W20 - Changing Breeds.pdf

Serving their Wyrm-imprisoned Queen, the Ananasimanipulate human society at every level. Seen as evilincarnate by most of the other Changing Breeds, thewerespiders spin their schemes from the shadows, waitingfor the day when — through their efforts — the Symmetrywill be restored and the Triat put into balance again.HistoryIn the beginning, there was only the Triat: Weaver,Wyrm, and Wyld. The Wyld’s first and best creationwas Gaia, who in turn, created her own children — theGarou, the Mokolé, and all the other Changing Breeds.All, that is, save for one. The Wyld was not the onlymaker in existence, after all.The Weaver, too, made a child, spinning Her out ofsilk so fine and so strong that while She appeared delicateand fragile, She would be nearly impossible to destroy.It is from the Weaver’s first and only child — Ananasa,the Spider Queen — that all Ananasi are descended.She is their Great Mother, their personal Totem, theirQueen, and their Goddess.Queen Ananasa was much like Her mother — craftyand beautiful, loving all that was perfect and right in theuniverse. In time, She met Spider, and fell in love withhis long, nimble limbs, and his bright, gleaming eyes.Ananasa and Spider came together, spinning a nestwithin which to share their love. Their child, calledAnansi, was the first werespider.Anansi was all his parents could hope for in a child.His form was beautiful, with both limbs and eyes in greatnumber, and even greater agility. His mind was just asquick and nimble as his body, and his words could be assweet as honey — or as sharp as a knife.Anansi, in time, had children of his own: the Damhàn,who would eventually come to be known as theAnanasi. Walking on two legs and skittering on eight,each served their purpose, maintaining the rightful balanceand symmetry of the Great Web that encompassedall creation. And under the tutelage and guidance ofAnanasa and Anansi, the Ananasi prospered.For a long time, all things were balanced, and Symmetrywas maintained. Then, despite Queen Ananasa’sefforts to sustain in the Great Web, things began to spinout of control. The Weaver grew mad and bound theWyrm in her Webs. In retaliation, the Wyrm capturedQueen Ananasa, Grandmother Spider’s only child.To protect Herself, Ananasa spun a protective orb sostrong and flawless that even She could not break it orcommunicate through its impervious walls. Unable todestroy the Queen, the Wyrm stole this flawless opalprison and its precious cargo, and absconded with it tothe heart of its realm.Holding their Queen prisoner deep within Malfeas,the Wyrm coerced the Ananasi into its service, threateningto destroy Ananasa if they did not obey. Unableto communicate with the Queen Mother within Herprotective opal orb, and fearing for Her life, the Ananasiagreed.But the Damhàn are a cunning Breed. Even whilethey pretended to serve the Wyrm’s will, the Ananasisearched throughout the Great Web for their Queen,trying to find where the Wyrm had hidden Her away. Ontwo legs and eight they travelled the depth and breadthof the universe, every eight-fold Ananasi eye kept alertfor clues as to Her whereabouts. Exploring every nookand cranny, studying every shadow, they learned manysecrets about the universe around them — but found notrace of their beloved Queen. Only Her first and mostcunning child, Anansi, was finally able to locate Her,deep in the heart of the Wyrm’s realm.Seeking to free Her, Anansi cajoled and tricked theGarou into storming Malfeas to capture what he claimedwas the Wyrm’s very heart — but which was actuallyAnanasa’s prison. By manipulation and deception, heconvinced the Garou and the other Changing Breedsthat by destroying this opal, they could destroy the Wyrmfor once and for all, and fulfill their duty to Gaia.Lacking Anansi’s cunning, the Ovid fell for his ploy.At great cost, the Garou stormed Malfeas, seized the opal,and began to attack it. But despite their Rage, they could56CHANGING BREEDS