Many years ago, spirits lived among us. They lived in the trees, in the water, and they spoke to us as ancestors. But then, with the formation of the Gauntlet, they were ripped from this world and imprisoned in the Umbra (see the Umbra Bluesheet for more info on that). Now, it is rare for a spirit to exist in the real world. Those that do are oft incomprehensible to the average Garou, unless he has the ability to talk to spirits.
When the spirits were banished to the Umbra, they filled it with a raucous energy. It was literally impossible to walk a step without touching a spirit. But years of the Weaver's efforts have taken their toll - The near Umbra is is now almost as devoid of sentient spirits as the real world is. But it is not completely empty. There are still enough inhabitants in the near Umbra to make it a wild, dangerous, and wonderful place to visit. And realms in the deeper Umbra are still inhabited by an eclectic mixture of Spirits - benign, malevolent, and neutral.
The Spirit world can be divided into several classifications:
Ephemerae - The raw, non-sentient spirit-stuff that makes up the landscape in the Umbra
Naturae - Spiritual representations of living plants or animals. They were all sentient once, but as the Apocalypse draws near, they are increasingly non-sentient.
Emanations - These appear to be the spirits of the dead.
Gafflings - They possess limited intelligence and almost no free will. They are the direct servants of greater spirits. These spirits are the ones most often found in fetishes and talens.
Jagglings - One step up from Gafflings, Jagglings have some free will and can have formidable intelligence. They generally serve Totem Spirits.
Totems - Inscrutably powerful, Totem Spirits have a keen intelligence and unknown agendas. Totems are much like patron Saints to the tribes and packs of the Garou.
Celestines - There are three Celestines known to the Garou - Gaia, Luna, and Helios. They are more than mere spirits - they embody the universe itself. It was Luna who gifted/cursed the Garou with their abilities. It is Gaia that all Garou fight the Wyrm to save.
Fomori - There are cases of spirit possession. When a Wyrm Spirit (also called a Bane) possesses a human, it twists the human to evil deeds, and their physical form tends to reflect this. They are called Fomori, and they can be truly monstrous and powerful. Weaver Spirits and Wyld Spirits can also possess humans. Weaver Fomori tend to be bland and obsessed with order. Wyld Fomori are exceedingly rare and little is known about them.
All Garou can learn the ways of Spirits, but a special class of Theurges, known as Spirit Theurges, are the accepted masters in this arena. Garou can understand most spirits in the Umbra, but in the real world, they must have special training and sensitivity to make sense of a spirit's intentions. Spirit Theurges excel in Spirit Speech, as well as all other aspects of dealing with spirits.
Caern Spirits
Caern Spirits tend to be Jagglings with a large amount of free will, however, Emanations and Naturae have also been known to accept the mantle of responsibility for a Caern. Caern Spirits take a personal interest in the welfare of a Caern - the health of the Caern and the disposition of its Caern Spirit are very much bound together -the death of a Caern Spirit has been known to utterly destroy the potency of its Caern. Likewise, the poisoning of the land around a Caern will drive a Caern Spirit to madness.
Caern Spirits vary in their attitude and gregariousness. Some Septs only see their Caern Spirit once a year, while others may have daily discourse with theirs. Although all the Sept members are familiar with the personality of their Caern Spirit, the Theurges and Uktena tend to be the ones with the most intimate knowledge of it.
Totem Spirits
In human society, groups of people form around ideas and ideals. Disparate individuals bind themselves to others for common purposes and then choose something to symbolize that commonality. Examples include the American Flag, the crucifix, white hoods, a secret handshake. The Garou also bind themselves into tightly knit groups (packs) and they also choose a symbol to inspire them - their Totem Spirit. However, the Pack Totem Spirit is more than just a symbol, it is an actual spirit that lives somewhere in the Umbra. It represents the ideals to which they aspire and unifies their spirits and their goals. Like a Patron Saint, it takes no direct part in their day to day lives, but instead inspires them and sustains their hopes.
The Pack Totem watches over the Pack and cares for them in its own way. When a pack member is ready to learn a new Gift, the Totem will often send one of its subsidiary spirits to teach her. When the Pack Totem notices one of its members in distress or turmoil, it may send a sign of hope to him. The Totem Spirit is also affected by the actions of the pack - though only the Theurges claim to know how much. The health of the Totem Spirit is affected by how well the Pack fulfills its goals and how well its members adhere to the Litany. It is well known that a dishonorable Pack will bring dishonor upon their Totem, but they could also affect the very attitude and personality of their Totem.
When Garou wish to form a new Pack, the first thing they must do is to find a Totem Spirit. Everyone in the Pack must partake in a Vision Quest, asking Gaia herself for guidance. They perform a short ritual in which they state the ideals to which their Pack will strive, and then journey into the Umbra, waiting for their new Totem to accept them. The new Totem may demand tribute, or request gifts, or require the completion of a quest. Very rarely, a Pack might grow away from their Totem spirit. In these cases, they can either attempt to strengthen their ties to their Totem spirit, or they might divorce it, in a ceremony before their entire Sept.
Fetishes and Talens
Some Garou have the talents and the training to force or coerce spirits to inhabit an item and imbue it with their power. These items are revered, and are called either Fetishes or Talens. Talens may be used by anyone, but the spirit is released after it has been used once. A Fetish, however, can only be activated by the person to whom it is dedicated, but the spirit is encased in the item for a longer time period. Both Fetishes and Talens generally require expenditure of a Gnosis point to activate their special powers.
Fetishes are created by Theurges, but anyone with the Rite of Binding can create a Talen. Creation of a Fetish or Talen involves crafting the item, imbuing it with a sense of its purpose, and then inviting a Spirit to enter the item. The creation of a Fetish or a Talen is not something that is undertaken lightly. They are intensely personal items and their power is very much bound up in the meaning of their symbolism.
Creating a Fetish or Talen on a whim will attract only fickle or Wyrm-ridden spirits, whereas creating a Fetish/Talen with intense concentration and deeply meaningful symbolism will attract appropriate and powerful spirits. Fetishes and Talens are generally finished in the Umbra, where powerful spirits are located. The Garou may first find a Spirit and then create the item for it, or she may finish the item and then wait for an appropriate spirit to arrive. Both these methods involve no coercion of the spirit and often take time. However, when time is at a premium, a garou may force a Spirit into a Fetish or Talen (this requires a Static Mental Challenge against the Spirit). This can cause the Garou to lose status in the spirit world, but, as long as the spirit is not permanently harmed, it is not likely to to seek revenge.
One final way to imbue a Fetish with a spirit is to sacrifice your own spirit to it. These Garou-powered Fetishes are the most powerful and revered of Fetishes. A Fetish/Talen can contain a spirit of the Wyld, or Weaver, or even Wyrm. The Garou tend to be suspicious of Weaver Fetishes, and downright hostile towards Wyrm Fetishes.
Vision Quest
For the most part, the only communication that a Pack will attempt with its Totem Spirit is restricted to periodic sacrifices to it, and respecting any Geas or restrictions that their Totem has set before them. However, when the situation is dire enough, a pack can travel into the Umbra and ask a question or a boon of their Pack Totem spirit. This is not a task to be undertaken lightly. Travel through the Umbra is, in and of itself, dangerous - annoying a Totem Spirit with a trivial question is even more so.
Typically a Vision Quest consists of several steps:
Entering the Umbra. Entering the Umbra is not a trivial step - botching it could result in severe interference from Weaver-controlled drones.
Contacting the Totem Spirit and making the request. Each pack will have slightly different rituals for this. Some Totem Spirits will demand severe tests, or costly sacrifices before granting their attention.
Interpretation of the answer. Totem spirits exist in a different plane of existence - even when they wish to speak plainly, we often have trouble understanding them. Generally, when answering a question, they will answer in riddles, metaphors, or simply indicate the first step you need to take to find the answer.
Follow up. The Totem's answer often simply indicates a further course of action. This could require further Umbral travel, or it might require confessing a sin to one who has been wronged, or it may require the destruction of an enemy. Whatever the indicated course of action is, the Pack should implement it immediately. To not act on such a course of action is considered a dishonoring of the Totem Spirit