Scent of Decay

A CHRONICLE BOOK FOR WEREWOLF: THE APOCALYPSE
SCENT of DECAY
SCENT OF
DECAY
A CHRONICLE BOOK FOR
WEREWOLF: THE APOCALYPSE
Authors: Indrani Ganguly, Jose Garcia, Jesse Heinig, Juhana Pettersson, Rob Wieland
Developers: Jukka Särkijärvi with Chant Evans
Producer: Kevin Schluter
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Cover Artist: Nevzat Aydin
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M Penman, Maichol Quinto, and Adam Vick
Copy Editor: Stephanie Cohen
Cultural Consultant: Logan Boese
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This book uses the supernatural for settings, characters and themes. All mystical and supernatural elements are fiction and
intended for entertainment purposes only. This book contains mature content. Reader discretion is advised.
Werewolf: The Apocalypse Creators: Sam Chupp, Andrew Greenberg, Wes Harris, Robert Hatch, Geoff Pass, Mark Rein•Hagen,
William Spencer-Hale, Rich Thomas, Josh Timbrook, Stewart Wieck, Travis L. Williams, Samuel Witt
Rules based on Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition by by Martin Ericsson, Karim Muammar, and Kenneth Hite
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction 5 CHAPTER FOUR: A POUND OF FLESH 65
The Foe 66
CHAPTER ONE: Assembling THE Pack 7 Story Structure 66
Session Zero 8 Part One: Best Friends,Worst Enemies 68
Conflict In the Pack 8 Part Two: Little Cub Lost 73
Building Up Your Packmates 10 Part Three: Gallery Night 78
Unusual Packs 11 Follow the Trail 83
Scent of Decay: Town and Sept 12 Allies & Antagonists 83
CHAPTER TWO: The Break Room 15 APPENDIX: THE Weaver’s World 87

The Foe 16 A Hard Bargain 88
Story Structure 16 Barfight 89
Catch the Scent 17 Campfire Songs 89
Milton: A Quiet Little Main Street 18 Chain of Command 90
Part One: First Shift 19 Code of Silence 90
Part Two: Second Shift 24 Desecration 91
Part Three: Third Shift 30 Flourishing Victory 91
You Deserve a Break Today 30 Fuzzy Memories 92
Anger Management 33 Lingering Failure 92
Follow the Trail 35 Pep Talk 93
Allies & Antagonists 36 Promises, Promises 93
Spoils of the Hunt 94
CHAPTER THREE: What About Me? 94
SHADOWS on the Prison Wall 41
The Foe 42
Story Structure 42
Catch the Scent 43
The Doorstep 43
Static Signal 44
Part One: A Hint of Malice 46
Part Two: Polyphemus Security Solutions 50
Part Three: Reaching for the Sky 54
Part Four: The Suffering 60
Allies and Antagonists 62
S H AT T E R E D N AT I O N
Every time their gazes tug down,

They think us monsters, then men,
Predators, then persons again,
Beasts, then beings,
Horrors & then humans.
—Amanda Gorman, “Lucent”
4
INTRODUCTION
Introd u ct i o n
S
cent of Decay is the first chronicle and respecting one another’s strengths without ignoring
supplement for Werewolf: The Apocalypse, tension. This chapter also contains some background
5th edition. It’s a series of stories set in the information on Milton, which will be useful when
small Midwestern American town of Milton, that link creating characters for Scent of Decay.
together into a chronicle that will take a pack from its The Break Room: The first story in the
formation, through claiming territory, through their first trilogy puts the pack up against a Pentex front turning
steps into the Umbra, and finally into the difficult and human workers into wasp-like drones. Productivity is
tense relations of the Garou Nation. The pack will face a everything.
Pentex Group front, a manipulative trickster spirit, and Shadows on the Prison Walls: The
another pack of werewolves with a grudge. They’ll earn second story takes the pack into the Umbra to address
Renown and maybe even a spirit ally and earn their place some of the less obvious problems afflicting Milton,
amongst the local Garou. teaching them a lot about the power, and the agendas, of
Milton’s a deliberately easy place to adapt to your spirits in the process.
own preferred setting: there are small towns just like A Pound of Flesh: In the final story, the
it — struggling to survive, exploited by corporate meddling of the pack’s mentor gets them into trouble
interests and selfish politicians — just about anywhere. and places them in a challenge set by the Horned
We have no doubt you’ll be able to adapt Scent of Decay Serpent to make amends: find a local Kin before her
to wherever you set your games without losing a thing. First Change, and make sure her Rage doesn’t undo all
The stories that make up this chronicle are designed to the pack’s work.
work as consecutive chapters in a pack’s tale, or to be The Weaver’s World: An additional set of
separated by other stories of the Storyteller’s own design. plug-and-play scenes addressing the challenges that
Inside this book, you’ll find: Garou face when they interact with humans and their
Assembling the Pack: Advice on creating a world. Run these scenes as part of a story, or feel free to
set of characters who’ll work well together, identifying draw inspiration from them for your own narratives. ■
5
C H A P T E R O N E : A S S E M B L I N G T H E PA C K
Chapter One
Asse m bl i n g
THE P a c k
T
he first step towards playing the stories Of course, the purpose of the group is different: The
in Scent of Decay is creating a pack. This chapter Garou seek to fight the pollution, greed and devastation
contains ideas you can implement as you’re pulling down everything around them while your
running your session zero for the game, as well as troupe seeks to have a fun and fulfilling game experience
character creation options that tie the players’ characters together. Fortunately, there are activities you can do
into the events of the stories in this book. during the session zero that are useful for both fleshing
There’s a parallel between putting together a pack, out the in-game dynamics between the characters and
a group of Garou your players are going to portray in building trust and understanding between the players.
the game, and the task of assembling a troupe of players
to play the game. The better your players gel together
as a creative ensemble, the more fun you’ll have with
Werewolf.
7
S C E N T O F D E C AY
Session Zero 0 Is there anything you’re afraid of happening that

would diminish your experience of the game?
D
uring session zero (see Werewolf: The 0 What makes you excited to play Werewolf?
Apocalypse, pp. 203–205) you have two goals: char-
acter creation and making sure everybody is on the 0 Are there any movies, comics, books or the like that
same page concerning the game you’re about to play. You you’ve been thinking of as references regarding this
can find more information in the Appendix: Advice for game?
Considerate Play in Werewolf: The Apocalypse, p. 320. 0 Is there something specific that you think would be
You can start working on the pack’s in-game dy- cool if it happened, or that you’d enjoy experiencing
namics during session zero by helping the players form a in the game? For example, a struggle for who’s in
tighter ensemble. After all, if the players feel good about charge of the pack, delving into the spiritual mysteries
each other, it’s easier for that feeling to translate into the of the Umbra or intrigue, drama, and betrayal among
relationships between the characters as well. the Garou.
A simple technique you can use to build the ensemble The last two questions are especially useful for the
with your troupe is to do rounds where everyone answers Storyteller, making it easier to tailor the content of the
a question. The answers are not meant as the start of a game to what the players are interested in experiencing.
debate and you, the Storyteller, can even skip your turn if Once you have characters and they’ve been intro-
you wish. The goal is to listen to what your fellow players duced to the troupe, you can do a few more rounds
are saying so you get a better feeling for where they’re specifically about them:
coming from. 0 What kind of things do you wish to explore with this
A good first question is simply: character?
0 Do you have any questions about Werewolf: The
Apocalypse? 0 Are there things you want to avoid playing with your
character?
Depending on how the troupe answers, you can tailor
the rest of the discussion to their interests. 0 What’s something that holds you together as a pack?
Here are a few more questions: That last question may spark a discussion, and that’s
0 What do you hope to experience from the pack fine — desirable, in fact. Each pack has its own problems,
dynamic? (As the Storyteller, you can elaborate on the but there are reasons they’re sticking to each other, and it
question to help your troupe: Should the pack have helps play to know what they are.
a leader? If yes, what kind of responsibilities do they
have? Should everyone have a unique role, or would
you prefer a more fluid dynamic?) Conflict In the Pack
P
0 What kind of positive themes do you wish to see laying conflict inside the pack can
between pack members? Are you interested in stories be great fun. The ahroun is just about to rip apart
of camaraderie, trust, or the thrill of the fight that the employee of an oil company when the philodox
playing a werewolf pack makes possible? intervenes, arguing that killing defenseless people is not
what the Garou are supposed to do.
0 What kind of tensions do you think would be fun
When such conflicts stay between characters, they
to explore within the pack? Do pack members have
can create powerful moments in the game. However,
differing moral opinions on how to fight for Gaia,
there’s a danger that they sometimes bleed over into the
when killing is or isn’t justified, or should each pack
relationship between the players. Intellectually we under-
member contribute equally? Or is tension built
stand that play is just play but when someone is shouting
around something more personal, like each member’s
in your face, it’s easy to get angry for real.
individual need for glory?
Building trust inside the troupe in advance helps with
this. It’s also useful for the Storyteller to keep an eye out
for the escalation of conflict beyond in-game events. If
that happens, the Storyteller can seek to pre-emptively
make the situation less emotional.
8
Here are a few ways you can do this: wider story, instead of just how it’s making them feel
0 Involve game mechanics. If the players have been in the moment.
discussing things as their characters, you can turn 0 Finally, if the conflict escalates so that it causes actual,
the situation into a roll. Ask both to roll for whatever real anger, the Storyteller can stop the game for
they’re arguing for. a moment. The participants should discuss what
0 Ask the players how they see the scene progressing. happened, facilitated by the Storyteller, and seek to
Ideally, they should suggest different possible out- de-escalate the conflict so that it doesn’t harm the re-
comes. If they don’t, you can offer some additional lationship they share as players. Mutual apologies are
alternatives. This tends to take the player out of the often a good start, even if it doesn’t really feel anyone
emotional space of the characters and subtly gets the did anything wrong.
players to work together to sketch out the outcome Note that sometimes the Storyteller is part of a
of the scene. While the characters are in conflict, the difficult situation like this. In such a case, they should
players cooperate. still stop play and try to emotionally de-escalate and
0 Cut to another scene. You can take a break from smooth things over. It’s difficult, but part of their job as
the scene to see what’s happening with the rest of the facilitator is to be able to step back and do this. If it’s not
pack and then cut back to the conflict. On the level going well, consider asking another player to facilitate the
of the characters this changes nothing but for the discussion.
players, watching other troupe members play for a
few minutes allows them to relax for a bit and come
down from the conflict. It can also help them
think about how their scene fits into the
9
They key is to not only note details like tribe and

auspice but also pay attention to the overall concept your
fellow player has for their character. Then, during play,
there are several things to do to build them up:
Give Spotlight: When the situation calls for someone
to represent the pack at the moot, you turn to look at
the Silver Fang expectantly. This way, their player can
portray their uncertainty without that uncertainty
causing them to lose the spotlight during play. There’s no
need to be subtle about this. Especially if you’re playing
online, where it’s hard to read pauses and body language,
you can just say out of character: “Hey, you’re a great
tracker, right? Do you want to handle this?”
Hype: Sometimes the simplest methods are the best.
You can simply hype up another character in a social
scene: “Black Spiral Dancers? Oh, my ahroun friend
will make short work of those. Wait until you see him in
Building Up Your Packmates action!”
W
React to Reinforce: You can make sure to react
hen you’re playing an ahroun, it’s
when something happens in the game to reinforce
fun to feel like an unstoppable engine of brutal
the character of your packmate. For example, your
violence. When your character is a ragabash, you
theurge friend is talking with a raccoon spirit and rolls
want to feel like a clever troublemaker who’s always one
exceptionally well. You can say: “I knew the spirits
step ahead.
would recognize your wisdom!” This also applies when
How do you make this happen?
handling failure. The dice might go against your theurge
When you play a game of Werewolf with your
friend, but it’s important to rationalize what happened
friends, you can build their characters up. When
in character: “These spirits were especially challenging
everyone does this to each other, the result is a pack of
to deal with!” rather than: “You’re a bad theurge and I’m
Garou who are all exactly as cool as you want them to be.
going to handle the next negotiation.”
If you want to make this happen as a player, the first
The basic mechanism that makes this work is the
thing to do is simply to listen. Here are three examples
idea that a lot of character identity is built together,
of things your fellow players might say about their own
as a group, and not just by the individual playing that
characters:
0 “My character is a theurge. She’s been forced to grow
character. A character whose concept, Attributes, Skills,
and Merits all suggest charisma becomes the social
up too fast and although she has acquired hard-won
animal they are if all the other characters and players
wisdom, there’s a sadness behind her eyes.”
treat them as such.
0 “I’m a Silver Fang, but I’m pretty young and I didn’t One auspice excels above all others when it comes
have a lot growing up. Being called by the Falcon into to building up their packmates. That one is obviously
this tribe has been a confusing experience and I’m galliard. When your job is to tell the stories of your pack
worried I won’t live up to the expectations everyone is at the moot, you have a wonderful opportunity to build
placing on me.” up your friends in ways that support their character
0 “My wolf-born character is a bit of a dork, especially concepts. It doesn’t have to be all that complicated: Simply
among humans and human-born, but in a fight he’s make their successes sound as grand as possible, ideally
unstoppable.” in line with their character concepts. Out of character
communication can really help here: Ask other players
what they intended or were trying to achieve with a great
deed, so you can give them their due in the retelling.
10
Unusual Packs
Typically, a pack consist of Garou from
different auspices. This way, each play
has their own area of expertise in which er
they can shine. However, you can also
experiment with other compositions.
In the World of Darkness, a pack rarely
comprises exactly 5 Garou with one repr
esenting each auspice: it’s an ideal that
just doesn’t occur that often. If the play
ers are interested in trying out new
things, or just don’t want to forced into
one particular choice, the troupe can
create all sorts of combinations.
Here are a few possible concepts:
Two Ahrouns: There are two true war
riors in the pack and there’s always
competition between them. Who gets
the most kills, who manages to save mor
people, whose deeds are talked about e
at the moot?
The Ragabash Pack: Most if not all mem
bers of the pack are ragabash.
They’re known troublemakers, getting
kicked out of moots and mak ing
practical jokes on the esteemed heroes
of the Garou. Some want to kill them,
others desire to point them in the dire
ction of the enemy.
The Spirit Guardians: There are seve
ral theurges in the pack, and they
have a sacred mission to work with a spec
ific spirit and keep it friendly with the
Garou. However, each theurge has thei
r own ideas on how to do this best.
Rebuilding the Nation: The Garou Nat
ion is in tatters, destroyed by the
internal divisions among werewolves.
Yet the dream of being united against
the Wyrm still lives and is the purpose
of this traveling pack consisting of a few
philodoxes and their pack mates. They
move from sept to sept, trying to heal
wounds and get intransigent elder wer old
ewolves to talk to each other.
The Band: A couple of galliards is all
it takes to put together a band and
the traveling lifestyle of being on tour
suits the hunt for the despoilers of Gai
If you want to play to type, the charact a.
ers can be a hardcore punk band. If you
want contrast, they can be an austere elec
tropop ensemble or a mellow hippie
band.
When you have more than one charact
er from the same auspice, make sure
there’s something that distinguishes them
from each other. Each should have
their own strengths so that it’s still clea
r when they can have their moment to
shine. Ideally, have players discuss this
openly during session zero.
11
Scent of Decay: to consider theft as unworthy of Gaia’s warriors, or

perhaps you still view such acts as entirely valid.
Town and Sept Working Security: You’ve worked at the local
T
Val-MOR superstore as a security guard, doing a lot of
he typical character for the chronicle excruciatingly boring night shifts where nothing happened.
is probably going to be human-born and working Sometimes you noticed people you knew stealing from the
class, since that’s the milieu they live in. They’re store and turned a blind eye. The company didn’t pay you
a pack responsible for a dying town hollowed out by enough to turn on your community.
parasitic corporations. That’s not to say everyone should Cheering for the Home Team: Your family
expect to play a character like that. Towns are more than was always big on sports. Some of your fondest early
demographic trends, and characters may not be locals at memories are of everyone in your living room exploding
all, but it’s a good indication of the type of humans who into a cheer at the victory of a team you supported.
will be around the characters throughout the story, and Sometimes you went to see matches at the Val-MOR-
from whom they might draw local contacts. sponsored Values Field. That was great!
In terms of choice of auspice, all have their moments Dead Center: Somehow Milton’s downtown seemed
to shine. Ahrouns should find opportunities to rip much more alive in your memories of going there as
enemies to shreds in the first story. In the second, galliard a child. Now there are a lot of empty storefronts, just
storytelling can come to the fore and theurges can be a couple of businesses like Red’s Gas and Danielle’s
especially useful. In the third story, the social abilities Restaurant still surviving.
of the philodox can be of crucial importance, as long All Cops Are Bastards: Or private security, in this
as they’re backed with a range of other abilities. And case. Milton is too small of a municipality for its own
of course, in every story, a ragabash may invent new police department. Formal investigations are officially
approaches that change the nature of the game. Every under the County Sheriff’s authority, but usually fall
auspice, and every tribe, will work just fine for this in practice to security firms hired by Val-MOR, since
chronicle. Ghost Council Garou might have an especially those resources are spread thin. They handle anything
interesting time with the final story, as the tribe’s Patron that threatens Val-MOR’s interests. Locally, that means
Spirit Horned Serpent makes an appearance. Once the Noctis Security Solutions, a private security firm with
players have named the pack their characters belong to, ties to Pentex Group. They have an office at the Val-
it’s time to discuss the town they live in. EVENMor store. If you’ve grown up in the town or
spent much time there, odds are you’ve been beat up at
Milton least once by one of their goons for a trivial reason like
A small former farming town in the Midwestern U.S., in throwing a rock at their cars or just not fitting in.
long decline. If it fits your troupe, you can let the players If each character incorporates one element, all are
choose background elements relevant to the story for connected to Milton. Feel free to adjust the elements so they
their characters from the following list: fit the character concept. You should also consider how the
A Bad Job Market: You’ve tried to apply for work at characters’ Advantages and Flaws tie with these elements
the Val-MOR warehouse and fulfillment center and you’ve or other features of Milton. Is a Garou’s Day Job at the
been rejected twice. It stings, especially because you know Val-MOR warehouse? Do they have an Ally or Enemy at
people who did get jobs there, one of whom is a former Noctis? For more unusual character concepts, such as a Red
classmate of yours. You’re not sure if he still works there. Talon who only recently had their First Change or a Glass
Economic Warfare: After your Rite of Passage, you Walker high roller who recently came into town, you can
developed the idea that stealing from big companies find different ways of connecting them to the milieu.
was essentially economic warfare for the sake of Gaia, so For example, perhaps the Red Talon tried to fit
you used to go to the local Val-MOR superstore for the into human society by taking a job as a security guard
purposes of petty theft. Since then, you may have started at the Val-MOR superstore, only to be fired because
of insufficient understanding of workplace hierarchy.
Or the Glass Walker may have hired Noctis Security
Solutions for the protection of a property they bought
in town, only to be horrified at how they beat up
trespassing teenagers.
12
The Sept of the Far Watcher is not completely dead when the last few luminescent
insects crawl from their holes in the ground, momentarily
It’s an axiom among the Garou that there are not enough distracting watchers from the devastation all around.
werewolves to fight all their enemies. For the Sept of the The sept is led by an aging Shadow Lord philodox,
Far Watcher, that’s long been apparent. The sept watches Rib-Bone Dariga. She has an imposing reputation,
over a wide region, each of its packs assumed to be having grown up on the Kazakh Steppe before coming to
responsible for their own territory. You can ask for help the U.S. as a teenager and experiencing her First Change.
but should always assume that your septmates are in the Although she doesn’t come across as a diplomat, she has
middle of their own desperate struggles, the same as you. a knack for bringing the packs together every once in a
This is the sept the characters’ pack belongs to. while, if only through intimidation.
The sept is named for a legendary Silent Strider of Her own pack is called the Broken Fang and also
old, said to be one of its founders. In recent years, the features Mother Louise, the polar opposite of old Rib-
name has become a joke among the sept’s members: It Bone in attitude and approachability. Mother Louise is
covers so much territory, you only see your neighboring an ideal mentor figure for the characters: she’s heavily
packs from afar. In this sense, the sept is more a formality involved in the entire chronicle, giving advice, making
than a community, a tacit agreement of cooperation requests, and quietly shaping the characters’ destiny. She
between packs that don’t meet all that often. is ideal for a character’s Mentor Background and having
The sept’s territory contains a small level 1 caern, the her at the pack’s back would be a great boon to them. For
Glittering Glade, about an hour outside Milton. It’s on a chronicle centered on Milton, consider giving Mother
brownfield land, abandoned mud and muck stained by Louise as a free 1-point Mentor to a suitable character.
industrial pollution. At night, it’s apparent that the caern Her full profile is in ‘The Break Room,’ p. 36. ■
The Rakshaks
Milton used to be under the protection of a pack of Garou known as the
Rakshaks, who have recently abandoned it to the predations of the Wyrm’s
servants. The players’ characters’ pack is free to move in on this unclaimed
territory. The Rakshaks have a good reason for what they did, and they are
the focus of the third story in this book, A Pound of Flesh. If you intend to run
Scent of Decay as a chronicle, it is a good idea to foreshadow the return of the
Rakshaks in the previous adventures. As members of the same sept, they might
be even known to the characters, but as they are staying well away from Milton
until the third story, they are not Relationship Map material.
You should also consider whether the pack want to make Milton their own
territory or if they are here just to solve the immediate problems. In A Pound
of Flesh, the Rakshaks will press their own claim on Milton, and more conflict
means more story.
13
CHAPTER TWO: THE BREAK ROOM
Chapter two
The
Break
Room
“The folks on the front lines — the
ones who actually talk to the
customer — are the only ones who really
know what’s going on out there.”
—Sam Walton
T
he Val-MOR corporation’s fulfillment
center is the biggest single employer in the small town Content Warnings
of Milton. It’s effectively a company town. Orders Body horror, lack of consent, dental gore, insects, mind
came down from Val-MOR’s parent company, Pentex control, restraints, violence towards animals (rats),
Group, to embark on a worker efficiency improvement torture.
plan — one of the rare Pentex operations that inflicts a
supernatural, rather than banally capitalist, malaise. The
program’s linchpin is an artifact that lures Weaver-spirits
corrupted by the Wyrm into the bodies of desperate
workers to turn them into self-destructive, mindless
servants. Slowly but surely, the program took hold and
infected a significant number of workers with Banes.
15
The Foe Those humans overexposed to

Val-MOR is one of many giant big box store franchises.
the hive piece are trans-
Most people dash in when they want to do a little one- formed into uncanny combina-
stop shopping. They can pick up prescriptions, toilet tions of flesh, spirit, hu-
paper, a toy for the kids, and anything else they can fit man, and wasp.
in one of the distinctive golden carts that litter the aisles.
The Val-MOR store has become the heart of many small
towns in the past few decades, usually by undercutting The transformations at the warehouse have been
local merchants, paying off local officials, and hiding mostly kept under wraps until now. At a recent Little
behind corporate lawyers. League game, a confrontation between a parent and an
These stores need vital logistical support (not to official went viral when the parent manifested a large
mention the online shopping of platform Val-MOR Xtra, wasp stinger from her arm during the argument. Most
which flourished over the past few years). That’s where folks who saw the video wrote off the so-called “Karen
fulfillment centers come in. These massive warehouses the Wasp Queen” video as a bit of special effects trickery,
keep the inventory flowing and make sure that shipments camera glitch, or as an ad for an upcoming horror film,
arrive on time. Often, they rely on human workers who but when the pack sees it, they know it’s real. They head
pay the cost of fast shipping with overextended shifts, to Milton to investigate.
workplace injuries, and promises of stable work that Exactly where they’re coming from depends on the
never materialize. other stories you’ve run before this one, but it should
Even under these unsustainable conditions, the be nearby, so that the pack don’t need to worry about
revenue line must go up. When large fulfillment centers intruding on someone else’s territory to get involved.
like Milton failed to drive profit, Val-MOR’s corporate
parent, Pentex Group, sent one of its Risk Management Story Structure
Specialists to Milton to try an unusual method of This story has three chapters.
improving the warehouse’s performance. He told local In “Part One: First Shift”, the pack comes to Milton
management he has access to a proprietary technique after seeing a viral video of a strange encounter during
that raises the productivity of problem employees. Buried a kids’ baseball game. Their inquiries reveal something
deep within the paperwork of this program is consenting strange is going on and it’s connected to a nearby
to be turned into a fomor. One by one, the warehouse fulfillment center just off the highway.
workers have been exposed to a piece of a Vaegesti Bane In “Part Two: Second Shift”, the pack investigates
hive by the specialist, Mr. Davis Mersey. The results the warehouse. The Garou find more evidence of what’s
have been promising. Minimal exposure has achieved going on, along with uninfected humans who need their
the expected results of better efficiency and the building protection.
of a hive mind connecting the workers. Those humans In “Part Three: Third Shift”, the pack finds the
overexposed to the hive piece are transformed into wasp- artifact being used to infest the workers with Banes and
husks, uncanny fomorian combinations of flesh, spirit, change them into fomori. These spirits won’t let them
human, and wasp. destroy it without a fight.
16
The Break Room Story
PART ONE: PART TWO: PART THREE:

FIRST SHIFT SECOND SHIFT THIRD SHIFT
Ma ternal
Maternal
a alolo
ngngdada
y’sy’s
Look
up
stinct
Instinct
In y’s
erse
nignig
htht
clue
sa mr m s on
investigate
Me l is comp
Catcchh
Cat anger
e
inquire
inquire
offic uter
ang er
the sce
the scenntt the fulfilment within managem
man agemeent
nt
go t center within shan e
o th e shan
crim
e sc
ene
e
Firs
Firstt mont
oya watercooler s th
em
tell
Stri ke
Strike gossip
Catch the Scent of the Garou could come to them with details about
T
the incident. This person recently moved to Milton
he pack could come across the video of
and got a job at the fulfillment center. They’ve had a
the manifestation on the internet. They might
feeling something weird has been going on but had
initially brush it off as a fake but someone close
nothing beyond a vibe until the video spread through
to them, which could be a local spirit ally or a Garou
the town like wildfire. This approach puts the danger to
mentor, confirms it’s real. Their Patron Spirit might
mortals front and center which provides a chance for the
even confirm it through a dream or vision, which
pack to feel like protectors — but their friends may be
amplifies the strangeness of what’s going on. It also
endangered as the plot moves forward.
allows the Storyteller to give additional hints during the
The pack might want to poke around the town to
investigation with further visions.
get an idea what’s going on and might visit a location in
If the pack is relatively new, they may be sent to
search of Karen the Wasp Queen. Finding out her real
investigate Milton by Mother Louise, a philodox Child
name and where she lives gives characters that invested
of Gaia who lives in the area. She invites the pack to
in Investigation and Persuasion dice pools a chance to
a dinner at her house and shows them the video. She
flex their muscle. Use the difficulty of the Storyteller
believes this young pack needs some seasoning and
characters as a guide but still give the characters the
getting to the bottom of what caused this intrusion of
information if they fail. Instead, the failure represents the
the spirit world is just the sort of experience they need. At
townspeople feeling a little suspicious of these strangers
the end of the dinner Mother Louise suggests they track
asking questions. Raise the difficulty of that character’s
down the woman in the video or visit the location where
interactions with local Milton residents by 1 until the
it was filmed. This approach highlights a bit of Garou
end of the story. A Brutal outcome might extend the
politics and establishes the pack in sept intrigues.
penalty to the whole pack, raise the difficulty by 2, or
A friend or ally that knows the true nature of one
have some other appropriate negative result.
17
Today, Milton suffers under the pall of stagnation

and decay. About ten years ago, a Val-MOR opened at
Everytown, U.S.A one end of Main Street. That store grew until it became a
As written, we envision Milton as a small Mid- Val-EVENMor five years ago. What was once a discount
western American town near a large patch of store grew into a grocery, pharmacy, and a food court. All
nature like a state or national park. Fulfillment these expansions came at the expense of local businesses.
centers like the one at the heart of the story dot They couldn’t compete with the prices and the economic
the countryside to ensure the forces of com- leverage that Val-MOR brought to bear as a national
merce keep moving. However, Milton can easily corporation. The town is sinking under a combination of
be moved and personalized to fit whatever ter- corrupt, self-indulgent public officials and the inability
ritory your pack calls home. In a more densely to oppose the unregulated corporate interests that see
urban environment such as Central Europe, or Milton as either a profit center or a tax write-off.
the U.S. East Coast, Milton could also be a stag- Clock Tower: The main feature of Main Street
nant suburb of a larger metropolis, one that the is a miniature clock tower that sits in the center of a
local police cannot be bothered with, possibly roundabout, built some 20 years ago in place of the
because they have been bribed not to. Fulfill- town’s only stoplight. The clock tower is modeled after
ment centers and similar complexes for storing the Rathaus-Glockenspiel in Munich, Germany. It was
and moving massive amounts of stuff are nec- a gift from a wealthy resident, Miriam Kessler, upon her
essary infrastructure for consumer culture, but death. The clock tower stands thirty-two feet tall and
the center could also be a storage facility at the chimes at noon on the weekdays and every daylight hour
other end of the production chain, holding raw on Sundays. Kessler hoped the reproduction would spark
materials like rare earth minerals for shipping to a renaissance of Milton as a roadside attraction, but it
manufacturing plants. never really came to fruition. It is also the focus of some
The state park can just as well be an empty unusual things in the Umbra. See p. 54 for details.
industrial lot. The key elements of Milton are Diner: Danielle’s Restaurant looks out over the clock
corporate exploitation and spiritual malaise, and tower. This coffee spot features faded pink chiffon decor
those are in ample supply worldwide. heavy on fading painted flowers. It used to be full every
morning but now mostly caters to senior citizens who
don’t want to get caught up in line at the Val-EVENMor
chain coffee installation. There’s a scattering of die-hard
customers that come for the conversation over the coffee.
This diner is one of the last bastions of open resentment
Milton: A Quiet Little Main Street towards Val-MOR in Milton.
Newspaper: The Milton Gazetteer makes its home in
The town of Milton exists a few minutes off a major a small storefront sandwiched in between Danielle’s and
highway. Old farmhouses and new construction dot the Red’s Gas. There hasn’t been a physical paper in years,
land. Milton proper has only one major street: Main but that hasn’t stopped LaShonda Bryant from trying to
Street. It was once a thriving small town center. It was make a go of it as an online paper for the past few years.
dotted with local shops, places to eat and plenty of places LaShonda retired to Milton after accepting a buyout at
to stop and sit for a bit. These local businesses sponsored her big city newspaper but can’t seem to settle down into
events like parades and charity fund drives. Folks from a life of leisure. She lives with her grandson, Mo, above the
the area could get together and talk over dripping newspaper office.
ice cream cones and kids dashing around looking for Gas Station: Red’s Gas has been around since Milton
Halloween candy. That dream has long since faded into was mostly cow pasture. The new owners, Cahya and
the past. Putri Wenda, bought the station from Red’s family
shortly about five years ago. One of them is always on
the premises, with various high school kids manning the
counter. Cahya has a shotgun behind the counter but has
never loaded or fired it. His wife, Putri, insists he keeps
the shotgun shells in the safe.
18
New Age Store: 7-Uptown began as a New Wave to keep them from falling apart. The lawns are long and
healing store but Lyndzi Wigmore has changed the yellowed due to a lack of rain. It’s as if these buildings
inventory multiple times to keep the place afloat. were put here in anticipation of a new expansion of
Currently, they offer handmade soaps and yarn and Milton that never really came, even when Fulfillment
claim to have a section for each one of the chakras that Center VMX-BD23 moved in down the road.
give the shop its name. Lyndzi’s studies of the occult and
recreational drug use make them the one person in town
most likely to accept discussion of wasp-Banes and other People Will Talk
occult matters at face value. The shop likely still carries
A viral video like Karen the Wasp Queen shakes
plenty of strange New Age supplies. Although they have
up a quiet town like Milton. Everyone has an
no idea of the sacred or practical nature of these items,
opinion on it. If the Garou ask around, they’ll
many of them could prove useful to the Garou, should
hear all sorts of wild stories. These distortions
the need for any rituals to fight the hive arise.
offer the Storyteller to foreshadow some later
Bar: Ernie’s, on the corner opposite Red’s Gas, offers
story beats or point players towards other story
a place for people who want a quiet, third location to
elements. Folks might say it’s a recruitment
drink. Ernie is actually named Barry Cheek, but because
video for the fulfillment center. Others might
he was too cheap to change the sign after he bought the
point out how Melissa is probably just seeking
bar, he’s just accepted being called Ernie. Employees
attention for herself. Others take a sympathetic
from both Val-MOR facilities have come here to unwind
view knowing that she works long hours at
after their shifts. Ernie turns a blind eye to the underage
the center and everyone who does is on edge.
employees drinking, though he won’t serve them more
One of Danielle’s regulars might even offer up
than two drinks. Mr. Mersey has considered using this
their theory that the clock tower is some sort
fact to turn Ernie into a spy for the company.
of corrupted spiritual beacon that needs to be
cleansed through exorcism.
Part One: First Shift
T
he pack arrives in Milton ready to
Melissa Barnard moved into one of the townhouses
investigate the strange reports of the fight at the
three years ago. She wanted to start over after a painful
Little League game. They can either track down
divorce and brought her nine-year-old son Sammy
the person involved in the altercation or check out the
back to the small town where she grew up. She wasn’t
baseball field. Both routes offer clues that point to the
expecting it to have changed so much and didn’t expect
fulfillment center.
to struggle with money as much as she had. She works
from home most days as a customer service representative
Maternal Instinct taking calls for Val-MOR, but that isn’t sufficient to
The parent involved in the baseball incident is Melissa cover her expenses. Now she also works part-time at the
Barnard. Folks in town are more than happy to gossip fulfillment center.
about her and even inform anyone asking about her that Even without the Vaegesti burrowing inside her, two
she lives on the south side of town, in the Liberty Bell jobs are taking their toll on her health. Melissa’s long
Townhouses. The Little League official involved in the blond hair has begun to frizzle out and thin. She has a
incident was with the visiting team and is no longer in chronic runny nose that she hasn’t been able to shake
Milton. since she started working at the warehouse. Her eyes are
The townhouses were built nearly 50 years ago. A outlined by dark circles, and she rarely wears anything
half dozen buildings scatter the length of Ross Avenue besides gray sweatpants and long-sleeved shirts. Some
off Main Street. Each of these buildings contains two days she’s too tired to take off the bright-green high
homes built side-by-side. They are a combination of visibility vest she’s required to wear inside the fulfillment
brick facades, white siding and Colonial-style shutters center and sleeps in it.
and lines. The landlord makes little effort made to fix up
these buildings, doing the bare minimum maintenance
19
Sammy, now twelve, has adjusted to his new life. He Melissa is terribly frightened about what happened
does well in school, plays Little League, and is generally at Values Field. Her hand is unbandaged, but she hides
well-liked by his peers and teachers. Some of that is a scar near her wrist where the bone spur tore through
because of his generally easygoing personality. He’s her flesh. Noticing it requires a Wits + Medicine test
mostly left to his own devices as his mother is either (Difficulty 3). She’s also lying about the answers to not
working at home, working at the fulfillment center, or remembering anything about what happened. A Wits
sleeping. He’s very observant and it should become clear + Insight roll (Difficulty 3) alerts the investigator to the
to the pack that he’s noticed things around Milton that lie. After the first failure, Melissa abruptly declares she
the adults have not. must get ready for work and pushes the pack members
out the door.
Even without the Vaegesti
burrowing inside of her, two
jobs are taking their toll Found Family
on her health.” Kids offer unexpected insight because they
see things from unique perspectives. Sammy
not only has that perspective but because of
The main living area of the townhouse has become
his obsession with cryptids he’s open to some
Melissa’s office and often her bedroom. She’s often too
of the broader ideas hidden in the World of
tired to make it to her room upstairs and crashes on the
Darkness. Storytellers looking to complicate
couch after her shifts in the warehouse. Laundry baskets
the pack’s mission might reveal that Sammy’s
flank the small dining table where she’s set up her work
ability to notice strange things is due to him
from home office. The small kitchenette has pizza boxes
being Kin. This complication can very effectively
and takeout containers scattered across every flat surface.
tie the werewolves to Milton for the rest of the
Upstairs there are two bedrooms and a small bathroom.
chronicle.
Melissa’s room looks unused. Sammy’s room is full of
tween boy clutter dominated by a bulletin board full of
cryptid printouts looming over his messy desk.
Talking to either Melissa or Sammy requires some
sort of cover story. They won’t open up just because Sammy is most comfortable talking out of earshot of
they’re asked about the video. It may seem risky, but his mom, either in his room or out back, for privacy. He
Melissa has few friends outside of work. It takes is a takes out the garbage as an excuse. His answers are largely
Manipulation + Subterfuge roll (Difficulty 2) to get the same as hers. He’s afraid of what’s happened to her
her to open up. A critical win on any of the interview and willing to toe the line, backing up her claims that
questions means Melissa will keep answering questions she doesn’t remember much. He also offers the pack a
unless the pack insults her or accuses her of lying. second chance at answers if Melissa throws them out too
Pointing out that she’s lying results in her asking the early: the pack notices him taking out the garbage and
pack to leave at first and then threatening to call the lingering by the trash bins, trying to catch sight of them.
police if they refuse. Garou using supernatural gifts,
rites, or talismans that allow the Garou to perceive
the Umbra, such as Shadow Sense, notice something
unusual about Melissa. There is a spiritual presence
that’s bound to her, but the connection is spotty like a
bad cell phone signal.
20
Melissa’s Story
What’s the last thing she remembers before the Have you seen the video?
Yeah, some of my co-workers at the fulfillment center
incident?
showed it to me on break. It’s pretty embarrassing.
I just got so mad. Like, blackout angry. I don’t know
Now I know how that girl in the meme where she’s
if it was because I was tired or what, but I really
don’t remember anything about it until Sammy and I pointing at a cat feels.
were sitting in the car afterwards.

How do you explain the bone spur?
It’s wild what sort of special effects people can do
What does she attribute the stress to?
on their home computers. Every time a new movie
I’m kind of burning the candle at both ends here. I
comes out there’s someone who tries to fix the spe-
was hoping for a promotion at my work-from-home
cial effects with their own computer. A lot of times it
gig, but they keep telling me there’s a hiring freeze.
does look better. So I’m not surprised how realistic
So I took up some hours at the fulfillment center.
my video looks.
Has she had any other weird experiences?
What’s going on with the scar?
The fulfillment center is this big, open dark space.
It’s very easy to freak yourself out when you’re pick- I hurt it at work. My other work, at the fulfillment
center. I cut myself with a box cutter while packing
ing things at night.
an order.
Has anyone else she knows had weird experienc-
How long have you been working at the fulfillment
es?
Sometimes the other shift workers tell spooky stories center?
Almost a year. It sucks because I got my work-from-
at Ernie’s (p. 19), but I think they’re all made-up.
home job so I could have a more flexible schedule.
Has she done anything/been anywhere unusual Sammy’s got a lot of stuff going on. It’s nice to be
lately? able to pick him up from school, take him to Little
I barely have time to sleep and eat. I don’t have time League, and other after-school stuff. But it all costs
for a vacation. money, so I started working warehouse shifts to be
able to afford all that. Otherwise, I’m afraid he’s
What happened at the Little League game? going to melt into the couch and play video games
You know, I barely remember. One of the kids slid all day.
into Sammy at second base a little hard and I was
worried he got hurt. The umpire told me to calm Where is Sammy ’s dad?
down and that’s the worst thing you can say to some- Driving a truck somewhere? Forgive me if I don’t
one who’s mad. Someone who’s a mom and thinks want to discuss my divorce with strangers.
her kid might be hurt? That’s even worse.
21
Each interview has its own challenges. Talking to He’s also a cantankerous old jaggling that’s unhappy
Melissa means pushing her until risking that she shuts with everything and everyone. He is bitter and lonely,
down completely and offers no more help. Sammy, on the but also sees something promising in the Garou.
other hand, is far too eager to provide answers. Failure Knickerbocker wonders why they haven’t shown up
when asking him questions still gets the answer but he until now to investigate what’s going on in town. He has
asks the pack questions in return that should make them information to share, but it will take a little time and
uncomfortable. These can range from probing questions effort to get it.
about their cover story to ones that suggest Sammy’s
aware of their supernatural nature. Kids ask weird
questions all the time, but these questions highlight that Foreshadowing
Sammy is very observant for a kid his age.
If you plan on running A Pound of Flesh,
Knickerbocker makes a brief reference to
First Strike
another pack of werewolves who once called
Values Field feels a little too high-end for the Little
Milton their territory. It says the pack have let
League and kickball games that are played on-site. It was
the town go to rack and ruin, and it thinks they
constructed a year after the fulfillment center went into
might be dead (“and good riddance!”). It means
operation. Val-MOR built and maintain it as an example
the Rakshaks, who feature prominently in A
of its commitment to corporate social responsibility, and
Pound of Flesh.
as a tax write-off. What was once a wild pasture where
kids could roam and play became a tightly manicured
piece of property built for a tightly constrained use.
The field has shaded bleachers, electric lights, a video
scoreboard, and a snack bar located behind home plate.
The play area is surrounded by fences featuring ads for Knickerbocker wonders why
products like as Doritos and Red Bull. The small parking
they haven’t shown up until
lot beyond the outfield is the one area that doesn’t seem
brand-new. The lines are faded and there are cracks in the now to investigate what’s
pavement. going on in town.
The area feels oddly sterile to the pack. A place like
this should have pickup games going on in the afternoon Knickerbocker’s abrasive personality is the main
and teenagers in the parking lot at night. No matter challenge in learning what’s going on in Milton. The
when the Garou visit, there’s not a soul around. If they horse-spirit is willing to cooperate, but he also insults
intentionally come to a scheduled match, they will soon anyone it thinks isn’t respecting him. The pack needs a
notice that the audience is intently focused. Everyone is Wits + Politics or Intelligence + Occult roll (Difficulty
watching the game as if it has playoff implications. 3) to know the proper manner and deference needed to
The one being that takes notice of the pack is a horse- speak to such an old spirit. Failure means Knickerbocker
spirit named Knickerbocker. If the Garou enter the area still answers but adds withering insults about the Garou’s
in the Umbra, they will encounter him immediately. If manners, appearance, or effectiveness. He also stops
not, Knickerbocker will possess the mustang plushie talking with any Garou that’s failed more times than
mascot of a concessions stand to talk with them. their current Wisdom score. If the questioner scores
Knickerbocker has been around since before Values Field, a critical win during this interview, Knickerbocker
before there was a fulfillment center, and before there is impressed by their questions and expresses a high
was a Milton. The spirit knows something bad is going opinion of the pack to other spirits he encounters. Upon
on in the fulfillment center but hasn’t found out on his a total failure, Knickerbocker’s tone incenses the Garou
own. He used to commiserate with the other spirits that to the point where they gain a point of Rage.
were displaced in the construction but one by one they
stopped coming to Values Field.
22
Knickerbocker’s Story
ferred the smell of wildflowers and animal droppings

Did you see what happened at the game?
to the scent of dirt and stale popcorn. I can smell a
Humans are loud and obnoxious. I hate how they
little decay under the cut grass and the metal fences.
come to my home and make such a ruckus. When it
It rises when the humans gather and falls when they
was the occasional mated pair it wasn’t so bad, but
thankfully leave. If I were you, though, I would turn
now their voices muddle together into such noise
my nose toward the great house of wares where
and their emotions are so confusing. Why would
many of these humans store their ridiculous tools.
they gather to trigger these false feelings? I did not
The wind carries a blackne ss on it that frightens
see this manifestation, as I try to stay away from
me. I’ll stick to my home; you fierce warriors should
these gatherings. But I do remember at the last one
a woman coming out to where the humans stable investigate.
their metal head-shells. Fear billowed from her like a
The Wyrm is strong everywhere, cub.
wildfire. Fear and shame.
Has there been unusual spirit activity ? How do you feel about the Garou?
Most of the spirits I knew have long since gone. I care You claim to be warriors, yet all you remember are
too much about my home to leave even if it has been your losses. You claim to be protectors, yet the Wyrm
disfigured by the humans into this strange ritual and the Weaver creep in everywhere. You claim your
space. But I hear new ones coming. They ride on Mother is dying, and yet you do nothing in her mem-
the backs of some of the humans. Or in their heads. ory. Well, now’s your chance. There is something
Insects, by the sound of it. I would wager they are the foul going on here, but it is not yet set in stone. The
Weaver’s spirits, fallen to the Wyrm. They have yet to Earth is not completely blackened. The sun has not
build a hive around here. If I get too close to the hu- completely set. If you act, if you bleed and if you die,
mans they ride, I feel their wings beat and know they you may yet see your Mother smile upon you.
are ready to sting me. One, I could defeat. But many?
All my wisdom would be lost. And many are coming.
Why have you stayed?

I have been part of these lands for centurie s. I’ve
seen you wolves come and go and humans come and
stay. Why should I leave my home because they
don’t have proper manners? Even as they bring
distasteful things, this is still my home. Carry the
insects. Carry the Wyrm. Raze the wildflowers for
their distracting games. I will be here.
What do you know about the Banes?

They are called the Vaegesti, and they belong to the
Wyrm. They are new here, but I see them riding hu-
mans that come to the ritual and a few when I travel
to the edge of their settlement. The humans they ride,
they break their spirits until they do not remember
there is such a thing as freedom. Something brought
them here. Their master is here, somewhere. They
may look like wasps, but they have no natural queen.
Is the Wyrm strong here?

The Wyrm is strong everywhere, cub. I much pre-
23
Part Two: Second Shift The center is not open to the public, though access
isn’t too hard to come by. The next scene (see ‘In
V
al-MOR Fulfillment Center VMX- Through the Out Door’) is for packs who try to covertly
BD23 looks boring on the outside but there’s investigate the building. This scene discusses options
something strange going on inside. The pack can for the pack bluffing their way through the front door.
bluff or sneak their way in to hopefully connect with one Garou might pose as safety inspectors, potential vendors,
of the few workers that are still untouched by the Wyrm. or even press doing a story polishing Val-MOR’s image
as a corporation that cares. Establishing a good cover
Inquire Within story takes a Manipulation + Subterfuge roll (Difficulty
3) with an Intelligence + Technology roll (Difficulty 2)
Val-MOR Fulfillment Center VMX-BD23 can be seen
to establish credentials that hold up for a day or two of
from the highway. It’s a low, long building that suggests an
scrutiny. The Cobbler Advantage can bypass this roll. A
alligator lurking in a bog. What once was a simple exit with
critical win makes this fake ID ironclad for the remainder
a yield sign for Milton is now a signal light with multiple
of this story.
lanes for the trucks going to and from the center. The
The simplest way to get inside the building is by
three-mile stretch between Milton and the center is slowly
filling out a job application. The turnover rate at the
being built up with new apartments and a strip mall full of
fulfillment center is high and they are always looking
fast-food chains for Val-MOR personnel.
for strong backs who’ll accept minimum wage to pick,
24
pack, and load products. Passing the interview process

requires a Composure + Subterfuge roll (Difficulty 2).
Inside the Warehouse
Shortly thereafter, the Garou is put on third shift at the The main floor is warehouse space. Countless racks of
warehouse, though if they scored a critical win on the merchandise sprawl throughout this space. Each rack is
interview roll, they get to pick whether they work days or three levels high, with the most common items on the
nights. first level and rarer items on the top shelf. These items
Any Garou who take on a job will receive minimal require either a ladder or a mechanized basket called a
training before being put on the floor. They must make picker to fetch. More valuable items like electronics are
a Stamina + Athletics roll (Difficulty 3) at the end of kept in a locked down area near the security office.
their shift or take a level of superficial Health damage, The top floor features the administrative offices.
as they drudge through a long day of minimal breaks Much of this space has been empty for the past few years
and impossible quotas. If they roll a total failure, they but has been slowly filling up. The facilities up here,
take two points instead. A critical win means they like the lunch areas and the bathrooms, are in better
don’t have to make this roll after a shift for a week. Any shape than the ones on the warehouse floor. This causes
characters who have worked jobs with heavy physical some warehouse workers to sneak upstairs to use the
labor (including Montoya [see p. 29]) will know that the bathroom or take a quick break. Storytellers looking for
workers shouldn’t be feeling this fatigued after a shift. It’s an opportunity to relieve tension with a fakeout scare
like the building is draining them. could easily turn strange noises into the discovery of two
warehouse workers sharing a quick lunch break hook-up.
A few things inside the building strike the pack
The simplest way to get as unusual. We’ve included several based on different
inside is by filling out a approaches they might use and suggest you let the pack
job application. find one for free. One clue should be enough to tip
the wolves off that something is amiss, but additional
ones will help them prepare for the coming conflict.
Additional clues should require some sort of roll, but the
I Wouldn’t Say I Missed It, Bob Storyteller should be flexible on exactly what traits to
Troupes that wish to inject a little dark humor use. The goal here is to get clues into the players’ hands
into their chronicle could play out the final and not force them to figure out what area they need to
interview process for job-hunting Garou. For a search or which character they need to speak to.
scene, the Storyteller takes the role of the hiring The revelations help set the mood and pace of the
manager while the other players each create story. Dropping something obviously bad in the pack’s
a minor character that sits in on the interview lap right away means the story moves to a resolution
such as a warehouse foreman, personnel quickly while smaller disturbing things give the
manager, security lead, and so on. Encourage characters time to discuss, theorize and feel unease. With
each of the minor characters to ask the this story likely to end in a glorious battle with Banes,
applicant one question. If they come up blank, it’s okay to slowly ratchet up the tension now. This is our
suggest they ask the strangest question they’ve recommended order of revealing these clues. Feel free to
ever heard in a real-life interview, something omit, remix and add your own.
based on their own bleakest work experience,
or go with a mostly irrelevant question they’ve
heard dozens of times (“where do you see Side Hustle
yourself in five years?”). Not only will this relieve Storytellers looking to add some personal stakes to the
the tension before the story takes a dark turn, it story should consider an unexpected encounter with a
pack member’s Touchstone or another Relationship Map
also fleshes out the warehouse with characters
connection. The fulfillment center is always hiring, and
the Storyteller can reuse as unexpected allies,
bumping into the character will complicate this scene no
unfortunate victims, or innocent bystanders for
matter the approach the pack takes. The Touchstone took
the rest of the story. the job because they need more money, either to supple-
ment their regular income, or because they lost their job
and didn’t tell the pack member yet.
25
Snack Time noteworthy feature is a strange collection in the top

Accidents are common in the warehouse. The characters drawer of his desk. Instead of pencils and pens, Mr.
come across a bulk box of mix-in flavor packets that burst Mersey has half a dozen dental instruments. They’re
open and scattered across the floor. Maintenance staff a prize from Doc’s Dental (see ‘You Deserve a Break
are called to pick up the packets. They toss any damaged Today’, p. 30) that he fidgets with while working on his
ones, put the rest in a cart to send to be processed for loss computer. The computer is the second prize. A Wits
management, but then the Bane-touched maintenance + Technology roll (Difficulty 3) accesses a spreadsheet
staffer — Barbara, according to her name tag — does being used to track the Experimental Employee
something odd. She pockets two packets and then looks Enhancement Program, or EEEP, with names, dates,
around before opening a third. She pours the entire and notes on each treatment. Mersey targets people who
packet of Gorilla Grape Wildwater Mix into her mouth are desperate to keep their jobs. The spreadsheet links to
and chews it down as she finishes her clean up. If the additional data on each subject with notes from Mersey
player makes a Composure + Stealth roll (Difficulty 3) on what makes them most vulnerable. There are roughly
they follow the worker to a hidden alcove on the floor a dozen members in the program which began four
where she will rapidly consume the rest of the packets. months ago, though only half have made it into the later
She will stop eating the powder if confronted and says rounds of treatment, and a total of four have completed
that she cannot remember the last few minutes. She is it. Melissa’s name is on the “second treatment” tab — and
not lying — she has not been here quite long enough to if the Garou dawdle in their investigation, she will soon
become a wasp-husk. be Mr. Mersey’s fifth wasp-husk. If they fail the roll,
they still get the information, but Mr. Mersey sees that
A Brush with Corporate someone else has accessed the files the next time he logs
The Garou come across two floor managers giving a tour in. An accompanying file also contains an address on the
to a man in an expensive suit. The managers, Michelle Main Street — Doc’s Dental.
Weske 2 and Axel Krammer 2, are obviously deferential Garou seeking the paperwork that the EEEP requires
to the well-dressed man. A Wits + Awareness roll can find it here, if they think to ask Melissa, or on-site at
(Difficulty 3) lets a character overhear their conversation: Doc’s Dental. It also turns up on a critical win on any
the visitor is Mr. Mersey, and he’s a Risk Management Investigation rolls made in these locations. It’s about
Specialist from the home office. Mersey and the floor ten pages of thick legal jargon but a Resolve + Occult
managers are talking about something called EEEP and roll (Difficulty 2) catches an unusual phrase buried in a
how it’s working out. The managers are excited, though a subclause: Extraplanar-Enhanced Merge Subjects. The
Wits + Insight roll (Difficulty 3) reveals their fear of Mr. clause gives Mr. Mersey the right to bond the employee
Mersey and what they’ve seen of EEEP. If confronted with a spirit as part of the program.
alone, such as at their homes or in the parking lot, Weske
and Krammer offer the same answers as Shane Montoya Stepping Sideways
(see ‘Watercooler Gossip’), though they don’t know The area of the fulfillment center has Gauntlet 2. Should
about the Break Room. On a critical win, Garou notices the pack access it through the Rite of Shadow Passage,
something odd; whenever Mr. Mersey smiles, he shows they come to an area of the Umbra where long shelves
more teeth than a man should have. stretch off to infinity. The boxes contained on the shelves
are labeled in a strange language. Some of them act
A Long Day’s Night unusual, as if they are breathing, or they growl if they are
Mr. Mersey has an onsite office but it’s very clear that approached. Real-world locations that have a connection
despite having a private space he rarely spends much to the Vaegesti such as the closed-off restroom or Mr.
time in it. This is evident through the windows, but Mersey’s office a sticky film covering everything. There
further investigation requires a Dexterity + Larceny is a danger of running into Vaegesti (p. 38) or a confused
roll (Difficulty 3) to pick the lock on the door. The first machine-spirit. The former are actively hostile, the latter
too simple to be of assistance. Spitemonger (see p. 62) is
content with fulfillment center’s current situation and
will conceal itself from the Garou at this time.
26
In Through the Out Door

The pack might decide breaking and entering is a better Which One of Us is the Distraction?
plan. They’ve got werewolf powers after all, so why not Give players two options to choose from and
check out the place once most of the normal folks have they’ll usually find a third. Some packs might try
gone home for the evening. Unfortunately, Fulfillment a plan that uses elements of both scenes. For
Center VMX-BD23 operates 24 hours a day, though example, a Garou might get a job at the center
there are fewer regular people in the facility at night. so they can leave a door unlocked for the rest of
There are more supernatural beings there as well. the pack to come in later in the evening. Splitting
the pack offers the Storyteller a chance to
Getting In heighten tension through careful pacing. Cutting
The first level of security involves patrolling Security back and forth between the groups, even if their
Guards 2. These patrols are often made up of felons scenes aren’t strictly happening at the same
unable to find work elsewhere or folks who couldn’t time, keeps the story moving as everyone works
make the cut for the state police. There are four patrols, to uncover the truth in the facility. It also keeps
each a pair of officers. Two patrols are outside; one the players on the edge of their seats: did their
generally stays at the front gate into the parking lot. Two packmate get a chance to leave that door open,
patrols work the inside of the warehouse and a third is or did they get caught? Is the break-in now a
supposed to patrol the upper admin area. The guards rescue? Keep everyone engaged by switching
are undertrained and underpaid, which makes them lax focus just as one group makes an important
in their duties. They are just as likely to be catching a discovery or needs to make an important roll to
cigarette break or hanging out with friends on the night keep their side of the investigation moving.
shift as they are making their appointed rounds. Human
guards aren’t much of an obstacle for werewolves but
they may show up in an unexpected location. They can
be both a barrier and a complication to the more unusual Fomori Patrol
things the Garou may find here at night. Workers who have been fully possessed by Vaegesti
emerge at night from the men’s room that’s been closed
Atmosphere for maintenance. They stick to the shadows, a strange
At night, the fulfillment center has the feeling of buzz and a flutter of twisted wings as the only evidence
a liminal space. It is a temple to the consumerism of their passing (but see p. 38 for a full description).
humanity has embraced but it’s also a place where few These fomori serve Mr. Mersey by providing the loyalty
humans actually go. It’s a constant hub of motion yet and security minimum-wage guards can’t offer. Garou
there are quiet places where the Gauntlet is thin. These who aren’t careful run into one of these foul sentries,
tensions are what made the location an excellent choice which calls other members of the hive to battle unless the
for Mr. Mersey’s experiment. The Vaegesti thrive here pack slay it first.
because the Umbra is so close.
At night, the general spookiness of the building is Vermin Control
enhanced. Though there are people on the floor keeping The fulfillment center has a rat problem. They come
the operation running through the night, the other areas out at night to eat spilled foodstuffs. They are easily
of the warehouse are now eerily still. The office floors feel startled. The fomori, however, have started to hunt them
extra quiet. The dining areas are strangely lit. Even the for food and sport. Hungry fomori deliberately leave a
warehouse has more dark places, thanks to lighting that’s mess on the floor somewhere. When the rats come to
either timed or on motion sensitive switches. These weird feast, the fomor pounces and grabs one. It then slowly
moments focus on things that happen during the night pulls apart the squealing creature and devours it, fur and
shift. bones and all. If the Garou are carefully able to navigate
the warehouse at night without failing a test, they come
“At night the fulfillment across a scene like this as their first encounter with a
center has the feeling of a wasp-husk.
liminal space.”
27
Closed for Maintenance

There are two sets of restrooms on the main floor. One is located by the security offices
at the front. The other is located on the far end of the building. The men’s room of the
farther set has been closed off for a strange amount of time. Shift managers have been
told it’s for maintenance but the Garou (or Shane Montoya) will notice that it has
been days. Characters who approach the restroom hear a strange humming or
buzzing noise coming from behind the locked door. A Dexterity + Larceny
(Difficulty 2; success opens the door undetected, but a failure gets through
with a bit of noise) roll opens the door and reveals the horrible truth. The
fomori have turned this into their hive. The inside of the restroom has
been reshaped by dozens of cardboard boxes chewed up and spit out by
the fomori. The room smells sickly sweet. They sleep here during the
day and stalk the warehouse at night. Thus far, the incuriosity of the
workers and the wasp-husks’ natural stealth have kept them from
being discovered by the mortal workers.
Memories of Spreadsheets
A slime trail dots the halls of the Accounts Receivable
section of the office. Garou who make a Wits +
Investigation or Survival roll (Difficulty 3) track the
source to a fomor seated inside one of the cubicles.
The wasp-husk used to work here before being
possessed and a small part of it remembers its human
life. It managed to turn on the computer and fill
a spreadsheet with garbled characters. Now it’s
just sitting, staring at the screen, dribbling on the
keyboard waiting for something to happen.
Stakeout
The Garou may also decide on an old-fashioned
stakeout. Sitting in wait for a person of interest
to leave the fulfillment center asks for patience,
but a successful Stamina + Stealth roll (Difficulty
3) pays off. If this happens early on in their
investigation, late at night they will spy Melissa
Barnard leaving the center when she is jumped by
wasp-husks, bagged, and shoved into a white
van that drives off towards town. Following
the van leads them to the Break Room. If you
feel they have taken too long, they will instead
see Mr. Mersey leave the center, likewise
heading to the Break Room. His expensive
suit, shoes, watch, aftershave, and Lexus make
him stand out from the mass of underpaid
employees.
28
Watercooler Gossip Shane heads there directly after work in his red hatchback
and waits for the pack. Shane gets out of the car to talk
A handful of workers at the warehouse have yet though he stays by the driver’s side door just in case he
to make a trip to the Break Room. Most of them needs to make a quick getaway. A Wits + Insight roll
keep their heads down in the name of keeping (Difficulty 2) shows he’s nervous to share his information.
their jobs. Weird stuff happens at night all the Shane looks like he’s one size too small for this world.
time and they write off anything they’ve seen His hoodie is huge, his jeans are baggy, and he stomps
as strange dreams or hallucinations brought around in hand-me-down work boots. His short hair has
on by exhaustion and burnout. Working for a already started to thin. He has an easy smile when talking
living at Fulfillment Center VMX-BD23 means and nods as he listens. Though he does have an apartment
taking as many hours as possible in a nearly silent, closer to the fulfillment center he mostly lives out of his
massive space. It doesn’t take much more than a car because it’s easier than going home. As he talks to the
flickering light or a malfunctioning door at 3 AM to get pack about what he’s seen, he’ll pause the conversation
the mind to play some surreal tricks. to dig around in his back seat for the relevant piece of
However, there are a few employees who aren’t willing evidence.
to wave off the strange behaviors they’ve seen. Shane
Montoya 3, a young worker hoping to pay for college
by working intense hours for the next year or two, is one Shane looks like he’s one
such person. While things have never been great inside size too small for this
the facility, he noticed big changes after a few employees world.
started discussing how to unionize. Those employees
either disappeared or rescinded their opinions soon after
Shane is cautiously optimistic the pack are friendly,
their second meeting. Shane attended the first but was
but he has a small handgun in the front pocket of his
too sick to make the second.
hoodie just in case. Spotting the gun requires either a
Now there’s no talk of organizing. When he’s
Wits + Awareness or Intelligence + Insight roll (Difficulty
brought it up to the union leaders, they brush it off
3). If anyone mentions it to Shane, he admits he has it
or claim to not remember the meeting. He initially
in case he needs to protect himself. He won’t give it up
chalked this up to anti-union tactics but he’s since
unless it’s physically taken away from him. He’s not a very
encountered the same strangeness the werewolves
good shot but if he shoots one of the Garou, something
have seen around the warehouse. He’s also
has gone seriously wrong somewhere.
shadowed Mr. Mersey to the Break Room,
Shane doesn’t really care about whatever story the
located in the former Doc’s Dental clinic on
pack cooked up as investigators. He mentions that he’s
Main Street. He hasn’t been able to get inside
noticed a lot of weird stuff and asks if they are there to
the building, but he knows that whatever
help. Shane opens with the story about his co-workers
happens inside, employees who go in come
trying to organize and how they’ve changed since then.
out different.
He mentions how on lunch breaks nobody talks but
If the Garou try to pump other
occasionally the room breaks out into laughter like
employees in the fulfillment center for
someone told a joke. The employees who used to go out
information, they will soon encounter
after work now head home.
Shane. His response to a probing question
If the Garou bring up Mr. Mersey, Shane admits he
is “Not here. 8 a.m., Values Field,” and to get
followed him home one day. That’s what he meant to
on with his work. If one of the Garou fails a
do, but Mersey didn’t end up at a house or a hotel room.
test while doing something suspicious in the
Instead, he had keys to Doc’s Dental, an old dentist’s
fulfillment center, they will also attract Shane’s
office located on Milton’s Main Street. Shane couldn’t
notice. In this case, Shane is working on the
get inside but he can confirm Mersey has returned to the
main floor when one of the Garou walks past and
dentist office a few times. He seems to be living there. He
he slips a note into their pocket that reads “I have
doesn’t seem to go out to eat or anything either. He just
answers. 8 AM Values Field Red Car”.
orders delivery and stays in after work.
The cryptic message means to meet Shane in the
Values Field parking lot at 8 AM the next morning.
29
The office has been vacant since then. Mr. Mersey

cut a deal with the owner for a briefcase full of cash to
The Case of the Slippery Clues use the space for the EEEP. The Garou may discover
Shane is a narrative backstop for packs that these details if they think to look into Mersey’s finances
need another shot at picking up clues. It’s pos- or recent property deals in town, with an Intelligence +
sible that as soon as the Garou detect a whiff Finance test (Difficulty 2). Mersey has tried to hide the
of the Wyrm in any of the previous scenes that details, but a town the size of Milton does not offer much
they will pop their claws and start destroying haystack for a needle. Much of the office was left as it was
anything in their way. Shane can deliver any when Doc retired. The Main Street facing side remains
information they might have missed along with locked up with the entry door and the two small, high
the things he’s discovered on his own. He’s windows papered over. The letters of the “Doc’s Dental”
been conducting his own investigation about the sign are gone but they still remain as legible smudges on
strange events happening in the dark corners the wall.
of Fulfillment Center VMX-BD23. Mersey knows
he’s close to the truth, so Shane’s high on the list
Mr. Mersey cut a deal with
for a trip to the Break Room.
the owner for a briefcase
full of cash.
Part Three: Third Shift The inside did not fare well in the intervening years.
The waiting room decor has faded into sickly pale
T
he Garou discover the location of the cracked leather couches and warped wooden panel walls.
artifact infecting the people of Milton with Vaegesti. Smears of soot and smoke damage crawl up one corner
They also come face-to-face with wasp-husks, Mr. of the room with ashes and singed scraps of waiting
Mersey, and a chance to burn the agents of the Wyrm with room magazines scattered across the floor. Through the
their white-hot rage. There are a few ways the Garou can receptionist’s door there’s a short hallway that leads to the
discover the Break Room. They can find out its location dental workspace, a small office, and a cramped restroom.
from Mr. Mersey’s computer or by looking into real estate Mersey sleeps in on a couch in the office.
deals in town. Shane Montoya may have told them, or they The wasp-husks have claimed this toilet, much like
may have staked out the fulfillment center. the one at the fulfillment center. The nest here was built
with the various paper files Doc left behind, mixed in
with the remaining magazines that weren’t burned for
You Deserve a Break Today warmth in the front office. This gives the strands an
Doc’s Dental had been part of Main Street for decades. unnerving appearance of medical terminology mixed
Byron “Doc” Horbinski moved to Milton fresh out of with the eyes of long-dead models. There is always one
dental school. Doc soon became a local fixture thanks wasp-husk sentry on site. It sleeps upside down in the
to his central location and the time he would spend on restroom. If they have been alerted, the fomor watches
the bench in front of his office talking with folks that the pack and attempts an ambush if one member
passed by. Four years ago, Doc took a pair of devastating foolishly enters a room alone. If the pack members have
emotional punches; the Val-EVENMor dental office kept silent, they can surprise the creature sleeping in here
took most of his business at the same time as his wife of with a Dexterity + Stealth roll (Difficulty 4).
twenty-seven years passed away. He told his remaining
patients he was leaving, sold the office space and his home
to a local realtor and never looked back.
30
The one room that remains in something resembling The talisman is a wasp nest, possessed by a part of a
its original form is the dentist’s workspace. Mr. Mersey Vaegesti hive in the Umbra. The piece has ended up in
spent some time and money restoring the dental chair to Mr. Mersey’s possession. After some experimentation he
infect employees with Vaegesti. He made two obvious realized that contact with the hive piece made humans
modifications. The first was installing heavy-duty much more susceptible to possession by Vaegesti,
restraints on the chair for the arms, legs, and neck. The corrupted Weaver-spirits that represent self-destruction
other was attaching the Vaegesti Shard into the overhead and attrition in service to the hive — for example, a
light. Even covered by a tattered black plastic bag when corporate machine like Val-MOR. The fulfillment
not in use, the talisman seems to be breathing. The center workers, already exhausted and beaten down,
plastic rustles softly as the throbbing mass it covers unconsciously welcome them in.
pushes against the bag and then rustles again when the
mass pulls back.
31
Note that the talisman doesn’t force Vaegesti into

the employee’s body. It attracts Vaegesti to the employee,
who’s already a husk oozing sadness, weariness, and
desperation, unconsciously crying out for a spirit to fill
their void. Mersey picks the most desperate employees for
the program, making sure they sign a document claiming
they consent to possession by a spirit. This is the true
experiment here in Milton; how can Pentex bend (or
break) the rules of bringing spirits into our world?
The ichor runs along the

employee’s form until it can
find bare flesh to soak into
the body.
The first time an employee goes through the EEEP

they become Bane-brushed. They have contact with
the Vaegesti called to the Wyrm hive. There’s a tenuous
connection to everyone else that have bonded with
Vaegesti. They work better together on the floor. They
eat at the same times and watch the same streaming
shows. A few even claim to be able to read the surface
thoughts of other hive members. Wherever the hive
dripped on their bodies, a large welt appeared. An
Intelligence + Medicine roll (Difficulty 3) allows a
character to carefully open the welt allowing the live
wasp trapped inside to fly out. If left untreated, the welt
disappears after a week, though the dead wasp matter
remains trapped inside.
After a number of treatments equal to a person’s
Composure, a Vaegesti takes up residence in the
employee. The human is not aware they are sharing their
The Experimental Employee Enhancement Program body, though times of stress can cause the Bane to take
sounds like a harmless acronym, but it actually masks a over and their powers to manifest. Melissa was at this
campaign of torture. Mr. Mersey targets an employee to phase of the program when she was caught on video.
be ‘enhanced’. They are kidnapped after their shift by Other manifestations range from wings tearing out of
a pair of wasp-husks. The employee then gets a ride to a victim’s back to a dozen wasps pouring out of their
Doc’s Dental, restrained and with a bag over their head. screaming mouth. These Bane-touched humans are
They are strapped into the chair and Mr. Mersey asks usually aware that something is wrong with them but are
them a few questions before the process begins. The bag in denial of what it is or how bad it might be. The largest
is removed from the employee’s head, as well as the bag physical indicator is a loss of fingernails. They pop off
covering the Shard. Ichor drips down from the talisman easily and grow back within a day or two.
onto the employee, running down their face and body The wasp-husks are made by employees who have
until it can find bare flesh to soak into. Most victims been to the Break Room a number of times over their
black out from the experience but those who don’t are Composure score. They are fully-fledged fomori. They
helped along by an injected sedative ten minutes into the are going through massive transformations that turn
process. When the employee regains consciousness, they them into walking wasp hives. They are covered in
are back in their car, in the fulfillment center parking lot. strange pungent goo, have insects crawling over their
It is also very likely that their next shift starts soon. body and can barely speak with a harsh, buzzing voice.
32
They pass for human in poor light or at a distance which

is why they’re usually put on the night shift or used as
Anger Management
shock troopers by Mr. Mersey to eliminate snoopers. If the pack lays claim to the Vaegesti Shard, Mr. Mersey
Wasp-husks have a connection to the Vaegesti Shard and soon knows from the wasp-husks and moves to get it
will know if it is in danger. back. There are a few ways out of this mess depending
on how the pack handled themselves in other parts of
the story. They might be able to save everyone that’s been
infested by the Shard. They might just be able to destroy it
and stop any further Banes from claiming human prizes.
Does This Look Infected? The investigation is over. It’s time to rage.
Once the Vaegesti Shard has been destroyed There are two main options during this battle. The
or cleansed, most Val-MOR employees return first is that the pack decides to destroy the Vaegesti Shard
to normal. Those merely Bane-brushed do on their own. This option puts them at the center of the
so on their own, while Bane-touched humans action as they do their best to smash the evil talisman
require a little extra attention at the cairn from while fending off a desperate attack by Mr. Mersey and his
Mother Louise to completely remove the spirit. fomori. There’s a satisfying finality to smashing the Shard
Wasp-husks are too far gone to be saved, but to bits, but it comes at a cost. Destroying the Shard means
never say never to players who want to make that any wasp-husks will stay that way until someone
sure that every human comes out okay. If they puts them out of their misery. Destroying the Shard
decide they want to go on a trip to the Umbra takes an attack roll against a Difficulty of 2. The Shard is
to treat with a spirit capable of assisting them, considered to have 20 health levels.
the Storyteller should enjoy coming up with a The other option is to protect the Shard until the pack
dangerous quest worthy of much Renown. can get it to someone who can purify it. Mother Louise
is an obvious candidate, though any high-ranking Garou
on the Relationship Map could fit into this role. It turns
this action scene into more of a chase as the pack fends off
Werewolves in the Chair the fomori to get the Shard to safety. While this puts the
It’s unlikely the players will let their characters go fate of the Shard out of the pack’s hands, it can still lead to
through even one round of the EEEP process, but an exciting scene as they fight off the forces of the Wyrm
stranger things have happened. while the ritual is performed.
Garou who go through this process have an Chases are contests (Werewolf: The Apocalypse, p. 123)
advantage. The Vaegesti cannot possess Garou because of where one side is looking for five wins over the other.
their half-spirit nature. While this makes them immune When one side has that win, the chase is over. Either the
to the EEEP it can draw suspicion if they go through the pack made it to the ritual site or the fomori have trapped
process and don’t exhibit the proper behavior once they the pack and they must fight to get free. A critical win
return to work. Faking their way through the workday immediately ends the chase in the winner’s favor.
requires a Manipulation + Subterfuge roll (Difficulty 4).
Failure means they get attacked by a pair of wasp-husks The investigation is over.
trying return the subject to the Break Room for another It’s time to rage.
round of treatment.
The treatment is painful and requires a Composure
+ Stamina roll (Difficulty 3). Success gains the Garou a Take a moment to consider how to play out a dynamic
point of Rage for the harm inflicted by the Wasp-spirits. combat scene. Wherever it goes down, be it Main Street,
Failure inflicts a point of Aggravated Health damage and Values Field, or Fulfillment Center VMX-BD23, think
a point of Rage. A total failure gives the Garou two points about the environment and how characters interact. A
of Aggravated Health damage and a point of Rage. Garou could throw a tree. A fomor smashes through a
shop window. Mr. Mersey ducks behind a parked car for
cover. Introduce these elements during your descriptions
of the scene and then have your characters use them to
gain bonuses and better positioning. Your players should
follow suit.
33
The biggest threat to the pack are the wasp-

Some storytellers use maps and miniatures to husks. There are four wasp-husks as per Mr. Mersey’s
visualize a big battle scene. There are plenty of street spreadsheet. Adjust this based on if the pack has killed
scenes available as maps and virtual tabletops. But even any in earlier scenes. Their focus is on finding the
something sketched out on a dry erase grid can work. Vaegesti Shard and getting it to safety. They gang up
Add elements that the characters can interact with, such on anyone holding the Shard. If the pack has stashed it
as places to take cover or improvised weapons. A park somewhere, one searches for it while the others battle the
bench may just look like scenery but if a player rolls a Garou.
critical win while smashing it over the head of a fomor,
that’s a memory your table will remember for years.
Other storytellers prefer a theater of the mind
approach. The advantage here is one of abstraction and The Wasp Queen Takes Her Crown
creating elements on the fly. Players can freely contribute
It’s perfectly fine to run this final scene as
their own ideas to the scene without getting bogged
a rip-roaring battle with raging werewolves
down in details and movement rules. Zones can be used
cutting their way through gooey fomori and
to determine how far away everyone is from each other
Pentex operatives. Storytellers who want to add
with anyone in the same zone able to attack with Melee
an ethical complication could choose to send
or Brawl.
Melissa after the pack, having been transformed
into a fomor while the pack was investigating
the fulfillment center. If they find out her life is
Return to Sender at stake, would they change their tactics? What
Once the pack discovers the Vaegesti Shard, the happens to Sammy if he finds out they were
likely conclusion is an epic battle between the responsible for his mother’s death?
pack, Mr. Mersey, and his wasp-husks. Chances
are it begins in Doc’s Dental and spills out onto
Main Street. But there’s also a possibility the
pack decides to take the fight to the fulfillment If the wasp-husks get the hive shard, they flee back
center. That’s okay; there should be enough to the fulfillment center to take it back to the Umbra.
detail in those scenes to offer up some ideas for They can push through the thinner Gauntlet there and
complications during the battle. The information disappear into the spirit world. This marks the end of its
in this scene should still prove useful in later influence on the people of Milton, though it also means
stories in the chronicle as Milton comes under the fomori also disappear into the Umbra, leaving behind
their protection as their territory. their former lives. Those who have been touched by the
Shard return to normal, eventually, though they never
quite shake the dreams of flight or the weird humming
Mr. Mersey primarily goes after any Garou in crinos sound they hear when driving past the fulfillment center.
or wolf forms. However, he won’t stick around to the
bloody end. Reporting back to Pentex is more important The Bane-touched are the
than saving the EEEP. Knowing there’s a pack in Milton Wyrm’s secret weapon.
allows him to plan his next project more wisely. If he’s
reduced to two health levels or his fomori have been
destroyed, he will try to flee Milton.
34
Follow the Trail Shane Montoya discovers a knack for investigation.

If he stays in contact with the pack, he proves to be a
I
f the pack don’t purify or destroy the hive Shard valuable ally by discovering other signs of weirdness in
it will return again someday, either in the hands of Mr. the area. Sammy Barnard is also well-placed to do this.
Mersey or his replacement. Word reaches the pack of a Shane or Sammy’s tips can lead to other stories in this
new infection in another fulfillment center somewhere in collection or to original tales created by the Storyteller.
the country. If the pack investigates, they run into a pair Curiosity could also get Shane or Sammy in over their
of problems. First, Pentex knows they are coming and heads. They’re still humans, after all, and the pack
makes better preparations to defend the shard. Second, should feel a bit of responsibility for them — especially in
the pack that holds the territory doesn’t want any help Sammy’s case.
and views the Garou as hostile interlopers. Any evidence of a final battle on Main Street slowly
If the Vaegesti Shard ends up in the Garou’s hands, fades thanks to the Delirium. It becomes something
they can deliver it to a nearby sept to be disposed of of an urban legend in town with BEARS ON MAIN
properly. Mother Louise can turn it into a talisman to STREET appearing in a page-two story of the nearest
treat any surviving wasp-husks. They can be human big city newspaper. The bear story gets embellished,
again, though they will bear mental and physical scars retold, and even dressed up as a local festival around the
for the rest of their lives. The whole time Mother Louise same time next year. One of the Street Bear festival flyers
has the Shard, the remaining wasp-husks make desperate is anonymously sent to one of the Garou with “You’re
attempts to get it back. It would be respectful for the Not a Bear, Are You?” written on the blank back.
pack to offer to defend her.
35
Allies and Antagonists

Mother Louise
Louise Redmond was born to a single Black mother and
a large family, and struggled through a life of poverty in
Detroit in the 1980’s. Unlike many of her peers, however,
her First Change brought a sense of awe rather than
trauma or regrets. Children of Gaia gave her purpose.
They connected her to every living thing on the planet.
The connection with Gaia meant that she mattered
in this world. She lost many companions in the fight, but
she never lost sight of how even small victories mattered
in the face of Apocalypse. Now, as part of the sept
outside Milton, she hopes to pass her knowledge on to the
younger members.
Those who see Louise’s kindness for weakness never
make that mistake again. Beneath her wide smile
and flowery blouses is the iron core of a battle-
hardened Garou. She rarely takes to battle these
days but if the need to protect someone arises,
she will remind everyone why she’s lived to be
so well-renowned. She fights smarter, not harder,
playing into her image as a soft mother figure to get close
enough to the enemy to show them just how sharp her
teeth are. She lives in a house by herself, about 20 minutes’
drive from Milton.
Those who see Louise’s kind-

ness for weakness never make
that mistake again.
Mother Louise (Homid Form*)

General Difficulty: 4 / 2
Tribe: Children of Gaia
Auspice: Theurge
Standard Dice Pools: Physical 4, Social 5, Mental 6
Secondary Attributes: Health 6, Willpower 7
Exceptional Dice Pools: Occult 8, Leadership 8, Aca-
demics (Garou Lore) 8
Renown: Honor 3, Glory 2, Wisdom 4
Gifts: Calm the Furious Beast (Werewolf: The Apocalypse,
p. 167), Banish Spirit (p. 153), Ensnare Spirit (p. 152),
Penumbral Senses (p. 147), Reveal Trauma (p. 168)
*Note: Please refer to Werewolf the Apocalypse, pp.
136–138 for potential modifications to dice pools should
any Garou character shift their form during the story.
36
Melissa Barnard
Melissa is a single mother. She was born
in Milton and moved back here after the
failure of her marriage. She thought life in a
small town would be easier. Instead, it was
isolating. Most of the work was somehow
connected to Val-MOR and she ended up
working her way from the floor of the store
to a work-from-home position. But it wasn’t
enough to comfortably support her son
Sammy, so she ended up at the fulfillment
center on nights and weekends.
Her brushes with the EEEP came from
being late to work. Sometimes she over-
slept, sometimes she was struggling to hit
her quota for customer service contacts.
She feels fear and shame over what hap-
pened at the Little League game because
she can’t explain it, though some part of her
knows it connects to her exposure to the
Shard. The fear comes from manifesting
the wasp-husk stinger. The shame comes
from how much she enjoyed feeling the
power and the sense of belonging amongst
the other husks that infest the warehouse.
General Difficulty: 3/2
Standard Dice Pools: Physical 3, Social 4,
Mental 5
Secondary Attributes: Health 5, Willpow-
er 2
Exceptional Dice Pools: Technology 6,
Insight 6, Athletics 5
37
Davis Mersey Notes / Other Traits:

Davis knew he had to go to college. His parents said if Winning Smile: Mr. Mersey’s teeth do Aggravated
they were going to keep paying his bills that’s the least he damage to Garou.
could do. He took his school search seriously, though he Glock 43X: Mersey’s gun has a magazine of 10 silver
was looking for party schools while his parents thought bullets that will do Aggravated damage if used on Garou.
he was seriously weighing his academic choices. He
settled on one that split the difference. After his MBA, Vaegesti
Davis planned for an easy gig at his father’s firm while The Vaegesti were once Weaver-spirits, but have fall-
coasting on his social standing and his family money. en under the Wyrm’s influence, becoming Banes of
Then he got a call from a fintech recruiter. self-destructive drudgery. They are relatively harmless
to Garou. The hive shard in possession of Mr. Mersey
Davis knew he had to go to summons them from the Umbra and puts them in close
proximity with hosts that have been beaten down and
college. His parents said desperate. They pour into the human through the shard
if they were going to keep and turn them into something akin to a walking wasp
paying his bills that’s the hive.
least he could do.
VAEGESTI SPIRIT
Power: 3 / 6
The money and the power were intoxicating, but they
Exceptional Dice Pools: Brawl (Stinger) +2, Athletics
paled in comparison to what he saw on the private island
(Dodge) +4
the firm sent him to for his first work anniversary. In a
narcotic haze, he glimpsed the infinity of the Umbra, Notes / Other Traits:
slid naked through the gullet of the Wyrm and, most Stinger: +0 Aggravated damage.
importantly, found a true purpose he didn’t know he
WASP-HUSK FOMOR
sought. He would help this fake old world die in the belly
of the Wyrm and see its glorious rebirth. The Apocalypse General Difficulty: 4 / 3
is coming any day now. Knowing that he holds the power Standard Dice Pools: Physical 6, Social 2, Mental 3
to start the end in one hand while he holds a beer in the Secondary Attributes: Health 7, Willpower 5
other is the biggest rush he’s ever felt. Exceptional Dice Pools: Athletics 8, Awareness 6, Brawl
The EEEP is Mr. Mersey’s first special project. He 8, Intimidation 6, Melee 8, Stealth 8
traveled to the Home Office to get the Vaegesti Shard
personally. The process and proximity changed him. Notes / Other Traits: See Werewolf: The Apocalypse p.
Upon his return from the island, his teeth fell out and 262 for more information on fomori. Wasp-husks have
were replaced by shinier, sharper versions. He knows the following Traits:
he’s likely to encounter lupines during the field test and
0 Unnatural Weapons: Wasp-husks deal +0
he’s prepared himself as best he could. Even if they ruin Aggravated damage against Garou with their natural
the program, he knows just how to frame everything to weapon Brawl attacks.
his managers. The pack isn’t a hated enemy or obstacle.
0 Flight: Husks may manifest insect-like wings
They’re a focus group. from their backs. The wings allow them to fly short
distances. While in the air, the difficulty to hit them
General Difficulty: 4 / 2 increases by 1. ■
Standard Dice Pools: Physical 5, Social 6, Mental 7
Secondary Attributes: Health 7, Willpower 6
Exceptional Dice Pools: Brawl: 6, Firearms 7, Finance 8,
Intimidation 8, Persuasion 8
38
39
CHAPTER THREE: SHADOWS ON THE PRISON WALL
Chapter three
SHADOW S o n t h e
Prison Wall
“Goes out of tiger’s mouth
Goes into wolf’s mouth”
—Mongolian proverb
M
ilton’s malaise in the physical world Halting Milton’s collapse means confronting its
bleeds into the Umbra. The spiritual world spiritual problems as well as its physical ones, for the two
reflects the problems of Milton’s decline. In the feed into and reinforce one another. The Garou must
Umbra, homes and businesses are crumbling and rotting, find spirit allies if they are to have any chance at repairing
with looming shadows and dead weeds everywhere. Milton’s woes.
Wyrm-spirits lurk in those weeds and shadows, circling
around homes and apartments occupied by hopeless
and angry residents. Weaver-spirits bind up the areas
controlled by out-of-town corporations, reflecting their Content Warnings
relatively high security. As public spaces fall into disrepair, Depression/suicidal ideation, violence against unhoused
the Umbral locations become choked with twisted people, harm against children, hate groups.
analogs of poisonous plants and looming, dying trees,
flanked by cracked concrete and studded with pieces of
broken pipes and dismal trash.
41
The Foe The pack learns where to go from a spiritual guide,

the Wizened Raconteur, but their discoveries and
T
he pack’s true foe is ignorance: the challenges in the Umbra and in Milton lead to an
fledgling Garou need to understand why Milton eventual confrontation with that guide after they’ve
suffers and how this poisons its Umbral reflection. experienced several different problems.
The pack can endlessly fight Banes- and Weaver- Pay special attention to the Antagonist Axes
spirits, but more spirits always arrive to replace the section of the Werewolf: The Apocalypse core rulebook,
fallen. They must address the root causes in addition to in Chapter Seven: Storytelling. The pack’s journeys
alleviating the symptoms. through the Umbra follow the structure of four
Uncovering the problems in Milton pits the Garou different stories, each tied into Milton’s local problems,
against a range of mortal and spiritual enemies, but corresponding to the four quadrants of the Antagonist
the final revelations about Milton are built around Axes. The Wizened Raconteur explains the relevance
combating ignorance and learning about the place, its of these, in a meta-commentary on the structure of the
people, and its spiritual reflections. The final step in story — as the Umbra is, after all, the realm of symbols
reversing the story of Milton’s decline is in taking on and context.
and defeating the Wizened Raconteur, who has been Each of the story’s four key scenes is a different type
manipulating them all along. of roleplaying experience, each of which maps onto
the Antagonist Axis (Werewolf: The Apocalypse, pp.
Story Structure 211–212). ‘A Hint of Malice’ is an individual active
antagonist scene; ‘Polyphemus Security Solutions’ is a
Shadows on the Prison Walls has a nonlinear structure.
systemic active antagonist scene; ‘Reaching for the Sky’ is
The introduction brings the pack into the Umbra but
a passive individual scene; and finally ‘The Suffering’ is
once they make their first tentative steps into the spirit
a passive systemic scene. Finally, in ‘The Turn’, they will
world, they can address a variety of problems in Milton
do battle with the Wizened Raconteur himself.
in any order. Sometimes, learning about one problem
Because of the nonlinear structure of this section,
might help in dealing with another. Other times, the
it’s not broken up into the usual division of chapters and
application of Rage can tear down a problem and lead
scenes. Instead, the four principal scenes are all accessible
directly to progress.
in any order that the players want.
Shadows on the Prison Walls
partone
part :
one:
hintofofmali
a ahint ce
malice
part two:
Polyphemus Security turnn
the tur
Catcchh
Cat the wizened
Solutio ns
all complete
the
the sce
the scenntt raconteur
part hree:
parthree:
reaching
reac hing for
for the sky
thesky
part
part four:
four:
the suffereing
the suffereing
42
Catch the Scent

One Thing After Another
I
n ‘The Break Room,’ the Garou established that
Shadows on the Prison Wall makes sense as
they aren’t afraid to take the fight to the Wyrm. Now
a follow-up to The Break Room, but it doesn’t
they have to deal with the fallout from their last victory.
have to be run that way. Have the Val-MOR
The Val-MOR fulfillment center is at least temporarily
fulfillment center close for some innocent
unable to operate while an investigation looks into the
reason (class-action lawsuit, cheaper labor
destruction, including the deaths or disappearances of
elsewhere, a strike), decimating employment,
several workers. Hundreds of people are out of work
and start with Mother Louise or another Garou
for the duration. Main Street was likely the site of a
on the Relationship Map explaining that if
rampage that leaves people with patchy, Delirium-riddled
someone doesn’t act soon, something revolting
memories and trauma.
and evil will come to feed on all that misery and
The spiritual pollution caused by all of Milton’s
hopelessness like a fly landing on shit.
troubles reflects in the Umbra, attracting harmful and
destructive spirits. The Garou may or may not care
about humans, but they must recognize that the humans
in Milton are part of a broader spirit ecosystem, and
balancing that ecosystem means helping the humans, The Doorstep
whether the Garou want to or not. Wherever the pack chooses to enter the Umbra, they
Kick off the story with a meeting between the arrive in the shadow double of Milton. Mother Louise
pack and Mother Louise (p. 36) to discuss the town’s or another Mentor can direct them to perform the Rite
continuing problems. It’s the pack’s territory now, and of Shadow Passage at the Caern of the Glittering Glade,
their problems are its problems. Mother Louise opens with its Gauntlet 2. Though in real world it is not close
by asking the Garou about the lay of the land. Give to Milton, in the Umbra the miles can be covered in a few
each player a chance to describe one house or shop, or minutes. In the Umbra, the sky is overcast and greenish,
other location in the town, and thereby to expand upon the town varies between leaning offices and shops and
the area — the players can add their own flavor and tiny, crumbling, sagging homes and apartments, and
interesting characters, within reason (it doesn’t make the ground is covered in cracked sidewalk with yellowed
sense for Milton to suddenly have a previously-unseen and dying grass growing between its concrete slabs. In
skyscraper, military base, or secret ninja lair). places where Val-MOR lurked, like the fulfillment center
Mother Louise goes on to explain that the desolation, and the Val-EVENMor store, the situation is even more
the sense that the town is undergoing a slow, lingering extreme: buildings resemble crumbling castles with
death, is something the pack can only understand and leering faces, clouds of polluted smoke follow around the
solve in the Umbra. If none of the Garou know the Rite dejected people moving along the streets and sidewalks,
of Shadow Passage, Mother Louise offers to teach it to a and vehicles, signs, and even streetlights seem leering and
member of the pack, or (if they lack the experience points hateful.
to learn a Rite) to invoke it on their behalf. Being able to
travel in and out of the Umbra of their own volition is a In the Umbra, the sky is
huge benefit in this story, so if a player wants to learn this
rite immediately and pay it off with experience points at overcast and greenish, the
the end of the story, let them. town varies between tall,
leaning offices and shops
and tiny, crumbling, sagging
homes and apartments,
and the ground is covered
in cracked sidewalk with
yellowed and dying grass
growing between its concrete
slabs.
43
Off Main Street, the town’s blight is

less pronounced but still tangible. The
small parks seem tired and worn, with
faded grass and dying trees. A few tiny
gafflings resembling squirrels and birds
flit about here and there, but they are
drab and rarely seen. The roiling overcast
sky makes it impossible to find warm
sunlight, and curling tendrils of spiritual
gnats and mites seem to huddle around
the unfortunate unhoused people who
try to find rest on the park benches.
Wherever the pack arrives, they
quickly draw the notice of local spirits.
Place-spirits and animal-spirits flee
from the Garou, hoping to avoid
confrontation. It’s clear that, no matter
how noble their intentions, the Garou
are interlopers here — they are not
natives of the Umbra, and the spirits fear
and mistrust them.
Packs who played through The
Break Room have one potential ally
here: Knickerbocker (p. 22), the horse
spirit residing in Values Field. He’s a
cantankerous, proud old being and
while he might have some good advice
on treading lightly in the Umbra and
not making enemies, he won’t stoop to
playing tour guide to a pack of cubs.
Static Signal
As the Garou become accustomed to
their surroundings, one spirit does
approach them. Resembling a human
in shabby clothes, threadbare fingerless
knitted gloves, shoes with holes in
them, and carrying a smooth walking
stick, this spirit has one immediately
distinctive feature: its head is an old
CRT television set, screen fuzzing
with gray static. The spirit stops a good
twenty feet away from the pack, taps its
walking stick, then waves to the Garou.
The screen flickers to indicate a changing
channel and then shows a yellow smiley
face. This is the Wizened Raconteur (see
the ‘Allies and Antagonists’ section for
the spirit’s complete powers).
44
The Raconteur welcomes the pack to the Umbra,

its voice coming out of the speakers on either side of IMPORTANT! You, the Storyteller, know that the
Raconteur is actually a hostile spirit, setting up the
the television screen. The Raconteur introduces itself
Garou for problems and failure, but the pack doesn’t
politely and engages in conversation.
(yet). Portray the Wizened Raconteur as a helpful local
The Raconteur, in a meandering, roundabout spirit, one willing to deal with the pack, a stroke of
exposition, explains that the Umbra around Milton luck who can show them where to go to deal with their
suffers from many of the problems that plague the Umbral problems. Play the Raconteur as friendly, if a bit
town. Just by looking around, the Garou can see all distracted or scatter-minded, and surprisingly helpful.
sorts of things are off-kilter. The Raconteur explains Suspicious players might ask what the Raconteur gets
four different problems that might interest the from helping them — most spirits don’t start out friendly
Garou — corresponding to the four middle scenes of to Garou, after all — and the Raconteur explains that
this story — and suggests that they might investigate the Banes and Weaver-spirits in the town threaten to
the Umbra to find clues that can help them to deal with destabilize the Umbra here, and that it is a spirit of
stories, so it needs an audience. Just telling the Garou
problems on the other side of the Gauntlet.
tales about the town gives the spirit a sense of purpose
The Raconteur explains the four different challenges
and direction, or so it claims. It’s real difficult to get a
the pack needs to confront, but only in the vaguest of
read on an Umbral entity with a TV screen for a face.
terms — it tells the pack that there are places to go to
do important jobs but doesn’t give specific details. The The Raconteur has an affinity especially for stories
Garou can entice the Raconteur to share more clues by of pain, suffering, and despair, but it cannot reject story
telling it stories in return — a bargain that the Raconteur notes that the Garou feed it. You should foreshadow this
is only too happy to offer. If the Garou tell stories of throughout this story and tell how the more alert Garou
themselves, their pack, or their histories, the Raconteur notice small changes in the Wizened Raconteur as the
stories it absorbs from the Garou change it. This will be
responds with minor pieces of useful information,
important in the final battle.
such as the nature of the foes that the Garou might
encounter, or a bit about the neighborhood in question.
The Raconteur can’t give detailed information about
any enemies but can offer suggestions about the kinds of
hazards that the pack might face during each challenge.
Note that the Garou can tell fake stories; the spirit
doesn’t care about the veracity, but rather about the act
of storytelling. The Garou don’t necessarily know this,
though!
“We’re Going to Do It All at Once!”

Since all of Milton’s troubles take place in or near the town, the pack can engage with multiple problems
simultaneously. While dealing with the aggressive malice-spirit at the fulfillment center, for instance,
they might notice scryers watching from Polyphemus Security Solutions. Intertwining these threads gives
the players multiple directions to follow as the story develops, but also risks complicating scenes and
causing the players to become paralyzed with indecision about their next action. If you’re concerned
about overloading the group with problems and choices, only introduce one or two of the scenes at a
time. For an experienced team or one that relishes complex problems, you can run all four scenes in
parallel, with the various Banes aiding each other and the pack’s investigations crossing paths with
multiple symptoms at once.
45
Part One: A Hint of Malice prey to cause further harm to the town. Plus, the longer
it’s there the more likely it is to find a human ready
The closed Val-MOR fulfillment center has become a to welcome it into their body so it can hurt the town
site for loiterers — bored local teens, unhoused people directly.
looking for shelter, urban explorers, and assorted other
trespassers. Val-MOR’s abuses, from the wasp-husks Seeds of Malevolence
to the mundane exploitation, leave behind a patina of The Wizened Raconteur advises the pack “Read the
malice that augments the existing feelings of anger and news, keep informed about the world.” The first clue
frustration in all who pass by. The power of the malice to this problem is a local news story (published on the
in the facility attracted a strong Bitter Rage spirit named Gazetteer’s webpage and making the rounds among
Spitemonger, whose presence fans the annoyance, anger, the coffee chatter set at the town’s coffee franchises). A
and sometimes violence of people nearby. Since nobody traveler with a flat tire, Carson Wojtek 2, pulled off the
works there at the moment, it only has short-term visitors freeway to Milton near the Val-MOR fulfillment center.
to prey on. A local unhoused man, Eddie “Easy” Lugo, approached
Unfortunately, Spitemonger’s influence pushes people Carson while he was changing the tire. After an initial
who are already distressed or predisposed to mischief exchange of words, Carson found himself seized with
into violence that they might not otherwise commit. Fed sudden fear and hostility, and attacked and killed Eddie
by the hostility of those whom it influences, the Bane with a tire iron. Homicide is one of the few things
remains hidden at the site and causes its unsuspecting important enough to make the state police to show
46
their faces in Milton, and Carson was arrested shortly Carson’s considered a flight risk, so he is being held
thereafter. He is currently awaiting trial for murder. without bail. Barring intervention by the Garou, he
The pack has several possible ways to proceed with is eventually convicted of second-degree murder and
their investigation. spends the next twenty years in the state prison, so the
pack can’t simply wait for his release or bail him out.
THE ATTACKER
The attacker is Carson Wojtek, who was simply THE VICTIM
traveling through Milton en route to a nearby state The pack might (correctly) surmise that a trip to the
park for a camping trip. Carson is currently in the state Milton coroner’s office is simpler than getting in to see
penitentiary while awaiting trial for murder, so the the murderer. This jaunt puts the Garou in the heart of
Garou need connections to find him — a police or legal the decrepit town. Half of the old storefronts in the town
Contact can dig up this information with ease, or one center are empty, with “For Lease” signs in the windows.
of the characters can find it out with an Intelligence + The town hall and courthouse are blocky and faded, with
Investigation roll (Difficulty 2). painted-over tags of graffiti in the alleys between them.
Arranging an interview with Carson requires The victim of the killing, Eddie “Easy” Lugo, was
convincing his public defender they have a personal an itinerant unhoused person at the time of his demise.
connection with the prisoner or arranging a visit with Bribing or deceiving the coroner, a middle-aged white
the jail under the pretense of being family or journalists man named Joseph Thatcher who’s also the town doctor
(both Difficulty 3 Manipulation + Subterfuge, with (Manipulation + Streetwise or Resources, Difficulty
possible legal complications on a failure). 2), allows access to the autopsy records and a brief look
Carson has little useful information. He’s suspicious at Easy’s remains, but there’s little to learn: Easy was
of the characters but should a member of the pack bludgeoned to death with a tire iron, and the beating
manage to convince Carson to open up (Charisma + continued for several additional blows after he lost
Intimidation or Persuasion, Difficulty 4), the distraught consciousness. He was found with only his worn clothes,
man tells them that he doesn’t know what came over a plastic lighter, a half-empty pack of cigarettes, and
him. Fearing for his life in the presence of a potentially twelve dollars and sixty-three cents. There is no indication
dangerous person, he brandished his tire iron, then found that Easy had a weapon or that he posed any threat.
himself repeatedly swinging at the victim. Otherwise, Once the pack knows Easy’s identity, they can
Carson leans on the self-defense angle, stating that he learn more about his past by checking with the police
feared for his life because he didn’t know this person, his for information about his record (Manipulation +
car was not drivable, and he felt in imminent danger. He Subterfuge, Difficulty 2, as this is an open murder case)
says that he doesn’t recall striking repeatedly, only that or going through the town’s old crime blotter and looking
he suddenly remembers stopping and standing over the for his name (Intelligence + Investigation, Difficulty
motionless body. 1). Easy has a lengthy record of minor infractions,
Unless the pack managed to talk their way in without principally trespassing, petty theft, loitering, and one
going through Carson’s lawyer, the public defender case of resisting arrest in which an overzealous officer
also attends any interview, and cuts off any further dislocated his shoulder. Basically, he had the difficult life
questioning. If the pack manages to question Carson of an unhoused person, living rough in a society that
without the lawyer, he uneasily admits that he doesn’t criminalized his existence. The only lead here is in the
know what came over him: He has never felt that sense of other folks from his community: The other unhoused
pure, unadulterated rage, malice, and hate. It turned his people of Milton, who have a small tent city not far from
vision red and overwhelmed him, and it wasn’t until the the fulfillment center.
deed was done that he suddenly came back to himself in a
jarring state of disorientation. Like many towns in the World
Carson was, of course, influenced by Spitemonger,
of Darkness, Milton largely
but he has no way to know that. His statement should
make the Garou suspect outside influence and lead them deals with the problem
back to the scene of the crime. of unhoused people by
pretending that they don’t
exist.
47
Milton largely deals with the problem of unhoused character. The security presence has been cut down to
people by pretending that they don’t exist. Bridges Loss only four guards, two at the gate and two ostensibly
Prevention usually displace them from locations where on patrol but mostly smoking in the parking lot — the
the rest of the public might have to acknowledge them. empty fulfillment center creeps them out.
Polyphemus Security routinely raids their encampments The center is quiet. Electricity has been turned
and destroys their meager possessions. While the town off and all doors are locked to guard the product still
church offers limited help to the unhoused, the town within. If the Garou go inside, the atmosphere is
itself makes living rough a difficult proposition. As a one of foreboding. Footsteps echo menacingly, and
result, unhoused people frequently find themselves shadows seem long and pointed. A Resolve + Occult
living along overpasses or forested areas near the freeway, test, Difficulty 2, indicates some kind of supernatural
coming into Milton occasionally to scavenge for survival presence is raising the Garou’s hackles, but it either can’t
needs. or won’t manifest in the material world. The only way to
Easy lived in a tent in a collective of unhoused people confront it is in the Umbra. The Gauntlet in and around
near the freeway. Any investigation into Easy’s past the fulfillment center is 2.
turns up this collection of the unhoused, an assortment In the Umbra, the fulfillment center has become a
of people who either by misfortune or by choice live in hollow space, the walls seemingly bowed convex, the
tents with a tenuous existence. The other dwellers of the windows even narrower and taller, the shelving rising
encampment are observing a period of mourning for up to a ceiling shrouded in impenetrable shadow. Boxes
Easy and have not yet divided up his nonperishable stuff. of toys and clothes have garish, washed-out pictures on
Easy’s possessions are still in his tent: a worn sleeping the sides identifying their contents and providing lurid
bag, a few stained changes of clothes, a battery-powered advertising. Conveyor belts runs constantly and the
radio, some personal grooming effects and odds and loading workstations have heavy chains with manacles
ends. Nothing in his possessions suggests violence or attached to them. The upstairs offices seem oddly
interaction with the supernatural world. distorted, with the surfaces clean and sparkling but their
Easy’s former peers are reticent to discuss his demise, walls, doors, and framing twisted as if in a funhouse
but they can be convinced with a Charisma + Persuasion, mirror. Tiny metal cocoons cling to the surfaces of
or Manipulation + Intimidation or Subterfuge, computers, where dormant tech-spider spirits wait for the
optionally + Resources for a bribe (Difficulty 2). They return of electricity.
all agree Easy wasn’t a threat to anyone and add that Many of the fulfillment center’s ground-floor rooms
they’ve been staying away from the fulfillment center are forbidding wire-cage offices. The wire fencing of
since its closure, as it seems to be a center point for “bad the office is rusty and looks almost bloody. Low tables
vibes.” People seem to have more arguments in the area, with swiveling chairs sit empty in front of dead monitors
and local teens come there to trespass or to rough up the that feel like the eyes of a sleeping monster. Pegboards
unhoused. Like following up on Carson, all the clues hold uncomfortable back-braces and lifting belts that
lead back to the fulfillment center. look more like torture implements than safety devices.
Yellow paper slips cover the floor like dead leaves, each
Unfulfillment with unintelligible red marker writing on it. Posters
If the pack played The Break Room, they’ve already been on the walls depict faceless, armored security forces
to the Val-MOR fulfillment center and likely tangled in threatening poses with captions like “IF YOU SEE
with its corporate efficiency specialist, Mr. Mersey. The SOMETHING, YOU ARE COMPLICIT” and “THE
fulfillment center is closed, either due to the Garou’s COMPANY IS GREATER THAN ANY ONE
actions or for an unrelated reason (see ‘Catch the Scent’). EMPLOYEE.” Such props are Umbral manifestations of
The fulfillment center’s entry gates are closed, yellow the company’s attitudes, the subtext every worker feels
police tape hangs in ribbons from the gate — already torn plainly made visible in a place where their emotional
partially away — and a sign temporarily posted on the resonance bubbles to the surface.
outer wall reads “We’ll be back in business soon. Thank Spitemonger makes its lair here, venturing forth
you for shopping at Val-MOR!” with a distressingly to enjoy the malice from disputes and acts of petty
saccharine cartoon picture of a young Val-MOR vengeance between people near the center. Just as the
employee holding up a thumb and grinning. Someone Bane drew strength from the distress of Val-MOR
has spraypainted black Xs over the eyes of the cartoon employees sabotaging each other’s work and snitching on
48
their associates, it now spreads its influence to find new

victims. Banes can’t create misery and malice where it
Part Two:
doesn’t exist, but they can fan the flames, and this Bane Polyphemus Security Solutions
pushes victims until they break from exhaustion and Polyphemus Security Solutions was Val-MOR’s security
desperation. services provider. It’s also another Pentex holding.
Spitemonger makes no attempt to hide. It first Polyphemus serves as a private armed security company
appears as a towering Val-MOR manager wearing a face- that contracts with businesses to provide patrols and
concealing helmet and surrounded by floating chains, surveillance. Though the Polyphemus branch in
but it quickly shifts through various forms, taking on Milton is small, employing roughly a dozen guards and
the appearance of Carson, Easy, and finally the Garou a handful of administrative personnel, it aggressively
with the highest Rage in the pack. It doesn’t speak, but pursues contracts with the town and local businesses,
it taunts the Garou with gestures designed to infuriate. claiming Milton is constantly at risk of being overrun by
Once fighting starts, the Bane lashes out with its floating the “criminal element” and exaggerating or fabricating
chains and a spiked nightstick. statistics about gun crime, youth vagrancy, and
Wire cage offices can only hold three people — or organized gangs from larger cities coming to the town to
the Malice-Spirit and one other, or one Garou in crinos sell drugs and weapons. Polyphemus claims that they are
form — but the spirit gladly moves to follow enemies, the solution to these problems.
and it’s probably easier for the Garou to confront on With its income from the fulfillment center
the warehouse floor. Use the space here to flex the disrupted, Polyphemus aggressively looks for other ways
combat battlefield dramatically, as the Umbra seems to generate revenue, which includes shaking down local
to underscore the dangers of the location: The wire businesses with vague threats of what might happen to
cages are claustrophobic, with sparks flying as the them if they don’t contract Polyphemus guards.
Spitemonger’s chains ricochet off their walls, while in Polyphemus’s actions lead to further malaise and
the open warehouse floor the Bane looms huge and oppression. People looking for work find it fairly easy
monstrous, and every corner seems far away, as if the to secure a part-time job with Polyphemus, so long as
Garou are stuck in a vast, open space with no escape. they are mobile and able to gain a registered security
See ‘Allies and Antagonists’ for the full description of firearms license. (Polyphemus pays the up-front costs and
Spitemonger’s powers. Pay special attention to how the recoups it from the employee’s paycheck in installments,
Bane interacts with Rage dice: It is harder to defeat if the with interest.) Employees discover the limited available
Garou have more Rage. hours don’t earn a living wage, and the company’s
culture pushes guards to be aggressive, suspicious, and
THAT’S A WRAP threatening. Polyphemus guards who embrace this
Defeating Spitemonger is straightforward, and it settles corporate culture attract the attention of Banes and, if
the problems around the closed fulfillment center — for they fully embrace their vices, risk becoming fomori.
now. After the spirit’s destroyed, the Wandering Those who don’t wash out or get fired. Guards’ best
Raconteur waits outside of the center for the Garou to route to a bigger paycheck is a bonus for signing up new
leave. (If the Garou shift back to the material world, they clients, incentivizing them to frighten local businesses
can have a wrap-up with Mother Louise instead. Either and homeowners until they pay for protection.
way, the gist of the wrap-up is the same.) The Wizened Raconteur explains that Milton is a
The pack earns praise for figuring out how to handle town living in fear, and the pack should try wandering
Spitemonger and releasing its hold on people passing by around on Main Street after dark and see what comes
the area. Their associate specifically notes that learning calling. The Raconteur refuses to be more specific.
to rein in Rage, and fighting with control, is important
for using violence as a targeted tool rather than A Little Light Harassment
indiscriminate devastation. Success in battle gains Glory, Most Polyphemus guards are regular humans, but five of
but good judgment is far less common in Garou circles. them are Bane-touched — not quite full-fledged fomori,
If the Garou haven’t finished all four scenes, and but almost there. Polyphemus guards on patrol wear
don’t have a new lead to follow, the Wizened Raconteur jackets with a large Polyphemus Security Solutions patch
provides one. If this is the fourth scene they have on them, showing a picture of a pistol with an eye in the
completed, proceed to ‘The Turn’. side of the barrel. The Bane-touched guards are the most
50
active in spreading the Polyphemus Security corporate

culture, and they have a level of spiritual awareness that Careful About That There Slander
lets them smell Garou who have any amount of Rage.
The Polyphemus guards definitely imply that
The Banes don’t care what happens to the guards, so
the Garou are troublemakers because they’re
they nudge them into hostile, even self-destructive
outsiders and weirdos, but exercise caution
behaviors — like pulling a pistol on a Garou.
about crossing the line into actual slurs about
As the Garou go about the town looking for clues
marginalized groups if your troupe wants to
to the meaning of the Raconteur’s comments, a pair
avoid these subjects. Those topics cut close to
of armed Polyphemus guards confronts them. The
the bone for many people, and there’s no need
guards pull up in a security cruiser and, hands on their
to subject your players to hateful rhetoric based
firearms, gruffly ask the Garou what they’re doing in the
on negative stereotypes if there is any doubt as
neighborhood and ask to see I.D. One is a Bane-touched
to how this would be received. (See Personal
Polyphemus Security guard 4, while the other is a hapless
Boundaries in Chapter Seven of Werewolf: The
Polyphemus Security novice 3. The Bane-touched guard
Apocalypse.)
can sense the Garou identity of any character with one
or more Rage dice. See ‘Allies and Antagonists’ for more
details about the Bane-touched Polyphemus guards.
The Bane-touched guard goes through the motions Word on the Street
of checking the Garou’s ID — if any — and makes snide
After their run-in with the Polyphemus guards, the
comments about the “outsider,” with a note about folks
Garou probably want to learn more about the security
coming from out of town and bringing crime with them.
company. They can do some research online, asking the
They chuckle at their own offensive humor, inviting the
locals, or even visit the Polyphemus Security branch
hapless novice to join in, which the novice does uneasily
office near the Val-EVENMor store complex on Main
and hesitantly.
Street.
Garou who keep their wits about them realize
Anyone can look up Polyphemus Security online,
Polyphemus guard services are not police or sheriffs, and
using a terminal in the library if they don’t have
they have no authority to arrest or even stop anyone. If
smartphones or computers of their own. This provides
the Garou stay calm, answer questions, don’t push back,
the web page for Polyphemus Security Solutions and
and have their ID in order, the guards eventually let them
the address for the local office; the website has splashy
go, “with a warning,” and tell them they should keep
advertising showing guards in uniform holding guns
moving on to the next town (even if they’re locals). The
and misrepresented crime statistics claiming that the
Bane-touched guard tries to “accidentally” keep one of
low price of a security contract is far offset by the savings
the Garou’s IDs. Characters who challenge the guards’
from preventing crime.
authority are asking for a longer stop and deliberate
Talking with locals is tougher: People are reticent
attempts to antagonize them into doing something
to talk about Polyphemus Security, especially with
violent so the Polyphemus guards can fight back.
strangers, and getting someone to open up requires
The Garou can, of course, simply tear the guards
a Charisma + Persuasion roll (Difficulty 3) or a pre-
limb from limb. The Bane-touched guard is a little
existing good relationship with a local like Shane
tougher and quicker than a typical security guard, but
Montoya (see The Break Room). With success, the Garou
the hapless Polyphemus novice is just a frail human. In
learn that Polyphemus is known to many small local
fact, it’s too easy, and doesn’t solve the problem: The
businesses because their guards swagger about in pairs
Bane shifts its attention to someone else on the staff, and
and stop in to shops to “recommend” services. About
the cycle of abuse continues unabated.
a quarter of the businesses downtown have response
The important information from this encounter is
contracts with Polyphemus, meaning that in the event of
that Polyphemus guards are engaging in a campaign of
a break-in or alarm signal, Polyphemus dispatches armed
harassment against the residents of Milton.
guards to respond, promising a better response time
than state police; in reality this is just a revenue stream
for Polyphemus with very little cost on their side. The
meaner, Bane-touched Polyphemus guards sometimes
51
roust unhoused folk or “suspicious” looking people,

ordering them to move on from streets with businesses
that have Polyphemus contracts and sending them to
places that don’t — essentially, driving desperate or
distressed people into places where they’ll cause locals
to become nervous, and hopefully to encourage them to
look to Polyphemus for protection.
The Polyphemus Security office is a squat building
behind the Val-EVENMor store with a large painting
on its windowed front showing the Polyphemus logo,
the pistol with an eye on the side of the barrel. Steel bars
protect the windows, even the large one in the front
that prominently features the company logo. Inside, a
large, rounded desk has a single Polyphemus Security
administrator 3. On the day shift this is Eli, while
evenings are worked by Jackson. Both men are normal
humans, snappy and short-tempered. Guards come
in and out on a regular cadence, paying little heed to
visitors, going into back rooms through a heavy door
with a magnetic lock, using key cards to enter. How
matters proceed from there depends upon the pack’s
approach.
Have Gun, Will Stalk

The Garou have several options for obtaining more
information on Polyphemus Security. Remember
Polyphemus employees do not know about the
supernatural malaise that afflicts their company; they
simply believe that they are acting in their own best
interests.
Intimidate the administrator: The Garou can
shake down the administrator for information, using
Manipulation + Intimidation (Difficulty 2). The
secretary says the company has 13 guards on staff,
multiple contracts through the town, and a cordial
relationship with the police — and points out that
threatening a security firm comes with consequences.
After the Garou finish asking questions, two Bane-
touched Polyphemus guards 4 and two hapless
Polyphemus novices 3 respond and demand the Garou
leave under threat of police response.
Stakeout: Guards come and go, checking in,
receiving assignments, and dropping off or picking
up equipment as needed. There’s no obvious sign of a
supernatural presence. In the Umbra, though, the office
looks like a towering structure with a huge organic eye
peering out from a rickety metallic tower on the top,
showering a baleful green light over the entire Main
Street. Small, wispy spirits — scryers, shaped like fist-sized
52
bloodshot lidless eyes with bat wings — flit about and

occasionally hover near the shoulders of Polyphemus
employees, whispering to them.
Subterfuge: Using Manipulation + Subterfuge
(Difficulty 2), one of the characters can pose as a
potential employee or client. On a failed roll, the
Y PHEMUS
POL
administrator demands the Garou leave the premises.
Even if the roll succeeds, the administrator is snippy and
offers a clipboard of literature — either an application
form or a list of contract options, depending upon the
Garou’s deception. In the Umbra, whispering scryers flit
NS
SE
about avoiding the Garou and whispering to any guard UR
ITY SOLUT
IO
C
that passes through, causing them to frown and look at
the Garou with disdain.
The Back Room: If the Garou get into the back,
they find lockers, jackets, belts, nightsticks, zip ties, and
other security paraphernalia, but no obvious signs of
supernatural influence. In the Umbra, the back room
holds a Dissonant Gestalt 4 spirit and several Scryer 1 Polyphemus Security guard services right now. To defeat
spirits (double the number of characters in the pack; see this problem, the pack needs to find a way to remove the
Werewolf: The Apocalypse pp. 251–252). These spirits security company from the equation completely — to
influence employees, and the scryers follow guards or defund Polyphemus. Unless the Garou opt to solve
look for places where conflict can happen. Garou in the the problem with violence, this is liable to take some
Umbra can engage these spirits, of course, but they’re time, and they may engage with some of Milton’s other
symptoms, not the underlying problem. problems as their solution unfolds.
Mass Murder: The pack may decide to simply
Watching the Watchers murder every single person working for the corporation.
Once the pack starts investigating Polyphemus Security It works: Polyphemus folds its branch office and leaves
closely, the company watches them back. Scryer 1 the city. They also know they have significant opposition.
spirits follow the Garou, learning where they stay, who This information spreads throughout Pentex, and other
they interact with, and what they do when they’re not subsidiaries with supernatural reach send agents to
shadowing the company and its employees. The spirits find out more about the Garou and cause problems for
whisper their discoveries to Polyphemus guards and the them in the future. Such mass murder brings with it the
Garou find themselves frequently crossing paths with danger of hauglosk. It may also yield Glory.
Polyphemus employees on a mission to make their lives Sabotaging Polyphemus: Tech-minded Garou
difficult. might try erasing computer files, deleting employee
In the Umbra, the scryer spirits are obvious and easily records, or using social engineering to sabotage
destroyed. More spirits form over time, though, with a workplace connections and schedules. Treat this as an
new one coalescing in the Polyphemus Security offices extended operation played out over three encounters,
every day to replace those that are lost. during which the pack must alter or destroy computer
records (Intelligence + Technology, Difficulty 4),
Toppling the Tower engineer disputes between employees (Manipulation +
Fighting Polyphemus guards, administrators, and Subterfuge, Difficulty 3), and misdirect the spirit spies
Banes is a temporary solution. The real problem is that manipulating the company by leading them in false
the existence of Polyphemus Security and its corporate directions (Dexterity + Occult, Difficulty 3). Succeeding
culture encourages and reinforces systemic oppression. on all of these tasks has a big impact: Guards quit their
If the Garou kill Polyphemus employees, the corporation jobs (sometimes with shouting matches and angry
turns it into a sales strategy: Warning local businesses threats of lawsuits), schedules fall apart, and contracted
that violent crime is spiking and they need to contract services aren’t delivered, and the cordial relationship
53
with the state police frays as Polyphemus causes them no matter where they were, they always had to comport
more work rather than less. Within a week of success, the themselves as if being observed, and act in a way that
Polyphemus Security branch office closes. Guards lose would not cause suspicion. This, the pack is told, forms
their part-time jobs, causing hardship in the meantime, the underpinnings of Honor: Acting consistently as if
but the office no longer attracts spirits and no longer you are always being watched by your ancestors, so that
reinforces oppressive systems of surveillance. New your actions should always be just, forthright, and well-
spirits no longer form there and even the Bane-touched intentioned.
slowly shed the spirits’ influence. This solution may yield If the Garou haven’t finished all four scenes, they
Wisdom. must consult with the Wizened Raconteur once more
Rallying the Community: The Garou can bring the and then pick their next lead. If this is the fourth scene
community together to oppose Polyphemus Security. they have completed, proceed to ‘The Turn’.
Many locals already resent the corporation and its
guards. Getting the community to come together to The underpinnings of Honor:
reject Polyphemus requires three operations. The pack
Acting consistently as if
must find alternative employment for people currently
working for Polyphemus, so they leave willingly you are always being watched
(Intelligence + Finance, optionally with Resources, by your ancestors, so that
Difficulty 4). They must convince local businesses your actions should always
to cancel their Polyphemus contracts (Charisma + be just, forthright, and
Persuasion, Difficulty 3), by showing the company is
extorting them for protection money and that if everyone well-intentioned.
cancels their contracts at once the company has no way
to shake them all down anymore. The community must
form a movement to publicly repudiate Polyphemus
Part Three: Reaching for the Sky
in a way that generates media attention and support In the material world, Milton is like any small town
(Charisma + Leadership, difficulty 4). If all of these in the grips of recession: Businesses sputter along,
tasks are completed, the community comes together but commercial areas bear many empty storefronts
to hold a series of protests outside of the Polyphemus and “FOR LEASE” signs. Homes show wear and tear
offices. Guards quit very publicly and vocally, and with minimal maintenance. Even the chain stores and
several local businesses start pasting stickers labeled restaurants by the fulfillment center have peeling paint
“NO POLYPHEMUS” on their windows and doors. and faded signs, as the town and its inhabitants struggle
Within a week, Polyphemus Security closes its branch to make ends meet.
office, but the community provides soft landings and In the Umbra, the situation is much starker. Its
alternative employment for former guards — some downtown clock tower looms overhead as if bending
become individual security for local business, others find toward the onlookers below, teetering and ready to fall.
work in service, manual labor, or data entry. Nobody The sky is always dim and the sun angry red. Clouds
gets rich, but nobody gets hurt, either. Best of all, the vary between gray and green, reflecting the pollution of
Garou can obfuscate their involvement, looking like the urban space. Trash-spirits animate empty Styrofoam
they’re just concerned citizens in the middle of an boxes, causing them to skitter away like spiders, and
unhappy community response, so they aren’t singled out plastic bags, making them float off like jellyfish in the sky.
Gafflings of various sorts swarm about the
for later retribution by Polyphemus Security or other
organizations. This solution may yield Honor. buildings — Weaver-allied spirits connected to
Fully resolving the Polyphemus problem takes time, construction technology or electronic infrastructure,
Wyrm-spirits connected to businesses that generate
which affords the pack a chance to either take some
downtime or pursue one of the other troubles in the pollution (whether physical or spiritual), some rare
nature spirits such as bird- and rat-spirits adapted to the
town. After the dust clears, the pack chats with either the
Wizened Raconteur or Mother Louise. Either mentor- urban environment. Atop the clock tower, connected
figure impresses upon them that they worked to serve the by steely threads of silk, is a great cocoon glowing with
greater community through their actions but realized lambent silver energy.
that they were constantly watched in the process. Thus,
54
0 Intimidation: Garou can threaten a local jaggling

for information. This isn’t hard — Charisma +
The Purpose of the Climb Intimidation, Difficulty 2 — but doing so to any
This scene presents lessons about interacting spirit, even a Bane, puts all of the other spirits on
with spirits, but also gives the pack a chance to guard and increases the difficulty for all subsequent
earn the respect and gifts of a powerful spirit tests with spirits in Milton by 1.
(see ‘The Spirit Unbound’, p. 58). By interacting
0 Persuasion: The Garou can ask innocent questions,
with other spirits along the way, the characters
leading the spirits into giving away information.
describe their thoughts, hopes, and fears. In
Minor spirits of the sort found here have very
doing so, they shape the eventual form of the
limited scopes of cognition and usually only answer
spirit that they rescue. Was it always thus? Or
questions about their immediate surroundings and
did they shape it through their journey? In the
interests. Thus, learning about the cocoon and
Umbra, both might be true.
the spirits around it means going through several
Encourage the players to talk about the spirit,
interviews, piecing together tiny bits of information
to ask questions, even to put forward their own
from successive spirits, as a Manipulation +
ideas of what it might be, how it came to be
Persuasion test with a Difficulty of 3.
captured, and its relationship to other spirits
and to the town of Milton. Encourage the players 0 Chiminage: Garou who know a little about spirit
to draw inferences from the challenges they matters might choose to propitiate an important
face, to guess at the nature of the spirit, and to spirit in hopes of earning its favor. To do so, they
push their foes for information by demanding must flag down one of the jagglings in the area, such
that they tell it if their guesses are right: “Is as a racoon-spirit or even a building-spirit and offer it
it a helicopter? A coyote? An abstract figure something of value. Offerings to spirits reflect their
representing the geometry of Milton?” Through nature, and may take the form of a service, a sacrifice
their guesses, the players set the parameters for of an item, or a secret told openly. Typically, the
the spirit that they rescue. chiminage requires the Garou to part with something
Clever players might figure out that their valuable, whether that is a personal effect or their own
speculations and stories are defining the final reputation, and it carries over into the physical world:
form of this spirit. There’s nothing strictly The character is giving up a personal item, or doing
wrong with that — they’re engaged and paying something that stays with them and becomes an
attention, and that’s a good thing. If you want to embarrassing story for later. There is no test for this;
surprise them, however, nothing stops you giving if the Garou pay the chiminage, they earn a success.
the spirit some tweaks and secrets. For this initial experience, the fledgling Garou pay
a simple price. The influential spirit asks the Garou
to perform services for the other, smaller spirits in
the area, spirits who don’t have the power to help
the Garou. The Garou must humble themselves by
aiding small spirits by finding lost articles, bringing
Who Lives There? them food, or scouting out places for them to make
The spirits around Milton are, like most spirits, cautious new homes. None of these tasks are onerous, but
around the Garou, but they can be enticed to answer they certainly feel like the mighty warriors of Gaia
questions, especially if the Garou trade with them. These are being sent to perform trivial, sometimes even
trades may seem insignificant or even comical: bird- and embarrassing, deeds.
rat-spirits want tiny snacks (which may be challenging if
the Garou didn’t bring these along in Dedicated clothing
when they entered the Umbra!), Weaver-spirits ignore the
Garou unless forcibly interrupted from their patterns of
behavior, and Banes are generally hostile.
A test of Intelligence + Occult, Difficulty 2, hints at
the possible outcomes of various interactions:
55
Once the Garou decide on an approach, they learn

more about the cocoon as they earn successes. The Climb
Initial success: “A great spirit once watched over Ascending the clock tower looks deceptively simple: A
this place, but with the imbalance of the Triat it was staircase circles up the tower. In the Umbra, there are
imprisoned and now slumbers fitfully above. To reach it, no guards or locked doors to prevent the Garou from
one must pass the spirits that keep it captive.” ascending. The climb is longer than it seems, though; in
+1 success: “The spirit imprisoned is probably fact, it is as long as it needs to be, for the Garou to finish
powerful enough to escape, but it has chosen not to.” their learning tasks along the way. Performing the Rite
+2 successes: “Both Wyrm and Weaver avoid the spirit, of Shadow Passage at the top of the tower in the physical
for it could destroy any of the minor spirits here.” world will deliver them to its foot in the Umbra.
+3 successes: “With Wyrm and Weaver out of balance, The pack must complete three successful interactions
Wyld must be resurgent, and only through change can to reach the peak of the clock tower. After each ordeal,
the cocoon be opened.” they continue climbing the seemingly endless stair.
These clues provide the Garou with hints that the Have each player make a Stamina + Athletics roll, with
spirit could be a valuable ally, that it is not a Wyrm-spirit a difficulty equal to the number of ordeals they’ve
or Weaver-spirit, and that the cocoon — symbol of an encountered so far. On a failure, the Garou takes one
entity in change — indicates that the form that it takes point of superficial Willpower damage. Note that the
when it escapes may not be the same as when it was first climb down is easy and fast, but the Garou must start
captured. over when they next return.
Each interaction provides a chance for the Garou to
describe something about the cocooned spirit above. Pull
from the suggested interactions below in any order or
use those that connect to the skills players chose for their
Garou — when a player spends their points on an ability,
that’s a signal that they want to use it!
By the time the Garou reach the top of the tower, the
players’ responses to questions about the cocooned spirit
should have given you enough of an idea about what kind
of spirit it will be. See The Purpose of the Climb sidebar
for more information.
Fighting the Wyrm: Banes circle around the
tower, taking the form of mutated, polluted animals or
crumbling pieces of abandoned technology. This is a
straightforward brawl against crawling Banes: One for
each member of the pack, with a Power of 3–4 (based on
your judgment of a given pack member’s combat ability).
The Wyrm-spirits hiss and taunt the Garou, telling them
they’re nothing like the spirit above, that if it can be so
easily dispatched, what chance do the Garou have? The
Banes directly ask the Garou what they think the spirit is,
what they think that it can do, so that you can push the
players to guess at its nature.
Interrupting the Weaver: Machine-spirits
(Werewolf: The Apocalypse, p. 254) festoon the clock
tower, representing signals sent by the cellular network
attached to the tower and the electricity that powers
the clock, which itself is an object of regimentation and
order. The Weaver-spirits aren’t hostile, but they go about
their business with precision, on a continuous schedule.
Interruption makes them irritable, and the spirits
56
panic if they’re prevented from carrying messages or way to help the Garou ascend, such as dragging the
completing tasks. The Garou can haggle with the spirits Garou up on a web of metal threads, or carrying them
for information about the prisoner. They succeed in with a group of birds, or scrambling up the outside of the
this interaction if they interrupt several Weaver-spirits at tower in a swarm of fuzzy animals that obscure the tower
once — one for each Garou present — and combine their and make the end seem closer when they disperse.
pieces of data to form a coherent chunk of information,
using Intelligence + Technology, Intelligence + Occult, Opening the Cocoon
Manipulation + Etiquette (Difficulty 3), or other Once the pack reaches the peak of the clock tower, they
combinations appropriate for a character’s approach to should have some idea of the cocooned spirit’s nature.
the problem for each spirit — doing so does, however, The cocoon itself surrounds the top of the tower above
combine several small Weaver-spirits into a single Power the clock, and naturally as the Garou finally reach the
5 jaggling, whose reaction depends upon how the Garou roof, the clock hands close in on midnight.
treated its component parts. When the pack arrives, the cocoon shudders, then
Dealing with nature spirits: The spirits of birds, bulges erratically. The spirit inside is trying to come out,
racoons, rats, and other urban scavengers sometimes and the pack must help it. The spirit promises the Garou
flit about the clock tower or race up and down its support and patronage if they help it free itself.
sides. These spirits are skittish, unwilling to get within Though the Garou likely try to use claw and fang
arm’s reach. Nature spirits refer to the captive spirit as to rend the cocoon, they find that the fibers are tough
a “sibling-spirit,” “one like us,” “a great creature that and sticky, making it difficult to tear — it rebounds and
waits for its rebirth.” Nature spirits willingly talk to fuses back together with each strike. Instead, the Garou
Garou who offer to perform a kindness for their material must empower the spirit within. From the interior, its
relatives: feeding the pigeons in the park for a bird-spirit, muted voice calls for aid, asking the Garou to grant it
finding an adoptive home for a cat-spirit, unlocking the power — chiminage.
lid of a trash bin for a racoon-spirit. These little tasks are How the Garou grant chiminage depends upon
not onerous but should place the Garou in an awkward the spirit’s form. The spirit demands that they deal
position at some point after returning to the material with the Watcher of Toil, a Psychomachia spirit (Power
world. 6; Werewolf: The Apocalypse, p. 249): If the spirit is a
Climbing the outside of the tower: The Garou may warrior-spirit, it calls for direct confrontation; a spirit of
realize that the stairs seem endless and decide to claw occultism or wisdom asks that the pack discover the roots
their way up the tower exterior. This takes a Strength + of the Psychomachia (which comes from a long history
Athletics test, Difficulty 3, but it proves no easier: The of labor exploitation in Milton); a spirit of healing or
tower itself seems to stretch on and on. On a failed test, support demands that the pack rescue several nature-
the Garou must slip back in the windows to the stairway spirits from the Psychomachia before it can devour them.
to remain safe; on a Brutal result, the Garou shatters the The pack remains in the Umbra for one last job, tracking
stone siding of the spiritual tower and falls, suffering the Psychomachia to its lair in the historical downtown
four Health levels of superficial damage. As they climb, district where the spirit lairs among the businesses that
they see graffiti on the walls, snippets of names or gained decades of profit from mistreating workers, then
descriptions, many of which seem to relate to the captive confronting it while fulfilling the spirit’s request. In
spirit in some way. Ask the players to describe the pieces doing so, the pack makes its commitments to the spirit to
of graffiti and the terms therein, then flavor them with earn its patronage.
your own interjections to indicate that these are words Ways to find out where the Psychomachia comes
talking about the spirit above. from are asking other spirits — Knickerbocker (p. 22)
Making a deal: The pack might ask any local spirits knows a part of the story and will tell with a Wits +
to help them reach the spirit above. They ask the Garou Politics or Manipulation + Etiquette test (Difficulty 3).
why they want to reach it, what they think it is, and what Clever Garou may think to ask the Wizened Raconteur.
they intend to do with it. These prompts offer the Garou They may not realize it, but it is precisely the kind of tale
chances to voice their thoughts about the spirit and their that the story-spirit thrives on. Same skills apply as with
hopes for it. The spirits accept one level of superficial Knickerbocker, but with Difficulty 2. Going to take a
Willpower damage from each Garou in the pack in look at the Psychomachia in its lair will yield information
exchange for their help; the spirits then form a fanciful with an Intelligence + Occult test (Difficulty 3), but
57
this carries the risk of battle. The pack should discover

information from at least two sources to fulfill the
chiminage. The ways to find out should not be limited to
these and if the players come up with something else, let
them.
Rescuing nature spirits may be as simple as
defeating the Psychomachia in combat but may also be
accomplished by Dexterity + Stealth tests (Difficulty
3) to enter the Bane’s lair unnoticed and Dexterity +
Larceny or Intelligence + Occult tests (Difficulty 3) to
free the three or four captured gafflings from their thorny
cages.
The scene concludes when the pack finalizes its
agreement — or releases the spirit without one (for
instance, if they already have a Pact Spirit).
Through these insights they

have gained Wisdom: truths
can be changeable, the
spirit world reflects and
reinterprets the material,
and spirits possess many
aspects.
The Spirit Unbound

Once the spirit is released, the pack is free to return; the
stairs of the clock tower now seem laughably short. The
atmosphere downtown changes. Someone proposes
a small downtown festival and soon the town’s area
seems more sedate, though not without its continuing
struggles.
The recently freed spirit makes an excellent resource
for one or more of the pack. It might distill a fragment
of its power into a Talisman or enter a Spirit Pact (see
Werewolf: The Apocalypse, pp. 104–105). This is a
powerful spirit, but it doesn’t necessarily give the Garou
access to much of its power; that depends on how many
points they spend on a Background.
The pack’s wrap-up with their mentor offers the
insight that learning to navigate the spirit world involves
engaging with subjectivity and malleability. Through
these insights they have gained Wisdom: truths can be
changeable, the spirit world reflects and reinterprets the
material, and spirits possess many aspects.
If the Garou haven’t finished all four scenes, they
must consult with the Wizened Raconteur again and
pick their next lead. If this is the fourth scene they have
completed, proceed to ‘The Turn’.
58
Part Four: The Suffering The Garou could help by:

Aiding the unhoused: Milton has a small community
The people of Milton are suffering from the economic of unhoused people, centered on a tent city on the outskirts
recession, the influence of uncaring corporations, the of town. Local politicians consider unhoused people a blight
failure of local government to address these problems, and on the town and give the police wide leeway to displace and
the spiritual reflections of these challenges. Interacting arrest them, as well as all but eliminating resources to help
with people who’re dealing with economic hardship, them. Garou can strike up relationships with the unhoused,
depression, and repressive forces reinforces the effects and support local initiatives to provide housing and assistance,
means that everyone lives under a constant pall. or just gift them a few warm meals. This is an especially
The Garou may step into the Umbra in hopes of relevant approach for Bone Gnawers, who often live in
disincorporating the malevolent spirits that feed upon similar hardscrabble circumstances.
the despair of helpless humans, and they can offer Shaping local politics: Milton’s local politicians
temporary relief — most spirits attracted to humans in mostly hew to small-town conservatism and personal
this way are small, with a Power of 1 or 2, though they enrichment, some of them taking bribes or glad-handing
can congregate in large numbers. development contracts to corporations in exchange
The problem, the pack soon discovers, is that negative for benefits. Garou don’t have the temperament to
spirits are a symptom. Negative events in the physical run for office — one bout of uncontrolled Rage would
world flow into spiritual reflections, which attract spirits end a political career — they can support better local
that then reinforce these travails. candidates, starting with small changes like school boards
In the Umbra, insubstantial, childlike shades under and city controllers. Organizing with other humans fully
clouds of despair and more adult-sized ones followed by integrates the Garou into the community. Plus, if a local
tiny bats of uncertainty wander the streets of Milton. leader proves intractable, the bear that mauled people on
These are not spirits, merely a spiritual reflection of the Main Street was never captured by animal control.
townsfolk’s fears and anxieties. Facing down bigotry: People in areas of economic
distress look for groups they can blame; groups with hostile
Negative events in the agendas move to promote hateful rhetoric that exploits
physical world flow into this tendency. In Milton, this takes the form of white
spiritual reflections, which nationalists and right-wing hate groups visiting downtown
bars, rallies in the park, and flyers denouncing minority
attract spirits that then groups. The Garou should recognize this as poison when
reinforce these travails. they see it. Humans using cosmetic differences as excuses to
brutalize and murder one another is a tale as old as time, but
it’s also one that feeds the Wyrm — humanity engineering
Addressing the Problem, Not the Symptom its own destruction. Garou can see this viscerally in the
The Garou can disperse spirits, even destroy a few that Umbra, as hateful rhetoric literally takes wing from angry
have taken up residence in important community sites like speakers and sinks sharp claws into impressionable listeners.
schools, churches, and the library, but to truly solve this Garou may not care for humans, but this intra-human
issue, they must deal with the root causes in the material conflict feeds the Wyrm.
world: poverty, fear, anxiety, despair, and corruption. Encouraging community bonds: Especially for
This is an unstructured scene — let the players philodox and galliard Garou, community bonds are vital.
formulate a goal based on their character’s interests, skills, Garou don’t necessarily fit in the community, but they
and Touchstones. The pack needs to bring a glimmer do interact with it, and they can encourage the people
of hope back to Milton. After all, the health of human of the town to pay more attention to their neighbors, to
communities reflects the health of Gaia. Have the Wizened form bonds of mutual aid and friendship, and to organize
Raconteur or Mother Louise provide them with some cooperative events, festivals, and cultural holidays between
helpful wisdom if they’re not getting the message. local businesses. Garou can flex their Allies and Contacts or
make new connections to influence the local community.
The risk in these scenes is rarely physical, though the
Garou might wind up tangling with dangerous spirits
60
or even fomori. Rather, the risk lies in the consequences their mentor — the Wizened Raconteur or Mother
of failure: Garou who can’t affect meaningful change Louise — seeks them out to discuss their actions. Their
risk adding to their harano and hauglosk tracks, mentor explains that the Garou walk among humanity,
depending upon the nature of the conflict. If the Garou even if they aren’t necessarily of humanity, and that the
reason that ends justify the means and kill a corrupt human world is an important arena in which to solve
local politician, that may push them towards hauglosk. problems; that the material and spiritual worlds are
If that politician is immediately replaced by someone strongly intertwined; and that the Garou’s existence is a
even more venal, this engenders a sense of hopelessness continual struggle for balance. They’ve learned to fight
that can contribute to harano. where they must, heal the world’s wounds where they
can, and see Gaia’s presence in the changes to the Umbra
Making Things Better, One Day at A Time when they act to repair a damaged world. In doing so,
The Garou can’t make Milton a Bane-free paradise where they’ve learned what it means to be Garou.
humans and Garou live in harmony with nature. Rather, If the Garou haven’t finished all four scenes, they
the goal is for them to learn that human-Garou interaction must consult with the Wizened Raconteur once more
is a delicate balance. Garou can’t simply purge humanity before picking their next lead. If this is the fourth scene
and start over. That means that making the world better they have completed, proceed to ‘The Turn’.
relies on nourishing small moments of brightness,
encouraging the best qualities of the world while fighting The Turn
against the worst. The Umbra reflects their actions in this Once the Garou complete all four scenes, they’re in for a
regard: Humans who feel safe, curious, invigorated, attract nasty surprise.
benevolent spirits, and interact with each other in a more The next time the pack enters the Umbra, the
positive fashion. Community bonds form literal ties of Wizened Raconteur comes looking for them. The spirit
threads, ribbons, and even lines of light in the Umbra as congratulates them on their successes and recaps some of
people forge a web of powerful connections. their high — and low — points. The television-face of the
The pack can’t solve all of Milton’s problems. The spirit shows footage of the Garou’s travails.
important realization here is that new problems will arise Then, the spirit reveals its true agenda. The Wizened
tomorrow but that doesn’t mean solving problems now Raconteur, as a story-spirit, feeds on the legends that
is worthless. The process of making the world better is a Garou create. Everything that they have done reflects in
continual one, and one that passes on generationally. The the spirit world, and because their legends are tied to the
Garou, to serve Gaia, tackle these problems according to spirit, they have given it power. Enough power, perhaps,
their gifts and take each day as it comes. Assuming the to end their story — for all stories must end.
problems of the world are insurmountable is the road The Garou, the Raconteur says, have “walked the
to harano. Assuming every problem demands a violent Spiral” with it symbolically, and now it is time for
solution is the road to hauglosk. Just as they balance them to descend to its level. Having learned many
human and wolf, flesh and spirit, the Garou must lessons, as heroes do, they face their final test, and the
delicately balance hope and resolve. antagonist — the Raconteur — demands that they must
confront it. The Raconteur is convinced it has the
Just as they balance human power to destroy the pack and take their stories for itself,
lending it incredible power.
and wolf, flesh and spirit,
Consult ‘Allies and Antagonists’ for the Raconteur’s
the Garou must delicately profile. Though the Garou can launch themselves
balance hope and resolve. into physical combat against it, the way to defeat the
Raconteur is by recognizing it as a story-spirit. From
their lessons in the Umbra, the Garou should understand
A Brighter Day now that the spirit adopts a certain role based on
Once the pack manages to intercede and steer at least its nature, but that nature is malleable. If they fight
two of the trouble spots to a better outcome, whether it — especially if they lose to it — it takes on the role of
by serving as secret weapons for a community project undefeatable enemy. If they ply it with different stories,
or as claws of vengeance to protect the oppressed, they can change its role.
61
As the Garou fight, the Wizened Raconteur narrates The spirit newly freed from its cocoon surely has
its own actions, describing how it is going to tear them to additional tasks for the Garou, such as sending them to
pieces, absorb their legends, and write a tragedy that fuels investigate or fight against another emerging problem
its next conquest. Every time it strikes, it announces its caused by a visiting corporate consultant, a military
action. It can’t help but narrate. exercise, or a collector looking to purchase stolen
If the Garou just aren’t getting the message, you can artifacts.
always send Mother Louise into the fray to explain it to The pack may well want to delve into the Val-
them — but if they went through all of this and didn’t EVENMor superstore itself in the Umbra, to see what
learn, they probably deserve a little bit of hurt! horrors await there, a task complicated by the fact that it
To defeat the Raconteur, the Garou must counter its is centrally located in the town.
narration with narrative of their own: stories about their The Garou’s actions in motivating the local
own actions and the past; about historical legends of community to organize may, of course, have extended
the Garou, their own family sagas, even made-up stories consequences, and people that protested and showed up
of heroism and struggle against doom. The Raconteur for rallies may ask the Garou for continued help with
cannot help but absorb these stories, and these reshape their problems.
it. Stories about battle and glory make it vulnerable
to attack, trickster stories make it easier to deceive the
spirit. Stories about Honor, in the form of redemption,
Allies and Antagonists
change, or learning cause the spirit to hesitate, reflecting Spitemonger
upon its own role. Stories where the Garou lose make the
Spitemonger, which inhabits the Val-MOR fulfillment
Raconteur more powerful, as they conform to its chosen
center is a powerful version of a Bitter Rage spirit
narrative.
(Werewolf: The Apocalypse, p. 245).
Eventually, the Garou will destroy or reshape the
Raconteur — or it will kill them. Either way, they solve Power: 5
the core problem of Milton’s spirit world — a powerful Exceptional Dice Pools: Insight (Sore Spot) +4, Melee
spirit re-crafting and reciting the most haunting, most (Chains) +4, Persuasion (Provocation) +4
depressing, and most enraging stories, feeding back hate Notes / Other Traits:
and anger, and amplifying it. Provoke: See Werewolf: The Apocalypse, p. 245.
Once the Raconteur is defeated or changed, the spirit Accelerating Rage: Each time a Garou scores a Brutal
world finally reflects a shift in Milton’s fortunes. The outcome while in Spitemonger’s presence, it immediately
half-obscured red sun peeks out from the clouds and regenerates one Health Level. The Malice-Spirit
rain finally falls, washing away the grime and grit. For at regenerates superficial damage first, then aggravated
least one day, the people of Milton can’t explain why, but damage if none remains. This happens even when the
they’re having a good day, filled with happy or wistful attack is a critical hit against Spitemonger itself.
memories and fanciful or funny stories. Chains of Malice: Each time a Garou with three or
more Rage dice takes an action, Spitemonger makes an
Follow the Trail immediate melee attack against that Garou. This attack
Dealing with Milton’s large crises opens the door to also even strikes Garou that aren’t in the same room, as long
dealing with some of the smaller ones, if the Garou want as they’re in the same scene: chains come lashing out of
to follow up on their successes. shadows, air ducts, boxes, and dark corners to smash into
the Garou.
Seething Armor: When attacked by a foe with three
or more Rage dice, Spitemonger can never take more
than one Health level of damage from the attack, even an
indirect attack such as collapsing a wall on it or sniping it
from long range.
62
Bane-Touched Polyphemus Security Guard Create Allies: Once per scene, the Wizened Raconteur
Polyphemus Security guards who embrace the company’s can spend an action to narrate the formation of allies.
surveillance and bullying become “Bane-touched,” These spirit-creatures literally crawl out of its screen,
slightly infused with the energies of the Banes that taking the form of pop culture characters. Roll the
are attracted to them. With enough exposure a guard spirit’s Performance pool; every two successes generate
could become a fomor, but even those with limited one ally, which counts as a Power 4 story elemental in
exposure become changed. To the guard, this seems like its own right (Werewolf: The Apocalypse, p. 261). Each
a natural progression of their training: They become ally spirit has one Exceptional Dice Pool at +2, themed
hypervigilant, more aware of threats, stronger, faster, and according to its form: A movie superhero might have
tougher. Brawl, a cowboy could have Firearms, and a sci-fi
cyborg might have Technology. Since these are spirits,
their weapons don’t have to fit modern, real-world tech
Standard Dice Pools: Physical 6, Social 4, Mental 4 or physics. Typically, this is the first action that the
Secondary Attributes: Health 5, Willpower 6 Raconteur takes in a fight.
Exceptional Dice Pools: Investigation 6, Firearms 7, Change the Channel: By taking one point of
Melee 7 superficial Willpower damage, the spirit can alter the
Umbral scenery. The Raconteur narrates the shift in
Notes / Other Traits:
the battlefield, and suddenly the Garou find themselves
Scent of Rage: Anyone with Rage dice within ten
fighting on a muddy medieval hill, inside of a high-rise
feet causes the Polyphemus Security guard to detect
apartment, or on the surface of an alien planet. This
an undercurrent of something spicy and musky.
shift can increase the Difficulty of the players’ characters’
Polyphemus guards only know this means trouble.
actions by 1 or create environmental hazards such as lava,
The Wizened Raconteur quicksand, vacuum, or laser tripwires.
Yes, and…: The Raconteur cannot decline when
Looking like an old human with a bulky television for a
someone else feeds it story notes. It must incorporate
head, the Wizened Raconteur is a story-spirit. It absorbs
these into its story in some way. This makes it
and retells stories, showing them through pictures on
vulnerable to social attacks: Garou can use Charisma or
its television screen and narrating through its speakers.
Manipulation + Intimidation, Performance, Persuasion,
While it presents itself as a talkative and neutral spirit,
or Subterfuge to alter the Raconteur’s narrative. Treat
in the depressed and dysfunctional town of Milton it
these as attacks, against which the Raconteur defends
gains power through spreading stories of pain, suffering,
with its Power. Hits inflict superficial Willpower damage
outrage, and corruption — causing people to feel
to the Raconteur. If it runs out of Willpower instead
simultaneously angry and helpless. When it meets the
of Health levels, the Raconteur submits to change and
pack, it sees them as a chance to greatly increase its power
surrenders to the Garou, recognizing that their story is
by casting them as “heroes” in an Umbral narrative, and
too strong for it to end here and now. ■
then destroying them to spread a message of despair.
Power: 8
Exceptional Dice Pools: Academics +2, Insight
(Personal History) +4, Intimidation (Horror) +4,
Performance (Drama) +4, Technology +2
Notes / Other Traits:
63
CHAPTER FOUR: A POUND OF FLESH
Chapter four
A P OU N D
OF Flesh
“A horse never runs so fast as
when he has other horses to
catch up and outpace.”
—Ovid
M
any enemies oppose the player That is the goal, right?
characters’ pack. So far, they’ve faced the The thing that ties them to this endless drudgery, no
minions of the Wyrm and the enigmatic beings matter how wretched the world gets?
of the Umbra. Now they face their own reflections; a Delaying the inevitable. Always.
rival pack called the Rakshaks led by a Ghost Council But how best to serve? What happens when two
philodox named Ridhaan Sachev who has a long history packs decide on two different ways forward?
with the pack’s mentor Mother Louise. The Rakshaks That is the central question of this story. How do
have different and conflicting approaches and the the Garou handle conflict when they disagree on how
characters — through no fault of their own — have forced to fight their battles? Must blood always be spilled
them to break a promise to Ridhaan’s Patron Spirit. In when honor is at stake? How does a proud people stop
addition, there’s a lost Kin about to undergo her First the circle of violence that weakens them in their more
Change, and the Wyrm could still sweep back into power important battles? How can you forgive and forget when
in a heartbeat if the Garou can’t resolve their differences. rage is so central to your existence?
If the pack played through the previous stories in
Scent of Decay, their characters have come a long, long
way from where they started. The Wyrm’s grip on the Content Warnings
town of Milton is weaker because of the things they’ve Abuse of power, gore, themes of poverty
done.
65
The Foe
The opposing pack, the Rakshaks, are led by Ridhaan Mother, No!
Sachdev, whose Patron Spirit is Horned Serpent. Just The pack has probably invested resources in
like the players’ pack, the Rakshaks have their own war a relationship with Mother Louise. As well as
to fight. The decay of Milton was theirs to handle, and roleplaying and story beats they look back on
Horned Serpent’s support hinged on the Rakshaks fondly, players might have spent experience
managing it just as the spirit required. Milton was meant points on her as a Mentor or otherwise
to be a controlled learning ground. The Rakshaks were quantified her influence on the characters’ lives.
to watch from a distance and determine what would There’s a very real danger that Mother Louise
happen if Val-MOR got their way, study how they dies at the end of this story. If she does, refund
operate, and find weaknesses they could exploit to fight the players their experience points or allow
corporate evil elsewhere. A petri dish, if you will. them to pick a new Mentor in the next session,
Ridhaan believes in one singular truth: knowledge is as per Werewolf: The Apocalypse, p. 97. Discuss
the answer. Unless they understand the Wyrm, Garou are how spending the returned experience points
trapped in a reactive position. With knowledge of their reflects how the character handles the loss of
foe, they can fight back more effectively and proactively. their friend and mentor.
Plenty of other Garou consider the Ghost’s approach
unconventional at best, and taboo at worst. For Horned
Serpent’s support, the Rakshaks must feed their Patron
Spirit knowledge. They’re expected to squeeze every
bit of knowledge out of a situation so they may best
Story Structure
apply it to future conflicts. As such, the pack’s bond This story plays out over three chapters.
with Horned Serpent demands that they let the decay in In ‘Part One: Unearthed Secrets’, the Pack find
Milton progress until they’ve learned everything they can Mother Louise after she’s been attacked by a rival pack
from it, then defeat it themselves. called the Rakshaks. They discover the attack was a
Thanks to the players, the Rakshaks can’t make response to what they believed to be a slight to their
good on their promise to Horned Serpent. They blame honor. The Rakshak leader’s Patron Spirit Horned
Mother Louise: she knew the Rakshaks’ obligations and Serpent intervenes to prevent further bloodshed by
she chose to ignore them; the players’ pack was just her setting the packs a challenge to channel their conflict
chosen tool. So it’s Mother Louise they look to take their into a worthwhile cause. The pack which completes it
vengeance out upon. first will find their honor restored.
Ridhaan and Mother Louise have a lot of history. In ‘Part Two: Little Cub Lost’, the Pack races against
Change the details to suit your chronicle and your time — and the Rakshaks — to find Gabriella López, a
interpretation of Mother Louise but emphasize that young Kin whose First Change is imminent, and bring
these two people once cared deeply about each other. her into the Garou Nation. They learn about her life,
Ridhaan could only turn on Mother Louise with the struggles, and the dark path she may be embarking upon.
most compelling of reasons. Mother Louise’s decision to They also brush up against the consequences of their
ruin the Rakshaks’ bond with Horned Serpent is exactly actions in the previous stories.
that. The Garou Nation is a complex society of proud, In ‘Part Three: Gallery Night’, the packs converge
rage-fueled warriors. This is a story of what happens on an art exhibition of Gabriella’s work at 7-Uptown.
when the rage turns inward. Be fucking feral. She’s been influenced by a spirit named Mirrormouth
to try and open the membrane between our world and
the Umbra. The spirit makes its move on Gallery Night
Ridhaan believes in one and the resulting conflict between it and the two packs
singular truth: knowledge is present triggers Gabriella’s First Change as an additional
the answer. complication.
66
A Pound of Flesh Story Map
tak ing
taking
sto ck
stock
a’s
ll
brie
ga b
jo
dinner
dinner nnight
ight aawyrm
wyrmof of ery
gallery
gall
Catcchh
Cat following
ccourt
horned gabriella’s
one’
ntt interrupted
interrupted ourt ones’s own
own night
night
the sce
the scen clues serpent’s task home
7 -
up
t own
exit through
through
the gift shop
shop
Catch the Scent If the characters really don’t want to meet up with
Mother Louise, Rakshak member Malorie King figures
K
icking off this story requires getting out what Ridhaan is planning and, knowing the players’
the pack to visit Mother Louise. There are plenty characters’ pack has a link to Mother Louise, seeks out
of ways to do so, depending on their relationship one of the pack members to tell them where he’s gone
with her. and what he might do. She might also let it slip that the
If the pack is close to Mother Louise, she simply Rakshaks are in big trouble with Horned Serpent and
invites them to dinner. By the time they get to her home, that might drive him to do something desperate. The
Ridhaan has already paid her a visit. Their argument got pack get to the scene after Ridhaan and the rest of the
heated, and he attacked her viciously. He left her for dead Rakshaks have left.
and the players’ characters come upon Mother Louise’s
bloody, dying body amid the warzone of her kitchen.
If the pack’s relationship with Mother Louise is less Tune In Next Week
cordial, it’s not so much an invitation as a summons.
Finding Mother Louise is an excellent cliffhanger
Alternatively, Mother Louise might send a messenger
to an episode. Consider positioning her meeting
spirit — a bird or rat spirit, most likely — to the pack,
request as an epilogue to another story
calling them to her after she’s already been injured
(Shadows on the Prison Walls is ideal). The
and needs their help. The spirit isn’t sophisticated
players expect a happy ending hanging out with
enough to explain what’s going on, just repeating that
Mother Louise and instead stumble onto a scene
Mother Louise needs the pack to come to her location
of blood, violence, and vengeance. It’s a hell of a
immediately.
way to make sure everyone comes back for the
next game.
67
Part One: Best Friends, Dinner, Interrupted

Mother Louise lives in an old, one-story house in a small
Worst Enemies square of grounds. It’s about twenty minutes’ drive
The pack discover Mother Louise has been ruthlessly outside of Milton.
attacked. They must scour her house for clues, discover The first sign that something is wrong is the smell.
who is responsible and confront the rival pack. A Wits + Awareness or Survival test (Difficulty 2) pulls
out the smells of blood, wolves, and violence. A critical
win on this test allows the Garou to catch Ridhaan’s
Sowing the Seeds scent. They should recognize it immediately when
they encounter him. The living room is in shambles.
Storytellers looking to foreshadow the final
Furniture lies smashed against the walls, which are
conflict of this story might want to insert
spiderwebbed with damage from huge fists and bodies
elements in earlier parts of the chronicle.
slamming into them. The sofa’s ruined, slashed open by
Perhaps Mother Louise invites the pack over for
massive claws. A lake of blood flows out of the kitchen.
dinner to discuss elements of their adventures
Mother Louise lies on the kitchen floor. Various pots
and offer advice. The Wizened Raconteur might
boil over containing the dinner she was making for the
refer to the Rakshaks during their journey
back. She’s bloody, having recently shifted back into
through the Umbra. It might show the faces of
glabro form. Her wounds are so severe they’re testing her
the rival packmates that the Garou may not see
ability to regenerate them. She is trying to curl up into
until they confront the Rakshaks.
a ball but her body is not listening. A careful inspection
reveals the fight wasn’t one-sided. Mother Louise’s hands
are coated with someone else’s blood.
68
69
Anyone who wants to help can use healing gifts or If they spend time investigating this wall, the pack
make an Intelligence + Medicine test (Difficulty 4). come across several interesting documents. One of
A win on this test brings Mother Louise around for these is a curt letter written in a clear hand, inviting
a moment of lucidity. She grabs the arm of the Garou the recipient to Smokey for a talk on the night of the
helping her. “You have to understand,” she says through half moon, signed “Ridhaan”. It is undated. In fact, it
ragged breathing, “Riddy is just trying to protect what he is from the moon past and Mother Louise did go, but
thinks is his. He’s just trying to do… the right… thing…” the conversation led to nothing but more frustration.
Louise fades back into unconsciousness. It is not a coincidence that the moon is again half full
Mother Louise’s home offers an opportunity for the tonight.A Letter from Ridhaan
pack to better understand her even while they investigate An Intelligence + Survival or Wits + Investigation
her attack. Mother Louise lives a simple, private life; her test (Difficulty 2) reveals Smokey is a rock formation in
home is their first insight into the bonds she forged with the nearby State Park that looks like an old-fashioned
their sept, her life before finding the sept, and a window wide-brimmed park ranger hat. It’s a common hangout
into her relationships. Photographs, trinkets, and other for local teens, popular social media profile picture, and
ephemera are scattered around the house. The pack find a a destination for hikers. Characters who’ve spent a lot of
wide assortment of yarn in her bedroom, rolled carefully time around Milton know how to get there; anyone else
into balls. Amidst the wreckage of the living room is can find the location online in about five seconds. Other
a half-complete knitted sweater, now completely past Garou at the Sept of the Far Watcher know that Smokey
saving. Hanging picture frames throughout the house is also a meeting place for a pack called the Rakshaks.
show faded moments from Mother Louise’s childhood,
teenage years, and early adulthood; a cautious-looking THE LEGEND BEGINS
young woman pictured against the backdrop of a run- Mother Louise’s bulletin board offers an opportunity for
down, industrial city. Storytellers to illustrate the impact the pack has had on
A win on an Intelligence + Investigation test Milton. Add in a story or two from the Milton Gazetteer
(Difficulty 3) turns up a smashed picture frame that slid detailing things that happened from the eyes of the
off the wall and behind the couch in the living room. normal humans who live here. There could be a flyer for
The photo inside shows a deli in Detroit. A young Louise the Main Street Bear Festival if things got bloody in the
stands with an older black woman, wearing a server’s first chapter. A new dentist could have moved into Doc’s.
uniform. In another image, a South Asian man with As a bit of foreshadowing, there is a flyer for Gabriella’s
graying hair and in a simple white button-down is resting art show; one last gift from Mother Louise.
his head on a younger-looking Mother Louise’s shoulder The pack might be concerned with leaving Mother
and smiling at the camera. A Wits + Investigation test Louise in her current state. If they call in the emergency
(Difficulty 2) lets a viewer notice a slight crease in the services, they should still have time to look at the bulletin
image from being folded over and then flattened out. If board before they arrive. Mother Louise is taken to a
they take the image out and flip it, they see a faded, barely nearby city hospital where her condition will be critical,
legible note written in wobbly handwriting: but stable, for the rest of the story. Mother Louise isn’t
happy about the pack’s decision: she’s gravely injured but
“I hope you copied the recipes.” her survival and then her relatively rapid healing raise
questions from the medical personnel treating her. Any
In Mother Louise’s study, a bulletin board is covered questions about what happened from mortal authorities
with newspaper articles, written letters, handwritten can stay in the background unless the Storyteller wishes
notes, and drawings (not all by the same artist) about to introduce a complication to their efforts in locating
Val-MOR, the Wizened Raconteur and the Umbra Gabriella at an inopportune time.
around Milton. Some notes connect directly to each pack Investigating Mother Louise’s home may leave the
member, such as photos, documents, and sticky notes Garou with more questions than answers. As they scan
with bits of trivia about them. The Garou who sent them through Mother Louise’s documents, they find she has
on a mission to deal with Milton’s problems so recently been tracking the situation in Milton for far, far longer
seems to have been tracking them all along. than she originally admitted to them all. This isn’t
necessarily sinister, but it may come as a shock that she’s
withheld information. If they search the yard, the pack
70
comes across some peculiar details: specks of blood, signs 0 Address: The pack may approach to talk. If the
of struggle, and tire tracks that lead from behind Louise’s pack found the photo of the deli, they recognize
garage back onto the highway heading out of town Ridhaan, though now his hair is fully gray and his
towards the State Park. face is seasoned with wrinkles and scars. Saif applauds
their decorum and beckons them into the circle of
Night Court headlights while Ridhaan continues performing
The State Park near Milton offers access to a wide, open the Rite. He tells them that Ridhaan about to speak
expanse of nature. The parking areas and rest stops are with his Patron Spirit, Horned Serpent. He must
littered with unpleasant reminders of human existence. explain himself to Horned Serpent, and he says the
The bathrooms are in serious need of cleaning. Bottles characters might as well hear the explanation too.
and cans drift across the picnic areas pushed by angry An Intelligence + Insight test (Difficulty 2) tells an
winds. Away from these areas, however, the park’s as free observer Ridhaan’s nervous about this encounter
from human interference as anywhere in the region. with Horned Serpent. A margin of two or more tells
It’s nightfall when the pack arrives near Smokey. In them he’s dreading it.
a nearby dirt and gravel parking area, the Rakshaks’ As Ridhaan completes the Rite, Saif explains
three cars are parked facing the others to create a circle of the situation before Horned Serpent arrives. What
headlights. Ridhaan, Malorie, and Saif are performing Mother Louise and the pack have done in Milton
the Rite of Spirit Summoning to call their patron, violated his pack’s bond to Horned Serpent. Louise
Horned Serpent, so they can explain what Ridhaan did. knowingly sent the players to deal with the wasp-
The characters can approach the Rakshaks in any husks in the Val-MOR fulfillment center knowing
number of ways but they come down to assaulting, Milton was the Rakshaks’ territory. The Rakshaks
ambushing, or addressing them The scene can, and made a pledge to Horned Serpent that they would
probably will, move through more than one of these observe and learn from Val-MOR’s actions to better
approaches. understand this particular form of Wyrm influence
0 Assault: If the player character pack attacks, Malorie and how to fight it. Milton was not Louise’s domain
and Saif fight back, shifting to crinos form if the to meddle in, and when she did so, she damaged the
players’ characters do, while Ridhaan continues the bond shared by the Rakshaks, especially Ridhaan,
Rite in homid form. After one round of combat, and Horned Serpent.
Horned Serpent manifests in the circle of headlights
(see ‘In the Presence of Greatness’). IN THE PRESENCE OF GREATNESS
0 Ambush: The pack may approach by stealth. The Horned Serpent is a subtle spirit. It stays outside of the
Rakshaks are focused on their rite which makes circle, away from the car headlights (which seem brighter
sneaking up on them a simple Dexterity + Stealth test once Horned Serpent arrives, and the area outside them
(Difficulty 2). Sneaking in closer gives the Garou two darker). The spirit circles the Garou as the discussion
bonus dice to their first attack should they decide to begins, accompanied by the sounds of a huge body
ambush the Rakshaks. Anyone observing the ritual slithering on the dirt and gravel of the parking lot. There
who makes an Intelligence + Occult test (Difficulty is a smell of old growth, and the sound of water rippling
2) determines that the trio are performing a Rite to as it moves. No matter how the Garou try, they will
call a spirit. The spoken elements of the Rite make not be able to glimpse more than its silhouette limned
frequent reference to “Horned Serpent, who waits for in moonlight. Ridhaan summoned the spirit to make
us beyond.” Ridhaan’s Patron Spirit will be joining amends with it, but it addresses the assembled Garou
them. Three or more successes tells them that this before he can speak.
is more a formality than a command; the Rakshaks Horned Serpent speaks, in a sibilant whisper barely
cannot possibly control something as powerful discernible from the crush of dirt and gravel. As quiet as
as Horned Serpent. An Intelligence + Insight test it is, there is the power and authority of one who knows
(Difficulty 2) tells an observer Ridhaan’s nervous as they do not need to raise their voice to be heard. “I will
hell; he’s not looking forward to this encounter with have an explanation for the affronts against my domain.
his Patron. Both this night and the previous. I shall hear three speak
from each side. Rakshaks, you shall speak first.”
71
The light where the headlights intersect brightens without their consent, believing rapid action was more
until it’s as intense as a floodlight. important than gathering information. Ridhaan chose
Horned Serpent doesn’t answer questions unless a to observe the Wyrm to learn more about it as he thought
character makes a Charisma + Etiquette test (Difficulty Horned Serpent would want to know more about the
3), in which case it asks questions of its known. It asks hive fragment Val-MOR were using (see The Break
why there is tension between the local Garou, why the Room), how it worked, and therefore how to fight it.
Rakshaks have broken their promise to it, and why a Saif says Mother Louise disrespected the Rakshaks’
former ally of the pack (Mother Louise) languishes close competence and their ability as a pack to handle the
to death, a victim of the Rakshaks’ fangs and claws. It threat before them in an appropriate manner. That’s
knows the answers to these questions (and is angered by a grave transgression and had to be answered in full.
outright lies), but it wants everyone to be able to logically Ridhaan was right to take vengeance on Mother Louise.
explain their actions. “Following orders” is not a good Notably, Ridhaan looks extremely uncomfortable with
enough reason. If the Storyteller feels up to it, Horned that argument, and an Intelligence + Insight test tells the
Serpent might interject to ask further questions, or poke characters the guilt of what he did is eating at him.
holes in the Garou’s logic. Malorie is extremely reluctant to speak. Ridhaan
Each speaker takes a turn, alternating between packs must spend a few second encouraging her in a rough,
(one Rakshak, one of the players’ characters, etc.). Those urgent, whisper before she steps into the spotlight,
not speaking may quietly discuss arguments and strategy covering her eyes. She says thousands of Garou who
amongst themselves (although Horned Serpent will hear came before them threw themselves into the jaws of the
everything they say). Each speaker on both sides must Wyrm, like they could choke it to death on their corpses.
make their points by testing Intelligence + Persuasion or Sacrificing Milton to learn more about their enemy
Wisdom (Difficulty 3). Keep track of the results. sucks, but if it makes them better fighters, with better
Any Garou who scores a critical win truly impresses strategy, in future, isn’t it worth it?
Horned Serpent. If they do not have Wisdom Renown, The players’ characters might be aware of the ins and
they may purchase one dot after this story at a −2 outs of Garou politics, or they might not. If the players
discount. If they do have Wisdom Renown, the cost to are stuck, they can make an Intelligence + Occult or
purchase the next dot with experience points is reduced Politics test (Difficulty 2) to come up with one of the
to new rank ×4 after this story only. following arguments. Extra successes unlock additional
arguments.
The Inside Wolf 1. Mother Louise broke one tenet of the

Litany — Respect the Territory of Another — but the
Any Ghost Council characters in the players’
Rakshaks broke the very first tenet by failing to
pack are already familiar with Horned Serpent.
Combat the Wyrm Wherever It Dwells and Whenever
They know how to address and appeal to it,
It Thrives.
which gives their words more weight. They get
+2 dice on their test. 2. Mother Louise should have faced justice before the
Rakshaks and her sept. The case should have been
debated and judged. By attacking her, the Rakshaks
prove that even the Garou are not immune to the
Ridhaan speaks first for the Rakshaks — Malorie Wyrm’s influence.
and Saif physically step back as if to say this is Ridhaan’s 3. The Pack did not know what was happening and
problem. He says much the same as he said to the player acted in good faith with the knowledge that they had.
pack: he was sworn to serve Horned Serpent and carry It would be unjust for Horned Serpent to punish
out the task of observing the Wyrm’s agents in Val-MOR. them for Mother Louise’s actions.
Mother Louise’s intervention, using the other pack as her
After hearing all three pairs of arguments, Horned
instrument, forced him to break that vow through no
Serpent takes a few moments to consider what each pack
action or agency of his own. He presents letters that he
has said. It decides that a contest between the two packs
and Mother Louise exchanged that reveal she was aware
will determine whom it sides with. Depending on how
of the Rakshaks’ pact with Horned Serpent. She knew
the arguments went, it will offer additional conditions.
this was not her territory and she sent the pack to act
72
“I have seen the evidence, heard the testimonies, and

have given this thought,” says Horned Serpent. While
Part Two: Little Cub Lost
Mother Louise’s condition concerns me, she is not a In this chapter, the two packs race to find Gabriella
martyr, and the Rakshaks are not villains. This is not a López and win Horned Serpent’s challenge. Remind
simple question, and there is no simple answer. the players that even if they don’t want the territory, not
“Both packs have shown an egregious lack of stopping Gabriella’s First Change from gaining a body
Wisdom,” Horned Serpent continues. “There is no count violates another principle of the Litany: The Veil
denying this. Neither one is worthy of my gifts, nor Shall Not Be Lifted.
of the territory you both claim. You will be given one They can investigate where she works, where she lives,
opportunity to prove your worth. There is a Kin nearby and the location of her upcoming gallery show to find
who bears the name Gabriella López. Her First Change is out more about her. Evidence suggests Gabriella’s First
imminent. The full moon is in two days, making it likely Change is coming soon and that something else might be
that this Kin may leave a trail of blood if left unchecked. taking an interest in her.
“Whoever finds her first, I will deem worthy to Neither Gabriella nor Ridhaan appears in this
shepherd and protect this territory. True Wisdom is not chapter. Ridhaan is either communing with Horned
found in charming a Kin to your cause, but in avoiding Serpent or fretting over whether he’s ruined that bond,
disaster. Failure to keep the Kin from doing grievous and happy to let his packmates take the lead until then.
harm will mean both packs relinquish their stake over the Gabriella is on the move wrestling with symptoms
territory. Know also that you are sworn in this contest to of her impending First Change and the influence of
avoid further violence against each other. If you commit Mirrormouth (see ‘Allies and Antagonists’). The pack
harm, you forfeit your claim.” won’t catch up to her until the next chapter.
The status of Ridhaan’s bond with Horned Serpent,
and additional rewards, depends on the result of the
Taking Stock
speeches. Gabriella’s whole life is traceable online. She’s active
0 If the player pack lost all three arguments, Ridhaan’s
on several social media networks, though she mostly
connection to Horned Serpent is restored. If the likes and comments on other people’s posts rather than
Rakshaks lose the contest, Horned Serpent will restore making her own. When she does post, it’s pictures of
Mother Louise’s health. Otherwise, she will remain in abstract, deliberately ugly, mixed-media art — her own
a comatose state for the rest of her life. creations. Various posts show her as a frequent visitor to
7-Uptown on Main Street Milton. Gabriella is featured
0 If the pack won some arguments and lost others, on the local Val-EVENMor retail store website in photos
Horned Serpent’s additional rewards depend on of a recent employee celebration.
who recruits Gabriella first. If the pack does, Mother The Val-EVENMor store is a big box store that sells
Louise is restored. If the Rakshaks do, Horned everything from food, to clothes, to homewares. It’s bare
Serpent reconnects with Ridhaan. and understaffed recently even though there are many
0 If the pack won all three arguments, Mother Louise people looking for work; after what happened to the
will be restored regardless of if they defeat the fulfillment center, Val-MOR’s trying to quietly forget
Rakshaks. However, the Rakshaks are in serious Milton even exists. Gabriella’s worked here since high
danger of losing renown in addition to Ridhaan’s school. She’s been saving to go away to art school.
Patron Spirit. The characters can access Gabriella’s employee
After Horned Serpent makes its declaration, it records with an Intelligence + Technology test
departs. Its absence feels like a great weight lifted off the (Difficulty 3) on the computer in the manager’s office
Garou’s shoulders. After a few stunned moments, the race or the customer service/returns desk and get her address
to find Gabriella is on. that way. Alternatively, they can work their way through
the store’s employees until they get to Miles McKenny.
Evidence suggests Gabriella’s
First Change is coming soon
and that something else might
be taking an interest in her.
73
Most employees know Gabriella by name or

recognize her picture, but few have any information
on where she might be. The pack are eventually
Miles McKenny: Questions
directed to Miles McKenny, who works in the
Do you know Gabriella López?
women’s clothing department. Miles is a rail-
I guess? We used to work the same hours. She was in
thin young Black man with thinning hair and
the Kids department, and I would usually be working in
a big, infectious laugh. During their interview Women’s Clothing. I used to help her straighten the toys
Miles continues to fold and stock merchandise, before closing and she would knock on the changing
occasionally pausing to help customers. rooms to make sure they were clear. Why, is she okay?
When was the last time you spoke with each other?
A while ago. Gabriella convinced Lyndzi Wigmore to host
a gallery show for her art. She’s talked about going to
art school even though her parents want her to apply to
Val-MOR’s Business Internship Development program.
She seemed tired but said she was looking forward to the
show. She sounded excited to get going, I suppose. That’s
the last time I saw her or heard from her.
What is the Business Internal Development program?

It’s one of those things where Val-MOR encourages
people to take on extra work for free, so they are more
likely to hire you to corporate. She didn’t want to do it, but
I think her parents were pressuring her because art is not
a “real job.” Who’s ever paid off student loans selling oil
paintings? Old white guys who’ve been dead for centuries
don’t count.
Do you know where she lives?

Yeah, she lives across the street from Liberty Bell Town-
houses with her parents. I went over there a couple of
times.
Where was she last seen?

She uploaded a photo to Grammable, and the geotag
shows this place called 7-Uptown. A photo of her and
the owner, Lyndzi Wigmore. That’s the last location I’ve
been able to find. She was a regular there, too. She was
very excited Milton had a gallery now, even if it has to sell
coffee too just to stay open.
Does she have any family?

Her folks travel a lot. She has the place all to herself. It
must be nice to live rent-free and be a starving artist.
74
THE RAKSHAKS HOME TURF

Malorie King follows Gabriella’s trail to her workplace. Once the pack reaches Gabriella’s home, they can pick
Rather than do the legwork, she elects to let the pack the lock and enter quietly with a Wits + Larceny test
ask all the questions for her. Since the fulfillment center (Difficulty 2). If they fail, they still gain access to the
shut down and Polyphemus went belly-up (see Shadows building, but a neighbor calls the Sheriff’s Department
on the Prison Walls) store security has been woefully to send a cruiser to arrive at a most inopportune time. If
understaffed. There’s nobody in the small onsite security Polyphemus Security is still around, the neighbor instead
office so she quietly sets herself up inside when the other calls them. Gabriella is not returning home before the
pack starts asking around. She convinces the tech-spirits gallery opening. If the pack settles in for a stakeout, drop
that live in the area to help her out: instead of the grainy, in Saif (see ‘Saif’s Offer’ below) to present his offer. He
silent camera footage the security office should have, should also suggest that the Garou find what clues they
she gets crystal clear visual and audio. She listens in on can and get moving. Time is a luxury they cannot afford.
any conversations in the store. Anything that the Garou Gabriella’s room is the smaller of the house’s two
learn from Miles, she learns too. She does her best not to bedrooms. It’s tiny and cramped even though the
directly engage the pack. only large furniture is a bed and a desk. The walls are
The Garou might sense they’re being watched if they painted a dull beige color and the floor is covered with
make a Wits + Awareness test (Difficulty 3). On a win, a cheap, gray carpet. The room is messy and cluttered,
they notice the security systems and electronics acting with clothes, books, papers, and other items scattered
strangely around them. Cameras follow them, display around. Gabriella’s bed is covered in clothes, with a Val-
TVs glitch when they talk near them, even toys might EVENMor associate vest atop the pile. Along with old
activate when they pass by. They can catch Malorie in the high school textbooks, her desk has a laptop, a thick, old
security office with a Dexterity + Stealth test (Difficulty sketchbook, a variety of poorly maintained stationery,
4). Otherwise, by the time they get there all that’s left is a and a framed photo of her family. Her closet is on the
sticky note that says “See you under the full moon” with opposite wall, with a sliding door half open to reveal
a black lipstick kiss on it. more clothes and shoes. There are also some posters
on the walls, mostly art prints and heavy metal album
A Wyrm of One’s Own covers.
The López home is a simple single-floor, ranch-style In every textbook, the page borders are covered in
house with an attached garage on the right side. There’s doodles, sketches, and increasingly incoherent notes.
no car in the driveway and it looks like nobody is home. These transition from floral borders, anatomy practice
The doors are locked but the mailbox on the road is sketches of hands, and silly doodles, to violent scratches,
empty, so somebody must be collecting the post, at least. muddied worm-like spiral shapes, and barely legible
phrases. The black ink stands out harshly against the
mundane, clinical subject matter that covers the rest of
the textbooks. When closely inspected, the phrases that
are still decipherable include “Feed the Mirrormouth”
and “I hunger”.
Like a Good Neighbor

Milton’s small-town nature can help the Garou on their current mission. Melissa Barnard and her son,
Sammy, also live at the Liberty Bell Townhouses. If things went well for them in The Break Room, the
Barnards could provide information on Gabriella that the Garou missed in their search, and Sammy will
absolutely agree to watch Gabriella for the pack. If you feel really generous, Melissa might even keep a
spare key for the López family.
If things went poorly, the FOR RENT sign in front of their former home reminds the Garou of their past
failures.
75
As the videos progress, Gabriella looks burnt-out;

dark, sallow eyes, a slump in her posture, and a growing
sense of despair. She mentions something called
Mirrormouth. What she thinks is a recurring theme is
actually a spirit of dreams, twisted by the Wyrm into an
obsessive need to create, to the exclusion of all else. It’s
drawn to her nascent energy as a Garou. It’s been driving
her work. She can’t paint anything else. She rebuilt her
studio around it. She knows something will happen
when she has her gallery opening on the night of the full
moon. She’s excited for the blister to finally burst… and
terrified of what happens when it does.
THE GARAGE
Gabriella’s transformed the garage into a studio. There’s
a workbench full of paint and supplies along the back
wall. Flyers for the gallery show at 7-Uptown are stacked
Inside Gabriella’s sketchbook, there is a similar
in one corner. A paint-stained drop tarp covers the floor.
transition of art. With each turning page, the art
A half-finished project stands in the center of the room.
becomes more and more unsettling: landscapes built
It’s a mirror, its glass smashed and rearranged in mosaic-
of viscera, scratchy sketches of the moon with speckles
style patterns. Half the frame is bordered in multiple
of blood on the page, a field of rotting grain, and the
rows of pointed teeth, sculpted from clay and painted
silhouette of a large worm, strangling what looks to be
an unsettling yellow. Nearby, broken pieces of another
sketches of her family. With a Wits + Investigation test
mirror lie on the ground.
(Difficulty 2), the Garou spots a sticky note in one of the
A win on an Intelligence + Investigation test
textbooks that reads “don’t forget, new password!”.
(Difficulty 3) reveals UV paint marks around the
The laptop itself is password-protected
doorway and windows. A blacklight bulb or Gifts such
(MIRRORMOUTH). Hacking into it requires an
as Sharpened Senses shows the full scope of the UV
Intelligence + Technology test (Difficulty 4). If the Pack
artwork.
gains access to Gabriella’s laptop, they find the following
The revealed painting shows each doorway or
information along with the usual assortment of data and
window has a thin line of glow in the dark paint that
software for a student artist:
connects it to the garage door arch. Rows upon rows of
A search history riddled with questions about night
sharp, dagger-like teeth ring the edge of the garage door.
tremors, visions, and phantom pain. Research about Val-
To Garou using Gifts, there’s a faint scent of rotting
MOR’s union busting tactics and other controversies.
teeth and stinking, carrion-feeder breath.
Self-recorded vlogs that go back to four weeks ago and
stop abruptly exactly two weeks ago. In most of them,
SAIF’S OFFER
she is documenting the strange experiences she’s been
When the pack is almost done searching the garage
going through, unsure of what lies ahead. Dreams of
there’s a loud banging on the garage door. Opening it
becoming a monster, of waking up amongst the bodies
up or heading out to the front long reveals Saif Sayeed
of her family, and of something physically tearing its way
waiting for the pack. He gestures broadly with open
out of her skin — but she’s the thing tearing, not the skin
palms and deliberate movement. He’s not here to fight.
left behind. Most Garou don’t get this much warning
He’s here to make them an offer. If there’s no opportune
of their First Change, but it definitely sounds like
moment to interrupt, have Saif waiting for the characters
Gabriella’s is coming. She speaks about the tug from two
when they leave the house.
opposite, larger-than-life forces: both call to the monster
Saif talks about how important Horned Serpent is
inside her. One pulls her towards desolation, the other
to his pack leader. He apologizes for the harm Ridhaan
towards preservation.
caused but points out that Ridhaan would only harm
Mother Louise, one of the people he’s closest to in the
entire world, if he truly felt cornered, like he had no other
76
If the pack takes the deal, it affects their Renown.

option. Ridhaan’s a wreck, he explains. However ‘Night Doing so causes Honor chagrin to each pack member.
Court’ went down, he’s scared his relationship with However, resolving the rivalry without bloodshed yields
his Patron Spirit is ruined forever. Saif’s not sure how Wisdom. If the pack makes the deal but goes back on it,
Ridhaan’s going to recover. this still causes the chagrin but does not yield Wisdom.
Saif offers the pack a deal. If they convince Gabriella Anyone with no Honor to lose gains a two-dot Adversary
to join the Rakshaks, he’ll use his connections with flaw: word of their duplicitous nature spreads through
the Silver Fangs to make sure the pack gets a plum new Horned Serpent’s children, and one of them swears
territory somewhere far away from Milton. It’s a win- revenge on Ridhaan’s behalf.
win for everyone in his eyes. Saif backs away and leaves,
claiming the pack can decide to take the deal any time Exit Through the Gift Shop
before Horned Serpent makes a decision. 7-Uptown started out as a New Age store, but the
owner, Lyndzi, has reinvented it many times. The stock
changes on their whim but always revolves around
non-traditional or homemade things like witchy occult
products, organic fruit juices and
handmade sweaters. The only thing
people can reliably buy there is
coffee.
The inside of the store features
recycled shelving from other old
businesses on Main Street. An old
mechanical cash register sits on the
end of a counter but behind it is
a laptop and cashbox for actually
handling purchases. The shop smells
of candles and incense that come
together in a heady but pleasant
mishmash of sweet and musky
scents. They are set up on an old
votive candle stand that the owner
recovered from a church.
Lyndzi Wigmore has dreams
bigger than the town of Milton, but
they are never going to leave their
hometown. They wear flowy tops
and blue jeans and dyes their graying
black hair with a different colored
streak every month or so. Like
any small business owner, they are
amiable and chatty, but what really
gets them going is “weird” stuff. The
book rack at the front of the store is
full of paperbacks about occult ideas
and alternate histories. They have read
them all and are happy to discuss any of
them, as well as quaint local legends.
77
Should the topic come up, Lyndzi believes the bears

that attacked main street are examples of the earth Gabriella’s Muse
striking back as a united organism against human greed.
Gabriella’s paintings are all part of a Bane spirit
While they’re not aware of the Garou or their worldview,
called the Mirrormouth. The artist has painted
they could become an ally for the pack if properly
and altered several mirrors to change how they
cultivated.
reflect the person viewing the art. Mirrormouth
The one thing they’re more excited about than occult
wants to consume the souls of humans
theory is the upcoming art show they’ve arranged for
unworthy to gaze upon it.
Gabriella. Lyndzi bubbles over with praise for the young
artist and makes sure each member of the pack takes
home a flyer for the show (these are the same ones found
in Gabriella’s studio). If they already have some, Lyndzi The mirror is framed by two rows of sharp, purple
gives them more to hand out around town. teeth. Strange yellow blood drips from the teeth, running
They are reluctant to discuss the details of the along the cracks in the central mirror. The cracks run
show because they don’t want to spoil anything, but a through the center of the mouth like a stained-glass
Manipulation + Persuasion test (Difficulty 2) will tip window. Lyndzi says the piece is called Bruised Cheek.
them into talking so long as the pack members promise A Wits + Investigation test (Difficulty 3) notices the
not to tell anyone else. If pack members purchase items cracks in the mirror stop at the teeth even in areas where
from 7-Uptown, they gain +1 die to this roll. With a they should naturally play out to the edges of the mirror.
margin of 2 or more, Lyndzi can also be persuaded to An Intelligence + Occult test (Difficulty 3) reveals the
show the Garou one of the pieces that they have in the paint in the cracks form a subtle rune that’s used in spirit
back. “It’s not just an art installation,” they begin, “it’s a summoning rituals. Garou studying the mirror closely
battle of good versus evil!” find themselves reaching out to touch the mirror. They
Each piece is weird, wonderful, and a little grotesque, can stop themselves with a Composure + Insight test
Lyndzi explains. They helped Gabriella rescue mirrors (Difficulty 3) but nothing happens if they don’t resist.
from the trash to use in the installation, which is about The mirror’s just a mirror. For now. A critical win on any
the raging creativity inside the artist and its power to be of these tests reveals all these clues without needing to
either profound or overwhelming. Lyndzi’s version of make the other tests.
the story is inaccurate; Gabriella’s not thinking clearly After a while Lyndzi asks the pack to leave the shop so
enough to explain her work, and Lyndzi’s made some they can close early and get ready for the gallery opening.
assumptions.
If Lyndzi agrees to show the Garou one of the pieces, Part Three: Gallery Night
they bring it from the back to the center of the shop and
In the final chapter, the pack risks losing Mother Louise
pull off the tarp.
and perhaps even their place in Milton. They’ve moved
carefully until now, but the finale of this story requires
a show of strength and numbers. They must stop
Gabriella’s First Change from ending in carnage, prevent
the Wyrm from gaining a new foothold in Milton, and
maybe even win themselves a new pack member in the
process.
78
The Finest Meats and Cheeses tension, tired of waiting for events to run their course.
7-Uptown opens at 6 PM the night of the show. Lyndzi’s He’s fully expecting Gabriella’s First Change to hit any
moved the displays of tarot decks and yarn to make room time now, and he’s ready to do whatever needs to be done
for Gabriella’s work. They’ve left anything that could to subdue her. He watches Gabriella like a hawk.
be considered art out for sale. They’ve set up a table Ridhaan works his charms on Lyndzi. He is charming
in the middle of the space, covered it with a variety of when he wants to be and if the pack met with Lyndzi
scarves and fabric, and ordered a bunch of appetizers before Gallery Night, they wave the pack over to meet
from Danielle’s Restaurant. Gabriella’s five pieces of art him. Play up this awkward conversation for as long as it’s
are scattered around the small shop, each covered with a fun. Then Lyndzi excuses themself to begin the show.
bedsheet. Gabriella is here, though she is looking unwell. Her
People straggle in gradually. They’re here to support short, blue hair is freshly washed but her eyes are ringed
Gabriella, support Lyndzi, kill some time, or enjoy the with bags from lack of sleep. She’s wearing a blazer over
free food. a vintage Baby Chorus punk band T-shirt. She’s holding
The Rakshaks arrive together. Malorie immediately onto a plastic cup full of water with hands featuring
starts scooping up appetizers. If anyone asks, she’s sure chipped blue nail polish. If any of the pack members talk
there’s going to be a battle and doesn’t want to fight on to her and mention anything about wolves or moons,
an empty stomach. She’s friendly and cordial with a she grabs their arm and squeezes hard enough to inflict a
fatalistic glee that this will all end in bloodshed. level of Superficial Health damage. “What do you know
Saif shadows Gabriella. If the pack hasn’t given him about what’s happening to me?” she whispers. Before the
an answer to the offer he made in ‘A Wyrm of One’s Garou can answer, Lyndzi begins the show.
Own’, he reminds them of it. He’s full of impatient
79
reveals a sloppily written glyph that could be one of

Too Many Mouths to Feed movement or a transfer of power.
Lyndzi picks up a small crystal bell near the register and Each painting subtly compels the viewer to
rings it until the crowd quiets. They thank everyone for touch it unless they win a Composure + Insight test
coming and introduces “talented up-and-coming local (Difficulty 3) to avoid doing so. Enough mortals fail
artist, Gabriella López,” to polite applause. Lyndzi walks this test automatically to start fueling Mirrormouth’s
to each painting and dramatically pulls off the covering manifestation. It’s not a brief touch: once they touch
in the order presented below. They say the painting’s it, the viewer is attached to the painting. Pulling
name as they do this. Once all five paintings are revealed, someone free requires a Strength + Athletics or
they say “Ladies, gentlemen and patrons of the arts, I Strength + Brawl test (Difficulty 3). If the Garou start
present, Mirrormouth.” Another round of applause smashing the paintings while humans are still attached,
breaks out. Mirrormouth’s drain speeds up. The humans start to
There are five works of art, each painted on or desiccate and wither, taking a number of Aggravated
incorporating an old mirror. Most are rectangular pieces Health levels each turn equal to the number of paintings
of glass salvaged from dumpsters. The central piece is an smashed.
old vanity mirror complete with a small desk for makeup. Mirrormouth siphons life force from the physical
The edges of each mirror have been painted to look like a contact (inflicting 1 Superficial damage on each victim)
human, animal, or monstrous mouth. Standing in front to move itself from its home in the Umbra closer to the
of each piece puts the viewer’s head inside its jaws. real world. When all five paintings have been touched
The paintings are: a few times, it can cross over. If the Garou do nothing
0 Bruised Cheek: Details on this painting can be
or get caught up arguing with the Rakshaks or trying
found in ‘Exit Through the Gift Shop,’ p. 77. to win Gabriella over, Mirrormouth manifests after a
0 Red Devil: Sharp red teeth surround this painting few minutes, possessing the paintings or their remains,
with a spiraling tongue in the center. A Wits + appearing as a swirling face made of mirror shards.
Investigation or test (Difficulty 3) shows the tongue If a Garou touches a painting they gain a point of
is textured with bumps and glands like a real tongue. Rage and a vision of Mirrormouth (see p. @@). After a
An Intelligence + Occult test (Difficulty 3) reveals an moment, Mirrormouth notices the Garou watching and
attempt at the glyph for ‘hunger’ on the tongue. grinds its teeth in anticipation of the earthly delights it
0 Harsh Morning: This painting pictures a stylized will consume on this side of the Gauntlet.
lion’s head. A Wits + Awareness test (Difficulty 3) Smashing a painting provides a quick and brutal
notices the painting is quietly vibrating as if growling solution to the problem. All it takes is a Strength + Brawl
or purring. An Intelligence + Occult test (Difficulty or Athletics test (Difficulty 2). Failure inflicts a point of
3) notices an inaccurate version of the Garou glyph Superficial damage. A Brutal outcome makes the damage
for ‘pack’ struck through with blood. Aggravated as a piece of spiritually infused glass lodges
in the attacker’s body. If the Garou smashes the painting
0 Marianas: The mouth on this painting combines bare handed, they gain Rage as previously described.
tentacles and teeth in varying shades of blue. A After the Garou start smashing paintings, they
Wits + Investigation or Awareness test (Difficulty 3) have three turns to destroy them all, or Mirrormouth
notices the painting drips seawater onto the ground. manifests in a swirling storm of glass shards, devouring
An Intelligence + Occult test (Difficulty 3) sees a the buffet table as it appears and then turning its hunger
poorly rendered version of the glyph for ‘Umbra.’ on the Garou. The mortal guests are oblivious to
0 Vanity Values: Bright red paint rims this mirror like anything being wrong until the violence begins, at which
lipstick and each corner is accented with a fang. With point everyone not attached to an artwork except Lyndzi
a Wits + Investigation test (Difficulty 3) the viewer will flee the premises, screaming.
notices a thin layer of red paint seems to cover their The Rakshaks figure out there’s something up with
reflection. An Intelligence + Occult test (Difficulty 3) the paintings but jump to the wrong conclusion. They
assume Lyndzi engineered this and turn on them,
thinking their death will end the effect.
80
81
let alone two. The challenge here is to apply the right

amount of force without killing Gabriella. That’s tricky
A Night on The Town in any fight, much less one against a werewolf using their
The guests at Gallery Night are background power for the first time. A critical success or a Brutal
players but you should reintroduce characters outcome could kill her accidentally. Horned Serpent
from previous stories as curious onlookers and doesn’t celebrate murder; it prizes Wisdom and expects
potential victims of Mirrormouth. Take note of both packs should be smart enough to judge their
which characters your players engaged with approach. If Gabriella dies, whichever pack landed the
to determine who deserves a cameo here, and killing blow shoulders the blame for losing the contest.
maybe a starring role as Mirrormouth Victim #1. Using Gifts or calming words to bring Gabriella back
Good options are Melissa and Sammy Barnard, is difficult, but not impossible. Any attempt to talk her
Shane Montoya, and any characters on the down, such as a test of Charisma + Persuasion, Charisma
Relationship Map. + Intimidation or Manipulation + Subterfuge has a high
bar to clear. Not only are these tests Difficulty 5 but
they need to be made successfully three times — without
any acts of violence between tests — before Gabriella
Once the paintings or the manifested Mirrormouth
snaps out of frenzy. A critical win on these tests
are destroyed, Mirrormouth’s scheme is over. Gabriella
means Gabriella loses her next action as she tries to
was cowering in the corner while both Garou packs
process what’s being said. A Brutal outcome makes it
leapt to action. But now, standing in the wreckage of the
impossible to keep trying to calm Gabriella. Anyone who
artwork she put her blood, sweat, and tears into, she feels
contributes to calming her gets a +2 dice pool bonus to
one emotion: rage.
make additional tests as their voice cuts through the raw
And there’s enough of it to trigger her First Change.
emotion and gives her will something to grasp.
Portrait of the Artist as an Angry Werewolf The pack might decide to chase Gabriella out into
the street or move her someplace where she can run wild
While smashing the paintings keeps Mirrormouth
until her rage burns itself out. Values Field, for example,
from coming through the Gauntlet, it also incurs an
is empty this evening and offers plenty of space and
unexpected consequence. Regardless of Mirrormouth’s
non-living things to smash. Herding her to a different
influence, Gabriella spent months working on those
area requires a Dexterity + Athletics, Strength + Brawl
art pieces and on this show. Seeing all of it ruined is the
or Manipulation + Animal Ken test (Difficulty 3). A win
catalyst that triggers her First Change. She lets out an
gets Gabriella out into the street while five wins (either
ear-splitting howl and shifts into crinos form. She’s in
through a good margin or multiple tests) gets her to
frenzy and she needs to be dealt with before she harms
Values Field.
the people in the gallery. Gabriella first attacks the
The Rakshaks fight alongside the pack to keep
closest person that harmed one of her paintings. She only
Gabriella from hurting everyone. If the pack takes too
switches targets once she’s been hurt, when she attacks
long to consider their options, the Rakshaks start the
the last person that harmed her. In crinos form, she rolls
fight. Saif takes the lead here, shifting to hispo form,
seven dice for all physical tests and has 10 Health levels.
with Ridhaan sliding into a tactical role and Malorie
Her bite does +1 Aggravated and her claws +3 Superficial
supporting the others by ushering people out of the
damage. See the full rules for crinos form and frenzy
building (or keeping them inside if the fight spills out of
on pages 137–139 of Werewolf: The Apocalypse for more
7-Uptown).
information on the conditions. Any humans still around
If the players’ characters aren’t involved in the fight,
fall under the Delirium.
don’t waste time rolling dice. If the pack looks like sitting
Violence is the quick and easy answer. Even in crinos
this one out, consider upping the stakes by having Saif
form one Garou can’t stand for long against one pack,
frenzy as well. Unless they intervene, the Rakshaks
accidentally kill Gabriella after three turns.
82
Epilogue by Twilight Follow the Trail

Once Gabriella is dealt with it’s time to return to Horned
As Scent of Decay draws to a close, paths open up to
Serpent to receive judgment. This scene takes place the
future stories.
evening after the gallery show, or even another day later,
Now that the pack’s claimed Milton, they have to
to give the pack a little time to recover and Gabriella
hold it. Though they may have defeated the Wizened
a chance to consider which pack she wants to join. It
Raconteur, there are still other spirits who think they can
takes place inside a ritual circle, as per ‘Night Court’ in
pull a fast one on this young pack of wolves.
Chapter One. If Ridhaan was killed, Malorie performs
Mother Louise’s legacy looms over the pack. Was she
the rite.
keeping any other secrets? If she has old “friends” like the
The following guidelines help the Storyteller decide
Rakshaks, what might her enemies be like? If Horned
how Horned Serpent rules the outcome of the trial.
Serpent restored her to good health, she’ll still need the
They’re not set in stone: adjust them however makes
pack’s help in fending off old enemies that have heard
the most sense for your game. Gabriella might join the
about her weakened condition. If she’s dead, the pack
Rakshaks but consider one of the players’ characters a
might get blindsided one day by something she thought
friend or mentor. She might join the players’ pack but
she dealt with but didn’t quite complete.
blame them for the things she did in ‘Gallery Night’.
Gabriella needs help adjusting to her life as a Garou.
What’s important here is bringing this story, and the
If she chose to join the characters’ pack, she can act as a
chronicle, to a satisfying conclusion.
sounding board for ideas and a chance for the Storyteller
The path of peace: If the pack primarily used non-
to consider the ethical challenges that arise from being
violent means to help Gabriella during her frenzy, she
a werewolf. If she joined the Rakshaks, she may return
chooses to join them. She bears no grudge if they fought
one day, regretting her choice and reigniting the rivalry
her in self-defense though she will have issues with
between the two packs.
any pack members who caused her a lasting wound or
The Rakshaks remain rivals even if they parted on
Aggravated damage. If a pack member wishes to take her
good terms. They bear a grudging respect for the players’
on as a student or Ally, she will join their tribe. Otherwise,
characters, for now, though it wouldn’t take much for
she wishes to seek out the Children of Gaia or Hart
that to bubble over into resentment if the pack flourishes
Wardens to hear more about how they serve Gaia. She may
in Milton and the Rakshaks’ fortunes don’t rise as fast.
go away for a time to be taught by her chosen tribe.
The Rakshaks would hate to ask the players’ pack for aid
Bloodshed: If the pack harmed Gabriella with the
with a future problem, but what better way to play up
intent of taking her down as quickly as possible, she joins
the tension of rivals than to force them to work together
the Rakshaks. Her frenzy scared her and she doesn’t want
for the greater good?
to be part of a pack that leaps into attack mode so easily.
There’s a slim chance that the pack might prevent
She believes that Ridhaan’s approach is a better fit for
Mirrormouth from breaking out of the Umbra, but not
her. She’s joins Malorie’s tribe, the Glass Walkers. If the
destroy the paintings. If so, the Garou of Milton have
pack hurt Gabriella only after she harmed someone else,
a whole new problem to deal with — one that justifies a
she’s more forgiving.
tense, fraught alliance between the players’ pack and the
A third way: If the packs spent more time fighting
Rakshaks.
each other than helping her, Gabriella asks Horned
Serpent if there’s a third option. The Patron Spirit tells
her she could seek her own place in the world, but it’s not
an easy path. She agrees and joins neither pack, opting
to accompany Horned Serpent back to the Umbra and
begin her life as a Garou there. In this case, Horned
Serpent offers the pack something of a consolation
prize; they can keep Milton as a territory or they can
have Mother Louise back. The Rakshaks’ prize is that
Ridhaan gets to keep Horned Serpent as a Patron Spirit.
Horned Serpent proclaims it will inform the spirits
which packs claims Milton as its territory.
83
Allies and Antagonists General Difficulty: 4 / 2

Standard Dice Pools: Physical 5, Mental 7, Social 3
Mirrormouth Secondary Attributes: Health 8, Willpower 6
Mirrormouth is a Bane of greed. Its desire is simple: Exceptional Dice Pools: Larceny 8, Technology 8,
to eat, and eat, and eat, until there’s nothing left to Stealth 6
consume. It has no interest in Gabriella’s art or anything Auspice: Ragabash
else about her. It just thinks the young theurge-to-be is
Tribe: Glass Walker
a good candidate to let it into the human world where
it can plunder and devour in a place where there are few Renown: Glory 2, Honor 1, Wisdom 2
forces that could stop it. Gifts: Grasp from Beyond (p. 154), Open Seal (p. 150),
Penumbral Senses (p. 147)
Power: 5
Exceptional Dice Pools: Brawl +5, Intimidation +3
Saif Sayyed
Other Traits:
Saif is charismatic, cunning, and brimming with charm.
Body of Shards: Mirrormouth’s manifests in a cloud of
Born into an American-Pakistani family in the United
sharp mirror shards that cut those who attack it. A Brutal
States, Saif is the heir-apparent of a high-ranking Silver
outcome on a melee combat roll against Mirrormouth
Fang who had his life laid out for him before he could
deals a point of Aggravated damage to the attacker.
consent to any of it. He was raised to be a future leader
Mirrormouth itself takes the critical damage as normal.
of his sept, but his progressive, risky ideas about how to
Siphon Life: Gabriella’s paintings serve as conduits
fight the Wyrm led to a less than amicable parting. Saif
to Mirrormouth. If any humans are attached to the
advocated for a proactive and pragmatic approach, the use
paintings when Mirrormouth has manifested, they are
of human technology, and even the study of the Wyrm.
automatically drained for as many points of Aggravated
Saif found himself branded as a traitor and a heretic by
damage as there are destroyed paintings. Mirrormouth
his elders, who feared Saif’s influence on the other Garou
heals an amount of damage equal to the points drained,
in their tribe. On his wanderings after he was cast out,
distributed equally between Health and Willpower.
Saif met Ridhaan in Milton, and was impressed by his
This ability does not allow either value to go over its
approach and his pact with the Horned Serpent.
maximum of 10.
Malorie King Standard Dice Pools: Physical 7, Mental 3, Social 5
Young, idealistic, and tech-savvy, Malorie King is a Glass Secondary Attributes: Health 9, Willpower 4
Walker. Born into a wealthy family, she had access to the
Exceptional Dice Pools: Brawl 8, Intimidation 8,
best education and resources. She excelled in engineering
Subterfuge 6
and computer science and was fascinated by the freedom
she found on the internet. Access to never-ending Auspice: Ahroun
information, a lack of respect for authority, and unbridled Tribe: Silver Fang
curiosity got Malorie into endless trouble, with mundane Renown: Glory 3, Honor 2, Wisdom 1
authorities before her First Change and with Pentex fronts
Gifts: Razor Claws (p. 162), Rapid Shift (p. 161), True
afterward. Ridhaan offered her a place in his Pack and a
Fear (p. 162)
chance to use her talents for a greater cause. Malorie is the
Rakshaks’ eyes and ears in the digital realm, hacking into Gabriella López
systems, gathering information, and sabotaging threats.
Gabriella López is an ambitious, smart, and driven
young woman who graduated high school a year ago.
Born and raised in Milton, she has experienced her entire
life through the lens of a third-generation immigrant:
comfortable, mostly with a lack of want, but never
quite fitting in. Her parents, middle-aged American
descendants of immigrants, work in sales and their jobs
saddle them with constant travel. They provide well
84
for Gabriella but they also expect her to follow in their His childhood was spent watching his parents suffer and
footsteps. Instead, she’s trying to make her own way in toil, and his teenage years watching his father waste away,
the world. She wants to be an artist and got a job at the unable to afford treatment for a curable disease. Two
local Val-EVENMor store to save for art school. Her decades of pain and rage finally coalesced over a single,
parents will only pay for a business college program. fateful night. Gaia had chosen him. She felt his rage, and
Gabriella is on the verge of experiencing her First he felt hers.
Change. She’ll be a chosen champion of Gaia, Mother of Ridhaan is a leader and a problem-solver. He knew
the Earth. She’ll also be a theurge, one who leans towards this to be true from the day he was accepted into an elite
understanding and addressing spirits. Her impending college’s pre-med program, scholarship-supported, to the
transformation makes her restless and irritable and day he dropped out. He knew this before he experienced
has her experiencing strange dreams and visions of his First Change. He knows the only real way to solve a
bloodshed, viscera, and a yearning for revenge. Against problem is to understand it fully: act in haste, repent at
what, exactly, she hasn’t figured out yet. leisure, as the saying goes.
Of course, working in the belly of the Wyrm does not His first few years as a Garou were spent searching for
make things easier. She’s caught the notice of a spirit of meaning. He found Louise. Louise was a force of nature,
greed called Mirrormouth. It’s been sending compelling and she taught him her ways. If he could ever claim to
dreams to her to get her to perform a Rite that will allow have loved someone, it would be her. Together, they
it to cross over and devour Milton. Though the dreams would push back. Fight the Apocalypse. Do something
have affected her work, Gabriella finds herself uneasy. She meaningful.
wonders if there is more to them than meets the eye. Decades went by, and nothing worked. The fight
Two paths that lie before Gabriella: she could become was unending. The Apocalypse was imminent, and
a wayward Garou that serves the Wyrm, or a fighter for they had accomplished nothing. Ridhaan had to find
Gaia. The events around her First Change will define her out what they were missing. He sought out the Garou
path forever. of the Ghost Council. Like him, they understood that
knowledge came at a cost. It would extract a heavy
toll, and he was prepared to pay it. Alas, Louise didn’t
Standard Dice Pools: Physical 3, Mental 5, Social 4 understand the importance of studying the Wyrm, letting
Secondary Attributes: Health 6, Willpower 6 it fester, living in its belly. They parted ways. It was an
Exceptional Dice Pools: Craft 8, Academics 8, Finance 6 amicable split until Louise began meddling in Ridhaan’s
Auspice: Theurge observation of Milton. She wrecked his carefully laid
plan, and — worse — she nearly cut him off from Horned
Tribe: To be Determined
Serpent, the only bond Ridhaan values more than his
Renown: Glory 0, Honor 0, Wisdom 0 connection with Mother Louise.
Gifts: None
Ridhaan Sachdev Standard Dice Pools: Physical 5, Mental 6, Social 4
Ridhaan Sachdev, the son of an immigrant family, led a Secondary Attributes: Health 8, Willpower 5
life of scarcity. Both his parents left India for the United Exceptional Dice Pools: Brawl 7, Leadership 8, Etiquette
States in pursuit of a better life for their son. They worked 6, Insight 7
day jobs, night jobs, and all the jobs in between, leaving Auspice: Philodox
him with only vague fantasies of the American Dream.
Tribe: Ghost Council
Renown: Glory 3, Honor 2, Wisdom 1
Gifts: Augur (Werewolf: The Apocalypse, p. 170), Fangs
of Judgment (p. 157), Porcupine’s Reprisal (p. 156),
Serpent’s Coil (p. 170), Staredown (p. 147) ■
85
86
A P P E N D I X : T H E W E AV E R ’S WO R L D
Appendix
THE
W ea v er ’ s
Wo r l d
F
rom the heart of the city to the edges of world of humans and how they stand apart. They’re
civilization, every Garou was born entangled ready to use as-is, but you can tailor them to your stories
in some part of the Weaver’s web. These scenes by adjusting details as you see fit.
draw on strands of the web — human connections and At the Storyteller’s discretion, these scenes might
problems — to challenge the pack. If the Garou can allow the purchase of a single point of Glory, Honor, or
navigate them, they’ll reap rewards. Fail, and they’ll ruin Wisdom, depending on how the characters handle them.
lives.
This appendix is a collection of standalone scenes
flexible enough to fit into the stories in this book or ones
of your own making. These are best used between major
story beats to further define how the pack fits into the
87
A Hard Bargain 0 Instead of leaning on the character or pack, the boss

might pass on the job to a co-worker they know if
Cast: A boss with direct authority over the characters they refuse it. The co-worker’s enthusiastic about
(3 / 2). such a simple task for more pay, but it becomes clear
What Happened: At a character’s day job, or at an that whatever is going on, it’s not just physically
organization the pack is infiltrating like a Pentex front, taxing on them, it’s morally taxing. Unless the
their boss praises them work they’ve done so far and characters find a way to get the co-worker out of this
offers them a new opportunity. It’s under the table work; jam, their colleague is about to undergo a nervous
the boss wants them to spend some shifts loading and breakdown or a Bane Spirit possession.
transporting unmarked bags and boxes to locations 0 If the character or pack takes the work, they have a
around the city. While the proposed work doesn’t sound chance to investigate what they’re transporting and
like anything that furthers the Wyrm’s goals, it’s highly why the company’s involved with it. It’s something
suspicious. If they’re infiltrating a Pentex front, it’s distasteful, if not outright illegal or immoral. They
almost certainly a cover for something terrible. might learn the company’s involved in some kind
What Could Happen: of trafficking, whether that’s bootleg merchandise,
drugs, or even people. If the company’s a Pentex
0 If the character or pack declines the work, it’s not the front, it could be an illegal waste-dumping scheme,
end of the matter. The boss offers more incentives, or even gathering offerings to a secret temple to Fly
questions why the character wouldn’t take the work somewhere in town. Whatever it is, the characters
and escalates to subtle threats. They might have have a chance to stop it from the inside.
to engage in a Social Conflict to escape the boss’s
badgering. Attribute Focus: Social
88
Barfight Campfire Songs

Cast: An Ally or a Contact, at least one human Cast: One or more Contacts, Allies, or Touchstones
troublemaker (4 / 2 for a single antagonist, 3 / 2 for each involved in an artistic community such as a local music
member of a group), several human bystanders. scene.
What Happened: The pack meets a Contact or Ally at a What Happened: The pack recently experienced a
bar or other public place to discuss important business. devastating loss or failure. A member of the pack’s
The troublemaker approaches them, and they aren’t extended circle, an aspiring musician, catches on that the
interested in pleasant conversation. They have a bone to pack’s bummed out and invites them to an upcoming
pick with the connection. performance at an open mic night held at a gazebo in the
If the werewolves let loose, they can absolutely park. There’s a good crowd, and everyone else is in high
destroy the troublemaker, but they have to face the spirits.
consequences: attention, Delirium, bodies to dispose of, If the pack doesn’t know anyone musically inclined,
or a reputation for letting things get out of hand. this scene could take the form of any public arts display
relevant to the pack’s social circle, ideally one the pack
What Could Happen: themselves can take part in.
0 If the pack isn’t interested in talking things out, they What Could Happen:
can get right to business. The troublemaker and the
pack enter a Physical conflict. 0 The pack is invited to take the stage. Even if they’re not
musicians, this could be a way to mourn their failure in
0 The troublemaker is an agent of a greater force that
a cathartic way. Their performance could be an ode to
wants to intimidate the pack’s connection. That force
a peer they lost, a raucous song that almost sounds like
could be the story’s antagonist or someone unrelated
furious howls, or even a secret call to action.
like a loan shark. The pack must prove they’re the
greater threat. 0 A boastful musician (who could even be their friend!),
challenges their peers to a “friendly” musical duel. A
0 The troublemaker’s mistaken the connection for
musically talented member could show them up and
someone else. After it’s cleared up, they’re still itching
gain some Contacts, Allies, or even a dot of Fame.
for some kind of conflict. The pack could redirect
their aggression into less violent competition. 0 Their musician friend is hit with stage fright
before their set. The pack must give them the
Attribute Focus: Physical or Social
encouragement they need to perform. It’s a tiny
victory, but it might be what the pack needs.
Attribute Focus: Mental or Social
89
Chain of Command Code of Silence

Cast: One supporter — a member of a group of Allies Cast: Someone to get in trouble and need the pack to
that a character commands, a fan attracted by a bail them out. They should be attached to a company or
character’s Fame (2 / 1). another large organization with secrets they’d rather not
see made public.
What Happened: Sometime after a character uses their
Allies or Fame to help the pack accomplish something, What Happened: Someone close to the entire pack
they receive a message from a member of the group or makes an anxious confession. Ever since they received
fanbase. The supporter feels used and claims others a pay cut at work, they’ve been leaking their company’s
in the group feel the same way. If they’re an Ally, they secrets online to the highest bidder. What was once
question why the group should follow the character. If giving away small secrets to make up the difference
they’re a fan, they threaten to go public about what they turned into divulging huge secrets for lucrative profits.
were used for, which could also implicate the rest of the Now, not only have they sold some information to some
pack. very bad people, but their name might have been exposed
to their employer as a leaker. The connection is in danger
What Could Happen: no matter what they do, and they beg the pack to help
0 The supporter wants assurance that the character has them escape the consequences.
their best interests at heart. The character can make a What Could Happen:
promise to aid them later, which could lead to a scene
like ‘Promises, Promises’ (p. 93) in another story. 0 If they choose the connection cover up what they’ve
done, they have their work cut out for them. A
0 In conversing with the supporter, the character
federal investigator, a company security officer, or
learns of an external force guiding them towards this
an interested criminal party (3 / 2) is hot on the trail,
conflict. It could be the antagonist of this story, a hint
looking to catch the pack in a lie.
of a later antagonist, or just a caring friend or loved
one who thinks getting mixed up with the character 0 The pack could decide to convince their friend to
is dangerous or inadvisable. come clean, either for moral reasons or because they
feel they’d be safer that way. If they attempt this, it’s
0 The supporter wants compensation, recognition, or
an arduous task. The friend spins the situation to
special privileges. The character can deal with the
depict themselves as completely in the right (and they
problem by giving in, but it leads to more demands
just might be!), swears they’ll never do something
further down the line.
like this again, or might even threaten to sever their
Attribute Focus: Social or Mental relationship with the pack.
0 Getting someone else to take care of the situation
or brushing off their acquaintance only makes the
problem worse in the long run. Unless the pack
intervenes one way or another, the Storyteller
character’s deeds go public at the worst possible time.
Attribute Focus: Mental or Social
90
Desecration Flourishing Victory

Cast: Construction site security (3 / 2); optionally Cast: A Storyteller character the pack knew from a
members of another pack. previous story; a Contact in communication with the
Storyteller character.
What Happened: Following the cries of wounded
spirits, the pack discovers that the Civil War-era What Happened: While patrolling their territory, the
graveyard at the edge of their territory is being desecrated pack comes across an area they’ve cleansed of bane spirits,
by humans. A group of construction workers are saved from the predations of Gaia’s enemies, or rescued
knocking over tombstones and tearing apart graves as from another means of certain doom. This scene could
the start of a reforming the land into a dumpsite. This also begin after a Contact is asked to send a message from
thriving portion of the Umbra will fall into ruin unless an important SPC from a previous story, if any were
the pack gets to the bottom of this. aware of the pack’s activities.
While the area might never know what truly
What Could Happen:
happened, it’s clear the pack’s brought some good into
0 The pack could interrogate the workers and their the world.
manager. The humans could be intimidated into
What Could Happen:
talking, or they could be convinced that the pack
are the graveyard’s landowners. If they’re successful, 0 The area feels more alive than ever before. Its fortunes
they learn that the site was rapidly approved through have necessarily improved, and its population’s
clandestine deals up at City Hall. Could this mindset hasn’t dramatically changed, but the pack
desecration be more than just municipal apathy? feels a rising optimism in every person they meet.
0 If the pack wants to put a stop to this right now, They might witness and increase in plant growth, or
they could sabotage the project by driving off the the arrival or friendlier spirits in the local Umbra.
workers or sabotaging their construction tools and 0 The pack spots an SPC they encountered in a
machines. Gifts like Curse of Aeolus (Werewolf: The previous story. If the SPC knows who they are and
Apocalypse, p. 164) or Control Machine (Werewolf: what they’ve done, they have a chance to hear exactly
The Apocalypse, p. 172) could come in handy if they how they’ve improved their life. Otherwise, they get a
aren’t discovered by the site’s oddly robust security. glimpse of their improvement from afar.
0 The characters aren’t the only werewolves on the 0 The pack discovers the signs of a predatory local real
scene. They discover another pack lying in wait, who estate company moving into the area. The signs are
have some very violent intentions for the desecrators. vandalized by the locals. While this area won’t be
Does the pack unite with them to wreak havoc, fight peaceful forever, the pack gets a clear sign that its
to protect the ignorant, or drive the trespassers off residents have a lot of fight left in them.
their territory? Attribute Focus: Social, Mental, or Physical
91
Fuzzy Memories Lingering Failure

Cast: A Storyteller character (2 / 1) present in a previous Cast: A hapless long-term resident (2 / 1); an amateur
scene or story that experienced the Delirium (Werewolf: occultist (3 / 2).
The Apocalypse, p. 142).
What Happened: The pack comes across a remote part
What Happened: Sometime after a Physical Conflict of town, perhaps one the other packs consider “off-
scene, the climax of a previous story, or any other scene limits.” Local legends among shared territories describe
where the Delirium could afflict a bystander, a character the land as the site where a legendary pack fell, the former
is accosted somewhere close to their home or to the pack’s dwelling of Fenris cultists, or where the Garou once
base. The SPC confronting them is visibly distressed and committed an awful crime.
lacking sleep. They claim that there’s something about It’s desolated in both the physical world and the
the character they can’t quite remember. They’re not Umbra. Its inhabitants live in desperation. Rot and
willing to let them go, and they could be armed. disrepair creeps through its buildings. This place is a
What Could Happen: monument to the Garou Nation’s failures, one of many.
This is a counterpart to Flourishing Victory (p. 91).
0 Gentle questioning reveals that though the Delirium The failure doesn’t have to be one the pack committed,
eliminated all traces of the supernatural from their but if it is, this is a way to drive that home.
mind, the rationalization of the event left them
traumatized and with vague enough memories of What Could Happen:
the pack to associate the trauma with them. An 0 The pack encounters a long-term resident. They give
empathetic ear and dishonest tongue might defuse a human perspective of the land’s decline. The pack
the situation. discovers this doesn’t corroborate with the Garou’s
legends. Who’s telling the truth?
0 The victim recorded the character’s transformation,
but the video is shaky, and their rationalized 0 An occultist, possessed by a spirit, mocks the pack
memories do not match what they’ve recorded. and the Garou. If the pack exorcises them, they learn
They’re obsessed with the footage, but calmly the occultist was trying to uncover supernatural
explaining the disconnect could pacify them. activity before their possession. They could also
wring a means to fix the land out of the humbled
0 Intimidation or outright violence temporarily solves
spirit.
the problem. The SPC falls deeper into their anxiety
and trauma. They may return in a later story as a 0 They discover the Umbral desolation is spreading
hinderance, a monster hunter, or could be attached to into other territories, including theirs. If the spread
a character as a Stalker. continues unabated, it might harm the entire city.
They must unite the other packs and repair the
damage the Garou caused, once and for all.
92
Pep Talk Promises, Promises

Cast: A Touchstone that looks up to their attached Cast: A Criminal (Werewolf: The Apocalypse, p. 291), and
Character and knows the rest of the pack well enough to someone the pack owes a favor. If they don’t already have
feel comfortable speaking to all of them at once. a set Difficulty, it’s 3 / 2. The nature of this scene could
mean the connection already has ties to the underworld,
What Happened: As the pack plans out their next move
but it’s just as likely this person could be someone in over
in a public place, a characters’ Touchstone approaches
their head.
the pack for advice, seeking multiple opinions at once.
They’re planning a major career change, tossing aside What Happened: The pack knew this day would come
what they see as a stifling job and embracing work but didn’t realize it’d be so soon — or like this. Someone
closer to their hobby or passion. They’re having second they know reaches out via phone or text and says they’re
thoughts. Depending on what that new line of work is, calling in a favor. They need the pack to accompany
it could be something that brings the Touchstone into them to a shady hotel and help them negotiate a way out
safety… or puts them directly in harm’s way. The pack of a debt with a powerful criminal. It’s dangerous work,
has a chance to push the character in the right direction, but their help has been crucial to the pack’s victories.
or at least the right direction for them.
What Could Happen:
What Could Happen: 0 The associate wasn’t being entirely truthful. They
0 The Touchstone has a controlling boss or is too needed the pack as a distraction for their real task:
integral to the job to leave so easily. They’re afraid eliminating their debt by robbing or defrauding the
superiors at their job might force them to stay, or criminal. When the pack discovers this, this could
retaliate and find an excuse to fire them before they reveal a new side to their associate and cast all their
get a two-weeks’ notice in. The character must help in a much darker light. Would their associate
assuage their fears and might even provide help ever defraud them?
confronting their boss. 0 The associate doesn’t know it, but the meeting is
0 Not long after the Touchstone brings up the change, a trap. The criminal was expecting to surround
they laugh and play it off as a joke. They’re clearly them and either intimidate them further or outright
embarrassed or uncomfortable with the new line of murder them. They weren’t expecting the pack, and
work they’re considering. Perhaps they think their that shifts the balance of power. The associate truly
hobby is too nerdy for the pack, or they’re terrified can get out of their debt, but the pack might end up
they’ll disapprove of the new career’s real or imagined in the criminal’s crosshairs in retaliation.
unsavory associations. The pack must discern why 0 If the pack won’t repay the favor exactly how the
their demeanor has changed, and whether they associate wants them to, they risk turning the
should push past it. associate into an Enemy, or losing their loyalty. They
0 Somewhere in the conversation, it becomes clear can avoid this by convincing their associate to let
the change will bring the Touchstone to another them approach the situation on their terms. The pack
character’s rival, or an enemy of the entire pack. might have smarter or safer methods for getting the
Perhaps they’ll become co-workers, collaborate associate out of their debt or could use the freedom
closely together, or even become their boss. The pack for more supernatural ways of solving the problem.
must decide whether the Touchstone’s happiness Attribute Focus: Social or Physical
outweighs their safety.
Attribute Focus: Social
93
Spoils of the Hunt What About Me?

Cast: An Ally or group of Allies. While they don’t have Cast: A Storyteller character (2 / 1) working for a human
to be fully aware that the characters are werewolves, this or human-led antagonist in the current story. They may
scene works best if the Allies participated in a pack’s be working for the antagonist systemically (e.g. a blue-
Conflict or major story beat in a previous scene. collar worker for a Pentex-held company) or personally
(an assistant to a corrupt occultist).
What Happened: Immediately after a furious battle or
arduous task, an Ally takes the pack out for a post-victory What Happened: As the pack storms the home or
meal at an out-of-the-way diner they know. Compared to headquarters of the story’s antagonist, they come across
the other diners present, the pack and their associates are one of their minors during the assault. They’re human
a sight to see; they’re exhausted, and their Allies might be and not fully aware of what they’re wrapped up in. All
bruised and bandaged up. That doesn’t matter now. It’s they know is that suddenly, they’re face-to-face with
time to eat. a whole bunch of armed and dangerous individuals.
They’re clearly scared and could be capable of anything.
What Could Happen:
They beg for mercy. Getting rid of them is easy for the
0 The pack and their allies could get into an argument pack… but do they have to?
about who contributed the most to the conflict or
What Could Happen:
task. Perhaps it was a bunch of jokes about who
deserved the greatest portion of the “kill” that turned 0 Their pleas are legitimate. They’ve been abandoned
serious, or it’s from an Ally feeling inferior. The by their boss, or in this moment they know where
argument must be settled before someone’s temper the true power lies. If the pack lets them go, showing
goes off at the wrong time. mercy for mercy’s sake could impress a spirit willing
0 One of the other diners really wants to know what’s to grant a gift for the pack’s trouble. If the pack isn’t
up with the pack, and they’re not picking up that they the empathetic type, the human offers incentives that
don’t want to be bothered. They could make up story lets them be a Contact or Ally in a future story. If that
to appease them, talk about what happened with doesn’t work, there’s always one or more temporary
some important omissions to impress them, or try to Resource dots as bribery.
scare the diner away. 0 The pleas aren’t legitimate. They’re still loyal to
0 Just as their meal arrives, someone else enters the their boss, they think they still have the upper
diner. It’s an Enemy of the pack, an agent of the hand, or they’re just plain spiteful. If the pack lets
story’s Antagonist, or a survivor from the previous them go, they’ll sell out the pack at the first possible
Conflict. The pack sees them, but they haven’t yet opportunity to the story’s antagonist or another
seen the pack. They could choose to confront the hostile power. They could show up in a future story
hostile, find a way to get out quietly, or just eat in as other henchmen or even an antagonist themselves.
peace and trail them later. 0 Their pleas are legitimate, but it isn’t the last the pack
Attribute Focus: Social will see of the minion. They become obsessed with
the incident. Maybe they want to know more about
the strangers who turned their life upside down,
or perhaps they’re hoping for answers about what
happened. If the pack used the Delirium to solve the
problem, it’s possible some memories linger, and they
could return in a future story with a scene like Fuzzy
Memories (p. 92).
Attribute Focus: Social ■
94
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© 2023 Paradox Interactive® AB, Vampire: The Masquerade®, and Hunter The Reckoning® are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Paradox Interactive AB in Europe, the U.S., and other countries.
© 2023 Renegade Game Studios.
Rotting from the inside
Milton has become a company town, and that company is Pentex.
Between the rent-a-cops, the wasp fomori and the malicious spirits life
there gets harder every day. Can a single pack of Garou scrape off the
rot and turn Milton into territory they actually want to hold? Scent of
Decay presents three pre-written stories set in the same small town and
scenes which can be included in any Werewolf chronicle:
• The Break Room: A corporate fulfillment center seeks
productivity at a terrible human cost
• Shadows on the Prison Walls: A trickster spirit tries to
use the Garou for their own ends
• A Pound of Flesh: A rival pack and their patron spirit
challenge Milton’s Garou
• Guidance for character creation and session zero, useful for
running these stories or any others
• Plug-and-play scenes showing Garou relationships with
humans and their world, suitable to drop into any story
Scent of Decay is a story supplement for Werewolf: The Apocalypse,

a Storytelling Game of Spiritual and Environmental Horror.
renegadegames.com LOT # 031324-01 $35.00

ISBN 978-1-957311-49-4
/PlayRGS @PlayRenegade @Renegade_Game_Studios /RenegadeGameStudios
53500>
Manufacturer: Renegade Games, LLC. 306N West El Norte Parkway #325, Escondido, California 92026.
Importers: Renegade France 52 Avenue Pierre Semard 94200 Ivry sur Seine France. P:+33 (0)1 77 37
60 47. Renegade Games, LLC. Solar House 915 High Road London, London, England N12 8QJ. Mature Advisory: contains graphic and written
© 2024 Renegade Game Studios. All Rights Reserved.
content of a mature nature, including violence,
© 2024 Paradox Interactive AB. VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE, WEREWOLF: THE APOCALYPSE, and 9 781957 311494
PARADOX INTERACTIVE are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Paradox Interactive AB in Europe, sexual themes, and strong language. Reader
the U.S., and other countries. Any other trademark, logo, and copyright is the property of its owner. discretion is advised.
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A CHRONICLE BOOK FOR WEREWOLF: THE APOCALYPSE

WORLD OF DARKNESS BR AND MANAGEMENT

RENEGADE GAME STUDIOS

Visit the World of Darkness online at www.worldofdarkness.com

CHAPTER TWO: The Break Room 15 APPENDIX: THE Weaver’s World 87

Every time their gazes tug down,

—Amanda Gorman, “Lucent”

Session Zero 0 Is there anything you’re afraid of happening that

They key is to not only note details like tribe and

Scent of Decay: to consider theft as unworthy of Gaia’s warriors, or

The Foe Those humans overexposed to

The Break Room Story

PART ONE: PART TWO: PART THREE:

Today, Milton suffers under the pall of stagnation

were sitting in the car afterwards.

ferred the smell of wildflowers and animal droppings

Why have you stayed?

What do you know about the Banes?

Is the Wyrm strong here?

pack, and load products. Passing the interview process

Snack Time noteworthy feature is a strange collection in the top

In Through the Out Door

Closed for Maintenance

The office has been vacant since then. Mr. Mersey

Note that the talisman doesn’t force Vaegesti into

The ichor runs along the

The first time an employee goes through the EEEP

They pass for human in poor light or at a distance which

The biggest threat to the pack are the wasp-

Follow the Trail Shane Montoya discovers a knack for investigation.

Allies and Antagonists

Those who see Louise’s kind-

Mother Louise (Homid Form*)

Davis Mersey Notes / Other Traits:

The Foe The pack learns where to go from a spiritual guide,

Shadows on the Prison Walls

Catch the Scent

Off Main Street, the town’s blight is

The Raconteur welcomes the pack to the Umbra,

“We’re Going to Do It All at Once!”

their associates, it now spreads its influence to find new

active in spreading the Polyphemus Security corporate

roust unhoused folk or “suspicious” looking people,

Have Gun, Will Stalk

bloodshot lidless eyes with bat wings — flit about and

0 Intimidation: Garou can threaten a local jaggling

Once the Garou decide on an approach, they learn

this carries the risk of battle. The pack should discover

Through these insights they

The Spirit Unbound

Part Four: The Suffering The Garou could help by:

A Pound of Flesh Story Map

Part One: Best Friends, Dinner, Interrupted

The Inside Wolf 1. Mother Louise broke one tenet of the

“I have seen the evidence, heard the testimonies, and

Most employees know Gabriella by name or

What is the Business Internal Development program?

Do you know where she lives?

Where was she last seen?

Does she have any family?