W20 - Changing Breeds.pdf

These same mechanized fleets also threaten the Rokeadirectly. Over the past decades, they have began huntingsharks, for traditional dishes like sharkfin soup and fortraditional medicines and modern health supplementsalike. Rokea can easily avoid capture or devour any whodare to threaten them. However, before her First Change,a wereshark is just another shark, vulnerable and drivenby blind instinct. Despite their best efforts, the numberof new Rokea continues to fall.Rokea on LandHunting down and killing betweeners is often part ofthe Rite of Passage for newly changed Rokea. Most watchfor betweeners coming to or leaving Sea, but a few daringyoung Rokea head to Unsea to hunt down betweenersdirectly. Unfortunately, Sea-dwelling Rokea have virtuallyno understanding of the human world and often have greattrouble performing simple actions — like crossing a busystreet or understanding directions. Those Rokea who stick tothe rules of their kind avoid Unsea entirely, except to huntbetweeners and their Kinfolk. Sharks are chaotic creatures,however, and not inclined to obey rules, and so some remainon Unsea after engaging in a betweener-hunt, and despitegood intentions, may even become betweeners themselves.BetweenersThe wonders of the Unsea fascinate some weresharks.After they visit once, they can’t help but stay. Othersfear that their species’ isolationism will lead to extinction.They come to land to learn to fight the humanswho kill their kind in ever-increasing numbers. A veryfew find friends, allies, or lovers among humans or othershapeshifters and continue to visit Unsea to be with them.After more than twenty-five years of the betweener war,there are less than 100 human Kinfolk outside of theBeast Courts, and no known homid Rokea.No betweener can spend all of their time on Unsea,however. Rokea are creatures of Sea, and after a few weekseven betweeners feel the call of the ocean and must spendat least a few days there. All betweeners must return to thesea periodically in order to regain Gnosis — somethingthe Rokea cannot do on land or in fresh water.Going to or from Unsea is always a significant riskfor a betweener. Any Rokea who sees them come to orleave the land knows what they are, unless the betweenercan successfully pretend to be part of a hunting party orother legitimate short-term traveler to Unsea. Weresharkshave never been particular adept at keeping secrets fromtheir own kind, but every betweener who successfullytravels back and forth between Sea and Unsea learnshow to lie very quickly indeed.Many also learn another new lesson when they encounterfomori and other agents of the Wyrm on land: theROKEAevils known to Sea are not the only ones that exist in theworld. Most soon get over the typical Rokea indifferenceto the Unmaker and actively fight Qyrl in all of its forms— including those that have no direct impact on Sea. Afew have become successful at hiding from the betweenerwar by moving further inland, but their migration is limitedby their need to return to Sea to regain Gnosis.The Same-BitoBecause of their ties to the Beast Courts, the Same-Bitodo not have as much to fear from other Rokea, despitebeing an entire society of betweeners. Many Same-Bitospend significant amounts of time on Unsea, learning theways of humans and the other Changing Breeds. The fewhomid Same-Bito prefer to spend most of their time in thesea. The Same-Bito have worked in concert with othermembers of the Beast Courts to drive off the few youngRokea who attempted to gain Renown by hunting them onland. This cooperation between land and sea dwellers is yetanother reason for other Rokea to hate the heretics. So farthey have decided to leave the Same-Bito alone and onlyattack betweeners who lacked other shapeshifters willingto defend them. The Asian weresharks may be traitorsand heretics, but they’re organized traitors and heretics.Same-Bito regularly work with the other members ofthe Beast Courts, but their relationship is somewhat distantbecause of their need to stay close to Sea. Like the otherHengeyokai, they actively oppose the Wyrm, and fightagainst its manifestations both on land and in the oceans.The Same-Bito have close ties with the Zhong-Lung,the Mokolé of the Beast Courts. These weresharks revereSAME-BITO TRAITSThe Same-Bito are the only Rokea to accepthomid weresharks in any way. Same-Bito reducetheir starting Rage by one point compared to thesame auspice of Western Rokea. They can alsopurchase human Kinfolk as a Background, butmust spend two Background points per dot on it.A few Same-Bito can transform into a typeof small shark known as the goblin shark. TheseRokea are the spiritual leaders of the Same-Bito.All of them have the Swim Sideways Meritfor free, and can purchase Step Sideways for3 points in order to enter the Umbra on land.Due to their small size, reduce a goblin sharkSame-bito’s Strength by one in both Chasmusand Squamus forms.197