Che Fringes of @e&y I think we are in Rat Alley, where dead men have lost their bones. “The Wasteland,” T.S. Elliot Humans control the cities; werewolves stalk the wilderness. Ratkin hide wherever the humans and Wolves can’t find them. Since the earliest days of the world, the wererats have hidden in secretive breeding grounds, spawning hordes of offspring for one epic goal: undermining human civilization. Once the Garou tried to kill off the Ratkin race, but now the servitors of chaos are back with a vengeance. Most Changing Breeds keep their numbers small, but Ratkin are the most prolific shapechangers in the world. Privileged Ratkin breed hundreds of children for rapidly growing, sprawling anarchistic colonies. When their tunnels become overcrowded, the youngest wererats leave the crowded tunnels of their nest to roam the world in rat packs. Not everyone follows the same path. Some races of exiled wererats prefer to consort with the ephemeral creatures of the spirit world, building kingdoms far from the madness of mankind. Others have joined WithRatkinplagues, vast families ofwererats that keep in touch across entire continents. From the backalleys of urban neighborhoods to the mythical realms of lost dimensions, Ratkin have been infesting reality for millennia, surviving the worst dangers existence has to offer. Rdt packs Rats have a reputation as being untrustworthy. They’re not, really ... they just define loyalty by a different set of standards. While werewolves might dedicate themselves to the same totem and pack for a lifetime, trusting any one group for too long can seriously impair a Ratkin’s chances for survival. Alliances within a deceit of Ratkin are always temporary at best. Whenever a Ratkin allies with other living things, he’s got every right to ask one question: “What’s in it for me?” Before the pack is formed, the rodents always need a few temporary, short-term goals before they can work together. This is declared during the rite that forms the pack. If the amount of risk or danger grows too great, or if the wererat has goals that aren’t fulfilled, he always has the right to bolt and strike out on his own. This may involve aslight loss of Renown, but a wererat’s strongest long-term goal - surviving long enough to affect the outcome of the Apocalypse - overrides all other concerns. Until that time, the Ratkin stays tight with the dysfunctional family of misfits who travel with him. Rats travel with their own kind, if possible. A rat pack might consist of up to ten full-blooded wererats, but five is more the norm: a Runner, Seer, Skulker, Warrior and Freak comprise a typical pack. In contrast, packs of normal rats are huge - an average pack of Rattus mvegicw may consist of over sixty rats. Paranoid or suspicious Ratkin may invoke a Contract Rite before allying with a pack, demanding that the spirits wimess the alliance. Breaking the rite doesn’t have severe consequence for most wererats (other than a reduction in Renown), although Knife-Skulkers are fanatic about upholding them. If a Ratkin can’tfind othersofhiskind, hispackmentalitymayverywelllead Ratkin him to other supernatural creatures - these rat travelers are known as cmo~ts. Even if a lone Ratkin hasn’t learned the Contract Rite, he has every right to demand what he wants before offering his support to anyone. If a Ratkin doesn’t feel like he’s getting a fair shake, he’ll rip off whatever he wants and leave. Rat packs have primitive methods of establishing dominance, like most gatherings of communal animals. While werewolf packs are concerned with establishing an alpha leader, rat packs must also establish a straggler or runt: the weakest member of the pack. Werewolves struggle to see who will “finish first” in any conflict; wererats are more obsessed with not finishing last. If the runt bolts from the pack, the community of rats must still find someone else to act as the straggler. For the record, the runt in a pack usually starts out as a Storyteller-controlled character, a “whipping boy” who looks for revenge by seeking out the other pack member’s weaknesses and failures. When he actually succeeds in getting his comeuppance, it serves as a source of Rage for the runt’s target. If the pack is sufficiently amused, they may decide to make the victim the new runt. That wererat must then keep that role until he overcomes another in a test for dominance. High anb Lor0 Ratkin society has its own stratification, from the elite who live in the largest infestations to the scum who spread chaos and terror in the streets. There’s a big difference between wererats whopledge to protect Ratkinnests and the anarchistic rat packs who would never go near them. Packs of anarchistic Ratkin are typically known as low packs or “gungs” -the violent wererats who assemble them are often called ramblers. Formal, traditional rat packs who prefer the gratitude of Ratkin elders are known as high packs or “retinues” - the esteemed wererats who serve in them are known as courtiers. There are a few obvious differences between these two types of packs. Ramblers define the phrase “preserve the Veil” very liberally; if a bunch ofhumans snap into Delirium, it helps bring chaos into the world. In fact, anything that brings about chaos is good, regardless of the consequences. Courtiers are fanatic about protecting the Veil; if a bunch of humans near their nest are forced into Delirium, someone might investigate and uncover their nest. If courtiers don’t stay hidden, their breeding grounds might be threatened. Ramblers don’t care who performs a given rite. If the Shadow Seer gets killed, for instance, someone else may have to perform the next Rite of Dedication. Courtiers have formalities of who should perform which rite. If a Ratkin of the “wrong aspect” performs a rite, he should lose Renown for his impudence. Ramblers don’t need an “alpha,” since no one is better than anyone else. It’s more important to assign blame when something fails. Cowtien should follow the highestmnking Ratkin present, OT at least resolve the issue of who is most fit to lead through gamecraft, facedowns, tests of wits or non-lethal combats. RamblerscangetenoughRenowntoadvance inRankjust by attending Twitcher revels. Infamy is good enough for them.
Ratkin · Werewolf