In The Art of War, Sun Tzu teaches that you must choose and control your battleground if you want victory. In the urban jungle, the city-speakers can control the battleground like no others. Experienced members of the lodge — and only experienced members are taught this rite — are enough in harmony with the agendas of the city-spirit to rouse them in anger to make life ever harder for mutual foes of the werewolf’s pack and the city itself. The very city itself seems to turn on the enemy, making even the simplest task, such as passing through a door or navigating the streets difficult. Door jams and curbstones reach out to trip him up and urban animals attack unexpectedly from the shadows.
Performing the Rite
The ritualist walks the streets of the city, making purposeful, physical contact with as many buildings as he can. Some werewolves rest their foreheads against the objects they’re talking to, while others lay their palms flat against their subjects. Some just walk along, running their fingers against the brickwork, leaving angry spirits in their wake. To each building, he whispers of the evil of the enemy they face. To very road and sidewalk, he tells of the harm that will be done to the city. To every animal lurking in an alley, he howls of the coming predator. He must spend at least half an hour per area the size of a city block to rouse the spirits and set them against the werewolf’s prey. This rite cannot be performed more than once in any lunar month without offending the city’s spirit.
