The Silver Crown

by William Bridges

  "Of course we will," Evan said. "We are packmates. That hasn't changed."

  "Speaking of which," Mari said. "I don't know if I'm comfortable with this king thing of yours. You're already getting an ego about it."

  "Hey! Hey, now. I've been a perfect gentlemen here. We are a pack, Mari. We are equals."

  Mari shook her head. "For now. But how soon till you start trying to pull rank? A male does not boss around a Black Fury!"

  "Whoah! I won't. I don't even rule the Black Fury tribe. Alani Astarte made that clear. But she does recognize my position as a unifier. The Furies still make their own decisions. I'm just a figurehead, really."

  "But an important figurehead," Evan said. "We're not humans. Symbols mean something for us. And that's why you're important, Albrecht. Don't let the other tribes tell you otherwise."

  "Don't worry. I'm not going to push them around, but they're not going to push me, either. I am the king of the Silver Fangs, after all. Like it or not, the other tribes need to recognize our precedence."

  "Hmph. This is just too weird," Mari said. "But don't you ever forget that I can kick your white-furred ass around this field. You just got lucky the last time."

  "Luck?! Luck, was it? I don't know about that. I got in a pretty good lick—"

  "Stop it!" Evan said. "What is this? A sitcom? You guys return to normal at the end of the episode? Haven't you learned anything from this?"

  "I still owe him for this scar," Mari said, pointing at the scar on her belly.

  "I'm sorry already!" Albrecht said. "How many times do you want me to say it?"

  "Mari, you did attack him first, you know," Evan said.

  Mari fumed silently for a moment. "He was trespassing in my territory. But I guess I overreacted."

  "Well..." Albrecht said. "I guess I should have watched where I was going. But I didn't expect you to attack me."

  "Wait a minute," Mari said. "You told me you didn't know it was my territory."

  "Uh… well, I might have lied."

  "You bastard!" Mari yelled, stepping toward him.

  "Will you two stop!" Evan said, stepping between them. "I am getting really sick of pulling you off each other!"

  "I'm sorry," Albrecht said to Mari. "I've said it before. What do you want? A free shot at me?"

  "Yes," Mari said. "I'll take that as an apology."

  Albrecht tore his shirt in half down the front, revealing his chest. "There. There it is. Go for it."

  Mari stepped up, but then stopped. She looked at the ugly scar on his right pectoral, the one Arkady had made with his klaive. The wound was healed, thanks to Falcon, and the lung had already grown back, but the scar would be permanent. She stepped away.

  "It's too easy," Mari said. "I know I can take you. I don't need you to sit there for me. It's over."

  "Apology accepted?"

  "Yes."

  Evan smiled. "Thank Gaia that chapter is over! Well, Albrecht, we'll catch up with you soon. But we've really got to get back home. Mari has classes to teach."

  "I know, I know. You just get going. Maybe I'll drop by next week, once things have calmed down here."

  "Good," Evan said.

  "Farewell, Albrecht," Mari said.

  "Good-bye, Mari," Albrecht said. "And thanks for your help. I couldn't have done it without you."

  Mari smiled. "I know. You would have failed miserably without me. What else is new?" She turned around and walked off.

  Albrecht's eyes narrowed, but he smiled. He waved at Evan as the boy followed Mari.

  The new king sat back on the throne and watched Eliphas open a Moon Bridge for his packmates. When it closed and they were gone, he sighed. It was kind of lonely here. The only person he really knew anymore was Eliphas. With Greyfist gone, he had few good friends here. Regina was all right, but he barely knew her. His family had lightened up toward him considerably, although he knew some of that was simply kissing up to the king. Sutter still wouldn't speak with him, though.

  No, it was going to be a lonely place. He'd have to bridge back to New York now and then just to stay sane.

  He saw two people coming toward him from far across the field. And he knew then that it wouldn't be too lonely.

  His father walked with young Seth. They were coming over to him, and his father waved. Seth waved also, beaming at his uncle, the king.

  Albrecht smiled and waved back.

  Lexicon

  Airts: The magical paths within the spirit world (e.g., Spirit Tracks, Moon Paths, etc.).

  Apocalypse: The age of destruction, the final cycle, the birth of death, the everlasting corruption, the end of Gaia — a word used in Garou mythology to describe the time of the final battle with the Wyrm. Many consider this time to be the present.

  Auspice: The phase of the moon under which a particular Garou was born; commonly thought to determine personality and tendencies. The auspices are: Ragabash (New Moon; Trickster), Theurge (Crescent Moon; Seer), Philodox (Half Moon; Judge), Galliard (Gibbous Moon; Moon Dancer), Ahroun (Full Moon; Warrior).

  Bane: Evil spirits that follow the Wyrm. There are many different kinds of Banes: Scrag, Kalus, Psychomachiae and more.

  Bawn: A boundary area around a caern, where mortals are watched.

  Breed: The ancestry of a Garou, be it wolf, human or other Garou.

  Caern: A sacred place; a meeting spot where the Garou can contact the spirit world.

  Celestine: The greatest spirits; the closest things the Garou have to gods. Examples are Luna (the Moon) and Helios (the Sun).

  Charach: A Garou who sleeps with another Garou or has done so in the past. Often used as a word of anger.

  Concolation: A great moot, wherein many tribes gather to discuss matters that concern the Nation of Garou.

  Corruption: The act of destroying, devolving or debasing life; also, the often overwhelming effects of the Wyrm's actions. In the present age, it often specifically refers to the ecological ruin humans wreak upon the environment.

  Crinos: The half-wolf, half-human form of the Garou.

  Delirium: The madness suffered by humans who look upon a Garou in Crinos form.

  Domain: A mini-Realm in the Umbra, usually connected to a larger Realm in the Deep Umbra.

  Flock, The: All of humanity, particularly those humans from whom the Garou recruit their members.

  Gaia: The Earth and related Realms, in both a physical and a spiritual sense; the Mother Goddess.

  Garou: The term werewolves use for themselves.

  Gatekeeper: A Garou who is in charge of the spiritual and magical defense of a caern, including the opening and closing of Moon Bridges.

  Gauntlet: The barrier between the physical world of Earth and the spirit world of the Umbra. It is strongest around technological (Weaver) places, weakest around caerns.

  Gift: A magical ability, taught to the Garou by spirits of nature.

  Glen: A small realm or domain of Gaian energy in the spirit world. Glens often appear as lush forests or jungles.

  Harano: Inexplicable gloom, inexpressible longing for unnamable things, weeping for that which is not yet lost. Some say it is depression caused by contemplation of Gaia's suffering.

  Hispo: The near-wolf form of the Garou.

  Homid: A Garou of human ancestry. Occasionally used disdainfully by ferals (e.g., "That boy fights like a homid.").

  Klaive: A fetish dagger or sword, usually of great spiritual potency and nearly always made of silver.

  Litany: The code of laws kept by the Garou.

  Lodge of the Moon: One half of a Silver Fang court. This organization tends to the spiritual affairs of the sept. There are three positions: Shaman, Steward and Squire.

  Lodge of the Sun: One half of a Silver Fang court. This organization tends to the material affairs of the sept. There are three positions: Shaman, Steward and Squire.

  Luna: See Celestine.

  Lunae: Realms which sometimes appear at the crossroads of two or more Moon Paths. They are almost always guarde
d by resident Lunes.

  Lune: An enigmatic spirit allied to Luna. Lunes guard the Moon Paths.

  Lupus: A Garou of wolf origin.

  Metis: The sterile and often deformed offspring of two Garou. Generally reviled by Garou society.

  Moon Bridge: A gate between two caerns; it most often appears during moots.

  Moon Path: See Airts.

  Moot: A sept or tribal conclave that takes place at a caern.

  Mule: Slang for metis.

  Near Umbra: The spirit world surrounding the Gaia Realm.

  Pack: A small group of Garou bound to each other by ties of friendship and mission as opposed to culture.

  Pictogram: The Garou possess a written language of pictograms, many of which are quite ancient. They may appear to the uninitiated to be mere claw marks, but there is an "alphabet" of elaborate symbology.

  Penumbra: "Earth's Shadow;" the spirit world directly surrounding the physical world; many, but not all, terrain features will be the same.

  Protectorate: The territory claimed and patrolled by a pack or sept.

  Realms: The worlds of "solid" reality within the Tellurian. Earth is referred to as the Realm.

  -rhya: "Greater in station"; a suffix appended to a name.

  Rite: A magical ritual.

  Ronin: A Garou who has chosen or been forced to leave Garou society. It is a harsh fate to become a "lone wolf."

  Seneschal: A Silver Fang king's second-hand man and closest advisor.

  Sept: The group of Garou who live near and tend an individual caern.

  Silver Record, the: The sacred "bible" of the Garou, a collection of their most treasured legends and deeds from all the tribes.

  Stepping Sideways: Entering the spirit world. Most elders consider this term flippant and disrespectful.

  Throat: To best another in ritual combat. Used as a verb (e.g., "I throated his sorry butt!").

  Totem: A spirit joined to a pack or tribe and representative of its inner nature. A tribal totem is an Incarna, while a pack totem is an Incarna avatar (a Jaggling equivalent).

  Triat, The: The Weaver, the Wyld and the Wyrm. The trinity of primal cosmic forces.

  Tribe: The larger community of Garou. Tribe members are often bound by similar totems and lifestyles.

  Umbra: The spirit world.

  Urrah: Garou who live in the city; also, the tainted ones.

  Veil, The: See Delirium.

  Warder: A Garou who is in charge of the martial defense of a caern.

  Ways, The: The traditions of the Garou.

  Weaver, The: Manifestation and symbol of order and pattern. Computers, science, logic and mathematics are examples of the Weaver's influence on the material plane.

  Wyld, The: Manifestation and symbol of pure change. The chaos of transmutation and elemental force.

  Wyrm, The: Manifestation and symbol of evil, entropy and decay in Garou belief. Vampires are often manifestations of the Wyrm, as are toxic waste and pollution.

  Wyrmhole: A place that has been spiritually defiled by the Wyrm; invariably a location of great corruption.

  About the Author

  William Bridges, who is the line developer for White Wolf's Werewolf: The Apocalypse roleplaying game, has written many sourcebooks for White Wolf, including Croatan Song (a Werewolf graphic novel). He is also the co-scriptwriter for Viacom New Media's horror interactive game Dracula Unleashed. He graduated from the Virginia Commonwealth University with a degree in Filmmaking and a minor in Philosophy, and currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia.