W20 - Changing Breeds.pdf

development where it might not otherwise flourish. Someclaim the Kumoti are more chaotic than calculating,but to the Wyld-born, any change carries with it thepotential for transition in the right direction to achievethe Great Mother’s goals.Starting Gifts: Inspire, Mother’s TouchAnanasi cannot change their aspects; there is noRite of Renunciation for the werespiders. It is both theirblessing and their curse that they are what they are, fromthe moment of their making until they are welcomedback into the Great Mother’s silken embrace.FactionsWhile there are overarching goals and duties for eachAnanasi aspect, even within each group,distinct roles exist. These subdivisions,known as factions, ensure that every partof an aspect’s responsibility receives properfocus and attention.For each aspect,there are three factions,defining the individualAnanasi’s duties to QueenAnanasa succinctly. An Ananasi’sdestined faction becomesclear during herinitial period of Umbralinstruction.• Myrmidon: Warriors.They engage inmartial combat whennecessary, and guerillatactics when that suitstheir Queen’s needs. Theyunderstand the subtleties ofdiplomacy and the value ofshock maneuvers, alike.Starting Gifts: Illusion ofSize, Open Seal• Viskir: Judges and mystics.Specializing in hiddenknowledges, arcane magics,and secret mysteries,they are the most likely toseek interaction with otherChanging Breeds, or at leastobtain their powers to fulfillThe Great Mother’s goals.Starting Gifts: Curse ofthe Great Web, Shroud• Wyrsta: Questioners.Wyrsta look beyond64how reality presently exists and ask not only why it isso, but how it could be manipulated better to serve theQueen Mother’s objective. They also test the rest of theDamhàn, personally and as a whole, to ensure they donot weaken the perfection of the Great Web throughlaziness, ignorance, or incompetence.Starting Gifts: Alter Mood, BeastmindFormsAnanasi possess four distinct forms. Even the formsthat seem most “normal” have their own oddities andunique characteristics, and each serves its own purposein Queen Ananasa’s scheme.• Homid: The Ananasi’s Homid form outwardlyresembles the human body in size, shape and otherexternal physical characteristics. While it does not possessextra eyes or limbs, this form still differsfrom human in somedistinctive ways. Itsinternal organs areno longer precisely human;the blood chemistryalters to accommodate bothhuman hemoglobin(or iron-based) andspider hemocyanin(or copper-based) molecules.The Homid formalso possesses venomglands, vestigial fangs,and pedipalps in itsmouth (see Venom, p.61).• Lilian: Stronger,more enduring, and moredexterous than Homid,this form serves as theAnanasi’s primarycombat form. Lilianforms vary ina horrifying testimonyto the infinitevariety of ways thathuman and giant spiderphysiques can be combined.All, however, areterrifying to humaneyes, inciting full Delirium.Ananasi canalter their Lilian formthrough practice (andthe consumption ofparticular spider types