[The following was Edwyn's response to a poster's questions on the Tribe 8 mailing list. Although Edwyn wrote the section on Joanites in Word of the Pillars, this text is not official, a "lost excerpt" from the book, or anything like that. He actually wrote it on the fly.]

> What is the way of the Winter Wolf?

"We are wild, yet disciplined. We understand the underlying level of all things of spirit and flesh and fit in with the cycle of life that the Goddess has set forth from time eternal. We pay our tribute to both Joan and the Winter Wolf, for in their union does our purpose find completion. We do not act against the will of nature, as told to us by the Winter Wolf, Spirit of the Savage Cold. There are many unseen things that seek to entice us to trespass against the lawful order, but these weaknesses are not acknowledged by us, for we are the chosen ones. Those that fall prey to the sins of desire and greed shall be purged from the land as blights to the destiny of humanity.

Our enemy is the Beasts. We steal from them the liberty of life and deliver them to death whenever possible. Not for the purpose of salvation, but rather for the healing of the Goddess. It is as the Winter Wolf has said and we follow him in his ways - through the doors of hell if need be. We follow the Winter Wolf's guidance as the force that drives us onwards. We heed his words without doubt or hesitation, for it is our way to obey the honored. We follow Joan as our liberator, for without Her, we would have never known what it was to be free. She showed us the great Spirit and we thank Her for that. It is as it should be."

> What are the Winter Wolf rituals?

"Our Rituals are instinctual and divine in nature. We do not follow the pomp that we see in the other Guilds and Tribes. Does the wolf not howl to warn its prey of its death or call to its brothers for the hunt! It does this from its heart, following what it feels over what it thinks. We also enact out Rituals of worship and war in an insightful manner, stretching beyond the conscious, and delving into the realm of pure spirit. That is where divinity and purity lies, and that is where we draw our power from, for it is the land of the Den of our Totem, the Winter Wolf."

> What's the relationship between the Winter Wolf guild members and Joan or the other Joanites?

"We are a part of the Tribe of Joan, yet sovereign as well. She liberated us and we can never forget that. . .we won't. The Joanites are our people, but they are not our blood. Only the truly pure can claim to be a part of us.

The Templars are great warriors, but they need to find the pounding of their hearts before the blood can surge through them.

The Watch are exactly that. Why watch, when one can act? It makes little sense to me to behave for justice when war sets more things right than law ever can.

The White Guard are our oldest of Clansmen, and we respect that. There are few amongst our elite Guild that can claim to have reached such an age.

The Cavalry control the noble beasts beneath them with pride and power. That stance of being specialized warriors in a Tribe made up of such greatness is one that we can understand well. There is much to be admired in that.

The Blades are the rank and file, the edges of the sword so to speak. They are a necessary part of what we are as a Tribe, but I feel that unless they draw blood soon, those same edges will dull and become useless when their time inevitably comes."

> How do they relate to the other tribes, the fallen, the keeper, the lost tribes and the Z'bri?

"The Fates are none of our concern. We care not what they dictate, for our worship is carried in the Winter Wolf.

Baba Yaga can guide us to his den after we die, so we respect Her for that much at least, although, the chosen do not need Her, for the Winter Wolf seeks out his most loyal followers when their time finally comes.

Magdalen is misdirected, for She worships the skin and not the spirit that resides within it. We know that the skin is a vessel that must be taken care for the spirit to find its place, but at the exclusion of the other, the sin is great.

Eva cares more for the land than the other Fatimas do and this we revere. She has strength and conviction, something that can grow into a strong bond with Joan, but I fear the worst as Tera Sheba continues to pull Her strings.

The Judge is blind to the laws of nature and does not understand destiny. She is afraid of the synchronicity that surrounds Her and points Her guilt into the wind. If only She would look forward instead of back, then true justice will be had for all.

Dahlia is the coyote, our enemy. . . and cousin, unfortunately. We can't stand to listen to Her yelps and cries in the night, clipping at the herls of the mice in the fields. Why does She not take her caravans and go elsewhere. Now is not the time for pranks.

Agnes. . .poor Child. She is a pup without a pack to raise Her. She bites at the wounds instead of licking them and plays on the edges of Her predators' domain. She fears what lies ahead of Her, but we will guard this young One. Yes, we will guard Her very closely.

The Joshuans and Marians are gone and we will speak of them no more. In time, perhaps their secrets will be known, but that is a matter of destiny, not our own ambitions. Remember when I spoke to you of the Winter Wolf ways. Heed me in this.

The Fallen are a confusing anomoly to us at this time. I will not act against them, unless my Superiors deem it necessary, although if the rumors are true (and they seldom are) we may just have to teach them what the tolerance is for blasphemers against the Goddess.

The Keepers are the sores on our Spirit's back, flaying him with their mechanical ways. The 'Teknology' is the destroyer of nature and in this do we follow Tera Sheba's edicts against it with Devotion.

I spoke of the Z'bri already. Perhaps if we fought them as much as we spoke of them, Vimary would not live in fear as it does now."

> The Winter Wolf are said to be removed from much of what in regards of the Nation... do they have much interraction with the other tribes/family?

"We are rarely seen, but when we are, all those who witness us know that some matter of import is at hand. Of course, we only act when our Spirit and our Fatima tells us. It is the way."

>Do they even spend much time in Vimary?

"The wilds hold more for us than the old streets and avenues ever can. There is a freshness in the unkempt forests and paths that are enchanting to us. We do our business with the Tribes with representatives, but do not take part in the regular councils of the Tribes. Why waste time in Bazaar when so many other duties need be done!"

> What's are the goals of the Winter Wolf?

"We all have our own personal connection with the Dreaming and this is our ultimate spirit quest. A reconnection with the Goddess in a pure state, one free of the taint of the seed (as it is now), is the drive for many of us.

The Goddess is all things. . .the Fatimas, the Great Spirits, the grass, the air, the wind. We are aware of Her presence through all these things, but She is wounded by the evil that surrounds us. They are not meant to be here and we must heal Her of the festering boils that are the Z'bri. Only then will spirit and life be as one."

I hope you have appreciated my words, young pup. There is a whole world out there to explore, but you need to be armed with the skills and wisdom to do so. So go play, and always give your heart and your soul to the Winter Wolf, for through him, do we find salvation."

-- Rakil Fera'on, Winter Wolf Guildsman