Caliah
Does it puzzle you that our
natures should be twofold, threefold, yet one? Do you wonder why the gods,
who have decreed a place for each thing, have offered us so many places in one?
Sit, Tekhmet, while I tell you a truth. It is but one of many, but it will
serve. Our kind began long ago, outside a village near the mountains. Some
tales place those mountains near the Indus Valley, while others place them
in the Ethiopian highlands. The location is no matter; what matters is that
those lands were fertile and inhabited. For many years, perhaps centuries,
the people of those lands lived in harmony with the true cats. No Bastet yet
existed. No Bastet were needed. The people kept to themselves, and
they respected the land. The cats remained in the forests, and everyone
was pleased. But in the time of Saraam, fierce men came down from the mountains
with weapons in their hands and serpents in their hearts. These serpents
were the essence of Asura, the Snake with 10,000 heads who eats at the
core of the world. The snakes, with
their overran the land. Serpents filled the air, crept along the ground, bloated
the babes and men with fiery poison. Spirit-snakes slipped into ears
and crawled down throats, possessing the bodies and driving them to evil. Dakats
with a hundred heads stalked the forest cats, ripping their flesh and
spitting poison into their eyes. Women wailed in the night as the serpents
fed deeply on the people of our land, and the cats yowled as their ribs
were crushed and their skin bubbled from their bones. The snakes drove the
people to madness, and the cats followed. Hunters crept into the forests to skin
the cats for their beautiful coats, and cats raced through the villages,
bearing off children to eat in the night. Violence became war, and men and
cats clashed in horrible battles. Days and nights rang
with screams. When the monsoons came, they
carrie driv-ers of blood to the seas. Now, Saraam was the wisest and most
beautiful girl in her village. She was spirited and strong, yet disobedient. In
later days, it would be said that she had been touched by Uma, but had the
temper of Kali. She had
not yet wed, but had a host of young men waiting upon her word. But one
night, Saraam awoke to see a serpent crawl between her brothers and her parents.
It sank its fangs into each, and laid babies in her mother s ear.
Horrified, Saraam fled into the night. She ran far from the village till
she collapsed
in a clearing beneath Mother Moon, then cried and raged at the sky. "What can I
do," she wept, "to save my family and my people? The snake poison them and turn
them bad. The cats run through our village, for the vipe men skin them alive.
Our lands are cursed! Mother, what can I do?"
To Saraam's surprise, Mother Moon answered in a cold yet loving voice.
"The serpents' name is judgment, and they answer the dark calling inside each
mortal secret. As one, the vipers seek corruption and breed where they find it.
Each mortal carries snake seeds inside. The serpents and their viper men merely
bring out what is already within. This is the Age of Twilight. You can do
nothing." "I cannot leave my family this way!" Saraam snapped.
"It is not your place to change them, or to cleanse their sins."
"I do not care about my place!" The girl surprised herself with her own
temerity. Who was she to argue with the Sacred Way? Yet she continued, cursing
the sky and the order of things. "What can I do? This cannot continue!"Moon
Mother sighed. "The cat kings will visit you next evening. If you would make
peace, lay with them."Saraam was horrified. Take wild cats as mates? Throughout
the next day, she shivered in the rain, fighting the urge to return to her
dry but poisoned home. That night, the rains subsided. Mother Moon bathed
Saraam's clearing in merciless light . Eyes glowed from the shadows at the
clearing s edge. Saraam shivered, but did not run. "Have you decided?" The voice
came from above.
Saraam stood. "I have." The cat kings approached the girl, one deep black, the
other light and spotted. Each one regarded her with cold interest "I am wisdom,"
said the black cat. "The secret-keeper who rumbles in the night. Call me Gyani,
the watcher from the forest." "I am anger," said the spotted. "The raging claws
with a thousand eyes. Call me Agun, the watcher from the plain."
"1 am both of you and more," said Saraam. "I have the wisdom to call the gods,
the anger to fight, and the love to give myself for my people. Call me Saraam ,
welcomer of the cat kings." So saying, she opened herself to them both, and they
loved her with fierce tenderness.
The monsoon howled and rain poured down. Three times, she loved the
cat kings. Once in daylight, once at twilight and once at night. When the
sun rose, they all lay spent upon the ground, washed by sun, moon and elements.
The cat kings stayed with Saraam as their children grew within her. The
labor was hard, but Gyani and Agun lay by her side. As each child emerged,
they licked it clean, and held it to her breasts. Ten children Saraam
bore, five babes and five kittens. As Mother Moon emerged, She looked down
upon Saraam and her family and smiled.
"Blessed are you, Saraam, and blessed are the sires of your children. Blessed
most of all are the fruit of your union. They shall be agents of
salvation." So saying, She touched each child in turn. Her cold bright hands
changed each to its opposite, cat to human, child to cat. With a breath,
She rose them up full-grown and kissed the belly of Saraam, from whence the
children came. Saraam slept well that night.
The children of the three went forth across the land. Gyani had taught
them magic. Agun had taught them war Saraam had taught them wisdom and told them
of the Mother. Iff time, they drove the serpents from the land, and thus began
our time, the one we continue to this day. It is our dharma to keep the truce
between the cats and people.
We seek out the serpent of corruption and crush its head between our jaws.
We are cat and human, wisdom, love and anger. We chase the serpents and judge
the mortals and sometimes we die for the good of all. For our mother's
sacrifice, we can do no less.
Tribal background
Top
Werepanthers and wereleopards are one and the same,
brothers and sisters of a common tribe that hails from India and upper Africa.
Their existence carries on a pact which began during the Impergium and
continues to this day — a bargain in which humans and big cats keep peace
between each other and cull the worst elements of both. Legend states that
Bagheera came from a forbidden love between cats and humans, and remain close to
both. Over the millennia, they've urged their cousins to end the Impergium,
striven for peace with the Silent Striders, Children of Gaia and Black
Furies, and policed their own kind for the Unmaker's taint. Unlike many cats,
most Bagheera keep close ties to their human and
feline Kinfolk; this bond may account for the tribe's strength and numbers.
No other Bastet race is as plentiful or as respected as the children of Saraam.
Even so, no one who's met a Bagheera wants to risk her temper.
The panthers are renowned for their threefold nature. When calm, a werepanther
can be wise, inquisitive and even-tempered; when her passions are aroused,
she becomes aggressive, wanton and temperamental. If she grows angry, look out —
a frenzied Bagheera lays waste to
everything around her. Like the goddess Kali, she becomes a cyclone of
destruction. Even the Simba steer clear of a panther's wrath. Bagheera are
perhaps the most well-traveled cats of all. Curious and scholarly, they enjoy
new experiences and take advantage of modern conveniences to wander as much of
the earth as possible. Most panthers go through three distinct phases in
their lives: .
the o/cari, or "searching"; the pourra, or "foundation"; and the doyala,
or "passing on." During the first, a werepanther revels in her new
identity. Anything she cares to do, she will do with total abandon. The
second phase is one of calm and contemplation. The cat finds a serious
mate, raises a family and sees to their well-being. Many Bagheera set up
semi permanent homes in their pourra phase, and establish libraries and
networks of friends. Finally, the cat reaches the doyala stage, where she
shares the wisdom and lore she's discovered in her youth. A Bagheera never
really stops moving, but she tends to bond more closely with her community than
most Bastet do. Supposedly, the Bagheera were originally supposed to fill an
arbitrator's role in Bastef society. Although the post never materialized (much
to the panthers' relief), they still carry a collective authority in their
bearing.
Perhaps it's the Bagheera temperament — calm and relaxed by Bastet standards —
or the caste-oriented cultures from which many of them come. In any case,
a werepanther, it is said, can be counted upon to be fair, honorable and
wise. So long as one stays on her good side. The Arthashastra says "Government
is the science of punishment. " The Bagheera certainly live by that rule.
Panthers tolerate a lot of free-spirited behavior, but serious crimes (rape,
cannibalism, oathbreaking, etc.) warrant stern justice. Outlaws — human,
cat and Bastet alike —
find themselves hunted by Bagheera war parties. Like the possesif the Old
West, these taklah gather quickly, bring a target to bavjils patch it and
disperse. The quarry is judged by a combination of Gifts and intimidation. If
he's innocent, the group's leader turns the taklah around to apprehend the real
culprit. If he's guilty, the panthers often kill him on the spot. At the
very least, the offender is branded (often with an Exile Rite)
and sent on his way. Some Bagheera practice justice as a vocation, and
travel the world hunting down criminals of all three species.
Truly outrageous crimes have provoked massacres led by leopard-men and screaming
black panthers. In recent years, the tribe has run afoul of Pentex,
and this has cost the cats — badly. Even the largest werecat tribe is no match
for Corruption, Incorporated.
As a rule, a Bagheera is generous, trustworthy, playful and fair. Stye's
slow to rage, but when she does, nothing but total destruction will satisfy her.
The greatest werepanthers can call up Gifts that turn them into huge, multiarmed
killing machines, and even foung ones can drop a Cape buffalo with a good
hard swipe. "Vishnu birthed the cat, Uma stroked it and Kali set it in motion"
is a common expression. Although most Khan claim it applies to them, the
Bagheera certainly fit the bill.
tribal Home
Top
Like their feline Kin, Bagheera range from Africa to southeast Asia. The
greatest number of the tribe, which may claim as many as 500 members
worldwide, settle in the jungles and cities of India. Before they
reach pourra, however, most panthers rove widely, gathering gossip for
later life.
Culture arib Kinfolk
Raised among Hindus, Moslems, Buddhists, tribal
cultures and Catholics, most Bagheera have very strict ideals of honor. A
youngster is expected to be a little wild, but there are rules, even for Bastet.
The Litany is taken very seriously by Bagheera elders, and cats who spit on it
are punished quickly and without mercy. Bastet This sense of justice marks
relations between the panthers and their Kin. Humans across India and
Africa still go into the jungles at night to find werecat lovers, and they
revere the children as gifts from Heaven. Four great societies — the
Ambari Macho, Chui Mal, Beral Meye and Leopard Men of Chupa — worship the
panther and leopard as deities. Many Bagheera Kinfolk come from these
societies, although modern Folk
choose lovers from across the world.
In the wild, leopards are the most common wild cats alive; between the zoos,
preserves, jungles and plains, Bagheera have no trouble finding feline mates.
Thus, the tribe enjoys a healthy mix of homids and felines, with almost no
metis members.
Organization
Top
Bagheera remain very loose; most lower-ranking panthers remain in touch
with their elders, and often respect any advice or command she might give. Other
than that, the cats are left to their own devices unless a war cry sounds. This
summons, often conveyed by spirits or through Kinfolk networks, calls a
war party together. The Bagheera of highest Rank leads the group, judges the
accused and decides the punishment. Such calls used to take weeks to assemble,
but modern communications allow most elders to call a hunt in a day or so.
A Bagheera who responds to a war cry agrees to do as she's told; she may
sometimes dispute a judgment, but most cases favor the elder. After
disastrous fights with Black Tooth, Pentex and the Nagha-Rackbur Khan, the
tribe has put a moratorium on large-scale cries unless some disaster
threatens. The tribe has lost too many members in recent years to risk
more one-sided battles..
Secrets Sought
Top
Bagheera prefer learning cultural lore, supernatural puzzles, languages
and political gossip. Their innate sense of honor keeps most away from
forbidden occult research, although some Bagheera cultivate
darker secrets.
• Bagheera sleep deeply during the New Moon. Once they slumber, nothing short of
violence can awaken them.
• Make a trail of salt; a panther will follow it from beginning to end without
stopping.
• Blessing a leopard's prey with Aabhaya (a hand gesture meaning "protection")
will force the cat to flee unless his rage is just.
Appearance
Top
The Bagheera are sleek and graceful Folk. While the majority of them have black
fur in their cat-forms, some African members of the tribe have spots and
yellow-brown fur instead. For some reason, the black line runs truer in
women than in men, while the yellow-leopard genes run stronger in males.
An exceedingly rare bloodline has the tricolor markings of the clouded
leopard of southeast Asia; these markings favor neither sex — they're just
plain rare. Bagheera heads (in cat-forms) tend to be flat and boxy; in human
form, they often have strong cheekbones and prominent noses. A
werepanther's eyes are said to be the wisest among catkind — even the
youngest of them appears to be deep in contemplation. Of all werecats, the
Bagheera are perhaps the most attractive — they're choosy when picking their
mates, and have very good genes on both sides. Many favor the arts and
sciences, and enjoy high-tech toys or the performing arts. As world
travelers, they dress however they please; some prefer the simple garments
of Indian villagers,
while others love ostentatious eastern designs or comfortable western fashions.
Their choice of weapon and ornaments are likewise eclectic — if making
generalizations about werecats is hard, making them about Bagheera fashion
choices is impossible.
Form Statistics
Sokto
Str:+l Dex: +1 Sta: +2 Man: -1 App:-l
Crinos Chatro Feline
Str: +3 Str: +2 Str:+l
Dex: +3 Dex: +3 Dex: +3
Sta: +3 Sta: +3 Sta: +2
Man: -3 Man: -3 Man: -3
App:0 App: -2
Quote:
Our wisdom is older than the Brahmans, more ancient than the sutras. We
have seen the Aryans, the Greeks, the Mughals and the British pass through,
and we have been unmoved. In the First Days, we learned our place under
Heaven: to observe, to destroy and to usher the soul to its next life's destiny.
Stereotypes
• Balam: They are wiser than their fury suggests. Listen to them in good
spirits and watch the visions they bring.
• Bubasti: Creatures of Cahlash. They bargained their souls away long ago,
and cannot be trusted.
• Ceilican: It's said their kind is dead, but I am not certain. Every so often,
a breeze carries their scent. I've met impostors that claim to be of our
own tribe. Are these Ceilican? Anything is possible.
• Khan: Our cousins are honorable Folk, but they need to curb their rage.
It weakens them.
• Pumonca: I cannot trust anyone so landless. They believe they walk alone upon
the earth, but they are wrong.
• Qualmi: Wise liars and grand tricksters.
• Simba: Long ago, I've heard, they were noble. Not now. We lost many good
cousins to Black Tooth and his brood, and all their race must wear his shame.
• Swara: I've never spoken to one long enough to learn much, but I've heard they
keep the sacred places safe. That is enough to earn my respect.
Top
