City Parent

A City Parent (more commonly known as a City Father or City Mother) is a spirit that embodies a particular city.

Overview[]

Werewolf: The Apocalypse[]

Most Garou believe that City Parents are Epiphlings that most often manifest in the Penumbra of their given city, although some have connections to other Realms (like the CyberRealm or, more dangerously, the Scar and the Wicked City). While most Garou balk at anything related to a city as Weaver-tainted, City Parents are not necessarily aligned with the Weaver. They will only manifest in what locals think of as a city. In some parts of Europe, anywhere with at least 50,000 people living in it generates a City Mother, while in much of the United States, a city needs at least a quarter of a million people to produce one. Some believe that the interconnectivity of humanity, brought through the telegraph and the internet, accelerates the growth of a City Parent.

While likely present earlier, they began to appear in the 1900s,^[1] although Adam Sutton, a Ragabash of the Glass Walkers, discovered the first known City Father, that of London in 1882. Shortly afterward, other City Parents were discovered in several other cities.^[2] Some believe that the discrepancy is between what the Garou perceive a City Parent should be and how they actually form. These old beings cared more for the people who lived there, while modern City Fathers care more for the city itself — the bricks and stones, rather than the population. As spiritual representatives of the city, they manifest their whole history, even from before the time they actually manifested.

Some City Parents are willing to act as Totems to packs of Garou, often with the ban that they cannot leave the boundaries of the city. Most seek to expand their territory and run afoul of hostile Fera who want to protect a Wyld place. Some among the Garou Nation hope that the installation of urban Caerns will have a positive influence on a City Parent, keeping them from becoming corrupted by Weaver or Wyrm.

Mage: The Ascension[]

City Spirits can be purchased for Dreamspeakers and Sorcerers with the Totem Background.

Every large and important city has its own Incarna. In addition, there is a powerful Celestine that is the spirit of cities in general. The spirit of a city is generally quite large, and appears as an anthropomorphic version of the city with features of various well-known locals and clothing with patterns reminiscent of the local architecture and style.

When choosing this totem, The Dreamspeaker has two choices. She can choose to be allied only to the spirit of her own city (assuming it has one) or she can make a pact with the Celestine of all cities. In the first case, she can only contact and gain benefit from her totem while she is within the physical boundaries of her city. Choosing the urban Celestine, however, allows her to gain benefits from this totem anytime she is within the boundaries of any large urban area (any city with a population of more than 25,000). The Celestine version of this totem is purchased normally, while the spirit of a specific city is purchased at half cost (round all fractions up). For example, if the spirit of Bangkok would normally cost seven Background points, the shaman would only need to pay four Background points, since the totem could only help within specific boundaries.

Shamans with this totem gain two dots in a special Knowledge ability called City Knowledge, which provides information about their chosen city (or about whatever city they are in, if they are allied with the urban Celestine). This Ability provides knowledge of the geography, history, folklore, and politics of the city. City Knowledge may be improved with experience, but each additional dot must be spent on knowledge of a specific city.

In addition, this Totem grants all shamans the ability to commune with various urban spirits to gain an overview of the magical and spiritual realities present in the city. Roll Perception + Awareness; one success provides the rough location of the most powerful Nodes, and whether there are any other powerful spirits in the city. Additional successes provide information about powerful magics currently being used, descriptions of the powerful spirits, the location of lesser nodes, and general knowledge about any current large-scale supernatural conflicts. On a botch the shaman receives false information. This ability can be used no more than once a day.

Ban: This powerful Totem is also extremely demanding. Whenever the Dreamspeaker is inside her own city (or in the case of the Celestine, whenever the mage is in any city) she has at least two points of the Spiritual Duty Flaw (The Spirit Ways, pg. 106). The mage receives no additional freebie points for this Flaw, but may purchase additional levels of it normally. In general, this Totem asks for favors relating to the general welfare of the city. Such favors can range from helping to catch a particularly destructive criminal like a serial killer or an arsonist, to stopping or promoting a specific urban renewal plan.

Known City Parents[]

• London^[2]
• New York City^[2]
• Philadelphia^[2]
• Atlanta^[2]
• Boston^[2]
• Chicago^[2]
• Toronto^[2]
• Paris^[2]
• Los Angeles^[3]
• Melbourne^[2]
• Tokyo (corrupted by Mikaboshi) ^[4]
• Seattle^[5]
• Pittsburgh^[6]
• San Diego^[7][8]
• Shanghai^[7]
• Brussels (corrupted by the Weaver) ^[9]
• Portland^[10]

Potential City Parents[]

While not explicitly stated to exist, several additional City Parents are implied to exist.

• Washington, D.C^[11]
• Houston^[11]
• San Francisco^[11]
• St. Petersburg^[12]
• Rome^[13]
• Istanbul^[13]
• Baghdad^[13]
• Casablanca^[14]
• Berlin^[14]

Gallery[]

Rage card depicting a City Father.

References[]

• WTA: Werewolf Players Guide, p. 132 (Background Cost: 6)
• WTA: Werewolf Players Guide Second Edition, p. 121-122 (Background Cost: 6)
• WTA: Book of the City, p. 77-82, 123
• WTA: Ratkin, p. 67
• WTA/cMET: Laws of the Wild: Changing Breeds 3, p. 201 (Ratkin)
• WTA: Players Guide to Garou, p. 140 (Cost: 7)
• MTAs: Tradition Book: Dreamspeakers, p. 59-60 (City Spirit)