Secret Tribunal Member
The Secret Tribunal is a Lodge of the Elodoth.
The spirit patron of the Secret Tribunal is Shadowed Vizier.
Overview[]
The People trust their Half Moons to stand in judgment. After all, the Elodoth sees the world through the eyes of every auspice, giving him a unique perspective. Some Elodoth stand in judgment only when their packmates ask for their assistance. Others have earned the respect of many packs, and their honor is such that other werewolves will travel for miles to resolve a particularly thorny problem - not because the local Elodoth are bad, but because the renowned Half Moon lends an air of legitimacy to all his judgments.
Some Elodoth don't believe in waiting. When a pack seeks out a judge, things have already gone too far. Better that they dispense justice from the shadows, with only the guilty ever sure that they exist. These werewolves belong to the lodge known as the Secret Tribunal.
While members like to paint it as an ancient institution, the Secret Tribunal only got started in the late 1990s. In much of Europe and North America, alien abduction experiences and ghost sightings reached an all-time high. People wanted to believe in anything. A few reckless werewolves could cause quite a backlash in that atmosphere. Word spread among packs in New York, and nine werewolves gathered in an abandoned penthouse. After a week engaged in dangerous rites, they founded the Secret Tribunal. One member then traveled to London, one to Chicago, one to Los Angeles, and one to Paris. Those four had to find like-minded souls and spread the word. The others would sit in judgment over the werewolves of New York, kidnapping those who threatened to unveil the presence of the supernatural and enacting harsh punishments.
The Secret Tribunal isn't just a secret police for the Forsaken. By making an example of werewolves who would break the Oath of the Moon, and by punishing small infractions before bigger ones occur, the lodge brings the local werewolves into line. Not for nothing is the Tribunal's base in London decorated as a "star chamber."
Ultimately, the Secret Tribunal acts as a place where those Elodoth who devote themselves to judgment can have the best effect - and keep an eye on the extremists who would rule the Forsaken from the shadows. The lodge members don't kill those they find guilty, as a rule. Members much prefer sending a message to all werewolves in the area. Some of those judged receive Punishment Brands, but others don't get off so easily. A werewolf in New York had his hand cut off with a silver blade for selling his pack out to a gang of vampires. The lodge removes those who can't be allowed to remain in Uratha society - including those who betray the Secret Tribunal - by locking them up and making sure they cannot shapeshift.
The lodge has taken the Shadowed Vizier as their totem, though a few members still believe they should appeal for the patronage of the Hanging Judge. The Vizier won't give up without a fight - the spirit's pleased that it has some means to remove undesirable Forsaken without showing its hand.
Membership[]
Most werewolves who deal with the Secret Tribunal never know it. Ghost Wolves and wolf-blooded informers gather the word on the street, and a stranger might ask a pack to capture one of his wayward packmates who has strayed onto their territory. For most, that's where their involvement ends. Members of the lodge seek out some Elodoth - those who rankle at judging situations only after they've happened - and offer them a chance to be a bit more pro-active. So far, the Lodge has only one Ghost Wolf member, and the Shadowed Vizier won't accept any werewolf not of the Elodoth auspice.
Initiation into the Tribunal is a strange affair. The prospective member stands in front of the other members of the local Lodge. They question him for hours and days on end, re-living old cases in exhaustive detail to ensure that he thinks as they do. If he proves to be a match, he then has to judge a werewolf accused of planning some grievous breach of the Oath of the Moon. Just one hitch - roughly half the time, the victim is an innocent patsy. It's up to the prospective member alone to judge the correct outcome of the situation, determining guilt and, if necessary, assigning a suitable punishment. If he satisfies the members of the Lodge, they welcome him into their number.
Those who fail, and those who become disenchanted with the Secret Tribunal's means of acting, suffer whatever punishment their Tribunal deems appropriate. Some undergo a rite that strips all traces of the Lodge from their memories. Others are remanded to mental institutions, or suffer yet crueler fates.
Game Mechanics[]
The following are an overview of the game mechanics.
Prerequisites[]
Members of the Secret Tribunal must be able to discern the truth (Investigation ••), and determine a fitting punishment that sends a message to other Uratha (Empathy ••, Streetwise •).
Benefits[]
Upon joining the Secret Tribunal, a character gains two dots spread between the Merits: Allies (Local Werewolves), Contacts (Local Werewolves), and Contacts (Local Spirits). Members of the Lodge can also purchase dots in Investigation or Subterfuge at a rare of (new dots X2) rather than (new dots X3) experience points.
References[]
- WTF: Signs of the Moon, p. 101-102
