
Christopher Howl-of-the-Storm, Lodge of Howling Death Member
The Lodge of Howling Death is a lodge of Forsaken in Britain.
The spirit patron of the Lodge of Howling Death is Spectral Wolf.
Overview[]
In Welsh mythology, Annwn is the land of the dead, ruled over by Arawn, a deity that led a Wild Hunt made up of ghostly hounds. Whether the superstitions and folklore of the ancient populace were born from sightings of the werewolves of this lode, or the legends inspired the lodge's creation, time may never tell. What is known is that after the lodge's founding, the Lodge of Howling Death was small, vulnerable and beset by enemies. Nothing has changed in hundreds of years.
Originally, the lodge was composed of a single large pack, primarily made up from werewolves of the Hunters in Darkness tribe. These Uratha traveled into the depths of the Welsh countryside, seeking to take and hold a large and rich hunting ground in the wilderness. The journey ended in a huge battle between the Forsaken and a Pure pack, and it was here that the Uratha allegedly met the following years, the pack suffered horrendous losses, but still held the territory. Though the packmembers were aided by the white wolf-spirits that also hated the Pure's defilement and corruption of the land, additional reinforcements were to come in time. They arrived in the form of werewolves who had heard of the pack's success, and soon several packs were staying at the prime locus of the hunting ground and sharing ideas, tactics and plans to carve wilderness territories of their own, ripping the land away from the talons of the Pure Tribes.
It was here that the Lodge of Howling Death was truly born. The gathered packs swore a binding oath to the patron known as Spectral Wolf, promising to never spare the lives of the Pure when the packs met them in battle. In return, the patron would bind these packs as a lodge and aid them in taking wilderness hunting grounds of their own.
The packs separated, and each sought out a territory to hold alone. Some succeeded. Some failed.
To many Forsaken in Britain today, the Lodge of Howling Death is part legend, part inspiration and part warning. The legend comes form the fact that many urban-dwelling werewolves simply don't believe that an entire lodge could have such success in the wilds against the Pure Tribes. The inspiration lies in the hearts of those Uratha who see hope for themselves in leaving the cities. The warning is that it takes more than ferocity and luck to work out there, because even the Lodge of Howling Death suffers horrendous losses among its packs.
The lodge is mainly composed of all-Hunters in Darkness packs that band together and seek out lodge members to earn initiation. Then, with the support of the lodge, the pack strikes out into the wilderness. Most are never seen again, but there are those that succeed in holding their ground and getting word back to other lodge members. The wilds of Britain may be the domain of the Pure Tribes, but pockets of Forsaken claim some significant hunting grounds out there, and many of these are packs made up of - or led by - werewolves of the Lodge of Howling Death.
Other tribes have members that are also part of the lodge, and there is no prejudice against even Ghost Wolves who seek to join - it is merely that the mindset of the Lodge of Howling Death appeals to more Hunters in darkness than any other tribe.
But the lodge is more than an ideology and a desire to claim territory. What sets the Death Howlers apart from other werewolves is the dedication that the lodge members put into achieving their goals. Upon entering the lodge, each werewolf not only swears to bring death to any Pure he meets, he vows that from this moment on he will alter his feral forms to make sure the Pure know of his allegiance to the lodge. All Death Howlers undertake a rite upon their initiation that colors their fur a snowy-white and their muzzles, ears and throats a bloody red. The effect vanishes in Hishu form, but is savagely distinctive in Gauru, Urshul and Urhan form, and can even manifest slightly in Dalu. With the red fur around a Death Howler's face, these werewolves always look like they are stained crimson from the blood of their enemies or prey. It is a shocking and bold image, especially in battle.
It is a sad truth that some packs belonging to this lodge - so far removed from the lives of most other British Forsaken - soon find it difficult to relate to their brethren among the Tribes of the Moon. In some territories the isolationist lodge members are spoken of with as much contempt as the Pure, for the Death Howlers are renowned in some hunting grounds for being just as lethal to all trespassers as the Predator Kings or Ivory Claws. Packs that do seek to venture out into the wilds could do much worse than have a member of the lodge amongst their number, though, and most wild loci defended by the Lodge of Howling Death are akin to oases in the wilderness, where Uratha can find rest, advice and tuition - if they consent to running a few hunting patrols with the lodge members first.
Patron: Spectral Wolf[]
The totem of the Lodge of Howling Death is a feral, vicious wolf-spirit that has been called Spectral Wolf since time out of mind. This spirit makes no claims to kinship with the Firstborn tribal totems, but has never denied the existence of any ties when asked. The spirit is a gruff, impatient being that does not take well to being questioned. When it manifests, it is to shed blood, or demand that killing be done. The spirit's knowledge all stems from its understanding of the wilderness and the instincts of a predator that never feels the influence of humanity on its existence. Spectral Wolf likely not only doesn't understand humans at all, but has never even ventured into a city's Shadow. The spirit seems to see humankind as a curious animal - higher than prey, but unworthy of being recognized as a fellow predator.
Joining the Lodge[]
Just as the mortal mythology regarding the Cwn Annwn is harrowing, so, too, is the rite to become one of the Lodge of Howling Death. Applicants must approach one of the wilderness loci of the Howling Death and ask to be considered for membership. An established member will act as ritemaster for the trial, and send the applicant into the deep wilderness, where she must remain for full lunar cycle.
During this month-long exile, the werewolf is allowed no communication with any other werewolf, beyond fighting (or fleeing from) the Pure. She may share no words, growls or howls with other Forsaken, and, and may not communicate with any humans beyond appearing before them and scaring them away from the area. Killing any mortals that are in the area is allowed - only communicating is banned.
If the werewolf returns after a month alone in the Pure-claimed wilderness, then she will be allowed entrance into the Lodge of Howling Death. If she fails to reappear, she will be mourned as fallen. Few packs can afford to spare the time and effort (and take the risk of leaving a locus unguarded) for long enough to mount a hunting party and rescue any lost werewolves.
Unsurprisingly, the majority of Death Howlers are Hunters in Darkness, but the lodge has a number of Bone Shadow and Blood Talon werewolves who claim membership.
Game Mechanics[]
Prerequisites[]
Applicants must maintain Harmony 4 or greater, Purity •• or greater and a Willpower score of at least 6. In addition, applicants will need at least Survival • and Brawl • to successfully enter the lodge.
Benefits[]
Death Howlers gain a great deal of practice in the skills Survival, Intimidation and Brawl, and these Traits cost new dots x2 rather than new dots x3 when raised with experience points. Members are also given a Death Howl Stone upon entering, which they must replace themselves if it is lost, abused or destroyed. Finally, Stealth and Nature Gifts become affinity Gifts when purchased with experience points.
Fetish[]
Death Howl Stone: Rahu can inspire terror with their roars, and Cahalith howls can bring fear or tears of sorrow at the beauty, but the ghostly hounds of the underworld are known for ethereal, shrieking howls that sound like nothing in the natural world. When a member of the Lodge of Howling Death howls at his prey or calls to his brethren under a moonlit sky, the shrieking sound that emerges from his throat is akin to a hundred screaming souls. This sound is created by one of the lodge's traditional fetishes, called a Death Howl Stone.
The fetish is created by binding a death-spirit or a terror-spirit (never an easy task) into a small stone and wearing it on a thong necklace so that the stone touches the bearer's neck in all forms. When activated, the stone becomes ice cold, and the werewolf's howls for the rest of the scene inspire blood-chilling terror, ad the howls themselves sound as though the werewolf is channeling the sound of Hell itself into his roars. All beings within hearing range not part of the howler's pack or lodge suffer -1 to all actions for a number of turns equal to 10 - target's Willpower. The werewolf also adds +3 to his Intimidation rolls for the rest of the scene. Enemies do not suffer additional penalties if more than one Death Howl Stone is in use in the area.
Also, when the werewolf attempts to speak with the fetish active, his voice is distorted and hissing, like a cross between an enraged snake and a shrieking child. The volume of his voice does not change from normal speech, but the werewolf will have difficulty making himself understood. Beings with a Willpower of 4 or less have been known to suffer horrendous nightmares after hearing a werewolf howl using this fetish.
Action: Standard
References[]
- CofD: Shadows of the UK, p. 76-80