The Storm Lords are cold, ruthless hunters. Even in the throes of Death Rage, they seem to have an icy calm about them. Pain does not faze them, pity does not move them, and nothing, absolutely nothing, will stop them. The prey can run. The prey can even hide. But running is tiring. Hiding gnaws at the mind with fear of being found. And every time the prey closes its eyes it knows that they are coming for it and they will not stop. For long ago they swore an oath: Nu Si Gid Namtar. “Allow No One to Witness or to Tend Your Weakness.”
The Iminir hold self-reliance and personal strength as the highest virtues. They expect every Uratha to push himself to the breaking point and beyond, because only in enduring unimaginable hardships can the People truly approach the glory of Father Wolf. They hold themselves to even higher standards, because Skolis-Ur tolerates nothing less than perfection from his children. Secret rites performed within the tribe hint at the idea that the Uratha are more than just the descendants of Father Wolf — they are his heirs, and a werewolf who faces the crucible of the hunt and emerges stronger for it can raise herself up beyond flesh. They call this process Abni-Gur, the crucible of becoming. They say that a Storm Lord (and it’s always a Storm Lord in the stories) who masters her Harmony and makes herself one with her Primal Urge will one day ascend to take Father Wolf’s place as Lord of the Boundary.
Among the other tribes, Storm Lords have something of a reputation for claiming the mantle of leadership for themselves and stubbornly refusing any offer of help, no matter how small. If that’s true, it’s a product of individual ego rather than the tribe’s own ethos. A Storm Lord expects every werewolf — including herself — to know her place and do her job. If that puts her in the leadership role, so be it.
The Storm Lords revere Skolis-Ur, the Winter Wolf. The oldest of the Firstborn who bound themselves to the Tribes of the Moon, Skolis-Ur sees himself and his children as the ones who must live up to Father Wolf’s legacy. That they are so far from that goal is not a failure, but a challenge — and the Storm Lords have never been ones to ignore a challenge.
The Storm Lords hunt the most dangerous prey: the Ridden and the Spirit-Claimed. For a spirit to cross the Gauntlet is trespass enough, but to steal human flesh, to twist the physical into a mockery of ephemera? That is an insult to Father Wolf’s memory — not to mention hitting a little close to home for Urfarah’s half-breed children. The Claimed are dangerous, because more than any other prey, they can be anyone, and at any time. Even those you thought were friends and allies, lovers and packmates, can become Ridden. No one wants to look into her sister’s eyes and see some alien thing looking back out. When a Storm Lord loses kin to Spirit-Claiming, she’s expected to conduct the hunt herself. Her tribe-mates will mourn with her, but they will not hunt with her. It’s a matter of respect, a tacit acknowledgement that, where our loved ones are concerned, we’re all a little weak. If no one is there to see the end of the hunt, no one is there to see a moment of weakness.
The Iminir of Paradise City take their responsibilities very seriously. The werewolves were all but eradicated generations ago and the current Storm Lords see that as a personal failure. The Forsaken have a sacred duty and that their ancestors lost sight of that is a great embarrassment to all Uratha.
No Iminir knows for sure what happened those centuries ago either. The spirits have one version of events, the Lunes another, the Firstborn... but, some Storm Lords question, if their Tribe had failed so completely, why would Skolis-Ur take them back? Winter Wolf is a creature of coldness and the hunt. Few ever feel anything resembling approval from him and an unlucky select have felt a great sense of disappointment in their souls when they fall short of expectations.
So why then would Skolis-Ur consent to be the patron of the Tribe reborn? Some Ithaeur speculate it's because the past, as told, is a lie. Spirits aren't bound to things like emotions, as humans are. Skolis-Ur cannot show warmth because he's incapable of it, the same way a human couldn't flap their arms and actually take flight. These are the laws of the Shadow. Mercy is not in Winter Wolf's nature. Neither is forgiveness. Yet Skolis-Ur returned along with the other Firstborn.
Iminir search for their lost heritage and the truth of their past but the needs of the Hunt are often more immediate. There are far, far too many Claimed roaming Paradi City and too few werewolves to handle them all. This is no excuse. Skolis-Ur demands his children do their duty and the Storm Lords will be twice-damned if they're going to allow their Tribe to be shamed again.