S4: Meeting of the Tribes

Summary

The Garou Nation calls the leaders of the tribes together in a remote valley in the Rocky Mountains. The nation needs to come together to form the ‘Chosen Pack’ to deal with the coming apocalypse but is ridden with strife due to recent events and the decline of their power.

Key Outcomes

  • The politics of the Garou Nation are successfully navigated and the official pack to lead in stopping the coming apocalypse is formed.

The Big Plot Facts

  • The Silver Fangs all but dead and no longer a tribe of consequence.
  • The sacrifice of Broken Claw at the Maw of Oblivion had left the Garou Nation without an heir apparent, creating further division as the Get of Fenris and the Shadow Lords sort to fill the Vacuum.
  • The Moot was divided over whether the pack should form due to it not being comprised primarily of members of the Garou Nation but various moves found sufficient support for the pack forming:
    • Shadow Lords gave their for vote because Dakota persuaded them he was their spy and would ensure the pack’s failure.
    • Silent Claw persuaded the Black Furies to allow Midnight Shadow to tell Broken Claw’s last heroic tale
    • The Get of Fenris shifted sides on the basis of Midnight Shadow’s telling of Broken Claw’s final tale – putting his brother in direct conflict with their tribal totem Fenris!
    • Red Claw and Wyld Fury both compete in the opening howl but the power of Urus to rock the very mountain and valley wins out.
  • Midnight Shadow tried to sway the Get of Fenris to become more moderate but this did not succeed for now.
  • The Shadow Lords stated their new position as the leaders of The Garou Nation the degree to which this was excepted by their primary rivals the Get of Fenris was unknown.

The Other Facts

  • Red Claw was drinking himself into oblivion at a road sidebar due to taking the blame for Broken Claw’s sacrifice. He was brought around to some extent via his pack members.
  • The journey to the moot was interrupted for some:
    • Red Claw was spoken to by Sirius, the dog star, about the dangers at the Moot
    • Ananasa spoke to Dakota, thanking him for reducing her and reminding him she owed him a big favour he should not call on lightly
    • Fenris warns Midnight Shadow not to fall out of line at the Moot and ensure that the mongrel pack of impurity does not form
  • Silent Claw was able to provide information around numerous kidnappings of young women all of a similar age across the Middle East and a mysterious Project Morpheus being run dataDyne.
  • There was some sexual tension between Silent Claw and the leader of the Black Furies Wyld Runner.

Dramatis Personae

  • Fenris, the Winter Wolf and tribal totem of the Get of Fenris
  • Grandmother Wolf the current leader of the Garou Nation. A member of the Bone Gnawers and New York Bag Lady by day.
  • The various leaders of the Garou Nation Tribes:
    • Battle Paw, Silver Fangs
    • Demon Tongue, Shadow Lords
    • Wyrm Slayer, Get of Fenris and Midnight Shadow’s brother
    • Man-Eater, Red Talons
    • Steel-Singer, Glass Walkers
    • Distant Sun, Silent Striders
    • Star Dancer, Stargazers
    • Wise-with-Words, Children of Gaia
    • Grandmother Wolf, Bone Gnawers
    • Wyld Runner, Black Furies

Metagame Observations

  • This session was run in the Sunday morning slot of CottageCon 2019 which has sort of become a tradition now. It managed to keep most of the players awake after so much food and late nights – so can’t have been that bad!
  • Not only did I have no idea how it would go, and I tend to avoid this BIG POLITICAL type sessions (there is another player in the group who is WAY better at them – I’m sort of action drama guy) – the putting of the tribes on cards to shift their allegiances around was an in the moment thought!
  • The session does highlight a challenge I’ve not yet managed to solve: making social conflicts more than just an overcome roll and something akin to an actual, interesting full-on conflict with an ‘environment’ and interesting ‘elements’. One day.
  • It was another session where I went in with a situation and some idea of what happens at a Moot and left it to ‘well, something will happen when they interact with it’. Seemed to work.
  • What was interesting was this: Midnight Shadow’s player came up with a side to his character out of nowhere that was a bit WTF left-field in the moment but actually created a whole different dynamic of turning the Get of Fenris into the new Silver Fangs (was not thought up in advance at ALL!) – plus resulted in a pretty, emotionally sweeping spotlight in sessions #6 and #7.
  • Have to say, the fact we can use open discussion, sensible meta-gaming and complete trust to navigate what, to be honest, was a sort of positive blind-siding for Midnight Shadows new ‘elements, to something awesome is why the group rocks.
  • Originally I wanted the campaign to feature primarily Garou (Werewolves) with other changing breeds being a minor thing, as it happens the fact this isn’t the case has become a narrative reflection of the Garou’s waning power a larger arc of dealing with past actions that has been great.
  • Playing Fenris is pretty awesome.