Places

Jonathan grew up in the Spot Pond Caern just outside Medford, Massachusetts, born to a Black Fury Philodox named Alice ‘Deathgrip’ Rossini and her Kinfolk husband, Keith. As the spirits made it clear that young Jonathan was almost certainly going to Change one day, he was raised close to the sept and with full knowledge of his heritage. Alice cared for her son, not minding that he would go to another tribe when he Changed. He was her son and he was Garou. That was all that mattered. Knowing he would likely be Garou, they taught him all they could.

When he showed an intense wanderlust as a boy, everyone thought he wanted some time to himself. Despite his parents’ best efforts, about once a month or so he’d wander off and get into some sort of trouble. The rest of the sept kept an eye on him; afraid his wandering would take him to close to some dangerous spirit or Wyrm-beast. On more than one occasion he wandered off into the city with what little money he had and his journal, took a random bus to someplace else, and the police brought him home. Every time he had a new story to tell anyone who would listen.

By the time he was 13, the bus station had his picture posted up where employees could see it to cut off his escapes. Once he figured this out his next trip out of town began with a well-packed backpack and a random direction.

He walked out of town and this sudden change in tactics panicked the sept rather than simply frustrated them. They sent out search parties to comb the nearby woods and sent a young pack to nearby towns.

Jonathan returned almost two weeks later at the side of an old Stargazer Ragabash named Lotus-on-the-River, also an experienced wanderer. Lotus-on-the-River joked that he sensed a powerful kindred spirit in the boy and wanted to visit the sept of which he spoke so lovingly. Alice asked the Stargazer how she could repay him for bringing her son back and he simply asked for a couple of hours to talk privately to her and her husband.

Jonathan was never able to get the exact details of this conversation out of any of them, but the next day the old Ragabash approached him with a deal. If Jonathan could keep himself planted in one place and not wander off, Lotus would visit regularly with stories and souvenirs of other places. To seal the deal, Jonathan shared his travel journal with the Stargazer and asked him to record his own travels in it so Jonathan could read them. Lotus-on-the-River readily agreed and he became like a second father to the boy.

The two continued in this way for a little over two years. Lotus’ visits were to him like a treasured grandfather or uncle coming by with presents and a few times Lotus even took Jonathan off on hiking trips. Given his past, it was a surprise to everyone that his First Change happened at home.

On a particularly difficult day at school right before Christmas break, a wave of illness and stress overtook Jonathan. His chest felt tight, like his heart was about to burst, but his knowledge of what he was told him what was happening. He took off between classes and ran as hard as he could for the nearest uninhabited spot. He ran through the forest on the edge of town, the sky growing dark with the early winter sunset, when everything blurred. The next thing he knew he was waking up at the caern with Lotus-on-the-River sitting on one side of him and his mother on the other.

The old Stargazer had arrived for his visit just in time to find the Rage-maddened Jonathan and bring him back to the caern. Alice, with tears in her eyes, told him their time together would be short; he was Garou, now, and could not take the Rite of Passage with her tribe. She explained that, traditionally, male Garou of Black Fury stock went to the Children of Gaia but for obvious reasons he should make his own choice. Jonathan turned to Lotus at this point, who suggested that the young man sleep on it before making his decision.

“I’ve been sleeping on it, sir,” Jonathan said with a voice beyond his years. “I’m awake now and I know what I want.”

The caern saw its first-ever Stargazer initiation ceremony the next morning.

Jonathan, deed-named ‘Shallow-Tracks’ for his inability to remain in one place, traveled with Lotus for the next thirteen years after that. The two of them traveled all over the world, visiting caerns and collecting stories and knowledge, until Lotus’ death at the claws of Black Spiral Dancers while defending a caern. Since then Jonathan has continued alone, visiting new places and learning new things with the hope that he will have students of his own with whom to share.

Description: Jonathan, now 33, is 5’7” in his Homid form with dark hair and eyes and a complexion that shows a strong Mediterranean heritage. He’s lean from years of living off the land but constant physical activity has kept him in shape. He wears loose, comfortable clothing with little regard for style although he has absolutely no shame in asking his allies to borrow outfits that match local styles. He’s rarely seen without a battered duffel bag that contains everything he owns (mostly clothes, identification, a cheap cell phone, and some camping gear). In his Lupus form, he has a thick coat of black fur with a white star-shaped patch on his chest and streaks of white fur along his belly, sides, and flanks. Roleplaying Notes: You don’t waste a lot of time because you don’t know if you’ll be here tomorrow. You keep on the move as much as possible, for there’s something new to learn around every corner and over every rise. If your skills or knowledge are needed, you’re willing to stick around but you getstir crazy after about a month. While you don’t embrace the enlightenment of chaos as readily as some of your tribe, it’s important to lighten up with some irreverence when you tell stories. After all, you’re sharing experiences — not reading off a memorized script. Breed: Homid Auspice: Galliard Tribe: Stargazers Rank: 3 Physical: Strength 3 (5/7/6/4), Dexterity 4 (4/5/6/6), Stamina 3 (5/6/6/5) Social: Charisma 3, Manipulation 2 (0/0/0/0), Appearance 3 (2/0/3/3) Mental: Perception 4, Intelligence 3, Wits 4 Talents: Alertness 1, Athletics 2, Brawl 3, Empathy 1, Expression (Storytelling) 4, Leadership 1, Primal Urge 3, Streetwise 1 Skills: Animal Ken 1, Crafts 1, Etiquette 1, Melee 2, Stealth 1, Survival (Navigation) 4 Knowledges: Academics 1, Enigmas 3, Investigation 1, Medicine 1, Occult 2, Rituals 2