Warding Gifts

Werewolf The Forsaken Sourcebook p. 144
Auspice, Lodges & Tribes
Elodoth, Bone Shadows, Ivory Claws, The Armee Sauvage, Brotherhood of Eshu's Cap, Lodge of Harmony
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Protecting the sanctity of the Uratha’s many holy sites is the reason various wards were originally developed. Over time, however, the People have found myriad ways to put wards to use outside loci, though they are still primarily used to guard those locations. These Gifts are typically taught by wolf- or ancestor-spirits.

Gift Levels

• Ward Versus Predators

The simplest of protections, this Gift lets other predators know that a tract of land has been claimed by a werewolf. All such predatory animals instinctually realize that to intrude into the territory is an invitation to be attacked or killed, and most are cowed by such knowledge, avoiding the warded ground religiously thereafter to avoid a potentially fatal confrontation.

•• Ward Versus Humans

Many times, the biggest danger to a locus comes not from werewolves’ supernatural rivals, but from humanity’s teeming ignorant masses, ever eager to transform the world around them and never suspecting the troubles this calls down from the Shadow. Entering, much less clearing, woods warded by this Gift calls forth feelings of unparalleled dread from the depths of the hindbrain. “Something lives in there that’s mightier than you,” the mind screams. “Something hungry that will eat you up.” Someone intent on entering the warded area might convince himself to do so, but a casual hiker or other such indifferent walks away.

••• Technology Ward

Werewolves are creatures born of a primal time. They rely on their teeth and claws first, the powers won from the spirit world second, and human technology as a distant third. Naturally, they favor stacking the battlefield in their favor by doing what they can to ensure that their prey must rely on similar advantages instead of advanced tools. This Gift is an effective means of removing any technological advantage, thus giving werewolves the edge.

•••• Shadow Ward

This Gift is invoked on rare occasions, as it denies werewolves access to one of their major strengths — the ability to access the spirit world. Shadow Ward actually strengthens the Gauntlet in the warded area. The werewolf using the ward outlines its boundaries with intricate designs and patterns. She then calls on the power of the physical side of her being while denying her spiritual side. The ripples of that renunciation intensify the barrier to the spirit world even in areas one would normally consider spiritually sacrosanct. (In fact, repeated use of this Gift may permanently damage an area’s spiritual connection and create a Barren, at the Storyteller’s discretion.) The Gift is considered important to offset damage to the Gauntlet often done in urban settings by Beshilu and other creatures that seek to collapse the wall between the material and spirit worlds. And yet, some Uratha are wary of werewolves who know this Gift for fear that it will be turned on the holy sites of the People.

••••• Ward of Spirit Slumber

Singing a lullaby atttributed as Luna’s song to her offspring by Father Wolf, the werewolf’s voice pierces the Gauntlet, where the soothing melody continues to echo. Spirits crossing into the warded area hear the song’s haunting strains and are lulled into a deep enchanted slumber. Werewolves frequently use this Gift to protect an area from hostile spirits without actively injuring or offending the spirits.