Dreaming Lodge

The Dreaming Lodge is a lodge of Forsaken in Australia.

Overview

The Uratha were never numerous in Australia. Wolf blood was strong, but the werewolves were as thinly spread as the nomadic human tribes. For months or years much of the vast territories stood empty, devoid of Uratha - and the spirits were quick to take advantage.

During the Dreaming, spirits moved from Hisil to the World of Flesh with impunity. They toyed with humans and animals, changed the Essence of the land and demanded gathra. The Uratha waged bloody hunts to drive the spirits back into the Shadow, but seasons changed, humans and Uratha migrated for survival, and the spirits returned. Cycle after cycle the People fought the same conflicts and hunted the same prey.

The Uratha of this time were not Forsaken or Pure; they knew nothing of the Firstborn. Such distinctions were unnecessary to the ancient Uratha; they felt the Hunt in their blood. Some prey - usually animal spirits important for survival - were tolerated as long as they limited their predations. Spirits unwilling or unable to accept the werewolves' terms were given no quarter.

These Uratha never knew packs with more than one werewolf. A human tribe might have one wolf in its midst; most had none. The Uratha lived at the edge of their tribes - protecting humans who were uneasy with the predator's presence. The Uratha found kinship with the occasional Wolf-Blooded or other undesirables who occupied tribal niche roles.

The Uratha recognized each other by scent when tribes met, traded and fought. They shared hunting experiences and tales of what worked and what didn't. The Dreaming Lodge grew from this network of Uratha songlines, spread across the continent with word of like-mined People, shared auspices and similar totems. Each geographic regions and nation had different approaches and sacred practices for the hunt, but the lodge united the Uratha with shared purpose.

Even connected through the Dreaming, the Uratha of Central Australia knew they were too thinly spread to completely control spirit predations. Their solution was to expand tolerance of spirit activity, only reacting if spirits grew too strong or too arrogant, and to destroy loci that were difficult to patrol and weren't one their regular migration paths.

Most spirits embraced the increased freedom but hated having such narrow corridors of the world of Flesh open to their attentions. Some tested the resolve of the Uratha and were hunted with prejudice. The Uratha's message was clear: This is us being kind. Don't push it.

This arrangement made Wolf-Blooded Waystones especially valued on both sides. Spirits hungered for more physical access and the Uratha needed to be able to hunt the Shadow wherever they found problems.

The European arrival to Australia brought the Forsaken and Pure tribes. Both came in number to recruit the isolated Thihirtha Numea by persuasion, coercion or thread before enemies could claim them. Neither side understood the ancient Dreaming Lodge network or the way knowledge of the tribes would quickly spread across the land. These first recruits inducted fellow lodge members as the pragmatic native Uratha recognized the strength tribes gave to the Hunt. After early contact revealed no trace of tribes, the European wolves were surprised to find tribal werewolves anticipating their arrival as the colonists pushed further into the continent.

The lodge integrated Forsaken tribes more successfully than Pure. The Anshega's hatred of Luna and rejection of auspice were strange concepts to Australian Uratha. Most encounters between Dreaming Lodge and Pure were hostile but a rare few Anshega reconciled the differences. Of the Pure, the Predator Kings are most likely to join the lodge. The vast expanses of untouched wilderness and the overt influence of spirits on the landscape are as close to Pangaea as they have found.

The Dreaming Lodge's influence was weakened in modern times. The Uratha of cities and populated areas follow the new ways of packs and hunting smaller territories. In the Outback, humans and Uratha are still scare so the lodge endures, keeping the People connected regardless of background, and helping them best serve Father Wolf's legacy.

The Dreaming Lodge is the lynchpin of Uratha society in the Red Centre. Many Uratha hunt as lone wolves, and even those who are part of a permanent pack can spend weeks or months alone. The Dreaming gives them the means and purpose to endure despite this isolation.

Perhaps unique among lodges, the Dreaming Lodge does not have a singular totem. Rather, powerful Australian animal spirits came together as patrons. Uratha must choose which totem to follow, with different totems varying in importance between regions. The key Central Australian totems are Arlewatyerre (Goanna), Irretye (Eagle), Apmwe (Snake), Artnwere (Dingo) and Aherre (Kangaroo). Inurle (Spider) fell out of favor with the migration of Azlu to the Red Centre. Inurle's followers work tirelessly to overcome this suspicion by uncovering Azlu nests for the lodge.

The Dreaming Lodge teaches all members a rite that allows them to call for assistance or share information and experiences. Every lodge member knows the general focus of each tribe and basic information about the strengths and weaknesses of new prey if the lodge has hunted it before. This knowledge isn't exhaustive or the same as first-hand experience, but has helped Uratha contain spirit incursions in the past.

Uratha hearing a lodge summons through the rite know who calls, the direction and distance to where they are needed, and the urgency of the call. Whether they can respond in times is always the biggest challenge. Temporary packs often form around specific threats, but these dissolve as new threats emerge or someone calls for the help of specific members. When the lodge calls, every Uratha close enough will answer. Seek help when needed; respond when called is the lodge's mantra.