Hunter in Darkness Rites

New Rites

• Rite of Fair Warning: In the modern world, Uratha can't always be expected to notice when they've crossed into another pack's territory. Scent marks and visual tags might help, yes, but unless a werewolf knows what to look for or changes to Urhan form (not always feasible in the city), she'll probably miss the markings. Getting upset when territory is thus "invaded" is ridiculous, but the Meninna do have their tribal vow to think about. This, this rite was developed for the benefit of werewolves new to an area.
• When a werewolf crosses into an area protected by the Rite of Fair Warning, she immediately feels a sense of subtle threat. The threat isn't severe - the Uratha doesn't feel as if her life is in danger - but she does feel noticed, even if she is under the effect of a Gift or other power that masks her somehow. The Rite of Fair Warning doesn't notify the werewolf who performed it; it merely lets the interloper know that she is an interloper. In addition, if a werewolf is actively looking for scent marks or other territory tags in an area protected by this rite, the player receives a +2 modifier to any rolls made to do so. This bonus also applies to other, non-Uratha powers meant to detect supernatural phenomena (a mage's detection spells, a vampire's Auspex Discipline or even a mortal's Unseen Sense Merit might apply).
• Rite of the Hunter's Howl: A human saying advises: "Always have something to eat before attending a feat - a hungry man is not a good speaker." A similar sentiment serves as the impetus for this rite. A wolf that hints whole ravenous isn't as effective, and finds its choice of prey narrowed. A werewolf who hunts while low on energy (i.e., Essence) is taking a risk. If the hunt goes poorly, that werewolf will have a difficult time healing himself, fueling his Gifts or changing shape. That, in turn, risks Death Rage and cannibalism. The Hunters in Darkness, before commencing a hunt, sometimes begin with this invocation to Black Wolf, granting a small measure of power as a blessing.
• Mark of the Black Wolf: The Hunters in Darkness can't kill werewolves who violate the Hunters' territories. Rather, they can, but doing so is a violation of the Oath of the Moon, and the Meninna value their Purity. Long ago, the tribe (so legend has it) asked Black Wolf for a method to mark trespassers without killing them, so that other Hunters would know the interlopers and be wary. Whether it was actually Black Wolf who responded or simply one of her servants, the result was the rite.
• The Mark of the Black Wolf doesn't require that the subject be physically present, but it's much easier that way. The rite marks a subject (which is usually, but not necessarily, another Uratha) with a spiritual brand similar to a Renown tattoo. Any werewolf can sense something wrong with a marked person with a successful reflexive Wits + Composure roll, and Gifts designed to detect lies or other malign intent (including Scent Beneath the Surface, Sense Malic or potentially even Death Sight, as well as any Gift that allows a werewolf to see Renown brands) perceive the Mark automatically. The Mark is usually in the form of a First Tongue glyph for "sacred" with a claw slash through it, since the Mark of the Black Wolf is most commonly bestowed upon werewolves who violated a Hunter's territory.
• Occasionally, a werewolf violates such a territory or otherwise wrongs the tribe and comes to accept his mistake. If a werewolf willingly submits to this rite, the Mark remains, but it can only be seen if another werewolf specifically looks for it. That is, it doesn't trigger the reflexive roll to sense the Mark. Accepting just punishment this way is a mark of Honor, and the Meninna usually consider that the end of the matter.
• The Mark of the Black Wolf can be be bestowed upon beings other than werewolves, but doing so is more challenging to the ritualist. At the Storyteller's discretion, other supernatural beings might be able to detect the Mark with their respective powers, though they probably don't have any context for the symbol.
• Rite of Hikaon's Trail: Black Wolf traveled the world over, learning the secret pathways of all lands and the hiding places of dark things. This rite, known only to a few knowledgeable Meninna, allows the Hunters in Darkness to find such secrets. Hikaon's Trail can lead anywhere that the werewolf needs to go, and find almost anything that she might need to find. Actually walking the trail can be dangerous, however, and requires the utmost tenacity and mental fortitude. Stepping off Hikaon's Trail can be deadly.
• After performing this rite, the Hunter sees a set of paw prints leading off into the distance. These prints appear fresh, even if the medium in which they are found is concrete or wood. The prints lead directly to whatever the werewolf wishes to find, but the rite is much easier to perform when used to find a place rather than an object or (especially) a person or spirit. Once the werewolf begins following the trail, though, she cannot leave it. The journey doesn't take as long as it would if the werewolf were traveling without benefit of the rite, but even if the werewolf sleeps, she must do so with the trail in sight. If she needs food, she'd better hope that the trail takes her near game or someplace that she can purchase a meal. Hikaon-Ur supposedly hunted without food or sleep for months at a time, but the Uratha, still half-flesh, are ill-equipped to do this.
• Once the quarry is in sight, the trail starts to fade. The werewolf knows that her journey is at an end, but the Hunt is just beginning (for why call upon Hikaon-Ur except to find the target of a Hunt?). When the trail fades, the werewolf regains all Willpower as if she had fulfilled her Virtue.
• Name the Quarry: This rite is invoked only rarely, as it is a death sentence for the target. The Hunters in Darkness use Name the Quarry only on enemies that the Hunters cannot allow to live to see sunrise, no matter what such bloody-mindedness might mean for their Harmony. Once the Quarry is named, there's no turning back - the ritualist (and usually his pack) must see the Hunt through to its bloody conclusion.
• A target named as the Quarry of the Meninna, though, is a desperate wretch indeed. No one will help him. Indeed, no one can see him. He becomes a non-person, shielded from view by powerful spirits of death (which, in recompense for their efforts, reap the Essence released when he dies). He might run up to people on the street, but find himself running past them. He screams, but no one hears. He throws objects, but they stop in midair and land harmlessly, unnoticed. The Quarry is alone in the world... until the Hunters come for him. If he can survive to feel the first ray of sunlight on his skin, he is free of the rite's effects, and by custom, the Meninna cannot harm him. But this is academic - if anyone has ever survived a night as the Hunters' Quarry, no tales exist as testament.