Bagheera

Wereleopards are renowned for their mystic insights and ferocious tempers. They are a strong and sagacious folk, constantly plumbing the depths of Gaia’s wisdom, even as they fight savagely to rip the talons of Asura from the Earth.

The Bagheera claim that when Gaia was creating the Bastet, She created the Bagheera to be the lawgivers of the Changing Breeds. This role never fully materialized, in no small part due to the other shapeshifters’ short-sighted and selfish shunning of their cat-cousins. Still, traces of Gaia’s intent linger still; Bagheera possess a keen sense of justice and a spirit of righteous wrath that is terrible to behold.

## Organization

While they are not particularly social creatures, Bagheera social organization is nonetheless more highly developed than that of other Bastet tribes. Low-ranking Bagheera tend to maintain close ties with their elders, and it is not uncommon for the cats to form regional or even global chains of communication dedicated to keeping in touch and sharing information.

Bagheera are the lawgivers of the Bastet, and they take their duties very seriously. Bastet (or, indeed, any of Gaia’s children) who turn against Gaia, or whose actions threaten to rend the Veil, can expect to be held accountable by any Bagheera nearby. If the foe is particularly powerful, it is not unheard of for several wereleopards to band together to take him down.

Bagheera war parties are truly fearsome entities. While not suited to long-term cooperation, they nonetheless represent a devastating short-term concentration of power. Their tactics rely on using a combination of Gifts and Rites to run a victim to ground and then crush him as quickly as possible, before disbanding to go about their individual paths once more.

## Distribution and Kin

Historically, Bagheera are the most populous of the werecats. They were once found (along with their Kin) throughout the entirety of Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, and Africa.

However, in the past few decades, the habitat of their feline Kin has been fragmented, and leopards are now found mostly in the sub-Saharan region of Africa, and scattered in broken population zones in India and Asia. At the same time, cultural, political, and economic factors have pressed great hardship upon many of the Bagheera’s human Kin. The plight of their Kinfolk has encouraged the Bagheera to abandon global exploration, and settle where they can do everything possible to protect their extended families, making them quite rare in places like the United States.

## Appearance

Bagheera are sleek and graceful in all their forms, and exude an undeniable sense of power and ferocity. Many have black fur in their feline forms, but the standard leopard coloration is more common. Rumors exist of a branch of the tribe in the Himalayas that has successfully bred with snow leopards, but many Bastet believe this to be purely wishful thinking.

## Stats, Rage, Willpower & Starting Gifts

Form Statistics
 Dex: +1
 Sta: +2
 Man: –1
 App: –1

***Beginning Rage:*** 2

***Beginning Willpower:*** 4

***Starting Gifts:*** Humbaba’s Escape, Treeclimber

## The Yava of the Bagheera

• 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.