W20 - Changing Breeds.pdf

More than any other Changing Breed, the Ratkin obsessabout the end times. Some follow various twisted versionsof apocalyptic human religions, others fervently believeconspiracy theories involving the end of the world, mysticalcoincidences, or simply the obvious truth that globalwarming, rampant pollution, and humans’ desire for fossilfuels could spell the end of the world. The wererats knowthey must survive any coming apocalypse. As a result,many spend a great deal of time and effort preparing forit — and a fair number attempt to hasten its arrival.The madness of the Birthing Plague never fades forsome Ratkin, driving them permanently insane. Theworst babble and mumble as they shuffle through life,crippled with schizophrenic delusions that make themall but non-functional. Most of the rest suffer from whathumans would recognize as a variety of mental illnessranging from minor paranoias to major debilitating derangments.Because insanity is relatively common amongwererats, the other members of their nest can often teachthese Ratkin ways to cope with their damaged minds.180BLOOD MEMORYThe Ratkins’ ties to madness can unveil hiddenknowledge. One of the most profound sources ofthis knowledge is their mysterious Blood Memorythat connects wererats to both their ancestors and,to a more limited extent, their relatives.Using Blood Memory requires a Gnosis roll.For simple and direct tasks, like finding theirway in an unfamiliar location or “remembering”the name and a few hints about a wererat theyhave never met, the roll is difficulty 6. To fullytap into the memories of a Ratkin’s ancestors orhave actual visions of past events increases thedifficulty to 9 and the character must also spenda point of Gnosis. The number of successes determineshow far back the Ratkin can remember.RollOne SuccessTwo SuccessesTime10-50 years50-150 yearsThree Successes 150-500 yearsFour SuccessesFive Successes500-1,000 years1,000+ yearsCHANGING BREEDSOrganizationThe anarchic madness of the Ratkin still has somelevel of organization. Ratkin society has two levels,Plagues and nests. Plagues are large-scale organizationsthat cover entire continents. Ratkin claim all of themembers of their same Plague as their siblings. In Asia,the Ratkin who do not align themselves with the BeastCourts see the Nezumi as a separate Plague.Ratkin from different Plagues see one another ascousins who deserve courtesy and hospitality. Despite theirlarge numbers and wide distribution, wererats get alongwith each other exceedingly well. Though they oftenfight — especially rural and urban Ratkin — they do so forconcrete reasons. Residents chase out or kill visitors whoattack, threaten, or steal from the members of the nest,but most welcome peaceful visitors. This sense of kinshipand hospitality with their own kind is also why Ratkincare for the most insane members of their breed so well.NestsEach Plague is made up of a range of colonies — breedinggrounds of Ratkin attended by packs of courtiers andproviding a home base for rat packs. Many of the larger andolder colonies incorporate sacred sites, becoming nests —sacred spaces where the Ratkin can regain Gnosis. Thesenests are often many decades old and can contain manydozens or hundreds of Ratkin. The smallest colonies areoften temporary gatherings that are home to no more thana few Ratkin. Many homid Ratkin prefer living in smallcolonies above ground, or form rat packs with no real home.They find space in various odd corners of cities, taking overcheap apartments or squatting in abandoned buildings.Larger nests are usually underground, where rodensRatkin and rat Kinfolk are most comfortable. Located intunnels and sewers, the largest of these nests may haveup to a thousand wererats. Such nests stretch across severalmiles of tunnels in both the physical world and theUmbra. Showing up to a large nest in homid form is aninsult to residents, and assuming homid form is impossiblein most portions of these nests due to size constraints.Ratkin colonies have a strict internal hierarchy. ARat King rules the colony, attended by packs of courtiers— usually all rodens Ratkin. Below the courtiers, rodenswererats have priority. Metis hold the middle ground,acting as guards and wardens and hoping to one daybecome courtiers. The homid breed sits at the bottom ofthe pecking order, taking whatever scraps they can get.Colonies grow rapidly, since breeding is a sacredduty for the traditional Ratkin who live there. In onlya few years, a colony can amass large numbers of rodensKinfolk. Those who survive the Birthing Plague go on tobreed even more, further swelling the colony’s numbers.