W20 - Changing Breeds.pdf

not destroy what the Great Mother had spun. They didmake a crack in it, however: a tiny opening through whichQueen Ananasa could communicate. She thanked theGarou for rescuing Her, but Her gratitude fell upon deafears. The Garou were so angry at having been outsmarted,they accused Anansi of Wyrm-taint and vowed to destroyhim, his Mother, and all his descendents.Fortunately, the Ananasi are more cunning thanany brutish wolves could imagine. Using the secrets theyhad unearthed during their search for their Queen, theyslipped into the space between the threads that makeup the great Web, and vanished out of sight, leaving theGarou with only the remaining Changing Breeds uponwhich to vent their Rage. Thus were the Ananasi able toweather the initial fury of the Garou, which soon eruptedin the conflagration now known as the War of Rage. Butall victories have a price. The conflict decimated theother Changing Breeds and drove wedges between theAnanasi and all other shifters.In modern times, the Ananasi continue to do whatthey do best. They hide. They scheme. They manipulatethe world around them, as deftly and subtly as a spidermanaging its web. They cultivate human society, usinghumankind as a tool in their efforts to fulfill their Queen’sdirectives, and ultimately, to free her from her ages-oldimprisonment.No other creatures understand so well the connectionbetween all living things — natural and supernatural —as do the spider-folk. Each being, each place, each eventis tied to every other through the ornate but inescapablestrands of the Great Web. And, as such, every piece ofit can be manipulated, even from a great distance — bythose who understand those connections.BeginningsUnlike the First Change that clearly defines apoint of transformation for most Changing Breeds,the evolution of a human (or arachnid) into a fullfledgedAnanasi does not occur all at once. TheMetamorphosis creeps up on a soon-to-be Ananasi,subtly altering first their perceptions and emotions,and then their physical form. The pre-MetamorphosisDamhàn experiences a gradual rise in curiosity, asshe notices details and patterns in the world aroundher to a greater extent than ever before. She alsofinds her emotions cooling as she grows more dispassionateand analytical in her feelings and actions.Physical changes soon follow, as the Ananasi’sbody slowly transforms itself into one capable ofachieving many disparate forms. Subtle anomaliesbegin to appear; she may sprout thick, bristly hairin patches on her body, and unidentifiable lumpsand bumps may begin to manifest (and move around!)under her skin.As well, the individual’s tastes shift. She loses thedesire to eat for taste or sensory satisfaction, and insteadfinds herself drawn to a high-protein diet including evermore-rareselections of red meat — and eventually blood.While these changes may seem strange to the youngAnanasi, the earlier psychological and emotional transformationshe’s undergone pave the way for her to acceptthem with a detached curiosity rather than alarm. Theyalso make it easier for her to control these changes, so57