The Laws of the Alpha

 

I, Neil Siven, who is known to the Nation as the Self Made Man, the Smith Ouroboros, and Many Other Names; who was born of Time upon two legs as the Argent Maiden smiled upon me; who follows that self same Sokhta with all my heart and gives thanks to my Tribal Patron, She of Many Faces; who in this life has been granted the rank of Elder for both my virtue and sin; I commit these words to law for so long as I hold the title of Alpha, and for so long after as my successors deem them worthy.

 

It is well known that those works of art and artifice which last the longest and hold the most stability are those which are built upon the most solid foundations. In pursuit of such a foundation, I speak these words to Granite, that they may be etched in that selfsame foundation of our Sept, the Sept of Stone’s Heart.

 

((Simplified verbiage and clarifications will follow every paragraph. All things italicized and written in double-parentheses should be considered “out of character” clarifications. Some terms also should be defined before we go much further.))

((Sept – the Changing Breeds who form the community, often but not always centered around a Caern. Fera are historically rare members of such places, though growing more common as time passes.))

((Sept Territory - the physical land that is nominally held by the Sept.))

((Bawn – the area immediately around and empowered by a Caern. A holy place, which Septs fortunate enough to possess a Caern use for their gatherings.))

((Caern – a place of power, bonded to a spirit which empowers the area around it. Often a focus of Changing Breed reverence and worship.))

 

First- All who feel the love of Gaia and work for her protection are welcomed visitors. Any unknown person or entity who wishes to step upon this Bawn must be first vetted and confirmed by our noble Warders. Should these guardians find that such a Visitor dissembles or deceives them, seeking to harm our Sept, our Totem, or our Emerald Mother, the Warders are empowered to declare such a person enemy and anathema.

 

((Any Gaian character with Gnosis is allowed as a visitor to the Sept. The Warders can declare any Visitor they find to be non-gaian, or who are trying to harm the Sept, Sept Totem, or Gaia an Enemy of the Sept. If it’s a Sept Member, they need to call scandal but can deny the Sept Member entry in the meantime.))

 

Those Kinfolk who are of sufficient standing and respect, or who are vouched for by a Sept Member, are also permitted to access the Bawn- though the risk to them caused by their presence is a burden carried by themselves or their Garou.

 

((Kinfolk are allowed on the Bawn if they have Renown or if a Sept Member vouches for them.))

 

Visitors to the Sept do not have the same rights and protections as Members of the Sept, though they will enjoy the benefits of hospitality so long as those traditions are respected in turn. All visitors will be expected to follow and obey the Litany of the Garou Nation for so long as they are visiting the territory of and wish to maintain hospitable relations with the Sept of Stone’s Heart.

 

((Visitors don’t need to know the Alpha’s Laws, but also aren’t entitled to any protections designed for Sept Members. They get the benefit of hospitality so long as they also obey the strictures of hospitality in turn. What that means is open to some interpretation. This is mostly to encourage people to seek membership in the Sept, while not disincentivizing people from visiting our game. Visitors are still expected to introduce themselves to the Sept Alpha, at their mutual convenience.))

 

Second – A member of the Sept is one who bears no allegiance to another Sept. In the event of Catastrophe, a Sept Member is expected to place their priority wholly upon their home Sept, aiding other Septs only after their home Sept is safe. Only a Member of the Sept may hold a Sept position, and a Member of the Sept may hold no position in another Sept.

 

((Your loyalty is expected to be to Gaia first, then your Tribe and Sept are on roughly equal footing. If multiple Septs are threatened simultaneously, then as the airlines say, “make sure to secure your own mask before helping others.”))

 

Third – Sept Positions will be held by those who desire them and prove themselves capable of performing their duties. One who holds a Sept Position is to be considered the authority in their given purview. Should a Sept Member believe that such an authority is being misused, there is recourse. Inform the Spymaster, call scandal, escalate the issue to the Alpha, or challenge. Such accusations carry an Honor risk for both the accuser and the accused, as is the way of the Garou. Should a Sept Member not respect that category of Renown, a viable substitute will be found.

 

((Sept positions are meant to be challenged for. If you want it, and think you’d do a better job, go for it. With the possibility of Fera Sept Members who recognize different Renown than Garou, a different renown to stake themselves with needs to be found before such a challenge should occur. That being said, nobody should be forced to hold a Sept Position. If you don’t want it, you shouldn’t need to take it. Sept Positions come with some out of game homework, and that isn’t something that any player should be forced into.))

 

What follows are the duties and responsibilities of each Sept Position. Each holder of a Sept Position must appoint a Beta who can stand for them should they be unable to fulfill their duties temporarily either due to absence or inability. While some positions may traditionally be held by a specific auspice, no one auspice may claim a position as their exclusive territory. Additional guidelines and rules as applicable to the purview of a given Sept Position may be defined by the holder of said Position.

 

((I want to define what each position does and is responsible for because we’ve had some arguments in the past over that. Apparently, the books are vague!))

((Additionally, the restrictions laid by one person who holds a position may be countermanded by their successor or by the Alpha. Otherwise, a challenge is the appropriate way to contest a rule you think is unfair or overly restrictive.))

((There’s been a bit of a tradition of forcing people in Sept Positions to hang around the Sept. They shouldn’t have to- except for the Warder and the Gatekeeper, the Sept should be able to function just fine for a few hours without most of its leaders acting as glorified couch warmers. If it can’t, I’ll be revising these until it can.))

 

In the event of Catastrophe, the Sept Positions will also serve as emergency succession, so that the Sept should never lack a leader. In such an emergency, the Beta of the Sept is first in succession, however no other Position Betas will be considered in succession unless all other Sept Positions are dead or indisposed. This succession list is not a ranking of the importance of such individual positions.

 

((Another practice that seemed to need clarification. This “line of succession” is only ever used in emergency situations, and usually means that a lot of people have died. If succession is needed, it is likely a time of war, and the whole Sept is fighting for their lives.))

 

Den Parent

 

Responsible for the growth and development of future generations of Garou, the Den Parent also acts to give guidance and support to those new members of our Nation who lack such structure.

 

((A Den Parent teaches the cubs what is necessary to become fully fledged Garou and offers advice to unpacked Cliath. They are responsible for the behavior of cubs but are not necessarily responsible for the behavior of unpacked Cliath, though they will likely be questioned if the Cliath demonstrates a lack of proper Garou education. The Den Parent is the primary runner of "tutorial mode" for new players, and should be comfortable teaching IC as well as OOC. Den Parents are often called upon to run scenes for new players, although that can vary by STaff and Den Parent. Because of this additional Narrative expectation, Den Parents must be approved by game STaff, in addition to the standard In Character challenge.))

 

Upon the request of the Den Parent, any Garou who is a Member of the Sept may assist in the education of the next generation.

 

((It takes a village! Everybody can teach, but let the Den Parent ask you or accept your offer for help before jumping in.))

 

The Den Parent is Fifth in succession, should such Catastrophe arise.

 

Gatekeeper

 

Holder of the Sept’s Pathstone, keeper of our Moonbridges, and the person in charge of Diplomacy with neighboring Territories. If the Gatekeeper must leave the Bawn or the Sept’s Territory, they must ensure that the Pathstone is not lost or strays too far from the Caern Heart. A gatekeeper must have an understanding of those Rites necessary to accomplish the duties inherent in the position.

 

((The Gatekeeper is a role that sees limited use in play, historically. While technically a position of prestige, it forces people to stay on Sept and lose play time. Anyone who wishes to be Gatekeeper must know the Rite of the Opened Bridge and the Rite of the Opened Caern.))

 

As the Gatekeeper cannot leave the Bawn without significant effort, they are empowered to appoint Emissaries- those Sept Members who will maintain our Moonbridges and act as direct Diplomatic relations to other Septs.

 

((This is generally how PCs will interact with the position- using it to get Plot! Include service in your downtimes or engage with diplomatic plots of all stripes through the Gatekeeper.))

 

The Gatekeeper is Eleventh in succession, should such Catastrophe arise.

 

Keeper of the Land

 

Responsible for the safe and balanced spiritual and physical development of the grounds which belong to the Sept. This includes maintenance of and approval of construction of the various shrines and sites of spiritual power on the Bawn, as well as organizing and keeping track of the bounds of territory within the Sept as a whole. As I speak these laws, that territory includes the full physical space within the Mortal counties of Beltrami, Clearwater, and Hubbard, as well as the Umbral reflections thereof.

 

((The Keeper of the Land is in charge of keeping track of Physical Territory claims and the spiritual upkeep of the Bawn and Sept Territory.))

 

All Members of the Sept are encouraged to assist in the spiritual upkeep of the Sept’s territory, under what guidance the Keeper of the Land may give. Should you wish to claim a portion of the Sept’s territory for your own, such claims must go through the Keeper of the Land.

 

((Let the player of the Keeper of the Land know about any shrines that you’re maintaining, and tell them about any Physical Territory within the Chronicle you would like to claim for your character.))

 

The Keeper of the Land is Tenth in succession, should such Catastrophe arise.

 

Master of the Challenge

 

The ultimate arbitrator of challenges, the Master of Challenge holds the final authority over what is a fair and just challenge. It is up to them which challenges may or may not be issued in the daily activities of the Sept. They, or their beta, are to be counseled for any challenge of Rank of Adren or higher, and for any challenge of Sept Position (save for their own). Should the Master of Challenge be unable to remain an impartial adjudicator in such a challenge, their beta is to be consulted. Should both fail to remain impartial, consult first the Truthcatcher, then their beta, then the Sept Alpha, then my beta. If somehow all these people are incapable of impartiality, then a council will be formed of five who can judge lesser challenges, and their decision must be unanimous.

 

((The Master of the Challenge is in charge of challenges, and can say what does and does not constitute a fair and just challenge. They also get to declare what the ‘default’ challenge for conflict resolution is, a kind of challenge that will rarely if ever be gainsaid by the Master of the Challenge. Traditionally, this is combat. They also can declare certain kinds of challenges completely off limits- such as by declaring Challenges to the Death forbidden or denying the traditional challenge of drawing silver.))

 

Any challenge I have not indicated above may be overseen by any Member of the Sept who is either a Philodox or possesses no fewer than six tales of Honor to their name. The results of such challenges should be reported to the Master of the Challenge or their beta before a full lunar month has passed.

 

((Challenges should be happening all the time. Go nuts. Just make sure that whoever oversees the challenge has at least 6 Honor or is a Philodox. Then, once it’s over, shoot a quick one-sentence summary over to the Master of the Challenge))

 

The Master of the Challenge is Seventh in succession, should such Catastrophe arise.

 

Master of the Rite

 

The Master of the Rite is one who has dedicated themselves to the ancient art of Ritual within our Nation. When seeking a Ritemaster for a particularly large or complex Rite, the Master of the Rite will be consulted first, to lead the ritual if they are able and to suggest a replacement if they are not. Additionally, those desiring education in our Rituals may approach the Master of the Rite and request instruction. While the Master of the Rite is not obligated to teach every supplicant the ways and means of our occult practices, they may indicate where a worthy Garou might pursue such instruction.

 

((Large and Complex rites are usually those requiring more than one pack participate in their performance, such as the Rite of Caern Building or the Rite of Abscission. The Master of the Rite gets to make a bunch of rules and coordinate teaching of not just Rites, but also can function as a coordinator for other applicable knowledges, too.))

 

It is also incumbent upon the Master of the Rite to define the minimum knowledge a Garou must demonstrate to learn particular rites such as our Rite of Summoning or Rite of Binding, as misuse of such Rituals can negatively impact the Sept, the Bawn, our Totem, and even our Caern. Members of the Sept who wish to teach rituals to others should be familiar with the requirements as outlined by the Master of the Rite, lest some of the consequences of misuse fall upon the teacher as well.

 

((The rules as outlined by the Master of the Rite are very important. If you teach a Ritual against the Master of the Rite’s recommendation and it comes to a bad end, you will be punished as well.))

 

The Master of the Rite is Ninth in succession, should such Catastrophe arise.

 

Spymaster

 

A new position, the Spymaster is one who is expected to work closely with all other Sept Positions. The Spymaster is a gatherer and keeper of knowledge and serves as a reference for the whole Sept. While the Spymaster is neither expected nor required to have all the information of the cosmos at their beck and call, they are expected to have the ability to gain a great deal of information upon request. Additionally, the Spymaster and their position may be called upon to perform the investigations necessary during the process of calling scandal. If they are, it is incumbent on the Spymaster to appoint investigators to work with a Judge appointed by the Truthcatcher, or for the Spymaster to take that burden themselves.

 

((The Spymaster functions as a coordinator of information. Though they don’t need to know everything, they should be maintaining systems that allow them to find things out. They also may want to keep some out-of-game notes to help keep everything straight.))

 

Members of the Sept should not feel shy about giving the Spymaster any information that they think might be important. A part of the Spymaster’s office is sorting through dross to find the truth.

 

((This is not supposed to be a ‘secret police’ type situation. This is intended to be a ‘Holy shit our sept is huge and there’s too much data so we need somebody to sort through it’ situation. As it’s the newest and most vague Sept Position, expect further clarifications and rulings in the future.))

 

The Spymaster is Fourth in succession, should such Catastrophe arise.

 

Talesinger

 

Keeper of the Tales of our Sept and its Members, the Talesinger organizes those who would claim the Renown of our people. They are also responsible for keeping the history of our Sept, ensuring that the ravenous waves of time do not erode the memory of our deeds any more than they must. In keeping with this attention to the Lore of the Sept, the Talesinger will also operate as a keeper and coordinator of Lores for the purposes of instruction.

 

((The Talesinger is responsible for making sure that stories are getting told and Renown is being converted. While it is not required that the Talesinger be a Keeper of the Silver Record, Talesingers are encouraged to look into such positions and capacities. As the eminent authority of historical record, the Talesinger is also the de facto person to approach if you need to learn specific Lores- even if they don’t know them the Talesinger should know who does or how to find out.))

 

Those who can tell such tales, you must ensure that the Talesinger can hear of your story. This may be direct, if they are in attendance for your performance, or it may be simply through the repetition of a watchful spirit. Regardless, they must be made aware.

 

((This shouldn’t be too onerous. Just let the Talesinger know how and if you’ve performed the Rite of Accomplishment and why. Likely through the #renown channel on our Discord!))

 

The Talesinger is Eighth in succession, should such Catastrophe arise.

 

Truthcatcher

 

The Truthcatcher is responsible for ferreting the truth from those who would attempt to deceive. In the event of a scandal being called, it is the Truthcatcher who either acts as or appoints a Judge to coordinate the gathering of information and administration of punishment. One who holds this position must have a keen regard for and understanding of the Laws of the Nation and of the Sept.

 

((The Truthcatcher acts as a kind of chief of police and judge. They’re primary job is to appoint Judges to oversee investigations of scandal and the administration of Punishments.))

 

Any Judge appointed by the Truthcatcher is granted authority and territory over the investigation that is granted them, to be remanded only by the Truthcatcher, their beta acting in their stead, or the Alpha of the Sept.

 

((Anybody can be appointed as a Judge, and they should be working with whoever the Spymaster appoints as Investigators to get to the Truth.))

 

The Truthcatcher is Sixth in succession, should such a crisis arise.

 

Warder

 

A position held by one who possesses authority over many. Often, the Warder is the alpha of a “Warder Pack,” and the whole of that pack is granted the remit of defense. They are to hold the borders of the Bawn, or of any Sept gathering if the Bawn is not available. Their duty is to defend that territory from the predations of those who would seek to harm the Sept, the Totem, or Gaia herself. In the pursuit of that defense, the Warder is empowered to declare any such threat an Enemy of the Sept. Anyone described as such is to be met with hostility, and engaged in what combat is available while upholding the Litany. Should that threat be in the form of a Member of the Sept, the Warder is instead empowered to deny the Member access to the Bawn or Meeting Place and initiate a call of scandal through either the Spymaster or the Truthcatcher.

 

((As the Warder is supposed to spend most of their time on the Bawn, this usually winds up as a ST driven position. A PC with this job isn’t required to stay on the Bawn all game but will be expected to spend the majority of their nights in this Position doing so.))

 

All Members of the Sept are encouraged to serve amidst the Warders to ensure that our defenders are not run ragged and can maintain their Vigil in this long night.

 

((This is a great way to spend otherwise unspent Downtimes, and doing it often might let the STs feed you juicy, juicy plot.))

 

The Warder is Second in succession, should such Catastrophe arise.

 

Wyrmfoe

 

Wyrmfoe is the office of aggression. It falls to them to catalogue those Threats to and Enemies of the Sept and dispatch such packs as can handle the enemy. They are the nominal War Leader of the Sept in the event that a great battle needs to be fought, or they may appoint another War Leader in their place should they feel another is more qualified to lead a particular battle.

 

((The Wyrmfoe should maintain a list of the active packs of the Sept with a note of their purpose and strengths, as well as a list of known Threats to the Sept. Most of the Wyrmfoe’s job should be connecting one list to the other in a way that ensures that other players are having fun.))

 

Should a Member of the Sept encounter a new Threat to the Sept or known Enemy of the Sept, they are empowered to handle it should they believe they can do so. Any Threat encountered and interacted with should be reported to the Wyrmfoe, whether you were able to arise victorious or merely were able to garner some slim information about such a Threat.

 

((Don’t report to the Wyrmfoe right away if you run into Plot. Have a go at it! If you can’t resolve it in one night, then let the Wyrmfoe know about it and whether or not you think you can handle it. Repeatedly declaring that you can’t handle each threat you’ve found will likely be met with suspicion- Garou pride themselves on their prowess, after all.))

 

The Wyrmfoe is Third in succession, should such Catastrophe arise.

 

Alpha

 

The last and first. All Visitors to and prospective Members of the Sept are expected to introduce themselves to the Alpha at their mutual convenience, and only the Alpha can declare someone a Member of the Sept. It is the duty of the Alpha to create and maintain these laws- ensuring that they grow and change as necessary to guide their sept to better futures.

 

((Introductions are a common courtesy, and an expected first step of any type of hospitality.))

 

Should all other systems and Sept Positions prove incapable of dealing with an issue, then it is the job of the Alpha to solve it. There is no further escalation beyond the Alpha, aside from challenging the Alpha for their position. Such escalations may result in changes to these laws as previously written, to avoid such confusion and conflicts in the future.

 

((Bringing an issue to the Alpha is an implicit declaration that either this issue is too important to wait for the appropriate other Sept Position to take care of it, or that the system has broken down. Either way, it becomes something that needs to be fixed on an elevated level.))

((This is not to say that you can’t bring something to the character who is the Alpha, it’s just the difference between the character and the position.))

 

The Alpha’s Beta is First in succession, should such Catastrophe arise.