The Council of Eagles is a Lodge of the Ivory Claws.
Overview[]
The Council of Eagles dates back as far as the Roman Empire (if not father) and draws much of its symbolism and imagery from Rome. Council members consider themselves to be the elder statesmen and senior leaders of the Ivory Claws, though the Council's primary purpose is not to rule but to keep Pure werewolves in line.
Eagles are soaring, gliding hunters that watch over huge swaths of land from a great height, only diving to snatch their prey when the target is unable to escape. The Eagles are the Ivory Claws' inquisitors; they watch over large geographical areas, on distant lookout for violations of the laws of the Pure. When the Eagles acquire incontrovertible proof of criminal behavior, a pack of Eagles swoops in and rapidly tries, convicts and sentences the target. This pack may be an impromptu gathering of Eagles rather than a true pack.
The Council of Eagles does not trouble itself with minor violations of the law. The members are most concerned with major crimes, including mating with another werewolf, extensive traffic with Lines, aiding and abetting the Forsaken and so on.
The lodge has several eagle-spirits serving as its collective patron - a sort of meta-council. Membership is restricted to those over the age of 30. Nearly every member of the Council was a werewolf for at least 10 years before being offered membership in the lodge.
Many Ivory Claws consider membership in the Council to be prestigious, although it is well-known that the group rarely recruits non-Europeans, and no more than one-third of its members are female. This frequently leads to conflict with other werewolves, even the Pure. For instance, if a group of Councilors determines that a pack consisting mostly of Asian Uratha is in violation of the Council's laws, that pack is likely to appeal to its neighbors, accusing the Council of racism and favoritism. The Council of Eagles denies any such charge; some of the Eagles say they punish European male Uratha even more vigorously than others, in order to refute claims of bias.
The Council's Secret[]
The eldest members of the Council of Eagles have a secret that is not revealed to younger members of the lodge. Although they rarely even allure to it, younger members of the Council believe that the elders of the lodge know precisely what the idigam are, where they came from and why they appeared in such numbers and with such great power only within the last generation.
The idigam threaten the existence of the Pure Tribes just as much as the Forsaken. If the Council of Eagle knows as much as it claims to about these powerful spirits, why haven't the Councilors spread this knowledge, or taken more direct action against the idigam? Asking such a question directly would not be prudent for younger Eagles who wish to advance in power, and so the question remains unasked and unanswered.
Membership[]
Membership in the Council of Eagles is restricted to members of the Ivory Claws tribe. Many members of the Council are prejudiced against women and non-whites; characters who aren't white males should expect a much harder time joining the lodge (this should manifest itself through roleplaying rather than any mechanical disadvantage).
To join, the character must appeal to the spirit-council of eagles that serves as the lodge's collective totem. The eagle spirits will assign the character a major task to signify his qualifications and dedication - this is likely to require the death of a Forsaken werewolf, or the public judgment and punishment of a Pure werewolf of high standing.
Game Mechanics[]
The following are an overview of the game mechanics.
Prerequisites[]
All applicants must be at least 30 years old, have at least Harmony 6 and have Wisdom ••• and Honor •••.
Benefits[]
Members of the Lodge of Eagles may learn Gifts from the Insight list as affinity Gifts. The player may add three dice to summon eagle-spirits, and the characters receives training in Investigation and subterfuge, reducing the cost to increase those Skills to (2x current value) rather than 3x.