Hey all, I wanted to give you all something really special. Now there might be a ( very fucking) few of you who remember when I once wrote about a fan-made fourth Pure Tribe a looong time ago on the old forums, and I have just recently started to convert them to a CofD format for Werewolf: 2nd Edition! it has been a very long time coming and I hope you guys will like them along with the little spin I decided to put on the tribe.. I think this would fit a really cool potential niche among things werewolves hunt, whether Pure or Forsaken!
Like with my homebrewed Shartha the Gisilu, this will be posted in sections, though hopefully this time I will be able to get this to you all much, MUCH more quickly ^^;
Without further ado, here is one of my most beloved fan creations for werewolf: The Kukthidum, The Fang-Shapers! like always, let me know what you think and don't be shy in offering me advice.. I want to refine these guys as much as possible
.
___________
Fang-Shapers
Kukthidum
The scent of the False Idol was heavy in this place, and it made the Wolf within her snarl in agitation. For too long had the servants of that clockwork abomination polluted the pack's territory, twisting what should be the purview of their Mother's and infecting the humans with Its Essence. That would end tonight, she and her pack would see to it. The False Idol would learn not to fuck with the Pure – especially Danu-Ur's chosen children.
You are the world's most clever hunter. You take the fangs and claws of those weaker than you and become stronger for it. You destroy that which is unworthy and build up that exalts the true masters of this broken world and keeps those who should be prey, prey. Your mother, your true Mother- not that lying bitch Luna- taught this lesson to your ancestors and now you put those teachings to practice. The Herd has risen up to join the table of predators like the unwanted interlopers they are, and it is time for you to take what makes them strong, their claws and fangs, for yourself and to kick them back down where they truly belong. This is the right of those who are Pure, and who are more Pure than the ones who shape those fangs?
The Fang-Shapers are perhaps the least understood tribe of the Pure, and that's just how they prefer it. While the Forsaken have had many traumatizing battles with the likes of the Predator Kings or heard the disturbing yet impassioned sermons regarding servitude and worship of the Shadow by the apostles of the Fire-Touched or dealt with the social and political cat-and-mouse games of the Ivory Claws; but the Kukthidum are different in the fact that they keep to themselves and mostly seem content to ignore the Forsaken – provided the Tribes of the Moon leave them be. This is not because the Fang-Shapers hate the Urdaga any less than their fellow Pure – though they often do interact with the Forsaken more or less peacefully more readily than the others, albeit this is still an extremely rare occurrence – but rather they find their cousins to be a lower priority compared to their true prey; anything the Forsaken do is secondary to their primary goals as a Tribe.
This attitude at times strains the relationship of the Fang-Shapers and the other Anshega, as this apparent unconcern for the goings on for the whelps of the whore-moon goes against what would be considered acceptable, and it is not uncommon for the children the other tribes to view the Kukthidum with a level of scrutiny they ordinarily reserve for blood-traitors or their own Sacred Preys. But the wisest of the Pure look at the strange quirks of their brethren and know better; The Fang-Shapers may let the slaves of Luna go along their sad, pathetic way tonight, but tomorrow they always will wet their muzzles with the blood of their nine times damned cousins – after the real target of the hunt has been dealt with of course.
The Firstborn:
The Tribal Totem of the Fang-Shapers is Danu-Ur, the Creator Wolf, once the calmest and most balance oriented of the Firstborn. While the Forsaken tell legends of Danu-Ur devolving into madness and becoming Rabid Wolf at the death of Mother Wolf, the Kukthidum know this is simply untrue – though Her connection to Fenris-Ur is rarely contested.
This Story is true. In the time before time Danu-Ur acted as both den mother and caregiver for her fellow siblings when Urfarah could not find time to break from the Hunt that called to His Bones, calling upon her immense understanding of how Essence flowed and inter-meshed when they were haggard from the endless Border Marches. He would salve the wounds of Fenris-Ur and the others when they were injured with his tongue and would find fitting replacements for teeth that fell out or claws that broke. Then one day when she was searching for a spirit to soothe the fevered whining of her youngest sibling she came across a small village of humans and saw the local healer gathering herbs to help treat a sick child. While initially dismissive of the tiny creatures, upon seeing the man's cure work she began to see possibilities and more importantly, how to improve upon them – The oath of “Let No Opportunity To Rise Above The Unworthy Go Unclaimed” at its purest form.
This Story is true. When Urfarah lay dying and the other Firstborn howled and cowered over what they had done, Danu-Ur was different. In her grief and outrage at the betrayal of her closest twin and his hand in the death of their Father, she fell upon him with a fury and Rage she had never known before, opening old wounds and exasperating ones caused in the struggle, each bite inflaming a hundred thousand injuries, her purpose as a caretaker twisted into a weapon against her brother Fenris-Ur. Though she ultimately failed and was nearly destroyed in the battle with the Destroyer, the Creator was able to limp away, festering in her anger and pain. It is said this hatred for Fenris-Ur burns to this very day, and those bound to Him can feel it ignite to its most intense whenever one of the Suthar Anzuth and the Kukthidum are near each other.
This Story is true. Those idiots among the Forsaken like to compare us to the brain damaged puppies of the Iron Masters a hell of a lot, and while it's a fucking insult, I can see where they would get that delusion. The problem is, we don't really go after the humans; there is little point in tricking or killing a handful here or there unless there is no other option. No, we go after what really pulls mankind's strings – the False Idol, the spiritual representation of their own influence on the Shadow. Hell, it might even be the spiritual reflection of humanity itself, though its rare to actually find the thing in the Hisil. Its evolved, become something more Flesh than Spirit; if you can call metal and cement and plastic “flesh”, and it is behind everything the herd does, a literal god of Gears and Oil and all the fucking things people think makes the world so grand – all hidden in plain sight. Maybe the Preds are right when they say the humans are ruining everything , I dunno, but we're the ones who will tear the thing down, rip all the pieces apart, and make It into something that serves the Pure. There will be a new Pangaea one day, but its gonna be one of glass and steel as well as all backwards nature shit.
Prey
The Fang-Shapers hunt the most dangerous prey: the influence of humanity and its impact on the physical and spiritual worlds. This would at first would sound to be a rather nebulous choice of a scared prey; after all just what encompasses “ the influence of humanity”? Is it humans themselves, or is it their tools and infrastructure that has helped them becoming the most world dominating invasive species? Do the spirits directly related to concepts or objects created by mankind count as sacred prey? While most Fang-Shapers would agree that all of these things do fall under what they view as their duty to hunt, they would also say that their true Sacred Prey is far grander and more alien than what most werewolves attempt to tackle. The Fang-Shapers primarily focus on hunting what they call the False Idol, a strange gestalt of Essence and material Infrastructure that is seemingly connected to-yet-separate from humanity, and its servants – the entity that other denizens of the Chronicles of Darkness refer to as the God-Machine and Its angels. The Kukthidum see the False Idol as one of the greatest abominations to exist on the face of the planet on par with Luna and her ilk, with the main difference being unlike the Bitch Moon the God-Machine appears to be EVERYWHERE there are humans, its physical components hidden from the herd by strange magics that confound ritemasters and Its inscrutable designs carried out by strange techno-spiritual beings who are just as strange and unsettling as the Lunes, though far more directly present.
Suffice it to say, there is little doubt to see why the Fang-Shapers are comparatively less concerned by the machinations of the Urdaga than the rest of the Pure, the Influence of the False Idol is everywhere in both Flesh and, to a surprisingly lesser extent, Shadow, its pervasive tendrils of strange, toxic Essence warping everything they touch as it cultivates both worlds for its unknowable purposes. What the Anshega see as laxity the Fang-Shapers know as urgent priority, there is much to do, and there are rarely enough bodies around to do it, and as a result the Kukthidum are a very close knit Tribe by necessity, working together within their territories with a level of cohesion that would earn respect from even the most dismissive Blood Talons.
As they hunt down and destroy the living pieces of the Idol, so too do they do battle with Its eyes and hands; angels. Like spirits in the fact they are ephemeral creatures composed of essence, the Fang-Shapers often find a level of catharsis in hunting these alien things.. after all it is so much easier tearing apart a biomechanical many-winged monster than it is to try to destroy a beloved skyscraper filled to the brim with floors folded within floors or a disease created in a hidden lab found outside the physical universe. It is foolish to be complacent when fighting these clockwork servants of the God-Machine, however, as while they may resemble spirits they have powers and capabilities that the inhabitants do not and can be incredibly deadly foes for a pack who is unprepared – as many young Shapers tragically discover.
Luckily with their knowledge of how to shape and harness Essence and their mastery of Fetish making the Kukthidum are perhaps the most well suited tribe to deal with the threat of the God-Machine, and where spirit magic and the incredible shapeshifting powers of the Uratha fail there are rumors that the Fang-Shapers are not alone in this nightly struggle against the False Idol. There are whispers here and there of former servants of the Idol who also wish to bring It down, and stories of the Tribe and these beings working together to strike at it numerous times in history – though how credible these tales can be is often up for debate. Still, one does hear of some Shaper packs who host a few of these “demons” as members from time to time – as well as stories of a rare few of these same packs using said demons as components of bizarre and potent fetishes.
Gatherings
Fang-Shaper gatherings are rather exclusive affairs, held far away from the territories of their fellow Pure. Mistrust runs both ways, and it is a rare event indeed when the Kukthidum open their doors to the other Tribes, though when there are exceptions it is often due to circumstances where camaraderie is greatly required to avoid needless conflict between the Anshega.
What occurs at these gatherings often vary depending on the packs who organize them, but the most common events held by Tribe are usually retreats meant to share information on the False Idol and locations where It has extended Its reach, as well as an opportunity to trade stories or even recruit new members or even start families. In Seoul there is a rather infamous event every year where Korean Kukthidum get together on White Day in order to court each other, offering broken pieces of the Idol or its servants to potential mates in hopes of attracting a desired partner.
The Fang-Shapers are also known to have a very active and thriving Fetish trade,and a few times a year in many regions of the world where the Shapers hold sway Tribe-mates are known to host open markets where they trade and barter for Fetishes, Talens, and other, more essentric artifacts; such as the Black Expo in Los Angeles, which is rumored to traffic in magical trinkets often owned by wizards amongst other things.
Nickname: Junkers ( Derogatory, among the Forsaken and outside the Tribe.), Builders ( Within the Tribe and outside it), Collectors ( among themselves), Pups ( Derogatory, among other Pure)
Tribal Gifts: Shaping, Technology, Resonance ( Detailed at a later date), Evasion
Tribal Renown: Cunning.
Stereotypes:
Fire-Touched: Keep the Shadow side safe, but for the love of Danu-Ur can you stop looking at me like I'm about to do something stupid when I go over there?
Ivory Claws: You're blind right? How can you not see that Its all over your Territory? Humans work for It, dumbass, but I can help you fix that.
Predator Kings: I can respect you guys the most, if only you would remember that we're more than just wild animals sometimes.
Demons: If the Idol was able to make them out of nothing but Essence and mechanical bits, I wonder what we could make them into?
Forsaken: A bunch of pitiful idiots, the entire lot of them. Still, every once in awhile one of them comes around who can be reeducated. Assuming we don't kill them first.
On The Hunt
The Fang-Shapers tend to tread carefully when they prepare to perform the Siskur-Dah, moving in tandem and striving to avoid taking needless risks, despite how difficult that may be when the Rage takes hold. But when its time to deliver the killing blow, the Fang-Shapers normally fall upon their target with all the fury typical of the Uratha unless the matter at hand requires more guile or finesse, resembling a surgical act of sabotage or assassination than a traditional hunt. Still, the pleasure of rending flesh, bone, and metal is often too tantalizing to pass up, and even the most tactical of Hunts tend to end with the pack drenched in oil and ichor if something goes awry.
Off The Hunt
There is no real “ off the hunt” with the Kukthidum. When they take time away from striking at the Idol or its angels they usually then deal with other issues that may arise in their territories, going after a pack of Forsaken who have been intruding on their turf, hunting down and binding troublesome spirits who think they can get the better of the Anshega, or ripping the throats out of any other threat that is foolish enough to cross them. This can be incredibly exhausting to the inexperienced, but for elder Fang-Shapers who have survived long enough, they have learned how to balance their time to allow for at least some rest, however little it may be some days.
____
Up Next: Gifts of Resonance and Rites!
Like with my homebrewed Shartha the Gisilu, this will be posted in sections, though hopefully this time I will be able to get this to you all much, MUCH more quickly ^^;
Without further ado, here is one of my most beloved fan creations for werewolf: The Kukthidum, The Fang-Shapers! like always, let me know what you think and don't be shy in offering me advice.. I want to refine these guys as much as possible
.___________
Fang-Shapers
Kukthidum
The scent of the False Idol was heavy in this place, and it made the Wolf within her snarl in agitation. For too long had the servants of that clockwork abomination polluted the pack's territory, twisting what should be the purview of their Mother's and infecting the humans with Its Essence. That would end tonight, she and her pack would see to it. The False Idol would learn not to fuck with the Pure – especially Danu-Ur's chosen children.
You are the world's most clever hunter. You take the fangs and claws of those weaker than you and become stronger for it. You destroy that which is unworthy and build up that exalts the true masters of this broken world and keeps those who should be prey, prey. Your mother, your true Mother- not that lying bitch Luna- taught this lesson to your ancestors and now you put those teachings to practice. The Herd has risen up to join the table of predators like the unwanted interlopers they are, and it is time for you to take what makes them strong, their claws and fangs, for yourself and to kick them back down where they truly belong. This is the right of those who are Pure, and who are more Pure than the ones who shape those fangs?
The Fang-Shapers are perhaps the least understood tribe of the Pure, and that's just how they prefer it. While the Forsaken have had many traumatizing battles with the likes of the Predator Kings or heard the disturbing yet impassioned sermons regarding servitude and worship of the Shadow by the apostles of the Fire-Touched or dealt with the social and political cat-and-mouse games of the Ivory Claws; but the Kukthidum are different in the fact that they keep to themselves and mostly seem content to ignore the Forsaken – provided the Tribes of the Moon leave them be. This is not because the Fang-Shapers hate the Urdaga any less than their fellow Pure – though they often do interact with the Forsaken more or less peacefully more readily than the others, albeit this is still an extremely rare occurrence – but rather they find their cousins to be a lower priority compared to their true prey; anything the Forsaken do is secondary to their primary goals as a Tribe.
This attitude at times strains the relationship of the Fang-Shapers and the other Anshega, as this apparent unconcern for the goings on for the whelps of the whore-moon goes against what would be considered acceptable, and it is not uncommon for the children the other tribes to view the Kukthidum with a level of scrutiny they ordinarily reserve for blood-traitors or their own Sacred Preys. But the wisest of the Pure look at the strange quirks of their brethren and know better; The Fang-Shapers may let the slaves of Luna go along their sad, pathetic way tonight, but tomorrow they always will wet their muzzles with the blood of their nine times damned cousins – after the real target of the hunt has been dealt with of course.
The Firstborn:
The Tribal Totem of the Fang-Shapers is Danu-Ur, the Creator Wolf, once the calmest and most balance oriented of the Firstborn. While the Forsaken tell legends of Danu-Ur devolving into madness and becoming Rabid Wolf at the death of Mother Wolf, the Kukthidum know this is simply untrue – though Her connection to Fenris-Ur is rarely contested.
This Story is true. In the time before time Danu-Ur acted as both den mother and caregiver for her fellow siblings when Urfarah could not find time to break from the Hunt that called to His Bones, calling upon her immense understanding of how Essence flowed and inter-meshed when they were haggard from the endless Border Marches. He would salve the wounds of Fenris-Ur and the others when they were injured with his tongue and would find fitting replacements for teeth that fell out or claws that broke. Then one day when she was searching for a spirit to soothe the fevered whining of her youngest sibling she came across a small village of humans and saw the local healer gathering herbs to help treat a sick child. While initially dismissive of the tiny creatures, upon seeing the man's cure work she began to see possibilities and more importantly, how to improve upon them – The oath of “Let No Opportunity To Rise Above The Unworthy Go Unclaimed” at its purest form.
This Story is true. When Urfarah lay dying and the other Firstborn howled and cowered over what they had done, Danu-Ur was different. In her grief and outrage at the betrayal of her closest twin and his hand in the death of their Father, she fell upon him with a fury and Rage she had never known before, opening old wounds and exasperating ones caused in the struggle, each bite inflaming a hundred thousand injuries, her purpose as a caretaker twisted into a weapon against her brother Fenris-Ur. Though she ultimately failed and was nearly destroyed in the battle with the Destroyer, the Creator was able to limp away, festering in her anger and pain. It is said this hatred for Fenris-Ur burns to this very day, and those bound to Him can feel it ignite to its most intense whenever one of the Suthar Anzuth and the Kukthidum are near each other.
This Story is true. Those idiots among the Forsaken like to compare us to the brain damaged puppies of the Iron Masters a hell of a lot, and while it's a fucking insult, I can see where they would get that delusion. The problem is, we don't really go after the humans; there is little point in tricking or killing a handful here or there unless there is no other option. No, we go after what really pulls mankind's strings – the False Idol, the spiritual representation of their own influence on the Shadow. Hell, it might even be the spiritual reflection of humanity itself, though its rare to actually find the thing in the Hisil. Its evolved, become something more Flesh than Spirit; if you can call metal and cement and plastic “flesh”, and it is behind everything the herd does, a literal god of Gears and Oil and all the fucking things people think makes the world so grand – all hidden in plain sight. Maybe the Preds are right when they say the humans are ruining everything , I dunno, but we're the ones who will tear the thing down, rip all the pieces apart, and make It into something that serves the Pure. There will be a new Pangaea one day, but its gonna be one of glass and steel as well as all backwards nature shit.
Prey
The Fang-Shapers hunt the most dangerous prey: the influence of humanity and its impact on the physical and spiritual worlds. This would at first would sound to be a rather nebulous choice of a scared prey; after all just what encompasses “ the influence of humanity”? Is it humans themselves, or is it their tools and infrastructure that has helped them becoming the most world dominating invasive species? Do the spirits directly related to concepts or objects created by mankind count as sacred prey? While most Fang-Shapers would agree that all of these things do fall under what they view as their duty to hunt, they would also say that their true Sacred Prey is far grander and more alien than what most werewolves attempt to tackle. The Fang-Shapers primarily focus on hunting what they call the False Idol, a strange gestalt of Essence and material Infrastructure that is seemingly connected to-yet-separate from humanity, and its servants – the entity that other denizens of the Chronicles of Darkness refer to as the God-Machine and Its angels. The Kukthidum see the False Idol as one of the greatest abominations to exist on the face of the planet on par with Luna and her ilk, with the main difference being unlike the Bitch Moon the God-Machine appears to be EVERYWHERE there are humans, its physical components hidden from the herd by strange magics that confound ritemasters and Its inscrutable designs carried out by strange techno-spiritual beings who are just as strange and unsettling as the Lunes, though far more directly present.
Suffice it to say, there is little doubt to see why the Fang-Shapers are comparatively less concerned by the machinations of the Urdaga than the rest of the Pure, the Influence of the False Idol is everywhere in both Flesh and, to a surprisingly lesser extent, Shadow, its pervasive tendrils of strange, toxic Essence warping everything they touch as it cultivates both worlds for its unknowable purposes. What the Anshega see as laxity the Fang-Shapers know as urgent priority, there is much to do, and there are rarely enough bodies around to do it, and as a result the Kukthidum are a very close knit Tribe by necessity, working together within their territories with a level of cohesion that would earn respect from even the most dismissive Blood Talons.
As they hunt down and destroy the living pieces of the Idol, so too do they do battle with Its eyes and hands; angels. Like spirits in the fact they are ephemeral creatures composed of essence, the Fang-Shapers often find a level of catharsis in hunting these alien things.. after all it is so much easier tearing apart a biomechanical many-winged monster than it is to try to destroy a beloved skyscraper filled to the brim with floors folded within floors or a disease created in a hidden lab found outside the physical universe. It is foolish to be complacent when fighting these clockwork servants of the God-Machine, however, as while they may resemble spirits they have powers and capabilities that the inhabitants do not and can be incredibly deadly foes for a pack who is unprepared – as many young Shapers tragically discover.
Luckily with their knowledge of how to shape and harness Essence and their mastery of Fetish making the Kukthidum are perhaps the most well suited tribe to deal with the threat of the God-Machine, and where spirit magic and the incredible shapeshifting powers of the Uratha fail there are rumors that the Fang-Shapers are not alone in this nightly struggle against the False Idol. There are whispers here and there of former servants of the Idol who also wish to bring It down, and stories of the Tribe and these beings working together to strike at it numerous times in history – though how credible these tales can be is often up for debate. Still, one does hear of some Shaper packs who host a few of these “demons” as members from time to time – as well as stories of a rare few of these same packs using said demons as components of bizarre and potent fetishes.
Gatherings
Fang-Shaper gatherings are rather exclusive affairs, held far away from the territories of their fellow Pure. Mistrust runs both ways, and it is a rare event indeed when the Kukthidum open their doors to the other Tribes, though when there are exceptions it is often due to circumstances where camaraderie is greatly required to avoid needless conflict between the Anshega.
What occurs at these gatherings often vary depending on the packs who organize them, but the most common events held by Tribe are usually retreats meant to share information on the False Idol and locations where It has extended Its reach, as well as an opportunity to trade stories or even recruit new members or even start families. In Seoul there is a rather infamous event every year where Korean Kukthidum get together on White Day in order to court each other, offering broken pieces of the Idol or its servants to potential mates in hopes of attracting a desired partner.
The Fang-Shapers are also known to have a very active and thriving Fetish trade,and a few times a year in many regions of the world where the Shapers hold sway Tribe-mates are known to host open markets where they trade and barter for Fetishes, Talens, and other, more essentric artifacts; such as the Black Expo in Los Angeles, which is rumored to traffic in magical trinkets often owned by wizards amongst other things.
Nickname: Junkers ( Derogatory, among the Forsaken and outside the Tribe.), Builders ( Within the Tribe and outside it), Collectors ( among themselves), Pups ( Derogatory, among other Pure)
Tribal Gifts: Shaping, Technology, Resonance ( Detailed at a later date), Evasion
Tribal Renown: Cunning.
Stereotypes:
Fire-Touched: Keep the Shadow side safe, but for the love of Danu-Ur can you stop looking at me like I'm about to do something stupid when I go over there?
Ivory Claws: You're blind right? How can you not see that Its all over your Territory? Humans work for It, dumbass, but I can help you fix that.
Predator Kings: I can respect you guys the most, if only you would remember that we're more than just wild animals sometimes.
Demons: If the Idol was able to make them out of nothing but Essence and mechanical bits, I wonder what we could make them into?
Forsaken: A bunch of pitiful idiots, the entire lot of them. Still, every once in awhile one of them comes around who can be reeducated. Assuming we don't kill them first.
On The Hunt
The Fang-Shapers tend to tread carefully when they prepare to perform the Siskur-Dah, moving in tandem and striving to avoid taking needless risks, despite how difficult that may be when the Rage takes hold. But when its time to deliver the killing blow, the Fang-Shapers normally fall upon their target with all the fury typical of the Uratha unless the matter at hand requires more guile or finesse, resembling a surgical act of sabotage or assassination than a traditional hunt. Still, the pleasure of rending flesh, bone, and metal is often too tantalizing to pass up, and even the most tactical of Hunts tend to end with the pack drenched in oil and ichor if something goes awry.
Off The Hunt
There is no real “ off the hunt” with the Kukthidum. When they take time away from striking at the Idol or its angels they usually then deal with other issues that may arise in their territories, going after a pack of Forsaken who have been intruding on their turf, hunting down and binding troublesome spirits who think they can get the better of the Anshega, or ripping the throats out of any other threat that is foolish enough to cross them. This can be incredibly exhausting to the inexperienced, but for elder Fang-Shapers who have survived long enough, they have learned how to balance their time to allow for at least some rest, however little it may be some days.
____
Up Next: Gifts of Resonance and Rites!
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