From: jmm25@po.CWRU.Edu (Jessica M. Mcgeary)
Subject: The People of Law- African Bete

The People of Law
(initial notes)

Questions exist as to whether tribe can really be called Garou;
largely based off Lycaon pictus, the African wild dog. Garou 
converts from other tribes, tho, esp. anti-extermination Red
Talons and the occasional lost/renegade Silent Strider.

Founder: Female Philodox, of Glass Walkers (or whatever their 
names were in the beginning). Young during the end of the
Impergium; grew disgusted with human behavior after Impergium 
ended. Joined Red Talons for a time. Couldn't deal with the kill 
'em all ideology. Went to learn from the Striders for a time, & 
vanished. Turns out she went south and found the wild dogs (btw, 
there are those who believe Lycaon pictus belongs in the same 
genus as the wolf). Several other Garou came with her. The People 
of Law came from this.

	Converts aside, lupus form looks like the African wild dog- 
round ears, splotched, spotted coat, 30 in. tall at shoulder, 
four toes on each foot. Most homid members look like Bushmen, 
though lots of em are Black. The People of Law are a LOT
stricter about the Litany and such matters than are the modern 
Garou. They do not have metis members. Metises are mostly born to 
converts; if this happens, the metises are driven from the tribe 
and pronounced anathema, and the parents are killed, but quickly
and mercifully. Should a metis child be born to native People, 
all three are killed- the child mercifully, and the parents are 
torn to pieces by the pack. Guilt is determined by Philodox 
inquisitors according to strict ritual procedure. Metis young 
produced by rape are subjected to a ritual which renders them a 
normal wolf or wild dog (though still deformed and sterile), 
without the power of the Change, forever. The mother is put 
through a process of healing and cleansing, involving a lot of
rituals for the purpose, and is absolved of all guilt. The male 
is torn to pieces by the pack. The People of Law do not have 
knowledge of the Rite of Gaias Vengeful Teeth. If they did, they 
would consider it horrific and refuse to learn it or use it.
	Metis young produced by Black Spiral rape, which has only 
happened twice in the tribe's history (and then to members
traveling far from the tribe's territory) are killed. Erm, that 
is, Black Spiral rape has only happened twice, but both times it
produced young. The mother spends a year or more in the process 
of healing and purification, and both have Renounced and launched
wars of revenge against the Spiral Hive whose member was
responsible. Both times they have destroyed all the Spirals 
therein (their packmates assisted them, of course). The 
Pathstones were taken from the Pits guarded by these Hives, and 
the area purged of the Wyrm's taint. The Striders have discovered 
one of these, but what happened to it, they do not know.
	Sorry, my mistake. Metis children of rape are killed, too; 
this is not so much because of the Litany or other laws, but 
because their deformities would place too much of a burden on 
those beings to whom they were given. However, the tribe does 
have a ritual by which a metis can be deprived of the Change and 
made a normal forever- either a normal wolf/wild dog, or a human.
Normal only in the sense that they cannot change shape. The rite 
in question is mostly performed when a Black Spiral or something 
of that sort is captured. Ill go try and write it up at the end 
of this thingy.

	Council of Wyrm's Advocates: Philodoxen are the strongest 
auspice within the tribe, naturally, but the auspice immediately 
following them in power is, oddly enough (or not) the Ragabashes. 
Ragabash elders choose from all the tribe's Ragabashes to form 
the Council of Wyrm's Advocates (institution existed from Long 
Ago, but the name came from a Strider passing through from the 
north). The Council exists to test laws to destruction prior to
implementing them, and to occasionally give old laws a pounding 
from hell to see if they still need to stand. Galliards come 
slightly below Ragabashes in power, as they come in quite handy 
for remembering precedents and old lore long tucked away and
suchlike. Ahrouns make great enforcers and prosecuting attorneys 
(actually, its mostly the other way around- converts and homids
who are prosecutors tend to be Ahrouns). Theurges serve the 
standard mystical functions and do a lot of the healing and
psychological stuff.

	Converts tend to be anti-extermination Red Talons who 
wandered into Africa. The occasional Silent Strider comes to join 
them. Native-born homid tribe members who are not Bushmen or 
Black are usually of Middle Eastern descent. The occasional bit 
of non-Lycaon blood that crops up (high Pure Breed members have a 
chance of going to Lycaon or going to Lupus, but not both- those 
with Lupus forms are throwbacks) manifests as the form of the 
Arabian wolf or the Iberian wolf (from tribe members who went 
north, bred to Arabs, and had descendants who joined the Moorish 
conquests).
	Interesting note: converts who are Lupus Garou, for the most
part, tend to mate with humans, as they aren't used to the cues
and signs from L. pictus. Homid converts often wind up bowing to 
necessity and mating with the wild dogs, as the majority of 
humans in the People's protectorate find most homid converts to 
look revolting. This is also often the force that causes the
creation of metis young, but you saw what happens to them.

Totem: Halakha (Heb. word for Divine Law, but it's her name). 
Background cost: 9
	Halakha was, long and long ago, a Garou, but her powers and 
leadership during her lifetime led her to a different fate from 
the common run once she died. Halakha grants Law 3, Investigation 
1, and Rituals 3. All Rites and Gifts involving these abilities
have two extra dice added. Halakha is partial to Philodoxes, and 
all of her Philodox Children have their Gifts' difficulties 
reduced by one, save for Wisdom of the Ancient Ways, which 
Halakha's patronage reduces to a 5 difficulty regardless of Past
Life background. (Unless, of course, the Philodox in question has 
5 points in Past Life.) Halakha's Children may also purchase
Philodox Gifts at the same price as Gifts of their own auspice, 
but only Philodoxes have the difficulty dropped. Halakha WILL NOT
adopt a pack that has a metis in it, and will instantly withdraw 
her patronage from any Child who is involved in the conception of
a metis offspring.
	Ban: Halakha's Children must adhere as closely as possible 
to the Litany, and are bound by her Code as well. The Code was a 
form of modified Impergium, designed to keep from breeding in the 
fear and the Delirium found in other parts of the world, as well 
as to form closer ties between the tribe and the homids. In major 
part, it runs thus:

	1. Any human who attacks and kills another human shall be 
killed.
	2. Any human who brags of killing another shall be killed.
	3. Any human who kills a wolf or wild dog, or brags of
killing a wolf or wild dog, shall be killed.
	4. Any human who fights another in self-defense or in the 
defense of another shall be spared, or assisted if possible.
	5. Any being who violates another, whether their body or
their property or something else, shall be tracked down and made 
to give restitution equal in magnitude to the violation. If 
such restitution is more than they can give, or if those to whom
it is owed are dead, a Court shall convene and determine sentence.
	6. Defense of humans present shall be performed in Lycaon or
Lupus form. Punishment of humans, or defense of humans not 
present or not conscious, shall be performed in Homid form.

There are other portions to the Code, but these are the oldest 
portions, the very first given by Halakha to her pack. 
Opportunities to follow the Code need not be sought out, though 
some do; however, any of Halakha's children who neglect to follow
the Code or the Litany when presented with the opportunity to do 
so will be cut off from all her support.

Protectorate: The People of Law mostly look after the Bushmen,
these days, as well as some of the other native populations in 
southern Africa. They also guard the Lycaon pictus population
fiercely.

Initial willpower: 5
Initial backgrounds: 2 (no Contacts or Resources)

	Characters w/Pure Breed 5 must roll 1d10. On a 10, their 
final form is not Lycaon but Lupus. Roll again; 9 or higher means 
that the form resembles an Iberian wolf. Lower, and it's the 
Arabian wolf.

	Only the Garou who have joined them know of the Peoples 
existence. They conceal themselves from the others- indeed, if
they had not begun receiving Red Talon and Silent Strider 
members, they would have continued to believe, as they had been 
doing for ages, that the other Garou were extinct. Prior to 1850 
or so, none of them had left Africa. Some Garou had come to
Africa with the British conquests, but the People had no contact 
with these, save for a few who were killed by Wyrm beasts the 
People were trying to destroy.

	A pack of fifteen People (eight Lycaon, one Lupus; eight 
female, seven male) is headed north to Yugoslavia, at the request 
of Halakha. They will not be discovered until they reach the 
area, and then it will be by either local Shadow Lords or by one
of the three Garou with the UN forces in the area (two Fianna, 
one Black Fury). This will happen after thirty or forty soldiers 
who commit rape as part of the war are torn to pieces by wild 
dogs, or shot by the Ragabashes. There are three Ragabashes in
the pack, two male, one female. These remain in Homid form while 
the others change to Lycaon/Lupus form; they deal with the men
who fear the dogs and shoot at anything with four legs, mostly by
shooting them, but some by slitting their throats. The ones
killed by the Ragabashes are not touched by claw or fang, but 
left for the others to find. Human women who have not yet been
subject to rape, as well as many who have, have taken to making 
friends with area dogs. A few brave women have also made 
overtures towards local wolves (one of which is a Rank 3 Shadow 
Lord lupus), as they've heard of a wolf in the dog-pack as well.

	Long long long long ago, the People of Law made contact with 
the Bunyip. Seventeen Bunyip fled to them over Moon Bridges 
before the Bunyip were killed off; these seventeen pulled up the 
Bridges behind them, utterly frustrating the Wyrm agents who 
could no longer track them. These joined the People- their life 
governed by the Dreamtime Laws made it easier for them to fit 
into the tribe. Children of the People tribe who are born Garou
have a one-in-a-million chance of being born Bunyip. Bear in mind 
that the chances of an alligator being hatched white but not 
albino are one in a million, but recently a clutch of 25 
alligators in Louisiana hatched out seventeen white young. Id
say that as a result of the weird things accompanying the 
incipient Apocalypse, there's a higher chance of Bunyip young 
being produced. No need to worry about Pure Breed levels for 
them, but they would most likely have high scores (a 4 or 5 would 
go with being Bunyip, but you wouldnt have to roll for it with 
that level Pure Breed).

	The Ragabash council is the Council of Wyrm's Advocates
because the idea of the Council came from a Strider convert 
who knew of the Catholic Church's procedure relating to 
canonization. Since they didn't believe in the Devil as such, 
they changed the name. The People see nothing wrong with arguing
the Wyrm's cause when testing a law, whether proposed or 
established, and the Ragabashes especially feel it is their
sacred duty to test things against the Wyrm's force- not only 
laws, but often cubs as well. The People's Rites of Passage would
horrify other tribes of Garou; their Theurges invoke Wyrm spirits 
or creatures and hold them or bind them, then test the cubs
against the most appropriate sort of spirit. Those not destroyed 
or killed by the cubs are banished back to Malfeas.

	Special rite performed only by the People: Arousal Ceremony 
(Level 2). Dont be rude; this is the name for a behavior shown 
by the wild dogs. Before hunting, the leader of the hunt paces 
back and forth in front of the pack, making assorted howl-type
noises, and they do a lot of nipping and yelping and stuff. 
Everyone gets in the same mood to go hunting, and the dogs then 
go and pull down their prey. For the People, the rite is much the 
same in Lycaon form; they use Call of the Wyld a lot, and the 
pack shares the Gift: Sense of the Prey. In Homid form it's much
the same but theres a bit of singing and general mood-whipping 
chanting involved. Gift is still the same.

	Ragabash: Tester of the Law
	Theurge: Interpreter of the Law
	Philodox: Giver of the Law
	Galliard: Holder of the Law
	Ahroun: Enforcer of the Law

or something like that.

	Trials are conducted by the People in a manner somewhat
different from other Garou. Its considered terribly rude for 
someone to flee trial, but when it happens, they are hunted down 
by Ahroun-Ragabash teams. Once the trial begins, the law relevant 
to the situation is recited by the Philodoxes, and the crime for
which the trial is conducted is spelled out. The one being tried 
may not speak for himself or herself, but neither may the one who
brings the accusation speak. Either a Ragabash or a Galliard- 
accuseds choice- Speaks for the defense, and either a Galliard
or an Ahroun for the accuser. (Galliard v. Galliard makes for 
SPECTACULAR trials. Scopes monkey trial scale.) (On rare
occasions, Theurges will be employed to Speak for one or both 
sides.) A Galliard not Speaking for either side recalls events 
and trials similar to the one being conducted, though not always 
judicial precedent. Both sides Speak, and may question the other 
side or independent witnesses if they wish. It is the neutral 
Galliards sacred duty to speak or sing forth any piece of lore 
or history they remember that they believe relevant to the case 
at hand- no matter when they are reminded during the trial. Three 
Philodoxes pass the final judgment; they must be unanimous in 
their decision. The judgment is then presented to a group of 
Theurges, I'm not sure how many. Either three or five. If these 
Theurges believe unanimously that the judgment before them is
wrong or unjust, they say so, and the trial is ended and passed 
to the Council of Wyrm's Advocates, from which there is no 
appeal. (If not all the Theurges agree, but at least one thinks 
it unjust, the case is retried, with different principals for
everything except accuser, accused, and Theurges.) This happens
extremely rarely, though; a trial before the Wyrm's Advocates is 
a terrible thing, invoking magic and spirits, more frightening 
than a Shadow Lord Grand Inquisition. You see, if this happens, 
all those involved in the trial- accused, accuser, Speakers, 
neutral Galliard, judges, Theurges, EVERYONE- is put to the 
Council's scrutiny, and this is not something any of them wish to 
have happen.

Hrm. Howabout this. Three Theurges. If one thinks injustice done, 
the case is retried; if two, the Speakers are changed, or 
sometimes exchanged; if three, we go to the Wyrm's advocates.
Also, the Philodoxes give judgment, but the Theurges do the 
sentencing. The neutral Galliard must give the recitation of the
facts of the case as presented by the accuser prior to the trial.

	The People of Law are, technically, more Wyrm than anything 
else- but the original Wyrm, the bringer of harmony, the
balancer, destroyer of excess. To tell the truth, they are some 
of the most balanced Garou- if they can accurately be termed 
Garou. Once they meet the other Garou on a large scale, both 
sides will have to figure out for themselves whether the People 
can truly be called Garou. They are strong in the Weaver- their 
laws, their Code, etc.- in the Wyld- for their sacred spaces and 
environment are some of the best protected, and they hold life 
and liberty and change more dear than most Garou- and in the Wyrm 
as it once was, for they will sacrifice themselves if need be to 
keep balance between excessive order and excessive chaos. Damn 
straight they hold the Philodox auspice in highest place. Their 
outlook and behavior dates from their origins- Silent Striders,
creators and invocators of mystery; Glass Walkers, preservers of 
order; and Red Talons, destroyers of excess and ill. A number of 
Garou who were born in the Indian populations in South Africa are 
quite comfortable with their philosophy & have joined them.

	Moots, of course, are held on the half moon; occasional 
moots come at the time of African festivals or on the new moon, 
and naturally resemble these festivals. They live anywhere Cape 
hunting dogs are found, and roam the Kalahari with the Bushmen. 
Some of the People are the only preservers of Southern Bushman 
blood left after the British and Dutch killed them.

	Currently the Peoples highest leader is a middle-aged 
Philodox of Bushman blood, educated by White humans. His birth 
name was something I can't type 'cos I don't have the symbols for
all the different clicks, but his marvelous understanding and
establishment of human law, the Litany, and the Code in its 
entirety prompted others to encourage him to take a new name at
the Change. His name is Hammurabi.

	Some of the Ragabash Gifts are restricted severely in their 
usages by the Code. Whelp Body may not be used unless the
Ragabash is attacked first, or fighting a Wyrm minion. Thieving 
Talons of the Magpie Im not sure about. Violation is a secret 
that has been allowed to be lost- the original Ragabashes who 
accompanied Halakha south did not teach it to the cubs they 
mentored, though they taught of the power's existence and warned 
that its use would be grounds for a trial. In its place, the 
metis power Totem Gift is taught; the whole tribe may be taught
that ability, which came to them through a Ragabash who had had
a Metis mentor.

	Hm. Perhaps, perhaps, one Ragabash on the Council of Wyrm's 
Advocates may be privy to the secret of Violation, and only
teaches the power to his/her successor before he/she dies. Allows 
for punishment of criminals without using Gaia's Vengeful Teeth.

Gifts:

Camouflage (Level One): As the Wendigo power.
Sense Wyrm (Level One): As the Metis power.
Find Water (Level One): As the Lupus power, but available to 
Homids as well without extra cost. Bushmen do sip-soaks and 
suchlike, you see.

Dust Devil (Level Two): As the Wendigo Gift of Cutting Wind, but
brings up a hot wind laden with stinging sand particles. Make 
sure & incorporate the sand's effects on the victim's eyes and 
suchlike. Causes damage to Metis with the Hairless disadvantage.
Messenger's Fortitude (Level Two): As the Silent Strider power.
Distractions (Level Two): As the Galliard power. Used only by 
Lycaon or Lupus tribe members, and the yips, yelps and howls
involve the birdlike chirps and yaps the wild dogs make.

Lions Might (Level Three): Spend a Willpower point, make a Rage 
roll against a 7, and the Garou's fangs and claws do extra
aggravated damage (one automatic level per success). This is true 
for both bite and claw attacks.
Adaptation (Level Three): As the Silent Strider power.

Attunement (Level Four): As the Silent Strider power.
Savannah Scourge (Level Four): Spend 2 Gnosis points. Roll 
Manipulation + Animal Ken against a 7. All animals present in the 
area will act as if a massive fire is pursuing them (the fire 
	is directed by the Garou on a Dex + Occult roll) and will 
run from it as fast as possible. They will stampede towards 
anything that presents safety, even human habitation, so long as 
there is no fire burning. They will not obey commands, however.
Solitary Company (Level Four): By spending two Gnosis points, on 
a successful Int + Occult roll, the Garou may cover up to four 
companions with invisibility for one turn per success. She may 
not use this power to cover herself. It's an easier power to use 
than the Uktena Gift of Invisibility, allowing for full speed 
movement, but no combat. It may only be used at night.
	No, try this. Solitary Company physically comines all the 
members of the pack into one being, which is in the base form of 
the majority of those coming together, with the attributes of the 
one employing the gift. Tests must be made regularly (Stamina + 
Leadership, difficulty 8) to stay together; injury, combat, or 
anything requiring a Rage roll will cause the pack to return to
separate individuals. Two Gnosis points must be spent (maybe 
three).

Totem Gift (Level Five): As the Metis power.
Gaia's Vengeance (Level Five): As the Red Talon power.
Gate of the Moon (Level Five): As the Silent Strider power.

We can zap one from each group of three if you like, but I don't know
which ones would be best. You let me know.

	All right. Here's another special Rite, developed by some 
curious Theurges and Galliards aeons ago, not long after the 
initial Pack reached the southlands.

Rite of Divestiture
Level Five

This rite is generally led by several Theurges, and always 
includes at least one Galliard. The Rite is cast upon a metis 
Garou, and long ago in the early days was tested upon a few 
metises who had followed the Pack south at a distance. Halakha 
was MAD when she found out about this, and severely punished them
for what they did, as they had not asked the metises for
permission nor had they told her of their plans. (This instance
warranted the use of the Gift: Violation on the guilty parties.)
However, after the punishment was over, the Rite's potential
value was acknowledged, and it was incorporated into their lore.
The Rite involves elements of the Rending of the Veil, and
incorporates the Galliard powers of creation and reshaping
reality; it invokes spirits of the Deep Umbra. It removes their
ability to change shape and renders them a human or wolf
(Galliard's choice; must be stated at the beginning of the Rite),
though still sterile and deformed. I don't know what the rolls
involved would be; one of you come up with it. Often the metis
falls down afterwards unconscious for upwards of an hour. There
have been some incidents where they've been left for wild dogs or
something else- in one case a Black Spiral Dancer was caught and
stripped of the Change, then left to be found by something the
homid members of the tribe thought useful.... a CNN camera crew.

Jessica McGeary
jmm25@po.cwru.edu