W20 - Changing Breeds.pdf

for long. But for those who can weather it, the RiddleDancers are good friends and fierce fighters.The Qualmi exist to remind Gaia’s other children(including the rest of the Bastet) of their duties. They arenot content to simply lecture, however. Rather, they posetheir questions as riddles in an effort to make the otherChanging Breeds (particularly Garou) actually think.OrganizationBecause of their duty, Qualmi spend more time withother Changing Breeds than they do with one another. Theyare particularly close to both the Gurahl and the Wendigo,both of whom share their preferences for northern territories.Unlike most Bastet, who receive a full year of initialtraining, young Qualmi are fostered for a period of roughlysix months by their elders. During that time they learnabout keeping in touch with other Qualmi, keeping tabson the other Changing Breeds in the region, workingwith their allies to defeat the evils of Asura, and — mostimportantly — being cryptic. They likely spend more timeon the last than any of the others, but since there tends tobe great wisdom wrapped in their mysteries — for thoseable to unveil it — few begrudge them their eccentricities.DistributionQualmi are found exclusively in the northern regionsof North America; the European Qualmi wereexterminated in the War of Rage. Perhaps this is whywerelynxes don’t travel abroad much, preferring not toleave their own territories if they can help it.Kin and AppearanceQualmi aren’t picky about their human Kin; theysimply don’t have that luxury. Human populations in thefar north tend to be sparse and insular; a Qualmi takes amate where he can, or remains alone.Qualmi are short, compact folk, well adapted forsurviving cold environments. They tend to come fromNative American stock, but they aren’t terribly pickyabout their mates. In feline form they tend toward dappledgrey fur, pointed ear tufts, and short, stubby tails — aparticularly touchy topic for many werelynxes.Form StatisticsSokto Crinos Chatro FelineStr: +0 Str: +1 Str: +2Dex: +2 Dex: +2 Dex: +3 Dex: +3Sta: +1 Sta: +2 Sta: +2Man: –1 Man: –2 Man: –2App: –1 App: 0Beginning Rage: 2Beginning Willpower: 5Starting Gifts: Breakfast of Stones, Turned FurBASTETThe Yava of the Qualmi• The power of a lynx lies in her riddles; to unravel themis to undo her magic.• The Qualmi share a soul with the salmon; poison thesalmon, and you harm the tribe.• No lynx can speak the truth about her parents. Confronther with their names and faces, and she will beconfused for days.SimbaThe Simba represent the best Gaia has to offer:they are regal, proud, and powerful beyond compare.However, they are also arrogant, domineering, and malicious— even under the best circumstances. These traits— positive and negative — are currently being displayedto their extremes, as a Simba warlord attempts to bringall of Africa under his merciless control.Historically, Simba have been a symbol of strength,unity, and perseverance for all of Gaia’s children. Aloneamong the Folk, they live, work, and thrive in groups oftheir own kind, leveraging all of their tribal strengths to asuperlative degree. However, these traits — further stokedby egotism and a belief that Gaia created them to rule theChanging Breeds — mean that few Simba are content tofollow the dictates of others. They must always lead, andif their fellows do not recognize their authority, they willbattle for dominance until their opponents are beaten intosubmission. While this makes the Simba phenomenallypoor team players on a larger scale, few things are moreinspiring than watching a pride of Simba in action.OrganizationSimba organization is nightmarishly complex. Thebasic unit of Simba organization is the pride. In lions,this is straightforward; two or more males dominate agroup of females, reaping the benefits of the females’hunting efforts — and breeding rights — in exchangefor defending the pride’s territory from predators.Since breeding is forbidden between Simba, however,the werelions’ organization is not so simple. Typically,feline Simba form a pride of mixed Simba and lion Kin,with a ratio of about one male to every three females.Homid Simba typically have several wives or husbands,with about 3-5 Kin per Simba. Some Simba prides maintainboth lions and a number of human Kin, resulting inhuge, convoluted Kinship networks.Beyond the pride scale, most Simba interactionsare handled via ritual. Stronger prides rule over weakerones, and have first choice when it comes to Kin (lion orhuman), resources, and sacred sites, such as caerns. Prideis very important to the Simba, and social interactions81