Although they can be great warriors, and their mystic tie to the needs of their homeland was a matter of great pride to them, Ajaba are not noted for their strong will. All Ajaba begin play with 3 Willpower.
Renown
The Ajaba place a high priority on Ferocity and Cun- ning, but they find that the weight placed upon Honor by the Garou and Bastet is more trouble than it’s worth. Instead, Ajaba value an individual’s willingness to place the needs of the pack (and the Breed as a whole) above her own, which is embodied in the trait of Obligation.
Breeds
Like many Shifters, Ajaba have three breeds: homid (of human parentage), metis (of Shifter interbreeding) and hyaenid (of animal parentage). Historically, hyaenid Ajaba were the most numerous, although the massacre struck two- and four-legged Ajaba equally as brutally. When forced out of their native territory, homids may have found it easier to hide among city shadows than their hyena-born brethren. The Shifting blood runs stronger in Ajaba than it does in other Breeds. As many as three in ten offspring between two Kinfolk (human or hyena) will become shifters, and the number increases drastically when one parent or the other is a werehyena.
• Homid: Historically, most homid Ajaba were of native Central and Southern African descent. As Euro- peans pressed south onto the continent, however, they were also incorporated into the werehyenas’ breeding pool, creating a broad spectrum of racial representation. That diversity has increased even further since the Ajaba were driven out of their native homelands. Des- perate to renew their numbers, the Breed feels a stronger imperative than ever before to ensure their next genera- tion is a populous one.
Starting Gifts: Apecraft’s Blessings, City Running,
Master of Fire, Persuasion, Smell of Man
• Metis: Matings between two Ajaba are also ex- ceptionally fertile, and when conception occurs between two werehyenas, it always results in a metis offspring. The race has never shared the usual Changing Breed view of
metis, however, and the current crisis only makes them more accepted.
Now more than ever, metis Ajaba tend to be fully accepted as members of the tribe. While they are sterile (and thus cannot help increase the Ajaba’s population on their own), they develop into functional adults within a few years of being born, rather than undergoing the decade-long childhood and several-year adolescence of homid Ajaba. This, coupled with the near-assurance of conception has led some Ajaba to turn to interbreeding as a solution to increase the Breed’s numbers — at least in the short-term.
While observers mistakenly thought all natural hyenas to be hermaphrodites, metis Ajaba do exhibit a higher-than-average rate of hermaphroditism as their metis disfigurement.
Starting Gifts: Create Element, Primal Anger, Rat
Head, Sense Wyrm, Shed
• Hyaenid: While there are several species of hy- ena, only one — the spotted hyena — is the traditional Kinfolk of the Ajaba. Despite having a reputation as foul scavengers, spotted hyenas hunt up to 95% of the food they eat, and other “predators” of the region (such as lions) often attempt to steal their kills.
Hyaenid breed Ajaba have historically been the most common, as hyenas have outnumbered humans on the African continent for much of its history. Today, the shorter adolescence period of hyaenid Ajaba would be a great boon to the Ajaba’s efforts to restore their population to its pre-massacre heights.
Unfortunately, due to the mystic wards the Simba have raised over much of their native homelands in central and southern Africa, most of the Ajaba’s wild hyena Kin are out of their reach. Some Ajaba are work- ing to counter this ban by freeing captive Kin from zoos, preserves, and refuges in an attempt to create a new wild clan for the next generation. Others have moved into northern Africa, the Middle East, and India to try to court the striped hyena there who share ancestry with the Ajaba’s spotted hyena Kin. The results have been less than promising so far, but Ajaba do not give up easily.
Starting Gifts: Hare’s Leap, Heightened Senses,
Predator’s Arsenal, Prey Mind, Sense Prey
Aspects
Historically, Ajaba elders recognized three major aspects: Dawn, Midnight, and Dusk. Dawn and Dusk aspects were most common among females of the Breed, translating to a high aptitude for pack or clan leadership, respectively. Midnight aspects were most often male, making the oft-abused and little-respected male Ajaba the most stable and centered of the Breed. An Ajaba’s
aspect is determined by the time of day that she undergoes her First Change. From sunrise to midday, she is Dawn, from midday to dusk she is Dusk, and when the sun is down, she is Midnight. All Ajaba regain two points of Rage each sunrise.
In the years since the Endless Storm massacre, how- ever, nearly equal numbers of males and females have manifested in each aspect. Future generations of Ajaba may be interested in the ramifications of an assumedly- supernatural trait changing due to cultural schisms — assuming the Breed survives long enough to study it.
• Dawn: Dawn Ajaba are filled with fury and Rage,
eager to fight with their foes or to prove their dominance over their own kind. They are feisty and combative, easily-offended and hyperactive, and have historically made strong pack-leaders — although they usually lack the control necessary to lead an entire clan.
Beginning Rage: 5 Beginning Gnosis: 1
Starting Gifts: Beat of the Heart-Drum, Finishing
Blow, Lightning Reflexes, Pack Tactics, Razor Claws
• Midnight: Midnight Ajaba are balance made mani-
fest. While their anger may not equal that of the Dawn aspect, nor their supernatural strength that of the Dusk, neither do they have particular weaknesses in either area.
Historically, males among the Ajaba frequently ex- hibited the Midnight aspect. This gave them a unique place in Ajaba society, as they were considered some of the most stable and balanced individuals of the Breed, despite their low social standing. The irony of this state of affairs was not lost on them.
Midnight aspect Ajaba are often the glue that holds the pack or clan together, and many of their aspect Gifts reflect that talent — or the simple ability to endure in the face of adversity.
Beginning Rage: 3 Beginning Gnosis: 3
Beginning Gifts: Beast Speech, Burning the Vision,
Mindspeak, Perfect Recall, Tears of the Heavens
• Dusk: Dusk Ajaba turn their Rage inward, learning
more subtle ways to fulfill their sacred duty. Dusk aspect werehyenas strike from the shadows, stalking their prey until they are most vulnerable. They know how to see beyond the obvious, ferreting out their target’s weak- nesses and using them to full advantage, whether that be to cull the herd, or lead the clan.
Beginning Rage: 1 Beginning Gnosis: 5
Starting Gifts: Blur of the Milky Eye, Fatal Flaw, Open