W20 - Changing Breeds.pdf

assassins, they never kill their Kinfolk, unless thatparticular Kinfolk has betrayed them — not outof an emotional sense of loyalty, but becauseKinfolk are a valuable commodity.A Kinfolk cult or criminal organizationcan aid their shapeshifting relatives in a moredirect fashion. They guard nests of Nagah,especially young weresnakes who may not beable to defend themselves. The most skilled andreliable help with assassinations, cleaning upevidence of the Nagah’s presence or collectingdata on targets. Others perform more mundanefeats: managing the cult’s finances, gatheringnecessary resources, or working as drivers andpersonal assistants. Their elders teach youngKinfolk that weresnakes are sacred beingswho receive divine commandments to slaywrongdoers. Despite being relatively solitarycreatures, Nagah often grow up surrounded bydedicated relatives. This upbringing also helpsto insure that both weresnakes and Kinfolkalike understand the importance of secrecy.ParanoiaBeing a Nagah means living with secrets,including the most important and sacred secrets ofall — their duties and the fact of their continuedexistence. The Beast Courts of Asia know thatthe weresnakes exist and have some understandingof what they do, but even then the Nagahlimit what outsiders know. The Hengeyokaisignificantly underestimate the numbers ofwereserpents, and know little of their methods,tactics or goals. Even one of the few Nagah tojoin a sentai will only go so far as to discuss herown life, never revealing her people’s secrets.In the rest of the world, the Nagah mustbe far more secretive, preserving the myth oftheir extinction. While most shapeshiftersonly worry about protecting the Veil, theNagah go much further. They must minimizeall evidence of their presence — callingon Kinfolk to help sanitize a crime scene,disposing of bodies in hidden spaces whereneither Garou nor mortal authorities can findthem, and silencing or killing witnesses. Doingany less would endanger the Sacred Secret.The level of paranoia necessary for a Nagahto live her life would overwhelm most people, butnot the wereserpents. A young Nagah manifestsserpentine personality traits long before her FirstChange: she’s hyper-vigilant to her surroundingsand doesn’t care who knows that she’s watching154