能否做到？

　传奇灵具在这些日子里似乎不常发生。被发现的古老传奇灵具一般要多得多，而非新造的。有没有可能发生了什么变化，如今能让传奇灵具被创造的精魂连接最终被切断了？

　这很可能。这是你的游戏，而有诸多原因能不可避免地让传奇灵具在如今已成过去。也许险棘最终变厚到某个程度，令影界和物质界的联系是如此微弱，以至它们根本无法发生；也许问题能追溯到更早——实际上所有传奇灵具都发生在世界的原初之日，那时灵肉是一体的。

　然而官设里，传奇灵具能且仍可能在现代被创造。当然，创造于现代的，在本就稀少的已存传奇灵具中，仍只占很小比例。这是能预料的，因为古代的时间远比现代长得多。因为它们绝大多数不再自行创造，其被创造的速度也变慢了。狼人和化兽数量的减少也意味着它们的类似减少。但它们仍能被造出，且许多狼人仍拼命造出一个，他们认为这是寻找赢得战争的武器。

Power Embodied

　Then blacksmiths were summoned to forge weapons. For Liu Bei they made a pair of ancient swords; for Guan Yu they fashioned a long-handled, curved blade called Green-Dragon Saber, which weighed a full one hundred twenty pounds; and for Zhang Fei they created a ten-foot spear called Serpent Halberd.

　— Romance of the Three Kingdoms




What are Legendary Fetishes?

　Many young Garou make the mistake of thinking that legendary fetishes are purely a line drawn in the sand by the elders. This grand klaive is a very impressive fetish, but not quite powerful enough to be legendary, while that one over there edges over the line. The underlying assumption is what separates normal fetishes from legendary fetishes is simple power. They're still essentially the same type of thing, after all.

　These young Garou are very, very mistaken. Garou elders don't classify fetishes as legendary, they recognize legendary fetishes for what they are. Fetishes made by Garou in the "normal" ways all adhere by some basic rules. Each one is an object bound with a spirit that does one specific thing. Each is created by an individual (Garou or Fera) that designs and works upon the fetish. While a fetish may rebel and become cursed, it generally obeys the commands of the person who owns and is attuned to it.

　By contrast, there are no consistent laws or preconceptions that apply evenly to any two different legendary fetishes. One will be made by design, but the next just seems to happen more or less by accident. The first will do a single thing, but the next has an array of well-defined tricks built into it, and the one after that just seems to do whatever the hell it likes. Most are still the products of a spirit joining with an object, but in a few cases the spirit simply decides to become an object. And while one will be mute and obedient as a klaive, the second will demonstrate a clear personality and act more as a partner to its "owner" than a tool.

　In short, legendary fetishes are the cases that the Garou (or Fera) cannot solve. They are what happens when the standard logic of fetishes breaks down and becomes something other. They are things that could shape the destiny of the entire Garou Nation, if not the Apocalypse. They are not to be used lightly.



Making Legendary Fetishes

　No one has a blueprint for a legendary fetish. There's no set routine that one can follow. While a character could decide that they want to make a legendary fetish, it's much like waking up one morning and deciding you'd like to win the lottery. It's not that you can't take productive steps toward the goal (buying a lottery ticket is a good start), but even with those steps there's not a lot of real progress made. One old werewolf adage states that: "The little fetishes are made by Garou using spirits. The great fetishes are made by spirits using Garou." There is much truth to this - while Garou often forge and craft the materials that make a legendary fetish, the process only seems to happen when the spirit involved decides that it should. When such powerful artifacts are made, there's always a story behind them and normally the story would be the sort told throughout the ages even if no fetish was involved at all. In fact, if there's any common thread to the creation of legendary fetishes, it is that they happen in the middle of great or terrible times.

　The actual spirit involved isn't crucial to the power or status of a legendary fetish. While most do seem to have the hands of Incarnae or even Celestines upon them, a few have nothing more than Jagglings or even Gafflings within them. This is the sort of conundrum that gives Theurges headaches, but most theorize that either the spirit metamorphoses into a more powerful spirit in the act of joining with the object, or that a much more powerful spirit is somehow lending assistance to the smaller empowering spirit. Both are possible, and it may be that both are true in different cases.

　The following are five acknowledged ways that one can make a legendary fetish, or rather, that legendary fetishes come into being.


Created by a Master Craftsman

　Garou myth often features many legendary fetishes created by craftsman so amazing that they were able to devise and forge objects no other man could match, and whose renown among the Garou and the spirits was so peerless that even the Celestines dearly wished to be made grander by his attentions. These are the sorts of legendary fetishes closest to "normal" fetishes, although their final form can be entirely different. They are, however, made in much the same way as most fetishes, designed and forged by a Garou who had the idea in the first place.

　The main problem with trying to make a legendary fetish this way is in becoming a craftsman so grand that your efforts make the gods sit up and pay attention. Unless you can cause Luna, the Ever-Changing Moon herself, to blush from the flattery of being asked to be part of the fetish you're making, then you won't be making any legendary fetishes this way. Frankly, nothing less will cut it.

　In game terms, a master craftsman of this magnitude is going to have at the very least Charisma or Subterfuge 5, and whichever isn't 5 should be at least 3. She should optimally also have Dexterity 5, Wits 5, Crafts 5, Enigmas 5, Etiquette 5, Expression 5, and Primal-Urge 5. Some knowledge may be needed depending upon what she is crafting, such as Melee 5 for swords and other hand to hand weapons, Firearms 5 for guns, Performance 5 for musical instruments, etc. Many will have Pure Breed and Ancestors, as well. The spiritual aspect must also not be neglected, she should know the Rite of Cleansing, Rite of Contrition, Rite of Binding, Rite of Talisman Dedication, Rite of Becoming, Rite of Spirit Awakening, Rite of Summoning, Rite of the Fetish, and probably a few more. (The Rite of the Opened Caern and The Badger's Burrow couldn't hurt.) The Gifts of Spirit Speech, Command Spirit, Pulse of the Invisible and Malleable Spirit are all ones a master craftsman would know. She should also have at least 5 Rage, 8 Gnosis, and 10 Willpower. Finally, she must be at least Rank 5, and have 10 Permanent Honor and Wisdom.

　Having these statistics is enough to "get your foot in the door," so to speak. After this, you need to create a work of art, or a weapon, or something else of such amazing splendor that Celestines take notice. Storytellers are free to adjudicate exactly how this is defined, but 80 successes on an extended Wits + Crafts roll (difficulty 9) with each roll representing a day, a week or even a month isn't unfair. After all this has been done, you can attempt to make a legendary fetish. The Storyteller should play this entirely by ear.


Create Themselves

　At the other end of the spectrum, some legendary fetishes just seem to happen. A common theme with these is weapons either held by or against Garou in dire circumstances. Facing desperate odds, the brave hero swings his blade in a futile gesture... and then watches in stunned amazement as his sword calls down lightning from the sky to smite his foes.

　On the other hand, there have been a hell of a lot more Garou heroes who've had their arms ripped off making desperate futile swings, and then been beaten to death with them shortly thereafter. Legendary fetishes that self-create in this manner are rare in the extreme, the will of a spirit that decided to intervene in a most spectacular way, forcing itself into an object and creating a fetish purely of its own volition. In short, Garou shouldn't rely on this method for finding legendary fetishes any more than they should rely on lucky meteor strikes to coincidentally annihilate their foes.

　Needless to say, any legendary fetishes introduced in this manner are entirely under the control of the Storyteller.


Created in an Epic Quest

　In a lot of ways, the epic quest is a somewhat similar legendary creation myth to the master craftsman myth. In both cases, what makes the legend is the attention of the most powerful of spirits. In the case of the epic quest, however, the attention can be placed upon even the most unlikely of heroes, and Garou love myths about wolves barely more than cubs being driven to desperate and great acts.

　Generally epic quests aren't about creating the fetish. Instead, they begin as a response to a crisis that forces the pack away from their sept, whereupon they travel further and deeper into the unknown and darkness. During this crisis, the existence of the fetish, or the idea of the fetish, becomes known. What begins as merely an escape or a reaction to a crisis becomes a search for a (perhaps literal) Holy Grail, with the pack seeking out gold from Helios, silver from Luna and wisdom from the spirits themselves.

　An alternate myth along similar lines sees the protagonists as "pretenders to the master craftsman." Here, they genuinely do have the vision of a legendary fetish, but lack the skill to make it themselves. As they set out to try and gather the pieces of this fetish, they are "adopted" (usually unwillingly) by an outside force that tries to lead them upon their quest to create the legendary fetish. This spirit invariably has a strong trickster aspect and alternately leads the pack forward in their goal and then horribly awry. The pack in turn sometimes rejects, sometimes follows the spirit and tries to find the parts of the legendary fetish. Inevitably, one aspect of the fetish lies outside their grasp and coming to grips with something about their own identity, or discovering the true nature of the spirit helping them, is the only way to gain the final clue. Quite often, even with this clue, a final surprise lies in the legendary fetish itself.


Products of Madness or Genius

　One of the more disturbing legends is the type in which a legendary fetish is created by a self-approved "genius," or as more commonly considered, a madman. These sorts of legendary fetishes are often viewed as the purview of the Wyrm, largely because of the insane quality of even regular Black Spiral fetishes, but the Weaver's insanity can easily taint minds with greatness, and the Wyld's constant metamorphosis can unhinge as well. The disorder doesn't even have to be related to the Triat - there are tales of creators unbalanced by an excess of Rage or Gnosis, driven to complete the strange visions they receive in their dreams. In all cases, something breaks and the resulting madness leads the creator to produce a legendary fetish, most often after a long period of solitude.

　The most commonly accepted understanding of this myth is that the "madness" is in fact the result of being possessed or somehow guided by a spirit. In this way these legendary fetishes are in fact very similar to those that simply "happen." The only difference is that instead of a spirit imbuing itself into an object, here a Garou is employed as a tool for creating the legendary fetish. It is perhaps this quality above all others that tends to turn these legends into horror stories - Garou don't always like being reminded that all fetishes involve turning life into a tool for their usage, and rarer still do they enjoy the idea of the tables being turned.


Fulfillment of Prophecy

　Finally, there are many prophecies among the various tribes and septs of great weapons that will be created during the days before the Apocalypse. Most of these have a strong celestial or environmental aspect, with many criteria placed upon where, when, and how this legendary fetish will be created. A good example exists among an English Fianna sept that continues to hold that: "Facing the darkest of days, the hero stands in the chill winds encircled by rock. He gazes heaven-ward to observe Luna's fullest glory and the sole eye of Mitanu, Nerigal, Zarok and Lu-Bat. With three sigils held above and four verses held within, the hero takes a sword for the Wyrm's heart from the hands of Rorg and Eshtarra."

　In many ways, this myth resembles that of the epic quest. Here, however, it is not the efforts of the pack or Garou that produces the fetish but rather the forces at work around them. They are but conduits for the incredible forces of nature, Gaia and the spirits. Despite the widespread nature of such prophecies, this is not a sure-fire way to be responsible for the creation of a legendary fetish. They tend to attract many different packs with similar ambitions, so a lot of competition for the honor occurs. These prophecies tend to be wildly interpretive and vague, So it can be hard to get right, and you almost always only get one go at it. Finally, a disturbing number of them are simply false and have no power behind them beyond the words themselves.







Using Legendary Fetishes in Chronicles

　Legendary fetishes are a great story hook, especially in a last of the Garou, final days sort of chronicle where the Apocalypse breathes down the characters necks. Legendary fetishes should always feel crucially important. While they won't decide the path of the Apocalypse (well, most won't), they are all of far too much use and danger to leave in the hands of the enemy, and taking the chance to acquire one is always the proper course of action. Regardless of the odds, legendary fetishes are important enough that lives are worth risking for them.

　Introducing a legendary fetish into your chronicle should escalate the stakes for everyone in your chronicle, for both the forces of Gaia and of the Wyrm. They should never be " just another fetish," a particularly nifty bit of loot, but instead should turn heads simply by their surfacing or changing hands. When the players' pack recovers the Sword of the Sun from its tomb in Egypt, the game does not continue as before. Instead, the vampires that the players have been opposing launch a massive raid upon their sept using their human bloodslaves, because the vampires are afraid. From that moment on, the game should achieve a fever pitch and if the players decide to hold onto the Sword, then they'll bear the brunt of most of the vampires' attentions. Give the enemy a sense of desperation, and the players will see just how important the blade in their hands is far more dramatically than just telling them about it. And, if the vampires capture the Sword, the players will be just as desperate as their enemies once were.



What is the Legendary Fetish?

　First question for any chronicle including a legendary fetish: What is it? Has it been created yet, or is it waiting to be made? If it hasn't been created yet, will the players be creating it or will that task fall to someone else? (Games where the player characters create legendary fetishes have a whole set of difficulties all their own; more on that later.) What powers does the legendary fetish have, and whom will it particularly affect? Since the introduction of a relic of this power will clearly shape the chronicle, the nature of its powers is a vital element. For instance, it's unadvisable to introduce a legendary fetish with great power against undead unless you have a great enthusiasm for hurling vampires, revenants, ghosts and the like against the players and their sept.

　Other worthwhile questions to ask here include: Who will want it? Who will be affected by it, and is there any particular reason why it will adversely affect one group no matter who holds it? Does the legend that surrounds it have great religious or ideological interest to a specific group? Is there anyone who might want it destroyed? Can it be destroyed? There's already a great deal of political interaction in a good Werewolf chronicle, and you can bet that the introduction of a fetish of this power level will throw the politicking into overdrive.



When will the Legendary Fetish Be Introduced?

　Though it's an obvious point, there are three parts of a story in which you can introduce a legendary fetish: At the beginning, at the end, or somewhere in the middle. Where you place the introduction of the legendary fetish will affect the form of the story and the role of the legendary fetish within that story.


At the End

　Probably the most obvious place to put a legendary fetish is at or toward the end of a story. This lends itself to a number of story structures. One of the most obvious is the classic race against others. (For example, the players' pack and a pack of Black Spirals both discover the existence of a legendary fetish and each begins a desperate search for clues and, of course, the fetish. See The Silver Crown for just such a story.) Equally appropriate is the race against time. (For example: a massive force besieges the players' sept, and unless something is done to tip the balance it will fall within a week. One of the players learns that stories place a legendary fetish tied to either the caern or the besieging force somewhere in the area....) Another obvious choice for a story placing the fetish at the end is the creation story, wherein the characters are attempting to make their name in history by creating a legendary fetish.

　In all these cases, the primary point of the chronicle isn't the about what this legendary fetish can do. Rather, it's about the existence of a legendary fetish in the first place. The legendary fetish becomes a McGuffin - everyone wants it, but no one cares what it is. Since the chronicle ends with the fetish being found (apart from, perhaps, a denouement with the legendary fetish being used to kick ass and liberate the sept) the actual properties the legendary fetish can wind up being mostly irrelevant. You don't have to spend too long crafting the actual legendary fetish itself, just create an evocative myth that engages your players' curiosity. In such a story, the McGuffin usually winds up exiting the scene by the end of the story anyway - its powers are spent, it's lost or confiscated, or the like. The Indiana Jones movies, specifically Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, are perfect examples of these stories. The heroes spend most of their time chasing the plot-significant artifact, which is found or used for the first time towards the end of the story, but at the end of it all the heroes aren't lugging around the McGuffin as part of their inventory - it's been lost again, potentially forever.

　Instead, spend all that time on the other details. If you're making that race against a Black Spiral pack, then spend most of your time on the Black Spirals. Make the antagonists memorable and interesting, because your players will do the work on making the legendary fetish interesting for you. (Just give them enough hints to start wondering exactly what it is and what it will be able to do. Let them speculate.) Likewise, get the plot as neat and complex as possible. Again, look at the example of Raiders of the Lost Ark. The best part of the film isn't when the Ark of the Covenant (inspiration for a legendary fetish if ever there was any) is stuck in one place waiting to be found, but at the end, with the Ark being shuffled about on trucks and transported everywhere. Give your story the same twists and turns, and keep your players guessing.

　And while you have videos out, watch Jaws as well, and observe the way the film builds tension at the start. The shark is half seen, never revealed, but endlessly talked about. Do the same with your legendary fetishes. Build the tension and suspense. If you’re going to put the legendary fetish at the end, then take advantage of the long time you'll have to whet your players anticipation of it.


At the Beginning

　At the other extreme, putting a legendary fetish at the beginning of a story reverses most of those factors. What the legendary fetish does becomes highly important and can, in fact, be used as the basis of an entire chronicle. How does the surfacing of this legendary fetish change the world of the story? Who benefits? Who loses? Does it help the Garou (or Fera), or do the overall effects end up harming them? Placing a legendary fetish at the start of your story lets you examine the social function of fetishes taken to the extreme. Greed, hatred, and infighting can run rampant, and the escalating effects of legendary fetishes upon the Apocalypse War can be seen to their full extent.

　For example: The Sept of Hallowed Oaks loses the player character's pack while under siege. Unable to return because of the Wyrm forces surrounding the sept, the pack ventures toward the nearest sept to try and find a moon bridge back and during the journey is diverted. In this chance engagement, they recover the legendary sword "Lightning's Arm" and use it to destroy the Wyrm's forces besieging the sept. They are proclaimed as heroes. And in so doing, they make an enemy of the sept's war leader, who feels they stomped over what would have been a glorious triumph for him. The word of the Arm spreads and the Wyrm's forces now make the sept' s destructions priority. A sept elder makes things worse by claiming the Litany gives him rightful ownership of it, and the jealous war leader takes his side. Slowly, bit by bit, the sept begins to crumble.... all because of the Arm being there. Is protecting the Arm really worth this?

　This example only cites the "normal" consequences a grand fetish might have. Don't be afraid to offer more supernatural crises as well. What happens when a legendary fetish becomes cursed? Would some members of the sept have reason to fear the legendary fetish's effects? Why?

　The main problem with placing a legendary fetish at the beginning of a story is that you quickly lose any mystery the fetish might have, and you don't have much time to build the legend up, either. As such, spend your time in on the legendary fetish itself. Resist the urge to tell the players exactly what the legendary fetish is as they find it it's cheesy, and doesn't grant it any appropriate respect. Instead, present it as simply another fetish (unless, of course, one of the characters has good reason to recognize it), and let the reactions of those who see it (as well as the damage it wreaks upon the characters enemies) speak for its reputation. You can explain the details to your players later. Alternatively, consider letting someone else find it. Occasionally, packs other than your players can do good things as well, and you'll have plenty of time to let your players take the spotlight later. You may also want to give yourself a little bit of time (a few game sessions or so) before introducing the legendary fetish to set up what the sept is like under "normal" circumstances before you pull the rug out from underneath it.


At the Turn of the Tide

　Finally, there is the option to place the legendary fetish in the middle of the story. It is important to note that if you do this, then you aren't going to be creating a race against time scenario. If the story you've created for the chronicle is about finding the incredible legendary fetish before it's too late, then finding the fetish effectively ends the story. The goal is achieved, and anything thereafter is denouement. However, it is possible to set up a story in which finding the fetish represents a turn in the story rather than its end. The main difference is in the enemy's response.

　If finding the legendary fetish ends the story, then the enemy is beaten. The power of the fetish is so great that none can stand against it. And this isn't a bad way to run a story at all - by confirming the weapon as the be-all and end-all of the story, you can grant the chronicle an incredible tension because there are no second chances. If they find it first, it's over.

　By contrast, allowing the enemy to stand a chance against a legendary fetish undermines its power somewhat. It isn't a world-conquering weapon (and frankly, such things would be out of place in the bleak struggle of Werewolf). However, this option allows you to create a legendary fetish within the context of an ongoing war in which people die, battles are won and lost, and the worth of a legendary fetish can be seen in both its powers and limits.

　One potential way in which this can be achieved is a two-pronged attack by the forces of the Wyrm. As the pack is armed with the Knotted Thread (see below) the forces of the Wyrm are falling repeatedly in direct battles. They simply can't stand up to the might of this legendary fetish. But then, as they fall away in direct battles, they begin to employ new strategies to start winning back ground. Assassination attempts begin on the pack, particularly whoever holds the legendary fetish. Pentex comes to the fore, not with First Teams, but with teams of lawyers repossessing the houses of Kinfolk, claiming ownership of the land on which the sept sits. The Wyrm begins trying to possess members of their enemy with Banes, and using them to attack the sept from within. Encourage the players to come up with strategies to nullify the enemy again and again, then assert a new offensive. Make the players sweat a little - - do these guys ever quit?

　Another way you can create a "turn of the tide" scenario is to in fact give the enemies a legendary fetish, either counterbalanced by the heroes' own relic, or the only legendary fetish in the chronicle. Black Spiral Dancers definitely have their own legends, dark though they may be. The Gaian Garou begin on the defensive, being forced back. The players now get to play out the reverse of the above scenario - desperately trying to find ways to neutralize the power of the enemy's weapon. Perhaps they are able to recover a legendary fetish of equal power. Perhaps they can find a way to capture or destroy the enemy's great weapon. The war approaches stalemate and the battle becomes about trying to find a hole in the other's defenses.

　The greatest trap this sort of chronicle faces is the "Saturday Morning Cartoon" syndrome. The fights shouldn't look like losing battles until the players fall back and call upon the mighty power of the legendary fetish, episode after episode. Make the legendary fetish a constant - it's a fact of the battle, and every maneuver has to account for it somehow. Ironically, by placing the legendary fetish in the middle of a chronicle, you place the focus away from the fetish. The story is about the events surrounding the finding of the legendary fetish, and about the personalities using it.

Source: Hammer & Klaive (WW3813), Page 111-117

The Knotted Thread

　The Legend: The Moirae was the correct name of the Fates, the three goddesses who controlled the lives of everyone within every world. Even the other gods and goddesses were not spared - as Clotho spun the threads of their life, Lachesis judged the length of every thread and every life, and Atropos cut the thread free to push the soul and life of every individual into the grip of death.

　According to the Legend of the Knotted Thread, one woman, a maiden Black Fury Ragabash named laneira found the Moirae, and she watched and trembled as Atropos cast aside every thread. But laneira, brave and irreverent, gathered to herself every thread and tied a knot between each one, creating a rope made of the threads of every person's soul. When the rope grew too long to hold, she knotted the threads further to shorten it, until it was nothing but knots, over and over. No one would ever again know how many threads made up the rope before she was discovered, and Atropos held a length of thread before her eyes. Ianeira, according to the Black Furies, wept with fear over the rope she had created, but stood bravely. Atropos cut the thread, and laneira died. But the Moirae could not touch the rope again because her tears were on it, and so they instead placed it far from them, where none would possess it.

　And yet it has been possessed throughout the ages, sometimes by the Black Furies, sometimes by Garou of another tribe, and sometimes by the Wyrm. It now resides on an unnamed island near Greece, one that exists only in the Umbra. It is not lost, but none can touch it for a war exists eternally around the island. Five of Pegasus's greatest servants stomp and bite at a Wyrm monster made of five headless bodies, each with one sense and their hands joined together so that all may see, hear, touch, taste and smell. As each strikes at the other should they get too close to the island, so does a great spider watch both, to see if it can sneak to the Knotted Thread in their war. Any who venture too close are destroyed by one of the three forces.

　The Fetish: As described, the Knotted Thread is a rope knotted in upon itself. Anyone who holds it holds the severed fate of millions who have lived and passed on, and may command them fittingly. By untying one knot, whoever holds the fetish may unleash the spirits of an unknown number of dead souls upon their opponents. After activation, the user immediately spends one point of Gnosis (in addition to any spent activating the fetish) and rolls 8 dice at difficulty 7. For every success, a dead soul is summoned and does a number of unsoakable aggravated health levels of damage equal to the number of successes rolled to one opponent. (So if five successes are rolled, five opponents suffer five health levels of damage.) After this, another point of Gnosis is expended and all dice that succeeded are rolled again, difficulty 7. The same effect then occurs, after which the dice that succeeded on that roll are rerolled and another Gnosis point expended, and so on until no dice succeed. The user may not choose to end the effect and stop spending Gnosis. Like Pandora's Box, once opened it may not be controlled.

　If at any point a botch is rolled, then all the dice rolled in the botch are considered successes and do their damage, but do so entirely randomly to both opponents and friends alike. Worse still, this does not end and all dice are then rerolled as if they had been successes, and all rolls following this will attack randomly too.

　Story Hooks: The Knotted Thread is unique in that all who know of its legend know where it is, yet none can touch it. Were two sides in the Island War united, the battle would end immediately, the third side destroyed. In the confusion that followed, the Knotted Thread could perhaps be seized. But of the three, the Spider is the most deceptive and clever. Would, in the desperation to bring such a weapon to Gaia's side, any of Her warriors be willing to try and make an alliance between the Wyrm and Wyld?

Source: Hammer & Klaive (WW3813), Page 119-120

Chalice of Renewal

Version I:

　This ancient golden cup shines with the glow of the sun. It is said to have once contained the tears Gaia wept for Her children, the dead young cubs who were raised again by Her to become the Children of Gaia. For one night only, once every third new moon, the cup is mysteriously filled with salty water. Any who drink a draught of this water are instantly cured of any physical wounds or diseases. This is a minor power compared with the true purpose of the chalice. The drinker will also experience a delirious night where she is gifted with a vision from Gaia Herself.

　This vision can take any form, and the Storyteller is encouraged to add details of the character's life to the visions, but the following traits always appear in a vision of renewal: a sense of overwhelming loss, as if the drinker was a mother looking upon her dead children; a sense of renewed hope as the sun dawns in the east and spreads warmth to the world; and a sense of joyous victory as life returns to the world, as if the drinker herself caused the life to grow by will alone. These are the experiences of Gaia from long ago.

　The drinker will awaken from his delirium upon the dawn and will possess one point of True Faith in Gaia. The character will be able to call upon this Faith to turn vampires (see Vampire: The Masquerade) and may sometimes be granted miracles. The Vampire supplement Hunters Hunted has details on using True Faith. Gaia’s miracles will all be nature oriented.

Source: Rage Across the Amazon (WW3104), Page 100

Version II:
Gnosis 8

　This mystic chalice of gold appeared to Garret Faithful and his warriors as they sat at meat before going to the Amazon. It is known to have appeared from time to time throughout the Children's legends. Some say it held Mother Gaia's tears when she wept for her children, the five slain Garou pups who founded the tribe. Others claim that it was the cup sought by Arthur's knights. Its powers are certain. Only one such chalice has ever existed.

　One new moon in three, the chalice fills with seawater. Anyone who drinks this primeval saltwater falls into a deep sleep wherein they have a vision of Gaia.

　This vision is different each time but always contains the sorrow of a mother for her fallen children and the renewal of life with the morning. These are the memories of Gaia, but also relate to the dreamer's own life and work.

Source: Tribebook: Children of Gaia (Revised) (WW3853), Page 80

Earth Rattle
Level 8, Gnosis 7

　This turtle shell rattle appears as nothing more than a Native American artifact - but looks are deceiving. It is in fact one of the few remaining items of power belonging to the Croatan tribe. The mere shaking of the rattle (along with a successful activation roll) is enough to cause massive earth-quakes over the entire region, leveling buildings and swallowing whole streets. The number of successes gained on the activation roll determines the mileage of the quake (1-mile radius per success). Obviously, the quake will cause damage inestimable in simple dice roll terms. This rattle has not been shaken since the death of the Croatan. It is said that the rattle temporarily awakens the Turtle, totem of the Croatan, on whose back the very Earth is said to rest.

Source: Storytellers Handbook 1st Edition (WW3205), Page 123

Elder Stone
Level 7, Gnosis 8

　This small rock is said to be a chip from the ancient stone at Table Rock, the mythical site where the Garou came together ages ago to form the Litany. It has powers to enforce the rulings made there, and any bearing it will be given voice in any moot. When activated, the bearer can roll Charisma + Leadership (difficulty 6) to give any command and have it obeyed by any Garou who hears it – even Black Spiral Dancers. Victims can make a resisted Willpower roll at difficulty 6. The command cannot cause a Garou to violate the Litany, however. The rock also gives + 2 to the bearer's soak Dice Pool - even against silver or radiation.

Source: Storytellers Handbook 1st Edition (WW3205), Page 122-123

Mammoth's Bone
Level 7, Gnosis 8

　This powerful Croatan artifact contains a bone sliver from Mammoth. It passed from Croatan hands into the guardianship of the Uktena just before the tribe sacrificed itself.

　If the fetish is buried in the ground and activated it will purify the land around it from all Wyrm-taint, restoring that land (roughly the area of a small mountaintop) to its original Wyld state. lf the site is a caern, the caern is strengthened by one level (level four caerns become level five, etc.). This process, however, will also set free any creatures who have been bound to that spot, whether they are Banes, wraiths whose Fetters link them to the site, vampires in torpor, or imprisoned spirits from the infernal realms. Once free, these creatures may not remain within the area protected by Mammoth's Bone.

　Once it is buried, the fetish may be retrieved and used again in another place. If this is done, however, the purified land is once again susceptible to Wyrm-taint or infestation by other malign spirits and creatures and loses the extra caern level. Thus, it can be used for the temporary cleansing of a particularly befouled region. So long as it remains in the ground, the land around it is virtually impregnable against assaults by creatures of the Wyrm, Banality or Oblivion.

　The few Theurges who have heard rumors of this fetish believe that it is meant to be used to create an island of safety and succor during the time of the Apocalypse, ensuring that the Garou will have at least one place in which they can replenish their Gnosis and regroup during that cataclysmic time. No one has yet determined just where that place should be, although there are strong indications that, since the fetish was introduced into the Appalachians, those ancient mountains might serve as the last bastion of the Garou against the armies of the Wyrm.

　However, the fetish is presently cursed. The spiritual horror of the death of Moriah and her children (see "Carolina Moon") has tainted it. One complete moon phase after the fetish has come into the possession of a Garou, the werewolf will become haunted by terrible nightmares of burning children until the fetish is returned to Moriah.

　System: The fetish needs to be activated by someone. A failure means that the fetish cannot be activated again for another season. A botch means that the site at which the fetish is buried can never be purified by the fetish.

Source: Rage Across Appalachia (WW3107), Page 131

The Horn of the Stag
Gnosis 7

　This fetish carved from the antler of the now-extinct great Irish deer is a prized item which hangs beside the throne of the Ard Righ. In times of great peril, the King blows it to summon the tribe. The moment the horn is sounded, a ghostly white stag appears before the scattered tribemembers, wherever they are in the world (and the Umbra as well). So summoned, by moonbridge and moon path the tribe assembles at Tara. Created after the First Battle of Tara, the horn has been winded only a handful of times, such as when the Ard Righ dies and a new one is chosen.

Source: Werewolf: The Dark Ages (WW3800), Page 38

Fogg’s 9mm
Gnosis 8

　More than any other weapon, Glass Walkers love to turn pistols into fetishes. Numerous variations on the fetish pistol exist, however one of the most famous of these is Fogg's 9mm. According to legend, Chicago detective Jackson Fogg made it his life's work to bring Gianluigi Lucci down, and finally found him on an abandoned waterfront with his pack around him. Lucci taunted him for nearly an hour before Fogg suddenly shot, and Lucci gasped as the sheer accuracy and force of the blow from the handgun caught him completely off guard, and he nearly died. His pack tore the policeman apart, but his bravery had attracted a Wind Spirit that bound itself into the gun, explaining the bullet's profound speed and accuracy, Lucci used the gun himself until the day he died.

　Any bullet fired from this unique fetish does aggravated damage, and all Firearms rolls made using the gun are at -3 difficulty. Furthermore, for every turn spent immobile, without changing the gun's aim, it adds two additional dice of damage. A maximum of twenty dice of damage can be added in this way.

Source: Tribebook: Glass Walker (Revised) (WW3856), Page 85

The Babel Center

　The Legend: In 53 BCE, Oppius Memmius Gala went mad. A Garou in Ancient Rome belonging to the tribe that would eventually become the Glass Walkers, he one day began babbling incoherently, and nothing seemed to cure him. He was about to be killed by his tribemates when he stepped sideways into the Umbra and vanished. It is highly speculated that he had somehow contacted the Machine, which is both what drove him mad and what led him to an act of creation so profound and colossal that when he emerged and led his pack to what he had made, they killed him anyway, for fear he might make another.

　What he created was a spirit in the shape of a tower, built of steel and glass. Before he died, Oppius Memmius Gala prophesied “In a wrong year, our own tools will turn against us and the Tower will find its mate.” A few Glass Walker Theurges have suggested that 2000 is the “wrong year” - incorrectly considered the beginning of the millennium, and also the year of the Y2K bug, which these same Theurges suggest could be the tools turning against mankind. It's a stretch, but what scares Glass Walker Galliards is that this is the first stretch ever suggested - in over two millennia, not one declaration that Gala's prophecy had come true was made. And that absence is what has many of the tribe taking the stretch seriously.

　So if it's true, then what does “finding its mate” entail? Opinion here is more divided, but more than a few Theurges have come to the correct conclusion - The steel and glass tower has bound itself into a skyscraper somewhere in the world. The unfortunate thing is that no one knows which. The Babel Center could be any skyscraper in any city of the world. It's currently lying dormant, and there's a project on the Glass Walkers computer network attempting to try and find it. Needless to say, so far no one has.

　The Fetish: To date, no Garou actually knows what the Babel Center does. However, the truth is that the Center acts as an Umbral lightning rod, switchboard, and junction point. When activated, anyone in the Babel Center with Gnosis begins to experience various senses of being at different points in the Umbra, from the Penumbra to the Realms to the Dark Umbra. One Garou will step into a boardroom and see images of the restless ghosts, a second will hear conversations on the other side of planet, and a third will feel the Atrocity Realm on his skin. For particularly disturbing encounters, the Storyteller may ask for a Willpower roll to avoid temporary bouts of insanity - The combination of the Babel Center's razor sharp vividness and the sensory clashes that result can be harrowing.

　In addition, stepping through some doors sends the visitor into unusual locations, which can be anywhere in the Umbra at all. There is no clear sense about which doors go where, and which are just doors into other rooms in the skyscraper.

　And finally, the Babel Center has no particular security against the Umbra. Once activated, spirits can get in, as well. And since they can get in from anywhere in the Umbra, there can be literally any type of spirit. For the most part, they do not enter – The Babel Center scares them. But occasionally, one will enter the Center for some reason.

　Yet despite these problems, the Babel Center is also the most incredible intelligence post in the world, if you can work it out. There is a way to know where every signal is, and where every door goes. It's not a logical comprehension, nor even an instinctual one.

　Finding a door to a location is done in the same way, with a Perception + Enigmas roll at the same difficulties.

　Story Hooks: Using the Babel Center as a setting for a modern day ghost story chronicle is a natural. If you choose to make the skyscraper the Babel Center spirit has attached itself to an abandoned office block in the bad part of town, then you can easily play with the idea of a large, nasty Bane finding its way into the Center as the characters explore it. (If you're particularly vicious, then you could as easily choose to have the Center activate the moment someone activates any fetish.)

　However, other opportunities exist as well. Setting the Babel Center as a prosperous, active building sets up all sorts of monkey wrenches into the act of using it. (Remember, those without Gnosis are unaffected by the Babel Center, so normal humans won't notice anything.) It wouldn't be hard to set up a game of intrigue and global war in the Babel Center, with the players' pack feeding intelligence on crucial situations worldwide with the legendary fetish. Or, for some serious fun, combine the ghost story and the spy game into one, and go nuts with the themes of both.

Source: Hammer & Klaive (WW3813), Page 118-119

Hammer of Plagues

　The Legend: One of the greatest weapon smiths the Garou have ever known, Sava Claws-of-Lightning created the Hammer of Plagues for a great leader of the Shadow Lords in times unrecorded. He created the hammer from lead brought up from deep within the Earth, bound it with twenty-seven spirits of kinds unknown, and then forged it within a bolt of lightning while standing astride the peak of a mountain.

　Thus armed with this weapon, the Shadow Lord elder was feared more than ever before. The Hammer of Plagues, it was known, did not merely touch those whom it struck, but any the victim of its blows would ever care for. Centuries later, the family line of the Hammer's original victim would still be shunned, for they were cursed and unclean.

　Supposedly, only the Shadow Lord and his line were ever allowed to touch the Hammer, with grave consequences for the whole world if this was violated. This part of the legend has been disregarded many a time in the millennia following its creation, however, and is now regarded as a false addition to the myth. Certainly, many Shadow Lords hope so.

　The Fetish: The Hammer of Plagues is a massive warhammer that the Get of Fenris would be proud to call their own. However, its design is utterly Shadow Lord: impassive gray lead carved with grandiose images of two Storm Crows upon each side of the hammer and a set of glyphs upon the shaft of the handle. It is dull in hue but highly threatening, intended to send a grim warning into the heart of anyone who should see it. The Hammer of Plagues performs this task very well indeed.

　When activated (at difficulty 8), anyone struck by the Hammer must make a Gnosis roll (difficulty 7) or suffer the effects of the curse the Hammer conveys. Those who do not have Gnosis have no way of resisting the curse. Within a week of being struck, the victim begins to bleed from the ears, nose and anus, blisters begin to grow upon the victim's feet and hands, boils erupt elsewhere, and random piercing pains push through the victim's stomach. From then onwards, the afflicted victim loses one health level that can never be regained unless the curse is lifted. There is no way known to lift the curse, and it has never been lifted once in history.

　What particularly horrifies most who know the legend is that anyone afflicted by the Hammer passes on the plague with only a touch. (Those touched receive the same Gnosis roll to resist as the originally afflicted.) As such, relationships with family break down, the afflicted becomes a social pariah, and the plague can descend down through generations of a family unchecked.

　The Hammer of Plagues also does Strength +3 aggravated damage.

　Story Hooks: The most obvious way to introduce the Hammer of Plagues is in the hands of an antagonist, opening up the possibility of one of the characters being afflicted and sending the pack out to try and find a cure for the curse. If you do this, be sure to play up the emotional angles of the story. Does the afflicted character worry that they might not find a cure? When does desperation set in? What about loneliness? Even physical factors can be considered - loss of sleep would be a very logical problem.

　Another way would be to have the characters in possession of the Hammer of Plagues against other Garou foes. Treat the Hammer as a way to set up something like nuclear politics in your game – The threat of using the Hammer is always there, but actually bringing it out is a declaration of total war. Stalemates and diplomacy match with espionage and limited engagements to create a more tense, restrained environment than most Werewolf games.

　Finally, of course, you could suggest that the Hammer really was only meant to be used by the Shadow Lord's line, from which the Konietzko family claims descent...

Source: Hammer & Klaive (WW3813), Page 120-121

Thunder’s Bracers
Gnosis 9

　This mighty fetish is exactly what its name implies it to be - a pair of armor plates for the forearm which are tied to the storm, infused with a portion of Grandfather Thunder himself. There is, to date, only one set in existence, and the Margrave Konietzko wears them. The bracers appear to be made of a deeply stained metal, set with the teeth of an unknown creature. They are a symbol of his power, but not the source of it - the Margrave was crushing his opponents long before he created these bracers, and he will continue to do so should they leave his possession.

　Thunder's Bracers have many powers. They increase the wielder's Strength by 4 points, and the wielder may make claw attacks normally. If the wielder uses the bracers to block an attack made with a metal weapon, or with an unarmed attack, the assailant automatically suffers two levels of lethal damage due to the electrical discharge generated by the armor. Additionally, the bracers provide up to four Gnosis points to the wielder per day, which may be used as he sees fit. Finally, the wearer of the bracers may spend three Gnosis points to call forth a bolt of lightning to smite his foes. If there happen to be storm clouds overhead, the lightning comes from them; other wise, it comes from the bracers themselves. In either case, the lightning deals five levels of aggravated damage to a single target, which may not be soaked by any means.

Source: Tribebook: Shadow Lords (Revised) (WW3858), Page 81

Sword of the Sun

　The Legend: During the reign of Mentuhotep the Third, a young Silent Strider Ahroun by the name of Inihue returned to the lands of her birth in Egypt. Her husband and son lived there, whom she saw but once every nine moons. When she left, she gave them a charm engraved with glyphs for Helios, Luna and Owl, swearing this would keep them safe from the monsters that came with the night winds. Sadly for them, it was not her word to give.

　Returning, she walked across bloodied sands in her life and in her dreams. None of her tribe slept well in the homelands during those nights, but Inihue slept little as she neared the home of her family – whose bloodless corpses she found torn by the fangs of a Wyrm-serpent. They fought under a full moon, until Inihue buried her d'siah into the neck of the serpent, so deep her own wrist was buried in it with her sword. It would not die, yet could not move, for any movement caused the d'siah's sharp blade to cut into its sides. Thus paralyzed, Inihue carried the murderous demon into the Umbra.

　Inihue was a traveler among even that tribe of travelers, and she knew the ways to anywhere she cared to go. So first she sought out and found Luna, and bowed before her begging that she should slay the serpent that murdered her family. But Luna knew nothing of how to slay a serpent like this, and shook her head. Inihue gave praise, and left.

　She then found Owl, and bowed before him begging that he should slay the serpent that murdered her family. Owl knew how to kill snakes, and so set upon the serpent with his talons. But try as he might, he could not kill the serpent, and so he threw the foul thing against the ground and declared defeat. Inihue gave praise, and left.

　So she came to see Helios, and bowed before him begging that he should slay the serpent that murdered her family. Helios took one look at the snake, and the snake burned to ashes. Inihue, now recognizing the serpent as a vampire, pulled her d'siah from the ashes, and saw that it had become gold. Helios had blessed the blade with his fire, so that the Leeches would fear it. Inihue gave praise, and left.

　The legend says after this, Inihue took the Sword of the Sun and with it slaughtered two hundred vampires in vengeance for her family's death, and then departed with it into the Dark Umbra in hopes of finding them again. Since then, there have been sightings of Inihue repeatedly, and the Sword of the Sun has resurfaced. Legend says, however, that nine moons after receiving the Sword of the Sun, Inihue returns for it. Those who refuse die horrible deaths, sometimes hours, sometimes years afterwards.

　The Fetish: The Sword of the Sun is inappropriately named; it was formerly a flint knife, not a sword at all. The fetish is a golden d'siah, bound with a portion of Helios himself. When activated, the blade becomes pure sunlight. It does Strength + 3 aggravated damage, and against vampires that damage is doubled. It also radiates sunlight and will damage vampires simply by being in their presence. Within thirty yards, the light given off by the Sword of the Sun is considered as strong as noonday sun, for purposes of affecting creatures with a vulnerability to sunlight.

　Story Hooks: The Sword of the Sun works great as an instrument to turn the tides of war, at least in wars with vampires. However, the time limit placed upon ownership of the Sword creates an interesting dilemma - the players need to fight the war in a way that permanently solves it, or that puts them in a position where the Sword of the Sun isn't required after it is taken away. Otherwise, all the good work they've done in the past nine moons will be gone as quickly as it came.

　The time limit also creates the possibility for a “race against time” chronicle with a difference. In this scenario, the Sword of the Sun is stolen and must be found because Inihue won't (or might not) come to whomever holds the Sword, but rather to whomever she gave it. Failure to recover the Sword in time means the previous owner's own death via curse. Storytellers who are feeling vicious can also allow for the players to fail in this mission without destroying a chronicle in the process, since the death may come a long time after the curse is laid upon them. (In particular, this is a fine Dark Fate to fall on some luckless Garou with the appropriate Flaw.)

Source: Hammer & Klaive (WW3813), Page 119-120

The Twin Swords of Lothair

Version I:
　A pair of swords which must be wielded Florentine style (one in each hand); if either sword is used separately, it will bury in the ground up to the hilt. The swords have several special powers, the least of which is the ability to store up to eight points of Rage within them. They can also produce a Clap of Thunder if they are crossed in the air in the form of a cross above the head of the wielder. When activated, the swords cause aggravated wounds.

Source: Rage Across Russia (WW3105), Page 72


Version II:
Gnosis 8

　This pair of twin swords must be wielded Florentine style. If either is used separately, it will bury itself in the ground up to its hilt. The swords cause aggravated damage, store up to 8 Rage within themselves and can act like the Gift: Clap of Thunder if they are crossed in the air above the head of the wielder.

Source: Tribebook: Silver Fangs (Revised) (WW3860), Page 98

Fanruo Jushu, the Archer’s Madness
Gnosis 7

　This ancestor fetish is actually an ancient bow and quiver set that predates recorded history. Few Stargazers have actually been able to discern any truth at all about this item, save that it's exceptionally old and the spirits don't wish to discuss it. Rumor has it that it is a legitimate relic from an old Stargazer myth. The myth goes like this: The Stargazer called Seven-Eclipses was called to court one day to be told that the sun was angry. It was twice as hot as usual, and seemed somehow furious. Seven-Eclipses went out, and felt the heat and saw the sun as a gigantic orb in the sky. Before his very eyes, the orb separated, and suddenly there were two suns. This replication continued to occur until there were ten suns in the sky. Plants caught fire from the heat, men's hair singed down to the scalp, and regular earth was burned into black sand. But Seven-Eclipses would have none of this, so he brought out his bow and fired his magical arrows into each sun, extinguishing them one after the other. He destroyed nine of the ten suns, but the remaining original sun began to swell and grow again.

　But then Seven-Eclipses saw it - a brief flash of black behind the fire of the sun, and he fired an arrow at the fleeting black spot. Coughed up out of the sun-flares was a cloud of black feathers, and a jun-raven, an evil Wyrm spirit, erupted from the womb of the sun. The raven's feathers turned to cooling rain and returned Gaia from her burning agony - but the jun-raven wasn't finished. It flew into Seven-Eclipses' magical bow and poisoned it. Seven-Eclipses went mad.

　Legend suggests that this ancestral fetish was his bow. Upon activation, Fanruo Jushu's quiver fills with arrows and is never depleted. Any attack roll with the activated bow automatically has one success attributed to the roll (though this success can be removed with subsequent botches). Damage from one of the arrows is seven dice, aggravated.

　The “archer’s madness" comes in from the fact that, upon activation, the bow temporarily poisons the mind of the user (said to be the influence of the still bound jun-raven). The Storyteller must pick a derangement, one that doesn't inhibit the attack, and for the remainder of the activation (one scene) the Stargazer suffers from the effects of this derangement.

Source: Tribebook: Stargazers (Revised) (WW3861), Page 83-84

Gan Jiang, the Knotted Thunderbolt
Gnosis 8

　Gan Jiang was an ancient swordmaker of the Stargazers. His famous techniques of coaxing the spirits of his metal to obey him allowed him to fold the steel over and over again, creating a strong, sharp blade. He provided many of these weapons to his tribe, often creating fetish weapons for them to carry into battle. He had a way with the spirits, a natural ability to charm them, and entice them into his weapons. One day, however, Gan Jiang's rapport with the spirits got the best of him. Gan Jiang had a metis son by another Stargazer, and one day a Jaggling of Chimera came and told Gan Jiang a disturbing prophecy: His siring a disfigured beast, and this resentment was strong even in his current infancy. Gan Jiang didn't know that this Jaggling was really a spirit of Kung Kung, and that the Great Corrupter sought to poison the swordmaker's mind. Gan Jiang went that night and murdered his own child, fearful that he had helped to sire a monster.

　His tribe discovered his transgression and punished him with a curse. From then on, the metals wouldn't give into his manipulations, and any forge he used would barely even warm the metals, much less make them malleable for forming. So he retired to the countryside to live a life in Harano. Before he did, however, he created one last sword that didn't require use of the forge or of his metalsmith gifts. He called that sword after his own name, and left it in the hands of other Stargazers as recompense for his crime.

　That sword is a Tai-Ji sword. The blade is made of bound-together imperial coins in a staggered pattern (somewhat like a thunderbolt). The grip is a simple wooden core wrapped in leather cording. It is a humble sword without even the slightest edge to it. Bound within it is an avatar of Chi-Rin, an Incarna similar to Unicorn.

　When activated, the sword develops a sudden edge. It directs the hand of the wielder in sudden tugs and pushes, and allows the Stargazer to strike at the most vulnerable chakra points of the opponent. Every attack roll made with the activated weapon is at -1 difficulty; the damage is Strength + 5, aggravated. The activation of this weapon also confers one more benefit. When holding Gan Jiang, the Stargazer feels that her own chakras are vibrant and alive, and this helps protect her from damage. She gains +2 to every soak roll.

Source: Tribebook: Stargazers (Revised) (WW3861), Page 83

The Yellow Veil of Karapatri
Gnosis 7

　The figure of Karapatri is something of a cautionary one among Stargazer legends. Karapatri (also called the Lady of the Endless Dark) was an apparent luminary of the Jade Emperor's own spiritual Ministers. Some say that her blood lineage actually includes the spirit matter of the Emperor's own mystic judges. Karapatri apparently grew so sad and so angry at the way the world had become, that she decided to do something about it. She decided first to tackle the corruption within her own tribe.

　Those who Karapatri deemed "off the path" in some fashion or another received a visit from her. She never gauged one visitation the same as the next. One Stargazer may have committed so grave a crime as to have endangered a sacred caern, whereas another tribe member may have simply had too much to drink the night before. Karapatri would show up at night, and she would appear as a doppelganger of the punished. They would see themselves reflected back at them through her body, but the vision they saw of themselves would be laced with decay and rot, and their own sins could be read in Karapatri's mimicking eyes. Karapatri would achieve this effect using a gift from the Jade Emperor himself, which is this Yellow Veil.

　It's said that the Yellow Veil is never found by a Stargazer, but that the Veil itself does the finding, seeking out a worthy soul who is capable of being the punishing angel that the tribe needs at any given moment. Others suggest that the Veil works its way into the hands of a Stargazer who unknowingly has Karapatri as his own ancestor. The truth remains unclear.

　Activating this fetish causes its wearer to be seen by the viewer as being a distorted mirror image of the viewer herself. Being confronted by one's own corrupted twin has several effects. First is a terrible feeling of depression and self-loathing, which results in the removal of two temporary Willpower points. (In the case of Garou, this is also mirrored by a removal of two temporary Rage points on top of the Willpower loss.) Also, the viewer must answer all of the Veil-wearer's questions, and she must answer them truthfully (though “truth” is relative to the teller). It's important to remember that the viewer falls into a dreamlike trance and not herself when under the effects of his fetish. When the Veil-wearer is gone (or has deactivated the Veil's effects), the target is left with an unbearable desire to “do right,” though again that urge is somewhat relative to the individual. Any rolls the target makes over the following lunar cycle toward the act of “doing right” are done with an extra die.

Source: Tribebook: Stargazers (Revised) (WW3861), Page 84

Ulunsuti
Gnosis 9

　The Ulunsuti is a rare, if not unique, object, for in order to get it, one of Great Uktena's most powerful children must die. On the forehead of an uktena is a clear crystal, large as a dinner plate and hard as diamond, with a blood-red streak running through the center from the top to the bottom.

　The powers ascribed to this stone are many, but chief among them is the ability to prophesy, seeing images of the future in the crystal “as a tree is reflected in the quiet stream.” In addition, the owner is said to be able to see anywhere he can name, and even cast his eye into the distant past. He is also gifted with luck in his endeavors, so long as the stone's hunger is sated.

　But as with all such power, there is a price to wield it. The Ulunsuti must be given blood every seven days (half a pint - the blood of a small animal will do), which soaks into the stone and makes the streak shimmer. Twice a year, it must drink the blood of a large animal, such as a deer. Some wise men warn that the stone must never be given more than a little human or Garou blood, for it will learn to crave only that and accept no other kind. Since no one currently admits to having an ulunsuti, there is no way to confirm this.

　If the stone isn't fed properly, it flies through the air at night and drinks its fill from the owner or his people. In addition, it is rumored to allow only its owner to touch it, attacking anyone else who ventures within reach. When not in use it must be wrapped in a whole deerskin placed in an earthen pot and hidden in a dark place (a cave is preferable). If the owner intends to store it away for a long time, he must tell the stone he won't need it for a long time, and (hopefully) it will go to sleep; it must be fed before he again tries to use it, or it will drain his blood.

Source: Tribebook: Uktena (Revised) (WW3862), Page 78-79

Spear of Mokolé-Mbembe
Gnosis 5

　This fetish may or may not have belonged to Mokolé-Mbembe himself, but the Congo Clutch swear that it is so. This weapon is in appearance an Entoban war-spear, but examination of the spear head will reveal that the metal is electrum. Furthermore, the singular purity of this weapon means that it affects shapechangers as if it were both silver and gold. Bête are rarely be able to discern the silver properties of this alloy (all rolls are at 10 difficulty). All difficulties in using this spear are increased by 1, but the weapon inflicts double damage when activated. This fetish is unique.

Source: Mokolé (WW3081), Page 70

Lisamaru Blade
Gnosis 8

　The Lisamaru blade takes the shape of a large dull grey metal box with a hilt, much like a sword, but considerably thicker, blockier and with a notably open top. The edges do thin out to razor sharpness for slicing, doing Strength + 3 aggravated damage with difficulty 7 to hit. When activated, however, the open end of the blade produces a crackling beam of electricity, heat and light that extends outwards from the blade. Every success beyond the first made on a standard Dexterity + Melee attack roll takes the damage to an additional opponent, so that three successes on the roll would damage three different opponents (the one hit by the blade and two more). All suffer the full damage the blade would normally inflict; this damage is treated as regular aggravated damage for purposes of soak.

Source: Apocalypse (WW3999), Page 196

Moonsilver Klaive
Gnosis 7

　This ritual dagger, unlike other Klaives, bears a permanent coating of Moonsilver. Thus, a Garou who carries this dagger loses no Gnosis from the underlying silver of the klaive. Instead, the Garou functions as if his Gnosis were one point higher due to the Moonsilver. The dagger houses a spirit of war or protection and does double damage dice against silver-vulnerable opponents. The difficulty to attack with a Moonsilver Klaive is 6. Garou and other creatures intolerant of silver may not soak the damage from this weapon. This fetish comes from Sokhta's Realm and can only be obtained from her or one of her spirits, although it is possible for a Garou to obtain Moonsilver and dip her own klaive in the substance.

Source: Rage Across the Heavens (WW3110), Page 133

Prometheus' Torch
Gnosis 8

　This is a torch that forever burns. Its fire never goes out, even when dunked in water. If used as a weapon (Dexterity + Melee), it is difficulty 5 to resist, causing one wound level. It has another property, though. It gives its bearer plus one die to Intelligence and allows a roll of Intelligence + Linguistics to understand any language. This is considered to be a sacred relic to the Glass Walkers and they would do much to find it. It is rumored to be in the possession of a lupus deep in the woods, keeping it from humankind.

Source: Ways of the Wolf (WW3050), Page 54

Spirit Slayer
Gnosis 6

　This Klaive has a spirit bound into it dedicated to the defense of the earthly realm from Umbral manifestations. The spirit provides the following gifts: Umbral Sight and Sideways Attack.

Source: Valkenburg Foundation (WW3101), Page 25

Stag’s Chariot

　The Legend: There are few fetishes among the Garou born in such tragedy as Stag's Chariot. The legend is told many times and every time, the place and the time changes. The Glass Walkers swear it happened in Ancient Rome, the Fianna in Medieval Wales, and one Bone Gnawer continues to assert it happened in New Jersey last week. None of that matters. All that matters are the names. Twilight Wrath, the brave pack. Strikes-as-Lightning, their brave alpha. And Wylot, the fomor that murdered seven Kinfolk sisters after luring Twilight Wrath away from their sept.

　Strikes-as-Lightning had known the seven sisters since she was a cub, since she was the eighth cub in their family before she Changed. And she burned with anger as she lead her pack on Wylot the coward's trail, who would not fight Gaia's holy warriors but fled upon a chariot made of dull iron. But his death was inevitable, as was his pain at Strikes-as-Lightning's claws. But she was not satisfied. Her seven sisters lay dead still. At his death, she renounced her life and took the bit of the chariot in her teeth, and pulled it beyond the Gauntlet.

　And she searched the Umbra high and low, but she could not find a spirit so powerful as to bring back her sisters from the darkest places. Luna wept tears for her, and put silver on her chariot, but could not help. And Helios held her in his warm embrace, and put gold on her chariot, but could not assist.

　And then she found Stag, who was filled with life and lust. He listened to Strikes-as-Lightning and was modified. Not because they died, but that they died before they found mates, since they were young, and neither had Strikes-as-Lightning for she was the youngest. And he agreed to bring her sisters back, but he couldn't do it for free; no one deals marked cards to Death and lives to leave the table. In exchange for the seven sisters, seven other maidens would need to take their place. And with sorrow in her heart, Strikes-as-Lightning accepted Stag's offer, and he told her to find the seven maidens to wash the chariot, and it would bring back the sisters.

　So Strikes-with-Lightning found six young girls, and brought them to a lake and the chariot, and then she licked the Chariot first.

　The Fetish: Stag's Chariot is made from gold, silver and iron, and is located somewhere in the world in a deep lake. The Chariot may only be activated once a year, and to activate it seven maidens must wash the Chariot in the lake and then be ritually sacrificed. The maidens must willingly agree and must be Kinfolk or Garou. (Needless to say, even were the Chariot to be found it would rarely be activated, and Garou are almost never used as the sacrifice.)

　However, the Chariot's effects are considerably powerful. By driving the Chariot around an area in a circle, the area within that circle is blessed with fertility. Any plant life within the area grows at five times its normal rate for a year, becoming incredibly fertile and abundant. This does not exhaust the soil. Animals likewise grow in number, though to not quite the same extent. And finally (and most importantly to the Garou), any pregnant Kin or Garou within the circle at the time of the Chariot's activation have a 50% chance of giving birth to Garou, a very large increase from their normal chances of 10%.

　Story Hooks: Stag's Chariot is an interesting case for a legendary fetish in that its legend notably departs from what it actually does. You can use this fact in a number of ways for a chronicle.

　Baiting and switching is one option. Present your players with the legend, and once they finally find the Chariot they find it has vastly different properties. This could be done to challenge the players' assumptions. (Especially if the person they were hoping to bring back from the dead died in a way they approved of.)

　Another choice is for the player characters to try and find a way to make the Chariot bring people back from the dead. Can it be done? If so, how?

Source: Hammer & Klaive (WW3813), Page 122-123

Summons from across the Gulf
Gnosis 7

　This is a small mirror, set in a wooden frame and painted with odd symbols. This fetish allows the previous Questing Pack to be channeled through Past Life. The user stares at herself in the mirror and rolls her Willpower versus the fetish's Gnosis. However, it will only work when used by a member of the current Pack, and only after she has proven herself worthy. By the time the pack has finished Story Four, they should be able to successfully use this. They can then discover, through the “reincarnation” of a dead pack member, the Puppeteers which haunt the Foundation. (See Story Five: “Dark Union”.)

Source: Valkenburg Foundation (WW3101), Page 26

The Antichrist Serum (Exhibit 338)
Gnosis 10

　This one-of-a-kind object was affectionately named by a creative (if creepy) security guard who watched one too many Wes Carpenter flicks. It sits crated in a classified storage facility alongside hundreds of other curiosities of its ilk.

　Removed from its crate and other packaging, the object appears to be a slender three-foot cylinder of some iridescent blue-green fluid, thicker than most liquids, yet not quite solid. An obvious testament to technology advanced beyond anything the world has yet seen, it remains warm to the touch (37° Celsius) in all environments and is fashioned from some glare-free glass - although, if it is glass, the instrument has not yet been forged that could even scratch its surface.

　More stories than storytellers surround this unearthly container and its strange payload, which resists all attempts at identification. Some believe it to be ichor from an ancient Weaver Incarna, heartblood that retains power over its mistress still. Others maintain it is the stuff of Before - the primordial essence of a dawn time older than Names, identities, or even consciousness. And more than a few, pointing to same-time similarities between this item's discovery and the recent struggles at the Sept of Bygone Visions, whisper that it serves as prison to no less an entity than Thrassus Thrice-Damned, Smallest Talon of the Wyrm itself.

　But how could such a corrupt power (or any Wyrm talisman) enshroud itself so completely in heretofore-unseen Weaver technology! And what hellish alliance could explain such a merging between Weaver and Wyrm?

Source: Book of the Weaver (WW3209), Page 60-61

The First Klaive

　The Legend: As told at the beginning of this book, the first klaive was allegedly created by Wind-Howl, a Galliard, who bound silver taken from the moon with a Glade Child. She ventured forth to deliver retribution upon those that had tortured her, and was slain. Before she died, she hurled the First Klaive into a river and it washed away, never to be seen again.

　The Fetish: Unlike the other sample legendary fetishes here, the First Klaive is presented without a suggested set of rules. The First Klaive is clearly of greater importance than even most other legendary fetishes, and could be employed in a number of different ways.

　If you want to make the First Klaive a red herring, you could certainly do this easily enough. Note that the legend of its creation doesn't credit it with killing a single fomor. It's not bound with a war-spirit, but instead a Glade Child. In short, there's nothing in the legend or the construction of the First Klaive that specifically suggests it should have any special properties whatsoever. If you want to do this, then the First Klaive is a silver blade with no special properties, doing lethal damage as per a sword. It is silver and will do aggravated damage to Garou and those Fera affected by the lunar metal, but it is not a supernatural source of injury apart from that.

　However, if you'd rather place the First Klaive on an even footing with most of the other legendary fetishes in this book, then you could play on the Glade Child basis of the fetish and suggest a botanical set of effects. The First Klaive brings the forces of nature with it and causes plants in the area to attack with the First Klaive. In a desert, the First Klaive does nothing more than a normal Klaive. In a lightly wooded area (such as a city park) the First Klaive can make three attacks at one target per turn. And in a heavily wooded area the First Klaive can make five attacks at one target per turn. This makes the First Klaive a devastating weapon against individual opponents and a rough match for most legendary fetishes.

　Finally, you can play the First Klaive up as the almost literal Holy Grail for the Garou Nation: Possess the First Klaive, win the war. The First Klaive carries with it the loyalty of every nature spirit on the planet, who have not forgotten the noble sacrifice of Wind-Howl and her pack made for one of their own, and how they paid for their honor with pain, torture and death. Under such an interpretation, the First Klaive might do Strength x3 aggravated damage, and as long as one target is hit with the blade, the rest of the damage roll may be distributed among any opponents the wielder can see. Armies will fall to the First Klaive, and the return of such a potent weapon must surely herald the immediate beginning of the Apocalypse.

　Story Hooks: The First Klaive is probably the perfect object of a 'Search for the Holy Grail' storyline, in which the players' pack dedicates itself to finding the First Klaive. There's no desperate rush (at least at first) but the rewards of finding it are so incredibly high that it pushes aside other goals. If you do this, then there's a lot of logic in employing the First Klaive as a red herring, because no weapon can possibly live up the legend surrounding it. If it's going to be an anticlimax, then make use of it. Play up the legend in the early stages of the game and then, once it is found, make it brutally clear how misguided those legends are. Your trouble here will be finding a way to reward the players for their efforts even as you pull the rug out from underneath them. One way this could be done is to shift the focus of the chronicle slightly, by giving them an enemy, (who still needs to be defeated after the weak First Klaive is found) or a charge (who needs to be helped in some way).

　Alternatively, change the focus (and powers) of the First Klaive itself. Don't make it a destroyer of armies but instead make it uniquely suited to a more personal problem. One explanation that could be offered is that the First Klaive doesn't have, in fact, a singular set of powers but instead exists throughout the ages and has whatever powers it needs to have for those Garou destined to own it. Once this destiny is fulfilled, the First Klaive becomes simply a silver knife again and the owner feels compelled to let go of it (normally by throwing it into a river). An alternate progression for this campaign would be to wonder why it didn't seem to do this for its first owner. Was there a deeper reason, unrecorded by history, that Wind-Howl went back to that battlefield?

　Finally, you could also play around with the multiple powers presented here and suggest that the First Klaive awakens over time. The reason for this could be anything, and the guidelines upon which it awakens can also be adapted for any chronicle. Perhaps certain enemies must be slain with it for it to awaken. (Perhaps even the fomori that killed Wind-Howl, still alive to this day.) Perhaps the First Klaive gains in power as the owner rises in rank. Either way, over time the First Klaive can begin as a silver knife, become a powerful weapon, and end as a force of nature in the owner's hands.

Source: Hammer & Klaive (WW3813), Page 121-122

Banesword
Gnosis 7

　The Banesword is a beautifully crafted sword used by the Black Spiral Dancers. It is almost exactly like the Silver Sword, except for the powers it grants. While it does provide one extra die in melee, it also allows its wielder to siphon Gnosis from its targets; the wielder may then use it himself. Roll the sword's Gnosis versus the target's (only after a successful hit that does at least one Health Level after soaking). The number of successes is the amount of Gnosis drained. The sword is usable only once per opponent per scene.

Source: Book of the Wyrm 1st Edition (WW3200), Page 110

Book of Rytolthoka

　The Legend: There are very few times that the Garou are glad that a fetish is lost, but this book whose name is rarely dared spoken (at least, by the Garou,) is one of them. Madness has a way of leading to genius, and so it is unsurprising that the madness that infests the Black Spiral Dancers eventually yielded something of tremendous horror. Wypertilnt, a Black Spiral Dancer Galliard, wrote the first page of the book. According to legend, he one day renounced his life, went Ronin and wandered the wastelands. Every animal he saw, he gazed upon and it followed him with death in its eyes and the taste for blood on its tongue. Predators or prey, it mattered not. He led this army of insects, cats, wolves, horses and other animals to a large settlement of humans, and unleashed them upon the settlement as he in turn entered and butchered, tortured, and raped all within it. This place was named Rytolthoka. When a Garou pack finally caught up to him, they saw him sitting cross-legged on a three-meter high pile of dead bodies, both animal and human. The book sat in his lap.

　So they slaughtered him, and then never returned. And pack after pack followed to find the last, and no word came until one, finally, showed more prudence than courage and returned with the truth of what had happened. Rytolthoka had become a black cancer upon the world, spreading ever onwards and burning everything it touched into ash and tar.

　Perhaps because nothing so truly evil can ever stay dormant, or perhaps because the Wyrm himself directly intervened, the Book returned again and again. There are Get of Fenris who swear the truth of an ancient legend that saw the book arise in the hands of a Black Spiral sept, and two hundred of the Fenrir, half of them werewolves and half Kin, died to rid the book from their hands. Another legend comes from the Glass Walkers, who state that the book found Rome and for two weeks the city did naught but kill, rape and eat each other, and yet this tale has never found the history books. That this tribe, who puts more stock in such human history than any other, still shakes at this tale makes many Garou pale indeed. And in the Wild West, a Fianna Ahroun by the name of Seaghdh Road-of-Claws protected his sept from overwhelming forces by daring to read the Book - and write in it. He became possessed and could not stop writing, and his mind grew poisoned. When the sept knew he finally must be killed, four packs died to bring him down.

　Since then, the Book has lain silent and unfound. All fear its return. All dread the prospect of the Black Spiral Dancers finding it once more.

　The Fetish: The Book of Rytolthoka is massive, at least four inches thick and bound in thick black cowhide leather. Upon its surface are eight runes that no Garou can understand but which mean “Knowledge,” “God,” “Disease,” “Pain,” “Shame,” “Love,” “Darkness,” and “Soul,” written in a counterclockwise circle in that order. Once opened, the book is filled with writings in the same runic language that fill every page except the last three. No matter how much is written in the book, there will always be three empty pages.

　Activating the Book of Rytolthoka initially seems to do nothing. It simply remains. However, every time thereafter the activator sees the Book they will need to make a Willpower roll (difficulty 7) to avoid writing in it. (Such writing is clearly guided by some source, either the book or something... else.) Every time the user writes in the Book they progress down the runic circle upon the cover. Ironically, none of the writings in the book are actually important. (Although Storytellers may decide they provide clues to the nature and secrets of the book's construction, etc.)

　What's more, they feel compelled to look at the book often - If they have not seen the book that day, they must make a Willpower roll (difficulty 10!) to avoid looking at the book at least once before they can sleep. Those who have the book stolen from them thus lead miserable existences and will go to great lengths to procure it once more.

　Every step down the runic circle creates a different effect for the writer. The first, “Knowledge” is the simplest - the user can now read the runic language of the book. “God” is the one that makes the Book so powerful. Upon reaching God, all successes the bearer makes on any roll are doubled. This effect never wears off.

　From there, however, it's all downhill. “Disease” is exactly that; the bearer becomes plagued with illnesses, all of which are contagious. Boils and open sores become frequent. Appearance drops by one, as does Stamina. “Pain” subjects the bearer to bouts of crippling agony. Every time the bearer makes a Physical roll, failure causes a shooting pain through their body, which she endures for one turn before being able to act again. And “Shame” produces a powerful sense of disapproval from others and disregard for the bearer's own accomplishments. The difficulty for all rolls increases by 1, except for Rage rolls, whose difficulty drops by 2.

　“Love” produces an empathy with any whom the bearer has hurt over the years, including those they have killed. Soon, an incredible self-hatred builds up as the bearer fails to see her own life as anything positive. Should the user's Willpower ever reach zero after this stage, she instantly enters Harano. (This is the only stage in which Black Spiral Dancers react differently; most instead glory in their own destruction. These ones feel no pull to Harano but instead have the +1 difficulty penalty removed, though their Rage rolls remain at -2 difficulty.)

　“Darkness” seals the bearer's fate. Her mind is now utterly under the Wyrm's control. (Or, if not the Wyrm, then whatever spirit drives the Book.) Storytellers may ask players who reach this point to relinquish control of the character, or may conspire with the player to create a 'sleeper agent' out of them. Finally,“Soul" has a very simple effect - it kills the character instantly. Those who die meet a horrible end as they turn to ash and tar.

　Story Hooks: The Book of Rytolthoka can be used in a host of ways, both as a feared weapon in the hands of the enemy or as a deadly deal with the devil in the hands of the Garou. How does the enemy use it? Do they simply all begin writing in it until they reach the awesomely powerful “God” rune? If so, will the enemy eventually implode as they fall prey to the dangers the Book presents? Or does the enemy have a more ritualistic way of using it? One possibility for a very epic chronicle would be to use the Book as the kickstart of the Apocalypse - A Black Spiral Dancer Theurge finds the book, writes in it once and then finds the blasphemous ritual that starts once again what began in Rytolthoka, turning the entire world into tar and ash. Also consider the possibility of a “hunt for the lost fetish” game with a twist, in which the players are pack desperately seeking to destroy a Black Spiral pack before they find it.

　In the hands of the Garou, the book could be introduced to one of the players as a tempting lure or a tale of damnation as the rest of the pack tries to find a way to save them, perhaps too late. Or, it could be secretly owned by someone within the sept, their dark secret. If so, why have they kept it to themselves?

　Finally, the question of Rytolthoka also could be answered. Where is it? Is it a real place in the physical realm? Does it now exist only in the Umbra? Perhaps, given its history, it exists in the Atrocity Realm. Any of the stories involving the Book might end up in Rytolthoka.

Source: Hammer & Klaive (WW3813), Page 123-125

The Black Pistol
Gnosis 8

　This is a standard issue, old US army .45 Colt automatic, painted black. It takes normal load ammunition, but… does things to these bullets. Once a bullet passes down the barrel of this baby, it won't stop going until it tastes blood. All attack and damage Dice Pools are normal, but the bullet will keep flying around its target until it hits or is destroyed. The owner of this gun can fire his full clip and not hit once. The bullets will keep swarming around their target until they hit. Keep making attack rolls for each bullet every round until every bullet hits. The bullets can be fooled, but exactly how is up to the Storyteller.

Source: Rage Across Amazon (WW3104), Page 55