Places

Given that Garou are among the most likely to wind up here — second only to the Ratkin — it’s obvious that “Wolfhome” is simply the most com­ mon name for the place. The Garou’s dominance over the other Changing Breeds, combined with being the only surviving Changing Breed to have lost close animal kin to domestication, obviously skews this realm towards their experience.

Most Fera don’t even know about the place. The Nuwisha and Corax, as experienced Umbral travelers, know about as much as the Garou do. The Nuwisha call it “Wolfhome” as well, while the Corax prefer the term “Human Paradise.” The Ratkin, who wind up near the Camps a little too often, call it “Hell.”

become hazy and confusing as they recall basic events but lose details and context they can no longer grasp. As an optional rule, the Storyteller may remove access to the list of Abilities restricted from animal-breed characters on p. 76 of W20. The animal-spirits of the realm can communicate with each other and the shapeshifters. They act how most beings would expect them to act — foxes are cunning, rabbits are skittish, and so on. The domesticated animals of the realm, particularly the dogs, are loyal to the humans above all else and the other animals despise them for it.

The wild animals of the realm — a group that now in­ cludes visiting shapeshifters — are always on the run from the human hunters. None of them can understand why they’re treated like this. All they know is that the humans chase them with flying metal whirly-monsters and hunt them with loud fire-sticks that deliver pain and death. Sometimes the humans capture them and put them in foul-smelling cages for ease of torturing them and making them sick.

Some shapeshifters’ animal forms, like those of the Corax and Ananasi, are almost safe in the realm. Their primary concerns tend to be natural predators, cruel chil­ dren, or an exterminator. A Nagah’s primary concern is staying out of the sight of the humans who will violently lash out in fear. Werewolves might, in bad light, be able to pass themselves off as huskies or German shepherds — despite how dangerous they are, the humans just aren’t that clever — and just wind up in a shelter if caught.

Some shifters get it worse than others. Gurahl in bear form are prized targets for hunters in the forests and

treated as dangerous threats in sight of civilization. Mokolé might be able to hide out in the sewers of the Town, but otherwise they stay in the Countryside. The realm forces Rokea into a bull shark form so they can survive in one of the freshwater lakes or rivers that circle around and feed each other without ever reaching an ocean.

The landscape resembles a cross between a rustic English countryside and stereotypical suburbia. Small human sub­ urbs and farms dot the land, as well as laboratories behind electrified fences. Even in the deeper portions of the broad countryside, scientific outposts and ranger stations show up just often enough to mean trouble for the wildlife. No large cities have ever been described in Wolfhome, and survivors who closely examine their experiences sometimes wonder why.

The deep countryside still offers the best chance of survival for the larger shapeshifters. The biggest danger, aside from human hunters and researchers with cages, would be other predators. A new shapeshifter to Wolfhome must compete with established predators for food and hunting territory, as there’s still only so much countryside to go around. With luck, a Garou may be able to take over a native wolf pack.

The Town has no proper name, only humans living in suburbia. To a shapeshifter, it’s uncomfortable and dangerous and generally avoided if she has the option. The Town is clean enough that scrounging for food means fighting with other an­ imals for the contents of trash cans and dumpsters. Scrounging and fighting, naturally, draw attention that can get an animal killed or captured and locked up in the zoo — or worse.

Some humans in the Town aren’t all bad. Families with children tend to be kind, and some shapeshifters can pass themselves off as something that can be adopted as a pet. In the case of Garou passing as dogs, this carries the risk of being recognized as a wolf by the “humane” society and brought to a shelter. Even if he’s successfully passing as a dog, a Garou trapped in wolf form can still frenzy if his instincts are provoked by rough children or harassing animals.