
Lodge of the Spires Member
The Lodge of Spires is a Lodge of the Iron Masters.
The spirit patron of the Lodge of Spires is Hugin and Munin. Also, the Lodge of Gargoyles is very similar to this Lodge.
Overview[]
The city offers many vantage points. Some are down low, hiding in sewers and alleyways, while others are up above the people and the noise, in the hidden places where the city itself lives. All Iron Masters are aware of the city in a way that the other tribes are not, but the Lodge of Spires goes further. They watch from above, safeguarding their territory and hunting from the rooftops. Their task takes them away from humans, but for many that's the point: they honor the city; the germs that crawl upon its surface are nothing more than prey.
Members of the Lodge of Spires combine their affinity for urban areas and Father Wolf's last request: they mark changes in the city. Other Farsil Luhal call lodge members "Witnesses," and worry that they care more for seeing what occurs than actually taking action. Nothing could be further from the truth. Witnesses watch only until they know how a situation is going. As soon as they know, they hunt. Other werewolves see these hunts only rarely, but when they do, they're hard to mistake. In reparation, Witnesses make their own weapons from whatever trash they find - as long as they find it above ground level. These strange trash-weapons often hit just as hard as a well-forged blade, at least for those who know the Rite of Permanence. Lodge members share an affinity for high places, and prefer leaping between rooftops and through windows. Many members practice parkour, and even those who don't focus on free running know enough to hunt their victims from the rooftops. Members of the lodge ignore technology that doesn't directly help their hunt. Though they make their own weapons, when watching a situation some Witnesses employ cutting-edge surveillance technology - they cannot be everywhere at once. Others rely on less modern means, intimidating minor spirits of the city to help watch. One member of the lodge claims to have persuaded a digital video camera to record goings-on in the Shadow.
When one of the Lodge of Spires sees something wrong, she hunts with deadly force. Spirit cults, vampires, shartha and even packs of Pure have met their end up on the rooftops. Witnesses feel the need to see everything, in case they miss a chance to hunt. They have taken Hugin and Munin, the ravens of Odin, as their totem in addition to Red Wolf. It's a matter of contention whether the lodge's patrons are two spirits or two faces of the same entity. Hard masters, the ravens require constant vigilance in exchange for their blessing.
Membership[]
The Lodge of Spires is open to Iron Masters only, though occasionally Hugin and Munin will force the matter for a werewolf of another tribe. Mostly, they choose urban Ghost Wolves in a city without any Witnesses, but members of any tribe who think before acting and who hold special regard for the city as a whole stand a chance of being drafted.
Initiation into the lodge is a swift affair. Lodge members wait until sunset, then take the werewolf to a situation that they have already seen - an Azlu building a power base, or a spirit breaking through the Gauntlet. They tell her that she must "make things right" using only what she has to hand. Often, what she sees is not the real problem. She must spend time observing the situation, following subtle clues to something entirely worse. If the werewolf finds the correct problem and her hunt is successful, Hugin and Munin accept her into the lodge. She has until the sunset after seeing the first problem to resolve everything - the lodge rewards investigation, not laziness.
Game Mechanics[]
The following are an overview of the game mechanics.
Prerequisites[]
All potential members of the lodge must have demonstrated their ability to prioritize threats (Glory ••, Wisdom ••) and ability to look after themselves when up high (Athletics ••, Stealth •).
Benefits[]
Witnesses may purchase City Gifts (see Lore of the Forsaken, p. 119) at the same rate as Tribal Gifts. In addition, a member of this lodge may purchase the Merit: Parkour (see p. 98) at a rate of (new dots) rather than (new dots x2). A witness can also purchase the Rite: Sacred Vigil with experience points (see below).
Rite[]
- Sacred Vigil (•••): This rite, powered by an ancient compact between a few werewolves and Hugin and Munin and rediscovered by the Lodge of Spires, lends an aspect of the ravens' sight to the werewolf. A werewolf who takes on a Sacred Vigil exists in an altered mindset where the individual threads that tie the city together become plain. It's a strange, often taxing experience that nonetheless is incredibly powerful in the right hands.
- In a Sacred Vigil, the world seems to change. Everything possesses a glowing aura: most humans are white, vampires red, werewolves blue, and mages gold. Other werewolves glow deep green. The werewolf sees through into Twilight without effort: spirits and embodied shartha appear purple, while ghosts are grey. The sight allows a werewolf to identify Hosts that have taken a human form, as well as pointing out humans who are Ridden or Claimed by spirits.
- The Vigil doesn't just highlight the world; it colors the werewolf's understanding. Once she sees a target, she must hunt. The Vigil will not let her sit by and watch when she could be taking action. She intuitively knows how to follow her target without ever setting foot on the ground, and if she can strike from above, her prey will never know what hit her.
References[]
- WTF: Tribes of the Moon, p. 141-143