The Litany

The Litany is a set of maxims and mores by which werewolf society conducted itself in the past, but viewed askance in a modern context as insufficient to help the @Garou prevent the @Apocalypse.

Tenets of the Litany

• Combat the Wyrm Wherever It Dwells and Whenever It Thrives

• Respect the Territory of Another

• Accept an Honorable Surrender

• Submit to Those of Higher Station

• Respect Those of Lower Station, for All Are of Gaia.

• The First Share of the Kill for Greatest in Station

• Eat Not the Flesh of Humans

• The Veil Shall Not Be Lifted

• The Leader May Be Challenged at Any Time During Peace

• The Leader May Not Be Challenged During Wartime

• Take No Action That Causes a Caern to Be Violated

The @Litany is the backbone of @Garou society—a code of conduct and principle that guides werewolves in a world teetering on the edge of Apocalypse. It is not law in the mundane sense, nor is it a rigid moral compass; instead, it is a living tradition, part oral history, part animistic wisdom, and part practical survival guide. The Garou call themselves werewolves, but they are more than human or wolf—they are spirits of Gaia, tethered to the natural world and charged with defending it. The Litany is the framework through which that defense is given shape, intent, and consequence.

Much like the legends of the Garou, the Litany is impressionistic. When a Silver Fang is said to “ride upon Falcon’s back,” it could mean a literal spirit-borne flight or a metaphor for spiritual guidance. Garou may know the Litany verbatim, through songs, parables, or even glyphs scratched into stone by gray-furred ancestors. Philodoxes interpret it, issuing judgment and guiding justice among the tribes; Galliards preserve its lessons in song; Ragabash challenge its inconsistencies, striving to refine its meaning. The Litany belongs to all Garou, shaping their behavior, their decisions, and the way they interact with one another.

The tenets of the Litany are clear yet flexible: combat the Wyrm wherever it thrives; respect another’s territory; honor surrender and station; give the first share of the kill to those most deserving; never eat human flesh; maintain the Veil; protect caerns; challenge leaders only in peace, not in wartime. But its application is subjective. Powerful Garou can bend or reinterpret the rules, and the oral tradition ensures that self-interest and atrocity are sometimes justified in its name. The Litany can reinforce hierarchy, encourage authoritarianism, or rationalize vendettas, especially in a society where rage and passion eclipse patience and diplomacy.

Yet for all its flaws, the Litany persists. It is a spiritual anchor, a collective memory, and a tool of cohesion. As werewolves confront the Apocalypse, they rely on it to temper chaos with order, to balance violence with responsibility, and to remind themselves that their true allegiance is to Gaia. Still, the Litany’s lessons are only as effective as the werewolves willing to understand them—and too often, it is Rage, not reason, that decides the outcome.