Garou glyph for moot.
Werewolves gather regularly in moots, events that serve a variety of social, political and religious functions. These gathering are part of what makes them Garou, communal creatures dedicated to common causes and sacred responsibilities. For cliath, these gatherings are vital. When a pack returns from one of its adventures, one among them should tell the events that occurred at the next moot. The various werewolves in the pack can then earn renown. By contrast, Garou who avoid moots regularly are viewed with suspicion, often because of their unwillingness to aid their own kind.
Moots are always held at caerns, and powerful spirits are often summoned as part of the proceedings. Theurges perform great rites, Philodox attend to protocol and the "business" aspects of the gathering, Galliards organize the social and storytelling events, and Ahroun see to the defence of the assembly. Werewolves debate policies, discuss plans, send heroes off to perform great tasks, celebrate heroes who have returned triumphant and revile criminals who violate the Litany. Matters are handled with decorum and weighed by the sept as a whole. When matters become too grim, Ragabash satirize foolish decisions, jape at pretentious elders and taunt those who take themselves far too seriously. The most powerful moon bridges are opened during this time. Most importantly, the spiritual energy expended keeps the caern alive, for as the Garou prosper, so do the sacred sites they attend.
The greatest moots typically end with a revel, in which Garou transform into Crinos form and run madly about the area to clear away anything that may pose a threat. This rampage is often so strenuous than some elders fall behind the cubs and cliath, or even die trying to keep up the pace. Packs do not always run together during a revel. Instead, most of the sept begins the run as one, then fragments into smaller groups as the night proceeds. Individual werewolves may work themselves into a frenzy, possibly becoming a danger to themselves and others — the revel is not performed without risk. Most run themselves to exhaustion. The staunchest and strongest Garou continue until dawn, immediately gaining renown for their great stamina and fervour.
The revel is not performed every time the sept gathers, but is instead reserved for special occasions. Urban caerns begin it with great trepidation, fearing that cliath swept up in the moment may destroy portions of the caern others have pledged to protect. An urban sept may find other ways to unleash this chaos and frenzy at the end of their moots. Martial tribes like the Get of Fenris and Red Talons are shocked to hear about tribal moots ending in (what they consider) sad substitutes for a traditional revel. Examples of modern revels include Fianna pub-crawls, Bone Gnawer feasts, Glass Walker "fragfests" on networked computers and Uktena drumming circles.
Types of Moots
- Hearings, where a pack has the possibilty to report Elders about their adventures and gain renown
- Sept moots, that are often hold every month during the full moon. This meeting is more than a simple voicing of complaints; it often resolves with a raucous celebration that no cliath would dare miss.
- Grand Moots, in which things are discussed that are very important for
- Tribal moots, in which Tribe matters are discussed
- Concolations, where decisions of extrem importance for the whole of the Garou Nation are made and which are extremly rare