Black Furies

Introduction

A Black Fury is commonly misunderstood. If you were to ask a male, they probably wouldn't be able to tell you what a Black Fury is, because Black Furies are almost always women. Men force their will upon others, and being a Black Fury is about freedom to express your femininity. They are the ones capable of bringing life into this world, and often embrace their own sexuality in terms of finding a lover of the same gender. The metis in the dark ages are often kept, regardless of gender. Some Furies use the gentle influence through the gospel of the Virgin Mary to explain things to their human wards who have little to no knowledge of the Garou Nation, for the Fury are "the incarnation of Gaia's vengeance." (Keily, p.20) To keep with traditions, Furies typically kill male children born to Garou with the exception of male Metis and males born to kin.

History of the Tribe

Rome's fall was the beginnings of the spreading of Christianity. In the last few days or months of the Roman Empire, a cult with an admixture of Patriarch-worship with peace and self sacrificial notions began to spread throughout the Mediterranean and into Europe. When the Inquisition begins in earnest, many tales of shape shifting witch women encourage the hunting of witches by the Church. Roman emperors favor the cult of Mithras over their former state-sanctioned pagan beliefs. The priests of Mithras had lost any connection to Gaia. These peaceful priests quickly became the "convert or die" type, starting to wander the woods to threaten harmless followers of the Goddess with dismemberment, tromping on holy days, etc. So relentless in their conversions were they that they managed to convert the wild barbarians of the east: Vandals, Goths, and all their cousins.

Those who took up arms against the church did so in the beginning of the seventh century. Sometimes blatancy was not called for, so instead ruining crops or eating of their game animals was a sufficient enough way of showing discontent. Priests and their followers who tortured wise women to force conversion away from Gaia were targeted and killed. These amazons do not suffer eunuchs who trample the laws of the world.

Geography

Their homeland is Greece, but they roam everywhere in southern Europe. Some of them settle in northern Europe or Britain, where the patriarchal-dominated septs of Fianna and Fenrir resist their presence. Due to this scouting, the Dark Medieval age spawns the full rising rivalry between the tribes of Fenrir and Pegasus. A Fury's caern is usually deep in the heart of the wilderness, as far away from Weaver-worked lands.

According to the legends of the Fury, Artemis charged the tribe with caring for the places of the Wyld, thus insisting that the Triat's imbalance can only be preserved by strengthening the Wyld -- "Who better to nurture the force of life and creation than a tribe of women?" (Keily, p.20) Many Furies visit their human Kin in the form of a wolf, to learn news, breed, and carry newly changed Furies to their sept. Some are in the Byzantine, Turkish, Magyar, and other nomadic traditions. Kin often work as farmers, lay healers, or (rarely) nuns in the Orthodox Church.

Totems

Pegasus is the (gilded) patron totem of many Furies, a totem of Respect rather than War or Wisdom. Many people commonly mistake it for the latter. At one point in time, Bellerophon attempted to claim dominion over her, and was killed for it; assuming the gender role of all and neither at the same time. Pegasus doesn't tolerate this sort of arrogance from any of Her children, nor any other Garou. He was born to protect the helpless and to teach women how to be stronger. Her demands as a totem are that Her children protect helpless females of all races. It is important to make the distinction between helpless and weak: for a woman enchained is considered "helpless" while one who simply submits without chains is considered "weak", thus Pegasus does not desire to help those who can't help themselves. It will never accept the children of Fenris as Her children.

The Muses: Another totem of Respect; the nine spirits of Art who carry their followers with creativity, wisdom and skill. These will collectively choose a pack and bestow their blessing, teaching craft and form all without endangering the act of creation. Their followers must devote their lives to art and learning, defending the freedom of speech and expression.

The Gorgons (or Madusae) as a single a totem of war, and for reasons unknown to the Theurges of the Fury, no longer exist. However, her five siblings exist as separate entities.

Euryale: Also a totem of War, and a New Moon, is the eldest of the Five Daughters, often serving as the totem to packs from Amazons of Diana; her sympathy with the overall feeling that Man is the weaker sex making it necessary to encourage Furies and female packs to deliberately violate the social conventions imposed by a patriarch whenever possible. Packs following this totem must never contain male members, and will only subject themselves to a male sept official if he defeats the pack's alpha in an open challenge.

Helena: This totem of War and the Crescent Moon of the First Daughters, unlike her sister Euryale, holds a good deal more respect for Man; her philosophy is that both sexes are equal parts of Gaia; misguidance of the Patriarch leads Man astray. Packs devoted to this totem err on the side of harshness when females' weaknesses are involved. For example, a daughter of Helena should be capable of seizing initiative if her husband is abusing their children, coming down most harshly on the offender. Helena's packs must contain an equal number of male and female Garou; if there is an odd number in the pack, the odd Garou may be of either gender; the males can be Fury Metis or members of other tribes, if Helena accepts them.

Isthmene: Again, a totem of war. The most beautiful and youngest Gorgon; known for her combat prowess. Her favored weapon is a pure silver labrys, and she encourages her daughters to favor the labrys as their weapon. Unlike her other siblings, She has a quick temper, so rebukes from Men and her siblings anger her. Followers of Isthmene will not tolerate abuse from males, end of story. Insults or abuse is repaid with injury, caused by tooth and claw.

Medusa: Older only than the youngest, but her wrath is no less frightening. Her hatred of Man is surpassed only by Issthmene; the howler of a song of rage when Pegasus adopted the first male metis of the Black Furies, never speaking to her siblings for years after that. She was a Galliard in life, her songs serving as battlefield Rites on their own.

Auspice Roles

Each phase of Luna's Changing Faces gives us the roles we assume in life. These faces have given us more purpose to what we do.

Luna's Tears -- Ragabash (No Moon)

Those born under the night of a new moon are the questioners of the ways, asking and inquiring in what manner we can appease Luna and seek to change everything. They are the ones who know best why change hurts -- and question what they need to change in order to grant wisdom.

Luna's Ponderings -- Theurge (Crescent Moon)

Luna's thoughts spread far, ranging from 'why do the Garou war on other Fera?' to 'Why do cat spirits hunt mouse spirits?' Like a Ragabash, it is their job to question; but their questions are out of curiosity and may lead to spiritual truths, other questions, or simple answers. Any format of learning in this fashion is therefore good.

Luna's Voice -- Philodox (Half Moon)

The more knowledge that is gained, the more Luna shies away from the darkness and gains a voice of which to speak: to tell of what thoughts ran through her mind while weeping, what she learned during questioning, and one born of this moon is expected to speak fact and wisdom, learning from what is seen and experienced. Instead of seeking answers, those of this face are required to seek truth. Beyond that, it is their job to dispense justice, for they are seen as the peace keepers and moderators of the Garou Nation.

Luna's Laughter -- Galliard (Gibbous Moon)

While daunting is the task of the truth-speaking and justice dispensing, Luna will eventually tire of this and wish to step farther into the light. Galliards will take up any voice they can find; be it their own or given with the aid of an instrument. Laughter comes in multiple flavors: bitter, mirthful, or rueful. An alternative to laughter is tears, so we laugh instead because it is the best medicine. Furies born under this face of Luna often attempt to rationalize the facts and laws provided by a Philodox, and make them accessible to all.

Luna's Actions -- Ahroun (Full Moon)

Four cycles of silence and no action. That all changes as her glowing face is fully illuminated, becoming Artemis the Hunter with the Ahrouns alongside her as attendants. Being born here marks them as "a warrior among warriors", and the most important thing here is not blood, but action. Contemplation is fine for a while, but too much of it makes it obsolete and irrelevant to the issues. Be swift; be decisive.

Litany

This is rather long, but needs to be reinstated from our point of view to give you a better understanding of why we are the way we are.

Garou Shall Not Mate With Garou: Out of all the tribes, perhaps this is one of the better ones. They don't exactly go easy on their metis, but still are required to make up for their parents' sins anyway.

Combat the Wyrm Wherever It Dwells And Wherever It Breeds: Get this through your head: murder and rape still happen without the influence of the Wyrm, but are made worse because of it. Jump at any chance possible to hurt the Wyrm, and you'll either get burned out because of it or become dead quickly.

Respect The Territory of Another: Polite and proper behavior to announce your presence and intentions when entering another's territory but bear in mind urban caerns may have a harder time with this one as announcing howls could be impractical. Often the most overlooked rule, and remember that just because you announce yourself doesn't mean you are welcome.

Accept an Honorable Surrender: Everyone has their issues. Fighting against another of Gaia's warriors is dumb, but if you have to injure the other one attempt to get the Master of Challenge to set the rules (first blood, first fall, etc) and know when you've gotten your ass kicked. Death to prove you were right is stupid, as is killing to prove your point. Also know what cause you're fighting for: make sure it's good.

Submission to Those of Higher Station: Don't associate this with "man" in our tribe. Just because that fostern is male doesn't mean he became a fostern because of his gender. The word and concept of "submission" is another issue. It's fine to follow a good leader, it's fine to obey orders in combat, but submitting to an alpha's will if the alpha happens to be male poses a problem. If any other Garou attempts to dominate one of your siblings, regardless of tribe, help her. Do not run from it.

The First Share of the Kill for the Greatest In Station: Just because it works for wolves, it doesn't quite work that way for Garou. A pack of Garou led by a Fury who makes a kill in a hunt or in battle, for example, the Fury will try to give credit where due. If that means letting the youngest in the pack have a 'spoil' or shiny thing, that's the way it goes. Not all Furies react this way, however.

Ye Shall Not Eat The Flesh of Humans: Garou are meant to protect and avenge the humans, not use them for prey. After the Impergium, why do we want to eat them? We don't.

Respect Those Beneath Ye -- All are of Gaia: A more of a 'do unto others' tenet, but still another dominance law. While life feeds upon life, it must be recognized and acknowledged that in the end we are all food. Lupus don't need to have this one explained, as they know it naturally.

The Veil Shall Not Be Lifted: The Delirium is somewhat weaker in the Dark Ages, and thus it leads to insanity in some folks. It could bring about another Inquisition by the Church. It could lead to nosy folks trying to hunt us and kill us in the King's name. Don't ever use the Delirium as cover, for that may get you killed.

Do Not Suffer Thy People To Tend Thy Sickness: Remember old age usually isn't a problem as we tend to die in battles of glory in which we resign our souls to Gaia more often than dying a natural death. Anyone wounded beyond hope is sometimes tended to the best of their ability, but when nothing else can be done it is an acceptance of fate to take her life.

The Leader May Be Challenged at Any Time During Peace: If you're at peace and not actively in a state of war, you may challenge for alpha. Be it of a pack or a sept, if you think you can take and hold it, then you challenge. You're at peace, and you're testing the others.

The Leader May Not Be Challenged During Wartime: The opposite of the last tenant. You are at war. You're in the middle of a combat. The alpha screams a tactic at you. You say "Why?" If you live, you'll lose Renown. If you don't, you've lost your life. This is why.

Ye Shall Take No Action That Causes a Caern to Be Violated: This tenet is not open for discussion or reinterpretation under any circumstance. If a caern Warder seems harsh or if the rules seem strict to you, this is why.

Opinions

Other Tribes

Bone Gnawers: We respect their strength, but the rat leads them through the human's refuse.

Children of Gaia: Pacifists with a kind heart, but blind to the constant war that rages around them.

Fenrir: Arrogance, ignorance, but no strangers to battle with a lust for conquest that cannot be satiated.

Fianna: They drink and sing far too often to attempt to protect the humans from the church.

Red Talons: Their nobility to the Great Mother is true. If only they would take human kin, they would be twice as wise.

Shadow Lords: These ones are well named, but stray too close to the darkest portions of the world. They place ourselves in their debt in search of allies, who we don't need as badly as they think we do.

Silent Striders: Travelers who are well-schooled in ancient wisdom and often bringing current events home to us from elsewhere. We should make them feel welcome in our homes.

Silver Fangs: Once greatly respected brethren, but with their Kinfolk dwindling closer to the Patriarch for our liking. We shall not allow them to lose sight of Gaia's plan.

Warders of Man: Embracers of the unnatural, the Weaver, and the Patriarch-loving cities held by the Church. They should be on their knees begging for mercy from Gaia.

Other Groups

Humans: Our job is to protect them, and to teach the helpless how to be strong.

Metis: Metis of this tribe who are kept don't get treated any differently than the male metis. All are shunned for their parents' crime. Everywhere. A female Black Fury metis is somehow less a woman, because they have a barren womb; though male metis are equally as afflicted as all metis are born infertile.

Kinfolk: Most of the wolf-kin reside in Greece or thereabouts under the protection of one sept or another, though they are spread far. Many would opt to give birth at home or nearby with a Fury midwife or off in the Wyldest forest they can find, depending on their form. Males born to kin are often kept alive, since it would otherwise be impossible to perpetuate the species in a tribe of all females.

Fae: Past encounters have been poor, and thus they are not particularly well liked, nor are we by them. The Fair Folk have a tendency to visit the mortals and "play" with them for a time in the name of good sport. Furies take brutal offense at anyone treating their Kin poorly, so not even the boldest satyr will set foot near a Fury bawn, remembering in past what blows had been struck before.

Fera: Many of them were presumed dead...thought or feared. However, due to the abundance, it is necessary to think on them once more.

Ananasi: A contest between Arachne and Athena to a battle of weaves to see who was the most skilled at the loom. Arachne was defeated, and as punishment was turned into a spider by Athena. The surviving spider folk are bitter about something...

Bastet: While some Furies revere Panther as their totem, the cat-Fera have never truly been close allies, perhaps because their roles are unclear. Corax are watchers, we're the warriors...so what are the Bastet? Redundant, perhaps. Getting them to give up secrets of any kind is more trouble than it's worth.

Corax: The ravens are closer to the Get and the Fianna than to us, but they do occasionally come to visit. Their greatest warriors are female, which makes them endeared to us somewhat. Should you ever chance to meet a Corax, learn all you can from them.

Gurahl: These great bears are believed extinct, and the folly that led to their murder could only have come from man -- a king. One of our tribe would have left well enough alone.

Ratkin: They share a totem and little else with the Gnawers. All that is understood is the Ratkin's rodent Kin spread disease and misery, and while it is a necessary form of population control at times, it doesn't make the horror any less for those who have to suffer through it. Do not trust them.

The Church: There's mixed opinions on this, and it may not be our true enemy.

Vampires: Vampires and other monsters in cleric's clothing are the enemy. There is a vendetta against the servants of the Wyrm who lurk in the church, using its dogma to suit their own ends. Succubae, Enticers, and other demons who can assume the form of a woman are enemies, and such creatures have contributed to the poor opinion that medieval man has of medieval woman.

Mages: Not all human spell casters are monsters; some of them do respect Gaia's laws. Some of them are dangerous and ignorant, convinced that our war form is a mark of some sort of demon that possesses you. Any supernatural help that aids a Fury sept will most likely come from a witch or wise woman of the land, or possibly some sorceress that follows the pagan ways and working to the same ends as the Furies. The Order of the Merciful Mother is the only one open-minded enough to strike such alliances readily, taking its allies from within the Church, not without.

Ghosts: The spirits of the dead wander and do not always have an easy time letting go. If at all possible, grant the poor shade a chance of hope or revenge to help them find peace if that's what they desire.

Other Resources

Werewolf Dark Ages, Black Fury Tribebook Revised