In Welsh mythology, Annwn is the land of the dead, ruled over by Arawn, a deity that led a Wild Hunt made up of ghostly hounds. Whether the superstitions and folklore of the ancient populace were born from sightings of the werewolves of this lodge, or the legends inspired the lodge’s creation, time may never tell. What is known is that after the lodge’s founding, the Lodge of Howling Death was small, vulnerable and beset by enemies. Nothing has changed in hundreds of years.
Originally, the lodge was composed of a single large pack, primarily made up from werewolves of the Hunters in Darkness tribe. These Uratha traveled into the depths of the Welsh countryside, seeking to take and hold a large and rich hunting ground in the wilderness. The journey ended in a huge battle between the Forsaken and a Pure pack, and it was here that the Uratha allegedly met the wolf-spirit that would serve as totem for the lodge. Over the following years, the pack suffered horrendous losses, but still held the territory. Though the packmembers were aided by the white wolf-spirits that also hated the Pure’s defilement and corruption of the land, additional reinforce- ments were to come in time. They arrived in the form of werewolves who had heard of the pack’s success, and soon several packs were staying at the prime locus of the hunt- ing ground and sharing ideas, tactics and plans to carve wilderness territories of their own, ripping the land away from the talons of the Pure Tribes.
It was here that the Lodge of Howling Death was truly born. The gathered packs swore a binding oath to the patron known as Spectral Wolf, promising to never spare the lives of the Pure when the packs met them in battle. In return, the patron would bind these packs as a lodge and aid them in taking wilderness hunting grounds of their own.
Prerequisites
Harmony 4+, Purity ••, Willpower 6+, Survival •, Brawl •
Benefits
Death Howlers gain a great deal of practice in the skills Survival, Intimidation and Brawl, and these Traits cost new dots x2 rather than new dots x3 when raised with experience points. Members are also given a Death Howl Stone upon entering, which they must replace them- selves if it is lost, abused or destroyed. Finally, Stealth and Nature Gifts become affinity Gifts when purchased with experience points.
