Werewolf: The Apocalypse

The Main Idea

The main idea of Werewolf is that the Garou (werewolves) were created to defend the earth from the cosmic forces that threaten to tear it apart. The Garou fight against the Wyrm, the destroyer, and Weaver, the force of stasis. It is a struggle against nearly insurmountable odds, especially considering the rivalry between many tribes. These rivalries make it almost impossible for the werewolves to present a unified front against a cosmic force that pervades reality.

From this morass of hatred and mutual betrayal, there is little hope that the Garou can emerge triumphant against a foe so well armed as the Wyrm. The Wyrm promises money, power, sex, and whatever else the heart desires to its followers while the Garou receive no reward for their striving. It drives them deeper and deeper into despair, or into betrayal so that they choose to serve the Wyrm instead.

Cosmology

The three main spiritual forces in the World of Darkness are the Wyrm, Weaver and Wyld. The Wyld is raw unbridled creation. The Weaver spins reality into patterns. The Wyrm is supposed to destroy the excess order or the excess chaos. However, the Weaver went insane and tried to spin all of reality into its web, including the Wyrm. This drove the Wyrm mad so that it now seeks not to balance, but to destroy everything. The Wyrm has many agents and many faces, all bent on the utter destruction of Gaia, the Earth. The Garou are fighting to keep the Apocalypse from coming, but they are dying out and losing the war. Some tribes believe the coming Apocalypse will be the end of everything so fight desperately for even the smallest victory. Other tribes believe the side that wins at the final battle will be able to reshape the world in its own ideal. Some Garou blame the Wyrm for all evils and some blame the Weaver for spinning the world into stasis. Thus the Garou can agree on nothing and will not provide a unified front in the coming End Times.

The Wyrm

The Wyrm counts many different creatures in its employ. Some serve knowingly, some unknowingly. But their actions all serve to bring the Apocalypse ever closer and drive the Garou ever closer to extinction.

Banes: These foul spirits of the Wyrm are thankfully usually confined to the spirit world. Unfortunately, some of the strongest can possess mortal hosts and use them to affect the real world. Even strong men can be overwhelmed and made the puppet of a Bane. No man or beast is safe from these spirits of pure evil and corruption. When confronted however, Banes will frequently give up their mortal shells and burst forth in the full horrifying glory, displaying razor sharp fangs, tentacles, hundred of fascetted eyes, or a thousand other horrors, each worse than the last.

Black Spiral Dancers: The Wyrm's greatest triumph, the Dancers are foul twisted reflections of the Garou. Just like the Garou, they consort with spirits and can gain gifts from them, except they gain their gifts from Banes. Everything the Garou do, they do in service to the Wyrm. They are fond of capturing normal Garou and torturing them until they too become Black Spiral Dancers.

Fomori are created by binding a bane into a mortal host, either a human or animal. However, these are less powerful spirits than most Banes, so are more firmly bound to the flesh of their hosts, producing much more obvious deformities. Fomori are usually created by Pentex.

Pentex is a shadow corporation with its fingers is every pie it can think of. It taints everything it touches, all beneath a veneer of 'business as usual'. Oil spills are just a 'part of business' not part of a master plan to corrupt the world. Violent video games and movies are there just to satisfy the demands of customers, not to corrupt the hearts and minds of the young. Pharamceuticals with soul crushing side effects are hailed as miracle cures. Pentex has one purpose: bring on the Apocalypse and then step in as the savior, to be church and corporation all in one.

The 7th Generation: Perhaps the worst of all the factions of the Wyrm, the 7th Generation was a cult of knowing human servants of the Wyrm. They defiled children and sacrificed them to dark gods to achieve power for themselves. Their organization has been broken however, and there are only a few scattered survivors now. The Garou, led by King Albrecht, worked together for once to eliminate this vile cult... but if they are not wary, it may reform soon enough.

The Garou

The Garou (werewolves) believe themselves to have been created by Gaia as her defense against the Wyrm and Weaver. They are the ultimate predators in the World of Darkness. They revere the Wyld but are also steeped in millennia old traditions. They are fighting to survive in the modern world, but cling to the old ways. Adding to their troubles is the fact that only one in ten offspring of a Garou turns out to be Garou themselves. Worse still, their kin, the wolves, have been nearly hunted to extinction, leaving them with very few wolf mates. Thus they have had to make do with humans, thinning the primal instincts of the Garou so that a Homid Garou may never have seen a forest until after his First Change. There is one way to guarantee Garou offspring and this is to mate with another Garou. However, due to an ancient curse laid on the Garou, any offspring produced this way are deformed and sterile. Thus they need to take their chances with humans and wolves to continue the line.

The Garou are a divided people, divided along lines of breed, of auspice, of tribe. Each Garou has a breed, auspice, and tribe and this means that they are not even uniform along a single trait! A Lupus Ahroun Glass Walker is a far different creature than a Lupus Ahroun Red Talon even though they share two traits in common. The most severe divisions are between tribes.

The Breeds

Homid: These are Garou who were raised in human society, never knowing their heritage until their First Change. They often have trouble dealing with the wilderness and the spirit world. They are however deeply knowledgeable of human society and understand most technology. Homids are the most common breed.

Metis: These are the deformed and sterile offspring of two Garou. They are perhaps the best balanced of the breeds being equally likely to understand the wilderness or human technology. Additionally, their natural form is Crinos, the man-wolf form, granting them great battle prowess. They have the advantage of being raised in Garou society and thus know its often quirky ins and outs. Once they were the rarest of the breeds. It's a sign of how desperate thing have become that in some tribes, they are more common than Lupus.

Lupus: These are born of wolves and have a deep primal connection to Gaia. However, they are sadly out of place in the human world, having little understanding of human society. Some never even learn to speak a human language. Most hate technology and often blame humans for all that is wrong in the world.

Auspices

Ragabash: Those born beneath the new moon are the tricksters and fools of Garou society. They challenge the Garou's traditional ways in order to help discard traditions that are outdated. Their tricks and pranks teach wisdom and humility to those who would listen. However, most Garou have little respect for the role of the Ragabash and consider them little more than pranksters.

Theurge: Those born beneath the crescent moon are the mystics and seers of the Garou. They have a natural affinity with the spirits and can speak with them, either persuading them to join their cause or forcing them to do their bidding like sorcerers. They are often associated with healing as well.

Philodox: Those born under the half moon are the arbitrators and judges of the Garou. They are charged with keeping the traditions of the Garou. However, they also strive for balance and harmony amidst the hot tempers of Garou. They are often jacks-of-all trades and can speak with the spirits almost as well as a Theurge, yet fight just as well as an Ahroun. The Philodox are the traditional leaders of the Garou.

Galliard: Those born beneath the gibbous moon are filled with passion that bursts forth in glorious song and hot tempers. They are the warrior-bards of legend taking time out from their art to fight and from their fighting to sing rousing tales. They are often joyous and make good company, usually.

Ahroun: Those born beneath the full moon are the natural warriors of the Garou. No Garou is incompetent at fighting, but the Ahrouns excel at it. They often lead the Garou during times of war or when there are no Philodox in the pack.

Tribes

Black Furies: Composed almost entirely of female Garou, the Furies are staunch defenders of the Wyld. They rage against slights done them by male society, both real and imagined. For all their battle prowess, the Furies are a deeply mystical tribe and their rituals are mysterious and hauntingly beautiful. The only males among the Furies are Metis.

Bone Gnawers: The Gnawers are mangy dog-like Garou who live in the poorest, burnt out parts of the cities. They live literally paw to mouth. However, the Gnawers are supremely informed about anything and everything that goes on within their cities. The other Garou consider them mange ridden dogs however and have no respect for their urban skills. They are known for taking excellent care of their families, both human and Garou and in times past were considered to be the loyalist friend you could have.

Children of Gaia: The Children believe that all Garou are really Children of Gaia who have not realized this yet. They strive for harmony between all the tribes and shun unnecessary violence. The Garou see their peace loving ways as utter foolishness and consider the Children weak. However, when the Children do strike in battle they do so with the deep conviction that they are truly Gaia's chosen and fight with the madness of religious zealots.

Fianna: Traditionally from the British Isles, these Celtic Garou are fond of song and strong drink. They are often seen as drunken fools, but take their fighting just as seriously as their partying. They know much forgotten Garou lore and are considered the lost cousins of the Fair Folk.

Get of Fenris: The Get are harsh warriors who embody the Norse ideals. They value battle prowess above all else but also put great store in personal honor and cleverness. A few have embraced the Nazi white supremacy ideal and have given all the rest a bad name.

Glass Walkers: The lords of the cities, the Walkers are always on the cutting edge of technology. They are deeply involved in human society and control much of the human business world as well as the Mafia. They love the toys of the Weaver and are often associated with computers and guns. Some are even partially cybernetic. They serve the Weaver and many Garou see this as just one step below serving the Wyrm. The tribe has changed names many times, the most well known prior names being the Warders (Dark Ages and renaissance) and the Iron Riders (Industrial Revolution and Wild West).

Red Talons: The Talons consist almost entirely of Lupus with a scattered few metis thrown in. There are no Homid Red Talons. The Talons believe that the only way to heal Gaia is to kill the humans, all of them. They revel in hunting humans and in destroying technology. They are sadly dying out.

Shadow Lords: The Lords consider themselves to be the only tribe fit to lead the Garou in these dark times. They openly despise the Silver Fangs and seek to overthrow them at every turn. They are seen as ruthless, backstabbing and manipulative, which is very often the case. However, they have great tribal unity. The Lords are not often respected but are almost always feared.

Silent Striders: Gypsies and vagabonds, the Striders originally hailed from Egypt and the Middle East. They were cast out of their ancestral homeland by the vampire Set and have been searching for a new homeland ever since. They are the messengers of the Garou and always on the move. The Striders very rarely share their secrets yet conversely are also known for their skill at prophesy. They hate vampires with a passion.

Silver Fangs: The ancestral leaders of the Garou, the Fangs are slowly rotting from within. By breeding with only the noblest of humans, they bred weakness into their house. Many have mental disorders of some sort. The rest of the Garou consider the Fangs doddering kings who should be overthrown. The Fangs will let no such thing happen. Younger Fangs have been trying to fix what's wrong with the tribe and bring in fresh new blood, though they haven't had much success as of yet.

Stargazers: The smallest of the tribes, many Stargazers are actually converts from other tribes. They are concerned with balance in all its forms, seeking for perfect harmony both within and without. They often lose themselves in philosophical thought however and most Garou think they spend too much time contemplating their navels and not enough time acting. They walk alone and join packs only long enough to try and impart their wisdom to other Garou. They are deadly when forced to act, for they are the originators of Kailindo, the Garou martial art.

Uktena: Originally Native American, the Uktena have taken in every minority that has come to the Americas. The Uktena delve into dark secrets, from vampires, to ghosts, to things that go bump in the night. These dark mystics are often feared by other Garou who think they walk too close to the Wyrm.

Wendigo: All Wendigo are of Native American stock. They have not forgiven the European Garou (the "Wyrmcomers") from invading their homelands. They consider the Uktena their somewhat misguided brothers, and tolerate the Striders, but dislike most of the other tribes. They particularly loathe the Gnawers, Get, Walkers, Lords and Fangs.

The Dead Tribes

Three tribes have fallen over the course of thousands of years but their memories live on, and in the case of the White Howlers, live on in sick twisted manner.

Bunyip: These were the strange marsupial wolves of Australia who the rest of the Garou slaughtered when they came to their homeland. The Umbra of Australia was a strange haunted place and the Garou accused the Bunyip of consorting with the Wyrm. Too late they learned that the Bunyip did no such thing and the strange beasts of the Dreamtime would have nothing to do with them after they killed the natives. The spirits of the slain Bunyip are said to still haunt the Dreamtime leaving all the Garou who visit Australia uneasy.

Croatan: There were originally three Native American tribes and were called the Three Brothers. Uktena was Older Brother, wise beyond imagining, Croatan was Middle Brother, steady and calm, and Wendigo was Younger Brither, full of passion and prone to rash action. When the Wyrmcomers came, they unknowing brought with them a great Wyrm beast called Eater-of-Souls which threatened to devour the whole world. To destroy it, the Croatan threw themselves into battle with it en masse and died, every last one of them. The Wendigo and Uktena came too late to the battle and could not save their dear brothers. The two remaining brothers have never forgiven the Europeans for bringing the Eater-of-Souls.

White Howlers: Battle crazed, blood thirsty Picts who were neighbors and cousins of the Get of Fenris and the Fianna. They were such great warriors that in their arrogance they threw themselves into the maw of the Wyrm, pressing it back into the depths of Malfeas. But, it was all for naught as the Howlers blindly pursued the Wyrm through the very heart of the Black Spiral Labyrinth in Malfeas, losing their minds, one and all and becoming the foul twisted Wyrm worshiping Black Spiral Dancers. The mad Dancers long ago slew the few Howlers who escaped Malfeas and no new ones have been born in some 2,000 years.

Abilities

Garou have several special abilities. They heal damage incredibly fast, and can be killed by little but silver or the claws and fangs of other supernaturals. They can change shapes at will and step into the Umbra, the spirit world. They have something called Gifts, which function similar to magic spells, or special abilities. They are generally instantaneous effects. This can be anything from being untrackable to conjuring a fireball to the ability to speak with animals. Each Breed, Auspice and Tribe has its own set of Gifts. Common to all Garou are Rites, static magic that requires specific things to be done to invoke them and have bizarre effects. A common Rite is that which allows you to change form without shredding your clothing while a rare rite allows a group of Garou to build a caern, a gate between the physical and spirit world. Rites take time to learn and to enact.

Rage

It is a gift of madness from Luna (the Moon) that allows the Garou to do truly spectacular things. Too much Rage is bad and will break loose in frenzy, a maddened state where the Garou loses all control, either Berserking or Foxing. In a Berserk the Garou attacks everything in sight, friend or foe. In Fox, the Garou flees in terror and will do anything to get away. Truly horrible frenzies are known as going into the Thrall of the Wyrm. Homids in thrall will eat fallen enemies (or packmates), Metis will do perverse and twisted sexual things to enemies and packmates, and Lupus will attack and destroy any who can't defend themselves, particularly packmates. Thrall is never good.

Gnosis

Gnosis is similar to the Polynesian concept of mana, or the Eastern concept of chi. While all creatures have some spiritual component, Garou can consciously control and use it. Garou are quite literally half-spirit already and Gnosis reflects how connected they are to their other half. Gnosis can't be precisely measured, but if you think of it like water, it makes comprehending the difference between a Garou and a human easier. A human has a cupful to last a lifetime, a Garou has access to an endlessly replenishing river.

Gnosis can be used to bribe spirits, activate fetishes (magical artifacts) and Gifts, and to enter the Umbra. Creatures without enough Gnosis generally cannot perceive or enter the Umbra.

Gnosis is a renewable, but dwindling, resource. Garou can regain it at sacred sites, by meditating, or bargaining with spirits. Sacred sites provide Gnosis, but if they become defiled, it can corrupt the Garou, or there simply may be no more available. The water analogy works well here. They need water, but they need to protect their sources because drinking tainted water may make them sick, and if they aren't careful, their well may go dry.

The Umbra

The Umbra is the spirit world, a land filled with spirits, sometimes friendly, but more often hostile in these dark days. It is divided into several layers around the earth (frequently called The Realm), like an onion. Closest is the Penumbra, the reflection of the real world. In the Penumbra, things are revealed as they are in spirit. Technological items such a computers, or even buildings, are covered in the webbing of the Weaver while objects of the Wyrm are covered in a thin film of slime and foulness.

Next is the Near Umbra, which has little bearing on the real world. It is filled with more bizarre spirits and the Near Realms float in it, like fruit in Jello. These realms are reflections of a single idea, such as Pangaea, a primordial earth where dinosaurs still walk, to Atrocity where the Holocaust never ends and everyone is a victim, to Summer Country, a beautiful land of peace and harmony, to Erebus, a Garou hell that promises eternal torment in its rivers of molten silver.

Farther still is the Deep Umbra which corresponds to space. The Penumbras of other planets rest here as do Realms dedicated to pure thought. Malfeas, the Realm of the Wyrm, rests in the Deep Umbra. Mixed into all these layers are sub realms, Glens, faerie rings, haunted sites, and any number of other bizarre things. The Umbra is ever changing and is considered by some Garou to be the true battlefield on which the Apocalypse will be fought.

The Umbra and real world may seem to be seperate worlds, but they are still linked. Actions in either world echo between the two, sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly and subtly. Chop down a tree in the real world, and eventually its spiritual counterpart will fade to nothingness. Chop it down in the Umbra, and the real world tree will die from spiritual shock.

Spirits that are not tied to physical objects instead of a spiritual correspondence. For example, a spirit of violence may haunt an area with a high crime rate, subtly goading residents to ever more violent acts, and feeding off that violence. A Garou seeking to defeat such a spirit may find its own attempts to attack and destroy it only make the creature stronger. Only by eliminating its source of power can it be defeated. So the Garou might need to spend time trying to bring down the crime rate, counseling battered women, and eliminating gangs in an area in order to get rid of the spirits of violence infesting it. So while physical assault is often the first choice of many Garou, it often will not solve the problem. They cannot focus on the physical fight and ignore the spiritual component.

Fera

Long ago, the Garou were created by Gaia as her fangs and claws, to keep her safe. They were not her only children however. she created many other shapeshifters and gave them each a task. Some have lost their way with time, others were forced from their roles by the Garou. Some have turned to serving only one aspect of the Triat, instead of Gaia as a whole.

Ananasi- the werespiders are usually found serving the Weaver or the Wyrm. They are disturbing creatures that frighten even Garou. They must feed on blood like vampires.

Bastet- the were cats have many different tribes, like the Garou. They are obsessed with secret knowledge and are always persuing and hording it. Many are great magicians. All are secretive. Some are weak compared to the Garou, but some can fight just as well. Most keep to themselves.

Corax- the were ravens patrol the skies, always on the look out for danger. They are terrible chatterboxes and will tell what they have seen to any who care to listen. They still get along with the Garou and will frequently help them.

Gurahl- many believe the were-bears are extinct. They are great healers and kept the secret of life and death. Of course when they would not tell this secret to the Garou, the werewolves tried to kill them all. But once roused, bears are not so gentle...

Kitsune- the werefoxes are magicians and politicians, holding together the society of Eastern shapeshifters in China and Japan known as the Beast Courts.

Mokolé- the werecrocodiles remember the age of the Dragon Kings, when terrible reptiles ruled the earth. They remember everything that has ever happened and keep that knowledge to themselves, only speaking to the properly respectful.

Nuwisha- the werecoyotes are just as much trouble as their father, Old Man Coyote. They are always scheming, always ready to knock the mighty on their ass. They are frequently mistaken for Garou, but do not have the murderous Rage of their cousins.

Ratkin- the wererats once watched over humanity, keeping their numbers from ever becoming too great. However, the garou usurped that role, and the Ratkin have hated them ever since. they fight firmly for the Wyld and take every opportunity to undermine technology.

Rokea- even the sea has its protectors. The weresharks patrol the depths of the sea and are rarely seen by landdwellers.