Coven of Hoof and claw

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The coven of hoof and claw is one of the more reclusive covens of the earthborn. Compared to the other covens, the coven of hoof and claw has a very limited number of followers, as its members tend to shy away from urban areas. The coven is reclusive at the best of times and downright hostile at its worst.

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Beliefs

The coven of hoof and claw looks at both predator and pray for inspiration. The selection of animalistic spiritual totems is characteristic for this coven. By studying the behavior and characteristic of your totem animal, the members of this cult believe that they can become much closer to the all-mother. A commonly held belief in this coven is that animals have a much more instinctive connection to the all-mother that humans can all too easily repress. As such, they turn to animals to teach them and reject many innovations made by mankind and advanced society. The most devout followers of this coven live lives that can be called nothing but feral.

Worship

Upon coming of age, a respected member of the coven is sent on a vision quest to find their totem which will serve as a teacher. This vision is a trance-like state induced by powerful magic, fasting and shamanistic practices akin to hypnosis. It's rare for anyone to come back without a totem but it does happen, in which case the new member is often cast from the coven. In some cases, people find multiple totems, either during their first vision or later in life. These people are considered to be especially lucky for having found multiple willing teachers.

Druids

The druids of the coven of hoof and claw are expert shapeshifters and have perfected their wild shape

Rangers

Rangers of the coven of hoof and claw form intense bonds with their animal companions, almost exclusively of the same type of animal as their totem.

Tatoos

The practice of Aether tattoos is extremely common amongst the coven of hoof and claw, often tattooing physical aspects of a totem animal on a worshipper. Examples include tattoos around the fingertips and nails, antlers on the head, or tattoos mimicking the stripes and patterns of fur representative of the totemic animal. Even for members not found worthy to receive aether tattoos, many worshippers still adorn their bodies with similar (albeit non-magical) tattoos like this.