Caern Fetishes

Caern Fetishes are a type of fetish used in the aid and defense of a caern.

Overview

Guardians receive a better selection of fetishes than your average pack of cubs; their duties as the front line of defense are just that important. However, what sorts of fetishes are kept in reserve for Guardians, instead of offered to any cub charged with an important outside the bawn?

For one, fetish weapons are fairly common "badges of office." Bane Arrows and other talens are particularly appropriate; they're sufficiently expendable so that if a Guardian falls, the loss isn't made all the worse, but they're also potent enough to make a real difference. Guardians' weapons are often bows, spears, axes or other weapons with fairly good reach; the farther away the enemy falls from the caern's heart, the better. Fang daggers and other short-range stabbing weapons are less likely to end up in a Guardian's hands; smaller fetish weapons like those are usually designed so they can be concealed and carried in human society. The exception is typically an urban caern, where it's harder to explain away a tasseled, painted pike.

Klaives are definitely not appropriate; a klaive is far too rare and valuable to give to a Guardian. The silver fetish blades are reserved for Garou who actively take the battle to the heart of the enemy time and again.

Other talens and fetishes offered to Guardians tend to focus more on detection and protection. Stealth is a possibility, but usually reserved for Ragabash and other scouts; Nightshade is a good choice, although it's used sparingly. Sanctuary Chimes are also good, as long as the bearer remembers to invite the caern's spirit protectors to materialize if they so choose. Harmony Flutes and Spirit Whistles aren't popular choices at all; they have a way of hampering the Guardians as much as they do enemies.

The Werewolf Players Guide offers a few more good choices, namely Bones of Shielding, Elk Tooth Necklace, Lagomorph's Boon, Gaia's Poultice and Sands of Sleep.

List of Caern Fetishes

• Caern Fetish - Level (half the totem cost), Gnosis (varies) - This fetish comes in many varieties. Its purpose is to allow the Gatekeeper of a caern to communicate directly with the totem spirit of that caern. To do so, the Garou activates the fetish and may ask one question of the totem. This may be performed only once per moon phase. Caern fetishes usually contain something associated with the totem spirit, such as a feather from a bird totem, the hair of an animal, or a piece of rock.
• Sentry's Voice - Level 1, Gnosis 4 - This fetish horn is fairly common among Get of Fenris, Black Fury, Shadow Lord, Fianna and Silver Fang caerns. Anyone can use it in mundane fashion, producing a call that can be modulated to sound like the Howl of Warning. But when activated and blown, its warning blast is audible only to the Garou of the sept (as defined by their link to the caern totem) and their spirit allies. The call resounds through the physical world and Penumbra alike, and is equally loud throughout the bawn. To fashion a Sentry's Voice, the ritemaster must bind a suitable animal spirit into the horn (such as Rooster, Wolf, Coyote, or even Howler Monkey).
• Watchspear - Level 2, Gnosis 5 - This fetish spear seems to be a fairly primitive weapon, usually flint-tipped with a small hole through the spearhead. Like other fetish weapons, it inflicts aggravated damage (Strength + 2, difficulty 6). However, its true power is to warn its wielder of Umbral danger; when Banes or other Wyrm-beasts in the Penumbra draw within two hundred yards, the spear gives off a low whistle, as if a strong wind were blowing through the hole in the spearhead. This warning comes only if the spear's owner is holding the spear in her hand, and cannot warn of Wyrm-creatures approaching in the physical world; the spear's senses are attuned to the Penumbra alone. To create this weapon, the crafter must bind one of the following spirits into it: Wind, Prairie Dog or Blue Jay.

List of Caern Talens

• Trapdoor Boon - Gnosis 5 - This talen takes the form of a small bead of amber or clay. A Garou must swallow it in order to activate it; when he does so, he and all his dedicated equipment meld with a portion of the earth around him - he may sink into the earth, be absorbed by a rock outcropping, or even blend into a brick wall. He may remain in this state, aware of his surroundings, for up to a scene; otherwise, he can emerge into the physical world whenever he likes. If the section of earth he inhabits is damaged, the Garou takes unaggravated wounds to match the severity of the damage; this is usually enough to bring a werewolf out of fighting. This talen requires that the spirit of a trapdoor spider be bound within.
• Arrow-Killer - Gnosis 6 - This talen, which takes the form of a small pouch of ashes, is an effective charm against mundane projectiles. The user must spread the ashes in a line before him while activating the talen; the line cannot be longer than ten feet, or it becomes ineffective. While the talen is in effect (for half an hour), no mundane missile weapon, thrown or fired, may cross the line of ashes. Hurled rocks, arrows and bullets all bounce off as if hitting a stone wall. However, fetish weapons and Gift effects (such as Bane Arrows and Call the Breeze) can cross the line as normal; this makes the talen excellent protection for a suitably armed sniper. The ashes are abnormally heavy while the effect lasts, and cannot be easily scuffed or blown away; it takes an entire turn to make a break in the line and therefore spoil the talen's effects. To create this talen, a Garou must bind an Earth-spirit into the pouch of ashes.

References

• WTA: Rage Across Appalachia, p. 154
• WTA: Guardians of the Caerns, p. 70