Philodox
Embers, a live-action role-playing game, by Embers Productions
Copyright 1999, Embers Productions. All rights reserved.
Judges
Though the pack structure is more important to Garou on a day to day basis, it is the Litany that binds packs to Septs and Septs to other Septs. It is the common ground that all Garou agree to uphold so that they do not fall victim to the Wyrm urges of greed and jealousy, which will at best promote chaos and dissent and at its worst lead the Garou to be the architects of their own demise. Though it is understood that no Garou is perfect, the need to enforce the Litany is undisputed. However, not even the Garou are immune to disagreement on the finer points of its interpretation. In fact, much of Garou society is centered on disagreement, challenge, and a survival-of-the-fittest philosophy. And among the fiery-tempered Garou, one could argue that no other structure could exist.
However, too much internal conflict can quickly become detrimental, allowing the Garou to lose sight of the larger goals and the truer enemies. It is therefore the Philodox, those born of the half-moon, who serve as judges, resolvers of disputes, and enforcers of the Litany. Well respected, quite often higher-ranking Philodox Garou are alphas among their packs and leaders among the Sept. It is a fine line they walk, balancing the society's need for strong leadership and the often-overwhelming instinct for social dominance. Appropriately then, Philodox embody a balance of rage – more than the Theurges and Ragabash, but less than the Galliards and Ahroun.
To the outsider, the Philodox may appear to serve in much the same capacity as policeman or court judges in that they seek to arrest infractions against society. While this is certainly true, the need for this form of justice is not entirely applicable to the Garou. It is just as important, then, that disagreements are resolved as completely and efficiently as possible. Much closer Garou justice is, therefore closer to the justice of King Solomon than that of human society, preferring harsh judgements to serve as examples to the rest of society. Philodox also serve society as watchdogs - watching the inside of society for the subtle signs of corruption and weaknesses. The more cynical Garou call them "Internal Affairs", which, though a reasonably accurate term, suggests an air of paranoia that the Philodox rarely wish to promote.
However, if the Philodox are in fact paranoid for some reason, it is always assumed that there is a very good reason for it. In fact, in the heat of the moment, if a Philodox makes a judgement on an issue, that judgement is rarely questioned at that point in time. If the need for a reevaluation is afterward overpowering than the issue may be readdressed in informal review among the Philodox assembly. However, questioning a Philodox's judgement without any means of convincing the elders the justness of it is ill advised. Punishment for not upholding a Philodox's judgement incurs very nearly fatal results. Also, a Philodox's judgement is honored without prejudice to rank - a Cliath Philodox's judgement of a disagreement between two Athro Garou carries as much weight as if it had been made by an Elder. Appealing to a higher-ranking Philodox will often earn only the enmity of the entire Philodox assembly. This is because the Philodox have a very top-down structured internal organization amongst themselves wherein they pledge to support each other’s decisions. In a sense, the individual Philodox is irrelevant. Unprejudiced appeals, however are not unknown among the Garou, especially if done in a manner that does not strike out at the authority of the entire Philodox community.
The Philodox prize wisdom, not knowledge, above all else. Wisdom is subtly different from knowledge. If knowledge is a tool, then wisdom in knowing what to do with it. However, unlike the Theurges, the Philodox tend to put the greater portion of one's training in the student's own hands, believing that wisdom in judgement is more often a question of understanding people and the greater good of society. Thus, a Philodox must be allowed room to make mistakes. Philodox Cubs, though not allowed to make judgements on behalf of the Sept, are often involved in the internal affairs of the Philodox policy discussions. It is a common privately enacted Philodox rite of passage from Cub to Cliath to be required to review a recent Elder's judgement. Blind acceptance or rejection of the Elder's ideas is grounds for failure - no ideas should be left unchallenged.
A Tribunal is the technical term for the Philodox process for rendering a judgement. These can be very formal or very informal, depending upon the situation. Matters of more gravity are given the due amount of spectacle and formality. In part, this is to promote the air of sobriety that such an important event deserves, but it also serves to impressing upon the Sept the importance of the process itself. In more informal settings, the process can be as simple as a moderated discussion between all sides and rendering a decision. Speaking out of turn without being recognized by the judge is considered to be very disrespectful. Once the judge has heard enough to be satisfied that he is aware of all the important and relevant facts, he delivers his judgement upon the participants.
Unlike the United States judicial system, tribunals attempt to settle the matter at hand as completely as possible. A person need not be present in order to be judged upon (though to do so, a Philodox had better make sure he understands enough of the matter to be certain beyond a shadow of a doubt) nor does one need to necessarily have direct evidence of guilt or complicity. Philodox justice is harsh, swift and designed to settle issues before they become a greater problem.
Since Philodox support each other, they often act together as executors of tribunal judgement, though in more dangerous matters, they may ask others to assist them. It is considered an honor to do so in support of the Sept.
Law and Order
To aid in the process of resolving disputes and seeking justice, the Philodox use keen perceptive and social abilities as well as displaying a great sense of will and endurance under harsh conditions. But the more experienced Philodox seem to display near-mystical extremes of these fields
The Other Auspices
Ahroun (Full Moon)
Of all the Garou, they seem to be the most out-of-control of their emotions. But their bullish attitudes are often misinterpreted for lack of intelligence. This is an easy prejudice to fall into. Like all Garou, they have their place in society and when push comes to shove, they respect the direct approach and will back down when reminded of who the real enemy is. Woe be unto anyone who on a date stands up a Kinfolk sibling of an Ahroun near the full moon, when their tempers are at their worse.
Galliard (Three-Quarter Moon)
Though quite often nosy and self-righteous about their ‘mission’, the Galliards are the keepers of the spoken traditions of Garou. Their stories are at the very least amusing but more often they are focal to a fine evening’s entertainment. They are quick to remind people why the Litany is important. However, there is little nastier fight than one between two dueling Galliard wits – ‘cause when the wordplay is over, they stay mad for a long time.
Theurge (Quarter Moon)
None understand the dreaming consciousness as well as the Theurges. But they tend to get focused upon those things beyond the Veil and their sense of priority gets a little skewed. They need to be given wide latitude, though, because they keep the Caerns strong and power and allow us to better use the Umbra to our advantage.
Ragabash (New Moon)
None are so clever at foiling the plans of others, which is great when the others are our enemies. However, when their attentions are turned inward, they can be more disruptive that we’d like. But, they serve a greater purpose in keeping everyone’s ego in check.