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Minnesota is a state in the Upper Midwest — the farthest north of the continental 48. Its weather tends toward extremes. It is no more a stranger to wildfires, tornadoes, and droughts than it is to ice storms, blizzards, and subzero temperatures. Its main geographic claim to fame is its 10,000 lakes.

Minnesota currently boasts the largest wolf population of any state other than Alaska, with a population of nearly 3,000 wolves. Wolf territories are expanding, and while that has led to more collisions between wolves and humans, our Kinfolk in the area are flourishing, especially in the less urban northern half of the state. Vast, wooded state and national parks shelter the wolf population and give Garou places to organize and train safely beyond the eyes of humans.

Although the state once had hundreds of caerns, only a handful remains. Most of those have passed out of the hands of the Garou, stolen by mages or corrupted by servants of the Wyrm. This is the story of the Garou in Minnesota, really. They look successful and healthy to outward appearances, but when you study their situation closely you can see ugly problems hidden beneath the surface.

History: Cub Finder took Lobo del Lago Lunar under her tutelage soon after his First Change, and he spent the first four years of his new life as her assistant. Recognizing he would need to prove himself to the larger society of Garou, Cub Finder sent him north to the Eldest Sequoia Sept — a longtime stronghold of the Children of Gaia.

In addition to participating in several attacks on the Wyrm’s servants, Lobo del Lago earned a reputation as a teacher for helping homid cubs master their Lupus form. Garou of other septs invited him to provide similar instruction to their cubs. On one such trip to Ireland — an island where no wolf has roamed for centuries — Lobo del Lago experienced a revelation: it is so much easier to protect a wolf population than to replace one.

Lobo del Lago Lunar admired his mentor for her work with the Mexican wolves. Cub Finder had prevented the extinction of an entire subspecies, after all. But that project had taken decades to bear fruit, and it would not have been necessary if the Mexican wolf hadn’t nearly been wiped out. Lobo del Lago Lunar felt that the Garou were not doing enough worldwide to protect wolves from the minions of the Wyrm. Many werewolves didn’t even know where in the world wolves were thriving and where they were threatened. Lobo del Lago Lunar vowed to change that. With some guidance from his mentor, he presented a formal proposal to the Elders, and he has been traveling ever since.

Appearance

Lobo del Lago Lunar has a golden brown coat except his white belly and dark grey back. He has surprisingly few scars for a werewolf of his rank — just one J-shaped scar on his chest that is usually covered by fur. When he takes Homid form, he appears as a short Latino man in his mid-20s with dark brown eyes and short black hair. Although he usually takes care to look and act human in that form, he almost always has dirt under his fingernails.

Roleplaying Notes: You’re exceptionally observant, and your keen nose eventually gets to the truth about everyone and everything. A person’s reaction to a question is often more important than his answer, so you’re outwardly friendly and seldom confrontational when hunting for the facts. Even so, you’re constantly measuring everyone you meet to ensure they are doing their duty to the Garou Nation.

You spend a lot of time thinking and talking about wolves in the same way that a military officer in charge of keeping an army fed thinks and talks about food. This survey of wolves isn’t just some environmentalist mission to you. You know that what you’re doing is critical to the war against the Wyrm’s servants, and you have little patience for Garou who dismiss its importance. Breed: Lupus Auspice: Philodox Tribe: Children of Gaia Rank: 3 Physical: Strength 2 (4/6/5/3), Dexterity 3 (3/4/5/5), Stamina 3 (5/6/6/5) Social: Charisma 3, Manipulation 3 (1/0/0/3), Appearance 2 (1/0/2/2) Mental: Perception 5, Intelligence 3, Wits 3 Talents: Alertness 4, Athletics 2, Brawl 2, Empathy 4, Expression 3, Leadership 2, Primal Urge 4 Skills: Animal Ken 3, Etiquette 3, Stealth 2, Survival 3 Knowledges: Academics 2, Enigmas 2, Investigation 4, Law 2, Medicine 1, Occult 2, Rituals 3, Science 2 Backgrounds: Mentor 4, Resources 1 Rage: 4; Gnosis: 7; Willpower: 5 Gifts: (1) Brother’s Scent, Heightened Senses, Jam Weapon, Mother’s Touch, Persuasion, Scent of the True Form, Truth of Gaia (2) Calm, Grandmother’s Touch, King of the Beasts, Luna’s Armor, Name the Spirit (3) Sense Balance, Sense the Unnatural, Scent of the Oathbreaker, Spirit Friend Rites: (Minor) Breath of Gaia, Greet the Moon, Hunting Prayer, Prayer for the Prey (1) Baptism of Fire, Moot Rite, Rite of Binding, Rite of Cleansing, Rite of Contrition, Rite of the Opened Caern, Rite of Talisman Dedication (2) Rite of Accomplishment, Rite of Summoning (3) Rite of the Omega Wolf