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"The moon's awake now with eyes wide open
My body’s craving so feed the hungry"
Werewolves are perhaps the most iconic of all Shifter varieties. The legends of Lycanthropy date back to the time when humans could pick up charcoal and etch onto cave walls. One of the most virulent strains of shifter virus, lycanthropy is common, though the life of a werewolf is scarcely as glamorous as the eloquent public face of the werecats.
People come to town and leave town all the time: oftentimes, someone moves to Las Vegas only to move away within a few months. Some come to Las Vegas looking for fame and fortune, and when it doesn't pan out they leave. Others come to town because they've heard weres can live openly here, only to run away once they learn just how small their cage is. The cats are caged by the glitz of Vegas and the rats by the criminal underside, but the wolves are fenced in by wild violence.
Wolf players will want to acquaint themselves with the hierarchy of the pack.
Organization
The Las Vegas Werewolf Pack are quite self-consciously patterned on the major packs of other cities. Due to the high transient population and people always coming in and out, the Crazy Eights believe in a stong central core.
The Werewolves are led by an Alpha. This consists of a top wolf, usually but not always a male, and is always the most powerful and respected werewolf in Las Vegas. There may or may not be an alpha female in the picture. In Werewolf culture, dominance is about power and influence, and while affection has its place, it is not the rule in wolfpacks.
The second-in-command of the Pack are the Beta Wolves. These wolves are the middle-management of the pack, and some of the most beloved members of the pack. They are support for the Alphas, and strength for the lower ranks. Sometimes the Alphas and Betas form a united front to lead other werewolves, and sometimes they're a bunch of wolves turning on each other vying for control of the pack.
The Omega Wolf is the lowest ranking wolf in the pack. While in natural packs, this wolf tends to be the "fall guy", in Werewolf packs this person is someone with natural charm and an abundance of personality. It's this person's role to be the comedian of the pack, and to provide stress relief when things get tense. Well liked and everyone's friend, the Omega is a treasured memeber of the pack.
The Crazy Eights
The story of werewolves in Las Vegas begins in the in the early 1940’s, when the military came to town. The Air Force favored the clear weather and prime flying conditions for year-round gunnery training. This attracted a certain type of young man, who was willing to take risks and explore a wild side when on furlough. The first wolves were airmen and ground crew, who found the liberty of the city refreshing compared to more cloistered Eastern cities. Plus, there was endless desert surrounding the base where one could enjoy the moon's touch unhindered by city streets.
Dubbed “The Crazy Eights” for the risks these men and women willingly took in the defense of their country, the pack is currently the only Pack in Las Vegas. They are organized under traditional lines, except that there are two major subgroups: the publicly declared werewolves who work openly within Vegas, and the private werewolves who slip between the cracks in society. Tensions between the two sects are high and occasionally spill over into violence, but heaven help whatever outsider thinks this is sign of disloyalty in the pack. The Crazy Eights may seem to be always perched on the brink of self-destruction, but historically nothing has united them quite as effectively as seeing outsiders trying to exploit their schisms. The wolves of Las Vegas have always been seen as a impulsive yet dangerous force, respected for their power yet mistrusted for their capricious spirits.
It is the current Alpha, Tom Mullins who wishes to change the way that wolves are thought of in the Glittered City. It is his goal to bring the wolves more into the city and out of the desert, putting the pack in direct conflict with many of the other preternatural groups. The pack is still heavily involved with the defense industry as contractors and some even working on base, though no wolves have worked openly in the military since they started testing for virus. The Eights also operate a legal and not-so-legal protection operation, offering muscle and credibility for hire to any dignitary or star who might come to town. Their position makes the wolves as the chief purveyors of information in the neon city. If one wants to know something, one asks the Pack.
The pack is fiercely loyal, and fiercely protective. Their problems are their own and closely held, and outsiders are rarely welcomed to mediate their struggle.
The pack finds itself currently in dangerous times. The Ranch which had been their home for so many years has burned to the ground, leaving nothing behind. As if it weren't enough, it turns out the mortgage had not been paid in a very long time. The Crazy Eights are currently struggling to find a safe oasis to their troubles. Do they rebuild and pay off their debt? Do they find another venue? Questions need answers. |
Humanside - Life on the Edge
Las Vegas has plenty of work for werewolves. Known for their protective nature, they make excellent bodyguards and bouncers, and protection of any kind, though there is a strict hierarchy to keep only the best controlled in choice public positions. Many preternaturals think that there are no finer associates to protect their property and valuables than The Crazy Eights. The Eights have a violent past, and it is the new Alpha’s opinion that in order to be considered anything but monsters, they will need to present themselves as better than the rest, though this is sometimes in violent opposition to the wildness that courses through each werewolf's veins. Ruthless in his policy, the instant a werewolf's record is smudged, they find themselves reduced to fighting bloodsports for next to nothing in the seedy underworld of unlicensed fights.
It is generally thought that the werewolves are the strongest of "common" Shifters, and the most volatile in the face of stressful conditions (blood, violence, emotional turmoil, sex). Uncontrolled shifts are common in untrained new wolves. All new Pack wolves have a partner to help them through the process (and be held accountable if they fail). Being a partner to a new wolf is considered a requirement for advancement. Wolves existing outside the Pack find themselves at the mercy of the preternatural world and Human law enforcement.
The life of the hidden werewolves, the unregistered ones, who are free to live their own lives — lives that are often shaped in awful ways by the stew of violence in which they live. Many of them run with gangs or criminal syndicates, some even working with the Nest. The rest tend to work at fringe jobs, the kinds of places that have high turnover and can't afford to be too picky: convenience stores, fast food restaurants, prostitutes, disposable jobs for forgotten people and so on. The Crazy Eights suffer these outsiders with only a hair’s breath of tolerance. These outsiders do not enjoy the safety and mutual good of the pack and can often be a dangerous element in a peaceful world. Wolves often will not be given a choice about joining the Pack's protective custody.
Wolves (and all shifters) are not allowed to be police officers. A Las Vegas police officer's life is one giant series of frustrations, from dealing with tourists to the Mob to getting shot at to busting up drug rings. A Shifter on the police force would be exposed within weeks, if not sooner. If this line of play intrigues you, you will need to find very compelling reason for this type of story to be approved by staff.