Grinning Skull, Elodoth member of the Lodge of Cerberus
The Lodge of Cerberus is a Lodge of the Blood Talons that enforces the separation of the worlds of the living and dead.
The spirit patron of the Lodge of Cerberus is Cerberus.
Overview[]
The Lodge of Cerberus walks between the world of the living and the world of the dead, enforcing the separation of the two realms much as all Uratha enforce the separation of physical and spiritual. The werewolves of the Lodge of Cerberus recognize no benefit in interaction with the dead, and these werewolves see no compassion in letting tortured ghosts remain parasitically anchored to the living. Everything must die and pass on, and the Lodge of Cerberus has no mercy toward those who violate this most sacred natural law.
These werewolves do not seek any enigmatic answers from beyond the grave, or debate the truths of the afterlife. Such things, to their minds, are mysteries not for the living. The Cerberans see themselves as sentinels, guardians at the Underworld’s gates who prevent contact between living and dead. A mortal medium channeling the souls of the dead is just as guilty as a bitter wraith that returns to haunt the scene of its death. Both are breaking the natural cycle of souls, and are to be punished accordingly.
Membership[]
To join the Lodge of Cerberus, a werewolf simply has to prove they believe in its cause. First they must prove it to a member of the lodge, and then they must prove it to Cerberus when the werewolf stands before the totem. An interested Uratha needs to track down and appeal to a member of the lodge. This appeal is an informal business, usually taking the form of a conversation or a few minor challenges to see if the applicant is sincerely interested and understands exactly what they are aiming for. Then the challenge is set: the applicant has one lunar month to roam their own hunting ground, seeking out and eliminating no fewer than three incidents of damage to the boundary between the living and the dead. If the applicant succeeded in gathering the three items of evidence, then they are allowed to plead with Cerberus for admission. Success here means they are recognized as one of the lodge, free to return to their hunting grounds and work toward the group’s goals.
Game Mechanics[]
The following are an overview of the game mechanics.
Prerequisites[]
All applicants must maintain a Harmony rating of 7 or greater and have at least Glory •• and Purity ••. They must also have a Brawl or Weaponry Skill of ••• or better and Rituals •• or higher.
Benefits[]
Members are taught the Rite: Speak With the Guardian when they join. They are also shown the exact ways of constructing their own Wraith-Claws, earning a +1 bonus on the Rite of the Fetish roll when they eventually create them. Members are also able to learn the Death Gifts at affinity cost.
Fetish[]
WRAITH-CLAWS (•••) The ritual weapon of the Lodge of Cerberus is nothing less than the claws of the werewolves that join. Wraith-Claws were created by the first members of the lodge who had no means of harming the souls of the dead. These founding lodge members carved First Tongue glyphs into their fingernails; each hand bearing the symbols for Life, Death, Duty, Soul and the name of their totem, Cerberus. When the carvings were complete, the Uratha bound death-, snake- or pain-spirits into their fingernails as if they were fetishes. These glyphs allowed the werewolves’ claws in Dalu, Gauru and Urshul to wreak terrible damage against the insubstantial bodies of ghosts. In Hishu or Urhan form, the nails and claws are too small to do significant damage, but they still seem to pain (but not injure) any ghost “touched” by hands with Wraith-Claws. Characters with Wraith-Claws can attack ghosts as if they were physical opponents, adding +1 to any attack rolls against human spirits. One spirit remains bound in all 10 nails, and the glyphs are visible in all forms as black symbol scratches on the fingernails or claws. Curiously, a character’s fingernails cease to grow after the spirit is bound within them. Binding a spirit into a character’s claws is not a painless process. A character with Wraith-Claws suffers a permanent –1 penalty to all Physical rolls involving fine Manipulation (excluding Combat) due to the constant throbbing pain of the malicious spirit within their fingernails. The creation of these fetishes is always a challenge, and werewolves are advised to gather extensive chiminage before attempting to create Wraith-Claws.
References[]
- WTF: Lodges: The Faithful, p. 37-40
