The Septs of New England
Sept of the Fiery Tarn
Caern: A hidden mountain in the White Mountain National Forest. The largest
nearby town is North Conway.
Level: 3
Gauntlet: 3
Type: Courage
Tribal Structure: Fianna, with Uktena; open to all
Totem: Mother-of-Rivers (river spirit)
Geography
The caern of the Sept of the Fiery Tarn is located on a nameless mountain within
the White Mountains of New Hampshire. It lies within the White Mountain National
Forest. The mountain itself is a relatively short one, overshadowed by others
within the range.
Bawn
The Sept of the Fiery tarn makes their home on a nameless mountain within the
White Mountain range of New Hampshire. Hidden by mighty rituals that have long
since been forgotten by the inhabitants of the place, the mountain does not
appear on topographic maps of the region, nor even on photographs taken of the
area. It seems almost as if the place is invisible to mortal eyes. Even
supernatural creatures have trouble finding the place unless they know what to
look for (Wits+Rituals, difficulty 9). Those who do manage to stumble within
often will find themselves victim
The 800 acre area that comprises the Bawn is a surprisingly diverse lot. Aside
from the obvious mountainous terrain, there is also plenty of woodlands to be
found. Conifers dominate the landscape (especially spruces), but a fair amount
of hardwoods to be found as well. There are also small tracts of meadowland and
fields within the domain of the Sept, although these are scattered and somewhat
less traveled. There is even a swamp at the southern edge of the territory, fed
by the flow from the mountain.
Kinfolk rangers patrol the edge of the Bawn to deter would be hikers who
stumble, through sheer luck or the machinations of darker powers, upon the area.
As a place that has largely been free of the worst of the Wyrm's predations, the
security tends towards leading the wanderers away from the place, rather than
killing them on the spot. Further in, trespassers may not be so lucky. Should
any stranger actually be found on the mountain itself, the sentence is almost
always death. The Fianna have always been zealous in guarding their homes and
the Uktena, their secrets.
Heart
The Heart of the caern is a small cavern within the mountain itself. Only
accessible by first going through a small subterranean lake (and there are no
boats or bridges, it is a physical test to reach the place), the heart is a
relatively small area. A peculiar S-bend in the tunnel leading from the lake
keeps the water level from rising to engulf the Heart. Crystalline formations
within the walls shed a blue-green light over the small chamber.
Landmarks
The Grave of Hallowed Heroes (called the Heroe's Cairn in this Sept) is located
in another small chamber off of the underground lake. This one remains above the
level of the water, however, so one only need swim over to the entrance.
Completely dark within, Garou must bring their own light source, or else simply
feel the runes carved into the walls with their hands.
A large, craggy plateau juts off from the side of the mountain. This mostly-flat
expanse serves as the gathering area for the Sept, as well as the setting of
most challenges.
Umbrascape
The Umbra of the Fiery Tarn is well tended by the Keeper of the Lands. In some
places, it is almost indistinguishable from its physical counterpart, so thin is
the Gauntlet between them. Many different spirits make their homes in the area,
from naturae to the more martial spirits drawn by the aura of courage and
defiance of the place. Notably, there are a small population of earth elementals
that serve as spiritual guardians to the mountain and surrounding environs.
History
The caern of the Sept of the Fiery Tarn was created by
Night-Eyes-in-the-Morning, a Theurge of the Fianna. Drawn to the location of the
future caern by a recurring vision of the sunset setting a mountain on fire, she
eventually located the small lake (or tarn) on the top of the unknown mountain.
With the help of her pack, she succesfully fended off the Wyrm creatures that
tried to stop the birth of the caern. At sunset on the day of May 21st, 1806,
the caern of the Fiery Tarn sprang into life. Drawn by the courage of the
embattled pack, a young (as such things are measured) river spirit immediately
assumed the mantle of totem to the newly-formed caern. With this position came a
hefty measure of powers, and the spirit (her name is lost in history) became
Mother-of-Rivers.
The makeup of the Sept was at first entirely Fianna. These new guardians were
drawn from other septs along the eastern seaboard, eager to find a place without
the stratified power structures of older septs. Despite occasional attacks by
the Enemy, life at the Fiery Tarn was relatively idyllic. That was, of course,
until the coming of the Star-Eater.
The Star-Eater was a Bane of tremendous power, on a scale that the Garou had
never even heard of before. Nexus Crawlers, those alien warpers of reality, fled
before it. Star-Eater got its name from the sheer size of the creature. When it
flew overhead, it blotted out the Umbral stars from the night sky. It wove a
path of destruction through North America, moving (for some reason still unknown
today) northward from the tropical climes of what is now Mexico. Along its
winding path, unfortunately, was the Sept of the Fiery Tarn.
Realizing that no Garou or group of Garou could destroy or even slow the beast,
the Fianna of the Fiery Tarn called out desperately for help. And the Uktena
answered. Masters of occult secrets, the Uktena of the Sept of the Bloody Dawn
came to the aid of their northern cousins. Through the use of extremely potent
rituals, the Uktena Elder known as Wind-Shadows (together with Night-Eyes, the
Alpha of the Sept) cloaked the mountain which held the heart of the caern.
Unable to find the source of energy it could still sense, the Start-Eater laid
waste to much of the surrounding Umbral landscape before finally growing tired
of searching. It continued its inexorable journey to the north, finally meeting
its defeat at the hands of the Wendigo (See Rite of Passage for details).
It was for the aid rendered by the children of Uktena that the membership of the
Sept was opened to them by the Fianna. Over time, this multitribal approach was
broadened, allowing a few select members of any tribe who sought out the
defenders of the caern to join.
In recent years, times have been unusually good for the Garou of the Fiery Tarn.
Hidden by the magics of nearly two centuries past, most enemies are stymied
before even finding the place. Those that get through the wards are met by the
zealous pack of Guardians, who relish a chance to cut loose when it's afforded
to them. While the troubles of the End Times are as clear to them as to any
other Sept, most of these troubles can directed away from the Sept if they
cannot be taken care of directly.
Very recently, though, troubling signs have been making themselves known to
Bullfinch, the Elder of the Uktena at the Sept. Portents and omens are no oddity
to the Lupus, but even he has been made afraid. The signs speak of the
fulfillment of an ages-old propechy, The prophecy of the Coyote Moon pack, and
the chaos that will come with them.
((Note: Some readers may recognize the prophecy of the Coyote Moon pack from the
excellent anthology, When Will You Rage?. The storytellers give full credit for
the name and some minor details of the prophecy to the author of that story. In
this world, the prophecy refers to another pack entirely, as of yet untested and
inexperienced.))
The Sept
The Sept of the Fiery Tarn, as mentioned before, is primarily a mix of Fianna
and Uktena. While the Fianna still maintain the upper hand in terms of political
power, much of the mystical might is provided by children of Older Brother. The
smattering of other tribes represented are treated as full members of the Sept,
and even have their own representative (provided three or more members of that
tribe are present at the Sept.)
Sept of the Bloody Dawn
Caern: Mystery Hill in Salem, NH
Level: 2
Gauntlet: 4
Type: Sacrifice
Tribal Structure: Exclusively Uktena
Totem: Long-Sleep (Bear)
Geography
The Bloody Dawn is located on what is known as Mystery Hill in Salem, New
Hampshire. ((Note that while in the real world Mystery Hill is open to the
public and researchers alike, in our world, it is privately owned.)) The area is
composed largely of fields surrounded by mixed hardwood forest.
Bawn
The Bloody Dawn Sept is situated within the site known as Mystery Hill. At
thirty acres or so, the parcel of land is not exactly impressive as far as Garou
Caerns go. The Bawn does extend beyond that, however, adding another ten acres
or so of fields and forest. The relative lack of room precludes any Lupus from
spending much time in the place; they simply feel too encroached upon by the
surrounding humanity. Even Metis are few within the Sept. The defenses of the
caern are somewhat sparse, owing to the size and relative weakness of the Sept.
More to come...