Places

Few werewolves fear death, in fact many embrace it as a natural part of life as a defender of Gaia. Yet, they too can be subject to unexpected tragedy and loss which rips them away from life and obligations before they are ready to go. Though most Garou go on to become Ancestor Spirits, a small handful instead become ghosts, doomed to spend the rest of eternity within the Dark Umbra. Those few who become ghosts tend to be strong enough to retain a form and consciousness within the Shadowlands, and are willing to help living Garou who seek them out, though usually that assistance is just to caution the traveler to leave before other hungry ghosts seek out their light energy.

Croatan: The loss of the Croatan tribe was a major blow to the Garou nation. While much of the tribe died with honor and glory in their hearts, many died knowing that they were leaving their land with weakened defenses

against future Wyrm incursions. The sacrifice did serve to send Eater-of-Souls back into the Umbra, though it was not a clean and clear victory. The heavy loss of the tribe scarred both the Wendigo and the Uktena, whose own rage at the loss of their brothers created ripples that touched all of creation.

A few of those who died were not at peace, and could not find peace afterward, sending their souls into the Dark Um­ bra to brood and seek a resolution to the Garou’s weakened state. Those who found themselves within the Dark Umbra banded together to carve out a new home for themselves. Though they are bound to the Umbra and have no ability to affect the material world, they seek out Garou travelers in the Dark Umbra to give warnings or quests, in hopes of strengthening the remaining werewolves, and possibly win a long deserved peace.

White Howlers: When the White Howlers traveled into Malfeas, they hoped for honor and glory in the final destruction of the Wyrm. What they found instead was cor­ ruption and darkness. The loss of the tribe and the advent of the Black Spiral Dancers was probably one of the most damaging setbacks to the defenders of Gaia. A legend claims that one member of the tribe, Cororuc, escaped the fate of his fellows and was able to tell their tale before he died. Few know what horrible fate Cororuc truly faced. After his death, he was denied the ability to become an ancestor spirit and his soul was trapped within the Dark Umbra. At first, Cororuc despaired of his fate and withered slowly within the Shadowlands barely staving off Oblivion. The years affording him time to come to terms with the mistakes of his tribe.

It wasn’t until a couple of Black Spiral Dancers traveled into the Dark Umbra, seeking to bind Spectres to use in the name of the Wyrm that Cororuc was revitalized. He not only dwelled within the Dark Umbra, his ghost had become a part of it, just as he was once a part of the spiritual and material realms. He tried talking with the pack to convince them to forsake the Wyrm and return to sanity. They scoffed and laughed at his pathetic ghost, then turned on him to kill him. Cororuc defended himself, though he was already dead, out of sheer instinct. When his blows landed, he did not draw blood, but instead their souls poured forth from their bodies like water under pressure. With the soul removed, their bodies died, preventing them from returning to the material world. They became trapped with Cororuc, who then spent his time cleansing them of their Wyrm taint. He had redeemed a small few of his previous tribe mates, and forged a new purpose. He would do what he could to either redeem the rest, or kill them in the process.

Now the tiny pack of White Howlers within the Dark Umbra prowls its depths, seeking Black Spiral Dancer de­ scendants who may happen into their realm. Mostly, they destroy the ghosts of Black Spiral Dancer Kinfolk who cannot be redeemed, and seek to destroy any Black Spiral Dancers who happen into the Dark Umbra. Cororuc’s pack

avoids interacting with the few other Garou ghosts in the Dark Umbra, preferring to work alone. As with most other ghosts, they are drawn to the light of the living and will gladly attack any stray Garou who enters the Dark Umbra, as their only true concern for redemption are other Black Spiral Dancers.

Few Umbral travelers really know how to enter the Dark Umbra. The Silent Striders have a rite to enter, which they have shared with the other tribes, but other than the single rite, the Dark Umbra seems an impenetrable fortress. For this reason, few Garou feel the trip is not worth taking, unless absolutely necessary. Some travelers have convinced particularly powerful Banes or spirits of Death to open ways in the Dark Umbra. While this affords them a way into the Shadowlands, these spirits have little to no information about the Dark Umbra as they refuse to travel there them­ selves. This leaves the travelers with no reliable way out. A few Umbral travelers have found themselves drawn into Dark Umbra after getting trapped in the Gauntlet while attempting to shift sideways into the Middle Umbra. The life force attracted ghosts who then pulled them into the Dark Umbra. Little is known about the fate of these travelers, as none have ever returned from the harrowing trip. An even more dangerous route into the Dark Umbra lies within the depths of the Abyss. Making it through the Abyss is a feat within itself, and once the traveler is in the Dark Umbra, he can’t return the way he came.

Traveling within the Dark Umbra is surprisingly similar to travel within the Middle Umbra. The Shadowlands are mapped very closely to the physical world, though lost and destroyed structures with strong emotional resonances still remain within the Dark Umbra cluttering the landscape with their shadowy forms. Everything within the Dark Umbra is surrounded by the Tempest, a raging torrent of storms and chaos. The Tempest separates the Shadowlands from the rest of the Dark Umbra, and within its stormy depths lie small islands of calm containing cities of the dead and other lost places. Traversing the Tempest requires the use of Byways — roads built by ghosts long ago that lead between the islands within the Tempest. Living travelers attempting to use the byways risk running into hostile ghosts, or getting lost within the Tempest with no way to escape, eventually drawn down into Oblivion.

Ghosts living in the Dark Umbra do not accept trespass­ ers into their domains. Even the smallest and most pathetic looking ghosts attack those who linger too long within the realm, attracted to their shining life force. Some ghosts, actively seek out travelers to give them quests or tasks to complete in the material world. They grant their charges

with special tokens of favor, showing other ghosts that they are spoken for. Some ghosts respect the tokens and leave the travelers alone, while others see those who hold them as dangerous interlopers who must be destroyed. Some more insidious ghosts view the token as a sign of gullibility and attempt to trick the holder into performing their own tasks.

The Silent Striders view these tasks as a sacred duty, and encourage young tribe members to accept and complete them as rites of passage. The Silent Striders visit the Dark Umbra with more frequency than any other Garou tribe. They seek the wisdom and knowledge of the souls trapped there, hoping to gain insights that will help them in their fight to save Gaia. Though the tribe spends quite a bit of time traversing the Dark Umbra, they are not immune to the dangers that come with entering the realm. They are, however, more familiar with which areas to avoid, and which hold the unrestful souls of creatures wishing to press them into service.

Despite the many dangers that come with entering a realm born of death, certain situations require the Garou to travel there in search of answers. Below is a list of story ideas that give characters reasons to enter the Dark Umbra.