Chronicles of Darkness - Werewolf: the Forsaken Second Edition

Man is a combination

of the learned and the instinctual,
of the sophisticated and the primative.
We should never try to deny the beast,
the animal, within us --
Only to channel these energies
in a positive direction.

The Howling

Overview

The werewolves of Werewolf: The Forsaken are consummate hunters, shapeshifters who wear the forms of man and wolf while stalking their prey, before taking nightmarish forms to move in for the kill. Creatures of duality, packs of werewolves hunt their chosen prey to maintain the boundary between Flesh and Spirit. Shunned by spirits and other werewolves, they try to live up to the legend of the god of the hunt, the original Wolf. It is not an easy life. Pitted against humans and spirits, monstrous hybrids and other werewolves, they must also face the threat of the idigam — terrifying spirits of change locked away by Wolf and Moon but now loosed upon the world once more.

Player Resources

• Werewolf Character Template
  
  • Wolf-Blooded Character Template
    
• Forsaken 2^e Genre Directory

Genre Staff

Global Genre Storyteller (GGST Forsaken 2e): Dawn Gott

BtS Genre Storyteller (GST Forsaken 2e): ???

SNA Genre Storyteller (GST Forsaken 2e): Jeff Easterwood

Characters

In Werewolf: the Forsaken, players portray the Forsaken, werewolves, known as Uratha, who are sworn to a duty to maintain a balance and prevent ingress between the spirit worlds and the material world. Any human who may unknowingly possess a werewolf heritage could undergo a First Change at some time in their life, though what triggers the change is unknown. It is only known that it almost never happens before puberty or after the age of 60. Following this Change, each character develops an Auspice, defined by what phase the moon was at during their First Change, and most join a Tribe or become a tribe-less werewolf known as a Ghost Wolf. Unlike traditional fictional werewolves, Uratha may change at any time into various forms between man and wolf, though they do find this easier when the phase of the moon matches their Auspice.

Uratha are fierce territorial predators who feel the compulsion to hunt. Many have trouble containing their aggression, hindering their ability to live normal human lives. Additionally, humans feel this aggression and are repelled by this feeling. Also, every werewolf is in danger of entering a violent Death Rage (Kuruth in the First Tongue). In this frenzied state the werewolf is a threat to everything, no matter whether friend or foe.

Uratha also possess an instinctive understanding of the First Tongue, the language spoken by their ancestors and spirits. Although initially rudimentary, many Uratha can eventually learn to speak the First Tongue fluently.

In the broader context of published setting material, the Uratha are a specialized form of were-beast in the Chronicles of Darkness setting, and belong to the so-called Changing Breeds (beings part human, part animal and part spirit). Among these beings, the Uratha are not the only shapeshifters, but are one of the breeds with the deepest spiritual connection. There are also other differences to the other Changing Breeds. However, the Uratha don't have much contact with the other Changing Breeds and those Breeds mostly avoid the Uratha.

Auspices

Auspices are spiritul connections of the Uratha to Luna. The moon-sign that marks a werewolf’s First Change; a half-blessing, half-revelation of the first change. An Uratha has a loose role within Uratha society according to the omen of his First Change, mirroring the roles of Father Wolf.

• Irraka: The auspice role of scout and silent hunter.
• Ithaeur: The auspice role of occultist, tasked to learn the secrets of mastery over spirits.
• Cahalith: The auspice role of storyteller, vision-quester and lorekeeper.
• Elodoth: The auspice role of judge and arbiter among the Uratha and between the physical and spirit worlds.
• Rahu: The auspice role of warrior and howler at the full moon.

Tribes

A Tribe is a group of Uratha who take as a totem one of the Firstborn, the powerful wolf spirits who were among the original children of Father Wolf. Each Tribe promotes their patron's attitude to or agenda behind the hunt, with a focus on "What you Hunt" in the Siskur-Dah.

While packs are the primary social unit among werewolves, tribes are the most widespread unit of broader organisation. There are eight tribes: three among the Pure, and five among the Forsaken, also known as the "Tribes of the Moon". (Uratha lore suggests there may be other Firstborn beyond the eight who grant patronage to the known tribes, though it is unknown if they too have followers.) Membership in a tribe denotes membership in one of these groups, and the majority of werewolves join one.

The ideals and beliefs of each totem are fairly broad, allowing for great variety in their followers, and consequently Uratha may not feel close kinship with other members of their tribe. Some, however, join Lodges, groups within Forsaken society for Uratha with very specific agendas. Most lodges are sub-groups within particular tribes, though some transcend tribe boundaries. Members must usually pass some form of strict initiation, but membership provides benefits which help the Uratha fulfil the lodge's goals. This generally includes easier access to additional Gifts, but may also be anything from specialised training or knowledge (in the form of bonuses to traits) to patronage from a spirit in addition to the Uratha's tribal totem.

Uratha who belong to no tribe are known as Ghost Wolves (Thihirtha Numen) and generally do not belong to the Pure or the Forsaken, though they most often sympathise with the latter. Ghost Wolves deliberately distance themselves from Uratha society, and suffer considerable stigma for their iconoclasm.

The Bale Hounds are not a tribe, as they do not share a single common patron, and in any case do not follow the teachings of a totem.

The Tribes of the Moon

The Forsaken have five tribes, known as the Tribes of the Moon:

• Blood Talons (Suthar Anzuth) - the tribe of Fenris Wolf, who promotes the warrior and wolf aspects of the Uratha. Their chosen prey is other werewolves, often but not always the Pure Tribes.
• Bone Shadows (Hirfathra Hissu) - occultists who seek to restore relations with the Spirit Courts with the guidance of their patron, Death Wolf. Their chosen prey is spirits that do not remain in the Shadow.
• Hunters in Darkness (Meninna) - protectors of loci, the spiritual centres of the world. Black Wolf is their totem. Their chosen prey is the Hosts, mockeries of flesh and spirit.
• Iron Masters (Farsil Luhal) - this tribe, following the teachings of Red Wolf, embrace change and new ideas. They are closer to humanity, keeping up with technology and taking cities for their territory. Their chosen prey is humanity, including its groups and institutions.
• Storm Lords (Iminir) - the tribe of Winter Wolf seeks to lead all Uratha through strength and noble example. Their chosen prey are the Spirit-Urged and Spirit-Claimed.

The Pure Tribes

The Pure Tribes, with their First Tongue names in parentheses, are:

• Fire-Touched (Izidakh) - fanatical followers of Rabid Wolf, the spiritual leaders of the Pure, who hold that all Forsaken are irrevocably evil and that their taint may only be cleansed by fire.
• Iron Claws (Tzuumfin) - obsessed with purity, the followers of Silver Wolf are cold and calculating planners and schemers. Only those of the purest bloodlines are allowed to join.
• Predator Kings (Ninna Farakh) - these savage hunters hate the Forsaken not for killing Father Wolf, but for losing them the hunter's paradise of Pangaea. Like their patron Dire Wolf (the oldest Firstborn), they live for the hunt above all else.

Lodges

Holding a nebulous place somewhere between tribe and pack, lodges honor lesser aspects of Forsaken society. Lodges can form around auspice or common ethos, but tribal lodges are common as well.

Wolf-Blooded

Humans with a measure of werewolf blood, the WOlf-Blooded are prized members of werewolf society. They are immune to Lunacy, often mate with werewolves, and sometimes go through First-Change themselves to become Uratha in full.

Territories of Australia

• Forster-Tuncurry
• Brisbane
• Adelaide

Territories of North America

• Ames, Iowa
• Mid-MO, Missouri
• St. Louis, Missouri