Summary
The sept of the Spiked Pavise calls the Ruislip Woods Nature Reserve and the lands around it home. With a centuries-old caern and a Fianna-heavy leadership, this sept is devoted to protecting the ways of the Garou and promoting the spread of the Wyld while surrounded by the always-tightening webs of the Weaver. Over the sept’s long history, Shadow Lords and Silver Fangs have been gradually removed from positions of leadership, though the new alpha wisely chooses the best Garou for the job regardless of tribe, in defiance of generations of tribal wrangling.
History
Situated in the largest stretch of ancient woodland in greater London, the sept of the Spiked Pavise has been a bastion of English Garou since the Ice Age receded. Situated in the northwest of London, the Hillingdon territory spans nearly 800 acres – an enormous tract of woods, plains, ponds and lakes boasting the only remnants of the Wildwood that covered England 8,000 years ago.
The woods, for the longest time, were simply that. Used as a hunting ground, sustainably farmed for timber and harvested by gatherers, this area was otherwise left to its own devices. Too far from the White Howler homeland and too large for them to upkeep anyway, the Fianna became the de facto caretakers here and it was, more or less, a peaceful time. This land was mostly avoided by human armies thanks to the cultivation of thick brush and brambles, even thwarting Roman forces on their way to Caledonia. Kinfolk had a place to hide from the awakened Wyrm beasts and Fomori that ravaged through the countryside in Rome’s wake, and with the fall of the White Howlers north of Hadrian’s Wall, the Hillingdon woods were a rare place of succor and security.
It was the Fianna that first recognized that they were going to have to face certain issues. With the White Howlers taking on the moniker of the Black Spiral Dancers and launching assaults on places of seeming safety, having a central safe haven within easy reach of all the settlements around southern England would make protecting the land and responding to those threats a lot easier. With great foresight, they sent Galliards far and wide seeking other tribes with a presence in England, planning to secure and build the greatest caern in the British Isles. Eventually, representatives from the Shadow Lords, the Silver Fangs, the Get of Fenris, the Bone Gnawers, the Fianna and several Corax arrived within a fortnight to begin discussions and formulate a plan.
Little is known about Emulf de Hesdin now but what can be gleaned from oral histories and scant written records (such as the Domesday Book) was that he was a well-bred noble with a tenuous familial connection to William the Conqueror. What is not generally known is that he was a Shadow Lord kinfolk with breeding, intelligence, and a healthy ambition to do his part for Gaia. The plan was to appeal, through combat prowess and politics, to the Humans to see if the might of the Garou could translate into a safe and secure home using the Human’s laws and traditions. Gathering enough resources for a suit of armor and a hardy horse, preparations were made and de Hesdin and his retinue submitted themselves to the Conqueror’s will.
de Hesdin was immediately pressed into military service and quickly made a name for himself. He was a more than capable warrior, but it was the Garou assigned to accompany him as squires and companions who made things happen when something impressive was needed – child’s play for them, using their martial skills and the Delirium against woefully-unprepared foes that fled the instant a ten-foot-tall Crinos stepped onto the battlefield. And thanks to Corax observers and spies keeping watch, Emulf de Hesdin was usually two steps ahead of the nearest enemy commander, preventing losses and executing daring strikes. Eventually, his deeds earned him dominion over the manor of Ruislip, which included the woods and all lands surrounding it – recognition of his exemplary service during the war.
Then the real work began. With the land secure, more than a hundred Garou participated in the rite that would result in the creation of the caern. Not all of them survived the attacks of Black Spiral Dancers and other creatures, whether malevolent or merely unwilling to see the werewolves grow in power — but the rite itself was a success. After burying their dead, the question inevitably came up between the surviving Garou. What about the spirit of this place? Who would call this caern home? The eventual appearance of a small, snuffling, spiny creature with a long nose and bright, black eyes caused no small surprise; enter Soft-Step Bright-Eyes, a Hedgehog spirit that waddled into the caern and settled in like she was born there. After some consternation (a hedgehog? really?) the sept eventually coalesced around their new totem and, for generations afterwards, things went fairly well.
However, the rules of succession in the human world were such that in 1810 when the then-lord, Henry Campbell Bellingham, was found murdered in his home in London without an heir, the caern’s survival fell into doubt. The entire wood was seamlessly transitioned to the control of the Windsor family who, for a time, did nothing. However, when they took notice of this heretofore untapped resource and started to make plans, things looked poorly for the Garou. The first insult was when the local stream was dammed for use as a water source for the city’s canal system, causing several kinfolk homes and a good deal of the caern to suddenly disappear underwater. Then the remaining land was included in an under-the-table sale to a Wyrm-aligned corporation, the Ruislip-Northwood Urban District.
The plan was to level as much of the woods and historic sites that they could, harvest the timber, and put in homes for more than 35,000 residents. Construction was started but halted almost immediately thanks to Elizabeth “Mad Bess” Kennington and her husband, Gerald Thornberry. Long-time residents of the woods, Bess and Gerald were the perfect advocates against the unwanted development. While Gerald leveraged influence and other political avenues to keep construction from progressing, Bess and her pack sabotaged any and all road works, equipment, planning offices or infrastructure that were necessary for things to progress further than a simple two-lane road. Further Urban District plans were put on hold due to the onset of World War I and were abandoned entirely a few years later, due to resources being reallocated for the war effort.
The Shadow Lords and Silver Fangs worked tirelessly over the years to eventually buy and reclaim nearly the entirety of the land that had been under the domain of the sept before the death of Lord Bellingham. The population of the sept swelled, while the city-based caerns rose and fell during the Industrial Revolution. Through it all, the sept persevered, even surviving the Blitz, suffering only a minimum of off-course German bombings but no loss of life.
Following the war, plans were set in motion to transform a small, disused military base in the south of Hillingdon into the labyrinth of steel and concrete now known as Heathrow Airport, and this proved to be a new problem. While the sept had plenty of capital and tremendous influence based on historical titles and holdings, attempting to stop or even slow a project as enormous as an airport would have completely devastated both the finances and combat prowess of the sept. The wisest and only course of action was judged to be mitigation of damage, and it was the Glass Walkers who were able to provide just the right amount of bureaucratic pressure and manipulation needed. While the airport was eventually built, flight paths were turned more or less permanently away from the caern, eliminating the danger of accidental observation and providing clear nights for necessary rites and rituals with a minimum of pollution.
Further political influence transitioned the sept territory into Protected National Nature Reserve status in 1997, the first such awarded for any technically urban area in England. Leased for the next 999 years, the sept is currently safe from mundane sale or exploitation.
Today the sept is a melting-pot of tribes – some from an international influx of permanent new members, some fleeing London after the awakening of other supernatural threats. Fera are allowed to visit with permission; after all, having a few Corax or a Bastet on your side may mean the difference someday. Most are understandably reluctant, however.
Totem
The sept’s totem is Hedgehog, an uncommon spirit of wisdom. Soft-Step Bright-Eyes specializes in exactly what her sept is known for: providing protection from the crush of the world outside while keeping those within her wall of quills safe. The cultivated undergrowth of Ruislip is much like her spiny coat, a substantial defense against the threats of the outside world while allowing those with her blessings the knowledge of how to slip past, settling into safety and warmth against her belly.
Leadership
Edward “Lessons-Learned” Windsor, sept Alpha
Homid Fianna Philodox
With a proper British name like Edward Windsor (no relation to the royal family), were he not Garou, Edward might have had a shot at Parliament. Boasting a relatively even-tempered attitude even during the fullest of moons and a strategic mind that rivals some chess grandmasters, his leadership has managed to endure for nearly fifteen years. The hereditary caretaker of the Ashby Farm and a great deal of the lands surrounding the sept of the Spiked Pavise, his well-considered curation ensures that he and his are pretty much left alone, and that’s just the way he likes it. If he’s a bit remote from the more everyday affairs of the pack, chalk it up to the simple fact of keeping any farm up and running.
His scars sometimes ache on the colder days but this doesn’t stop him from regularly walking the borders of the bawn to check for incursions or weak spots. Between property management and spending time with the latest crop of cubs – teaching obscure tidbits that may not be entirely useful in more modern times – Edward can seem a bit remote.
But he’s there when he’s needed, and fair almost to a fault. Welcoming foreigners and members of other tribes to the territory with respect until they prove themselves unworthy of it, Edward has no time for nepotism or inherited tribal prejudices. This has proved problematic on occasion – as happens when one puts Bone Gnawers on the same footing as Silver Fangs – but overall the policy has ensured strong leadership, talent and tenacity in the sept. His policy of equal treatment extends to the Fera of London – there are spaces where Bastet, Corax and Ratkin are welcome to interact with willing Garou.
Maxine “Bad Penny” Lomax, Mistress of Challenge & Truthcatcher
Homid Bone Gnawer Galliard
The streets of London were Maxine’s home growing up. Evicted from her economy flat with her family at age six, she and her mother spent her formative years begging, foraging for food, and scrabbling for a place to call home out of the weather in some of the worst places – for a Garou – in London. The London Underground – or rather, one of the side tunnels used for access to a steam pipe – served as home. This phase of her life gave her a near-zero tolerance for bullshit and a good heart; she knows what it’s like to be hungry and cold, and doesn’t want that for anyone who doesn’t deserve it.
Maxine swears like a sailor around her two-pack-a-day Chesterfield habit and enjoys the occasional “death run” around the bawn where she and a few unlucky cubs run until everyone drops from exhaustion except herself. She’s got an uncanny knack for sniffing out lies and often taps in a Theurge or a few spirits to help her get to the bottom of things. A thoughtful arbiter when it comes to challenges, she dons an almost comically-oversized barrister’s wig that perfectly fits her Crinos form when she’s really serious.
Rebecca “Verbs-the-Noun” Islington, Warder
Homid Black Fury Ragabash
Handing a born trickster the keys to the kingdom may not seem wise. Having that trickster on your side, watching your defenses, and being intimately familiar with how to defeat those defenses just makes sense. Knowing where you’re weak means it’s easier to see the signs of what to watch for when things get confusing, and Rebecca takes her position as Warder quite seriously. Most of the sept is unclear what her qualifications and deeds were, exactly, with the consensus being that she’s done a lot. Rumors about Rebecca swirl almost constantly, and this chaos and mystery are things she’s happy to encourage.
She works with the Wyrm Foe and Keeper of the Land intimately, keeping track of potential threats with a practiced eye and shoring up weaknesses in their borders with all manner of traps and annoyances. One might think she would prefer to have Goose as a totem but that’s nothing she’ll confirm or deny. She knows her position could be easily challenged for but she’s doing so well as Warder that that day is probably in the far future. Rebecca loves the sept too much to let it go without a fight, even if she’s usually off “doing things.”
Brittany “Twinkle-Toes” Valentine, Wyrm Foe
Homid Silver Fang Ahroun
Brittany was supposed to be a ballerina but, as it happens, that youthful temper of hers wasn’t just hormones. She quickly learned that with the right motivation and lunar phase, she could transform into an incarnation of Gaia’s Vengeance and make some real problems for the bad guy. Often compared to dynamite or some other explosive substance, her training was outsourced to the Get of Fenris and made deliberately more intense than it needed to be. Her ballerina background earned her a derisive nickname that she kept even after her more serious deeds became more well-known.
Short, packed with muscle, and wound as tight as a bowstring, Brittany takes her role as Wyrm Foe with all due seriousness. No matter the target (the bigger, the better!) Brittany leads the Revel from the front, heals up for as long as it takes to get mobile again, then starts training for the next one. Her tactical mind, her arsenal of feints, defenses and attacks that serve the pack under her direction have taken down targets twice or three times their size. She excels in dirty fighting and championing the underdog, helping those who need a hand to get a kill, a challenge done, or just learn to fight better, which means she’s often on loan or busy elsewhere. Her guilty pleasure? Sailor Moon.
Jenny “Earth-Whisperer” Bradley, Rite Mistress
Homid Children of Gaia Theurge
While a Child of Gaia Theurge can be a bit stereotypical, there are reasons for people to hold that belief. Jenny is a veritable font of knowledge when it comes to spirits and rites, teaching the basics to those that need them and deftly guiding other Theurges through the Umbra. A transplant from a fallen sept in Southern California, Jenny doesn’t deal with the cold weather very well, preferring the warmer months and remaining in four-legged form during the winter to take advantage of that natural fur coat.
She’s also a little difficult sometimes. Having a high Gnosis means she can seem more spirit than real, oftentimes foregoing self-care in favor of extended trips through the Umbra. Occasionally absentminded, she will sink herself sometimes right into the middle of a spirit conversation and not find her way out until someone physically moves her. She knows many rites, including some that are usually tribe-specific, and loves improvising in ways that rankle the traditionalists and amuses herself. Important rites are taught without thought of recompense, assuming one can sit through her third-eye vision and her riddles.
Harrison “Song of the Skies” Kober, Talesinger
Homid Fianna Galliard
Despite being named after the Beatles’ lead guitarist, Harrison does not play guitar. He plays the lute, having styled himself a modern-day bard with all ridiculousness intact. Specializing in stories of triumph over adversity as almost all Garou do, the smallest conversation started in passing may lead to one of Harrison’s “lessons,” something many cubs have started to actively try to avoid. The thing they don’t expect? Harrison is very good at tracking and likes to keep his practice up by finding where the cubs have decided to hide out for the day, rewarding their failures with an extra long story.
A valuable source of information both useful and useless, Harrison is the perfect example of a Galliard, ensuring a story is actively tracked down and disseminated throughout community as soon as it’s known. Without use of the Internet or the printed word, Harrison can and will recite the latest goings-on and the histories for all the septs he knows to any audience whether they’re interested or not. Charismatic and adventurous when it comes to partners, he’s fathered no fewer than six children in the past three years with both kinfolk and humans. Having no Pure Breed to speak of, his philosophy is that a measured quantity of potential warriors is far better than making sure the Fianna bloodline stays pure.
Maeve “Phoenix-Feather” Kelley, Keeper of the Land and Den-Mother
Metis Fianna Theurge
A Metis in a leadership role is a fairly uncommon thing. A Metis holding a sept position that is responsible for teaching and training the next generation of cubs and maintaining the bawn and its borders at the same time is remarkable enough to be whispered about outside of the sept. Maeve grew up in the Spiked Pavise near its forge, basking in the glow of wood-fires and learning how to smith almost as soon as she could lift a hammer.
In spite of her lame right leg and the colorful feathers sprouting from her scalp, it turns out that any Garou with the eye of a craftsman can hammer and shape metal pretty darn well. The ringing of her hammer has become the unofficial wake-up call to the cubs under her care, summoning them to breakfast before sending them out for their chores. She’s named for the feathery growths that sprout from her head (that sometimes accidentally catch fire if she lets them grow too long,) and when she speaks, it’s usually in a posh-sounding accent that can devolve into something more gravelly and urban when she’s tired or annoyed.
Taaj “Access-Denied” Mansoor, Gatekeeper
Homid Glass Walker Theurge
A recent arrival to the sept of the Spiked Pavise, Taaj is a short, stocky young man of Indian descent with a heavy Cockney accent and a chinstrap beard. Very aware of the stereotypes that he faces in today’s London thanks to the color of his skin, Taaj embraces them, letting others form their own opinions of exactly what kind of person he is before proving them wrong and knocking their beliefs well and truly into the dirt. In defiance of those stereotypes, the Pakistani prefers boxing, football and UFC to cricket, and a good pizza or fish and chips to curries or other spicy foods.
His requests to put a pub within walking distance of the bawn have been regularly denied but he’s thinking that Edward might come around if a good lager supplier can be found that can reliably deliver to their neck of the woods for a good price. He often can be found at the highest point near the caern, his laptop plugged into one of the few reliable power sources with his cellular modem, updating his stock portfolio or trading crypto while monitoring the sept’s moon bridge or playing darts. For big games (Arsenal!) he’ll drag out a screen and a projector for live viewing.
Facilities
The sept of the Spiked Pavise is home to a level 3 Stamina caern, per p. 311 of the W20 Core Rulebook, meaning that the Gauntlet within its bawn (the caern itself and the borders of the bawn to the fences, more or less) is set at difficulty 3. Use of the Rite of the Opened Caern can provide bonuses of up to +3 dice on Soak rolls while at the caern. The caern and its holdings consist of the Ruislip Woods National Nature Reserve, the Ashby Farm, the Ruislip Lido and Northwood Village, a subdivision of Northwood. As one of the largest wild areas left in the London metropolitan area, there’s plenty of space.
Garou who need a place to stay can crash at the designated Tudor house on the bawn or are free to set up a tent or hammock in one of the many clearings or hollows (as long as they don’t mind the experiencing the mixed blessing that is English weather). Visitors will, of course, be expected to pitch in with the care and grooming of the bawn and the caern itself if they plan to stay more than a few weeks, but longer-term visitors are also offered use of one of the bawn-side houses in Northwood. Ranged training, like archery or the rare lesson with a shotgun or bolt-action rifle may occur as long as the range is clear, and occasionally, an impromptu rugby match will break out in the middle of hand-to-hand combat training.
Northwood is a walled, gated community built around old-growth trees and fruit and vegetable gardens. Hemmed on three sides by the bawn, a seldom-used golf course and farmland to the west, it is quite rural by comparison to neighborhoods just a mile away. Kinfolk live in the northernmost sections nearest the shops and roads, while the homes situated on the more southern stretch — right next to the bawn — are reserved for Garou and their families.
Ashby Farm is a licensed and nationally-recognized farm known for its greenhouse cultivation of high-quality grain and vegetables, as well as wildlife rehabilitation and breeding programs. It’s also home to a decent-sized group of wolf kinfolk that live inside the high fences at the Ashby Farm – Silver Fang, Fianna, Shadow Lord, Glass Walker and a few Black Furies, as well as the occasional visiting scholar from the Colonies. Since the last wild wolves in England and Scotland were hunted to extinction sometime in the 17th century, this is a supremely important genetic reservoir and a secret that’s been kept safe — to date — from the outside world.
The Ruislip Lido is a manmade lake that the Garou currently allow the local population to use. Closed to visitors between sundown and 9:00am, the water is available for Garou and kinfolk to enjoy undisturbed. Swimming is not generally recommended to the public — there’s successful but completely unfounded rumors of pesticide runoff, bracingly cold temperatures, and some mystery parasite that makes your genitals itch. These keep most day-trippers from taking the plunge.
There is no access to the London Underground from the Hillingdon sept territory; a trip to Heathrow Airport and the tunnels beneath is required.