Pack Information

[Krysin]

No one quite remembers when the pack first settled in the swamp or even what drew them to such a place in the beginning. Generations have passed and that knowledge has slipped away with time, taken to the grave with the wolves that came before them. The pack knows only what surrounds them - the swamp and the spirits.

It could be a light flickering through the boughs of a moss-hung tree, a strange whisper in the wind, or maybe just a crow calling in the twilight - whatever form the spirits take, the wolves bend to them. These spirits are not inherently good or bad, evil or benevolent, they simply are and everything in the realm is subject to their whims. There is a strongly held belief within the pack that the will of the spirits can change with the shifting of the wind and with such, so changes their fortune.

Despite history slipping through their paws, traditions and beliefs are the backbone of their existence. Although there is no rule that claims a member must believe in the spirits there are rules that dictate what the pack members are and aren’t allowed to do. One does not have to believe, one must simply obey. It is for the good of the individual but, more than that, for the good of the whole. So long as the spirits are appeased, the pack will survive.

For generations the pack was fortunate, growing quickly and eating well within their lands. The higher rankings within the pack began to assume they could do no wrong in the eyes of the spirits, that they were chosen, that the Wolves of the Swamp were infallible. Yet their pride would soon be their folly as they realized they were outgrowing their borders and their food supplies. The spirits had let them think themselves invincible.

How wrong they were.

Historically, the pack was ruled by the strongest wolf but when hunger began brewing in their bellies, the pack began to look for something else. They found it in Reflection, the first wolf among their dark, swampy pelts to be born with an all-white pelt. From the moment he first stepped out of his mother’s den, whispers spread like wildfire through the pack. He was a spirit born in mortal coil, seen by the pack members as a gift to guide and lead them through the future. Destiny had claimed him and he rose to the challenge.

None doubted that it was Reflection that was meant to be at the head of the pack. Times were beginning to grow hard but he looked to the future with confidence. His white pelt was a beacon in the darkness and where he goes, they follow.

They are known by many names - the swamp lurkers, the spirit pack…

They know themselves only as Reflection’s Pack.

 

[Krysin]

To the packs that border their lands, they may be known by many names - spirit wolves, mud treaders, masked ones. The most common, however, is The Swamp Lurkers. Among themselves, they are known as Reflection’s Pack; the swamp wolves have called themselves after their leader for generations and that will not change even if the way they choose their leader does.

Their territory, the swamp lands, is exactly as one would expect - water is unavoidable, the mud is thick, and the vegetation is hardy. Large portions of the territory are little more than islands strung together among the murky, still water with a larger chunk of land at the center where the heart of the pack is focused.

Traditionally, the pack hides are dark, muddy colors with brown and black being the most prevalent and often making them nearly indistinguishable from the mud that cakes their legs. Paler tones are uncommon, although present, with predominantly white or pale pelts being all but unheard of. These wolves are considered to be a bit of something else; wolves with white on their pelts, dominant or not, are considered on some level to be spirit-touched. They are not required to take a spiritual rank, however.

In recent years the pack has been expanding exponentially. Hunting has never been difficult - water is prominent and tracks are always present along the muddy banks - but what has become difficult is the precarious balance the pack shares with prey beasts. With so many mouths to feed, they risk thinning the population to a breaking point. They predominantly hunt deer and larger game animals but may pick off smaller prey given the chance. Lately, they have focused more of their efforts on scouting and expanding their territory (leading to more skirmishes along their borders).

 

[Krysin]

Everything about the pack is defined by the spirits from the day a pup is born to the life they lead once they are able to choose their pathway for themselves. There are several important rules and traditions the pack practices and recently, with life in such a precarious balance, they have doubled down on how strictly pack members are expected to adhere to these.

Spirits
There are three types of Spirits that are most important to the pack:

• Water
  
• Earth
  
• Light

This is not to say that the wolves do not believe in other types of spirits, it is only that these three types are considered the most prevalent among the swamps. In fact, it is often spirits of other elements that the wolves fear the most because they do not focus on appeasing them or appealing to them and a stray spirit of another element that finds them may be more likely to be angry with them.

The three main elemental spirits are considered to be in a constant war with one another and they define their lives by the ‘seasons of the spirits’. When the spirits are fighting, the wolves will often try to appease them or hide from them (by donning their veils) but determining when these battles are taking place is left up to interpretation by the head members of The Runnel. The change of the seasons is defined by a shift in the environment and has no set date; a stormy season will be attributed to water spirits while a growth season will be attributed to earth and a particularly hot or dry season to light.

Wolves in the pack will claim patronage from one of these three types of spirits and when it is their season, they are considered favored by the spirits. Pack members will often seek to have pups during their patron season and will have first dibs on food and hunting territories.

Breeding & Pups
Although breeding was previously left unchecked, since they have found themselves on the precipice of a population boom they have begun to frown upon careless breeding. They do not define or restrict relationships in any capacity but all pack members are meant to be mindful of the life they bring into the pack and how that will impact them all.

When pups are born, they are kept in their mother’s dens until they are strong enough to withstand the spirits. Mothers smear their pups in swamp mud from head to tail the first time they leave the den and often for days after. It may be many moons before the pack gets a good idea of their true coloration. They will belong to the season they were born in until they are old enough to choose their patron spirit element for themselves.

Veils
Pack members begin creating ‘veils’ for themselves once they are too old for their mothers to smear them in swamp mud. These veils can be anything from a simple mud mask (for those pack members with little fear or concern for the spirits) to grandiose, complex masks made of bone and tree moss that become more intricate as a wolf ages and gathers new pieces. Each pack member designs their veil a little differently but they all serve the same purpose: to hide the wolves from the spirits.

The wolves do not necessarily believe the spirits are evil or malicious, only that they are powerful and have whims that mortals can not understand. When the spirits are in an uproar or the wolves feel they have wronged them somehow, they will dawn their veils to protect themselves. Scouts and ranks that travel outside of the pack heart will always wear their veils for safety since unknown spirits are considered some of the most volatile. Additionally, Healers may suggest that weak or sick wolves dawn their veils while they heal.

Shrines
In an effort to appease the spirits (and keep them out of the heart of the pack), they have created shrines to the three main spirits among the swamp lands. These shrines are comprised of bits and pieces of things that are attributed to the element, such as moss for earth spirits, reflective stones for light spirits or turtle shells for water spirits. Older shrines are often larger and will be an accumulation of objects that the Shrine Keeper has collected or been given. Every shrine has at least one Shrine Keeper but older, larger shrines may have multiple.

Pack members may pay tithe to the spirits in an effort to illicit their favor or appease their anger. This often comes in the form of objects passed on to Shrine Keepers or, if it is an important cause, they will travel with Scouts and Spirit Weavers to visit the shrine themselves.

Outsiders & Lost Ones
Due to their mistrust of the unknown, outsiders are often viewed with some wariness. This extends as well to wolves that have gotten lost/left and returned (Lost Ones) and wolves that pursue a spirit quest (intentionally or not). Until the pack can be sure that these wolves are safe and not spirits in disguise, they are kept in quarantine for (1) week before they are allowed to join the rest of the pack. While they are in quarantine they will be guarded by veiled warriors who often take turns watching them and will have to endure many visits and questions from Spirit Weavers and Healers.

If nothing strange presents itself during this quarantine, the wolves are released into the pack. However, white-marked outsiders may find themselves being watched carefully for quite some time.