by Lisa Fleishman (Werewolf: The Apocalypse | The Face of Rage | Columns)
Ring Around the Rosey...
The seedy world of the Black Spiral Dancers can provide storytellers with a plethora of nemesis for their Werewolf: The Apocalypse games. Generally BSDs are portrayed as nameless, drooling monsters whose only purpose is to kill or be killed by the characters. Sometimes BSDs can be akin to a footnote in a story, rather than a plot point. Whenever a Garou encounters a BSD, they are facing a werewolf that has a story to tell. If BSDs were merely insane, slobbering creatures with no agenda, how would they manage to steal warriors from Gaia’s ranks? A BSD should be one of the most dangerous creatures that a Garou ever faces, and not just from the physical threat. Spirals will attempt to woo a Garou to their way of thinking. They will exploit a Garou’s weaknesses, and appeal to their sense of helplessness in a war that has no peaceful end in sight. How do the Spirals trap a Garou into their madness?
Pocket full of poesies…
The Black Spiral Dancers have an agenda, and they want you! They feel that Gaia has not only lied to them, but also used them in a way that will eventually lead the way to destruction and stagnation of all things. It is not difficult to find bitterness in the heart of a Gaian Garou. Most have lost friends, family and home in a war that has spanned millennia. Pleasure in a Garou’s life is sparse, and the reality of always living in a state of warfare will cause even the most enthusiastic werewolf to doubt herself, and her Goddess at some point. The Spirals realize this, and keep an eye out for those werewolves who are looking for a way to be on a winning team. For all of their many faults, the Spirals are loyal to their cause. If the Garou Nation were half as united as the BSDs, they would have wiped out the threat of the Wyrm’s minions long ago. Pride, arrogance, biases, and bigotry have rotted the warriors of Gaia from the inside. Instead of banding together to accomplish the task at hand, they have spent their years squabbling amongst themselves about who is Gaia’s favored, what territory belongs to whom, and so forth. It’s no wonder that the Garou are in a rather precarious state of being. The Spirals know this and show a front of complete solidarity. Service to the Master and his will is paramount, and woe upon the Spiral who does not follow this creed. The Spirals want the Garou Nation to be reunited under one banner, therefore they "recruit" from their Gaian brothers. Those who will not be recruited and open their eyes to the truth of the Master must be destroyed. All of this begs the question; what is so great about serving the Wyrm?
There is a method to the Wyrm’s madness concerning the Black Spiral Dancers. In the days of old, the Wyrm was the check and balance to the Wyld’s bithings, and the Weaver’s creations. Much like the flow of the seasons, the Wyrm brought winter to all things. The Weaver wanted birth and death to come on her terms. In striving for her vision of perfection, the Weaver began to encase the Wyrm in order to control entropy. The Wyrm became mad in his efforts to release himself from the entanglements of the Weaver. In his madness, the Wyrm began to collect followers of Gaia to fight in his war against all things. So, why is Gaia the enemy? Gaia’s ties to the Wyld are the antithesis of the way of the Wyrm. The Wyrm consumes and destroys. By annihilating Gaia, the Wyrm effectively cuts off the Wyld from the physical world, leaving the Weaver as his only nemesis. The Wyrm wants to destroy the Weaver for what she has done to him. The Wyrm has no remorse for his actions or for the actions of those who follow him. Solidarity, loyalty, and victory are the only things that matter to the Wyrm.
Ashes…
How do the Black Spiral Dancers convince those of Gaia to turn their backs on their Mother and join the ranks of the Dark Father?
By playing on the fears and hatreds that lie in the heart of every Garou. A Spiral will cunningly convince a Garou that the path that they are on is not only wrong, but also enslaves werewolves as a whole to the whims of Gaia, the Weaver, and humanity. Morality is a matter of perspective, and the Spirals use a Garou’s own questioning nature against them. There are no tribes amongst the Spiral ranks; they are one people with one cause.
Why fight a many-fronted war that you can’t ever win, when you can join a team that wants you, needs you, and will let you indulge in every whim that you have ever imagined. Why should you have to live by rules and laws set forth by those who are lesser than you? Let yourself be free, help the Wyrm return balance to this stinking hunk of rock. You’ll be rewarded in ways that you can’t even imagine. Do you want power, but have always been too ashamed to admit it? The Wyrm will give you no shame. Hate the humans and their cities? So do we. Want to know the secrets of the Universe? We know them. Join us, and you’ll be forever glad that you did. Deny us, and we’ll tear you to shreds.
Black Spiral Dancers see the way of the Wyrm as a path to ultimate freedom. There are no prejudices. If you want to mate with one of your kind, do so. If you want to challenge an unfit leader, go for it. If you have habits that Gaian Garou would find distasteful, explore them. There are few restrictions on a Spiral’s wants or desires. The world is a candy store, and you can try anything.
Such a life could be appealing to a Garou who suffers under a myriad of laws, restrictions, and conformities placed on them by their Gaian fellows.
Ashes…
So what do you need to give up to be a Black Spiral Dancer?
The Wyrm is insistent on total loyalty. There is no room for Gaian morals in the life of a Spiral. A Spiral will be quick to point out that the gain of ultimate freedom far outweighs any puny losses incurred by turning one’s back on Gaia.
Sure, you won’t have to suffer at the hands of fools anymore in a war that the Gaian army cannot win. You won’t have to be ashamed of what you are, and what you have done. You past does not equal your future as far as the Wyrm is concerned. The Wyrm wants you to succeed; the Wyrm will help you be victorious in all faucets of your life. Can you say that Gaia has done the same for the Garou? Now, which path makes more sense? All you have to do is be honest with yourself, your heart will tell you the right thing to do.
The minions of the Wyrm are insidious and crafty. They will appeal to a Garou’s sense of morality and honor to make it seem as though a Garou has been tricked by her Mistress and that the Wyrm is concerned with putting the Garou Nation on the path of righteousness.
We all fall down!…
What is the ultimate goal of the Wyrm? This is a highly debatable question. Some say that the Wyrm wants balance and will stop at nothing to achieve that goal. Others would claim that the Wyrm wants revenge and manipulates fallen Garou to do his bidding. In the end analysis, it’s all the same. The Black Spiral Dancers work towards a day when everything is destroyed, including themselves. They not only hope for Apocalypse, they yearn for it. It is through the Apocalypse that their master will be victorious against those who have tried to enslave and destroy him. Black Spiral Dancers feel that the victory of their master is something worth dying for.
How do I use these elements in my game?
Black Spiral Dancers should not be mere splat bags for the Garou to slaughter in their defense of Gaia. A Spiral is just as fanatical about her views and just a ferocious about defending the things that she holds dear. Every Spiral has a tale to tell. An interesting story could be about a Spiral that a pack captures and interrogates. As the BSD is questioned, she tries to appeal to the Garou present to see her side of the issue. A crafty storyteller will have the players not only agreeing, but sympathizing with the Spiral’s quest. By making the Black Spiral Dancers seem not so different from the Garou, a storyteller can craft an atmosphere of deceit and suspense. After hearing the impassioned case made by a Spiral, characters may begin to question themselves and their cause. This is, of course, what the Wyrm wants. The more that the Garou question the motives of Gaia, the easier it is for the Master to entrap them in his coils of insanity. By making the Black Spiral Dancers a spiritual enemy as well as a physical one, the storyteller adds a new element of danger to her Werewolf game that is realistic, adds depth, and keeps the players guessing at every turn.
