Lodge of the Lake

Frostbite, Hunter in Darkness Irraka member of the Lodge of the Lake

The Lodge of the Lake was formerly a lodge devoted to patrolling the area around Lake Vostok in Antarctica. The current members of the lodge are Bale Hounds.

Overview

Long before human scientists discovered Lake Vostok, the spirits of Antarctica knew there was something powerful and dangerous hidden below the ice. Uratha from many parts of the world came together in the 19th century to form the original Lodge: from a base in the South Orkney Islands, they traveled to Lake Vostok in two-month shifts to patrol the Shadow, deter human researchers, and try to understand what was submerged in the lake. Their totem, Icefish, granted them Gifts that helped them resist the deep cold, but could not protect them from the strange dreams and hallucinations that the thing in the lake caused.

In 1970, Soviet researchers bored deep into the ice above Lake Vostok for research purposes, and pulled up something unexpected: a vaguely feminine face, fossilized into porous stone. Members of the Lodge stole the face to avoid attracting more human attention to the lake, but rather than destroying or re-burying it, they kept it for their own study. Over the following weeks, the face began to whisper to the Uratha one by one, persuading them that they had been chosen to serve the thing below the ice (of which the face was just one small part). They had the glorious duty of protecting the slumbering Lady of the Lake until she was ready to emerge. She persuaded them to abandon Icefish and serve their new Lady, and kill any other members of the Lodge who resisted them.

The Lodge has always welcomed any werewolf willing to brave the extreme cold and isolation of Antarctica, but formerly members were free to leave when they wished. Now those who come to the lake are forced to swear themselves to the Lady or be torn to pieces. It is likely that the Lady is the Maeljin Lamashtu, or something closely related, but members either do not realize they have become Bale Hounds, or do not care.

Game Mechanics

Prerequisites

Harmony 6 or below. While this is not universal, most Forsaken within the Lodge of the Lake either begin with the Vice of Pride, or develop it over time.

Benefits

Those who serve the Lady can purchase or improve Social Attributes and Social Skills at a discount. They also gain one free Dominance Gift, unless they already know all of them.

Rites

The Salon (•••): This strange rite requires participants to party for 24 hours straight. Participants wear their best clothes and prepare the finest food and booze available, given the constraints of their isolated location. Sometimes the celebration includes games, contests, and hunts, with traitorous members or unfortunate spirits as the prey. If successfully completed, the participants refill their Willpower completely and heal one level of aggravated damage. They also gain +1 to the Attribute of their choice for the next two weeks.