By Paul Strack (pfstrack@chgrp.com)
Garou, mighty protectors of Gaia, on the front lines in the battle against the Wyrm. And who stands behind them, to receive the fallout? The often forgotten kinfolk. Though the nature of Garou breeding ensures that there are nearly 10 kinfolk for every one Garou, the kinfolk are often marginalized and ignored in Garou society by their more powerful cousins. This article intends to shed some light onto this important part of Garou life.
For matings between Garou and kinfolk, the chance of getting Garou children is higher; there is a 25% chance of Garou, and 75% chance of kinfolk. Between kinfolk and human, there is a 49% chance of pure human, 49% chance of kinfolk, and only 2% chance of a Garou. The percentages are the same for matings with pure and kinfolk wolves as well. As a final note, a union between two Garou has a 100% chance of producing a metis.
In areas where Garou are strong, there is perhaps 1 Garou per 10,000 humans. In areas where they are weak, and in most urban settings, the number is 1 per 100,000, or even less. There are about 10 times as many kinfolk as there are Garou, partly because of their higher incidence of birth, and partly because of higher mortality rates amongst Garou. Nearly a tenth of the world's reduced wolf population is kinfolk, and in many areas it is approaching 100%.
Something like 80% of all Garou are born to kinfolk parents. For the remaining 20%, a Garou father will leave the child to be raised by its kinfolk mother, who often has a different kinfolk or human husband. Even Garou mothers often do not to rear their children; they have more important duties to perform. Once the child is born, they give it to kinfolk of their tribe to be raised. This is almost always done for kinfolk children born to a Garou mother, and done about half the time with Garou children as well. Lupus mothers are more likely to keep the child than homid mothers. Thus, about 95% of all Garou are raised by kinfolk parents, until their firsting. The one exception to this is the metis, who is almost always either raised by Garou or killed at birth.
On the other side of the social equation, kinfolk tend to be separated from the rest of humanity. Their association with the feared Garou sets them apart. They may be reviled along with the Garou, revered in the hopes that they can hold back the vengeful spirits, or simply considered odd and clannish by those who do not know their secret. The kinfolk themselves always recognize their difference. Whether they enjoy or resent it depends mostly on personal temperament.
Traditionally, kinfolk have lived in small villages near Garou strongholds where they could be better protected. During the Impergium, it is said these villages were little more than breeding pens. Afterwards, the Garou tended to treat their kinfolk with a bit more respect, as their only safe connections with human society. But relations have always been rocky, as the kinfolk were torn between their human and Garou natures.
Status in kinfolk society is measured both by human and Garou standards. Kinfolk can gain some small amount of Renown, and this measures their standing with Garou. The standards of importance in human society are often very different. This double standard makes social life between kinfolk very complex, where one individual may have the respect of Garou but little standing among humans, while the reverse is true for another kinfolk.
Romantic relations between kinfolk and Garou have always been complex. For Garou, kinfolk are the only socially acceptable romantic outlet. Unfortunately, the Garou's battle with the Wyrm, their strong attachment to their packs and the fact that their kinfolk lovers can never truly be their equals, makes it difficult for them to form permanent commitments. Garou romance is rocky at best. For their part, kinfolk view matings with Garou to be something between a rare honor and an onerous duty. From their point of view, kinfolk rarely mate with Garou (since kinfolk are so much more numerous), and thus it can be something very special. However, the instability and hardships of such a relationship can make it very traumatic.
Because of the difficulties of romance, Garou often form transitory relationship for the purposes of breeding only. Kinfolk make the best partners for such relationships, since there is some hope they will understand such a relationship. Some tribes go so far as to demand breeding rights, regardless of whether or not the kinfolk are married. These unstable relationships cause the most tension between Garou and kinfolk.
Kinfolk often act as the Garou's intermediaries with human society. What little control over modern human society the Garou have is usually through their kinfolk. In these days of waning Garou numbers, kinfolk are becoming more important in the fight against the Wyrm as well. Kinfolk can be the eyes and ears of the Garou in human society, and can infiltrate organizations where a Garou would be immediately detected. Kinfolk can be useful as warriors as well, though many Garou feel that it is too important to protect them to allow them to be used this way.
Because of their vulnerability, however, Garou rarely trust kinfolk with many of their secrets. Kinfolk are taught only the lowest level of Gifts and Rituals, if they are taught any at all. Kinfolk are rarely gifted with Fetishes and Talens, and are taught only enough about the Umbra and the spirit world to protect themselves. In most Garou septs, only the most trusted and powerful kinfolk are allowed to know the location of the caern.
Lost kinfolk are usually assimilated in human society. Many of them have some feeling they are different from those around them, their spiritual ties to Gaia calling out to them, but few learn the truth. While Garou are happy to rescue a lost pup, they generally don't consider lost kinfolk worth the effort. The only encounter many lost kinfolk will have with werewolves is when their Garou children are kidnapped with no explanation.
Oddly enough, many Werewolf hunters have some Garou blood in them. Kinfolk often have good reason to hate Garou, as family members are taken from them, and they witness the worst of Garou depredations because of their immunity to the delirium. Kinfolk hunters are often unaware of their connection to their prey, but a few know full well the connection they have to the Garou. These individuals tend to be driven by jealousy or personal vendettas, and make the worst of Werewolf hunters because of their knowledge of what they hunt.
Bone Gnawers: Because of the poverty of the Bone Gnawer tribe, they are unable to provide for their kinfolk in the traditional way. Bone Gnawers tend to a "love them and leave them" attitude toward relationships. Thus, there are few Bone Gnawer kinfolk communities, and most of the Gnawer kinfolk would be classified as lost. The few kinfolk who regularly associate with Gnawers tend to be those closely related to a member of the tribe: brother, sisters, parents and cousins, etc.
Children of Gaia: The Children of Gaia tend to value their kinfolk highly, in line with their attitudes of peaceful coexistence with mankind. The kinfolk communities the Children have strong ties and perform many important duties. They tend to be well advised of Garou activities; the Children tell more to their kinfolk than any other tribe. Unfortunately, the Children are spread thin over the world, and many of their kinfolk communities have been lost in their wanderings. The Children of Gaia cherish lost kinfolk nearly as much as they cherish lost pups.
Fianna: Fianna kinfolk often held an honored place in celtic society as healers and magicians. There are myths of connections between Fianna kinfolk and the ancient druids. Fianna villages also tend to be on friendly terms with the Fey. There are some who believe that the strong connection between the Fianna and the Fey came through their kinfolk rather than the Fianna Garou themselves.
In the US, Fianna kinfolk still tend to live in close communities, and with the Fianna's aid, have reached positions of some importance in the local governments. But disruptions of both Irish and English society in the last two centuries have scattered Fianna kinfolk in many of the old English colonies, and many are now lost.
Get of Fenris: Get of Fenris kinfolk communities tend to be a reflection of the Get themselves: violent and unruly with a lust for life. Get kinfolk are warriors in much the same way as the Get are. The Get are more likely to allow their kinfolk to participate in battle against the Wyrm than other tribes. In Germany however, things are beginning to change. Some kinfolk wish to move forward and join the modern German state, and are growing in sophistication faster than the Get would like.
The Get also have many lost kinfolk, spread all over the world. Not only have many of their kinfolk migrated, but the Get have always considered rape to be one of the spoils of war, and many Get kinfolk result from this. This activity was particularly prevalent during the viking raids of late middle ages, and occurs on occasion even now.
Glass Walkers: Glass Walker kinfolk are urban like the Walkers themselves. The Glass Walkers keep tabs on their kinfolk, but make little effort to keep them together in communities. Thus, while many Walker kinfolk are known to the tribe, they act in many ways like lost kinfolk. The Walkers use their kinfolk to help them control human society, and Walker kinfolk often hold important positions in government, corporations and organized crime. Many Walker kinfolk live simple lives, however, and are just another ordinary citizens of the city. No system of tracking people is perfect, and some Walker kinfolk are lost, though not as many as you might expect.
Red Talons: The Red Talons have no human kinfolk. They tend to be protective of their lupus kinfolk, and generally live in close proximity to them. Despite what it says in the rules, Red Talons may take kinfolk as a background, but the kinfolk must be wolves.
Shadow Lords: In the past, Shadow Lord kinfolk acted as the serfs of under the protection of the Lords. More recently, as they migrated, Shadow Lord kinfolk have set themselves up at all levels of society. Modern Shadow Lords are of two minds about their kinfolk: some of them wish to use them as tools to control society, while others want to keep them in their traditional communities where they are easier to control.
One of the secret shames of the Shadow Lords is their struggle with their kinfolk in their traditional homelands of Eastern Europe. While the Shadow Lords fought against communism (and its hidden vampiric overlords), some of their kinfolk welcomed it as a way of breaking free of Shadow Lord control. Many Shadow Lord kinfolk became important members of the communist party. Now that communism has fallen in Eastern Europe, this conflict threatens to break into open warfare as the Lords try to regain control.
Silent Striders: While the Striders associate themselves with Egypt, most of their kinfolk are Arabic. There has long been a close connection between Strider kinfolk and Islam. Some of them go so far as to believe the Prophet himself was kinfolk. Strider kinfolk were once as nomadic, but now tend to live in close knit communities. They tend to tasks that traveling Garou cousins are unable to do. In all but the greatest of Strider caerns, most of the guardians are kinfolk and spirits.
Silver Fangs: Silver Fang kinfolk tend to hold positions of wealth and importance in human society, but are as inbred as the Fangs themselves; the Russian royal family was an inbred community of Silver Fang Garou and kinfolk. Silver Fang kinfolk are prideful of their position, considering themselves nearly the social equals of Garou outside the tribe. They have not escaped the madness that plagues the Silver Fangs, however, and their lives and communities slowly unravel. Some Russian kinfolk have migrated to America, and become lost in the process. These kinfolk have broken the cycle of inbreeding. Perhaps in them lies the greatest hope of revitalizing the tribe.
Stargazers: Stargazers are aloof from both human and Garou society; as such they have little contact with their kinfolk community. Many of their kinfolk are unaware of their special natures. The kinfolk that associate with Stargazers tend to be immediate relatives of a member of the tribe, such as siblings, cousins and parents. Stargazers rarely breed, and thus nearly all their Garou are born of kinfolk. As Eastern society is becoming more open and urban, the Stargazer kinfolk are becoming more scattered. As their kinfolk breed with more humans, the Lupus trait is being lost, and the tribe is slowly dying.
Uktena: The mysterious Uktena have long sought humans with magical power as their kinfolk. Many of their kinfolk have magical talents in their own right; a few of them are even true mages. Uktena kin often help their Garou cousins in their magical workings, especially those who are more "Magely" and less spiritual in nature. Unfortunately, the Uktena occasionally get into conflict with their own kin over limited magical resources. A particularly sore spot is access to the energy of caerns. With the displacement of native tribes, some of the older groups of Uktena kinfolk have become lost, especially in Central America and Mexico. Thus, Uktena lost kinfolk are often Native American or Hispanic.
Wendigo: Wendigo kinfolk are exclusively Native American, and often share the Wendigo's hatred of the white man. Wendigo kinfolk have been some of the strongest advocates of American Indian independence movements. They tend to live on reservations and struggle to preserve their traditional ways. So strong is this national identification that Wendigo kinfolk see themselves as Indians first and kinfolk second. If anything, their hatred of non-native Garou is more extreme then the Wendigo Garou.
Wendigo lost kinfolk tend to be natives that live in the cities of the white man, or have bred with the Wyrm Bringers. Pups of these lost kinfolk tend to accepted somewhat reluctantly, as somehow tainted with European ways. Note that some urban Wendigo kinfolk have since become Uktena kinfolk, while Uktena kinfolk herded into reservations, have since become Wendigo. Both tribes would dearly love to find some lost Croatan kinfolk, but this has yet to happen.
Kinfolk can earn Rank and Renown just as normal Garou, but rarely have as many opportunities. They start with no renown, and must earn at least 1000 points (in the 2nd Ed rules, they must earn at least three permanent renown) before Garou are willing to take them seriously. It is rare for a kinfolk to reach rank 1, and nearly unheard of for them to advance further. Kinfolk can learn Gifts and Rituals, but this is limited by their Rank; thus they rarely learn more than level 1 Gifts.
Kinfolk cannot sidestep unless the Umbra is very weak; raise all the difficulties to cross the gauntlet by 6. Kinfolk can "ride in" to the Umbra if they are carried along by a Garou pack; this cannot be done with normal humans. Kinfolk are harder to detect than pure Garou; use the same abilities, but raise the difficulty by 2, or use a difficulty of 6 if the power is normally automatic. Kinfolk never frenzy, and are unaffected by silver.
Kinfolk are weaker than Werewolves, but stronger than normal humans. They get fewer points in Attributes (6/4/3) and Abilities (11/7/4), and no Renown, Rage or Gnosis. Their beginning Willpower and Background are determined by their tribe. Kinfolk cannot buy Pure Breed, Past Life or Kinfolk as Backgrounds. They can spend freebie points on everything but Rage, which they can never purchase. Like other mortal characters, they can purchase Numina.