RAHU: FULL MOON, WARRIOR The Rahu auspice is technically a blessing, but fewwerewolves look on it as wholly benign, for the gift of thefull moon is mad fury. When Luna’s face is full, the spiritworld becomes more dangerous. The moon’s wrath saturatesthe spirit landscape, making spirits more aggressiveand volatile. Werewolves have greater difficulty resistingtheir aggressive impulses, and Forsaken who undergo theirFirst Change under the full moon are marked as viciousand unrelenting warriors.

Despite the power of the fury that fills him, a trueRahu is not always a berserker, and shouldn’t be dismissedas "mindless". Many are insightful leaders on the field ofbattle, the linchpins of their packs’ combat abilities. Someare capable tacticians, excelling in the mental aspects ofthe warrior’s path. All immerse themselves in their role,attempting to master their violent impulses by paring theimpurities from their souls.

The Rahu’s role in a pack is obvious. He is to be theforemost warrior, first to take the fight to the enemy andlast to retreat. A pack with a strong Rahu is much betterprepared to survive the dangers of the physical and spiritworlds alike, for he not only lends his strength in battle,but also his insights into a foe’s weaknesses. A pack thatlacks a Full Moon must be careful about picking fights,for it lacks a warrior who can be reliably strong in allsituations.

CAHALITH : GIBBOUS MOON, VISIONARY Equal parts priest and historian, oracle and war-howler,the Cahalith is the voice of Luna. To be a Cahalithis to be ridden by one’s dreams, to sense things in sharpcontext, to have one’s soul constantly churning withthoughts and impulses that demand expression. Lunaplays the muse to those who change under the gibbousmoon, though she’s a demanding patron. Cahalith arefrequently artists or musicians of a sort after their change,but not particularly by choice. They must find an outlet forthe visions Luna sends them, lest they go mad.

In the greater context of Forsaken society, Cahalithkeep the scattered fragments of werewolf culture. Theyare the ones who remember the old legends and ballads.They also look toward the future, able to find answersto tomorrow’s problems of the future in yesterday’s tales.Even those Cahalith without any real talent for craftingsongs, telling stories or creating art find ways to expressthemselves in their howls. It’s said that nothing is morepoignant than the howl of a Cahalith. It’s said even thewerewolves of the Pure Tribes pause and regret just for amoment when hearing a Forsaken Cahalith’s howl echoacross the sky.

Within the pack, the Cahalith is usually the reservoirof knowledge that the others lack. While the Ithaeurunderstands the spirit world, the Elodoth learns to judgehearts and the Rahu masters the art of war, the Cahalithcan provide information on almost anything. TheCahalith is also frequently the heart of the pack, inspiringhis mates to fight more ferociously or to stay their talons.Conversely, a pack that lacks a Cahalith must work hardto uncover pertinent information, particularly about oldlegends. Without a Cahalith, a pack may fight with lessstrength and zeal; there is nobody to remind them withwords and howls just what they’re fighting for.

ELODOTH : HALF MOON, WALKER BETWEEN The half moon hangs in balance, and balance isLuna’s gift to the Elodoth. Those who Change under thehalf moon are touched with duality, drawing strengthfrom that dichotomy. The Elodoth are judges and executioners,able to weigh both sides of any argument andideally suited to act as voice of the law. They are alsoenvoys to the spirit world, able to meet spirits halfway andnegotiate with them.

All werewolves live on the edge between wolf andhuman, matter and spirit, but an Elodoth is keenly awareof it. This precarious existence influences an Elodoth todo what he can to keep himself even more in balance. AHalf Moon might strive to live as much of his life in wolfform as he does in human form. He might feel compelledto visit the spirit world for a time after a prolonged periodspent in the physical world.

The Elodoth plays a central role in a pack. He canunderstand the wild passion and Rage of the Rahuand Cahalith, as well as the detached mysticism of theIthaeur, and the aloof mindset of the Irraka. He oftenplays devil’s advocate to the pack, questioning thealpha’s decisions (when not the alpha himself) if hisperspective on both sides of an issue reveals anotherpotential solution. However, the wise Elodoth takes thisrole seriously, and doesn’t abuse his privilege as contrarian;the middle of a bloodbath is no time to be challengingauthority. The Half Moon’s perspective on bothsides of a situation is meant to help him choose theright course of behavior, not to promote the contrarycourse of action, right or wrong.

ITHAEUR: CRESCENT MOON, SPIRIT MASTER The crescent moon is the auspice of the shaman, thespeaker with spirits or the spirit hunter. When Luna isbarely visible, she is the oracle moon, the patron goddessof mysticism. The crescent moon marks those Forsakenwho change under it with mystical insight and a connectionto the spirit world. Yet, as the crescent moon is justenough light to count as moonlight, the Ithaeur is possessedof just enough knowledge to get into trouble.

Dealing with spirits is a dangerous business by anystandard. The Ithaeur is equipped to face the challenge,but is also burdened with the duty to do so. The Ithaeurmust continue farther down the shaman’s path than anyother werewolf. She cannot walk away from the frighteningaspects of spirit interaction or ignore places where thespirit world is bleeding and diseased. Any of the Peoplecan interact with relatively friendly spirits, but the Ithaeuris the one who must wrestle the most malicious and poisonousspirits into submission.

The Ithaeur is the final authority on all things dealingwith the spirit world. She guides any trips into theShadow and uses her powers to dominate spirits whenElodoth’s negotiations fail. She is also a crafter of fetishes,and probably knows more rites than her packmates. Apack without an Ithaeur is at an immediate disadvantagewhen dealing with spirits, particularly aggressive ones.Although all werewolves can deal with spirits to somedegree, the world they inhabit is sufficiently hostile that apack needs any edge it can get.

IRRAKA: NEW MOON, STALKER Those who change under the new moon are strangeand unpredictable - moonless Forsaken with no guidingstar. Luna’s blessing to the Irraka is the ability to walkunseen, the gift of deception.

Within the pack, the Irraka is the scout, the first tofollow a trail and the first to catch sight of the prey. Theblessings of stealth and subterfuge enable the moonlessForsaken to tail a person or investigate an area much moreeasily than his packmates might. They are the werewolveswho hunt without howling, who kill with a silent bite tothe throat.

For all that, though, the Irraka are not lone wolves.They may operate on the fringes of the pack during ahunt, but they feel the pack mentality as strongly as otherwerewolves. The moonless auspice seems to have less ofLuna’s touch upon them, and a greater number of Irrakastill think of themselves as "human" at heart than dothe werewolves of any other auspice. However, even ifthey sometimes choose to walk alone through the humanherds, their place is with their pack.

Irraka also frequently master the art of trickery,though not for the sake of humor. Their arts of deceit areplied to achieve some other end - deceiving an enemyor enhancing the reputation of their pack. They are mostfrequently often the ones charged with upholding thesecret of the People’s existence by leaving false trails andduping local humans.