[Rowan leans against the wall as they take the information in, trying to match it up with how things work at home.]
Is Hamish your alpha? The way your pack works sounds a lot like mine, actually. I made Serenity challenge me to alpha over a drinking game once. [They snigger at the memory, before they realise that she probably needs more context.] When the pack first started it was just me and Serenity and Walkie Talkie and none of us wanted to be alpha but we needed one. So we’d take turns to have it for a couple of weeks, and then ask the next person to challenge for it over something daft. Serenity’s a metis so she can’t get drunk, not really, and in any case she’s over a foot taller than me and at least twice my weight, so it was just an excuse for her to pay for me to get pissed. Ami came in not long after that, thankfully.
And that’s more what things are like, normally, at least in my sept. At the moment Silent and Ren are posturing more than normal [hopefully] because they’re still trying to settle their place here. Ren’s only been here about a month, and I ain’t been here that much longer.
[Lilith shook her head.] Alpha is another wolf spirit that was lost to the Knights a long time ago. In theory, Alpha has a champion out there somewhere outside of our territory or is dormant like Silverback has been until recently. Hamish is Tundra's champion and our leader. He's been a wolf the longest, he's the oldest and the most level-headed.
None of the rest of us has really thought we would be better leaders than Hamish. We get into arguments with him, but he knows how to handle us. [Lilith never really thought about why Hamish was their leader beyond his time as Tundra's champion, but he really was suited for it. Maybe it was the former law student in him or the skills that made him a good teacher's aide.]
[That doesn’t do a lot to dissuade Rowan that he is, in fact, alpha. Just because he isn’t named that, doesn’t mean that he isn’t.]
Are there other wolf spirits that don’t have a champion as well? And what’s this thing about mages? [They did notice that before they went on a tangent.]
Midnight currently lacks a champion, but he goes through them a lot. He's not particularly discerning about his champions, preferring to pick ones he can control more directly as opposed to coming to an accord with them. He's more like the... shock trooper among us. The one that will volunteer for the most dangerous things where only a fanatic that didn't care if they died would be willing to go. Other than Alpha, the other wolf spirits we know of have champions. [Nothing indicated there were more, but again, if there were more chapters of the Order, it was reasonable to think there were other Knights out there as well.]
Mages are what we deal with. They're the enemy. Well, mages that use dark magic, that is. The kind that will bring about the end of the world. We... we used to be against all magic, but then we learned not all of it was dark. Some other factors were part of that, but that's what changed our approach.
[Midnight sounds like a dangerous spirit. A war one, probably? They certainly aren’t Rowan’s strong point.] How much control do your spirits have over you? It sounds like he can take control of his champion.
And we have mages too, but they ain’t all bad. Unpredictable and a pain in the arse, but they have their uses sometimes. We fight the Wyrm, the spirit of destruction. Most of us are pretty sure we can’t stop the apocalypse, it’s more a case of trying to make sure that we guide the restart so it ain’t a complete disaster.
Being able to control the wolf comes from willpower and understanding. First you have to have the will to withstand the power and the pressure and the presence. Then you come to an understanding with the spirit. How that comes to pass is different for each of us, both champions and spirits. I've never had problems with Timber past the first few days. [Lilith debated going into it more, but there were some things she just couldn't tell an outsider, even if Rowan was another werewolf. They were Garou, not a Knight. The mindscape, the direct nature of the lockers, were too guarded of secrets to give up.]
Midnight, despite his way of doing things, is the noblest of us. Always willing to sacrifice to do what needs done. He is very strong and since he knows his champion will never last long, he doesn't put his trust in his champion like the rest of the spirits do. But he still needs a champion if he wants to fight. [Every fallen Knight, even those chosen by Midnight that may have only been Knights for a day or even hours, are toasted for their service.] Some times the struggle between Midnight and his champion becomes too much, too dangerous, and isn't going to resolve one way or another, we deal with it.
The powerful dark magics are nothing but destruction. The Knights of St. Christopher exist to prevent them from courting and using magics that will cause terrible damage and more; we can sense its use. Dark magic corrupts. The greatest dark magics remove the mortal constraints on a magic user making them capable of bending everything to their will and trade their humanity. For example, to invoke the Vade Maecum, one of the requirements is that they sacrifice their first born child. Once a long time ago, one of them summoned a demon emperor and thought they could bind him into their service. They could not.
[Her description of child sacrifice makes Rowan shudder.]
Ten years ago, before I changed, I’d’ve said you were bullshitting me, but that sounds like the Wyrm, and what it does to people. I’m sure it ain’t, but practically it might as well be. [Which means they can tell the others that she’s fighting the same enemy as them by a different name, which should make a difference.]
Do you want to know more about it? [They sound slightly reluctant, because that’s a lot of information to give to someone not a Garou, but it’s only fair.]
I wouldn't have believed it either before I was chosen by Timber. Not because I didn't know the supernatural existed, but because I used to be a mage. Technically still am. And I'd rather you keep that to yourself.
[Lilith hadn't told anyone else that she could cast magic. Or would be able to once she reclaimed her power. Werewolves were surprisingly powerful mages and she was stronger with it now than she'd been before.]
Ren told me Garou don't agree on how to fight your enemy, your Wyrm. Why?
I won't tell anyone. [Rowan doesn't offer any fancy promises, just states it plainly. If that's something she doesn't want anyone else to know, they won't be the one to let it loose. It does make them curious to know more, though. Being a werewolf and a mage? That's a lot.
And even though they know what she means by 'your Wyrm', it doesn't stop anger flashing in Rowan's eyes before they manage to control it, fists clenching tight for a moment, before they take a breath.] Please don't call it that round the others. The association with it ain't a good thing. [They pause, and then reluctantly add:] there used to be 14 tribes, but one fell to it.
There ain't a lot we agree on on the whole, but that's one of 'em. Problem is, it's easier said than done. There's more of 'em than the rest of us, and they have all the same skills we do. We're - my tribe, the Glass Walkers - better placed to face with them 'cos they ain't adjusted to modern day stuff the same way we have, like the rest of the tribes. [There's a touch of pride in Rowan's voice there. Some of the other tribes might look down on them for being in bed with the Weaver, but you can't argue that they can get results out of it.]
[Thankfully, Lilith doesn't have any opinions on what's the 'right way' to kill the enemy: they just need to die. The Knights favored eating hearts but that's because doing that stopped the flow of the dark magic cast. In the end, dead was dead and why did it matter how they died?]
Then I wish you luck in ripping them to shreds. But that doesn't explain why the Garou disagree about how to fight the Wyrm.
Right. Sorry. [Rowan had forgotten the question in the battle to keep their anger under control, so they're glad she brought it back up.]
Actually, that's sort of it, really. There's thirteen tribes, right? We all look at things slightly differently. If you asked me and Ren about Silent's tribe, you'd get two answers. Same for me and Silent about Ren's. I'm pretty sure Ren and Silent'd give the same about mine, but like I said, we're the only ones that really do anything with tech, and people don't like us much for it. My tribe does a lot of infiltration, taking down companies from the inside, taking power from corrupt people. Other tribes would rather go straight for an individual's throat. Some of us work together better than others, but the reason there are tribes is 'cos of those differences.
I could have ended up at the Bone Gnawer or Fianna sept when I first changed - in theory, anyway - but I'm pretty sure they would have booted me right towards the Glass Walkers even if that were the case, 'cos that's just who I am. Some people aren't so obvious, but the tribe's Totem'll only accept someone who fits.
[They glance at her, and then chuckle.] I'm pretty sure you'd be a Black Fury, if you'd been born in our world.
[Lilith raised an eyebrow at the whole Black Fury comment, but decided not to ask for more information about that tribe. It bothered her a bit to refer to these groups of werewolves as tribes, but she knew it was because of her ancestry and nothing actually relevant.]
Like people gather together so it makes sense that something similar applies to Garou. So your packs are all the same tribe?
Yeah, exactly. Packs can be a bit of a mix, though. Septs are usually mostly one tribe - mine's like, basically all Glass Walkers, though we're a bit extreme 'cos no one else really wants to live in the city. I think in others it can be a bit more balanced, although you normally have one dominant tribe.
And since packs normally come out of the sept, they tend to be mostly that tribe, but not always. We got the only Get in the sept in our pack, and our sept ain't his home sept - he'll probably go home once he's... sorted his shit out. Sappho was the same, she was with us while she did her degree, but she's gone home to Greece now. And Ami's Bone Gnawer, but we got a handful of them, 'cos they also live in the cities.
So if your packs are composed of a variety of tribes and they work together to fight the Wyrm, why can't the septs put their differences aside to fight the Wyrm? It seems to me that's far more important than personal pride and getting the glory. Different tactics are necessary to tackle any multifaceted enemy.
At least that's what we have to do with the mages.
'Cos a pack is a handful of people, and a sept is... well, it depends on the size, but normally less than a hundred. It's easier to work with someone you know personally than that faceless person over there, even if they are also Garou. I ain't managed to get on Silent's tits so far, and visa versa, even though she's a Talon and I'm a Glass Walker.
It's the same as humans again. How many times have you heard some racist fuckwit exclude their one neighbour from the shit they're spewing. You know "oh, except for the Patels, they're okay!"
Yes, but humans don't have a purpose that's greater than the individual like we do. They can have their petty and racist arguments. Werewolves have a sacred duty that trumps everything.
[Lilith wasn't accusing the Garou of not being dedicated to fighting the Wyrm at all, but honestly confused as to why this is an issue. Even though the Knights have had to take tactics Lilith didn't like, she still followed through with them because the goal was more important than personal comfort.]
Yeah, we do, but a sacred duty doesn't stop someone from being a pillock. And when you literally can't see eye to eye about the way to carry that duty out... Silent's tribe wants to wipe out all humans. Full stop, end of story. I can't agree to that.
Why do the... Red Talons? Why do they think that's how to win? Humans aren't responsible for corruption. They're just a tool being used. It's like going after the symptoms instead of cutting the cancer out.
[Wait.]
...aren't you all part human at least or did I misunderstand that?
You try telling them that! And yes, we are, that's part of what makes it so dumb.
...I guess some of my tribe also think we can do just fine ignoring the wolf side, but that's just dumb too. [They admit, a little reluctantly.] Problem is, it's well rooted dumb, the tribes have all been around since pre-history. [They roll their eyes.]
Clearly some of them can see reason. Not that I want to give her any credit on principle right now, but Silent was definitely not kill all humans given Peony. Maybe they just need a leadership change. She can't be the only one.
Regardless, there are thirteen tribes you said. So who actually leads your nation? Can't have one of those without a prime minister, president, monarch, council, etc. Or is nation being used to just describe a collection of ethnically related tribes because people are lazy?
Yeah, I don't know how she got there, but it's good to see. She's been away from her tribe for a long time, though. [They almost let slip to Lilith that she was somewhere else before coming here, but catch themself, not knowing if Silent would like Lilith to know that. And as it's nothing to do with the Garou, but something personal to Silent they don't feel like they can make that decision.]
And there's no leader. It's an alliance, more than anything else. Sometimes leaders from some of the tribes will try and influence it, but there's no real organisation. It's a nation 'cos we all came out of the one nation that came before the tribes.
So you're all essentially like First Nations people then except you're werewolves. I can work with that.
[It sort of explained a lot to Lilith. She might not be a big participant in her own heritage, but she wasn't still a part of it.]
So let's circle back to this whole Garou stealing each others' loved ones. The fuck is that about? I get that it's a tactic used when targeting specific people to hurt them or manipulate them, but you all made it sound like it's a far more common thing. And the tribes shouldn't be fighting each other, so...?
You'd know better than me on that, I wouldn't even wanna presume I know the first thing about First Nations people. [As much as they'd like to be able to say otherwise, they know enough to know they shouldn't even try to claim any kind of knowledge.
And as to the second question, they scratch their cheek as ever when they think, piecing together the pieces in a way to try and explain things to her.] Honestly, I don't know how often it happens, I just know that it's a thing. 'Cos we're born, not made, right? And we're fighting a losing war, and there aren't enough of us, so fertility and having kids is a massive fucking deal.
[They glance at her, take a moment, then take a deep breath. She's a werewolf, she'll find out sooner or later, and they'd rather tell her than have her find out by scent, the same way Silent did.] It's enough to keep me from the next rank for probably a year or two, maybe more, past when I should have progressed, just 'cos I'm 'self gelded'. [They roll their eyes heavily, but there it is.] And no, it ain't nice, and it sucks even worse when you don't come from the system and can see it for what it is, but if you come from within the system, what else do you know, right?
Anyway, so we need more cubs. And when we breed with one another, you get a Metis, and they're all infertile and disabled in some way or another, so you can guess how the traditional tribes cope with that. [Rowan rolls their eyes again, their voice dripping with disapproval.] It's against the Litany, in any case. So we need to breed with kinfolk - people who have a werewolf in the family but ain't one themself. And that means to a lot of people, kinfolk become a resource. Breeding stock. On top of being our access to the other side, of course.
And, before you get angry, I don't think that's what Silent thinks of Peony, not one bit. By not accepting Silent's claim, you accidentally made her think that you might do that. Remember, she ain't human. What you say don't mean much to her, not when you're getting your hackles up anyway, and she don't know nothing about women's rights or positive language. First time she was lupus around me, she came and stuck her nose right in my crotch to try and figure out what's going on down there, just 'cos she smelt it was different.
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Is Hamish your alpha? The way your pack works sounds a lot like mine, actually. I made Serenity challenge me to alpha over a drinking game once. [They snigger at the memory, before they realise that she probably needs more context.] When the pack first started it was just me and Serenity and Walkie Talkie and none of us wanted to be alpha but we needed one. So we’d take turns to have it for a couple of weeks, and then ask the next person to challenge for it over something daft. Serenity’s a metis so she can’t get drunk, not really, and in any case she’s over a foot taller than me and at least twice my weight, so it was just an excuse for her to pay for me to get pissed. Ami came in not long after that, thankfully.
And that’s more what things are like, normally, at least in my sept. At the moment Silent and Ren are posturing more than normal [hopefully] because they’re still trying to settle their place here. Ren’s only been here about a month, and I ain’t been here that much longer.
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None of the rest of us has really thought we would be better leaders than Hamish. We get into arguments with him, but he knows how to handle us. [Lilith never really thought about why Hamish was their leader beyond his time as Tundra's champion, but he really was suited for it. Maybe it was the former law student in him or the skills that made him a good teacher's aide.]
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Are there other wolf spirits that don’t have a champion as well? And what’s this thing about mages? [They did notice that before they went on a tangent.]
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Mages are what we deal with. They're the enemy. Well, mages that use dark magic, that is. The kind that will bring about the end of the world. We... we used to be against all magic, but then we learned not all of it was dark. Some other factors were part of that, but that's what changed our approach.
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And we have mages too, but they ain’t all bad. Unpredictable and a pain in the arse, but they have their uses sometimes. We fight the Wyrm, the spirit of destruction. Most of us are pretty sure we can’t stop the apocalypse, it’s more a case of trying to make sure that we guide the restart so it ain’t a complete disaster.
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Midnight, despite his way of doing things, is the noblest of us. Always willing to sacrifice to do what needs done. He is very strong and since he knows his champion will never last long, he doesn't put his trust in his champion like the rest of the spirits do. But he still needs a champion if he wants to fight. [Every fallen Knight, even those chosen by Midnight that may have only been Knights for a day or even hours, are toasted for their service.] Some times the struggle between Midnight and his champion becomes too much, too dangerous, and isn't going to resolve one way or another, we deal with it.
The powerful dark magics are nothing but destruction. The Knights of St. Christopher exist to prevent them from courting and using magics that will cause terrible damage and more; we can sense its use. Dark magic corrupts. The greatest dark magics remove the mortal constraints on a magic user making them capable of bending everything to their will and trade their humanity. For example, to invoke the Vade Maecum, one of the requirements is that they sacrifice their first born child. Once a long time ago, one of them summoned a demon emperor and thought they could bind him into their service. They could not.
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Ten years ago, before I changed, I’d’ve said you were bullshitting me, but that sounds like the Wyrm, and what it does to people. I’m sure it ain’t, but practically it might as well be. [Which means they can tell the others that she’s fighting the same enemy as them by a different name, which should make a difference.]
Do you want to know more about it? [They sound slightly reluctant, because that’s a lot of information to give to someone not a Garou, but it’s only fair.]
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[Lilith hadn't told anyone else that she could cast magic. Or would be able to once she reclaimed her power. Werewolves were surprisingly powerful mages and she was stronger with it now than she'd been before.]
Ren told me Garou don't agree on how to fight your enemy, your Wyrm. Why?
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And even though they know what she means by 'your Wyrm', it doesn't stop anger flashing in Rowan's eyes before they manage to control it, fists clenching tight for a moment, before they take a breath.] Please don't call it that round the others. The association with it ain't a good thing. [They pause, and then reluctantly add:] there used to be 14 tribes, but one fell to it.
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Noted. And the easy answer to deal with the fallen tribe is to kill them. Do other tribes not agree?
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Then I wish you luck in ripping them to shreds. But that doesn't explain why the Garou disagree about how to fight the Wyrm.
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Actually, that's sort of it, really. There's thirteen tribes, right? We all look at things slightly differently. If you asked me and Ren about Silent's tribe, you'd get two answers. Same for me and Silent about Ren's. I'm pretty sure Ren and Silent'd give the same about mine, but like I said, we're the only ones that really do anything with tech, and people don't like us much for it. My tribe does a lot of infiltration, taking down companies from the inside, taking power from corrupt people. Other tribes would rather go straight for an individual's throat. Some of us work together better than others, but the reason there are tribes is 'cos of those differences.
I could have ended up at the Bone Gnawer or Fianna sept when I first changed - in theory, anyway - but I'm pretty sure they would have booted me right towards the Glass Walkers even if that were the case, 'cos that's just who I am. Some people aren't so obvious, but the tribe's Totem'll only accept someone who fits.
[They glance at her, and then chuckle.] I'm pretty sure you'd be a Black Fury, if you'd been born in our world.
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Like people gather together so it makes sense that something similar applies to Garou. So your packs are all the same tribe?
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And since packs normally come out of the sept, they tend to be mostly that tribe, but not always. We got the only Get in the sept in our pack, and our sept ain't his home sept - he'll probably go home once he's... sorted his shit out. Sappho was the same, she was with us while she did her degree, but she's gone home to Greece now. And Ami's Bone Gnawer, but we got a handful of them, 'cos they also live in the cities.
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At least that's what we have to do with the mages.
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It's the same as humans again. How many times have you heard some racist fuckwit exclude their one neighbour from the shit they're spewing. You know "oh, except for the Patels, they're okay!"
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[Lilith wasn't accusing the Garou of not being dedicated to fighting the Wyrm at all, but honestly confused as to why this is an issue. Even though the Knights have had to take tactics Lilith didn't like, she still followed through with them because the goal was more important than personal comfort.]
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[Wait.]
...aren't you all part human at least or did I misunderstand that?
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...I guess some of my tribe also think we can do just fine ignoring the wolf side, but that's just dumb too. [They admit, a little reluctantly.] Problem is, it's well rooted dumb, the tribes have all been around since pre-history. [They roll their eyes.]
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Regardless, there are thirteen tribes you said. So who actually leads your nation? Can't have one of those without a prime minister, president, monarch, council, etc. Or is nation being used to just describe a collection of ethnically related tribes because people are lazy?
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And there's no leader. It's an alliance, more than anything else. Sometimes leaders from some of the tribes will try and influence it, but there's no real organisation. It's a nation 'cos we all came out of the one nation that came before the tribes.
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[It sort of explained a lot to Lilith. She might not be a big participant in her own heritage, but she wasn't still a part of it.]
So let's circle back to this whole Garou stealing each others' loved ones. The fuck is that about? I get that it's a tactic used when targeting specific people to hurt them or manipulate them, but you all made it sound like it's a far more common thing. And the tribes shouldn't be fighting each other, so...?
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And as to the second question, they scratch their cheek as ever when they think, piecing together the pieces in a way to try and explain things to her.] Honestly, I don't know how often it happens, I just know that it's a thing. 'Cos we're born, not made, right? And we're fighting a losing war, and there aren't enough of us, so fertility and having kids is a massive fucking deal.
[They glance at her, take a moment, then take a deep breath. She's a werewolf, she'll find out sooner or later, and they'd rather tell her than have her find out by scent, the same way Silent did.] It's enough to keep me from the next rank for probably a year or two, maybe more, past when I should have progressed, just 'cos I'm 'self gelded'. [They roll their eyes heavily, but there it is.] And no, it ain't nice, and it sucks even worse when you don't come from the system and can see it for what it is, but if you come from within the system, what else do you know, right?
Anyway, so we need more cubs. And when we breed with one another, you get a Metis, and they're all infertile and disabled in some way or another, so you can guess how the traditional tribes cope with that. [Rowan rolls their eyes again, their voice dripping with disapproval.] It's against the Litany, in any case. So we need to breed with kinfolk - people who have a werewolf in the family but ain't one themself. And that means to a lot of people, kinfolk become a resource. Breeding stock. On top of being our access to the other side, of course.
And, before you get angry, I don't think that's what Silent thinks of Peony, not one bit. By not accepting Silent's claim, you accidentally made her think that you might do that. Remember, she ain't human. What you say don't mean much to her, not when you're getting your hackles up anyway, and she don't know nothing about women's rights or positive language. First time she was lupus around me, she came and stuck her nose right in my crotch to try and figure out what's going on down there, just 'cos she smelt it was different.
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