White Wolf Wiki
Advertisement

Dark Umbra Tribal Rites are a type of Rite from Werewolf: The Wild West. They were first introduced in Ghost Towns. They also fall into the category of Mystic Rites.

Overview[]

The only way Garou may truly enter the Shadowlands is through the use of traditional rites. Each tribe has a different method and legend concerning passage into the wraiths' native realm, but all of these legends are united by one pervasive thread.

Rites intended to bestow passage into the Dark Umbra are always at least Level Three - inexperienced Garou have no business going there, for the most part. These rites are always Mystical in nature, and frequently must be learned from and empowered by death-related spirits. Garou in the Dark Umbra universally appear as dark patches in the Penumbra.

List of Dark Umbra Tribal Rites[]

What follows is a list of the names the tribes use for their rites of entry into the Dark Umbra. Persistent rumors indicate other, darker rites are available to those who would pierce the Shroud without the blessings of their tribes. No specific details are provided for the individual rites on question; each rite works with roughly the same mechanics.

  • Black FuriesPassage to Golgotha
  • Bone GnawersDust to Dust
  • Children of GaiaNight’s Journey
  • FiannaBalor’s Cwm
  • Get of FenrisTaking Death’s Mantle
  • Iron RidersRust Soul
  • Red TalonsAfter the Blood
  • Shadow LordsPenance in Gaia’s Name
  • Silent StridersDescent into the Dark Umbra
  • Silver FangsEnter into the Dark Umbra
  • StargazersCheating the Cycle
  • UktenaPassage to the Hunting Grounds
  • WendigoBone Dance

Dark Umbra Mystic Rites[]

  • Level Three[1]
    • Silent Striders: Descent into the Underworld/Dark Umbra - Most Garou think of the Umbra, the Gaian spirit world, as the only spirit realm that sits close to the physical world. Most Garou are wrong. The Underworld - the Land of the Dead, the Dark Umbra - sits astride the physical realm just as the Umbra does. Within it lie the ghosts of thousands of humans who died unable to let go of some aspect of their mortal lives. These days, the Underworld is a tremendously dangerous place. A few years ago a cataclysm set off a series of hellish storms that still threaten to rip the lands of the dead apart. The ghosts are more desperate these days, and the storms that rage outside the cities of the dead can harm even the doughtiest Silent Strider warrior. Owl accompanies the Garou into the Underworld, but few other traditional totems do the same.
    • Silver Fangs: Ivory Priesthood: Enter Dark Umbra - Only a Death's Breath-spirit may teach this rite, and only Silent Striders and members of the Ivory Priesthood may practice it. To perform the rite, the priest must purge himself of all sins and Harano. (This usually requires a day of fasting and meditation.) During the day of purification the Garou must also contemplate the thought of dying. The player spends a Gnosis point and makes a Willpower roll (difficulty 7) or the character risks plunging into a deep death-obsessed Harano for the rest of the scene. If the roll is successful, the Garou sees a Death's Breath-spirit around twilight and must let it breather into his mouth. The Garou feels an icy cold chill shoot through his being. The Garou may now enter the Dark Umbra *also known as the Shadowlands; see Wraith: The Oblivion) and appears as a dark patch in the Penumbra. The Garou may stay there until the next morning.
    • Silver Fangs: Ivory Priesthood: Walking With the Dead - Only the members of the secretive Ivory Priesthood learn this rite. To perform the rite, the priest must first spend a day ritually purifying herself of all sins, according to the Priesthood's creed, and any negative thoughts. She must also spend a few hours mediating on the idea of her own death and her attitude towards it. A priest who is not reconciled to her own mortality can find the Dark umbra a disturbing and unsettling place, especially in recent years when a terrible spirit storm has rendered it even more dangerous than usual. Once the purification is complete, the Garou faces a Death's Breath spirit in the early twilight of that evening. She must let it breathe into her mouth, which sends a chill like a rod of solid ice through her body. She may then step sideways into the Dark Umbra, She may remain there until dawn the following morning.

Dark Umbra Seasonal Rite[]

  • Level Four[2]
    • Silent Striders: Feralia (Feb. 13) - Variously known as Feralia and The Dead Time, February 13th is a date of great importance to the Silent Striders of the world. The reason this rite always takes place on the 13th of February is lost even to the Silent Striders, or so they claim. Regardless, Feralia is a solemn and important rite, one that all Striders take part in, save perhaps those deepest in the throes of Harano or under bans of some sort. Even the Eaters of the Dead participate (although their version of the rite may be slightly different; some Striders have reported finding "burnt out" Painting Stones they believe were used by the Eaters). If members of a Silent Strider sept or pack know of a fellow Strider suffering from Harano, they will normally do all within their power to convince the suffering Garou to participate in the rite, for it has been known to cure the Harano-stricken. Throughout The Dead Time, Silent Striders gather at places across Gaia wherever the objects known as Painting Stones are located. Other tribes are unsure how Silent Striders know where to locate such stones when traveling in a foreign area, but it is rumored that the wandering Striders sniff out the powerful stones in the Penumbra. Painting Stones are not named for any marks they bear throughout the year; the name instead describes part of the Feralia rite. At exactly the middle of the night, the designated ritemaster walks silently up to the Painting Stone and traces the symbol of the Silent Striders on the stone. The tracing may be in mud, berry juice, blood or any other natural substance. As she finished, the ritemaster quietly names one of the signs of the coming Apocalypse that she had learned during her life, and she then says whether she has seen evidence of this sign since the last Dead Time. In turn, each Strider present paints the symbol and speaks of a sign and returns to her place in the pack. When all have spoken and placed their mark on the Painting Stone, the ritemaster rises and circles the stone three times counterclockwise. She then leaps over the Painting Stone, passing into the Dark Umbra, the Umbra of the dead, at the top of the arc. The other Striders follow in turn. Within the Dark Umbra the Striders are met by members of their departed Kinfolk, who whisper pieces of prophecies and knowledge to their living relations. Throughout this time the Striders run westward, evermoving as they listen to the wisdom of their Kin. It is said that as long as they keep running, they are protected from the wraiths. Should a Strider falter, though, even for an instant, she may become trapped within the Dark Umbra of souls, perhaps forever. The Striders continue running and listening to the whispers until they see a gleaming rock in front of them. Leaping over this new stone, the Garou find themselves at another of the Painting Stones, just as any Garou there are leaping into the Dark Umbra. This unexplained phenomenon can result in an odd sight in the physical world, as one Garou leaps upwards only to have an entirely different Garou complete the leap. The rite sweeps westward with the night until all participants have completed their leaps. The Striders often learn much from their time among the dead; however, the information is always fragmented and unclear, and the Striders spend much time attempting to determine its exact meaning and import.

References[]


^  Level 3

Black Furies: Passage to Golgotha Ghost Towns Pg. 100
Bone Gnawers: Dust to Dust Ghost Towns Pg. 100
Children of Gaia: Night’s Journey Ghost Towns Pg. 100
Fianna: Balor’s Cwm Ghost Towns Pg. 100
Get of Fenris: Taking Death’s Mantle Ghost Towns Pg. 100
Iron Riders: Rust Soul Ghost Towns Pg. 100
Red Talons: After the Blood Ghost Towns Pg. 100
Shadow Lords: Penance in Gaia’s Name Ghost Towns Pg. 100
Silent Striders, Mystic: Descent into the Underworld Silent Striders Tribebook Pg. 50
Silent Striders, Mystic: Descent into the Underworld Litany of the Tribes Volume 3 Pg. 50
Silent Striders: Descent into the Dark Umbra Ghost Towns Pg. 100
Silent Striders, Mystic: Descent into the Underworld Tribebook: Silent Striders Pg. 78
Silent Striders and Silver Fangs, Ivory Priesthood: Descent into the Underworld Umbra Revised Pg. 135
Silent Striders, Hungry Ghosts: Rite of Descent into the Underworld Apocalypse Pg. 104
Silver Fangs, Ivory Priesthood, Mystical: Enter Dark Umbra Silver Fangs Tribebook Pg. 52
Silver Fangs, Ivory Priesthood, Mystical: Enter Dark Umbra Litany of the Tribes Volume 4 Pg. 52
Silver Fangs: Enter into the Dark Umbra Ghost Towns Pg. 100
Silver Fangs, Ivory Priesthood, Mystic: Walking With the Dead Tribebook: Silver Fangs Pg. 79
Stargazers: Cheating the Cycle Ghost Towns Pg. 100
Uktena: Passage to the Hunting Grounds Ghost Towns Pg. 100
Wendigo: Bone Dance Ghost Towns Pg. 100

^  Level 4

Silent Striders: Feralia Werewolf Storytellers Handbook Pg. 45
Werewolf: The Apocalypse Rites
Garou and Fera Rites Accord · Age Role · Ahadi · Astrological · Caern · Dark Umbra · Death · Frontier · Hengeyokai · Minor · Mystic · Punishment · Pure Ones · Renown · Seasonal · Wyld
Fifth Edition Garou Rites Common · Legendary · Social
Kinfolk Rites Accord · Caern · Homestead · Milestones · Minor · Punishment · Renown · Ritual of Sacred Rebirth
Unique Fera Rites Ajaba - Ananasi: First · Triumvirate · Viskr - Bastet: Kuasha · Moon · Need · Taghairm - Corax - Gurahl - Kitsune - Mokolé - Nagah - Nuwisha - Ratkin - Rokea
Rites of the Lost Breeds Apis - Camazotz - Grondr
Wyrm-Corrupted Fera Rites Blood Rituals · Defiler Kings · Buzzards · Histpah
Miscellaneous Rites 7th Generation - Fomori - Miscellaneous Rites
Advertisement