Glass Walkers

The Glass Walkers are one of the thirteen tribes of Garou found in Werewolf: The Apocalypse. Steeped in technology, human religion and the ebb and flow of the city, the Glass Walkers live and die by a creed of progress. While they fear the Apocalypse as any werewolf, they believe that each passing day makes them stronger, that every new invention may be appropriated for their cause, and that every new philosophy might strengthen their resolve. In this way, Glass Walkers are the quintessential Urrah and don't have the strong aversion to human populations that most Garou do.

Early History

 * Warders of Apes

Dark Ages
During this period, the Glass Walkers were called the Warders of Men or City Warders.

Victorian Age
During this period, the Glass Walkers were known as the Iron Riders, referring to the railroad they used to travel the frontier west.

Tribal Culture
As the tribe most attuned to the ebb and flow of a cosmopolitan urban civilization, the Glass Walkers resist most efforts to categorize them culturally. They do not have a "source culture" in the same way that the Fianna or the Wendigo do, and as such a Glass Walker sept in New York is likely to be entirely different to a Glass Walker sept in Istanbul. However, some generalizations can be made.

Political Culture
The Glass Walkers history and their culture are inextricably intertwined, since as a progressing tribe, their notions of political organization, their goals and their social roles have all changed. However, the Glass Walker camps drive the political change of the tribe. One camp at any time is considered to hold "dominance" in the tribe by weight of sheer power and success. This is not a formally awarded title and is often applied only after the fact, but it nonetheless represents the way the Glass Walkers work. The dominant camp creates a model for younger werewolves within the tribe to imitate, and thus you see a lot of shifts in the culture of the tribe.

When the first tribebook was published in 1998, the Wise Guys were considered the dominant camp in the tribe. They created a highly formalised, rigid tribal culture that organized politically organized into four "Houses". They were:


 * Central House: The Central House were the major leadership house within the tribe. Their duties included selecting the new sept leader (or "Don",) upholding and enforcing the will of the Don, and keeping track of growing Wyrm-taint within a city.
 * House of Technological Advancement: Focused on monitoring and creating relationships with new technology spirits within a city.
 * House of Urban Defense: Composed of Theurges and Galliards and devoted to the exchange and teaching of rituals down through the tribe, as well as the ritual cleansing of the city from Wyrm-taint.
 * House of Rightful Justice: The warfare house of the Glass Walkers, the House of Rightful Justice are responsible for major military operations against Wyrm targets in the city and beyond.

By the time of Glass Walkers Revised in 2002, the Random Interrupts were considered the dominant camp, bringing with them a more fluid tribal structure whose political culture shifted from sept to sept, with most septs being able to be classified as "traditional" (Similar to the Wise Guys based structure above,) "contemporary" (Corporate Wolf influenced septs based around board meetings and other corporate America influenced practices,) or "radical." (Random Interrupt influenced, highly flexible structures with little formal leadership.)

Religious Culture
Because of their tight connections with human societies, the Glass Walkers have always held closer connections to human religions than most tribes. Much of this began as camouflage for their own Gaia worship, but as time went on more formal syncretism came about. (Including at least one full-blown heresy created by legendary Glass Walker theurge Gianluigi Lucci.) There remains even in the modern tribe a leniency toward such syncretism so long as Gaia is maintained as the only figure to whom the Glass Walker serves.

Within their more traditional religious activities, the Glass Walkers honor several unique rituals:


 * All Machines Day/The Little Rite: In the first tribebook, All Machines Day was a celebration of technology and The Machine, seeing Glass Walkers cleaning (both literally and spiritually) the machines of their own homes and caerns and then extending to throughout the city. However, the Revised tribebook effectively retconned the idea, replacing it instead with The Little Rite which instead had Glass Walkers performing 'random acts of kindness' to the spirits and people throughout their lives that they often ignore but cannot live without. Both rituals were held on or around the 15th of March each year.


 * Memorial Day: Held on various days depending on country, this ritual was designed to honor the Glass Walkers' fallen heroes.


 * Promethean Daze: Held toward the end of the year, this Rite crossed New Years bacchanalia with attempts at seer-like prognostication for the oncoming year.

Version Differences

 * WTA: Werewolf: The Apocalypse Revised Edition, p. 78-79