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Loomer posted:Oh stop, you'll give me an even bigger head. I'm several chapters behind but I'm going to finish reading your review of Red Death because good lord is it dumb and hilarious and just 
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Jul 11, 2023 01:25
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 Pathfinder Core Rulebook, Second Edition, part Twenty, The World According to Pathfinder Chapter 8 brings us The Age of Lost Omens, a quick history lesson and some stuff on the peoples and nations. Not too much mind you, they'll give you all the rules online, but they're making some of their cash on world books.  A map of the central area for pathfinder, showing two of the seven continents. There's a lot to the world, in the kitchen sink style. Varisia, the setting of Rise of the Runelords, pulled elements from James Jacob's homebrew world. Other parts seem to have developed for adventures. I know the Shackles is the location of their pirate adventure path, I think Osirion was the not-Egypt. Andoran catches my eye, having seen a recent comment about "Andor" showing up in fantasy works; the commentor was surprised to find the board game Legend of Andor was NOT a Wheel of Time property (where Andor is one of the major nations). Along the eastern edge, there's Galt, which I assume is filled with individualists. On the facing page, we get the world history. "Ten thousand years ago, t he world of Golarian came close to ending." I know I've started histories for my campaigns that far back or further, but these days my eye twitches when we're dating back as far as in our world humans getting used to the idea of agriculture. The event was Earthfall, when falling stars "sank continents, hollowed out new seas, and destroyed civilizations." It got better. Side note, the elves apparently hosed off to the neighboring planet of Castrovel for the duration of the catastrophe. Less than 2000 years after Earthfall, the Age of Destiny sees the emergence of many human empires. Enter Aroden, an immortal human survivor of Earthfall. Besides immortality, he has the Starstone, a fragment of the stars that caused the devastation. It subjects him to a series of tests, and when it's all over, he's a god (I think at least two of the setting's gods also get their godhood via the Starstone). He raises up an island and founds the city of Absalom, which grows into one of largest cities of the world. Over the centuries, he's getting distracted but otherworldly matters. But that's okay, when he gets back, he's going to lead humanity into the Age of Glory. Instead, he dies. Somehow. Somewhere. And prophecy is unreliable because of it (this point showed up all the way back in Rise of the Runelords, and I do think it's a nifty setting hook, a god's death screwing up predictions. Like if astrology was real, but then Mars disappeared). So enter the Age of Lost Omens. There's a wider map of the world, mention of other planets, and the Inner and Outer Planes (we're still a D&D knock-off, there's the Elemental Planes, Positive and Negative Energy, Ethereal and Astral, Heaven and Hell and the Abyss and probably more but let's not invoke WotC's lawyers for copyright. Time, they keep things simple. 24 hours in a day, 7 days in a week, 52 weeks in a year, an extra day in the 2nd month every four years for leap day. Months and days have fantasy names alongside their English equivalent. For actual dates, the year is 4719 Absalom Reckoning (AR), with the last two digits matching the year this book was publish, 2019 (Shadowrun did something similar, the books took place 60 years after the date they were published, so the timeline kept moving along). Earthfall was -5293 AR, so, exactly 10000 years before the publication of Rise of the Runelords in 2007. Aroden's death was 4606 AR, so it's now been over a century. The 10 areas on the map in big print each get half a page of text, enough to generate interest and push you toward the appropriate world book. Under Cultures, we're introduced to the 11 human ethnicities. You've got all types: fantasy Egyptians, fantasy Africans, fantasy Romany, fantasy Asian (it does note that the Tian are many ethnicities, but since they're from the other side of the world on the continent of Tian Xia, the few that end up here get lumped into one ethnicity), fantasy Viking (their language is Skald, which is either a brilliant joke or stupid). Oh, and there are the Nidalese, whose culture survived Earthfall by pledging themselves to an evil shadow god, "and the grip of Zon-Kuthon has tainted these people ever since. Nidalese tend toward gray, ashy skin tones, with white, gray, or black hair." Their language is the Shadowtongue.  Eleven human ethnicities. Dwarves? Three, with all the difference we're told is some still live in the upper part of the Darklands (this is what you get when you can't use Underdark), some live on or near the surface, and some live in the highest mountains. Elves are aliens, from a nearby planet, and are defined by the environment they live in. Gnomes come from the First World, Pathfinder's Feywild. Goblins have the Rasp Goblins, in the Rasp region, forest goblins, frost goblins (who grow blue fur), and monkey goblins, with prehensile tails (I don't see that as a goblin heritage option) The chapter ends with the various deities of the setting. It's a good mix, you can probably find someone interesting to worship. The one name I always stop at is Norgorber, the god of greed, murder, poison, and secrets, who I'm sure is scary and all, but the name seems more fitting for a muppet. Overall, there's a lot to the world, and for those interested in more, this chapter whets the appetite.
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Jul 11, 2023 08:54
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srhall79 posted:Along the eastern edge, there's Galt, which I assume is filled with individualists. Galt is the French Revolution country, where they just kept guillotining each other for 50 years. Very silly worldbuilding. Silver2195 fucked around with this message at 20:59 on Jul 11, 2023 |
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Jul 11, 2023 20:56
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ooh there's definitely a great horror and paranoia campaign to be had in Twilight Zone revolutionary France where the Reign of Terror never ends.
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Jul 11, 2023 21:37
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I will simply find the fantasy equivalent of Brissot, stab him, and save everyone the misery.
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Jul 11, 2023 21:39
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srhall79 posted:monkey goblins, with prehensile tails (I don't see that as a goblin heritage option) It's from the Character guide but all player options are a part of Pathfinder 2e's SRD by design. https://2e.aonprd.com/Heritages.aspx?ID=37
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Jul 11, 2023 21:57
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Way I see it such a campaign can't have a simple solution as killing a couple of the asshats directing the revolution, the horror is that the Terror never runs out of cruel men to steer it. As if the Terror itself is a living monster that can't be attacked directly, the only obvious solutions are either escape or reuniting the nation somehow.
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Jul 11, 2023 21:59
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This may have changed in 2nd edition but it always left a bad taste in my mouth that hellknights were given a soft touch with the constant reminders that they aren't all evil, but Galt is just this impossible funny land where they love murdering eachother for made up crimes.
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Jul 11, 2023 22:45
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Which land was it that had the evil alien Conqueror Worms that were puppetmastering all the country's internal strife and vicious factionalism to basically play a real-time strategy game against each other for fun? Cuz I always thought that was a little bit of neat secret setting lore.
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Jul 11, 2023 23:36
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The best country is the barbarians with laser rifles.
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Jul 11, 2023 23:40
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Terrible Opinions posted:This may have changed in 2nd edition but it always left a bad taste in my mouth that hellknights were given a soft touch with the constant reminders that they aren't all evil, but Galt is just this impossible funny land where they love murdering eachother for made up crimes. I feel like a lot of bad Pathfinder writing (especially in 1e) is a side-effect of the alignment system. It makes genuine moral ambiguity impossible, so there's this urge to add galaxy-brained fake moral ambiguity. In combination with the conscious attempts to be "edgier" than D&D in early 1e, this led to a tendency to treat "real-world" evil as Neutral, reserving the Evil label for cartoonish baby-eaters. This is one reason why I'm glad that the Remaster is getting rid of alignment. Silver2195 fucked around with this message at 00:01 on Jul 12, 2023 |
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Jul 11, 2023 23:59
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If they're gonna have the "not all hellknights are evil" disclaimer every time they're brought up it's only fair to do the same for gray gardeners.
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Jul 12, 2023 00:01
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Terrible Opinions posted:If they're gonna have the "not all hellknights are evil" disclaimer every time they're brought up it's only fair to do the same for gray gardeners. The Gray Gardener archetype is "suitable for heroes to take after the events of Night of the Gray Death," for what it's worth.
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Jul 12, 2023 00:04
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I remember someone posting this map as my first look at the Pathfinder setting  it is of course a bit more complex than that.
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Jul 12, 2023 05:46
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Asterite34 posted:Which land was it that had the evil alien Conqueror Worms that were puppetmastering all the country's internal strife and vicious factionalism to basically play a real-time strategy game against each other for fun? Cuz I always thought that was a little bit of neat secret setting lore. That's Galt - they're making the Terror last forever.
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Jul 12, 2023 06:06
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Yusin posted:I remember someone posting this map as my first look at the Pathfinder setting But only a bit  Golarian feels like it's a couple steps up from Generic Fantasy Map. I poked around a little for the history and was surprised more of it didn't come from one Paizo editor's homebrew or another. I'm sure many of had campaign worlds that gained new nations as we were exposed to new media or neat bits of history that we wanted to work in. And Paizo is packing in two 6-part adventures every year, they need interesting places.Other comments about Galt sent me looking more closely at its paragraph. It's not just guillotines; they have final blades, MAGICAL guillotines that claim the souls of those decapitated. "If any of the regions of the Shining Kingdoms is poised for significant change in the near future, it is surely revolution-wracked Galt." I mean, I guess another revolution would be significant change. Paragraph above that is about Kyonin, a forested elven land, though they abandoned it after Earthfall. So it was taken over by a powerful demon named Treerazer, which strikes me as a very first-draft name.
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Jul 12, 2023 06:49
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Galt's schtick is that the "mob executions" phase has been running for 50 years. The only people who seem untouchable are the Grey Gardeners, who wield the final blades. They're a front cult for a conqueror worm, a semi-divine puppet master.
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Jul 12, 2023 06:52
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I always thought the soul-stealing guillotines were a nice bit of world building, given that the people you're executing would be the sort of people to have access to resurrection spells etc.
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Jul 12, 2023 06:52
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Having gotten into PF2e after dropping D&D5e only recently, I'd have to agree that Golarion has a heavy kitchen sink feel, especially since it seems the original editors sought to have the world provide as many avenues for fantasy adventure genres as possible. As much as a sucker I am for kitchen sink stuff, I'd have to admit that it can be pretty shallow. However, going through some of the recent setting books they released since 2019 like for The Mwangi Expanse (fantasy Africa), I'd say they've done a pretty solid job on springboarding off the edgy, kitchen-sinky world that they started with here. To be fair, I don't have high expectations for historical/anthroplogical/narrative complexity out of a mass-market kitchen-sink RPG book. Still, I feel they've managed to be thoughtful in inviting new writers from a variety of backgrounds and fleshing out what started out in the original core book as just "fantasy Africa". A setting book gives them an opportunity to expand on the Core's short blurb and so far, I feel like they've at least done a solid effort of making the region feel like dynamic, with competing and interconnected groups of different cultures. It makes it feel like a place all these fantasy folks actually live, breathe, and dream in, rather than just an "exotic" backdrop for player characters (though I'm sure one can argue that it still can end up that way in actual play). For example, I admire how they were able to expand on the human "Mwangi" ethnicity by going deeper and laying out that, no, there isn't just the one human group in this region, but around 10 or so more specific ethnic groups groups that have unique day-to-day customs, storytelling traditions, and ways of engaging with the world and with each other based on the specific challenges of the subregions they each originate from. They've even were able to dive deeper on various non-human ancestries and added a new spins on things like elves with ideas inspired from the region's largely West and Central African roots. Like, for example, the Alijae elves that, in historically devoting themselves to protecting themselves and others from demons, cultivated a culture of ascetic scholarship and record-keeping, including recording the stories of their ancestors through speaking hand-carved masks that they wear on themselves and incorporate into their architecture. I dunno, maybe I've been sucked in and am fan-girling to my detriment. I wouldn't be opposed to doing write-ups of the setting books if I ever had extra free time. It's a shame that the Core Rulebook didn't give them the space to make this stuff meatier, and it can absolutely come off as generic fantasy sink slop if you're coming at it fresh. Still, reading these setting books and looking at the 2e Core, I get the sense that the Paizo creative team also realized they could write something thats at least more thoughtful. With what I'm reading so far, they've made a solid attempt at doing so since 2019. WAYYY better than most things that have been put out for D&D5e, setting-wise (not a high bar, I guess). EDIT: grammar & syntax. note to self: don't write a long post when barely awake A Meatslab fucked around with this message at 18:11 on Jul 12, 2023 |
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Jul 12, 2023 11:43
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Yeah, Golarion has improved remarkably from 1e. It's a pity the Pathfinder lore wiki is full of outdated 1e lore.
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Jul 12, 2023 13:57
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Yeah, even though a lot of world stuff in PF2e is informed by 1e, you can really feel that the edition change was a total reboot in terms of tone and content. There are some wiki pages here and there that mark changes between 1e and 2e, but not enough to get the whole picture. I vaguely remember reading some AMA some time ago where one user wondered if a lot of the nastier from 1e was the Paizo team having a bit of an early 2000's sugar rush of edginess and seeing how far they could push the envelope once they were free from working with Wizards of the Coast. If I remember right, one of the editors responded to that post with something along the lines of, "Yeah, that tracks."
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Jul 12, 2023 16:19
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Pathfinder got their start as "Pathfinder Horror", they were literally the publisher doing edgy products. Then they figured out that if they had decent art and production values they could do just as well with non-edgy stuff, and it developed from there.
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Jul 12, 2023 16:26
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Oh! Didn't know that! Well, that makes their initial direction make a lot more sense.
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Jul 12, 2023 16:46
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I remember back during the 1e era, I read an interview with the guy writing the Pathfinder Manual of the Planes, whatever they called it. The author knew his audience, so he just said plainly that obviously 4e cosmology sucks and his plan was to just rip off Planescape as hard as he could. I'm glad that Paizo eventually decided to actually write a setting.
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Jul 12, 2023 17:49
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srhall79 posted:
I think Treerazer is an original demon James Jacobs made when he was young. He’s in the bestiary and I think he’s overall the current strongest official monster in the game.
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Jul 12, 2023 18:15
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Infinity RPG: PanOceania The Mountain of Magellan Magalhaes is a continent whose chief and most economically vital feature is a single mountain - the largest on the entire planet, Almofrei Mountain. The continent itself is named for Fernao de Magalhaes, better known in English as Ferdinand Magellan. Almofrei, as a note, is not just the largest mountain on Acontecimento - it is the single largest natural geographoc feature on any human-inhabited planet. At the peak, the atmospheric pressure is low enough that people need to wear pressure suits for safety. It is also full of extremely large amounts of valuable minerals, which are largely extracted via remote mining rigs. There are really only two major cities on the entire continent, as the mountain takes up so much space. Much of the mining produce once traveled through the city of Portobelo, and it was the headquarters of Minescorp. However, when the Zebro River was re-engineered, it became cheaper and easier to float ore on barges to Riomeio, and all the shipping companies left Portobelo, as did Minescorp. The town council invested heavily in tourism, building resorts along the beautiful coastline to take advantage of their tropical heat and extensive hot springs. The successes there funded further construction, this time of mountain resorts that brought in skiers and climbers. Tourism has boomed thanks to the close access to varied climates, with celebrities and wealthy elites enjoying themselves and using the area for negotiations in a pleasant setting. The increasing use of the area by the wealthy and powerful has, however, made for rising concerns about espionage and local security. Tourism is only boosted by the presence of the Selvagens islands, which have been protected and cultured to reproduce the unspoiled natural tropics of Acontecimento before human arrival. They're beautiful...and due to extremely strong magnetic fields generated by the rocks that make them up, they're almost wholly removed from Maya access, which leads some people to use them as a way of disconnecting from modern society and getting back to nature. It is widely rumored that other people use the lack of Maya access for more sinister and criminal purposes. Riomeio, meanwhile, was once nothing but second fiddle to Portobelo in the shipping game. Now, the Zebro River has made it the main avenue for moving mineral resources from the mountain, and it has grown rich on the trade. It has expanded wildly, constructing the Great Cargo Yards to facilitate the transition of the barges from the river tugs to huge barge-trains that attach to oceanic vessels. Minescorp and several other companies have relocated their headquarters to the newly growing city, but the new wealth is also causing political problems, as the lobbies local to the city have begun to disagree quite vigorously over how it should expand. The Zebro River Passage project, as a note, was one of the largest terraforming efforts the planet ever had, led by engineers brought in from Bourak. It took five years of work with heavy construction remotes to dig out the new river path, moving enough soil that some of the piles were visible from orbit. What was once a shallow and meandering river is now swift and deep, moving more resources than any other planetary waterway with the aid of locks that run parallel to the main flow to help bring the barges back up to the mountain. Most of the system is managed automatically or by the use of remotes known as estivadores. The area is also notable for being home to trade missions from every other nation in the Human Sphere, all looking to get a taste of the mineral wealth flowing out of Magalhaes, along with representatives from many different hypercorps. We're out of continents, but the Vishwa Archipelago is the largest island chain on Acontecimento. It has only very recently adapted to the automated farming techniques developed for the CFZs, and they are working rather less well in Vishwa than they have elsewhere. The small islands of the chain are referred to as the mil jems, or minor islands. They range from small and beautiful beach resort islands to large and mountainous heights, with a huge variety of biomes found in few other places on the planet and many species unique to them. However, the introduction of non-native plants and animals has already caused immense ecological damage, despite the best efforts of the scientists trying to study the islands. It is rumored that the anti-hunting activists called the Libertadores have moved into the area, though it's hard to refer to them as a single group; some of them are pacifists who infiltrate wilderness areas and interfere in hunts by literally putting themselves in the line of fire, while others believe strongly that the best way to end hunting and the ecological damage it causes is to make violent examples of hunters. The archipelago's capital is the city of Bharata, straddling several of the islands on Bharata Bay. It is navigated largely by a network of broad canals, albeit rather more planned out than those of Venice. The government operates out of the Chamber of Islands, a building built inside a transparent underwater sphere in the mouth of the bay. Nearby Bharatavarsha Island is home to the extinct volcano Jaanavar Mountain, and also to the powerful and aggressive sabre-toothed bear. Most people in the area live along the island coast, as the volcanic terrain is difficult to build on, and this has forced msot of the wildlife into the island's hills, limiting their habitat. Vishwa's government has attempted to establish a number of nature preserves on the island and throughout the archipelago, which the CFZ developers are rather unhappy about. The CFZ currently mostly exists on the island Dushyanta, the flattest of all of the Vishwa islands as well as being surrounded by shallow seas excellent for aquaculture, even if it's not one of the biggest islands. It is being largely operated by Prachurata Corp, headquartered in the nearby city of Shaant Samudr and farmed largely by remotes. Dushyanta still cannot use quite the same farming techniques, as it's not flat per se - rather, it's a series of concentric terraces. This limits the landspace available for farming, though the island has still largely been cleared of indigenous plantlife and used for it. Much of the CFZ's work, however, is in the water, using aquafarming techniques originally developed on Varuna. The CFZ is experimenting in a variety of seaweed and seagrass, which are kept in restricted sea plots to avoid cross-contamination. The entire area has been declared off limits for most sea travel, in theory because of navigation hazards from the remotes and farming, though conspiracy theorists insist it is for far nastier reasons. They have no evidence but that's never stopped anyone hollering about genetically modified sea monsters developed by Bakunin's Nomad scientists and bought by the government as guards for evil experiments. Weirdly, you'd think those accusations would be focused more on Shakuntala, the second largest island in the Vishwa chain. It is focused on oceanic sciences over all else, and is home to the Nabia Research Center, a joint research project funded by the governments of Acontecimento and Varuna in conjunction with ALEPH for the development of aquatic Lhosts. It's easily the most important site for such research off of Varuna, and it takes its name from Nabias, apparently a Lusitanian goddess of rivers. Their work has increased the ability of Lhosts to survive at greater depths for longer times with less damage, plus developing better sensory suites for deep water conditions. The city is also notable for its tidal power system and efforts to process sea water for various reasons, such as the creation of desalinated drinking water. The sodium extracted is used in conjunction with the island's solar farms to make very efficient power batteries, and the power farms on Shakuntala supply most of the island easily, including its fully functional airport. Other minerals are also extracted from sea dredging, as the Bandeirantes Ocean has many precious metal deposits on its floor. The island itself has few roads, relying on boats to travel between the small towns along the coast, as well as heavy use of aeropters, a sort of hybrid VTOL personal use aircraft. There's a number of other inhabited archipelagos, and they tend to maintain distinct cultural identities from the rest of the planet, despite not generally being very far from one of the continents. Faleiro, for example, is known for hunting, thanks to the Faleiro Game Preservces, the largest artificially stocked hunting zone in the Human Sphere, which includes both landbound animals and coastal or deep-sea hunting opportunities. The Faleiro Gaming Authority only uses adult animals for the preserves, mostly clones from the labs at Novo Viveiro, where the hunting authorities work with Haqq scientists to fast-grow all kinds of animal clones. They are pioneers in the field of fast growth cloning techniques, because the big game hunts are big money. Sahibzadas is an archipelago originally settled by Sikhs, who are still the majority population and culturally dominant group. While Sikh culture is a minority in most other parts of PanO, even most other parts of Acontecimento, here their religious practice is very much at the forefront, and life in the Sahibzadas islands reflects this. Visitors often think it is very similar to life in a HaqqIslam settlement due to the shared focus on science, the arts and study, though the Sikhs are a distinct faith of their own. In the north, the island chain of Terra de Gelo is actually not easily spotted as an island chain. It's mostly ice sheets, with the archipelago's stone only visible at the highest points. The winters are bitterly cold, but in summer, the surface snow melts, causing flash floods which the local scientists call invisivel. In fall and winter, the snows fall heavily, replenishing what melted in summer. Only one settlement exists there - the scientific station Rocha, which takes its name from the main frozen island of the chain. It sits atop large stilts to stay above the ice and snow. Lastly, we have Vasco De Gama, named for...the explorer, y'know, Vasco de Gama. It is very close, geographically, to Cidade BomJesus, and deliberately exists in a sort of state of anachronism. The islands are for those who reject urban lifestyles of the sort most of Acontecimento's populace have, preferring to live in small villages and farms that aesthetically mirror those of Renaissance Earth. Despite this, the locals are generally not Ateks, and have full connection to Maya as well as using cutting edge biotech on their farms. Next time: Descoberta System
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Jul 12, 2023 22:06
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MonsterEnvy posted:I think Treerazer is an original demon James Jacobs made when he was young. He’s in the bestiary and I think he’s overall the current strongest official monster in the game. He's tied with the Tarrasque and Dimari-Diji. I'm a little curious what will happen to the Tarrasque in the Remaster. The D&D concept of the Tarrasque as a super-strong monster than keeps regenerating has little to do with the Tarasque in the story of St. Martha in the Golden Legend, which actually died rather easily.
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Jul 12, 2023 22:33
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I thought the Tarrasque was Level 24 but it looks like I just misremembered, as I checked and you were right.
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Jul 13, 2023 05:35
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MonsterEnvy posted:I thought the Tarrasque was Level 24 but it looks like I just misremembered, as I checked and you were right. I'm not sure what it was in 2nd edition but I'm pretty sure you had to wound it down to -30 hp from a start of 300 and then use a Wish to kill the thing.
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Jul 13, 2023 08:56
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 Joylessdivisions World of Dorkness Presents: Haighter's Gonna Hate: Part 3: Rage Across the Amazon Part 1 Welcome to another journey through the World of Dorkness as we continue our quest to stop the mad skinner, Samuel Haight. When we last met up with Sam, it was barely a cameo in the Storyteller’s Handbook to the Sabbat. Now, we pick up Sam’s trail after disappearing back into the Umbra at the end of A Quest Beyond Death and return to the most sensible place to encounter Sam, a Werewolf book, specifically Rage Across the Amazon, released in 1993.  I like the cover of this book, though I’m not particularly moved by the painting. Having said that, I still love the rusted barrel aesthetic of the Apocalypse covers, and the bright green border makes for a nice visual contrast from the dark purple, orange and rusty brown of the rest of the cover. And speaking of the cover, let’s take a gander at the back cover. Rage Across The Amazon quote:The Greatest Threat Sticker price is $15.00 USD or $31.57 in 2023.   The book begins, as most Apocalypse books have to this point, with a new Legend of the Garou, this one entitled Distant Thunder. This story sets the stage for things to come, beginning with a group of pups fresh from their Rites of Passage sitting round the fire with elder Galliards of the thirteen tribes, along with the Fianna’s Council of Song who tell the tale of the fallen Get of Fenris pack, the Black Frost who discovered the horrors that Pentex was beginning to unleash on the Amazon.  Because they were Get, they didn’t bother to tell anyone else about what they had found, and instead rushed in a couple nights later to their deaths. The pack leader, Grendel-Walks-with-Death, gave a final threat before being obliterated with silver bullets. The fresh pups round the fire then step through the now opened Moonbridge to the Amazon and the story ends. This is a relatively short story to start things off, and it does a good job of quickly establishing the set up for the whole book, that being the war for the Amazon against Pentex. I don’t think it’s as good as the introductory story of Valkenburg or Rites of Passage, but it’s still a solid bit of opening fiction. Credits
Additional Material by: Sam Chupp, David Key, George Neal Developed by: Bill Bridges Editing: Brain Campbell Art Direction: Richard Thomas Art: John Bridges, Jeff Rebner, Joshua Gabriel Timbrook, Dan Smith, Kathleen Ryan Maps: Brian J. Blume, Eric Hotz Layout and Typesetting: Sam Chupp Logo and Back Cover Design: Michelle Prahler Production Assistance: Kathleen Ryan Special Thanks
Sam “Public Domain” Chupp, for giving everyone the Wyrm Travis “Mac Daddy Drac” Williams, for his tally sheet on Coppola’s “Dracula” William “Willy Pale” Hale, for his blinding whiteness at White Water and his blistering redness later Lyndi “Swamp Thing” Hathaway, for turning green at White Water Josh “Blood of the Leopard” Timbrook, for taking us to the authentic kung-fu movies Mark “Twenty Dollars” Rein●Hagen, for spending it Bourbon Wes “Texas Grolsch” Harris, for that intoxicating salad dressing at Origins ‘93 Andrew “Sedentary” Greenberg, for lucking out and missing Origins Stewart “Dead Letter Office” Wieck, for the amount of mail he let slide when working on Mage Stephen “The Suit” Wieck, for frightening Generation X at Origins ‘93 Ken “Captain Canuck” Cliffe, for his Canada Day festivities Michelle “Stacked” Prahler, for when dreams come true Rob “Flubber” Hatch, for his gelatinous, noisy birthday present. Rene “Much Ado” Lilly, for obsessing on Kenneth Brannagh’s film Chris “Raven” McDonough, for wanting to ring with authenticity like his hero Richard “Cherry Tomato” Thomas, for what everyone didn’t eat at his party Jim “Half-Ogre” Townsend, for a different colored Blood Pit shirt every day of the week Matt “Incognito” Wagner, because we forgot to give him credit for the incredible Werewolf Players Guide cover–but hey, who wouldn’t recognize his art anyway? Word from White Wolf quote:“Enjoying your summer? Fun at the beach, lazy evenings in the lawn chair, no school? If so, you’re wiser than Brian Campbell, Kathleen Ryan and Keith Winkler. These fools have decided to be the Summer Interns here at White Wolf. They could have gone to the beach, they could have laid back in a lawn chair and enjoyed their break from school – but, nooooo, they had to come here for the grueling publication schedule punishment. What kind of guilt must seethe within them to make them willingly suffer so? Will they learn their lesson next summer and get in on a time-sharing beach condo instead? Probably not…. As usual I have numerous questions about the Special Thanks section, especially the tally sheet about Coppola’s Dracula, which I’m certain had an influence on Masquerade as we progress further into the mid to late 90’s, accounting for any books that were already in production prior to its release.  Contents
Introduction: Welcome to Hell Chapter One: History Chapter Two: Geography Chapter Three: People Chapter Four: Encounters Appendix One: Weapons and Equipment Appendix Two: Totems and Tactical Storytelling  Oh yeah, we get a lot of Jeff Rebner’s work in this book. I praised his work pretty heavily in my Valkenburg review, and there’s several of his pieces in this book that I also really like, but holy Christ, do some of them look like rejected pages from a mid-90’s Image comic. I mean, considering the number of belts and pouches in just this image, and the lack of ankles to be seen, I feel like Rob Liefeld slipped in and possessed Jeff for this one.  Introduction: Welcome to Hell Let This Be Our Last Battlefield Kicking things off, we begin with a bit about the Amazon, a place of beauty and mystery that has remained out of the clutches of a thoughtless humanity…. until now, when it has become the front line of the war against the Apocalypse. While Gaia may lay wounded by the machinations of the Wyrm and its minions, her chosen, the Garou have arrived to save the day. Or at least tear some poo poo up. Theme: Hell is Here This book takes Gaia’s warriors and thrusts them into the very heart of the Apocalypse, onto the front lines of the war to save the planet. While this may be a hopeless journey, it is a noble cause that inspires the Garou. The theme of the book is, obviously, war. On one side stands the Wyrm and Pentex who have begun establishing bases in the Amazon so that they may better strike against Gaia. On the other, stand the Garou, whose forces are pitiful compared to the armies of Pentex, they will not retreat or falter, as this is a war that must be won at all costs. To lose this war is to lose everything, including Gaia herself. Mood: The Blood of My Brothers The battle for the Amazon is a bloody one, as packs of Garou charge into the jungles to avenge their fallen brothers and sisters, never to be seen again. A sense of despair is creeping into the souls of those who fight for this sanctum of Gaia. The Amazon has become a place of mourning, not only for those who have fallen, but for the pups who have yet to arrive, and for those who have not seen the true horror of war. It is a sense of mourning for all who will die there. Like any war, confusion and chaos reign across all Amazonian battlefields, and the warriors of Gaia fight under the shadow of death. The Gothic-Punk Amazon To a mortal, the Amazon seems calm and serene, a place of dew-covered trees, whispering streams and rivers, but under the shadow of these trees lurks the dark truth. Banes scream out in the shadows of newly constructed factories, while the Garou launch constant raids against Pentex and its forces, who in turn strike back in nightly raids against their foes, hoping to suppress the resistance. To most, this is a land of untouched, expansive forest, but for the Garou who fight here, it is a macabre haven of despair, one that grows worse with each passing day. The air is filled with the screams of the Amazonian spirits who cry for aid, matched only by the mad howling of the dark spirits who have instigated this horror. The Gauntlet is weak here, thanks to Pentex’s destructive actions and a portal has opened, allowing numerous evils to enter the earthly realm. And this is just the beginning. Pentex’s plans are simple: continue the industrial expansion into the forest at any cost. And so, the stage is set, the Garou are Gaia’s only defense (or are they?) and this is a war that must be won, or all else will be lost. The time to act is now. This Book Rage Across the Amazon is a sourcebook covering the Garou’s bloody war for the Amazon (obviously) and explores in detail this most important conflict of Garou society. It also considers all the factions present in the conflict, and how they interact on the battlefield, as Pentex and the Garou are not the only ones fighting. The mysterious Werecrocodiles are keeping their plans secret from the Garou, and the fierce Werejaguars have taken the fight to both Pentex and the Garou, attempting to drive the invaders from their home. Provided in this book is all the information an ST will need to run chronicles in the war-torn Amazonian jungles, including plot ideas designed to get started immediately. This book is intended for pups fresh from their Rite of Passage as much as it is adult Garou, as Gaia welcomes all who would defend her. Source Material Plenty has been written and produced about the Amazon and its history and ecology and as always, your local library is a great resource for additional information. Provided are a few books and movies to consider checking out for more info. Books
Amazonia: Voices from the Rainforest, a Resource & Action Guide, edited by Angela Gennio which details the ongoing development of the Amazon and includes a reference guide of support groups working to save the rainforest. Movies
Apocalypse Now, (1979) directed by Francis Ford Coppola Medicine Man (1992), directed by John McTiernan Platoon (1986), directed by Oliver Stone (a personal favorite of the reviewer) The Mission (1986), directed by Ronald Joffe At Play in the Fields of the Lord (1991), directed by Hector Babenco Aguirre, The Wrath of God (1972), directed by Werner Herzog (Klaus Kinski going batshit crazy in the jungle, it’s awesome) Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), directed by Steven Spielberg Raiders is on this list literally because it opens in the jungles of Peru, and as the authors note “The introductory sequence is a great source of atmosphere for digging up lost caerns in the jungle” The Real War Of course, this book is a work of fiction, and the authors intend it to be taken as such, but that doesn’t change the fact that there are real issues being discussed within. The authors note that an estimated 74,000 acres (about the area of Athens, Georgia) of rainforest are lost every day to deforestation. For some truly terrifying thoughts, 718,927 square kilometers (about twice the area of California) of forest have been lost between 1970 and 2019 (Source). So, you know, shits really bad. This is a book of fantasy, one of rage and frustration brought to a boiling point, and its villains are Greed, Hatred and short-sightedness, as Pentex, the megacorps from Hell, rapes the land for no other reason than the destruction of Gaia. The reality of the situation is far more complicated than can be presented in this book, as Brazil works to lift itself out of “Third World” status, with the deforestation being done for economic reasons. Cattle farming is just one of the factors responsible for the destruction of the forests, and as the soil cannot sustain the cattle’s feed, the farmers push further and further into the forest. Gold mining is another toxic activity in the region as miners use mercury to refine the little gold they find, then release the mercury back into the environment. Oh, and that’s not even mentioning the murdering of indigenous peoples and local activists by the landowners. “In comparison to such real-life atrocities, Pentex can seem rather tame. In the World of Darkness, of course, Pentex is deeply involved in terror tactics. Any excuse to deliver misery to the world is considered a good risk for this corporation. Its profits, measured not in dollars but in Wyrm corruption, depend on such bold actions in third world countries” Which, yeah, Pentex isn’t real, and they’re more Captain Planet or Toxic Crusaders level of Saturday Morning cartoon villains, but if you strip out their supernatural shenanigans, are they really all that unrealistic? What You Can Do I’ll simply quote the authors: quote:“You do not have to sit passively and allow the rainforest to disappear. Ecology is not regional; the interlocking net of nature extends past national boundaries. This is not politics, but survival. Learn what is really going on in the Amazon. Your voice is a powerful weapon in the struggle to save this beautiful land. Make it heard. There are many organizations that dedicate countless hours to save the Amazon and other endangered lands and species from the onslaught of misguided “Progress”. Please contact your local chapter of the Rainforest Action Network, the Nature Conservancy, the World Wildlife Foundation, Greenpeace or any other organization dedicated to the preservation of the Earth. Any effort can make a big difference. The battle lines have been drawn. Now it is your time to rage.” This is a good introductory chapter, and I appreciate that the authors took the time to bring attention to issue of Amazonian deforestation in 1993, although now 30 years later things have only gotten worse, as we continue to stare down a climate apocalypse of our own and the continued destruction of the rainforests, all for greater profits for the corporations that are working so diligently to send not only every animal species on this planet into extinction, but also our own. Because capitalism. It’s extremely disheartening to read a roleplaying sourcebook from 1993 and realize that things have gotten even worse than the fictional depiction presented here. I would also recommend donating to various charities that are working to save the planet, but I’d recommend doing a bit of digging into them before sending them money as I know Greenpeace isn’t as on the up and up as they may appear. Anyway, let’s put those depressing thoughts aside for a bit while we dig into   Chapter One: History The Time of Long Ago The Earth ages, and the cycle of death and renewal continues. The Amazon remains. Those with the memories to know say there has always been an Amazon and always will be, while the Mokolé dream of the past, speaking of the river as the heart of this pure land, the very bloodstream of the Earth. The werecrocodiles dream and dream, and the river begins to slow as the Wyrm sucks the water from the world. While they sleep, the modern world catches up to the river, and these modern times are not kind to this ancient wonder. Early Migrations When the Pure Ones crossed the Bering Strait land bridge, they spread out over the continent while the Garou watched over them. While the Wendigo stayed in the northern regions and plains, the Croatan moved to the east coast and swamps of the south and the Uktena migrated to the western coasts and deserts. While the other tribes settled in, only the Uktena continued moving. Over many years of travel, they eventually reached the Amazon, though few stayed for long. While the jungles were awe-inspiring and impressive, they were not what the wolves wanted, and many returned the way they’d come to Central America. In their wake they left Kinfolk of the Pure Ones who loved the land and chose to stay. The Native Pure Ones But the Pure Ones that came with the Uktena weren’t the only ones around. In fact, the Uktena “discovered” a new mystery, Pure One’s they had never seen before. While they had believed themselves to be the first to discover this place, what they found was humanity living in harmony with nature. With thanks given to Gaia, they thought nothing more of these Pure ones. It wasn’t until later that they learned of the Balam and Mokolé (Werejaguars and Werecrocodiles, respectively) who had long made the jungles their home and had brought these previously unknown Pure Ones with them, feeling the persecution of the War of Rage. Their legends spoke of great treks across the seas and the spirit world, much like the Garou’s own tales of finding the Pure Lands. It seems that Gaia had led her other children to safety away from the threat of the Wyrm (and the genocidal Garou.) New Cubs Years after the Uktena had left, Native Kinfolk (the book addresses them as Indian which…...is…uh...not the correct term) gave birth to three Garou. The children lived normally until their first change, unaware of what they had become. None in the tribe had seen a wolf before, as the Uktena had passed into legend by this point. The shaman were baffled, clearly these shifters were of a strange, different spirit that none could say was good or evil. They called upon the spirit of Jaguar, and his children the Balam came to the village, becoming enraged when they discovered the Garou pups. Despite this rage, one of the Balam noticed that the Garou seemed to be unaware of their nature, and despite how pissed they were about the Garou being there, cats be curious, and this curiosity soon overwhelmed the Balams anger. They pledged to teach these children of their heritage as an experiment, to see if the Garou were truly selfish, stingy, and arrogant by nature or nurture. The Amazonian Uktena After dealing with the Garou pups for years, the Balam concluded that while one of the pups did display the typical Garou traits they loathed, the other two had displayed more admirable qualities. The black sheep of the three was known as Cacu, while the other two were known as Inki and Huatopé. After a heated Taghairm (werecat Moot), it was decided that the three Garou should meet their own kind. Hoards-Thunder was given the task of marching the Garou through the Jungle to the Mayan lands where other Garou lived. It was a long journey, said to have been filled with numerous adventures and legends. When they arrived, the Mayan Uktena marveled at these new Garou that seemed to possess the wisdom of cats. The three were invited to stay and learn the ways of their people. Hoards-Thunder, pleased with a job well done, slipped away from his hiding place in the jungle and went home. The Amazonian Uktena trio stayed for a time with their brethren, but soon grew homesick for the rainforest. They left, taking some of the Mayan Uktena with them who also longed to be in the rainforest, giving birth to the Amazonian Uktena tribe. Unfortunately for the tribe, as the years went on, they grew weak from their restricted blood, as there were no wolves to mate with. But the Amazon was a pure place and they lived one with the land, thriving and never losing their ability to change. The Age of Discovery quote:“Discovery is always the rape of the natural world. Always” -Ian Malcom, Jurassic Park You’re telling me that coward Spielberg robbed us of an amazing line from Jeff Goldblum? The Amazon was once untouched by the greater mass of human civilization, and then the Europeans showed up and hosed it all up. As foreign explorers searched for new lands, the unexplored vastness of the South American interior became a place of dreams, as the jungle was a place where living wonders waited to be “discovered” for the edification of European citizens and the study of science. The Conquistadors The first of the European assholes to come and ruin things were the Spanish. Francisco Pizarro overthrew the Incan empire in 1532 and soon enough the natives of the region were being exploited for slave labor to build cities for the Spanish. Later Gonzalo Pizarro, brother of Francisco, led the first Spanish expedition over the Andes into the rainforest in search of cinnamon. The expedition was a disastrous failure, and Gonzalo and his men were forced to turn back, but not before murdering many of the native guides out of frustration and anger. Because you know, the Spanish were just nice guys like that. After this failed expedition, Francisco de Orellana set out with Gaspar de Carvajal documenting the journey. These were the first Europeans many of the native peoples of the region encountered and Carvajal’s account stirred the imaginations of those who read his story. Soon, more explorers were setting off for the Amazon, desperate to uncover its legends and wonders. And likely to steal whatever potentially valuable resources they could find because gently caress the locals, right? Colonialism! Fun for everyone*! *Except those being colonized. The Explorers In the following decades, more and more explorers entered the jungle in search of their fortune and glory. Was this the home of Homer’s fabled Amazons? Or perhaps the Ewaipanoma, a race of men whose heads were in their chests, or perhaps most tantalizing of all, El Dorado, the fabled city of gold. The greed and desperation for El Dorado drove explorers like Sir Walter Raleigh to delve into the jungle, chasing rumors and legends, though Raleigh never found his riches (lol owned). Of course, his failure only spurred others to try, as the Amazon had become a place that stirred the soul, driving the bold and mad to believe they could become kings. Lope De Aguirre took over the expedition he was part of and declared himself King of Amazonia. That went about as well as you’d expect, and Venezuelan troops defeated his troops and executed him. Unsurprisingly, this did not deter further Europeans from coming. The influx of explorers killed the spirit of the land as they discovered it, with each map made, scientific discovery, and word put to page, the wonders of the Amazon were banished into non-existence. Magic cannot live before the onslaught of science after all. The Technomancers But it wasn’t simple discovery that led to the slow death of the land, it was instead the Technocracy who sought to make the world conform to their singular, mechanistic view of reality. The Amazon proved perfect for them, a chance to prove the “truth” of their scientific theories to the greater mass of humanity. These theories of course were not based on truth but denial, as they sought to prove their own beliefs through denial of the very existence of all that opposed their vision. No being or creature of supernatural origin had a place in their vision of the world and therefore needed to be purged from it. Thus began the Technocracies campaign of discovery. Expeditions were sent out, funded by Technocracy controlled universities and foundations with the goal of banishing the wild legends of the Amazon and to shine the light of “Truth” through science and reason upon the land for all the world to see. But there was one man who was strong enough to stand against them. El Dorado, a native Dreamspeaker. The Gilded King: El Dorado El Dorado was a king, ruling the native peoples with a just hand. He had proven himself a promising disciple of the shaman and had grown beyond their powers, as his travels to other worlds granted him powerful magic and a wiser understanding of the ways of our world. He saw the explorers for what they were, puppets of the Technocracy, and like the Incan Empire, they were greedy, domineering and wanted to hold the entire world in their own hands.  Thus, a secret magical war began, with El Dorado rallying the ancient forces of the land against the Technocrats' efforts to wipe them off the planet. From his golden city, he directed the war effort, with the Mokolé and Balam joining the fray along with the few Garou there. The Black Fury Amazons The greatest allies in the Amazonian war were the Black Furies, whose legends were so great in that time that explorers had named the great river after them. From Scythia they had come to escape the persecution of men and took their stand in the jungles of the Amazon Basin. The Furies saw the threat the explorers posed and joined El Dorado’s war. While El Dorado was a man, he was unlike the European men that the Furies raged against as he lived close to Gaia and walked in balance with the earth. They had found a man worthy of their support. The Lost City of Gold While it was likely inevitable, owing to the power over reality that the Technocracy wields, no one could have predicted what eventually happened. The Technocracy had finally succeeded in destroying the city of gold by simply mapping it out of existence. Enormous amounts of power were required to achieve this task, and one Technomancer was devoured by Paradox for their part in the reality shift. Nonetheless, the city of El Dorado was pushed off into its own realm, disconnected from Earth. The Dreamspeaker king’s own magic fell flat as it had been severed from Gaia. The city disappeared from the Earthly realm and reappeared in the Umbra, complete with its forest, mountain and lake. All paths to Earth and even the Umbra around it were shut off. The lost city of gold stood alone, a realm unto itself with no way in or out. Of course, this trick backfired on the Technocracy, and the dumbasses couldn’t even get into the realm to finish the job they started, nor could they peer into the realm to observe it. Bravo Technocracy, once again proving how loving stupid you are. Soon enough, they declared their victory and simply moved on to other areas. El Dorado was forgotten, but it lived on in dreams. It was through dreams that the lost city maintained its connection to Earth, and as the years passed these dreams turned into legends, legends that fueled human greed. In the early 20th century, an archeologist named Joseph Herlich launched his expedition to find El Dorado, spurred on by dreams of the riches to be found there. But these dreams were not entirely his own, but subtle suggestions from El Dorado the man himself, speaking to the archeologist in his dreams. With the Technocracy unaware, the path back to Earth was remade. Herlich finally discovered the valley of El Dorado but was unaware that it had been a path he had forged himself. While Dorado’s magic had led Helrich to rediscover the valley and break the spell that locked the city away from the world, it was still only a single, treacherous path, hidden deep in the jungles. El Dorado was a gracious host, but Herlich could never leave, as the Technocracy could not learn of their enemies return to Earth, and the city remains unknown to even the many natives of the area as the citizens of the city of gold know the dangers of revealing themselves. With the war between the Garou and Pentex now raging across the jungle, El Dorado is unclear on the best course of action. If any learned of his city, it would once again be in danger, and the Mage knows he must protect his city and people at any cost. Modern Times Troubles in Brazil Brazil enjoyed political stability in the 19th century that was uncommon to South America at the time. That all changed in the 20th century unfortunately as the country was racked with political and economic strife and governmental turnover on a regular basis. However, when a government refuses to acknowledge the inherent rights of its peoples, a cycle of change begins, and frequently this change is brought about through violence. In 1985, the military government was overthrown and replaced by a new civilian government who decided that the time had come for the nation to join the rest of the world on an equal social and economic footing. To achieve this, approval was granted to foreign corporations to enter the country, especially those of American origin. This is what historians typically refer to as a bad loving idea. Pentex In 1986, Pentex quietly moved into the Amazon area to establish operations and begin destroying the Amazon Basin and the surrounding jungles. Under the guise of “Developers Forestry Group”, Pentex sent its first emissaries into the Amazon, legal experts who negotiated favorable contracts for the Megacorps, while First Teams scouted the countryside for the best construction sites. With all the legal paperwork out of the way, the government was manipulated into believing that DFG would help boost the economy, and thus the Megacorps set its sinister plans into motion. A native village hidden in the jungle was quietly taken over and turned into a temporary headquarters and soon Pentex was plowing through the jungle, destroying anything and everything in their path, with no regard for consequence. Except, quite by accident, their operations were discovered.  The First Pack Falls The Black Frost, the previously mentioned Get of Fenris pack, discovered the temporary headquarters and immediately knew what was going on. They stalked the jungle for several days and nights gathering as much tactical information as they could. They then struck the village with hearts full of rage but were quickly overwhelmed and butchered by the Fomori First Team hiding in the village. When the pack did not return, their Kinfolk became worried and an expedition to retrieve them, dead or alive, was mounted. Soon the Kinfolk learned of the grisly fate of the pack as well as Pentex’s hand in it. Showing more wisdom than the slaughtered Get, the search party returned and informed the Get elders of what had been discovered. An emergency Moot was called, and emissaries of all tribes were invited to discuss how best to resolve the issue. And then the arguing started. Golgol Fangs-First Takes Charge The Get asserted their right as the most powerful and cunning warriors, declaring themselves in command of all operations in the Amazonian region. Their leader, Golgol took quick advantage of his tribe's loyalty and assumed the role of Commander in Chief of the Garou forces. Many elders of the other tribes were none too pleased with this, but now was not the time for dispute, as it was imperative that troops be moved into the Amazon so that a drop zone for further forces could be established. The first wave arrived and quickly set up a temporary camp and prepared for the arrival of others. Once the other warriors and tribal elders began to arrive and the various tribes were forced to interact, Garou gonna Garou, and the in-fighting began. The Fianna, led by Killian Stormfist, did not believe Golgol or his warmongers were competent enough to be leaders of an operation so vital to the survival of Gaia. With his tribe's support, Killian challenged Golgol for the right to lead the Amazonian Garou. He was bested and conceded authority to Golgol. Others tried to claim leadership of course, the Shadow Lords wanted control because of their rivalries with the other tribes, while the Black Furies believed that males were not worthy to lead an operation of such importance. No matter who rose to challenge him, all fell to Golgol. Unsurprisingly, this petty bickering and in-fighting lasted for months, and the Garou, being the big dumb murder machines they are, lost track of exactly why they were there in the first place. Pentex however, was still laser focused on their own purpose, and had completed the construction of their Amazonian headquarters, launching their assaults on all life within the rainforest. Once again, the Garou’s impatience and short-sightedness had given their enemy a chance to strike a powerful blow. The 13 tribes conceded power to Golgol, with the stipulation that a War Council be formed to advise the Get elder in his most important decisions. Golgol agreed and the council was formed. Soon, under the guidance of this council, the Garou began their fight to liberate the jungle from its oppressors. Garou Bases Things didn’t start off great for the Garou. Their forces were pitiful compared to those of Pentex and the casualty rates on the Garou side were absurd as more and more Garou rushed into the jungle, never to be seen again. Golgol, realizing that things were pretty much hosed if they kept at it this way, began to organize the Garou into a more effective fighting force, creating units of Wargs or groups of packs commanded by a Battle Master. Three packs made up a Warg, with each pack assigned a function to support the activities necessary to successful missions. The Garou’s battle tactics had to change as well, as they were simply losing too many warriors to headlong charges into Pentex forces who were too well equipped and trained, on top of outnumbering the Garou ten to one. Through Golgol’s guidance, hidden bases were established in the jungle where raids could be launched. The first, and most famous of these bases was established close to the Pentex headquarters, earning a reputation of unparalleled successes against the Megacorps. The base, known as Apocalypse Ranch, is a mystery to the Fomori who search for it. While these hidden outposts were established, caerns were also being built, with the largest and most powerful being the Hollow Heart Caern, the primary base of operations for the Garou fighting the Amazonian War. Realizing that this wouldn’t be a short war, the Garou set up extensive medical and supply facilities in the caern, serving all who fought in the jungle, and it was this caern that became the location where all new Garou recruits to the war effort would arrive, as well as the home of the War Council. Additional caerns were awakened such as the Sky River Caern and the Caern of Rain Spirits, and most of these caerns were opened to members of all tribes, as it was understood that the war is a group effort, and only through unity can the Garou be victorious. In time, the Garou forces began to close the gap on Pentex, and Golgol sent word to the rest of the Garou around the world: Those in search of Glory could fight a unique war with the Wyrm in the jungle. Many responded and soon, Pentex faced a force truly to be reckoned with. The Werejaguars  While the Garou were establishing their secret bases, they discovered a new adversary that had already been dealing significant losses to Pentex, the Balam tribe of werejaguars. When the Garou began preparing to re-awaken the Hollow Heart Caern, they ran into Matúa, a Balam whose realm was near the caern. While she fought hard to drive the Garou out, the caern was too important to them to simply let go. When negotiations didn’t work, the Garou resolved to kill her, forcing her to flee from her home with hatred for the Garou burning in her heart. She sought out the most powerful Balam elder, Black Claw and swore her fealty to him in return for his aid in battling the Garou. He accepted. For a time, the Garou focused their efforts against this new enemy, meanwhile Pentex launched assaults on both Balam and Garou, and while the ancient rivals battled, Pentex inflicted further losses on the Garou, forcing them to return their attention to Pentex instead of the Balam. The Balam, for their part saw no reason to cease their warring with the Garou, and began launching their own guerilla raids on Garou war parties, which they maintain to this day, hindering the Garou’s efforts against Pentex, while also striking back against the Megacorps as well. The Balam sees this as their forest, as it has been since before recorded history, and they fight to save it from all outsiders. In 1991, the Black Spiral Dancers arrived around Anama and began their own Rite of Caern building. This area was a nexus of three Balam Den-Realms, and the werejaguars rushed in to repel these new Garou invaders. The Balam were nearly destroyed by the forces of the Dancers and their Hive, forcing the werejaguars to flee, another realm lost to the invading Garou. These Balam went to Black Claw, and like Matúa before them, swore fealty to the elder for his assistance. Once again, he accepted. Only the native Uktena are free of these Balam assaults, as they have lived peacefully with this tribe for years, though the war is now straining that relationship. The Mokolé Rampage Pentex began a new operation deeper in the Amazon, a drilling exercise to test the area for oil, as areas of Peru had proven to have lucrative oil-deposits. While few other companies were unwilling to move east of the Andes due to the cost, there was already a huge oil pipeline that pumped oil westward over the Andes, but it had broken down numerous times, spewing its contents over the region. Endron Oil, a subsidiary of Pentex volunteered for the venture and the government supplied them with tax incentives. In no time, Endron was drilling indiscriminately all over the area, and after discovering an oil rich deposit, they set up a pipeline of their own to deliver oil over the mountains. Of course, the government couldn’t be bothered when the pipe broke and spilled gallons into the Amazon River, expecting Endron to clean up their mess. Endron sent a crew of ten to deal with the problem, knowing it would take years to clean up. Too bad, they said, budgets were tight. Wouldn’t you know it, that crew mysteriously was never seen again. And then the drilling camp suddenly disappeared overnight, leaving nothing but an empty clearing and strange footprints, footprints that resembled dinosaur tracks. Endron covered the whole thing up and hasn’t been back since. If any of the crew had survived, they would tell stories of huge reptiles that thrashed through the edges of the jungle, giant creatures that had torn the camp apart in minutes, accompanied by a horrible, echoing roar through the hills. The Mokolé were on a rampage.  Holy loving poo poo, loving dinosaur, Jesus Christ, what the gently caress?! While their nests were far removed from the Pentext development, the oil had flowed downstream into their enclaves, polluting the Mokolé nests and poisoning their hatchlings. The rampage was one of singular focus, anyone associated with Pentex, including innocent workers who had been forced to work at the drilling site. No one with even the flimsiest of connections to the Megacorps was spared. The Garou, upon hearing this, decided it best to just leave the Mokolé alone. Finally, the Garou make a good decision. The Battles Many of the battles of this great war have become famous, stories that are told round the fire again and again while the fame of the participants spreads to other regions. The veterans of these battles, too maimed to fight, return home and tell their tales to their sept mates. Battle of Bane Field The first major assault on the Pentex headquarters was an extremely violent and destructive battle not only in the physical realm, but also in the Umbra. Two Wargs, the “Dread Foe” and “High Mountain” assaulted the headquarters as the full moon filled the sky, and by dawn numerous Garou were dead, but even more Pentex First Team members littered the battlefield. When the physical camp was finally breached, havoc was wrought, but the Pentex forces were too much, forcing the Garou to retreat by dawn. But the assault was still a major blow, as the security fences had been wrecked, requiring two weeks to replace, as well as the destruction of all the helicopters on site which cost Pentex another week waiting for replacements to arrive. During this period Pentex was forced to send supplies on foot, leaving them open to guerrilla assaults from the Garou. The battle gains its name from the Umbral side of the fight. The 50-meter kill-zone around the headquarters swarmed with Banes in the Umbra, and these hordes of Banes attacked the Garou who had stepped sideways during the assault. Many Theurges gained immense Glory from this battle, including a Bone Gnawer by the name of Dreads-Not. Many other Garou fell, but the Banes were destroyed or driven away, and a victory of sorts was achieved. The March of the Trees A battle deep in the recesses of the rainforest proved to be an occasion of a Gaian miracle. A pack was ambushed by a Fomori First Team in an ancient grove. One of the pack, Airk Goldfist was a member of the “Gaia’s Hand” group, a group that followed the chivalric ideals of a Children of Gaia War Council member named Garret Faithful. As the battle turned against the pack, Airk dropped his klaive and prayed to Gaia for deliverance. Shockingly, Gaia answered, and the ancient trees groaned and cracked, uprooting themselves and wrapping their massive boughs around the Fomori. The minions of the Wyrm struggled but to no avail as they were smothered to death by the trees. Once the last Fomori had died, the trees froze in place, replanting their roots into the earth as if they had always been there. The pack thanked Gaia for her aid and returned to their caern. As the tale spread, “Gaia’s Hand” became a respected group. Battle of Screaming Mud A Warg led by Shress Hardheart, a Black Fury attacked the recently built Hell’s Hand Hive. The results were catastrophic. The Dancers had only recently created the Hive in the underground tunnels around a blasted and defoliated field, but they had already gained dreadful allies within this wasteland. The very mud of this swampy ground came to life and sucked the Garou forces down to their waists, all while the mud moaned and screamed its own terrible roar. The Dancers then spilled out of their holes and began slaughtering the trapped Garou. Shress was able to command some of her forces to step into the Umbra with her, where they saw the giant H’ruggling (sludge elemental) that held them. They raked it with their claws until it released them and fled. A bitter defeat for the Garou, this story is told whenever the need to rage against the Dancers arises. Battle of the Dreadful Moon A tale told as warning to the cocky First Team members, and by the Garou who acknowledge the power of spirits. Pentex had been laying the foundations for a toxic waste factory when a Garou pack launched their assault. The pack, known as the “Tangible Spectres” were famed for their powerful spirit allies, who were with them on this mission. The Lunes (spirits who generally tend Moonbridges) moved against the Fomori, chasing them down and wrapping themselves around their faces. Whatever magic they worked on that day remains a mystery to most Theurges, but the First Team survivors still scream in terror whenever the full moon rises. One such survivor went on to murder his entire team during a psychotic episode under the next full moon. Since then, the remaining survivors are tied down on full moons. Battle of Freaks The “Dread Claw” Warg waged a massive assault against a Pentex laboratory, though they were unprepared for what they discovered. A menagerie of hideous and disfigured Fomori poured out of the building towards the Warg. They were easily cut down by the Garou but the hordes kept coming. Fölk Humblehammer, leader of the Claw swore that the Fomori wanted to die, as they did little in the way of attacking the Garou force. When the battle was done and the last Fomori lay dying, it croaked out a “Thank you” with its last breath, leaving the Garou force to retreat, horrified and confused by this laboratory where unwilling monsters had been created. The Fall and Return of the Hero A treasured tale among the Garou, it proves that even in defeat, victory can still be achieved. A group of Garou had left Apocalypse Ranch when they were ambushed and outnumbered by a First Team. While the Garou fell, they took as many Fomori with them as they could, and the Silver Fangs leader, Earth’s Anger, swore he would return to kill the First Team leader, just before being ripped apart by silver bullets. He kept that promise. A year later, a Silver Fangs pup, fresh to the war came upon the same First Team leader that had felled his tribemate. He cried out the name of Earth’s Anger for courage, and was given more than he’d bargained for, as Earth’s Anger possessed the pup, leading him into battle. The First Team leader was confused and quickly torn apart. The pup howled to the sky in the voice of his fallen tribemate and all Garou present heard. He then fell to the ground and his ancestor left him. To this day the Garou marvel at this tale, citing it as proof that they will return from death to continue the war against the Wyrm. A New Phase For many years, the war continued in the shadows of the human world as both werewolf and human died, and the spirits screamed under the Amazonian canopy. For a time, neither side could claim the upper hand, and despite their superior numbers and equipment, Pentex could not claim victory. The winter of 1990 saw the tide turn as the war took on a new phase. Pentex wanted to establish a new base of operations in the jungle under the guise of the Green River Awareness group, a rainforest preservation research center. For weeks, the Garou launched conventional attacks, including midnight raids on excavation equipment and ambushes against First Teams. It finally dawned on a pack that maybe the best course of action would be to get the Brazilian government involved. The Swiftclaw pack pulled back, leaving Pentex to their business, standing by and watching from the shadows. Pentex continued their construction, suddenly comfortable in the lack of resistance. The Garou, meanwhile, adopted a new tactic, one that would prove incredibly successful.  Tomorrow: the rest of Chapter One
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Jul 13, 2023 19:08
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joylessdivision posted:
Not sure how this would be to actually run, but it has the gonzo 90s I really love about WW.
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Jul 13, 2023 21:22
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Pakxos posted:Not sure how this would be to actually run, but it has the gonzo 90s I really love about WW. I discuss my thoughts on how to run parts of it later in the review, but I think with a bit of ST elbow grease you've got a hell of a good setting and some good story hooks/adventures in this book.
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Jul 13, 2023 22:33
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joylessdivision posted:Tomorrow: the rest of Chapter One The first appearance of Kathleen Ryan is neat as she'd go on to write some of the better fiction for the company, having her own stories about the same Mage character show up in the beginning of a lot of Mage books and also wrote probably the best two Vampire Clan Novels (Setite and Ravnos). This book led me taking my players' PCs on a trip to the Amazon that was basically an extended Predator homage with a Wyrm-corrupted Mokole' slotted in as the Predator role while they worked doing penance hitting Pentex sites for Golgol for screwing up something important that is now lost to my memory. I haven't revisited the book in years so this should be fun.
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Jul 13, 2023 22:36
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Kathleen Ryan goes on to write some of the best White Wolf material and just generally be prolific, particularly in Mage and Wraith content. Neat to see her crop up as an intern there.
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Jul 14, 2023 01:18
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Everyone posted:I'm not sure what it was in 2nd edition but I'm pretty sure you had to wound it down to -30 hp from a start of 300 and then use a Wish to kill the thing. It's just straight up invincible from checking only being able to be sealed away. quote:A spawn of Rovagug has regeneration powerful enough to revive it even if slain by a death effect. If the spawn fails a save against an effect that would kill it instantly, it rises from death 3 rounds later with 1 Hit Point. It can be banished, imprisoned, or transported away as a means to save a region, or kept in a state of dying by an effect that deals constant damage. A complex and expensive ritual culminating in a word that douses Xotani’s flames can be used to deactivate its regeneration, but no method of deactivating the Tarrasque’s regeneration has yet been discovered.
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Jul 14, 2023 06:00
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There were a different set of methods for killing the Tarrasque that were cut from the 1st edition Bestiary, but then released in a long since deleted blogpost or forum post, I forget which. Evidently from before the Tarrasque backstory was finalized as being a spawn of Rovagug. Slaying the Tarrasque The tarrasque is meant to serve as a capstone event for an entire campaign, not a creature that is idly encountered by high level adventurers exploring a remote corner of the world. As such, you should determine for yourself what method is required to secure the mighty creature’s destruction, and then construct one or several adventures in which your PCs unearth the method for the creature’s destruction and, perhaps, create or recover the weapons needed to effect such a heroic task. Listed here are three sample methods that the tarrasque might be slain—feel free to use them as is, adapt them, or simply to draw inspiration from them to develop a method of destruction unique to your own campaign world. Bones of the First World: The tarrasque is a sending from the mythical First World, another dimension from which the fey hail and which, it is said, served as a rough draft for the creation of the Material Plane. In order to slay the tarrasque, it must first be lured back into the First World, whereupon it can be lethally wounded by weapons made from the bones of the beast that inspired the tarrasque’s unknown creator to make it in the first place. Poisonhenge: Although the tarrasque is immune to most poison, legend tells of a henge of spiked stones in the depths of a vast swamp. These stones radiate sickness and ruin, and the beasts that dwell in the surrounding marshlands are insane and mutated into hideous powerful monsters by Poisonhenge’s proximity. To slay the tarrasque, it must be lured into Poisonhenge so that as it falls unconscious from the final blow, it impales itself upon no less than half of the henge’s deadly spires. Unholy Return: The tarrasque was unleashed upon the world by one of the gods of devastation and destruction, and only that god can end what it created. To kill the tarrasque, it must be brought before this god of destruction, who must then be entreated to murder its most ferocious offspring—but at a price that may be worse than leaving the tarrasque to rampage in peace.
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Jul 14, 2023 06:34
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Joylessdivisions World of Dorkness Presents: Haighter's Gonna Hate: Part 3: Rage Across the Amazon Part 2 Pentex reveled in their own pride, believing they had finally extinguished the Garou presence in the area. The pack then made their move, setting fires at random in the jungle, destroying acres upon acres of woodland, leaving the ground charred and inhospitable and leaving items they had stolen from Pentex and the GRA at the sites. Of course, the pack was highly criticized for their actions, being brought before Golgol and found guilty of conspiring with the Wyrm. Despite their pleading, the council refused to be patient to see the results of the pack's plan. Minutes before they were to be cast out in disgrace, news arrived. The Green River Awareness group had been accused by the government of irresponsible actions resulting in irreparable damage to the rainforest. They were then banned from further research in the area. Additional investigations were launched against the GRA and its contacts, the other local Pentex companies, to determine the validity of their Amazonian research. Nearly overnight the tide had turned in the Garou’s favor as Pentex was suddenly under fire from another front, that of the Brazilian government who had the power to boot them out of the country. Pentex for their part began shuffling paperwork, desperate to hide their true intentions from investigators and pulling back from the battlefield to maintain their cover. This was the first major blow struck against the Megacorps, who were now forced to stand back, lick their wounds and reassess the situation. Golgol now understood the intentions of the Swiftclaw pack and swallowing his pride long enough to remove the charges against them, instead rewarding them with the Renown they were rightly owed. Today Even now, the war still rages, with Pentex desperately attempting to regain their foothold in the Amazon, while defending against governmental inquiries. Unfortunately for the Garou, this has not stopped Pentex from continuing to put pressure on Gaia’s chosen, with Black Spiral Dancers burrowing underground tunnels searching for Garou outposts and First Teams showing even less mercy in their nightly attacks than before. New Pups This increased pressure from Pentex has forced the Garou to bring in additional warriors to the field of battle, with many pups fresh from their Rites of Passage being sent to the jungle to join the fight. This call for troops has angered many septs, as the elders argue that there are too few cubs being born every year to risk them in a meat grinder like the Amazon. As the young Garou rush into the green hell on promises of power and Renown, they leave their caerns behind with fewer and fewer pups to take the place of the aging and dying elders. Golgol for his part continues to put out the call whenever he can, and only recently have some Garou resisted, claiming that Golgol will kill them all by leading them into an unwinnable war. This split in the Garou nation is widening and as the gap between the pro and anti-war factions grows, the question of how long this battle can last before the entire Garou nation is divided lurks on the edges. A Fragile Umbra There is another danger that has arisen, one that is nearly unimaginable to the Garou, and because of this, they deny it entirely. The spirit world is being plundered for the war. The Umbra, like the rainforest itself, is a fragile ecosystem, and in fact the two are closely entwined, so much so that changes to the physical world have vast repercussions in the Umbra, and likewise, changes in the Umbra influence the physical. Desperation for power to use against Pentex has led the Garou to summon and bind spirits into fetishes, and in their arrogance, the Garou ignore if these spirits are willing to take part. They argue that they have come to save the spirits from Pentex, and that the spirits must show gratitude to the Garou by empowering their weapons. No one has ever accused the Garou of being particularly bright, and so it should come as no surprise that they are oblivious to the vital role these now imprisoned spirits play in the spiritual ecosystem. By removing these spirits from the Umbra, they leave it barren of guardians as well as the spiritual life needed to give the physical realm meaning. For example, when an Anaconda spirit, tasked with aiding the flow of the river is taken from its Umbral River lair, the “real” river begins to stagnate, and as the spirit is no longer there to defend its realm, Banes move in, turning the river into a hellhole. The Black Spiral Dancers are as guilty of this as their hated siblings and have gained information from Banes that revealed secrets of the Umbral rainforest. They use these secrets to selectively destroy the spiritual environment, replacing the spirits of harmony and beauty with corrupting Banes. The Balam and Mokolé, who so far have proven themselves not to be giant murderous morons like their Garou cousins, have figured out what’s happening, and have turned to fighting all Garou to try and drive them from the jungle. Of course, some Garou have caught on, but until the entire Garou nation wakes up, they are potentially a threat to the very land they seek to save. This is a dark time for all Changing Breeds, and the world itself, and the fight will continue until either Gaia once again knows peace, or the last drop of Garou blood is spilt on the earth. Holy God drat, there are loving WERECROCODILES. The werejaguars are slightly less interesting than the dinosaur like Mokolé who may be my favorite thing in this book. There are a couple of great images of Mokolé in here, especially the one I included for the Mokolé Rampage bit and I’d be lying if I said they don’t remind me of TMNT mutants. Except cranked up to 11. I really enjoyed this chapter, as I generally enjoy the lore dump chapters of these books. There’s a ton of great stuff in here, the entire El Dorado thing is incredibly cool and a fun way to work a real world legend into the fabric of the WoD, not to mention you’ve got the Garou being dipshits like usual, arguing amongst themselves and doing the shocked Pikachu face when their old foes the Balam or Bastet to be really technical, show up to kick their asses because as it turns out, apparently the Changing Breeds have a long memory when it comes to the Garou and that little bit of genocide they carried out called the “War of Rage”. The different battle tales are awesome, and I particularly liked the stories March of the Trees and Fall and Return of a Hero, though the one about the Fomori begging for death hits a nice creepy if somber note. And if you’re wondering about the miracle that takes place in March, yes, Faith (as a mechanic) in Gaia is a thing and gets discussed a little more later in the book, though it does direct readers to Hunters Hunted for full details on how Faith works. Which is what…two books now that I’ve covered recently (technically 3 because it comes up in Book of Chantries as well, which is the next book up for review) that reference the Faith mechanic. I get it, spirit of early 90’s White Wolf, I need to read Hunters Hunted. I’ll get to it, jeez. Good chapter, good lore and WERECROCODILES! Mokolé rule is what I’m saying. OH god now it’s time for the subject I failed repeatedly in school, it’s time for   Chapter Two: Geography The Battlefield The Amazon is a different ecological area than the Garou are used to, as much of it remains untouched and unexplored by humans. It is a pristine place where life grows free from the destructive hand of humanity. Well, aside from the ecological devastation being brought upon it that the Garou are now fighting, but that’s just details. There are mysteries within the Amazon beyond the reach of mankind and its ravenous greed, and like so many other beautiful lands before it, the Amazon has now captured the attention of corporations and individuals who would seize these mysteries for themselves. Regardless of their intentions, the damage they bring is irreversible. There are no Garou protectorates in the Amazon and very few caern's, as this is the land of the Balam and Mokolé, and until recently the Garou had no business in the area. The places they occupy now are predominantly make-shift base camps used as jumping off points for reconnaissance missions and guerilla raids. What few caern's there are, function only because of the patience and determination of their keepers, and they stand despite the constant raids launched by Pentex. South America  The fourth largest continent in the world, South America is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on its eastern shores and the Pacific Ocean on its western shores, while Central America and the Caribbean Sea lie to its north and the Drake Passage to its south separating it from Antarctica. The theater of the Amazon War rages predominantly in the nation of Brazil, the largest country on the continent that borders every South American country except Chile and Ecuador, and is the world’s fifth largest country, just slightly smaller than the continental US, with a population roughly 40% less than that of the US (as of 1993 at least). It is a nation of highlands and mountainous areas that enjoyed political stability through the 19th century, though political strife and social turmoil led to numerous bloody revolutions against the country's administrations over the course of the 20th century. Manaus The largest city in the region of the Amazon War, it lies on the Rio Negro seven miles from the river's junction with the Amazon River. The city boasts a population of 800,000 (about half the population of Nebraska) (up to 2,376,000 in 2023), and the city saw a boom period late in the last century as the rubber market took off, and as the center of the rubber industry, the city quickly grew in population and wealth, even becoming a center for European culture with an opera house that served to entertain the rubber barons. Today it is a major transportation hub for the area, as vehicles cross the Amazon via river, air or over the Trans-Amazonian Highway. DFG uses the city as a major port, and their deforestation efforts are supplied through the city. Welcome to the Jungle  The Amazon rainforest holds 30% of all known plant and animal species, and in two and a half hectares (approximately 4.942 acres) an average of 23,000 different species of life can be found. The massive developments planned for the Amazon will irrevocably destroy many of these species, both plant and animal, many of which have never been discovered. Even now, many species of plants have been found and subsequently lost by the receding edges of the forest. The climate is relatively moderate, with temperatures rarely exceeding 95 degrees Fahrenheit due to the high atmospheric humidity. The temperatures range from 71F in July, the coolest month, to about 80F in January. The jungles themselves are hot and humid, and life in the jungle is not a dry one as the forests see over 70 inches of rain a year. Is that why it’s called a rainforest?......I’ll see myself out. The forest of course plays a major role in the atmospheric recycling process, producing an estimated 40% of the planet’s oxygen as well as producing the necessary moisture for rainfall in neighboring countries. As the forest is cut down, the rain cycle is broken, leading to droughts and hey you know, probably not great that we’re cutting down the forest that produces 40% of the loving OXYGEN FOR THE ENTIRE GOD drat PLANET. The deforestation for cattle farming is also loving up the soil, causing erosion and leading to useless, barren fields. Shocking, I know, but it turns out that rainforests aren’t great at supporting the farming techniques that were developed for northern climates and soil, as the soil is not as nutrient rich, and the tree's roots do not run very deep, making them considerably easier to bulldoze. The Garou understand that the destruction of the rainforest means a deathblow for the world of a magnitude that scientists cannot predict or perceive. Oh, I’m pretty sure the scientists are Very loving Aware of the danger. They’ve only been screaming about climate change for what….30+ years now? Maybe longer? As mentioned previously, there are also spiritual side effects to the destruction of the rainforests that the Garou are all too aware of. Except when they’re not because they’re busy jamming spirits into poo poo to make fetishes. The Great River The Amazon River is the longest in South America, originating in the Peruvian Andes and flowing 6,450km (about 4007.84 mi) to its mouth in the Atlantic. While it holds only the #2 spot on the list of the world's longest rivers, no other river on earth can match the volume of its flow, which exceeds the next 10 largest rivers combined. The basin of the river is found inside Brazil in the state of Amazonas, and it is here that Pentex and their allies have begun their war for the land and its resources. Flora The river and its many tributaries are home to numerous plant and animal life, and within a single hectare of rainforest, there are an average of 300 trees. Which may not sound like that much, until you consider that a California forest (when it’s not on fire) averages about five to ten trees per hectare. That’s a lot of gotdamn trees. The broadleaf evergreen is typical for the rainforest, forming a closed canopy over the forest floor. Vines proliferate and other plants and flowers can be found growing on the trees. At its highest, the upper canopy of trees rises to 165 feet, with some reaching 200 feet. Down below on the forest floor, things are open but can be tangled, especially nearer to riverbanks or areas of new growth on overdeveloped land. The flora of the Amazon is incredibly diverse, and Gaia has grown many wonders here that she awaits her children to discover. Of course, the deeper one goes into the undisturbed interior, the stranger the landscape becomes. ST’s are encouraged to create bizarre and never-before-seen plants for these areas should they be a part of their stories. Fauna  There are 30 million insects in the Amazon. That is entirely too many insects. In fact, in one tree alone, more species of ants can be found than exists in all of England, while the Rio Negro supports the greatest diversity of fish in the world, and Columbia, which contains part of the rainforest, contains the greatest diversity of birds. The Peruvian chunk of the forest has 1,450 species of butterflies. For context, the whole of North America has about 730.  You came to the wrong neighborhood motherfucker The forest is also the home of anacondas, crocodiles, peccaries (a medium sized pig-like mammal), howler monkeys, sloths, piranhas, stony Matamata turtles and literally thousands of other animals that range from the beautiful to the deadly, and the beautiful and deadly. The forest is not only a prime place for plant pharmacology but also animal pharmacology, as a recently discovered species of frog emits an oil that acts as a powerful drug. Further research of these majestic and unique creatures is unlikely, as the destruction of their habits drives them to extinction, and with the deaths of the native peoples, so to do the stories and lore about these animals as well as the native culture. Umbrascape The Umbral landscape around the Amazon is one of the most active and vivid in the world (of Darkness), as spirits go to and fro in a kaleidoscope of colors and motion. Here, many of the plant spirits are mobile, floating through the green, towering trees, tending to the flowers. There are also the spirits awakened by native magic, such as the ayahuasca, the spirit of the drug used by the native medicine men (and obnoxious spiritualist tourists). The spirits of long dead and even extinct creatures still roam the Umbra here, seemingly unaware of their own physical extinction. Occasionally these great beasts roam freely from their slumber, and the necks of massive dinosaurs can occasionally be seen above the Umbral treetops, while the lumbering strides of Megatherium, a long extinct giant sloth, may shake the ground. Hidden in this Umbral landscape are the Den-Realms of the Balam, tucked away in the Umbral trees. Unlike other places in the Umbra that are usually gray, the Amazonian Umbra is a place exploding with green, and splattered with brilliant reds, yellows and blues. The smells are intense for any wolf, as potently fragrant flowers, rotting vegetation and the scents of strange animals can all be found here. In some places, the scent of creatures long since gone remain, and these fossilized scents can prove to be quite confusing to those attempting to track prey through the Umbra. Like its physical counterpart, the Umbral rainforest is a vast ecosystem that may not be as fragile as its earthly counterpart, but nonetheless suffers when tampered with. Pattern Spiders have slowly begun making their way into this place of pure Wyld and it is becoming increasingly common to see their Pattern strands choking rivers and paths. The Black Spiral Dancers and their Bane companions are also taking their toll on the area, as the dancers destroy the natural spirits of the land to replace them with banes, turning Glade Children into Blight Children, and vast clear-cut areas turn into smoking, empty fields of nightmares. The danger within this Umbral realm comes from the Wyld reacting to the invasion. None can truly predict how the Umbra will react to an ecosystem that has been damaged, with paths within the Umbra are no longer matching those of the earthly realm, and in some cases locations and landmarks from the physical world may or may not exist within the Umbral Forest. Things have gotten so bad that Garou patrols are regularly disappearing, only to reemerge months later and often continents away from where they initially entered. Because mapping the Umbra at the best of times is a challenge, with the violent reaction to the atrocities occurring in the physical, attempting to map the Amazon Umbra has become a fool's errand, leading to most battles taking place in the physical realm with only occasional Umbral combat. Battles in both realms are crucial to the survival of the rainforest. ST’s have total control in how they present the Umbra, as it is possessed by the Wyld, all rules are out the window, and entering should be a challenge. There are two ways for players to enter the Umbra: be a native or ally with a native spirit and only a few Uktena are native to this area and have kept out of the fighting as much as possible. However, these Garou know the paths into the Umbra and which spirits can be trusted. Allying with local spirits should require a hard task to be completed by the players to prove themselves to be accepted as part of the Amazon, and any of the Totems in the appendix can offer players native level understanding of the Umbral rainforest. Travel Most travel through the jungle is accomplished via boat, as the forest itself is too thick for most outsiders to quickly traverse. Stats for boats used on the Amazon River are provided in the appendix as well. Foot travel through the jungle is possible, but will require some way of clearing paths as well as orienting. Players whose characters are not natives will have their Survival rolls increased in difficulty, while taking Lupus form will rely on Primal-Urge rolls for getting around instead of Survival. The Garou The following are some of the caern's the Garou have built or taken within the Amazon.  The Hollow Heart Caern Caern: Forest clearing northeast of the Rio Negro Level: 4 Gauntlet: 3 Type: Awareness Tribal Structure: Headquarters for the North Ward; open to all Amazonian Garou Totem: Tree Frog The primary base of operations for all Garou operations in the Amazon, it is cared for and controlled by the War Council. As the central operational base, it serves as the entryway for incoming warriors as well as a stockpile of weapons, ammunition and medical supplies for the Amazonian war effort. The North Ward are also stationed here. Reawakened in 1987 shortly after the Garou began arriving in the area regularly from around the globe, the caern is a constant target of Pentex attack and so far, has managed to sustain itself and avoid destruction. It is located north of the Amazon River in Brazil, and is surrounded by harsh, unexplored woodlands. Hollow Heart is a caern of Awareness, and by successfully performing the Rite of the Opened Caern, the caster can receive the Silent Strider “Gift of Attunement”. Tree Frog is the Totem of the caern, adept at camouflage it lends this skill to the caern, making it extremely difficult to locate for those who have never been there. Until a character enters the clearing, they must make a Perception + Awareness roll at difficulty 9 to perceive the caern. The Rite of the Shrouded Glen has also been cast over the caern. Sky River Caern Caern: Near the Purus River Level: 3 Gauntlet: 4 Type: War Tribal Structure: Headquarters for the South Ward; open to all Amazonian Garou Totem: Howler Monkey Located near the Purus River, south of the Amazon, it is the home of the Southern Ward who protect the area from the Hell’s Hand Hive. It is a war caern, and those who use the Rite of Caern Opening may channel its fighting skill. The caern rating can be channeled into a dice pool related to one fighting ability for all members of the pack. This lasts one scene but can be saved until the pack needs to draw from this pool. Example: After a successful caern opening roll, all players can set aside three extra dice for their Brawl/Melee/Firearms/Archery or Kalindo pools for one scene. All players increase the pools for the same skill. The caern's Totem, Howler Monkey, is constantly watching for trouble and screeches a warning that only members of the caern can hear. Caern of the Rain Spirits Caern: Near Codajás, off the Amazon River Level: 2 Gauntlet: 4 Type: Elemental Tribal Structure: Native Uktena or Wendigo; other Garou may visit only Totem: King Thunder A native Uktena caern that is currently in shambles after earlier Pentex raids, it is located upriver from Codajás, and was one of the few caern established pre-war, making it an early target for Pentex when they arrived in the jungle. While only level 2 and relatively small, it is nonetheless fiercely defended by its inhabitants. As a caern dedicated to the Elementals, local elemental spirits can be summoned, typically rain spirits. Successful use of the caern opening right will summon two minor elementals or one major elemental. Much of the surrounding forest has either been burned or defoliated in an attempt to break the spirits of the Garou defenders. This has not worked, though the caern has a dark and brooding atmosphere, filled with mourning for the lost pristine beauty. The Uktena who care for it however treat it as if nothing has changed. Unfortunately, there are very few native Uktena remaining, and they must now rely on outside Garou to help them defend the caern, with only other Uktena and Wendigo being allowed to take residence there. The spiritual center of the caern is only a few meters wide, but incredibly powerful. From this spot, sudden rains can be summoned to blanket the area around the caern to slow First Team’s attempt to strike against the caern. The caern’s totem, King Thunder, is a local spirit who controls numerous elementals, and is capable of unleashing devastating storms on enemy encampments. Ranch Apocalypse  The major base camp for Garou assaults in the Amazon, the ranch is located a half-day’s march from the DFG headquarters and houses a constant staff of Garou guerilla fighters. It is a major thorn in the side of Pentex. Built on the remains of a native village that Pentex had taken over during the construction of the DHG headquarters, it is also the site where the Black Frost pack fell and is now considered hallowed ground. Pentex is unaware of the Garou presence at the ranch, as the company abandoned the village after the headquarters construction was completed. The jungle has since reclaimed the road to the headquarters, and while the Garou are aware of the road's existence, it is avoided. Ranch Apocalypse’s secrecy has been maintained through several measures. The first being that no injured Garou are allowed to return. If wounded in battle to the point of being unable to outrun their pursuers, Garou are expected to flee into the jungle until it is safe, or until they are forced to continue fighting, even if it means certain death. The Garou of the ranch also set up mock camps to fool the Pentex reconnaissance teams. Both North and South wards have a Warg stationed at the ranch. Pentex Pentex Amazon Headquarters  Pentex’s Amazonian headquarters can be found in an area that was once full of abundant life and majestic woodlands, that is now a dark and silent place. The headquarters is “hidden” under the name DFG, Inc, or the “Developers Forestry Group” and is a few miles from both the Amazon and Negro rivers and covers an area of nearly two square miles and features all the necessary facilities for industrial and military activities in the area. It is a fortress to the evils of greed. Housing as many as 350 employees at a time, including the First Battalion (more in Chapter 3), it also houses a variety of military equipment including armored personnel carriers, helicopters and a dizzying array of conventional and chemical weapons. All nightly raids against the Garou held areas are launched from this location. Despite its power, the facility is constantly under attack from both the Garou and the Balam. It is a macabre work of art, with factories spewing acrid smoke into the sky, and filling the streams and woodlands nearby with toxic residue. Undaunted in their quest, this headquarters has become the greatest threat to the ecology of the rainforest, and because of this, it is the primary target of all search and destroy missions launched by the Garou. Once the den-realm of a Balam, she fought valiantly to protect her home but was eventually overcome by a Bane spirit that had been unleashed in the area. Now, she serves Pentex so she can remain in her home, though she has been so corrupted by the Bane she no longer remembers Gaia, becoming concerned only with her own realm. DFG for its part has managed to keep its military might under wraps from the rest of the world, and when Brazilian officials visited recently, the electric fences and armed guards were explained away with proof of hostile eco-guerrilla attacks. This proof was of course fake, but the government believed it, and granted DFG a license to shoot any such terrorists on sight. This license was of course heavily influenced by bribery and the whispering of Banes. The Compound Surrounded by an extensive network of security systems, including motion sensors and microwave sensors. Motion sensors are mounted on the fences to alert guards when the fence is touched, while the microwave sensors are positioned throughout the compound, transmitting a beam between two points that when interrupted, triggers an alarm. Patrol routes along the interior of the fence perimeter are manned around the clock. 60-foot towers loom overhead, providing visibility to the guards stationed there to survey the surrounding woodlands. The entire area is surrounded by a 50-meter kill zone that has been completely defoliated, allowing for easier protection against intruders. Within the compound itself, there are storage, training and maintenance facilities that serve both troops and employees of the factory. The primary vehicle and equipment facility is located on the northern side of the compound. In the eastern side, in one of the few wooded areas within the gates is a bungalow occupied by the Chief Regional Officer, Barnaby Shadrack. It is constantly guarded by a platoon of troops and surrounded by tripwires and claymore mines. The factory is in the center of the compound and also heavily guarded. Laboratories are located near the southern fence line, which allows for toxic waste to be filtered outside of the gates instead of simply being collected inside. The northwestern side of the compound has housing and training areas and this area has its own surveillance systems separate from the primary system. Guard patrols in this area are double that of the rest of the site. Only Pentex employees are allowed access to the compound, apart from the bungalow and specific areas of the factory. The Brazilian government has been bribed to look the other way and not come snooping around. This compound is the source of the infection that is killing the jungle, and the sickness is only growing stronger with each passing day. Pentex Laboratories  A smaller facility near Manicore on the Madeira River. This is the primary R&D plant for the Amazon campaign, hidden under the Magadon, Inc name. Genetic and biological research is conducted here under the guise of medical research. The native Brazilians who work here are a sad lot, having been so tortured and exploited by Pentex that they are no longer truly human, as they have been subjected to various biological agents developed within. Now, they are willing assistants in Pentex’s plans for the future of the Amazon. While much of the staff here are scientists and research personnel, there is a small group of troops on continuous standby to protect against raids from both the Garou and Balam, though these attacks have been rare to this point as most action has been directed at the DFG headquarters, allowing Pentex to carry on its “research” mostly undisturbed. The compound was built on a native village with a missionary church. The church is now a storage building next to the modern lab facility. Troops are housed in a large native hut and the security is similar to that at DFG, with chain link fences, electronic sensors and constant perimeter patrols. Pentex Storage and Supply Facility To efficiently resupply their forces, Pentex keeps a large group of warehouses in the Manaus port. Extensive bribes have kept the facilities from government inspection, and from this location equipment is either loaded onto boats for travel deeper into the Amazon or carried inland then transported across the river Negro to DFG headquarters in secret. The warehouses are heavily guarded, and the area is well lit, surrounded by a fence and monitored by video surveillance systems. Each of the five warehouses use a keycard system, and only First Team and executives are issued these keycards. Pentex Mining Facility Located near Catrimani in the Andes, it has been in operation since the beginning of Pentex’s Amazon operations. It is a small operation that has turned up almost nothing in its mining efforts. To this point, the Garou have mostly ignored the facility, though it has been quickly expanding in the past few months as BSD now assists with the burrowing. It is operated under the Harold & Harold Mining Inc name. Despite the minimal silver the facility unearths, H&H smuggles it in through supply crates, which is then taken by helicopter to DFG HQ and turned into bullets. When helicopters could draw unwanted attention, the silver is taken over land with First Team guards.  Operation Blight Down the Amazon River is Pentex’s most despicable operation, a defoliant factory in the jungle. Most Garou are completely unaware of this factory so far from the Pentex HQ. Pentex was able to not only lay the foundations but begin its initial work before finally being discovered. The Garou are unsure of how to deal with this factory, as it is far enough from their own support lines that any pack who attempt to assault it cannot be assured of back-up. It has since become a place of frantic assaults by individual packs greedy to gain Glory. Few have ever returned from these raids. Each day the factory churns out more chemicals to be used in the forest, then dumps the waste in the river. Hell’s Hand Hive Near Anama is the Hell’s Hand hive. Originally an area that held three Balam Den-Realms, the BSD came in and destroyed both the Umbral and physical territory. It is now a place barren of life, reeking of the Wyrm and its corruption. Most BSD activity is carried out underground, as there is an extensive network of tunnels just below the surface that extend across several miles. The BSD rest during the day in their pitch black tunnels only to rise under the cover of darkness. On the bright side, the tunnels flood frequently, drowning BSD’s in the process, and despite the swampy soil making digging difficult, the BSD continue to burrow. The area is devoid of trails that would suggest any movement, with the only visible difference between the area and its surroundings being the blatant chemical desolation. The Balam The Balam are a tribe of Bastet who have called the Amazon home long before the Garou arrived, and the recent war has caused them untold grief. They have since taken to battling both Pentex and the Garou as this is their territory, and they refuse to let it be taken from them by any invaders, fomori or wolf. Den of Black Claw The current stronghold of the Balam forces in the Amazon, it holds only five Bastet. The first is of course the elder Black Claw, three Balam from Anama who were pushed out by the BSD and finally Matúa who was cast out of her home by the Garou who took over the Hollow Heart Caern. This well fortified and guarded post is located near Manaus. The Balam who serve here are perhaps the fiercest of all their kin in the jungle, and despite their individual natures, they have worked together well in their attempts to expel the Pentex invaders. The physical territory is built around a network of tree dwellings hidden against the backdrop of the jungle. The Umbral territory is a pristine jungle, full of huge trees. So far, none have breached the Gauntlet of this realm, as none outside of the Balam are aware of its existence. It covers approximately 27 square miles with a Gauntlet rating of 8. Den-Realm of Rorth Son-of-Bast Nestled along the Purus River is the Den-Realm of Rorth, who dwells alone, untouched by the current conflict. He is one of the eldest among the Balam and does not participate in the activities of his younger tribemates, believing his time to fight has passed. Rorth’s area of jungle is not as beautiful as it once was, as his failing health as well as the ravages of the war have had a dulling effect on the area that covers nine square miles and has a Gauntlet rating of 8. Should the den be invaded, either by Pentex or Garou, Rorth’s kin will respond quickly and savagely, as the elder is well respected. Grrrash tak’nyrr The main territory of the Mokolé on the banks of the Urucu river, it has been their home for millennia. Grrrash tak’nyrr is a primal place, unchanged from prehistoric time, where the Mokolé live as one with the indigenous life in the area. It is also the Mokolé’s nesting grounds. To an outsider, the area is incredibly inhospitable, and has avoided much of the destruction of other areas, though this may not last. A smaller nest, further up the Amazon river, Hooark’Ooark was poisoned by Endron, forcing the Mokolé to abandon it, and this dark fate may befall Grrrash tak’nyrr as well. First Teams have recently scouted the area, though they never returned to report on what had been found. Unsurprisingly, the Mokolé do not like unwelcome visitors into their realm, and despite little understanding of the current conflict raging in the area, they have been forced to act regardless. Mokolé leaders are considering meeting with Garou forces to form an alliance to protect their territory against further Pentex incursions. Native Villages All over the Amazon, indigenous villages can be found in clearings along riverways. Many are forced to leave, seeking jobs in cities and towns, leaving abandoned villages. These abandoned villages are quickly retaken by the jungle. In the Gothic-Punk jungle, this has caused a great wound to Gaia, as the indigenous peoples act as caretakers, and without their management of the jungle, Banes and other Wyrm creatures are able to take over these once pure areas. Garou trekking through the jungle will likely encounter these abandoned villages and might consider resting there for the night. This is a terrible idea, as many of the villages have become home to Wyrm monsters, such as Skull Pigs.  The villages that are still inhabited often house Mokolé and Balam Kinfolk, and any Garou who thinks they can lay claim to these villages is almost certainly going to find themselves face to face with a very angry Werejaguar or Werecroc. And just like that, we’ve reached the conclusion of Chapter Two. I like the bulk of this chapter, though some of the real geographic stuff is a bit dry. The stuff about the Umbral ecosystem being affected by the physical ecosystem is fun. Most everything else in this chapter is just stuff an ST would need for a broad idea of Pentex’s operation in the area as well as a bit more about the Balam and Mokolé areas. I’m a little confused about the Den-Realm idea, as the book doesn’t really clarify what exactly such a thing is, unless it’s meant to just be a name for the Umbral reflection of the habitat the changers live in. You start throwing the term “Realm” around and I start to get a bit confused is all I’m saying. Let’s continue our journey deeper into the rainforest with  Once again, Rob Liefeld has possessed the artist. Also look at that hair on the Crinos there on the lower left.  Chapter Three: People The Garou Since the discovery of Pentex’s schemes in the Amazon, the Garou have come in force, and initially fought amongst themselves until Golgol Fangs-First took control and shaped the disparate warriors into an organized fighting force. He accomplished this discipline through threats of death. Golgol has used his knowledge of human fighting tactics to organize the Garou with a hierarchy of command, which has worked incredibly well, strengthening the basic Garou social unit, the pack. Golgol realized that competition between packs was important, but that it needed to be directed against the enemy, thus packs are rewarded for the most kills, while packs who fight amongst themselves are severely punished. At one point, there were 190 Garou battling in the Amazon, but heavy casualties have decreased that force to only 130, and Golgol is desperate to draw more Garou into the war, even beginning to recruit cubs who have not undertaken their Rites of Passage. Player Character Packs Player packs fighting in the Amazon will be part of Wargs, groups of three packs under a Battle Master, though each pack retains its pack leaders, the pack leaders must follow the orders of the Battle Master. Those who refuse must answer to Golgol. Wargs are generally named after their War Master, such as Battle Master Jurgen Krieg’s Warg simply being called “Krieg's Warg”. Each Warg is assigned to a Moon, and there are two Moons in a Ward or battalion. The Amazon currently has two Wards, the North and South. This is an ideal structure as Golgol sees it. Reality however has proven his dreams of conducting a perfect war to be just that, dreams, as not all positions are filled and as packs are killed, holes remain unfilled. Despite this, the structure has held thanks to the dominance challenges of Battle Masters and War Leaders. In some cases, individual pack leaders have won significant challenges over their superiors, promoting these Garou to higher positions. A few rogue packs have also run off into the jungle to fight the war in their own way, though few are heard from again. The most famous of these packs are the “Ghost Raptors”. How and where the players fit into this structure is up to the ST, and most stories provided in this book assume that the players are relatively low on the pecking order and thus part of Krieg’s Warg. Krieg is a grizzled drill sergeant type, sending his packs out on important missions and expecting them to follow orders. ST’s are free to make up their own Warg’s for the players or allow the players to go rogue (and in turn, making them enemies of Golgol). Garou Organization Sidebar
Moots Battle Moots are called regularly in all Amazon caerns. These are more strategy or mission objective meetings than a traditional Moot, and are open only to those invited, typically a pack, Warg or Moon who will be involved in the mission being discussed. A Battle Moots opens with the Moot Rite, then it's down to business, as no stories or grievances are shared. Victory Moots are celebrations of heroic actions and are open to all in the camp. A pack is singled out to receive Honor, though sometimes an entire Warg is chosen for recognition. Victory Moots are where players will gain immediate Renown for their missions. Council Moots are called for high-level strategy, and only the War Council is allowed to attend and participate. Tribal secrets are occasionally revealed, and the members of the council have taken oaths, sealed by rites, to never repeat the secrets learned in these Moots. Regular Moots are what you would expect, and any Garou in the area are invited to attend. These Moots also serve to recharge caerns and all present are expected to join in the energizing rites. Golgol Fangs-First, High War Chieftain  Breed: Homid Auspice: Ahroun Tribe: Get of Fenris Gifts: Unstoppable Warrior (6th Level Ahroun Gift) Garou who use this gift can regenerate aggravated damage and works for all attacks except silver weapons. Each turn, roll Stamina + Primal Urge difficulty 8, if successful, caster may spend one point of Rage per health level healed (like a Kindred’s Blood Pool) Fetishes: Fist of Thor (appendix 1), Battle Harness (Level 5, Gnosis 6 - regal iron vest that adds +2 to wearers Strength and adds 3 armor dice. Must be activated before being put on.) Image: A huge Garou, he stands over 7 feet in Homid form and 13 in Crinos. At nearly 65 he is beginning to go gray, even in Lupus form, though he is still incredibly fit. He wears an impressive battle harness, and his body is covered in battle scars and ritual pictograms. Roleplaying Notes: You’re levelheaded for a Get. You’ve seen so many battles you remain completely calm during a fight, even if bombs are falling all around you. Through your life you’ve grown from a fierce, excitable pup to a disciplined and introspective tactician. Background: Born on a WWII battlefield, his mother only stopped fighting long enough to give birth to him before returning to the battle. She died in Glory before he had a chance to be nursed, but her pack adopted him, ensuring his survival. His human father was never aware that he, or the Garou, existed. As the war ended, his mother's pack gained a position of Honor, as they had been one of the few Get packs to fight against the Nazis. As Golgol grew, he worked to live up to his reputation and in Vietnam he fought for the fun of it, learning jungle combat tactics. Now he is using this hard-won lore in the Amazon war. Many young Get fear him, as they have grown up hearing of his exploits. This has caused many of the other tribes to wonder just what he does to discipline the young Get. Turns out, all he needs to do is shoot a scowling glance at them to curb their behavior. The War Council The Black Furies Lanya Wings-Afire is the eldest among the Furies involved in the war, ensuring that the wisdom and desires of her tribe are represented in council meetings. Hailing from the Dakota badlands, she is still adjusting to the jungle. There are rumors that she left her caern because of a political disagreement with the sept leader and is allegedly only taking part in the Amazon conflict to gain enough Glory so she can return and overthrow the leader in a challenge. She of course denies this and has challenged the last few who accused her of such. She is a rank 5 Philodox. Bone Gnawers There are no Gnawers on the council as the Get and Shadow Lords deliberately chased away any who were interested, what few there were. The few Gnawers involved in the conflict have turned to Code Red, an elder Glass Walker to represent them. Children of Gaia Garret Faithful  Breed: Homid Auspice: Galliard Gifts: Special Power - True Faith in Gaia (7): Garret has extreme faith in the will of Gaia. This faith has given him amazing abilities as well as allowing for miracles on occasion. Garret can use his Faith dice pool to cause Kindred to flee (difficulty 8) or pray for miraculous events (at ST discretion) Full rules on Faith are in Hunters Hunted. Fetishes: Chalice of Renewal (appendix 1), Great Klaive, Tears of Gaia, Clear Water (three vials) Image: A handsome man with pure white hair and clear blue eyes, he stands at 6’3”, 160lbs. He’s in his early 40’s and wears his age well, and the weathered lines on his face seem more like marks of wisdom than the results of hard living. Roleplaying Notes: Walk with peace and others will follow. Your duty to Gaia is to provide an example to all Garou. Be fair and generous to all who are noble, decisive and punishing to those who are dishonorable. You do not like the war but realize its necessity. Background: The eldest CoG in the Amazon, he sees his duty as a chance to ensure that his “Superior” fighting ideal is enforced, meaning that the Garou display Honor, Mercy and Fairness. Because of his near pacifist ideals, he is at odds with many of the other council members. He is such a devout follower of his code of Gaia, that miraculous events have occurred around him. These miracles have convinced many young Garou that he is truly blessed by Gaia, and some packs have pledged to follow his methods and chivalric code, calling themselves “Gaia’s Hand”. Most Get, Shadow Lords and Red Talons call them fools, though these packs have displayed amazing bouts of sheer luck, forcing the council to admit that maybe, just maybe, Garret is truly a messenger of Gaia. Tomorrow: The rest of the War Council
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Jul 14, 2023 14:24
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Den-Realms were elaborated on later in the Bastet book and are sort of like a personal space that a Bastet can cordon off in the Umbra. Not really a caern exactly - cats don't do those unless they need to, more preferring to keep a more detached eye on them than have to go through the nuisance of guarding, maintaining, etc. personally - just kind of their own little patch. Some other werecritters have something similar. I like the Balam but man did their write-up try to make it really hard on playing one. Very isolationist and not really liking anybody.
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Jul 14, 2023 15:12
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The emphasis on the Amazon as a place that humanity has never touched is kinda funny given what has been learned subsequently; the place was a lot more densely inhabited than people assumed. However, this would mostly give Glass Walkers and Bone Gnawers a way to play to their strengths if they find the subtle remnants of ancient temples and so on.
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Jul 14, 2023 17:06
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Nessus posted:The emphasis on the Amazon as a place that humanity has never touched is kinda funny given what has been learned subsequently; the place was a lot more densely inhabited than people assumed. However, this would mostly give Glass Walkers and Bone Gnawers a way to play to their strengths if they find the subtle remnants of ancient temples and so on. I believe most of the Walkers and Gnawers are hanging out in Rio, although there is at least one named Bone Gnawer that show up as battle masters. And he's got a pretty great name for a Gnawer. He's in tomorrow's update
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Jul 14, 2023 18:15
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