From: John Gronquist Subject: Bubasti "And the mother of all cats spoke to the mother of night, and they became as one for their children. The gifts of the night became the gifts of the cat and so for the children of the night. And to honor this union Bubasti took the cloak of the mother of night and put it about her neck, and wore it into the halls of the dead. The dead gave honor to she who was born again. She wore it into the rivers of the living, and they too gave honor saying, 'Twice born, your destiny shall be woven from both papyrus and hemp.' Then Bubasti returned to her mothers and gave them the honor of the two worlds. The mothers were pleased and sent the child into the third world, the world in-between, were it shall be her duty to aid those passing from the first to the second." -Transcription from an Honored relic, 640bc. "He entered the Secret Gates, The glory of the Lords of Eternity, In step with him who shines on the horizon, on the path of Ra." -Excerpt from 'Die Altaegyptischen Pyramidentexte' edited by Kurt Sethe. History Before the union of the mothers the Bubasti were a tribal group following goals similar to those of the other bastet. Live, procreate, and watch the humans for abuse against the mother of all kind. They had cordial relations with others of their kind and were welcomed at taigharms for the stories about their desert homeland, and the people they were chosen to protect. But, they were soon chosen to be singled out by the mother of all cats for a very special duty. The Bubasti were, and still are, the most capable of cat kind when it comes to understanding the enigmatic ways of the universe. Bastet, the mother of cats, chose them to be the guardians of the dead, and to aid the humans in their passage to the underworld. The others of their kind soon grew jealous and allowed themselves to be corrupted by the wyrm due to their weakness of envy. Others of the changing breed grew jealous as well. The Mokole, the great devouring Lizard Kings, saw this as their responsibility as the memory of gaia, and grew violent with hatred of the cats that they once called brothers. The Bubasti were honored by the humans for their aid in passing over to the underworld. Many of the tribe grew strong in skills during this time. Strong enough to stand side by side with the greatest of the walking dead and mortal rulers. For a time the humans even began to worship Bastet, mother of all cats, due primarily to the work of the Bubasti. It was a hard and glorious time for the Bubasti, and the spirits of those ancestors are some of the most honored of all. Why, the humans even learned a little cat magic of their own. It was during this time that the best and strongest of the Bubasti were chosen by Isis to receive eternal life. These great leaders and warriors selflessly gave up their journeys to the Far Shores to stay in the Third World and forever watch over the passage of the dead. They are called the Elders and are still the highest example of Bastet to ever exist or have existed. The Elders seldom allow themselves interaction with the outside world. So great is their duties and responsibilities to the spirits of Gaia, that we of the Bubasti must, on occasion, make great sacrifices to their aid. It has been said that when the last spirit reaches its final resting place the Elders will take the spirit of Gaia herself to her resting place, wherever that may be. Soon the war of rage swept through the breeds and all was changed. The Bubasti faired very poorly as their duties to the dead increased tenfold during the war and they had little time or opportunity to protect themselves. Many were slaughtered by both wolf and cat alike, but the Mokole did the worst harm and the Bubasti have yet to forgive them. For like the Lizard Kings, the Bubasti have long memories, stretching back through generations of contact with their ancestor's spirits. Not far into the war the Bubasti realized that they were on the brink of extinction. They retreated to sand covered tombs and called upon the spirits of the living and the dead to aid them. Spirits of forgetfulness washed through the minds of the other cats, softening their memories of the 'dark cousins.' The dark cats made a pact with Osiris, leader of the walking dead, who agreed to help keep the Mokole snake brothers away. They also made a pact with Charon, Lord of the Restless, and bargained to give each of their kind extra years in the lands of the quick (The price for this is not mentioned in the writings), as well as release the Elders from death altogether. Other spirits are still protecting the tombs of the 'twice-born' to this day, and manifest themselves as mummies or curses to the mortals. Many an intrepid adventure has suffered a cat curse thinking it to be designed to protect the human remains inside of a temple. As the centuries have passed the Bubasti have settled into their reclusive existence, trying to perform their duties as expediently as possible. They no longer have the numbers to give their own lives in order to guide the dead, as they did for the pharaohs of old. Nor do they have the capabilities to aid the rapidly growing numbers of restless spirits, and in any case that is a duty for the ferrymen of Charon. Instead, they have chosen to guard the spirits of the great, and to discover new methods for softening the ever hardening shroud which has made the journey to the underworld more difficult in recent times. Often, this requires the extermination of a person or spirit who is a burden on Gaia, but the Bubasti seldom hunt anyone down unless they have done grievous harm. Other methods for performing their duties are keeping artifacts and relics of the past out of the hands of those who do not appreciate their spirituality, as well as protecting the areas around their den realms. They also perform rites in attempts to weaken the shroud, but have had little success of late. The Bubasti do not see eye to eye on matters of philosophy with the other Bastet. They view themselves as children of two mothers, and thus twice as alive as any other of the breed. Their connection with the realm of the dead has given them understanding of the primal forces at work in the universe. They have seen the connection between the Wyrm and Oblivion, and know it to have a purpose and a reason for existence. Entropy is a factor of life for the Bubasti, and in their role as guardians of the dead they respect its purpose. They also know of the Far Shores and the Deep Umbral realms where a spirit (of either sort) can live out the perfection of their belief systems. Thus they see that 'the great devourer' is just a function of renewal, of making way for that which is just being born. They have a very 'seasonal' belief structure, similar to that of the Egyptian mythos, and feel that all things are born to die and die so that others may be born. This, along with their penchant for the dead, is why many of the other Bastet, and Garou as well, feel that the Bubasti could be leaning toward the Wyrm. Of course, that's if the Bubasti even exist... Relationships "May be given to me my Name, in the Great House of Two. May in the House of Fire, my Name be granted." -Excerpt from 'Die Altaegyptischen Pyramidentexte' edited by Kurt Sethe. Their duties, and how they go about them, have brought them into contact with many other supernatural creatures throughout the world. Often the contact is through spiritual allies, which the Bubasti use often, but the Bubasti forget nothing and have compiled more information than all the other werecats. Never does the Bubasti let their contacts know the source of the communication, and only on the rarest occasion does one ever physically leave their den realm. Their relationships with the inhabitants of the World of Darkness are listed below: Bagheera: These bastet are the only ones who could possibly understand our beliefs and duties to Gaia, if we gave them enough time. They are the most curious and open minded towards new beliefs and cultures, and respect the value of the ancient knowledge. Even so, they are uncharacteristically single-minded when it comes to the force of Oblivion, even though they do not understand it's total nature. Perhaps some of their tribe might be useful as contacts and watchguards. Balam: Fierce warriors, but so isolated in their southern jungles that they do not see the beauty of the world about them. They fight to protect only a small portion of Gaia, and so will loose the entirety. Still, they are not the Kahn and can be reasoned with. Some know many wonderful herbs to aid in embalming and creating potions for long sleeps and healing. Kahn: No other cat was so envious as the proud Kahn when mother night took us as her child. Nocturnal hunters by nature, they assumed that their might would win them the honor to guard the dead. Guarding the corpse against vultures is more in their nature. They are unreasonable and impossible to deal with. But why bother, they have no secrets worth the trouble to thrash the grass to spook one out. Pumonca: A simple people, decent and honorable. They have no desire to aid us, but were not part of those who warred against us. They understand what it feels like to be hunted close to extinction, but unfortunately view us in much the same manner as the other tribes. Simba: Once our closest allies, they taught us the value of the pride, and of gathering our knowledge. But, like the Kahn, are single-minded and incapable of understanding the change that has occurred to us since mother night gave us a new birth. They fought with honor during the War of Rage, often at our side, and for this we will honor them in our legends. They were once the embodiment of what the Bastet could be, but the centuries have wore down their honor and now they are becoming politically connected to the humans they are supposed to control. Swara: Noble cats, if a bit wary. They have served us well as messengers in the past, but are not as efficient as spirits in the long run. Still, their speed would be an immeasurable advantage in the Shadowlands if we could only convince one to aid us. Qualmi: Our equals in the new world. If only they understood more about the nature of the Shroud perhaps mother night would embrace them as her children as well. These Bastet know as much or more about the living umbra than we do, and would be worthy and honorable allies. Although we have yet to make official contact, we fear that their opinion could be tainted by the long held rumors of the tribes. Nuwisha: Unusual and enigmatic creatures. We know much less than we would like to about these Garou cousins. They seem to be even more at home in the First World than any other of the breed, yet we have heard rumors that the mother of all has abandoned this tribe. Very peculiar. Gurahl: When mother night first called to us, it was a lone Elder Gurahl who taught us her ways. They are the only other breed which can part the dark veil and bring life to the restless. Most of their ways are still unknown to us, as they are as reclusive and sedentary as any respectable Bubasti. Since the War of Rage we have lost contact with the Gurahl, but we have reason to believe that the great elder who taught the ancient Bubasti the ways of the dead may still be walking upon this earth. Some of our members have made it their undying quest to find her and learn the methods of living the long days, as well as many other ancient truths. Corax: Brothers to the Mokole, children of the sun, always attempting to pluck out our secrets like the eyes of the dead. We despise these prying creatures and will kill any found in our dens. Outside of our dens they are suffered to live, and sometimes we will work with them, but only when it is necessary to do so as they are always trying to sneak information about the Shadowlands from us. Ratkin: Poor creatures, hunted during the war as were we. They have learned to hide and to collect the knowledges of the others to protect themselves, just as we had to. And just as we they now follow the mother of their kind instead of the mother of all, but they only have one mother and so are imbalanced and mad. Their rage is bestial and uncontrollable when provoked, and quite often they act without honor. They are disgusting in manner and appearance, and are unwilling to change for audience with our ambassadors. Most of the Bastet would kill these creatures on sight, and for that we must vow never to do the same out of respect for the position they are in. Mokole: Those who hunted us out of envy for the honor mother night bestowed upon us. Those who once had the opportunity to walk the three worlds and spurned it for selfish desires of the body. They are evil creatures with no honor that look to humankind as meals and nothing more. We fight to rid the banks of the Nile from their kind now and forever. Let them have the jungle, the leafy wood which devours history, we will have the realms of sand which forever protect the ancient knowledge. However, we have on occasion encountered some of their kind called the 'concealed' in the umbra who did not wish to fight us. It is a puzzle still, but one we are not entirely interested in solving. Rokea: We know little about those of the dark waters. Ananasi: Creatures of darkness, misunderstood by the others of the changing breeds. The Bubasti welcome the insights these intriguing beasts can offer on the nature of Oblivion. Their long service to the forces of entropy have given them a unique understanding of it, especially that parts which are mad with sentience. They have forgotten their lost cousins, the scarabs, but then even we have little knowledge of them anymore. Those few Ananasi who still work for Oblivion are staggering in their destructiveness, and have lost all sight of balance. Garou: Many of the garou shall be our immortal enemies for the transgressions they have committed to our ancestors. Still not all participated in the War of Rage, and since then many more have gotten past their pride which started the war. In any case they won, and so must be honored the title of Gaia's Guardians, and respected for the efforts they go to in that field. Often, however, we have noticed that they should guard Gaia against themselves more than anything else and feel their preoccupation with battling the Wyrm to be futile and a waste of energy. The Wyrm must be understood to be contained, if it is indeed spreading across Gaia at the rate they insist it is. The evidence is in their favor however, and perhaps we might need to reevaluate the relationship between the Wyrm and Oblivion. The two groups we have the most familiarity with are the those calling themselves the Silent Striders and the Star Gazers. Both are courteous and can be dealt with in an honorable manner. The Silent Striders have long been our neighbors and appear to be following down the same path as our tribe, but only many centuries behind us. It is debatable what the value of aiding them might be. Kindred: The vampires, as the mortals call them, we have been aware of and watching for many years. They are like us, half in this world, half in the next. But they are this way in the flesh instead of the spirit, and as such are an insult to both worlds. Still, many of them have shown great honor, if in unusual ways, and we have been aided by their kind more than once over the centuries. We hold a debt of gratitude to those called the Children of Osiris for they helped rid the Nile of the dread Mokole, as well as guard much of our ways and knowledge from mankind. The group, or 'clan', calling itself the Giovanni are most curious about our relationship with the dead, as we are theirs. The other 'clans' seem so embroiled in internal warfare that they see little outside of their domains and are of little use to us in our duties. Perhaps these Tremere might know more, but from what we've heard it is not worth asking. Mages: Many of these mortal humans have found some manner of piercing the dark veil and calling forth the restless. They do so with little knowledge of the ancient trusts or even of what they wish to do. They are clumsy clowns, playing with reality like it's a cubs first kill. Their honor is limited at best, by their warped sense of morality, and some are in league with the very forces of the shadow. Make no mistake cub, these beings are perhaps the most dangerous and unfathomable forces within the body of the All Mother. Do not take them lightly. They can steal your flesh, your gifts, or even you very soul if you are not careful. Even the ones that do seem to have a decent heart are trouble, for they always have enemies around every corner. Some of our tribes members have heard of a group which supposedly control 'reality' by using 'science' as their personal magic. This is clearly ridiculous, and until the day when both Mothers can no longer speak to the Bubasti, we will be the guardians of what is real and what has passed beyond. Faeries: Creatures as ancient as the desert, and twice as capricious. They are elemental in nature, being living personifications of places or things. Some say they are spirits given flesh, and perhaps this was once true. But the Fae I've heard of in my century of life seem to be different than the history they have left behind. The Bubasti do not tolerate their games and chiding, it is best to ignore these creatures as much as possible. Supposedly they are not allowed access to the Earth Mother anymore, and for this I am glad. Although I believe some half breeds have been let behind, to remind us of the mayhem we used to be forced to endure. Thankfully, they are not appreciative of he beauty of the desert, and few ever bother our homelands. Mummies: Always our brothers, will be the chosen ones of Isis. We were there when the pact was made. We were there when the ritual of rebirth was cast over the chosen ones. We watched as the passage into the Underworld was opened from the other side for the Great Journey. We know what joys they have given up, in sacred duty to the human goddess who so loved Our Mothers as to give us such aid in our times of trouble. These chosen humans are to be honored in the greatest manner, and protected as much as the most sacred of temple stones. For they are the true Travelers and the true Guardians, able to breach the very veil of Oblivion and return renewed and whole. They have mastered the arts of the gods, and have even learned a few tricks from the Bubasti as well. It is rumored that some false mummies were created, in a dark ritual cast by enemies of Isis. If this is true, and if as these rumors say these creatures have bonded with the heart of Oblivion, then we must do what we can to protect the body of our mother from these walking horrors. Knowing that we can never rid the world of them forever, but must do what we can to keep them beyond the shroud. Philosophy "The winter is cold in the desert. It bites deeper than fang or claw. Run in the cold of winter, try to fight it off. Use claw, use fire, do what you can, but it will always be there waiting for you. This is eternity, this is darkness. Give yourself up to the cold and let it purify your soul. Let it take you to the edge of forever, and then look out over the cliffs of death to see what lies beyond. The Darkness is only the surface of a vast river, which travels the lengths of the worlds and beyond. It will carry you, it will warm you, it will give you the sustenance and body of the worlds from within itself." -Inscription upon the Pillar of the Elders. "He descends into the boat like Ra, on the shores of the Winding Watercourse. The king rows in the Hanbu-boat; He takes the helm toward the Plain of 'The Two That Bring Closer the Heavens,' In the land of the Beginning from the place of Reeds." -Excerpt from 'Die Altaegyptischen Pyramidentexte' edited by Kurt Sethe. The Bubasti are a lonely isolated people. They are clinging to the tenets of a culture which hasn't been in existence for thousands of years. Only relics and memories of the spirits of ancestors have kept them from being lost in the all consuming sand. In fact, at the time of Carter's excavations, only 3 tribe of Bubasti existed throughout Africa and Asia. It was the incursion of modern man into their territories that awoke the Bubasti from a thousand year sleep. Carter was just the final catalyst that renewed their beliefs. His exhumation of the Tutankhamen tomb, and 'theft' of the greatest treasures of the Egyptian nation, enraged the Bubasti. They cast curses at his crew and eventually even managed to enact revenge upon Carter himself. They have since learned that what they did was wrong, and was the result of the dying rage of a dying race. From that time since, they have been on an active breeding program, making propagation the highest responsibility of all the tribes. This has also caused problems as some of the more 'primal' of the Bubasti committed acts which were illegal in human law, and have since been imprisoned or killed. The Bubasti do nothing better than learn from mistakes. They are the epitome of cunning, and never make the same mistake twice. Now they seek clandestinely to find the best choices for breeding partners they can. Spreading out far and wide, using spirits for communication and seduction. Many of the tribes look at this as a great 'hunt' and relish the feeling of life surging through their bodies and communities more than it has since the glorious reign of the pharaohs. The Bubasti philosophy is one of Ancestor worship and The Cycle of Death and Rebirth. They believe that all who die, do so to allow entrance of another soul, and that the souls of the great rest in eternal peace in the afterlife, in a great land of blossoming figs and everlasting joy. Some of them perhaps believe they have even seen this land from afar, as they lead a soul to it. Although few Bubasti have performed their duties of guiding important souls to the Far Shores as they say their duties demand. The Cycle of Death has meaning to many cultures, but to the Bubasti it is a personal and very real thing. They have seen, and have recorded, more about the realm of the dead than even the Euthanatos mages have. Spirits are just as common and as real as the teaming population of mankind to them. They have maintained their beliefs and abilities in abandonment through this very connection with the Shadowlands and the dead. Frequently, ancestor spirits will return to the caves and hidden tombs which house the Bubasti, and tell them of the status of the dead, and what they know. It is through this that the Bubasti have maintained contact with the outside world, for few hold better secrets than the dead. To a Bubasti, death is a treasured journey, a trip to the resting place where you may be with the ancestors and find the truths of existence. They do not fear death. For the same reason, they do not rush headlong into that dark land. They value the experience of dying far too much to waste it on foolhardy battles or tempt it with drugs or other thrills of the flesh. They know death will come, and have prepared for it from birth, but they will not let it happen until they are truly ready. The Bubasti also believe, as the Egyptians did, that the soul can reinhabit the body after death. And as a result go to extensive lengths to mummify and protect the bodies of fallen Bubasti. Also, they know the value of relics and fetters to the restless, and will protect those with equal ferocity. Battle is a disgusting thing to the Bubasti, who see it's results and the quick pointless deaths most wars create. They despise a death that is unjust, and will do what they can to equate that death with the death of the murderer when possible. Recently, many of the young Bubasti have taken to this tenet of their beliefs with great enthusiasm, and even go so far as to ally themselves with the Euthanatos. The elders do not agree with this, and this has increased the gap between the generations. Breeding In fact, in the past three decades, the young Bubasti have become increasingly more active in the world of humanity at large, loosing touch with some of their other duties. This is primarily due to the increased amounts of humans which have been bred with in the last 50 years. Many of the new members created by the breeding program do no feel the connection with the 'motherland' as the original members do, and have even become disinterested or fearful of breaking the shroud and entering the shadowlands. Their minds still hold the fear of their human parents, that death is something to avoid at all costs, and that it is generally a bad thing, an incomprehensible thing for their Bubasti parents. This generation gap is extending to the point where the elders are once again faced with the problem of seeing the Bubasti they know, disappear from Gaia forever. The young do not feel this way, and do not see what they are doing as a 'separation' from the tribe. Most of the young from the past five decades have come from homid stock. The race of desert cats which the Bubasti has been breeding with, have all but disappeared, taken into captivity in the houses of wealthy for collection and show all around the world. While, in some cases, this has allowed the Bubasti to gain entrance to that portion of human society, by pretending to be these 'domestic' cats. Often the human hosts of such 'pets' die of mysterious causes after mistreating their renegade puss-puss... Before the industrial revolution, the Bubasti were a wild and free race. Who bred almost exclusively with wild cats, descended from the line which were the pets to pharaohs and kings alike. Since then, they have had to look more and more to humanity for breeding purposes. Mostly they select lonely young people who bear what they call the "Mark of Thoth". This mark is usually attributed to some sort of fateful getting together, or a noble character which makes the person stand out from others, and is nothing physical. Sometimes, a person may actually bear The Mark of Thoth, which is a small birthmark on the temple, visible only from the umbra, the shape is often a premonition of how that person will die. These marks are mysteriously much more common around the Bubasti, and are seldom seen unless a Bubasti is around. The Bubasti do not explain this, and perhaps do not even know why this happens. But, the mark usually signifies that the bearer will die within one year. Often the death is a result of the birth of the Bubasti children. For Bubasti often have twins, in both homid and feline relationships. It has always been part of their way. And Bubasti babies seem to take twice as much out of a mother than even a normal set of twins. The fathers simply are doomed by fate once they've mated with a Bubasti. It is the Price for eternity... The Bubasti even to this day are not great creatures of deep personal affection. The distance which arises from their service to the dead is very often to great a strain for any relationship, especially with felines. There is always, simply, something troublesome about a Bubasti, that others around them can never avoid noticing. And so the Bubasti have long given up on any hope for real relationships outside of their tribes, and thus take their tribe family very seriously. Family is the most important thing to a Bubasti, even beyond her duties. As a result, the Bubasti do have more than their share of Metis children. Eons of belief in purity of breeding still affects their beliefs about Metis, and many simply disappear soon after birth, killed by their mother. However, the past 500 years of poor breeding has caused a new role to be formed for the Metis, so that even they may live up to the duties of the Bubasti. Some of the less visibly deformed are allowed to live, and are trained in the ways and lands of the dead. Then, before they reach breeding age, they are ritualistically sacrificed to Bastet, to serve and protect the honored dead. Many of the spirits of these children still meet with the elders of the tribe, and claim to enjoy their heightened status in the realm of the dead. The Bubasti keep very close track of all there breeding attempts, often through the use of spirits or other magics. They tend to have a better than 1 in 10 chance of breeding true Bubasti, somewhere around 1 in 8, but most attempts at breeding are not immediately successful.