
Lodge of the Fury Choir member
The Lodge of the Fury Choir is a Lodge of the Rahu.
Overview[]
The Fury Choir, the Ralunim, are the Lunes of the Full Moon, and as such are the fiercest warriors in Luna's army. Only spirits of war and combat are deadlier, and only spirits of light itself burn brighter. Some Rahu have a kind of hero worship for these spirits, which is only natural. But Lunes are not werewolves, and do not (necessarily) obey the precepts of Harmony. The Ralunim are, in some ways, "more Rahu than Rahu" because they are not and cannot ever be human.
The werewolves of the Lodge of the Fury Choir think this is a good thing, and ultimately something to which they aspire. The members of this lodge - who call themselves Ralurnim or "full moon spirit wolves" believe that achieving true Purity means leaving behind all other forms of Renown, all ties to the physical world, and all other identifying traits except for being Rahu.
The Lodge of the Fury Choir doesn't have its own totem. The Ralunim act as patrons and allies for the lodge, but because Lunes cannot usually act as true totems for werewolves (see p. 190 of Werewolf: The Forsaken), the relationship is slightly more distant than other lodge totems. Members of the lodge regret that this is the case, but it must be so - the Ralurnim don't wish to go mad.
Most of them, however, believe this in a sort of abstract way, just as a modern Christian might recognize Christ's admonition to give away all worldly possession without literally doing so. The Ralurnim see the lodge as a way to commune with their spiritual brethren, to learn the best defenses against spirits, and to travel the Hisil safely. Actually disavowing the physical world, however, is too extreme a step for most of them.
But rumors swirl about the werewolves who have actually done exactly that. Uratha outside the lodge see the Ralurnim as disturbed zealots, werewolves who would give up their own packs (the ultimate violation of Harmony, and therefor a mark against Purity) in order emulate spirits. Inside the lodge, stories circulate of members who left their packs with their packmates' blessing and joined the Fury Choir, becoming Lunes themselves. Again, though, these are only rumors.
Members of the lodge are not required to leave their packs; indeed, membership in a blessed pack (one werewolf of each auspice) is keenly encouraged. Ralurnim are expected to learn as much as possible about travel in the Shadow, about discovering methods of fighting spirit enemies (apart from discovering their bans, which is seen as the Ithaeur's task), and learning any lore possible about the Fury Choir. The lodge studies a fighting style based on the combat techniques of the Lunes, which is only available to Ralurnim
Membership[]
Only Rahu are permitted to join the Lodge of the Fury Choir, obviously. The lodge doesn't see a disproportionate number of any tribe; any Full Moon might appreciate the power of the Lunes.
A werewolf wishing to join the lodge must first make contact with one of the Ralurnim and declare his intent. At that point, the supplicant is taken into the spirit wilds on the night of the full moon, where he can expect to battle spirits of varying power and type with the Ralunim watch. If he acquits himself well during this battle - which means fighting with a good, practical strategy, showing reverence to Mother Luna and showing respect, though not mercy, to powerful spirits - the Fury Choir descends upon him, raising him up and giving him a second wind. If this does not happen, the sponsor assumes the werewolf does not have the requisite Purity to join the lodge, and drags him back into the physical world (if he is able, though supplicants do occasionally die during the trial).
If the Fury Choir does descend, however, the sponsor immediately performs the Rite of the Spirit Brand, granting the supplicant a dot of Purity (which means that if a player's character is attempting to join the lodge, he must have enough experience points to raise his Purity rating to at least •••). The Lunes take part in the right, searing the Purity rune into the werewolf's flesh with such power that it glows brighter than his other Renown markings while in the Shadow.
Game Mechanics[]
The following are an overview of the game mechanics.
Prerequisites[]
Purity ••• (members can begin the process of joining at Purity ••), at least five dots spread in some combination between Brawl, Firearms and Weaponry. Members are expected to maintain Harmony 7 or more.
Benefits[]
Once per story, members of the lodge can call upon the Lunes to grant them extra time in Gauru form. This only works when moonlight is touching the character, meaning that he must be outdoors at night with at least the crescent moon showing. The player spends three points of Essence for a crescent moon, two for a half moon and one for a gibbous moon - of the moon is full, the werewolf can invoke this power at no cost. The werewolf may stay in Gauru form for a number of turns equal to his Purity.
In addition, the character is able to learn the Fury Choir Fighting Style.
New Merit - Fighting Style: Fury Choir (• to •••)[]
Prerequisites: Werewolf, member of Lodge of the Fury Choir
This Fighting Style is the result of observation of Lunes and how they fight. It takes best advantage of the werewolf's ability to shapeshift reflexively, meaning that a werewolf using it is going to burn through Essence quickly. Of course, since a Rahu can shapeshift reflexively on the full moon, this Fighting Style becomes much deadlier during this time.
Dots purchased in this Merit allowed for Special combat maneuvers. Each dot is a prerequisite for the next, so a character can't have Savage Ambush until he has Shapeshift Dodge.
Shapeshift Dodge: The character changes form quickly to dodge an attack, usually to Urhan form, and then positions himself so as to take greatest advantage of his now off-balance foe. The character must change to a smaller form reflexively before his opponent rolls to attack. The character's Defense in the smaller form is doubled and he can take no further action that turn, just as if the character has Dodged (see p. 156 of the World of Darkness Rulebook). If the attack misses, the player receives a +2 modifier to attack the opponent on the character's next action.
Savage Ambush: The character bursts into Gauru form, gutting his opponent before the victim knows what is happening. The character must change to Gauru form reflexively and then make an attack as usual. The opponent's player rolls Wits + Composure (Danger Sense applies, but the opponent also takes a penalty equal to the werewolf's Composure). If this roll fails, the opponent does not apply his Defense to this attack. The werewolf must be within reach of the opponent, but Gauru form has a considerable reach, which is why the opponent so rarely anticipates the attack.
Moonlight's Revelation: It's impossible to surprise a Ralunim. While werewolves aren't quite so omniscient, the members of the Lodge of the Fury Choir have learned to "feel" moonlight. As long as moonlight touches the werewolf (whether from the actual moon, moonlight generated by a Lune or by a packmate using the Moonlight Gift), he applies his full Defense against all incoming attacks, including Firearms.
References[]
- WTF: Signs of the Moon, p. 173-175