1

HUNGRY SHADOWS

NICHOLAS VINCENTEN
 Hungry Shadows

Credits
Author: Nicholas Vincenten
Developer and Editor: Nicholas Vincenten
Stock Art: Courtesy of the White Wolf free art packs
Cover: A public domain image from the Schoyen Collection
Design and Layout: Nicholas Vincenten

The Crowned Condition is based off the Regalia Condition

from Geist: The Sin-Eaters Second Edition. Cursed is from
Beast: The Primordial and Soul Shocked is from Mage: The
Awakening Second Edition. The mechanics used to represent
Rank 6+ Ephemeral Beings draws heavily on Krewes.

Special Thanks
In alphabetical order, thank you to ‘Axel, Iron Seal of the Moon’,
‘Biston’, ‘Elementa Chemiae’, ‘Morgana’, ‘Ravnis: Prelate’, and ‘Shada.’
Without your encouragement, support, and willingness to discuss your
views on animism, ecology, and the Shadow, this book would not exist.
Thank you for helping me truly finish my first real writing project.

Additionally, a big thank you to Chris Allen, whose work on Forsaken

has been a huge inspiration for the tone of this book.

© 2020 White Wolf Entertainment AB. All rights reserved. Vampire: The
Requiem, Werewolf: The Forsaken, Mage: The Awakening, Promethean:
The Created, Changeling: The Lost, Hunter: The Vigil, Geist: The Sin-
Eaters, Mummy: The Curse, Demon: The Descent, Beast: The Primordial,
Deviant: The Renegades, Chronicles of Darkness, Storytelling System™,
and Storytellers Vault™ are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of
White Wolf Entertainment AB. All rights reserved.
For additional information on White Wolf and the Chronicles of
Darkness, please, visit: www.white-wolf.com and www.storytellersvault.com.

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HUNGRY SHADOWS

Table of Contents
Introduction 4 Sacred Law 18
Instinctual Wisdom 19
Themes 4 Manifestations 20
Liminality 4
Transaction and Mediation 4 Chapter Two:
Mass Extinction 5 Invasive Species 21
How to Use This Book 5
What This Book Is 5
The Human 22
What This Book Isn’t 5
Infestation 22
Inspirational Media 6
Acclimation 23
New Conditions 6
The Uratha 24
Infestation 25
Chapter One: Acclimation 25
Running the Gauntlet 8 The Others 28
Vampires 28
Resonance 8 Mages 28
In the Flesh 9 Prometheans 28
In the Shadow 10 Changelings 28
Places of Power 10 Sin-Eaters 29
Verges 10 Mummies 29
Ley Lines 11 Demons 29
Loci 11 Beasts 29
Places-That-Aren’t 11 Shadow Laws 30
World Between Worlds 12 Symbols and Semiotics 30
Building It Up 12 Creating New Rites 30
Tearing It Down 13
Ties That Bind 13
Gathra 13
Broods 14
Courts 15
All Under Heaven 16
Influences 16
 Hungry Shadows

Men of Renown 46
Pandaemonium 46
Chapter Three: God-Like Traits 47
Gods and Monsters 32 Rank 47
Omens 47
Idols 48
The Divine Corpse 33 Anchors and Aspirations 48
State of Decay 33 Workings 48
The Ayatlu: The Horned Kings 34 Crises 49
The Halaku: The Crow Host 35 Titanomachy 49
Host Avatars 36 Dying and Rising 49
The Apostle of Annihilation 36
The Valravn 38 Chapter Four:
Essence Alchemy 40 Hunting Grounds 51
Dissolution 40
Congealation 41 True Animism 51
Fermentation 41 Lay of the Land 51
Projection 41 Natural Resources 52
The Purified 42 Shadows on the Wall 53
Ablution 42 Lay of the Land 53
Siddhis 42 Natural Resources 54
Making a Purified Character 43 Trappings of Faith 55
Ecstatic Hunger 44 Lay of the Land 55
The Peerage 45 Natural Resources 55
Noble Numina 45
Claimants to the Throne 45

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Place Prologue introductory story here
INTRODUCTION
I thought the most beautiful thing in the world must be shadow.
Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar
Hidden on the other side of the ephemeral membrane
known as the Gauntlet lies the Hisil, a reflection of the
world as it is experienced, not as people think it should
be. Resonance flows and shifts, transforming the Shadow
like a reflection on an oil slick. Here, everything has a
spirit and a voice. Here, everything is fluid and changing.
It is a world built out of, and defined by the pursuit of,
Essence. But everything that lives, hungers. And anything
that has the capacity to live forever hungers forever.
Spirits are always on the lookout for their next meal, and
their next meal could be a peer fallen on hard times.
The Shadow is a place of dark animism, where
everything has a hungry spirit.
The Shadow is a place where nothing comes
free, and all agreements need to be paid in advance.
The Shadow is a place where things cannot help
but be what they are, even when it hurts like hell.
THEMES
Given that the Hisil gives serious weight to emotional and
experiential reality, as represented by Resonance, theme
and mood are vital elements of any game involving the
Shadow and spirits. Games involving spirits in the Flesh
or mortals and other non-Uratha in the Shadow are
going to be about transgression, about the boundaries
you and others set, how they thicken and thin, and how
5
you cross them in intentional and unintentional ways. In
an animistic world, what can be called “environment”
can become “society” and the world explodes into an
interconnected web of societies.
LIMINALITY
Essence flows, essence blends, essence bleeds. Spirits
consume and become one another to grow, they can
become bloated magath or tainted by Wounds, they can
merge with beings and objects of the Flesh, becoming
the monstrous Claimed. All the heirs of the Border
Marches can make flesh flow and warp the way Essence
does. By stepping sideways, beings of the flesh become
ephemera; the lines between mortal and spirit become
blurred. You are what you eat. Spend enough time in
the Shadow and who (or what) will you become?
TRANSACTION AND
MEDIATION
Spirits are incapable of agreeing to something without
payment, would-be Ritemasters must dedicate
themselves to wield the power of the laws of the
Shadow, and even those “laws” are more like
agreements and treaties between choirs and courts. In
the Hisil, negotiation, domination, and supplication are
vital skills. Shamans, spirits, witches, and werewolves
must all learn how to wield gathra, and how to act as
intermediaries for mortals.
 Hungry Shadows
MASS EXTINCTION
From the perspective of Deep Time, the Sundering was
mere moments in the past, and the world is still reeling
from the upheaval it caused. There still exist spirits who
remember (and resent) the Sundering. There still exist
beings who if they cannot be revenged upon the gods of
the Border Marches, will take vengeance on their
descendents. Perhaps the Flesh and Shadow will come
to equilibrium, but it sure isn’t going to be anytime
soon. Some of the dinosaurs are still limping along, but
you aren’t a dinosaur, you’re one of the rats, and you’re
going to inherit the earth one day.
HOW TO USE
THIS BOOK
Chapter One: Running the Gauntlet is, simply put,
"Book of Spirits: Volume Two". It is a guide to Spirits
and the Shadow, how to give Resonance (and especially
Loci) more weight in your games, how to design and
role-play Spirits and come up with evocative Bans and
Banes. It will also include a guide to using Influences, as
well as new and updated Numina. This chapter also gets
into how Spirits, Hosts, and Uratha push at, tear, and
maintain the Gauntlet, and the politics of the Broods,
Courts, and Totems that work alongside werewolves.
Chapter Two: Invasive Species covers the things that
can be found in the Shadow that aren't really supposed
to be there. Here you'll find mortal occultists, witches,
shamans, and mediums, the Awakened, the Begotten,
and other meddlers in the Shadow. Here you will learn
about the Shadow from the perspective of outsiders, and
how cultures both mundane and occult incorporate
Spirits and the Hisil. Here you will find Merits and Tells
to flesh out characters meddling in the Shadow,
Fetishes, Talens, and a new approach to Rites as well as
a guide to designing your own.
Chapter Three: Gods and Monsters is an examination
of the movers and shakers of the Shadow. Potent Spirit
Nobles, Royal Avatars, and a look at how to incorporate
Dihar and Ilusah into your Chronicles in a meaningful
way without reducing them to little more than plot
devices. Herein you will also learn about the bloated
and monstrous Hive-Claimed, the bloody glory of Hosts
ascendant, the secrets of Essence Alchemy, and the
immortal former humans known as the Purified.
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Chapter Four: Hunting Grounds is a set of alternate
systems and setting hacks to emphasize or alter certain
aspects of spirits, the Shadow, and their interactions
with the Flesh. Here lie alternative approaches to
Twilight and a different philosophy on territory for
werewolves. Herein rest interpretations of spirits as
something more divine, or as something more tied to
the Flesh than ever before.
WHAT THIS BOOK IS
An Expansion on the Second Edition Core: Werewolf
crams a lot of information and tantalizing ideas,
rumours, and secrets into an already busy book. This
book is an opportunity to elaborate on what we love
about Werewolf: The Forsaken, and build on some of
the concepts that have already been put on display.
A Study in The Shadow and Spirits: This book is
primarily focused on the Hisil, its inhabitants, and how
they interact with the Flesh and with stranger things.
The Shadow is a reflection of things as they are, and
things as they impact one another. Spirits act out these
conflicts, and even take them further with their own
instincts and ambitions. This book will expand on
Broods, Courts, the Gods of the Shadow, Places-That-
Aren't, and the outside agents both familiar and strange
spirits work for or work with.
Rites, Fetishes, Talens: Laws and pacts. The lives of
spirits wrought into unique instruments. The fleeting,
flickering power of Essence. Essence is fluid, ever-
changing, ever-adapting, and arises in bizarre and
surprising ways. The natural world could care less about
what humans think is possible. This book will expand
on non-Gift forms of magic that use the power of Spirits
and the Shadow, and the people who practice them.
WHAT THIS BOOK ISN’T
An Equipment List or Night Horrors Book: There will
be some examples provided in this book. Example
Spirits, antagonists (or allies), Fetishes, Talens, Rites,
etc. However, this book will not be dedicated to those
things and will rarely come up.
A Prefabricated Chronicle: This book will feature
Hunting Grounds, settings displaying a diverse array of
relationships between Flesh and Shadow. These settings
will have conflicts, high concept ideas, and new ways of
interacting with the Shadow. They will not be plug-and-
play adventures for you and your group.
 7

INSPIRATIONAL NEW CONDITIONS

MEDIA This book features Conditions that aren’t included in
Werewolf: The Forsaken or Chronicles of Darkness.
These are stories told by others that make us want to tell
stories about Spirits and the Hisil.

TELEVISION CROWNED (PERSISTENT)

Avatar: The Last Airbender & Legend of Korra You are crowned with the mythic power befitting a
created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan scion of the Great Predator and the Warden Moon.
Konietzko: The relationships between spirits, their Consider renaming this Condition for each unique title
purviews, and the mortal world are explored here. Even your pack ritemaster can bestow and write a sentence or
seemingly-gentle forest spirits can be lethal when two describing how it might look on the subject.
offended. Koh, for example, has a particularly nasty Resolution: See the Shadow Crown Rite (pg. 27)
Ban; it is his nature to steal the face of anyone who
displays any kind of emotion in his presence.
CuRSED (PERSISTENT)
Mushi-Shi by Yuki Urushibara: While spirits are just a
part of life, the simple acts of spirits feeding or Your character is (or believes they are) suffering from a
reproducing can have catastrophic effects on the lives of supernatural curse that brings him ill fortune. Choose a
humans who happen to be food. One woman runs afoul particular area in which the curse manifests; any failure
of a spirit that consumes memories, but is given a job at in that field becomes a dramatic failure. The victim may
a tea shop so that the constant influx of stories from spend 1 Willpower to negate this effect for one action.
travelers will keep the spirit sated. Possible Sources: Some supernatural abilities
Resolution: Remove the source of the curse, or undergo
Stranger Things created by The Duffer Brothers: This therapy to break the delusion.
show best illustrates the “feel” of the Shadow, the
primal nature of its inhabitants, the ever-present threat
of things breaching the Gauntlet, and the trauma of
Soul Shocked
becoming one of the Ridden.
Your character has been killed while on a sojourn
outside her physical body, resulting in a shocked sense
BOOKS of self. Upon gaining this Condition, roll her current
Willpower points (not dots) as a dice pool. Ignore 10-
The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben: This
Again on this roll, and do not roll a chance die if she
book illustrates alien perspectives and social structures
has no Willpower left. She keeps one Willpower point
in the form of interconnected communities of forests.
per success, and immediately loses the remainder. While
Just imagine the consequences of everything in these
this Condition is in effect, your character does not
vast, multi-faceted webs of life, and in more biomes
regain Willpower from Virtue, Vice, or equivalent traits.
besides, housing a spirit.
She still regains Willpower from rest, surrender, and any
other means of regaining Willpower.
The Craft Sequence by Max Gladstone: Set in a world
Resolution: Regaining full Willpower.
where the industrial revolution involved overthrowing
the gods, the books of the Craft Sequence focus on
interactions between humans, god-like spirits, and the
environment, and how all those things relate together.
Here you can learn how to present human sorcerers
meddling in forces beyond their comprehension, Royal
Avatars, the Ridden, and how exploiting humans,
spirits, and the environment isn’t all that different.
 Title of the Book

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Chapter One: Running the Gauntlet

 Hungry Shadows
CHAPTER ONE
RUNNING THE
GAUNTLET
You Cannot Study The Darkness by Flooding it with Light
Edward Abbey
In the Shadow, you don’t walk on the ground;
you walk on spirits of Soil and Stone, perhaps dormant
and sleeping, perhaps simply biding their time. You
aren’t walking beneath trees, but beneath spirits of Ash
and Oak, Birch and Maple, slowly crawling in an attempt
to strangle and consume one another, spirits of Rot and
Fungus flitting amongst the roots, passing messages, while
the trees keep their own counsel, their leaves whispering
in a smattering of First Tongue. That isn’t air you’re
breathing, it’s muthra of wind and weather left behind by
the local climate. That isn’t water you’re drinking, but
fluid flesh ripped from spirits of lake and river; better run
before the waters swallow you whole. Everything moves
and twists with hunger; the weak are food or servants,
your peers are rivals and allies until they fall on hard
times, and the strong are anathema you cower under
unless you can be of service.
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RESONANCE
An ever-present phenomenon of the Flesh, Resonance is
the absolute foundation of the Shadow, the source of all
Essence and all spirits. Resonance is the experiential
reality of the world. If the rusted out hulk of a car in the
woods behind a school becomes the beloved secret
playground of local children, it will become Resonant
with emotions like Joy or Shame, and concepts like
Secrecy, in addition to the material reality of Cars and
Decay. How we experience the world impacts how we see
it, and this in turn impacts the Resonance of people,
places, and things, turning the urban Shadow into a place
thick with emotional/conceptual weather. Cultivating
suitable Resonance in a territory to suit your needs,
whether you’re a spirit, Uratha, or something stranger,
almost always involves curating and manipulating the
mortal herd. Or, more rarely, the land itself.
 9

The ability to sense suitable Resonance up to a mile away is inherent to all

spirits, a key aspect to their ability to survive. But this ability to sense
Resonance can have a peculiar effect. For example, hiding from a Spirit of
Stealth is impossible, as is lying to a Spirit of Deception or a Spirit of Honesty.
The presence, or absence, of suitable Resonance would at least be enough to
make a spirit suspicious. A spirit’s Influences defines their nature and sketches
the rough outline of their psychology. As they ascend in Rank, their Influences
become refined, either growing more specific or growing more diverse.
Powerful spirits often cannot be creatures of singular purity. The theft and
FEAST OR FAMINE
predation and cultivation that led them to grow and change is often divisive
Any single form of Resonance can only
and diverse. The rulers of umia and courts are beings with multiple Influences, be used for gorging once per day, meaning
and as they feed Essence back into choir and court, they shape their vassals to spirits can get rather territorial about their
become more like a part of them. feeding grounds and seek to consume as
much as possible at once. For every
Spirits with multiple Influences will often try to orchestrate situations Resonant Condition after the first, grant a
in which they can feed from multiple matching Resonances simultaneously as dice trick. For example, two suitable
it allows them to feed better during their daily gorging. While spirits Resonances grant the 9-again quality to the
considered Ensihim, or spirits even mightier than that, are not beings of roll, while four suitable Resonances would
archetypical purity, magath are all a different story. Spirits that have consumed grant the rote action quality to the roll.
and incorporated Essence from incompatible umia (or more rarely,
incompatible ilthum), behave much the same as other spirits of varied
Influences, their perspective filtered through the lens of their Influences. But a
spirit with Influence over Dogs and Loyalty will be very different, and far more
coherent, than a spirit with Influence over Dogs and Steel. And just like any
other spirit, the magath will make an effort to reshape the Flesh so that their
preferred Resonances regularly occur together to create a more comfortable
territory. Imagine the utter mayhem that could be created by a spirit of Joy and
Fire in an effort to lay out a feast for itself.

IN THE FLESH
Resonance originates from the Flesh, but here it mostly just exists, it doesn’t do much. Things that exist are Resonant,
and the Essence that generates flows across the Gauntlet and into the Shadow. But there can be too much of a good
thing; areas glutted with diverse sources of Essence, typically urban areas, thicken the Gauntlet. The Essence flows congeal
and require more metaphysical space to process. Human occultists have spent millennia summoning, banishing, and
otherwise dealing with the denizens of the Shadow, and are very aware of the Gauntlet and its nature, encouraging would-
be witches and shamans to seek out still, calm places, often in the wilderness, to work their operations.

However, just because Resonance rarely seems to cause massive disruptions to the Flesh, doesn’t mean that it has no
impact on the Shadow. Major events in the Flesh, like natural disasters, make this kind of disruption obvious. What are
less obvious to Flesh-bound observers is the utter havoc things like sports events, concerts, movies, weddings, and funerals
wreak. They become the spawning grounds of conceptual spirits, dozens upon dozens of muthra waking due to the raw
volume of Resonance and Essence. Older, established spirits flock to the Shadow-side of such events, some laying in wait
for the bloated, wounded, and exhausted survivor of an orgiastic massacre amongst the newborn spirits. Others wade into
the boiling mass of muthra like a bear at a salmon run. Either way, when the dust settles some spirits will have grown
mightier than they were, some spirits will enter the umia with great power beyond their age, and the local Uratha packs
will be spending quite some time focused on cleaning up the mess. While Conceptual Resonance is often equivalent to
local weather, sometimes it is prone to lingering unless banished or pushed out, such as at the sites of powerfully
emotional events like murders, sports events, weddings, religious ceremonies, and more.

Chapter One: Running the Gauntlet

 Hungry Shadows

TILTED
In the Shadow, and sometimes in the area of
a locus, the presence of particularly intense
Resonance may warrant the use of an
Environmental Tilt. Many pre-existing Tilts
could fit any number of Resonances, but when
improvising a Tilt consider choosing one to
three of the following effects:
• +/- 2 to actions with certain Intent. Can
be divided between different actions.
• Requiring a dice roll to do something
you normally don’t need to roll for, like
leaving the affected area.
• Allowing a dice roll for something you
normally can’t do, like use Influences.
IN THE SHADOW
Across the Gauntlet, the impact of Resonance is keenly felt. Certain
kinds of Resonance (or the absence thereof) provoke the aspects of
Shadow geography known as Shoals, Glades, Wounds, and Barrens.
In general, Resonance is geography, topography, weather, and a
form of natural resource in the Shadow. Some spirits are incredibly
sensitive to changes in Resonance, especially when it overlaps with
their primary food source. The spirits of bodies of water, for
example, are very sensitive to the Resonance of any events that take
place on their shores in addition to the Resonance of any objects
thrown into their waters, and are often reshaped by them.
PLACES OF POWER
Typically, apart from the machinations of spirits, the Flesh
influences the Shadow, but the Shadow doesn’t particularly
influence the Flesh in return. But there are places where the reverse
is true. Places where Essence pools and the Gauntlet is thin enough
to reach through, isolated spots where you can cross over without
noticing, currents of persistent Resonance with no apparent source
that flow like rivers, areas that do not truly exist in the Flesh.
The Shadow, like memory, is composed of imperfect images of the
way things are, and the ways that things were. It is, in a way, the
world’s history. And history has power over the present.

VERGES
There are places in this world where the Gauntlet has worn so thin
that it no longer exists. Where the Shadow and the Flesh overlap in
barely discernable ways, and travelers on either side of the Gauntlet
can pass through with ease. These places are known as verges, or
Shadow Doors. They are relatively rare, only cropping up where
exceptionally powerful spirits have forced their way through the
Gauntlet, where the Beshilu have gnawed it away to nothing, and
where sorcery has cut out a doorway.

Like many locked doorways, verges come with a method of gaining passage. A Key. Some liken them to the Bans of spirits,
yet another Shadow law, while others see them as a form of gathra to Luna, as Warden and Queen of the Shadow, or to
the Shadow itself. Either way, as a general rule the Keys to verges allude to the story of their origin, and the process of
investigating them should tell a version of that story, whether the Key is a specific time or environmental condition, a
Resonant sacrifice, or a ritualized action. Consider running the search for a verge’s Key as an Investigation (see Chronicles
of Darkness pg. 77) requiring a number of Clue Elements equal to the typical local Gauntlet rating.

Mortals, and even some of those experienced with the occult mysteries of the world, often miss the point of passing
through a verge until it is far too late. There is no line, no shimmer in the air. There might be a faint optical illusion, as
two versions of a horizon compete for space in your field of view, but no blaring hint. Characters with a relevant Unseen
Sense Merit may roll Wits + Composure, adding the local Gauntlet Strength modifier, to notice the presence of an open
verge. Spirits, Hosts, and Uratha never need to roll to do so; their natural senses for Resonance allow them to see it.

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LEY LINES Loci are often the effect of deliberate engineering of the
Shadow, with careful projects designed to cultivate
The sorcerers known as the Awakened say that this
suitable Essence on either side of the Gauntlet. Broods
world is a Fallen one, that it is a cracked and pitted
packs and courts regularly claim them as customs
mirror covered in a liquid sheen that ripples and
checkpoints, capitals, and embassies since they are
shimmers. In their view, these imperfections and warped
required to perform powerful Rites, and for the unique
reflections of the pure symbols of Being are what
abilities of Spirit Nobles. Because of this, claiming a
produce Resonance. And where these cracks in the
locus for the use of your faction is often seen as a sign of
mirror of the Fallen World run deep and fly true, this is
true ownership and command over territory. Without
where the ley lines are created. Non-Awakened occultists
them, the ability of spirits and werewolves to traverse
liken them, and even equates them, to the telluric
the Gauntlet is severely hampered and far more costly.
currents of the earth’s geomagnetic field.
The least intensive way for an Uratha pack, or a larger
Ley lines are a peculiar aspect of the Flesh that can have
group of werewolves like a Lodge or a Protectorate, to
a dramatic influence on Flesh and Shadow alike. They
cultivate a locus is clear a region of the Shadow of local
are lines of a single form of Resonance, but unlike other
spirits and let Essence accumulate slowly over the course
sources of Resonance they are static, naturally
of a week. The alternatives, however, are often swift and
unchanging, and have no apparent cause. A psychiatric
powerful. It would be easiest, for example, to simply
hospital cut through with a ley line Resonant to Fury
bleed as much Essence as possible into the area, having
may have patients who experience violent outbursts
the local Resonance Shaper (Werewolf: The Forsaken
when they have no history of them, and spirits of Rage
pg. 107) hard at work to shape the forming locus or just
and Violence will eagerly urge them on. There is no
hope that the locus possesses a Resonance that suits
apparent rhyme or reason to the Resonances ley lines
your needs. Sometimes they happen by accident, with
produce, nothing that directly ties them to the
an unfortunate human afflicted by Lunacy and the
experiences or remembrances of a place.
Reception Condition accumulating vast amounts of
Ley lines that are particularly divergent from the local Essence. And whatever the Uratha can do to cultivate
Resonance can have disastrous effects on the Shadow, loci, spirits also can do as well with a little help.
introducing potentially hazardous invasive spirits,
infecting the spirits already there, or even forcing the PLACES-THAT-AREN’T
spirits born from the ley line’s Resonance to become The topography of the Shadow is shaped by recollection
magath or risk starvation. And there is very little that and experience. Shadow-side schoolyards are often
those beings native to the Shadow, whether they’re substantially bigger than they are in the real world;
spirits or heirs to Pangaea, can do to mitigate the fallout. office buildings are taller and more claustrophobic;
urban forests become isolated and wild, because this is
LOCI how the people who have experienced them remember
These sacred places are ideal habitats and feeding them. And sometimes people remember something that
grounds for spirits matching the built up Resonances. wasn’t really there to begin with. These are the Places-
Here the Gauntlet is so thin it can be Reached through That-Aren’t, the Shadow reflections of folklore, faith,
with little to no effort (treat all spirits as having the and urban legend. The Mandela Effect made manifest.
Gauntlet Breach Manifestation while in the area of the
These locations are often favored as lairs, haunts, and
locus). Vast quantities of Essence accumulate into a
safe places by experienced travelers of the Shadow
focal object, or more rarely, a person. Sometimes loci
primarily because they are locations with no physical
arise from intense personal triumphs or tragedies, more
equivalent. Because of that, none but the most
often they form from the permanent deaths of
knowledgeable in the Shadow will know precisely where
numerous spirits flooding an area with their Essence,
to find them, and they are often subject to strange
and sometimes through the absence of local spirits
Environmental Tilts and warping of the typical laws of
leading to an enormous stockpile of Essence that
the Shadow which can make travel hazardous.
typically has one Resonant Keyword per Locus dot.

Chapter One: Running the Gauntlet

 Hungry Shadows
Some are the construction of Spirit Nobles; megalithic structures, rough-hewn temples and soaring monuments, meant to
teach Numina and Influences through inscriptions in First Tongue, to propagate their Essence in their court. Others are
the Thrones of Nobles and the Gods of the Shadow, or the masterfully crafted Fastnesses of idigam, places where the rule
and whim of such exceptionally powerful spirits can become law. Areas where these Places-That-Aren’t swell into mighty
realms unto themselves are referred to as the Deep Shadow, and are often the habitations of Diharim and Ilusah.

WORLD BETWEEN WORLDS

This story is true. Once, the way to and from the Shadow was on foot, if you knew the right paths to walk and were
willing to risk the wrath of the Uratha and the gods of the Border Marches. But with the death of Wolf, the god of the
Hunt and of Boundaries, the passage between worlds was unguarded. Legend says that the death howl of Urfarah
collapsed the Hunter’s Paradise, but some ancient spirits whisper that the heirs of the greatest of the wild gods collapsed
the Border Marches themselves. The divine realm of Pangaea was gone, and the Gauntlet rose up in its place.

BUILD IT UP
The Gauntlet is fluid, membranous, a caul that rests between Flesh and
Shadow. It takes time to navigate, and travelers occasionally see and hear
things as they pass through. Splashes of colour, alien echoes, fresh corpses
belonging to no known modern species of animal. But chaos stirs up the
Gauntlet; floods of Essence cause it to swell like a blister.

Usually, the easiest path to a stronger Gauntlet is to get humans involved.

Humans, with all their artifice and emotion and complex societies, create
ever-shifting tides of Essence that can give birth to a horde of embryonic WEAVE AND WEFT
muthra, forced to devour one another for greater power and sustenance as the The Azlu are instinctual masters of
thickened and engorged Gauntlet prevents them from easily feasting on strengthening the Gauntlet, cluttering the
Resonance. However, this is equally true of other complex, thinking, feeling Shadow with webs of regurgitated Essence.
beings, occult in origin or otherwise, as they shed Resonances the way that Look to the spiders for advice on how to
your body sheds dead skin cells. This doesn’t mean that cities aren’t spiritual strengthen the Gauntlet.
places, far from it! Cities are bursting with spiritual life, to the point that there • Start small and plan long-term
is fierce competition for resources and territory amongst complex societies. • Keep your territory clear of
interference from Flesh and Shadow
Uratha packs that follow this approach are often trying to restore the
• Create and constantly change sources
Gauntlet’s natural state, or they hew more closely to the Flesh. They want the
of Resonance (why else would the
humans in their territory to remain free of spirit-born influence, or for
Azlu often have artistic inclination?)
mortal occultists and cults to stop interfering in the Shadow. Managing your
territory, keeping the Gauntlet as it is, or making it stronger, often means
keeping it in a comfortable state of disruption and change. Keep the Flesh
moving so that the Shadow doesn’t have time to settle on a reflection and
start to grow closer to it. Alternatively, clear out the Shadow, topple the
courts, and allow those spirits that remain to scramble in a race to the top in
an order that will better benefit yourself and your own goals.

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SKITTER AND BORE
The Beshilu are instinctual masters of
weakening the Gauntlet, tearing and boring
through the membrane with Essence-
sharpened teeth. Look to the rats for advice
on how to weaken the Gauntlet.
• Work quickly and beneath notice
• Create distractions
• Bend local humans to your vision
(why else would the Beshilu have an
instinct for building cults?)
TEAR IT DOWN
The Gauntlet is like skin; it is durable, flexible, ever growing and ever
changing, constantly sloughing off dead tissue. And just like skin, it is ever
so easy to simply rip through it if you have the right tools or your teeth are
sharp enough. When the image the Shadow is attempting to reflect
become stable, the Gauntlet stills and thins out. The flows of Essence
follow well-carved channels. The wilderness often changes at a rate
exponentially slower than the urban world. There is a pattern to those
changes with occasional periods of destruction as new species, carrying
their Resonance with them, migrate into new areas.
While the absence of mortals and their Artificial and Conceptual
Resonances thins the Gauntlet it doesn’t mean that humans cannot grow
close to the Shadow. Places of ritual, of patterns, can thin out the
Gauntlet. To cultivate ritual, one often needs to cultivate faith. Uratha,
spirits, and even just spiritual mortals build cults for that precise reason.

Packs that hew closely to Spirit often attempt to thin the Gauntlet, making
it a common approach amongst the Anshega. Perhaps they favour spirits, or
wish to make their own lives more convenient, or perhaps they wish to try
introducing humans to the occluded world that lies everywhere around
them. Managing your territory, keeping the Gauntlet as it is or making it
thinner, often means developing patterns and rituals that honour the
Shadow, or producing and maintaining spiritual traditions. Allowing
Essence to follow channels that grow well worn through time and practice.
Alternatively, empower spirits to cross the Gauntlet and make changes.

TIES THAT BIND

The societies of spirits are built on Resonance, Rank, gathra, and the tenuous kinship of umia and ilthum. Trust and
altruism don’t come easily to spirits; their relationships hover on a knife’s edge. Beings that could be friends, mentors, or
wards are more likely to be rivals, predators, or food. For the majority of spirits, concepts like “family” or “friendship”
often don’t come naturally. The societies of the Shadow are webs within webs, totem bonds and ties of fealty, paid in
Essence and Gifts, Rites and Bans. Essence flows, bleeds, and ties. In consuming Essence, you incorporate its Resonance
into your nature, and so the Nobles and Totems of the Shadow become reflections of those tied to them.

GATHRA
In some ways, the hierarchy of the Shadow is unassailable. Spirits who exceed the Rank of their inferiors by two dots or
more are treated as a Bane, which means that weaker spirits cannot even touch them without suffering potentially fatal
injuries. But there are more surefire currencies than domination and threat of permanent destruction. Gathra is the
currency of the Shadow, an interweaving web of favours. Some are one time gifts meant to improve Impressions. Others
are more lavish, meant to inspire continued goodwill. And still others are frivolous tokens backed up by threats. Things
that inspire a sense of goodwill in spirits seem simple enough on paper, but are often anything but, especially for human
occultists who lack the recourse of brute force possessed by Uratha and other spirits.

This doesn’t mean that would-be shamans and witches are without options. It is possible to establish a lasting bargain with
a spirit; that they will perform a specific action in exchange for set gathra. These bargains, transmitted orally or passed
down in hastily scrawled grimoires, become folk conjurations. Localized traditions that can become “the way things have
always been.” In some places, the trees and rivers remember blood sacrifice and other offerings quite fondly.

Chapter One: Running the Gauntlet

 Hungry Shadows

While it is possible for the powerful to force the

servitude of spirits with spells, Rites, and Numina, it
generally doesn’t secure their loyalty, or a sense of debt.
Gathra can. It is the practice of building relationships
through offerings and obligations, of securing goodwill
from beings that see mortals as children at best or food
sources at worst and heavily distrust werewolves. It is also
the primary way that spirits repay favours, maintain GATHRA GUIDELINES
bargains, and attempt to improve Impressions. On the What counts as suitable gathra for a given spirit
other hand, there is a long and proud tradition of varies, but generally gifts of Essence equal to their
applying Hard Leverage on spirits with their Banes and Rank or removing a rival of equal Rank are suitable.
providing only the most pitiful of symbolic gifts. See pg. 16 for further detail. Use this scale as a guide
Remember that gathra is also how spirits will think in for more narrative favours based on Rank
terms of repaying debts that weren’t sealed bargains.
Gifts of Essence (which may take the form of Talens), 1. It would take a moment for you to do
removing rivals, undertaking actions that further the 2. Inconveniences you for several hours
character’s Anchors or Aspirations; these are all ways a 3. Causes physical harm or major social backlash
spirit may try to ingratiate themselves to a friend, or to 4. Threatens social ostracisim or your life
beings they identify as being of higher Rank and needing 5. Requires an entire group to take a major risk
to petition for their aid. The spirit will also only be able 6. Threatens the lives of multiple people
to consider these things through the lens of their own 7. Means certain death for multiple people
Influences, and that adds another potential source of
conflict or drama in a story. What appears to be a
malicious haunting might be a spirit doing their absolute
best to please someone, and either not realizing what
they’re doing or growing increasingly distressed at their
apparent failure. Some might grow angry at perceived
rejection, while others will be confused and despondent.
Some spirits, with a better grasp on humans, will often
be very pleased with themselves should they manage to
successfully exchange gathra.

BROODS
All ecosystems are complex, interconnected societies. All living things seek some amount of social contact, even the trees.
The pack bond is an innate aspect of all Essence, an extension of the relationships built by gathra. It flows, bleeds, and
blends, interconnecting many different beings into one cohesive group more closely bonded to each other than to
outsiders. Spirits can and do join packs, but spirits also have broods. They have similar origins and motivations to packs,
but broods are often closer than any pack could ever be due to Resonances that dovetail and interlock, naturally feeding
and bleeding into the Resonances of other members of the brood.

As packs bind totems, broods of spirits elevate minor Nobles (see pg. 45), either finding themselves a patron, or elevating
one of their own. It is something that comes naturally to spirits, and is part of why totems, especially more magnanimous
ones (The Pack pg. 30) are often shunned by umia and ilthum. Young Uratha have insufficient Rank to be recognized as
much beyond, admittedly extremely dangerous, animals or infants; humans and Wolf-Blooded have no Rank at all. A
spirit bonding with humans and Wolf-Blooded, without werewolves as intermediaries, is like trying to have a meaningful
relationship with particularly fascinating food. A totem without Uratha is often rather distant, lacking the tight bonds of
Essence found in proper packs and broods, but totems have advantages in the Flesh that Nobles do not. Namely the
ability to traverse the Flesh without the ever-present danger of Essence Bleed.

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BENEATH NOTICE
Muthra are Rank 0 spirits; just barely conscious
accumulations of Essence. They have an Attribute
maximum of 3, 1-4 Attribute dots, only the Twilight
Form or Incarnate Manifestation, one dot of
Influence, an Essence pool of 5, no Ban, and a
borderline-universal Bane, like salt or sunlight.
COURTS
Bonded by ties of Essence from vassals who serve willingly or are
enslaved by spiritual might, courts cross lines of umia and ilthum,
bowing instead to the power of a ruling Noble. If broods are like
packs, then courts are like lodges, strange cultic organizations
with esoteric agendas and stranger Aspirations. Nobles can serve
as vassals to even more powerful Nobles, up and up to the Gods
of the Shadow. Courts provoke rivalries and outright wars with
other courts, while within the courts broods jockey for power and
influence, and gathra flows through and around these webs of
alliances and rivalries. Totems sit outside of these hierarchies.
While totems can become Nobles and accept vassals, they
themselves cannot be subject to becoming a vassal, even by force,
and becoming a totem breaks any bonds of fealty (enforced by
Numina or otherwise) they may have possessed.

Spirits desperate to escape their courts may offer

themselves up willingly, even eagerly, to a pack in
order to escape a tyrant. And at that point the new
totem’s former Noble has to decide if it would be
worth it to seek retribution, or to just hope that the
exile doesn’t turn its newfound furry murder-machine
allies on its old rivals in the court. Courts that run off
of gathra more than the chains of Numina are less ROUGH MECHANICS
likely to exile and shun totems, and are more likely to
warily accept them as potential peers. The rare courts If you find yourself needing to model the benefits
where Uratha rule as reigning witch queens and for spirits of becoming a Noble or being in a brood
shaman warlords are far more likely to occur with or court, it would be useful to reference the benefits
Ghost Wolves, who have a tendency to grow warped to totems, both of packs and of lodges. These are
and strange away from the anchoring patronage of a most clearly outlined in The Pack pg. 63 & 80, and
Firstborn. But it isn’t unheard of for elder Urdaga or in Werewolf: The Forsaken pg. 91-92. It is
Anshega to lord over courts of their own. recommended not to apply anything Uratha-specific,
or that would require a connection to the Flesh, but
Those who are familiar with spirits, but unfamiliar
bear in mind that totems with human “packs” might
with the expressions of the pack bond, are often
get around those particular restrictions.
surprised by the capacity Nobles and totems have for
negotiation, compromise, and self-denial. Essence
security, whether through gathra, territory, the pack
bond, or other methods, frees spirits to turn their
attention to more complex goals than just securing a
meal or their personal safety. Diverse Influences allows
them to tackle problems through multiple lenses,
while the strength derived from the pack bond gives
them the latitude to grow to heights of power their
vassals and more solitary spirits can only dream of.

Chapter One: Running the Gauntlet

 Hungry Shadows

ALL UNDER HEAVEN

PRIMAL DESIRES
For the purposes of Social Maneuvering,
treat Influences as both Virtues and Vices.
Making a requst that would go against an
Influence adds a Door, while undertaking
actions that further that Influence as a
form of gathra count as tempting their Vice
and improves their Impression by a step.
The spirits that dwell within the Hisil are encompassed by the Warden
Moon’s stride, subject to their tidal might and the hateful repellant gaze
of Helios. They are autochthonic, monomaniacal, ageless, and prone to
sudden and violent ends. Many spirits will never see the Flesh in their
danger-fraught lives, but those that grow to the Rank of Ensih and
beyond stand a good chance at living for centuries or more, and actively
seek to reshape the Flesh-side of feeding grounds and territories to
better suit their needs and personal symbolism.
Spirits learn to manipulate Resonance through Influences, Numina,
and Manifestations. They can make bargains with beings of the Flesh
that become Rites, mortify themselves to produce Talens, and have
their ephemera beaten into Fetishes, reshaping their Essence to become
something strange and new. Some even dare to become the dread
duguthim, Claiming stuff of the Flesh and merging it with their Essence
in parody of the heirs of the Border Marches. For spirits, the path to
power (and possibly divinity) is growing from being a part of the world,
to making the world an extension of them.

INFLUENCES
A spirit is their Influences; using them to define their perspective and
core psychology the way that other beings rely on Anchors like Virtue
or Vice. They define the Resonances suitable for the spirit’s diet,
directly or indirectly, and form the bedrock of their Aspirations.

Like werewolves, spirits can sense Influences with a roll of Rank (+ any
relevant Influence). Influences are a spirit’s connection to the Flesh,
and the vector through which they can Manifest, but more than that
Influences are extensions of a spirit’s self, the foundation of their
nature, while Numina are more emblematic of a spirit’s experiences
and learned skills. Influences are versatile things, and it can be
sometimes difficult to conceptualize what they are capable of. There
are examples and system hacks for that printed below. LASTING
DURATION AND SCALE Some effects of Influences are Lasting,
As it stands the durations for Influences and Manifestations can swing which is to say that the impact of the
rather wildly, using successes to measure discrete intervals of Influence persists after the effect is ended.
measurable time, such as minutes and hours. Instead of using Healed wounds don’t reopen, fires still
successes, use Rank as a multiplier for the units of time, and allow burn. Consider what, if anything, in the
them to move a step up on the Influence Duration chart upon an
environment has been changed by the
Exceptional Success. For example, a Rank 3 Spirit using the
Strengthen effect with three dots in the Influence could have the effect
Influence. These effects are Lasting.
last for three hours for an additional point of Essence, or three days
on an Exceptional Success and an extra point of Essence expended. If
the use of an Influence should have an area of effect, one option is to
use the printed table for the area of influence of a Locus (Werewolf:
The Forsaken pg. 179) substituting Rank for the Locus rating. It may
also be worth considering using subjective narrative time, things like
turns, actions, scenes, and chapters to reduce the amount of
bookkeeping involved in Storyteller characters using Influences.

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STRENGTHEN
The most basic skill of any spirit is to emphasize a
source of Resonance, either paving the way to
Manifestation by force or allowing the might of the
spirit’s Rank to flow into the source of Resonance,
adding Rank to any suitable trait or even healing a
number of points of Health or Structure equal to Rank
for the target. This can also impose any thematically
suitable Conditions or Tilts, provided the existence of
Resonance under the purview to build off of. Characters
who are already nervous could have that turned into the
Frightened Condition by Influence (Fear) 1. By default,
spirits can sense any suitable Resonance within a mile of
them, but spirits can also learn more about the source of
Resonance and the context of the Condition with a
successful Rank + Influence roll, but for spirits this is
about as notable as being able to notice sensory cues
with a successful Wits + Composure roll.
MANIPULATE
As spirits begin to grow into individuals while still
bound to their reflection in the Flesh for a reliable
source of Essence, they learn to do more than merely
magnify Resonance. They learn to shape it, making
slight alterations to the nature of a source of Resonance,
provoking preferred but possible outcomes. Actions
with Intent behind them, such as the terms of a Chase,
the goal of Social Maneuvering, or the desired outcome
of Violence, can be changed by this level of Influence;
provided the Influence lasts long enough to alter the
outcome. This can impose or negate dice pool penalties,
and even change the target or nature of a Condition. A
spirit with Influence (Desire) 2 could, for example,
change who a target is Swooning over, or change the
nature of the Condition into something hungrier,
turning it into the Wanton Condition.
CREATE
Here, the seemingly linear progression starts to break
down, as the spirit becomes able to actually produce
Resonance, and therefore create examples of their
reflection in the Flesh, ex nihilo. While this rarely lasts
long enough to do much other than allow a powerful
spirit to use brute force to Manifest (and therefore
extend the duration of this Influence), the point is more
often to produce potential Lasting effects. It also has the
sometimes-unintentional side effect of spawning a new
muthra in the Shadow, potentially birthing a future rival.
MASS CREATE
Spirits of this august might, on the cusp of ascending to
the courts of the Gods of the Shadow, effectively break
the scale entirely. What other spirits do on relatively
narrow scale and with limited duration, they do on a
grand scale and with a great likelihood of producing
Lasting changes. When such spirits choose to use this
level of Influence, they may permanently create an
example of their Influence in the Flesh. While hearts
and minds cannot be permanently altered by this
Influence, the Conditions they produce can be made
Persistent, with all the usual difficulty of resolving such
a Condition, though breaking the spirit’s Ban or coming
into contact with their Bane ends the Influence as well.
Some uses of this Influence may better warrant the use
of an Area of Effect (see pg. 10) rather than a number of
subjects equal to Rank.

CONTROL
Those who have grown to this level of spiritual might
are powerful, independent, and ambitious. This level of
Influence allows living things to be commanded, even to
self-destructive ends, or to absolutely control inanimate
things. Influence (Water) 3 could allow water to flow
uphill, or contort into any shape. This Influence can be
used to produce effectively any suitable thematic non-
supernatural Condition or Merit, to conceal Resonant
things or conceal targets from that Resonance, or to
guard others from the impact of that Resonance. For
example, a Spirit of Disease could prevent a person from
becoming sick or heal someone already sick with
Influence (Disease) 3, but it would require truly
spectacular amounts of gathra to get it to work so clearly
against its own self-interest.

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 Hungry Shadows

SACRED LAW
In the days of the Roman Empire, the nature of sacred law, divinity, and sacrifice was summed up in the phrase do ut des.
“I give so that you will give.” Less prosaically, Roman merchants would call it a quid pro quo, and that turn of phrase has
stuck. While the cult of the numia has since faded, some things remain unchanged. All spirits must obey their nature, and
few things are as fundamental to their nature as their bans and banes. Things of Essence and Resonance cannot help but
have bans and banes, and even the Uratha are not immune, for does not silver wound them grievously and the Siskur-Dah
demand their attention? These are laws hammered into the very fabric of the Shadow itself. They allow for Influences and
empower Rites and lesser bargains, and are shared through the pack bond. It can be daunting to contemplate coming up
with unique weaknesses for every spirit the characters may encounter, but not every spirit will be a major Storyteller
character. Consider designing a handful of bans and banes depending on Influence that can be easily tweaked.

BANS
Not all bans will work for all characters. The ban of a powerful antagonistic
spirit may not work as the ban for a pack Totem, and the ban that works for
an especially cultic Lodge may not work as the ban of a spiritual ally. The best
bans can serve as story seeds, memorable character tics, and things that can
help characters achieve their goals. Good bans are active, pushing the spirit
to do something or actively hindering their goals, and while bans should have
an impact on the story, they shouldn’t bring it grinding to a halt. Bans tend
to come in two broad categories, Compulsions, which cause the spirit to take
action, and Proscriptions, which can stop them in their tracks. Within these
categories, there are several archetypes; Behavioral, Ritual, and Sacrificial. IN DEPTH RESEARCH
While it can be a rewarding story to do a lot
Behavioral bans often closely resemble personality traits, or even something of research and go on a journey to uncover a
like a sense of ethics or a code of honor. Spirits with these bans are often spirit’s Ban or Bane, not every game will be run
deceptively familiar to mortals, but are just as alien as any other. the same way, and not every setting will
accomodate a library of occult secrets. In
Ritual bans are esoteric in nature, and can be useful to provoke a sense of the general, Bans and Banes should be present
sacred and the uncanny. These are spirits that you bargain with, and then enough in the story that the players can either
later try to cheat. They are used to being approached, flattered, and showered guess what they are, or easily come up with one
with gathra. These bans are often suitable for Nobles and gods. on their own. Who knows? Maybe your players
will surprise you and come up with a better Ban
Sacrificial bans are no less esoteric than Ritual bans, but these are ticking or Bane than you did. In mechanical terms,
time bombs. They encourage spirits to cross the Gauntlet and seek out favour Investigations over an Extended Action
resources, or to build vast support networks to feed alien hungers. since they are focused on ‘failing forwards’ and
player input. The Clue Elements required to
BANES uncover a spirit’s Ban or Bane should range
Resonance is an imperfect mirror, a reflection warped by symbolism. Any between Rank and their highest Attribute,
given spirit’s Ban and Bane pivots on the Want around which they congeal, depending on their importance to the plot.
like a grain of sand within a pearl. It is, ultimately, something they cannot
have, for if that Want were ever satisfied it would destroy them. Some
substances make sense as a Bane. They’re toxic, or purgative, or naturally
antithetical to certain forms of symbolism.

It is impossible to tell what came first, banes seemingly governed by human

folklore, or the folklore itself. The relationship between the two likely isn’t
that simple. For many cultures, the existence of spirits was and is like the
existence of gravity. You didn’t need to know why it worked to muddle out
how it impacted you. To that end, a good Bane should be instinctual, and
typically present enough, even if it is uncommon, to be a threat. If you know
enough about the spirit and its Influences, you should be able to figure it out.

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INSTINCTUAL WISDOM
All beings of the Hisil and heirs to the Border Marches are driven by alien instincts. Hosts follow the dying ravings of
desperate primordial gods. Spirits listen to the Influences that indicate tenuous kinship through the umia and the chosen
bonds of brood and ilthum. The Wolf Must Hunt. Spirits are born with instinctual understanding of their Influences, and
those Influences in turn serve as Anchors that outline their personality. But not all Influences provide the same amount
of insight. The wisdom of a tree is not the wisdom of a fire, or a wolf.

Nature spirits are spawned active and more knowledgeable than most. With their Influences come packaged instincts,
behaviours, and an awareness and understanding of a host of other associated concepts. These spirits are alien, but no
more so than plants, animals, and fungi already are (so sometimes extremely alien indeed). The Essence of these spirits
can be remarkably flexible, enabling them to prey upon spirits with a wide range of Influences without the risk of
becoming magath. Spirits of trees can devour the Essence of the sun, winds, water, and earth. The spirits of animals can
safely consume the Shadow-side reflections of their typical diet. As these spirits grow in Rank, they often diversify their
Influences, beginning to reflect entire ecologies or evolving into complex symbolic beings. Nature spirits are typically
equally at home on either side of the Gauntlet, especially in their native environment.

Elemental spirits are either born conscious and ferociously hungry, or hibernating and accumulating Essence until they
wake slowly, fully sated. The Influences of these spirits don’t lend themselves to knowledge or instinct. A spirit of wind,
water, earth, or flame understands the nature of their Essence innately, but little else. What they have is patience,
detachment, and the ability to observe. Because of the stability of their Resonance sources, these spirits often have a purity
to them that spirits of other umia don’t. However, some of these spirits, born in events like wildfires or thunderstorms,
burn out quickly when the phenomenon that spawns them fades. A boiling mass of muthra consume and devour until
they grow disproportionately mighty for their age, then scatter, following their Resonance sense until they burn out, or
consume spirits of different and often highly divergent Influences, becoming especially volatile magath. Elementals rarely
leave the Shadow unless summoned, especially if their food sources are transient. A safe journey between food sources in
the Hisil could be an exacting journey in the Flesh that leaves the spirit on the brink of starvation.

Conceptual spirits, or at least spirits with only Conceptual Influences, are extremely rare. They are born in action and
reaction, in experience and emotion and instinct. Their Influences give them an insight into human psychology in a way
that no other umia shares. It is not uncommon that spirits of other umia who spend a lot of time around humans develop
a Conceptual Influence in addition to their primary Influences. The communities that thrive on their shores influence
rivers; animals and plants are impacted by human symbolism and use. Spirits whose primary Influences are Conceptual in
nature often coalesce around habits and relationships, feeding off of someone’s addiction or grief, growing fat off of
human relationships. As they ascend in Rank, they expand their reach to larger and larger communities, following the
relationships of their initial food source onwards and outwards. These spirits are amongst the most likely to cross the
Gauntlet and begin the process of Claiming a target, if only to permanently secure their food supply.

Artificial spirits owe their existence entirely to humanity, but in spite of that they end up being rather alien indeed. They
are fully informed by the human artifice and laws that spawned their Influences, and as such are comprehensible to
humans, but understand very little or nothing at all of the wider world without those lenses. The spirit of a gun can only
think in terms of aim, target, ammunition, cover, range, and other tightly associated concepts. A spirit of a store is an
eternally hungry glutton, attempting to feed even when sated, while a spirit of wealth is a slothful creature for whom even
the daily expenditure of a single mote of Essence to stay active is an excruciating affront. Few of these spirits are born
conscious, instead slowly stirring through accumulated Essence. As they ascend in Rank, they diversify, becoming avatars
of whole systems that sometimes cross the Gauntlet to Claim a human so they can better observe and fine tune their
increasingly complex and interconnected territory.

Chapter One: Running the Gauntlet

 Hungry Shadows

MANIFESTATIONS
If Influences are the vectors and parameters at the core
of a spirit’s being, then Manifestations are how the spirit
projects that nature into the Flesh. They’re how a spirit
makes itself known to mortals. When a spirit uses a
Manifestation, for as long as the Manifestation endures
so too do any Influence effects used on the target and
any underlying Conditions. This can cause disastrous
OPTIONAL RULE: EASY CLAIMS
In Werewolf: The Forsaken Second Edition, the
effects for those who find themselves Ridden,
preventing them from being able to move on from grief
mechanical process of the Ridden becoming
or let go of addictions, or any other unintended
Claimed is somewhat in conflict with the difference
consequences of being persistently Resonant.
between nanutari and duguthim as described in that
book. Instead of requiring Influence 3 or the Possess
Manifestation, the subject can gain the Controlled
Condition when they’ve earned a number of Beats
INCARNATED from the Urged Condition equal to the higher of
the spirit or subject’s Willpower.
The spirit is Materialized by default. But if they spend 3
Essence and roll Power + Finesse on a success the spirit
enters Twilight for a number of scenes equal to Rank.

IDOL
The spirit treats any visual depiction of itself as Resonant
and can treat the image as a Locus. By spending a point
of Essence the spirit can treat such an idol as their
physical presence, projecting their senses, voice, and
spiritual power through it at any distance. If they Claim
the idol, it is treated as a living thing.

FAMILIAR
On rare occasions, spirits of Rank 2 or less will find a way
to bond to the soul of another being independent of
outside sources of magic. This Manifestation costs 5
Essence to use and can only be used on a willing being.
Either spirit or the being they’ve bonded to can break the
link at any time. As a reflexive action the spirit and their
bonded partner can use one another’s senses, enabling
them to wield magical abilities that require the use of
such senses. The two characters can exchange Essence.

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CHAPTER TWO
INVASIVE
SPECIES
If You Have come to the point you are ready to consult
spirits to know more about your life, there is nothing
under the sun you cannot do.
Bangambiki Habyarimana, The Book of Wisdom
Imagine what it must have been like in the early
Paleocene. Any land-based animal species larger than 55
pounds is dead or limping swiftly towards extinction. The
world is hotter and wetter than it used to be, the oceans
are rising and full of liquid death in the form of
hydrogen sulfide, starved of oxygen and nutrients.
Oceanic currents reversed for tens of thousands of years,
which wreaked untold havoc around the globe. And yet…
life found a way to not only persist, but flourish.
In the days of the Border Marches spirits couldn’t push
through the caul between worlds, manipulating mortals
into serving as curators of their feeding grounds or
ripping clean through it to step sideways. They had to
risk predation from Uratha packs in the shallow places,
and from the gods in the deeper wilds. Within the Flesh
they would haunt their favourite feeding grounds, or
transform a being of the Flesh into one of the Ridden.
But the world is different now, and spirits are still
adapting to the new circumstances.
21
It is possible for spirits to reshape the Flesh with
Influences without ever leaving the Shadow, to appear to
mortals and bend them to their will without ever
Materializing. Building an impregnable nest in a Place-
That-Isn’t near a locus and growing fat off of sacrifice and
vast feasts of Essence is now a viable survival strategy.
The Sundering was a mass extinction event. The Border
Marches vanished, the primordial gods were slain or
trapped or warped and diminished beyond recognition.
All that remains are Uratha, and shartha, and spirits or
flesh-bound Horrors that remember being something
more. However, the spirits of the Hisil are not bound by
rules of biology and natural selection as recognized by
mortal scientists. Spirits react to disasters in the Flesh the
way that the climate reacts. They are emergent properties
of Resonance and Essence, ties of gathra and totem bonds
cause individual spirits to bleed into each other. Their
Courts and Choirs are systems of ecology turned into
interweaved society with all implied complexities.
Chapter Two: Invasive Species
 Hungry Shadows

THE HUMAN
As a species, we have a habit of completely reshaping any
environment that we inhabit, dramatically altering ecologies
with intention or with unthinking self-interest. Our species
has had a massive impact on Flesh and Shadow alike, and the
current trends in human-driven climate change and extinction OPTIONAL RULE:
certainly aren’t helping. Humans as a whole are an artistic
species, and that inclination lends itself to tides of diverse DIVERSE RITES
Resonance that clog and choke the Gauntlet, causing it to On rare occassions, mundane humans gain
swell like a blister. But humans are also spiritual, finding the ability to learn Pack Rites, whether by the
comfort in pattern, routine, and ritual. grace of the Warden Moon, Wolf’s Blood, or
Shadow Occultism. If using this rule, humans
Early anthropologists defined religion as the acknowledgement with a magnanimous totem (whether personal
of spirits existing in all things and in all places. Cultures or pack), can learn Pack Rites, and Wolf-
throughout history and across the globe have had an awareness Blooded with the Horse, Spirit Double, or
that spirits dwell, unseen but with a noticeable presence. Some Waystone Tells can learn Wolf Rites.
of these traditions call them fae, ancestors, gods, demons, or
kami, but all encourage trying to please them for good fortune
and warn that a direct encounter with such a spirit is
dangerous. Some occult traditions promise the ability to
mediate with these spirits, intervening on behalf of the
community, while others promise their tutelage in Influence
and ritual, and still others promise the ability to bend the
mightiest of spirits to the sorcerer’s will.

INFESTATION
It isn’t easy for mortals to access the Shadow. Unless you figure out the Key necessary to open a Verge, you’re more of less
bound to the Flesh without action on the part of a spirit. Humans are without Rank, and as such are typically given as much
thought by spirits as they would give a muthrum; devouring, possessing, or Claiming the average human concerns them as
much as it might concern you to eat a fruit. Humans are simply especially adept at producing Resonance and spirits will
attempt to cultivate their favourite meals. Some are more magnanimous, but expect gathra and praise for being so open-
minded. However, humans are not without leverage against spirits. Anyone can perform certain Open Rites (see Chronicles
of Darkness pg. 138), or persuade a spirit to rip ephemera free to make Talens. Anyone can engage in Social Maneuvering
with a spirit, provided they know how to communicate, and come to an agreement that is sealed with gathra.

Beings of the Flesh still produce Resonance in a noticeable coruscating aura once in the Shadow. Humans journeying in the
Shadow shed muthra the way that they’d slough off dead skin cells in the Flesh. This vibrant aura of Resonance, and the lack
of Rank, is immediately noticeable to any spirit that cares to observe. Things that pass into the Hisil are transmuted into
ephemera; meaning flesh or metal becomes Corpus. Such objects can provide Essence points equal to their Structure, so the
prudent bring suitable Resonant sacrifices with them into the Shadow, with each point of Essence stripped acts as a point of
Structure damage. This can turn even humble gifts into potent sacrifice as the spirit devours pure Resonance.

The other major problem with being a mortal travelling in the Shadow for an extended period of time is that humans can’t
derive sustenance from ephemera. You could eat and drink until you feel sated, and be starving to death without knowing. If
this danger needs to be mechanized, treat deprivation from lack of food and water as a Level 1 Extreme Environment. Some
aspiring sorcerers deliberately use this occult law, seeking power through flaying and consuming spirits like Skin Thieves (see
Dark Eras pg. 248), in acts of initiation like Shadow Occultists (see Shunned by the Moon pg. 138), or in acts of self-
mummification like the Purified (see pg. 42). Whatever the case, any mortal who subsists on Essence for any length of time
will emerge from the Shadow far stranger than they were when they entered it.

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ACCLIMATION
Essence warps and changes, ephemera twists and flows. Humans who pursue the spiritual power of the Shadow cannot help
but change, whether it’s a spontaneous adoption by the Moon or a relatively more mundane outgrowing of occult skill and
forbidden knowledge. The following are Merits representing the ties and talents mortals can develop.

BARGAINS (• TO •••••; PACK)

Effect: Whether through personal relationships or inherited traditions your character has a relationship with the local
spirits. Each purchase represents a particular Court or Choir, so your character might have Bargains (Rivers) and Bargains
(Servants of Old Man Mountain). Once per Chapter your character can request the use of an Influence at or below their dot
rating. An Influence above your Bargain rating reduces your effective Merit rating by the difference for a full lunar month.
They can request the use of an Influence two levels below their Bargains rating without limit (within reason).
Drawback: The character must uphold their end of the Bargain, paying in gathra suitable for the transaction. With three
dots or more in Bargain, you gain a suitable Ban as if you were a spirit with a Rank equal to the dot rating -2 which allows
you to use the level of Bargain you can access without limit without gathra. If you break the Ban, you lose the Merit.

NEW TELL: FOUNT
The Wolf-Blooded is full of a mad riot
of Resonance, forming into the seething
pool of a Persistent Reception Condition.
Boon: The Wolf-Blooded can spend the
Essence gained from the Reception
Condition on anything they could
conceivably spend Essence on. By spending
a points of Essence equal to the target’s
Size, they can impose a Resonant
Condition of their choice.
CHANNEL (• OR •••)
Prerequisite: Invoke Spirit or Medium
Effect: While a spirit is using the Fetter Manifestation, your character
can communicate with the entity that is Fettered to them. They can
also permit them to use their Numina or Influences on any character
within the Fettered Condition’s range. At three dots, they can force
the entity to use their Numina or Influences with a point of
Willpower and succeeding a Resolve + Composure vs. Resistance +
Rank roll. They cannot force them to break a Ban or touch a Bane.
EXPERIENCED HORSE (• OR •••)
Prerequisite: Invoke Spirit or Medium
Effect: Your character maintains their awareness while possessed, and
can communicate with the possessing spirit. If they choose to
cooperate, the spirit doesn’t suffer the usual penalties to their actions.
At three dots, the character can reverse the act of possession and take
control of a spirit with a point of Willpower and succeeding a
Resolve + Composure vs. Resistance + Rank roll. They apply the
Possessed Condition to the spirit and suffer similar penalties. Treat
the spirit’s Numina and Influences as Mental actions for the
purposes of the Condition. Spend a point of Willpower to substitute
your Skills where a spirit would use Rank or an Attribute.

FETCH BEAST (•••)

Prerequisite: Shadow Occultism (Shunned by the Moon pg. 138)
Effect: The Hisil has touched the soul of this occultist more deeply than most. When they dream, or otherwise enter an
altered state of consciousness, their mind flies free in the Shadow as something like a spirit, but born instead from the
astral realms of the human soul. Use Intelligence as Power, Wits as Finesse, and Resolve as Resistance in this dream state.
The dreaming character can disguise themselves as a spirit by spending a point of Essence, taking on an appearance
coloured by their Influences and gaining a Rank equal to their highest Influence. Their patrons can always identify them.
Drawback: The character doesn’t gain Willpower from rest. If killed in dream form, gain the Soul Shocked Condition.

Chapter Two: Invasive Species

 Hungry Shadows

INVOKE SPIRIT (••; ADVANCED)

Prerequisite: Invoke Spirit (Hurt Locker pg. 74)
Effect: The spirit that has latched onto your character is more powerful than most, and the trauma you experienced is
consequently far greater. Work with the Storyteller to determine the nature of the trauma and the type of spirit it
attracted, but it is only as powerful as Rank 2. They can telepathically call upon the spirit to protect them at any time.
Drawback: The spirit can inflict the Possessed Condition on
your character when called even if it doesn’t possess the
necessary Manifestation to do so. While it will protect the
character, the spirit will also pursue its own Aspirations.

PLEASING AURA (•••)

Prerequisite: Medium
Effects: Something about your soul makes the Resonance you
produce especially pleasing to spirits. Improve Impressions by
one step with any spirit that takes advantage of the
Manifestation Conditions your produce. This can count as
suitable gathra in Social Maneuvering.
Drawback: You will find yourself more haunted than most.
Spirits will pester you for the opportunity to bask in your aura.

RITUALIST (•••)
Prerequisite: Occult ••
Effect: Your character has an excellent instinct for the laws of
the Shadow. They can perform any Rite with the assistance of a
spirit whose Rank is equal to the Rite’s dot rating and whose
Influences match one or more symbols of the Rite.
Drawback: The character’s ability to instinctually perform
Rites depends on the assistance and goodwill of spirits, which
is borderline non-existent. They will most likely need to pay for
their assistance in the rite in gathra.

THE URATHA
Despite the fact that spirits can tear Gifts and Renown into a
werewolf’s Essence, and that those self-same deeds afford them
Honorary Rank amongst the umia and ilthum, the Uratha are
not natives of the Shadow. But neither are they natives of the
Flesh. They are extraordinarily adaptable living fossils, the
remnants of a lost age, the last true scions of the primordial
gods of the Border Marches. Some seek to revive the past
through Pangaean witchcraft, some seek to make due with the
world as it is, and some seek perfection through warping their
Essence and flesh alike in pursuit of becoming a bodhisattva
predator. All are apex predators of the highest orders,
demigods of Flesh and Shadow alike. In Yellowstone, ecologists
uncovered a peculiar truth. To fix the rivers, trust the wolves. If
any equilibrium between Flesh and Shadow is possible, the
Uratha may be the key to success or to failure.

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INFESTATION
Finding a werewolf in the Shadow is not a strange thing. In some
ways, it’s expected to find Uratha there, whether they’re on the hunt or
seeking out spirits to learn the secret symbol laws of the Hisil.
Accessing it is a matter of Harmony, opportunity and effort, or in rare
cases, having the right magic. Very few grow to become true
inhabitants of the Shadow. Some of the zi’ir do, fading into loose
ephemera while at rest, subsuming into Loci, their rage too powerful THE ANCESTORS
to be contained in their now-ephemeral form and ripping its way free
as a powerful spirit. The profane abominations of the Asah Gadar
ARE WATCHING
No one knows if werewolves leave behind
have the capability to warp the Shadow into something
ghosts, or even just spirits born of their
unrecognizable, something Wounded and festering, that often makes Renown (though Death Wolf did), but the
the Bale Hound more at home in their foul nest than elsewhere. Imria Hithim regularly claim to be legendary
local heroes of the Tribes. Their Influences are
As a general rule, Anshega are more likely to pursue true communion
almost always related to the Renown of the
with the Shadow than the Tribes of the Moon. Forsaken Tribes are
Tribe and their respective favoured Gifts. Many
more like traditional clan groupings. They’re philosophical outlooks werewolves seek them out in order to learn the
on the Siskur-Dah and veneration of a mighty Firstborn, a temple secrets of Tribal Gifts and Rites.
upheld by the pillars of Lodges. Pure Tribes are focused, devoted.
Their members become true avatars of their Firstborn while on the
hunt, their totems demand veneration and worship, ruling over their
packs and bringing them to heel. Lodges amongst the Pure are grand
cults, holy armies at the direction of their object of worship. The
totems of the Pure are grand, mythic beings. They’re diminished
Pangaeans and malcontent Nobles who’ve learned the sibilant
screaming song of the void, ancient beings who remember what the
world was and imagine what it could be. All they need to do is depose
Luna as undisputed Monarch of the Shadow.

ACCLIMATION
The flesh and Essence of the Uratha are as changeable as the Warden
Moon. Spirits carve new Essence channels into their very souls to
profligate into Gifts; teach them the secret symbol laws of Rites. They
bind spirits as totems for packs and lodges, forge them into Fetishes,
and compel them to rip symbols free from their corpus for use as
Talens. They sift through the corpses of shartha for fragments of the
souls of gods, and they can attempt to revive some of the power of the
Border Marches through witchcraft and internal alchemy. The Hisil
bares its secrets to them in ways it doesn’t for others, and they can draw
power from it in ways that others cannot truly replicate.

What follows are a series of ways to alter the relationship that

werewolves can have with the Hisil. While these are intended to be
Werewolf: The Forsaken facing, they should fit relatively well in any
given game, provided that the mechanics fit the story you want to tell.
Not every mechanic will be suitable for every game, and that’s alright!
People get into this hobby to tell diverse stories, and this book in
particular is meant to provide more options for Storytellers and players.

Chapter Two: Invasive Species

 Hungry Shadows

TRAVEL BY ASSOCIATION
Essence flows, it follows currents and channels of Modifier Circumstance
sympathy and symbolism. Some argue that these +1 to 5 In the area of influence of a Locus
channels are where ley lines come from. Others say that +2 The regions share a Major Aspect
it is in the Hisil’s spiritual nature for things with close
associations to become physically close as well. This is an +1 The regions share a Minor Aspect
alternative means of traversing the Shadow and crossing 0 The two regions are nearly identical
the Gauntlet. Every environment should have a Major -1 The two regions are closely related
and a Minor Aspect, which can be interpreted as the (A city and all cities, disaster and suffering)
major theme of the area and the subtext. If you are using -3 The two regions are associated
this subsystem, consider making it possible for Uratha (War and death, the moon and madness)
and spirits to cross the Gauntlet anywhere, albeit with -5 The two regions are distantly related
the dice pool penalized by the local Gauntlet Strength. (Faith and books, honour and insight)
If you are a werewolf unbalanced towards Flesh, you can cross into the Flesh from anywhere in the Shadow. If you are a
werewolf unbalanced towards Spirit you can cross into the Shadow from anywhere in the Flesh. Werewolves of balanced
Harmony can cross over freely. If you can spend Essence equal to the local Gauntlet Strength, you can cross as an Instant
Action, and if you use another method by taking an Instant Action Resonant with the Major or Minor Aspect, you cross
in one turn per point of Gauntlet Strength. Crossing between different points of the Shadow is a similar Instant Action.

DESIGNING FETISHES Options for Fetishes

A spirit’s power flows from its Influences, its symbolism.
Ephemera torn off of them forms into Talens, but when the
whole of a spirit’s being is bound by Rite into an object or marker
of some kind, it becomes a Fetish. When designing
a Fetish, choose a number of options from the following chart
equal to the bound spirit’s Rank. If the vessel is symbolically
suitable for the spirit, add one. If the effect would be rather
narrow, add one. If the spirit is unwilling, subtract one. If the
vessel is symbolically at odd with the spirit, subtract one.
Add or Remove a Door
Add or subtract an Equipment Bonus
Shift Impressions one step up or down
Wield an Influence or modify a Gift Facet†
Apply a Condition or Tilt to the target*
†: This requires options equal to (Rank)
*: If selected twice this option is Persistent

HUNTER’S DREAM (PACK RITE •••••)

Invoking the ancient honours of Wolf, this rite allows a pack to make a refuge in the shallow places of the world where
Flesh and Shadow nearly touch, building a unique Place-That-Isn’t out of the potent Resonance of a locus.
Symbols: The den, fire, boundaries, the pack
Sample Rite: Icelandic Uratha, harkening back to the days of roving packs going a-viking, carve galdrastafir on the anchor
object of the locus and redden them with their blood to seal the Rite’s Essence in (Strength + Crafts)
Action: Extended (20 Successes; each roll represents ten minutes)
Duration: 1 lunar month
Cost: 25 Essence, which can be paid gradually throughout the Rite’s performance
Success: The pack gains a Safe Place Merit equal to the dot rating of the locus they performed the Rite at, representing a
Place-That-Isn’t that has grown in the heart of the locus. The ritemaster decides on a Key necessary to access this refuge;
the locus otherwise functions normally. The ritemaster can sacrifice dots of the Safe Place Merit to alter the laws of the
Shadow in this refuge at a rate of one-to-one to a maximum (Safe Place -1), simulating Merits, Tilts, supernatural effects,
or Extreme Environments the pack itself can use or are immune to. The appearance of the Place-That-Isn’t will be heavily
influenced by the Resonances of the Locus, the pack totem, and the Renown of the Uratha in the pack.

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IDOL OF THE FIRSTBORN (PACK RITE •••••)

Packs can draw on their totem bond to gird a spirit with power and
protection, but this far more powerful Rite, handed down through both
the Forsaken and Pure Tribes, can transform a spirit or werewolf into a
lesser avatar of a Firstborn. Each Tribe has their own unique version of this
Rite, attuned to their divine patron and ancestor.
Symbols: Shielding, the Tribe, empowerment, earth/metal
Sample Rite: Mask traditions are common the world over, but in India
werewolf packs will dance in one of the many classical styles, telling any
number of traditional stories of the Firstborn through music and dance GRAND INVOCATION
until they successfully invoke their power (Dexterity + Expression) Rites ultimately come from agreements and
Action: Extended (15 successes; each roll represents a minute) pacts with spirits and the Shadow, whether they
Duration: 1 lunar month (or until expended) are newly forged over and over again or calling
Cost: Essence equal to the subject’s (Honorary) Rank upon ancient honours from the days of
Success: The subject of the Rite warps and transforms into a great and Pangaea. Either way, spirits can be part of packs
as well, and their inclusion can be precious
terrible divine beast, taking on an aspect of the invoked Firstborn in some
indeed as representatives of the Shadow know
way. This has several different effects for both spirits and werewolves.
best how to twist their own laws. A spirit who
• All characters gain Attribute dots equal to the Ritemaster’s dots in has Influences that match one or more of the
the Firstborn’s Tribal Renown, which means that the divine symbols of the Rite can use that Influence to
beasts that emerge from Anshega Rites are often more powerful alter the Rite and its outcome.
than those of Urdaga Rites. Spirits treat these Attributes as dots of
the Totem Merit for the purposes of calculating Rank, Numina,
and can temporarily boost the Totem Blessing. Character can
expend this blessing to automatically win a Clash of Wills.
• If they don’t already have it, Uratha characters are treated as
having the Embodiment of the Firstborn Merit (Werewolf: The
Forsaken pg. 106) for the duration of the Rite, and as having the
benefits of the Firstborn’s Siskur-Dah blessing at all times. They
can sacrifice Attribute dots bestowed by the Rite one-to-one in
order to gain Enlightenments (Shunned by the Moon pg. 56) up
to a maximum of their Primal Urge.

SHADOW CROWN (WOLF RITE •••)

The champions of the Great Predator have no need of a crown or mantle of power, and yet as descendents of the Queen
of the Shadow, they have the right to it and can claim a title at any Court through Shadow law.
Symbols: Dominance, water, the moon, the court’s resonance
Sample Rite: Greek werewolves anoint their chosen one with a mixture of wine, blood, and water infused with aconite
and any substances Resonant with the courts amongst wish they desire to be treated as a Noble while making burnt
offerings and praising the Warden Moon (Presence + Expression)
Action: Extended (10 successes; each roll represents half an hour)
Cost: Essence equal to (Honorary) Rank
Success: The characters gains the Crowned Persistent Condition and can choose one of the following effects. On rare
occasions, such as the Influences of spirits welcoming the werewolf into the Court, the crown can be even more powerful.
• Eminence: Gain +1 Rank. Resolve the Condition to give a simple order of no more than four words that must
be obeyed by all lower-Rank spirits that can perceive them.
• Renown: Gain the 8-again quality on rolls using one of the favoured Skills of your Auspice. Resolve the
Condition to gain automatic successes equal to your Auspice Renown on a roll using that Skill.
• Power: Use this feature as an excuse to bestow other strange powers, like those of the Crown of the Wolf-Queen
of Texas (see Shunned by the Moon pg. 22) or a Fetish equal to the werewolf’s Honorary Rank.

Chapter Two: Invasive Species

 Hungry Shadows

THE OTHERS
There is far more in the world beneath the Warden Moon’s stride than
just spirits, Uratha, and the mortal herd. Other, far stranger, creatures stalk
the night. They have their own alien instincts and hungers, their own
needs for the mortal herd. They shed numerous forms of Resonance in
potent auras, and thus by their very presence can wreak havoc.

VAMPIRES
POTENT AURAS
Many supernatural beings have a kind of
The hungry dead are a virulent, persistent curse that keeps on cropping up powerful aura around them. Mages have the
the world over. Many vampires like to style themselves as hunters, but the Nimbus, vampires have the Predatory Aura, the
most successful vampires are cultivators. They build communities around Deathless have Sybaris, and the fae have
themselves in an effort to secure blood, shelter, resources, and influence. Bedlam. Consider these characters to have
These communities cannot escape the effects of the miasma of a vampire’s additional Resonant Keywords related to their
presence, the Resonances they produce. It bleeds into the mortals they feed abilities and nature equal to their Power Trait.
on and the very earth in which they sleep. Rare vampires have a true Certain magical items, like Artifacts or Relics,
connection with the Hisil; Wolf Blooded do retain their Tells when possess relevant Keywords as well.
Embraced and the Ume priesthood of Japan have instituted a system of
ritualized Bargains (see pg. 24) to exchange Vitae for Influences. Dedicated
occultists throughout history having found that Vitae is just as addicting
and binding to Materialized spirits as it is to mortals. It can even be
converted to Essence, though this risks spirits becoming magath.

MAGES
The Awakened are walking feasts of Resonance, their Nimbus a rich banquet
that infects those they cast spells on and the people, places, and things that are important to them. Without Rank, there’s
little reason for spirits unfamiliar with mages to treat them as anything other than particularly rich food sources, but the
Supernal Arcana can be mightier than the Influences and Numina of any spirit lesser than a God of the Shadow, and such a
threat swiftly breeds wary respect. Even beyond the purview of the Spirit Arcanum, the ability of mages to alter Resonance in
the form of Ley Lines and Hallows can wreak havoc on the topography of the Shadow, though it is liable to be far more
dangerous when intentional as opposed to a side effect. Because of the fount of Resonance produced by the Awakened, the
sorcerers regularly find themselves haunted, hounded, and Ridden. Consider the effects of feeding the local wildlife.

PROMETHEANS
Much like mages, the Created are a walking bounty of Essence that they can infect others with. The Lineage known as the
Ulgan has strong ties to both the Shadow and the Underworld, though such Created often favour one over the other.
Where the Divine Fire at their core is left to scorch the land it can smolder away at the Gauntlet, sometimes creating Loci or
Verges, often infecting local spirits with foreign Resonance through Disquiet. Such occurrences are rare, and magath formed
in the Wasteland of a pilgrim who has since moved on can wreak havoc in an attempt to maintain or restore their habitat.
Wastelands lower the local Gauntlet rating by the level of the Extreme Environment that they produce.

CHANGELINGS
Survivors of mad courts where skill in bargaining and oaths were necessary to survival, the Lost are surprisingly adept at
navigating the Shadow. Though spirits trend more to the primal and hungry than the Gentry or other fae, an observant
changeling can adapt quickly. Some choose to make Bargains, or forge new Contracts, or simply find a little breathing room
in their chaotic lives. The Wild Hunt is ever after them, but the Siskur-Dah can turn the tables. They are roiling storms of
Conceptual Essence that can spread it to others, and often members of their own Court, or Nobles in their own right. These
are things the Hisil respects, though it can be dangerous to become indebted to the fae, even for a spirit, as it can risk turning
into a goblin. When a spirit has acquired more Goblin Debt than their Rank, they gain the Hedge Denizen Condition.

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POWERFUL HORSES
Unless a supernatural being possesses some
kind of special ability that prevents them being
possessed or Claimed, then spirits can still
transform them into Ridden or duguthim, albeit
as potentially unique horrors. Having their soul
so altered prevents them from learning new
supernatural abilities native to them, but not
from using abilities they already possess.
SIN-EATERS
The dead are everywhere, and the Uratha are often more haunted
than most. Kuruth in the Flesh can leave behind quite the body
count. Even so, there is typically very little overlap between the
Underworld and the Hisil, save for spirits of Death. Such spirits
are often thought to belong to Conceptual umia, but that usually
happens as a result of a secondary Influence, like Grief or
Violence. Spirits of Death are often more like Elemental spirits,
well fed and relatively sedate. But those who seek after power
often become ghost eaters, prowling around the outskirts of
cemeteries and making quick raids, trying to avoid the ire and
might of the local guardian geist until they become powerful
enough to challenge and possibly supplant it. Packs and krewes
can overlap, placing a (sometimes Bound) geist in the position of
totem. They can teach each other Rites and Ceremonies, but a
chthonic apotheosis overtakes Ghost Wolves whose packs/krewes
subvert a Dead Dominion as the primal urges of Wolf exult in
becoming a god of boundaries once more. And somewhere in the
Great Below, Death Wolf’s ghost waits to hunt her again.

MUMMIES
Lost Irem called Resonance the Lifeweb, and harnessed it with sacred architecture. They bound spirits as guardian demons
with Utterances. Their Vessels harness the might of Sekhem, which is to Resonance as traditional balsamico is to grape must.
Things crafted in the Iremic tradition thin the local Gauntlet, reducing it by half Geometry/Relic rating rounded up. Relics
themselves still radiate Resonance, but spirits cannot access the Sekhem within unless the Relic breaks. Consuming a dot of
Sekhem completely fills the spirit’s Essence pool. The Deathless, with their luminous exalted souls and ability to invest
others with some of their might, can find themselves in a rather intriguing position with the Uratha. They can serve as a
pack totem if they have Invested Pillar points equal to their total Pillar dots amongst werewolves and Wolf Blooded as if they
were dots of the Totem Merit. This can allow a Disembodied mummy to linger in the sunlit lands against their Judge’s will.

DEMONS
Essence is potential energy, and potential energy can be transformed into work. The God-Machine is primarily a
phenomenon of the Flesh, but Its careful matrixes and choirs of attending angels extend further afield. Resonance is useful,
and spirits are easily bent to the will of the powerful. For the Unchained, the art of ripping a usable Cover from the Corpus
of a spirit is a specialized art, but one that they can accomplish. A demon in such a Cover may even become a pack totem,
signing Pacts that bolster their Cover and mimic the benefits of the totem bond. But even without a Cover as a spirit, the
versatility and power of their Gadgets and Pacts make the Unchained appealing allies to the natives of the Hisil.

BEASTS
Spirits are extremely comfortable with the children of the Dark Mother. Like spirits, Beasts derive sustenance from events
Resonant with their being, and seek to cultivate a territory that feeds those alien hungers. The physical reflections of Lair
Chambers often have a thinner Gauntlet than the surrounding area. A Beast can produce Essence equal to their Lair rating
by sacrificing a dot of Satiety. Those Begotten with Legendary Horrors (Beast Player’s Guide pg. 99) can pursue becoming
Nobles in their own right, using their Lairs as particularly potent Places-That-Aren’t. There can be unprecedented side effects
to such an endeavor, however. Beasts that use their Lairs to house spirits are prone to becoming Hive-Claimed, what are
known as Deep Hives, warping and mutating as if they gave in to the Horror and become Rampant.

Chapter Two: Invasive Species

 Hungry Shadows

SHADOW LAWS
In every culture throughout all of human history there have been efforts to control and comprehend the unknown and
the uncanny through ritual. This isn’t credulous or superstitious, it’s an effort to make sense of the uncanny by
attempting to leverage your worldview into viable results. Magic and ritual have always been technological skills to
humans, a way to make life better, more prosperous, less dangerous. In the world of the Chronicles of Darkness, this
skillset is the foundation of Rites. All Rites are laws and pacts, of a sort. Secrets shared between, and empowered by,
different umia or ilthum whose Influences are Resonant with the symbols of the Rite. The Messenger Rite, for example,
could be seen as an agreement between the choirs of the Lunes and Wind
Elementals, as well as spirits of Communication and Music. Some, like the
Banish Rite, are more like occult laws of physics that can be called upon.

SYMBOLS AND SEMIOTICS

All Rites are Resonant with four symbols. How a given ritualist expresses
them in their performance of the Rite varies from performance to OPTIONAL RULE:
performance. In general, if you’ve seen a single practicioner perform a Rite,
you’ve seen that practicitoner perform that Rite, once. Because of the
“IT JUST WORKS”
Taking the time to perform a Rite can
intensely personal nature of symbolism and semiotics, ritualists cannot help
really slow down play and involves a lot of
but interpret symbols in their own way, so a Rite that calls upon a symbol of
rolling. Unless the possibility of failure would
Fire will have their own unique way to incorporate it into their performance add drama to the story, Rites don’t need a
of the Rite. Every Rite incorporates its symbols in the following ways: roll, the performance produces the desired
The Actor: The person or persons enacting the ritual effect. If necessary, use Clash of Wills rolls for
The Target: Who or what you’re trying to affect when a Rite would bind or command a spirit.
The Stage: A prepared space in which to perform the ritual
The Effect: The intended outcome of the Rite
The Ritual: The sequence of actions that ties the symbols together

CREATING NEW RITES

It can be difficult to decide how to design a new Rite, since one of the key
ways to come up with them is by raw gut feel. There isn’t really a unified way
to design a Rite, but there are a lot of ways to think about them. One way is
to start with the symbols of the Rite and consider what the Influences of
spirits Resonant with the symbols can accomplish (see pg. 17). Another is to
start with the intended goal of the Rite. Anthropologists who have a focus
on studying magic and ritual in different cultures categorize them based on
their intended purpose within the culture, and the actual intended outcome
of the ritual itself. They include the following:
• Crisis Rituals: Exorcisms, soul retrievals, banishments and the like
• Occassional Rites: Utility magic you use as the situations arise;
things you use for problem solving, like finding lost objects.
• Calendrical Rites: Things that happen at specific times of year to
harness the symbolic power of a season or event.
• Prescriptive Rites: These are rituals the reinforce or alter existing
rules, agreements, or social norms within the culture.
• Technological Rites: Magic used as a tool meant to control your
environment, usually in the pursuit of food. Includes divination.
• (Anti-)Therapy: Here’s your curses, blessings, healings, hexes, and
more. They’re ways to help or to harm.
• Alterations of the Body: Transformations, some temporary, others
permanent. Usually involve body paint, masks, or ritual mutilation.

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Gods and Monsters

 Hungry Shadows

CHAPTER THREE
GODS AND
MONSTERS
Sometimes a Wild god comes to the table. He is awkward
and does not know the ways of porcelain, of fork and
mustard and silver. his voice makes vinegar from wine
and brings the dead to life.
Tom Hirons

Faith can be a rich banquet of Resonance. The devout have their little ‘guardian angels’ while false gods loom in places of
worship and conspire to go to war with the Court of their rival at the temple a few blocks over. Spirit Nobles claim their
titles and their place in the Hisil’s hierarchy under the auspices of the Warden Moon, channeling the might of their Courts
to claim fragments of the divine rights and honours of the Gods of the Shadow. Helios’ baleful gaze drives spirits to leave the
Shadow for the comparative safety and prosperity of the Flesh. But in the days before the Sundering, there were true gods
astride Flesh and Shadow. No mere exalted reflections of reality, but pillars of it, with hearts of stone. Those days are long
gone, ended by the Uratha several thousand years ago, and all that has survived are the monstrous remnants.

Some of the Pangaeans lingered, becoming Horrors of the Flesh, potent Nobles and Gods of the Shadow, or shattered their
hearts and transformed their carcasses into Shartha. These new pantheons have reshaped Flesh and Shadow alike. The
Firstborn have become Gods of the Shadow, bound to their Tribes as the greatest of all totems. The Hosts seek bloody
cannibal apotheosis. Natives of the Hisil, inhabitants of the Flesh, and heirs of the Border Marches all pick over the bones
and corpses of dead-and-dreaming deities for power, for knowledge, for inspiration. The Essence alchemists of the Ivory
Claws seek refinement for the Uratha condition, while the witches of the Predator Kings revere them as precious and useful
relics of a heritage that is getting further and further away from them. The Forsaken are just as reverent, but the myths and
histories passed down make them warier of relics of Pangaea. Their antecedents hunted down the gods for a reason.

Certain spirits seek to ape the might of the primordial gods through Claiming a being of the Flesh and taking up residence
within its soul, warping the flesh to match its new nature. Others go further, forming parliaments and compacts that seek to
change their nature altogether, becoming bloated ravenous and grotesque Hive-Claimed. Some occultists seek that power
deliberately, disdaining the warping of the soul Shadow Occultists experience, or pursuing a path where they remain their
own masters, purging themselves of their Flesh-based nature through Essence Alchemy and asceticism.

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THE DIVINE CORPSE

Gods don’t die the way other beings do. Their existence is often more… persistent. Even supposedly dead gods have the
possibility to return when the stars are right and they are given the correct rites and honours. Spirits can ape that
immortality, discorporating when “killed” and reforming in a nearby Resonant location, but if they are without Essence
when killed, then they die a true death. The Pangaeans were not so easily slain, leaving behind vast corpses that wither and
rot over the course of long centuries, but could reform at the same rate as a spirit in a Resonant location if their stone hearts
remain in their bodies. Even if the heart is stolen, the corpse will remain, and wait for the day of its return.

The gods that became the Hosts were not so trusting. They shattered themselves, turning into diminished beings of the
Flesh, trusting their progeny to scheme and plot and devour one another until enough of their broken stone hearts came
together to produce a true avatar of the original deity. This is, thankfully, a rare occurrence, though rumours tell of an
ancient avatar of the Spinner Hag who ignores her power, repulsed by the true nature of her antecedent. But in all Shards is
the potential to become grand and terrible pieces of gods.

STATE OF DECAY
The Hosts are strange, variable creatures. The very least are as weak as
the simplest muthrum but the mightiest can smite the earth with their
passing and challenge the gods. Designing a Host character can be a
little difficult, but here are some guidelines to consider:
• If the Host is not Joined, treat them as a Swarm with a
radius equal to their total Essence at the time. The Swarm BROKEN HEARTS
can add +1 to any action whenever they halve their radius.
• The Host can consume other Hosts of the same type to add The fragments of omphalos stones can
their maximum Essence ratings together, and gains +1 be strange and powerful. As far as Uratha
Essence to their rating when they Join with a human. are concerned, they function as powerful
• Treat their maximum Essence as dots in the Totem Merit Fetishes. For mages, they might work as
for the purposes of Attributes, bestowing Dread Powers at Artifacts, as uniquely powerful soul stones
the same rate as Numina. All Hosts begin with their unique (Dark Eras pg. 53), or even as
Dread Powers, and gain the Discorporation Dread Power daimonikons. For humans, they may
upon Joining with a human. transform them into strange avatars of the
• Hosts mutate at the same rate as Claimed. Once at least six gods as they were… or do nothing at all.
Attribute dots have been granted, the Joined human takes
on an obviously monstrous hybrid form.
The base Attributes, Skills, and Merits of a Host stem from the
human body that they’ve Joined with. However, not all Hosts take the
form of swarms of vermin. In such cases, treat them as a spirit with
the Incarnate Manifestation (see pg. 20), though unlike spirits they
cannot conceal themselves in a state of Twilight, nor can they
downgrade Lethal damage to Bashing. They are more solid than a
true spirit, and have an actual anatomy behind them.

RARE AND STRANGE

The most common amongst the Hosts are those of Spider and Rat, the children of the Spinner Hag and the Plague King.
Rumors speak of the Razilu, the enigmatic fragments of Snake Viridian and Delirious. Folklore maps the machinations of
the Lamprey Host in the waterways of the world, the Wasp Host stalk their way through dreams, the corpulent Toad Host
squat over their hoards. Not all of the Hosts care about the state of the Gauntlet, or plot for the return of their progenitor.
Some, like the Siten Uzu, are spirits bearing shards of a god’s heart that burrow into souls and reshape them. Whatever the
case may be, there were many primordial gods, and many of them developed strange ways to endure the Sundering.

Gods and Monsters

 Hungry Shadows

THE AYATLU: THE HORNED KINGS

In many cultures, the hunter is an exalted figure. A conqueror of the wild who
rips a blood-slicked crown from an untamed king. But the Hunter is nothing
without their Prey, without prey there can be no Hunt. This story is true. Myth
and legend says Urfarah was unmatched, that no god was equal to Wolf, but this
is a prideful lie told by the Uratha. Wolf had an equal, an opposite. There was
the Horned King, always running ahead of Wolf, leading the Great Predator on
the Siskur-Dah until they were brought to bay, and then they would clash in a
storm of antlers and jaws. Sometimes the Horned King was the victor, sometimes
the Wolf. In this way, the Great Predator remained strong. But one day, Urfarah
tired of the endless chase, and the Horned King’s games, and shattered the
dying-and-rising god so that the pursuit would finally end. Or so it is said.

It didn’t end, you see, it only changed. New life sprung from the decaying corpse of the Horned King, spirits taking up part of
its ivory heart and going forth into the world. Most frequently, the Horned King’s essence endures in spirits of Deer and
Forest, the vital nature of the god bleeding through and making them Incarnate (see pg. 20) even if they weren’t before. They
are noble prey, and they know it. Their very presence incites challenge, encouraging you to flee, fawn, freeze… or fight. The
scions of the Horned King live for the Hunt, for their role as sacred prey. But even when the original vessel is destroyed, the
divine Essence is persistent. If a lone hunter brings down the hart, consumes its flesh and Essence, they become Claimed. If
a group partakes of the divine feast, they are bound as a pack by the Horned King’s Essence, the demigod dissolving into the
totem bond itself. Something of the Horned King always remains, even if the hunter is a spirit. Something in the
proportions, in the way that the being moves, the antlers that for time immemorial have been a symbol of strength, vitality,
and divinity. And when those anointed by the sacred prey’s blood fall… the hart rises again.

THE KING’S CHALLENGE (AYATLU ONLY)

The divine majesty of the Horned King is irrefutable, striking a powerful chord in all who see them. In mortals, this
provokes a Breaking Point response rather like Lunacy. In other beings, it provokes a Resolve + Composure roll. On a
success, witnesses gain a Condition like Shaken, Spooked, or Guilty. On a failure, the character gains the Awestruck,
Reception, or Siskur-Dah Condition. Those on a Sacred Hunt blessed by a Horned King find can go without food or sleep
so long as they are pursuing their chosen prey. Whenever someone gains a Beat from the Condition, the Ayatlu gains a
point of Essence. By spending a point of Willpower, they serve as a universal Kuruth trigger for any Uratha that can sense
them, whether it’s by sight, hearing, taste, or smell, for the scene. The old traditions of Pangaea will be honoured.

THE WILD HUNT (AYATLU ONLY)

Once, in the Border Marches, the greatest of prey made their hunter better, and the Horned King wouldn’t deign to be
pursued by any other than the Great Predator. None other could be their equal, their other half. None other could push
them to greatness in the same way. Those who bear part of the Horned King’s mantle are much the same. While in a Chase
(see Chronicles of Darkness pg. 84) the Horned King can spend a point of Essence to run through the Gauntlet. This takes a
turn per level of Gauntlet Strength. If the Horned King wins the Chase while their opponent is in the Gauntlet, they are
trapped within unless they’re able to Reach. A Horned King can flare a werewolf’s Renown at the rate of one point of
Essence per Renown category, imposing its usual Condition. This does not count against their typical once-per-Story limit.

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THE HALAKU: THE CROW HOST

Urfarah wasn’t the only god of the Border Marches with a brood of children. Though the Firstborn are the most well
known and prominent of the second generation of Pangaean deities, they aren’t the only ones. Crow’s mother was Bird
Cerulean and Cruel, worshipped nearly above all by the Vinca culture, a deadly scheming deity whose lofty perspective
enabled her to warp time and space alike. Crow had much in common with his mother; he was a tempestuous trickster
god, at turns driven by a desire to laugh at the reactions of others to chaos and by malicious avarice that was too easily
disrupted into raucous laughter by the cruel japes of fate. Some of Crow’s favourite tricks were those he played on Wolf
and the Firstborn, for he became a friend to the Great Predator’s brood, and would turn their gaze towards all kinds of
intriguing prey, sometimes only to snatch it from their grasp once it had been brought down or to seize the true object of
his desire and laugh at how easily Wolf and his children were led astray. Some say Urfarah eventually tired of Crow’s
foolishness and shattered him to pieces; others say that Bird did it herself for reasons known only to her, and still others
say that Crow did it himself, because he thought it would be the best trick of all.

It can be difficult to tell what the Halaku actually want, because for the most part the Crow Host (which can resemble
other corvids and sometimes even vultures) just make themselves known to local Uratha one day. They appear, and they
offer their services. As forward scouts, as spies, as information brokers and secret whisperers. The Halaku watch for
suitable prey for their pack, they will even aid them during the Siskur-Dah, provided that they’re allowed to pick over the
carcasses. The Crow Host have their own inscrutable motives, some of which include deceiving the werewolves they help,
but for the most part they are loyal to their chosen wolves, and are helpful and reliable enough that packs often tolerate
their metaphorical (sometimes literal) tail-pulling and the full brunt of their oftentimes-cruel sense of humour.

But the friendly, helpful Halaku have a treacherous dark side. Sometimes, they are driven to Join with a human, violently
forcing themselves into the skull cavity through an eye socket, peering out with dark unblinking eyes or a dagger-like beak.
They charm and deceive their victim’s neighbours and loved ones, murdering them and gorging on the carcass, then
building strange effigies of bone. No one knows why, and the Halaku aren’t telling. Perhaps even they don’t know. The
Crow Host regularly manifest the Eye Spy, Corpse Puppet, and Maze Dread Powers. True Halaku hybrids are rare, but
often appear shrunken and withered, bearing black talons and dark eyes, their bodies covered in rigid pinfeathers more
like a porcupine’s quills. Some might even manifest wings, though such aged and bloated Shards are rare indeed.

CORPSE PUPPET
By touching a corpse and spending 1+ Essence they can raise it from the dead as an undead servant, treating it as a
Retainer with dots equal to the Essence spent. Such corpse puppets have Health equal to Size + their Retainer rating,
Dread Powers equal to half their Retainer rating rounded up, and downgrade Lethal damage to Bashing.

HOLLOW SLAVE (HOST ONLY)

By spending 2 Essence and a point of Willpower after successfully Joining with a human being, the Host can keep their
victim alive, even without the organ they consumed. This prevents them from becoming a true hybrid or benefitting from
the human’s Attributes or Skills, but it does give them a particularly pliable servant. Hosts can telepathically communicate
with their hollow slaves, and if they possess the Eye Spy Dread Power can use it to see through their victims at no cost.

RAVEN’S JAPE (HALAKU ONLY)

The Halaku are adept tricksters and outrageous liars. By spending 2 Essence and rolling Manipulation + Subterfuge
contested by Composure + Primal Urge they can tell a lie and have it be believed, inflicting the Delusional Persistent
Condition, or force a person to deal with some truly foul luck, imposing the Cursed Persistent Condition.

OBSERVE GAUNTLET (HALAKU ONLY)

With an hour of constant work costing 1 Essence in the process, the Halaku can affect an area of roughly 10 square yards
by making the Gauntlet transparent, adding +1 to Wits + Composure rolls on either side of it to a maximum of +5. If the
Halaku remains in the area for a month, the Gauntlet becomes truly transparent, images of Flesh and Shadow
superimposed on one another and distinguishable with a Wits + Composure roll or the use of a reflective surface.

Gods and Monsters

 Hungry Shadows

HOST AVATARS
On thankfully rare occasions, the shartha sometimes manage to achieve part of their ultimate goal, the creation of an
avatar of their progenitor. Hosts that manage to hit this critical mass and be dragged towards apotheosis are typically
ancient and vast, centuries old, if not older. They’ve survived multiple Siskur-Dah and come out on top, killed and
consumed more Shards than they can probably recall. Such an ancient and canny Host is one of the deadliest foes an
Uratha pack, or any other occult hunter, can come across. They’re broken, malformed manifestations of primordial
divinity, colossi that can shake the world. Such creatures do not tread lightly, and they do not die easily.

THE APOSTLE OF ANNIHILATION

The Uratha call the progenitor of the Beshilu the Plague King, a being
that spread decay and disease wherever they went, surrounded by a
sickening miasma and burdened with tumors like overripe fruit. But
those Rat Host that slide toward bloated demigod-hood catch fleeting
glimpses of the primordial god that was the Annihilator-of-Boundaries. It
was in Rat’s nature to attract the ire of Wolf, the god who enforced
boundaries, as they skittered and gnawed away at the attachments
between places and people, concocting strange diseases that followed STATING DEMIGODS
vectors of sympathy and attachments, that caused hatred to wither and
die, or obsession to grow into a strangling carcinoma. Apart from their unique Dread Powers,
The Shard who became the Apostle of Annihilation was once as I have chosen to not provide a stat block
fanatical as your average Beshilu, but they became a victim of their own for the Host Avatars described here so they
success, starting to gibber and break under the sheer tide of memories can be tweaked for your own stories. It is
and skills and identities belonging to the humans they Joined with over sufficient to know that they have an
many long years. They despised the cycle of decay and destruction they Essence pool of well over 50 points, a wide
had tied themselves to, and sought to end it. No one knows how this array of standad Dread Powers and
Shard learned about Buddhism; perhaps they were in the branches of a multiple Attributes with ratings far higher
certain banyan tree one day. But however they learned of it, the Apostle than any human or most occult beings
saw the Noble Eightfold Path as a road away from madness, as a way to could hope to reach naturally.
silence the festering, screaming chorus. Instead, what it brought them
was a new kind of feverish devotion, an ambition to create Nirvana
through the dissolution of all boundaries.
The Gauntlet is only the beginning. The Apostle of
Annihilation understands and seeks to manipulate the incredible
binding power of craving, and through the pestilential cauldron of
Essence in their innards experiments in alchemy to reshape fellow
Shards and forge spiritual plagues that rot toxic relationships and can
leave people on death’s door if they are unable or unwilling to abandon
attachments. The suffering of the worlds will cease when all is as one.
• Many Forms: The Apostle can spend 1 Essence as an Instant
Action to shift between three equal true forms; a colossal rat-like horror, a human-sized rodent-primate ascetic, or
a vast tide of ravenous rats that could cover an American football field.
• Plague King’s Avatar: The Apostle benefits from the 8-again quality on all of their dice pools, and can spend 5
Essence to give the Advanced Action quality to one roll. They benefit from the Rote Action quality on all
Empathy rolls to identify what a person values, loves, or craves the most. Plans or Organizations designed to play
on this knowledge aren’t subject to the usual cap on dice bonuses of human-made Equipment. The Apostle
knows how to avoid, break, or damage any boundary, including magical ones, and can slip through any crack
they can fit a piece of their body through. Characters must spend a point of Willpower to attack them for the
scene. The Apostle applies their full Defense against Firearms attacks. Whenever they suffer damage, they can
spend 5 Essence to produce a Rank 1 rat spirit that is loyal to them for the scene, then becomes independent.

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• Blight-Bearer: Those who are in the same scene as the Apostle suffer the Mild Sick Tilt, while those who are
close enough to attack it with their natural weapons suffer the Grave Sick Tilt. By spending 5 Essence the
Apostle can make their presence infectious, as if they were wielding a five dot Talen of the Pox Cauldron Facet
(see Shunned by the Moon pg. 18). These occult diseases are often transmitted by sympathetic connection or
otherwise blur the lines of a person’s identity. They gain a point of Essence whenever the victim suffers damage
or loses an attachment due to the disease, and can always find the afflicted.
• Rend Gauntlet: By spending 100 Essence over the course of a month, the Apostle can completely eradicate the
Gauntlet in an area up to a square mile in size. Flesh and Shadow co-exist in space, blending in unpredictable
ways. Humans in the affected area gain the Open Condition for all the local Resonances, and spirits gain
additional Essence per day equal to Rank from being in the presence of a suitable Resonance Condition. The
Apostle can also apply the Blight-Bearer Dread Power throughout the entire affected area.
• Spark of Pangaea: The Apostle is capable of sensing the distance (literal and symbolic) between any two subjects.
They can spend 5 Essence to alter any one Social Merit the subject possesses, changing the nature of the
relationship into something completely different. They can also spend 5 Essence to obliterate the distance
between two subjects, teleporting a human from one place to another, allowing two places to co-locate, or
potentially merging two beings into one, creating a unique Claimed. The Apostle subconsciously senses and
seeks out the person, place, or thing within 6666 miles that they’d be unable to resist becoming attached to.

DESCRIPTION
In some ways, the Apostle of Annihilation barely looks like a rat at all. They have grown more refined than lesser Beshilu
Shards, nearly elegant in their appearance where the average hybrid is twisted and grotesque. Something about them is
nearly simian. Perhaps it is the broad, flat face, or the arms nearly as long as their legs. Perhaps it’s the great ruff of hair
that spills down their neck, across their shoulders, and down their upper back in a ridge. Their fingers are long and
dexterous, ending in heavy blunted hooked claws.
Below the waist, the Apostle’s legs have grown bowed, their elongated ankle easily mistaken for a backwards
knee. A long tail curves like the brush of a calligrapher’s pen, keeping the Apostle upright, though this is clearly a learned
posture. Their long arms and hunched shoulders suggest that it would be more natural by far for the Apostle to scurry
and burrow on all fours, and when driven by powerful need, they do just that, but the Apostle of Annihilation is loathe to
do so, because draped over their sinewy bulk is a remarkably well cared for saffron robe. Prayer flags are tied about its
limbs and tail, though if attention is drawn to them the Apostle will become somewhat coy and testy.
The Apostle’s voice is deep, their speech slow, careful, meant to smooth out the verbal tics and the chattering
that sometimes overtakes lesser hybrids. Though they are more than capable of ripping the unwary asunder, the Apostle is
slow and deliberate with their motions, reluctant to cause harm, though if truly driven to rage the Apostle is as vicious
and dangerous as any other Shard, dropping to its paws, lashing out with tooth and claw and tail. In their form of a
colossal rat-like horror, the Apostle is gigantic, eyes clouded over, body riddled with scar tissue and teratomas that burst
open to shed embryonic rat spirits. Its fur is rough, raised in matted ridges, its mouth a forest of ivory shears. A seemingly
endless array of grasping hands reach out to help the Apostle examine things, first by touch, then by smell and taste.

SECRETS
The Apostle believes themselves to be the new incarnation of Rat, and is resentful of the dead god’s desires and instincts
scrabbling at the back of their mind, a mountainous shadow that looms above the chorus of human lives that also dwell
within them. The Apostle is a sincere Buddhist, and truly seeks to improve themselves and others in this life or the next.
Their concocted mystical diseases are meant to remove perceived obstacles to a person’s growth; their victims would be
cured if only they could abandon their attachment to the things that make them worse than they could be.
The Apostle has another, greater secret. They remember more of the Plague King, the Annihilator-of-Boundaries,
than any other Beshilu, and this remembrance makes the Apostle despise its fellow Shards. Rat, in its primordial glory, was
an instrument of balance. A necessary counter to Wolf who kept the ecosystem clean of wasteful attachments that would
otherwise fester and rot away. The Beshilu and their apocalyptic aims spit on the true essence of the Annihilator-of-
Boundaries, since destruction for destruction’s sake was never the god’s goal, and it fills the Apostle with an even greater
resolve to bring others to a state of Nirvana so this self-destructive madness can finally end.

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THE VALRAVN
There was a great warrior, perhaps a ruler or a chieftain, who forced themselves
upright against a lonely tree or standing stone on a battlefield. They were angry,
clinging to life with all the will they could muster. This fate wasn’t what had been
promised. They’d been promised eternal glory and a charmed life if they adhered to
their oath. A huge raven perched on their shoulder, and the warrior tried to swat it
away; they weren’t dead yet, after all. But they would be. Soon. When the raven
forced their way into the warrior’s skull through an eye socket.
Knowledgeable occultists have mapped the cruel jokes of the Halaku RAVEN BANNERS
through the centuries and across the continents, and amongst different cultures
they are known by different names. In Ireland they are called badb catha. In The Valravn is a fantastic antagonist
northern continental Europe they are called hrafn or valravn. In Japan they are for the Wolf and the Raven Viking-era
tengu. To First Nations cultures they were known as Mockers, or as children of setting. Perhaps this divine avatar
Xhuuya. Wherever they go, they’re known as eternally hungry, endlessly greedy, fuelled myths about Odin, or fanned
never satisfied. They wear stolen skins and live stolen lives. The heralds of the the flames of raids and warfare in order
Halaku, however they are known, are known tricksters, betrayers, and oath breakers. to amass power through the Corpse
But, in the process of alleviating their own endless boredom or bottomless avarice, Eater and Raven’s Garden Dread
the elaborate schemes of the Crow Host can have powerfully beneficial side effects. Powers. The Valravn is a deceiver, a
All who swear binding oaths to them know better than to trust them, because the trickster, a chooser of the slain. Death
higher the ledge the more entertaining the fall, but few doubt the truly spectacular will follow wherever he goes.
boons that the heralds of the Halaku can give.
This particular divine avatar is more sober and patient than most of his
kind. He’s also more violent, and when his sense of humour arises it is sardonic
indeed. He’s gotten good at picking champions, and then glutting himself on the
battlefield wreckage left in their wake. The Valravn especially favours the Uratha and
their berserker fury when it comes to choosing a champion. He grew tired centuries
ago of leading wolves by the nose and instead would rather they seek him out and
accept his perilous bargains. Hiding costs and risks is for lesser manipulators. The
Valravn is comfortable in his strength and wisdom, and is often direct in his
dealings. The foolish think that this means that he is stupid or unsubtle. More than
a few have died with his talons around their heart because they made that mistake.
• Many Shapes: The Valravn can spend 1 Essence as an Instant Action to shift between three forms; a gigantic
raven with a multitude of eyes and wings, a wizened one-eyed wanderer with corvid features, or a flock of crows.
• Carrion Prince’s Avatar: The Valravn benefits from the 8-again quality on all of their dice pools, and can spend
5 Essence to give the Advanced Action quality to one roll. He also benefits from the Rote Action quality to all
Subterfuge rolls to spread rumours, lie by omission, or tell misleading tales. Equipment he makes meant to
support such actions can exceed the normal dice cap on human-made Equipment. The Valravn knows what
someone is most ashamed of as well as what they most want to hear, and can flawlessly remember every lie that it
has ever been told. Characters must spend a point of Willpower to attack him for the scene. The Valravn applies
his full Defense against Firearms attacks. Whenever he suffers damage, he can spend 5 Essence to produce a
Rank 1 carrion bird (corvids, vultures, etc) spirit that is loyal to them for the scene, then becomes independent.
• Corpse Eater: The Valravn can see and hear ghosts, and by spending 1 Essence can physically interact with them
for a scene. By building an effigy out of a ghost’s bones, often scrawled with runic scolding admonishing the
dead for their secret shames, and spending Essence equal to Rank the Valravn can make a unique Memento or
Fetish, binding the ghost within its own decaying bones. The Valravn can also steal memories from the dead and
harvest them from the living with a Presence + Wits roll. A Breaking Point, resolving or gaining a Condition,
fulfilling or failing an Aspiration, and dramatically fulfilling your Anchors all qualify as valid memories. These
memories are treated as Conditions, giving +1 to two different Skills, which can be resolved to regain a point of
Essence. Provide a short description of the recalled memory, which, while it is possessed, is recalled as if it
happened to you. The Valravn can spend a point of Willpower to transfer a memory to a willing target.

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• Raven’s Garden: The Valravn can spend 100 Essence over the course of a month to dedicate an area of
approximately a square mile to himself. If anyone dies in the affected area then the Valravn can consume their
hearts to regain a point of Essence per intact heart devoured. If this would take them over their usual maximum
Essence, then their maximum Essence increases by one per intact heart devoured.
• Spark of Pangaea: The Valravn is capable of sensing any agreements a person has made, and knows whether a
hypothetical action would break those promises. By spending 5 Essence and succeeding at a Clash of Wills roll,
the Valravn can break a magically enforced oath or steal the oath and become one of the subjects of it. They can
also spend 5 Essence to make a binding oath adding +3 to any Trait, including Merits, so long as the oath holds.
If the oath is broken then the blessing is removed and the breaker suffers a -3 penalty to any Trait. The Valravn
has the subconscious ability to sense and find the secret he would most desire to possess in 999 miles.

DESCRIPTION
The Valravn has never expressed many overtly physical Dread Powers, and so their typical form is more human-like than
most. He has the weathered body of a wizened traveler, tall and broad framed, but honed down by time the way a mummy
is, all hardened muscle and skin the texture and colour of a bog body. The Valravn’s hair is black, nearly iridescent, if it
catches the light correctly. The Valravn never lets anyone touch him, so no one can know for sure, but the perceptive
think that his “hair” has far more in common with feathers than fur. One eye is missing, though which eye is rarely
consistent, according to witnesses. One lid is crumpled in, listless, fluttering as though dreaming, while the other is pulled
back and reveals a strangely deep socket with a single staring black eye that occasionally flashes with white.
The Valravn’s nails are talons, his body hair is pinfeathers, his voice is always ragged as if he’s only just been let
loose from the grasp of the gallows. He’s as likely to quork or crow or snarl or howl as he is to speak. When the Valravn is
stumbled upon, he’s as liable to be speaking to the birds and beasts in their tongues as he is to be muttering to himself. In
the form of a colossal corvid, the Valravn crawls about on taloned feet and grasping hands on its wings, looking like an
atavistic Mesozoic bird with smouldering feathers. A thousand staring eyes loom out from its flesh, and dozens of reaching
limbs extend from their flanks. Some form a storm of wings, while others are spindly taloned hands constantly reaching
out to snatch and keep anything that catches the avatar’s eye. When the Valravn takes this form, sometimes they have a
corvid’s head, all heavy stabbing beak and piercing dark eyes, and sometimes they have a withered eyeless human face.

SECRETS
The Valravn is a cunning old Shard, and has
determined that as much as Crow’s instincts encourage
the demigod to pursue and devour other Shards to slide
ever further towards apotheosis that it is more tactically
useful for the Halaku to remain numerous and seek
power through other means. He’s building a retinue of
lesser Valravn and trying to keep them in line through
bribes, the lure of power, and sheer force of will. The
Valravn seeks to create a court of shartha demigods
through his use of the Raven’s Garden Dread Power,
but to successfully pull it off he’ll need a lot of Essence,
and a lot of corpses. Ideally, he needs a disastrous, costly
battle to truly glut the ravens at his beck and call.
The Valravn isn’t hostile to the Uratha, but
unlike many of his kind he doesn’t seek out packs. He
has fragmented memories of days before the Sundering,
when Crow served as scout and companion for the
Firstborn and counted them amongst his friends. The
Valravn cannot remember how Crow was shattered, so
in an effort to insulate himself from their potential
wrath, the Valravn carefully seeks to cultivate a Lodge
with himself as totem, before seeking his ancient allies.

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ESSENCE ALCHEMY
For centuries, people have sought power, longevity, and knowledge through
refinement and the pursuit of perfection. The process of transforming
something base into something pure, that is the art of alchemy. Occult
traditions throughout the world have lauded the power of quicksilver or
mercury, using it as the basis of potions that ultimately poison and doom
their consumers. Knowledgeable occultists have found many possible
quicksilvers, but the one nearest and dearest to the beings of the Hisil and the
heirs of the Border Marches is Essence. What are spirits but emergent CALCINATION
intelligences derived from distilled Essence? What better athanor can Any being that wields Essence already has
werewolves hope for than the fierce cauldron of power within their own the metaphysical “heat” necessary to
innards? Popular conception imagines alchemy to be only an art of glass deconstruct the Essence they consume in order
bottles, burning flames, toxic concoctions, and the blast of the furnace, but to perform alchemy. Spirits, as emerging
Essence Alchemy is rarely such a genteel art. It has more in common with intelligences of Essence and Influences, tend to
retain the Resonance of any Essence they
cunning folk brewing up flying ointment or shamans consuming fly agaric so
consume, possibly becoming magath in the
that people could consume a purified distillate through their urine than
process, making alchemy more risky for them
simmering cauldrons and slow-burning flames under stills. than other practicioners.
Anyone who can wield Essence can perform Essence Alchemy, but not all Mortals seeking to gain Essence for their
own uses need alternatives. Perhaps they take
with the capability are so inclined. It is an art that requires patience and
on Bans, like Shadow Occultists do, gaining
experimentation, and for beings that don’t have the luxury of focusing on
Essence slowly week by week. Perhaps they
things more complex than survival, the sheer amount of Essence expended to meditate at a Locus, gaining Urged as a
become a skilled alchemist is a grotesque waste. But for those with the time, Persistent Condition, and gathering a point of
nerve, and resources to unlock the secrets of Essence Alchemy, the art Essence whenever they pursue their alien
bestows potent boons upon them. Spirits of transformation and change, of Aspiration. Mortals can safely store Essence
the flame, the forge, and of creative arts; all can act as suitable alchemical equal to the lower of Stamina or Resolve; any
tutors, though the Urdaga prize the tutelage of Lunes the most. Some seek more imposes the Essence Overload Condition.
Essence Alchemy for philosophical enlightenment, or spiritual refinement,
but it is more often the lure of power that draws aspirants.

DISSOLUTION
The simplest of alchemical operations is also the most costly. Those who
bargain with spirits for Talens request its performance unknowingly. For
Uratha and mortal occultists, it costs a point of Essence and a point of
Aggravated damage per dot of the resulting Talen. The easiest way for Uratha
to do it is to engage in autocannibalism, gulping down huge gobbets of flesh
and bone, chewing them into a bolus, and letting the cauldron of Essence in
their innards transfigure it into a bezoar that they subsequently puke up.
Others cut themselves with silver blades and let the Essence-rich blood flow
into decanters filled with fragrant Resonant tinctures.

Mortal alchemists have more diverse ritual practices, but few as close to hand
or easy to enact on a moment’s notice, though rumour holds that others can sacrifice in your stead. They subject
themselves to extremely careful doses of poisonous concoctions, ascetic or ecstatic practices, extreme weather conditions,
and more. Uratha can make Talens of any Gift Facets that they possess, but other alchemists can only make Talens that
hold Influences. All Essence Alchemists can mitigate the cost of operations through slow refinement or elaborate study.
Spending a scene preparing or refining the ritual reduces the cost by one; spending a chapter reduces it by two.
Performing the rite in the area of a Resonant Locus with a dot rating equal to the effect reduces it by one.

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CONGEALATION
Essence is naturally fluid; it is constantly in motion, moving along ley lines, pooling in Loci that swell like blisters in the
Gauntlet where the Resonances merge and combine. Spirits who consume Essence from diverse Resonances can become
magath, or a diverse diet could lead them to refine their Influences. A spirit of Death and Violence, when it increases in
Rank after consuming the combined Resonances, might consolidate its two Influences into a single Murder Influence.
Essence Alchemists can do something similar by activating two Influences simultaneously, however they acquire them,
and spending a point of Willpower to combine the two Influences together. This could either be as if they were wielding a
new Influence related to the admixture of Resonance Keywords, or combining two distinct Influence effects.

Such skilled alchemists can also coordinate their efforts with the aid of fellow occultists or ritual assistants given strict
instructions, stacking different sources of the same Influence to a maximum of five dots and wielding them as a
Teamwork Action by having every participant spend a point of Willpower. A coven of Shadow Occultists, or one
dedicated witch with a small cult following, who would normally be relative nuisances, can become awe-inspiring terrors
capable of reshaping Flesh and Shadow alike through the use of god-like Influences. Alchemical Lodges have the power
and resources of a whole cult of demigod sorcerers at their disposal, and as such their feats of Influence and alchemy are
proportionately grander, though a dedicated Mystery Cult can rival them and often have broader portfolios. It is possible
to congeal Influences in combat, though it isn’t easy. The Primary Actor can only act on the lowest Initiative amongst the
participants, potentially allowing foes time to coordinate their efforts or achieve their goals. In order to successfully
congeal, Influences with different Resonance Keywords must have the same dot rating.

FERMENTATION
The alchemical operation of fermentation is probably the first that humanity as a whole consciously learned to control.
But it occurs in the body as well. In times of desperation, when the muscles strain and require more energy than the
blood can give, symbiotic bacteria convert glucose into lactic acid. The molecules released as a byproduct of this
transmutation fuel the muscle, but the lactic acid produced can have drawbacks. The acid impedes biological processes;
stunting growth, and easily distilling into alcohol. Spirits and the soul have their equivalents. The bodies of supernatural
beings are filled with Essence channels, though some may fill them with different substances. The Essence channels of
spirits are often visible, covering their Corpus in scrawling spiraling organic scrimshaw. And when these beings require
more power than they can exert, it is possible for them to stoke the flames of their inner athanor to new heights.

By spending a point of Willpower and the maximum amount of Essence they can spend per turn as an Instant Action, the
character may mark off that many points from their Essence pool to use to build a Totem Blessing as if they had as many
dots in the Totem Merit dedicated to it. They can increase this from turn to turn by spending another point of Willpower
and an Instant Action. The alchemist can later regain a point of Willpower and the use of all that Essence reflexively by
letting the byproducts of this transmutation back into their system, suffering the effects of a poison with Toxicity equal to
the amount of Essence that they previously restricted. This often ends up killing the hubristic.

PROJECTION
Lapis philosophorum, the Magnum Opus, is the end goal of all alchemy. Texts speak of a red stone and a white stone, which
can transmute base metals into gold and silver. It is possible for an Essence Alchemist to distill their fermented Essence
into such a stone. To do so they must suffer a point of Aggravated damage, and an additional point of Lethal damage per
turn after the first that it takes them to expel all the Essence that they have fermented. Many alchemists choose either to
expel it through the blood, producing a deep red liqueur, or allow it to pass through their liver first to expel it as urea,
producing a clear alcohol similar to moonshine with some aspects of silvery iridescence.

It is possible to crystallize this substance, and even powder it, enabling it to be divided. When ingested, it acts as a poison
with Toxicity equal to the points of Essence consumed, but thereafter it remains a part of the character, acting as an
effective Totem Blessing as it did in the alchemist themselves, provided it’s fed in one way or another. A point of Essence
per week, equivalent to maintaining a Ban for a Shadow Occultist, is sufficient. Which leads to a peculiar revelation about
this fermented and distilled Essence; it behaves, in many ways, like a formless spirit without Influence or Resonance to
shape it. The bodies of deceased Essence Alchemists who’ve ingested such substances often release strange metamorphic
spirits that seek form and definition, or are filled with peculiar bone growths and strange substances.

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THE PURIFIED
The human soul is a strangely mutable thing, full of untapped power. Theologians and occultists who dedicate themselves
to the study of the soul wonder at the diversity of forms the personal soul can express. Those same experts spend time
pondering what the soul of an exalted and purified being would be like. Some are driven enough to pursue such a state,
regardless of the toll it takes on them. Throughout the centuries there have been grueling ascetic practices aimed at
purifying the soul and purging it of passion and ambition, typically through a long, slow death by starvation, exposure,
and rigorous meditation, like the Buddhist Sokunshinbutsu, the Cathar endura, or the Jain Sallekhana.

Dedicated Essence Alchemists pursuing immortality model their rituals off of these practices, setting themselves on a
three thousand day tapering diet, consuming Resonant materials, and eventually subsisting on nothing but Essence. Some
ferment their Essence and test their tolerance to the resulting poison, eventually deliberately overdosing on fermented
Essence to transform themselves into a “purified being.” That is the sure path, the steady path, but there is another. The
way of the shaman and the witch, the knife’s edged crooked path wrought through violence and primal hunger. It is a
path that some find themselves accidentally tripping down. Humans cannot consume Essence, and there is nothing in the
Shadow to consume but Essence. Those who manage to stumble their way back out in time are often near-death, and
those who tarry longer than their bodies can take emerge… changed. More spirit than being of the Flesh.

ABLUTION
The process of becoming Purified is deceptively simple. You must die from starvation while subsisting on nothing but
Essence, or by being poisoned by fermented Essence. In practice, it’s much harder than it seems to be. It requires either
extensive occult preparations and unwavering dedication, or managing to survive in the Shadow without Influences or
Numina, successfully hunting spirits, until their body can starve to death. The Purified come from all walks of life, and
rarely have much in common except an animistic outlook and an unrelenting will to survive.

Many Purified learn how to become one from a mentor, who themselves learned it from some other potent alchemical
immortal. Oftentimes mentor and protégée go their separate ways, having cultivated different Influences, though Purified
of complementary Influences often form loose covens and cults of Shadow Occultists that they serve as patrons and
mentors for. A discerning Purified can easily insert themselves into a Brood or Court, their ability to navigate the Flesh as
a native serving as an invaluable bargaining chip and their warped soul able to dwell in the Hisil as a native.

SIDDHIS
None of the Purified retain a truly human soul. Exposure to Essence and Resonance up to and sometimes beyond the
point of death warps it into a recognizable, albeit alien shape. The Purified have transformed their souls into a kind of
spirit, though it isn’t treated as such. The Purified and their altered souls cannot be bound or commanded neither by
magic that manipulates spirits, nor by magic that manipulates the soul. They are not human souls, nor are they spirits, but
rather something in between. Something strangely familiar. This spiritual accomplishment affords them many talents.
• Spiritual Soul: The souls of the Purified aren’t entirely their own. They are now a unique kind of spirit, with a
Ban and Bane suitable to the Purified’s Rank. They use the highest of the Purified’s Power, Finesse, and
Resistance Attributes to determine their own traits. As an Instant Action the Purified can release their soul from
their body, allowing it to roam freely, suffering the Soulless Condition and being unable to use their powers in
its absence. If the Purified wants, they can send their mind with it, leaving their body a seemingly dead husk.
• Shadowed Sight: The Purified immortal gains the spiritual senses of an Uratha or true spirit, able to see spirits in
Twilight and sense their Influences and Resonances with a roll of Wits + Rank (+ any suitable Influences).
• Deathless Flesh: The body of such an immortal downgrades all damage inflicted upon it, save that from the
soul’s Bane. Sources of Aggravated damage only deal Lethal, and sources of Lethal damage only Bashing. They
must spend a point of Essence per day to remain active. Should the body be killed the Purified gains the Soul
Shocked Condition and inhabits their soul, allowing the body to heal at the normal human rate. If even one
point of damage heals, it is inhabitable for their soul once more. If the Purified is slain by their Bane, they
cannot survive and their soul is set free, though whether it persists in the Shadow or goes elsewhere is a mystery.
• Honored Guest: The Purified possesses Honorary Rank, just as werewolves do, and can step sideways at Loci.

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MAKING A PURIFIED CHARACTER

The Purified make intriguing antagonists. Immortal occultists who are
often skilled Essence Alchemists, with a potent spirit at their beck and call,
and the knowledge, resources, and relationships that come with such a
long life. Some might mistake them for Claimed and treat them as such,
only to be very surprised when their rites don’t work. However, it is also
possible to play a Purified, if you are so inclined, though it’s recommended
that you speak to your Storyteller about it first. The Purified are designed,
first and foremost, to use abilities not designed for use by player characters.
If you’re familiar with the games of the Chronicles of Darkness the first SOUL FLIGHT
four steps are the same as usual. Purified also have triggers, as werewolves do,
but instead of provoking unstoppable rage, it
STEP FIVE: THE PURIFIED TEMPLATE causes their soul to flee from their body and
even into the Shadow. When it does so, the
A starting Purified character begins with Rank 1, one dot of Influence, and Purified will have to go retrieve their soul,
a combination of three Numina or Dread Powers. At character creation, it wherever it may be. Universal triggers include:
is possible to exchange those Dread Powers or Numina for additional dots • Taking damage from a Bane
of Influences. They begin with ten Merit dots and Harmony 7 as well. The • Suffering a wound penalty from damage
features listed under Siddhis, above, are the base template abilities of the • Refusing to act on their Influences
Purified, and really all you need to know if you’re running them as a Each Purified has a unique set of triggers,
Storyteller Character. They regain Essence in the usual ways, drawing it the specificity provoking soul flight depending
from Loci and stealing it from spirits. But, if you are using the Purified as on their Harmony, same as Kuruth triggers.
player characters, keep the following character aspects in mind. One Purified’s soul might flee from any
• Influential Anchors: The character treats their Influences as abjuration, an abjuration incorporating their
sympathetic name translated into First Tongue,
Anchors, but instead of refreshing Willpower, they refresh
or an abjuration relying on their Bane
Essence instead. A small act in line with the Influence’s
depending on their Harmony. Crisis triggers,
Resonance restores a single point of Essence, while a dramatic
(see Geist: The Sin-Eaters pg. 93) serve as
gesture restores their entire Essence pool. excellent Soul Flight triggers.
• Inner Harmony: Instead of using Integrity like a mortal, the
Purified use a modified version of Harmony (Werewolf: The
Forsaken pg. 104), as like Uratha they are beings torn between
Flesh and Shadow. Ignoring their soul’s Ban is a Breaking Point
towards Flesh, and their physical body being killed is a Breaking
Point towards Spirit. General Breaking Points taken while
suffering the Soulless Condition, such as due to killing, will break
towards Flesh unless they are deliberately breaks towards Spirit.
• Body & Soul: The Purified’s body and soul share the same
Willpower and Essence pools, though they do not share the same
Health/Corpus. If the soul is discorporated the Purified suffers
the Soulless Condition until it reforms in a Resonant space in the
Hisil, at which point the Purified must go and find it.

RANK EXPERIENCE COSTS

Rank Essence/Turn Trait Experience
1 10/1 Rank 5
2 12/2 Influence* 4
3 14/3 Numen 3
4 17/4 *Unlike for spirits, Influences aren’t
5 20/5 capped by Rank for Purified

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OUT OF BALANCE
The nature of Nobles and the Shadow
ecology suggests that there are three natural
failure states any Court can come to:
• Essence starvation, where the Essence is no
longer circulating amongst the members of
the Court as spirits are killed or bound.
• Essence concentration, where individual
spirits glut themselves through predation
and suitable territory, potentially becoming
powerful enough to consume and subsume
the Court’s ruling Noble and supplant it.
• Essence hyperactivity, where the ruling
Noble of the Court rapidly consumes and
burns through enormous quantities of
Essence in a very short period of time.
These alterations and disasters of the Hisil
ecosystem end up terraforming the area,
producing diverse places of power.
44
ECSTATIC HUNGER
All living things hunger, whether it is the ecstatic pursuit of the
predator, red in tooth and claw, the browsing and opportunistically
carnivore meals of the prey, the decomposers for whom decay is a kind
of life form unto itself, or the producers that glut themselves on soil
nutrients and sunlight. Spirits are no less hungry, and that hunger is
bottomless, though their hunts aren’t constant. A spirit glutted on
Essence, nested in a Resonant territory, can go a very long time without
needing to feed, worrying only about predation by other spirits, long
distance migration, travel in the Flesh, and using their Influences to
manipulate and maintain their territory to keep it more suitable for
them. The higher a spirit’s Rank, the longer they can go without a
hunt, and the longer they can subsist off a successful one.
For spirits, the Self isn’t wholly internal, for Essence is more fluid than
flesh. The pack bonds that elevate the Nobles of Broods and Courts
subsume the spirits that sustain them. A Spirit of the Forest is more
than the land it covers; every spirit of Wolf and Deer, of Tree and Bird,
of Earth and River, is a part of its soul. Some spirits resent this reliance
upon others, while other Nobles dismiss the individuality of such
spirits. Do you consider your liver to be an independent being? Some
spirits, especially those already inclined towards hierarchy, see the
members of their court as something rather like feudal vassals, and
behave accordingly. The attitudes are as varied as the spirits they come
from. Look back to the example of the Forest Spirit. Within this forest
there are wolves and deer. The wolves wane, and the deer boom in
population, and the Deer Spirit grows stronger. Wolves hunt and eat
the deer, and the Wolf Spirit grows stronger. The wolves starve, and the
Wolf Spirit starves, and it all starts again. This process of being a forest
is where the Forest Spirit draws its Essence.
Not every spirit exists within a Brood or a Court. Some are
independent, scrounging out an existence on their own. These solitary
spirits are weaker than others, hungrier, more opportunistic. These are
the spirits that usually seek to become pack Totems or Familiars, or
otherwise seek to escape the Hisil into the Flesh by any means necessary.
Particularly harried spirits might feel forced to become nanutari, stealing
bodies and running as far and as fast as they can. Those who steal
humans often abduct a victim to force the Open Condition through
proximity and acting in accord, seizing their new victim and repeating
until they feel safe. The spirits that seek out the power of becoming
duguthim are often more powerful and methodical than nanutari,
pursuing the secrets of Nobility through union with the Flesh.
 45

THE PEERAGE
Nobles and totems have a lot in common. Like totems, Nobles bless their vassals with power and bind them to united
(perhaps subconscious) goals in addition to a new Ban. Like totems, Nobles and those bound to them are more receptive
to suggestions from within court and brood than they are to suggestions from outsiders. Like totems, Nobles can grow far
more powerful than their peers but unlike totems this power expresses itself in new and far-reaching ways as the Essence of
their vassals and component spirits pours into them. Some knowledgeable occultists warily compare the unique Numina
of Spirit Nobles to the Essence Shaping of the idigam, but where the idigam are virtuosos of manipulating Essence and
Resonance, Nobles become tied to the Hisil and its inscrutable metaphysical laws. Mechanically speaking, vassals are to
Nobles what pack members who have purchased the Totem Merit or Lodge Adherents are to more conventional totems.
The blessings that can be bestowed and the powers that can be reaped are comparable as well. Broods are empowered far
more directly by their Nobles than courts are. The blessings of courts, like the blessings of Lodges, are esoteric in
comparison to the visceral empowerment of brood and pack. In this way, both serve to fill niches in the Shadow’s ecology.

NOBLE NUMINA
The laws of the Shadow are ancient rites and honours dictated by the primordial gods in ages past. The depth of spiritual
power pouring into a Noble exalts them, brings them closer to the metaphysical foundation and deepens the connection
their Influences grant them to the Resonances of the world. The Nobles of broods almost never end up manifesting more
than one of these potent Numina, while those who rule over courts manifest between three and seven Noble Numina
depending on the size and influence of the court. These unique Numina illustrate the burgeoning divinity of these
powerful spirits, and the Gods of the Shadow manifest even stranger powers besides. There is really no such thing as a
“typical” Noble Numen, as they are all expressions of divinity suitable to the spirit that manifests them.

There is no right or wrong way to think about this, as everyone’s conception of what makes a being godlike is going to be
different, but when it comes to spirits it may be helpful to keep a few things in mind. Noble Numina should take large
quantities of Essence, or diminish the Noble’s Essence pool in addition to the cost. The Numen should represent either
the spirit tapping into a vast web of power and becoming one with the world, or blessing other characters with a small
portion of their power. Noble Numina should rewrite the Shadow, and sometimes even the Flesh, making the symbolism
of the character part of the laws of the universe. In general, any Spirit Noble or God of the Shadow should feel like a vast
being that is, somehow, not truly greater than the sum of its parts. They are the faces of systems and ecologies and
societies, and they are simultaneously immensely powerful, inscrutable beings with esoteric Aspirations.

CLAIMANTS TO THE THRONE

The true gods are dead and gone, have been since the Sundering, but some still wonder at their power and their mingled
celestial and chthonic natures. The dread duguthim make stumbling steps towards that divinity, spirits merging with things
of the Flesh in pursuit of power and the freedom that comes with it. Becoming Claimed breaks a spirit’s ties of fealty as
surely as becoming a totem does, and so the ambitious and the discontent seek out their apotheosis. These spirits end up
forming an internal court of sorts, the power of the dreamborn entities within their mortal half’s soul pouring into them
the way a spirit court would. This cannot help but change them. Essence is fluid, it is natural for it to change, and the
Essence pouring into them from the soul they have merged with can be an irresistible tide.

While it is rare for Nobles to become Claimed, it isn’t unheard of. In such rare cases, the effect will spread throughout the
court, as spirits bound to the Noble warp and change to better fit aspects of the Claimed Noble’s soul that they Resonate
with. Claimed rarely develop Noble Numina as Dread Powers. They don’t need them. Something of their pseudo-divine
nature strikes a chord with the laws of the Hisil, and it offers up to them the secrets of Rites unknown to occultists or
Uratha. Lingering echoes of the ecstatic hymns and the rights and honours of the primordial gods that sing to their
distorted soul and fall in line with their ruling Influences. Spirits who remain duguthim for long periods of time often
grow… strange. Even if their host body dies, they retain their memories, and on rare occasions even a human host’s soul.
In the corpses of ancient duguthim lie petrified hearts that serve as strange fetishes, giving the ability to perform the Rites
unique to that Claimed. Such curios are prized by many, most of all the spirits that shaped them.

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MEN OF RENOWN
Some choices simply cannot be undone. Becoming a Hive-Claimed giant is one of them. While many associate the
creatures with accomplished sorcerers performing a highly dangerous ritual for vast power, or with the actions of idigam,
these endlessly hungry flesh eaters can occur naturally. Even more so than the creation of a typical duguthim, this is a
deliberate act. A brood may, together, choose an avatar that is Open to, and Urged by, the brood as a whole. This isn’t
always a human, but to sustain the spiritual might of a Hive-Claimed it must be a living thing. Humans are by far the most
common hosts for Hive-Claimed, but it isn’t unheard of to see a giant crafted from warped plant or animal life. Even
more rare, however, are those giants whose hosts are Uratha. It is extremely unlikely that an Uratha could become Ridden
or Claimed without their knowledge. Their spiritual senses mean that they can see such efforts coming. While such
Empty Wolves are often the creations of idigam, sometimes they are simply power-hungry werewolves.

Becoming a giant is an exceedingly risky proposition for the spirits involved. Hive-Claimed are powerful, there’s no doubt
of that, but they’re also mortal. A normal duguthim can survive the death of its mortal half. Giants cannot. Instead, Hive-
Claimed leave behind Essence-rich corpses with unusual properties. A giant’s corpse is an alchemical treasure trove for the
occultist who knows how to use it. Their bones, when wielded in a Rite, always count as a suitable symbol for the
Influences the giant was Resonant with in life and the Essence channels etched into their surface can be studied to teach
the secrets of Gifts and unique Rites that were known only to the giant. Powdered they can serve as a Talen, or, in the
hands of a skilled alchemist, can be cut with fermented Essence (see pg. 41) to increase its yield.

PANDAEMONIUM
The Gods of the Shadow are not like the Pangaeans. The Pangaeans
stamped the world with their image; they were the immovable pillars of
reality and mingled celestial and chthonic might. The Gods of the Shadow
are reflections of their purviews, and cannot be anything else. They are the
world’s ecstatic song made manifest, singing in harmony with themselves.
Some say that Luna’s song is a dirge for this sundered world, or a litany of
THE DREAMING EARTH
Where is Gaia? Where is the over-soul of the
the deeds of the People. Others say that it’s a hymn to Luna’s ever-
entire earth, who reflects every desert, ocean,
changing glory that prevents the Hisil from ever having a stable base on forest, and mountain? Perhaps they’re so vast
which to grow. And yet still others say, in fearful whispers, that the and ancient as to be uncommunicative. Perhaps
Warden Moon sings a lullaby to unseen Gaia, and we would do well to they slumber in depths beyond all human
thank the Warden for their endless task in any way that we can. reckoning, their mark on the world unseen.
There is another possibility. How could the
The Warden Moon’s is not the only part to the music of the spheres, there world’s flesh and spirit be separate? Perhaps
is Helios, whose purity and rage scorches spirits of other planets, turning Gaia lies, not dead, but dreaming, their heart
them into wrathful angels, and the sad leviathans of the Void whose broken. There must be a reason the Border
sibilant dirge throws the ecstatic song out of alignment. The Firstborn, Marches were called Pangaea, after all.
though once a greater class of god, still dominate entire umia and claim
fealty from lesser deities and Nobles. The world is filled with gods, if you
know where to look, but most are so unthinkably vast that they cannot
interact with the world at large by any means more delicate than the use of
Influences. These being are often far grander in scale than the players’
characters will be, and cannot be confronted in a more conventional
manner. A Werewolf game set in Basra likely wouldn’t involve punching
Fenris-Ur in the face (though it might). The systems below offer alternative
ways to include god-like beings in your Chronicles.

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GOD-LIKE TRAITS
In chronicles involving the Hisil, the Gods of the Shadow can play a large role in shaping the setting, acting as antagonists
or dangerous allies of the characters. These vast and ancient beings do have discrete presences, but they are far more than
an individual character. They’re webs of power that span the globe. In game terms, they have traits like characters.

RANK
The spirits represented by these rules are so powerful they cannot be represented by conventional game mechanics. They
usually run between Rank 6 (Diharim) up to Rank 8 (Greater Ilusah). The weakest of the Gods of the Shadow, the Diharim,
can still cross into the Flesh on rare occasions that will stir an entire protectorate to Siskur-Dah. Most lurk in potent Places-
That-Aren’t, lairs that dominate the Hisil around them and impose the Influences of the god on the area to sustain them.
While at their core these beings reflect concepts and systems with global reach, or that are locally ubiquitous, they are not
beings of singular purity. Skolis-Ur isn’t the only god of storms that lurks in the Shadow, for example. Investigating such a
being requires Clue Elements equal to Rank for each Omen so investigated.

Rank Base Omens Idols Influences Focus

6 13 6 11-20 3
7 15 7 13-23 4
8 17 8 15-26 5

HOW MANY INFLUENCES?!
The Gods of the Shadow have no need for
conventional Manifestations or Numina. They
trade them in for additional Influences instead.
Remember that Influences are more than just
powers, they’re aspects of a spirit’s psyche. Use
this as an opportunity to flesh out the
personality of a chthonic god.
The Firstborn are good examples to work
with because their Tribe’s traits give you an idea
of their Influences. Let’s look at Fenris-Ur.
The Tribal Renown of the Blood Talons is
Glory, and their favoured Gifts are Rage,
Strength, and Inspiration. As Rage is their
unique Gift, it makes a strong argument for
being Fenris-Ur’s highest rated Influence.
OMENS
Not all the Gods of the Shadow are equally focused on the Flesh or
even the Hisil. Many have other concerns, and rarely, if ever, act in
Flesh or Shadow personally. Instead, they have Omens, the signs of
their presence that make up the greater ‘body’ of the god beyond
their soul. Each of these Omens has a Linchpin, a character or thing
that serves as the centrepiece of the Omen. They might be leaders,
memorable characters, or just weak links. If the characters defeat the
Linchpin, the Omen is destroyed, but if they manage to gain leverage
over them, they can take control of the Omen. They fall into four
broad categories: Hierarchal, Temporal, Exploitative, and Structural.
Hierarchal Omens are the beating heart of a god’s presence, their
envoys and Royal Avatars. They oversee other Omens and serve as
valuable components of their master’s soul, either keeping the greater
deity on task or influencing their overall Aspirations.
Temporal Omens are expressions of the god’s power and work
through the application of brute force. They could be subservient
courts, devoted mortal worshippers, or potent Places-That-Aren’t.

Exploitative Omens are the god’s deft hand, working through

cunning and finesse. They could be an ignorant cult led by an
arrogant sorcerer, bribed or blackmailed agents, infiltrated packs.

Structural Omens are the god’s blood and bones, the support
structures resisting the world’s attempts to reshape them. These could
be loci, unique rites, verges, a Pangaean’s heart, or stranger things.
Each Structural Omen is connected to another god.

Gods and Monsters

 Hungry Shadows

IDOLS
The Gods of the Shadow cannot help but reshape the world around them. Even the stray attention of a god can unleash
horrors or produce miracles through their Influences, but Idols are what is wrought when a god gives something their full
attention. Mechanically, an Icon is a special effect tied to a particular Omen, constructed as if they were a Working (see
below) with Focus equal to half Rank rounded up. If the Omen is destroyed or subverted, the god loses access to the Idol.
Within the story, Idols are people, objects, locations, rituals, and other circumstances that grant access to unique abilities.

ANCHORS AND ASPIRATIONS

These are things that define any character and, though they end
up looking rather different, Gods of the Shadow are still
characters. They require a Ban, a Bane, and three Aspirations.

The Ban of the god shouldn’t inhibit stories, but instead

facilitate them, make the being approachable or at least slightly
more comprehensible. The Tribal Bans of the Firstborn are a
good example of this. As the central overriding drives of the
god, a good Ban should refine their Influences in one motif.
Let’s look at Fenris-Ur again. “Offer No Surrender You Would
Not Accept” is a broad, philosophical Ban. There’s a lot of
subjectivity in there, and it serves as a unifying theme for the
Influences of Glory, Rage, Strength, and Inspiration.
The Bane is, in some ways, a little trickier. Banes need to have
their own legends that act as foils to that of the god. They need
to have symbolic weight. It doesn’t need to be a specific weapon
or substance, per say. The Banes of gods can be more esoteric
than that. Certain circumstances, rituals, symbolic occurrences,
all these can be a Bane. Instead of dealing direct damage to the
god, it can expel their presence. The presence of the Bane in
the scene prevents the deity from acting through whichever
Omen would make the most sense to use, and if applied
successfully can sever the god’s connection to the Omen.
RARE, MYTHIC, STRANGE
Bans and Banes have a tendency to become
convoluted and complex as Ranks increase, to
the point that they become the absolute centre
of a story. But this isn’t necessary in every story.
It can even take away from the story you’re
trying to tell, or detract from the character of
the god as a larger part of the story.
Bans and Banes should be symbolically
potent and intuitive. They should say
something about the spirit’s personality, their
character, the overarching theme of their
symbolic existence. You should even consider
not coming up with a Ban or Bane for them at
all. Your players may surprise you with ideas
you didn’t think of.

A character’s Aspirations are relatively straightforward. They’re

goals, narrative beats that you should strive to hit. They aren’t
just in-character wants, but can be subject to the story as well.
They could be cravings, instincts, or subconscious desires. They
might not even have anything to do with the character at all,
but are rather guidelines for how the story should go, and in
that way are kind of manifestations of fate in the narrative.

WORKINGS
Though they are extraordinarily powerful beings, unassailable through normal means, the Gods of the Shadow have their
limits. They have a pool of Focus, representing their ability to act on the story in a given chapter through their Omens.
Within the story, Focus is applied towards Workings, grand long-term projects that reshape the world in the god’s image.
All Idols started out as Workings, for example. In the context of this optional system, Fenris-Ur seeking out Danu-Ur in
Basra, Death Wolf’s war with her ghost, and Isim-Ur’s efforts to become a true Firstborn are all long-term Workings.
Some Workings are more complex than others. Consult the chart below for guidelines on what is suitable.

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Complexity Example
1 Wield an Influence; assume that at 6+ an Influence can mimic any thematically
appropriate Numen. Create or recruit a spirit or other suitable supernatural being.
Minor changes to the status quo, like inserting the god’s symbolism into local art or
city iconography. Move an Idol from one Omen to another.
3 Create an Idol suitable to a Rank 6 being. Cause a substantial change to the status
quo, like making their Ban a well-known and accepted piece of local folklore.
5 Replace a lost Omen and Linchpin. Significant change to the status quo, like making
one of the god’s Aspirations a publically tenable belief.
7 Cause serious changes to the status quo, like normalizing open worship of the god.
10 Make a world-shaking change to the status quo, like operating freely and openly, or
gaining the adoration of the public. Creating a new Omen. Gaining a dot of Influence.

OPTIONAL RULE:
SACRED GEOMETRY
Perhaps your group wants to map out the
web of Omens that forms the body of a god. If
using this rule, every Omen must be tied to a
Structural or Hierarchal Omen. Reduce the
god’s Influences for the purposes of acting
through an Omen by one dot for every level of
connection from the exterior of the map.
The structure might also say something
about the character of the god. A domineering
ruler will have a hierarchal pyramid, whereas
the ruling Noble of a powerful Brood of spirits,
all of whom are Nobles in their own courts,
may be structured as an alliance of equals.
Some might even be parallel pillars, a dyad with
core presences at great remove from the world.
CRISES
Sometimes, things go awry or slip out of control. These beings are not
omnipotent or omniscient and they’re certainly not omnipresent. When a
Linchpin breaks the god’s Ban, the god’s Bane is applied to the area, or
achieving a certain Aspiration becomes impossible, the Storyteller will
choose to apply one of the following options:
• Lose a point of Focus, even from an existing Working
• Replace the Omen’s Linchpin
• Shift a dot of one Influence to another
Within the narrative, these are a result of the god attempting to maintain
control in a situation that challenges its very nature. If the players had a
direct hand in causing the crisis, they may choose the effect applied.
TITANOMACHY
In the rare game where more than one god is an active part of a setting, it
can be helpful to limit the changes they can make to the setting at large by
putting them in conflict with another god. This conflict is usually abstract
in nature, advanced through Omens and one of two approaches:
• Sabotage: Each point of Focus spent provokes a new Crisis
• Subversion: The god begins a Working focused on a rival’s Omen
that they’re aware of with a complexity equal to the rival’s Rank. If it
succeeds, they take control of the Omen and replace the Linchpin.
When their rival would otherwise die (see below), the victorious god
has one of two choices. They can retain their rival as a Royal Avatar,
acting through them and their Omens. Or they can subsume their
rival. All Omens and Idols become theirs, and if their foe was of
equal or greater Rank, they increase their Rank by one.

DYING AND RISING

Contrary to popular conception, gods are quite capable of falling prey to
spiritual illness or being killed, they just smite the earth with their passing.
A god under assault has a few options. They can destroy an Omen and all
Idols associated with it, cutting off that avenue of attack, or destroy
Omens up to their Rank to generate an equal amount of Focus for
immediate use. But if the god ever loses its last Hierarchal Omen, or
drops below their Rank in Omens, the web of power, secrets, and
obligations forming the body of the god collapses under its own weight.

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CHAPTER FOUR

HUNTING
GROUNDS
The Hunter and the Hunted are the same thing,
expressed differently - Craig Slee

The Hisil is as fluid as Essence, and changeable as Resonance. The topography is constantly changing as the Resonance does
and as the local spirits do, better shifting to reflect the history of a place through lived experience. For the purposes of the
overarching Chronicles of Darkness setting, the Hisil follows a rather strict set of metaphysical laws that are abstracted into
the rules of the game. But what if these rules were different? This chapter will present multiple
alternative ways of presenting the Hisil, and how these changes might impact your story, your
setting, and the spirits themselves. Some approaches will be more extreme than others.

TRUE ANIMISM
In most Chronicles of Darkness settings, your assumption is going to be that the Hisil is a
separate world. That spirits live parallel to us but not with us. If you are operating in a True
Animism setting, then the Shadow doesn’t really exist. All spirits now exist in a state of Twilight.
The caul of the Gauntlet remains, an indication of how difficult it is for spirits to affect the
world without manifesting into it, but the fluid world of the Hisil is not present.

LAY OF THE LAND

So, what changes? How does the spiritual reality of the world now present itself? To begin with,
everything occurs here, in the Flesh. The god of the river will not be distinct from the river itself.
The god is the river, the face and voice and soul of it, made up of many lesser spirits of the stones
and the biodiversity and the lived experiences of living things and the river itself. It will be rare
for spirits to manifest as individuals, but when they do, they will be beings of Renown.
Ascending in Rank to become a distinct voice uniting the Resonances requires an act of distinct
Influence that marks them apart. So a particular spirit isn’t a generic spirit of fire, but perhaps
they’re a spirit of the hearth, or a spirit of wildfires renewing a forest. Much as an Uratha
character should have one good tale or notable deed per dot of Renown, a spirit should have the
same per dot of Influence. Researching the spirit involves uncovering these stories and coming to
understand its history, and the history of the phenomena that it embodies.

Hunting Grounds
 Hungry Shadows

If they do manifest into the Flesh, or if other beings step sideways into Twilight then spirits can form into a distinct body.
Otherwise, in a setting functioning under these assumptions, the spirit is the Resonances that they embody. As a result of
this, gazing into Twilight becomes less being able to see invisible beings, and more being in tune with Resonance. Uratha
and others who can gaze into the Shadow directly can still do so. Now it allows them to view and interact with the individual
spirits, distinct from the Resonances they embody, without the spirits needing to manifest in some way.

CLOSE AS A SHADOW
Alternatively, perhaps you enjoy the
Hisil but dislike Twilight as a concept.
Without changing too much you can use
the same advice regarding the True
Animism setting hack to run a setting
where, instead of Twilight, the Hisil is the
Spirit state of the world, separated from the
Flesh by the Gauntlet so they’re just out of
phase with each other.
In such a setting, gazing into Twilight
shows you a world warped and reshaped by
Resonance, reflective of its lived reality.
Those who can see it experience Flesh and
Shadow simultaneously in a riotous ecstatic
experience that can drive them mad.
NATURAL RESOURCES
How will your stories change in such a setting? With spirits ever-
present in the Flesh, what managing a territory looks like will change
dramatically. You cannot seal spirits away in the Hisil, you can only
make it harder for them to manifest. You cannot avoid them by
avoiding going to the Hisil, because you cohabitate with them
everywhere you go. With fewer distinct individuals, you will become
increasingly familiar with prominent local spirits and their deeds. In
the same way, permanently destroying a spirit will be more impactful.
In a very real way, you’ll be destroying part of the vital soul of the
world, a unique manifestation of life and history. The Resonance will
persist, but it won’t sing until another spirit distinguishes themselves.
Mechanically, the importance of Manifestations like Gauntlet Breach
and Shadow Gate will diminish while the Image and Reaching
Manifestations will become more or less ubiquitous. Materialize will
now be penalized by the Gauntlet modifiers. Spirits will either travel
less, due to the danger of Essence Bleed, or you can ignore it entirely.
You’ll be able to facilitate stories more in line with traditional
animistic beliefs, and the texture of human spiritual experiences in
your setting will change. Understanding and being sensitive to
Resonance in a True Animism setting is, in a very real way, being
aware of the presence of the spirits themselves. How much characters
choose to engage with that and acknowledge it is up to them, but as a
Storyteller you will need to be conscious that even the atmosphere of a
scene can now be a character with actions, agency, and opinions.

How will this change the characters? To start with it simultaneously

increases the number of spirits through abstraction, and reduces the
number of spirits through focus. Every tree has a spirit, but only one
particular Spirit amongst this grove has distinguished themselves
enough to have a name, a history, an independent form. Mortal
interactions with spirits become simpler; Wolf Blooded, Shadow
Occultists, and other would-be shamans and witches now have just as
much access to them without needing to cross over to the Hisil.

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SHADOWS ON THE WALL

In a standard Chronicles of Darkness setting, part of the alien nature of spirits stems from how reflective they are of the
reality of their existence. A spirit with Influence over Fire is a fire. They can speak, reason, feel emotions, but on a
fundamental level they are a fire and unless they have other Influences that’s all they’ll ever be. A setting using the
Shadows on the Wall hack posits that there’s something more to this; that the symbolic nature of spirits is a cosmological
Truth that cannot be denied. In such a setting, there’s an underlying truth to everything, even if it is multifaceted.

LAY OF THE LAND

So, what changes? To begin with, at the core of every spirit are fragments
of Truth, facets of a unifying Symbol. A spirit is the world’s
understanding of this symbol, and their complexity correlates to the
complexity of those that feed into the Resonance that births them. In
such a setting, Resonance is dormant when unobserved, but the world
has a relatively limited ability to observe itself. Trees, for example, keep
catching us by surprise by what they observe, the stimuli they react to.
Intelligent life, and especially humans above all, increases the complexity
of the interpretation of that symbol.

In a Shadows on the Wall setting, perhaps some spirits are content to

CALLINGS
In such a setting, spirits are beings that
remain simplistic, uncomplicated. More might wish for as wide an
can be reshaped by myth and worship, and
audience as they can get, but interpretation flavours the Resonance and require Anchors for their personalities.
can reshape their Influences. Either way, access to the Flesh provides Their Influences aren’t carrying all of the
access to observers to interpret their symbol, to name the spirit and give psychological load. A spirit unshaped by
it shape. Becoming a Noble or a Totem reshapes a spirit in the image of observers would have traits like Fecundity,
those who venerate it, as much as they are reshaped in the image of the Rapacity, Submission, or Dominance; basic
spirit. Mechanically, consider allowing Totem Blessings to be Renown, capacities and desires for union. Spirits
Gifts, Influences, Rites, etc. Their symbolic nature translates into power who have become Totems to packs might
that Resonates through the soul. In such a setting, spirits should be take up the ideals of the Renown. Those
capable of performing Rites themselves, so long as they match the spirit’s who have become patrons of Shadow
Influences and Rank. They are occult physics made flesh. Occultists and mortal cults, or become
Claimed might take up something even
Spirits as august in might as the Gods of the Shadow are complex and more anthropomorphic, archetypes like
multifaceted enough that they have become something more than just a Hunter, Judge, or Lover.
spirit. They are exemplars embodying a Symbol in near totality, a
daimonic entity behind the Symbol as a whole. In a Shadows on the
Wall setting, every spirit has a Motif, a short phrase rather like a
character concept that embodies their symbolism, how they express their
Influences. Higher Ranks correlate to more complex symbolism and, by
extension, a more complex Motif. Base setting magath can’t exist in such
a setting. The Influences don’t contradict or conflict in the same way
because they are allegorical. A spirit of Fire and Joy in the base
Chronicles of Darkness setting might be a spirit of Arson, whereas in a
Shadows on the Wall setting, it could be a spirit of Passion. The
symbolic nature of spirits is ruled by their primary Influence, and their
Motif. A spirit whose primary Influence is Fire is going to be more
primal and blunt than the conceptual-allegorical spirit with a primary
Influence of Joy, and they will consequently be very different characters.

Hunting Grounds
 Hungry Shadows

NATURAL RESOURCES
How will your stories change in such a setting? In a setting where spirits gain complexity and power from their symbolic
being interpreted and venerated, the reasons for going to the Flesh change. Spirits go to the Flesh to be Known, to be
worshipped. They gather select groups to themselves in an effort to cultivate and tailor a particular portfolio of purviews
and recognized personality. The Totem Blessings that they can bestow are more directly mystically potent, their
personalities are more complicated even when their drives are simple. Motifs are allegorical symbolism that runs through
the core of every spirit, a consistent kernel of personality and a theme that applies to their part in any story.

Every spirit, even if they don’t have a name, has a purpose, a personality, a higher meaning. You can even abstract spirits
into a Motif, discarding the normal Influence system entirely and using their Rank as the Influence rating. This reduces
the amount of front loading done on the Storyteller’s part, and makes designing them more intuitive. Bigger spirits,
especially those tied to packs and cults, become more like traditional conceptions of gods and genius loci. The closer to a
community a spirit grows, especially a human one, the more complex but comprehensible they become. They are still
operating on a scale far above that of your average humans, but they are far less alien.

Tying spirits to underlying truths of the world in this way, tying them to communities in this way, allows you to tell stories
about community, about communities changing. The spirit becomes the voice and the face for wider sentiment, even as
aspects of this community grow and change. Their Callings become part of their Renown and their deeds; they become
mythic beings. This aligns Uratha culture closer to the Hisil, makes relationships with spirits more intuitive. Other
characters who interact with the occult world based on symbolism will find the Hisil less alien, slightly more accepting. In
such a setting perhaps the Arcana of Prime and Spirit are the same thing, or the patrons of the Seasonal Courts might
actually be Gods of the Shadow. Spirits in this mold are more readily believed to be or mistaken for existing folkloric
figures, or incarnations of gods, if they aren’t in truth folkloric figures or venerated deities in their own right.

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TRAPPINGS OF FAITH
In many Chronicles of Darkness settings, Mystery Cults hide in the shadows, but only rarely do they offer power directly
to the object of their worship. Packs and Lodges bound together by a totem often practice strange cultic behaviour; they
obey a Ban religiously, they pursue an alien Aspiration. If they have a Magnanimous Totem, then it demands offerings
and ritual observances to praise it for its open-mindedness. This can offer a spirit ample feeding grounds through
Resonance, and the totem bond can allow it to grow past its limitations, but it doesn’t empower them directly. A
Trappings of Faith setting posits that spirits can be empowered directly by acts of veneration.

LAY OF THE LAND

So, what changes? In such a setting, human spirituality changes from an attempt to understand the unknown into a force
to be reckoned with. Even when misled, or perhaps especially when misled, it gives tangible power to the object of their
worship. It also adds to the story some of the better trappings of Lovecraftian Horror, sans the racism. Idols carved into
inhuman shapes, texts partially written in a language no mortal tongue can pronounce that glorify strange chthonic beings
that see the world through alien eyes. Cults who perform their rites, not knowing the power they are brushing up against
but feeling compelled to worship it because it is more tangible than anything they have ever come across before.

In a setting using Trappings of Faith not every act of devotion or worship can be empowering. The would-be devotee must
meet certain requirements first. Namely that their sacrifice or offering must otherwise count as gathra for the spirit, and
that their actions must be deliberate. Mechanically, this is represented by the Build Equipment action. Such Equipment,
applied to the spirit, acts as dots of the Totem Merit, albeit unprotected by Sanctity of Merits. Those devotees who make
the offerings are empowered by them as well; they count as members of a pack and benefit from the Totem Blessing.

Some spirits aim to extend their reach, perhaps unwisely beyond their grasp. They are not satisfied with easy access to
Resonance and the Flesh, or the relaxing of the limitations of their Rank. They wish to ascend using worship as fuel.
While it is possible to do so, it is also dangerous. If the cult falls apart, if the temple is defiled, if the offerings are stolen or
poisoned, then the spirit will come crashing back down to earth from the pedestal it demanded it be placed upon.

NATURAL RESOURCES
How will your stories change, in such a setting? In a
setting where true veneration and devotion produces
true spiritual ties, the sense of the sacred may be
enhanced. If you make an intentional offering to the
local forest god, trying to do more than appease it, but
instead seek communion with it, your relationship will
in fact deepen and grow. Spirits will acknowledge the
deep display of Purity and respect, and will grow fond of
you even if they normally would not. Be aware of the
limits of the Totem Merit; who can take it, how many
dots they can take in it, and why that is. Taking on
personal totems for their Blessings will become far more
common, but being able to break off the relationship
will become as simple as rejecting an offering.

The territories of powerful spirits will become quite strange in the Flesh. Little offerings left here and there, icons, hymns
to the spirit’s glory written in human languages and First Tongue alike. Respect for the Shadow, and a deeper relationship
with its inhabitants, is quite possible if people are willing to seek it out. While spirits are still picky about who they choose
to bond with, they might be more earnest, more open to those who come to them seeking a relationship. This is also not
to say than every offering will be taken up- they can be accepted or they can be refused -or even that they will necessarily be
taken up by the correct spirit. Additionally, such relationships require work. The Equipment will last for the current Story
but it will need to be maintained. And the gathra accepted by truly powerful spirits is not easy to find or maintain.

Hunting Grounds
 Hungry Shadows

“YOU THINK YOU’RE ALONE, JUST BECAUSE

YOU’RE ON THIS SIDE OF THE GAUNTLET?
THAT’S CUTE. WHEN I SAID THE WORLD IS FULL
OF SOUL, WHAT DID YOU THINK I MEANT?”

WELCOME TO THE SHADOW OF THE WORLD

ALL THINGS HAVE A SPIRIT
ALL OF THEM ARE HUNGRY

GOOD HUNTING. GOOD LUCK.

5 Title of the Book

6