RHIA
So, you brought up Gangrel as a choice for Rhia and that’s a good one. Since you’ve already got that, I’ll cover some other options---Toreador, Brujah, and Banu Haqim. Toreador because, well, you can find a reason that a Torrie would Embrace ANYONE, really. Maybe hippie chic was really in one year and they selected Rhia as their new Bohemian muse, or any number of possibilities, really. In any case, I see as a Toreador who takes a less conventional route with what she finds artistic and beautiful, finding more aesthetic glory in the natural world than man’s creation. Perhaps she’s stuck in an ever-fruitless quest to try to capture said beauty in some form, going from one artistic medium to the next--painting, sculpture, even music---to try to convey in creativity what she finds in nature, or maybe she’s content to merely be enraptured by the natural world as it is without trying to emulate it. Either way, she’s surely at a great risk for getting caught in the sunrise!
The Brujah option is because they’re as passionate as the Toreador, but with an emphasis that’s typically on freedom, justice, and rebellion. Theoretically, a Brujah can be passionate about anything (or nothing and just a rebel without a cause) so long as they’re radicals about it, but I find they’re most often pushing back against the status quo rather than zealously enforcing it, and that seems to have Rhia vibes to be. So if her style is more than skin-deep, I could see her having been Embraced by a Brujah who appreciated such views.
If you wanted to go darker, there is, finally, the Banu Haqim aka the Assamites. I know it seems an odd pick but hear me out. I had NO interest in these guys for the longest time because I just knew them as the assassins of the vampire world. That was it, just “they kill people real good and really like diablerie” and that was just not interesting to me. Being able to be the best guy at murder/fighting/power/etc whatever in the room has never been an interesting character trait for me, and I figured they were just for RPers who wanted a heavy combat focus and to be the Most Badass for bragging points, so I was just...meh about them and regularly forgot that they existed.
Then, recently, I learned a bit more about them. The Children of Haqim are the judges of Kindred society, meting out punishments to vampires who deserve it, and more than that, are often asked by other vampires to act as impartial judges due to their unaligned nature. They have a great passion for justice, and are drawn to feed from those deserving punishment. This passion takes the form of the Clan Compulsion of Judgment, compelling them to punish anyone seen to transgress against their personal creed, taking their blood as just vengeance for the crime. Whether that person is friend or foe, they have to struggle against this urge greatly if they wish not to act on it. And they’re far more dangerous to other vampires than to humans---one of their laws is to protect mortals from vampires (though it is still acceptable to use them as a food source) and to treat humans with honor (though again, feeding is okay), and their clan flaw is an addiction to the blood of other vampires. This addiction, coupled with their laws about humans and their compulsion to punish those who transgress their codes of justice, makes it hard for them to fit into vampire society at large, but in recent nights, they’re become one of the Camarilla clans. Also in recent nights, they’ve started Embracing women and people who are not of Middle Eastern origin, which previously they did not.
Speaking of who they Embrace, Assamites typically try to Embrace someone who will be "useful" to the clan as a whole. This most often means someone who be willing to fight and die for the clan's (or at least their sire's) goals. However, during the long period that the clan labored under the Tremere blood curse, people may also have been Embraced for knowledge in a specific (often obscure) area. Typically this had something to do with sorcery or medical research involving blood, but may also have included more obscure areas of research as well. Assamites typically choose people with somewhat obsessive personalities for the Embrace. As they are typically involved with either hunting down miscreants or conducting obscure research, they tend to be highly motivated individuals. This often results in Assamites picking individuals who are fanatically devoted to a cause, religion, theory, or activity. The various caste flaws and the training they undergo after the Embrace tends to accentuate this even more. Thus Assamites can be said to select childer that will be eager to chase down their prey no matter how long it takes or how far they must go. That prey may be a physical target, an obscure piece of knowledge, or even pursuing the perfection of an art form. So if Rhia is particularly driven regarding something that could be of interest to the Assamites/Banu Haqim, then that combined with a sense of justice and honor, if she could become devout and ruthless enough to kill for it, could make her a candidate for an Embrace. It would not be my first pick for her, but it’s a possibility if you wanted to go darker and edgier.
In addition to the Warrior caste that most people are familiar with, there is also the Sorcerer and Vizier castes, who play a greater focus on mental attributes. Viziers and Sorcerers are less focused on the physical skills of their childer, and thus more likely to Embrace women. The number of women Embraced waxed and waned based on the overall attitude towards educating women. In periods where women were rarely taught to read or write they naturally took fewer women. However, even in periods where few people were educated, a Vizier might take someone for their skill with art or social acumen, even if they were a total illiterate. Similarly, a Sorcerer might Embrace someone who showed some innate knack for magic, even if they could not write their own name.
As for what they do, Sorcerers are pretty self-explanatory, being practioners of the clan’s version of Blood Magic. Originally this magic was based off ancient Mesopotamian priestly rituals and the Persian cult of Mithras, but modern Sorcerers now incorporate the ecstatic Hindu devotion to Kali and Shiva, Chinese feng shui, and Islamic alchemy and astrology as well. Sorcerers usually need to send themselves into some sort of altered state of consciousness in order to focus their magics. This may involve consuming drugs, whirling themselves into a trance, ritually wounding themselves, or even more stranger methods. The Viziers are the scholars of the clan and are rather like the Toreadors, lusting after knowledge or artistic perfection instead of magic, pursuing their chosen lore or art with the tenacity of a pit bull. While the Toreadors sink into hypnotized contemplation, the Viziers frenzy with their creative compulsion. So if either of those sound up Rhia’s alley---I don’t know if there’s a particular art or subject she’s passionate about, or if she’s magically inclined, but she seems like the type of person who COULD be--these seem likelier options than the Warrior caste.
I would still go with Gangrel or Toreador first for her, and also they’re easier to understand, have less special hierarchy and history and other shit to keep up, etc.
Her tribe as a Garou (werewolf) is easy---Children of Gaia, one of my favorites, OR the Fianna.
The Children of Gaia are the most peaceful of the Garou, and work for understanding between the tribes in hopes of defeating the Wyrm through a unified front. Defending Gaia is far too important to lose sight of in constant skirmishes over differences! During the War of Rage, when other Garou were trying to wipe out all the non-wolf Changing Breeds, the Children of Gaia tried to stop their brethren from this and initially refused to fight their fellow Fera (wereanimals) and even accepted refugees who came to them seeking shelter. However, when the Fera started exploiting this by sending in agents who were in fact there to slaughter their would-be protectors, some Children of Gaia joined the other Garou in masacring the other Changing Breeds. Similiarly, when Europeans began to colonize the New World and the European Garou learned of the “Pure Tribes” in the Americas, the Children of Gaia advocated for an alliance with them, rather than mimicking the human colonizers by taking what these American Garou had from them or attacking them. They’ve also worked to try to ensure that the attrocities of WWI and WWII never repeat, and have historically been advocates of causes in the human world such as free speech, civil rights, and women's rights, which reflects how their own culture as werewolves is FAR more egalitarian than almost any other tribe except perhaps the Bone Gnawers.
One major example of this egalitarianism is that the Children treat their metis well and in fact will take in the metis from other tribes who don’t want them. A metis is offspring of two Garou. It’s part of The Litany---which is Garou law---that Garou shall not mate with Garou, and instead must take their mates from among humans or wolves and hope that one of the offspring will be a Garou. The reason is because while the offspring of two werewolves will indeed always be a werewolf, they will also always be sterile, deformed, and stuck in Crinos form (wolfman/hybrid form) until they achieve their First Change (usually around puberty) and thus must be raised in secret away from human eyes. Metis, as living proof that two Garou have broken the Litany, are often looked down and shunned in other Packs, and have to struggle to prove their worth. The Children, however, believe that the child should not be judged for the sins of their parents, and will raise the metis of other tribes as their own. It’s also very common for Black Furies, who are all female, to give their male children to the Children of Gaia. Hence how they stay all female!
As a note, having a lot of baby metis around also helps them discourage Garou/Garou matings--- any pup who's been looking too longingly at a packmate (same or opposite sex, it doesn't matter) often finds themselves babysitting a whirling, shrieking ball of claws and fur to teach them just what they’re in for if they give in to such incestuous (as it is seen in their culture) desires.
While the Children’s values are based around peace, mercy, and unity above all else, this doesn’t make them pushovers as some think. They may be pacifists, but they’re still werewolves, and they still have the Wyrm to fight, so they’re not absolute paficists, they’re WARRIOR pacifists. And when their Rage is roused, it is just as terrifying as that of any other Garou---perhaps more so because they keep it so pent up. A lot of people think that hippie werewolves are a stupid concept, but I disagree---real wolves aren’t inherently violent creatures and, like the Children, are only going to fuck up something, whether it’s prey or an intruder, if it’s a necessary thing. And SOMEBODY needs to provide a softer counterbalance to the numerous other extremely war-like tribes.
The Fianna are a tribe of Celtic origins. Some come from Spain or France or the Balkans, but they’re most associated with places like Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. And there are plenty in the USA, having come there with Irish immigrants during the Great Potato Famine. The Fianna believe themselves to have originated from the union of a passionate Gaillard (I’ll explain what those are after I talk about the Fianna) and Danu, an aspect of Gaia which they see as the mother to both the Fianna and the Tuatha de Danaan, and they celebrate many Celtic Pagan religious holidays such as Beltane. They aided their Irish Kin against Cromwell, and many supported and even aided the IRA.
The Fianna are known as great partiers and great warriors both. They’re one of the most extroverted tribes, rarely turning down an invitation to let their hair down and indulge in their favorite pleasures. Creativity through music or craft is encouraged and prized among the Fianna, and they have created some of the most beautiful and fantastic treasures of the Garou. The Fianna are also hopeless romantics, always falling for humans and their fellow Garou alike. The latter creates metis, of course, but ironically the Fianna are particularly hard on metis as they view their deformed bodies to be a sign that their spirits are also twisted. The Fianna desire to live life freely, but that includes the desire to be free of flaws, and thus they reject those that are different or “flawed” like the poor metis. I’m not saying Rhia would have to think like that---especially since I see her a Lost Cub, which I’ll get too soon too---but that’s just their general culture.
So, each Garou has an Auspice. It’s what their role is, and defines a lot of who they are. Their Auspice is determined by the moon phase they were born under. So like the zodiac, but objectively very real. I think Rhia would be either a Theurge or a Galliard. Theurges were born under a crescent moon, and are the shamans and mystics of the Garou. All werewolves are part spirit and part flesh, but the Theurge in particular are attuned to the Umbra (spirit world) and have many Gifts and Rituals that only they can do, as well as being able to craft fetishes (as in magical objects and talismans, not sexual kinks) They emphasize wisdom, and in a battle, they are more likely to serve as support compared to other Garou, but it is worth noting that even the coolest, calmest Theurges are still Garou, and burn with Rage deep within. The Galliards, also called Moon Dancers, were born when the moon is gibbous, and they are the bards and lore-keepers of the Garou, serving as their keepers of oral history and performance artists. Besides acting as lorekeepers, historians, and prophets, they are also depended upon to act as a source of inspiration in times of desperate need, or for celebration in those rare and wonderful times of fortune.
Given her being a bit of a rebel, from what I clean, she might also be a Ragabash. Ragabash are born under the new moon, and their role is to be a trickster and the questioner of the old ways, the wise fools who play the contrarian, always asking “but why is it this way?” and questioning tradition to ensure that it can still stand up as useful and just in the current times. act as a voice of dissent or devil's advocate with far less fear of punishment than the Garou of other Auspices. In a society as traditional and conservative as that of the Garou Nation, a free-thinking individual with the right to speak his or her mind is absolutely important, whether to encourage change or to reaffirm the current position through the challenges he or she provides.
They have the least amount of Rage and thus are often cooler-headed than their packmates, but unlike the mystic Theurges, they show this by being playful, playing pranks not to be nuisance (though many are thought of as such) but impart lessons. Those of the new moon are often skilled scouts or assassins, as the "hidden moon" is associated with stealth and secrecy, and use this to help their packmates find their quarry, or to elude their pursuers. They may also use humor to lighten the mood or break up arguments, often acting as an "omega" to turn hostilities toward themselves.
I think Rhia works well as a Homid and Lost Cub. A Homid is a Garou born in human form to a human mother or a Garou mother in her human form (as opposed to a Lupus, born in wolf form to a wolf mother or a Garou mother in her wolf form) and will grow up as human until their First Change. So, how is it that a human (or wolf) has a Garou child? Either one parent was a Garou, or one of their parents was a Kinfolk. Kinfolk are humans or wolves who have Garou blood. They are the USUAL result when a Garou has a child with a human or a wolf; they only get a Garou if they’re luckily. So like, maybe one Garou out of a litter or one Garou out of all the kids they have, if even that. The rest? Kinfolk. And the Kinfolk’s children (or pups) will be Kinfolk too, and so will their children, and so on. Most Garou keep careful track of their Kin, since mating with a Kinfolk produces a higher chance of a Garou child, but all too often, the family lines get lost, and you can get a bloodline of Kinfolk with no idea they’re Kinfolk, and then randomly one of their kids gets born a Garou, and they will also not know this until their First Chance. These are called Lost Cubs. So I could see Rhia as such, either a Lost Cub born to a family that has long forgotten a werewolf is a real thing, hence getting raised by her very strictly religious Grandmother.
( You’ll notice I keep referring to Rage with a capital R. Rage mystical wellspring of primal anger granted to the Garou and some of the other Changing Breeds by Luna, the moon spirit. It allows them to move at great speed, shrug off mighty wounds, and change forms quickly, as well as powers some of their Gifts, which are basically like magic spells or extra abilities. A Garou without Rage cannot change shapes. But it’s a double-edged sword, as they also must beware their Rage overaking them in Frenzy, a violent and bloodthirsty uncontrollable outburst.)
Finally, for her type as another Fera (Changing Breed, other wereanimals) I’d go with the Pumonca, the cougar Bastet (werecats) of the Americas. Most are Native American, but that’s a general trend, not a rule at all. The Pumonca, also called Stormwalkers, are restless wanderers and guardians of the land, constantly on the move to protect their sacred home. They spend their entire lives traveling from place to place, looking for signs of Wyrm taint in the spaces in between. It is their task to meander, to take their time, and to notice the world around them. However, this is only restricted to the Americas, because no Pumonca would ever leave her continent---and it fact, they CAN’T. Each Bastet has three Yava, three secrets about their type, which can often be used against them by anyone who learns it. The Yava of the werepumas are:
-A Pumonca is one with her land; if she leaves it for more than a full moon cycle, she will die.
-The essence of poisoned land (toxic waste, radiation, sewage) is deadly to a puma. Immerse him in its toxins and he will quickly perish.
-All beasts fear the puma. No horse will bear her, no dog will follow her. The great cats are her Kin and they befriend her, but no other animal can approach without terror.
Due to their history with the Wars of Rage, in which the Garou tried to wipe out all non-wolf wereanimals, many modern Pumonca are bitter, confused, and angry, and most are looking for a way to serve Gaia that lets them keep their pride and dignity intact. The lucky ones forge ties with other groups, but most just wander aimlessly, fighting the Banes of the Wyrm however they can so long as no one wounds their pride too terribly. Pumonca have a penchant for spreading stories and lore wherever they go. In the past, these were typically tales of great deeds, whether of Garou or Pumonca or anyone else who tickled their fancy that were shared at the camp fires with those who where interested. Nowadays, however, these stories are often bitter tales, because of the aforementioned history, and their anger can make them difficult for some to work with. As independent nomads, they have no organization as a group either. I can see Rhia as a wanderer with a sad ancestral history who is just trying to do her best with what she has left and also take in all the beauty and wonder that the continent has to offer.
