be Whelps - they dont see humans as quite as

be Whelps - they don’t see humans as quite as

members at several other multi-tribal caerns. In general, Talons outside of a Talon-controlled sept tend to be Whelps - they don’t see humans as quite as destructive and wasteful as others. However, that means that when they do see a human despoiling the land, they assume he’s a bad influence on the other humans. In short, he’s meat.

If Canada’s good, Alaska’s fair. People still shoot wolves, yeah, but the population is thin and much of the state is human-less. Especially if the Talons get their way.

One of the septs in Alaska is called the Sept of the Weeping Daughter. It’s controlled by Red Talons, but it’s a strange place in that the heart of the caem consists of some human (or, more likely, homid Garou) burial grounds. The caern’s totem takes a humanoid form, and yet the Talons protect it. The lore of the area has it that the forest in which the caemsits is haunted by the ghosts of dead Eskimos (which is true) and that people who venture there are tom to shreds by evil forces (which is also true, minus the evil). On the whole, the humans in the area haven’t bothered the caem much.

That’s going to change, though. The caern sits about 15 miles or so from the small town of Lawson, and that town is suffering, economically. They’ve begun to negotiate with lumber companies.. . and you can probably see where this is going. I told the sept leader at the Weeping Daughter about it, but I left shortly thereafter (I really wasn’t welcome), so I’ve got no idea if the town is still standing. &&Am* You’ll find wolves as far south as Mexico, but the real fun is in the Amazon. The Red Talons don’t always buy into Golgol Fangs-First’s war jargon, but enough Talons hear “war on humans” and sign up to give the tribe a presence in the jungle. The problem, as they discover when they get there, is that the rainforest is not the same kind of forest they grew up in. The prey is different, the climate is different, and there aren’t any other wolves around (few if any wolf Kin live down there, and any that are there are imports). Red Talons in the war either have something to avenge, have lost everything, or are in disgrace to be so far from home.

They also tend to be on edge all the time just from being so far out of their element. Some of them - like the chief Talon, Fierce Hunger - learn to deal with it and set good examples, but more often they either die in battle or try to get home after a few months.

In the small nation of Chile, however, the Talons are making some headway with adifferent kindofbattle.

A few years ago, a pack of Talons ventured to Chile to try and breed with the remaining Andean wolves (so named for their home, the Chilean Andes). It’s worked, and while the species is by no means thriving, they have some powerful protection now. To my knowledge, they don’t control a caern in the mountains, but I heard his information secondhand, so there might well be “Chilean Sept” out there somewhere. &mp The entire continent is so choked by the Weaver, it’s amazing that the Garou have any presence here at all. I’m impressed that the Talons in particular continue to maintain any numbers on the continent. Still, it’s not much. They have protectorates here, but they’re pitifully small - much too small for their Kin to be eating well, unless the Talons are providing the food.

You might find the odd Talon at a multi-tribal sept anywhere inEurope, but the biggest concentrations are in Northern Spain, the rural parts of Hungary and Poland, and Scandinavia. And even in these places, those concentrations aren’t really “big.” The Talons in Europe are about one hair away from raging across the continent because they’ve been backed into comers for far too long.

For example, a sign of hope recently was a new pack of Kin wolves in Scandinavia. They’re dead - the humans found out and slaughtered them. One wolf survived, and that was by entering his First Change.

Europe has so few wild places left, and what it has are really too small for wolves. Since the destruction of the Blue River Caern (on the river Tiszathe entire river was poisoned with massive amounts of cyanide) I think the Talons control one caern on the entire continent (not counting Russia, which I’ll cover separately).

The good news, if you want to call it that, is that the Talons, the Black Furies, and the Shadow Lords have successfully allied in Europe and made some great advances against the Wyrm and its minions. There’s some friction between the Talons and the Furies - I mentioned Hears-the-Smallest-Sounds’ thoughts on rescuing human women from the “rape camps” in Eastern Europe earlierbut since the Blue River died, the Talons have been more receptive to give and take.

After all, they got their fondest wish out of it. The Impergium has begun anew.

It sounds crazy, I know, but it’s true. In the few places with any numbers of Red Talons, they’ve started culling. I don’t know what system they use to figure out who or how many humans to kill, but I do know that they aren’t the only tribe involved. The trouble, of course, is that this isn’t going to go unnoticed. Humans don’t always flip out when they see us. Sometimes they get mad, and sooner or later the odds are going to catch up with these Garou.

One of the places the Red Talons are hoping to preserve is in Northern Spain. On the lower slopes of the Pyrenees is acaerncalled Mother’s Shelter. Sounds like it should be a Children of Gaia caern, right? Well, at one point, it was.

The story goes that some 400 years ago, the Children held that caern and ran a small church nearby. A good chunk of the people who lived there and attended the church were Kinfolk, and they had a decent grip on things - weren’t screwing up the land, practiced Christianity but didn’t oppress each other. The Children of Gaia were evidently very pleased with themselves for this mini-utopia. It didn’t last, of course. One night a Red Talon Theurge called Howl-Chills-the-Blood showed up and warned the Children that their flock was about to rise up against them and that they would lose the caern. The Children, naturally, didn’t listen.

The next week, the people in the town found a new leader. He was a dark, scary guy who only came out at night, and he’d apparently been there for some time - the Gaians had just gotten too complacent to notice him. The Children tried to figure out why the people weren’t listening to them anymore, but eventually those same people rose up against them, burned the church (which they believed had been defiled) to ash, drove off the Children (with the bloodsucker’s help) and built a new town farther down the mountain. Howl-Chillsthe-Blood led her tribe to the caern and they’ve run it ever since, but they kept the old name. It’s just kind of funny that a caern called “Mother’s Shelter” is now the staging ground for concerted assaults on local towns.

Wonder if that vampire is still around, though?

Last bastion of Silver Fang dominance. Sorry, how’d that slip out?

The Red Talons were hit just as hard by the problems in Russia as any other tribe. Probably worse, because of the country’s “War on Wolves.”The Talons lost a lot of Kin when the Ruskies were flying around shooting them from helicopters, and the fact that the great Hag Baba Yaga was orchestrating the entire country’s corruption didn’t help.

Now, I’m not really up on who or what Baba Yaga was. I’ve been to Russia, but very recently. I heard stories about the Battle of Kursk and how more than 200 Garou fought the great Zmei that night, but I don’t know the truth of it. What I do know is that even if Russia’s not a roach motel for Garou anymore, it’s still a dangerous place. Black Spiral Dancers and Banes are considered mund it’s the fact that the land i more places than not and th: a habit of falling year by ye; the Garou real worry.

Witness: The Winter Foi place is (or was) a Red Talc occasionally they would let c Banking on my remarkable SI fuge, I tried to visit while I wat supposed to be a caem of fen never seen one (who has?) ventured to where the caern w be, I couldn’t find it. I found wolves, no evidence of any c: The caern could have fa1 but I’d have expected to see s of that. I didn’t feel any desel didn’t have the same power i caems usually do. I don’t thir good, for two reasons. I did st other caems in Russia, and fi Get (who are lousy liars) knc about it. They aren’t letting or accuse the Get of treachery, : they’ve assisted the Talons, tl good job of it.

Also, I heard a rumor w thatTundraRunner, arather ir and hard-line Predator King, the Umbra with “a great secre his tribe.” Tundra Runner, I’v habit of pissing off potential seems to have made some frit cause I couldn’t get straight : anyone. One Ragabash actu; that the entire caern was trans Umbral realm! Is that even p Bet you didn’t even kno were native to India, huh? here (comparatively) and, jt where else, they go after pen (think about it - the prey car can they?). The problem is t have gotten smart about keel penned in and safe recently, are going after another easy sc untended infant children.

My first reaction to that just as instinctive as my reader I can see where the wolves are Try to distance yourself from the horror of losing a child in such a manner for moment. If a wolf is hungry, it will eat carrion. It has no compunctions about pulling down a helpless fawn or calf, and an infant human left out at the wrong time is just a tempting meal to a starving wolf. This doesn’t do anything for the wolfs international public relations, however.

But there’s another spin on this: when wolves carry off an infant, the government pays the family a lot of money. More than a year’s salary, in some cases.

So some folks have speculated that occasionally infants will get deliberately left out where the wolves can find them. The parents get their money, they get to blame the wolves for their loss, and life goes on. If the notion of wolves eating babies made you queasy, the notion of parents leaving their children to be eaten for money should make you feel even worse.

But Indian folklore is replete with wolves, even nowadays. People there believe in werewolves, and fear them even if they don’t understand them. The two tribes that have the biggest presence in India are the Children of Gaia and (of course) the Red Talons, which may be one reason why people are so afraid of wolves there. The Talons and the Children do not get along in India, as the Talons take full advantage of the lack of technology and the crowded conditions to try and wipe the humans out. I can only imagine that both tribes would be disgusted by the way innocent children are fed to wolves - it would offend the Children’s delicate sensibilities, but the Talons would be horrified to find a parent willingly giving up its children to a predator. Wolves fight for their cubs.

As far as specifics go, I mentioned earlier that I spoke with a No-Moon near a small village. He represented a sept, but refused to tell me where. I tagged him, spiritually speaking, and followed him home. I didn’t get too close to the bawn of the caern before I had to bail (some kind of spiritual alarm went off, and the Stormcrow I had called up to act as a spy hasn’t let me forget it since) but that caern is hot. It’s a caern of Rage, I’d guess, and given the amount of secrecy surrounding it, the Talons of India have something important on the horizon.

Ai&%& No wolves here. Only dingoes. But the Talons make do.

You’ve no doubt heard the ugly history of the War of Tears. The Black Spiral Dancers tricked a Red Talon into starting the war, the Shadow Lords jumped on board because we’re sneaky and evil (whatever), and Bob’s-your-uncle, the Bunyip are all dead. Every Garou in Australia now feels the collective guilt over the war (except the Children of Gaia, who just act smug about the fact that they didn’t participate), but the local Red Talons still maintain what they did was just.

Well, the Australian Talons may not know it, but the Talons in the rest of the world think that the “dingoes” are about as much part of the tribe as a mixed-breed husky. The basic attitude is “Sure, you go play at being a Talon, but you haven’t done a thing except exterminate a tribe.” Needless to say, bringing that up to Australian Talons is unwise (but I did it anyway). They tend to Rage very quickly at any insinuation that breeding with dingoes has made them less wolf. Truth hurts, I guess.

Australia’s Garou look to a ruling body called the Jindabyne Council for leadership. One member of each tribe sits on it. The council’s had its share of troubles. The former Shadow Lord member went nuts and tried to take over the country or something, the Fianna have been feuding for years, but the Talons were all pretty united behind their leader, an Ahroun called Mamu. And then something weird happened.

All of my Galliard instincts scream out to be more specific than that, but I really don’t know and even Rage-in-the-Streets, the new Red Talon leader and a damned nice fella, won’t tell me. He just makes vague references to “reconciliation” and “a miracle” and lets it go at that. Sources in my own tribe in Australia feel it has something to do with the Glass Walkers or the Mokolk, or both, but I can’t seem to get the real story.

Anyway, Mamu stormed off into the outback and pretty much kills whatever crosses his path. The Talons are by no means united behind Rage-in-the-Streets (who, as I mentioned earlier, is a Whelp and proud of it). And, talk outside of the country has it that some Talons from other lands are considering sending some “real Talons” down there to hunt Mamu down, oust Rage-in-the-Streets, and get the tribe back to where it should be. If I hear about any suchplans, I’ll warnRage, but so far nothing’s come of it. e Again, no native wolves, but that doesn’t stop the Talons. They control a caern near Luxor in Egypt called Howling Sands, but I couldn’t get in (no nonTalons allowed). Apparently that caern’s fallen on hard times, but I didn’t find out much. There’s a member of the sept who might have talked to me, but then the Guardians showed up and I really didn’t feel like tussling with them.

Farther south in Africa, though, are the Kucha Ekundu - Red Talons that breed with Cape hunting dogs. I have to admit, they look really funny. They’re not as big as wolves, and have this odd striped pattern on their fur. But they’re true Garou, don’t ever doubt that. They’re not as strong as you or me, but they’re quick and they use pack tactics better than some experienced war packs I’ve seen. Allegedly the Talons started breeding with them as the result of a test from the Mokole, and passed it. I know that the Fera of Africa are united now (at least in theory) under an agreement called the Ahadi. I also know that the Silent Striders and the Red Talons are boon companions in Africa, and that the Caern of the Bloodied Rock, although Kucha Ekundu-controlled, is a frequent resting-place for the Striders. I didn’t get a chance to visit that sept while in Africa, but I did meet up with Walks-With-Might (who, while he’s not a Talon, evidently carries enough clout with the Bloodied Rock to speak for them) who invited me to visit.

I’m definitely planning a return trip. The Kucha Ekundu are much more sociable than most Talons, although they have roughly the same attitude about humans. enture off into the ence is felt at all. Reportedly, they find either Pangaea (which actually does have some humans, or at least human-like spirits, but they don’t really influence the place much) or the Talon homeland. I’ve never been to the Talon homeland, of course, so I can only Chc;pTer Two: Flesh that most of us consider Kin. They’re angry and resentful, and we can understand that intellectually, but we’ll never know what it feels like to know, in the pits of our stomachs, that this generation might be the last one. We might know it as Garou, but our human families and Kinfolk are still around, and we can take joy in that. The Red Talons Rage against total extinction, and there’s no way for our human minds to grasp that. So instead, like humans do, we downplay their pain, and we talk down to the Talons. We forget what they know. We forget the past.

But the Red Talons have been right about everything so far. They were right about the Impergium; ending it was a mistake. They were right about the War of Rage. They were right in every single one of their prophecies .

They still howl out their portents, you know.

Listen at a moot if a Red Talon is howling a story. A lot of times, their howls seem disjointed to us - no time frame given in the “story” so we don’t know when it’s supposed to have happened. It’s told without names or much detail - at least as we know it - so we assume the Talon doesn’t know what he’s talking about.

That’s not smart of us, though. The Talons know the truth. All we have to do is listen, and I suggest we start.

“There were deer running in the woods beyond the meadow: I could smell them on the winter’s night’s air. And I was, above -Neil Gaiman, “Only the End of the World Again” all things, hungry. ”

The Red Talons’ most defining characteristic, and the one of which they are most proud, is the complete absence of human blood in their tribe. Their ritual practices and the Gifts they learn reflect this. This chapter presents new Gifts, rites, and other traits. Note that some of these traits (Merits and Flaws in particular) might be appropriate for other lupus Garou at the Storyteller’s discretion. Most of the material found in this chapter, however, is particular to the wolf tribe (and rightly so; it’s their book, after all).

As in the other Revised Tribebooks, this section presents some ideas and options for customizing Backgrounds for a Red Talon character. This shouldn’t be seen as a restriction or as gospel truth, but a player who wishes to play a Red Talon and is having trouble seeing how they might interact with the outside world might consider these points.

A ?

Red Talons may not have allies in human society, for obvious reasons. The Storyteller may wish to allow a Talon character to purchase this Background to Chfipfer Three: Bones represent a werewolf ally, although the cost should likely be increased by 1.

Ak%&?.eJ The Red Talon view of time gives them a special relationship with their Ancestors. Whether a distant relative lived a year or a millennium in the past, the lessons she can teach the Talon likely relate to the war against the Wyrm (and humanity). Since the Talons’ methods haven’t changed much in the ensuing years, Talons often don’t suffer from a “generation gap” between the young cubs and the ancient Ancestors. &&47& As with Allies, Red Talons cannot purchase this Background in the usual sense (of human contacts).

The Storyteller may decide to allow a Talon to take non-human contacts (such as other Garou or even C o r a ) at an increased cost. z+%d Red Talons don’t make use of fetishes as often as the other tribes, but they do use them. Most Talon fetishes are simple affairs - a strip of bark or a chunk of rock that just “seemed right” to the Talon who created the fetish.

Sometimes, a Talon will take a piece of equipment from a fallen foe (or a piece of the foe itself) and fashion a fetish from it. While this som To say that the Red Talons are protective of their Kinfolk is a gross understatement. The other tribes breed with humans, and as far as the Talons see it, there is no shortage of humans with which to breed. The Talons’ Kinfolk are dying out, which means that the days of the tribe itself are likewise numbered. Any being so foolish as to injure a wolf, Kinfolk or no, within miles of a Red Talon has just forfeited its life, and the Talons will not hear otherwise.

The Kinfolk Background to the Talons is a great responsibility. Their wolf Kin can provide a welcome respite from the war, allowing a Talon to run with a wolf pack and forget her life as a Garou for a short time (much like human Kin can for homid Garou). But the Talon must also protect her Kinfolk from the world at large, not just the forces of the Wyrm. This often leads Talons to tell no one of their Kinfolk, even their packmates (which, in turn, can make the Talon difficult to find in an emergency).

A Pure Bred Red Talon is an alpha wolf, no questions about it. Talons with high levels of Pure Breed tend to a deep red color all over in Lupus form, and are strikingly beautiful. Such Garou, however, often look even more bestial than usual in Homid form (which doesn’t mean a thing to other Talons). Since Talons haven’t inbred the way the Silver Fangs have over the years, their Pure Bred members tend to be strong, fast, and very capable (higher than usual levels of Primal-Urge and Physical Attributes are often appropriate in such Garou). Most other Red Talons will instinctively defer to a Pure Bred Garou, especially one of their own tribe. This sometimes supercedes rank, if only until both Garou realize who should actually be considered dominant.

I Red Talons may not, for obvious reasons, purchase Resources during character creation, although they may wind up garnering some wealth through various means over the course of the chronicle as usual. 2?&v The Red Talons make use of several rites that the other tribes haven’t discovered, and have their own take on many existing ones. More information on Talons and their rites can be found on page 72.

T&m All-Talon packs, such as the Winter Packs, often follow Griffin or an affiliated spirit (such as Lion or Wolverine). Multi-tribal packs including one or more Red Talons might follow nearly any totem, but no selfrespecting Talon will follow Cockroach or a City Fathermother or any such Weaver-affiliated nonsense. Some highly aggressive Talons balk at following “prey totems’’ such a Bull, Goat, or Stag, but this is by no means a universal attitude in the tribe.

Griffin’s brood teaches the Red Talons Gifts that no human-tainted tribe could ever hope to learn. Also, as with rites, the Red Talons have discovered Gifts over the years that they simply feel no need to share with the other tribes. These blessings from Gaia help keep the Red Talons in their proper role as supreme predators, and the Talons who know of these Gifts feel that homid Garou probably aren’t capable of understanding or using them effectively.

The Gifts listed below can be learned by any Red Talon of sufficient rank, provided that the Garou knows of the Gift and what kind of spirit might teach it.

Eye of the Hunter (Level One) -Wolves can sense which animal from a herd is sick or weak and therefore the easiest prey. Red Talons can do so normally when confronted with a herd of deer, but more complex creatures like predators or pseudo-predators (like humans) make this difficult. This Gift, taught by a wolf-spirit, allows the Talon to pick out the weakest member of a group at a glance. It does not reveal why the target is the weak link in a herd, only that she is, but that alone is often enough to give the Garou an edge.

System: The player rolls Perception + Primal-Urge (difficulty 7). If the roll succeeds, the character knows which member of a given group is the weakest (determined by the Storyteller) and which is the leader. If the Red Talon enters combat against this group, she gains an extra die to her attack pools against the weakest member.

MET: Make a Mental Challenge (retest with Primal-Urge). With success, you can determine who is the weakest member of a group and who is the leader. Group dynamics (such as why this particular member is considered the weakest) are beyond the scope of this Gift.

Should you enter combat against the weakest member, you gain a bonus Trait on attack challenges only.

Hidden Killer (Level One) - The Red Talons did not survive for so many years without learning ways to conceal themselves. This Gift allows a Garou to leave behind no physical evidence that would betray her hand (or claws and teeth) in a slaying. This Gift is taught by a snake-spirit.

System: After a battle, the Garou must lick each wound she inflicted once. The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Stealth (difficulty 7 ) . If the roll succeeds, the wounds alter themselves so that they resemble stabbing wounds rather than bite marks, and any hair, saliva, blood or other physical evidence from the werewolfs body disappears. Any peripheral damage (smashed furniture, for example) remains as it was, however.

MET: After battle, lick each wound you inflicted, then spend a Gnosis Trait and make a Mental Challenge (retest with Stealth).

Purify Meat (Level One) - While some Red Talons abstain from eating humans because of the Litany, the more common reason for hunting more conventional game is that humans are befouled by the chemicals they put into their bodies. In some parts of the world, this isn’t such a problem, but in most countries, human flesh is foul-tasting and unhealthy, even for Garou. In other places, the land is so corrupted that other game animals begin to taste rubbery and disgusting. With this Gift, a Red Talon can purge chemicals and other poisons from dead flesh. A water elemental teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. The Garou must touch the meat he wishes to cleanse. Each use of this Gift cleans approximately fifty pounds of dead meat of any non-supernatural toxins.

MET: Spend a Gnosis point and touch the meat you want to cleanse. This Gift can cleanse about 50 pounds of dead meat of non-supernatural toxins (chemicals, toxic waste, drugs, alcohol). This Gift only works on dead meat - it is not an arm’s-length Resist Toxin.

Predator’s Leap (Level Two) -While any lupus werewolf can learn the secrets of jumping great distances, the Red Talons have refined the Gift to great effect when chasing or ambushing a foe. By employing this Gift, the Talon’s leap “tracks” a moving target, allowing her to pounce on her prey even if said prey has dodged or fled while the Talon is in mid-leap. A foxor (sometimes) a cat-spirit teaches this Gift.

MET: Make your Physical Challenge to leap.

Should you win or tie, spend a Rage Trait and make a Mental Challenge (retest with Primal-Urge). With success, you gain two bonus Physical Traits in your next Physical Challenge (whether attacking or pursuit) against your foe. After the next challenge is made, the bonus Traits are lost.

Mother’s Rage (Level Three) -A she-wolf is most dangerous when protecting her cubs, and will fight against enemies from which she would normally flee if her family is at stake. The Red Talon with this Gift is able to harness that Rage and use it in battle, although only when defending something of value. A bearor wolf-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: This Gift can only be used in defense of something or someone else - Kinfolk, a wounded packmate, a caern, etc. If the Red Talon is attacking a foe, she may not activate Mother’s Rage. To use this Gift, the player spends two Rage points. The Garou enters a kind of frenzy, but stays within the vicinity of her charge. She will attack anything that gets too close, within the usual guidelines of frenzy (i.e., if her Rage is equal to or lower than her Gnosis, she will not attackpackmates). While in this state, the Talon takes no wound penalties. All difficulties to soak are reduced by two and she gains an extra dot of Strength. Additionally, she regains one Rage point each turn while the Gift is in effect, making it impossible for her to run out of Rage (and therefore impossible to lose the wolf).

All of these benefits disappear when the Red Talon’s charge is out of danger or at the end of the scene, whichever comes first.

MET: This Gift may only be used in defense of someone or something of great value - a wounded packmate, Kinfolk, cubs, a caern, or the like. Spend two Rage Traits to activate this Gift. You then enter a kind of controlled frenzy. You are bounded by the usual guidelines of frenzy, but you will only attack anything that gets too close to your charge. You take no wound penalties, gain two extra Healthy health levels and the Physical Traits Ferocious x 2. While this Gift is in effect, you also regain a Rage Trait at the end of each turn. The Gift’s effects end when your charge is out of danger or the scene ends, whichever comes first.

Territory (Level Four) -The Red Talon with this Gift doesn’t need to patrol his hunting ground to know what transpires there. With but a moment of concentration, he may extend his senses to any area he has marked. This Gift is taught by a wolf-spirit.

System: To use this Gift, the Red Talon must first mark one or more areas with his own urine. A Talon may have a number of marked locations equal to his Gnosis (and does not have to establish such a mark in every place that he urinates). Thereafter, the player may roll Perception + Primal-Urge (difficulty 7) to extend the Talon’s senses to that location. The character can sense the area as though standing in the same place he was in when he marked the area originally.

The scent marks last for one week per dot of Gnosis the character possesses (for wilderness) or one day per dot of Gnosis (for urban environments).

MET: First, mark your chosen areas (for the sake of the game environment and public health, don’t actually use your own urine!); you may have as many marked locations as you have Gnosis, and not every place that your character urinated is part of this Gift. With the I G areas marked, you can make a Mental Challenge (retest with Priwl-Urge) and extend your senses to a spot in question, allowing you to sense it as though you were physically present. The markings last for one week per Gnosis (in the wilderness) or one day per Gnosis (in the city).

Blessing of the First Pack (Level Five) - The Red Talons believe that the very first pack of Garou set the standards for the auspices, and that only the Talons retain a strong enough connection to that First Pack to use this Gift. This may or may not be true, but no nonTalon Garou has ever exhibited this mighty Gift (but then, very few among the Talons even know of it). To learn this Gift, the Talon must have at least one dot in Ancestors. The Garou calls upon her the originator ofher auspice and is temporarily transformed into the pinnacle of her moon-sign. An avatar of Wolf or a powerful Lune may teach this Gift, but neither does so often.

System: The player spends two Gnosis points and rolls Charisma + Ancestors (difficulty 8). If the roll succeeds, the character becomes infused with the very essence of her auspice. For the remainder of the scene, the character receives five dots of Pure Breed in addition to any she already possesses. She may also make use of any auspice Gift for her particular auspice of level 4 or lower. (Gifts taken from sources other than Werewolf are subject to Storyteller approval.) In addition, Blessing of the First Pack grants power based on the character’s auspice: Auspice Bonus Ragabash +3 to Stealth, +2 to Wits and Dexterity Theurge +3 toEnigmas, +2 toIntelligenceandGnosis Philodox +3 toRituals, +2 toManipulationandStamina Galliard +3 toExpresion, +2 toCharismaandStrength Ahroun +3 to Leadership, +2 to Strength and Rage MET: Spend two Gnosis Traits and make a Static Social Challenge (difficulty eight Traits, retest if you have Ancestors). With success, for the rest ofthe scene, you may be considered to have Pure Breed x 5 (in addition to any levels you already own. You may also make use of any auspice Gift for your auspice at Intermediate or Basic level (it’s up to the Storyteller whether you can use that nifty Children of Gaia or Fianna Auspice Gift, though). Blessing of the First Pack also grants further endowment of yout auspice: Ragabash Stealth x 3, Ckver x 2, Quick x 2 Theurge Enigmas x3, Knowledgeable x 2, two Gnosis Traits Philodox Rituals x 3, Persuasive x 2, Tireless x 2 Galliard Expression x 3, Expressive x 2, Stalwart x 2 Ahroun Leadershipx3,Fer~x2,twoRageTraits Home in All Lands (Level Six) -Legends among the Red Talons state that the wolves with the greatest connection to the Progenitor Wolf were not bound by distance, but indeed could appear anywhere where wolves were found. This was long thought to be simply lore, but in fact an elder Red Talon with a strong enough lineage might well learn to fade from one location and appear anywhere else in the Realm or the Umbra, provided that the Progenitor has been there before him. Only the Progenitor Wolf himself teaches this Gift.

System: The player must roll Gnosis as though her character were stepping sideways. If successful, the character may appear at any location on Earth where wolves might be found naturally (whether or not any still exist) or any location that boasts Garou. She may instead choose to appear in any Umbral Realm that she has previously visited. A Red Talon must have Pure Breed 5 to learn this Gift.

MET: You must first have Pure Breed x 5 to learn this Gift, and only the Progenitor Wolf teaches it.

Make a challenge to step sideways. With success, you may appear anywhere on Earth where wolves might be found (whether they’re still there or not), or any place that has a Garou population. You may also appear in any Umbral Realm you have previously visited. such nonsense, but secret howls that the howl she is invoking. If your surroundings make it possible to howl, then by all means do - it can add a great deal to the atmosphere of the game. If you know the Gift: Call of the Wyld, you receive a single retest on the performance of the howl (the second results stand; anything after that is up to you).

Howl to the Pack (Level One) - The Talon howls, and no matter how far away, her pack hears her.

She cannot hear any response they might give, but she can be sure that they hear any message she wishes to impart.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Primal-Urge (difficulty 7). The “pack” in question might be the Garou’s literal pack, bonded by a totem, or any wolf to whom the Red Talon is related. Each use of the Gift allows one howl, and the player must roll Manipulation + Expression (difficulty 6) to convey any concept more complicated than “warning” or “I need help.” The recipients of the howl are the only ones who can hear it.

MET: Make a Social Challenge (retest with Primaleurge). Your pack can be your literal pack, one that is bonded by a totem or a wolf that is related to you. A second Social Challenge (retest with Expression) is needed to convey more complex concepts. Only the recipients the howl is intended for can hear it.

Primal Howl (Level Two) - The howls of a wolf pack evoke fear in prey, as they sense the predators approaching. This Gift allows a Red Talon to emit a howl that evokes that same reaction in anyone that can hear it.

System: The player rolls Stamina + Expression (difficulty 7). If the roll succeeds, any being that wishes to approach the Garou must succeed in a Willpower roll (difficulty 6). If the Garou approaches, the being must make the same roll or back away (or flee). Wolves and Garou are not affected by this Gift. Every success on the player’s roll beyond the first lends an additional “voice” to the howl. Therefore, if the player rolls three successes to activate this Gift, it sounds as though three Garou are howling, not one. Each additional “wolf” adds one to the difficulty of Willpower rolls to approach the Garou or stand one’s ground if the Red Talon approaches (so to approach the Garou on a “three-wolf” howl would require a Willpower roll at difficulty 8).

MET: Make a Physical Challenge (retest with Expression). With success, anyone that wishes to approach you must succeed in a Willpower Challenge. If you approach them, they must make the same challenge to remain, or they must back away or flee. Other Garou and wolves do not suffer this effect. By spending additional Physical Traits, you can add another voice to the howl; spending three would give you three additional “singers.” Those who wish to approach you must bid the same amount you spent in Willpower to stand their ground or approach you.

Howl of Hunger (Level Three) - Wolves gorge themselves when they eat, especially during the cold winter months, because they cannot be sure when they will find food. Most humans know nothing of this kind of hunger, as they have their food handed to them. The Garou with this Gift can weaken any that hear her howl with crippling hunger.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty 7). If the roll succeeds, anyone within earshot of the werewolf s howl loses two dice from any mental and physical dice pools as their bodies are wracked with hunger pangs (the player may choose to spend a Gnosis point to leave the Red Talon’s packmates unaffected).

This Gift only functions on creatures that feel physical hunger for food -vampires and other dead things are unaffected. However, any Garou affected by this Gift must immediately check for frenzy (although even a Garou in frenzy is subject to the dice penalty due to weakness). Frenzied werewolves are likely to feast on any meat theycanfindifsubjecttotheHowlofHunger, much like homid Garou in the Thrall of the Wyrm. The effects of the Gift last for one scene.

MET: Make a Social Challenge (retest with Intimidation). With success, anyone in earshot suffers a two-Trait penalty on Mental and Physical Challenges as they suffer hunger pangs (spend a Gnosis Trait to shield your packmates from the effects). Only those who know physical hunger for food are affected - vampires, the walking dead, Risen and similar creatures do not suffer. Any Garou struck by HaolofHunger must immediately test for frenzy, but he will continue to suffer the penalty even if he frenzies, and will eat m y meat within his reach. The effects last for one scene.

Howl of Death (Level Four) - A Talon blessed with this Gift may infuse her howl with Rage and pain, causing grievous wounds to one target. The werewolf must be able to see her target clearly, and the target must be able to hear the howl. Only the intended target is affected by the Gift, though anyone else who hears it is disquieted and frightened.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Primal-Urge (difficulty 6). Each success inflicts one level of lethal damage, which the target may soak if he is able. The damage manifests, should anyone care to look, as massive internal damage, as if the target’s innards suddenly rupture.

MET: The target of this Gift must be within uninterrupted line of sight and within earshot of the howl. Make a Social Challenge (retest with Primal-Urge). Success inflicts two levels of lethal damage, which manifests as massive internal damage as organs rupture. The howl is frightening even to those that are not its targets.

Shattering Howl (Level Five) - By using this Gift, the Garou releases a howl with enough power to shattering any man-made object. The Shattering Howl can splinter plastic, crack stone, and puncture rubber and similar materials. The werewolf does not have any control over what she shatters with this Gift, however, so she is advised to use it with care.

System: The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Rage (difficulty 7). Exactly what kind of material the howl shatters depends on the number of successes rolled.

One success shatters normal glass. Three cracks concrete.

Five successes rend solid steel. The character may use this Gift on successive turns, but each use requires another Willpower point and a new roll.

MET: Spend a Willpower Trait and a number of Rage Traits based on the effect you wish to cause. One Trait shatters glass; three Traits breaks concrete; five Traits will weaken steel. This Gift can be used successively, but each use requires another Willpower Trait spent and more Rage spent.

For the Gifts listed below, the term “Camp” Gifts is somewhat misleading. Red Talon “camps,” with one exception, aren’t so much organized societies within the tribe as a collection of like-minded individuals.

That in mind, any Red Talon can technically learn any of these Gifts, but they are much more commonly taught within the given “camps.”

W4dfl#&&d The Warders have no love for humans, but they do recognize either the improbability or the spiritual and ethical concerns with wiping the human race out.

They often favor Gifts that allow them to work around humans rather than directly against them.

Mark of the Prey (Level Two) - Rather than take her vengeance directly on an offending human, Chfipfer Three: BOWS the werewolf can choose to change the human’s spiritual resonance to resemble that of a prey animal. Any predator that sees the human, no matter how small or normally afraid of humans, will see that human as prey.

In most cases, this proves simply inconvenient, but if the human happens to own several large dogs, the result could be deadly. Any spirit of a prey animal teaches this Gift, sometimes under duress.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + AnimalKen (difficulty ofthe 1ocalGauntlet).

If the roll succeeds, any carnivorous animal that sees the targeted human attacks him immediately, even if the animal is much too small to seriously injure, let alone eat, the hapless victim. This Gift only functions on one human target, and cannot be used on “supernatural” humans such as ghouls and mages (their spirits are complex enough that the Gift doesn’t “take”). The effects last for one day.

MET: SpendaGnosisTraitandmakeaStaticSocial Challenge against the Gauntlet rating (retest with Animal Ken). With success, any carnivorous animal (even the most gentle, domesticated dog or cat) views the targeted human as prey and attacks him immediately.

This Gift can only affect one human target at a time, and does not affect “supernatural” humans (ghouls or mages).

Kinfolk, kinain, hedge sorcerers, mediums and those whose supernatural contact is “on the surface” are all potential targets. The effect lasts for one day.

Snap Man’s Chains (Level Three) - All Red Talons feel disgust at domesticated animals, both predator and prey. They hate prey animals that simply stand around waiting to be slaughtered, rather than being allowed to live their lives before being eaten. Domesticated predators incense the Talons, for obvious reasons.

This Gift allows the werewolf to free domesticated animals from whatever enclosures hold them, physical or otherwise. Horses throw their riders, dogs turn on their masters, farm animals smash through their gates and run. While the Red Talons have known this Gift for centuries, few learned it after the rise of cities, since so few humans there kept animals. However, the Warders of the Land continue to learn the Gift occasionally. Any animal-spirit can teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Primal-Urge (difficulty 8). The number of successes indicates the area of the effect. One success drives any animals in a small house feral. Three affects all the animals in a small neighborhood or in a building housing many animals (a pound, for example).

Five affects all of the animals within a square mile.

MET: Spend a Gnosis Trait and make a Social Challenge (retest with Primal-Urge). Success drives any animals in the immediate vicinity (an apartment, a small house) feral. Spend additional Social Traits to