The Gatekeeper oversees the maintenance of the caern's moon bridges. He or she is responsible for opening and closing these passageways into the Spirit World and for the annual renewing of the caern's moon bridges. Gatekeepers serve as the liaison between caerns, deciding whether or not to allow another sept to open a moon bridge linking two caerns.
In times of danger, the Gatekeeper closes off access to the caern through the Spirit World, subject to the final decision of the Warder. While Gatekeepers do not necessarily represent any particular auspice, the werewolf that holds this vital position must know both the Rite of the Opened Bridge and the Rite of the Opened Caern, as well as many other rites related to moon bridges. A Gatekeeper is in charge of the caern's Pathstone, a powerful fetish that not only signifies her position, but also enables the Gatekeeper to communicate directly with the caern's totem, thus allowing the opening of a moon bridge.
Inexperienced werewolves seldom qualify for this position, except in the smallest caerns. In fact, Garou wishing to prove themselves in battle or gain Renown in other ways seldom seek to tie themselves down to a position that requires them to remain near the caern's heart most of the time. Since the Gatekeeper seldom leaves the caern, however, she often seeks emissaries to travel along the moon bridges she opens to make certain that the pathway is free of hindrances. Emissaries also initiate discussion with other septs to determine terms of travel between septs. Occasionally, when dealing with hostile or rival septs, the position of Gatekeeper's emissary can involve tricky negotiations and sometimes battle.
References[]
- WTA: Werewolf Players Guide, p. 121
- WTA: Werewolf Players Guide Second Edition, p. 90
- WTA: Guardians of the Caerns, p. 72-73
- WTA: Players Guide to Garou, p. 111
- WTA: Werewolf: The Apocalypse Revised Edition, p. 259