Garou Rites

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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 defence. 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

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.

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

Ritemasters generally lead groups of Garou in the performance of rites. These rites are grand ceremonies usually held at Caerns 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.

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

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 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. Elders will often allow the young Garou to do a favour instead of (or in addition to) donating talens. Such favours 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 favour asked is normally proportionate to the power and importance of the rite the young wolf wishes to master.

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 much higher than normal, and the player must use double the amount of Gnosis 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 Honour 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

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 learn 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 behaviour 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 pack mate 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 of Accord

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. 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).
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 (counter clockwise) around the afflicted person(s) or object(s) while holding a smouldering 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. This rite can be cast upon more than one person or object, but the leader must focus their Gnosis on each extra thing or person in need of cleansing.

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 dfilnmity 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).

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 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.

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.</li>
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.
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.

System: The rite must be performed at least once per month to keep the Caern consecrated.

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 Caern 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 Caern 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 Caern.

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 more successful the ritemaster or the Caern Warder are in using this Rite, the more questions they can ask regarding a defined area.

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 wolf’s 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 re-establishes) 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 1/1000th the normal time required. This rite must be renewed once every 13 moons (roughly a year). The Rite is easier to accomplish if the Caern’s Totems are the same or if this rite was used before for the two Caerns. 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.

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 more successful the Rite was the longer it stay invisible to the Spirit world.

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, 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.</li>
Rites of Death

Garou perform rites of death both to honour the departed and to reaffirm their connection to the cycle of life, death and rebirth. In facing and acknowledging death as a necessary part of the dance of life, the pack and sept release themselves from the debilitating poisons of grief and fear.
Gathering for the Departed
Level One
This rite is enacted in honour of the newly dead. A Galliard or a packmate of the departed werewolf usually performs the rite. This rite varies dramatically from tribe to tribe. For example, a Fianna ritemaster leads the sept in the telling of tales, both raucous and heroic, about the fallen Garou.

In contrast stands the Wendigo's solemn rite, in which the ritemaster and all the fallen one's pack mates stand on the highest peak available, tails to the wind, and howl out their pride and grief to speed their companion onward to her next life. The exact form the rite takes does not matter, only the acknowledgment itself. The ritemaster leads the release of the Garou's combined emotions into the spirit world.

The Uktena say that such emotions have a real impact upon the Umbra and that they help ensure that the departed Garou retains ties to her mortal relatives.

Rite of the Winter Wolf
Level Three
Once a Garou becomes too wounded or aged to fight with his tribe, he performs this solemn and bleak rite. Upon announcing that he will undergo this rite, the werewolf sits at the centre of a gathering of his pack and septmates.

This meeting is an onerous, solemn affair during which the Moon Dancers sing hymns of the celebrant's life and deeds and invoke the spirits for glory in the next world or life. The celebrant then slowly and proudly walks through the closed ranks of the tribe. As he passes his people, they begin howling a dirge similar to that sung during the Gathering for the Departed.

Some Garou beat heavy drums or play mournful pipes as the celebrant drags himself to a secluded site where he ends his life, usually with a silver klaive. Rarely, two werewolves, usually packmates, will perform this rite together, sometimes killing each other simultaneously, although Ahroun may give each other a last fight to finish, with the victor ending his life beside his fallen opponent.

Immediately after the suicide, the sept performs the Gathering for the Departed. Members of the Red Talons and Get of Fenris are the staunchest supporters of this rite. It is almost unheard of among the Children of Gaia, who value the knowledge and experience of their aged and wounded.

This rite is always performed at night, and it requires that at least three other Garou be present to acknowledge the solemn event. The weapon used by the Garou must be silver, although it need not be a klaive.</li>
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.
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 and the mark is removed.

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.

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 go 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.

A Garou can attempt this rite only in the presence of a spirit, and it is usually performed in the Umbra.

Rite of 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.

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. The amount of Talisman’s a Garou has depends on her Gnosis. Certain large objects are considered to be more than one, while a group of related items may be considered one.

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. The items of a container at the time of the Rite may be considered one object even when separated. Each Garou has a different way of manifesting this Rite.

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.

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 travelling the Deep Umbra alone. If the braid is destroyed while the Garou is in the Deep Umbra, the Garou takes supernatural damage and risks becoming lost forever if she does not return to the Near Umbra immediately.

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).

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.

The ritemaster must pierce the Gauntlet just as if he were entering the Umbra. A mystic already within the Umbra is not required to pierce the Gauntlet. The longer the Ritemaster takes to prepare the Rite increases the chances of success, while failing may anger the spirit or summon a large number of banes.

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.

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.</li>
Punishment Rites

Punishment rites levy the sanction of the tribe or sept against a transgressing werewolf. Such rites strengthen the Garou by establishing clear limits of acceptable behaviour. By joining in the punishment, each Garou strengthens her commitment to the pack over the individual.

Punishment rites are performed only for major transgressions or after less structured punishments fail to cause a werewolf to mend her ways. A failed rite is considered a sign from Gaia that the offending Garou's crimes are not considered significant enough to warrant such a punishment.
Rite of Ostracism
Level Two
This rite is a fairly common punishment for lesser crimes, yet its effects can be devastating during wartime. This rite estranges the punished Garou from her tribe, sept and sometimes even her pack. The tribe will thereafter treat the individual as a nonentity. She is ignored as much as possible and forced to fend for herself for even basic needs, although no hostile actions are taken against the non-wolf (in theory at least, although some Garou have been known to injure ostracized werewolves "accidentally").

In a life-or-death situation, the tribe (friends and packmates in particular) might aid the offender, but even then only grudgingly. Otherwise, the punished Garou is ignored utterly. Garou present at this rite form a circle around the chastised werewolf (if present), and each participant calls out once to Gaia, then to her brethren the name of the offender, followed by the words:

"Of all Gaia's children, I have no such brother/sister."

The speaker then turns to face away from the circle. Once all present have spoken, they drift away into the night. This punishment normally lasts from one phase of the moon to the next. It can, however, last as long as the sept or tribe leaders desire. For serious crimes, the punishment may even be decreed permanent, essentially exiling the offender from her sept or tribe. The ostracized Garou loses Renown for this transgression.

Stone of Scorn
Level Two
The Stone of Scorn is a rock imbued with malicious spirit personifications of shame, sorrow and the like. Some septs have a permanent Stone of Scorn to which an offender is dragged, although most merely imbue a small stone with mocking energies. Starting with the ritemaster, this stone passes to each Garou present at the rite.

The scorned werewolf is forced by his septmates to sit and watch. As each Garou receives the stone, he carves or paints a symbol of derision or shame onto it while telling a mocking or embarrassing tale about the offending behaviour and other flaws of the scorned Garou. Moon Dancers are particularly creative in their verbal portrayals of the miscreant. This rite often lasts all night, with successive stories becoming more and more outrageous and derogatory.

Once the night ends, so does the punishment, although the best stories are often whispered behind the offender's back for some time to come. Such behaviour causes the Garou to lose Renown for a time.

Voice of The Jackal
Level Two
When a werewolf's behaviour has shamed not just herself, but her entire sept or tribe, then this rite may be called. When the ritemaster performs this rite, he blows a handful of dust or ashes onto the offender and speaks the following:

"Because thy (cowardice/gluttony/ selfishness/etc.) has proved thee to be of jackal blood, let thy voice proclaim thy true breed!"

As the dust and words envelop the punished Garou, her voice changes. Thereafter, she will speak in an annoyingly shrill and piercing nasal whine until the ritemaster repeals the punishment. The ritemaster can repeal this punishment at any time, although it may be made permanent for particularly serious crimes (and the Renown loss always remains).

Certain jackal hounds have reclaimed their true voices by completing a
quest of great benefit to Gaia.

The Hunt
Level Three
The Hunt is called against a werewolf who has committed a capital crime such as unwarranted murderer, yet who still retains a vestige of honour. All Garou participating in a Hunt streak their bodies with ancient symbols in paint or clay. These symbols mark the werewolves as part of a Hunting Pack, and all other Garou will make way for Hunters so marked. It is an honour to be chosen for inclusion in a Hunt.

The ritemaster, or Master of the Hunt, leads the pack. The Hunt is just that; the criminal is hunted down and killed by the pack. There is no quarter given, although (for what it's worth) death exculpates the
condemned Garou. Many tragic stories tell of a werewolf forced to choose between violating his word and committing a grave crime.

Such Garou, so the stories go, chose to honour their word and were Hunted, but displayed such valour during their last stand that they gained much posthumous renown.

Satire Rite
Level Three
A more serious version of the Stone of Scorn, a Satire Rite is a special song, dance and/ or drama crafted by the Half Moons and Moon Dancers for the sole purpose of ridiculing the offender. This rite is always performed at a moot while the offender sits in full view of the sept.

Because the Garou keep careful oral histories, the Satire will be remembered and passed down through the ages. Any werewolf so "honoured" loses much renown. Cubs snicker as they sing lewd verses from the rite, and adults will forever use some of the
movements from the rite when referring to the offender.

While such stories are usually confined to members of the offender's own sept, Tricksters and Moon Dancers are all too happy to spread the new Satire to any Garou they encounter.

Rending the Veil
Level Four
Sometimes known as Actaeon's Folly, this rite is used to punish a human who offends the Garou greatly. The offence does not have to be against the Garou per se, but it may be any act against Gaia or Her children. This rite drops the Veil, forcing a human to see and remember the Garou for the duration of an all-night hunt. The ritemaster leaves a small bag of burning dung and herbs near the sleeping victim.

When the victim awakens, the Veil has been burned away from his mind. The following hunt may or may not end in the human's death. Those humans left alive are often rendered insane, their unprepared minds unable to accept the truth revealed by the rite. Some few, however, overcome their fear and heal. This rite is not considered a breach of the Litany. The ritemaster must place the specially prepared bag of dung and herbs within 10 feet of where the victim sleeps.

The bag smoulders when the ritemaster performs the rite. The ritemaster does not need to be near the bag to enact the rite. A serious botch of the Rite causes the caster to suffer the effects of Delirium.

Gaia’s Vengeful Teeth
Level Five
As one of the greatest punishments among the Garou, this rite is reserved for traitors, those who consort with the Wyrm or cowards whose actions (or lack thereof) cause the deaths of many others. At least five werewolves drag the traitor to a spot of hard, cracked earth and stones.

The ritemaster then stabs a sharpened twig or stone into her own hand as she recites the traitor's sins against Gaia. Smearing her blood over the traitor's eyes, ears and forehead, the ritemaster cries in grief and rage.

As the blood and tears drip to the hard ground, the rite takes effect. From that moment on, whatever of Gaia touches the traitor transforms into razor-sharp silver so long as it touches his flesh. Crinos
hunters then chase the traitor like a dog. The ground beneath the traitor chews into his feet, and his death becomes an agonizing ordeal.

The offender's name is then stricken from all histories, and it will be spoken only as a curse from that moment forward. As long as the ritemaster's blood touches the traitor's body, the traitor cannot step sideways into the Umbra. No one survives this rite.</li>
Rites of Renown

These rites celebrate both the specific accomplishments of an individual Garou and his achievement of a new station in the pack or sept. Garou long to receive such rites as much as they fear facing a rite of punishment.
Rite of Accomplishment
Level Two
This rite is used to honour a werewolf and recognize the trials he has endured to attain his current standing. An elder will call the honoured Garou forward, much as the Garou might be called forward should the elders want to punish or criticize her.

As the Garou advances, the elder begins listing all of the things the Garou did to gain the acclaim. The Rite of Accomplishment then takes place, and anyone who wishes to speak on behalf of the Garou being honoured may do so. In conclusion, the elder says something along the lines of,

"She is made greater in her tribe, her sept and greater among the People everywhere. Let this be known."

It is possible, although rare, that someone will dispute the rite. In this case, the disputer stands and heckles the ritemaster as he performs the rite, making bold assertions about the negative qualities of the applicant.

The applicant so insulted must make a Rage roll not to frenzy; if he frenzies, the rite is over. If he keeps his cool, and the rite is successful, no one can rightfully question his worthiness for at least three moons (I.E: No one can dispute any Rites of Accomplishment performed on him during the next month and a half).

Rite of Passage
Level Two
After a cub undergoes his First Change and becomes aware that he is a werewolf, he must undergo his Rite of Passage. Werewolves are not accorded adulthood or respect until they pass this seminal rite; they are mere cubs until that time. They are not even considered true Garou, and Shadow Lords do not refer to them as such until this rite is completed.

Similarly, a cub is not a member of any tribe until his Rite of Passage. A male cub born to the Black Furies, for example, becomes a member of whatever tribe will offer him a place among them by use of this rite. During a Rite of Passage, the cubs must "Complete a dangerous quest meant to prove that they have courage, honour and wisdom befitting a werewolf.

However, few cubs undergo this rite alone. They are often joined by their pack-to-be, other cubs who are also corning of age. The ritemaster commands the would-be pack to go out into the world with a definite goal to achieve, and he forbids it to return until it has tried its best to accomplish this goal. Different tribes impose different goals, although multitribal septs usually reach a compromise.

A Wendigo rite often takes the form of a vision quest, while the Get of Fenris commonly send their cubs into combat with Wyrm-spawn.

Invisible spirits sometimes accompany the cubs in order to watch over them and report their doings to the elders. If the cubs succeed in their quest, a ritemaster performs this rite upon them, marking them with a pictogram that brands them as full-fledged Garou.

These pictograms are usually painted, but the Red Talons carve them into the flesh of the young heroes. If the cubs fail, however, they are considered second-class citizens until they are granted another opportunity to prove themselves.

Before the Rite of Passage, Garou are not yet Rank 1. Their teachers do not teach them any Gifts until the Rite of Passage is complete.

Rite of Wounding
Level One
This rite celebrates a Garou's first battle wound. Each tribe marks this moment differently, but all honour this sign of courage. Many tribes rub ash into at least part of the wound to form a scar of remembrance. The Get of Fenris always end this rite with a fierce all-night revel filled with drinking and fighting.

By contrast, the Children of Gaia end their Rites of Wounding with prayers for peace and understanding among all creatures. Only the wounded character and the ritemaster must be present for this rite, although the werewolf s pack and sept are normally present. The wounded character receives two points of Glory if this rite succeeds.

Seasonal Rites

Seasonal rites vary from tribe to tribe and place to place. Each tribe and sept has its own means of celebrating the turning of the seasons. Some septs celebrate only the major rites of the solstices and equinoxes; others perform a rite at least once per moon. The rites below are the most popular.

They are fundamental rites celebrating Gaia's constant cycle of life-in-death-in-life. These rites renew the Garou's connection to Gaia as the Earth Mother. Some Garou even believe that were such rites to cease entirely, dire repercussions would result. A few of the more mystic (or perhaps just crazier) Garou insist that if such rites weren't performed, Gaia herself might find no point in continuing the cycle, and the world would enter a perpetual winter... or worse.

Seasonal rites must, obviously, occur at the exact time of year the particular rite celebrates, and at least five Garou must attend.

Rite of Winter Winds
Level Two
On the longest night of the year, Garou enact this rite as a salute to Helios and an encouragement for him to begin lengthening the days again. Some werewolves believe that if this rite is not performed, the nights will continue to lengthen until Gaia has fallen into a terrible twilight state of perpetual pain. Most modern werewolves consider this mere superstition, but even such sceptics participate enthusiastically in the rite.

The Rite of the Winter Winds is rarely the same from sept to sept. European Garou practice a common version that begins with the ritemaster gathering the Garou in a circle around a small bonfire. She then leads the group in an extended howl that begins as a low, rumbling growl and eventually rises to an ululating crescendo.

When the ritemaster feels that the tension is at its height, she leaps forward, snatches up a burning branch and runs into the woods. The other Garou follow her, grabbing branches as they go. Running
as swiftly as they can, the Garou make as many frightening and strange noises as possible. This rite is performed both to encourage Gaia's labour in giving birth to the sun, and to frighten off any minions of the Wyrm that might be lurking about, ready to snatch the newborn sun or harm Gaia as she turns her attention away from the surface world.

The ritemaster finally leads the howling pack back to the bonfire, where they hurl their branches into the conflagration. Once the fire is raging, the Garou celebrate with a revel that lasts until dawn, at which time they greet the newborn sun with one last, triumphant howl.

Rite of Reawakening
Level Two
This rite celebrates the vernal equinox, the time of rebirth. The ritemaster begins the rite at sundown by leading the gathered Garou on a quest into the Umbra. Such a quest is sometimes symbolic, but more and more often as the time of the Apocalypse draws nigh, the questors seek true danger (or it finds them) in the Umbral Realms.

The quest always involves seven trials. These trials represent the seven gates that bar the way to the Underworld. Such trials vary dramatically from tribe to tribe, but there are always a variety of challenges presented to the members. One test might involve facing a Bane in combat, while another challenge might consist of finding a fetish lost within the Deep Umbra.

Each test requires the participants to relinquish something of themselves, be it a cherished personal fetish, an old grudge or false pride. If the Garou can win their way past these challenge gates, they can renew the Earth, banishing the winter-spirits and paving the way for the green, growing season. At the end of the rite the werewolves return to their bodies.

At this time many tribes seek out Garou Kinfolk, or other humans and wolves, and reacquaint themselves with the joys of the flesh, celebrating the incredible beauty of life and the necessity of its continuation in future generations. Not surprisingly, this is the night when a large percentage of metis cubs are conceived. Although such couplings are always taboo, the intense drama of the rite sometimes overrides such concerns.

The Great Hunt
Level Two
This rite falls on the eve of the summer solstice, or Midsummer, when Helios stays longest in the sky and is thus at the zenith of his influence. The short hours of darkness offer the creatures of the Wyrm little place to hide, and the werewolves respond by holding a sacred hunt. Exactly at midnight, just at Midsummer begins, the ritemaster calls upon Gaia to bring to the attention of the sept a creature or creatures worthy of the Great Hunt.

In preparation, the Garou chant, howl and tell tales of bravery. Also common is a ritual bloodletting, wherein each Garou cuts herself and sheds some of her blood into a large bowl. The mingled blood is then painted in the form of pictograms on the forehead or breastbone of each of the hunters. At dawn, Gaia sends the waiting sept a sign proclaiming the target of the Great Hunt. This sign may come in any form, from a vision seen by an entranced Wendigo ritemaster to a news story flashing on the screen of an old television in a Bone Gnawer Caern.

Although the person or creature chosen by Gaia is almost always associated with the Wyrm, Gaia demands on rare occasions that one of her own be sacrificed in the Great Hunt. Only the greatest warriors are ever chosen as the targets of a Great Hunt, and Gaia demands such a sacrifice from her children only in times of great need, for the freed spirit of such a warrior is said to transform immediately into an avenging angel for Gaia. The Garou have only until midnight to complete the Great Hunt.

If successful, the blood of the fallen creature is spilled onto Gaia's soil (or into the ether if the Great Hunt takes place on the Umbra) as a sacrifice to Gaia. If the hunters fail to slay their quarry, it is considered a terrible omen for the coming year. Some Theurges say that no sept will succeed at the Great Hunt during the year of the Apocalypse. At the least, a failed Great Hunt means poor luck for the sept in the
year to come.

Anyone participating in a successful Great Hunt gains Glory. The danger of the particular Great Hunt determines the amount of Glory gained.

The Long Vigil
Level Two
This rite marks the autumnal equinox, when the season of long days gives way to the season of long nights. Although summer is the traditional season of war among many human cultures, the Garou know that their shadow war will be all the more difficult during the lengthening hours of darkness.

To prepare themselves, they hold the Long Vigil, a rite designed to sharpen their appetite for the battles ahead. The Long Vigil begins at sundown, around a raging bonfire (save in some urban Caerns). The sept spends the day before the Vigil bedecking the Caern with trophies of war collected during the previous year.

From bent rifles and shredded flak jackets to broken Wyrm-fetishes and strings of teeth to the skulls of Wyrmish monsters to smeared blood mixed with the dust of vampires, all manner of mementos adorn the heart of the Caern. As the sun slips below the horizon, the ritemaster begins to chant praise to Helios, thanking him for his blessings during the summer, and praying for his safety in the coming winter.

The ritemaster then praises Luna and beseeches her aid in the long nights to come. To aid in the ritemaster's plea for aid, the Galliards of the sept come forward and begin to recite tales of the most glorious battles of the last year and the deeds done in her name.

They point to each trophy in turn to tell the story of how it was won from its owner. Particularly eloquent members of other auspices who distinguished themselves in the previous year are sometimes allowed the honour of being the first to tell their own tales. Once the Galliards have finished, the other members of the sept begin to recount their own versions of the great deeds of the previous year.

The tale-telling lasts all night; as dawn approaches, the ritemaster invokes Luna one final time. He dedicates all the deeds of the previous year to Luna, her brother Helios and her sister Gaia, and he promises that the year to come will be just as glorious with Luna's blessing. As the rite concludes, the Garou hurl as many trophies as possible into the bonfire, destroying their hard-earned mementos as a sign of faith that they will take many more in the year to come.</li>
Minor Rites

Minor rites are the rituals that the Garou incorporate into daily living. Almost all Garou know and use at least a few such minor rites.

An almost infinite variety of minor rites is available to the Garou. The following rites are but a small sampling. Many Garou develop their own unique minor rites to help them reaffirm their connection to Gaia, their totem spirit or each other.

Minor rites may be learned in half the time it takes to learn other rites. Minor rites take only two to five minutes to enact, much less time than other rites require. Werewolves who perform a minor rite regularly find it easier to achieve certain goals.
Bone Rhythms
A werewolf performs this rite in homage to her totem spirit. Each spirit has a different rhythm connected to it, and the Garou taps out her spirit's rhythm with special drumsticks to honour her totem.

Such "sticks" are traditionally made of bone, but they can be fashioned from any material. Any werewolf who performs this rite three times per day for at least three consecutive days gains the ability to channel a tiny part of their totem through them whilst in the Umbra. Once this portion is used, the Garou must rebuild the energies for an additional three days before regaining the extra die.

Breath of Gaia
During this rite the werewolf breathes deeply of Gala's breath — that is, clean air — 13 times. While so breathing, she clears her mind of all things save her love of Gaia. The Garou must perform this rite at least once per day for one full cycle of the moon. So doing makes it easier for her to heal herself and others and to detect things.

Greet the Moon
This rite is an exuberant paean to Luna. During this rite, the Garou howls an elaborate greeting the moon. This greeting varies with the phase of the moon. Performing this rite each night at moonrise for a full phase of the moon makes it easier to socialize with Garou of that phase's auspice the next night the moon reaches the phase in question.

Greet the Sun
Certain Children of Gaia and a few Uktena and Wendigo practice this rite. It is similar to Greet the Moon, but it is performed at sunrise. The Garou must sing Helios' praises for nine consecutive days. If the Garou does so, Helios grants his devotee his aid when attempting to sense Wyrm creatures or Wyrm-taint, provided the werewolf continues to sing his praises daily. If the Garou misses even one day, he must begin this rite anew to reap its Benefits.

Hunting Prayer
This common rite takes many forms, but it always involves pausing before the start of a hunt to praise Gaia and all her creatures. In addition, the Garou chooses some item to hold her prayers. This item can range from an old belt to a tooth, but the werewolf must have it with her when she hunts.

If she loses the item, she must choose a new item and start her prayers anew. If a Garou performs this rite before every hunt for three turnings of the moon, finds it easier to track as long as she continues her pre-hunt prayers. If she hunts even once without praying, she must renew her prayers for another three months before again receiving the bonus.

Prayer for the Prey
A specific form of the Rite of Contrition, this rite involves the werewolf stepping sideways into the Umbra just after making a kill, subsequently thanking the spirit of the prey for giving its own life that the Garou might survive. Performing this rite is a sign of respect to Gaia, her children and life itself.

The character must perform this rite upon every beast of Gaia (not including Wyrm-spawn) she slays for one full turning of the moon. Should she do so, She finds it easier to deal with nature spirits. The bonus lasts until she kills an animal without taking time to thank the creature's spirit.</li>
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