Overview

The Sept of the Western Eye are the Gaian representatives of the Garou population. If you are not playing a Black Spiral Dancer or a Forsworn, you should be joining under this Sept and adhering to their rules.

Culture

If you are within the Sept of the Western Eye, you are a Gaia-loving Garou. You are a follower of the Litany to whatever interpretations you may have of the individual tenets. Depending on the views of your character, your fellows within the Sept may be seen as family or simply as convenient allies to work with. But if nothing else, you should strive to feel as if you would fight and die together, for you are all servants of Gaia. Though sometimes, family can argue, and family can fight.

Ranks

Councilor

Veterans of the Garou Nation with the highest esteem, your word within the Sept of the Western Eye is law. Make sure the Litany is upheld, and that your caern does not fall prey to the Wyrm.
This role is for Garou of Athro or above in ranking. They'll be expected to be extremely familiar with the facets and needs of the Sept and Nation as a whole. Expectations will be placed upon them by their peers; this is a leadership role. Be ready to lead and guide those around you with your fellow councilors through any matters.

Truthcatcher

You are the most highly regarded Philodox within the Sept, granted the honor of being the ultimate arbitrator. It is your duty to mediate matters within the Sept. Enact your judgement upon anyone who violates the Litany.
This role is explicitly for Philodox of high rank. It is an adjacent role to Councillor, but one befitting your auspice. You are the judge and executioner, with your Sept as your jury. Ultimately, however, you can even claim the role of jury in all matters of arbitration and justice. Use this authority wisely.

Warder

You are the most respected Ahroun within the Sept of the Western Eye, granted the honor of coordinating the caern's security. The Wyrmfoe and Guardians answer to you.
As stated, you are the highest ranking Ahroun. The Truthcatcher is the judge, jury, executioner, but you are the executioner in all matters that are cut and dry. The Wyrm only needs your judgement, and your decree is its execution. Be mindful of other player's in this role, as while all Kindred and Black Spiral Dancers are of the Wyrm, they are also other players engaging with the round. Be ready to lead your Sept against any dangers decisively, but do not charge blindly into unnecessary conflict.

Keeper

You are a Keeper, finding yourself at the bottom of the Sept's hierarchy doing the dirty work. Help out your fellow kin as best you can and follow orders.
This role is typically reserved for kinfolk and cubs. You are unranked and otherwise lack crucial rights within the Nation. Your authority is extremely limited. Follow orders, do not disobey. Trust in the judgement of those above your station and consult the Truthcatcher or Councilors should you feel your concerns unheard. Think of this as the baseline employee of the Sept.

Guardian

You are the bottom of the Sept's pecking order, but also the frontline offense and defense, serving directly under the Warder to ensure the caern's safety and well-being.
Only slightly misleading, a Guardian is typically a ranked Garou who does not have a specific role within the Sept. You are all warriors of Gaia - in absence of other roles to fill, you will always be a warrior. You may have a higher rank than some of your peers and may benefit from this. However, you will always defer to the Garou holding an official position, as they have been assigned their specific role. Think of this as the baseline enforcers of the Sept: the Hounds, the Bruisers.

Laws

The Litany is the most sacred traditions of all the Tribes

To quote the corebook: "Their traditions vary from tribe to tribe, but all Garou must remember and hold to the central code of law called the Litany." There are technically more precepts and multitudes within the Litany that have been written, but the vast majority of Garou concern themselves with a basic set of thirteen. To see a deeper explanation, do read the full article on the Litany. The thirteen basic precepts are as follows:

Garou Shall Not Mate With Garou

Combat the Wyrm Wherever It Dwells and Whenever It Breeds

Respect the Territory of Another

Accept an Honorable Surrender

Submission to Those of Higher Station

The First Share of the Kill for the Greatest in Station

Ye Shall Not Eat the Flesh of Humans

Respect Those Beneath Ye - All Are of Gaia

The Veil Shall Not Be Lifted

Do Not Suffer Thy People to Tend Thy Sickness

The Leader May Be Challenged at Any Time During Peace

The Leader May Not Be Challenged During Wartime

Ye Shall Take No Action That Causes a Caern to Be Violated

Ways

[To Do]
[Rites]
[Overview of Triat]
(general beliefs, rites, ritae, etc - if a Lot Of Them like garou nation rites, make another page to list them. for sabbat, important to note the vaulderie regardless of anything else for example)

Relations

You are the warriors of Gaia. Combat the Wyrm wherever it dwells and whenever it breeds. However, this leads to a more complicated relation with the rest of the splats - as most splats present on the server can be considered of the Wyrm in some way. Rather than blatantly engaging with combat with everyone else, however, you should seek to take a more reactive role. Kindred, Black Spiral Dancers, they only seek to harm and destroy Gaia. Every word they speak is poison, so be wary of trusting anything they say.

Inevitably, you may come into conflict, however, which is where your role as a warrior of Gaia will shine. Strike whatever has threatened the Sept, but do so without causing the Caern to come under stress or scrutiny. You are not secluded off in a lone forest with spirits and rites to conceal your holy place. You are in the middle of a city and should act in all ways with discretion and absolution.

So, simply be ready for conflict. Especially as a Gaian, every other splat can have reason to cause harm to the Caern or your fellow Garou. Don't let them win.

Members

The relationship between tribes and Septs can be strict or loose, and is the latter when it comes to the Sept of the Western Eye. The only tribe disallowed is one of your greatest enemies: the Black Spiral Dancers. All other tribes unite under the banner of the Sept of the Western Eye if they are not Forsworn, or Ronin as they may be called. Canonically, the Sept of the Western Eye is overseen by the Children of Gaia (and to a lesser extent, the Ghost Council). In practice, however, leadership and other positions are filled as necessary regardless of the origin tribe of the players. This can cause some tension, of course, given the preference some tribes have for Caerns located far from the cities, but Gaians seeking to operate within the Sept have to make due with what circumstances have provided for them.

History

Garou history is extensive and each tribe book easily covers thirty or more pages of history just relevant to each tribe, over a hundred for various cultural practices. These will be appropriately covered on their separate pages, but some relevant lore to the Sept of the Western Eye and Garou history in general will be provided here.

The Sept of the Western Eye and the Caern they protect was created long before the colonial era by the Ghost Council. Close to a century ago, however, the Ghost Council invited the Children of Gaia to watch over the Caern and maintain relations with the nearby humans so that they could focus on affairs in the local Umbra. Currently, this has extended to the Children allowing Garou of any tribe to petition the Sept for membership.