Sept of Sleeping Lore

The Caern

Melbourne General Cemetery, (Melway Map 43, H1)

Level: 2

Gauntlet: 4

Type: Wisdom

Tribal Structure

Open to Garou concerned with learning, wisdom, tolerance and acceptance. Mainly Bone Gnawers, Glass Walkers and Stargazers.

Totems: Chimera

Geography

Melbourne Cemetery lies at what is generally considered to be the "top" of Melbourne proper. An incline runs up from the Central Business District and flattens out around Melbourne University. The Cemetery is also the point where Swanston Street ends, thus marking a sort of northern boundary. Numerous parks are to be found in the area, however its principle use is low cost housing for the large student population around the university, and numerous small businesses that rely on the student population for trade.

Bawn

The Bawn of the caern is made up of the Melbourne General Cemetery grounds, and the adjoining University of Melbourne across College Crescent. The sept also makes heavy use of many nearby parklands (see Landmarks).

The Centre

Numerous roads, wide enough to accommodate a single vehicle circle through the cemetery grounds. In the middle of the cemetery, just off from one of the roads, is an area of lawn and tombstones indistinguishable from any other part of the cemetery. Here the members of the sept are interred, despite the fact that the cemetery is officially closed, in cremation pots, marked by little brass plaques. This patch of lawn maybe 20 metres square is the centre of the caern.

Landmarks

The area around the caern is largely given over to two things: Melbourne University to the south, and the Zoological Gardens with surrounding parklands to the west. Several Hospitals also lie in the general area, including the Royal Children's, the Royal Melbourne, the Royal Women's and the Royal Park Psychiatric Hospitals. South and east of the caern is the Royal Exhibition Building and grounds, while to the east lie the extensive Yarra parklands. Numerous other well known buildings are to be found in tis region, and it is always a hive of human activity. Not surprisingly, the zoological gardens are important to the sept. All the wolves kept there are kinfolk, not to mention a few of the dingos, hyenas and cape dogs in the case of the Bone Gnawers. The sept goes to great lengths to ensure the safety of their kinfolk, and indeed all the wildlife of the gardens. Many of the administrative staff and grounds keepers are human kinfolk of the Garou, and there is virtually always at least one Garou monitoring the grounds at any time.

Umbrascape

Within the Umbra, the cemetery is virtually devoid of tombstones. Instead there lies an expanse of lawn unbroken by roads, and containing only the stones of a few famous individuals. The centre of the caern is much larger within the umbra, consisting of a circle defined by life-size statues of the sept members buried here. Each statue is incredibly detailed, and contains many images and symbols pertinent to that particular Garou's life. For example, a previous sept leader may be wearing a crown, while a mighty Ahroun might be standing atop a fallen bane. Each statue appears in the natural form of the Garou it represents. Thus some are statues of homids, some of lupus, and a few of crinos.

Many spirits of the dead, calmed by the presence of the caern, wander through the cemetery and sometimes beyond. The appear as translucent white images of the person they once were, and seem to wander in a fairly aimless fashion. No spirit of any Garou buried here has ever been seen, but it has been suggested that they may appear were the caern under serious threat. This is suggested because of the defensive role the human spirits play in the umbra. For some reason, banes seem to fear these spirits and will avoid them if at all possible. This fear diminishes with the increasing power of the bane, and some banes appear to largely ignore the spirits. The spirits do not appear to cause the banes any harm, but they do appreciate the effect they have upon the banes, and tend to converge towards any banes that appear. In general, the spirits do not react to the Garou around them, and rarely speak to them. That which they do say is mostly gibberish, however it is believed that occasionally an important message or a prophecy of the future can be gleaned from the speech of the spirits.

The umbrascape beyond the cemetery is similar to that for any large city, with heavy Weaver and Wyrm presence. However, in their capacity as the unofficial bawn of the sept, the adjoining parklands and zoological gardens are kept largely free of human predation and wyrm taint. While showing some influence of the weaver, they are pleasant enough areas for the Garou. The Umbrascape of the University is peculiar, owing to the influence of the high diversity of the student population and their relative open mindedness. Such influence draws the power of the Wyld to the site, which appears to be in a slow state of constant flux. Over periods of days, buildings appear and disappear, fall apart and reconstruct themselves. The physical history of the University can be observed in these changes, albeit in a convoluted and erratic order. Wyld spirits are also to be found here, particularly during concerts on the union lawn, the annual elections, orientation week and disorientation week.

History

Originally maintained by a few Stargazers, as the town of Melbourne spread to engulf the caern, it was arranged for the university to be built nearby, and to have a cemetery placed on the site, in order to minimise human interference, and also to ensure that those humans that did enter the area did so with the properly reflective state of mind. The closure of the cemetery proved to be a mixed blessing, for while far fewer people now came in, those that did were generally concerned with either spraying graffiti, getting drunk, fooling around, or any combination of the three. Rumours caused by the revels held there ensure that all but the most drunk, foolish or desperate choose somewhere else for their own revels. As the town spread beyond the caern, new Garou began to arrive, primarily Bone Gnawers, as well as a few Glass Walkers, leaving the Stargazers in the minority.

The Sept

The sept can boast a membership of 19 members: 9 Bone Gnawers, 6 Glass Walkers, 3 Stargazers and a single Fianna. In addition to the running and protection of the caern, the sept is largely concerned with the university and with the zoological gardens. In this capacity, the Garou can be found as undergrad and post grad students, administrative and faculty members, zoo attendants, local business holders and homeless people. Far more so than at any other caern, the members of the Sept of Sleeping Lore are integrated with the surrounding human community, which naturally presents interesting problems of it's own.

Sept Leader: "Cossack"

Caern Warder: Graeme Cachia

Master of the Rite: Emma Teesdale

Gatekeeper: Ends-The-Quiet

Keeper of the Land: Nadine Holloway

Master of the Challenge: Ian Shatter-Glass

Packs

Get of Pennington: Chris McNeil (Pack Leader),, Kirsty Surfs-The-Train Barry Heaton, Ken Xavier, Marcus Finlay, Carmel Iremonger.
The Scryers: Christine Elliot (Pack Leader), Chases-The-Car, Georgina Quittner, Aquinas Scales-In-Balance, Sings-For-The-Spirit.
True Seekers: Lisa Smith, Ste(v/ph)en Hansen,Vilna Kovalev, Lachlan (pack leader), Calvin, Naomi, Glenn.

Garou

Cossack: Male, Homid, Galliard, Bone Gnawer, Rank 4; Cossack is a middle-aged bum, known to most humans in the area. He is dirty and unkempt, with sandy-brown hair, a scruffy beard and watery grey eyes that hide his keen intelligence. He wears one set of rank and dirty clothes, topped with an old grey overcoat. He sleeps on the streets around the bawn.
Graeme Cachia: Male, Homid, Philodox, Glass Walker, Rank 3; Graeme holds a custodial position at the cemetery. He is a very ordinary looking man (brown hair, brown eyes) in his mid thirties who favours casual attire, usually jeans, boots and a shirt. He lives in a small caretakers residence inside the cemetery grounds.
Emma Teesdale: Female, Homid, Theurge, Bone Gnawer, Rank 3; A member of the archaeology department at the University, Emma is a slim women in her early forties, with prematurely white hair. Emma dresses casually in jeans and shirts, and is fairly active in various University political groups. She owns a small house in Carlton.
Ends-The-Quiet: Male, Lupus, Theurge, Stargazer, Rank 3; When not on sept business, Ends-The-Quiet is almost always to be found in the Penumbra around the caern, where he sleeps and meditates. A large rusty-coloured wolf with a white vest, Ends-The-Quiet has little to do with the real world, and even less to do with the surrounding humanity.
Nadine Holloway: Female, Homid, Ahroun, Glass Walker, Rank 3; Nadine is an administrator at the zoological gardens. In her early thirties, she is an attractive and cheerful person; blonde with blue eyes. Nadine always dresses appropriately to the occasion. She resides in a house in Brunswick, just north of Brunswick Road.
Ian Shatter-Glass: Male, Metis, Galliard, Bone Gnawer, Rank 2; Ian's deformity is that he cannot transform into homid or lupus forms. He is restricted to glabro, crinos and hispo forms. As such he has been quite successful in getting work as a bouncer at various pubs and night-spots. An enormous grey crinos with green eyes, Ian lives with Graeme Cachia in the cemetery.
Chases-The-Car: Female, Lupus, Ragabash, Bone Gnawer, Rank 3; An endearing fixture around the colleges, Chases-The-Car is a very mongrelised lupus who lives on the charity of the students and sleeps where he can. His ancestry appears to comprise of wolf, German Shepherd, Blue Heeler and a few others.
Chris McNeil: Male, Homid, Theurge, Bone Gnawer, Rank 2; One of life's apparent drop-outs, Chris is a severely crusty individual living off the dole in various houses through-out the inner Melbourne area. With his blonde dread-locks, ripped and stained clothes, and red Doc Martens, people tend to over-look his intelligence and self-achieved erudition.
Kirsty Surfs-The-Train: Female, Metis, Philodox, Bone Gnawer, Rank 2; A child of the streets, Kirsty suffers from fits of madness and hallucinations: her metis deformity. A passionate and extreme individual, Kirsty adopts the most outlandish styles she can, and is a current proponent of scarification. Kirsty still lives on the streets, though she often crashes with pack members.
Barry Heaton: Male, Homid, Ahroun, Bone Gnawer, Rank 1; Barry is studying for his Bachelor of Veterinary Science, although sept activities make this difficult. Although a sports enthusiast, Barry is isolated from student life by the disquiet he invokes. He lives with his family, who are as yet unaware of his "condition", although they feel that he often acts strangely.
Christine Elliot: Female, Homid, Theurge, Glass Walker, Rank 3; A financial whiz, Christine owns a lot of real estate around the university, and has a lot of resources for the use of her pack and sept. An attractive red-head of around thirty, Christine has enumerable contacts, and good relations with the Sept of Hidden Green. She resides in Toorak.
Ken Xavier: Male, Homid, Ahroun, Glass Walker, Rank 2; An arts student doing his third attempt at first year, Ken is not stupid (much) but is easily distracted by beer and women. A big handsome blonde, Ken just has fun and leaves the decisions to others. He lives in college, funded by his despairing Kinfolk parents.
Georgina Quittner: Female, Homid, Ragabash, Glass Walker, Rank 1; A computer science student and a theatre buff, Georgina devotes all her non-Garou time to these two pursuits. Georgina is 19 years old and of Eurasian descent. Currently she favours the Country Road look. She lives in the colleges on a scholarship, and has no known relatives.
Marcus Finlay: Male, Homid, Galliard, Glass Walker, Rank 1; Marcus works at the Clyde hotel as a bartender. He is also trying to make it as a stand-up comic. Tall and fairly average looking, with short brown hair and grey eyes, Marcus is in his early twenties. He shares the rent on a house in Fitzroy with three other people.
Aquinas Scales-In-Balance: Male, Homid, Ragabash, Stargazer, Rank 2; Aquinas is currently working on his doctorate in Chemistry as well as teaching Kendo to students. Quick-witted and optimistic, he dresses simply and shaves his head, although professes to no religion. Funded with a scholarship, he lives in a student residence in Swanston Street.
Sings-For-The-Spirit: Female, Lupus, Galliard, Stargazer, Rank 2; Although lupus, Sings-For-The-Spirit is increasing his knowledge of homids through observation and private study. Sings-For-The-Spirit is a large grey wolf with one brown eye and one pale blue eye. He lives with his Kinfolk in the wolf enclosure at the zoo.
Carmel Iremonger: Female, Homid, Ahroun, Fianna, Rank 2; Carmel is the owner and manager of one of the many eateries along Lygon Street. "Carmel's" is a favourite hang-out for members of the sept, Carmel is a large blonde woman who speaks with a faint Irish accent. Her shop is a two-level building with a residence above. Carmel lives here with her infant son.
Lachlan: Male, Homid, Galliard, Fianna, Rank 3; Lachlan is a boistrous guy who is studying Arts at Melbourne Uni. Lachlan is also in a band, 'Gnarl'. He loves being the center of attention in any situation. He just hasn't realised that's not the best place to be in this pack.
Vilna Kovalev: Male, Metis, Theurge, Glass Walker, Rank 3; Vilna's metis deformity is a total lack of body hair. If that wasn't enough, Vilna is also claustrophobic.
Lisa Smith (Windsor-Smyth): Female, Homid, Philodox, Silver Fang, Rank 1; Lisa is a quiet young woman who with a well educated accent. She is generally friendly and social when amongst humans. She is quiet around other werewolfs and tries to not attract attention, although the werewolf is very stongly present in her to others of her kind. Although she has always been quiet, she is becoming more broody, cynical and churlish. In human form, she is of average build and quite attractive with a strong presence. Her Crinos form also has long silver hair and her features are sharper and more regal than others of her kind thanks to the purity of her line. In wolf form, she has a wild silver fur and a wild look that harkens back to when wolfs ran free.
Naomi: Female, Lupus, Theurge, Black Fury, Rank 3; Quite shy, but eager to integrate herself into homid society more.
Calvin: Male, Homid, Ragabash, Bone Gnawer, Rank 2; Calvin sits quietly behind the pack, laughing into his sleeves. When they finally get stuck at chain link fences or whatever, he does the brave thing and climbs them. Calvin also has some underworld contacts.
Stephen Hansen: Male, Homid, Ahroun, Glass Walker, Rank 3; Steve is an ex-cop and since quitting the force he took up a job doing drive-by security part-time for Wormald Security. He has a strong, wide frame and facial features that get lost in most crowds. He tends to wear very comfortable clothing. Steve has a two large tattoos - one of the symbol of the Ahroun auspice on his left shoulder, the other of the Homid breed on his right shoulder.
Glenn Colbert: Male, Homid, Galliard, Silver Fang, Rank 3; Previously a member of the Gippsland Silver Fang sept, Glenn has joined the True Seekers in an effort to help them legitimise their Bunyip-related efforts to the Jindabyne council. He's a country lad - honest, affable with an open, friendly face. He is also a shiny metallic gold in any form other than homid, although he looks very odd in homid. He is currently trying to set himself up as a journalist amongst the Melbourne media, and avoid questions from his Silver Fang family about the gold thing.

Deceased

Hand of Lore: Marion Perry, Alexander Urosevic, Christine Elliot (Pack Leader), Georgina Quittner.
The Hand of Lore was dispersed after the death of Marion Perry.
Marion Perry: Female, Homid, Ahroun, Bone Gnawer, Rank 2; Marion Perry died fighting a black spiral hive in Sydney, in August 1995
Alexander Urosevic: Male, Homid, Philodox, Bone Gnawer, Rank 1; Alex grew more despondant after Marion's death and may have fallen into Harano. His current whereabouts are unknown.