Act of the Free Pack

Disclaimer: In a recent AMA hosted in the Lost in Cults discord server, JoJo said that anything not in game isn’t canon and her takes should be considered headcanons. You can find the video on YouTube. I also published a clip on my tumblr account. Most of COTL’s story is told through the visuals, which is where I’ve built most of my theory from. If one of you weirdass anti-wolf Woolhaven glazers sees this and has shit to say, drop it in the comments and stay out of Wolfe’s anons with your lackluster insults. Run of the mill COTL fans and fellow lorefreaks, welcome. 

I use she/her pronouns for Tooth and it/its pronouns for Claw. They have no official pronouns.

x Intro

Tooth and Claw are referenced in Flockade, a game made by sheep for sheep to honor their history (as stated by Aniel, a historian who has dedicated her life to Flockade). The Marked (by the Wolf) pieces are all wolves who fought on the side of the sheep against Tooth and Claw. Their likeness can be seen in the form of wooden effigies on Ewefall. Funnily enough, the larger variant has sheep horns. Effigies are described as crude models of a despised person. They are commonly burned, hung, beaten, or destroyed in another way. This means that people outside of the sheep are aware of Flockade and share a history with them. The wolves and sheep have had conflict in the past. This is a fact. 

Tarot cards support the idea of Yngya and her people driving wolves off of Ewefall, while some return to the mountain to join the sheep against the wolves. Tooth and Claw retaliate by maiming and/or devouring them. The Marked pieces will be discussed after I share these two cards.

The Faithless: Suffering of the flesh depends not on faith. [Deal critical hits when fervor is empty]

Their pain was not dependent on their religious beliefs. They are still harmed by the gods. Or God, in this case. Yngya.

The Stray: Weak are those who stray the pack. [Kill a random non-boss enemy when hit]

Stray, as a verb, means to wander away from somewhere, usually a place where you belong or have made a home. While wolves can live without packs, they’re safer in them.

x The Marked Pieces, Usiu, Aidonius, and Lornileth

There are three Marked pieces. “Marked by the wolf” is their title. Their special ability is that if the person controlling them wins, their opponent loses one point. 

Harriath, Marked Sword: Marred by Claw, wounded by Tooth. They vanished.

They got their shit rocked. I couldn’t find anything about their name.

Januros, Marked Shield: Stood stalwart against predators.

Stalwart means with vigor and strength. Predators in this instance meaning wolves. Their name may be derived from the Roman God Janus, who is commonly depicted as having two faces.

Angoel, Marked Scribe: Into the belly of Tooth and Claw he went.

Was this cheeky motherfucker just named Angel? This description is notable to me in regard to the tarot card Stolen Bile, which belongs to the Rotten series. Bile meaning stomach acid. It’s kept in a bottle with Yngya’s symbol on it. There’s bones in said bile.

Stolen Bile: Where does the fire of life reside within?

Usiu, Just Sword: Winner of the Ewefall skirmish. 

Just meaning justice. Skirmish meaning an unplanned, small battle apart from an ongoing war between two factions. I don’t have anything to share about this name.

Aidonius, Risen Shield: The first to press forward against Tooth and Claw.

Another battle. Aidonius may be an alternative spelling of Aidoneus, one of Hades’s many names.

Lornileth, Rotten Sword: Landed the killing blow on Tooth and Claw.

She is credited with felling Tooth and Claw. Her appearance and name looks familiar, doesn’t it? That’s because she is most likely Eleleth, one of the Rot minibosses. There are two other Rotten pieces. Antons, Rotten Scribe (Ophans) and Elyon, Rotten Shield (Poyel). The Rot bosses will get their own post, but Lornileth gets a mention here because she is important. Lornileth is a name that originates from COTL, as far as I can tell. Eleleth is the name of a luminary (an angel-like being) in Sethian Gnosticism though.

x The Two Relics

I believe that both wolves shared a body, either naturally or by a God’s hand. They seem to have been “monsters” like the Icegore, who has two relics despite it not being a God (according to JoJo). Certain members of the Free Pack can be seen in follower sacrifice rooms giving people up in honor of a painted wolf with a scarred eye. I believe this wolf is Tooth, which I’ll explain later. There are faithless shrines and lupine statues we get as decor. This, alongside the Faithless tarot card, points to the wolves/canines generally not believing in Gods but having important historical figures anyway.

Faithless Altar: For burning candles and nothing more.

Lupine Statue: Honor the predator.

There are two relics that are notably wolves. Snout of the Trapper (Tooth) and Pelt of the Lost Kin (Claw). Claw shared similarities to the mountain, both outside and inside. The same scarred eye (outside) and bleeding nostrils along small teeth (inside). Ice is hooked through Tooth’s nose, a reference to being trapped. Her relic also has sizable fangs.

Snout of the Trapper: The most valued tool of the mighty hunter. [Spawn spikes of ice that damage and freeze enemies]

Ranching is a custom of the sheep (not unique to them alone). We are given traps by Baraq which are exclusively used to catch the wolves that come for livestock. Her snout has been severed and left on a pike of ice.

Pelt of the Lost Kin: Twas not enough to keep them warm. [Deal 2x damage per Follower who has frozen to death.]

Claw has been skinned. Taking the pelt of a furred animal is common for hunters. Fur is both valued for its appearance and its warmth. Yngya refers to the sheep as being made for the cold, but that is not true. Several sheep have frozen to death on Ewefall. Her disciples lived in Woolhaven, which was at the base of the mountain. The wolves do not need the protection of gods to live comfortably on the mountain. For example, Scylla is tits out. Charybdis was too. Marchosias wears a shawl and a dress made of paper. 

x Tarot Cards of Note

Beta Yngya (Rotten) is pictured in the tarot card Wayward Dreams. There are two howling wolves, both showing only one side of their face. This matches her old sprite.  

Wayward Dreams: Screams by night may whisper by day.

Howling now silenced.

Bared Teeth: Grip life, time, and tide between thy teeth.

This just feels more canine adjacent than sheep. 

The Alchemist: Transmute from state to state. 

Marchosias is an alchemist, so there’s already a connection there. This card also includes Two of Cups, a tarot card in the Minor Arcana. The cups are tilted sideways. Upright Two of Cups symbolizes unity. Reversed Two of Cups symbolizes separation. In the original story, Yngya possesses Marchosias and is most likely why it looked the way it did. Transmute means “to change or alter in form, appearance, or nature and especially to a higher form”.