Steel Tree

Sept of The Steel Tree
Location [Williams Park.] Located in [Elizabeth, Maine.]


 * Level: Three
 * Type: Urban, Leadership, Irony
 * Totem: New World Trinity
 * Allowed Tribes: All

Sept Positions

 * Sept Alpha: None
 * Warder: Lucas 'Duke' Edwards, Thy Brother's Keeper - Metis, Black Fury, Athro, Ahroun (NPC)
 * Master of Challenges: Israel Beoing, Books-not-Brawn - Homid, Glass Walker, Adren, Philodox (NPC)
 * Truthcatcher: None
 * Master of Rites: Ashes Fall, Homid, Bone Gnawer, Fostern, Theurge (Spiffy-mun)
 * Talesinger: John MacRoth, Devil May Care - Homid, Fianna, Adren, Galliard (Judas)
 * Wyrmfoe: Birdie Andrews, All-Shining - Homid, Get of Fenris, Fostern, Galliard (Bethness)
 * Gatekeeper: Ingrid Skollsdottir, Mánagarmr, Homid, Get of Fenris, Fostern, Theurge (NPC)
 * Keeper of the land: Brighton Maxwell, Bone Gnawer Kinfolk (Leigh); Miyumi Tsurayaba, Star Gazer Kinfolk (Meg)
 * Master of Howls: None
 * Den Mother/Father: Iain Mactavish, Skullcleaver - Homid, Fianna, Fostern (Reed)
 * Caller of the Wyld: None
 * Guardians:
 * Thorn Lashley-Constantine, Desolation-Angel - Homid, Black Fury, Cliath (Reclaimer)

Areas

 * The Bawn takes up a 90-acre park in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, The park encompasses numerous historical sites, including the Portland Head Light, as well the decommissioned and largely demolished United States Army post Fort Williams for which the park is named for. While most of the caern is public area, there are also many parts of it which are private and areas outside of it are privately owned by kinfolk or Garou. It is not uncommon for people to report seeing wolves in the area. Since the Sept was taken over by Glass Walkers several changed were made The most prominent was to update and remodel the Goddard Mansion giving it all the most modern conveniences, and security systems, that technology and Glass Walkers can manage. the Goddard Mansion houses the Sept Alpha, and his pack, as well as the pack of the Warder. it has room for a couple of guardian packs as well, serving as the septs Living Area The roof of the mansion was also redesigned as is covered with an artificial park like area. that serves as the Septs Assembly area.
 * Grave of Hollowed Heroes: Because of the large amount of land that the Caern holds control over there is a small cemetery near. Those Garou who have died fighting in the Sept's defense are buried here. For the protection of the veil those Metis who die in defense of their Caern bodies are burned either on a pyre, or set in a boat out to sea for a Viking funeral.

Standing at the very Heart of the Caern is an oak tree that is believed to be no less than 400 years old, thought the exact age in unknown. The tree stands an impressive 70ft tall, has a circumference of almost 30 ft, and it branches shade an near 18,99 square feet. The tree was so old and tall that at the time the fort was built in 1872 that it was built around the tree. Many birds make their home within the branches of the tree (Including those that make up part of the New World Trinity) This tree marks the Caern's Heart

A mix of old and new, weaver and wyld, the Umbralscape around the caern of the Steel tree is unpredictable. The webs of the weaver cover the buildings, thick in some places, thin in others. The closer one gets to the Heart of the Caern the wylder things become. Bird spirits, as well as spirits wind, and nature are not uncommon, data spirits, and other spirits of the weaver and more plentiful around the buildings especially the older ones.

History
The caern of the Steel Trees rests on what used to be a military base from 1872-1962, the base being active during both world wars. On December 1st 1964 the property was sold to the town of Cape Elizabeth and has remained since that time. It was declared a state park in 1979. It was shortly after the town bought the property in the 1960's that The Garou took over the area as well. The first Sept Alpha was a Silver Fang. Ahroun by the name of David Williams, Luna’s Vengeance. he was descended from Seth Williams, whom the fort was named after. The sept remained largely in Silver Fang control until the early 1990’s When the alphaship of the Sept was challenged and the leadership shifted from the Silver Fangs to the Glass Walkers. A young Philodox by the name of Preston Wallace Untangles-the-Webs.

Under the leadership of the Glass Walkers the name of the sept was changed from the Sept of the Sky Guard to the Sept of the steel Tree, and went under many changes. One of those is that the ruin of the Goddard mansion was repaired, and turned into private housing, supposedly for those that look after the park. Not all of the changes made to the sept were met with acceptance. may members of the Silver fangs and older tribes felt that too many things were being changed too quickly. This included the Caern totem which before had only been Eagle, but under the leadership of the Glass Walkers became the New World Trinity. In 2007 the leadership of the caern changed once again to Dmytro Prifti Thunder's-Grace a Shadow Lord Theurge. There were many of the Sept who felt that Thunder's-Grace's challenge had been unfair, especially since it resulted in the death of the previous Alpha. many members of the sept, especially those of tribes such as the Silver fangs expected things to perhaps go back to something a little more traditionally minded, but that was not the case. Though he was a Shadow Lord, Dymtro continued to work with the Glass Walkers in updating the caern for the modern times.

In the winter of 2013 the caern was attacked by Black Spiral Dancers. The knowledge that there were Spirals in the area was not new. The caern had fought against them for years, this attack seemed different, more directed. Thunder's-Grace fell in battle, but his pack mate. Cyrus, Black Ice, picked up his mantle. The Glass Walker Ahroun took control of the situation, and led the sept to victory, though with heavy losses. Once the dust had settled Cyrus challenged and became the new Sept Alpha; the results of the battle can still be seen on some of the buildings, parts of the umbra and the fact that the caern has fewer numbers. His untimely demise following the destruction of the nearby Stone's Promise has left a very tempting opening for key players about the Sept.

Other notes

When Garou join the Sept of the Steel Tree they are all given a smartphone. This phone acts as a simple Fetish (Without the Gnosis drain for having one attuned). The smartphones are spiritual keys to the gates of Steel Tree and the Guardian-spirits tied into the security system cameras at perimeter gates. In case the phone’s Wi-Fi and NFC are turned off; the spirit connected to the phone and the one at the gate will recognize each other and act as a key. This only works for the Garou the phone is imprinted too. It will not work for just anyone who picks up the phone and tries to use it. The same goes for unlocking and using the phone.

The phone are used for send out alerts to the guardians and other caern members as well as news or simply to pass messages back and forth. The caern provides its own WiFi in the Mansion and other areas of the bawn, and is not active near the Caern’s heart or some more primitive parts of the caern where Wyld spirits thrive (ie Warren’s bat-cave).

The phones are places in military grade otter box type cases so they are pretty hard ( yet of course not impossible to destroy). As the phones are small fetishes they are hard to hack (+4 to any attempt made) and the spirits inside the phones, if they are lost, will shut down and/or sabotage the fetish-phones before releasing into the umbra.

Relations with Kinfolk
Unlike some Septs, those who are kinfolk to the Garou of Steel Tree are welcomed members of the Sept. They are allowed to roam freely at the Mansion and around most parts of the Bawn, saved for closed off areas, where a kin must be supervised by a Garou. Kinfolk are welcome and encourage to attend to Sept gatherings and moots. Those kin that choose to be bear the Sept are provided with kin-lodgings at the south edge of the Bawn, where a small neighborhood of homes secured by small back roads hidden in the thick of the forest reside.

Relations with others
The Garou of Steel Tree are aware of the presence of other Nightfolk in and around the Portland area. The Vampires, for example, are enemies of the Garou that they have fought against for years, though, with the recent slaying of the city's past princes they believe that the Vampires are no longer an immediate threat.

They are also aware of the presence of Namers, the Magi of Portland, sporting minimal contact with them; content to let them fight their own battles as long as they do not threaten the Caern’s safety. As of 2016, however; some Magi who identify themselves as kinfolk, and whom have a member of their tribe to vouch for them have been allowed on the Caern’s premise. These Magi Kinfolk are watched closely at all times with scrutiny, even, when proven their loyalty and taken as mates.

Aside from a few Fianna, the Caern until recently had little knowledge or interaction with the Changeling Courts of Portland. Recent events changed this with a string of horrific events that led to an investigation into the death of a Sept member. Relations with the local Fair Folk are tumultuous at best, the politics shaky and potentially divided with some Fae seen with skepticism, while other Garou have formed budding alliances and matings with those Changelings that carry Kinfolk blood.

Rumors of the Changing Breeds that may exist in the Portland area, circulate around as local gossip. They prefer to keep their distance from the Garou of Steel Tree; the only exception being the occasional Corax or two, through a cordial alliance with the Sept Alpha, Black Ice, permits them to roost on the bawn in appreciation for the Avian Shifters’ assistance with Steel Tree’s on-going war against the local Black Spiral Dancers.