Name: Kevin Hawking
Age: 52
Race: Garou (Werewolf: W:tA)
Alignment: Neutral
PB: Denis Leary

Breed: Homid
Tribe: White Howlers
Auspice: Philodox
Rank: 4

Merits:

1. Photographic Memory (2 point merit)
2. Spirit Magnet (2 point merit) - Spirits (including Banes) in the Umbra are naturally attracted to you.

Flaws:

1. Forced Change (2 point flaw) - Sexual arousal stimulates a forced change to Crinos.

Nature: Director - To the Director, nothing is worse than chaos and disorder. The Director seeks to be in charge, adopting a “my way or the highway” attitude on matters of decision-making. The Director is more concerned with bringing order out of strife, however, and need not be truly “in control” of a group to guide it. Coaches, teachers, and many political figures exemplify the Director Archetype. Kindred Directors may be simple advocates of established codes, or they may prove instrumental in tearing down corrupt existing orders to make way for new leaders or factional movements.

– Regain a point of Willpower when you influence or aid a group or influential individual in the completion of a difficult task.

Demeanor: Leader - The Leader is the one who takes up the cause and convinces others to follow her. It doesn’t matter if the cause was originally hers or not; what matters is that it’s hers now. Getting others to follow her lead isn’t an if, it’s a when. While there always exists the possibility of leading others to their doom, a Leader is always convinced that she knows the best way into – and out of – any given situation.

– Regain Willpower when others follow you without questioning your orders or decisions.

Personal Totem: The Bat

Bat is an unusual totem, and a rare choice – as far as most Garou know, he has fallen entirely into the thrall of the Wyrm. Until recently, this was a very accurate summation; the fall of the Camazotz centuries ago destroyed Bat’s sanity, and in his hatred, he turned against the Garou who drove his children to extinction. Recent events in Mexico, however, have redeemed Bat, or at least a portion of him. Like the deity revered by the Mayan cultures so long ago, Bat appears to have a dual aspect – in some respects he is still of the Wyrm, but in others, he has come back to Gaia. Most Garou don’t know what to make of this, and look on Bat’s followers with great suspicion. None of them seem to be corrupt, but that doesn’t make them innocent.

For their part, Bat’s children have deep ties to the earth unmatched by those of other Garou. They listen to the voices of the Camazotz, and are making a sincere effort to continue that lost Breed’s work. The Voice of Gaia sings through them, and they listen to Her voice so that they can find Her enemies and destroy them.

Traits:

• Individual Traits: Each pack member’s Perception increases by one permanently, even if this would raise the rating above 5. Pack members also gain two points of temporary Wisdom Renown and may use the Gift: Ears of the Bat once per day for the duration of a scene.
• Pack Traits: Bat’s packs gain three dots of Enigmas. Garou with this totem are well regarded by many Fera, particularly those in Central and South America. However, Garou look upon Bat and his children with suspicion, meaning that all pack members lose five points of temporary Honor (if they have that many) when Bat adopts them and subtract one from any temporary Honor Renown awards they receive. The pack members must work harder to prove they are honorable.

Ban: Bat demands that his children never fight with Gaia’s other children – including other Gaian Garou. Even ritualized or honorable combat is forbidden. His followers simply need to find other ways to resolve disputes. This has greater implications than may be immediately obvious: children of Bat cannot challenge other Garou if there is any chance that the Garou being challenged will choose a form of combat to resolve the dispute. If the challenged Garou chooses combat to resolve the challenge, the child of Bat who issued the challenge must back down. Depending on the circumstances (and the Storyteller’s discretion), backing down from issuing the challenge may entail a loss of Renown for the child of Bat.

Fetish: Umbraphone
Level 1, Gnosis 3

This is a common toy among the Consultants camp of Black Spiral Dancers. It seems to be a simple black cellular phone, but to those who know how to work its numerical codes, it can be used to make calls to and from the Umbra. Naturally, this can make a Dancer's Rolodex a worrisome thing indeed, as there's always the possibility of finding a direct line to someone like Lady Aife - or worse. The Glass Walkers have developed their own version of this fetish, although other tribes rumble that they might have been taught the secret by the wrong teachers...

Gifts:

Persuasion (Level One) — This Gift allows homid to become more persuasive when dealing with others, in such a way that his statements and arguments are imbued with added meaning or credibility. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge. If successful, the Storyteller reduces the difficulties of all Social rolls by one for the remainder of the scene. In addition, any successful Social rolls may have significantly more impact than they would without the Gift. A werewolf could win arguments with hard line opponents, or cause a cold-hearted psychopath to relent (at least for a little while).

Truth of Gaia (Level One) — As judges of the Litany, Philodox have the ability to sense whether others have spoken truth or falsehood. A Gaffling of Falcon teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty of the subject’s Manipulation + Subterfuge). This Gift reveals only whether the target speaks the truth or lies.

Sense Wyrm (Level One) — The werewolf can sense manifestations of the Wyrm in the nearby area. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory tillage, although werewolves using the Gift sometimes say things like, "This place stinks of the Wyrm" (with a few more colorful adjectives). Garou should remember that the Wyrm's taint can cling to relatively blameless souls. Werewolves may sense an innocent person who happens to work in a Wyrm-controlled factory or who has eaten tainted food. This power requires active concentration. Any spirit of Gaia may teach this Gift

System: The player rolls Perception + Occult. The diffifculty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm influence. Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 8. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity Traits of 7 or higher

Spirit Speech (Level One) — This Gift allows the Garou to communicate with encountered spirits. The Garou is thus able to address them whether they wish to be addressed or not. Of course, nothing (usually) prevents the spirit from ignoring the Theurge or leaving. Any spirit can teach this Gift.

System: Once learned, this Gift allows the Garou to understand the communication of spirits intuitively. Particularly alien spirits may be difficult — or, in the case of many Banes, outright painful — to understand.

Haunting Howl (Level One) — One of the howl-Gifts peculiar to the White Howlers, this eerie cry often echoed across the desolate moors prior to a White Howler raid. In the years since the White Howlers’ fall, this cry has become more alien and forlorn.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Intimidation, difficulty 7. All enemies within earshot of the werewolf’s howl suffer a +1 difficulty to Willpower rolls for three turns per success. Willpower expenditures are unaffected. No foe can be affected by more than one use of this Gift per scene.

Blood-Scent (Level One) — Part of the White Howlers’ reputation as excellent trackers stemmed from Gifts such as this one. The Garou with this Gift finds it childishly easy to track down any human, beast or supernatural being whose blood he has tasted. the Howlers parlayed this Gift into the tactic of letting a wounded enemy escape, only to unerringly track him to his lair and the rest of his clan. Today, the Black Spiral Dancers continue this practice, although without the aid of the Blood-Scent Gift.

System: Once learned, this Gift’s effects are permanent. The Garou receives two additional dice on any roll made to track prey whose blood she has tasted. These dice also apply to the use of tracking Gifts such as Pulse of the Prey.

Call to Duty (Level Two) — Any spirit the Philodox knows by name is a potential servitor. With this Gift, the werewolf can summon and command any spirit she knows by name. Only one command is possible at a time, and the spirit departs after fulfilling the one request. An Incarna avatar teaches this Gift.

System: Obviously, the Philodox must learn the spirit's name, which usually requires personal acquaintance or use of the Gift: Name the Spirit. The player rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty of the spirit's Willpower). If the player spends two Gnosis points, the werewolf can summon all Gaian spirits within one mile to protect or assist her, even if she does not know their names.

Pain Strength (Level Two) —The White Howlers were hardy enough to shrug off the effects of pain, but some learned the trick of letting their pain fuel them. The wounds of a White Howler actually gave him Strength, allowing him to achieve great feats Of might at the cost of his own blood.

System: When the character is first wounded, the Player may choose to Spend a Rage Point to activate this Gift. For the remainder of the scene, the character gains one dot of Strength for every die of wound penalties he suffers from. In addition, wound penalties do not affect his Strength score or damage pools (although they affect any Strength + Ability pools). Thus, a character at Wounded would lose two dice from most dice pools, but actually gain two dice to his Strength score. If the character would ignore wound penalties (due to frenzy or Resist Pain), he does not gain the bonus Strength.

Firm Stance (Level Two) —With the affirmation of his fellow Garou behind him, the Philodox has no ear for paltry attempts to sway him from his path. His Honor acts as a shield against the subversive words of the Wyrm’s minions and the misguided arguments of less righteous werewolves. A falcon-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point and rolls the character’s Honor as a dice pool, subtracting a number of successes from a Social roll made against him equal to the successes scored on this roll. This Gift doesn’t work against Garou with higher Honor than the Philodox.

Command the Gathering (Level Two) —The Philodox draws all eyes to herself with a great exclamation, a clap of her hands, the striking of klaive to shield, or some other such gesture. Until she has had her say, none may depart or interrupt her. A lion-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Appearance + Leadership (difficulty equals the highest Willpower among those whose attention she seeks to gain). If the roll succeeds, all in attendance fall quiet and listen. Any individual who wishes to interrupt the Philodox or walk out before she has finished speaking must spend two points of Willpower to do so.

Wisdom of the Ancient Ways (Level Three) — All werewolves have an innate connection to their ancestors, a form of racial unconscious accessible through intense meditation. The Philodox can tap into these deep memories to remember ancient facts and lore. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The character must meditate for a short time, concentrating on the past. The player then rolls Gnosis (difficulty 9, -1 for each point of Ancestors the Garou possesses). The number of successes determines how detailed and exact the answer he receives will be.

Sense of the Deep (Level Three) —Up until the Fall, Lion’s tribe was convinced it was their duty to Gaia to hunt down Her enemies even beneath the surface of the earth. This Gift aided them in their endeavors to fight Wyrm-things in their own burrows. A werewolf with this Gift is at home in a subterranean environment, almost moreso than above ground.

System: This Gift’s effects are permanent once learned. While underground, the werewolf automatically knows which direction is north, and can instinctively retrace his path to the exit. (However, this direction sense can be tampered with by other supernatural powers, as happened in the Hive where the Fall took palace.) The character can also see in darkness underground without suffering any dice pool penalties or added difficulty; this works much as the Metis Gift: Eyes of the Cat, but only while the Garou is underground.

Maddening Howl (Level Four) —This howl-Gift represents one of the White Howlers’ worst weapons, a terrible ululating wail that bends the minds of those who hear it to the breaking point. Only White Howlers are immune to the howl — even in modern-day settings.

System: The player spends one point of Rage and one point of Gnosis and rolls Charisma + Performance, difficulty 7; all non-White Howlers within earshot may roll Willpower, difficulty 7, to resist. If the player gains more successes than the victim, the victim is driven mad for the duration of the scene. Victims are treated as if they were affected by the “Catatonic Fear,” “Panic,” “Disbelief,” “Berserk,” or “Terror” effects on the Delirium chart (pg. 263). The Storyteller chooses the specific effect, although the Gift’s effects tend to be random rather than governed by the victim’s personality.

Roll Over (Level Four) —The Philodox can call on her power to radiate a commanding presence that compels others to submit to her. Should she succeed in a test of wills, she dominates her foe, which causes humans to fall to their knees and wolves to roll on their backs. Either a lion- or a wolf-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player must score at least three successes more than her opponent on a resisted Willpower contest. If the Gift takes effect, the victim can take no action other than submission unless he is in direct danger.

History:

Kevin Hawking has always been ambitious. Born on the wrong side of the tracks in metro Atlanta, Kevin Hawking was the bastard child of a male Black Spiral Dancer and one of their corrupted Kin. Kevin's mother raised him alone, of course. How she managed to do so without losing Kevin to the Dancers is probably due more to the efforts of the Glass Walkers in Atlanta, rather than her parenting skill. In school, Kevin naturally gravitated towards leadership and dominance. Class president. Boy scouts. Football. That is, until his first change.

The young Black Spiral's Kin-Fetch drew the attention of a Hive just south of Chattanooga, and a pack was on its way when he changed at a remote subway station, to the horror of the few people waiting on the train at that late hour. The young Black Spiral was brought back to the Hive and forced to enter the Shattered Labyrinth for the first time in his Rite of Passage. He danced the Black Spiral and successfully fought his way past the First Circle of the Spiral Labyrinth, the Dance of Insight. Dark truth about his soul was revealed to him by the Wyrm, truth, he was told, that had been hidden for the sake of his sanity. To learn more, he would have to dance the spiral further, plunge deeper into the Shattered Labyrinth and overcome each of the eight other circles.

The first syllables he spoke when waking from this horrifying Rite were "Zai zane", and so, according to tradition, among the Black Spirals he was known as Zaizane. The young Black Spiral was educated, brutally, in the ways of the Hive, a lesson he learned well and sought to master. For, deep within his heart, dancing the Black Spiral only made the lust for power grow stronger, his mind corrupted by Mahsstrac's blessing. In accordance with tradition, he took one of the Wyrm's three heads as his personal totem: The Defiler Wyrm.

He was loaned to Pentex as part of the corporation's first strike team, where his talent for leadership earned him notice from the Corporation. He joined the Consultants, a group of Dancers sometimes more loyal to Pentex than their own Hives. He traveled further into the Spiral Labyrinth, past the Fourth Circle. He, and the other Corrupted Fangs took on special projects for Pentex, usually requiring oversight of various Wyrm servants or coordination of defenses against Gaia's defenders. His human identity was changed by the corporation regularly. He was not dedicated to one aspect of Pentex, but was moved around to any subsidiary that needed his special talents.

In Los Angeles, he was a Magadon representative, in charge of special operations and research. The "plague" and the resultant Garou invasion caught the Wyrm's attention, and its minions sought for a way to exploit the defilement left behind by the violence and loss of life. A few years later, they found it. With LA lost to the Garou, Kevin Hawking was reassigned to New York.

And in New York, things began to go downhill. Seeking a way to make their Dancer allies more stable and easier to control, Pentex pressed Kevin unwillingly into a trial of several new drugs and treatments. He slowly lost the ability to change forms and for all intents and purposes, seemed human, much to his horror. Years later, when he finally transformed again, only to find himself inexplicably cleansed of Wyrm taint, Kevin Hawking had to flee the Hive or be set upon by Black Spiral Dancers intent on punishing the "traitor".

Kevin fled, and he sought shelter with local Garou.

Put here for reference. May or may not happen.

( Cut for OMG TL;DR )

Since the days of the Roman Empire, werewolves have "walked the spiral" to commune with the spirits of the Wyrm. This spirit quest is usually performed in the Shattered Labyrinth. The largest entrance to the maze is a great inlaid spiral on the floor of a Gothic cathedral known as the Temple Obscura. Inside, the stench of sulfur and monoxides is overpowering, Rows of sickly green balefire lamps ceaselessly churn lava and effluvium. On the floor of the cathedral is an intricate, interweaving patten stained in blood.

As a dancer weaves back and forth along this elaborate path, he enters a trance, one that gives him visions of an insane realm stranded outside of space and time. The valiant cultist then pursues a visionquest towards the center of the labyrinth. His Black Spiral Dance allows him to permeate the membranes that separate the concentric circles of this realm. As the initiate pursues the mysteries of his order, he follows an Umbral journey through a series of underground tunnels. His ordeal tests his inner wisdom and answers his doubts with madness.

The Nine Circles

Theurges speak of nine thresholds of wisdom in the Spiral Labyrinth, nine concentric circles of unspeakable ordeals. Each circle offers a test that a dancer must overcome before she can advance in Rank. If she is particularly ingenious, she may even learn a deviant Gift from the servitors of the labyrinth. The experience often resembles a little story, a surreal vignette set within endless corridors and presented by a host of treacherous Umbral spirits.

The First Circle: The Dance of Insight

Before a werewolf can be recognized as a true Black Spiral Dancer, she must survive this first ordeal. The experience always begins in darkness. The dancer then receives visions representing dark truths within her soul. Often, these secrets have been hidden for the sake of the initiate's sanity. Blasphemous revelations offer the pomise of further understanding, but the dancer must first overcome the limitations of her own mind. If she is weak, the experience shatters her sanity.

The Second Circle: The Dance of Rage

In the second circle, the initiate learns the strength of her anger, allowing her to indulge in violence as no mere Garou ever could. A dancer who enters this portion of the labyrinth is beset by overwhelming problems. The only way to overcome them is through frenzy. Utter psychotic ultraviolence is the only path leading out of this circle, encouraging the Black Spiral to enact any act of violation or destruction to achieve her goals.

The Third Circle: The Dance of Endurance

In this realm, the dancer must endure tests of physical and mental anguish. The experience is often a twisted version of a test the dancer underwent in her previous life, ultimately showing that she is too strong to fall before such opposition now. Physical anguish results in a higher tolerance to pollution, radiation, or sheer pain. Mental anguish allows communion with the Urge Wyrms, increasing understanding of the spirits' tactics so that the dancer may use similar methods against her foes.

The Fourth Circle: The Dance of Cunning

The guardian at the threshold of the fourth circle is a treacherous Bane, one who must be misled in a test of wits before the dancer can pass. This draws upon the dancer's Gnosis, requiring her to twist wisdom into false logic. Surviving this test allows the initiate to see through the deception of others, especially the spirits who serve the Wyrm. The Dance of Cunning may also involve realizing the truth behind a great lie.

The Fifth Circle: The Dance of Combat

Before crossing the threshold of the fifth circle, the petitioner must overcome a legion of foes. This ordeal is more of a symbolic epic battle than a blow-by-blow brawl. Sometimes the dancer tries to impress her tormentors by using violence in the most imaginable ways possible. If she can overwhelm these enemies without betraying her fear, her prowess in battle increases dramatically.

Just a disclaimer:

Black Spiral Dancers are sick, even by Red Talons' and Shadow Lords' standards. There's nothing cool about rape or serial murder or other Dancer practices. They were not created by White Wolf to be player characters, though they can easily be adapted as such, but they take a lot of maturity and sensitivity to roleplay without making anyone uncomfortable or downright pissed off. As such, I will tend to gloss over the absolute horror of everyday Dancer life...the rape, torture, and murder, in favor of describing their role in relation to Pentex and the rest of the world. Forgive me, but reading and roleplaying that kind of stuff is sick as hell.

However! This is not the Journal of Emo Fluffy Bunnies. If you're looking for that, I'd suggest googling Twilight. This guy is a sick, sadistic puppy and is totally unrepentant. Read at your own risk.

Fun little things Pentex Dancers use. Check it out. Text from the Book of the Wyrm. Will add to this later if I use anything else.

Power Goggles
Level 2, Gnosis 3

First seen in the pages of a Pentex propaganda comic distributed among First Teams, these goggles are now available for use in installations around the world. These Bane fetishes are usable by fomori (who attune to them by rolling Willpower instead of Gnosis), and allow the wearer to see Garou as they traverse the Gauntlet from the Penumbra to the physical world. (The wearer must roll Perception + Occult, difficulty 7, to be alerted in time.) This warning may give a fomor that crucial, extra instant necessary to save his life.

Goblin Ale
Gnosis 4

This alcoholic elixir is typically bartered from the goblin brewers of the Shadow Court. One quaff of these spirits causes the drinker to suffer violently intense hallucinations, and may even shift a Garou accidentally into the Umbra. (Roll Gnosis against the local Gauntlet. If the drinker scores four or more successes, he instantly shifts sideways; three or fewer successes and he remains in the physical world.) Goblin Ale is completely intoxicating, and gets even the stoutest Garou drunker, quicker, than could any human brew. (Shapeshifters who get drunk on Goblin Ale are mean drunks - reduce the difficulty to frenzy by 2 while under the influence) It's a perennial favorite at Black Spiral moots, and usually makes the evening bloodier than usual.

A little toy the Consultants use. Check it out. Text is quoted from the Book of the Wyrm.

Fetish: Umbraphone
Level 1, Gnosis 3

This is a common toy among the Consultants camp of Black Spiral Dancers.  It seems to be a simple black cellular phone, but to those who know how to work its numerical codes, it can be used to make calls to and from the Umbra. Naturally, this can make a Dancer's Rolodex a worrisome thing indeed, as there's always the possibility of finding a direct line to someone like Lady Aife - or worse. The Glass Walkers have developed their own version of this fetish, although other tribes rumble that they might have been taught the secret by the wrong teachers...

Flaws:

1. Forced Change (2 point flaw) - Sexual arousal stimulates a forced change to Crinos.

Merits:

1. Photographic Memory (2 point merit)

Nature: Alpha
Demeanor: Conniver

( Read more... )