Muktar al-Ahsan, Rahu member of the Lodge of Ashes
The Lodge of Ashes is a Lodge of the Hunters in Darkness that follow a series of precepts known as the Ashen Way.
The Lodge of Ashes does not venerate a second totem.
Overview[]
Possibly the smallest of any of the lodges, the Lodge of Ashes is rumored to boast perhaps a dozen members worldwide. Most Hunters in Darkness, particularly those who create fetishes, have heard the legend of Chain Breaker, but very few know that he founded a lodge in keeping with his ascetic philosophies. Those Uratha who do know of the lodge’s existence dread ever coming into contact with one of the Unfettered (as the members call themselves), for the result is almost always violent.
The Lodge of Ashes believes that the Forsaken were cast out of Pangaea justly, and that although they bear the responsibility of patrolling the spirit wilds and preventing incursions of spirit on flesh (and vice versa), by enslaving spirits, the Forsaken have failed horribly in their duties. Fetishes in particular are anathema to the Unfettered. They feel these trinkets set the possibility of trust between spirits and the Uratha back more than the murder of Urfarah ever did. After all, the death of Father Wolf was in accordance with his ban and a natural part of the cycle of life. Although the spirits might resent the werewolves for what they did and for taking on Father Wolf’s duties, these sins could have been forgiven. The mistake the werewolves made, the Unfettered feel, was forcing spirits to teach the Gifts, power their rites, bond their packs and, especially, dwell in prisons of metal and bone.
Membership[]
The lodge is made entirely of Hunters in Darkness, but this has more to do with the fact that the founder was a Hunter than with any deliberate policy of excluding other tribes. (Rather, the Unfettered claim their founder was a Hunter, and some actually claim to have met Chain-Breaker.) Indeed, the Unfettered make it a point to explain their philosophies to any werewolf willing to listen, but they are quite used to the fact that most Uratha don’t want to hear what they have to say (especially when it comes to “You must destroy your fetishes”). The Meninna’s tribal philosophy of obeying natural cycles makes them the best choice for the lodge, but the existing Unfettered remain hopeful that werewolves from other tribes will adopt the Ashen Way and help the Uratha achieve absolution. The Lodge of Ashes accepts only werewolves with the deepest commitment to Purity (another reason why only Hunters in Darkness have joined thus far). The members are all experienced, highly in tune with the spirit world and with Harmony and usually experts in fighting relying only on their bodies. Many Unfettered are capable of taking on entire packs and winning. When a member of the lodge meets a pack, they are bound by the Ashen Way to attempt to free the spirits bound to the pack’s members.
Game Mechanics[]
The following are an overview of the game mechanics.
Prerequisites[]
In addition to maintaining Harmony 8+, Uratha must know the Rite of Contrition and have Primal Urge 3 and Purity ••••• to even attempt to join the Lodge of Ashes. Obviously, they must eschew use of fetishes, and many refuse to follow pack totems as well.
Benefits[]
All confirmed members of the Lodge gain the Chain-Breaker Merit (named for the lodge’s founder). Beyond this, belonging to the lodge is its own reward — maintaining the level of spiritual purity necessary to remain Unfettered provides the Uratha with better relations with spirits and other werewolves, and the intense training they go through gives them much in the way of skill and knowledge.
Merits[]
CHAIN-BREAKER (••••): The Unfettered know secret phrases in the First Tongue that free a spirit from bondage. A member of the lodge can utter these words and concentrate on a fetish to liberate the captive spirit therein. This cannot be done surreptitiously. Any werewolf in the area can sense the changes in the spiritscape caused by this phenomenon, and the phrase in the First Tongue causes the werewolf’s voice to rumble and growl like a hunting pack. The owner of the fetish feels the spirit within start to wriggle free, and can attempt to disrupt the process, beating the spirit into submission. This Merit cannot free spirits that wish to remain in their fetishes, or spirits for whom being liberated would violate a ban.
References[]
- WTF: Lodges: The Faithful, p. 33-36
