Shadows Over The South Wiki

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Caller of the Wyld (Sept Standing •)

Responsibilities:

It is the Caller of the Wyld’s responsibility to summon the sept’s totem spirits — including the spirit of the caern itself — to most moots. This requires knowledge of Garou rites, to perform that actual summoning, and Umbral politics, to ensure that a spirit is not summoned out of turn or accidentally snubbed. The Caller of the Wyld is only needed during moots, so this is a good position for a young Garou whose quest for glory and honor could take her far from the sept. Young werewolves, especially ambitious Theurges, also enjoy this position because it helps them build a relationship with the sept’s local spirits. Most Kinfolk cannot interact with the spirit world, which makes it impossible for them to serve as Caller of the Wyld, even in the most embattled sept. However, the rare Kin who has developed the skill to summon spirits occasionally fill this position.

Benefits: The Caller of the Wyld gains a +3 to social dice pools involving interaction with the sept’s totem spirits, and a +1 to social dice pools involving other Gaian spirits in the region

Keeper (Sept Standing •) Responsibility: The Keepers do the maintenance work and heavy lifting around the sept. Most Keepers are young Garou trying on serious responsibility, or those convicted of minor crimes trying to avoid a worse punishment. Keepers must spend some part of each day in the sept, looking for ways to contribute, but they have plenty of time to pursue their own business. Keeper’s work under the Keeper of the Land (described below) and assist her with her duties. Kinfolk frequently becomes Keepers. Even the most conservative Garou agree that Kin can perform petty, but necessary, work for the sept. In conservative septs, Kin gain much more respect for taking on this job than they do for ambitiously claiming a responsibility that some Garou believe should be for werewolves alone.

Benefits: The spirits of the sept understand that the Keepers are the minions of the Keeper of the Land and grant them some respect. Keepers enjoy a +2 bonus to social dice pools involving spirits that live in the sept’s Umbral reflection.

Gatekeeper (Sept Standing •)

Responsibilities: The Gatekeeper maintains the caern’s moon bridges, opening and closing them for certain rituals or at the request of Garou who wishes to travel through the Umbra to another sept. The Gatekeeper also keeps and defends the caern’s Pathstone. Not all Gatekeepers are Theurges, but all must know the Rite of the Opened Bridge and the Rite of the Opened Caern, at least. The Gatekeeper is usually tied to the caern, especially when the moon bridge is in demand, making this an unattractive position for most young and ambitious Garou. Like the Caller of the Wyld, the Gatekeeper’s responsibilities are primarily spiritual. As a result, Gatekeepers are rarely Kin.

Benefit: The position of Gatekeeper conveys three bonus dice to social dice pools when dealing with the sept’s totem spirit. Although the Gatekeeper doesn’t enjoy a bonus when dealing with the Garou of his sept, many Garou seek his favor, since he can either expedite or delay their requests to use the moon bridges.

Guardian (Sept Standing •)

Responsibilities: All of a sept’s Garou are ready to lay down their lives to defend it on a moment’s notice, but the sept’s Guardians have made it their personal responsibility. Guardians act as a sept’s sentries, patrolling its borders and responding to threats. They do not take the offensive or investigate potential danger, at least not in their capacity as Guardians. Most septs have between five and ten Guardians — the equivalent of one or two packs — and it isn’t at all unheard of for an entire pack to collectively take on this duty. In times of war, the Guardians are on duty at all times and cannot leave the sept. In times of relative peace, a Guardian might be able to work out an arrangement that lets her leave the sept to pursue her own agenda. Most septs view it as an unforgiveable shame for their Kinfolk to take up arms. Even though almost every sept has armed its Kinfolk at one point or another, only a sept on the edge of extinction would actually name its Kinfolk as Guardians. Some progressive septs dodge this issue by giving their Kinfolk warriors some other title, like “commandos” or “support squads.”

Benefit: A Guardian’s constant training and familiarity with the terrain allow her to reduce all difficulties by 1 when fighting within the sept grounds.