Shadow Lord 101

Name: Shadow Lord
Plural: Shadow Lords
Pronounciation: shad'-ohw lohrdz'

Totem:
Grandfather Thunder: Totem of Respect Like his Shadow Lord Children, Grandfather Thunder is more feared than respected by other Garou. Some see him like the the Shadow Lords that follow him. More wind and noise than actual force. However, where there is thunder, there is lightning, devastating power, and the constant threat of what may come. He is patient and subtle, and seldom does he send his own avatar to packs seeking him. Instead, he commands one of his Stormcrows to tend to them.
Those who follow Grandfather Thunder have tremendous willpower and are eloquent in matters of Etiquette. Shadow Lords see very little difference between fear and respect, and Thunder's packs tend to be rather intimidating. A top this each pack member gains an Honor Renown. Shadow Lords will follow any pack dedicated to their tribal totem with keen interest.
Wither you are one of his children or following his storm, Grandfather Thunder commands that his children give their peers and their rivals no more respect than they deserve.

Tales of the Tribe
Wolves are creatures of dominance and submission, mastery and servitude. The Shadow Lords take this quite literally and strive to master all they survey. Shadow lords see the Garou as the ultimate life form on the planet. Therefore, the Garou are the obvious rulers. Furthermore, as far as they're concerned, there is no tribe greater than the Shadow Lords. With that in mind, it doesn't take a genius to figure out the tribe's agenda. In the end, the only thing the Shadow Lords respect from Garou of other tribes is power. Even so, they are always ready to displace their rivals at the slightest sign of weakness.
Though some argue that knowing too well the lures and seductions of the Wyrm beats a quick path to corruption, the Shadow Lords cultivate a unique perspective on the Wyrm that few Garou share. After all, how better to understand its method and madness than to skirt around its edges, learning its scent? Experience not withstanding, the Shadow Lords recognize the enemy's face and understand is intentions better than most Garou - a strength of immeasurable value when resources are slight. Moreover, from their insights stem truly terrifying Shadow Lord Gifts. However, the Shadow Lords must be careful not to drink too deeply of the Urges, lest their dark strengths can become their greatest weaknesses. Their pride and arrogance is easily warped by the Wyrm into full-blown megalomania.
The Shadow Lords boast a chain of command that would make any corporate division proud. No member is ignorant of his position, power, or more importantly, responsibilities. At the lower end, eager young pups stand ready to fill any vacancy that opens up in the ranks, including vacancies that they sometimes create. Those already in positions of power are constantly on guard against capable upstarts. All in all, the Shadow Lord drive for dominance creates a constant current of change and uncertainty, as those in power inevitably miss a step sooner or later and are brought down. The Shadow Lords' believe in the right to rule through outmaneuvering, outgunning, overpowering, backstabbing and/or assassination - and the right to keep a position in the same ways.
It is the custom among them to undergo a tribe/pack Rite of Passage beyond that normally instituted by the Sept. Such ordeals are usually designed by the alpha of the pack to put the young Garou in a compromising situation in effort to acquaint him or her with the darker emotions of desperation.
When it comes to dealing with the Wyrm, the Shadow Lords use deception and trickery first, only putting themselves in physical harm when it seems that all other options have been expended. This strategy allows them to develop and maintain some indirect relationships with those elements that are close to the vampire and Black Spiral Dancer communities, manipulating them so that they may encourage the Wyrm's resources to destroy itself. They also possess a more intimate knowledge of Wyrm spirits and Banes and are usually best at noticing and tracking their scent. However, when Shadow Lords do resort to direct confrontation, they tend to organize very complete and deadly raids, designed to leave little trace of their involvement (which helps them maintain their contacts for future use)
No tribe or pack controls their families as strictly as the Shadow Lords. Though their brutal treatment of Kinfolk at times has raised the attentions of other tribal leaders, the Shadow Lords have maintained (albeit it not well received) obedience and submission. Problem elements within the family are quickly subdued most often through physical or social means. It is well known that the Shadow Lords have been trying for many years to produce as many offspring as possible. To this end, as soon as Shadow Lord Kinfolk become fertile, they are arranged to mate with members of the tribe.

Appearance:
A lupus-form Shadow Lord retains his hauteur and arrogance. The Lord is typically black-furred and broad-shouldered, with an air of smoldering menace about him. Most spend time as Lupus during bleak, rainy days.

Homelands:
Though the tribe’s true home lies in the Balkan and Carpathian mountain ranges, they now range across the Western Concordat. The Lords’ preferred homes lie amid rocky mountains and spooky plateaus, with haunted coniferous forests all around. Other than their own Kinfolk - generally of Eastern European descent - and business interests, the Shadow Lords do not have a favored group of homids to defend, although powerful men like military dictators, crime lords or ruthless businessmen may find themselves pursued by female Shadow Lord lovers. Like the Get of Fenris, they ruthlessly seize undefended caerns, insisting that the Garou Nation must ensure that such holy places are in the hands of those best capable of protecting them.

Tribal Advantage:
Social Outmaneuver: By simply spending a Gnosis, a Shadow Lord can socially under mind their opponents with blinding speed, their by crushing them to their peers and making them look foolish. However for some reason, this advantage fails when used against Garou of equal or higher pure breed.

Tribal Disadvantage:
The Shadow Lords are arrogant to extremes, and this is reflected in the tribe’s attitude toward failure. A Lord who fails in her assigned tasks is scorned and reviled; she loses an additional Renown Trait when she fails at a task (or, if that failure would still earn positive Renown, she earns one fewer Renown Trait). If she would gain or lose Renown in more than one category, she loses it from the category which would have earned her the most Renown had she succeeded.

Tribal Organization:
The Shadow Lords are organized along much the same lines as the Get of Fenris (though you would never hear members of either tribe suggest such a thing): The strongest leads alone. The primary difference between the two is that while Get of Fenris moots are rowdy, drunken debacles, Shadow Lord moots are quiet, almost solemn, as the sept's leader sets out the plans for the next month's activities. Shadow Lord leaders must be perfect - having the social skills necessary to manage the tribe's activities, the strength to crush any opposition and the mystic knowledge to turn even the spirits to their will. Shadow Lord leaders are rarely challenged openly; only when the leader has shown obvious weakness is he considered to be a viable target for deposition.

Camps:
Lords of the Summit - perhaps the largest camp, the Lords of the Summit tend to be the stereotypical Shadow Lords - power-hungry, manipulative, ambitious, and arrogant. This by no means makes them less dangerous foes.
Bringers of Light - if there is one group of Shadow Lords that receives something close to general respect, it is the Bringers of Light. These Shadow Lords are the ones who interact with evil powers, such as Black Spiral Dancers or vampires, and attempt to bring them down from within.
Children of Crow - taking Crow as their totem, these Garou act as advisors and "fixers" to leaders within the Garou Nation, supporting the strong and the wise while plotting the downfall of the unworthy.
Judges of Doom - Philodoxes all, the Judges of Doom seek out and punish those who break the Litany.
Children of Bat - one of the newest camps, these Shadow Lords follow the recently-redeemed totem of Bat and use his powers on Gaia's behalf.
Lazarite Movement - a pan-tribal movement dedicated to equal rights (or any rights, in some cases) for metis.

Initial Willpower: 3
Backgrounds:
May not buy Allies or Mentor.