Forgotten Lessons (WW Magazine).pdf

Forgotten Lessons

BY JAMES A. MOORE

Forgotten Lessons is the first part of a three-part story for

Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Second Edition , designed with four to

six Garou in mind . Part One is followed next issue by Present Dangers,

and Future Shocks in issue #44 (June). You can use all three parts

together, or adapt each to stand on its own.

can to ensure that the powerful Wyrmling awakens with its powers

intact. To this end, the corporation has shifted to building an

industrial complex on land directly above the Wyrm-Walker’s

resting place.

The Waltheford Industrial Park promises to bring many jobs

to nearby Utica. Newspapers have done a bang-up job of letting

everyone in the state know about the new complex and its

opportunities.

Coincidentally, many Uktena and Wendigo with the Past Life

Background have recently had fitful dreams, envisioning an army

of fomori crawling from the

ground. Furthermore, the

local Red Talons have been

more restless than usual.

Even at the Gaia’s Hand

Sept, Garou have grown

uneasy. No one knows why,

but they’re about to find

out.

Theme

F orgotten Lessons is a

reminder that only by

understanding and respecting

our past, heritage and history

can we hope to understand our

present and future.

The Story So Far

Forgotten Lessons focuses on the distant past, long before

Europeans came to the Americas. Long ago, Gaia gave the

continent to the least

corrupted of her children.

Thus, the Uktena, the

Wendigo and the Croatan

traveled across the frozen

wastelands of the Bering

Straight and made the

Americas their home.

Although the land had

been cleansed by Gaia during the

Ice Age, many Wyrmlings still

existed there. The Wyrm’s minions

were weakened, though, and

quickly fell before the onslaught of

the Garou. The Garou bound these

creatures into stones and buried

the Wyrmlings in the earth where

they could do no more harm. Powerful rituals were performed year

after year to ensure that the creatures remained dormant. They

were unable to harm the Pure Ones and their Kinfolk.

With time, Europeans came to the Americas, bringing the evil

of the Wyrm with them. After many battles, the Pure Ones were

driven from their lands and forced to the west. Many of the Pure

Ones died, the Croatan were destroyed, and, in some places, the

rituals that held the Wyrm’s monsters dormant were abandoned.

Since that time, Malafaxus the Wyrm-Walker has lain asleep

beneath the earth, slowly regaining power after imprisonment by

the Pure Ones. Now the time has come: Malafaxus has awakened.

The being has been roused by recent construction near its

resting place near Utica, north of New York City. A subsidiary of

Pentex is responsible for the “noisy” construction. The corrupt

corporation has become aware of Malafaxus, and it is doing all it

S E C O N D E D I T I O N

Mood

Forgotten Lessons is about dark, unreasoning fear. Something

from the past, something with a long memory and foul powers, has

returned to haunt the present. Whatever it is, it wants revenge,

and today’s Garou must face that horror.

Tribal Involvement

If any characters are Uktena or Wendigo, getting involved in

this story is fairly easy. Elders of the Uktena tribe have been dealing

with a Wendigo sept on the other side of the U.S./Canadian

border. Considering the gross numbers of Wyrm-bringer Garou that

have infested New York State, this alliance is very necessary.

Both tribes have discovered a common enemy to expedite

their unification: the Waltheford Industrial Park. Development has

begun on the industrial park’s north wing. The construction site is

located on what is believed to be ancient Iroquois burial grounds,

W H I T E W O L F M A G A Z I N E 1

Forgotten Lessons

BY JAMES A. MOORE

Part 1 of a 3 Part Story for

2 W H I T E W O L F M A G A Z I N E

lands held sacred long before the Europeans came and conquered.

(Development of the land has been approved because politicians

under the thumb of Pentex and the Wyrm have dismissed pressure

from historical preservation groups.) The Wendigo and Uktena

want what they believe to be their land back. Even the Red Talons

loathe such afflictions to the world, and they gladly side with the

Wendigo and Uktena to prevent any further construction near

Utica. (Of course, what all these Native American groups and

Garou have forgotten is that a Wyrm creature, not a graveyard of

ancestors, is actually buried there.)

For their part, Glass Walkers have invested a great deal of

money in developing the park, unaware that Pentex is behind the

venture. The Glass Walkers have even promised job opportunities

to Kinfolk of the Bone Gnawers. The Bone Gnawers therefore

stand by the Glass Walkers. Any interference on the part of Native

American tribes certainly catches the Glass Walkers’ attention.

One of the construction companies being used at the

Waltheford complex is the Larson Transport Company. Tor Larson

is Kinfolk to the Get of Fenris. His son, Kurt Larson, belongs to the

Sept of the Sentinel in up-state New York. Kurt is not known for

his patience, especially with people who bother his father. Should

any construction crews be injured, Kurt’s revenge is inevitable.

The Shadow Lords also have several business operations. They

plan to move into the Waltheford Industrial Complex. Indeed, the

Shadow Lords have plans, big plans.

The Silent Striders have no plans or involvement in the area,

but are likely to investigate, if only to discover what all the fuss is

about.

The Children of Gaia support the Uktena and Wendigo, but

refuse to participate in violence— there simply has to be a better

way. They do their best to make everyone behave. Lots of luck.

Scene One: Conflict of Interest

The Native American Coalition for the Preservation of

Sacred Sites (NACPOSS) has decided that recent media coverage

of job opportunities coming to Utica is too good an opportunity to

miss. The group is using the media coverage to give voice to their

protests against the proposed north wing. Uktena or Wendigo

characters may be present at the protest. Participants include

Native Americans, Kinfolk and Garou.

Some protesters have gone so far as to post themselves at the

center of the construction site. They are fully prepared to be

arrested, hoping to stop the destruction of their “sacred grounds.”

A substantial number of the Children of Gaia agree with the

Native Americans, so any characters from that tribe are likely to be

there as well.

All that’s planned is a simple, peaceful demonstration, a “sit-

in” to stop construction and allow NACPOSS leaders to speak.

Thomas Waltheford, actually a Black Spiral Dancer in the employ

of Pentex, is not fond of the idea. Neither are his unwitting Glass

Walker backers. The press has been paid off. No representatives

from any of the major news organizations are present.

Paladin Security is also on the Pentex and Glass Walker

payroll. Guards from this company are being employed to ensure

that construction goes as planned. Paladin Security is owned and

operated by Andrew Harrison, a Shadow Lord of dubious morality.

No one knows Waltheford’s true affiliations.

WhatÕs Really Going On

The Iroquois Six-Nations League knows the land being

developed is sacred and should be protected from exploitation (it’s

believed to be a burial ground). Members fear that the land’s rape

will set a precedent.

What the League doesn’t know is the true reason why the land

is sacred, or more importantly, why it has terrible significance. (It’s

Investigations

It’s very possible that characters decide to investigate the investors behind the Waltheford Industrial Park. An Intelligence +

Investigation roll, difficulty 8, is required to gather any useful information. With three successes, the names of several

prominent investors are revealed:

Thomas Waltheford— Legal owner of the land, he owns heavy stock in Pentex (through front companies and agents that the

Glass Walkers have failed to research). He also has a strong reputation as an amateur archeologist. In truth, Waltheford is a

Black Spiral Dancer, but characters have to meet him to discover this; no amount of investigation reveals it.

Gerald Withersby— A well-placed investor with ties to several companies, including Pentex (his multiple investments imply

an ignorance of Pentex’s true nature).

Andrew Harrison— Wealthy Shadow Lord with a bad reputation; he is rumored to have mob connections.

Lila Westerly— Wealthy Glass Walker with powerful ties to the Utica City Council.

The Jessica Morrow Foundation— A small investment in the park can be traced to Ms. Jessica Morrow. She is actually a

vampire whose only address is a post office box in Chicago. Unless characters have contacts in Chicago who are knowledge-

able about the city’s vampire population, they have no way of discovering Morrow’s true nature.

O’Tolley’s International Restaurants (a Pentex subsidiary) — The chain wants exclusive food service rights to the complex.

O’Tolley’s is one of Pentex’s “top twenty” branch companies and can pique the interest of monkeywrenching Garou.

Burpsi-Cola Corporation

Several small credit unions

Ramses Enterprises (a Pentex subsidiary) — Ramses is a publishing house that’s hired to distribute Pentex information. Several

other companies also hire Ramses, so the organization may be assumed to be legit (which it is). However, Ramses is tied to

Vesuvius, Inc., Pentex’s main publishing house.

There are dozens of smaller investors as well. Several of these companies are involved in Pentex operations, but only heavy

research proves such connections. If characters are looking for such ties, require them to make extended rolls; only 10+

successes reveal any connections.

W H I T E W O L F M A G A Z I N E 3

this significance that inspires the strong feelings of dread that the

Wendigo and Uktena have.) Something rests here that should not

be disturbed. Sadly, as has been proved time and again, the

government (even the segments that have not been touched by the

Wyrm) cares little about the feelings or rights of Native Americans.

Of course, the land actually holds the fetish-bound form of the

Wyrm-Walker. Its time is come, and unless the characters can stop

construction, the creature rises. The Sense Wyrm Gift has no effect

on Malafaxus at this time, as it is completely bound by Uktena

fetishes. These fetishes keep its power completely at bay, but they

also keep its power from being detected.

Unfolding Events

Paladin Security Guards are well-paid, elite members of one of

the finest security forces available. They’re paid to do a job, and

they take their duties seriously. They politely ask protesters to leave

the premises. If unsuccessful, they call in local police. Security

guards only attack if provoked, but defend themselves from any

threat. Guards do their very best to “gently remove trespassers from

the property.” They fully expect to have a fight on their hands.

If the police are summoned, they will arrive within 10 minutes

and begin arresting anyone who does not belong on the construc-

tion site. Thomas Waltheford, the Black Spiral organizing

construction on Pentex’s behalf, presses charges against the

trespassers. In order to legally remove themselves from Utica’s jail,

characters have to arrange a $1,000 bond. If there is conflict at the

construction site, the bond may be as high as $10,000. The greatest

problem facing Garou in this scene is that most of them have no

legal leg to stand on. In the eyes of the law, they have no right to

interfere with construction.

Characters found guilty of trespassing or assault face fines or

jail time.

In the event that one or more characters is Wendigo, Uktena

or a Child of Gaia, her people hear of the protest (and any

resulting struggle). Rest assured, if the Uktena and Wendigo tribes’

Kinfolk are assaulted, other members of the tribe come running. As

soon as either of these tribes becomes involved, the Get of Fenris,

Shadow Lords, Bone Gnawers and Glass Walkers also become

involved (see Tribal Involvement, above). In other words, consider

multi-tribe involvement unavoidable.

bundle is uncovered. It’s wrapped in worn (but, miraculously, still

whole) bear hides. This unusual package holds the mortal remains

of Malafaxus.

Have the members of the pack been watching the site? If not,

they’ll be sorry.

WhatÕs Really Going On

Every morning, guards have driven away members of

NAPCOSS. They have warned them that stiffer penalties will be

meted if the trespassers are ever found on private property again.

The press is still not responding to NAPCOSS’ pleas— news in

other places has distracted them.

With digging underway and the Wyrm-Walker’s remains

uncovered, Thomas Waltheford’s plans are about to reach fruition.

Something definitely seems afoot. For the first time since this

entire mess began, the man that legally owns the land arrives at the

construction site. As soon as the bundle is lifted from the ground,

Waltheford has it placed in the back of his pickup truck, and a

Paladin guard joins him for the ride.

If the pack has been watching the construction site, characters

have a chance to stop Waltheford, provided they haven’t been

driven away by Paladin Security guards and the local police (with

additional encounters staged by you, depending on how adventur-

ous characters are in their surveillance).

If the pack is present and attempts to stop Waltheford, he flees

instead of fighting. He also calls on his Paladin guards to handle

the dirty work while he escapes. The guards do all they can to stop

the pack, using lethal force to defend themselves, if necessary. If

the characters track Waltheford after he’s left the construction site,

they find the remains of his truck, but not the man himself. They

Abilities: Alertness 2, Brawl 3, Dodge 3, Drive 2, Firearms 3,

Intimidation 2, Investigation 2, Law 2, Melee 2, Streetwise 2

Backgrounds: Allies 5

Willpower 7

Health Levels: OK, -1, -1, -2, -2, -5, Incapacitated

Equipment: .357 Magnum, baton, flak vest, really cool mirror

shades. The “really cool” shades are actually fetishes (Level 1,

Gnosis 3). Guards wearing these shades are immune to the

Delirium. If the glasses are knocked off, guards are vulnerable to

the Delirium.

Scene Two: The Awakening

Several days pass, and despite the best efforts of NACPOSS,

construction proceeds as planned. On the fifth day of work, a large

4 W H I T E W O L F M A G A Z I N E

Paladin Security Guards

Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3, Charisma 2,

Manipulation 3, Appearance 3, Perception 4, Intelligence 3, Wits

do not find his guard companion or the creature Waltheford has

with him (see Scene Three , below, for details).

Waltheford has possession of the Wyrm-Walker’s remains and

hightails it to New York City. His plan is to gather together the

members of his splinter pack and make arrangements for the

destruction of the Sept of the Green, a melting pot of Garou from

different tribes, located in New York. There’s only one small

problem with his plan: he has yet to consult with the Wyrm-

Walker.

Waltheford has been working under the assumption that

whatever it is he has liberated from the ground will listen to reason.

Malafaxus the Wyrm-Walker is effectively insane and has no desire

to work with anyone. It feels only the need to spread its corruption

as far as it can. The fetishes that long ago bound Malafaxus have

maintained their strength to some degree, but without the

Uktena rituals that assured its continued slumber, Malafaxus

has awakened. Thus, while the fetishes that held the creature

are still strong, they have been separated from their “home”

and are useless.

Thomas Waltheford, “Hastoodar”

Breed: Homid

Auspice: Philodox

Tribe: Black Spiral Dancers

Attributes: Strength 4 (6/8/7/5), Dexterity 3 (3/4/5/5),

Stamina 3 (5/6/6/5), Charisma 2, Manipulation 4 (3/1/1/1),

Appearance 3 (2/0/3/3), Perception 4, Intelligence 3, Wits 2

Abilities: Alertness 3, Brawl 4, Dodge 3, Drive 2, Empathy 2,

Enigmas 3, Etiquette 3, Expression 4, Firearms 2, Intimidation 3,

Investigations 2, Law 4, Melee 3, Occult 5, Politics 4, Primal-Urge

3, Rituals 2, Stealth 3, Streetwise 2, Survival 2

Backgrounds: Allies 5, Past Life 5, Resources 3

Gifts: (1) Persuasion, Resist Pain, Smell of Man; (2) King of

the Beasts, Staredown; (3) Foaming Fury

Rank: 3

Rage 8, Gnosis 6, Willpower 8

Health Levels: OK, -1, -1, -2, -2, -5, Incapacitated

Rites: Rite of Contrition, Rite of Talisman Dedication

Fetishes: Fang Dagger; Nest-Finder (Level 5, Gnosis 5; Nest-

Finder is a Black Spiral Dancer fetish created specifically for

locating sites where minions of the Wyrm were buried by the Pure

Ones during the time before the European invasion of the

Americas. The bearer must first spend a turn activating the fetish,

spend one Gnosis point and roll Perception + Enigmas, difficulty 8,

to locate a minion of the Wyrm that has been buried and shielded

against detection.)

Image: Thomas Waltheford is in his early ’40s. He has pale

skin, dark gray hair and green eyes. In Homid form, he stands 6’3".

He wears gold-rimmed glasses and a charcoal-gray business suit. In

Lupus form, Waltheford’s fur is dark gray, with patches that are

lighter and tinged green. He stands four feet tall at the shoulder in

this form.

Roleplaying Notes: You loathe all that is sacred to Gaia. One

of your specialties is building useless structures and later converting

them into Blights. Almost every place you’ve built has turned an

immense profit and simultaneously become a dumping ground for

toxic wastes.

Most of all, you love thumbing your nose at the Garou. Most

places where you choose to build are pristine, untouched by

humankind. You always make certain that the land is legally yours

W H I T E W O L F M A G A Z I N E 5

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