W20 - Changing Breeds.pdf

large number of these worthies are hibernating in variousdeep caverns, waiting for the day of their land’s greatestneed. Recently Corax report seeing more Gurahl activein the region, and an increasing number of shapeshiftersbelieve that at least a few of these great heroes may beawakening from their long slumber. As in Canada, localFera hope that these Gurahl may prove integral in unitingthe Changing Breeds of Russia — and driving out theagents of the Wyrm who are so firmly ensconced there.The Middle EastTimes are hard in what was once the Cradle ofHumanity. Banes and fomori stalk the oil fields and refineriesof several nations in the Middle East. Also, the legacy ofdepleted uranium weapons and bio-weapon research hascreated zones of blight where the Wyrm thrives.Nevertheless, the Changing Breeds have a strongpresence here. The Corax regularly visit the relatively lushregions along the Middle Eastern coasts and riverbanks,seeking information found amongst the vacationingwealthy and thriving workers. Growing cities like Dubaihave become homes to migrant shapeshifters and thechildren of human Kinfolk who came seeking high payingjobs there. A surprising number of Ajaba also now livehere, having fled Black Tooth’s terror, joined by Ratkin,Bastet, and even a few Mokolé.Amidst the local pollution and uncontrolled urbandevelopment, displaced shapeshifters have found homesin several growing Middle Eastern nations. They andtheir Kinfolk often work as servants, technicians, andin other low-ranking positions. While the work is hard,these jobs give many of them access to factories andcorporations where they can find ways to secretly fightthe agents of the Wyrm.The Arab Spring has been a great boon to manyMiddle Eastern shapeshifters, providing cover for overtstrikes against manifestations of both the Weaver andthe Wyrm. In doing so, they’ve exterminated entire nestsof Wyrm-cultists that had infiltrated governments, andflushed out totalitarian spirits of control.Several of the Changing Breeds actively aided therevolutions. Ratkin were instrumental, enjoying anyexcuse for violence against authority and are excellentsaboteurs and rabble-rousers. Corax carried messagesand intelligence between various groups of rebels, andto foreign journalists who helped dethrone despots inthe court of world opinion. The Bastet found it far easierto dig up damning secrets in the chaos of a revolution.The information they uncovered was vital in aidingGaia’s children’s goals in the area, although — as is theirnature — the crafty werecats discovered far more thanthey will ever tell.South AsiaTraditionally, the Nagah, Khan, and Mokolé thrivedin India and Pakistan, though the latter Breeds wereunaware of the wereserpents’ presence. The Nagahdwelled among the urban elites, watching city life aroundthem, and eliminating those who succumbed to theWyrm’s call of greed, lust, and violence. The Khan andthe Mokolé kept watch in the rural areas and guardedthe wilderness; the weretigers patrolled the forests andgrasslands, while the weresaurians watched and protectedthe large rivers and marshes.Today, however, the Khan are only a shadow of theirformer numbers. Their Kin have been all but annihilated,and humanity has destroyed most of the local wildernessthey once called home. The Mokolé have also lost a greatdeal of their numbers in India, and agents of corruptionhave filled most of their large rivers with poison and filth.The Nagah still inhabit the Indian cities, but in evensmaller numbers than in the past. They take great careto hide from the other Changing Breeds; some nativeMokolé have an idea of the Nagah’s presence, but thoseshapeshifters who came with the British colonizers stillthink them a boogie-man tale.As in many urban areas across the globe, India is hometo increasing numbers of Ratkin. Large nests breed in theslums of India’s vast and growing cities. Indian wereratsspread disease and sabotage the urban infrastructure inan attempt to reduce the growth and spread of Indiancities. While the Ratkin claim to be serving Gaia’swill, many of the other Changing Breeds oppose theirefforts. Although the Ratkin’s growth sometimes seemsunstoppable, their success in the region has made thembold — and thus a more obvious target. Because of thisindiscretion, in recent years, their opponents have greatlyslowed the wererats’ numbers and influence.PakistanCities in Pakistan are smaller than in India, andgrowing less rapidly, but they remain strongholds forthe Ratkin, while almost devoid of other ChangingBreeds. Khan presence once helped balance the wererats’influence in the area, but with the decline of their tiger Kinin the area, the Bastet have shifted their focus elsewhere,for the most part. Unfettered, rural warlords (who oftenare Ratkin or tools of the wererats) now compete withthe central government for power in several areas.Parts of Pakistan are falling into chaos, and the Ratkinboth rejoice and actively aid in this collapse. Here, themost violent don’t merely kill fomori and unknowingagents of the Wyrm; they murder government officials,soldiers, and police officers.34CHANGING BREEDS