By Peloquin (ka.vanadis@karlskrona.mail.telia.com)
The forest's of the Umbra in our parts of the world were lush and green, full of joyous spirits, and not a trace of Wyrm-taint anywhere.
We of the Ghulo thrived, and in the comfort of our huge lands, we grew proud and fat.
Then the wolves came.
Changers like us, but far more savage in their ways.
They saw our lands, dined at our camps, and then they said "This land by right belongs to the Garou."
And they begun slaughtering us.
We of the Ghulo are solitary creatures, and even though our prowess in battle can defeat the mightiest Garou Ahroun, we are almost helpless alone against whole packs of the Garou.
We fell.
Those of us who survived heard tales of how the usurper wolves had done the same to the other tribes, to the cats, the ravens, the lizards, the bears, the spiders, the thorned ones, the plant-eaters, even the rats. Stories of how some of them had turned towards their brethren to fight for our sake, and how they had finally worked a truce, of sorts.
The years passed.
The wolves forgot how cruel and petty they had been, and soon began saying that we had been the ones in the wrong, that they were the rightful owners of all lands, and how the Bete had failed because of this. Soon they sent smug-faced envoys, Garou with the opinion "we defeated them so soundly they have to fight for us".
And we sent them home in pieces. Because we never forgot.
Now we walk among them, learning their ways, seeing how their own folly has betrayed them in the end, as they find that they are losing their battle against the Corruptor, losing because the ones who might have helped them are dead and gone.
Not all gone, though.
We still hate them.
But we have to fight the Wyrm.
Even if it means joining the foul, pea-brained wolves.
Once...well, no, the Ghulon never were numerous. But once there were a whole lot more of them. And then the War of Rage came, and nearly wiped them out.
It took a long time for them to heal, and an even longer time to swallow their pride enough to stop killing every Garou they got their hands on. But when they finally did calm down they realized that the Garou would never defeat the Wyrm single-handed, even if they thought so.
So they have started finding their ways into the cities.
Rage: 5
Base Willpower: 5
Homid Gnosis: 3
Metis Gnosis: 4
Gulo Gnosis: 5
Homid: No change
Morid (Glabro): Str:+2, Dex:1, Sta:3, Man:-2, App:-2.
Crinos: Str:+4, Dex:+1, Sta:+5, Man:0, App:0.
Rukh (Hispo): Str:+3, Dex:+2, Sta:+5, Man:0, App:O.
Gulo: Str:+1, Dex:+2, Sta:+3, Man:-, App:-.
The Morid form of a Ghulon is the form of the half-apeman, where the human traits are rapidly disappearing, already the body turns hairier, the ears grow slightly pointed, and the eyes become a yellowish color. The brow becomes more prominent, and the hair on the head grows rougher and has a tendency to fall back to the shoulders. The facial hair increases, and the Ghulons speech becomes rougher and more guttural.
The Crinos form is the half-man, half-wolverine shape many a lone Garou has learned to fear. Now the Ghulon grows several feet, and even if it doesn't gain the huge size of a Garou in Crinos, the foot-long claws ond their hands more than compensate for it, not to mention the seemingly endless reservoir of sheer determination. Once a Ghulon has gotten a grip with his teeth, he does not let go until you or he is dead.
The Rukh shape is an almost wolflike form, but the brown-and-black fur tells it apart from their Lupine "cousins". The very shape of a Ghulon in Rukh form is enough to cause a Black Spiral Dancer to turn tail and run.
And finally, the Gulo form. This is the average wolverine, with stumpy legs, excellent climbing capabilities and a temper to match any Garou Ahroun.
Now, the claws of the Ghulon do a substantial amount more damage than a Garou's. Basically, since the claws grow in proportion to the hands/paws, the claws become footlong instead of inch-long, and slightly jagged. They do +4 Aggravated Damage.
"The Ghulon? Weren't they some kind of were-badgers or something like that?"
Bastet: They understand Solitude. We respect them for that. Even if we have to teach the occasional young Puma kit the lesson that appearances deceive...
"Ah, yes, interesting, aren't they?"
Kitsune: Werefoxes? Never met one.
"Never met one..."
Corax: The ravens. We co-operate occasionally.
"They're handy as hired muscle."
Nuwisha: Most amusing. If the Garou would just sit down and think about the pranks and tricks played on them by the children of Coyote, they might just learn something...
"They understand most of our jokes..."
Gurahl: The mighty healers of old. Damned Garou. Another sin on their conscience.
"Huuurrr, yyees, I know what they are..."
Rokea: I don't like water.
"They never come into the waves. And good riddance to them, too..."
Cristata: The porcupines. They're...nice, I guess...
"The wolverines...well...they can fight?"
Erinaceus: Hedgehogs? Bwahahahaaa!
"Wolverines? Like in the comic books? Only more of them? Cool!"
Gaalodi: The Turtles do not bother us, we do not bother them. "We don't bother them, they don't bother us..."