2017.10.26:TribeLessons

Tribe Lessons
Charlene continues Teaching Branton about the rest of the Tribes
IC Date	October 26th, 2017
IC Time	Midday
Players	Charlene, Branton
Location	The Private Dining room of the smoke and barley.
Prp/Tp	Welcome to the Nation
Spheres	Gaian Garou
Theme Song	The Doubleclicks - Family Christmas http://youtu.be/6XQtSW7ix0A

When last Branton and Charlene met, it was at a burger place where she went over about three of the tribes, to help catch him up on what he didn't know. With the gathering throng, she wasn't able to finish, but managed to get her number to the kin. She sends a text the next day, informing him that she'll be at the Smoke and Barley back room if he'd like to continue the lesson. She informs the person up front that a bald guy will be showing up, and to let him back before she makes her way to the private dining room, feeding the elemental a chunk of coal from her forge before settling down in one of the booths to wait.

Branton will have texted back that he'd be along shortly. And he is, entering the back room after not too long and having a brief look around before heading over to join Charlene "Afternoon again."

The elemental seems to like the coal, curling around it like a cat might curl around a favorite toy, burning it with unearthly heat to cinders and ash, which are also consumed over time. "Hey there, Branton." Charlene says from her spot by the fire, rising to welcome him before retaking her seat. Drinks have been brought - nothing alcoholic, but the house-made root beer is good, so she went with that, as well as a sampler platter which has already had one of the ribs demolished. There are fried things, too - onion rings, mushrooms, cheese - it's not healthy food, but she's a Garou, so it all works out in the end. "Give all that stuff time to marinate a little?" she asks, retaking her seat, her hat hung on a handy nail in the wall next to the seats she's chosen.

Branton takes a seat and reaches for one of the fried cheese sticks "Sure did. And I've been hanging out with a Glasswalker some recently, Named Billy? Can't wait to hear about them. Fianna was next though right?"

"Ayep, that's Billy Bojangles. He's a good sort, too, an' thankfully, he'll be next after th' Fianna an' Get since we're goin' in alphabetical order." Charlene snags one of the fried jalapeno slices, dips it in ranch, eats it, and begins. "Fianna are the Celtic and European Garou. Keepers of lore, stories and music, and known for their passion for life and their skills and ferocity in battle. They're Irish, not Scottish - that's an important distinction to note which we'll go over when we get to the lost tribe of the White Howlers."

Branton grins and nods as he enjoys the fried finger foods and pays attention to the lesson. Silently greatful for his pyrokinetic metabolism.

"The Fianna, accordin' to their legends, were born from a passionate galliard and Danu, an aspect of Gaia, who they see as the mother of the Fianna. They're the more extroverted garou. Hold a party an' invite a Fianna to almost guarantee a good time. They're hopeless romantics, too, and their creativity is somethin' to behold. Some of the greatest and most beautiful treasures of the Garou have been created by Fianna, either in song or by hand." Charlene takes a sip of her drink, swallowing to wet her throat. "Not to say they don't get along with everyone. Some of the pure tribes still don't like em, since they showed up in the 1800's and took caerns from 'em, since they could 'take care of 'em better.'" Yes, air quotes were used. "An' that's the nutshell of th' Fianna."

Branton chuckles and grins at Charlene "Sounds like my sort of people. I love extroverts, especially since I'm not one. And other artists are some of my favorites to hang out with."

"Ah'll inroduce ya 'round at some point to a few of 'em. Th' usual one you'll probably meet is Chullain - he's th' stereotypical Fianna, but a good sort. they've got territory 'round here. Just give one a poke an' they'll show y' where it is if'n they like yeh." Charlene shifts in her seat a little. "Okay, next up...an' you'll notice most of these folk are from Europe an' th' like. Get of Fenris. Fierce warriors. If'n you're on th' other side of 'em in a battle, there's no mercy or compassion. The enemy is the enemy all stop. Hell, they even sometimes shock other garou with how violent they c'n be."

Branton nods and grins at the description of the Get "So they're the viking war-wolves. I imagine their Ahrouns are something to see."

"Yeah, they are. They can turn the tide of a battle if they're on your side, an' ah' can't imagine what it'd be like, seein' 'em swarm over a hill toward yeh. There's one Get Ahroun we've got here...name's Mary-Sue. She's somethin' else in as far as fightin' goes. All she knows, all she thinks of. Hell, even eatin' is jus' to get energy to go out and find bigger enemies t' knock down. Where lots of Garou like the subtle route? Get are the silver hammer bashing into the biggest brick wall there is." She pauses, thinking for a moment. "Their tribes are very militarisitic. Strongest of 'em all is usually the leader, an' is almost always an Ahroun. Mind yer P's and Q's if a get is around. Safer that way."

Charlene gets out her dish of salt, quickly scribing the glyph for Fianna, the glyph for Get of Fenris, and then the next tribe, a ladder-shaped glyph that could be a building. "Glass Walkers."

Branton nods and shrugs at Charlene "Hard core fighters are some of my best customers so there's that at least." The glyphs are noted and commited to memory. Branton smiles and nods at the last one "Billy's people."

"Give 'em somethin' pointy an' they'll get along wit'cha just fine." Charlene agrees, sitting back in her seat. "Billy's good people, an' th' Glass Walkers, in general, are. Th' Furies an' them ain't supposed t' get along much, but ah've not got much of a problem wit' em. Th' Glass Walkers are th' City-dwellin' Garou, that believe in technology an' change. New inventions can be used against the end times that're comin', and new ways of thinkin' can be used to make their resolve even stronger. They're the most Urrah of Garou that're out there."

Branton nods at Charlene "Most of my crafting is pretty low tech but some of my tools really really aren't. So there's that. And I brought Billy a cooler full of bacon last night when I delivered some practice weapons and he gave me a present." Branton reaches into his pocket and pulls out a copper wire sculpture of a frog (http://i.ytimg.com/vi/BGPV94KGDbo/hqdefault.jpg)

Charlene leans over to peer closely at the frog, almost expecting it to move since it came from Billy. "It's cute." she looks up. "Fair trade, in his eyes. That took'im a lot of time, and bacon...well...fastest way to a Lupus's heart. That said, ah'm of the thought that as long as it works, who cares how it was made s'long as no-one was hurt in th' makin' of it." A very cosmopolitan view for a Fury, there. "Next up...." Three slashes, from upper right to lower left are drawn in the salt. "Red Talons. These guys are exclusively lupus, except for a couple of metis that no-one ever sees. They see humanity as a blight on the earth and shun them completely when they're not tryin' to kick off the impergium a second time." There's that word again...

Branton nods at Charlene when she mentions the Red Talons "And they're the ones you said to avoid and them not being a fan of humans is why?"

"Bingo. The talons see humans - even human-shaped Garou - as the problem and the simplest solution, for them, is to avoid them if possible and kill when necessary. They...they're just different, as far as Garou go. You and I, we're talking. We have a concept of later, of next week, of three years ago. They just have the now, 'some time ago' and 'some time later.' They're as close to a wolf without bein' a wolf that someone c'n be. Shunning humans is their goal, but if some blood gets shed..." Charlene shrugs. "They jus' see it as thinnin' the herd a little. Now...ah've said Imperigium a couple o' times an, since we're here an' havin' a nice sit down, ah'll tell you th' basics." Charlene rocks her head back and forth, blowing out a breath. "Okay, so...way back in th' day, b'fore anything resemblin' civilization, th' Garou were in charge. Put in place by Gaia - th' earth mother - t' keep her lands safe. Th' humans were there an th' Garou were tasked with keepin' the population low through culls. S'why humans are afraid of us if they see us in our war form an' run. It's bred into 'em after generations of starin' into th' night an' wonderin' if tonight's the night ah'm gonna get taken."

Branton frowns as he listens "That's kinda fucked up. There are some humans that I'll agree the world is better off without but damn. As for the Impergium...I'm gonna go ahead and not think about that too hard for the moment. Anyway, who's next?"

Into the salt Charlene goes, drawing what looks like a star with both hands, two marks at the top. "Shadow Lords. If we go back to gamin' stuff, the Shadow Lords are the sneaky sorts what scheme in the background. Politicians and Manipulators with structures and heirarchies to work through. Everything is a secret to a Shadow Lord, an' any secret they get from you, they'll hold until they need it or c'n use it." She pauses. "Ah' admit ah' don't know much 'bout th' Shadow Lords. They're secretive an' they don't let much out at all."

Branton nods and ponders "Jake is one of them and I haven't gotten to know him that well yet but he seems alright. There isn't anything wrong with being a bit sneaky, Sounds like they're the 'Fight smarter' in contrast to the Get's 'Fight Harder'."

"Pretty much, yes." Charlene agrees, bobbing her head. "An' as far as things go, individuals are okay, it's when you start gettin' into the higher up folks that things get all machiavellian. Jus' th' way things are. Again, talk t' Jake an' see what he'll tell ya. Prob'ly about as much as I told'ya. Next up...." Into the salt she goes, drawing what appears to be a wave. "Silent Striders. Originally from around africa an' the middle east, they explore. They're the spirity sort, delving into the deepest parts of the spirit world - further'n most Garou have ever thought of goin'. They're a tribe but there's not, like, an organization....not like the Get, the Furies, the Silver Fangs... They only get together when the winds blow 'em together, but i've heard rumors of grand moots that everyone watns to attend."

Branton nods at Charlene "That's why there's like half a dozen each, Fianna, Bone Gnawers, and Black Furies but only like two Silent Striders in the Sept. And like...nearly a dozen glass walkers."

Charlene nods. "Truth be told, if the rumors are right, they only stop wandering when they're ready to settle down and die, not a moment before. Any questions so far?" Charlene pauses before going further.

Branton nods and shrugs "Not really. I'm sure I'll think of a ton later but right now I'm mostly just absorbing."

"Sure. There'll be a question an' answer period after th' class in case y' missed somethin' in th' notes." Charlene snickers and nods. "Next tribe." The glyph looks like three 'C's' with brackets on the end. "Silver Fangs. The Aristocracy of the Garou. These folks are....well...pure bred to the hilt. Traditional rulers and war leaders, an' generally known for bein' pretty, brave, an' honorable. You see a Garou what looks like they've got a stick up their ass, you get a Silver Fang almost 100% of the time." "Let's see, what else..." Charlene taps her lips thoughtfully. "Strong emphasis on family and tradition, more homid-born than lupus, since leaders need to grow up around leadership an' all. They tend t' look down on yeh if you're not too purely bred - like the Bone Gnawers - an' even went as far as arranged mating with their kinfolk to keep the tribe's blood strong. Thing is, there are a couple of rumors of madness in th' tribe. Comin' from Russian Royalty an' all, I don't discount 'em fully."

Branton chuckles and nods "The Philodox that went over the Litany in detail with me was a Silver Fang. Dragomir. I wasn't sure if he sounded formal because of the accent and english not being his first language, or because he was a Philodox, or because he was a Silver Fang. From what you've told me it was probably a little of each."

Charlene taps the table. "Little of Column A, little of Column B." She grins. "Like everyone, they're good folk until you get to the higher up ones....now, last two tribes. Both are considered the Pure Ones since they were here in the US before European expansion. Uktena." She draws a symbol like an x, with flourishes here and there. "They consist of just about every north american culture there is, but are pretty primitive, as far as things go. Don't think that bein' primitive means they ain't good, 'cause they're masters of dark and forbidden knowledge, too."

Branton chuckles and nods "I met Rite-mistress Bane-Breaker. She shook my brain like a cereal box with one cheerio still stuck in it. Fiercely clever and super persistent."

"She's got a mind like a steel trap and jaws to match." Charlene agrees. "Th' name ain't just a pretty expression, neither. She's done it. Several times, in fact, wit' barely a hair out of place t' show f'r it." Charlene starts drawing the last symbol in the salt - a moon with a squiggle on it. "Last existin' tribe in th' nation. Wendigo. They consider themselves th' pure ones. They want t' destroy th' influence of th' wyrm an' preserve th' old ways. As you might guess, them an' the Glass Walkers get along /famously./"

Branton nods at Charlene and chuckles "City dwelling, tech loving, newer tribe versus Wilderness Focused, Archaic Crafters, super old school tribe. That's probably gotten......messy, more than once."

"Glass Walkers, Fianna, Get of Fenris, and Shadow Lords generally don't get along with Wendigo. They see those tribes...hell, all tribes b'sides them an' the Uktena as Wyrmcomers. They were fine wit'out us, an' now we're here an' it's all gone straight to hell, more're less." Charlene shrugs. "Still, we get along with 'em pretty good, since th' Furies are kind of about protectin' the wild spaces out there." She leans back in the seat, the leather creaking. "An' that, as we say, is that. All of the existin' tribes. Th' last one, th' lost one, is our main foe. Th' White howlers or, as they're now known, th' Black Spiral Dancers."

Branton perks up a bit at the mention of the spirals "Like the one I ran into when I met Alecto. Ugly motherfucker."

"that's th' polite way t' put it, yep." Charlene sighs, taking a bit of brisket and popping it into her mouth. "Now, don't get this story from one of 'em directly, understand, but from what I heard, the spirals, b'fore they was th' spirals, were up in Scotland, north of Hadrian's Wall. They were awesome fighters, tappin' into some source of rage what made them nearly unbeatable. They couldn't be beaten on th' field, so their enemies got 'em from inside. Folk like you - kinfolk - got corrupted. Weakened. An' eventually they fell." She frowns. "I hate tellin' stories like that 'cause I don't have all the answers. They're the enemy an' they were us, long long ago. They just had th' bad luck to be targeted, taken down, an' twisted into a mockery of what they was. Jus....jus' picture evil an' you get them. They live in poison, toxin, and rot. They revel in the sickest stuff - all that stuff on the nightly news what they say doesn't happen in nice neigborhoods, happens with the Spirals around. The Wyrm is a hard, hard foe t' face. We're tryin, but it's hard sometimes, bein' hit from all sides."

Branton nods somberly as he listens to Charlene's story "That's.....fucked up. However much it must have sucked for their ancestors though I'm going to stick to setting em on fire. Or you know, locking down their powers so someone like you or Alecto can rip their throat out. Probably a better plan."

"Good plan. Call th' folk what know how to deal with it an' let 'em take th' shots. We heal up a lot faster'n y'all do, an' can take a lot harder of a hit." charlene shrugs. "An' that, sir, is pretty much it. We c'n get into more nuanced bits, like th' stargazers what left to the east, or the Croatan, who don't exist anymore, but as far as now? That's the garou tribes." She spreads her hands and bobs her head. "Tada."