Intermediate
• Adaptation: as Silent Strider Gift
• Attunement: as Bone Gnawer Gift, except usable only in wilderness
• Unicorn's Grace: as Child of Gaia (Advanced) Gift
Advanced
• Troll's Bridge: as Fianna Gift
• Wisdom of the Seer: as Stargazer Gift
Rites
Gurahl may learn Rites as if they were double their actual Rank.
In addition to all Garou Rites, Gurahl have access to some additional rituals.
Basic
• Healing Winds (Accord) : This purifies all within an area of any poisons or toxins, as well as minor Wyrm-taint. However, as a side effect, the temperature in the affected locale drops by 10 degrees for a day.
• Rending the Gauntlet (Mystic) : This rite allows the Gurahl (and any others who assist in the rite) to step-sideways. This Rite may also be used to peek across the Gauntlet.
• River Portent (Mystic) : as Basic Theurge Gift "Sight from Beyond"
Intermediate
• Pure Earth (Accord) : A much more potent form of the Rite of "Cleansing", this completely purifies an object or location of any Wyrm-taint. The ritualist must spend three Gnosis during the casting and suffers one aggravated wound once it is completed.
• Ban (Punishment) : This Rite locks a particular piece of knowledge within the subject, keeping the secret (which must be specified when the rite is cast) from being revealed. This also prevents any outside agency (even mind probes) from taking the information by force.
Advanced
• Long Sleep (Seasonal) : If cast on an unwilling subject, the Gurahl must first defeat her target in a Mental Challenge. Once enacted, the target will remain in a state of perfect hibernation until a specified time has passed. While in this condition, the subject does not need food or drink, does not age, and requires only minimal oxygen. However, if the rite is meant to last more than one month, a permanent Gnosis Trait must be expended. If cast upon a vampire, the Kindred will remain in Torpor for the duration.
• Fighting the Death Bear (Death) : With this rite, the Gurahl can literally bring a person back from the dead. The difficulty of this rite is determined by how long the subject has been dead. Any use of this Rite requires interaction with a Storyteller.

Role in First War of Rage
The future Ice Stalkers were some of the last Gurahl to leave the war of rage. They fought on for their territory and for their right to carry out the duties Gaia had intended for them. However, the onslaught of the Garou proved to great as time waned on. These first descendants almost fought themselves into extinction for their tenacity and their stubbornness.
The Ice age fell upon them, and they too were forced out of their homelands. However, they did not leave alone. These gurahl were accompanied (somewhat) by three tribes of garou who, tired of the war, left their homelands as well and followed them Westward. Many garou today credit the Ice Stalkers for "saving" these three tribes of garou, but these respective tribes strongly protest that they saved themselves.
Mountain Guardian
Ancient History
It is with much speculation that the rest of the Gurahl population find the origin of the Mountain Guardians. The Mountain Guardians claim to be descended from brown bears who had inhabited the Pure Lands since before even the first Swift Runner crossed over the land bridge.
Even Scientifically, their origin seems flawed - but with Gaia, very little things can be explained scientifically. Debate aside, they seemed to be some of the first Gurahl to inhabit the pure lands. This "first to inhabit" title is widely disputed by the Forest Walkers, though without any formal challenge of course.
There are numerous accounts that talk about these bears' predicament as the Ice Age set upon them. Little is spoken of their role in the first war of rage. These histories seem to support their claim as first to enter the pure lands. Back in those times, they were not a formal tribe. They were simply Gurahl, for they had not yet contact with their fellows from around the world.
The first contact they had was from a tribe called the River Keepers. This is when the future Mountain Guardians realized they needed to assert some kind of identity for themselves. There are many tales of a Gurahl named Slowfoot Groundshaker. Such tales speak of him leading the future Mountain Guardians up into the Rocky Mountains and the Cascades.
Here, they sacrificed parts of their bodies in ancient rituals to the umbra - to their totem, the Bear. Ursa Major, mother bear, smiled upon them. She gave them the strength of the mountains they had come to inhabit and bade them to guard Gaia's lands of high elevation. Their new coming brothers, the River Keepers had been ordained to guard the lowlands and rivers.
When the Uktena, Croatan, and Wendigo crossed over the land bridge, they also met these new Gurahl. These groups came to peaceful agreements to set aside the past and work together for the good of the land. However, they did spend much of their time in seclusion, weather from hibernation or caution.
Role in First War of Rage
There are really no accounts of the descendants of the Mountain Guardians participating in the first war of rage. In the second war, when the European Garou came over on ship, they had a great role assisting the Uktena, Croatan, and Wendigo; but around the time of the Ice Age, these Gurahl seemed to be taking care of things in the Pure Lands.

Отредактировано Сварливец (2009-02-27 11:59:49)

Bear Information
The River Keepers are comprised mostly of brown bears, but dependant on the Gurahl in question, he may not have his heritage linked to that species. River keepers stem from many different species of bear. Select a species of bear below that your Gurahl is from.
Black Bears
Brown Bears
Polar Bears
Spectacled bears
Asiatic Bears
Sun Bears
Sloth Bears
Legend of the Cave Sentinels
All Gurahl have tales for Gaia's creation of their race. All Gurahl also have tales for the founding of their tribes. Many of these tales will speak of the first days - of the Mother bear, first Gurahl to walk on Gaia's green Earth. Many of these tales also begin with the summery of their origins, most of them beginning with what is considered to be the first Gurahl - the Cave Sentinels.
This is a popular legend of these ancient Gurahl as told by the River Keepers.
Long ago, much longer than you may imagine, there were bears spanning the entire world. These first bears were the most powerful and wise of all Gaia's creatures - unchallenged in might and gifted with a keen mind. These were Gaia's chosen.
Mother bear was born, many sages speculate how. Some say she came from the stars, some say she was born to a normal bear - truly the first kinfolk. Still others say that she was born normal and was bestowed the gift of shifting when she matured. In any case, the great mother bear came to be.
Humans would come to call these first bears "cave bears" and these bears were the first kinfolk of Mother Bear. She also chose select humans, ancient ancestors of the humans of today. As the years went by, more and more Gurahl came into the world.
Back then, the land was pure - the Pattern Breaker had not yet begun his treachery. All Gurahl were of one race, one people. There were no tribes - there was no need.
However, as the years went on and other changing breeds were born and the Pattern breaker soon began his destined campaign of corruption, the role of our ancestors changed. The children of Mother Bear had to go where they were needed, venturing into terrains they had never been - going to places far away and having to get their as soon as possible.
Gaia gave them the means. Many Gurahl volunteered for this opportunity. There were three that were chosen - These three Gurahl adopted new forms; a swift form, a stealthy form, and a well rounded form. These three gurahl led their kinfolk to different parts of the world to fight the Pattern Breaker and populate their lineage.
Now there was a need to identify the individuality of these new Gurahl races. Thus, the tribes were born. Bamboo Dwellers, Swift Runners, and we the River Keepers. There have always been rumors of others as well, off shoots of the three first splinters, but they seemed to be lost in time. However, there were still those gurahl who had been there all along - those gurahl that had not changed, who kept their original duty and their original territories - they took on the tribe name Cave Sentinels.
These first tribes worked together as best they could, spread out as they were. But when the war of rage set upon our ancestors and kin, The worst imaginable happened. Our ancestors were slain into oblivion. The Cave Sentinels were lost forever. Ironically, the oldest Gurahl had the shortest existence as a unified tribe. Again, rumors abound that survivors may have formed a sub-tribe, but this is largely unfounded.
We still mourn for them this day.

Culture and Kinfolk
Little is known about the culture of the Cave Sentinels. It is believed that their customs may have been blends or early forms of what modern Gurahl practice today. The Cave Sentinels are largely credited for organizing the first Powwows and creating the first dances. Unfortunately, there is no hard evidence to anything specific.
Cave Sentinels used cave bears exclusively for breeding stock as well as early man
Tribal Organization
Legends tell of the Cave Sentinels being very solitary, even more so than the Gurahl of today. They are much credited with organizing the first Powwows so that they would be able to keep in touch with their kin and revel in celebration of deeds well done. Gurahl Elders often speculate that it is very likely that many tribal customs of the four remaining tribes had their roots with the Cave Sentinels, and perhaps, they weren't all that different.
Physical Appearance
Cave Sentinels, bred from cave bear stock, were hulking - massive bears. They were quite a bit larger than the bears of today and were though to be as slow or slower moving as well (notwithstanding that bears can and do move fast, just that when compared to other predators, they move and walk slower).
Similar to the brown bears of today, the Cave Bears lacked the shoulder hump as seen in Grizzly bears. Also, their canine fangs were more pronounced. Cave Sentinels, therefore, tended to be large often stocky humans in homid form. In Ursine form, they were the largest and most powerful among their species.
Strengths and Weaknesses
• Gaias Chosen - The first of Gaias protectors, the Cave Sentinels were the delegates of responsibility to the new tribes and sometimes other betes. They taught the first garou and guided them in their new responsibilities as well. This was a gift of charisma, and was their right. Cave Sentinels gain a -1 target number on all social rolls concerning convincing someone to do something for the benefit of Gaia.
• Self Sacrificing - these first gurahl were the ones who sacrificed their skins and meat to early humans. They also sacrificed themselves for the survival of other tribes in the war of rage. Cave Sentinels must sacrifice themselves in some way (not necessarily laying down their lives) if a desperate enough need arises. Story Tellers may denote the appropriate time.

Cave Sentinel Statistics
Ability Arthren Crinos Bjornen Ursus
Strength +4 +6 +4 +3
Dexterity +1 -1 -2 --
Stamina +4 +6 +4 +3
Manipulation -2 -3 -3 -3
Appearance -2 0 -- --
Perception +1 -1 +2 +2
Difficulty 7 7 7 6

Tribal Background
The Gurahl were all once one group. There were no tribes, and there were no different species of bears from which Gurahl came from. This parent, or basal species of the Gurahl is commonly known as the Cave Bear. The Cave Bear existed all over what is now Europe and Northern Asia.
As Gaia watched her creations expand all over the world, growing in size and number, she new she had to increase the efficiency of her children, the Gurahl. It wasnt that they were doing a bad job, its jus that their werent enough of them and they only covered so much of the Earth.
And so it was that the first Short-Faced Bear was born to a Cave Bear kinfolk. The gurahl asked of Gaia what this meant, was their race changing? No, she replied, You are only growing. Soon, more of these new bears were being born. In time, they became their own species of Gurahl.
There was now a need to designate tribes. The two different types of Gurahl were much alike but also different. They needed to find a way to divide their duties up accordingly. Realizing that they could not, each tribe instead looked after certain parts of the world. The Cave Bears, now called the Cave Sentinels claimed the land they had already been occupying. While the new tribe, the Swift Runners, moved out
across the land bridge that once connected modern day Alaska to Russia. They settled in modern day Canada. This was over two hundred and fifty thousand years ago.
The Swift Runners, named so by their long legs and slim bodies, making them the fastest of all Gurahl and bears alike, became the chief predator of those ancient tundras. They kept the land free from the Pattern Breaker and waited for man to come.
Humans were destined to cross over that same land bridge as the Swift Runners did. And when they did, the swift runners were their to greet them. They, like their Cave dwelling brothers, also provided food and clothing the humans early ancestors. They also taught them arts, and language, and writing. They taught them of the stars and of Gods and Totems, and most of all they taught them of Gaia.
As humans migrated south, so did the Swift Runners. The Swift Runners helped them settle in what is now the United States and Mexico. Many Swift Runners remained in North America with the humans. Others, with humans that wished to push further south, traveled down into South America.
All the while the Swift Runners were the teachers and guardians of humans in the new world, the pure lands. But when the War of Rage rolled around, suddenly things changed. The Pattern Breaker was able to gain a foothold as Gaias children fought amongst themselves. Its minions raged across North America, seeking to defile the pure land. There was a powerful bane, a lord of Darkness named He-Who-Gives-Pain-And-Brings-Death. He had other names, but that is the name he is remembered as. This Bane Lord swept across North America with his minions. The Swift Runners were all that were around to fight him. Even the first three garou tribes had not yet crossed over into the pure lands.
The Swift Runners were wiped out in North America, slain to the last one, kinfolk alike. The Bane Lord made his way into South America and ran into not only the remainder of the Swift Runners but the Bastet as well. The two shifters fought off The Bane Lord successfully, dispelling him into the deep umbra once again.
But the toll was high. The Swift Runners were largely defeated, their numbers were two thin. The tribe as a whole had been too spread out. By around 8000 BC, the last Swift Runner died. Their numbers were two small to continue the race.
However, the kinfolk persevered, and adapted to the new world. When the ice age hit, they began that change, Gaia had gifted them once again - willed them to survive. She took away their long legs and gave them great claws for climbing instead. She made them smaller, to exist in the jungles of South America. And when the last ice age was over, a new bear was born, the Spectacled Bear.
Home Territories
Swift Runners and Short-Faced bears lived in Canada and northern North America around 250,000 years ago. They migrated south into southern North America and South America and remained there until the beginning of the last Ice Age, over ten thousand years ago.

Strengths and Weaknesses
• Rage of the Garou - Swift Runners were able to use rage the way garou do AND the way gurahl do, increasing number of actions, their strength, stamina, or health levels.
• Short Temper - Swift Runners are prone to frenzy in the same way the garou are.
About Short-Faced Bears
For its time, the Short-Faced bear (or bull dog bear) seemed to have been the most powerful and deadly predator in North America. This was around the time of the last ice age (Pleistocene Era). It lived from Alaska all the way into northern South America.
Classified as Arctodus Pristinus, the Short-Faced bear was the largest bear that had ever lived. It was also the swiftest and probably the most dexterous. The Short-Faced bear had long limbs and a thinner, more lean body than bears of today. The Short-Faced bear stood at about four feet at the shoulder and was at least twelve feet long. The Short Faced Bear died out around 10,000 years ago