Werewolves gather in tribes out of common cause, bound by oath and ritual. A tribe is something like a political faction and something like a religious community. The ties of repentance and responsibility bind the Tribes of the Moon, but every werewolf wants to be part of a social group. Since they cannot truly be part of human society, werewolves gather in tribes to find new purpose and meaning.

Werewolves join tribes for a number of reasons. Some human bloodlines with a trace of wolf blood are traditionally associated with a given tribe. (The MacHealeys of Jefferson County have a family line blessed by thunder and lightning, for example, and werewolves who inherit the power of that bloodline usually swear allegiance to the Storm Lords as their ancestors did.) Some werewolves are marked by the spirits early and are said to be predestined to join a particular tribe. (Josh Coltraine, for example, constantly dreamed of rivers of blood growing up, and had a vicious temper that could be harnessed only through the practice of martial arts. Upon Josh’s First Change, the werewolves who took him in claimed to see the mark of Fenris on his brow.) And, of course, some werewolves join tribes out of a common ideology or outlook. (Allegra Winston, for example, has always considered herself environmentally minded, and even before her Change had more empathy for animals than for her fellow human beings. Once she’d mostly recovered from the Change and learned about the state of the tribes, she asked to be taken in by the Hunters in Darkness, who value the same things she always has.) Then again, some werewolves have no particular reason to join a given tribe, or they reject the idea of swearing allegiance to a tribal totem. These “Ghost Wolves” walk the dangerous yet somewhat freer path of the tribeless.

Look over the tribe descriptions (pp. 84-101) and choose whether your character belongs to one of the five tribes presented, or if she’s a tribeless Ghost Wolf. Your Storyteller might have some advice based on what’s most appropriate for his chronicle, and it’s a good idea to consult with your fellow players to learn their intentions. Players usually want to have unique characters, and two or more werewolves from the same tribe might be disappointing or redundant.

Each tribe is affiliated with a particular type of Renown (see p. 77). That trait suits the tribe totem’s beliefs and outlooks, and those of group members in general, explaining their desire to collect as a society. Your character’s tribe determines one of his Renown traits at character creation. It also determines some of the Gifts (p. 102) available to him.