Lodge of the Hazzan Member
The Lodge of the Hazzan is a Lodge of the Cahalith.
The spirit patron of the Lodge of the Hazzan is Sukkalaila.
Overview[]
Not all werewolves toss away their mortal upbringing and discount their old faiths just because they discover spirits are real. In many Jewish traditions, a hazzan is a lay-person who leads the synagogue in prayer through song. So long as there have been practitioners of the Jewish faith, and so long as there have been Cahalith, there has been the Lodge of the Hazzan.
Among the Jewish werewolves, the Cahalith have acted is demi-clergy, helping Jewish-born werewolves interpret the Torah in ways that made sense with Uratha culture and condition. The Cahalith, as Lorekeepers and performers, fit with the Jewish requirements for the position of hazzan, even if many werewolves considered themselves too "unclean" to ever be fit to serve as rabbis. Having a hazzan isn't the same as having a real rabbi to guide the people in tradition, but as many Jewish Uratha are fond of saying, "it is enough."
Jewish folklore is rife with stories of spirits, whether those spirits are classified as demons, angels, or ghosts of the dead. Many modern branches of Judaism have left those stories behind as fables at best or blasphemy at worst. Still, much of the folklore remains written down in the hands of Rabbinical scholars the world over. Uratha among the Jewish people have long known that hidden in those human texts are truths about the spirit world the human scholars do not fathom. It is the Lodge of the Hazzan that safeguards these stories by protecting certain special temples and libraries in Jewish communities. The hazzan make sure their written history is not lost or forgotten. Every member of the lodge is expected to be an expert on the lore held by his local community. The lore is sacred, but not secret, and the hazzan can be approached by even gentile werewolves for information in regards to spirits that might have been written about. Nothing worth knowing is worth knowing for free. Members of the lodge are renowned for requiring quests and factors be performed before they will answer any questions to Uratha from outside their community. Members within their community have likely already proven their mettle to the hazzan, and so therefore rarely require the same level of scrutiny by deed.
Perhaps the most difficult aspect for Jewish Uratha to justify is the relationship with Luna, and is the place where members of this lodge must be both creative and sensitive. The Father Wolf story, it seems, is not one too difficult to accept at face value, and many Uratha see him both as a spirit and as founder of a different "lost tribe" of Israel. Father Wolf thereby needn't be at conflict with Jewish concepts of divinity, Luna is the problem. Many scholars within the lodge see a great deal of Luna in the stories of the Shekina, an entity looked at as God's wife or "helpmate." Many ancient rabbis described the Shekina as God's light, a sort of essence that would settle on good people when they perform good acts, Jewish or not.
Today, members of the lodge also work as matchmakers finding good Jewish men to marry good Jewish women and promote healthy children under the Fertile Moon.
Their totem, Sukkalaila, is described by them as the angel who comes to the wombs of pregnant Uratha and determines if the unborn will be Uratha or wolf-blooded. The totem then teaches the unborn the whole Torah. If the unborn will be Uratha, the spirit also teaches the Oath of the Moon. Birth makes the child forget, but to the Lodge of the Hazzan, all people know from before birth the right way to live, it's just up to the individual to remember the stories that explain how.
Membership[]
A member must be at least fifteen years old and have expressed talents as a singer or public speaker. The Uratha must do everything they can to keep to the laws of kahrut (i.e. "keeping kosher"), and if at any time, higher numbers of the lodge feel the Uratha is particularly unclean, they must take steps to cleanse themselves before serving in any public role outside of their pack.
Game Mechanics[]
The following are an overview of the game mechanics.
Prerequisites[]
Any Cahalith of Jewish descent or conversion can become a hazzan so long as he has Expression •, and Academics •• with a Specialty in the Torah or Rabbinical Studies. Additionally, he must be of good standing in the community reflected by at least one dot in Status: Jewish Community.
Benefits[]
All members of the Lodge can learn the Rite of Laila's Message. In addition, lodge members also gain the 9-again quality on any Occult rolls made in regards to Jewish mysticism.
Rite of Laila's Message[]
Taught to the Children of Father Wolf and Israel, this rite assists the ritemaster in determining which members of their community are more likely to go through their First Change than others.
In the past, Jewish communities were small and tight-knit. The potential violence that comes of the First Change was often more than the population could bear. As a result, the totem of the Lodge of the Hazzan taught them a rite to perform over a pregnant woman to make it easier to keep track of which children might change and which wouldn't. Since Sukkalaila is said to teach the Oath of the Moon to unborn babies who may be Uratha one day, by singing the right prayers and blessings to the expectant mother's stomach, the ritemaster may heat whispers of the Oath of the Moon echoed back.
Dice Pool: Harmony
Action: Extended (10 successes are needed, and each roll represents 10 minutes or prayer)
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The child is cursed. The mother's body reacts poorly to the process, and the result can be terrible. A miscarriage might occur (or the child may be born prematurely). It's also possible that the infant might be Ridden upon birth, needing to be cleansed of the spiritual infection.
Failure: No successes are added.
Success: The ritemaster is rewarded with murmurs of the Oath of the Moon if the child will be a Uratha, and whispers from the Torah if the child is to be human or only wolf-blooded.
Exceptional Success: The child will be born in exceptional health, with an added +1 to his Health score than normal.
References[]
- WTF: Signs of the Moon, p. 137-138
