Paul Bode's Roleplay Game
Werewolf the Apocalypse
A big thanks to all the players and groups over the years who have contributed to the game.
The Sept of Sherwood
Caern Leader: James Purcell Totem: Oak
Caern Guardian: Richard Newman Secondary Totem: The Archer
Theurge: Martin Grugan Location: Nottingham
(Sherwood Forest)
James Purcell 'Shotgun': Glass Walker, Philodox, Rank 4, 5ft 6’ Tall, 35 Years old, Dark brown , a short handsome Jamie Oliver. Cheeky and colourful and a real charmer but an unusual Leader who leads by selection of his caern members. He builds respect and reputation with his sept members and it is this that stops challenges (he’s just too nice to challenge), his only worry is that a militant new comer may arrive and this paranoia keeps him from selecting new members and sadly makes this a closed sept and difficult to get membership at. He has been credited as a great trainer of pups and wartime leader and his leadership was at the head of the haephodant crisis. Out of sept, his is very approachable and likable and represents his beloved caern well. Lacking any affiliation with London he is keen to separate himself from the other glass walkers in case of another purge. He does like to rely on his fetish shotgun, a short range weapon capable of doing huge damage and giving him his garou name. Dresses very much like a student.
Lu-Tsu says: My caern leader and a very scared man, he's worried that someone will outdo him as caern leader, and rightfully so, a Glass Walker as a leader of the Sept Of Sherwood??? I must meditate on this subject.
Damon Wright says: From what I here a very good caern leader and the man to whom I shall hand a Pearl from Atlantis.
'Matt' Gordon Matthew Atherton-Smythe says: I don’t know ... yet. Seems manipulative but also reasonably honest. This doesn’t seem to make sense as a combination. Something’s off.
Tristan Greyholt: ....
Richard Newman 'Pup-Killer': Get-a-Fenris, Ahroun, Rank 3, 6ft 4’ Tall, 35 Years old, A clean shaven, smart stony faced Garou who rarely smiles and provides an intimidating presence and a massive support for 'Shotgun's' leadership. He never questions James and has undying loyalty to him. He is ex-army and has the military feel about him and is capable with and without weapons. He has shed blood for this caern and has helped it maintain garou control and it is as much his home as anywhere he has lived and served. Originally from Sept of the Flying Death he spent his early career there and lost many of his pack mates due to the foolishness of stupid pups. He has developed a burned hatred for them and has to work hard to not allow his intolerance to manifest. This and his strong opinions have caused him to fall out with King Lothar and the Get caern after being told 'Strength matters - but strength needs time to grow. Infants are born weak, but become mighty'. Much of caern life is modified when pups are staying at the caern to accommodate Richard's behaviour and this is often considered when need members join. Richard is an 80’s boy with great love for the music and the fashions, his clothes show it as well, with highlighted hair and pearly smile which can quickly turn into pearly fangs.
Darren Richards: Fianna, Ragabash, Rank 3, 5ft 10’ tall, 35 years old. <Not presently on caern roster> Short trimmed hair and slightly unkempt. He is a heavy alcoholic and drug user he would be useless without the resist toxin gift but his indulgences even push the gift to the limit. He is not well liked at the sept and is considered a leech, has been committed several times to special Garou hospitals to combat his problem. He is the weakness Black Spirals try to exploit at the caern and does not seem to listen to advice from elders on the matter. He only has lasted as long as he has because of his close friendship and packing with 'Shotgun' in the early years. James has tried several times to rid himself of this weakness but still owes him a life debt, amplified by the fact Darren has the gift of the gab and is quick to recount that ragabash are meant to have poor behaviour. Darren wears scruffy clothes, old T-shirts and smelly trainers. He is often seen with bottle in hand and a cigarette in mouth.
Lyndsay Rowlands: Glass Walker, Galliard, Rank 3, 5ft 7’ tall, 35 Years old, petite round faced Marilyn Monroe look alike. Lusted after by many of the kinfolk and rumour has it - some of the garou as well - yet remains unobtainable. Spends a lot of time fussing about her appearance, ‘oh! I broke a nail’, always looking her best, even when she is in war form she prefers tassels and pink ribbons in her fur. Yet is very much a part of the team and a keen warrior and can always tell a rather feminine story around campfires. She has gained a little weight since the reclaiming of the Caern which has been noted down to the 'happy times' but still keeps her curves a desirable shape. It is rumoured James and her have spent time together and may have broken the Litany, of course, it’s denied from both quarters and the kind of gossip you would hear around other septs that don't particularly like them. Lyndsay wears a variety of trendy clothing, which is both attractive and fashionable. She has little time for those women who are slutty and cheap.
'Matt' Gordon Matthew Atherton-Smythe says: Airhead. Can’t make a coherent argument even if it dances on her nose. <at least for now>
Becky Gardner: Wendigo, Ahroun, Rank 4, 5ft 11’ tall, 35 Years old, Once a happily married Garou (a rare thing) and now sadly she is separated pending a divorce. She has adopted a new kinfolk lover who is presently residing at the caern. She has five children, two boys and three girls. The eldest two have been blessed as garou and the eldest has now left the sept and is working to build her place at another caern. She has early days as a native American garou, but much of her old history is no longer discussed and although she still carries the tribe name, she does so by name only, or the occasional added feather. Her fur remains white as lasting tribute and she has on the rare occasion sung a few songs which come from her early years. She is a capable artist but does not get the chance to practice her skills with garou life and that of being a mother. Becky is tall and thin looking like an aged catwalk model with a slight sadness in her eyes. Wears revealing dresses and hugging pants and is over favourable of the colour black.
Sarah Pickup: Black Furies, Galliard, Rank 3, 5ft 10’ tall, unknown age, A stocky large breasted blonde Garou with long flowing blonde hair. She has a long face which is framed by her hair and blue piercing eyes. Very sad and melancholic she lost her kinfolk husband to the Wyrm a long time ago. He turned to the Wyrm after being corrupted by a Enticer and she was forced to slay him, something that destroyed more than just her partner. She has never recovered from this and it also scars her children who are active kinfolk at the caern. James and Darren befriended her and gave her the comfort she needed. She agreed to stay at the Caern and has become a strong member of the sept. She will often open the moots with an opening howl and will tell tragic stories of lost loves. Her clothing has toned down over the years and she now wears practical clothing that adopt her way of life. She is often seen at the Caern with her late teenage boys.
Martin Grugan: Wendigo, Theurge, Rank 5, 5ft 9’ Tall, Age 38, Another portly theurge and a close friend of Father Wimbish. They have drifted apart over the years, mainly because of duties at their respective caerns. His hair is black and he has tanned half cast skin (half native Indian) and helped Becky Gardner find a place at the caern as well as supporting her during her time of separation from her people. He has dark eyes, short well kept black hair and wears spectacles. Often seen with his fetish staff and a fetish guitar, which he spends much of his free time playing. He is the wise counsel of the Caern and the Head Theurge and is often a key person in elder meetings and for any training of garou that is required. He is the oldest serving Garou of this Caern and predates James Purcell’s arrival and this gives him special privileges with his dealings with 'Shotgun'. There are rumours that the two don't get on that well, but they never give any evidence for that matter. He favours rock n roll clothes or Indian clothes and there are some funny moments when he combines the two.
Tristan Greyholt: Polite, kind and wise. The teacher Hadya really deserves. I am pleased to see she may prosper here.
Mark Saunders 'Oak's Chosen': Glass Walker, Theurge, Rank 3, 5ft 11’ Tall, Age 37, One of the two Marks, he is thin and elegant with a rounded hair cut which has a slight ginger to the brown. In the later years his hair has thinned on the top, a matter he can be sensitive too. Mark can be nervous and very excitable, coming from the Great London Caern as part of a plan to spread Glass Walker influence to other Caerns. He was originally sent to Chester but made friends with Martin Grugan and the other Mark and eventually moved at Nottingham and became part of the roster here. This move was controversial and caused a few upsets with the London caern which did blemish his relationships with the mother caern. He has no intention of raising rank or status and is happy to tinker with cars and electronics, he especially likes working on 'scrapped' vehicles and bringing them back to life. He is the caern handy man and engineer and drives a especially made Range Rover that used to be owned by the fire service before being decommissioned. He has recently married and has a little girl which he has added to the caern's kin. Likes the ‘la shark’ label and utility clothing and is a qualified tree surgeon which allows him to administer aid to any injured trees at the sept which led to his garou name.
Diane Wright 'Red Vengence': Shadow Lord, Ahroun, Rank 3, 6ft 1’ Tall, Age 30, A barrel chested ginger hair lady with serious attitude and some keen combat skills. Her hair is wild and vibrant and she has faded freckles and could easily pass as a Black Fury or a Fianna. In fact she has Fianna blood, coming originally from Colchester as a Garou exchange to mix ability and strengths at caerns in the 90’s. She was presented with the choice at the conclusion of her rite of passage of becoming Fianna or Shadow Lord. Some argue she made the wrong choice but she has never regretted the decision. She has her own agenda and works still for the Colchester Caern although it would be untrue to say she has no feelings for the Garou here. She does bring this caern some support from the Shadow Lords which has been invaluable through the years and James has given support for Lord Gilliat in Grand Moots as tribute to this fact. Though she has apparent loyalty to Colchester she would do nothing to jeopardise her home or her friends, securing her a place here at the sept. She dresses much like a man, in jumpers and cords. She also has many contacts and friends which she has built up in the area which adds to her usefulness beyond being a warrior of Gaia.
Ian Henrys: Silent Strider, Ahroun, Rank 4, 6ft Tall, Age 38, A road wanderer who can still give the impression of being a professional person. He has short brown hair with appearing signs of grey now starting to show. Very rarely seen at the caern, despite calling it home and he spends most of his life on the move, the best time to find him is the monthly moots. He is a keen information gatherer and visits many caerns world wide and always seems privy to what is going on in peoples lives. Although this is the only Caern to which he has an apparent allegiance with, he has often helped many other caerns to build relations and connections for 'The Sept of Sherwood'. In contrast though he is also disliked and mistrusted by many caerns and there are often many rumours about his poor conduct and keeping secrets close to his chest, selling them only for gain not for Gaia's best interest. He has a traveling pack with several changes of clothing in and some basic mystical items which he uses for rites.
Lu-Tsu says: This man takes his tribe stereotype too seriously.
Moves-with-Moon says: Smells bad, smells of scabs, and smells of Wyrm.
Damon Wright says: Finding this man is not easy until after you have found him once then coincidence places him right next to you.
'Matt' Gordon Matthew Atherton-Smythe says: Not the nicest of people, or easy to get along with, but we’d all be in deep s**t without him. _I_ would be in deep s**t without him.
Mark Thompson: Fianna, Ahroun, Rank 1, 5ft 11’ Tall, Age 25, Tall muscular karate and fitness expert. He is slightly freckled with light blonde-ginger hair. One of the newer additions to the caern joining as one of the new pups. He is now about to complete his ranking to fostern, claiming the slow progress being down to the fact that there is not as much 'war' at Nottingham as he would have liked. Many doubt this is true and suggest it is an excuse for slow progress. Even the spirits were unsure of his tribe when he was a pup - so for now he has adopted the Fianna and has learned to build a personal relationship with Stag who he has also adopted as a personal totem for times when he is not in packs. Since the shaming of Darren Richards, he has come into his own at the caern, now being a fully fledged and trusted member and the 'Keeper of the Land' and helps with rites of cleansing. He still harbours the dream of moving to Ireland and stay at a Fianna Caern there, but it appears that life has gotten in the way of his dreams. He wears Marks and Spencer's clothing, as he gets them cheap from his day job to support caern finances.
Moira McErin-Hart: Fianna, Galliard, Rank 1, 5ft 11’ Tall, Age 15, Pretty, orange-red curly hair. Recently joined the caern and is the Fianna in training and the Grand Daughter of the Head Fianna theurge of the nation. Moira being young is packing to build her reputation and has become keenly focused on the spirit Stag and has built a relationship with the spirit that is likely to last her adult garou life. She has been a member of the Thundering Paws pack which operated out of Seabird and she was selfless enough to give her freedom up for her pack, so that they had a place to stay. The decision may come back to haunt her, but she seems happy enough for now. Her future is uncertain but caern members have high hopes for the beautiful lass.
The Caern: Another of the old, ancestral ancient caerns of the British isles. This holy site was originally owned by the Fae, and has on several occasions, gone back to Fae control. The underdog, whoever it maybe, has always has had a presence there whether it’s Garou or Fay and an allegiance has always been maintained. The number of fianna here over the years has slowly been reduced and therefore they have become a rare and valued commodity at the caern due to its unique history. The surrounding forest in the penumbra is littered with deep umbral realms and fae mushroom circles and can form pilgrimage sites for the UK's fianna. Some have tried for membership here but have found 'Shotgun' an untrusting host, hard to win favour with. There is also a direct bridge to the legendary realm - the Tree where Robin Hood fell, it’s also the Caern heart and the legendary 'Major Oak', a tree that is being supported and maintained regularly by the caern. The spirit of which has become animated and become the mighty caern totem for the sept, though both 'Archer', 'Hern the Hunter' and 'Stag' are commonly seen visitors in the penumbra. The tree is also a side Realm to the Fay world and also a huge spirit in itself, being fed by the thoughts and minds of all the humans that visit it each year as tourists. The seelie presently have control of the alliance with the garou and it does occaionally get fought over with the unseelie, meaning any fianna garou at the caern have to be prepared to deal with both factions. It has been argued in moots, of all of the English septs, this is the most like a caern and a change of policy should bring a change to name and ideals to membership. The wyrm does make various attempts at disrupting life at the caern, normally using subtlety than brute force and the whole 'Haephodant Crisis' was stopped due to the actions of this caern and its representatives.
Visitors: There can be a lot of traffic at this caern from European Silent Striders and Fianna, all who have special links with this caern and use it for the performance of annual rites and pilgrimages. It can have quite a gathering at its monthly moots and in the last year both King Lothar and Lord Gillait have made appearances at the caern. It is rumoured that Jean Paul Discese is also planning to make visits to some of the moots, though this has yet to happen. Many of the tribes are represented by the visitors with only Star Gazers, Red Talons and Black Furies being in low numbers - all for obvious reasons. The caern also has links with some famous ronins who will also come from time to time. 'Shotgun' keeps tabs on visitors but does what he can to keep the steady flow of interest in the caern alive despite it being a closed sept.
