Lodge of Harmony

Andie Currin, Irraka member of the Lodge of Harmony

A Lodge of the Hunters in Darkness,the Lodge of Harmony is perhaps the largest of the Meninna lodges, and has members all over the world.

The spirit patron of the Lodge of Harmony is Rooting Boar.

Overview

Most Uratha know that the Sulukka (a First Tongue word referring to those who perform ritual cleansings) take over territories that have been somehow befouled or rendered useless and help to make them vital and desirable hunting grounds again. Some Sulukka only work to make sure that their own territories remain clean and safe, and, in the modern world, with humanity polluting so much of the land, this has become the most common outward face of the lodge. Other members travel and help young or small packs to maintain their territories before moving on, but this attitude was much more common before the world became so densely populated.

The third face of the lodge, though, is one that other Uratha, apart from the Hunters in Darkness, seldom see or even know about. The Lodge of Harmony knows that some earth should never be churned, some territories never fully explored. Spirits slumber beneath the ground that the Uratha would do well to leave sleeping. The idigam are the most well-known (or at least widely discussed) of these ancient threats, but the Lodge of Harmony has discovered things while digging in the earth that could spell death and damnation for large numbers of werewolves. Therefore, packs of Sulukka, or packs that include members of the lodge, sometimes act as guardians for such locations, making sure that intruders do not disturb the creatures’ rest and that these unholy beings do not taint the land around them. To that end, the Sulukka have developed powerful rituals of binding and cleansing, some of which they teach to other Meninna, but the most potent of which the Sulukka keep as carefully guarded secrets.

Membership

Becoming a member of the Lodge of Harmony requires that the applicant prove themselves useful to the lodge in some way. Normally, that means showing up at a territory currently under the scrutiny of the lodge and, without asking questions, jumping in and working with the land. Finding territory that might raise the lodge’s interest but is not currently being worked is also acceptable. Indeed, some Sulukka have joined by taking territory from other tribes when the Uratha were not treating the land properly. The work is usually thankless, and if the applicant doesn’t produce positive result, they are politely but firmly asked to leave. If the applicant can pull their weight, however, and proves to be a valuable asset to the reclamation effort, they receive an invitation to study with a senior member of the lodge.

These apprentice periods last a few months at most. The mentor tests the applicant to see if they are committed to maintaining their Harmony and to finding and defending sacred ground, but since these are guiding principles of the Hunters in Darkness tribe, most applicants don’t fail at this stage. The final test, however, is where most would-be Sulukka falter. The applicant accompanies the mentor to a territory where a powerful and hostile spirit or creature lies sleeping or trapped, and is allowed to see what lurks under the guard of the Lodge of Harmony. He is then told in detail what will happen if the creature awakens, and is informed that, although not all Sulukka take on such responsibilities, they must all be ready to do so if necessary. Those Hunters who choose to accept the challenge are made members of the Lodge of Harmony and given enough information to start their work in territories near to their own or a good lead on territories that they might be able to reclaim.

Game Mechanics

The following are an overview of the game mechanics.

Prerequisites

Members must maintain Harmony 7 or more. Also, applicants must have Purity ••• and Wisdom •.

Benefits

Members may purchase Warding Gifts as though they were tribal Gifts. In addition, the lodge makes use of several unique rites (see below).

Rites

Rite of Churned Earth ••: Earthworms, pigs and many other creatures help the cycles of decay and renewal by digging in the dirt and stirring things up. Rooting Boar undoubtedly taught some of his secrets to the Lodge of Harmony, resulting in this rather strange rite. Performed correctly, it roils the earth, forcing buried material to the top and oxygenating the area of effect. This rite also has the side effect of revealing any buried secrets there, for, as sensible as Rooting Boar is, he can’t resist buried treasures. The rite does not function on any ground with humanmade structures atop it, only on bare earth or mud. The Rite of Churned Earth takes time to perform, and so isn’t really useful in an offensive capacity, although some Uratha have been known to use the rite just before a rainstorm, thus turning a large section of the territory into thick mud to trap and slow intruders.

Fetishes

Timbre Rattle ••: The Lodge of Harmony uses this fetish to gather information about the resonances of a particular location. The Uratha shakes the rattle as she takes a sinuous, random path over the area. If successful, the werewolf will learn the forms of up to four different kinds of spiritual resonance left at the scene in the past four months. The rattle must be carved from a single piece of wood, containing two clappers, fragrant woods, such as heart pine are the most common. A tree-spirit empowers this fetish.

• Durability 1 (reinforced to 3), Size 1, Structure 4
• Action: Extended (4 successes, each roll takes fifteen minutes)

References

• WTF: Lodges: The Faithful, p. 60-62