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Totem of War Background Cost: 6

The Triune Goddess, that three-fold spirit of maiden, mother, and crone, is a small piece of Gaia herself given form and presence among her chosen Warriors. All Garou can find her if they but seek; her face is known the world over by a thousand different names. At any given point in time each member of the pack dedicates themselves to one of her faces: the Maiden, the Mother, or the Crone. This is not a fixed dedication, but is fluid, just as a Garou's life is fluid, though neither is it changed lightly or without consideration; the dedication must last for at least one full season. In doing so they find their boons will vary, but taken as a whole the pack is a powerful ally or a terrifying enemy. As a benefit of their alliance, she shares her (often disturbing) foresight with her children, and they gain an uncanny ability to sense when enemies are near.

The Maiden is the young warrior, fresh and eager to begin the fight and test herself on the battlefield, and gifted appropriately.

The Mother is the experienced warrior, the defender who is ferocious in the protection of her allies, and whose empathy bolsters the spirit.

The Crone is the warrior whose experience has gone beyond that of her peers, lending her great wisdom and insight and making her difficult to befuddle.

Some examples of how a Triune Goddess Totem might appear to her Pack: the Norns, as Skuld, Veroandi and Uror; the Morrigan, as Nemain, Macha, and Badb; the Hindu incarnations of Shakti, as Durga, Paravati, and Kali. There are many others, limited only by the culture of the Garou.

Boons

  • Enemy forces, especially in large groups, can be sensed by the Triune Goddess' followers. The fewer enemies there are, the harder they are to detect, though higher Perception can often help reinforce this ability. In general, this ability is not 'always active', and must be called on. The Goddess will occasionally send flashes of warning unasked for, however. (The better for GMs to play with their players.) If the Pack is together, their sensing will reach further distances, and there will be more chance of unasked for warnings.
  • Her children will often receive visions, warning of the possible deaths of those they have known or currently know, or the potential outcome of a particular conflict, sometimes before anything has come to pass. It's not always clear if their Totem intends them to intervene, or if these are warnings related to their current situation. (GM's discretion; this is meant to give GMs some flexibility in what the omens mean). These visions can come at any time, waking or sleeping, in the midst of the battle or not.
    • Maiden's Boon: When a Garou dedicates themselves to her, she lends them additional Strength and a vicious speed. (+1 Strength bonus in physical conflicts, and, once per lunar month, 2 bonus Rage point in any single battle scene).
    • Mother's Boon: Those close to her and for whom she feels responsibility will heal faster in her presence (up to twice as fast), and will not succumb as easily to attacks which prey on morale, such as fear, anxiety, Wyrm Taint, harano, etc. (+1 to resistance).
    She can also attempt to frighten enemies into abandoning their current target by bellowing loudly or utilizing some other form of intimidation. The stronger her connection to those she protects, the greater the effect of her blessings. (The Garou spends WP and/or Rage. Spending more Rage and/or WP can mean that the effects will be stronger or more dramatic, at GM's discretion.)
    • Crone's Boon: Her Garou followers can often call upon knowledge of past conflicts and altercations to guide present actions. This is a variant of Fatal Flaw which can utilize the personal history or motives of an enemy and/or the history of the current battleground. This can be accomplished with no prior knowledge of the enemy; on the other hand, if facts are known, this can be even more effective.
    Given the Crone's cleverness, usage of physical traps and verbal manipulation is at +1 effectiveness.

Bans

  • Once a year the pack or individual members must undergo a quest to seek insight into their fates. How they go about this will depend on their Tribe, auspice, and the current aspect of the Goddess they identify with. If a year passes and they do not do this, they will not longer receive any premonitions from their Totem until they do, and Contrition or chiminage will be required to apologize to the Totem for tardiness.
  • Followers of the Triune Goddess must never flee a battlefield in unprepared, craven fear. An organized retreat, with the pack covering the retreat and being the last ones on the field, is possible. (This applies to battles, not personal Challenges or duels.) If they do flee ignominiously, they will find themselves expelled from the pack. Only a significant sacrifice will raise them again in the eyes of the Triune Goddess, but it will probably not see them allowed into that particular pack again. If Foxed, the Goddess will be appeased if the Garou pulls out all stops to return to the battle as soon as the Fox Frenzy has ended, and performs an appropriate act of sacrifice (GM discretion).
  • The visions given to all pack members are very distracting, and her children must usually focus their Willpower to keep themselves on track. (WP spend generally required to keep focused on tasks at hand when a vision arrives; can sometimes require more than one WP if the vision is particularly disturbing or lengthy.)

Totems of the Garou
Totems of cunning: Alley Cat | Coyote | Cuckoo | Fox | Lady Luck | Magpie | Opossum | Rabbit | Raccoon | Whitewater
Totems of respect: Bison | Eagle | Falcon | Grandfather Thunder | Ice Wolf | Lion | Merlin | Moose | Mule | Osprey | Pegasus | Sphinx | Stag | Stallion | Swan
Totems of war: Bear | Black Unicorn | Bull | Cougar | Dog | Fenris | Flea | Griffin | Hummingbird | Panther | Rat | Triune Goddess | Weasel | Wendigo | Winter Manitous | Wolverine | Wyvern
Totems of wisdom: Centaur | Chimera | City Father | Cockroach | Dana | Dragonfly | Fog | Frog | Grandmother Tree | Otter | Owl | Peregrine | Phoebe | Salmon | Trout | Uktena | Unicorn | Wind Incarna | Winter Wolf


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