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LodgeoftheStarlessSky

Lodge of the Starless Sky Member

The Lodge of the Starless Sky is a Lodge of the Rahu.

The spirit patron of the Lodge of the Starless Sky is Falcon that Flies on Smoke, "Smoke Falcon".

Overview[]

The Lodge of the Starless Sky is still a small lodge, boasting only a few dozen members. The members are either lone wolves or, more frequently, Rahu acting as alpha to their packs. They believe the city is an exponentially more dangerous place than rural or suburban areas, but by the same token, cities are the most desirable territories that werewolves can claim.

Much of this is opinion, of course, but the lodge does make some valid points. Cities typically have a population density that allows for hiding in plain sight. The larger a city, the easier it is to get lost in a crowd. Yes, it places great impetus on a werewolf to retain self-control, to avoid Death Rage, but this is turn provides a strong motivation for staying in Harmony. The pack must learn to coexist with the creatures around it (that is, people) and this, the lodge believes, breeds a kind of humility. A herd of prey animals kills young predators whenever it can, and human beings will rise up and slaughter any werewolves they discover living in their midst (at least, they would if they did discover them, or so the lodge feels). Living in the city is the ultimate trial-by-fire. Urban werewolves must learn to meet their obligations, to protect their packs, to honor their totems and most importantly to hunt...all in secret.

The members of the lodge call themselves Mihira, from a First Tongue word for "night watchmen" or "guardians." The name of the lodge draws on the notion that, in the city, the stars are invisible, but the full moon still shines brightly. The Mihira take it upon themselves to police the city not just for interlopers into their territories, but for more insidious threats. The Hosts are some of their most reviled foes, because rats and spiders are functionally invisible in the city - and Beshilu and Azlu are usually only noticeable when they start changing the Gauntlet. The Rahu of the lodge, therefore, keep a careful eye on spiritual activity, make it a point to know all of the loci within their territory, and try to cultivate a healthy relationship with the powerful spirits in the area's Shadow. The result is often a werewolf who is equal parts warrior and sleuth, a Rahu who is perfectly prepared to fight for his territory, but counts a true victory as avoiding a fight.

The lodge has little in the way of direct organization, but the members know each other, since the lodge is so small. They don't always know names, of course - one member in Los Angeles might be aware that a local Rahu left for Chicago and then took on a student with a noticeable scar on his arm. If the LA Mirhira's student takes a trip to the Windy City, then, he might tell the initiate to "look for the guy with a scarred arm; he's one of us." It's up to the student to suss out the Chicago Mirhira's identity from there.

The lodge's totem is an adaptable bird-spirit called the Falcon that Flies on Smoke. The "Smoke Falcon" resembles a peregrine falcon and is usually seen flying above lodge members, guiding them to matters that require their attention. It never interacts with them directly. Rumor has it that only one werewolf, the founder of the lodge (an Iron Master known as Casper), has actually seen it. He advises other Mihira to seek the Falcon, when he meets them, as a visit from the Falcon can open a werewolf's eyes to nuances and information that would otherwise remain invisible. Finding the spirit, however, requires leaving the streets and prowling rooftops, and many members of the lodge would prefer to stay on the ground. That's where the action is, after all.

Membership[]

The Lodge of the Starless Sky is a bit haughty in its beliefs that Rahu are the truly worthy guardians of the city, regardless of tribes, and thus far no non-Rahu has been admitted. They do not discriminate on basis of tribe, and although their urban focus would seem to appeal mostly to Iron Masters, the tribes are roughly equally represented (again, though, the lodge is small yet).

Gaining membership is the lodge requires living in a particular city for at least five years, and living in the city proper, not a suburb. Once a werewolf has done that, he can petition to an existing member of the lodge for membership. The lodge is young enough that initiation rites haven't been formalized, but all existing members agree that a period of tutelage is necessary. During this time, which usually lasts for three months, the initiate is taught about the city's history, especially the criminal and occult truths that a trip to the library won't reveal. The mentor reveals some (but not all) of his contacts in the city, both spirit and physical, to the student. He presents the student with challenges that require lateral thinking, investigative work, interpersonal contact (someone always knows something, after all, and you can't always beat the truth out of people) and, of course, combat. The combat portion of the initiation isn't judged on whether the student wins or loses the fight (obviously, if he dies, he's out), but whether the fight takes place in a manner that leaves the neighborhood talking about it for weeks to come or in a manner that leaves people simply wondering what that loud bang was last night.

The lodge has no formal acceptance ceremony. The mentor takes the student out for a drink (mentor's choice, but usually whiskey of some type) and simply says, "You're in." From then on, the new Mirhira is free to make his own way and even to accept other students, but can always treat members of the lodge as trusted colleagues.

Game Mechanics[]

The following are an overview of the game mechanics.

Prerequisites[]

Purity, Stealth, Streetwise, Investigation. Members are not required to maintain any particular level of Harmony, but revealing the existence of the Uratha to a human remains a sin against Harmony no matter how the Rahu's Harmony taint actually falls (see p. 181 of Werewolf: The Forsaken).

Benefits[]

Members of the Lodge of the Starless Sky can use the Warrior's Eye (Werewolf: The Forsaken, p. 80) differently from other Rahu. In addition to sizing up an opponent for direct combat, the Mihira can learn how dangerous the target is considering outside factors. For instance, a werewolf uses Warrior's Eye on an old Colombian man sitting on a park bench. By himself, the man is no threat to a werewolf - but the Mihira's power reveals that he is highly dangerous from influences beyond his own body. More specifically, the man's son is the drug lord of the area, and if the old man should turn up dead, a small army of heavily armed and drug-crazed men will be searching for the killer. The Warrior's Eye doesn't reveal information beyond "dangerous in a fight," "dangerous due to outside considerations" and "not dangerous at all," but it does give the Mihira a slightly better idea of what's in store for him.

In addition, when a werewolf joins the lodge, he chooses a new affinity Gift list from either Knowledge or Stealth.

References[]

Werewolf: The Forsaken Lodges
First Edition
Blood Talons Lodge of CerberusLodge of the EinherjarLodge of GarmLodge of the Lone WolfLodge of NightLodge of the ShieldLodge of SwordsLodge of Wendigo
Bone Shadows Lodge of BaitalLodge of DeathLodge of DoorsLodge of Hallowed HallsLodge of HarbingersLodge of the Hundred DaysLodge of the Hungry GhostsLodge of ProphecyLodge of the ReapingLodge of Voices
Hunters in Darkness Lodge of AshesThe Brotherhood of Eshu's CapLodge of CarrionLodge of the Empty DenLodge of HarmonyLodge of RuinLodge of SeasonsLodge of the Sleeping BearLodge of Wrath
Iron Masters Lodge of 66Lodge of ArmsLodge of the Hidden HuntLodge of LightningLodge of MetalLodge of ScrollsLodge of SpiresLodge of StonesLodge of Wires
Storm Lords Lodge of CrowsLodge of the Final WinterKshatriyasLodge of the MaelstromLodge of NamarrkunLodge of SalvationLodge of the Shadow's StormLodge of the Shadow ThroneLodge of ThunderLodge of Winter
Auspice Lodge of the BoundaryLodge of the Broken PledgeEigner LodgeLodge of the Endless HorizonLodge of the Fury ChoirLodge of the HazzanLodge of Luna's TearsLodge of LycurgusLodge of the Second MoonriseThe Secret TribunalLodge of the Shadow ThroneLodge of the Spirit ChainsLodge of the Spoken WordLodge of the Starless SkyLodge of the Storm's Eye
Pure Lodge of AbsolutionBlood of KingsCouncil of EaglesLodge of Kin's BloodLodge of Night's FearLodge of PlagueLodge of Sana'aLodge of Vermin's Shadow
Others Lodge of the AdderLodge of ArkadiaThe Armée SauvageLodge of AvalonLodge of the Black WoodsLodge of Bloody SpearsBrotherhood of the Crossed SwordsLodge of ChemicsLodge of the CoyoteLodge of the CrossroadsCult of BonesLodge of EchoesLodge of the Endless MoonLodge of the Fallen IdolLodge of the FeastLodge of Fevered LightLodge of the FirestickLodge of Grey HuntersLodge of the GrottoLodge of Howling DeathLodge of the HuntLodge of IliaLodge of KletbyLodge of the LakeLodge of the LionLodge of LondonLodge of the LostLodge of Luna's DevoteesLodge of MammonLodge of ManiaLodge of the ModernistLodge of the Morning StarLodge of the NahualLodge of PraetorsLodge of QuetzalLodge of the Red SandsLodge of the RoseLodge of the SacrificeLodge of SaintsLodge of the SaviorLodge of ScarsLodge of ScavengersLodge of the ShepherdLodge of SilenceLodge of SongkranLodge of TearsLodge of the Thin ShadowLodge of Two WorldsLodge of the UnionLodge of UnityLodge of the Willow Branch
Mots EiwazValkyrja
Second Edition
Blood Talons Lodge of the Einherjar
Bone Shadows Lodge of the Hundred Days
Hunters in Darkness Lodge of the Hook HandLodge of Sleepless Earth
Iron Masters Lodge of the Shield
Storm Lords Lodge of The Roman Ritual
Ghost Wolves Eaters of the DeadLodge of the Field
Auspice Lodge of the ChronicleLodge of Gargoyles
Pure Lodge of Muspell
Others Lodge of GarmDreaming LodgeLodge of Quicksilver ChildrenLodge of the Screaming MoonThe Temple of ApolloThe Thousand Steel Teeth
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