RAKKON

By Timothy Toner (thanatos@interaccess.com)

Description

Of all the Garou tribes and sub-tribes, none are more looked down upon more than the Rakkon. Thieves by nature, they simply cannot resist the shining glint of something valuable, and will do anything within their (considerable) power to retrieve the objects of their desire. It does not neccessarily have to be a thing of man, or something that the homids prize, like diamonds. But usually, the more another prizes an object, the more the Rakkon desire it, whether it be an objet d'art, a shiny sword, a briefcase full of bearer bonds, or the fetish of a sept leader.

Most would think that the Rakkon wouldn't give a damn about the struggle with the Wyrm, but this is not entirely true. They have adopted an alien philosophy that confuses most who hear it, though the Rakkon say it makes perfect sense to them. They hold that these objects of desire are so alluring because they are saturated with the power of the Weaver. There is some truth to this, since something like a diamond, or a valuable painting, or a powerful fetish would take a great deal of work to create, and thus would be saturated with order. Since the Wyrm seeks to undermine the Weaver, it must be stopped, lest all they prize fade into dust.

Like I said. Many take it with a grain of salt, and think it only lip service to get them out of a bind when they do have to rely on other Garou.

Their desires also give them unparalleled contact with homids, since 80% of what they want must be gotten through them. However, they are less interested in culling populations than anyone else. This closeness allows them contacts and resources most Garou would shun, but secretly envy when they run into problems.

Strangely, only about 65% of Rakkon stock are homid. It would seem that this desire stems not from the homid side, but all breeds manifest this upon birth. Although it is more difficult for a Lupus to establish the contacts, the tribe holds those who succeed in higher regard than Homid who do. Thus, the desire to climb up the ranks is almost as potent as the desire to garner an object.

One problem with the Rakkon is that the ability to side step in order to thieve is considered "cheating" by most in the tribe. Thus, when a cub is being trained, the ability is glossed over, and not stressed as most tribes do. The result is that any Gauntlet is +2 to difficulty, due to their inexperience and their subconscious desire not to run away but rather to deal with the problem with their own skills.

Often the Rakkon will come head to head with the Toreador clan, as they tend to desire much that the clan does. This creates a grand animosity, since they see this as the Wyrm in action, destroying the objects they covet so. They will seek out the private caches of Toreador, hoping to run into such a creature, and put an end to the evil.

After an object is grabbed, if it is of sufficient value, it will be returned, usually to the place it was stolen from, or to a private dealer, so that at a later date, another Rakkon may try to pierce the more elaborate security established to protect it. Thus it is the mere act of stealing that motivates this desire, and not the intrinsic value of an object, kept in some room to collect dust.

Often, the auspice of a particular Rakkon will decide what he seeks. Thus, an Ahroun would value martial items, from 15th century katanas to the latest Pentagon hardware. Galliards seek out objets d'art. Theurge prefer objects of philosophical value that can be savored (and thus are seldom returned) such as books and rare tracts. Ragabash usually go for the glitziest item that catches their eyes. Sadly, the Philodox are often the most deranged of the tribe as they try to balance out what they thieve amongst the four auspices. Often they will lock into a compulsive habit, such as being compelled to steal in a specific order, (Ragabash, Theurge, Galliard, Ahroun) or they may have to steal enough from each group so that the weights are identical.

Totem

The Crow

Initial willpower

3

Backgrounds

Players start with 5 background points, and may spend them on anything but Allies (they tend not to make friends), Rites, and Pure Breed.

Beginning Gifts

See below.

Wolf Form

Brown, with grey rings around the eyes.

Organization

The Rakkon have intricate webs of favors and contacts, but lack any true hierarchy. They seldom get together for moots, and when they do, simply tell stories about capers that succeeded and failed, since sometimes the failures are just as important as successes in the learning process.

Habitat

Rakkon dwell virtually anywhere where items can be obtained. They are nomadic by nature, often fleeing an area after making quite a pest of themselves, often chased out by other Garou.

Protectorate

The Rakkon often protect those like themselves, such as the gypsies, and other nomadic people, who flee because of "unjust" persecution. Also, the Rakkon are well known for their desire to protect convicts who were good at their trade, and got unfortunately caught.

Quote

The Wyrm? Ha! That thing is nothing compared to the Citibank job I pulled off last month. Why, you shoulda seen the...what? What fetish? I haven't seen any... Oh, this fetish! Hm...I must have found it lying around...in your pocket...Bye!

Rakkon Gifts

Blur of Milky Eye (Level 1): Same as Ragabash Gift

Balance (Level 1): As the Stargazer power

Cybersenses (Level 2): Same as Glasswalker

Appraisal (Level 2)

Catfeet (Level 3): As the Lupus power

Make the Mind Forget (Level 3)

Phantasm (Level 4): As the Fianna power

Doppleganger (Level 4): As the ??? power

Thieving Talons of the Magpie (Level 5): As the Ragabash power

Assimilation (Level 5): As the Homid power

Note: The level four and five Gifts of the Rakkon are taken from the best of other tribes. Most were stolen, and the Rakkon seem to have no desire to develop their own, concerned more with using their own natural abilities, choosing gifts that will get them out of a tight squeeze, or saves them time in casing a site.

Renown

The Rakkon, much despised by other tribes, have a slightly different system of gaining Renown. First, "besting" vampires only have to do with Toreador, or other art collecting vampires. Besting a normal vampire is worth half the total. Glory renown is rewarded for pulling off a mission, as per the following table:

Minor Theft (picking a vampire's pocket):	500
Major Theft (Breaking into medium security museum):	750
Greater Theft (Breaking into a maximum security museum):	1000
Greatest Theft (Breaking into a Kindred Controlled museum):	2000

Getting caught (and escaping) is worth half the total. Merely attempting such a feat is worthwhile in the eyes of a Rakkon.

Also, telling stories of a successful mission is worth 100 Glory, and listening to one is worth 50 Wisdom (whether it was successful or not).