W20 - Changing Breeds.pdf

The odd wererat who breaks with the swarm andjoins the Ahadi only exacerbates these tensions. Quiteoften, such defectors draw the Ratkin into conflict withthe Ahadi as the twitchy, mad children of Rat fear theirwayward cousins will betray their plans.RokeaThe vast majority of Rokea have no idea that theAhadi exists, as they ignore all the antics of the dirtwalkers— so long as they do not interfere in the affairsof the sea. A tiny handful of weresharks have claimedmembership in the Ahadi; a few are Betweeners, butothers are bull sharks that spend most of their time awayfrom Sea in the waters of various African rivers. TheRokea make for strange, blunt-spoken companions, buttheir martial prowess and knowledge of Africa’s watersprove invaluable for their kganmadi.The majority of Rokea who have joined the Ahadiclaim that they do so to carry out their mandate to survive.While borrowing someone else’s problems may seemcounter-intuitive to survival, the world is dying — Seaand Unsea alike. Without Sea, the Rokea cannot live,and so working with the Ahadi to forestall the destructionof the Earth remains the best way to fulfill Gaia’smandate. More teeth makes for a better bite.Others?Africa has no native Gurahl, Nuwisha, or Kitsune— but the Ahadi Code is clear that the option shouldremain to welcome any of Gaia’s children who sincerelywish to join in their fight. Shoul a werebear decide tomake Africa his home, the Ahadi would welcome her.Indeed, they’d welcome her contribution — the land isbadly in need of healing, convulsing under the burdenof terrible diseases. Three Nuwisha have passed throughAfrica since the fall of Black Tooth, and one has evenundertaken the Dawning Ritual, so far — although thatwerecoyote has not yet joined a kganmadi, preferringto explore the African Umbra alone. The door remainsopen for more tricksters, should they express interest.Most curiously, the Ahadi currently numbers noless than five Kitsune among its various kganmadi. Therumors of potent and exciting new magic has drawn thewerefoxes to Africa, and they’ve stayed in order to aid aland badly in need of help. Several have actually writtenback to their families abroad, requesting more assistance;two tenets of the Breed’s own laws (“I command you toaid your brothers and sisters, and that which serves Gaia”and “I free you to do anything else necessary to achieveour goals”) not only permit such a course of action, butmake these pioneering Kitsune clever and Renowned for‘discovering’ the Ahadi and getting in on the action first.AFRICAN WEREFOXES?MIXED-PACK NAGAH? WHAT?It’s a stretch — not an impossible one ina world of airplanes, let alone Moon Bridges,but still a stretch — for a Gurahl to end up inJohannesburg, or a Nuwisha to walk the slopesof Kilimanjaro, or for a Kitsune to explore thedepths of the Congo. But so what? An Ahadigame is about removing the barriers standingbetween players and getting to play the kind ofexotic werecreature they have their heart set onplaying. So what if the Kitsune don’t normallylive here? So what if the Ratkin are mostly crazy?Don’t sweat it. Everyone’s at the table to have fun,so let everyone have the kind of fun they want.Even better, acknowledge the contradiction andmake it into a story hook. Will the Nagah beeliminated for breaking the silence of his Breed,or usher in a new age when the wereserpents canfinally step out of the shadows? Perhaps a pluckywerefox will save Cairo from an infestation ofBanes, and spark off formal relations betweenthe Ahadi and the Beast Courts. It’s your story— tell it the way you want.Code of the AhadiThe Ahadi represents a source of new insights to thenature of the Changing Breeds. Cooperation, kinship, andevolution are a tantalizing draw to many shapeshifters.While Africa is still plagued by war and violence, andwhile the shadow of the Wyrm always looms, AhadidominatedAfrica is a noticeable improvement over thereign of the Endless Storm.Then there is the Ahadi Code, which reaches outto embrace the undecided.Remember Our Mother’s Wisdom inAppointing Each His PlaceGaia set a task before each of Her children, to whichshe felt they were best suited, and it is the apex of hubristo assume She didn't know what She was doing. Thatyour brother's task is not your task does not make it lessimportant for the well-being of Gaia.Reality: Most members of the Ahadi try to take thistenet seriously, as it’s one of the cornerstones of the al-262CHANGING BREEDS