By Adam Scott ([email protected])
Blank Shifters are also called Were-Nothings by the few, very few, who know they exist. But, as with many such names, both are completely the opposite of what the Blank Shifter is. A Blank Shifter is an extreme rarity of Gaia's chosen. While Garou have either only or predominantly Garou genes in their shifting genes, and the same is true for any of the other were creatures, Blank Shifters are those rare folks who have equal parts of all the genes of Gaia's Chosen. Animosity over memories of the War of Rage, has insured this trait remains an extreme rarity.
However, kinfolk have served as conduits linking Gaia's chosen. Occasionally kinfolk, especially those unaware of their heritage, mate with the kin of other shifting breeds. This results in no real oddity when the blood of two or even three shifters are involved, but something special happens when the most rare events occurs, one born with the blood of all the changing breeds. The odds of this ever occurring are astronomical, much less the chance all of those genes being awakened. But, Gaia laughs at the odds. Whatever can happen likely will happen, usually not when you're prepared for it and especially when you don't even see it coming.
Well, one particular lad of 13 years of age didn't see it coming. For the third time in as many days, after a lifetime of sleeping soundly, he awoke after sleepwalking. Under a solar eclipse he had run through the woods, annoying a number of people, before coming to his senses. He looked up and found a man and a woman staring down at him with the most curiosity and concern he'd ever witnessed in two human beings. "Where am I?" he asked as he attempted to sit up.
The two remained silent, and studied him.
The boy looked up at the eclipse for less than a split second, then quickly down when he remembered that staring at an eclipse wasn't a smart thing. "I wonder why there wasn't any mention of that coming up around school?"
The man looked up to the woman. "We must take him to her."
The woman nodded agreement.
"Her Who?" the boy asked.
"Your Mother," the woman answered.
"I don't know you, I'll get home on my own."
"You will know us," she said as she as the man picked the boy to his feet.
"You've never been home," continued the man.
Where common sense would tell most not to believe the man and woman, there was something about the two of them that he believed. He trusted them for some reason. And, when they began to walk and pull him along, he offered little in the way of resistence.
They spoke briefly to him on the way to the home he had not yet been. He learned that they were not any two human beings; they were Luna and Helios, the moon and the sun. They told him that he was only half flesh, and that he was half spirit in a way that few can truly be. They told him that he was an oddity in a world where werewolves, magick users, vampires, and beings of magic themselves could almost be considered a norm. There, the discusion had ended, because then, he was where he knew to be home, and he had just looked upon his Mother.
"Hello, my child," said Gaia.
"Hello, mother," replied the boy with an ease that seemed to take everybody by surprise, not the least of all the boy himself.
"Look into my eyes, son." Gaia told him. "There is something I must show you."
The boy looked into the Green Mother's eyes and saw the joy of creation, and the sorrow of destruction. The boy stayed many years staring into those eyes, though the time passed in but a second or two. The boy became a man and looked down. "I understand."
"Do you understand all?" asked The Emerald Mother.
"I understand your joy at the children who hold true to your blessings and take happiness from them. I also understand your pain at the children who see your blessings and try to hoard and defile them. I do not, however, understand what I am."
"You are everything."
"I am nothing."
"Is there a difference?"
"Not in this case."
"Then, what shall be done with you?"
"I shall be made use of. For, with your help and your blessing, there can be others."
"What use would you have, and how many others would you make."
"I would make 80 on the material Earth, and 20 in the spirit Earth. My use will not be as any other of your children, who are each the best at something in specific. I am not best at anything. But, I am a connection to everything. And, there are those of your spirits who need anything. They are the dead shifters who need to finish business, make amends, or simply protect in a more direct manner. Where we cannot be warriors, watchers, or laughers better than any, we can assist those who were."
"You seek to be the patron of the dead?"
"Yes."
"And, why but 80 on the Material Earth and 20 in the spirit Earth."
"Not many will be needed, and too many will make it far too easy for the other changing breeds to know of my childrens existence."
"You would hide your children from the others?"
"The War of Rage is not over. While the Changing Breeds do not continue to constantly kill each other, they do not trust. They manipulate against each other. If my children were to be found out, they could be caught and made to serve a single changing breed, or even a single tribe."
"What will they be to believe when they see their gone ancestors fighting battles or making plans?"
"Those few who find that much out will believe that the dead of their kind are coming back. That will be truth minus a detail or two."
"So be it."
This help is in the form of an Ancestor Spirit. Once a living werecreature that, for some reason or another, has returned, the Ancestor Spirit melds with the blank shifter and uses his bady as its own. During this time the Ancestor can do whatever it has come back to do. Though ultimate control of the body is still with its owner, an Ancestor Spirit who is willing to risk its reputation among Blank Shifters can make a resisted Willpower roll to do something its host is not willing to.
An Ancestor Spirit's time in its host's body is always short; many of the dead need the Blank Shifter's help. The Ancester Spirit requires secrecy; no living changing breed may know how they came back to life. In return, they grant their hosts a gift. Blank Shifters are patrons of the dead among the changing breeds. It is thus from the dead that they learn their gifts. An Ancestor Spirit may teach a Blank Shifter any gift it knew in life. Other spirits, though they often help Blank Shifters in their secrecy, will not teach them.
The Blank Shifters are careful to never reveal themselves to the other Changing Breeds. Certainly the Shadow Lords and Get of Fenris would force a capture Blank Shifter to patron only the Ancestors of their own tribes. Less aggressive tribes, such as the Children of Gaia and the Fianna are less likely to do so, but they are o more trusted with the knowledge of the Blank Shifters than the worst of the Changing Breeds.
If a Blank Shifter does not call upon the Spirits about a Shifter that knows, he must be prepared to take care of the problem personally. Taking care of the problem personally either means using a gift in order to erase the memory, or just making sure that this specific set of lips doesn't go flapping in whatever way necessary. Either way, The Boy keeps close watch on all the Blank Shifters and does not take well to those who let slip the existence of the Blank Shifters to those who would use them to the advantage of only one tribe, species or totem.
The rare moment indeed is when the Changing Breed is allowed to retain knowledge of the Blank Shifters. This is only done with an exceedingly trustworthy individual with whom it is known that the secret will be kept to the grave and before that grave is reached, is an ally to the Blank Shifter. For this to happen, a Blank Shifter must gain permision from The Boy to allow this particular person this knowledge. This permision is not given lightly.
The second reason is that this allows them to more easily escape the notice of the other changing breeds and other supernaturals. While the odd vision of a lost brother of battle killing the man who was about to stab you in the back is very likely to start rumors, that's all they will be seen as. And, not every Blank Shifter will have been so noticed.
The third reason is that there really doesn't need to be that many Blank Shifters at the moment. Most Ancestor spirits influence the living through reincarnation, past lives, and other manners in which spirits affect the shapeshifters. The Blank Shifters are only needed, and therefore reserved for, by those Ancestors without any descendants. Even then, they only return in times of absolute need and when a quick response is necessary. This does include dead tribes, such as the Bunyip in Australia, the Croatan in North America, the Okuma of Asia, and even the long dead spirits of the White Howlers that wish to make up for the crimes of their discusting descendants.
Twenty of the Blank Shifters are spread throughout the Umbra, these twenty being the first generation of the Guide and Seeker Camp. They are the ones who seek out Ancestor Spirits that have need of Blank Shifters and guide them to the appropriate place to find one. While they do sometimes make themselves the patrons to these Ancestor Spirits, mainly they earn their Gifts by guiding Ancestors to the right Blank Shifters.
North America, Australia and Asia each have twenty Blank Shifters attempting to revive extinct tribes that once lived there. The North Americans are trying to bring back the Croatan, the Australians the Bunyip and the Asians the Okuma Gurahl. Though their goals are lofty and most likely unattainable, they host the Ancestor Spirits of these lost tribes in the hopes of mating with kinfolk and recreating their lines. Though their chances of success are slim, Gaia needs these warriors. The gentle Okuma, who were teachers, nurturers and healers, will also be necessary in the Sixth Age to come.
The final twenty are stationed in the British Isles where they deal with the long dead Ancestors of the White Howlers. The White Howler tribe, unfortunately, cannot be restored, because it never really vanished. The Blank Shifters here help the White Howlers make up their debt to Gaia, but do not patron their spirits to breed a new generation of White Howlers. The Blank Shifters know that the Black Spiral Dancers have to either be turned back to Gaia or completely destroyed before the White Howlers can receive the slim second chance being afforded the Croatan, Bunyip, and Okuma.
Bone Gnawers: They are unappreciated. The others should realize that without the low man, there wouldn't be anything keeping the totem pole standing.
Children of Gaia: They have lofty goals, and like our own, theirs are quite possibly unattainable. But, hey, that shouldn't let either one of us stop trying.
Fianna: They know when to fight and they know when to party. For that reason alone, we respect them, even though we patronize their Ancestors least of all.
Get of Fenris: One of the best reasons that we don't want others to know we exist.
Glass Walkers: They either serve the Weaver or try to bring the Wyld to the city. Make sure you know which one is which.
Red Talons: They strive for the extinction of humanity, which is neither possible nor advisable. At any rate, we can't let them know what we are, so the only other options is to not go near them.
Shadow Lords: The other best reason that we don't want others to know we exist.
Silent Striders: They know that time is short and that things must be done. If The Boy ever gives permision for a changing breed to remember us, it will probably be given to a Silent Strider.
Silver Fangs: Either Kings because somebody died, or princes waiting for someone to die.
Stargazers: Wise people, but be careful, they are the most likely to find out our existence.
Uktena: One of the few tribes that truly wishes to help Gaia and doesn't use her as an excuse to kill lots of shit.
Wendigo: Ignorant but well meaning. I know this because I have been patron to them most of all.
Bunyip, Croatan, Okuma: A sad fate dealt to them, we are the second chance of the fallen; the fallen tribes are no exception.
White Howler: A sad fate made sadder by the fact that they grabbed for the cards, not knowing they grabbed corruption. For now we cannot offer them a second chance. Perhaps some day.
Ananasi: Watch them carefully. They all have a dark side, but some still serve Gaia. Those who do deserve respect.
Bastet: A diverse group, some are the best reasons for us to remain secret, while some are the best chance for us to be able to emerge from secrecy at some point.
Corax: Both the reason we have to be practically paranoid about our secrecy and the best chance for us to come out of hiding eventually.
Gurahl: It is a shame that we must repopulate them in Asia; those gentle ones of Gaia are to be treasured.
Mokole: The Memory of Gaia; where some would learn from the past, they choose to dwell upon it. A powerful people with a long memory, but not much wisdom.
Nagah: One wonders if The Boy has given them the knowledge of our existence already. Be careful, but don't reject one of their Ancestors with a quest they need you for. They are an honorable people with useful gifts.
Nuwisha: A fun people who make sure the changing breeds don't take life too seriously. Too bad we have to take life very seriously, or else they would be perfect playmates.
Ratkin: Given a duty, not allowed to carry it out, now they just try to survive. Help them with that so they may someday be able to come back to their duty, with or without the garou's consent.
Rokea: Savage and bloodthirsty, and good warriors because of it. If you ever join with one of their spirits, keep a good memory of the events. It is quite an illuminating experience to feel those who swim in the darkest waters.