Lodge of Lycurgus Member
The Lodge of Lycurgus is a Lodge of the Elodoth.
Overview[]
Lycurgus the Bold (p. 81) was s shining example of what an Elodoth could be - he put the blessings of his auspice to good use and brokered a lasting peace with the spirit courts. Sure, a powerful spirit thought it had found a loophole, and the story ends in blood and death, but unusually the deaths are not Forsaken deaths, and Lycurgus came out of the whole situation with his honor intact. Only a few Elodoth who have been in a similar situation can say the same; all too often the Elunim would not recognize a werewolf's honor after one bad judgment or one broken deal. Even so, some optimists never give up. Every day, some people push themselves to be better. Some of those Half Moons formed the Lodge of Lycurgus.
The Lodge got it start in Athens shortly after the death of Lycurgus, but for most of its existence only a handful of werewolves wanted to be members. Over two thousand years it became something between a mystery cult and a family tradition. Were it not for the discovery of Lycurgus' story on an archeological dig, that's what it would have remained. The sudden swell of interest has broadened the lodge's appeal and Elodoth from all corners of the world travel to the Greek capital to learn the secrets and pass them on to interested werewolves at home. In many ways, the Lodge of Lycurgus' sudden popularity is similar to the spread of Indian mysticism to the West in the late 1960s. Currently, the Lodge is a very popular group - a lot of Elodoth who don't join still appreciate that some are willing to go to the lengths that the Lodge demands.
Trading on the Half Moon's role as spirit envoy, the Lodge of Lycurgus teaches two key things: respect and restraint when in the Hisil; and oaths made with spirits are binding for both parties. Members of the lodge must conduct themselves with incredible honor around spirits. In return, every denizen of the Shadow will enforce an oath struck with a member of this lodge. Unfortunately, that's not always easy - treating every spirit with respect is almost impossible in the modern world, especially when they try to exploit poorly-chosen wording in oaths and vows. Just one slip can turn the whole deal sour. The lodge teaches a wide range of ways that a werewolf can maintain her cool around spirits, and their techniques really work - assuming a werewolf can understand the lessons on offer.
A few werewolves see the sudden popularity of the Lodge of Lycurgus as something more than a passing fad for the memory of an ancient hero. These few, who are trying to set up areas outside of Athens where they can induct new members, want to use the lodge as a spearhead to forge oaths and compacts with spirit courts, taking away the advantage that the Pure Tribes have had for so long. Currently, they're in a minority, but were those werewolves to start teaching the lodge's ways in English, they may soon be a force to be reckoned with.
Membership[]
If an Elodoth is serious about joining the Lodge of Lycurgus, she'll likely have to travel. The only werewolf qualified to initiate others into the lodge lives outside Athens, and the others only refer to him as the Mentor. An old and xenophobic werewolf, he refuses to teach anyone who doesn't know at least enough Greek to understand him.
The Mentor has spent his life dedicated to the memory of Lycurgus. He was inducted into the lodge by his pack when he was in his mid twenties. That was over 70 years ago. Since then, he's broken many spirits to his will and forged an incredible number of oaths. He's also watched his pack die off, from renegade spirits and plain old age. Now he must pass on his secrets to a generation of foreigners, or have the secrets of the Lodge of Lycurgus die when he does.
Prospective members must live with the Mentor for a full lunar month, and in that time they're his "second pack." He teaches them the right way to phrase an oath, the specific details of shifting resonance that replace body language among many spirits, and many more details besides. At the end of the month, he has each prospective student forge an oath with a spirit in his territory as a test. After many years of effort, the Mentor has broken many spirits to his will and this can set each initiate a challenge that will properly test her before letting her return to her pack.
Game Mechanics[]
The following are an overview of the game mechanics.
Prerequisites[]
To join the Lodge of Lycurgus means learning from one who has fully internalized the Lodge's teachings. While much can be done in the First Tongue, a lot of the training is only available in modern Greek. A member of the lodge must understand the basic protocol of the Hisil, and how to approach spirit without antagonizing them (Politics •, Persuasion •). Finally, a member must have demonstrated that he is willing to behave honorably in all manner of situations (Honor •••). If a werewolf's Honor Renown ever drops below three dots, the lodge disowns her.
Benefits[]
All members of the Lodge of Lycurgus add their Honor Renown in place of the flat +2 bonus when using their Spirit Envoy ability. This change is permanent; even were the lodge to disown a werewolf, she would still add her Renown to the roll.
References[]
- WTF: Signs of the Moon, p. 99-100
