Taint of Corruption (7 pt.

Flaw) Somehow, the Wyrm has touched you and left its taint upon your spirit. When other Garou invoke the Gift: Sense Wyrm,
you register as strongly Wyrm-tainted. The taint is innate, and cannot be removed by a Rite of Cleansing (which serves only to make you ill and sore).
Minions of the Wyrm trouble your sleep, attempting to lure you fully into the service of the Destroyer. You are at +2 difficulty on any rolls made to resist the
powers of “fellow” Wyrmspawn — fomori powers, Black Spiral Dancer Gifts, Bane Charms, vampiric Disciplines, or the like. Only your pack can keep you
from succumbing to the Wyrm, provided they give you their support and assistance. Ridding yourself of this Flaw requires a major quest and can provide the
heart of a character-driven chronicle.

Mentor: A mentor can teach you skills, advise you, or speak on your behalf at a council fire. He has a pack of his own, and his own duties, so he won’t be
present to save you whenever you bite off more than you can chew. Of course, your mentor will expect something in return for his assistance, be it good
company, an occasional gofer, a champion, or perhaps a supporter in sept politics. His demands can make an excellent source of story hooks. In general,
however, you will receive more than you give.

Caller of the Wyld (Sept Standing •) Responsibilities: It is the Caller of the Wyld’s responsibility to summon the sept’s totem spirits — including the spirit of
the caern itself — to most moots. This requires knowledge of Garou rites, to perform that actual summoning, and Umbral politics, to ensure that a spirit is not
summoned out of turn or accidentally snubbed. The Caller of the Wyld is only needed during moots, so this is a good position for a young Garou whose quest
for glory and honor could take her far from the sept. Young werewolves, especially ambitious Theurges, also enjoy this position because it helps them build a
relationship with the sept’s local spirits. Most Kinfolk cannot interact with the spirit world, which makes it impossible for them to serve as Caller of the Wyld,
even in the most embattled sept. However, the rare Kin who have developed the skill to summon spirits occasionally fill this position. Benefits: The Caller of
the Wyld gains a +3 to Social dice pools involving interaction with the sept’s totem spirits, and a +1 to Social dice pools involving other Gaian spirits in the
region.

Sense Prey (Level One) — This Gift lets a werewolf locate enough prey to feed her pack. In the urban environment, this tends to guide lupus to prey in parks,
sewers, animal shelters or even zoos, drawing her unfailingly to the presence of prey animals. Humans and carnivores too large or dangerous for a lone wolf to
regard as prey do not register as prey animals. A wolf-spirit teaches this Gift. System: The player rolls Perception + Primal-Urge. The difficulty is 5 in
wilderness environments and 7 in urban environments. Success indicates the location of enough prey to feed a large pack for a day.

Mother’s Touch (Level One) — The Theurge channels spiritual power through her hands, mending
the wounds of any other living creature. This Gift may not heal the werewolf herself, spirits, or the undead. A bear- or unicorn-spirit teaches it. System: The
player spends one Gnosis point and rolls
Intelligence + Medicine (difficulty is the target’s current Rage, or 5 for those with no Rage). Each success heals one level of lethal, bashing, or aggravated
damage. The healer may even heal fresh Battle Scars (see p. 259) in this manner, if the Gift is applied during the same scene in which the scar is received and
an extra Gnosis point is spent.

Spirit Speech (Level One) — This Gift bestows understanding of the language of the spirit world, permitting
the Garou to clearly understand and speak with any spirit he encounters. The Gift doesn’t influence spirits’
attitudes toward the werewolf in any way, nor ensure that they have any desire to communicate with him. Any
spirit can teach it. System: This Gift’s effects are permanent.

Beast Speech (Level One) — The werewolf may instinctively understand and communicate with any natural animals, from fish to mammals. She need only
speak normally to be understood by animals, along with a touch of appropriate body language — there is no need to bark like a dog. This Gift doesn’t change
animals’ basic reactions or dispositions; most are still afraid of predators such as werewolves. Any animal spirit can teach this Gift. System: This Gift’s effects
are permanent.

Rite of Cleansing (Level One)—This rite purifies a person, place or object, allowing it to be used without fear of Wyrm-taint. The most common form of this
rite involves the ritemaster inscribing a circle on the earth, walking counterclockwise around the afflicted person(s) or object(s) while holding a smoldering
branch or torch. She must use a branch (preferably willow or birch) dipped in pure water or snow to sprinkle the object or person cleansed. As the ritemaster
does so, all Garou present release an eerie, otherworldly howl in an attempt to frighten away the corrupting influence. Ideally, this rite is performed at dawn,
but may function at any time. System: This rite can be cast upon more than one person or object, but the ritemaster must spend one Gnosis point on each
extra thing in need of cleansing. Only one success is required. The difficulty level depends on the level of taint. For instance, taint caused by a spirit might
carry a difficulty of the spirit’s Gnosis. If the rite is performed at dawn, the difficulty decreases by one. This rite cannot heal wounds or damage caused by
Wyrm-taint — it only removes the spiritual contamination itself. This rite cannot cleanse taint of the most innate sort, either, instead inflicting agony when
performed upon a fomor, vampire, unrepentant Black Spiral Dancer or other similarly corrupt being.

Rite of Binding (Level One)— This rite binds a spirit to a werewolf, making it his servant. The more powerful the spirit is, the more difficult the process is.
Although any encountered spirit is subject to binding, the Garou generally feel that spirits should be bound only when needed. Binding spirits for excessive
lengths of time is generally viewed as callous abuse of those who should be the allies of the Garou. This point doesn’t go uncontested, however, particularly by
the mystics of the Uktena tribe. Spirits trapped through this rite may be bound into temporary service or into objects to create talens (see p.227). No spirit
allows itself to be bound unless it is friendly to the binding character’s totem. Spirits can be bound into objects, places, and people, although the Garou
generally don’t perform the last feat unless the need is great. Failing this rite can be dangerous, for the spirit is very likely to become hostile and attempt to
harm the mystic. System: A Garou can attempt this rite only in the presence of a spirit, and it is usually performed in the Umbra. When attempting to bind a
spirit, a Garou must first spend a number of Gnosis points (minimum of one). Each point of Gnosis spent reduces the spirit’s Gnosis rating by one. The Garou’s
player must then roll Willpower (difficulty equals the spirit’s adjusted Gnosis). The number of successes indicates how long the spirit may be forced into
service, with each success binding the spirit for one week. In the case of a talen, the spirit is bound until the object is used.