Post by Destination Darkness on Jan 26, 2007 15:49:41 GMT -5
Okay, to sum all of this stuff up really quickly:
Werewolves call themselves Garou and are considered warriors of Gaia(the earth basically). They are trying to protect the earth from the element of corruption called The Wyrm and from The Weaver, which is responsible for the destruction caused by mankind. The Wlyd, which is like nature and animals and such, is also on the protection list, the only of three powerful elements that has remained loyal to Gaia.
Garou are not so much a species as they are a whole separate race. Like humans, they have their own language, their own culture and their own rules (the Litany). They're divided up into thirteen tribes, each one based on appearance, ethnicity and overall behavior:
Black Furies- almost completely female tribe of righteous warriors
Bone Gnawers- lowly city dwellers that live by scavenging human wastes
Children of Gaia- peaceful, righteous tree-huggers, in a sense
Fianna- Celtic warriors that keep Garou history alive
Get of Fenris- powerful viking-type warriors
Glass Walkers- masters of man and technology
Red Talons- animalistic wolf-born Garou with a taste for human blood
Shadow Lords- cocky, arrogant, self-appointed dictators of the Garou
Silent Striders- African wanderers and keepers of secrets
Silver Fangs- aristocratic Russians hellbent on the purity of their gene pool
Utenka- mysterious mages and shady wisemen unfit to be trusted
Wendigo- noble Native American warriors that have nearly been wiped out
Stargazers- a separate tribe of profits and fortunetellers
Besides tribes, Garou, like regular wolves live in packs. Though most packs try to stay true to one tribe, mixed packs have become more common. Garou are physically more complicated than normal werewolves. There are three breeds of werewolf:
Homid- born of at least one human parent
Lupus- born of at least one wolf parent
Metis- born of two Garou, always born sterile and deformed
Homid is the most common breed, followed by Lupus and then followed by Metis. Because the litany says that Garou are not to mate with each other, Metis are hated and despised by other Garou, seen as abominations. Beyond breeds, there are auspices, which are determined by which moon the Garou is born under:
Ragabash- new moon, the tricksters and light-hearted pranksters
Theurge- crescent moon, the mystics and wise magicians
Philodox- half moon, the judges and level-headed leaders
Galliard- gibbous moon, the creative storytellers and spirited artists
Ahourn- full moon, the powerful and respected warriors
Unlike the typical werewolf, Garou also have multiple forms they can take, instead of the usual human and the werewolf:
Homid- human form
Glabro- mostly-human with a few wolfish traits
Crinos- the half-wolf, half-human form
Hispo- mostly-wolf, usually appears like a dire wolf
Lupus- wolf form
Also unlike the typical werewolf we're used to, Garou have control over their shifts and can use magic, by way of three traits:
Rage- influences all animal activity including shifting
Gnosis- magical ability, allows Garou to use magic
Willpower- influences decision making and perception
Using gnosis, Garou can do a number of different magical things called Gifts. There is a list of gifts in the character creation board. Gnosis also allows Garou to talk to and communicate with spirits who can sometimes aid or even harm Garou depending on what the spirit wants to do. All of these skills and traits are used to combat both the Wyrm and the wyrm's minions (creatures the wyrm has corrupted and uses to try and destroy the earth). Some Garou also try to destroy humans but they're not supposed to.
There are other species aside from Garou on this site. Shape-shifting does not only extend to wolves and there are other species of shifters and supernaturals, though the Garou don't particularly get along with most of them. They include:
Ajaba- were-hyenas
Ananasi- were-spiders
Bastet- were-cats
Corax- were-ravens
Gurahl- were-bears
Kitsune- were-foxes
Mokole- were-reptiles
Nagah- were-snakes
Nuwisha- were-coyotes
Ratkin- were-rats
Rokea- were-sharks
Skylos- were-dogs
Black Spiral Dancers- werewolves that have been corrupted by the wyrm
Plus, non-shifting species like Vampires, Sorcerers and, of course, humans. All of these species are trying to coexist in one city, but the inevitable conflicts that arise are slowly giving rise to a wyrm-lead regime. This city's next destination: darkness...
Werewolves call themselves Garou and are considered warriors of Gaia(the earth basically). They are trying to protect the earth from the element of corruption called The Wyrm and from The Weaver, which is responsible for the destruction caused by mankind. The Wlyd, which is like nature and animals and such, is also on the protection list, the only of three powerful elements that has remained loyal to Gaia.
Garou are not so much a species as they are a whole separate race. Like humans, they have their own language, their own culture and their own rules (the Litany). They're divided up into thirteen tribes, each one based on appearance, ethnicity and overall behavior:
Black Furies- almost completely female tribe of righteous warriors
Bone Gnawers- lowly city dwellers that live by scavenging human wastes
Children of Gaia- peaceful, righteous tree-huggers, in a sense
Fianna- Celtic warriors that keep Garou history alive
Get of Fenris- powerful viking-type warriors
Glass Walkers- masters of man and technology
Red Talons- animalistic wolf-born Garou with a taste for human blood
Shadow Lords- cocky, arrogant, self-appointed dictators of the Garou
Silent Striders- African wanderers and keepers of secrets
Silver Fangs- aristocratic Russians hellbent on the purity of their gene pool
Utenka- mysterious mages and shady wisemen unfit to be trusted
Wendigo- noble Native American warriors that have nearly been wiped out
Stargazers- a separate tribe of profits and fortunetellers
Besides tribes, Garou, like regular wolves live in packs. Though most packs try to stay true to one tribe, mixed packs have become more common. Garou are physically more complicated than normal werewolves. There are three breeds of werewolf:
Homid- born of at least one human parent
Lupus- born of at least one wolf parent
Metis- born of two Garou, always born sterile and deformed
Homid is the most common breed, followed by Lupus and then followed by Metis. Because the litany says that Garou are not to mate with each other, Metis are hated and despised by other Garou, seen as abominations. Beyond breeds, there are auspices, which are determined by which moon the Garou is born under:
Ragabash- new moon, the tricksters and light-hearted pranksters
Theurge- crescent moon, the mystics and wise magicians
Philodox- half moon, the judges and level-headed leaders
Galliard- gibbous moon, the creative storytellers and spirited artists
Ahourn- full moon, the powerful and respected warriors
Unlike the typical werewolf, Garou also have multiple forms they can take, instead of the usual human and the werewolf:
Homid- human form
Glabro- mostly-human with a few wolfish traits
Crinos- the half-wolf, half-human form
Hispo- mostly-wolf, usually appears like a dire wolf
Lupus- wolf form
Also unlike the typical werewolf we're used to, Garou have control over their shifts and can use magic, by way of three traits:
Rage- influences all animal activity including shifting
Gnosis- magical ability, allows Garou to use magic
Willpower- influences decision making and perception
Using gnosis, Garou can do a number of different magical things called Gifts. There is a list of gifts in the character creation board. Gnosis also allows Garou to talk to and communicate with spirits who can sometimes aid or even harm Garou depending on what the spirit wants to do. All of these skills and traits are used to combat both the Wyrm and the wyrm's minions (creatures the wyrm has corrupted and uses to try and destroy the earth). Some Garou also try to destroy humans but they're not supposed to.
There are other species aside from Garou on this site. Shape-shifting does not only extend to wolves and there are other species of shifters and supernaturals, though the Garou don't particularly get along with most of them. They include:
Ajaba- were-hyenas
Ananasi- were-spiders
Bastet- were-cats
Corax- were-ravens
Gurahl- were-bears
Kitsune- were-foxes
Mokole- were-reptiles
Nagah- were-snakes
Nuwisha- were-coyotes
Ratkin- were-rats
Rokea- were-sharks
Skylos- were-dogs
Black Spiral Dancers- werewolves that have been corrupted by the wyrm
Plus, non-shifting species like Vampires, Sorcerers and, of course, humans. All of these species are trying to coexist in one city, but the inevitable conflicts that arise are slowly giving rise to a wyrm-lead regime. This city's next destination: darkness...