W20 - Changing Breeds.pdf

An Urge to ViolenceMore than any of the other Changing Breeds, Ratkinfeel the touch of the Wyld. They believe the Weaver is justas insane (and as intent on destroying the world) as theWyrm. Because of this, wererats are as likely to strike outagainst manifestations of the Weaver as at the Wyrm. Theysabotage third-world factories and construction projectsthat threaten to bring humanity’s static form of growth tootherwise unstable areas. They set fire to laboratories thatexperiment on their rat Kinfolk, or where the ploddinggrind of scientific and technological advances strengthenthe human’s choke-hold on the world. They sabotageinfrastructure projects, booby-trap new municipal developments,and generally cause large-scale urban destruction.The Ratkin also believe that the Weaver has seducedthe other shapeshifters (along with the entire humanrace). They see the mission of some Garou to live withand guide humanity as a horrible failure. To them, theGarou have fallen into the Weaver’s thrall and becomefar too human. Other than in the Beast Courts, wherethe Nezumi still cooperate with the other ChangingBreeds, it is almost unheard of for a Ratkin to work withthe Garou or to cooperate in anything other than a “forthe moment, the enemy of my enemy is my ally” effortwith any other Changing Breed. Inthe rare instances wheresuch a thing occurs,such effortsare often orchestrated by the cunning wererats to achievegoals, learn weaknesses, or manipulate events in waysthat their “allies” never expected or intended.Some Ratkin similarly use humanity as a tool againstitself, whipping already unstable humans into a rabidlather, and then pointing them in the direction thatwill do the most “good” (harm). From bombings to cultshootouts with law enforcement agencies, Ratkin havebeen behind many of the “unthinkable” tragedies thathave befallen humankind in recent years.Kith and KinThe Ratkin have given up on humanity. To them,everyone and everything associated with humans is fitonly for destruction, to a certain extent even includingtheir own homid Kin. To end the human race, thedestruction of every homid Ratkin Kinfolk would bean acceptable price by most Ratkin (and viewed as anadded bonus by some of their more strident members.)Most Ratkin are determined to keep their breed pureand focused. Their breeding program focuses on creatinglarge numbers of rodens Ratkin, both because rats breedso rapidly and because the leaders of the Breed believethat homid wererats — and homid shapeshifters ingeneral — are less ideologically pure than those born toanimals. By concentrating on their rat-Kin, the wereratsare constantly widening the gap between themselves andthe human race they’ve come to abhor.Disease ExpertsThe Ratkin have not lost their Gaia-given expertisein spreading pestilence. Humanity may have spent thelast several centuries gaining an actual understanding ofdiseases, but the wererats don’t need to know geneticsand germ theory to create horrific plagues. Byworking with both the actual diseases and withplague-spirits, the wererats have learned torefine and enhance diseases in ways wellbeyond the most dangerous humanbiological warfare laboratory.178CHANGING BREEDS