2. Marco teórico
2.2 Bases teóricas
2.2.2. Pollo Broiler Cobb 500
The Hunters in Darkness don’t maintain a global communications network, but stories do get passed along, if slowly. Some Meninna become legendary within a certain area, and some have legends that spread across a nation or a continent. The reality of such werewolves is often quite different from the legend, but the Hunters feel that if legend is all one has to go on, it’s better to have an open mind than a disbelieving sneer.
d
ons
t ilesAuspice: Cahalith
Tribe: Hunters in Darkness Lodge: None
Mental Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 3, Resolve 2 Physical Attributes: Strength 2 (3/5/4/3), Dexterity 3 (3/4/5/5), Stamina 2 (3/4/4/3)
Social Attributes: Presence 2, Manipulation 3, Composure 3 Mental Skills: Academics 1, Computer 1, Investigation (Crime Scenes) 2, Occult 2
Physical Skills: Athletics 2, Brawl 2, Drive 2, Firearms (Pis- tol) 3, Larceny 2, Stealth (City) 3
Social Skills: Empathy (Nuzusul) 3, Intimidation (Interro- gation) 2, Persuasion 2, Streetwise 3
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Becoming a True Hunter
Merits: Danger Sense, Gunslinger, Status (Cop) 2 Primal Urge: 2
Willpower: 5 Harmony: 7
Essence Max/per Turn: 11/1 Virtue: Charity
Vice: Sloth
Health: 7 (9/11/10/7) Initiative: 6 (6/7/8/8) Defense: 3 (in all forms) Speed: 10 (11/14/17/15)
Renown: Cunning 3, Glory 4, Purity 3
Gifts: (1) Pack Awareness, Partial Change, The Right Words; (2) Blending, Camaraderie, Traveler’s Blessing; (3) Command Fire, Rallying Cry, True Leader; (4) Know the Path
Rituals: 3; Rites: Hallow Touchstone, Rite of Initiation, Rite of the Spirit Brand
Don Stiles was a city cop. He had finally gradu- ated to detective after eight years in uniform, and was looking forward to the chance to solve crimes, rather than just react to them. Working his first case, Don saw the bloodied corpse of a man apparently torn apart by wolves, and the image lingered. He obsessed over that body, the thick puddle of blood on the ground, the way the limbs had pieces missing, and all the while felt as though something was pent up inside him. Finally, he let it go, and under the gibbous moon he found the truth — that man had been torn apart by creatures like him.
Using a combination of police work and Ura- tha instinct, Don tracked down the werewolf who had killed the man. It was a Blood Talon who had stooped to cannibalism once and then become ad- dicted, a werewolf on the verge of becoming a Zi’ir. Don found the Talon just before a pack of Meninna did. The Hunters were ready to kill the deranged Uratha, but Don talked them out of it — due pro- cess, and all that. Over time, Don was able to help the werewolf to regain his sanity. The Meninna were impressed, and inducted Don into their tribe.
He remains an active member of the police force, and although he’s not exactly a team player there, his sterling arrest record affords him a great deal of latitude. While the other guys on the force think he’s a strange fellow, they can’t deny that he’s got their backs. The truth is that Don regards the police force as a kind of second pack, and he considers his police precinct a “sacred place.”
Don has gained fame in his city and nearby cities as something of an expert in talking crazed were- wolves down and helping them back to Harmony. Some Uratha even refer to him as Zi Galah (“Soul Mender”). Don has since formed a pack of urban werewolves, all of whom were at one point on the verge of losing their minds entirely. His packmates — two Blood Talons, two fellow Hunters (both of whom he initiated) and one Storm Lord — would be quite willing to kill or die for their alpha. He mended their souls, after all.
Don is in his late 30s, but is frequently mistaken for a much younger man. He has chestnut brown hair and somewhat sad brown eyes. Don always carries his badge, his service .38 and a backup piece (usually a .38 snubnose), and even people who don’t spend time around the police can easily tell he’s a cop.
usinG don in a ChroniCle If a character’s backstory requires it, Don might have talked down one of the characters and initiated him into the pack (he’d easily be worth a dot or two of Mentor). If the pack moves into a new city, Don is almost guaranteed to be present in mediation of territory rights. A character who has lost enough Harmony to start exhibiting compulsions, bans and derangements might get sent to visit with Don and his pack as a kind of intervention.
Chapter III: Hunters in Darkness Chapter III: Hunters in Darkness
s
enseit
aylor, a
Ut UMnAuspice: Elodoth
Tribe: Hunters in Darkness Lodge: Seasons
Mental Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 4, Resolve 3 Physical Attributes: Strength 4 (5/7/6/5), Dexterity 3 (3/4/5/5), Stamina 2 (3/4/4/3)
Social Attributes: Presence 3, Manipulation 3, Composure 2 Mental Skills: Academics 1, Computer 1, Investigation (Ura- tha) 2, Occult 2
Physical Skills: Athletics 2, Brawl 3, Drive 1, Larceny 3, Stealth (Stalking Werewolves) 4
Social Skills: Empathy 2, Intimidation (Cold Logic) 2, Per- suasion 2, Subterfuge 2
Merits: Fighting Style: Boxing 5, Language (First Tongue), Meditative Mind
Primal Urge: 4 Willpower: 5 Harmony: 9
Essence Max/per Turn: 13/2 Virtue: Faith
Vice: Pride
Health: 7 (9/11/10/7) Initiative: 5 (5/6/7/7) Defense: 3 (in all forms) Speed: 12 (13/16/19/17)
Renown: Honor 4, Purity 5, Wisdom 3
Gifts: (1) Know Name, Partial Change, Scent Beneath the Surface, Sense Malice, Wolf-Blood’s Lure; (2) Anybeast, Father Wolf’s Speed, Snarl of Command; (3) Aura of Truce, Forest Communion, Running Shadow; (4) Shadow Flesh, Soul Read (5) Primal Form
Rituals: 1; Rites: Funeral Rite, Rite of the Spirit Brand
Sensei Taylor isn’t a sensei in the usual sense of the word (that is, a teacher of the martial arts). He does teach werewolves how to fight, sometimes, but it’s usually by beating the snot out of them should he encounter them during summer. As a member of the Lodge of Seasons (see p. 201 of Werewolf: The For-
saken), his behavior changes throughout the year, but
he is always an Autumn, and he has a very specific agenda for his fellow Imru.
Taylor feels that Luna gave him a mandate when she selected him for the First Change. The spirit wilds in his rural hometown were in terrible chaos, and under the half-moon, he discovered that the turbulence stemmed from the Uratha in the area carelessly draining various loci and hunting down weak spirits for sport. Taylor, guided by the Elunim, attracted the attention of a powerful spirit of killing frost, and the spirit put the local Hisil into a kind of dormancy, giving the Uratha time to reflect on what they were doing. The offending pack members, mostly Meninna, were humbled by Taylor’s
actions and initiated him into the tribe. He stayed with them for a while, but one spring a member of the Lodge of Seasons passed through town, and he followed her out. In joining the lodge, he remem- bered the power of autumn and the killing frost, and of the value of a sudden drop in temperature to allow time for reflection.
Taylor never joined another pack — he decided that there simply weren’t enough werewolves train- ing the younger Uratha in the proper respect for the spirit wilds. After all, the lot of the werewolf is not to dominate the spirit world but to look after it and make sure it stays in balance. As an Elodoth, he was
usinG sensei taylor in a ChroniCle Obviously, Taylor would make a good teacher for a young pack. He can show the pack members how to fight, yes, but he’s best suited to teach them things such as First Tongue and general respect for spirits. He has extremely high standards, though (as evidenced by his Harmony rating), and a werewolf who isn’t keeping to the Oath had best keep his mouth shut around Taylor. If the Storyteller wishes to use Taylor to teach an unruly pack a lesson, take care: Taylor is a lone werewolf, and no match for a whole pack. That’s why he takes the time to get to know the local spirits before approaching a pack — with a Rank 4 spirit or two at his back, Sensei Taylor is that much more intimidating.
Becoming a True Hunter skilled at dealing with spirits without manipulating
them, and he had become skilled at understanding, finding and subduing other werewolves. He began visiting isolated packs, checking the spirit wilds and correcting imbalance where he found it. He was only one werewolf, and thus rarely engaged whole packs himself, but he found that if the situation in the Hisil really required his action, there was always a powerful spirit willing to help him.
The first werewolf to call him “Sensei” was an Irraka who meant it as a joke, but the name stuck. “Sensei” means “teacher,” and Taylor accepted this as his role — teaching werewolves to learn, remember and cherish their place within the spirit wilds. He’s quite willing to injure werewolves to make the point, but he keeps scrupulously to the Oath. The fact that his nomadic lifestyle doesn’t allow him to claim his own territory rankles him, and he wonders how famous he would have to become before other Uratha came looking for him.
Sensei Taylor is nearing 40. He is barrel-chested and muscular, with thick arms and a square jaw. He lets his black hair grow wild (he claims that he looks even worse when he tries to comb it), and usually purchases clothes from a local thrift store when entering a new city. He prefers to fight in Urshul form, saving Gauru for when he really needs to make an impression on disrespectful werewolves. He never changes to Primal Form when he’s fighting something he doesn’t intend to kill.
t
hew
olf of thew
oodsAuspice: Irraka
Tribe: Hunters in Darkness Lodge: None
Mental Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 6, Resolve 4 Physical Attributes: Strength 4 (5/7/6/5), Dexterity 5 (5/6/7/7), Stamina 4 (5/6/6/5)
Social Attributes: Presence 3, Manipulation 2, Composure 4 Mental Skills: Crafts 2, Investigation 2, Occult (Spirits) 2 Physical Skills: Athletics 3, Brawl (Urshul) 4, Stealth 4, Survival 7
Social Skills: Animal Ken (Wolves) 4, Expression (Howls) 2, Intimidation (Feral) 3
Merits: Direction Sense, Fast Reflexes 2, Fleet of Foot 3, Fresh Start, Language (First Tongue), Quick Healer Primal Urge: 8
Willpower: 8 Harmony: 9
Essence Max/per Turn: 30/7 Virtue: Prudence
Vice: Gluttony Health: 9 (11/13/12/9)
Initiative: 11 (11/12/13/13) — with Fast Reflexes
Defense: 5 (5/6/6/6)
Speed: 17 (18/21/24/22) — with Fleet of Foot
Renown: Cunning 4, Glory 4, Honor 3, Purity 5, Wisdom 3 Gifts: (1) Call Water, Feet of Mist, Partial Change, Speak with Beasts, Wolf Blood’s Lure; (2) Anybeast, Father Wolf’s Speed, Manipulate Earth, Plant Growth, Slip Away; (3) Command Fire, Distractions, Forest Communion, Primal Howl, Running Shadow; (4) Blend In, Invoke the Wind’s Wrath, Shadow Flesh; (5) Ghost Step, Lament of the River, The Hunter’s Bounty
Rituals: 5; Rites: Banish Human, Banish Spirit, Bind Hu- man, Bind Spirit, Blessing of the Spirit Hunt, Cleansed Blood, Drawing Down the Shadow, Mark of the Black Wolf, Name the Quarry, Rite of Fair Warning, Rite of Hik- aon’s Trail, Rite of Initiation, Rite of the Chosen Ground, Sacred Hunt
He is the werewolf who defines “werewolf” to much of the world. He is the hungry beast from the darkness, the superlative hunter, one of the deadliest creatures on the planet. He is the symbol of nature’s vengeance, the monster that stalks men’s dreams. He is the Wolf of the Woods.
Who was the Wolf when he was born? Was he even human? It’s hard to say. The Wolf of the Woods assumes Hishu form only rarely, and those few Uratha
Chapter III: Hunters in Darkness Chapter III: Hunters in Darkness
who have met him say that he looks subtly differ- ent every time he does. Rumors abound about this mysterious creature. Some say that he wasn’t born of humans, but of wolves, and learned to change into a human being when he reached maturity. Some say that he is a werewolf, but learned to subsist on wolf- spirits for sustenance, and in so doing became some- thing of a fleshy magath, an amalgam of Uratha and spirit. Others trace his power to spirits in a different way, insinuating that he was born from the union of a werewolf and a wolf-spirit. One seldom-related tale claims that he is the child of Black Wolf herself.
Whatever the truth, the Wolf of the Woods has been around for at least two centuries. His territory is vast, and he cannot hope to protect it all, but he must keep constantly on the hunt or risk falling into a deep sleep (see p. 76 of Werewolf: The Forsaken). When he meets other Uratha, especially Meninna, he expects nothing less than total deference to a superior predator and a mighty Uratha. If he does not receive this kind of welcome, he teaches the upstarts a lesson, but he does so in a manner befitting a New Moon — disappearing and waiting until each pack member is alone before dishing out her comeup- pance. No matter what, he does not kill Uratha, and will not extend his aid, advice or friendship to a werewolf who does so or claims to have done so (Bale Hounds and the Pure included). He has occasionally acted as mentor to Hunters in Darkness, and even entire packs, but he doesn’t stay still for long and so anyone wishing to learn from him needs to keep up. Eventually, his protégés lose him, and the Wolf of the Woods vanishes back into the forests. He never enters the cities. The closest he comes is small, rural communities, and even then he shuns humanity because of the effects of his Primal Urge on people.
The Wolf of the Woods doesn’t take human form often. When he does, he looks like a man in his late 50s. His hair is gray, and he is hale and healthy de- spite his age, with nary a scratch on him. He displays all of the classic werewolf “tells” — eyebrows grow together, index and middle finger the same length, almond-shaped eyes, etc. In his preferred Urhan form, he is a large gray wolf with oddly tinted blue eyes. The Wolf speaks in First Tongue to werewolves, even if humans are present, although he can speak English (and probably many other human languages).
usinG the wolf of the woods in a ChroniCle
The Wolf is the quintessential werewolf, the pinnacle of what a Hunter can become… and that’s probably more than the characters want to become. He has left behind almost all of his humanity to become the perfect werewolf, and therefore, there are no other werewolves at his level to make up a pack for him. The Wolf is lonely, but he is a genius in a world of simpletons, a paragon in a society of lesser beings. He doesn’t disdain other werewolves for not becoming as he is, and he doesn’t want to be a Messiah to the Uratha. He does wish, though, for a quarry that he could reasonably attack but not catch, a battle that could end in stalemate. He doesn’t want to die, he just wants to feel the thrill of the hunt again, as he did when he was a pup — that is, when he was young. He could be used as a mentor, a wake-up call or a mythical beast for the characters to find.
r
ailAuspice: Ithaeur
Tribe: Hunters in Darkness Lodge: Carrion
Mental Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 4, Resolve 4 Physical Attributes: Strength 3 (4/6/5/4), Dexterity 3 (3/4/5/5), Stamina 2 (3/4/4/3)
Social Attributes: Presence 2, Manipulation 2, Composure 2 Mental Skills: Academics 2, Computer 2, Crafts (Traps) 3, Investigation 2, Medicine (Stitches) 2, Occult 3, Science 2 Physical Skills: Athletics 3, Brawl (Dirty Tricks, Spirits) 3, Drive 1, Firearms 3, Larceny 2, Stealth 4, Survival 3, Weap- onry 1
Social Skills: Animal Ken 2, Intimidation (Crazy) 2, Socialize 1, Streetwise 3, Subterfuge 2
Merits: Danger Sense, Fame 1, Fast Reflexes 2, Fleet of Foot 3, Iron Stomach, Language (First Tongue), Parkour 5 (see p. 98)
Primal Urge: 2 Willpower: 6 Harmony: 5
Essence Max/per Turn: 11/1 Virtue: Temperance Vice: Wrath Health: 7 (9/11/10/7)
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Becoming a True Hunter usinG rail in a ChroniCle
Rail is a Hunter in Darkness who reveres the precepts of the tribe by twisting them. She cares about the notion of sacred space, but doesn’t have one herself. She sees herself as the omega wolf, and she has become so good at it that she’s probably strong enough to be an alpha. If a pack could convince her of her own skill, they might gain a powerful ally in Rail. Otherwise, she’d be quite willing to barter service or assistance for food or money (especially to a pack lacking a Crescent Moon).
Initiative: 7 (7/8/9/9) Defense: 3 (3/4/4/4) Speed: 14 (15/17/20/18)
Renown: Cunning 1, Purity 2, Wisdom 1
Gifts: (1) Feet of Mist, Two-World Eyes, Warning Growl; (2) Luna’s Dictum, Read Spirit
Rituals: 1; Rites: Rite of Dedication, Rite of the Spirit Brand
One Hunter in Darkness has garnered more repute among humans than among the People. To the humans of her city, Rail is a thief, a burglar who sneak into high-rises and penthouse apartments, steals cash and food and leaves again. She is not, however, a cat burglar by any means — she is loud, fast and crude. She doesn’t hurt the people she robs unless they make her, and she isn’t interested in steal- ing jewelry or anything else that would require her to fence stolen goods. She’s really just interested in surviving.
To the Uratha, her role is much the same. She’s a scavenger (and she was even before joining the Lodge of Carrion; see p. 102). She finds loci after other werewolves have used them and drains the last dregs, picks up discarded or unattended fetishes and gener- ally lives off other werewolves’ leavings. Rail is almost impossible to catch, though — she was practicing the art of parkour before it had a name, and she never leaves the city. In seconds, she can be 30 feet up and four blocks away, leaving a now-broke werewolf won- dering what happened.
Although she might violate the precepts of the Oath that have to do with honoring one’s elders, she takes the rest of it seriously. She claims no place as sacred, because she knows she isn’t strong enough to protect it (rather, she believes that she’s not, although a lifetime of roof-jumping and fighting for survival have made her dangerous indeed). Rail is terrified of spirits, and won’t enter the Shadow unless she has no other choice. If asked, she tells other werewolves that the Uratha aren’t meant to enter the spirit wilds. Ura- tha are meant to prevent things from leaving, but not venture there themselves. To do so is to court a fate much worse than death. Most Uratha assume she’s just being cowardly, for how would a city-dwelling Scavenger know anything so important?
Rail is, as her name might suggest, skinny and wiry. Her ribs are plainly visible if her shirt rides up (which it often does), and her features are pinched and drawn. She has thin, blonde hair, and her clothes
are ratty and worn, except for her sneakers — she breaks into shoe stores and steals high-end footwear every few months, since her life so often depends on being able to climb and run better than whoever is chasing her (she receives a +1 equipment modifier to Foot Chase and climbing rolls because of her shoes).