Bastet

Werecats, The Eyes of Gaia

Many Bastet were slain in the War of Rage, but some of the the Watchers of Gaia remain far south from Europe. The few that dare wander from their homes are not likely to make it as far as Ushaw Moor without good reason. They lack the pack mentality of the garou, though families and individuals have been known to build long friendships based on mutual respect. Some Bastet follow a well-respected Jamak spirit known as the Mistress of Catkind, but other Jamak spirits also assist the cats when they feel like it.

The Cat's Meow Few Bastet operate in any kind of numbers. Most cats only form small hunting parties when the time calls for it, and the rest tend to be strict loners. Few will do more than take on a Kin or two as permanent companions.

The Bastet know that and all had have an appointed role to play in protecting Gaia's children from the trappings of Rahjah (The Weaver), the madness of Cahlash (The Wyrm) and the raw chaos of Mother Nala (The Wyld.). The Bastet say that Gaia went to Cat to ask for help because her other creations needed oversight for the tasks they were given. Gaia was pleased with Her new creations, and confident that they would solve the problems Her other children had encountered. But it was not to be; the others were jealous of the Bastets' beauty, and felt insulted that the werecats' even needed to be brought into existence. All the races thought they were the best and brightest of Gaia's children. What did this say about their own abilities that a whole Changing Breed needed to be created in order to pick up slack? This of course was nonsense; the Bastet were created to help the others, not take their places.

Of course, the others didn't understand that and didn't treat the Bastet with the respect and appreciation they obviously deserved. The Bastet responded as any cat would. They slunk off to the shadows, vowing to ignore the other Changing Breeds until they came to their senses. The Garou, offended, followed them, and the Cat-Kin found themselves hunted in the War of Rage.

Many of the Changing Breeds suffered, and the Cats were no exception. Most of them were eradicated in places that would become the Americans and Europe, and the only reason they did not suffer similar fates in the south was because the Garou simply did not exist in those places. In the aftermath of that calamity their hatred and spite rose to new heights, and the bitterness, contempt, and mistrust born of those times remains even to this day.

Game Play Differences

Instead of Auspices, Bastet have three Pyrio that werecats follow:

• Bastet with the Daylight Pryio are typically open and direct and the most friendly of the cats. They are nurturing sorts, and have an optimistic take on life (choose either Ahroun, Galliard or Philodox).
• Twilight cats have a penchant for mysteries and magic and have an enigmatic and very curious nature (choose either Galliard, Theurge or Ragabash for gifts).
• Night Bastet tend to be withdrawn and perhaps duplicitous, focusing on their own territory and endeavors to the exclusion of all else (Choose either Theurge or Ahroun for Gifts).

Tribes

All Bastet Tribes are Restricted. Please check the Restricted policy with staff.

Bagheera

The Ambassadors. These black or tan panthers are generally social and more tolerant of the other shifters, even making treaties with the Silent Striders, Children of Gaia and Black Furies. They are the most well traveled of the bastet despite being far away from their tribal homes in Africa and India. They may be slow to anger, but once pushed, they can become whirls of spinning death.

Bubasti

The Mystics. The gray or black, Egyptian cats known for their dark ways and practices of ancient Egyptian lore. The Bubasti have been at war with the Followers of Set for eons. These sorcerous cats use cunning over brute to attack their enemies. Some believe the Bubasti cannot leave Egypt but the occasional wanderer proves that rumor wrong. None of their kinfolk have been seen in Europe for a long time.

Swara

These solitary cats serve as messengers for the Bastet, carrying information swiftly through the Umbra to the waiting ears of curious cats. This lonely travel has made the Swara a people suspicious of outsiders even other bastet; seeing all others as "wearing to many masks" to be fully trusted. Originally from Africa, Swara are not often seen in northern Europe. The Swara have the highest reverence to Seline, a common practice is to go out and give thanks to the moon when it is visible in the sky. Swara transfer this bond and duty to protect all Caerns and glens and keep them clean, and to give proper respect to the spirits, by doing this, the Swara believe that when the end of the world comes, that Seline will take her followers home with her.

Celican

The Celican are wild and free, beholden to no one and nothing but the rhythm that beats in their veins. Ceilican love gossip, folklore, and personal secrets. As each Bastet tribe keeps their secrets, the Ceilican do so with utmost ferocity and glee. Bard, poet, scholar, drunkard... this mercurial breed lives life to the fullest.

Karoush: The Litany

This is the Code our Ancestors Made.

This is the Law of the Moon and the Sun.

This is the Law of the Shaping of Secrets.

This is the Law of the Change.

Honor Yourself

We hold Magic within ourselves, within our hearts and minds and spirits. To dishonor ourselves is to disperse that magic and scatter our souls.

We are to remain clean -- to cleanse ourselves of filth, divest ourselves of our former lives, care for our own health and avoid the inbreeding sickness. Possession is unclean, and we must shake other spirits from our skins, lest they taint our own.

When we fail -- we must purify ourselves with washing, seek cures for our sickness, raise the deformed ones we bear and cleanse our souls with ceremony. If the Unmaker's spawn ride us to destruction, we are obligated to take our own lives. If we do not, others will do it for us.

Honor Your Word

We are the wisest of the Changing Breeds, and come from places that respect the meaning of honor. Let the dogs and monkeys piss on trust; we are honest Folk -- with each other, at least. It's acceptable to lie to other creatures; they're not of our blood and not bound by our laws.

We are to remain truthful -- to break no oaths before the Folk, and make no false witness against one of our kind. A promise made is a bond sworn to Seline; we will act on it as if the goddess Herself would punish us for failure. We will flee to survive a fight, but will not run when others depend on our strength.

When we fail -- we must make restitution to those we deceive, in deeds, trade or money. We may be challenged to Hanshii or punished by rite. We may be exiled or branded. At the very least, we will be disgraced, and remembered as liars to all of the Folk.

Honor Your Kin and Kind

We remember the Kinfolk who keep our lind alive, and we respect our cousins in the other tribes. The great cats are more precious than our human lovers, but both of them are blood relations. All Bastet are sacred in the light of the moon, and our sternest oaths protect us in these twilight times. All our laws pertain to Kin and Kind, and we respect each other as siblings under the moon.

We are to remain just -- to quarrel not with each other without cause, to seek open restitution and honorable combat, to respect a challenge and the challenger, and to obey the lorespeaker and host of the taghairm. When our Kin and Kind are in danger, we will aid them; when they cry, we will succor them.

When we fail -- we will take the judgment of our fellows, distance ourselves from our Kind, forsake the taghairm and accept the brand of the oathbreaker. If we allow our Kin to come to harm, we will accept that their spirits will carry news of our cowardice, and we accept that label as just.

Honor Your Earth

We are the children of the moon and the earth together, shaped by the fathers, sired by the mother and suckled by the teats of Seline and Gaia as one. When corruption eats at the heart of our world, when the Asura devour the spirit of the land, we will not stand by. Our weapons are many -- secrets, claws, teeth and allies -- and we will not hesitate to employ them for our world's survival. Our people have walked too close to extinction for us to take such matters lightly.

We are to remain fierce -- to poison not the earth nor allow it to be ruined. We will inform others of plans to pollute the wild and hunt down poachers of game. We will stand beside the other Killi, even the hated dogs, if that means stopping the demons. We will not ally ourselves with shadow powers or drink corrupted wisdom. We will stand brave in the face of the Unmaker's wrath and we will triumph. We do not fail our Earth and mother. That path leads to death.

Honor Your Silence

We are the keepers of secrets, and our fates depend on silence. Each of us bears the hidden doom of our own people, and we know the cost of betraying that trust. We also know that we have what others want -- or what they think they want -- and it amuses us to make them squirm. Our knowledge is our concern. We will not share it unless we wish to.

We are to remain quiet -- never to let our Yava leave our lips, not allow them to fall into other hands. Our mysteries are our own to dispense, and we will value them by Rank and title. We will hide ourselves from outsiders; they will think they know us, but we will delude them. We will wrap our lore in riddles and tales; let the clever ones puzzle out their meaning. We will act as if we know even more than we do, for it keeps outsiders guessing. Let them wonder at our insight; they value us more highly when they do.

When we fail -- we will cover our tracks with misdirection, pretend to be other than what we are, fill the air with idle rumors and hide messages in code. She who fails to keep the Yava will be killed -- there is no better mercy -- and he who acts upon it will be ripped apart by hunting cats. There is no forgiveness for this crime.