LAZARITES

By Brian Campbell (campbelb@gas.uug.arizona.edu)

Description

The Lazarites are a Tribe composed almost solely of Metis. They have no true home, but instead wander across the world. Usually, their pilgrimage will be restricted to one continent.

The arrival of a pack of Lazarites is usually announced by the Howl of Shame. This dissonant, fearful cry is analogous to a leper crying "Unclean!" A rituals or occult roll can be used to identify it. (The different packs of Lazarites have a form of heraldry for distinguishing the howls of their own packs.) If a pack of the Thirteen Tribes has been chosen by the Lazarites for investigation, they had best beware. If their Metis have not been treated fairly, conflict between packs will ensue.

Because this tribe cannot bear children, part of the reason for the pilgrimage is to find new members. Metis who are treated with excessive disgrace or who cannot fit into their pack will be recruited. The Lazarites are cast-offs of all other Tribes. There are also a few members who are not of the Metis breed.

Just as the Red Talons have had the philosophy of their Tribe shaped by their Lupus origins, the Metis origin of most Lazarites has affected their view of the world. Most Metis of the other tribes can cope; they've gone beyond self-pity. For most Lazarites, though, their harsh upbringings at the hands of uncaring kin have given them a dark, bitter outlook on existence. Only a wise few use their self-recrimination as a path toward self-awareness.

Within any Lazarite pack is a small elite called The Enlightened. These are members who have passed beyond the despair of ostracism and deformity. They are beacons of hope and inspiration, and often leaders in a pack. There are many within the pack who will never reach this level of recognition within the Tribe, choosing instead to wallow in self-loathing and misery.

The outlook of the Lazarites has had a distinctive effect on all five Auspices:

Lazarite Ragabash

You will never find a more demented, darker, sicker sense of humor in any other Garou. They are truly gifted at the "art" of self-mockery. This Auspice considers sarcasm a Gift from Gaia. In a more traditional tribe, a bard or Ragabash will find humor in the notables of a pack, but present this parody to alleviate tension. A Lazarite can use humor like a scalpel, both providing insight and humiliating his victims. For these Garou, though the new moon might look new to others, it's black to them.

"Dead puppies? You wanna hear a few hundred dead puppy jokes? Hey, of course, I've heard them all. You find out about these things when you're a living abortion..."

The Enlightened of this Auspice have moved beyond this. Presenting humility beforehand, they can make others more comfortable in the presense of Metis. Bringing laughter to others is a way to alleviate one's own pain.

Lazarite Theurge

By confronting their own despair, they are prepared to handle the most hideous manifestations of the occult. After confronting the horror within, they are prepared to face anything.

"You call that a Bane? I've seen things worse than that in my own pack! Let's rip it apart..."

The Enlightened of this Auspice have a different focus. They are masters of healing and empathy. Gaia is a force of life, and the Enlightened Theurges can alleviate the suffering of those who've been struck hardest by their curse.

Lazarite Philodox

A Philodox, it's been said, is like a half-moon, half in darkness and half in light. Within this Tribe, a Philodox has an understanding of darkness. She can sometimes best understand the motivations of the Wyrm. With this partial sympathy toward "evil," she can even stand before a Pentex board meeting and get them to compromise. She will also give caution before other maddened Garou charge headlong into destroying the Wyrm. This is one reason members of this Auspice cannot be accepted in other Tribes. A Lazarite is also fully aware of what it means to be shut out.

"You think the Fomori are that different from you, Lupus? Look what you're doing to the Metis of your own Tribe! You sanctimonious bastard...."

The Enlightened Philodox understands the forces of the Dark well enough to explain to them the viewpoints of Life. She can draw the Wyrm-tainted back to the path of Gaia. After all, many Metis were once considered by their own path to be not worth saving.

Lazarite Galliard

an artist with a truly unique vision has difficulty being accepted. The members of this group have found a way to express what most others will not even acknowledge. The pain and loneliness of being an outcast of Garou society, a second-class pack member, or part of the disenfranchised is given form in a work of Lazarite art. What no one else will talk about, a Galliard can show. They flaunt in their work all that is taboo.

"Don't turn away! It's the Truth! Right there! Look hard, because that's what's really happening within you!"

The Enlightened of the Lazari do not use a confrontational approach. They can coax the emotions of sympathy and tolerance from their audience. The Tribes must realize that the Metis bear the "punishment" for what others have done.

Lazarite Ahroun

Violence is shocking, brutal, and ugly. So are you as a Lazarite Ahroun. A human scientist once said that depression is violence directed inward. These Garou take all the pain and direct it outward. They inflict all the hurt they feel and use it as a weapon. Rage is sometimes their only friend.

"You can't stand to look at me? Then I'll rip out your Wyrm-tainted eyes!!"

The Enlightened have found peace through strength and the perfection of their martial art. The mastery of skill brings about the mastery of one's self.

Notable Lazarites

:

Heals-the-Heart, Lazarite Theurge: This Enlightened Garou was the founder of the first Lazarite Tribe. Those of other breeds refused her ministrations, so she began working to heal the suffering, both mental and physical, of the other Metis of her Tribe. Soon she convinced five other Metis to leave with her. They travelled at night to protect their Theurge: her mark was albinism. Together they sought others rejected by their own families. Empathy and Medicine are her highest skills, and she possesses several unique healing Gifts given to her by Gaia.

Walker-of-Seven-Hells, Lazarite Theurge: Walker's journey among the Lazarites took an unexpected turn when he led a group of Ahroun into the cabin of a lone Mage. The magus was a master of demonology and fled by creating a portal to the very depths of Hell. Walker instructed his apprentice Theurge to take all the notes he could and go back to the pack for help. Closely followed by three Lazarite Ahroun, he charged into the hellfire. Destroying every Satanic entity in their path, Walker and his followers eventually fought their way back to the realm of Gaia by way of the Umbra. The mage was never found. Now, however, with the help of his Lazarite pack and the aid of the Magi's tomes, Walker leads campaigns to save the Umbra from the forces of the Underworld.

His skin is a bright pink, since the few patches of fur he possessed have long since been singed by fire and brimstone. Mage Lore, Demon Lore, Occultism, and Survival (Umbra) are his highest skills.

Claws-in-Darkness, Lazarite Ahroun: His parent's sins left this warrior with a brand of shame in a world where only the fittest survive: Claws was born without eyes. Two deep pits sink into his face. Growing up in the Get of Fenris Tribe, he was forced to participate in the rites and rituals of all who are born beneath the full moon. Through countless training sessions, he was throated and beaten. A disgrace to a Tribe that could not bear to remember the incest of his parents, he was ostracized.

In the wilderness, Claws had to learn or die. He became a master of tracking and survival, and, over the years, he fell upon the techniques of blind fighting. At the age of twenty, he met the Lazarites.

Within his pack, he has taught others these skills. A leader of Ronin, he cares nothing for the deformity of their bodies, trusting instead to the skill of their claws. Whether fighting in the tunnels of the Ratkin or the sewers of the Vampire's cities, Claws has an edge to his technique, and the backing of one of the most impressive squads of Ahroun.

Using the Lazarites

The Lazarites can be used in any number of encounters with your pack. If a Metis in your group is feeling out of place, a meeting with this group can help to focus his character.

Any pack, Tribe, or Moot is fair game for a wandering pack of Lazarites.

Playing them as PC's takes a lot of work. It can be an intense catalyst to acting. Feeling the pain of an outcast is magnified in a Lazarite. It's a chance to push your emotions to extremes and can be a challenge to a good roleplayer.

There is room for everyone in Gaia's plan. The Lazarites play their part as well as any tribe.