The History of the Sept of the Zephyr’s Mind

as told by Historical Henry, Glass Walker Galliard, founder of the Pack of the Whispering Tree

Before 1783 there was but one caern in the area that we now call New England. The Sept of the Naiad’s Heart guarded their caern, a deep well which held a powerful water spirit named Dilkoosha. This Sept was founded and ruled by the Uktena. But new Garou of the Glass Walker and Bone Gnawer tribes has arrived with other immigrants to this new land, and were growing in population around Boston. The ways of the Uktena were not those of our fathers, and they did not like the new blood that we brought. Fortunately, there was a place of power nearer to our homes. And now that the Revolutionary War was over, it was a place that we could feel secure in dedicating to Gaia’s use. In those days vampires also did walk the streets of Boston, but they were busy fighting each other, as the Wyrm always will. So before the rifts between the leaders of the new and the leaders of the old became too heated, it was agreed that a new caern would be made, and with it a new Sept.

With the aid of Garou from the Naiad's heart, our fathers founded a new caern to the north of Boston overlooking Boston, in the town that had grown up around the College. Appropriate to such proximity to learning, to it was called a spirit of the air, a subtle and enigmatic Zephyr we have learned to call Aeolian. The caern is found to be an excellent place to meditate, as well as refresh the body. Indeed, as time passed the Caern of the Zephyr’s mind also became known as a place of healing.

As Boston grew, new challenges grew as well. Once on the fringes of the city, our bawn quickly was surrounded by more and more urbanized land. Fortunately, the Glass Walkers are good planners, and had long since sealed off the bawn by the expanse of the Great House. The Great House established then was much as it today: a complex of buildings that are seemingly separate, yet joined together into a great square, covering the entire city block. And in between these houses, in the center of the square, is our courtyard and a lone willow tree. There Aeolian dances through the branches, speaking wisdom with a gentle voice to those who will listen, and thus where we take the name Whispering Tree. The surrounding walkway was paved stone by stone by our Theurges, laying down a defense against the Wyrm lest it try our might. The wrought-iron benches date from 1839, after a mischevious faerie named Ruthandanon dared to enchant our tree such that lemons appeared on some of its branches. The Garrity family of the Fianna eventually admitted that they had helped the faerie. For this breach of the Litany the Fianna were banned from Boston, and were forced to move to Worcester.

Most Garou of the Naiad's Heart have looked eastward towards us with suspicion. Much of this may have come from an incident in which our rural cousins decided to oppose the laying of a railroad in the 1840s. They do not know the Weaver as we do, and took an approach to this as a Luddite of the old world might of. They attacked the Weaver's forces head on, and while fighting were then ambushed by Black Spiral Dancers that had grown strong in their territory. They suffered terrible losses, and losses that would not have happened if they had not been too proud to ask for our advice and help.

Then by the end of the 19^th century, the magic began to flow strong once again. Industry bloomed in the Blackstone Valley region and Worcester began its great era of wealth and business prosperity. Upon the shores of Indian Lake, the Silver Fang lead the founding of the Caern of the Salamander's Soul. This caern brought forth the deep power of the earth, prosperous and strong. The Salamander melded earth and water, and the Salamander's Soul seemed to follow in the traditions of the Naiad's Heart.

Three caerns of power - water, air, and earth. Three parts of a whole.

By the early 1900's, Garou influence in Massachusetts was extensive. During this time at the Naiad's Heart, the Silver Fang Ahroun Lord Primakov rose in power to a level that was only matched by his arrogance. He led his Silver Fang in demonstrations of power that were nearing the point of war with the Sept of the Salamander's Soul. Here in Boston, we did not wish to see our cousins go to war, and tried to council wisdom, but were rebuffed. Fortunately a Shadow Lord Philodox, Andrei Nightstalker, called him out and defeated him. The Shadow Lords were not always any more understanding of our Sept, but at least they did not threaten war.

The understanding of the Shadow Lords was critical when Boston's need for clean water grew great. The humans began to plan for a great reservoir that would flood the land around the Caern of the Naiad's heart. Our leaders felt that this would be good for all, as surely a caern of water would only be strengthened by a greater body of its element to draw upon. While there was much debate, in the end wisdom prevailed and a damn was later to be built on the Quabchogamogin river. As the waters lapped over the original well site, the caern was renamed the Caern of the Buried Heart.

When our nation went to War in Europe, our rural cousins seemed of little interest. Many of them were never comfortable with the modern idea of a nation, preferring to continually repeat the Ban of Man. But we our Sept had grown up in the Revolution, and it was not just our Kinfolk that answered the call of our Nation. What we found across the sea was terrible, the Wyrm taking new expression in destruction. And we learned much of the growing world, and resolved never to be taken unawares.

Then came the depression, and our entire nation suffered. Many Glass Walkers had amassed great wealth, and many lost it overnight. However as a sept we were fortunate. The Bone Gnawers rose to the occaison, and were great help in helping all of our Kinfolk survive some tough winters. We even were able to offer some assistance to our cousins in the Salamander's Soul and Buried Heart Sept, as they were even more devastated. When the nation went into rebirth, we rose with the crest of good fortunes.

When darkness rose again out of Germany, many whispered that it was the same dark spirit that had risen in 1914. Others said that some Garou were giving in to it, and that soon the Get of Fenris would be like the Black Spiral Dancers, insane in the Wyrm's grip. So from our Sept we formed a Pack of War, sending our representatives to Europe in our own Garou way, in advance of the human armies. Glass Walker, Shadow Lord, and Bone Gnawer fought side by side, sometimes against humans, sometimes against Wyrm-beast, sometimes against Get. Of that much honored pack, only one now survives.

Of Recent Memory in the Sept of the Zephyr’s Mind

The Worcester Mission

In 1995, the Theurges of the Sept noticed an unusual growth of power in the Worcester area, apparently involving a large congregation of vampires. Curious to know if this was related to the Caern of the Salamader's Soul, they debated sending Garou in to take a look. Relations with the Sept of the Buried Heart were strained at the time, largely due to ideological conflicts between their leadership. With some hesitation, the Bone Gnawers agreed to send a Fostern and two Cliaths, who were later joined by a Glass Walker Cliath. Their overt purpose was to help in establishing the South Main Soup Kitchen, a branch project that Grandmomma Peters had been pushing for some time. In addition, since two of the Bone Gnawers were originally residents of Worcester, they would know the territory. It was hoped that the young Garou could more easily penetrate a night club that appeared to be the center of the disturbance, as well as appear as less of a threat to the Sept of the Buried Heart. They were charged with simply acting as any other young club-goers and to observe the activities of the vampires, but instead they got drawn into the twisting machinations of the Wyrm.

The Worcester Mission was considered a great failure by most. The Bone Gnawer Fostern, Josiah Vance, died in Worcester at the hands of the Black Spiral Dancers they had uncovered. His packmate Divider of the Taint would die a few years later, probably while attempting to get revenge. The Bone Gnawer Deepwalker survived, though being a Metis was afforded little honor outside of his own pack for his work. The young Glasswalker, Moontrancer, left Worcester with some of the most complete information about vampires that the Sept had ever had, information that soon also made her the acknowledged expert on vampires in Boston.

The Fall of the Salamander's Soul

Six years ago all three caerns in the area began to experience wild power fluctuations almost as if something were blocking the underlying flow of Gnosis to the region. The problem worried the Sept of the Salamander's Soul enough to build a colloquium of Theurges experienced in matters of caerns to investigate the problem. The spirit Salamander had became uncooperative and acidic, not unlike the reports of the Naiad many years ago. Signs of Wyrm taint within the underlying vein itself began to become evident. Salamander was the youngest of the three caerns and although now the most powerful, it was also the least stable. Some credit this to the works of man in the region, having foolishly built a city upon the natural river (Black Stone River) that flowed between the Worcester hills. The Salamander's stability, based upon earth, was compromised in the process. Upon investigation, it was clear that the river had been for some time a dumping ground for any number of Weaver and Wyrm organizations during the industrial heyday in the early 1900's. It had slowly eroded the caerns defenses until it was literally being eaten away from underneath. The question then became one of figuring out how to remove the blockage. The Weaver had done its work well at building up its defenses and purifying the underground river seemed nearly impossible given the limited connections that Garou had into the mortal world. Theurge magic alone would not suffice.

It then became known that a deadly disease had struck the Wyrm-leeches with such virulence that one among them named Roderick, a dark vampire shaman whose roots were buried within the Native Americans of the area, was willing to strike a bargain with the Garou. Roderick knew about the caern, but had never visited it of course. He offered to marshal vast resources held among the vampires in effort to clean up the mass of toxins and industrial throw-away. In exchange, he desired a chance to use the caern's magic in order to create a cure for the cancer that was slowly eating away his kind.

It was a deal that at first none - not even Nicodemus Kuzeja, the region's recognized expert on caern magic, regarded as workable. What precedent would it set to allow a Wyrm-leech access, even if only once, to a pure source of Gaia's strength. But as the taint began to take its toll on Salamander, debate over the desperate plan ensued. Eventually, the Theurges begrudgingly agreed, convincing the Sept's leader, Binder of the Silver Thread to permit Roderick's audience with the Salamander. His efforts would of course be supervised carefully by you, whose understanding of the Wyrm would alert you to any wrongdoing.

In the darkness of the new moon, Roderick was escorted into the caern, escorted by the all the colloquium. Roderick then asked permission to begin his ritual. As he began to spill his blood into a brass bowl and infusing it with the Salamander's Gnosis, the Sept began to shuffle nervously. Salamander took notice and appeared, tasting the air greedily. The leech's blood had brought him forth from the rocks. Then things began to go very, very wrong. Roderick tempted the Salamander to then drink its blood. The Salamander lunged forth towards the bowl, intending to drink it down. Roderick then called upon the darkness and a chilled dark fog began to envelop him. He was making an escape. He had double-crossed the Sept by planning to poison the Salamander instead of drawing from it. Nicodemus leapt forth quickly, grasping Salamander's tail tightly in his hands, trying to prevent it from drinking the poison. The rest of the Sept rushed in quickly to help. But before they could step in the way, detached the end of it's tail, which came apart in Nicodemus' hands. Nicodemus, though is actions were heroic, were not enough to save the Salamander from slaking its thirst to slake its thirst on Roderick's blood. It was at that moment that Black Spiral Dancers invaded the bawn of the caern. The rest of the story is a stain of Garou blood.

The Dark Season

But the damage did not stop at the fall of Worcester. Because all caerns in the region are fed form the same Gnosis source, the Wyrm taint began to spread to the other two and two years ago, evidence of sickness and poison emerge within the caerns. After great panic, Nicodemus Kuzeja of the Buried Heart recommended shutting the caerns down, letting them heal for an indeterminate amount of time. It was a bold plan, and one that was very risky. It meant that for the duration of their slumber, the Septs would be without the aid of their caerns and their resident spirits. But the Garou were without options. Begrudgingly, both Septs adopted the plan as a last ditch desperate solution. Nearly every Garou wept the evening of their beloved patrons' forced slumber. The Buried Heart was put to sleep as if it was a funeral. The Zephyr's Mind was shut down not a month after the Buried Heart. Though they would be assaulted by the Wyrm during their time of weakness, the real enemy was despair.

By the end of autumn, hopes began to wear down. Each month, the Theurges examined the source of their caern's power. Binder and Bringer spent ever-increasing time in meditation around the Whispering Tree, its boughs now silent and motionless. Each month, the answer was the same: not yet. And each month, the mood yielded more and more into darkness.

Then in the twilight of the winter solstice, the Buried Heart's Theurges reported that the caern was clean. Their caern spirit, Dilkoosha needed to be reawoken. The Guardians of the Buried Heart quickly fastened themselves strategically to midwife the emergence of the caern. In the morning sun's rays, Dilkoosha emerged to the surface in a geyser of steam, cleansed once again and much stronger than ever before.

With this good news from their cousins, the Sept of the Zephyr's Mind grew more anxious. They looked upon the reborn Buried Mind, and hoped for similar luck. Binder of the Silver Thread, however, became confident, assuring the Sept that the time would come. As the Vernal Equinox approached, the Sept gathered, and Binder led them as Master of the Rite. Chanting as he directed them, the Garou gathered in a circle about the Tree, each Garou giving of their own Gnosis until they were exhausted. Slowly, a breeze began to move around the circle of joined Garou, picking up speed until it became a roaring cyclone that threatened to dash them from their feet. Binder led the Sept in a victorious howl, and Aeolian emerged as a shimmering pattern of light from the wind, and returned to his tree. As the wind dissipated back to its accustomed dance, the Sept rejoiced.

The Battle of Beacon Hill

In 1997, the Steel Moon pack uncovered a plot by a local Vampire named James Ruthfusz to take control of the Port Authority, an area that the Steel Moons have traditionally controlled. Thundercaller sent one of the vampire's ghouls back to the vampire as a warning... by parcel post in five separate boxes. Unfortunately, the vampire did not scare off, but instead intensified his efforts. This lead to an escalating conflict. The Steel Moons are a proud pack, and would not allow front-line help from the other packs. However, the Glass Walkers did provide information on the vampire's power structure, and the Bone Gnawers found an underground entrance to what they believed was Ruthfusz's home. They entered on a very auspicious full moon just after sunrise. Apparently the Bone Gnawer information was good and surprise was on their side. The Glass Walkers had set up technical problems to delay the inevitable calls for the police. But the Steel Moons claimed the fight, and the honour that would result, as their own. The Pack Leader of the Shadow Lord, Thundercaller, led his pack of eight inside.

What happened inside was to some a lesson in the power and glory of a Garou heart intent upon its mission. To others it can only be described as a tragedy. Dozens of ghouls had been lain to their final rest, some of which were reportedly centuries old. A grotesque gargoyle like wyrm-beast had been reduced to rubble. Thundercaller had ripped the heart from the vampire, but even though Thundercaller had cunningly kept Ruthfusz's teeth from finding any purchase, the vampire had magically withdrawn all of Thundercaller's blood from his body. It to was howls of mourning that the Steel Moons retired from the field, having lost three of their greatest and one of their rising young, all in one short hour. The Glass Walkers spent the next month cleaning up evidence to cover their tracks, and had to electronically trace several remotely recording cameras that has originally been unnoticed. The fact that the Glass Walkers saved the Veil from exposure is a price that Binder still holds over the Steel Moons. But, the Battle of Beacon Hill was over, and the Steel Moons were victorious. It was a great honor to have destroyed one of the hated vampires in his own lair, and remind all of the Wyrm's servants in Boston that there is a terrible price to be paid when one crosses the Shadow Lords. Surely Thundercaller would have wanted no other way to die.

Luna's Grace

As creatures of Luna, the Garou are naturally tied to the moon in many respects. Their auspice determines much of what gifts Gaia will give them and it is the most prominent source of inspiration, especially among the Ahroun and Galliard. It is understandable, then, that the moon over the course of the year will have various religious significance. Certainly, this is true for the rare astronomical alignment known as Krepp's Phase wherein a partial eclipse of the full moon obscures only a portion of the moon giving it the appearance of a different auspice (depending upon what part of the globe you view it). And if on these nights, the weather permits Luna's light to shine down upon her children, it is the Garou equivalent of a "lucky star" and of any other night, it is considered the most auspicious evening under which a Garou or Kinfolk can birth a child.

Under Luna's blessing, it is thought that children born during a Krepp's Phase almost invariably result in a Garou birth. It is said that such Garou are blessed with the benefits of both auspices (full and whichever is evident) and that they have a connection to Gaia that few Garou could even begin to comprehend. Such children are strong with Luna's might and grow up to be leaders, even legends, among the Garou Nation.

And while those of the Sept of the Zephyr's Mind may treat such tales with less seriousness than their rural cousins, it is a popular time for Garou to attempt to conceive children. A handful of expectant mothers are well into their second trimester, having claimed conception about five months ago. It has become somewhat of a bragging contest to see which one will birth the strongest child, particularly so between Binder and Bringer so have been friendly rivals for so long. The rivalry has spread to some degree to their packs as well, each one proud and keenly interested in the health and well being of the yet-to-be-born. Though the mothers have not been ignored in the anticipation, they certainly have been given a bit of a backseat in the excitement. It has become a common tradition at moots for the packmates of expectant fathers to boast of their undoubtedly blessed children.

As the time approaches, the excitement is only expected to build greater and greater, the rivalries getting more and more competitive. A few calmer heads have speculated that too much attention may be being placed upon the children - after all, only the legendary would ever live up to the expectations. However each pack has been slowly raising the bar of boasting, much as the Ahroun do the night previous to a battle.

Those who are expecting a children around the time of the next Krepps Phase on May 16^th, when the moon shall be both Ahroun and Theruge.:

• Binder of the Silver Thread and his Kinfolk mate Marion
• Bringer of Weaver's Night of the Charles River Walkers and his Kinfolk mate Julia
• Arany Sas of the Steel Moon and his Kinfolk mate Vanessa

Locations of Note Around the Caern
The Four Doors

The actual Great House of the Caern of the Zephyr's Mind is hidden from direct access in the Umbra. Where the Great House would be are instead four great doors, facing outwards on unseen frames. Each door appears to be fashioned of dark wood, with a carved representation of the Whispering Tree upon its face. To enter into the Umbral Bawn one must traverse each door in the proper order. Each time one enters a doorway, the subject drops into a slightly different Umbral level, with an identical set of doors. You must enter the doors in the following order: N,S,E,W. When entering the appropriate door, one is bathed in a gentle release of Wyld energy which Garou feel as a pleasant tingle, but Wyrm (or Weaver) creatures would feel as quite painful. When entering in an incorrect door, one is hit with a pulse of more powerful and raw Wyld power, which is painful to Garou and quite destructive to creatures that are more imbued with Wyrm or Weaver nature.

Elder Garou who travel in the Umbra much know the correct passage, and often pass this on to Theurges as they reach Fostern rank, and other auspices at Adren rank. The pattern was described by Soulbread, a Bone Gnawer of the Charles River Walkers, some years ago by the old Catholic reminder: "Spectacles, Testicles, Wallet, Watch". This befuddles many of the younger Garou, since the East-West portion seems reversed due to their modern fashion sense. Passing the doors in the proper order is complicated by the fact that "North" can be a difficult thing to determine in the slowly twisting and shifting Umbra. Any Navigator worth their salt can determine this quickly, but a less practiced Garou could easily misjudge the direction, particularly when in a hurry.

The Whispering Tree

The Whispering Tree itself is a magnificent sight in the Umbra. It shimmers with a gentle silver light that reminds you of Luna's own glow. The leaves and sweeping branches sway and flutter in an unfelt breeze that seems to constantly be in motion around the tree. The leaves rustle, and the branches sigh as they rub against one another. It almost sounds like a voice softly whispering secrets, if only you had the ear and the patience to listen.

Sept positions

Most authority in Garou society comes from the formation of and obedience to the pack structure. Unless an issue is specifically governed by another sept position, then all Garou are expected to defer to their pack's alpha. Alphas bear the weight for their pack's activity and thus it is incumbent upon them to conduct its affairs in an appropriately responsible manner. In Garou society, it is more dishonorable to subvert or undermine one's pack alpha than it is to settle the question of his or her ability to hold the position through an honorable challenge. Those who lose properly conducted challenges are rarely looked down upon, though they may have to tuck tail for a while. But by and large, Garou are to some degree expected to avoid becoming complacent with their leaders.

Sept Leader - Binder of the Silver Thread (Anthony deGerentis)
The Sept Leader is the Garou who is ultimately in charge of the Sept and its day-to-day operations. This position is set above all other Garou in the sept, and is a position of much respect and honor. The Sept Leader has the right to demand obedience of all who serve the sept. However, because of the territorial nature of Garou, the Sept leader specifically does not play the role of organizing intelligence in Garou society. Obedience and fealty are not the same thing. The Sept leader, according to the Litany, cannot be challenged in a time of war under the understanding that the chaos of a change of office is likely more detrimental than beneficial. During the time of peace, however, such challenges are allowed, though not commonplace.

Master of the Challenge - Arany Sas (Pietr Brushevnitz)
There is typically one Master of the Challenge per sept, although septs with more than one caern may have one per caern. The Master of the Challenge has overall responsibility for all challenges occurring in the caern, especially public challenges, and either judges the outcome of challenges or hands over that task to a Philodox. The Master of the Challenge also makes sure that all challenges are conducted honorably. The decision of the Master of the Challenge can only be overturned by the unanimous vote of the crowd present, or by an assembly of Philodox, from whom the Master of the Challenge is typically named.

Elders of the Auspices - Ragabash: Sirius Thought, Theurge: Bringer of Weaver's Night, Philodox: Grandmomma Peters, Galliard: Lost Word Found, Ahroun: Steeled Talon
Elders of the auspices are required to watch out for the interests of their respective auspices, and have the power to veto Renown nominations and award Renown to those of their auspices.

Elders of the Tribes - Glass Walkers: Binder of the Silver Thread, Shadow Lord: Arany Sas, Bone Gnawers: Grandmomma Peters, Stargazers: Talianth of the Dreaming Stave
Elders of the tribes are required to watch out for the interests of their respective tribes, and have the ability to accept new members into the tribe and to ban certain Garou from the tribe. As the sole Stargazer, Talianth has been awarded the position of Elder by the decision of the Sept Leader, though this is largely ceremonial and not highly respected by all of the Sept.

Elders of the Breeds - None
Elders of the Breeds are required to watch out for the interests of their respective breeds, and are responsible for all external liasons with others of their breeds. The homid Garou are so numerous that it would be pointless to have a separate Elder, and the position has not been filled for over a century. There was a Lupus Elder, Wind through Steel, but after his death in 1963 there has been no Lupus in the Sept to take that position.

Den Mother- Grandmomma Peters
While all Garou of Rank are responsible for aiding the education of the Cliath and Cubs, the Den Mother takes final responsibility. She also protects the cubs during wartime and keeps them from getting into dangerous mischief. The Den Mother may assign any member of the sept to teach a particular lesson to a Cliath or Cub. In the modern Sept of the Zephyr's Mind, there is a special creche for our Kinfolk so that a careful eye can be kept out for potential Garou. As director of this creche, Marion deGerentis, a Glass Walker Kinfolk and wife of Binder of the Silver Thread, deserves particular respect.
 

For the rest of the Garou in the Zephyr's Mind and those of the Buried Heart, please refer to the Who's Who bluesheet.