You don NOT choose to be a Werewolf; You simply are or are not. You will know when you are ready. It will come upon you, slowly, little by little, if you let it. If you fight it, it will never go away, but will not grow stronger. Be rest assured, if you reject your wolf, it cannot control you, and if you are not Werewolf, the spirit will not truely bother you. If you are, it will be there until you die, always wanting in, but locked out until you allow it in. No, you will not go to Hell for embracing it, nor for refusing it. You must look inside you to determine if the wolf lives in you. Be not afraid of what you find.
If you find the calling in you, and elect to embrace your wolf, you must make your vows. One night, under low light, write the following as you say them:
"I shall, as a Werewolf,
1)Defend and uphold (your deity or religion),
2)Defend and uphold my Family,
3)Defend and uphold my Brethren,
4)Protect my personal Honor, and
5)Set aside my petty Pride,
To the best of my ability, so long as I shall live, so help me (again, your deity or religion), Mediate (your Fathers own, legal, Human, name), the Werewolf (your Werewolf Name)".
You are still a Mediate until you go through the Rite, but since the Rite Ceremony should be at the same time as the Vows Ceremony, this should not be a problem. These Vows are more sacred than any wedding vows, any religious vows for the church (for these are directly to God and your Werewolf Brethren), any personal vows, or any other vows you may ever make.
DO NOT TAKE THEM LIGHTLY.
DO NOT TAKE THEM LIGHTLY.
They may be in a different order, but all must be included.
The Mark is just that. A marking of some type, be it scar, tattoo, branding, or etc. You can only receive your Mark with your Werewolf Father's blessing. (Though I took my Vows at 14, Wanderer wouldn't let me take the Rite until I was 16.) Some packs have a specific Mark they use, others allow the Mediate to pick their own, some say the Mark must be some specific type of mark, but leave it to the Mediate to select the actual Mark itself. Regardless, once Marked, ALL Werewolves must accept the Werewolf, no new Mark must be required (although the Werewolf may elect to have the new Mark, that is their right).
Some rules about Marks- your body is only so tough. It will not tolerate pointless abuse (and I'll bring the hammer down harder than you can imagine). Use clean, sharp instruments, and tend the wounds afterwards. (I've treated gangrene, seen the flesh eating virus, and I'll be damned if I'll allow others to deliberately do that to themselves.)
Who are you? What is your NAME? When I ORIGINALLY reconstructed this book, I said "Make it up." In fact, you already HAVE your Name, you just don't realize it YET. Your Werewolf Name is YOUR OWN, LEGAL, MIDDLE NAME. My OWN first name is Johnathan, but my middle name is Tobias. Thus, I am Werewolf Tobias.
A mark used by you, a pictogram that represents you, much like a singature. You are not required to have one, and it doesn't require too much thought, but you want something original if you use one. Mine is a capital letter J superimposed over a caital letter T.(Jonathan Tobias. Get it?)
A lone Werewolf, unlike a Ronin, answers to no one, not even the Emperor. (On the other hand, a lone wolf has no one to turn to, either.)
A Pack is ruled by it's Alpha, who selects the Pack Officers at his pleasure. (Actually, it's much more complicated than that, but that's a book in and of itself.) He answers to a Duke. The Clan Leader, The Duke, answers to the Tribe's leader, the Elder, who answers to the Nation's leader, the Khan. The Kahn answers to the Emperor, the worldwide leader. Note that the term "Nation" has nothing whatsoever to do with the human system of geo-political boundaries, and a Werewolf Nation may cross those lines, while a Human nation may have several dozen Werewolf Nations, and both cerucmstanses may exist simultaneously. In the United States a Pack's territory generally follows county lines.
This is a basic explanation of ranks in my Tribe. I provide it to you as a model to work from. (Your Pack or Tribe may have needs which require alteration to this model.)
Ranks in italics are usually only filled as needed. Ranks in bold are always filled. Advancement to theses ranks is usually selected by the Pack, though one is expected to have filled all lesser ranks (all Duty Officer and Wolves ranks) before hand. Address an Officer as 'Mr. (Name)' for Epsilons, Deltas, and Betas, and simply as 'Alpha' for Alphas. (The only exception is if the Officer is your Father, in which case you still call them 'Father', regardless of rank.)
Pack Officers. These are the Pack's leadership positions. All are expected to be at all times a kind of 'jack-of-all-trades', having filled every subordinate rank within the Pack (though practicality often makes for less-than-perfect application).
Alpha: The Pack leader. Wears an army Colonel's device (and eagle and shield). Is also expected to be a House Lord, although I have never really seen the rule enforced by any means strictly.
Beta: The vice-Alpha. Wears a silver oak leaf device (Army Lt. Colonel).
Delta: The third in command. Wears an Army 'Captain's bars (2 parallel bars, a.k.a. 'Railroad tracks').
Epsilon: The fourth in command. Wears an Army First Lieutenant's bar (a single silver bar).
Duty Officers (or 'Dutymin'). Usually appointed by the Alpha, these are the 'Warrant Officers' of the Pack, members who's job ('Duty') 'warrant' that they have the kind of authority a Pack officer would have. Usually to be considered for a 'Dutymin' rank, one is expected to have some sort of formal training and/or experience in a particular position the Pack requires (i.e., a church deacon, as I once was, a paramedic, a licenced private investigator, an accountant, etc).
In order of highest to lowest are:
First Duty: An all gold colored bar (Army Second Lieutenant's device, or 'Butter bar').
Second Duty: A butter bar with a blue stripe across the center half (show that gold should show on the first and fourth quarters).
Third Duty: A butter bar with the center third unpainted (so that the end thirds are blue).
Fourth Duty: An all blue bar.
To help simplify your understanding, the more gold you see, the higher the rank. If you see all blue, he's fourth, 2 blue stripes is third, 1 blue stripe second, all gold is first. Also, there may not BE enough members of your Pack to fill all the Duties, but there needs to be at very minimum 1 Duty (called 'First (Duty) "Name"', for example a Second Dutymin by the Name of Werewolf Pete who is a Shaman would be called 'Second Shaman Pete').
The Duties themselves are:
Odicutt: Selected by the Lupus Mortificus; Basically the Packs security guard. (A generic secuirty guards badge.)
Formo: The Pack 'secretary' (balances books, keeps the Pack Honor [a book of the Packs activities], etc.). (Crossed pens.)
Lupus Mortificus: The Pack's 'enforcer', he is charged with keeping the peace between Pack members. (Crossed pistols.)
Shaman: The Pack's spiritual adviser and healer. Some Packs split this into 2 separate parts. (A religion symbol such as a cross, and/or a caduceus, a winged staff with 2 serpents wrapped around it, the symbol of medicine.)
Advancing as a Dutymin means moving from one Duty to another. The Duty you were filling has no bearing on the rank itself, as several members could have the same rank AND Duty at the same time. Only the Lupus Mortificus is restricted to one member at a time. (Example: Your Pack has a Second Shaman, a First Shaman, a First Lm, and 3 Fourth Odicutts.)
Wolves: The 'enlisted' of the Pack. These are the members who actually GET THE WORK DONE, whatever it is.
Senior: The highest ranking Wolf, he's been around a while, and is expected to be training to a Duty or training a Mediate. (May very well be the Acting Alpha, while he's at it.) Wears 3 chevrons.
Juniors: A higher ranked member of the Pack, trained and has SOME experience. If the Pack has a Mediate, they Uncle him while learning to train their OWN Mediates. Wears 2 chevrons.
Freshman: The junior most of the Pack, these are little more than Mediates themselves. Their Duty is usually no more than the Watch and supervising Mediates. Wears 1 chevron.
Mediate: A Mediate is one who is learning to be Loyalist. They have no rank, and in fact, they are only allowed to wear their work clothes- No sash, no kilt, only their work clothes (and they'd better be PERFECT).
You may well have noticed something- Ranks are a mishmash of scholastic, militry, and police ranking systems. Why such a bastardized system? Because it works. Remember, this is a MODEL to work from; You are, of course, obliged to tweak it to your Packs needs.
Other positions will be created by the Pack as necessary.
House Lord
A Werewolf who can physically house the Pack, he owns a house (as in a permanent building, not a mobile home) on open land, at least 2 out building (such as a barn), and space for the Pack to move and live. (Father was a House Lord.) The House itself must be securable (have locks and lock able windows), an armory (a lock able room where weapons are to be stored- more on that below), and space for some of the Pack inside and outside the House. The Armory must contain at least 1 edged weapon (even a hunting knife), 1 firearm (even a single shot .22), and ammunition. It must be designed to prevent unauthorized entry (i.e.., sheetrock walls must be covered by something FAR more substantial- like steel). Someone must be present at the house at all times (by present, I mean where they can report trouble, not necessarily inside), a working phone installed, and a non-electricity based heat source (such as a wood stove) available. Also, the House Lord must have a running, street-legal, vehicle capable of holding at least 3 people. The Pack must help maintain the House, both financially (helping with payments) and physically (helping out with repairs/improvements, etc.). The House Lord, in return, must aid and abet his Pack in times of need. Being a House Lord can be difficult, but it has its rewards. For one thing, it's a consideration in selecting the Alpha.
Ronin
This is a new, special type of category. Ronin are lone Werewolves who have permanently allied themselves to an Elder. The Elder says, "go do this," and they do it. The Elder doesn't tell them HOW, just TO.
In case you guessed, yes, we took the term from Wade Wolf RPG- But in Challenge, not in Honour. We figure, they're gonna insult us with this drivelous bullshit, we'll show them what REAL Werewolves think about it.
Werewolves tend to live in fairly spartan homes. A bed (little more than a rack), a table, and a couple of chairs are about it. House Lords, for obvious reasons, tend to have a little more extravagance.
Werewolves tend to be nocturnal, growls a lot, and act "Doggish". We tend to have a specific preferred diet (I for example, could live very happily if all I could ever have is pepperoni & cheese pizza and Michelob the rest of my life).
We tend towards fields that release either our mystic nature such as the Clergy, or fields that tap our martial nature, such as the militry (Wanderer was a Viet Nam Navy corpsman, then a cop; Werewolf Joseph was in Air Force; Etc..).
Note: Father did explain Werewolf Mating to me, however, he never knew any female Werewolves himself. He doubted they existed, and until VERY recently, so did I. That said, good luck finding one if you go looking. Assuming you find a potential Mate: When the time is right, sit down on your knees, face each other, and join hands. They then push and pull, trying to pin the other to the floor. (It used to be much more violent, even deadly, process.) Where it goes from there is between them (and I want pictures!;) Toby).
Firstly, there are NO atheist nor devil-worshiping werewolves. Agnostics, yes, but all tend to lean towards some sort of benevolent religion. I've met Muslim, Jewish, & Christian Werewolves, but mostly Pagan or Wiccan Werewolves. Father, like Werewolf Joe and myself, was Christian, but Werewolf Smoker was devoutly Buddhist.
Father told me- Once God created the heavens and the earth (you've probably heard this story, it's goes around every once in a while), etc. But Lucifer tried to usurp the throne of Heaven, and God and His Angels and Saint Michael and his Angels cast Lucifer and his angels out, exiling them to the pits of Hell. He couldn't directly escape, and instead settled upon a plan to seed the earth with agents to do his bidding of spreading chaos and pestilence.
Some Humans agreed that in exchange for service to the devil, they'd be granted significant power. They were the vampires.
For every vampire, an army of hundreds of Werewolves were created to serve as their shock trooper. We'd do the vampires dirty work, raping, killing, pillaging, and burning (you know, the fun stuff).
Then, an ‘intruder’ came along (presumably Humans). Werewolves were sent to fight, but the vamps betrayed us to the enemy. Our numbers were decimated, but the vamp's plan blew up in their faces, as the invaders marched on, conquering as they went.
We were wise enough to lay low, and were brought to heel by the invaders, serving mostly as slaves and serfs to the conquers.
A few hundred years later, a now-forgotten Werewolf had a Vision. St. Michael spoke to him, saying if we would serve the Light, we would be rewarded in Heaven, that our Brethren in Hell may yet receive the same reward. We would serve and protect God's Chosen Ones (Humans), and God would give us the tools to do so.
Ever since, we have been mans protectors, God's shadow Warriors against Satan's vampire hordes.
It is all too common a state to the Werewolf to be at war. Though we shouldn't fight amongst ourselves, we do most of or fighting internally. Amongst our own kind, we don't tend to let things get too out of control. First blood settles even the most violent arguments. Most outsiders are left alone. Only vamps receive our special wrath, the continuing fallout of that ancient Betrayal. Also, because of our history, any Betrayal is treated as justification for unreasonably harsh treatment. Just an accusation of Betrayal must be taken seriously, as it amounts to a death threat.
Few and rarely enforced. Defer to a superior. Refer to another Werewolf as ‘Werewolf (Name)’. For example, I'd say ‘Werewolf Joseph, I have a question about meditation.’ Refer to your Father as ‘Father’, for example, I'd say to Werewolf Wanderer (were he now alive), ‘Father, I need to barrow the keys.’ A ‘Mediate’ is a soon-to-be Werewolf who hasn't gone through the Rite yet (although their Werewolf Father can allow them the title if circumstances require it). Don't piss on their lawn. Don’t hump their mate (unless they so to). The usual stuff.
Place a ‘coffin’ (an ammo crate or other large, rectangular bok) on blocks and cover by your Pack Colors with the deceased's Werewolf Name embroidered in it. At the ‘head’ of the coffin, stick their rifle (or staff, if a Pacifist) barrel down into the ground, then tie his boots to either side, then place his cover (hat) on the but. Each surviving member of the Pack, as well as any Werewolves in attendance, make a comment of mourning to the deceased, then drink a beer each (or juice, if not a drinker), and share another in memory of your fallen Brethren. At the regular funeral the next day, give the colors to the next of kin.
I mention Dragons because Werewolf legend speaks so highly of them, yet they have no particular grudge with vampires (though no PARTICULAR love for them either).
In the mid-1400's, a French Werewolf's Pack was shattered, and he was forced to flee his homeland. He fled to Scotland, where an old friend (and occasional enemy on the battlefield) took him in. While Werewolf was there, he revealed his secret to his host. His host then has the one with the surprise, for the host revealed that he was a Dragon.
For helping Werewolf in his time of need, Werewolf swore to Honour Dragons for all time. Werewolf also took as his own Dragons kilt. Many Werewolves now wear kilts , though it's not required (Pack Black Sords did on special occasions).
‘We are God's Shadow Warriors, (It's) Holy Guerrillas. We fight the Evil in the Darkness, using tactics which the Righteous must condemn. We must use caution, for we are as likely to die by the Righteous as by the Evil. But when we die, God will look upon us and smile, for It knows we fought in It's Name".
As Werewolf Ravenchaser once said, "We stand between the light and the dark...I wonder how many...(A)re willing to accept the (P)urpose of being" Werewolf, that "(W)e are guardians" of the (Humans), and that "(W)e are dependant on each other for survival". "We are not just another race, we have a higher (P)urpose."
Don't let his go to your head. We do have this "Higher Purpose", yet we are NOT the equal of Humans. They do not rule us, yet still, we serve them. We PROTECT them, they SUPPLY us so that we can do so, in the building of their cities and their farms and whatnot. We take their odd menial jobs, even as we fight the war. In short, we are PARTNERS. Yes, you CAN be the CEO of an international mega-corp and STILL be Werewolf, but you would strive to undermine all the things management historically avoids- more, better jobs, better working conditions, etc. You are fulfilling your Werewolf Duty by protecting the Humans from poverty, from starvation, etc. Or, like me, you can follow the militant path (though been're, donnat, got the campaign ribbons, DON'T recommend it).
I've never seen a shape shifter. I HAVE met SOME who CLAIM the ability, but not a ONE who will bak it up. If ever I meet one who DEMONSTRATES the ability, I'll be compelled to change my views- Until then I consider them to be role players or liers.
My purpose in this was to give you another reference to draw from. If you ever join a Pack, you will have to accept their ways. If you ever form your own Pack, you will have to form your own ways, with Colors, Uniforms, & etc. to your needs. I DO NOT claim to be the author. Werewolf Wanderer (HIP) is the author, and he alone deserves that title. I have taken as much care as I possibly could not to twist his words to my own liking, or otherwise sully his memory. (And no, using my friend, Werewolf Ravenchaser's words doesn't count, either- I had permission, and anyways, it was just an elaboration on what Father said.) Fatherer planned to make millions of this book. I ask that you sell copies for only $2.00- In other wors, for no profit.
I've said on many occasions how I hate vamps (with good cause, thank you very much and damn your eyes), but my warring days are done. I simply can't be a grunt anymore, I cann't go back to the front again. I beg you, do not follow my bloodthirsty footsteps. My history is known to all now, I cann't deny the truth. I’m not sure I would undo it if I could, but as I cann't, anyways, I must do what I can to spare you the same fate. Please, don't bathe yourself in a shower of bloody glory, as this foolish old man once did.
Good luck on your path,
Werewolf Tobias, Ronin
Alpha, Pack Black Sords
Soulcatcher, Veterano
