Garou

Garou is a term used by the werewolves breed to identify their race and culture. The term is used nearly interchangeably with Garou Nation. 5th edition frequently uses the term to distinguish the eleven tribes who are still willing to work with one another from other werewolves such as the Cult of Fenris and Black Spiral Dancers, who have forsaken the title of Garou by turning their back on the Nation prior to its fall.^[1]

In the Middle Kingdom, the corresponding term is Langren (Wolf People) or Ookami Senshi (Wolf Soldiers).^[2]

Overview[]

According to their own mythology, the Garou were designed to be Gaia's fangs and claws and they are quite adept at this. Today, after the War of Rage, they are among the most numerous Changing Breeds that still exist.

Garou Forms[]

Garou have access to five forms:

• Homid: Indistinguishable from a normal human (except for the Curse).
• Glabro: Roughly resembles a human, but has too many bestial features to be one.
• Crinos: The "War-Form", a terrifying hybrid of human and wolf with superior strength. Resembles the typical "Hollywood werewolf".
• Hispo: A prehistoric dire wolf.
• Lupus: Indistinguishable from a normal wolf, but with superior speed.

Garou Breeding[]

Werewolves cannot breed among themselves to preserve their lineage; their blood is too potent, and the result is always a deformed Metis. To continue their bloodlines, werewolves must mate with humans and wolves.

However, the chance that any children or cubs that result from such a pairing will breed true is small. In most cases, the spirit half of the werewolf may or may not be passed on and the offspring is either a normal human, or a werewolf. However, some, called Kinfolk, inherit a spark of their parents' spirit and may develop minor supernatural abilities.

Werewolves born to human families are initially indistinguishable from their mortal siblings. There is no detectable "Garou gene" and DNA testing does not reveal anything amiss. Newborn werewolves simply appear to be normal humans or wolves in almost every respect. Only a very few are even told by their parents that werewolves exist at all. However, young werewolves are prone to strange dreams and fits of temper that alienate them from their relatives or friends.

Kin[]

Main article: Kin (W5)

In Werewolf 5th edition, Garou cannot increase their number through breeding: With the exception of a small number of Garou-prone lineages, which are maintained by mystical means beyond pure breeding, the child produced by a Garou and a human or wolf, or even two Garou, is not (discernibly) more or less likely to gain the potential for the First Change than anyone else of their kind.

Instead, new Garou emerge through Kin, otherwise ordinary humans or wolves with virtually no way to be made aware of their true nature until it makes itself obvious, often violently. The majority of Kin emerge from their respective populations seemingly at random, and their exact cause is the topic of much debate among Garou scholars and mystics.^[1]

Garou Society[]

Garou adhere to the Litany, a code which depicts the laws of the Garou Nation. The place of each individual Garou is dictated by the moon phase under which he or she is born. There are five Auspices that mandate a Garou's function within werewolf society.

Garou are divided into different Tribes since the Impergium. Werewolves are not bound to a tribe for ancestral or hereditary purposes and causes but personal philosophies instead and they usually have to pass a Rite of Passage to fully adhere a tribe in which Totems are crucial.

12 out of 14 existent tribes form the alliance called Garou Nation while the tribe of Stargazers and some of the Hakken tribe are part of the Asian Beast Courts which are cross-species alliances of shapeshifters and the Black Spiral Dancers tribe are servants of the Wyrm.

Trivia[]

• The word "Garou" comes from the Old French garoul, meaning "werewolf", which in turn likely comes from the Frankish "wer-wulf", meaning "man-wolf". Alternatively, the word can stem from the Japanese word "餓狼" (garō), meaning "hungry wolf".
• Some of the concepts of the Garou may be inspired by the novella, "Skin Trade" by George R.R. Martin from 1988. And the secret history/society aspect from "Darker Than You Think" by Jack Williamson from 1948.
• In the first Vampire Hunter: D novel, there is a werewolf antagonist called Garou. Though whether this naming convention is intentional or coincidental is difficult to say.

Gallery[]

A garou, as depicted at the front cover of Werewolf Players Guide. Art by Matt Wagner.

References[]

• WTA: Werewolf: The Apocalypse Rulebook
• WTA: Werewolf: The Apocalypse Second Edition
• WTA: Werewolf: The Wild West Rulebook
• DAW: Werewolf: The Dark Ages
• WTA: Werewolf: The Apocalypse Revised Edition
• DAW: Dark Ages: Werewolf Rulebook
• WTA: Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition, p. 69