
Narsi the Honey-Tongued, Cahalith member of the Kshatriyas
The Kshatriyas are a Storm Lord lodge that know that they are meant to rule.
The lodge believes its patron spirit is Skolis-Ur, the totem wolf to the Storm Lords. This belief helps give the Kshatriyas their supposed duty. The reality is somewhat different, though few if any Kshatriyas are actually aware of this. Their patron spirit is not Skolis-Ur, but one of Winter Wolf’s cubs. This cub, Frost Wolf, plays at being Winter Wolf’s progenitor, but does not come bearing a true mandate from the more powerful totem.
Overview[]
Everybody is good at something — or, more appropriately, all Forsaken have some kind of duty — and this is what the Kshatriyas are good at: taking territory and ruling other Uratha. This is their dharma, a word meaning way, life or duty. Most Kshatriyas are curiously honest and pragmatic when it comes to this. For one, they do not automatically assume control of all territories near to them, and they do not try to force the local Forsaken to heel. Upon sensing weakness from another pack, the Kshatriyas will first attempt to surmise the nature of that weakness. If it can be easily fixed, they will endeavor to do so. They see themselves as teachers, always with lessons to impart to the weaker of the species. If a pack doesn’t wish to receive such lessons, too bad. The Kshatriyas will attempt to instruct the pack regardless. If the packmembers must be held down with tooth and claw while they learn the proper way to do things, then that is regrettable, but necessary. Through teaching, the Kshatriyas invoke their rule. The very role of teacher implies a position above the students, and this is where members feel themselves to be. They know things others do not, and it is their obligation to help the inadequate become adequate. Sometimes, of course, the inadequate cannot be made to do what it is the Kshatriyas so desire, and that’s perfectly acceptable. A round peg does not go in a square hole, and so it is with some Forsaken. A pack that holds territory may not deserve to hold that territory — perhaps the pack’s function lies elsewhere. Maybe the pack should concentrate on learning rites or entreating spirits for aid.
It’s important to note that this lodge sees other tribes through a painfully narrow lens. Bone Shadows are priests, and only priests. Blood Talons are warriors — not meant for strategy or spirituality, only appropriate brutality. The Iron Masters are artisans and outcasts, whereas the Hunters in Darkness are protectors and guardians limited by their own exclusion. Ghost Wolves are altogether regrettable: they are casteless wastes, and the Kshatriyas do their best to force such lost souls to join a proper tribe (one often chosen by the member). These Forsaken are glad to tell others about their proper place. Some go smartly and willingly to their appropriate duties, and for this the Kshatriyas are glad. Those who resist must be shown to their obligations — again, by tooth and claw if so required. If a pack resists utterly, then the Sacred Thread Forsaken must fulfill their final and perhaps most important duty: as warriors. Upon the field of battle, those who continue to resist responsibility must fall to the Kshatriyas or bow to the proper way. It is in this that these Forsaken do not see themselves as vainglorious warriors taking territory for themselves — no, instead they understand that they are simply the hand of a power greater than them. They are the instruments of Winter Wolf. They are vessels for his power, and they must absolutely represent his authority whenever able. First, they try to teach the weak. When this fails, they shepherd the weak toward a different and better destiny. They illustrate the path of duty and ask that the others walk down it willingly. When all else fails, battle is necessary. These are the ways of the Kshatriyas. They are powerful teachers and warriors. All would do well to accept it.
Membership[]
The Kshatriyas are not a secret society. As a lodge, the members are quite public about their presence — why hide what is one’s obligation? Therefore, any Storm Lords who wish to join the Lodge of the Sacred Thread may attempt to do so. Such a Storm Lord must renounce their pack or let a Kshatriya join the pack. They then begin a year of training and tutelage, in which they are the student to the Kshatriya. They serve their tutor in all ways, performing whatever tasks are demanded in order to learn their duty. If other Uratha stand in the way of this teaching, the student must fight them to show their devotion to obligation. During this time, it is expected that the student will not shave their beard or cut their hair — both are expected to grow long. (Kshatriyas do eventually trim both, but all men of the lodge possess beards, and both men and women wear their hair very long.) The student goes through a rigorous regimen — they must hunt for their own food, must keep an oral account of their training and must learn martial prowess using both their natural body and man-made weapons. They are also expected to heartily indulge their mortal hungers. The Kshatriyas do not turn away from meateating or drinking alcohol; both are, in fact, expected. A warrior requires a hale constitution. The final test is the besting of a fellow Forsaken. The mentor chooses the werewolf their student must fight — the mentor also chooses the nature of the combat. Some choose combat (with sword, arrow or claw), whereas others choose more stately confrontations such as those posed by games of chess. The chosen challenger needn’t be aware of this choice, though most are made aware of the coming trial by the tutor. While most students are lead to believe that they must dominate and win the challenge, this isn’t precisely true. The Kshatriya is only looking for ability and willingness. True power and dominance will come with time; at this early stage, all that matters is the student possess a fire in their heart that will help to forge their future competency and authority. Once this year is over and the student has been approved by the teacher, the Forsaken may become a true Kshatriya. At this stage, they must learn to make two fetishes for themselves: a tall staff (ideally made of khadira wood) and the crimson thread that goes around their wrist. At this point, the new Kshatriya is considered “twice-born.” The implication of this is that they were born first as a werewolf, and now they have been reborn as a Kshatriya Forsaken in service to Winter Wolf. The new lodge member is given a title by their tutor. This epithet is an addendum to the new Kshatriya’s original name, and is a title meant to indicate the werewolf’s strengths. One might be called “Manjushri the AxeThrower” or “Rivati of the Shining Eyes.”
Game Mechanics[]
The following are an overview of the game mechanics.
Prerequisites[]
- Glory ••
- Honor •••
- The character must possess some kind of combat ability (Brawl, Firearms or Weaponry Skill) at ••• as well.
Benefits[]
Provided the Kshatriya has the appropriate Rituals score, the lodge teaches them the Fetish Rite upon joining, as well as how to craft their own Staff of the Twice-Born and Sacred Thread fetishes. Also, the Kshatriya is blessed with a powerful presence, even in compensation for skills they purportedly lack. As such, the werewolf may ignore the Unskilled penalty for any Social rolls.
Fetishes[]
- Staff of the Twice-Born •: Most members carry a Kshatriya staff with them at all times. The staff itself should be made of hearty wood, and stand no taller than the creator’s shoulder (in Hishu form). Similar to the Kshatriyas themselves, their staves tend to be strong and sturdy, hard to deflect and harder to break. Bound within the wood is the spirit of the type of tree from which the wood was cut. When a werewolf changes, the staff becomes a dark line of scar tissue around one of the wrists or circumnavigates a paw. When activated, the Staff of the Twice-Born grants the wielder +3 dice when resisting any attacks capable of Knockdown, Knockout or Stun effects. These dice are not applied to the wielder’s Defense or any kind of Dodge; if the attacker is successful, the hit lands and appropriate damage is still applied. The fetish-wielder gets dice to resist the three effects mentioned above. In the case of Stun, the attack must incur damage equal or exceeding the fetish-wielder’s Size +3. In an instance of Knockout, the wielder gets +3 to their Stamina roll to resist unconsciousness, and with Knockdown, the wielder can add +3 to their Dexterity + Athletics roll to maintain their footing. The effects of activation last for one scene.
- Sacred Thread •••: The thread (known to some as upanayana) that binds a werewolf to the Kshatriyas is a sacred marker expected of all within the lodge. Historically, the thread has been made of hemp, though it can be made of any kind of string (or even vine). The creator dyes the cord red (often in blood mixed with berry juice) before tying it around their wrist and binding within it a Lune (Ralunim specifically). The effects of the thread when activated are twofold. First, it provides the wearer a +2 bonus to the Resolve + Composure roll used to help resist Death Rage. Kuruth, to the Kshatriyas, is an unholy and unfocused state, and muddles the senses as much as (if not worse than) uncertainty in one’s duty. The second benefit of the thread is that it helps to slightly amplify the werewolf’s Renown. When rolling the Kshatriya’s highest Renown to determine if a spirit or werewolf has heard of them, add a +1 to the roll. This represents an artificial increase in what the target believes they may have heard about the werewolf. The target’s recollection or feeling toward the Kshatriya may be real or false, but is amplified nevertheless. Making this fetish is difficult: Ralunim do not like to be bound. In nearly all cases, the roll to imbue the fetish is made at a –3 penalty. Dramatic failure on the Fetish Rite roll incurs a single level of aggravated damage to the ritemaster as the Lune escapes.
References[]
- WTF: Lodges: The Splintered, p. 25-29