Uktena

In the days before the Europeans reached the Americas, the Uktena acted as the wise Older Brother of the three tribes of Pure Ones. Where Wendigo focused on war and the hunt, and the Croatan were more sociable, the Uktena gathered mystical lore to themselves. They settled across the Americas, favoring more southern lands where the rivers they cherish were plentiful.
When the arrival of the Europeans changed everything, and their Kin were much reduced in number, the Uktena chose to adapt. They began to interact with humans of many other cultures, favoring those who kept old animistic traditions or those who had suffered oppression much as the Pure Ones had. Many Uktena bear the blood of former slaves, or people driven from their lands, or immigrants who were shoved into filthy ghettos.
But although the Uktena have learned new hope from their embrace of outside cultures (excepting, of course, the Europeans’), a river of dark bitterness still runs through their hearts. They ally with the rest of the tribes, but keep secrets to themselves. They haven’t forgotten any of the insults and injuries they’ve suffered. And they don’t trust nearly as much as they let on. They still use the word “Wyrmcomer” to describe the Europeans, even if they don’t do it to their cousins’ faces. When there’s a need to cooperate, they’ll do so — but if there’s an opportunity to discreetly settle a particularly painful vendetta, they may find it hard to resist.
Despite the old wounds between the Uktena and most of the other tribes, they are valuable members of the Garou Nation. They have spent millennia communing with spirits to learn obscure occult secrets, bartering quietly with lone members of other supernatural communities (such as the Corax, Nuwisha, and Qualmi), and devising rites unknown even to the Wendigo. The Uktena have mastered more occult mysteries than any other tribe, giving them a notable edge where the mystical side of the war is concerned. However, not all of the secrets they’ve learned are safe.

The Uktena don’t shy away from dealing with things darker and more twisted than Gaian spirits. They have a long history of dealing with true horrors. In their explorations, ancient Uktena uncovered a number of powerful Banes lying dormant below the earth’s surface. They enacted mighty rites to keep these monstrous Wyrm-spirits bound, and for generations the Uktena have maintained the tradition of “Bane Tenders” to watch over these blasphemous sites. Over the ages, the tribe learned more of the Wyrm’s evil than any Gaian Garou should perhaps know.
Yet this knowledge is very useful. The Uktena are masters at discovering Wyrm taint, no matter how subtly hidden. They know the weaknesses of Banes that few other scholars can even name. The tribe’s Theurges are virtually unparalleled, and even their No Moons and Full Moons have a canny knack for understanding the hidden corners of the Umbra. Curiosity is praised as a virtue among the tribe — the cub with the most potential is one who’s hungry to learn. Lupus members are encouraged to ask as many questions as they want to, and as a result learn at an accelerated pace. Their metis are typically held to a harsh standard, yet sometimes even overtake their homid and lupus brethren in mastery of the occult. They have never known a world without mysticism.

These are dark times, and the Uktena’s knowledge of evil offers a constant window to temptation. Garou of every tribe can fall to the Wyrm, and when an Uktena gives in to the whispers from under the earth, he becomes one of the most cunning and dangerous of all the fallen. Other tribes who suspect the extent of the Uktena’s lore cannot help but dread the thought that they may weaken as a group. But while the Uktena have strength and purpose, they continue to strike at the Wyrm using methods and approaches few others could master. They know it well, after all. They know its allure and strength,— but also its tricks, its taboos, and its weaknesses.

Appearance

Uktena Pure Breed often manifests as reddish-black fur, and many have a distinct resemblance to red wolves. The tribe is a peculiar mishmash of Native American and various dispossessed ethnicities, and many members have a penchant for occult trinkets from a wide range of traditions.

Kinfolk & Territory

The Uktena bred with native peoples throughout the Americas, and have brought many other oppressed ethnic groups under their wing. They favor secluded territories, often places that have a bad reputation in local folklore. Many of these places have earned that reputation with ancient horrors bound beneath the land and kept there only by the Uktena’s vigilance.

Tribal Totem

The Uktena is a Native American river spirit resembling a horned serpent with a few pumalike features. Like many water-spirits, it is sometimes tempestuous and sometimes nurturing. Uktena has many water and snake-spirits in its brood, including Feathered Serpents, Sea Serpents and serpentine dragons of Asia.