Bestiary

New Incarnae rise up from the ranks of the Jagglings at the will of their own deific patrons. They often serve Gaia or a member of the Triat more or less directly, though some serve a Celestine like Helios or Luna. Jagglings rise to the rank of Incarna often because some new concept has come into being and needs a patron to fill the new spiritual niche. Sometimes they fill the role of a destroyed Incarna. In rare circumstances Gaia or the Triat will cre­

ate an Incarnae wholecloth, like the werespiders’ mistress Queen Ananasa.

Incarnae embody important concepts — organized war or all oak trees as a whole — but they represent those concepts as opposed to literally being them. If the Oak Incarna is slain a new one will rise from the Jagglings to take its place, but not every oak tree in the world would wither and fall in the meantime. It would, however, mean a certain degree of disarray in the Incarna’s minions and retainers for a time. Fortunately for Jagglings, the ability to take hold of such a situation is usually a good way to prove itself worthy of the vacated position.

Because of the nature of such promotions a Jaggling’s form shifts as it fills the vacated spot, sometimes muddying attempts to trace its history. As a result some Incarnae appear almost from nowhere. Some Incarnae leave well-known and traceable histories as they rise through the ranks. O’ Mighty Dolla’ (Rage Across the World, p. 55), for example, started as a Gaffling nickel-spirit and became a Jaggling quarter-spirit before achieving Incarna status after World War I. Conversely, his rival Easy Credit is entirely unknown before her 1995 appearance.

Most Garou encounters with an Incarna are likely to be with their pack or tribal totem. When werewolves do so, except for the rarest of occasions, they’re interacting with an avatar rather than the spirit itself — a fragment of the

Incarna’s power made manifest as a Jaggling. Even a pack that has truly proven itself worthy of a totem’s protection or guidance can’t expect to be able to command the totem’s full attention on a regular basis. The avatar speaks with the Incarna’s authority with regards to the pack even though it is considered a spirit in and of itself.

Incarnae neither fall into Slumber nor stop to take the time to feed. They don’t have to. At this point, their Celestine patrons and the forces over which they have dominion sustain them. They’re too tightly woven into the grand scheme of things to require traditional sources of spiritual energy.