W5 - Deepest of Wounds
W5 - Deepest of Wounds
The Deepest
of WOUNDS
Recla mat i o n
This book uses the supernatural for settings, characters and themes. All mystical and supernatural elements are fiction and
intended for entertainment purposes only. This book contains mature content. Reader discretion is advised.
Werewolf: The Apocalypse Creators: Sam Chupp, Andrew Greenberg, Wes Harris, Robert Hatch, Geoff Pass, Mark Rein•Hagen,
William Spencer-Hale, Rich Thomas, Josh Timbrook, Stewart Wieck, Travis L. Williams, Samuel Witt
Rules based on Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition by by Martin Ericsson, Karim Muammar, and Kenneth Hite
Paradox Interactive®, Werewolf: The Apocalypse®, World of Darkness®, Copyright 2023 Paradox Interactive AB (publ). All rights reserved.
For more information please visit www.worldofdarkness.com
© 2023 Renegade Game Studios. All Rights Reserved.
INTRODUCTION
The D e e p e s t
of W o u n d s
T he Cult of Fenris represents one of the great
failures of the Garou in this time of the
Apocalypse. Just when all werewolf tribes
should work together to save what can be saved, the
Fenrir succumbed to Hauglosk, losing perspective on
As a result of the dying of their caern, the local Cult of
Fenris succumbed to Hauglosk.
The Fenrir protectors of the dead caern put out a call
to all nearby Garou packs to join them on a great reaving
against the enemies of Gaia. They called for all loyal
how the enemy would best be defeated. Or even opposed. Garou to join them and go on the attack.
To the Cult of Fenris, extreme violence is the only answer. Most of the nearby Garou refused the call to join the
There are no bystanders and everyone is either for Gaia or reaving. Three members from the sept of the players’
against her. There is no such thing as an innocent victim. characters volunteered to join the reaving; two Cult
The fall of the Fenrir into violent fanaticism didn’t of Fenris including Claude “Black Lung” Moreau and
happen all at once. It was a reaction to the increasingly Eli “Draug” Markkanen; and a Red Talon known as
desperate circumstances all warriors of Gaia face. Often, Butterfly Eater.
for particular Cult of Fenris packs or septs, a local
tragedy or loss motivated them to go along with the
extreme vision sweeping the tribe.
Such a loss is the seed for the story of The Deepest of Wounds.
Content Warning
There are elements to this story that build on the Werewolf: The Apocalypse is a roleplaying
story “No Matter How Small” from the Werewolf Core game about environmental and spiritual horror.
Rulebook. Players who have run through that story may Themes of graphic violence, environmental
enjoy the connections between the two stories. and societal decay and monstrous, grotesque
creatures are part of the experience.
The Deepest of Wounds is a story designed
What Came Before to showcase many elements of Werewolf’s
setting that make it different than other
roleplaying games. In particular, this story
The Split highlights the Cult of Fenris and the complicated
challenges they represent for the Garou.
Five or so years ago, a nearby caern, a Garou spiritual The story contains themes of violence,
nexus, died. The dead caern was controlled by the Cult torture, cults, and imprisonment.
of Fenris. Despite feverish work by the caern’s Fenrir
defenders, as well as aid from the players’ caern, the
caern’s spirit energies dried up.
The Cult of Fenris reavers departed the region as After five years of fighting and bickering, they
little better than a locust horde. Black Lung, Draug, now only understand the currency of violence and
and Butterfly Eater were not missed by most members intimidation. To that end, they snuck into the region,
of the character’s sept. Black Lung and his lickspittle scouted the sept, and decided to force a bargain by
Draug were considered caustic personalities that tended kidnapping the caern’s primary defender. They want to
to stir the pot simply to make things difficult for others. put the sept into a position of weakness so that Black
Butterfly Eater was a radical who shunned working with Lung’s demands will be met with minimal opposition. ■
anyone she did not consider “pure” enough (which was
most of the sept).
Acts and Plot Points
The Return Chapter One
Turning Point One: The Crime Scene
Unbeknownst to the characters or their allies, Black
Turning Point Two: The Assembly
Lung and Butterfly Eater returned a few days ago (Draug
was killed two years back in a badly executed raid on a Chapter Two
laboratory engaged in animal testing). The two former Turning Point Three: Exploring the Warehouse
sept members are the last survivors of the reaving.
The great glory the reavers sought never materialized. Chapter Three
The Reavers expended their lives for no meaningful gain. Turning Point Four: The Threat to the Heart
And somewhere along the way, lost in the death of of the Caern
their comrades, denial of their complicity in any number
Key Antagonists
of heinous acts, and a growing sense of futility within
the group, the Fenrir’s fanaticism overcame their identity. • The Cult of Fenris (global/passive, present in all
The Cult of Fenris en masse embraced Hauglosk and plot points)
became a cult of fanatics dedicated to the Apocalypse • Black Lung (his shadow lies on everything
Beast - Fenris. Allies, like Butterfly Eater, fell to Hauglosk making him local/passive, until Turning Point
alongside them. Four where he becomes local/active)
It is in that confused and failed context that Black
• Cerbera (local/active)
Lung and Butterfly Eater returned to their former sept.
• Butterfly Eater (local/active, Plot Point Three)
Chapter One
Th e S i n s
of H i s to r y
C hapter One opens by putting the characters amid
the call to action. Rather than a traditional “call,”
the characters start in media res, right in the thick
of the moment. They stand before a crime scene and need
Key Antagonist: Three Slices’ home is the passive/
local antagonist. It is an environmental challenge that
hides the truth.
to find out what happened and the call is the mystery that
unfolds as the search the crime scene. Crimson as a Mentor
The second scene of this chapter is the second plot It may be a good idea to make Crimson a Mentor for
point — with some details from the kidnapping on hand, one or more of the characters. In this case, allow
the characters must present their findings to the sept’s the players to define their relationship with Crimson.
leadership Assembly. Here, the ugly history is revealed to Likewise, later in the scene you may encourage a
set the stage for later drama. player to pick the victim of the kidnapping, Three
You can adapt this story to a caern and sept of your Slices, as a Mentor to help add a sense of urgency
own design. The default sept it is set in is detailed in the and drama.
section Additional Resources.
it originally said “owe” and “Gaia.” (Black Lung erased you have to say. We will go from there.”
Butterfly Eater’s original “Gaia” and replaced it with “Us.”) Storyteller Advice: Allow the players to take their time
If the characters are experienced Garou, they will with this scene. All elements they discover here should pay
immediately recognize the glyphs for what they off in later scenes and help bring things into clarity.
are — though they may not be able to interpret them. One important principle that holds throughout this
If they are less experienced, they will need to pass a story; the key information to move the plot is never
Difficulty 2 Intelligence + Occult roll to understand their locked behind a roll of the dice. Dice rolls allow for
importance. The old Cult of Fenris symbol represents a more expeditious resolution of an obstacle or to gather
time when the Cult were members of the Garou Nation additional information than what is obsoletely necessary
and before the entire tribe succumbed to Hauglosk. to move the plot forward. Remember: Only roll when
failure does not threaten to derail the story.
Going into the next scene, the players aren’t supposed
Interviewing Spirit Allies to get the “why” behind Three Slices’ disappearance. It
Enterprising players may want to interview nearby spir- is okay if they still have many questions (those questions
its. Most of the spirits were unaware or unable to explain are going to propel their actions in the following scenes).
what happened. They thought the fight in the house was It will be sufficient for the players to finish the scene with
normal since Garou are violent creatures. Spirits friendly a sense of curiosity and with the knowledge that Three
to the sept will confirm that two unknown wolves (per- Slices is either dead or in serious trouble and that the
haps Garou) arrived at Three Slices’ residence in the early Cult of Fenris is involved.
part of the night. There was a fight between at least two
Garou, maybe all three. Once the clash broke out, even
the most adventurous spirits stayed clear, but they did Turning Point Two:
The Assembly
not see any of the three Garou after the fight.
Spirits can confirm that no one returned to Three
T
Slices’ residence before Crimson, who immediately left he new scene opens up shortly after the closing of
and returned with the characters. the last scene — ideally only a few hours. There
should not be a lot of time for the characters to do
Crimson’s Take other things before this scene starts.
Once the scene’s momentum starts to wind down and TURNING POINT TWO GOALS:
the players’ questions start to slow, Crimson-on-the- 0 Show off the variety of the Garou in
Wind will ask the characters to conclude the investiga- the sept.
tion and wait with her as she summons the sept’s Assem- 0 Underscore how acrimonious and divisive
bly. She will then discuss with them the issue at hand. Garou politics can be.
Crimson tells them that she was first contacted by a 0 Name Black Lung (and Butterfly Eater)
messenger spirit sent by the Baron/Barren (for more on as the key antagonists.
the Baron/Barren, see below). The spirit reported that 0 Have the characters ready to explore
there was some noise coming from Three Slice’s house the warehouse.
and the Baron was concerned. When Crimson arrived, Key Antagonist: Cerbera, one of the sept’s elders, is
the characters saw the scene. She reports that she was they key challenge here. He will oppose Crimson and
hesitant to search the place by herself because Crimson cast doubt on the Cult of Fenris’ role in the kidnapping.
and Three Slices were recently lovers and had since Fancy, another member of the Assembly, will play a
separated (acrimoniously). Crimson suspected that if she lesser antagonistic role that will foreshadow problems in
conducted the investigation with no other Garou around Chapter Three. Both are local/active antagonists.
then she may be accused of being the perpetrator. The scene will start with the characters sitting on
From there, Crimson will answer the rest of the the sidelines of the gathered sept Assembly. Each of the
character’s questions as well as let them re-investigate Assembly members will be announced by the sept’s Tale
Three Slices’ house if they wish. Crimson will want to Singer, Stains-of-Deep-Purple.
talk with the other sept leaders before going into further At the center is Crimson, recounting to the other
details and will eventually (and politely) rebuff their leaders the same story about the Baron/Barren’s
characters’ inquiries with, “Let the Assembly hear what messenger and summoning the characters’ pack to help
with the investigation. She explains why she did not that they may have missed something.
conduct the investigation herself and instead sought the 0 He will eventually concede that it is
likely Black Lung and Butterfly Eater,
help of the characters as neutral parties. She will then
but, if so, it would be inappropriate
step to the side and turn over the floor to the characters to confront them. They are sept family,
to recount what they found. even if they’re wayward or confused.
After the characters detail their findings, there will be Looking for a fight would simply play
a notable silence in the sept’s leaders. They understand into their hands, especially as Black
that the characters’ findings suggest one or more of the Lung was an accomplished warrior even
before he left on the reaving. (The
sept’s former members have returned. point about Black Lung being family
Crimson will speak after the characters conclude. receives some uncomfortable murmurs
“I believe the evidence points of agreement from the gathered sept
to the likelihood our wayward leaders other than Crimson and Stains-
children have returned. Black of-Deepest-Purple.)
Lung, Draug, and Butterfly Eater 0 Cerbera is the antagonist in this
may have returned. It is not yet
scene. He argues for a soft touch
clear why, but their actions speak
clearly. They want something and are towards the Cult of Fenris.
prepared to make us pay dearly for
whatever that might be. RATNA “STAINS-OF-DEEPEST-PURPLE” CHOUDHURY
Many years ago, three of our members Shadow Lord/Galliad, Tale-Singer
heeded the call of Fenris. They 0 Will spend her time recounting
turned their backs on us. Many of us important facts. She will note
assumed they would be dead by now. that Crimson and Three Slices had
I, for one, hoped that would be the a very public and very acrimonious
case. relationship, often arguing about how
They undoubtedly joined the Cult of best to tend to the caern.
Fenris. 0 She will also note that Three Slices
It is up to this Assembly to decide lost his first attempt to become
the way forward.” Reeve-of-the-Caern to Black Lung, who
embarrassed Three Slices in combat, then
Other key points will come up in the conversation. immediately renounced the position.
CRIMSON-ON-THE-WIND 0 Use Ratna to inject important
information to help guide the
Black Fury/Ahroun, Scar-Leader characters in an appropriate direction.
0 Advocates for the characters’ pack
to track down the Cult of Fenris and FANCY
rescue. He argues that the characters do
not carry the historical (and emotional) Red Talon/Ahroun, First Elder-Speaker
baggage of the older sept members and 0 Will agree with Cerbera initially and
will approach the problem clear-eyed. suggest that a confrontation with
Black Lung would be akin to allowing
0 Unless there is a significant fratricide. Fancy will refuse to
diversion, the rest of the Assembly acknowledge that Black Lung went too
will eventually agree on this path. far by attacking and kidnapping Three
0 Use Crimson as the voice for quick Slices, and instead suggest trying to
and decisive action. He trusts the understand Black Lung’s reasons before
characters and their abilities and will jumping to conclusions.
advocate for them to take the lead in 0 Fancy will play a problematic role in
whatever decision is made. the final scene and his confrontation
now will establish motivation for his
KWAME “CERBERA” VANDERPUJE later actions.
Silver Fang/Theurge, Sept Elder This scene may not require any rolls, but if the players
0 Suggests the preponderance of evidence
is simply too convenient and wants try to sway either Cerebera or Fancy to their point of
another investigation of Three Slices’ view, then at least one Manipulation + Persuasion roll
home with him as the lead. He doesn’t at a Difficulty 4 for Cerbera and 3 for Fancy would be
question the characters’ findings, only appropriate. Connect the roll to the conclusion of one of
the characters making their case. If the player roleplays characters in the same scene. This can be a challenge
particularly well, consider dropping the Difficulty even for veteran Storytellers. For that reason, be very
by one. Also, if a player makes a convincing case for a deliberate on which Storyteller characters and how many
different type of roll (such as Charisma + Performance) you introduce into the scene. Feel free to use voices to
and roleplays the act prompting the roll, go ahead and help differentiate the different characters — even if you
give them the roll they want. feel a bit goofy doing so the differentiation can be a big
The other Assembly members will generally stay quiet help to the flow of the scene.
as the contest between Crimson and Cerbera unfolds. The players’ characters should leave the scene with a
However, feel free to use them to help add tension, way forward; go find the Cult of Fenris and save Three
drama, or keep the characters focused. Slices. If the players ask for aid from the other Garou of
the sept, they will be politely refused. None will want to
0 Grey (Black Fury Philodox, Second Elder- leave the caern with any fewer defenses, especially as the
Speaker) characters are going to leave. Worse, the nature of the
0 Jonathan “Bits-of-Bone-and-Sinew” Graves threat is still unknown, and the sept leaders are unwilling
(Shadow Lord Ahroun, Hearth Watcher)
to lend extraordinary aid until the characters come back
0 Samantha “Twilight-Taker” Manusson with a better sense of what they are up against
(Black Fury Theurge, Spirit Watcher)
Discussion will lead to an impasse with Cerbera and
Crimson. Twilight-Taker will break the stalemate if Complication: The Cult Confronts
the characters do not and ask the characters if they are
willing to track down Three Slices.
the Sept
Assuming the characters agree, the discussion will If you want to make the Cult threat explicit and put a
transition to how to track Three Slices and the Cult of face to it, you can have Black Lung show up at the Bawn
Fenris. Crimson will note that neither Black Lung, Draug, (edge) of the sept’s territory and demand an audience
nor Butterfly Eater were particularly subtle or sophisticated, with the sept’s Assembly.
so they likely retreated to a location familiar to them. The sept will stand across from Black Lung and
Butterfly Eater. Black Lung will announce his intention to
access the caern, take what he wants, and recruit “the weak
Next Steps to make them strong.” If pressed, he will tell the sept that
Stains-of-Deepest-Purple will note that Butterfly Eater he wants unfettered access to the heart of the caern, money
lived at the caern and did not have a life outside of her (lots of it), weapons, talismans, and for the right to select
Garou-self. Black Lung stayed in a derelict warehouse in three members of the sept to join him on his next reaving.
the industrial district of the nearby town. He will keep things short and avoid too many questions.
The other option is the desiccated caern that the Cult Black Lung will give the sept 24 hours to agree to all
of Fenris protected before its energy ebbed and dried of his demands, or he will come and take what he wants.
up (aka Development Copse West from the story No Black Lung will then depart, leaving the sept even more
Matter How Small, included in the book Werewolf: The anxious than before. Fancy and Cerebra will suggest that,
Apocalypse). While neither Black Lung nor Butterfly perhaps, they should agree to Black Lung’s demands.
Eater were members of the Sept of the Scarred Eye that Crimson will disagree.
once protected the caern, they may still feel a bond to it It will be up to the characters to do something before
because of their alliance with Fenris. the 24 hours expire.
The Assembly suggests that if Black Lung is looking
for protection, he would dwell in the warehouse. If Black
Lung is looking to make a statement, he would go to the
The Consequences of Inaction
dead caern. The characters are free to choose which to If the Characters do nothing, or delay too long, Three
investigate or to go their own way. Slices will be converted to the Fenrir cause. The sept will
Storyteller Advice: Allow the characters to be the center give in to Black Lung’s demands, permanently weakening
of the scene. They have key information the Assembly is the sept and caern. Fancy and Cerbera will join the Cult
interested in and they are respected members of the sept. of Fenris on their reaving, leading to further death and
Keep in mind that you may need to represent multiple destruction “in Gaia’s name.” Eventually the sept will
dissolve as key bonds of trust are irrevocably broken. ■
Chapter TWO
Finding
Three S l i c e s
T he characters should have enough impetus to the reluctant spirits to help involves a success on a
move forward. By the conclusion of the last scene, Composure + Intimidation roll at a Difficulty of 2.
they should have the order to go seek out the Cult Many will remember the Cult of Fenris before they fell
of Fenris and save Thee Slices. They likely have two to Hauglosk. They will generally describe the Garou of
locations to explore, Black Lung’s old warehouse and the that sept as aggressive and caustic. Many spirits will hold
Sept of the Scarred Eye’s dead caern. grudges against the sept’s members because of the way
The warehouse is where the story will move forward, they treated spirits as disposable.
but this is an opportunity for the players to gather The spirits here will have little insight into Black Lung
resources and information in anticipation of the conflicts and Butterfly Eater as neither spent much time in the
with the Cult of Fenris. caern before its spiritual energy died. They will confirm
that neither has come to visit the caern.
Gathering Resources:
The Desiccated Caern Gathering Resources:
The players may go investigate the remains of the dead Speaking with the Baron/Barren
caern that once hosted the Sept of the Scarred Eye (the Getting information out of the Baron/Barren will
Cult of Fenris sept that started the reaving). If you ran No require the characters to be suitably respectful to the
Matter How Small from the book Werewolf: The Apoca- ancient spirit. The Baron/Barren is the oldest spirit in the
lypse, this is the same caern and may carry a bit of history area, and it knows this. It will reject any sort of cooper-
with the characters. ation with Garou it does not feel are respectful enough.
The caern is in an area on the edge of town called A Difficulty 2 Composure + Etiquette roll will convince
Development Copse West. The remains of the caern the Baron/Barren to help.
are nestled inside this small forest reserve. A large open The Baron/Barren saw both Black Lung and Butterfly
meadow marks where the caern once was. Now, the area Eater and their attack against Three Slices. The spirit can
in and around the meadow is eerily silent. Bird songs and detail the nature of the fight, that Three Slices put up
the buzzing of insects seem to die as if muffled. a good fight. If explicitly asked, it will confirm that the
The caern is, indeed, bereft of any spiritual energy. Cult of Fenris members did not retreat towards the dead
However, a number of spirits still inhabit the edges caern, though it cannot confirm exactly where the Cult
of caern and can provide useful insights and history members traveled.
on the Cult of Fenris (and Fenris itself). Convincing The Baron/Barren will also confirm it was the one
T
In particular, Butterfly
he warehouse will serve
Eater preferred the Baron/
as the setting for the
Barren’s company to the
first confrontation with
other Garou and spent
the Cult of Fenris.
a lot of time with the
Baron/Barren. However, GOALS FOR TURNING
the Baron/Barren does POINT THREE:
not consider Butterfly 0 Allow the
Eater a “friend” (it barely players to learn a
understands the concept bit more about the
Cult of Fenris through
when applied to creatures of the physical world) and will their exploration and interaction with
have no problem being honest about Butterfly Eater. Butterfly Eater.
The Baron/Barren should be a resource for you as 0 Defeat Butterfly Eater.
the Storyteller to fill in any pieces of information of 0 Resolve Three Slices’ fate.
background you think the players deserve. Sometimes
Key Antagonist: Butterfly Eater (local/active)
players miss key clues despite doing a good job going
The warehouse is a large structure of aging concrete,
through a scene. This is your chance to reward them for
shattered glass, shallow puddles, and twisted rebar.
good roleplay even if the dice rolls did not go their way.
The structure was once used to house and assemble air
conditioning units, but the building has not been in
Gathering Resources: use for many decades. The warehouse sits at the heart
Learning About Draug of a decayed and largely abandoned industrial zone. It is
the non-beating heart of the area, from which it seems
If the players decide to conduct additional interviews stagnation and decay radiate outwards. Only buildings
with the other sept members, they’ll have a chance to three or more blocks from the warehouse will exhibit any
gather some background on Black Lung, Draug, and sort of moribund activity.
Butterfly Eater. This is a good spot to reveal that there The worthless piece of land that hosts the warehouse
was a third member to leave the sept (Draug). served as Black Lung’s home away from the sept. Never
If the players learn of Draug they can later use that popular, he slept away from the rest of the Garou and often
information to give Black Lung pause (particularly in the minimized his time with the other packs, only coming to
final scene in the caern). Black Lung quite liked Draug, deal with urgent sept business or to protect the caern.
and Draug’s loss is what prompted Black Lung to return Researching the property through city files or the
to the sept and try to restart the reaving. internet by using Intelligence + Finance at Difficulty 2
Storyteller Note: This story is geared to be a will reveal that the city owned the warehouse for over
challenge for three to five young Garou. If you want 10 years after the previous owner, “Cool-Blast Inc”
to scale the difficulty up, you can change Draug’s
defaulted on years of property taxes. The warehouse is
fate and have him survive to return with Black Lung
not connected to city services like water and electricity
and Butterfly Eater. You can slot him into either the
and was never wired for the internet.
Cult-aligned spirits, one of Pain, another of Confusion, the warehouse for fear of reprisals from Black Lung. He
and the third of Transformation. Butterfly Eater will will be confused and disoriented, even going so far as
summon them when she is alerted to the characters to struggle with his own self-identity. If the players are
presence. They will manifest by inhabiting nearby refuse comfortable with this sort of scene, play it out. Allow
like broken concrete, twisted rebar, and shattered glass. them to comfort (and perhaps heal) Three Slices.
If the players search for evidence of Black Lung, they
will find little more than an old driver’s license in one
Storyteller Advice of his travel-bags. They will also find Draug’s old and
Resolution of this scene is up to the players, there is battered wallet, with some of his human identification.
no right or wrong way to deal with Butterfly Eater and Once Three Slices is rescued (or, perhaps, killed) the
Three Slices. players will likely want to return to the sept to report on
If freed, Three Slices will not be cooperative. He was what they found. ■
close to conversion to Fenris’ cause, and will resist leaving
Chapter THREE
The Ug l y F a c e
of H i s t o r y
T he final scene is the culmination of the Cult
of Fenris’ attack on the sept. Black Lung must be
stopped.
GOALS FOR TURNING POINT FOUR:
and maybe even still wounded. They likely return to the
sept to report on Butterfly Eater’s fate and, perhaps, to
get Three Slices some help.
If the players detour to go somewhere else (perhaps
the dead caern of the Scarred Eye) seed the scene with
0 Resolve the threat Black Lung
represents. little spiritually-inspired oddities (like those found in the
0 Decide on a way forward once the Cult
“foreshadowing Black Lung” entry) that suggest things
is put down. are still out of balance and tension continues to rise back
at the caern. If the players are really resistant, have a
Key antagonist: Black Lung becomes a local/active
member of the sept urgently call them back.
antagonist at this point. The Red Talon, Fancy, may also
become a key antagonist (local, active).
The Standoff
Turning Point Four: The Black Lung stands in the middle of a circular crowd. He
is kneeling in glabro form. In one hand, he is holding a
Threat to the Heart of klaive with its blade driven into the ground, and with the
other, he is casually smoking a cigarette. From the hole in
the Caern the ground created by the klaive a dark viscous liquid, the
T
consistency of mud or blood, is bubbling up and creating
he next scene opens up back in the
a pool around Black Lung.
characters’ caern. While they were away dealing
Black Lung is leeching spirit-power from the caern
with Butterfly Eater, Black Lung took the
to metamorphosize his klaive into something more
opportunity to exploit the caern’s reduced defenses and
powerful. He is literally taking the heart-blood of the
make his way to the spiritual center of the caern. There,
caern and transferring it into his weapon. As one might
he is stealing spirit-energy from the caern for his own. This is
expect, this is an incredibly damaging (and selfish)
not a subtle process, and the rest of the sept is aware of what
process. If not stopped soon, the caern’s reservoir of
he is doing but unsure of what to do next. The characters
umbral power will be forever diminished.
will need to be the one to bring about a resolution.
All of the members of the sept are gathered inside the
This scene should unfold shortly after the encounter
caern and have encircled Black Lung. Everyone stands at
with Butterfly Eater. The characters should be exhausted
least five meters away in a wide circle around Black Lung.
Crimson and Cerebra stand on opposite sides and are ideas start to become stale or the chatter around the table
yelling at one another. Each accuses the other of having ebbs, that is the time to unleash Black Lung.
orchestrated the situation with their indifference or The key complication to this scene is not Black Lung,
wrong-headed actions. but Fancy. Unless convinced to stand aside, Fancy will
Fancy (the Red Talon) stands out from the rest of the do everything in his power to prevent the characters
sept. Fancy is at the center of trying to prevent a fight for taking physical action against Black Lung. Fancy is
between the sept and Black Lung. He has his back turned sympathetic to Black Lung’s situation, and will make
toward Black Lung and is instead looking at the rest of biting moral arguments about “faithfulness,” “kinship”
the sept, yelling at them to stay away from Black Lung and “honor” to stall the characters and the rest of the sept.
“while he does what he is doing.” He is gesturing with his If the characters do not talk with Fancy and
hands for the sept to stay at a distance. Fancy argues that immediately attack Black Lung, then Fancy will break
attacking Black Lung would be a deep violation of the with the sept and defend Black Lung. If Black Lung
sacred trust the sept has in itself. can finish his leeching of the caern and empowering his
klaive without incident, he will depart and Fancy will
Final Resolution: Claws in the Caern follow and join Black Lung on the next reaving.
Any sort of conversation with Fancy is likely to at least
Like the scene with Butterfly Eater, there is no single get him to stand aside for the characters’ next stage of
“correct” answer on how to stop Black Lung. the plan. Showing Fancy how badly Butterfly Eater hurt
Attacking Black Lung is, of course, a reasonable option Three Slices will be the most effective route. If Fancy sees
and the most likely one the characters undertake. Black Three Slices in bad shape, he will hesitate and struggle to
Lung is easily the most accomplished warrior in the scene continue to make arguments against confronting Black
and should be more than a match for one or two other Lung. Effectively, Fancy’s mental construct of honor and
Garou, so the characters will need to be careful. protecting kin is destroyed with the evidence of what the
Black Lung has two non-negotiable goals for this scene. Cult of Fenris did to Three Slices.
First, to allow the klaive to drink its fill. Second, to leave If a fight starts, Crimson and Cerbera will both
alive. He would also like to add one or more of the sept’s transform into crinos and start their own side-conflict.
Garou to his new reaving, but that is something he is You can decide who wins this battle.
willing to leave without. What may seem like an open-and-shut case to the
Black Lung is in the throes of Hauglosk, and will be players is much more complicated for the storyteller
very difficult to negotiate with. His only language is characters. No one wants to fight Black Lung. Doubt
violence. In order to buy time, he will pretend to listen seeded in previous scenes means that many are worried
and will string along the characters if they try to strike a that if they attack Black Lung then other sept members
deal, but will fully expect to have to fight his way out. like Cerbera or Fancy will come to Black Lung’s aid and
If the characters hesitate and allow the klaive to sake permanently break the sept’s delicate social bonds. So,
its spirit-thirst and none of the sept agree to leave with for many in the sept, inaction and hesitancy represent the
Black Lung, he will decide to fight his way out. When the safest course of action.
klaive is ready, Black Lung will take one last drag of his
cigarette, throw it aside, and then pull the blade from the
ground. He will wipe the blood-like mud off the blade, Resolution Without Combat
and then in a burst of speed lunge towards the characters The most direct route to stopping Black Lung and
(whom he assumes are the weakest of the gathered Butterfly Eater is violence, particularly as the Garou are
Garou). The characters will need to subdue Black Lung equipped for that sort of resolution. However, enter-
and his empowered klaive however they can. prising characters should be allowed to explore other,
less-violent, options.
Complication: Fancy and Cerbera You may want to allow a pack to try to convince
either Butterfly Eater or Black Lung to accept lesser
Timing Black Lung’s attack is all about when you decide demands (but not by much). It is your call if either
it makes the most sense. The klaive will fill up as soon as or both can be dissuaded from their path, but if you
the momentum of the scene is winding down. Allow the permit the possibility, it should be an arduous task
players time to try to explore options, but as soon as their accomplished only after a number of successful rolls
accompanied with exceptional roleplaying. Black Lung 0 Who created the SymphonyforMaggots and
maintains its darkweb presence? Why?
will only accept lesser demands forced on him by How do they know about the Garou and
someone(s) he sees as stronger or more powerful. Black Cult of Fenris?
Lung will revert to violence if he thinks he is losing 0 What other repercussions from the
control of the situation, so the characters will need to Cult’s reaving will come up? The Cult
act fast and decisively. of Fenris broke, killed, and maimed in
If a player offers their character to join the reaving, the name of Gaia for years. Who else is
then Black Lung (or Butterfly Eater) will accept hurting because of the reaving?
after some roleplay and a successful Difficulty 2 0 Can the sept overcome the social and
physical wounds raised by Black Lung’s
Manipulation + Persuasion roll by the character
return? Were relationships so badly
willing to leave. Conditions can be attached to
broken the sept itself will unravel? ■
this “surrender,” including that the reavers depart
immediately. While avoiding bloodshed, this is a dark
outcome. A new Garou gives the reavers a powerful
tool. You should talk through the repercussions with
the players. How will the lost character embrace
Hauglosk? What sort of havoc and damage will the
abandoned character be forced to do?
Denouement
However, the players resolve the Black Lung threat,
there should be repercussions. There is no optimum
solution, and every conclusion should bring some sort
of future drama.
It is likely that Black Lung and the characters will fight,
with the rest of the sept looking on. This is the worst of
Garou politics on display. Despite everything, the sept
members are unable to take decisive action because of their
history with the Cult of Fenris. If the characters survive
the fight with Black Lung, the rest of the sept will offer
heartfelt apologies that may land flat with the characters.
It is possible Fancy and other members of the sept
are swayed to join Black Lung, weakening the sept
considerably. In that case, a melancholy pallor will befall
the sept. The specter of Harano will hang over many
members, and unless the sept is given an idea or action
to rally behind, one or more members will succumb to
Harano and leave.
The caern will be weakened if Black Lung is able to
complete the leeching ritual. The local spirits will grow
distant with the Garou, believing they failed in their
most sacred duty to protect the caern. Some spirit-allies
will either leave or, in some cases, wither and fade away
without access to the caern’s life-power.
Looking Ahead
A story’s conclusion should lead to future drama. There
are a few story elements the players may like to explore.
Appendix
The C a er n of
Broken S to n e
I f you are running this story on its own, you
may need a ready-made caern.
The Caern of Broken Stone is located right on
the edge of a decayed and overgrown suburban housing
development from the 1960s. The caern itself is a massive
swirl in a circular hurricane pattern at knee-level. The
riot of color has no physical effect, and each time the
colors impact against a spirit they harmlessly explode like
tiny fireworks.
Spirits of discovery and emergence are drawn to the
sinkhole that revealed itself as the housing development caern and its power, many of whom ally with the sept.
came together and was key to the loss of financing and
abandonment of the project. The caern was one of the
last new caerns to ever be discovered and, for a time in Supporting Characters
the 20th century, served as a sign that maybe Gaia was
healing. That turned out to not be the case, but the
Garou packs that first flocked to the caern with a sense of Black Lung (aka Claude Moreau, aka
hope stayed on to form a sept and protect the caern.
The heart of the caern is in the sinkhole depression. “The Dark Dragon”)
The sinkhole is 50 meters wide and sinks down about Cult of Fenris (Fenrir) Ahroun.
10 meters in a sometimes-gradual-sometimes-sharp- He is the leader of what remains of the Cult of Fenris
but-always-slippery decline. The sinkhole is covered in Reavers and also a former member of the sept.
grasses and flowers all year long, and despite there being Black Lung relishes his status as a member of the Cult
no water, the area is vibrant and bountiful and attracts of Fenris. He attempts to emulate the uncompromising
many types of insects and a number of frogs who croak power of Fenris by embracing Hauglosk. Years of
and sing all day and night. participating in the took a deep toll on Black Lung. He
Any non-spirit that spends even a few minutes within no longer has the ability to think in anything other than
the borders of the sinkhole has their thirst for water and simple power dynamics. Everything he sees he evaluates
hunger for food spiritually quenched. Spirits that spend as either stronger or weaker — there is no middle ground.
time within the sinkhole are similarly energized, bathing The sept was the last real and stable location Black
in the radiant energies that emanate from the deepest Lung remembers. He is inwardly ashamed of the meager
part of the sinkhole. accomplishments of the past five years, and a small part
In the Umbra, the caern is a vibrant explosion of color. of him longs for the stability of his former sept.
Free-floating flower petals, some of long-extinct flowers, Never much of a communicator, Black Lung has no
Never the Same Thing: The Dice authority. It will not be evasive in its
Pools and Secondary Attributes dealings, and will speak its mind.
(including Health) for the The Baron/Barren can serve
Chrysalis improve each round as an important point of
of combat by 1. If the spirit reference on the caern’s and
is not dispatched by the end sept’s history for the players.
of combat, its energy folds in on
itself and it is forced to return to the
Umbra. Three Slices of Truth
(Janos Saaros)
Draug (Eli Markkanen) Bone Gnawer Ahroun, Reeve-of-the-
Caern
Cult of Fenris Galliard, Black Lung’s
While not the most powerful Ahroun
frontman
(even after Black Lung departs), he is a
Draug was a steadfast ally of Black
capable leader that has a knack with getting
Lung’s even before the reaving. Draug
reluctant spirits to do what he wants. His
often served as the mediator to patch
relationship with the caern’s resident
frayed social relations after Black
spirits is what made him an ideal
Lung said or did something
choice as the resident defender of
particularly. In many ways,
the caern.
Draug was the reason Black
If Three Slices survives the
Lung was not kicked out of the sept
conversion, he will change. Once affable and
earlier.
confident, he will become jumpy, overly-cautious, and
Despite having better social acumen than Black
distrustful of anyone new. It will take some time and
Lung, Draug was no less a Fenris fanatic. He looked
effort for him to recover, both physically and mentally
down on the rest of the sept as ineffectual and
(especially as he thought fondly of Butterfly Eater when
unwilling to make hard decisions. Draug had no
she was part of the sept).
qualms leveraging “deplorable”, hateful and prejudiced
Use the Berserk Ahroun stats from Werewolf, p.
aspects of human society like the white nationalist
280.
movement and neo-Nazism. His ideas were unwelcome
by everyone except Black Lung, which is why the two
stuck together. Crimson-on-the-Wind (Vanessa Gomes)
Black Fury Philodox, Scar Leader
The Baron/Barren While the sept’s social structure does not identify a
specific leader, Crimson serves as the de facto leader of
The Barren/Baron is a tree spirit allied with the sept and
the sept. The role is one that does not come naturally to
located nearby the heart of the caern. Its homonym name
Crimson, and she works hard on building social alliances
reflects both meanings simultaneously — as an entity that
and trust between the members of the sept. She was
elicits nobility-like respect from other, lesser, spirits and
proud of the progress she was making, and of integrating
because it is barren of leaves.
the characters’ pack, but the return of Black Lung and
The Baron/Barren is old and has seen hundreds of
Butterfly Eater threatens to unravel her work.
seasons, though its recollection of events older than
An optimist at heart, she believes in the power of a
a decade can become fanciful (its memory focuses on
unified Garou Nation and deeply laments the loss of the
metaphors and emotional impressions the farther back it
Cult of Fenris and Stargazers. Crimson is willing to die a
goes). Its existence predates the discovery of the caern by
martyr, especially if she believes her death will bring the
centuries and it can speak to the sept’s history with some
sept closer. ■