W20 - Changing Breeds.pdf

The OthersThough the Changing Breeds — even the Garou — allmourn the loss of the Apis, Camazotz, and Grondr, they’renot the only Breeds to be lost to history. The Bastet tell ofthe Khara, a lost tribe of sabertooth werecats. The War ofShame that killed the Okuma is the darkest stain on thehistory of the Hengeyokai. The Mokolé lost their turtlevarna, and the Ratkin lost their Bards — though someinsist that they found a deeper connection to the Wyldand became the Munchmausen.KharaDespite their fearsome teeth, the weresabertoothswere as much creatures of memory with strong ties tothe Mokolé-mbembe as they were warriors. Their mostancient animal kin included species that bridged the gapbetween reptiles and mammals. Sabertooths were someof the first cats, and the Khara claimed to be the eldest ofCat’s children. The Khara were as inquisitive as any Bastettribe, but their mandate extended beyond the finding ofsecrets to the remembering of secrets. Sadly for those whocame after, the Khara refused to keep records of what theyhad learned, claiming that giving a secret physical formmade it too vulnerable. They passed their secrets orallywithin the tribe from generation to generation, and whenthe last Khara died, the tribe’s secrets died with her. Theirpride prevented them from passing on what they knew,believing to the last that they could save themselves.Such was their taboo against writing was that it showseven in their rituals. When the Khara encountered a secretthat should not be remembered by anyone, they wouldinscribe it on the teeth of a dead sabertooth and bury thehead far away from any paths. No one remembers whatthis ritual was supposed to accomplish, but many of thesestrange graves are now mystic sites. The Balam, Gurahl,and even some Garou may not realize it, but they guardsecrets that the Khara stole to this very day.The Khara were also ferocious warriors. Because theykept their secrets in their memories, every Khara was alibrary of valuable knowledge. Only the least among themdidn’t have at least one unique secret, so each Kharaneeded to be skilled at protecting themselves.OrganizationThe Khara lived in small family groups led by theeldest female. Their society was divided on gender lines,with males encouraged to earn Renown by discoveringsecrets and bringing them to the females. In turn thewomen judged what only the Khara should remember,what secrets were minor enough that they could passedalong to the Mokolé or other Bastet, and what should beforgotten by the world.The secrets that a Khara remembered took on aspiritual significance. The tribe defined each individualby the secrets she kept, and each Khara could add to theirprestige by learning new ones — either by seeking themout or by stealing them from other Khara. Many weresabertoothsgave their secrets cryptic names that hinted totheir content, not just as a way to frustrate spies but tohelp index what they knew. A challenge between twoKhara might take the form of each reciting the names ofthe secrets she knows, back and forth, until one of themmust admit to not knowing. In return, the winner wouldhave to share that last secret with the loser, so the challengewould remain fair in future.Distribution and KinOver the course of their long history, the Khara wanderedfar across the world. Many finally settled down inthe Southewestern corner of North America, though theycontinued to travel all across the world in search of secrets.The original Khara bred with people who would becomethe Apache, Comanche, and Hopi tribes of NativeAmericans. The Khara were, however, not particularlypicky about which humans they bred with — when theKhara died out, humanity was still very new — and threadsof Khara ancestry may be found all across the world.AppearanceKhara had a certain gravity about them in all theirforms. They weren’t clumsy or bulky, but they had powerfulmuscles and thick, durable frames. Their distinctive sabreteeth jutted from their jaws in their Crinos, Chatro, andFeline forms. Different lineages had different configurationsof teeth, either one or two sets of long upper canines.Some had a set or two of long lower canines as well.Form StatisticsSokto Crinos Chatro FelineStr: +1 Str: +3 Str: +3 Str: +3Dex: +1 Dex: +1 Dex: +2 Dex: +2Sta: +3 Sta: +4 Sta: +4 Sta: +3Man: –1 Man: –3 Man: –3 Man: –3App: –1 App: 0 App: 0 App: 0GiftsAs keepers of secrets and guardians of memory, theKhara would have access to Gifts and rites that keep tothat theme. As such, Mokolé and Corax Gifts relating tosecrets, memory, and knowledge are appropriate.248CHANGING BREEDS