The Silent Striders (Wanderers from Afar.) [Update 12-22-09]

The Silent Striders are one of the tribes found in Werewolf: The Apocalypse. Nomadic, introspective, and highly spiritual, the Silent Striders have plumbed the depths of the Umbra, perhaps more deeply than any other tribe of Garou.

Contents


* 1 History
o 1.1 Early History

* 2 Organization

* 3 Tribal Culture
o 3.1 Political Culture
o 3.2 Religious Culture


History
Early History

The Silent Striders appear to have roots in Africa and the Middle East. Many seem to believe their tribal origins to be in Egypt, and that they were chased out by the vampire followers of the dark god Sutekh.



Organization


As they are nomads and wanderers, the Silent Striders have little in the way of organization.

However, the Silent Striders are labled as Mysterious wanderers, tireless scouts and Heralds. Quite literally the Clan can be found nearly anywhere, traveling and listening to anything that interests them. For these wayfarers, home is the open road and a caern or Kinfolk's house is a mere rest stop.

A Silent Strider believes that their feet are the lightest when on a path, whether of blown sand, concrete or spirit-stuff. They explore where no werewolf or no other has been before. Typically, Striders tend to poke their snouts into places they do not belong and they tend to move on if they don't find a Wyrm pit or something equally interesting.

Silent Striders usually visit caerns of many different tribers and they have been known to consort with Mages, Spirits and the Fae as well. Others have seen the Wyrm on the move in one aspect or another, even if they call it by a different name. Striders have even been known to trod the path of the dead i nsearch of hidden knowledge from the restless spirits. Typically, the scent of the Deep Umbra clings to them, adding to the eerie mystery that shrouds them.

Tribal Culture

Striders are rarely found in the company of other Striders, perhaps occasionally pairing up with another for a difficult journey. More often than not, a Strider in a group is found in a pack composed of many tribes. Otherwise, they tend to remain loners, never settling down.

One of the reasons for their frequent wandering is to find and destroy the influence of the Wyrm. To meet these ends, the Striders have pierced into the Umbra and into the realms of the dead. They are the only tribe to have mastered this art, and for this reason they have an unsettling air about them that tends to disturb other Garou. The Silent Striders, because of their history with the Followers of Set, are also particularly violent towards vampires of any clan.


Political Culture


Perhaps no other tribe is as adept at gathering and spreading information than the Striders. As much as many of them talk, telling stories and bearing messages, they are also, on the whole, excellent listeners, and will pick up subtle details in a conversation others might miss.


Religious Culture


Because they are wanderers, the Silent Striders have the fewest caerns of any tribe, and the few that exist tend to be along roads or popular points of travel. It is often the guardians of these caerns that prove to be the rare example of a Silent Strider who actually stays put.

Kinfolk

Scattered across the world, Strider kinfolk are typically travelers themselves Bedouin nomads, circus troupes, Gypsies, truckers or just plain drifters.

Totem

Owl: Totem of Wisdom. Totem Spirit of the Silent Striders, Owl is a quiet watcher, Owl strikes without warning from the darkness. Its hidden wisdom is associated with secrets of death and the shadowy Dark Umbra. Some believe that owls themselves are spirits of the dead seeking vengeance.

Those following Owls children are often gifted with premonitions of danger and the location of mystical things long forgotten. When entering the Umbra, each of Owl's children gain wings, allowing them to fly from place to place. They are silent when moving, and any gift dealing with air, travel, movement or darkness is easier to use with the many blessings of Owl. Along with the stories of Wisdom that will be told about them, Silent Striders may appear mysteriously to aid the pack when it is in danger. However, Ratkin and children of Rat do not get along with Owl's children, considering Owl's predatory nature.

Owl asks all his children, both those in packs to him and those of his tribe, to leave small tied up or helpless rodents in the woods for him and his kind to eat. No wonder they don't get along with those who follow Rat, eh?

Tribal Advantage/Disadvantage

The Omen of Danger: Silent Striders travel places that are tainted with the feel and aura of death, as such they have premonitions of danger and what is to come. However this only affects the Strider in question, and doesn't always come into play.

Haunted: Striders travel the dark places that no one dares travel. Because of their ancient interactions with the dead of Egypt, Striders may be visited by a Wraith once a lunar cycle. If the Strider in question is lucky, they will not find themselves bothered. However a Wraith comes, Striders have no control over how they act. Wraiths may be helpful, annoying, or can down right insight frenzy if they want to. If the Strider helps the Wraith with one of their fetters, they may go away. Otherwise it is free to harass the poor Strider at its own whims.

Mysterious wanderers, tireless scouts, heralds — these are the Silent
Striders. Their roots lie in Africa and the Middle East, but
they can be found nearly anywhere, traveling and listen-
ing. For these wayfarers, home is the open road, and a
caern or Kinfolk's house is a mere rest stop. Their feet are
lightest when on a path, whether of blown sand, concrete
or spirit-stuff. They explore where no werewolf— or no one
— has been before. They poke their snouts in where they i
don't belong, and they move on if they don't find a Wyrm
pit or something equally interesting. They visit caerns of
many different tribes, and they have been known to consort
with mages, spirits and the fae as well. Others have seen the
Wyrm on the move in one aspect or another, even if they call it
by a different name. Striders have even trod the paths of the dead in
search of hidden knowledge from the restless spirits of those who have
gone before. The scent of the Dark Umbra clings to them, adding to the
eerie mystery that shrouds them.


Although no real rivalries exist between the Striders and
other tribes, many werewolves don't trust Owl's followers.
Perhaps it's because Striders typically travel alone or in
pairs. A lone wolf is always cause for suspicion, especially
one that chooses that path. Perhaps it's because they
show up unheralded, with grim news on their lips and
dark omens in their eyes. Or perhaps it's the way one
walks away from a conversation with a Strider with the feeling of having
revealed much more than one gleaned from the enigmatic watcher.
Certainly, all these reasons are valid.


The Striders are a tribe of many contradictions. They crave the comforts of a
home or territory, but they cannot bring themselves to claim any as rightfully their own. Like other Garou,
they long for the companionship of packs, but they often find themselves driven to keep to
themselves — and on the road. A sept may have no notion that a Strider is in the vicinity
unless she has something to tell them, and usually that takes the form of an urgent
warning; the Striders have a deserved reputation as harbingers of ill omen. But it's
quite true that Striders are experts at gathering information from casual
conversation. Although most are quite skillful storytellers, they much ••-
prefer to listen than talk. They have a variety of ways to manipulate a
speaker into going on at length until the Strider has milked him for all he knows.
Apart from Banes and Black Spirals, they reserve their sharpest hate for
vampires. No Garou trucks with the undead if he's wise, but the Striders are the
Leeches' bitter foes, although few outside the tribe know why. Tribal legend
holds that long ago, the tribe fought against an army of vampires led
by the dark god-monster known as Sutekh.


At the final battle,
Sutekh wove a mighty curse that drove them from their homeland
of Egypt and scattered them to the four winds. To this day, the land
of the N ile is the one land where they can find no rest. But worse
still, the curse severed all contact with the ancestor-spirits of
the tribe. No Striders have been able to find their forbears,
even though many have searched both spirit world and '
Underworld for some sign. Many Striders take an Egyptian
name in honor of their lost heritage.
As might be expected from nomads, Striders hold
fewer caerns than any other tribe, and those they
claim generally have a high turnover in membership. Sept
members that stay for more than a season or two are usually
old enough for the call of duty to drown out the call of the
road. Still, as with the Wheel of Ptah sept in Casablanca,
they are often located at crossroads, so tales of the road can
soften loss of the road itself.


Striders form many friendships, but fortunate is the
friend who meets the Strider more than twice. When they do
join packs of mixed tribes, they show their packmates loyalty
unto death — the Striders are so few that they greatly value
those truly close to them. They are likewise known for brief
but intense relationships with their Kin, for you don't have
time for protracted preliminaries when tomorrow will see
you far away. One of the worst things anyone, Garou or Kin,
can do to a Strider is bind him to a place against his will
through duty or force. Sooner than later, their hearts pine
for the open road once more, as many lovers have learned.
A Strider whose wings have been clipped is utterly miser-
able, and campfire tales say that a few actually wasted away
and died from being denied their freedom.


It's a lonely life, and it brings a lonely death all too often.
Striders rarely fall amid friends; they are simply never seen
again. It is the custom that aged or infirm Striders make a final
journey into the Umbra, never to return. Some hope that they
will find their loved ones there at last.