In the Garou's far travels, the Record tells of the Garou splitting into more tribes: the Fianna of Ireland, the White Howlers of Scotland, the Get of Fenris of the Saxon, Norse and Germanic areas, the Silent Striders, who vanished for a time into the dark continent of Africa, only to re-emerge later, and the Bunyip, who traveled to and dwelled on the continent of Australia. The Record also speaks of the far-travelers: the Uktena, the Wendigo and the Croatan, who journeyed far across what would be-come Russia and traversed the same Bering Land Bridge that the original Native Americans (some of them related to the Garou by blood) crossed. During pre-history, the Silver Fangs ordained that the Garou would watch over the humans in much the same way a shepherd watches over his flock, except that they encouraged the Garou to cull the weakest and oldest from the human herds by ravaging their villages and encampments. As a result of this practice, which the Garou called "The Impergium", two tribes formed: the Red Talons, who were all bred by wolves and favored the policy (they had grown to hate the hunter humans), and the Children of Gaia, who sought peace among the Garou and an end to the Impergium, knowing that somehow the Impergium would haunt them until the end of their days.

When cities rose up, two more tribes of Garou emerged: the Glass Walkers, who learned to use the tools of humanity, and the Bone Gnawers, who had grown tired of eating the leavings from their Silver Fang betters and sought refuge and a new life in the cities. For a time, all Garou prospered, and the Wyrm was held at bay.

But the Wyrm was merely gathering its coils, like a cobra waiting to strike. When it did, it took several tribes down with it. The Garou's own inner rage caused the death of the Bunyip tribe in Australia as the rest of the Garou waged an unholy war against them and killed them all, believing them to be tainted. The Croatan were also completely and totally lost in a supreme self-sacrifice to defeat a powerful minion of the Wyrm. The most heinous betrayal, however, was that of the White Howlers. They joined with the Wyrm, although to this day, no one knows why. They went to the lair of the Wyrm, and there they were introduced to an insane labyrinth known as the Black Spiral. They danced the Black Spiral and went over completely to the Wyrm, whom they now serve. These creatures are called the Black Spiral Dancers, and they are the incarnation of all that is evil in Garou. Their name has been removed from the Silver Record, and they will be reviled forever.

Now only thirteen tribes remain, and the number of Garou is shrinking yearly. A tribe can mean a great deal to a Garou, especially if his heart and mind can accede to tribal policies. The tribe is part heritage and part community. When a Garou is among the members of his tribe, he is not only participating in Garou society, he is connecting himself to the wisdom of the Garou in the same tribe. The tribe shapes a Garou's political outlook, his viewpoints on human society and the way other Garou relate to him.

Those without a tribe are called the Ronin, for they have no tutor or master. These people are usually renunciates, and they do not seek to help or hinder the Garou. Many of them are lost wolves, having lost some vital element that makes them Garou. Many are also of the Wyrm. The Ronin are mysterious, shadowy and distrusted, but some of them are among the greatest of Gaia's heroes.

Among the proscriptions in the Litany is the restriction that Garou shall not mate with Garou. When two Garou mate, they produce a sterile, disfigured breed of Garou called a metis, although sometimes such a fetus will not even come to term. Mating with another Garou is a taboo similar to incest. Since the presence of a metis is a direct result of a violation of the Litany, metis Garou aren't well received and usually have to put up with the stigma of being a metis for their entire lives, especially if their disfigurement is obvious.

Another important idea in the Litany is "the Veil", a custom which dictates that the Garou must forever hide their presence from the mass of humanity and keep their existence and sacred knowledge secret. This is aided by the power of the Delirium, an effect caused by the Garou's prehistoric participation in the Impergium.

This effect is useful in keeping the Veil, because humanity has a hard time remembering the presence of a rampaging Garou. When a Garou reveals himself in its half-wolf, half-man shape, it triggers an ancient memory in humanity and results in an all-consuming fear and loathing. The human mind usually responds by rationalizing and blocking out the memory of the Garou.

Finally, many Garou legends and stories are preserved as a means to keep history, illuminate Garou wisdom and serve as object lessons for Garou wanting to become just as famous. Yet the Wyrm continually captures and devours bits and pieces of the vast legacy of lore that has been left for the Garou. This is part of the Wyrm's ultimate plan to destroy them.

The Wyrm's hunger for Gaia is explained by its history. The Wyrm used to be the balancing factor in the Triat, maintaining balance between the Weaver, which governs patterned reality and order, and the Wyld, which governs chaos, magic and pure creative energy. However, at some point in the past, the Weaver went mad, and the Wyrm responded by trying to balance its madness. The Weaver responded by trying to weave the Wyrm into its web. Caught in this web of madness, the Wyrm changed. This corrupted the Wyrm and caused it to embody corruption. The Wyld became disconnected, even as the Weaver grew powerful enough to try weaving it into her web. Now the Wyrm is unbalanced and seeks to consume everything; it is no longer satisfied by merely keeping the Weaver and the Wyld in check.

The Garou believe that humans are children of the mad Weaver, flaunting their technology, cities and societies. They also believe that wolves are of the Wyld, as are all natural and untainted places in the wilderness. Those Garou born to wolves are thought to be more mystical, even if they aren't of a mystical nature. Consequently, many feel that the metis, the breed that results from a breaking of the Litany's rules on mating, are of the Wyrm. This is not necessarily the case, although it is true that all metis bear some disfigurement. Disfigurement is a mark of corruption among many Garou.

The Wyrm manifests itself in many forms; some forms are physical, although the actual Wyrm resides in a metaphorical Pattern Web. The spirit army of the Wyrm consists of corrupted Incarna, Bane soldiers and Wyrm Elementals, evil spirits that represent the Wyrm's corrupting influence and power.

The Wyrm is also a corrupt ideal, a source of hate, defilement and taint in the world. Many humans unknowingly serve it when they do corrupt or destructive things. Through Wyrm-taint, its power can be sensed by the Garou in many mundane things. Soft drinks, book publishing, the movie industry- the list goes on and on. Indeed, the Wyrm lies waiting for anyone seeking escape from the troubles of this world.
The Wyrm is quite powerful in these Last Days. Not only does it have its own evil spirit armies in the spirit world and in Malfeas, but it also commands a number of Wyrm-infested humans called Fomori.
These humans have powers and mutations because of their alliance with the Wyrm. The Wyrm also has a number of followers in the major corporations of the world, especially a powerful corporation called Pentex. The company is almost completely possessed by the Wyrm and is ruled by a board of directors that is thoroughly corrupt.

Among the Garou, the Wyrm is an ever-present threat, and its Black Spiral Dancers are everywhere. The Wyrm has also revealed ancient evil lore to twisted humans, humans who are Kinfolk to the Garou. The Wyrm has taught them a ritual to change themselves into Garou using the prepared skins of werewolves. These Skin Dancers, as they are called, are in many ways worse than Black Spiral Dancers, as they cannot be easily detected for what they are. The Skin Dancers appear as normal Garou to all but the keenest mystical senses, while it is obvious by just looking at most Black Spirals that they are of the Wyrm.

And yet, in The Apocalypse, the chief threat of the Wyrm is not monstrous beings- it is the Garou themselves, for the Wyrm also resides within them. It is said that the power of Rage, that which causes frenzy, comes from the Wyrm. It is the Wyrm that calls out to each Garou and corrupts sacred ways and holy quests with its own agenda. The Garou are always in danger of falling into its jaws. Whenever any Garou seeks selfish power over selfless honor, dark lore over Gaia's wisdom, or terrorized infamy over respected glory, the Wyrm wins a small but important battle in its war, and the Garou in question is one step closer to utter corruption. Intertribal prejudice and fighting between Garou also serve the Wyrm's purposes, although the Garou are loathe to abandon such flaws. Ultimately, each time the Wyrm causes a Garou to step from the Silver Path, Gaia's Way, the Wyrm scores  another decisive victory against the Garou, and hence, all of Gaia. Among of the greatest victories the Garou can achieve over the Wyrm are conquering distrust, hatred and corruption among themselves.

The pack is bound together by a mystical bond. Many Garou instinctively know when a member of their pack is in danger. Over time, the bond strengthens. Packs move as one, and they often perfectly integrate themselves in any action they do. A pack of Garou soon learns to fight as if they were one, not many. In addition, a pack totem is attracted to the pack and simultaneously adopts and is adopted by that pack.

This totem watches over the pack and helps it discover its purpose. In these last days, every pack has a quest that it must eventually solve. This quest dominates the thoughts and actions of the pack.

Many packs are formed out of a group of Garou who undergo the Rite of Passage together. The Rite of Passage is what marks a Garou's passage from childhood to full adult status. Sometimes, however, a pack will lose all its members except for one or two, and Garou can adopt new members into their pack with the Rite of the Pack, a modified version of the Rite of Passage.

Packs adopt a name that is appropriate to their ethics and beliefs and to the quest they believe Gaia has assigned them. For example, a pack called the "Messengers of Unity" might be interested in increasing cooperation between all Garou, or a pack called the "Ghost Runners" may be a group of spirit-warriors.
Tradition once held that packs were to be made up only of other Garou in your Tribe, but that is no longer the case. There are so few Garou that most packs are multitribal. The most successful packs have most, if not all, of their auspices represented. If a pack contains a metis, the pack will usually defend the metis from discrimination and attacks when no other Garou will. As Garou grow more powerful and higher in rank and station, they tend to live apart from the rest of their pack, even though they will be in touch constantly with one another: they are family. For many Garou, a pack is the only family left.

Not all Garou are in packs. Some are never accepted. Sometimes all the packless Garou in a Sept will get together and form their own pack, but this is rare. Usually, a Garou without a pack has some problem associated with him. It is up to the Sept to see that these "lone wolves" either get accepted into a pack or at least have something to bide their time. The Wyrm loves an idle Garou, and many of these "lone wolves" get turned into tools of corruption.

There are many packs in a Sept. Sometimes, a pack will come to hold all the key positions in a Sept, and such Septs can be particularly strong.

In addition to being a sacred place of Gaia, a caern is also a means of transportation. Garou can step into a Moon Bridge, a magical tunnel through the spirit world, and can travel long distances between caerns in the twinkling of an eye. It is possible for a Garou to travel all the way around the world without ever relying on terrestrial transportation.

Most of the powerful, ancient caerns were discovered long ago. However, there is a way to utilize spirit magic and open a brand new caern: through the Rite of Caern Building. This rite is exceedingly difficult to successfully accomplish, but the end result is another sacred strong-hold for Mother Gaia, and so it is often attempted these days- with an almost frantic frequency. Some old Ritualists worry that the Rite of Caern Building is being abused, and they seek to limit the number of new caerns that are opened.

The Sept is the main focus of all Garou society, for it is at the Sept that we see the Garou at their most social. Many Septs are ruled by a council of elders, which includes Sept members who hold positions of authority, as well as councilors from all the represented tribes in the area. Some Septs are ruled by a single tribe; some are governed by Garou from a diverse collection of tribes. Justice tends to be a local affair at a Sept: there is usually not enough time to send messengers to the nearest Silver Fang Sept to ask questions as to whether something is legal or not. The Master of the Challenge and the Sept Leader must make a decision about what is to be done about infractions against the Litany or about intersept conflicts.

The Garou are ruled as a Nation by many  powerful tribal septs. Generally, the Silver Fangs hold the most power, although the Shadow Lords are continually at their heels. In effect, it is the Children of Gaia who are the most instrumental in maintaining Garou peace and keeping the Garou on an even course, going so far as to balance some of the crazy ideas that the Silver Fangs have. Many Ragabash and most of the Silent Striders serve as messengers between caerns and heralds for the great septs, and Philodox judges of respected rank follow complicated Moon Bridge "circuits" to bring Garou justice to even the farthest reaches of the world.

Septs define protectorates, areas that are under the direct protection and care of the Garou. They also define hunting territory and settle disputes between packs and individual Garou. They enforce punishment for judgments against violators of the Litany, especially those who threaten the Veil. They are the ultimate clearing-house for Renown, marking the rise and fall of Glory, Honor and Wisdom among the Garou of their Sept.

In short, without a Sept connection of some kind, a Garou has no way to gain Renown, is in danger of treading on another's territory and has no legal presence in the protectorate that the Sept claims.

Furthermore, important rites like the Rite of Accord, the Rite of the Pack, the Engling Rite and the Moot Rite are not generally available, as these virtually require the  presence of many Garou and the presence of a caern at the site. In addition, many elder Garou are generally available at a Sept; it's a good place to seek a tutor for a Gift or rite that you're interested in learning.

It is traditional to announce one's presence in an area through howls or direct presence. If the Sept is threatened or otherwise in danger, the Warder may ask you to join the guardians of the Sept, if only temporarily. A Sept will often refine its particular rules of etiquette. When a Garou decides to join a Sept, she asks the Warder of the Sept to mention her name at the next Moot Rite. Usually the Galliards will use this opportunity to tell what stories they know about the Garou.

All in all, the Sept is a complicated place, full of action, intrigue, fellowship and danger. The Apocalypse focuses on the Sept as the stage on which many of your of your Mind's Eye Theater stories will be played.

Gifts Available: Level One

Renown Requirements:
Ragabash: Any 3 Renown Traits in any combination
Theurge: 3 Wisdom
Philodox: 3 Honor
Galliard: 2 Glory and 1 Wisdom
Ahroun: 2 Glory, 1 Honor

Duties: You are required to learn as much as you can.

Gifts Available: Basic (Level One and Level Two)

Renown Requirements Expressed as Permanent Reknown Dots or Traits
Ragabash: Any 7 Renown Traits in any combination
Theurge: 1 Glory, 5 Wisdom
Philodox: 1 Glory, 4 Honor, 1 Wisdom
Galliard: 4 Glory, 2 Wisdom
Ahroun: 4 Glory, 1 Honor

Other Requirements: You must know your three initial Gifts and swear an oath of loyalty to your sept or tribe, usually at a ceremony that takes place after the completion of your Rite of Passage.

Duties: You are required to give service to the sept on a regular basis. This service can entail minor jobs, such as aiding the Keeper of the Land with his duties or patrols, accepting guard duty, or helping an adren or elder with an upcoming Rite. Essentially, your Garou "job description" is "other duties as required," and since you are lesser in Rank than most Garou, you have usually have little choice but to obey.

Privileges: You are allowed to perform Level 1 and Level 2 Rites, can petition for justice, can challenge for a higher Rank (when you have enough Renown Traits) and are usually allowed access to the caern. You can also request that a Moon Bridge be opened to the destination of your choice, but the request will not always be heeded- Moon Bridges are sacred things and are not to be used frivolously.

Note: While you are of this Rank, the Garou expect you to be out making a name for yourself. Fostern are always getting into trouble, but that's just part of being a fostern. The elders watch the fostern specifically to make sure they don't screw up so much that they'll be denied adrenship.

Also note that the word "fostern" is used to refer to your pack brothers and sisters, your family by choice. In the sense that all members of a pack are "family," the members of a Garou's pack can be referred to as his "fostern," regardless of their Rank. Sometimes unity is more important than social standing.

Gifts Available: Level 1, Level 2, Level 3

Renown Requirements
Ragabash: Any 13 Renown Traits
Theurge: 2 Glory, 1 Honor, 7 Wisdom
Philodox: 2 Glory, 6 Honor, 2 Wisdom
Galliard: 4 Glory, 2 Honor, 4 Wisdom
Ahroun:  6 Glory, 3 Honor, 1 Wisdom

Other Requirements: You must be in training to fill one of the positions at a sept. You must challenge and defeat another adren. Note that defeating this adren does not have any effect on this arden's glory, though being defeated may affect yours. This challenge may take whatever form the adren desires, and may be made appropriately easy or difficult depending upon how worthy the adren feels you are.

Duties: You must give service to the elder who is training you. This takes most of your (out-of-game) time. Adren are considered eligible to become minor sept leaders for positions like Keeper of the Land, Gatekeeper, Guardian and Den Mother, positions that do not require a lot of authority. They are required to train fostern and often must spend more time at the caern than they would like. This is one of the toughest Ranks to obtain, because adren often have the responsibilities of an elder, but don't always have the authority to carry them out.

Privileges: Fostern must address you with a term of respect. If you know the Rite of Binding, you are allowed to create talens for yourself and others. Your name will be known outside your sept soon, probably among members of your tribe. You are able to do Level 1, 2, and 3 Rites on your own. You can demand that the sept must provide a place for you to live, even if it is just communal living quarters. (This is for people with very low Finances.)

Note:  You are seen to be in line for one or more sept positions. Everyone watches what you do, and the Ragabash in particular will try to catch you doing something scandalous. An adren is expected to set a good example. This can be quite a stressful time for a Garou.

Gifts Available: Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, Level 4

Renown Requirements
Ragabash: Any 19 Renown Traits
Theurge: 4 Glory, 2 Honor, 9 Wisdom
Philodox: 3 Glory, 8 Honor, 4 Wisdom
Galliard: 7 Glory, 2 Honor, 6 Wisdom
Ahroun: 9 Glory, 5 Honor, 2 Wisdom

Other Requirements: You may fill one of the offices at a sept, if there are insufficient elders. The duties can overlap, if the sept is small enough you need to take more that one position. You cannot advance into it if one of these positions is not available to you. Either you must challenge the elder for his position and defeat him or wait until he vacates the position. In the latter case, you may have to contend for the position.

Duties: You are now beginning to watch out for the interests of your auspice, tribe or breed among the sept. As an athro of an auspice, you have the power to vote on whether or not to veto Renown nominations. As an athro of a tribe, you have the ability to have a say in accepting new members into the tribe and to ban certain Garou from the tribe. As an athro of a breed, you are partially responsible for all external liaisons with others of your breed- the metis athro is a position rarely filled, but if it is filled, the metis athro must help watch over and give aid to all metis characters in the sept. Other positions are described in section on "The Sept."

Privileges: Athro can only be judged by a council of other athro and elders. They are free to pretty much do what they will, within reason,  as long as they fulfill their duties. Athro can "push the envelope" somewhat and still receive respect and obedience from all lower in station around them.

Note: If you don't have many players, an athro character is a good idea possibly for an experienced player. Too many higher powers in a game will disrupt it.

Gifts Available: Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, Level 4, Level 5

Renown Requirements
Ragabash: Any 25 Renown Traits
Theurge: 4 Glory, 9 Honor, 10 Wisdom
Philodox: 4 Glory, 10 Honor, 9 Wisdom
Galliard: 9 Glory, 5 Honor, 9 Wisdom
Ahroun: 10 Glory, 9 Honor, 4 Wisdom

Other Requirements: You must fill one of the elder positions at a sept. These are: elder of an auspice, elder of a tribe, elder of a breed, Sept Leader, Warder, Master of the Rite or Master of the Challenge. One can be both the Sept Leader or Master of the Rite and the elder of a tribe, auspice or breed- the duties can overlap. You cannot advance if one of these positions is not available to you. Either you must challenge the elder for his position and defeat him or wait until he vacates the position. In the latter case, you may have to contend for the position.

Duties: As an elder of an auspice, tribe or breed, you are simply required to watch out for the interests of your auspice, tribe or breed among the sept. As an elder of an auspice, you have the power to veto Renown nominations. As an elder of a tribe, you have the ability to accept new members into the tribe and to ban certain Garou from the tribe. As an elder of a breed, you are responsible for all external liaisons with others of your breed- the metis elder is a position rarely filled, but if it is filled, the metis elder must watch over and give aid to all metis characters in the sept. Other positions are described in section on "The Sept."

Privileges: Elders can only be judged by a council of other elders. They are free to pretty much do what they will as long as they fulfill their duties. Elders can "get away" with quite a bit and still command respect and obedience from everyone around them.

Note: If you don't have many players, it's best if elders are Narrator characters. Too many elders in a game will disrupt it.

Success in a facedown is determined two ways.  First, if one of the players relents while roleplaying this action, the other player is considered the winner and is allowed to gloat over his victory as he pleases. If one of the players does not relent during a facedown, then a Social Challenge is necessary to determine the victor. The Social Challenge proceeds as normal with the loser breaking eye contact and losing the contest.

This is an excellent opportunity for good role-playing. Even if the contest comes to a challenge, that's no reason to break eye contact until the matter is resolved and a winner is determined. Role-play it to the hilt.

The trigger to a frenzy can be almost anything, depending upon the player in question. For a Fianna Galliard, it could be a member of an audience mocking him as he performs; for a Wendigo Ahroun, it could be an ignorant, prejudiced white man; for a Get of Fenris, it could be a bad moot. What triggers frenzy is entirely up to the personality of the character and the discretion of the Narrator.

A character can also try to instill frenzy in another character by taunting him and calling for a Social Challenge. If the attacker, the taunting character, wins the challenge, then the defender will frenzy. If the defender wins the challenge, nothing happens, and the story continues as usual.

Once in the state of frenzy, the character attacks all those around him violently and without discretion. A frenzied character does not suffer penalties from wound levels. (If the character is wounded, he does not have to spend extra Traits to make attacks.) This simulates the blind, uncontrollable anger of the character. Frenzies usually last only about 10 minutes or until the object or person that triggered the frenzy is removed from the character's vicinity. The frenzy can also end if the character is mortally wounded, at which point she will collapse.

A character may also enter frenzy by spending a Rage Trait to do so. Such an action can prove useful in a combat situation when frenzy would prove to be helpful in achieving victory.

Note:  Be cautious when roleplaying frenzy. Do not jump about screaming at people unless you are on private property where others will not be disturbed. Remember, although frenzy is a violent state of mind, you absolutely cannot physically strike other players, even in jest. Just because your character is in an uncontrollable rage does not mean that the player should forget the rules and become reckless. Use your own discretion, but act it out as much as the environment allows without upsetting your fellow players.

There are three kinds of Renown Traits that you can collect: Honor, Glory and Wisdom. Each auspice has its own requirements for rising in Rank. In general, as a Garou, you try to excel in the areas of Renown that are favored by your auspice.

Honor is adherence to the Litany and how well you uphold your own word of honor. It is also traditional "chivalry," as well as remaining true to yourself and your ideals. The Philodox of a sept are chiefly concerned with matters of Honor, and they are the ones who nominate a Garou to receive Honor Renown.

Glory is willingness to throw yourself headlong into the fight against the Wyrm. It represents bravery, prowess and success in the face of certain doom. A truly glorious Garou has fought well and often and continues to make a name for himself time and time again by defeating the Wyrm in a manner that shows his style. The Ahroun of a sept are chiefly concerned with matters of Glory, and they are the ones who nominate a Garou to receive Glory Renown.

Wisdom is inner strength and inner knowledge. When disputes are solved without bloodshed, when the Wyrm is defeated by simple means rather than violent ones, when a Garou devotes himself full-time to the service of his totem or to spiritual meditation, a Garou is considered Wise. Since the Theurges of a sept are chiefly concerned with matters of Wisdom, they are the ones who nominate a Garou to receive Wisdom Renown.

The Wyrm often finds out when a scandal among the Garou has occurred. A Bane might approach a Garou to "help" the Garou through his crisis by offering him revenge or more power to gain back his lost Renown.

First of all, Renown Traits can be used in place of Social Traits during any Social Challenge. In order to use the Trait, you must somehow work the Trait appropriately into the role-playing. For example, an Ahroun trying to intimidate someone might say, "You must realize what you are doing. Are you going to deny Alaric the Glorious? I've fought and killed a Nexus Crawler!" Even if the Traits are temporarily lost during a challenge as part of a session, such a loss does not reduce your Rank in any way.

Each Renown Trait that you gain also gives you the opportunity to learn a new Gift, as long as your character has sufficient experience. You must petition the spirits to teach you a Gift, and the spirits do not always listen.

To clarify: you cannot learn a new Gift unless you have a new Renown Trait to show your eligibility. If you wish to learn a Gift that is outside your tribe, auspice or breed, you must have two Renown Traits to gain permission.