Sept of the Moon's Blessing

The Sept of the Moon's Blessing is a caern at Cumberland Falls, Appalachia. The site was discovered by Artemis Silver-Dawn, a Black Fury of the Freebooters camp, around 1900.^[1] Galileo Crosses-the-Stars became Master of the Challenge of the sept following the disappearance of the previous Master of the Challenge in 1993.^[2]

History

Before the coming of European settles to the Cumberlands, the forests of eastern Kentucky provided the Cherokee and Shawnee with fertile hunting grounds and many ancient trails through the mountains attest to the wanderings of these native people. Competition for the verdant lands resulted in war between the Cherokee and Shawnee, and eventually the Shawnee conceded the hunting grounds and left the area.

French explorers discovered the Cumberlands nearly 100 years before Daniel Boone made his famous forays into the eastern Kentucky wilderness, paving the way for permanent settlement of the area by disgruntled and land-hungry people from the British Isles and other European nations.

Although coal mining operations covered most of eastern Kentucky, the major coal fields lay to the east of the forest; here, timber proved a valuable commodity. In 1937, President Roosevelt enacted a proclamation creating the Cumberland National Forest, although the forest's name was later changed to the Daniel Boone National Forest in honor of the area's most inveterate explorer. The Cumberland Falls State Resort Park was created in the 1930s through private funding to protect the natural wonder from industrial interests. Some of the funds set aside for the park came from Kinfolk of local Garou, who had already discovered the unique properties of the falls and were determined to preserve it from desecration by Weaver-inspired business or Wyrm-tainted polluters.

The Sept of the Moon's Blessing has been in existence for nearly a hundred years, since a Black Fury Freebooter, a Ragabash named Artemis Silver-Dawn, discovered it during a vision quest as a cub. Unwilling to tie herself down to any one spot, but recognizing the treasure that had been dropped into her lap, she gathered together some Garou she had met in her travels through the mountains and took them to the mighty falls. When the caern was opened, the totem spirit of Woodpecker contacted the Garou and agrees to lend her assistance and blessing. The relative ease with which Moon Bridges can be opened here make this caern a natural headquarters for Appalachian Garou, and provides swift communication between it and the other caerns within the mountains.

Sept Members

• Hattie Thunderwife, Children of Gaia Ahroun, Sept Leader
• Josiah Windford, Silver Fang Ahroun, Warder
• Gayle MacMullain ("Leafbright"), Fianna Philodox, Keeper of the Land
• Lugh ("Lew") Light-on-the-Water, Fianna Theurge, Master of the Rite
• Galileo Crosses-the-Stars, Stargazer Ragabash, Master of the Challenge
• Dagnar Icedottir, Get of Fenris Philodox

References