Rank

Rank is a fundamental part of Garou society, and the fullest manifestation of the hierarchical nature of Garou and Fera.

Overview

Rank measures a Shifter’s station among other Garou, and it is determined by an individual’s renown totals — though the exact requirements are different for each auspi]]. All Garou begin at Rank 1 and may evolve to Rank 5 with time and effort - but only the wisest and most powerful among their kind will attain Rank 6.

A werewolf fresh from its First Change has no rank at all - it is merely a pup or cub. Many such pups go through training and preparation before their Rite of Passage, though the length and quality varies depending on the tribe and individual sept.

After the ordeal of the Rite of Passage, the young werewolf has proven his or her right and worth to join the Garou Nation in their war, and so earns the first rank, that of Cliath. With this success comes a small amount of Renown.

Renown Titles

• Garou: Cliath, FOstern, Adren, Athro, Elder
• Corax: Oviculum, Neocornix, Ales, Volucris, Corvus
• Bastet: Tekhmet, Aka, Tilau, Hani, Bon Bhat
• Gurahl: Kovi, Verde, Sorna, Talchwi, Matae;
• Kitsune: Yakan, Kiko, Koryo, Reiko, Tenko
• Mokole: Hatching, Son/Daughter, Brother/Sister, Father/Mother, Grandfather/Grandmother;
• Ratkin: Rakka, Voto, Tava, Teppen, Rrrrr't

Cliath

Once a Cliath, the Garou may be invited (or ordered) to join hunting/war parties or otherwise take on responsibilities in their Sept, Tribe, or the Garou Nation as a whole. The average Garou wouldn't likely know of a Cliath from another Sept but may have a token respect of either her Glory, Honor, or Wisdom, based on the Cliaths Auspice. That token Renown wouldn't be granted the Garou prior to completing her Rite of Passage.

This rank is called

Fostern

The fostern comprises a higher number of Garou than are found in the other ranks, hence the term is also used to mean the compliment of Garou in a Sept as a group. Unlike the high ranks, earning the Fostern rank doesn't lend any more resistance to Frenzy than a Garou had as a Cliath or than a rankless shifter.

Adren

The Adren is the lowest rank for a Garou to be acknowledged as being of high rank. Adren can expect to be known by all of the Garou of their region, let alone their Sept. Adren have achieved stronger self-discipline and thus are somewhat less likely to frenzy than are Fostern and werewolves of lower rank.

Athro

A fairly small minority of Garou ever achieve enough remarkable deeds to earn enough Renown to make the Challenge for the Athro rank in a (combative and therefore likely short) lifetime. As such their names are fairly well known through stories spread through the Garou Nation. Athro have somewhat greater self-discipline than they possessed as Adren, and resist Frenzy far better than they had when they were of low Rank (Fostern and lower).

Elder

Only the head Garou of some of the Thirteen Tribes and those most rare and exceptional Garou who achieve such Renown as to become living legends and whose awesome deeds will be told for time immemorial can ever attain the sixth Rank, outranking an Elder. Elders are a small minority within the Nation, each has earned such Renown as to be known of by the Fostern of Septs across the world.

To qualify to Challenge for the rank, a Garou must have earned an inspiring degree of Renown in the category most valued in her Auspice. An Elder Theurge must be acknowledged as being of the wisest of all Garou. An Elder Philodox must be among the most honorable of all Garou, her integrity believed by virtually all to be utterly impeccable. Elder Ahroun and Galliards have a staggering list of glorious victories. To qualify to Challenge for the Elder rank, an Athro Ragabash must be Renouned in some mix of Glory, Honor, and Wisdom as to be overall Renouned more than her counterpart of another Auspice with their respective minimum amount of Renown to challenge for the rank.

Elders are the most likely to lead Septs and all of the greater Caerns are lead by them. An Elder has the self-discipline to resist Frenzy with greater ease then she had as an Athro, a degree of control extraordinary to the Fostern of any Sept. The Gifts that a Spirit or another Fera can possibly teach an Elder are more potent or of greater complexity and scope as well as being far rarer to those Gifts available to lower ranked Garou.

Advancing in Rank

To grow in rank, the werewolf must gain Renown through actions that prove their Wisdom, Honor, and Glory, and have these actions recognized before other Garou, usually at a moot. The Rite of Recognition is a vital part of this as well. There are certain levels of Renown one must achieve to reach each new rank, and different Auspices must seek certain kinds of Renown in particular to succeed. These levels are an abstraction, mind you; no Garou has ever described another as having "9 points of Wisdom". The system of points merely is a guideline of exactly how much one must do to even merit a rank.

Just as one faced a great challenge to gain that first rank and enter Garou society - merely having the requisite amount of Renown is not enough. The werewolf must challenge a werewolf of a rank equal to or higher than the rank he is currently seeking. The nature of the challenge is dictated by the challenged one, and it can very greatly depending upon the Breed, Auspice, and tribe of both individuals. The difficulty of reaching the next rank increases dramatically with each one; challenges given to a werewolf seeking to become Elders are arduous tasks indeed, and often very life-threatening. Many a werewolf has earned their rank only posthumously, succeeding in their challenge but losing their life to do so.

Following the first rank of Cliath is the second rank, Fostern. The third rank is that of Adren, the fourth rank is that of Athro, and the fifth rank is that of Elder. On extremely rare occasions a werewolf can reach a sixth rank which is not technically possessed of a specific name, but often described either as Legend.

Benefits and Drawbacks

The most obvious benefit of a higher rank is the social standing it accords. You are given respect for your achievements, and those of lower rank are expected to defer to you. An Adren or higher is generally well-known, achieving a level of fame for their acts.

The challenge is a vital part of Garou life, and generally highly ritualistic. Whenever two (or more) werewolves come into conflict, a challenge is often called to determine who is in the right, who will get their way, who will lead, and so on. However, lawfully a werewolf can only challenge a werewolf of their own rank or one higher, and certainly cannot challenge someone of lower rank than they - authority is assumed in that case. The exception is the previously described challenge for rank as that is not so much a true challenge to the higher-ranking individual's beliefs or authority, but a demand for them to recognize his or her acts and worth. In this case, the werewolf hoping to ascend in rank will often entreat a werewolf of considerably higher rank to recognize their worth.

Another benefit is access to increasingly powerful Gifts. The Spirits can generally sense the rank of a werewolf, and will not teach them gifts they consider to be too powerful for one who has proven themself too little. It's worth noting that in any case a werewolf will have to offer proper Chiminage to convince a spirit to teach them the gift, and this offers extra opportunity for the werewolf to either win the spirit over or let the cat out of the bag. Other werewolves would also be able to perceive a disparity between one's rank and a gift should it be used publicly, so any werewolf that managed to bend the rules somehow would have to be careful indeed.

Werewolves of substantial rank (Adren and higher) are also less likely to Frenzy. This represents a werewolf's increasing sense of discipline as they ascend in rank.

The great drawback of a high rank is the same drawback that comes with any sort of power or authority - more people are going to notice you, and they're going to expect much, much more of you than ever before. Acts that would have earned them great increases in Renown at lower ranks are now expected of them, and give little or no reward at all. They must push themselves ever father and harder, enduring the many requests of other Garou along the way. Naturally, there is also the element of jealousy and rivalry, as many werewolves would envy that growing power.