By J. McGeary (jmm25@po.cwru.edu) (4 Apr 93)
As the Garou know, the lands of South America are full of shapechangers of all kinds. Driven there by the Garou who viewed them as Wyrm spawn, the other lycanthropes that still exist have little reason to love the Garou, and the land itself is said to be hostile. The Wyrm spreads its coils even now over the Amazon jungles, threatening to bring its unholy creations into the daylight, and the Garou can do nothing... almost.
Almost, indeed, for hidden in South America is a tribe of Garou heretofore unknown. And with good reason- what Garou might enter those lands, and penetrate far enough to see their kindred, or pass through the Umbra guarded so jealously by the other shapechangers? The other tribe, indeed, has been secluded for so long that some would argue them to be other than Garou. They know little of the other werewolves, and only now are starting to come to the light. The tribe's true name is unknown, but among the other Garou they are called the Stilts.
Stilts are werewolves that, like the extinct Bunyip, carry the blood of a different wolf-creature. The Bunyip bred with Tasmanian wolves, marsupial predators now believed extinct (though none are quite certain; rumors tell of unconfirmed sightings, every so often). The Stilts have a much easier time of it. They are born of a creature called the maned wolf, which, according to the homids, is a canid related to timber wolves but of a different genus and species. Nevertheless, they are, indeed, were_wolves_, and are accepted by the other Garou, albeit grudgingly in most cases. Their numbers are few, but they represent, perhaps, the best hope of the Garou in South America. The other lycanthropes have no reason to fear them; indeed, in many cases, the other weres accept them as brothers and sisters. And in this lies a slim chance for Gaia's warriors to meet the Wyrm with full force...
Totem: Flying Fox- yes, a bat.
Initial Willpower: 4
Backgrounds: 3 points, but they may not be spent on Resources, Allies, or Pure Breed. (These Garou are too different, too odd, for the rest of the Garou to be able to perceive the subtle cues that go into recognizing whether or not an individual is pure bred.)
Beginning Gifts: Beast Speech (as per Galliards), Size of Surprise (okay, it's a stupid name. Sorry. By spending one Rage point, the character not only raises its mane- or in Homid or Glabro form, pull a version of goose- pimples that makes their hair stand on end to a degree that they actually appear a good deal larger- but also uses this occurrence to take on an aura of threat and danger that adds one die to rolls involving intimidation.)
Wolf Form: The South American maned wolf. This creature has been described as looking like "a giant fox on stilts", hence its name. It is the same height as an ordinary wolf, though markedly lighter in build. Its legs appear longer than they should in proportion to the body. The head is shaped very much like a fox's head, though the ears are slightly different. All maned wolves have a fairly long mane of hair on their necks, which they raise when angry or threatened. They are, for the most part, russet- colored, though not nearly as dark as red foxes. Their legs are generally black from the knees on down, and their tails are slightly longer than ordinary wolves.
Homid form- Generally that of whatever South American tribe their homid blood comes from, though taller, slenderer, and with limbs in longer proportion to the body than usual. A few are of White stock, and resemble Whites instead, though most often Whites with a good blend of native.
Organization: Most of the Stilts have South American natives as their source of homid blood (though a few have Spanish/Portuguese-descended homid ancestors, and a few have managed to breed with field researchers). They hold their moots most often at times when the local natives are having some kind of sacred festival or ceremony. The Philodoxes and Theurges provide most of the leadership to this tribe.
A bit needs to be said here about this tribe's treatment of Metis pups and/or children. This tribe is only slightly larger than the Stargazers; it is not often that the homid members of the tribe are in the same region long enough to breed. The tribe has fairly strong Lupus blood- something like twenty-seven percent of its members are Lupus. However, since their numbers are few as well, they seek to spread their genes as much as they can- this is done mainly by instinct. It takes a great deal to make Stilt Lupus mate with each other. The homids, for their part, know how few their people are, and consequently have fewer Metis births than any other tribe. However, from time to time, some kind of Garou or homid ritual will involve powerful forces that sway the Garou; whether it is mind-altering chemicals, or spirit influences, or something else, it happens. The vast majority (90%) of this tribe's Metis young are conceived under these circumstances. They are viewed as being crippled and twisted by the spirits in sympathy with what is happening to the lands they live in. Such children are almost invariably Theurges, or if they are not, still have strong ties to the spirit world. Metis are some of this tribe's most powerful Theurges.
Habitat: The Stilts may be found throughout the Amazon basin and parts of Argentina, having been scattered about through their history as their original habitats were destroyed or ruined.
Protectorate: The native peoples of South America; the Lupus members of the tribe, however, protect the remaining maned wolves exclusively. Maned wolves, by this time, are so rare that roughly half of those left alive are Stilt kinfolk. Most Stilts hold views similar to the Wendigos regarding treatment of the Whites, but they realize that right now, it is far more important to protect their homelands (from Whites and other weres) and fight off the encroachment into the wild places than it is to launch a homicidal war against the Euros.
Most Garou view the Stilts with a degree of suspicion, considering their land of origin. The Silver Fangs are least likely to trust them, but at least concede that they are Garou. The Get of Fenris, on the other hand, claim that they don't even qualify as Garou, and should be treated as all other lycanthropes have been. The Shadow Lords have tried, on a few occasions, to make overtures to this tribe, but have met with little success. Overall, their best relations are with the Black Furies and the Children of Gaia, with the Wendigos very close behind.
This tribe has had a number of Philodoxes and Galliards enter the homid science fields- specifically, anthropology, zoology, and botany. These members believe that they must make their preparations, NOW, to try and convey the value of the lands they know so well to the homids- and if not, then at least something of their people, and the homids they guard, will be remembered.
View Flying Fox totem