Everything

• Garou in Erebus regenerate aggravated damage as though it’s merely lethal damage. No Garou can drown in liquid silver here. • Garou in the rivers of silver suffer one aggravated Health Level of damage each turn — the same rate at which they heal. • The guardian of Erebus forbids exit through the front gates.

• The only light here comes from the glow of silver liquid, but it’s bright enough to reduce Perception difficulties by 2. • The Rite of the Silver Forge is a brutal ritual for which few are chosen. Garou who survive it have all frenzy roll difficulties reduced by 2, and gain 1 permanent Honor Renown.

Umbra: The Velvet Shadow

Erebus occupies a unique niche in the spirituality of the Garou. It is the embodiment of Gaia’s wrath and the purgatory of the Nation; a place both feared and revered for the punishment and purification that can be found here. When a Garou feels shame or guilt that she can’t purge any other way she may find herself drawn to Erebus for cleansing. Even the worst of the Wyrm’s taint can be burned away by the rivers of molten silver flowing through the realm. The liquid metal burns at the body while the personal attentions of Charyss’ Crinos-formed Brood work to purify the spirit. These tormentors have centuries of experience in the arts of castigation, and are ideally suited to their task.

The purification process is excruciating to the body and soul. It brings the Garou to the point of death but refuses to allow her that respite. Though the suffering is immense and should be maddening, Erebus is a place of healing. The pain brings with it a sense of clarity through which the werewolf can recall and experience her sins even with every nerve on fire.

Arrival

A three-headed, black-and-silver wolf called Cerberus greets all arrivals to Erebus’ borders. Cerberus decides who may enter the Realm and for what purpose. He interrogates her purpose; if Cerberus accepts her sincerity she may take the silver path behind the guardian. If Cerberus doubts her intentions he instructs her to turn and walk back into the Umbra. If she chooses to defy Cerberus and somehow overpowers or evades the guardian she discovers this easy exit has now closed, and the only way from the Realm is found on the island at its heart.

Cerberus is not infallible but he is difficult to deceive. Someone attempting to hide his intentions must succeed at a Manipulation + Subterfuge roll, difficulty 9. If Cerberus detects a lie he may still permit the traveler to continue, but he will inform the Brood this interloper requires penance. Despite what the deceiver may have planned, he will probably find himself forcibly thrown into the waters for punishment and the absolution of his sin.

A Landscape of Atonement

Beyond the silver path the visitor sees a dark realm, a vast plain of jagged black rock that stretches almost to the horizon. The vista is only broken by the large pools of molten silver that dot the landscape. This silver gives of a cool, unearthly glow that provides most of what little light is in this Realm.

The silver pathway soon spills out onto the jagged rock where Charyss’ Brood awaits; towering Crinos of silver or black, with soft voices that carry in the stillness. The cold light of the pools exaggerates the quiet intimidation of the brood by obscuring the movements and stance of the silver Crinos, and rendering the black caretakers almost shadowlike and invisible.

The Brood members stand beside the swirling pools of molten silver. They are willing to somberly discuss the needs of the visitors and make recommendations for penance, but they will not be drawn on how long the cleansing will take. Each werewolf’s punishment is his own; the Realm and her conscience decides when she is whole, not the Brood.

The Brood marks a Garou requesting punishment by using a talon to carve a sigil into her flesh. She is then invited to step into the pool of silver. The Brood respects those who voluntarily enter their torment, but they will assist reluctant penitents. From the first touch of the silver the Garou’s flesh burns and every nerve ignites in agony. She thrashes about and may instinctively shift between forms in an attempt to climb out of the pool, but there is no escape from punishment. The waters swiftly drag her downwards and into one of the nightmarish black tunnels that snakes its way through the rock.

Within the rock is a labyrinthine mass of slick-walled caves that twist through a seemingly infinite layer of deep black shale. Through these caves the mercury-like rivers of molten silver flow and ultimately spill out to a dizzyingly high waterfall that tumbles into a vast lake at the nadir of the realm. Within the lake other Garou thrash about in agony, sentenced to suffer in the liquid metal until their spirits are cleansed of taint and sin. The currents move the werewolves towards the vast island at the center of the lake, where more Brood wait patiently for sufferers to emerge exhausted and pure.

A black fortress dominates the central island, standing high above the shoreline. It is carved from the same dark shale that makes up the rest of the realm. Silver-flaming braziers cast a strange, cool light not unlike Luna’s own moonlight upon the walls of the fortress. Deep within its walls dwells the Incarna Charyss, who oversees all the cleansings that occur in her realm.

Visitors sometimes come to Erebus to entreat with Charyss or the lesser residents of her Realm. These emissaries, if permitted entry by Cerberus, may descend the cliff via rough-hewn stairs in the cliff face. More of the Brood waits with rafts at the bottom of the rock to carry these guests across the lake. These rafts are sturdier than they appear; the rise and fall of the silvery water does not rock them and the splashing of the liquid does not wet the occupants. It is difficult to accidentally fall from the raft but it can happen, particularly if the rider harbors guilt and sin that would be better treated in the waters than above them.

Purification

Charyss and her servants understand that physical suffering is only part of the journey to healing. Contemplation, repentance and acceptance are key lessons that need to be learned. The burning torment of the silver liquid is a visible and confronting element of purification, but is only part of the healing process. Unknown to most visitors to Erebus, Charyss’ Brood does more than police the waters. Other servants work behind the scenes, directly interacting with the Garou’s tortured psyche to aid healing.

Hidden deep within Charyss’ fortress are the halls of the Harrowers and Castigators. The sigil carved onto the Garou creates a mystical link with the silver mirrors that line their walls. The laws of Erebus give access to a werewolf’s body, mind and soul while she is submerged in the silver waters, and these mirrors are the gateways. These psychopomps wear robes over their Crinos forms — blood red for Harrowers and white for Castigators. They work in pairs to step through the mirrors and into each sufferer’s mind. Here they work to seek out the sources of guilt, force the Garou to confront each and acknowledge her failure, and then purge her of sin.