Harano is often compared to depression, but that’s not unlike comparing a werewolf to a wolf. The two are similar, but several degrees apart. Harano directly affects the spirit of its victim. Harano is not intelligent; it's not a spirit or entity (although some Garou would swear that it is.) It is a condition that progresses, ironically enough, by the victim’s inaction. From a mechanics point of view, Harano can start out as a moderate to sever depression. If the Garou does not seek treatment in this stage of the illness, she becomes darkly introspective. They develop an obsession with the seeming hopeless situation of Gaia. The victim falls further into despair, inadvertently fueling their own waking nightmares. The Garou then becomes delusional as the condition progresses, alternately cursing at and weeping for events that haven’t even happened. In the later stages of Harano, the physical body starts to suffer as the Garou forgets to sleep, eat or even bathe. Eventually, if the Garou doesn’t take their own life first, they’ll literally waste away to the point that their physical body fails.

Harano is not a glorious death.

Pack and sept mates will do all that they can to help the afflicted individual recover. Despite the careful ministrations of well meaning friends, the battle of Harano is one that must be fought and won internally. Suffering from Harano is one of the worst fates that a Garou could face.

From a story perspective, Harano is so much more than an illness or “condition.” It is the hopeless cry of the Garou who have been abused for far too long. As a nation that has been at war for millennia, the Garou grow weary. Their collective spirits long for a reprieve from the endless battles and relief from the eternal winter that has made their hearts grow cold. The world that the modern werewolf has been born to is a mockery of the glory that Gaia originally bestowed upon Her favored people. Those who came before were careless with their charge, and the modern werewolf is left with the unenviable task of somehow picking up the pieces. It's no wonder that some go mad in the process

Nevertheless, the Garou continue forward, despite the overwhelming odds against them. Some claim that they do this out of habit, or their sense of obligation to Gaia. While that’s true in part, the reason they refuse to lay down their arms is because there is still hope, however insignificant it may seem. As long as Gaia blesses the Nation with those who breed true, there could be a better tomorrow.

The trouble begins when a werewolf loses sight of this fact. Rather than embracing the progress of the cause, a werewolf hangs on to the losses of the past. Rage turns into sorrow, sorrow gives way to hopelessness, and death becomes the most attractive escape. The seed of Harano is planted in the spirit of every Garou. Anyone can fall prey to its deceptive lure. Harano is feared, perhaps even more than the Wyrm because of its predictably destructive power.

A story involving a character with Harano will be dark and morbid. Every individual involved will understand what the afflicted werewolf is going through because they fight the same internal struggle on a daily basis. It is only the slender thread of hope that prevents the entire Garou Nation from collapsing.

As Harano is a progressive condition, it does not simply just HAPPEN and is preventable. For each GREAT loss a character suffers (loss of a great battle, death of a spouse, parent, sibling, pack mate, a caern falling, watching a great Legend of your Tribe fall, losing an ancestral Fetish…..) the Garou must make a Willpower Roll at difficulty 8 (diff 9 for those with the ‘Harano Prone’ Flaw). Only on a BOTCH will the Garou start to feel the effects of Harano. With this in mind we will be playing Harano on a metered system. Much like Damage, each character will have three 'Harano Boxes'. For each BOTCHED Harano check, one Harano Box will be filled. Harano boxes will also carry the following penalties for purchasing Rage.

Box 1 - Rage costs current level x2
Box 2 - Rage costs current level x3
Box 3 (full Harano) - Can not purchase Rage

When a character has all three ‘Harano Boxes’ filled they will fall to the full effects of Harano. A character may clear one ‘Harano Box’ via Rite of Cleansing, with the specific intent of cleansing the Harano per a season ( Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter). The season in which the Rite is being done will also affect the difficulty to carry out the rite.

Spring: -1 dif
Summer: No change
Fall: +1 dif
Winter: +2 dif

A character suffering from Harano must make a Willpower roll each scene (difficulty 7). Failure indicates that the werewolf falls deep into their oppressive misery. All their dice pools are halved; they just don’t have the spirit to make any real effort. A character may spend a single point of Willpower to partially overcome the effects of Harano for a scene.

Overcoming Harano is no easy task, but it can be done. After a character achieves a significant success of some sort, they can make a Willpower roll (difficulty 10). Failure indicates that the character does not break free from the affliction, and their life does not improve. A botch increases the difficulty of Harano rolls by 1 until the character gets significant rest – at least eight hours of sleep. Success indicates that the character pushes back the despair. The character gains one permanent point of Willpower from surviving the terrible ordeal. However, they face the constant threat of regression. A character who’s Harano has receded must make a Willpower roll (Difficulty 5) each new moon, when Luna has withdrawn herself. Failure means the character falls back into the grip of Harano. A character that succumbs to Harano twice faces the prospect of a lifelong battle with this disease. They may recover and regress many times but never again earns a Willpower point for recovery.

For those that can not, or will not work towards recovery there is nothing but a bleak end. For each year the Garou lives with Harano they lose 1 perminate dot of Rage. This can NEVER be regained. A Garou that loses all their Rage this way loses their will to live and expires. A death none would honor.