Talons Tribebook Page 49

Level Three
Guardians - Ananasi Page 97

Level Three
Meandering Path -Tribebook: Black Furies, Revised Ed. Page 74

Level Three
Rites of the Changing Seasons - Fianna Tribebook Page 49

Level Three
Trodden Track, Successful completion of the trodden track is an Intelligence + rituals roll against a Diff. 8; This Diffculty is reduced by one for east Past Life point the ritemaster has. Any participants in the successful rite gain an extra point of Past Life untill the end of the current moon. The Successful rite also "primes" the caern, reducing the difficulty of the next Caern Rite by one. Wild West book Page 170!

Level Four
Rite of Caern Concealment - Frontier Secrets page 25

Level Four
Rite of the Tempest - Werewolf: The Dark Ages page 113

Level Four
Rite of the Opened Sky - Werewolf Players Guide, 2nd Edition Page 44

The Badger’s Burrow - Level Four
The guardians of the caerns become so connected to their bawn that they can sense all that goes on within its boundaries. The ritemaster enacting this rite gazes intently into a bowl of water, pool of ink, mirror, or some such. At the same time, the Garou pours a small amount of witch hazel or other strongly scented astringent (such as urine) on the ground in front of her. Any other Garou watching or participating encircle the ritemaster and growl softly in the backs of their throats. Some of the younger Garou (Glass Walkers and Wendigo in particular) enhance the ritual through the use of mild psychotropic drugs, although many Garou frown upon this practice. The difficulty of the rite increases as the size of the area intended to be used increases.

Rite of the Opened Bridge - Level Four
This rite creates a moon bridge, a shimmering portal serving as a mystical means of transportation between two caerns. Such moon bridges are vital links between the sacred
spaces of Gaia. Once per year, a caern must renew its connection with other caerns to which it wishes to maintain moon bridges. This rite is always held during a moot, and it must be enacted simultaneously by both participating caerns. The primary requirement to open a moon bridge is a moongem, or pathstone as it is most often called. Pathstones are found in the Umbra, and they are often the objects of quests. These extraordinarily rare stones resemble flat pearls with the imprint of a wolfs paw on one side. It is possible to steal a pathstone from a caern, but such a theft is considered blasphemous, and it may well result in war between two Garou septs. The rite establishes (or reestablishes) a spiritual connection between the pathstones of two second caerns by way of the caerns' totem spirits. At the rite's culmination, a moon bridge opens between the two participating caerns. During this time, Garou from both septs can travel between the caerns to join in a wild revel. Moon bridges allow Garou to traverse distances in l/1000th the normal time required. This rite must be renewed once every 13 moons (roughly a year). The difficulty of the rite is influenced by the power level of the target Caern (more powerful caerns are harder to connect to). If the rite succeeds, the moon bridge opens immediately, and the spirit-bond between the two pathstones is established. Moon bridges may now be opened at any time between the two caerns. The bridges may be opened with the Rite of the Opened Caern or the Ragabash Gift: Open Moon Bridge (if performed at the caern). If the rite fails, no moon bridge opens, and the rite must be tried again next year. Moon bridges to the caern may still be opened, but they are not as safe as they might be. … If the rite botches, no moon bridge opens, and the pathstone in the caern is scorched by the badly handled energies. Botching this rite often leads to another rite — the Rite of Ostracism — being performed against the offending Garou.

Rite of the Shrouded Glen - Level Four
This rite causes an area within the Umbra to become invisible, so that it cannot be seen from any other part of the spirit world. At least five people must participate in this ritual,
and they must fast for at least three days to purify themselves. The Uktena, who are particularly adept at this rite, maintain that all participants must come to the rite with their bodies clad only in painted symbols representing earth, air, water, fire, and (for the ritemaster) the spirit world. The difficulty of this rite is increased by stronger areas of the Gauntlet. Any participating Garou can contribute Gnosis to this rite. A great expenditure of temporary gnosis is necessary to make The effect permanent. If the area the Garou attempt to hide is larger than the caern itself, the amount of Gnosis required increases for every extra mile to be hidden.

Rite of Caern Building - Level Five
This powerful rite actually creates a permanent caern by drawing the spirit world and the physical world closer together. Simply reciting the rite draws the attention of the Wyrm's servitors, and actually performing the rite has been known to prove fatal. Only the most powerful and wise mystics dare lead such an undertaking. A powerful Theurge is almost always selected to perform this most sacred of rites. Many Garou must channel their energy through a powerful leader to have even a hope of success. Whole packs have been known to die in agony of failed attempts. Once the physical focus for the heart of the caern is chosen, the area must be cleansed of all taint in preparation for its transformation. All Garou participating in the rite must undergo a Rite of Cleansing. The ritemaster performs a series of minor rituals, meditation and other physical preliminaries to prepare for her awesome task. The sept must post sentries (very often the players' characters), for servants of the Wyrm almost invariably attempt to disrupt such a great rite. Only the mightiest warriors are chosen for such an assignment, and their protection is critical to the success of the rite. The leader of the rite is helpless while he chants a long litany of verses designed to draw a great spirit into the prepared caern. Although it is possible to create a specific type of caern, most leaders leave this choice to Gaia and accept whatever caern she grants the sept. The rite must be performed between the hours of sunset and sunrise during the waxing of the moon. Only the Black Spiral Dancers create caerns during the moon's waning. Because an enormous amount of Gnosis is needed to create a new caern, a minimum of 13 Garou, one for each moon of the year, must participate in this rite. Regardless of the number of Garou aiding her, the ritemaster can channel such a powerful stream of Gnosis through her system only once per hour. The rite must be performed at night. Therefore, the ritemaster has only eight rolls (one per hour) in which to accomplish her task in most places and at most times of the year. This limit makes success fairly unlikely. If indeed, the rite does fail, all involved suffer painful wounds. These wounds are not aggravated, but they are very painful, and they always leave small teardrop-shaped scars scattered across the Garou's body. Such scars are considered marks of bravery, and these "tears of Gaia" are often highlighted by tattoos or paint and worn with pride by the Garou. The Garou say the scars are the result of Gaia crying out for her children's pain. Once the leader scores the required number of successes, all those involved in the rite must contribute Gnosis points — 100 are needed. If the total Gnosis available is not 100, all those participating begin to suffer aggravated wounds. Each wound counts as three more Gnosis points toward the total. Botches during this rite are particularly deadly. All characters involved suffer such grievous damage that means that even a Garou previously at full health becomes Incapacitated. Those Garou reduced to below Incapacitated suffer severe Battle Scars. Immediately upon the rite's successful completion, the ritemaster must sacrifice a number of permanent Gnosis points equal to the level of the caern. If a player's character should somehow assume the role of ritemaster and succeed, she receives three points of Glory Renown, five points of Honor Renown and seven points of Wisdom Renown. Anyone else participating in the rite receives five points of Glory Renown and three points of Honor Renown. This task is a legendary one that deserves a suitable reward.

Level Five
Bearing the Caern - Tribebook: Black Furies, Revised Ed. Page 75

Rites of Death

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Mystic Rites

Mystic rites bring the Garou into direct contact with the Umbra and/or spirit beings. Unlike most other rites, a Garou usually performs these rites alone.

System: When performing a mystic rite, the ritemaster must make a Wits + Rituals roll (difficulty 7 unless otherwise stated).

Level One

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Baptism of Fire
Level One
Most tribes attempt to track down all children born to their Kinfolk within one month of the children's birth to see if they "share the blood." (Most commonly, this search involves the Gift: Scent of the True Form.) Those who are Garou are "baptized" in the light of their auspice moon, beside a ritual fire. Such a baptism most commonly involves mingling ashes with a few drops of Garou blood. The mixture is then touched to the child's ears, nose, eyelids and tongue.

In the presence of a lesser tribal spirit known as a Kin-Fetch, the babe is then held up to the moonlight while the baptizing Garou howls Gaia's greeting to the newborn. The ritemaster then has the Kin-Fetch kiss the infant. The spirit's fiery kiss inscribes a spiritual brand upon the babe in the form of the newborn's tribal pictograph. This mark is not visible on the newborn's body; the only mark left is spiritual. It is impossible to remove this spiritual brand. Such a mark can be traced and recognized by all Garou (including the Black Spiral Dancers, who all too often track down cubs of other tribes and capture them in order to create more of their foul number).

The participating Kin-Fetch spirit is assigned to watch over the young Garou as she grows to maturity, so that the tribe may always know the child's location and whether she is endangered. When the child is about to undergo the First Change and is ready for the Rite of Passage, the spirit alerts the tribe. Unfortunately, such minor spirits are notoriously weak-willed and easily distracted. All too often, a Kin-Fetch loses track of its charge or becomes lost itself, leaving the young cub on her own. Such "lost cubs" often become Lunatics or recluses, terrified of themselves and unable to understand their powerful primal urges.

System: The ritemaster makes a Charisma + Rituals roll. Only one success is required, but additional successes improve the chance that the Kin-Fetch will keep track of the child. This rite must be performed at night under the moon in which the child was born. Although this rite is normally performed within a month of birth, the brand can be inscribed at any time before the cub reaches adolescence and undergoes her First Change. The brand fades out of existence after the cub's Rite of Passage.

Last Blessing (Child of Gaia)
Level One
The mere existence of metis threatens the Veil, as they are born and die in Crinos form. This blessing is given to a metis by the ritemaster after going to war and before the metis’ face is cold in death. It simply ensures that the metis’ corpse will be in that form which she most preferred (apart from her breed form, of course): human or wolf, arousing no suspicion. Many metis have received this rite with joy, seeing it as a sign of Gaia’s forgiveness.

System: The ritemaster lays hands on the metis and chants the Song of the True Form; then spends one permanent Gnosis. The metis’ body changes to Homid or Lupus form, and the change is permanent.

Prayer of the Seeking (Uktena)
Level One
This is actually a modified (and much more complex) Prayer for the Prey, which is only taught to Uktena’s children. Before a hunt for a specific item of lore of magic (such as a lost fetish or tome), the Garou prays while holding an attuned object (usually a water snake skin or, for the fortunate, an uktena scale). If successful, the Uktena finds the search much easier. If the attuned focus is lost, a new one must be found and attuned in order for the rite to work; attuned foci are personal and cannot be transferred. Smart Garou usually give some token of their gratitude for particularly successful uses of this rite.

System: Initial attunement of an ordinary focus requires the expenditure of a temporary Gnosis point; an uktena scale is already considered attuned to the owner. Before the search begins, the Garou prays to Great Uktena while holding the focus; the player makes a Wits + Rituals roll (difficulty 7, or 6 if the focus is an uktena scale). For every two successes, the player may add one die to any Enigmas, Investigation or Occult roll related to the search for the object in question. Alternately, in difficult cases the Storyteller may drop hints in the form of omens, waking visions or intuitive leaps to get the ball rolling. The object must be of lore or magical value. The bonus ends when the Garou diverts from the quest for any reason (including sleeping or eating, not including fighting guards who bar the Garou’s path to the goal).

Rite of Binding
Level One
This rite binds a spirit to a Garou, making it his servant. The more powerful the spirit is, the more difficult the process is. Although any encountered spirit is subject to binding, the Garou generally feel that spirits should be bound only when needed. They do not feel good about binding spirits for great lengths of time. This point does not uncontested, however, particularly by the mystics of the Uktena tribe.

Spirits trapped through this rite may be bound into temporary service or into objects to create talens. So spirit allows itself to be bound unless it is friendly to the binding character's totem. Spirits can be bound into objects, places and people, although the Garou generally don't perform the last feat unless the need is great. Failing this rite can be dangerous, for the spirit is very likely to become hostile and attempt to harm the mystic.

System: A Garou can attempt this rite only in the presence of a spirit, and it is usually performed in the Umbra. When attempting to bind a spirit, a Garou must first spend a number of Gnosis points (minimum one). Each point of Gnosis spent reduces the spirit's Gnosis rating by one. The Garou's player must then roll Willpower ( difficulty of the spirit's adjusted Gnosis) . The number of successes indicates how long the spirit may be forced into service (one week per success) . In the case of a talen, the spirit is bound until the object is used.

Rite of Breeding (Silver Fang)
Level One
The rite is one of the secrets behind the Silver Fang’s unusually high levels of Pure Breed. When a Fang feels that it is time for her to start a family, she enacts this rite and asks her house’s totem to guide her to her best-matched mate. The werewolf meditates on her ancestry, using pictures, stories, photos or keepsakes and then calls to the totem for guidance. If the rite is successful, the totem grants her a vision of herself carried aloft in the talons of the totem to the home of the best prospect for a strong, worthy child. The rite does not guarantee that the prospective mate will welcome the werewolf’s advances; just that he is a good genetic and spiritual match.

System: Standard roll. This rite normally takes place within the boundaries of the home caern, and shows the Kinfolk most likely to prove a good mate within a few days’ travel. The more successes achieved the more details the vision gives about the prospective mate and his location. This ritual does not help with seducing or winning the heart of the Kinfolk in any way.

Rite of Growth (Glass Walker: City Farmer)
Level One
This rite is a remarkable backup measure for traditional City Farmers, allowing them to cause plants to grow in strange locations. The plants do not grow unusually quick, but can grow in plastic, concrete or other unusual places, drawing nutrients from the source. Three Garou are needed to make this rite work.

The ritemaster makes an indentation in the surface using a claw, and plants the seed of the plant into it. The three then hold hands in a triangle around it, kneeling, and request the spirit of the material that it nurture and care for the plant. If the spirit agrees, a small green shoot will appear immediately.

System: The ritemaster rolls Wits + Rituals. The difficulty depends on the surface and area. An abandoned lot is 5, a typical city building is 7, an oil spill would be 9. Each success guarantees the plant’s survival for one month. After that as much regular watering and care as for any other plant is required.

Rite of Heritage (Get of Fenris)
Level One
This genealogical rite is a favorite of Skalds and Forseti alike, albeit for slightly different reasons. Some Fenrir use it to verify the identity of a hero’s descendants before passing on an inheritance; others use it to identify the father of a metis cub if none is forthcoming. The ritemaster draws the blood of the subject with a silver knife and sings a long paean to the ancestor-spirits of his tribe and any others that might be watching over the subject. As he completes the song, the ancestor-spirits whisper the subject’s heritage into his ears.

System: The ritemaster rolls Wits + Rituals, difficulty 7, as normal. Success reveals the subject’s true heritage for one generation back per success (for example, two successes would reveal the subject’s heritage as far back as his grandparents). In addition, the ritemaster receives the answer to one specific question about the subject’s heritage per success; e.g., “What was this cub’s paternal grandfather’s profession?” or “Does the blood of any other tribe run in this cub’s veins?” The answer will be accurate, as long as the answer can be found within the number of generations revealed; if the ritemaster gained four successes, for example, he could not ask “Is this child descended from Frode?”, but he could accurately tell if the child’s great-great-grandfather claimed descent from Frode or not.

The Rite of Heritage works just as well with humans or wolves (although wolves, lacking names, are harder to accurately identify, even non-Kin or magi. It does not, however, work on the undead or on fae.

Rite of the Questing Stone
Level One
This rite allows the werewolf to find a person or object (locations do not count) . He must know the name of the object or individual. The difficulty of the rite is reduced if the Garou has some piece of the object or person (for example, a clipping of hair or piece of cloth) . He must dangle a stone or needle from a thread while concentrating on the item or person sought. Glass Walkers often use maps and substitute a compass for the traditional stone and thread.

System: Standard roll. If the Garou has a piece of the item or individual, the difficulty drops by one. The rite gives the Garou a sense of only the object's general location, not its exact position.

Rite of Rune Carving (Get of Fenris)
Level One
Get of Fenris Crescent Moons learn early on to respect and appreciate the power of the written rune, whether it takes the form of Garou glyphs or of runes of human origin. This rite is a prerequisite to the Rite of Rune Casting; it is with this rite that the rune-seer creates her talismans. The runes must be carved into the bones of enemies slain in battle, but may take whatever form is most spiritually relevant to the ritemaster. Most Fenrir choose Garou glyphs or the Futhark runes of the Norse, but a few Get have been able to make rune-bones carved with the Cherokee alphabet and even I Ching trigrams function.

System: Standard roll; the rite lasts for eight hours of carving and ritual empowerment. At the rite’s completion, the Garou must spend a Gnosis point to “charge” the runes. The runes are commonly stored in a bag, and drawn forth just one to three at a time.

Rite of the Sacred Fire (Uktena)
Level One
The sacred fire is a focal point of spiritual life in many septs, for like the heart of the caern it connects the physical and spirit realms - the flame burns in both. Sacred fires are tended with reverence in medicine lodges or caves, or more rarely outside - spirits are attracted to them like the proverbial moths to a flame, so such a fire would make a site pretty crowded even for an Uktena caern. Building a sacred fire in turn increases the effectiveness of other mystic endeavors.

A sacred fire is to be treated with respect. While3 an individual may remake sacred fires at need, it is considered more honorable to maintain one. Many septs maintain the fire for a year at a stretch, while others have kept theirs burning for years or even generations.

System: The fire is built using sanctified materials (including a small pinch of spiritually active tobacco) and started with flint sparks or with wood friction - never a lighter or match. The base of the fire consists of four logs that point in the cardinal directions. At the moment of lighting, the Garou expends a Gnosis point and makes a Wits + Rituals roll (difficulty is the local Gauntlet rating). Each additional Gnosis point spent lowers the difficulty by one. If successful, the flame ignites in the Penumbra and all Mystic Rites or other Rites dealing with spirits (such as Contrition) may be performed at -1 difficulty per two successes (after the first). At the Storyteller’s option, other spirit dealings may go more smoothly, for the building of the fire indicates a respect for the old traditions and knowledge of the ancient pacts between spirit and Garou. The area covered by this rite is typically as far as the flame’s heat can be felt (a medium-sized room or medicine lodge counts). The sacred fire lasts for as long as it is tended with sanctified materials.

Rite of Silence
Level One
Garou who need to be silent use this rite to make up for any lack in natural ability. For the duration of this rite, the Garou are incapable of making any noise even if they bang on a drum or shatter glass. With the assistance of Raven-spirits, the Garou can sneak through dry underbrush or over a gravel road without making a sound.

System: The Garou invoking this rite confines herself in a dark room or cave. She whispers her darkest secret and then utters an oath of silence. Raven-spirits, attracted by her secret, carry any sound she makes into the Umbra once she leaves her confinement. If the werewolf chooses to speak for any reason, the rite ends immediately. The Raven-spirits, disappointed that the Garou did not reveal any more secrets, return the sounds they carried. For several minutes, the Garou is surrounded by a cacophony she created earlier.

This rite silences only those sounds the Garou would have made directly. If she were to throw a rock at a window, for instance, the whistle of the rock through the air would be silent, but the shattering glass would not. If she punched the glass with her bare hand, the breaking window would not make a sound.

Rite of the Seeking (Uktena)
Level One
This is actually a modified (and much more complex) Prayer for the Prey, which is only taught to Uktena’s children. Before a hunt for a specific item of lore or magic (such as a lost fetish or tome), the Garou prays while holding an attuned object (usually a water snake skin or, for the fortunate, an uktena scale). If successful, the Uktena finds the search much easier. If the attuned focus is lost, a new one must be found and attuned in order for the rite to work; attuned foci are personal and cannot be transferred. Smart Garou usually give some token of their gratitude for particularly successful uses of this rite.

System: Initial attunement of an ordinary focus requires the expenditure of a temporary Gnosis point; an uktena scale is already considered attuned to the owner. Before the search begins, the Garou prays to Great Uktena while holding the focus; the player makes a Wits + Rituals roll (difficulty 7, or 6 if the focus is an uktena scale). For every two successes, the player may add one die to any Enigmas, Investigation or Occult roll related to the search for the object in question. Alternately, in difficult cases the Storyteller may drop hints in the form of omens, waking visions or intuitive leaps to get the ball rolling. The object must be of lore or magical value. The bonus ends when the Garou diverts from the quest for any reason (including sleep or eating, not including fighting guards who bar the Garou’s path to the goal).

Rite of Talisman Dedication
Level One
This rite allows a werewolf to bind objects to her body, allowing these objects to fit her various forms (jeans will grow to accommodate the size increase of the Crinos form, for instance) and accompany the Garou into the Umbra. Such talismans are most commonly mundane items, for spiritual items such as fetishes and talens remain with the werewolf in all forms automatically. A werewolf most often performs this rite during the phase of the moon under which he was born. Each auspice has its own peculiar ritual.

System: The cost is one Gnosis point per object dedicated, and a character may never have more objects bound to himself than his Gnosis score. Certain large objects (Storyteller's discretion) are considered to be more than one for the purposes of "cost." Similarly, the Storyteller may allow multiple objects to count as one object if they are sufficiently related (and not an abuse of the rite). The most common example is permitting a set of clothes to count as "one object" rather than one shirt, one pair of pants and so on. A generous Storyteller might allow a container's contents (at the time of dedication) to count as part of the container - if, again, the players aren't abusing the rite by doing so.

The Storyteller and the player should decide what happens to the object when the character assumes certain forms. For example, when the character assumes Crinos form, her backpack's straps may simply grow to fit around her shoulders (although the pack still cannot hold more items than normal). When the character is in Hispo form, her knife may meld with her body. In such cases, the object will appear as a tattoo. Others must spend a Willpower point to remove the object from the character.

Level Two

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Communion with the Storm (Shadow Lord)
Level Two
It is easy to lose oneself in the intricacies of Garou society, and to forget that the ultimate goal of all the politicking of the Shadow Lords is the defeat of the Wyrm and the restoration of Gaia to her normal state. Many Shadow Lords thus turn to this rite to remind themselves of why they’re fighting, and of what it is that they’re supposed to be fighting for. In the process, they focus their Rage and their ambition so that they may more effectively accomplish their tasks.

This rite is always performed in the midst of a heavy thunderstorm, but that is its only constant. It may be performed singly or in groups, at any time of day or night, and in any part of the world. So long as Grandfather Thunder’s touch is present, that is all that matters.

System: Standard roll. While this rite is in effect, all Enigmas rolls have difficulties three lower than normal (minimum 4). In addition, the ritemaster may bring any single problem (usually nominated beforehand) to the attention of Grandfather Thunder in an attempt to seek his counsel. If he is invoked with a successful Wits + Enigmas roll (difficulty 8), Grandfather Thunder presents them with an appropriate course of action and girds their resolve with either a point of Rage or a point of Gnosis, depending on the nature of the problem.

Feast For the Spirits (Fianna)
Level Two
Since the dawn of religion, worshippers have made offerings of food to gods and spirits. The Fianna do so to honor ancestors at feasts, reminding them of their former lives and strengthening their ties to kith and kin. Theurges also enact the rite as chiminage to spirits who want a taste (literally) of what the living enjoy.

System: The ritemaster sings or plays a tune of welcome for the spirits while investing Gnosis in the food (one point is good for a plate of food and a drink) , and rolls Wits + Rituals (difficulty of the local Gauntlet). Only one success is required to make the essence of the food as tangible to spirits in the Penumbra as it is to the Garou in the physical realm. Once its essence has been consumed, the physical food and drink loses
any appealing taste or texture as well as much of its nutritional value.

Rite of Becoming
Level Two
Werewolves must perform this rite at an Anchorhead Domain. Once completed, it enables them to travel into the Deep Umbra. The most common version of this rite requires that the Garou must make a braid from three of her hairs, three pieces of fine copper wire and three tendrils of ivy or other vine. Lengths of silk thread are sometimes substituted for the hair or wire. When the braid has been constructed, the Garou ties it around his own wrist and howls three words of power. The Uktena often drink a bitter potion that loosens the Garou's spirit from the Tellurian, while the Black Furies always perform this ritual in threesomes, never traveling the Deep Umbra alone.

System: If the braid is destroyed while the Garou is in the Deep Umbra, the Garou takes one health level of aggravated damage and risks becoming lost forever if she does not return to the Near Umbra immediately.

Rite of Crash Space (Bone Gnawer)
Level Two
Ratkin developed this rite initially, then traded it to a handful of Bone Gnawer Theurges for a big pile of shiny Loot. This rite is much like that of the Cardboard Palace, but further “dedicates” the space for peaceful reflection and meditation.

System: This rite works different for Bone Gnawers than it does for Ratkin. The ritemaster must spend one Gnosis and make a Wits + Rituals roll (difficulty 7). Recovering Gnosis becomes easier in the “crash space”; reduce the difficulty of any rolls to recover Gnosis while inside the structure by 2. If the ritualist scores three successes on the roll for casting this rite, any Garou meditating in the crash space can regain Gnosis by meditating for an hour; the amount of Gnosis regained equals the number of successes he scores on a Wits + Enigmas roll after an hour of meditation. (Outside the crash space, the number of points regained depends on the number of hours spent meditating.)

Rite of Feeding the Land (Red Talon)
Level Two
The rite is the province of the Dying Cubs camp. It allows the Garou to use the pain of a dying human (or Garou, in theory) to feed and heal the land. The Dying Cubs cannot say where they learned this rite; every sept that knows it seems to have learned it from a visiting Talon, but no one can trace the rite back to its origin.

The ritemaster and any other Garou that participate bind and torture the victim for as long as they wish. The longer the victim remains alive and in pain, the more potent the rite. The Garou may use any means of inflicting pain they wish, and may even heal the victim to prolong his agony provided the victim always suffers from one health level of damage (if the victim is ever fully healed, the rite fails). When the victim can bear no more and finally expires, the ritemaster spills the victim’s blood on the ground to replenish the land. Wyrm-taint is burned away and even the touch of the Weaver weakens somewhat.

System: Any characters involved in this rite lose one point of temporary Honor for torturing a helpless victim (the Dying Cubs usually don’t care). Any player whose character participates in the torture of the victim must roll Wits + Intimidation at a difficulty of the victim’s Willpower in an extended, resisted test against the victim’s Willpower (difficulty 8). Each turn, if the torturer has more successes than the victim does, the victim loses a temporary Willpower point. If the torturer and the victim are even or if the victim has more successes, the victim does not lose Willpower. The Storyteller must decide based on what kind of torture is being employed how often the victim takes damage. The torturers can keep building the rite until the victim runs out of Willpower and health levels.

When the torturers have extracted all that they can from the victim (i.e., said victim runs out of Willpower and/or dies) the ritemaster rolls Wits + Rituals (difficulty 7). For a 20-foot radius per point of Willpower and health levels taken from the victim, the area is cleansed of Wyrm-taint (as if the Rite of Cleansing had been performed). Also, the Gauntlet in that area drops by two (to no lower than three) for one full month.

{As the reader has likely guessed, the Rite of Feeding the Land is probably not Gaian in origin. Every time the rite is performed on a given area, the area is cleansed superficially, but if the Wyrm’s minions ever do decide to attack, any spiritual guardians in the area will ignore the attackers. The exact origins of the Rite of Feeding the Land and what manifestation of the Wyrm, if any, is responsible for it, as well as to what degree the Dying Cubs have been corrupted, are in the hands of the Storyteller.

Note that “not at all” is a possible response - Gaia is just as often cruel as she is kind. The bodies of those unjustly slain feed the ground as well as true enemies of Gaia. The Dying Cubs might be unknowingly serving the Wyrm or they might have discovered an effective, if unpleasant, way to cleanse the land. Again, this is left to the Storyteller’s discretion.}

Rite of the Foeman's Vigil (Fianna)
Level Two
Severed heads can be more than a trophy, they can be a ward. In this modified version of the Rite of the Fetish, the ritemaster takes the head of a newly taken foe (within the last 24 hours) and rebinds the spirit within it in service to the Garou. When put in place (usually buried under a pile of stones or placed on a pike or wall), the head emits a shrill, undulating wail if any unwelcome visitor approaches within 20 yards of the head. It will cease to function if moved or broken, if it is activated too many times, or until the third Samhain after its creation; then the spirit flees.

A rarely used variant of this rite (known as Hero's Vigil) uses the head of a recently killed Fianna hero (should the spirit be agreeable to the binding).

System: The ritemaster rolls Wits + Rituals (difficulty 10, 9 if the slayer conducts the rite). At the end of the rite the head is placed in its permanent position. It will activate a number of times equal to successes rolled. Normal intruders will automatically be detected if they enter the alert radius; those with supernatural concealment (such as Obfuscate, human magic or a Gift) may evade notice if the being rolls more successes for their respective concealment power than the ritemaster. This does not detect intrusion across the Gauntlet, but a Black Spiral Dancer head (for example) could be placed in the Penumbra with similar effects. If Rite of Hero's Vigil is enacted on a willing Fianna's spirit, difficulty is 10 - Rank of the dead Garou, and the head may be good for up to nine Samhains. As the two rites are very similar, Garou who know one only require three days of study to learn the other.

Rite of the Shopping Cart (Bone Gnawer)
Level Two
When the ritual is performed on any carrying space or cargo-carrying device, it can be expanded to hold more stuff, loot, or junk. In a sense, the inside becomes slightly larger than the outside. The container doesn’t bulge or distort; even bulky items become easy to carry.

System: Roll Wits + Rituals (difficulty 7) and spend one Gnosis. For each success, you can place another ten pounds in the container. The rite must be renewed each week or the contents will spill out of the container (and possibly into the street). On a botched roll, the container breaks or tears and is rendered useless.

Rite of Spirit Awakening
Level Two
This rite is used to awaken a sleeping (inactive) spirit. To perform this rite, a Garou must play a rhythm on some form of instrument (drums being the most common). While the Garou plays, any other participating Garou pace around the ritemaster howling and growling in counterpoint to the beat.

When performed on a mundane item, this rite enlivens the object's spirit, causing it to awaken and appear in the Umbra. For example, if the rite is performed on a VW bus, any Garou stepping sideways could see the bus as a true part of the landscape. However, it would appear as a stationary object in the Penumbra unless someone on the physical plane began to drive it, in which case it would appear as a driverless vehicle to anyone in the Umbra.

When performed on plants, this rite is known as sanctification. Plant-spirits are generally benevolent, and an awakened plant spirit will lend its powers as though it were a talen (one use). Different plants grant different abilities when sanctified. For example, sanctified foxglove protects against faerie magic (adding two to the difficulty of any faerie spell).

System: The ritemaster must play a musical instrument or sing a song (talent doesn't matter). The difficulty of the roll is the spirit's Rage. Failure means that the spirit remains dormant. The Storyteller must decide whether the spirit is hostile or friendly to its awakener. Awakening a spirit does not allow any control over it. Commanding an awakened spirit requires either a Rite of Binding or a Gift. This rite doesn't work on sentient beings such as humans. Such individuals are already as "awakened" as they're going to get.

Rite of the Spirit Brew
Level Two
With this rite, a Garou imbues a small volume of water with Gnosis. The most time consuming aspect of the rite involves actually creating the container. It must be sturdy enough to survive long journeys but ready mystically to hold the spiritual energies. This process allows the Garou to store a reserve of Gnosis for use during a particularly grueling conflict or extended journey.

System: After several hours of meditation and prayers to Gaia, the Garou buries the receptacle in purified earth for three days. At the end of that period, the Garou recovers her prize. The water now holds three Gnosis points that can be consumed by anyone. Should a creature incapable of using Gnosis drink the liquid, nothing happens and the Gnosis is lost.

The nature of the container depends purely on the Garou and the circumstances in which she finds herself. Many Get of Fenris use army canteens, whereas the Pure Ones remain fond of buffalo-hide waterskins.

Rite of Summoning
Level Two
Garou mystics are adept at calling spirits, be they minor Gafflings, totem spirits or even Incarna. Summoning spirits involves complex rituals, long periods of meditation and tribal mantra chanting. Within the Umbra, this process is far easier. This rite compels spirits to seek those who call them. Furthermore, the spirit cannot escape its caller once the summoning is completed successfully, and it must attend the mystic. Many spirits, particularly minor ones, are too weak to resist a powerful summoning. Powerful ones come out of curiosity. The chance of a successful summoning depends upon the skill of the mystic, the power of the spirit and the strength of the area's Gauntlet.

System: The ritemaster must pierce the Gauntlet just as if he were entering the Umbra (Gnosis roll against the Gauntlet). A mystic already within the Umbra is not required to pierce the Gauntlet. The power level of the spirit determines the difficulty level of a successful summoning. The Storyteller can determine target numbers from the following chart:

Spirit Type	Target Number
Gaffling	4
Jaggling	5
Totem avatar	7
Incarna	8-9
Celestine avatar	10

For each hour the Garou spends invoking the spirit, his target number drops by one. No target number may fall below 3. The player must then make a Gnosis roll and achieve as many successes as possible, with the following results:

Successes	Effect
1	Spirit comes eventually and is initially hostile
2	Spirit manifests quickly, but it is still initially hostile
3	Spirit comes immediately and is neutral
4	Spirit comes immediately and is passively benign
5	Spirit comes immediately and is friendly

A botched roll is likely to have disastrous results. Often a botch summons the wrong type of spirit - or even Banes - in great numbers or with great hostility.

The Storyteller should feel free to adjust the previous tables as she wishes, particularly as appropriate to totems. In certain cases, a Garou who attempts to summon a specific spirit will have no chance of success. At other times, he will have almost no chance of failure. The Storyteller is advised to treat each use of this rite individually and to use common sense in her decisions.

A Garou who summons an Incarna or Celestine avatar successfully gains two points of Wisdom Renown.

Level Three

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Birth of the Fire Warrior (Black Fury)
Level Three
In ancient days, legend holds that the goddess Coatlicue faced an angry horde of her own children, who charged her with betraying their father, Mixcoatl, by the hand of a sky-spirit. When all seemed lost, Coatlicue crouched and gave birth to the child of her union with the sky-spirit, the god of fire and war Huitzilopochtli. Huitzilopochtli emerged from the womb full-grown and fully armed; he drove off or slaughtered the mass of his half-siblings in his mother’s defense.

With Birth the Fire Warrior, a Mother can mimic Coatlicue’s desperate act of incarnation, and give birth to a warrior child spirit to fight on her behalf in times of peril. She must ingest a foul mixture of herbs, hot spices, and spring water, and then calmly and quietly invoke Gaia. The warrior emerges from the Mother’s womb as bloodily and messily as one might imagine such a thing - however, the spirit “labor” takes place far faster than would otherwise be the case. The warrior emerges from the Mother’s loins in a plume of fire, sword in hand, and proceeds to attack her enemies until it is destroyed or there are no enemies remaining. Birth the Fire Warrior can be used whether the Mother is pregnant with a real child or not, and its emergence generally does not affect a child in the womb.

System: Roll Stamina + Primal-Urge (difficulty 8). Success on this roll indicates that the character will be able to birth the Fire Warrior. This spirit takes ten minutes to emerge from the Fury’s womb; successes beyond the first decreases this time by 1 minute each or can be used to improve the Fire Warrior’s physical traits at the rate of one attribute point per success. The Fire Warrior will fight unceasingly for the Fury until it is destroyed, there are no enemies remaining, or the scene ends.

The Fire Warrior has the following base game traits: Strength 4, Dexterity 4, Stamina 4, Perception 1, Wits 3. It has Melee 4 and Dodge 3, and an effective Gnosis of 4 and Willpower of 10. Its fiery armor gives 3 additional soak dice against all attacks, and does 5 dice of fire damage against any foe that tries to grapple it. Its fiery sword does 8 dice of damage on a successful hit; this damage is considered aggravated against Wyrm creatures and those vulnerable to fire.

Enter the Dark Umbra (Silver Fang)
Level Three
Only a Death’s Breath-spirit may teach this rite, and only Silent Striders and members of the Ivory Priesthood may practice it. To perform the rite, the priest must purge himself of all sins and Harano. (This usually requires a day of fasting and meditation.) During the day of purification the Garou must also contemplate the thought of dying.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and makes a Willpower roll (difficulty 7) or the character risks plunging into a deep death-obsessed Harano for the rest of the scene. If the roll is successful, the Garou sees a Death’s Breath-spirit around twilight and must let it breathe into his mouth. The Garou feels an icy-cold chill shoot through his being. The Garou may now enter the Dark Umbra (also known as the Shadowlands) and appears as a dark patch in the Penumbra. The Garou may stay there until the next morning.

Rite of Asklepios (Child of Gaia)
Level Three
The ancient Greek healer Asklepios was the greatest physician of the ancient world, and the Children and their Kin aided his cult for a thousand years. This rite allows the ritemaster and his patient(s) to see the correct cure for diseases and wounds untreatable normally. Only a few Children of Gaia still know it.

System: The ritemaster prays over the patient, who then sleeps all night in an underground shrine, either a small room (hence, “incubation”) or a burrow for lupus. The ritemaster then rolls Wits + Rituals, difficulty 7, or 8 for illnesses of unknown origin. In the night, a spirit such as Asklepios, Clara Maas or Carlos Finley (the discoverer of the yellow fever vaccine) will appear to the patient and explain how to cure the disease. The patient will then awaken and perform the steps described. For each successes of the ritemaster, one level of damage will be cured. The patient and the ritemaster will then perform a sacrifice to Gaia. This can be a gift of goods or treasures, but can also be a service or quest to aid the ritemaster.

Rite of the Blackened Moon (Philodox)
Level Three
This rarely used rite creates a spiritually dead zone, essentially closing off a small space to Umbral access. The space can be no larger than a small hut or large room. Garou feel distinctly uncomfortable in this dead zone, and spirits trapped there can wither away to nothingness.

System: The bounds of the space are inscribed with glyphs, and an herbal smudge or incense is burned to banish spirits and spiritual influences from the room. Each success (Wits + Rituals, difficulty 7) increases the Gauntlet by one, to a maximum of 10. In addition, no Gnosis can be regained in any way within the warded space, and materialized spirits trapped within begin to unravel at the rate of 1 Essence/hour. The ritual’s effect lasts a number of days equal to the ritemaster’s successes, fading at sundown of the final day. This takes half an hour to perform, and can be continued as often as necessary.

Rite of Blood Kin
Level Three
Finding friends in an unfriendly world can be a challenging and even dangerous task. This rite discovers any Kinfolk unknown to the werewolf. Any Garou undergoing this rite enters a hypnotic state wherein he whispers the names of his ancient relatives. At the end of this lengthy rite, the identities of his existing Kinfolk are mystically added to the list. The rite, however, cannot tell the Garou anything about the disposition of the Kinfolk; neither does it reveal Wyrm-taint or other supernatural influence.

System: The ritemaster need only make sure that the questing Garou remains calm upon entering the trance. For the rite to be successful, nothing can disturb the ritualist's concentration. At the end of the rite, the questing Garou rolls his Wits + Empathy (difficulty 5). Each success makes clear the identity of one previously unknown Kinfolk within 100 miles of the Garou.

Rite of the Cardboard Fortress (Bone Gnawer)
Level Three
This rite, an amalgam of Rite of the Shopping Cart and Rite of the Cardboard Box, requires thinking “outside the box.” The results would look something like this: Using duct tape and at least one cardboard box, the ritemaster dedicates the box so that it’s much larger on the inside than it is on the outside. This involves creating a “pocket realm” of the Umbra accessible to anyone with the Gnosis Trait. The box must at least be large enough for the ritemaster to crawl inside, along with a flap that can open and close.

Depending on the success of the ritual, once the proper rites have been finished, up to five Garou can fit inside with enough room to barely move around without humping into each other. (In theory, they could square dance or do calisthenics, but couldn’t play tackle football.) If the box is opened or destroyed, there is nothing inside it, at least in the physical world. Instead, the Garou may exit their secret cardboard fortress through the Umbra. Multiple cardboard boxes can be taped together to hold multiple shapechangers.

System: Spend one Gnosis and roll Wits + Rituals (difficulty 7). Each success allows one shapechanger to move about freely inside, even if it’s in the equivalent of Crinos form. The Rite does not work on Corax or Mokole, perhaps for reasons involving Helios. The effects last for one full day or until the cardboard box is destroyed. Fighting in the Cardboard Fortress inevitably destroys the cardboard box.

Rite of the Fetish
Level Three
This rite allows a werewolf to create a fetish (an object with a spirit bound into it). To do so, the Garou must first cleanse the potential fetish by placing it under running water (sufficiently drinkable tap water counts), burying it in pure earth, exposing the object to constant breezes or suspending it above flame for three consecutive nights. The Garou must then force or persuade a spirit to enter the prepared object. The Fianna claim that cajoling or flattering a spirit produces the best results, while the Bone Gnawers and Silent Striders claim that bribery (expending Gnosis) works best.

System: The ritemaster rolls Wits + Rituals (difficulty 10). Each point of permanent Gnosis that the character spends during the rite reduces the difficulty by two; going to great length to prove one's sincerity to the spirit may also reduce the difficulty. A botch indicates that the spirit is released suddenly. (If the spirit was coerced into participation, it will almost assuredly attack.) If the Garou attempts to force a spirit into the fetish, she must first attack the spirit and reduce it to zero Essence before attempting to bind it into the fetish. A newly created fetish will not work until the bound spirit has recharged its Essence.

Rite of the Lodge House (Get of Fenris)
Level Three
The Fenrir are well aware of the dangers of letting their tempers get out of hand. Although a visitor or rival might deserve to be ripped limb from limb, it is neither honorable nor prudent to slay other Gaian werewolves in a fit of frenzy. Fenrir often bolster their self-control at formal moots with this rite, which soothes the Rage of participants so that they can avoid “diplomatic events.”

To enact this right, the Get must be inside a house pleasing to the spirits in some respect; the lodge-houses, longhalls or other structures within a Get caern are ideal, but any building that has been marked as open to the spirits of Gaia will suffice. The ritemaster opens each door and window in turn, inviting in the spirits of wisdom and granting the spirits of Rage permission to leave if they see fit. If the rite is performed correctly, those within the lodge are much less likely to lose control of their Rage until the meeting ends.

System: Standard roll; if successful, the rite’s effects last until the first person leaves the lodge. While the rite’s effects are in place, any shapeshifters within the lodge are calmer than usual; the difficulty of any Rage roll made within the lodge has a difficulty of 9 (although Rage may be spent without restriction).

Rite of Prophecy (Red Talon)
Level Three
Similar to the Rite of Weeping for a Vision, this rite allows a Red Talon to ask Gaia for a glimpse of things to come. Talons of all auspices learn this rite, but the Theurges are normally the only ones who use it more than once.

The Red Talon must go somewhere that she will not be disturbed. She must then find something that holds her attention; the movements of clouds in the sky, a parade of ants marching to their home, the swirling of running water - any of these will do. The supplicant simply allows her mind to unfocus and waits for the vision from Gaia.

The vision this granted may be helpful and might well grant the Red Talon some insight into an immediate problem. However, Red Talon “history” is fraught with tales of Talons who have foreseen events such as nuclear blasts, the War of Rage, the War of Tears, and battles that might or might not be the Apocalypse itself - and simply haven’t been able to interpret the visions in time. While nearly every Master of the Rite at a Red Talon caern knows the Rite of Prophecy, they rarely use it. To know the truth, but not what the trith means is more painful than most Garou can bear.

System: The player rolls Willpower (difficulty 7) to focus the character’s attention, and then rolls Wits + Rituals (difficulty 7) to begin the vision. The vision is left entirely in the Storyteller’s hands, but it is recommended that the more Pure Breed the character possesses, the more likely she will see a vision pertaining to the tribe (or the Garou Nation) as a whole rather than her or her pack.

Rite of Rune Casting (Get of Fenris)
Level Three
This prophetic rite enables the rune-caster to see hints of the future in the patterns the runes form as they fall. At the climax of the rite, the ritemaster casts a few runes from her personal rune-bag onto a hide skin or other sacred cloth, studying the patterns there to see what the spirits mean to tell her.

System: The rune-caster must use her personal set of runes, created by the Rite of Rune Carving; the roll is Wits + Rituals, difficulty 8. Success reveals an accurate, but vague prophecy; the ritemaster may roll Intelligence + Enigmas (difficulty 8) to make more sense of the casting, but prophecy is by nature never crystal-clear. The Storyteller is encouraged to use symbolic language to create the runes’ warnings; “you will encounter an obstacle” is rather bland, but “warrior-rune reversed, against ice-rune - Ymir’s prison walls may sap your strength” is considerably more interesting.

Rite of the Spirit Cage (Uktena)
Level Three
The Uktena believe that killing a spirit, even a Bane, is not always the best thing to do - particularly when time is needed to question, bargain with or even bind said entity. This rite allows the Uktena to trap a spirit in a cage of energy.

System: The Uktena creates a circle (usually less than 9 feet in diameter) in the physical realm. The circle is often made of flint or obsidian chips, but sometimes of candles or burning wood. Succeeding in the Wits + Rituals roll (difficulty 7) “primes” the cage; when the spirit has been lured to the circle, the ritemaster spends a Gnosis point to spring the trap. The Penumbral air around the spirit comes alive with spiritual representations of the circle - in the above example, that would be rapidly whirling slivers of obsidian or leaping tongues of flame. The barrier inhibits the use of most Charms.

To push through the barrier, the captive has to score more successes on a Rage roll (difficulty is the ritemaster’s Wits + Rituals) than the ritemaster had. Even if it manages to push through, it suffers Aggravated damage equal to

Rite of the Totem
Level Three
This rite binds a totem to a group of Garou, joining them together as a pack. During the rite, all werewolves who wish to bind their destinies to a particular totem spirit must coat their eyes with an infusion of saliva and mugwort, tobacco or a similar substance holy to Gaia and step sideways into the Umbra. In the spirit world, the ritemaster leads the Garou in a hunt for the spiritual spoor left by a totem spirit. Such evidence varies with the spirit, but Garou worthy of the totem's attention can always found it. Even tracking down the spirit does not guarantee success, for the totem must decide whether the Garou are worthy to become its fosterlings. An undecided totem may require a quest of the supplicants, although one is almost never required if the pack has just completed a Rite of Passage successfully.

System: Characters must purchase the Totem Background to benefit from this rite. Otherwise, the rite is simply not performed. The roll is standard.

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

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

Sin-Eating (Child of Gaia)
Level Three
This rite allows the ritemaster to end the suffering of others by taking their Wyrm-taint onto himself. It can cleanse both the living and the dead. The rite is reflected in a few rural communities in the Appalachians and elsewhere, where humans attempt to take the sins of others onto themselves to release a dead soul from hell.

System: The Garou lays out a meal on the body of the person (usually on their chest or in their hands) and eats it. As he does so, he makes a Wits + Rituals roll, with the difficulty being the sinner’s Willpower. Success transfers the subject’s Wyrm-taint into him; the Storyteller may require extra successes to transfer larger amounts of Wyrm-taint. This rite is said to be able to cleanse even Black Spirals (if huge numbers of successes could be achieved), but no such attempt has succeeded in living memory; Banes and fomori cannot be cleansed in this method, as they are, at least in part, Wyrm-taint itself.

Sing the Many Shapes (Child of Gaia)
Level Three
The Garou are warriors, even the Children of Gaia. But the Garou have warred not only on the enemies of Gaia but on the Fera, and even on their own kin among the Bunyip. This rite mourns the lost and brings understanding of the reasons and results connected to the long-ago battles. The Speakers for the Dead often perform it in Australia in Bunyip bora rings or in the Camazotz caves of Mexico.

System: The ritemaster seeks a place associated with one of the long-lost Changers and enters into meditation on the vanished race. She must plead with the dead to hear her apologies or elegies for them (this should be roleplayed). The greater her knowledge of the lost ones, the greater her chance of success. For the following year, the dead will not haunt any that take part in this rite. At the Storyteller’s discretion, the dead may communicate with the ritemaster; one or two have partaken in this rite claim to have gained new knowledge or insights thereby.

Walking With the Dead (Silver Fang)
Level Three
Only the members of the secretive Ivory Priesthood learn this rite. To perform the rite, the priest must first spend a day ritually purifying herself of all sins, according to the Priesthood’s creed, and any negative thoughts. She must also spend a few hours meditating on the idea of her own death and her attitude towards it. A priest who is not reconciled to her own mortality can find the Dark Umbra a disturbing and unsettling place.

Once the purification is complete, the Garou faces a Death’s Breath spirit in the early twilight of that evening. She must let it breathe into her mouth, which sends a chill like a rod of solid ice through her body. She may then step sideways into the Dark Umbra. She may remain there until dawn the following morning.

System: The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Willpower (difficulty 7). If the roll fails, the rite ends and the character is plunged into a terrible Harano-like depression that costs her two dice from every dice pool for the next 24 hours. If it succeeds, the character may make a normal stepping sideways roll to enter the Dark Umbra, as described above. Once in the Dark Umbra, the priest appears as a dark patch in the normal Penumbra. If she fails to return to the material world by dawn the next morning, she is trapped in the Dark Umbra unless another Ivory Priest or a kindly Silent Strider helps her back across into the material world.

Level Four

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Moon Dance (Wendigo)
Level Four
This rite seeks prophetic wisdom from the Moon, especially concerning adventures or war parties. Rite participants all gather in the Umbra and proceed along a Moon Path (randomly chosen by the ritemaster). If the Moon favors their dance, a Lune appears and gifts the party with visions of the coming future, though only with regard to the object of their quest or war party: They might see Pentex executives leaving their office at night, meaning that monkeywrenchers may have an easier time breaking in then, or they might see a Wyld-spirit harassing one of the ritualists, meaning that such a spirit may trouble them in their coming venture.

Garou who seek potent visions scar themselves with klaives to show their devotion to the Moon and their willingness for sacrifice.

System: The ritemaster rolls Wits + Rituals (difficulty 7). The number of successes determines both the number of visions (clues) given and their degree of import (Storyteller’s discretion). The difficulty of the roll drops by one per participant who cuts herself with silver (-3 maximum).

Python’s Trail (Black Fury)
Level Four
In the ancient days of Greece, any human who wished to consult the Oracle at Delphi was obliged to pay a tax, the “teleno,” which gave him the right to approach the great altar of Apollo to offer sacrifices (boars, goats or bulls). Having purified herself in the water of the Kastalian Fountain, Pythia bent over the Navel of the Earth (a cave opening), ate a laurel leaf and, inhaling the vapors emitted from the chasm, entered a state of ecstacy, uttering incoherent words. These were then composed into verses by the Priest, while the interpreter endeavored to render some meaning out of the prophecy.

The Greeks say that Python, a great snake-spirit and Gaia’s son, defended the rent in the earth from which oracles could receive visions of the future; they tell of Apollo’s great victory against Python and his prophetic works of later days.

Python wasn’t truly destroyed, of course; he and his servants walk the tunnels through Gaia’s bowels that lead back and forward in history. Loyal and wise Garou can use Python’s Trail to walk those same metaphorical tunnels and gain glimpses of the future. Black Furies who use this Rite take on a distant demeanor, and their prophetic utterances obey only dream-logic, not Weaver-think. A second Fury must stand by the Mistress of the Rite while she performs the Rite of Python’s Trail, to interpret the nearly mad utterances of her sister.

System: After an hour of trance, roll Perception + Enigmas (target 8). Gaia’s dream-tunnels travel throughout history, through a given character’s personal past and future as well as all the ages of Gaia. The Mistress of the Rite might well become overwhelmed by the visions before her: she needs three successes to convey anything sensible from the signs she sees - less than three and the character notices only sensations like pain and joy, color, and extremes of sound. Three successes yield poetic or metaphorical visions of important parts of the character’s past or future. Four successes let the Garou explore the timeline of a packmate or loved one; five let her look at the past and future on a larger scale (for her entire pack or tribe, or she may just stare forward to the fire of the Apocalypse). To portray the prophecy correctly, the Priestess must roll Intelligence + Expression, difficulty 8; more successes indicate that more of the Mistress of the Rite’s vision is passed on to the pack or sept.

The Storyteller is encouraged to use dream-logic or nightmare-logic to fabricate the character’s voyages through the past and future as a result of this Gift. It is intended to allow the Storyteller to grant glimpses and hints of things to come without forcing him to caper his storylines around madly to fit an overly literal interpretation of a character’s vision.

Rite of False Justice (Red Talon)
Level Four
Red Talon lore holds that since the tribe never received a vote on the Litany’s tenets, they are not bound by them. While the tribe follows the Litany for the most part, sometimes a Talon is forced to act against the Litany in order to follow her calling as a true predator. The Red Talons recognize that the other tribes may punish the Talon for her “transgression,” but have devised a means to remove the stigma from her.

This rite is only performed if the ritemaster and the sept leaders feel that another tribe has unjustly subjected a Talon to a Punishment Rite (such as Ostracism, Voice of the Jackal, or Stone of Scorn). The Rite of False Justice cannot disrupt a rite that also confers a death sentence, such as The Hunt or Gaia’s Vengeful Teeth (though the tribe may physically protect a Talon whom they feel is being persecuted by such a sentence).

The Rite of False Justice is always performed on the half moon. The ritemaster calls the punished Garou before her and asks her to describe in what capacity she was serving Gaia when she broke the Litany. If the Garou’s answer satisfies the ritemaster, she howls to the Philodox moon to lift the stigma from the supplicant, as she was serving her true nature, not the false laws, when she transgressed. The Talon is then freed from any Punishment Rite that she currently suffers from and is usually granted a measure of Renown for her honesty and bravery.

System: The ritemaster hears the supplicant’s case as described above. If the ritemaster judges the Talon worth of her suffering, no further penalty is incurred. If the ritemaster feels the Talon has been wrongly judged, the player rolls Wits + Rituals (difficulty of the level of the Punishment Rite under which the target currently suffers + 5). Success cancels the mystical effects (such as the altered voice granted by Voice of the Jackal) of any previously performed Punishment rite on the supplicant. Any Renown reimbursement or award is up to the Storyteller.

Rite of Invitation to the Ancestors (Uktena)
Level Four
Most often used in conjunction with the Spirit’s Horse Gift, this rite readies a moot or council of Uktena to welcome an ancestor spirit into its midst. Usually, the werewolves sing and dance to honor the tribal ancestors. Special foods are eaten, and invocations of sacred words may be made to the sun, moon or other natural elements, depending on the cultural backgrounds of the Uktena. Some werewolves use this rite without the Gift of Spirit’s Horse, to honor their ancestors and fallen heroes.

System: While no rolls are needed, some werewolves expend Gnosis as an offering to their ancestors.

Rite of Resolution (Child of Gaia)
Level Four
This rite is also called the Rite of the Harena (or the Rite of the Sands). It prevents Garou who combat one another ritually from frenzying during the combat, whether it is wrestling, klaivaskar, Iskakku or kailindo. Other tribes often ask the Children to perform this rite lest their warriors slay one another over a minor dispute.

System: The combatants approach one another, shake hands or sniff one another, and howl out their respect for one another. The ritemaster stands as referee and rolls Charisma + Rituals against the highest Rage score of any combatant. For each success, one failed Rage roll for Frenzy may be ignored.

Level Five

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Alteration of Generations (Child of Gaia)
Level Five
The ancient lupus among the Children of Gaia beheld the “eternal heat” of humankind and realized that this ability could vastly increase their breeding capability as well as enhancing the pleasures of mating. In the present, as the blood thins more and more, homid women have employed it to increase the measure of wolf blood in the tribe. It allows a homid to bear lupus offspring and vice versa.

System: At the conclusion of the rite, the Garou spends a permanent Gnosis point, shapeshifts to match the form of the beloved one and approaches their intended. A homid mating in Lupus form must wait until the mating season, of course, but in all cases conception is guaranteed. The mother’s breed form temporarily changes to that of her partner; the change lasts from conception to delivery, in order to prevent miscarriages.

Metis, of course, cannot use this rite - and none would teach it to them.

End Time Rite (Child of Gaia)
Level Five
This ritual gives insight into the nature of the Apocalypse. As such, enacting it is frightening, and many septs either forbid ritemasters to perform it or forbid them to speak publicly on what the rite reveals. Ritemasters who are able to speak on the rite say many different things about their visions.

The ritemaster must lead a group of Garou (and often Kin) in three days of chanting, dancing and meditating. If they manage to last through the lengthy and tiring rite, the ritemaster and others will see visions of the Apocalypse and of their own actions which are related to it. They will also see glimpses of how the actions of the Garou Nation have affected the Apocalypse. Some ritemasters have emerged hopeful, saying that the Children’s peacemaking can change the world into a new and better form. Others predict extinction in a great battle, and still others some bizarre Weaver “singularity” involving giant computers. Other tribes are always invited to participate in this rite, and Stargazers always seemed eager to do so, speaking of a new and transformed reality beyond the Apocalypse.

System: This rite requires the invocation of spirits of prophecy and time, which are by nature a cryptic lot. The ritemaster then leads three days of dancing and chanting and rolls Wits + Rituals, difficulty 7. The Storyteller may use the enactment of this rite as a story device; how “true” the visions are will be up to her.

Mockery Curing Way (Uktena)
Level Five
From time out of mind, one of the worst nightmares for a Garou was for one of her Kinfolk to be possessed by a Bane. Taint could be cleansed, but the Wyrm-spirit joined body and soul too thoroughly to extricate without destroying the host; even with a powerful healer at the ready, an exorcism frequently left the host shattered in mind and spirit. Worse still, the Bane often escaped into the Umbra to possess again another day. More often than not, Garou saw killing the victim as an agonizing but necessary task.

Recently, an Uktena pack returned from a decade-long quest with a ritual that offers a (slightly) better chance to both destroy the spirit and preserve the patient. Rather than ripping the Bane from the body, the rite drains its energy until it shrivels and pulls away like a withered creeper vine.

So far, the pack’s sept has kept this Rite quiet as they perfect their practice of it. Several fomori have been cured, but many more have died; two Garou nearly died in the process. Soon, though, they will present it to the Grand Council. It is hoped that the rite will disseminate throughout the tribe, and as word spreads the Garou Nation will have a newfound respect for the dark questers of the Pure Lands.

System: The fomor is usually bound, and rendered generally powerless, but state of consciousness is irrelevant. The chants that open the rite ensure the Bane is locked within the body - for better or worse. Other werewolves may assist the ritemaster, but all must be consecrated to the purpose beforehand by undergoing a purification ritual.

The ritemaster spends a Gnosis point; the player rolls Wits + Rituals (difficulty is the Bane’s Willpower), adding one die for every additional Gnosis points spent (other participants may contribute). Successes count against the Bane’s Essence; when Essence reaches zero, the Bane falls into Slumber. Seen from the Umbra the shriveled Bane is draped around the victim and may be pulled off and destroyed. A new roll can be attempted every hour with an additional expenditure of Gnosis, but the ritual is exhausting for all participants. A very powerful Bane can take hours or even days to defeat. Unfortunately, the host may not be able to stand the strain.

The Bane fights back if it can. If it is unable to do so, it tears the victim apart, doing three levels of aggravated damage, minus successes for that hour (in other words, if the ritemaster gets two successes, the victim takes one health level of damage). On a botch, the Bane can make a break for it, doing its Rage in unsoakable aggravated damage on its way out. Damage may be healed by a Gift, assuming the healer can touch the subject.

Afterward, the ritual area and all participants are tainted by the corrupt Essence that hemorrhaged from the Bane during the rite, and all must be thoroughly cleansed through a purification ritual.

Rite of Bane Binding (Uktena)
Level Five
One of the Uktena’s most important self-appointed tasks is the capture and binding of powerful Banes that, for whatever reason, cannot be destroyed. The Uktena performing this rite consider it one of the most sacred and dangerous of all their mystical duties; they know the chances are great that many will die in completing the ritual, so it is never undertaken without serious forethought.

System: The ritemaster begins by leading participants through a ritual chant and dance intended to subdue the Bane. All the werewolves then sacrifice Gnosis (usually many points) so the ritemaster may weave a net of power to contain the Bane; if all Gnosis is expended, then Willpower and finally Stamina is spent to successfully complete the rite. The ritemaster’s player then rolls Wits + Rituals, difficulty 9. For every 20 points of combined Gnosis, Willpower and Stamina spent, the difficulty drops by one, to a minimum of difficulty 7.

One success is needed to create the cage that holds the Bane; additional successes add to the strength of the Bane’s confinement. Should the ritemaster’s player fail the roll, the character remains alive, but the Bane is not contained, and is extremely angry. A botch indicates the immediate and messy death of the ritemaster. All players must also make a roll on their characters’ current Stamina. Even one success at the same difficulty indicates they survive, but are likely exhausted. A failure means the werewolf dies from the rigors of participating in the rite. Needless to say, living or dead, participants in this rite deserve a good measure of Renown for their bravery and honor. Note that while this Rite works for many powerful Banes, the greatest spiritual evils (such as the Storm Eater) require still more powerful rites, which are specific to the individual Bane.

Rite of Gaia’s Rebirth (Red Talon)
Level Five
This extremely powerful rite has only recently been rediscovered and is currently known only to one sept of Red Talons, the Sept of the First Rage. Gaia’s Rebirth allows the ritemaster to sacrifice he own Gnosis, and, if necessary, her own life to reclaim Gaia’s pure form from human defilement. The form of such corruption does not matter - the rite would work just as well destroying a path through a state park as it would leveling a building in a major city. The end result is the same: The land returns to the state it would be in had humans never seen it. Trees push their way through concrete, cars are covered and crushed by vines and overgrown with moss, although any organic matter (such as corpses) is consumed at the normal rate.

Performing this rite is complex. It requires a precise sense of timing, and the ritemaster must be guided by nothing but instinct. If she begins the rite even one minute too early or too late, the rite will fail, but the energies release may well destroy her. Gaia’s Rebirth can only be performed on the last night of the waning crescent moon, the night before the start of the Ragabash cycle. The climax of the rite must occur between the setting of the moon and rising of the sun, and the rite must be performed at the site to be purified (meaning a Red Talon cannot perform the rite outside city limits and expect the city itself to be consumed).

The rite requires a special moot, attended by no fewer than six Garou (the ritemaster plus one werewolf of each auspice). The moot begins with howls to any totem spirits in the area (a caern totem, if the rite is performed at a caern, the totems of any packs present, and the tribe totems of all Garou present) in addition to an elaborate howl to Gaia Herself. The ritemaster must walk or run in a circle around the center of the area to be cleansed, howling to Gaia to awaken the spirits of the land to reclaim it. She gives of herself - this can be physical, in which case she bleeds onto ground, or spiritual, in which case she simply howls and gives up part of her own spirit. In either case, if the rite is performed correctly, the plant life in the area quickly overtakes any human “development” and restores Gaia’s true order.

System: The player must first roll Perception + Primal-Urge (difficulty 9) to be sure of the correct timing for the rite. The Storyteller may want to make this roll in secret, so that the player does not know the results. If the roll succeeds, the character knows when to start the rite so that the end coincides with the moon and sun properly. If the roll fails, the character is unsure, and must wait a full month before attempting the rite again. If the roll is a botch, the character is sure of the timing, but has actually miscalculated. She will automatically fail at performing the rite.

The character must lead the moot as described above. At the moot’s climax, the player rolls Wits + Rituals (difficulty 9, or 7 if the character has both the Pure Breed and Ancestors Background at 2 or higher). If the roll fails, the rite fails, and the character receives three health levels of aggravated damage. These appear as teardrop-shaped wounds on her body, similar to the “Tears of Gaia” commonly suffered by Garou who attempt the Rite of Caern Building. If the roll is a botch, the character loses Gnosis or Stamina as described below, but the rite still fails.

If the roll succeeds, however, the player must decide how much land to reclaim from human corruption. For each dot of Stamina or two dots of Gnosis the character is willing to expend, roughly one square acre of land reverts to the state it would be in had humans never developed it at all. This rite does not destroy any materials - that is, buildings and vehicles do not simply disappear - but the plant growth will quickly crush and cover any human structures. Living things within the area of effect are not affected (except that they may find themselves trapped in buildings or carried to the tops of very large trees). The Gnosis or Stamina spent on this rite is considered permanently gone unless bought up again with experience.

Rite of the Hurricane (Shadow Lord)
Level Five
Use almost exclusively by the Shadow Lords of Mexico, this rite is a more potent version of the punishment rite Calling the Storm. Whereas that rite is used to rebel against a corrupt or unjust leader, this rite is designed to focus the fury of the Garou into a powerful storm, which may then be used to shatter the grip of the Wyrm upon the land. It is used to destroy nests of vampires, to sweep oil refineries out to sea, and to attack other artificial structures throughout the storm’s area. Most Garou frown on using this rite in all but the direst of emergencies, for it is quite destructive to the land it scours clean. The counter-argument is that Gaia is resilient, and it is better to let Her head Her wounds than suffer in the coils of the Wyrm. Even so, the questions raised by the rite ensure that the Rite of the Hurricane remains a last resort, to be used only when the need is dire.

System: This rite may only be performed in a tropical area, and even then only during the storm season. If these conditions are met, a single day is enough to call up a storm cell in the general region. Manifesting hurricane-force winds for a single scene is easily done, but maintaining the storm is another matter. Doing so require the expenditure of three points of Gnosis per day, which may be paid by any number of willing participants. Once the cost is not paid, the storm dissipates normally.

Rite of the Parted Veil (Child of Gaia)
Level Five
This rite is the Children of Gaia’s ultimate gift to Gaia-cherishing humans. When it is performed, the Veil is not pierced (as in the deadly Rite of Rending the Veil) but parts seamlessly to admit one or more humans (or wolves!). The person on whom the rite is performed thus becomes Kinfolk. Two Children unrelated to the human must witness that he loves Gaia and would aid the Children’s cause. Most often this rite is done for mates of Garou or Kin. Some of the Patient Deed say that they hope to extend the rite to whole nations.

The rite consists of the Garou dancing round the subject, while the ritemaster chants from the Songs of Welcome. As the rite progresses, the Garou slowly shapeshift, until finally they assume the Crinos form without frightening the human.

System: The ritemaster makes an extended Wits + Rituals roll, difficulty of the human’s Willpower. He must accumulate successes equal to the human’s age before the rite succeeds; children are easier to “adopt” than adults.

Rite of the Sacred Peace (Child of Gaia)
Level Five
Only the most brazen would violate a sacred peace. The entire sept, including Kin and representatives of the community, must gather at the caern and each participant must declare himself dedicated to the peace of the land. The strength of the peace equals the number of Garou plus half the number of Kin who join in the rite. Anyone deciding to make war on such a community must make a Willpoewr roll, difficulty 8, with as many successes as the strength of the peace. If ever this peace is broken, the leader of the community may utter a destructive curse upon the violator, using as many dice to curse as the strength of the peace. Treat this as the Flaw: Dark Fate with a strength equal to the strength of the broken peace.

Rite of Undying Pursuit
Level Five
This potent but flawed rite was know to but a few Garou in years gone past, and has all but vanished from the world in modern times. The rite is designed as a last resort against particularly powerful enemies, a chance to hurl them into the Umbra and beset them with the spirits of Garou, condemning them to an eternal struggle. The ritual liberates the spirit portions of living werewolves present for the rite, binding them to a the foe. However, the sacrifice of multiple Garou - Garou who are sure to die, and whose ancestor spirits will be lost to future generations unless they eventually win their struggle - is a hard thing to ask. In the twilight days of the dying Garou race, it can hardly be worth it.

The ritemaster must paint herself with glyphs of death, vengeance and immortality, drawn in the blood of Garou or Kin. The invocations of the rite are a series of bloody oaths, each one proclaiming that not even death can keep the Garou from carrying out their duty to oppose the enemies of Gaia.

System: The ritemaster nominates a target, either by line of sight, or by name, and rolls Wits + Rituals, difficulty 7. If the ritemaster has both line of sight and a name, the difficulty is reduced by 1. For each point of Rage, Gnosis or Willpower that the ritemaster permanently sacrifices, the time needed to complete the rite (ordinarily 50 minutes) is reduced by 10 minutes, to a minimum of 10 minutes. At the completion of the rite, a wave of spiritual power and binding rolls outward for 100 yards per success.

Each Garou within range may choose to answer the rite’s call. If he does so, his ody dies and his spirit immediately becomes an ancestor-spirit, of a power level suitable to the rank and power he held in life. Each ancestor-spirit created in this way has at least as much Rage, Gnosis and Willpower as it possessed in life; they also gain the Charms: Airt Sense, Armor and Tracking. The Storyteller may assign additional Charms as appropriate; a former Glass Walker of great Renown might gain Control Electrical Systems, while a potent Uktena could gain Flood. The spirits of recently deceased Garou who linger in the area (for instance, if the rite is performed amidst a battle) may also heed the call if they choose.

The ancestor-spirits are bound to the target spirit by the rite, and cannot leave its side for long; they are doomed to struggle with it for ages on end. However, the spirit they are bound to cannot destroy them; an ancestor-spirit bound by this rite that falls to zero Essence falls into Slumber, and is borne along with the target until it reawakens and can fight anew. However, the ancestor-spirits cannot harvest Gnosis from their target, and this cannot kill it permanently when they reduce it to zero Essence. When the target reaches zero Essence, the ancestor-spirits gain a brief reprieve until it has reformed, and the battle begins anew.

The more Garou that sacrifice themselves in this manner, the larger and more powerful the creature or spirit that can be banished - in a variant of this rite, the sacrifice of the entire Croatan tribe was sufficient to banish Eater-of-Souls itself.

Special

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Vision Quest (Wendigo)
Level Special
This rite usually accompanies a Rite of Passage or even substitutes for it among some septs. The Rite of Passage is often a means whereby a pack’s young cubs learn to aid one another in accomplishing each cub’s vision. They choose a totem from the patrons who came to them on their Vision Quest.

The Vision Quest is best if it occurs soon after the First Change (or before it, in the case of a cub known to be Garou - even though she may not know herself). She is taken out to the wilderness, to a sacred spot (a cave, a waterfall, a ledge on a mountain) and left there to fast for a number of days (most often eight to ten). After four days have passed, someone usually checks on the cub to make sure she remains relatively healthy; if she is not, the quest is canceled but may be attempted again later.

If the quest is successful, a spirit comes to the supplicant in dreams and gives her a vision of her destiny, the goal that Grandmother wishes L.C. to achieve. The vision may be vague, for events to come are not fully “written,” but to deny the vision may mean failure later in life. This spirit sometimes comes again to the Garou later and is well-inclined toward her, although it does not have to be chosen as a pack totem.

System: This rite is not one the quester must learn; it is a task to be completed, successfully or not. Only one Vision Quest may be embarked upon in a peron’s lifetime, although that person may attempt the rite many times until successful (no more than once per season).

After at least four days have passed in seclusion, the supplicant may roll Stamina + Rituals (difficulty 7) once per day. The successes are tallied together, and when 12 successes have been achieved, the spirit comes to reveal a vision. Then, the quest is over. The Garou does not have to reveal her vision to others, but it may help her to get some advice from a Theurge.

If the character consumes food anytime during the rite, the difficulty of successive rolls increases by three.

Rites of Punishment

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Rites of Renown

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Seasonal Rites

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Minor Rites

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Ananasi Rites

Rite of Spinning
(Mystic)
Level One
Once the spiderling has found her place in the world, she must then tie it into the Great Web. The first rite taught to any Ananasi is the Rite of Spinning. This rite creates the haven that allows Ananasa to communicate with her children, as well as allowing the Ananasi to speak with the others of her kind through the Great Web by creating her place of solitude, the Sylie. The Sylie looks like a vast cobweb, spun in any of a number of styles, placed in a secluded corner of the character's abode, usually the tops of trees, deep in a cave, an attic, or even a closet. The character is able to directly communicate with the two Ananasi closest to her geographically, sending messages on an almost telepathic level; these messages can only be directly communicated if the other Damhan is also inside her Sylie. The character can also extend knowledge through the Great Web by tapping into the vast resource of knowledge that resides in its strands. Once inside the strands, the character can obtain or leave knowledge as the Storyteller sees fit. Any communication with Ananasa must be initiated by the Great Mother. Over the course of their lives Ananasi perform this rite many times, whenever they move to a new home, or whenever they advance in Rank, re-establishing themselves on the Great Web.

System: The character must undertake a week of purification, removing all outside objects from the area that is going to become the Sylie and spending most of her time guarding and protecting the area from any outside influence. The player must roll Intelligence + Occult against a difficulty of 10. Each day of undisturbed fasting and meditation reduces the difficulty by 1, down to a minimum of 4- The character must then spend four Gnosis points. If successful, the character can now build a Sylie. This Domain exists both in the physical world and in the Umbra, although it doesn't appear to be anything more than a mass of cobwebs to mundane senses. Each success on the roll reduces the difficulty to crawl sideways in the immediate area - for the Damhan alone - by 1.

The weaving of the Sylie takes a number of hours equal to the square footage of the area that will become the Sylie. During this time, nothing can interrupt the Ananasi or the character must start the ritual over again from the beginning.

Studying the Great Web (Viskr)
Level One
Using this rite allows the Viskr to examine the Great Web as a whole, literally seeing the universe as it truly is. The image is not exact - the Ananasi, despite their detached state of mind couldn't handle that much information, or the greater truths of reality - but does give an indication of what and where the Viskr should concentrate their efforts to restore Symmetry.

System: While in her Sylie, the Viskr consumes certain salts and herbs to enter an altered state. Over the course of the next two days, spent in meditation and prayer, the most immediate threats to the Great Web's Symmetry are revealed in symbolic visions to the Ananasi. Those threats must be considered and interpreted by the Viskr before any actions are taken. It is not uncommon for several Viskr to get together after using this rite, the better to compare notes and interpret what they have seen.

Summoning Paradox (Viskr)
Level One
The Viskr have an… understanding with Paradox-spirits. They see things in much the same way that the Weaver's own antibodies do; basically, if something shouldn't be there, it's offensive and must be punished. Though they cannot command the Paradox-spirits, they can call things to their attention, and they often do so. This powerful rite simply marks something as "wrong." Once that's done, the Paradox-spirits decide what to do about the matter.

System: The ritemaster rolls Wits + Occult, difficulty 6, and makes a mark on the target by touching it. In cases where the target is human or a mage, full contact must be made, even if it's only a handshake or a light brush against the target. Each success increases the chances that a Paradox-spirit will react immediately to the situation, meting out punishment for any Paradox the mage - or other entities, such as spirits which should not be in the physical Realm - has accrued. In the case of mages, the Paradox-spirits exact revenge as they always have. In the case of spirits, Paradox-spirits normally shove them back into the Umbra rather abruptly. In the case of mundane targets, the rite simply makes the chances of phenomenal good luck, or equally outrageous bad luck, less likely.

** Tapping Ananasa's Wisdom**
(Mystic)
Level Two
Mother is knowledge. When the need arises to learn new Gifts, there is only one source to provide them, and that is Ananasa herself. This special rite opens the Ananasi to learning new Gifts through the connection in his Sylie. The Ananasi must seclude himself in his Sylie, and begin the ritual to await the Great Mother's attention. If Ananasa grants her attention to the spiderling, then the learning of the Gift can begin. Once Ananasa has brought her attention to the Ananasi, he must practice the Gift until it meets the Great Mother's approval - and Ananasa is a very exacting teacher.

System: The Ananasi makes a successful Charisma + Rituals roll (difficulty 7). The Ananasi must bring something of personal value - a cherished memento, perhaps even a Fylfot - that disappears during the course of learning the new Gift. Once the object has disappeared, the young spider knows that he has performed the Gift satisfactorily. This might take a short time - a couple of hours or so - but normally takes a much longer period. Ananasa is not easy to please. However, the time typically shortens if the object presented is particularly important to the supplicant.

Recorder
(Mystic)
Level Two
The Ananasi using this rite can create a simple web that acts as a recording device. The webbing is sound-activated and simply records and stores up to one hour of sounds, much like a tape recorder. The webbing can then be "played" back at any time, and can even be moved before it is used.

System: The web is sensitive and "intelligent" enough not to record random noises, but rather to record what it is made to record, such as conversations, or specific noises like the howls of wolves. Everything else works as per a standard mystic rite.

Rite of Appeal
Level Two
Though it is Queen Ananasa who decides when a Damhan has reached the proper knowledge and wisdom for an increase in rank, the Ananasi may call to her if they feel they have been overlooked. (It's generally considered appropriate to remind Mother that you've been very good lately, especially if you really have been.)

System: The Ananasi must remain holed away in his Sylie for two days in preparation - fasting and meditating - for the Appeal. Once the time is right, the character spends two Gnosis to establish a connection to the Mother-Queen and then speaks to Ananasa - who does indeed listen - and recites the list of accomplishments and goals achieved for the further honor and glory of the Mother-Queen.

If the character has indeed reached the proper levels of Renown, Queen Ananasa will reward them with the new Gifts and markings that indicate a higher rank. If not, the character may find himself saddled with a new task which will provide no Renown, as punishment for his hubris.

Guardians
(Caern)
Level Three
The Ananasi are very protective of their personal space, especially where their Sylie is located, and often have a few surprises waiting in their special places for unwanted guests. Ananasi using this rite can take the bodies of previous victims or even their own molted exoskeletons and set them up as a defensive perimeter in and around their special places. More often than not these guardians are buried or hidden - walking into an apartment and finding gigantic spider carapaces or rotting corpses is blatant on a level most Ananasi try to avoid. But once "activated" by the intrusion of anyone who doesn't belong in the area these automatons immediately attack, using the simplest of methods to
defend the lair of their creator.

System: The Damhan must spend one blood point and one Gnosis on each of the guardians created, preserving the remains and animating them with the energies they will need to fight against intruders. The physical statistics of these guardians are about half those they had in life, and despite their appearance, they have no real intelligence. Mind-affecting Gifts do not affect them. They must be completely destroyed before they will stop.

The Gathering Children
(Triumvirate Accord)
Level Three
In times of great need, an Ananasi may call a gathering of others to meet in person rather than share ideas through the Great Web. This rite is spread through the Great Web, and not only informs other Ananasi of the meeting, but also of the reason behind the call. The Ananasi are not a petty or impetuous breed, so this rite is performed only in dire circumstances. Any spider that uses this rite without just cause is likely to be met by a group of angry cousins. The location of the meeting can never be far from the Sylie that the Ananasi used to issue the request.

System: The player must make a successful Charisma + Rituals roll; the difficulty is determined by the number of Ananasi that the character is attempting to call. This rite allows the Ananasi to call any spider in the Great Web.

Number	Difficulty
1-5	6
6-12	7
13-25	8
26-49	9
50+	10

Rite of Weaving (Viskr)
Level Four
The Viskr using this rite can alter reality in minor ways, by reweaving the Great Web to accommodate her desires. This ability can't alter the past, but it can rewrite the present in minor ways. A person who is almost certain to die can be healed of the worst of the life-threatening wounds, and be given a much greater chance of surviving the damages inflicted. A stock that should be plummeting in a stock market crash can be kept from certain fiscal disaster - presuming the rite is begun and completed in time. The downside of this ability is that reweaving reality is much like human mages' power of true magic; reweaving the Great Web is not a power that the Weaver has granted, and the Viskr who uses this rite runs the risk of attracting Paradox-spirits, the antibodies of the Great Web.

System: The player must spend three Gnosis points as well as roll Intelligence + Occult, difficulty 9. Each success allows the Viskr to carefully reach out to the Great Web, touching the strands and moving them to where they need to be to alter the reality of the situation. One success would be enough to maintain an injured life that is on the edge of death; five successes would heal virtually all of the wounds, but would still leave very serious scars. A botch instantly attracts a Paradox-spirit.

The full power of the rite is left to the Storyteller to adjudicate, but we recommend that the rite be left incapable of doing anything that a Level Three Gift or so couldn't accomplish. Healing wounds and popping locks is fine; healing fomori and creating zombies is far too much. The more blatant the change in reality, the more likely a Paradox-spirit is to come and punish the Viskr for his presumption - in other words, the spirit might arrive whether the roll botches or not. The precise odds are left to the Storyteller's discretion; it's easy enough to tell when a Viskr has dared too much.

Rite of One
(Triumvirate Mystic)
Level Five
The sacred Rite of One is a powerful rite taught only to the most trusted Ananasi. With this rite three Ananasi can join into one being, becoming an avatar of the Mother-Queen. One must be Tenere, one Kumoti and one Hatar. This rite may only be performed in one of the sacred places, special locations in the Umbra where the Damhan teach their young about the ways of the Ananasi.

System: Each of the three chosen Ananasi breaks down into the Crawlerling form, offering themselves to Queen Ananasa, who then takes over the three bodies, using them as her link to her Children. When she appears, she is simultaneously hideous and magnificent to behold. While she is present, Ananasa assesses her new Children and decides which aspect each will follow. One Gnosis point is taken from each of the Damhan present, drawn from them by force, in order to allow the Mother- Queen to appear. No rolls are necessary for this rite, as Ananasa herself decides when this rite will be performed.

Every Ananasi meets the Queen at least once in their lives. Though there are no physical changes in the hosts of Ananasa, the spiritual impact of hosting even a fragment of her consciousness is considered a blessing.

Corax Rites

Rite of the Sun’s Bright Ray
Level Two
This one is proof positive Helios is our buddy. When you do this rite, you get a heaping dose of sunshine that brightens up wherever you are. Doesn't matter if you're underground, in a bank vault, in the middle of Club Whiny Vampire — do this rite and it's "Here Comes the Sun." And you know what the best thing about the sunlight that you can conjure up with this one? Well, yes, you can tan to it, but that's not the issue. What matters is that this sunlight hits vampires like the real thing, baby. You've just gotta see the look on the face of Vlad Pretentious, Dark Prince of Mount Laurel, New Jersey when you drop a "73 degrees and sunny" grenade in his lap. It's priceless.

System: This rite has no cost, as it is a symbol of Helios' special favor toward his adopted children. All that is required is the proper steps and chants, and then a Gnosis roll (difficulty 7). The borrowed sunlight fills a volume 20 feet on a side, give or take a few, and lasts one hour for each success on the Gnosis roll. The glow remains behind even after the Corax leaves the area, which can lead to all sorts of awkward situations.

Rite of the Fetish Egg
Level Two
The Rite of the Fetish Egg is about the birds and the bees - well, no bees - and where new Corax come from. You see, when two Corax love each other very much, you know what happens? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. We can't breed with one another. That's why there are no Corax metis. Hell, a new Corax doesn't even have to be the kid of an old Corax. This is a matter of spirit, not genetics, boyo. Spirit's a lot more important. What it can mean, though, is that you can have real parents and spiritual ones, y our flesh'and-blood folks as well as the Corax who gave you your spirit egg.

Making a spirit egg requires some hefty investment. There's got to be one spiritual parent from each breed, plus someone's got to plunk some serious spiritual gas in order to create the egg and bind it to its other half. The binding is done with a feather or a human hair from the "parent" and ensures that the egg and the kid/chick stay linked until such time as the kid can handle getting a double dose of soul. If the binding breaks, it devastates the poor kid - autism is the usual response. The parent usually just goes into depression; many lose the Sun right after that sort of thing.

System: The Rite of the Fetish Egg is never undertaken lightly. For one thing, it costs three permanent Gnosis from the parent Corax, and that price is paid regardless of
whether the rite succeeds or fails.

The Rite of the Fetish Egg can only be performed in the Umbra, and requires one witness of the breed opposite that of the Corax performing the rite. Creating a fetish egg takes three hours; binding it to the soul for which it is intended takes another one. If the rite is interrupted at any point during this time, the Gnosis is lost and the rite fails. This rite requires a roll against the parent Corax's permanent Gnosis (before the donation) at a difficulty of 6.

Rite of Becoming
Level Two
The Garou do this one the same way we do as well. I'd be kind of surprised if they didn't, seeing as we're the ones who actually taught it to them, but try to get a furry to admit to that.

System: This rite can only be cast from an Anchorhead domain, and requires the casting Corax to make a braid from three hairs (or feathers) off her head, three pieces of copper wire and three pieces of ivory. The Corax ties the braid around a wrist or ankle, then invokes three words of power. Henceforth, the Corax can fly into the Deep Umbra.

If the braid is destroyed, the Corax takes a health level of damage and must make a Wits roll (difficulty 6) to return to the Near Umbra. The Sun-Lost ceremonially destroy their braids as soon as they reach the Deep Umbra, symbolizing their acceptance of their new state. Corax who intend to head home tend to be a bit more careful of theirs, but getting lost in the Deep Umbra isn't quite as unpleasant for Corax as it is for Garou.

The Background: Umbral Maps eliminates the need for any sort of roll to find one's way home, even if the braid is destroyed.

Rite of Battle Blessing
Level Four
The Rite of Battle Blessing is one of the big'uns, but don't expect to learn it any time soon. The only three who know this one are the members of the Morrigan, and they don't exactly go around spouting off trade secrets. I only know a little bit about how this one works, but that's scary enough for me.

It seems that if the Morrigan decide they want to help one side in a battle out (usually the Fianna, in case you were wondering), they haul this golden oldie out. All three fly over the battle, croaking out battle-song, and it puts the fear of Morrigu into whichever side the three ladies don't like. It's astonishing to watch - entire armies have broken and fled after hearing the chants of this rite. Mind you, this one's tough to do, and the Morrigan don't use it lightly. However, when they do uncork it, the effects are devastating.

System: All three of the Morrigan must be present to perform this rite. To enact the rite, each member of the Morrigan can spend Gnosis up to her Occult rating. For each point of Gnosis spent, the victims of the rite lose one die from their Dice Pools so long as they remain on the field of battle. Targets can literally be reduced to zero dice by this rite.

Rite of Memory Theft
Level Four
If a fellow Corax has repeatedly acted dumber than a box of rocks, there comes a time when you’ve just got to scrub out the inside of his head and hope that the next pile of garbage he accumulates between his ears is more useful. If someone does something really, really, really dumb, a bunch of the old-timers can pull this rite out of mothballs and wipe his mental hard drive - downloading all the good bits first. Whoever leads the ritual gets the core dump from the sucker, err, target, errr, object of the rite. Meanwhile the victim has his head pretty much wiped of anything more complex than "Gee, pretty flowers."

Actually, I'm exaggerating a little bit. The rite takes the victim back to right after First Change, meaning that there's a chance that he'll learn things properly the second time. Basic motor skills, language abilities, things like that - they generally tend to stay in place even when the rite goes really well.

By the way, it's a good thing this rite's only available to grand poobahs of the breed. Can you imagine the hell that would break loose if Murder's Daughters got a hold of it?

System: This rite requires a small, empty wooden box, preferably painted with scenes from the target's life. At least three Corax, including the one performing the rite, must surround the target (who, hopefully, has been subdued or at least restrained). The box is then opened and a litany of the victim's deeds is chanted. As each event is named, the memories of that moment fly from the Corax into the box. Associated memories flee as well, until such time as the Corax' mind is emptied of everything post-First Change. Note that the rite is an all or nothing proposition; one cannot use this to excise only certain memories.

The Corax performing the rite must then seal and crush the box, at which point, all of the memories contained enter his mind. This is not a burden to be undertaken lightly — the
Rite of Memory Theft is only performed when a Corax has done something truly horrendous, and no Corax carries around the memories of another breed's failure or crime lightly. It's one thing to know of another raven's missteps, another thing entirely to make them your own.

This rite costs a point each of Gnosis, Willpower and Rage, and lasts as long as it takes to sing all of the deeds of the victim. The rite also calls for a contested Willpower roll between the Corax casting the rite and the target, though each additional Corax present lowers the ritemaster's difficulty by 1.

This rite can only be used on other Corax.

Bastet Rites

Type	Roll	Difficulty
Kuasha	Charisma + Rituals	6
Moon	Manipulation + Rituals	9 - Moon Phase
Need	Wits + Rituals	7
Taghairm	Charisma + Rituals	7

Kuasha

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Speaking of the Name
Level One
Names have power; thus, all Bastet change their birth name to new titles during their First Year. This rite, performed by the Tekhmet and the kuasha together, “seals” that new name and makes it part of the cat. Traditionally, the Swara mark this rite (and the apprenticeship) with a ceremonial tattoo, usually across the initiate’s chest. The Balam often pierce the newcomer’s lip, earlobe or nostrils with a jeweled plug. Simba and Khan mark the rite with a hunt, usually of a human target, in which the initiate tastes the blood of her first kill as a Bastet. Pumonca and Qualmi send their kits on short visionquests, take them to sweat lodges, or offer them ordeal rituals like the Sioux sun dance, while the Ceilican bless their new members in old faerie rings. The more ceremonial Bagheera and Bubasti perform elaborate and formal rites to welcome their offspring; these rituals, which might take as long as a day to complete, often involve two or more elders who have been invited to attend.

System: Aside from a standard roll, a new name and the ritual needs of the tribal ceremonies, this rite requires nothing special.

Rite of Recognition
Level Two
To be accepted into a new Rank, a Bastet must perform this rite before the spirits, his peers, or both. Like many werecat rituals, this ceremony can be done by a solitary cat, and it often is. A Balam in the wilderness doesn’t have to travel to the nearest tagharim to be recognized - the spirits will carry tales of his deeds to other cats.

To petition for a new Rank, the cat stands in a circle prepared for the rite with herbs and, if possible, trophies of his achievements. Speaking the ritual phrases, he recites his deeds, relates his accomplishments since attaining the last Rank, and demands to be recognized for what he has done. If he succeeds, the others agree and declare his new standing; if not, they tell him why they’re dissatisfied and deny his petition. These reasons can range anywhere from a lack of progress to bad politics. The Bastet may only perform this rite once per season.

System: In addition to the usual rite roll, the cat must make a good impression (either Charisma or Manipulation + either Enigmas, Etiquette, Expression, Leadership, Occult or Politics, depending on the cat, his audience, and the case he’s trying to make). The difficulty for this roll often depends on what the cat has done in the past, and how he stands in the eyes of his jury. Unless the werecat does something truly striking between attempts, this rite rises in difficulty each time it’s failed, then repeated. Neither the cats nor the spirits respect a loser.

Passing the Yava
Level Two
These secrets contain the seeds of survival or destruction for the entire tribe. Passing them on to a youngster is a sign of the utmost trust and pride. Imagine handing a loaded gun to your child and telling him to shoot at a target behind your head; that’s the kind of importance the Yava convey. They’ve not passed on lightly, or to fools. Thus, this exchange, often the last rite between a kit and her mentor, is deeply important.

This ritual, traditionally performed at dusk, involves a recitation of the three secrets, a reminder of their importance, and an admonishment to keep them safe. The kuasha informs her apprentice that someday he too will pass on the Yava, and that his judgement will reflect the future of the tribe. To betray the trust, even under torment, is the worst crime a Bastet can commit. Before this rite is performed, the mentor scans the area for spirits or other eavesdroppers. If the area is clear, the secrets are then passed between elder and kit. Afterward, the two spend their last night together and part ways at dawn. Although they may very well remain friends, the First Year has ended. The kit is on his own.

System: Although the kuasha traditionally checks and secures the ritual site before beginning the rite, this ceremony requires no special materials.

Kuasha Degree
Level Three
With this rite, a teacher passes on the secrets of her teaching, so that the pupil may become a kuasha. Normally, the Degree must be uncovered through the “proper channels” - that is, the secrets of the rite must be dug out of a series of mentors, contacts and friends, then pieced together. An especially apt Tekhmet might impress her mentor so well that he passes on everything she needs to know before her apprenticeship ends; it’s rare, but it has been known to happen.

The Kuasha Degree contains all the rites, advice, secrets and preparations a Bastet needs in order to take a pupil, and confers the right to do so. Even so, the elder usually cautions her kit to take a bit of time to see the world for himself before he begins teaching someone else about it. Taking a kit means responsibility; most kuashas stress that their pupils must run free for a while before taking on such a burden. At the end of the ritual, the mentor invests her student with the power to take a student of his own, and advises him to do so carefully.

In the Degree, a Tekhmet learns how to find taghairms, how to petition spirits, how to find a new-Changed Bastet and how to chastise him for doing wrong. It relates to the responsibilities and rights the mentor receives under Bastet law, and offers lots of common wisdom about the feeding and caring of a kit. The Yava is not passed on through this rite - that requires its own rite. The Tekhmet has been taught how to pass on the tribal secrets, but isn’t told what they are until the mentor and student part ways.

System: This rite takes six hours, often longer. Aside from making time to talk and having the freedom to do so, this rite doesn’t require special preparations.

Moon

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Rite of Warding
Level One
A simple precaution taken around any site of importance, this rite is typically performed before the guests for a taghairm arrive. By calling up spirits, securing the corners and entrances of the site and charging the safety of the area to Seline, the Bastet sets up an “alarm system” which bars the site against lesser intrusions and alerts the ritespeaker against greater ones.

System: By spending a Gnosis point, the ritespeaker ties herself to the place for the duration of the Warding. This Warding continues for one hour per success unless the ritespeaker either leaves the area or dismisses the guard. For as long as it lasts, any non-Bastet who enters the area triggers a mystic feeling of unease; the ritespeaker will not know exactly who or what the culprit is, but she’ll know something isn’t right. Intruders cannot enter a warded site at all without succeeding in a Willpower roll (difficulty is 5 + the caster’s successes) - the energies of the place simply drive them away for no explicable reason. Even spirits cannot pass through a warded area without alerting the ritespeaker.

Rite of Claiming
Level Three
This mystic secret proclaims the foundation, or transferal of a Den-Realm. To do this, a Bastet travels across his territory on foot, marking the boundaries with scratches, urine and other forms (graffiti, incantations, blood, etc.). When the circuit is completed, the werecat performs the rite in the place where he began, and binds himself to the essence of the place. From then on, the area is his Den-Realm, and he may do what he wants within it.

Occasionally, Den-Realms exchange hands; some upstarts take the lands from dying elders, while others receive old friends’ territory for safekeeping. This rite is still essential to becoming on with the land; until it’s performed by the new owner, it’s just another hunting ground. Sometimes, a dying elder will pass the rite along to the newcomer as a gesture of respect. If the Den-Realm has been ripped from her hands, however, the old owner’s not likely to help the thief. Although Den-Realms may be expanded by performing this rite again, no werecat can keep more than one separate Realm. Fewer still would give up their lands without a fight. The Den-Realm is the cat’s true home, and until she dies, it remains a part of her.

System: Standard roll; the rules for Den-Realms can be found in the Bastet breed book (in Chapter Three).

Eater of the Dead
Level Four
The Bubasti alone command this rite, a vile punishment reserved for oathbreakers among their tribe and thieves from outside it. By calling to Sobk, the Egyptian crocodile lord, an elder Bubasti sends the soul of the offender into a labyrinthine spirit realm deep within the ground. Here (they say), the victim is stalked by Sobk, who pursues him, corners him, judges him and may consume his soul.

Once a transgressor is caught, the shadowcats bind him for the rite. During the ritual, the offender’s tongue is ripped out, his eyes are seared and his ears are plugged up. Special wrappings, prepared in sandalwood oil and honey, are wound around the cat from toes to forehead. Then his head is struck off, followed by his limbs, and the whole mess is burned in an oven prepared for the rite. This ceremony, horrifying in itself, sends the cat’s soul to the tunnels of Sobk to be judged.

The chase begins as the cat, now whole again, rips out of his bandages and flees into the tunnels. The Eater of the Dead pursues the soul for what seems like weeks, until he finally corners the cat. Biting off each limb in turn, he judges the soul on a golden scale. If the punishment so far is ruled enough, the soul is freed to its final journey. If Sobk doesn’t like what he sees, he devours the offender forever.

System: Standard roll, plus a Gnosis point and the preparations mentioned above. Rather than joining his Ancestor-spirits, a truly unworthy victim’s essence is gone for good. Tales of this gruesome rite keep other cats very far away from Bubasti affairs.

Call the Four Winds
Level Five
Cats are renowned masters of the weather. While many Gifts reflect this talent to a small degree, Call the Four Winds affects weather patterns across whole sections of a country.

Unlike many rites, the Call demands the presence of five Bastet. One leader, the ritespeaker, decides what changes to request and begins the ritual. The others take the roles of the four corners of the earth and invoke the powers of each of them in turn. The ritespeaker acts as a center, and stands amid the others in a prepared circle, channeling their power. As the rite progresses, the power builds until the circle is swept through with elemental force. Spirits swirl, screaming past the ritespeaker, who sends them up into the sky to bind the clouds and invoke the werecats’ will. In time, storms gather or disperse, rain comes, winds rise, blizzards begin, tempests rage or calm… A whole range of weather effects, from dust storms to squalls, can be evoked with a pride of cats, this rite, and a knowledgeable leader.

System: The exact effects of the Call are left to the Storyteller. These should depend on the wishes of the ritespeaker, the successes she rolls, the local climate, and the dictates of the story. A severe weather front will be harder to raise or disperse than a subtle shift, and a long-lasting change will be harder to affect than a brief storm. Unseasonal patterns, like blizzards in summer, should be considered difficulty 9 or 10, but may be possible if the story allows.

Rite of Nine Lives
Level Five
The secret knowledge granted by Seline to the wisest of her children allows them to literally return from the dead. This rite, which may only be performed once in a werecat’s life, allows her to return from the dead as many as eight times before her spirit departs for good.

To begin, the werecat sets aside a ritual space outside and calls upon Seline’s favor. After mixing a bit of blood, water, spit and fur in a bowl, she holds the bowl up to the moon and chants the rite. Once finished, she drinks the broth and hopes for the best. Seline will be the final judge as to whether the cat survives her death or not.

System: Standard roll, plus two Gnosis points. This rite can be performed only once, and the success of it remains uncertain until something kills the werecat. If successful, the Bastet recovers from her death; her spirit remains in the body and wills it to return to health. Depending on how she perishes, this may take some time. A Bastet who’s “merely” mauled will return in a day or two; if she falls off a 40-story building, it may take a week to recover; a really nasty demise, like immolation or entombment, may take her weeks to confound. The recovery process is slow and painful - a Bastet who had been skinned to death may wish she had stayed dead before she heals completely. As you can imagine, a werecat who returns from death often has some serious scores to settle upon her return.

Once the cat lives again in all senses of the word, she may still face difficulties. If she was buried, she’ll have to dig herself out. This may kill her a second time before she can escape. Dismemberments do not prevent resurrection - some gruesome tales speak of werecats who were hanged, drawn and quartered, only to drag their limbs from their crossroads graves to rejoin somewhere in the middle. Once recovered. the werecat loses one permanent point each from her Rage, Gnosis and Willpower. These points may never be regained; hence, a Simba who died eight times finished his life with a maximum or two dots in each of these Traits. Any part of the cat that is destroyed (see below) is lost forever; resurrected cats often lose limbs or retain other disfigurements. Aside from that, the werecat is her old self (though some deaths leave permanent emotional and psychological scars).

Naturally, some deaths cancel out even this arcane secret. If a Bastet dies in one of these ways, she won’t come back, and must face her fate like the rest of Gaia’s children.

• Total destruction of the body (cremation, dissolution in acid or toxic waste, wood-chipper shredding, etc.)
• Natural death by old age
• Death in some outer Realm (the Deep Umbra, a Horizon Realm, an Umbra world, etc.)
• Imprisonment of the soul (through some forms of magic or magick, or through soul-pacts or annihilation)
• The vampiric Embrace

Wishing Waves
Level Five
By yowling, spitting and dancing around a lake or sea, a werecat can stir the surface into waves. Ceilican who drowned their enemies this way gave rise to tales of witches who danced with cats to create storms at sea. Although this tribe claims to have originated the Rite, the Bubasti say otherwise. In their stories, Bast herself taught her children to wreck invaders on the Nile, and supposedly used it to punish Pharaoh Snefru II, who persecuted her kind.

System: This rite must be performed on a cliff or beach overlooking the sea. To begin the tempest, each player makes the standard roll and spends two Gnosis points. If more than one cat performs the rite, all their successes are added together. Each blood-Kinfolk present adds an additional success to the total. One roll is made for each hour spent dancing, at successively higher difficulties; each new roll costs an additional two Gnosis points and a point of Willpower. The turbulence extends out for one mile for every Bastet participating in the rite, and dies down an hour or so after the dance ends.

The severity of the storm depends on the successes gathered; obviously, most Bastet perform this rite as an extended roll, accumulating successes until they reach the desired effect. Each success level makes the waves a bit more powerful: One or two create choppy little waves; three to five turn the water rough; six to eight create trouble for small craft; nine to ten make sailing difficult for large boats, almost impossible for small ones; 10 to 15 successes can capsize anything smaller than an old sailing ship, although large vessels remain unmoved. 15 to 20 can create problems for freighters and small navy ships, while 21 or more can swamp large warships and tankers. The waves often spill across shore, and might threaten the dancing cats before the rite is finished.

Need

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Jamak Promise Bond
Level One
Even a cat can need a friend. When a spirit and a Bastet come to an understanding, they offer each other a pledge of friendship. This rite seals that bond; while it has no mystic repercussions, it’s considered a formal oath and is taken seriously by both parties.

Standing alone in a clearing or room, the Bastet and her Jamak recite certain promises: to help when possible, to be truthful always, to respect, and to trust. Both sides agree to protect (or to refrain from harming) the other’s loved ones, and to meet once in a while to share secrets and good times. The rite lowers the Gauntlet long enough for both parties to exchange a handshake or a kiss, and reduces the difficulty by two if one party wants to cross over to the other side. By the end of the rite, both cat and spirit feel flushed and happy; although it confers some responsibilities to both sides, the Bond carries a sense of fellowship and love. For a while, at least, both partners are united.

System: Standard roll. Although a Bastet can have many spirit friends, she may only choose one Jamak at a time. Carelessly breaking the Bond promises may reduce her Rank by one or two, depending on what happens and why, as the Jamak spreads word of the werecat’s infidelity.

Rite of Fear
Level Three
A relic of the Madness and the tiger hunts, this rite sends a cloud of terror across the land, conjuring nightmares and spreading panic. Animals may stampede, riots may flare and brave men may decide that now is a good time to leave.

To begin the rite, the cat assumes her Crinos form and dances madly, howling her hatred to the moon. As her fury rises, she rips everything around her to shreds, living or otherwise, and flings the pieces across the site. Screeching, spitting, arching and slashing, she sends her fury outward to infest the minds of everyone in reach. Once there, the terror festers, bursting outward through dreams into waking and sending the locals into a panic. At the end of the ritual she falls exhausted, but has begun a wave of fear that continues until the second sunrise.

System: The Rite of Fear requires two Rage points and a standard roll, and spreads one mile for every success. Every additional cat can add to the total (like Wishing Waves), but anyone close by is at risk, including the other cats. A werecat enacting the rite is considered to be in a frenzy until the ceremony ends; when it ends, she falls asleep.

Obviously, the Rite of Fear is performed at night; a full moon lowers the difficulty to 5, and a gibbous one to 6. Across the land, savage nightmares and anxiety attacks plague every living thing for a night and a day; any characters in the area must make Willpower rolls (difficulty 8) to get through the day without acting irrationally. Other effects are left to the Storyteller; children, old people and farm animals are especially sensitive to the Fear, and any number of things can happen.

Taghairm

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Caliah
Level One
Like the Garou Moot Rite, this ritual opens all taghairms, charging the participants with mystic energy. Unlike the Garou, werecats rarely keep sacred sites. Instead, the Caliah refreshes the Gnosis of all participants and generates a sense of wonder and togetherness. As the ritespeaker chants the histories, rivalries are put aside and quarrels silenced. For a few minutes, at least, everyone present is hamaal, one family.

System: Standard roll. For each two successes (rounded up), each Bastet present receives a temporary point of Gnosis. If these points exceed a cat’s usual rating, they fade in the morning. This rite can only be done once per month for the same group or by the same ritespeaker.

Grooming the Newcomer
Level Two
When a new Bastet enters an existing group, she must be welcomed with this ritual; until then, she’s considered maa, an untrustworthy stranger. First, the ritespeaker questions the newcomer, often using Gifts like Sense the Truth and Righteous Gaze; she then asks others whether or not they’ve heard of the newcomer. Some taghairm groups test new visitors with questions, quests or ordeals to see how worthy they might be. If the examination satisfies the ritespeaker and the host of the gathering, they both welcome the newcomer into the group. All attendees rise and greet their new cousin with gestures of affection and offer her gifts of food and drink. From then on, that Bastet is always welcome.

System: Standard roll, often performed after a variety of Gifts.

Hanshii
Level Two
Some grudges can only be settled by force. To keep the peace, a host might demand that quarreling Bastet enter a ritual combat to decide the issue. All attendees and their allies agree to abide by the decision.

The formalities depend on the host’s tribe, the grudge and the location of the gathering. The combatants are obliged to follow the host’s rules regardless or their tribe. The Balam, Khan and Simba favor death-matches more than the other tribes do; Ceilican and Qualmi prefer tests of wit, while Bagheera and Bubasti respect tests of judgement. The Swara often send both parties questing in the Penumbra, opening a “window” to watch their progress. Pumonca let the elements decide, and sponsor tests by fire or exposure. No use of Gifts or outside assistance is allowed. The rite ensures that both sides play fair; those who cheat are magically marked.

As the duel begins, the ritespeaker chants a litany extolling challenge, fairness and honor. From there, she watches what transpires, watching especially for fair play. If someone does cheat, the ritespeaker feels a sharp tingling and calls the contest to a halt. The cheater’s skin or fur blazes with a sickly yellow or green light. His punishment depends on the host. If a winner is declared, the dispute is considered over. While this often ends the problem, a few Bastet take their grudge home with them and handle it without witnesses next time.

System: Standard roll, plus a Gnosis point, from the ritespeaker. The cheater’s glow lasts for one day and costs him five to 10 points of Honor until he redeems himself.

Exile
Level Three
Taghairms are gatherings of trust; if someone breaks that trust, the others throw him out. The rite marks such betrayals, and carries the stigma of shame to other gatherings. A werecat’s future companions may judge him by this sign.

When the host has declared an Exile, the other cats must vote. If the majority agrees, the ritespeaker begins the ritual. In some cases, the gathering must decide unanimously; in others, the host may simply demand a majority vote. The rite itself involves a revocation of the Grooming ritual, a recitation of the exile’s crimes and usually a few choice words. As the ritespeaker spins a cloak of words, the exile’s forehead begins to glow; by the end of the rite, the sigil of an oathbreaker appears. As the glow fades, the sigil remains and the other cats chase the offender from their gathering. If they catch him, they’ll beat him to a pulp, but leave him alive to remember his shame. The mark fades from view by morning, but remains a part of the exile’s soul. Any subsequent Grooming rite reveals the mark; only the forgiveness of the host (a separate rite of same Rank) or some powerful quest will wash away the mark.

System: The ritespeaker makes her standard roll and spends a point of Rage to apply to the brand. Some Gifts, like Sense the Truth and Righteous Gaze, expose the mark to the viewer. An Exile loses all Honor and Wisdom Renown. Sometimes, falsely convicted (or powerful) Bastet can get help from supporters or sympathetic parties; more often, the effects of this rite linger for a lifetime.

Festival of Dreams
Level Four
By inhaling smoke from burning wood and herbs, steam, psychoactive drugs, or all three, the collected group enters a vision trance. Depending on the circumstances, they may experience memories of the past, future sight, soul-seeing or simple hallucinations. These complex insights are often consulted for future plans, battles or other tasks which involve the whole taghairm.

As the other cats gather in an enclosed circle, the ritespeaker and her assistants begin the fires. Tossing in herbs, wood and stone, they chant, sing and play music as the vision smoke rises. The other Bastet breathe deeply, sharing their essence with each exhalation. As the visions begin, a feeling of peace descends to keep the taghairm from scattering. One by one, the Bastet hit their personal limits and stagger out into fresh air. The last werecat to remain receives a special vision that only she remembers. As the ritual ends, the smoke clears; the remaining Bastet receives gifts of water and affection from her companions, and is celebrated for the rest of the night.

System: The exact effects of the Festival depend on the Storyteller and the issues confronting the taghairm. If the cats are looking for a vampire lord’s haven, the dream might offer clues; if they want to uncover the solution to a problem, an answer may present itself. Visions of past glory or defeat might spur the group out of a rut, while warnings of upcoming disaster might galvanize them into action. Whatever occurs, the visions should be highly symbolic rather than literal.

The Festival lasts several hours and takes a toll on its participants. Each half-hour or so, everyone in the room must make a Stamina roll against a difficulty of 5 or flee, coughing. After the second roll, the difficulty rises to 6; after the third, to 7, and so forth. By the end of the third hour, the difficulty will be 9. The last character in the room receives a special vision, which the Storyteller creates based on the needs of his chronicle. Because of her resolve and fortune, the other werecats award her an extra three points of Cunning Renown.