THE NORTH STAR | Qui-am-i Wintook Poot-see
Rank 1; Nunnehi Freehold; Affinity: Primary - Time; Secondary - Fae
Rank 1; Garou Caern; Type: Enigmas; Totem: Father Peyote

Snow Mountain is a luxurious golf resort that stretches for 4,000 acres to the North of Las Vegas, located off Interstate 95. Lush, rolling greens and sparkling lakes dominate the landscape rather than the harsh sands of the desert. Rather than go the traditional route of falling into casinos for gambling, which would only encourage poor stereotypes of the Native Americans, the Pauite Tribe decided to open the land to tourists. The Golf course itself is split into three different paths: Wolf, Sun Mountain, and Snow Mountain. The Pauite Resort boasts a fine restaurant venue, and a majestic view for weddings that cannot be surpassed. Conservators from the Pauite Tribe oversee the reservation and grounds. All employees of the Snow Mountain Resort hail from the local tribe and speak Ute-Southern Pauite in addition to English.

The Resort itself is part of the territory of and serves as a barrier between the encroaching population of the city and one of the few wellsprings of sacred energy: The North Star. Simultaneously a haven for the Nunnehi and the native changeling breeds, the North Star sits atop the highest peak of Spring Mountain, which is a part of Red Rock Canyon. The small community of North Star fiercely guards the land, a unified force despite their differences, driven to keep all, who call it home, safe. Their kinfolk and kithain call the resort their home and serve as an early warning system to their blessed counterparts. Some of the local changing breeds work on the resort as well. Once a year, a powwow takes place at the Snow Mountain Resort that is used to raise the awareness of all who attend of the customs and traditions of all native tribes in the United States and Canada. All are welcome to attend.

Somewhere in the twisting ravines, cliffs, plateaus, and caves that make up Spring Mountain and Red Rock Canyon, overgrown shrubs, treacherous paths, sheer cliffs, ice, and snow protect the territory of the North Star, a sacred place of mystery . Snow and undergrowth hide trails worn away over time by Garou and Nunnehi ancestors who recognized this land as a sanctuary. Today, glyphs, hidden unawares from na�ve eyes, mark the ley lines of the North Star. Those who cross over into this territory are expected to announce their presence, or face the wrath of the guardians bound to protect the land by sheer survival. The various hot springs that surround the sanctuary produce a mist, shielding the caer from prying eyes, confusing many a lost traveler. As the fountain of energy is only enough to sustain a small group of individuals, the guardians fiercely grill any who seek it.

The Nunnehi of the Surems and Kachina claimed the land. After the arrival of the European Fae, the Storm Eater in the mid 1800�s, and the encroaching White Man�s war and laws, the native changeling were forced to concede that they needed assistance guarding the land that could be easily snatched from them due to limited numbers. They evoked the aid of their allies the native Garou and other Fera. Today, North Star is ruled by a Surem Chief named Joaquin and a tribal counsel composed of both members of both the changing breeds and Nunnehi from various different tribes, though Surems and Kachina are still dominant. Guardians roam the land, and there are whispers that perhaps the lost Gurahl may be among them.

Shrines are scattered throughout the bawn. Many of them are small stone cairns where both nunnhei garou offer up chiminage to their personal totems and to Father Peyote who watches over the caern, and other spirits they have alliances with. Shrines to lesser totems such as Corn, Fireweed, and Ice are found throughout the caern. The Heart of the North Star, which is not located directly in the center, contains the greatest shrine to Father Peyote located within a smoke tent where the residents engage in peyote induced trances. Here, the lines between the physical and spiritual worlds is so thin that they bleed over into each other. In the North Star�s heart, changing breeds can pass into the Umbra and commune with spirits as easily as breathing air. Nunnhei use the shrine to the sacred Father Peyote, as well as to other totems, to pass into the Hunting Grounds (Spirit World).

In the Spirit World (Umbra), The North Star caer is an idealized representation of itself. Nature spirits abound. Plants grow in abundance. Rock and stone shimmer with a myriad of colors. The air seems crisper, purer, thrumming with mystical energy. Above, the North Star shines brilliantly. If one searches hard enough, a trod can be found that leads to many paths delving into the Near-Dreaming of Shining Lights. The changing breeds that wander the trods ultimately lose some of their memories as the Mist that protects the Nunnehi and European fae descends on their memories.

A grave for hallowed heroes is located deep within an underground labyrinth of rust-colored stone. Garou and other changing breeds who perform great deeds are given rest here. Each Chief of the Nunnehi is presented with this final resting place as well as other elders and braves. Although many Nunnhei succumb to banality long before they pass from their life, they are still recognized for the contributions they have given. Ghost dances are observed by both the changing breeds and Nunnehi as the spirits of ancestors are revered by both.

A feeling of peace pervades the Heart of the North Star. Changeling and other creatures who wish the land ill often find themselves pitted against the freeholds defenses, should they manage to slip past the guardians. Some find themselves caught in time loops. Others find themselves moving too slowly, never seeming to reach the Heart. The worst effects are caused by chimerical guardians and plants that, when touched or consumed, affect the intruder. Some place the intruder in a deep slumber that can last days, weeks, months, or years. Others cause terrifying hallucinations, cause the intruder to waste away rapidly, and other such time-laden effects.

Gauntlet Rating
Snow Mountain Resort � 6
Red Rock Canyon � 4
Spring Mountain � 3
Heart of the North Star � 2

Pauite Legend of the North Star
Long ago, when the world was young, the People of the Sky were so restless and traveled so much that they made trails in the heavens. Now, if we watch the sky all through the night, we can see which way they go.

But one star does not travel. That is the North Star. He cannot travel. He cannot move. When he was on the earth long, long ago, he was known as Na-gah, the mountain sheep, the son of Shinoh. He was brave, daring, sure-footed, and courageous. His father was so proud of him and loved him so much that he put large earrings on the sides of his head and made him look dignified, important, and commanding.

Every day, Na-gah was climbing, climbing, climbing. He hunted for the roughest and the highest mountains, climbed them, lived among them, and was happy.

Once in the very long ago, he found a very high peak. Its sides were steep and smooth, and its sharp peak reached up into the clouds.

Na-gah looked up and said, "I wonder what is up there. I will climb to the very highest point."

Around and around the mountain he traveled, looking for a trail. But he could find no trail. There was nothing but sheer cliffs all the way around. This was the first mountain Na-gah had ever seen that he could not climb. He wondered and wondered what he should do. He felt sure that his father would feel ashamed of him if he knew that there was a mountain that his son could not climb. Na-gah determined that he would find a way up to its top. His father would be proud to see him standing on the top of such a peak.

Again and again he walked around the mountain, stopping now and then to peer up the steep cliff, hoping to see a crevice on which he could find footing.

Again and again, he went up as far as he could, but always had to turn around and come down.

At last he found a big crack in a rock that went down, not up. Down he went into it and soon found a hole that turned upward. His heart was made glad. Up and up he climbed.

Soon it became so dark that he could not see, and the cave was full of loose rocks that slipped under his feet and rolled down. Soon he heard a big, fearsome noise coming up through the shaft at the same time the rolling rocks were dashed to pieces at the bottom. In the darkness he slipped often and skinned his knees. His courage and determination began to fail. He had never before seen a place so dark and dangerous. He was afraid, and he was also very tired. "I will go back and look again for a better place to climb," he said to himself. "I am not afraid out on the open cliffs, but this dark hole fills me with fear. I'm scared! I want to get out of here!"

But when Na-gah turned to go down, he found that the rolling rocks had closed the cave below him. He could not get down. He saw only one thing now that he could do: He must go on climbing until he came out somewhere.

After a long climb, he saw a little light, and he knew that he was coming out of the hole.

"Now I am happy," he said aloud. "I am glad that I really came up through that dark hole."

Looking around him, he became almost breathless, for he found that he was on the top of a very high peak! There was scarcely room for him to turn around, and looking down from this height made him dizzy. He saw great cliffs below him, in every direction, and saw only a small place in which he could move. Nowhere on the outside could he get down, and the cave was closed on the inside. "Here I must stay until I die," he said. "But I have climbed my mountain! I have climbed my mountain at last!� He ate a little grass and drank a little water that he found in the holes in the rocks. Then he felt better. He was higher than any mountain he could see and he could look down on the Earth, far below him.

About this time, his father was out walking over the sky. He looked everywhere for his son, but could not find him. He called loudly, "Na-gah! Na-gah!"

And his son answered him from the top of the highest cliffs.

When Shinoh saw him there, he felt sorrowful, to himself, "My brave son can never come down. Always he must stay on the top of the highest mountain. He can travel and climb no more. I will not let my brave son die. I will turn him into a star, and he can stand there and shine where everyone can see him. He shall be a guide mark for all the living things on the Earth or in the sky."

And so Na-gah became a star that every living thing can see. It is the only star that will always be found at the same place.

Always he stands still. Directions are set by him. Travelers, looking up at him, can always find their way. He does not move around as the other stars do, and so he is called "the Fixed Star." And because he is in the true north all the time, our people call him Qui-am-i Wintook Poot-see. These words mean the North Star.

Besides Na-gah, other mountain sheep are in the sky. They are called "Big Dipper" and "Little Dipper." They too have found the great mountain and have been challenged by it. They have seen Na-gah standing on its top, and they want to go on up to him.

Shinoh, the father of North Star, turned them into stars, and you may see them in the sky at the foot of the big mountain. Always they are traveling. They go around and around the mountain, seeking the trail that leads upward to Na-gah, who stands on the top. He is still the North Star.