Tribe: Silver Fangs

Silver Fangs

Long ago, in the days before man, the world was a shining place. Gaia watched over Her lands and Her children, the animals, and was content with what She saw. But from afar, up in the black places between the stars, a great Darkness looked down upon this wonderful world and coveted it. It flew down from behind the sky and seized up the spirit of Gaia Herself, then burrowed beneath the World Navel with its captive.

Without Gaia's blessing, the world withered. Darkness began dripping from the sky, and the land began to fade into blight. In response, the lords of the beasts — Lion, Falcon, Griffin, Pegasus, Stag, Chimera and the rest — gathered in council under the World Tree. There they argued for hours, each claiming a rightful place in the war party to rescue the Mother. Finally, Wolf asked to come with the other animals to help rescue Gaia. But they laughed at him for his presumption — Unicorn called Wolf a savage, while Lion claimed that Wolfs blood was ignoble. Chimera called Wolf a fool, and Pegasus disdained Wolf as a mongrel. Not one would allow Wolf to join their war band, and they left him waiting at the WorldNavel as they
descended into the realm of the unliving Darkness.

They followed the haunting sound of Gaia's voice to the gates of the Dark Thing's lodge, where they
called out for the Darkness to release the Mother. "We are many to your one!" they cried. "You have no chance against us!"

But the Darkness was far more powerful than they had thought. It rose up from its lodge like a tidal wave and drew them all into the chill folds of its being. Lion tried to claw it, but the cold drew his strength away. Chimera could speak no spells, and Unicorn could not so much as toss her head. One by one, they fell numb. And with a laugh like a crumbling mountain, the Dark Thing spat them all back into the sunlit world and returned its attentions to its captive.

Wolf came to the animal lords and licked their wounds. Then he growled in a low voice, "The Darkness cannot be allowed to succeed. I will go and fight it for Mother Gaia's spirit."

Again, the others laughed bitterly.

"What chance can you have?" asked Lion. "We are the greatest of Gaia's children, and we failed against this great monster. How could you hope to stand against it?" But Falcon raised his shattered wing and said, "We have all failed. It costs us nothing to allow another animal, even one so low as Wolf, to try to free our Mother." So the crushed and battered animals relented, and they allowed Wolf to enter the World Navel and walk the long tunnel to the Darkness, cold and alone. But when he reached the Dark Thing's lodge, he did not call out a challenge. Instead, he quietly crept inside. There, Wolf saw the Darkness force the spirit of Gaia to sing to it. And as She sang, the tiny, soft, beating heart of the Darkness pulsed with a terrible life.

Wolf crept up to the Darkness and lunged. He sank his fangs into its foulness and closed his terrible jaws about Darkness' heart. Darkness howled in a voice that rattled the world.

"I shall destroy you!" Darkness thundered, and it battered the life from Wolf. Wolf bit harder.

"I shall kill her!" Darkness threatened, and it shook the captive Gaia. Wolf bit harder.

"Fool! We shall all three die!" Darkness wailed. Wolf bit harder and felt the heart begin to break.

And lo, Death came for all three. As Death reached out for them, the Great Dark relented. It released the spirit of Gaia from the dank underworld and returned Her to the lands above.

"I have released her! Unhinge your jaws from my heart!" Darkness implored. Wolf bit harder. Death lingered over Wolf and touched him. And Wolf could bite no more.

In the lands above the World Navel, life returned to the forests and mountains and valleys and oceans. The wounded animals looked up to see Gaia free once more, and they rejoiced. "Wolf has freed Gaia!" they cried. "Praise be to Wolf!" But alas! Wolf was nowhere to be seen. And the animals hung their heads in sorrow. And Gaia said to the assembled beasts, "My mightiest animals fell before the foe, and only my Wolf could save me. Henceforth, all animals shall honor Wolf and revere him and serve him as totem spirits. And Falcon shall serve the highest of wolves, for only Falcon believed in Wolf."

"But alas!" cried Falcon. "Wolf has perished!" Gaia raised her arms, and bore up the body of Wolf. "Wolf has died that Life may live. Henceforth, Wolf shall know the secret of Gaia and the secret of Death."

And behold! Wolf was restored to Life.

"Because he has passed through Death's domain, Wolfs coat shall be the purest white," Gaia said. "When I create Humans, Wolf shall be the intermediary. Wolf shall walls the realms between animal and humankind, and make his home in both lands. And from Human and Wolf I shall fashion a protector: a great spirit hunter with bountiful courage and abundant wisdom."

And by Gaia's decree, the Wolf became Her protector in all ways and all things and all times. Many lineages came from Wolf, but to this day, the White Wolf remains first before all.

Recent History
The Silver Fangs have seen a recent flurry of activity among their ranks — and more than a little strife. When Jonas Albrecht retrieved the Silver Crown from the dark reaches of the Umbra and crowned himself King, the ripples of this dramatic event spread throughout the tribe. More than ever, young Silver Fangs are crying out for a renewal of the tribe itself. Unfortunately for these young ones, few of them have shaken off the mental instability that plagues the long-inbred tribe. What's more, the elder Fangs in power have no desire to surrender their authority to a gaggle of ill-mannered pups, and tradition is firmly on the elders' side. Another unfortunate problem that won't go away is the constantly circulating rumor that when the Final Battle comes, a Silver Fang will hold the banner of the Wyrm. This prophecy has brought a lot of tough attention from the other tribes, sometimes in an almost Inquisitionlike form: The Judges of Doom
have been seen at altogether too many Silver Fang septs of late. Besieged on all sides, many Silver Fangs are rather strongly considering a show offeree to bring the other tribes back in line. Whether such action might prove successful or start an internecine civil war that could leave the Garou easy prey for the Wyrm's minions, none can say.

Organization
The Silver Fangs, not surprisingly, are monarchists of the highest degree. Each sept is ruled by a king (the term applies to both male and female Fangs), who is held to possess nothing less than a Gaia-granted Divine Right to rule. Kings are always Ahroun, and they keep officials of each other auspice in their courts. A full Silver Fang court consists of a king, two shamans (Theurges and spirit advisors), two stewards (Philodox and leaders of the sept's offensive forces), two squires (Galliards and leaders of the sept's defense) and a seneschal (a jack-of-alltrades; once traditionally Ragabash, but now more often Ahroun). Of course, dwindling numbers now mean that few Silver Fang septs have complete courts, much less courts
composed of Garou best suited for the positions.

Silver Fang septs are divided into two lodges: the Lodge of the Sun and the Lodge of the Moon. The Sun Lodge deals with the human community and the outside world; the Moon Lodge has the lupus community and the spirit world as its provinces. Each lodge sends a shaman, steward and squire to the king's court, the better to retain balance. As concerned with lineage as the Silver Fangs are, it is no surprise that they count several royal families among their ranks. There were once 13 of these great houses, but six have
disappeared or died out over time. The ones that remain are Gleaming Eye, Unbreakable Hearth, Blood Red Crest, Wise Heart, Austere Howl, Wyrmfoe and Crescent Moon. Although not all Silver Fangs belong to one of these houses, it's worth noting that these seven families told the preponderance of power in the tribe.

Quote
I am ordained by Gaia, by Sun and Moon, by Falcon and by Death itself. In all these names, I am chosen to uphold the law of the Mother and of the Garou Nation. And to you, traitor and charach — I am ordained executioner.
— Katarina Thousand-Howl, Ivory Priestess

Book: Tribe Book

Falcon

First among the Tribal Totems and patron to the Silver Fangs, Falcon is the totem of freedom, victory and insight. More ancient than all but a few totems, there is little that escapes the Falcon's golden eye. Falcon is a strong, fast flier, skilled in the wars of the air. Those Garou who ally themselves with him have a strong and reliable patron.

Falcon, more than any other totem, hates the Wyrm because for many centuries the Wyrm enslaved some of his brood. The Falcon eventually battled his way from the Wyrm's heart, but he has never forgotten his one-time subjugation. Some of Falcon's progeny are still thralls of the Wyrm and wander the Umbra as powerful Banes.

The primary realms of the Falcon are in his great speed, power and knowledge. His bonds are generally powerful warrior in their own right, a fact that most Garou can readily respect. Indeed, the Falcon's brood are similar to the Garou in many ways. The spirit is a totem of Honor and Respect.