Ananasi

Ananasi
Meaning	"Anansi" translates to "Spider" in Akan
Totem	Queen Ananasa
Ban	Worship none but Queen Ananasa

Ananasi, or the Children of Queen Ananasa, are one of the changing breeds. They are werespiders that call themselves the Damhàn.

Overview

The Damhàn consider themselves children of Queen Ananasa, an ancient and powerful spider spirit created by the Weaver itself. As creatures of the Weaver, they seek to keep true balance between the forces of the Triat, fulfilling the Weaver's original purpose. Queen Ananasa's will is their law; she is the patron and totem of every Ananasi (excluding the traitorous Kumo and Kumatai). The children of Queen Ananasa have many of the advantages of spiders. This includes the ability to generate venoms, spin extremely strong webs, and even scale vertical surfaces in the correct forms.

Having no connection to Luna, the Ananasi are one of the few Fera who do not possess Rage (and do not normally frenzy). Instead, like some of their spider kin, they draw sustenance and supernatural power from the blood of humans and animals that they ingest. They may expend this blood to move with supernatural quickness, heal themselves, change forms, create webs, and to power their other gifts. They lack the passive regeneration granted to other Fera from rage, and must expend blood in order to repair their forms.

The Damhàn do not step sideways in order to enter the Umbra; instead, they assume their Crawlerling form and crawl along the strands of the web, which is how they think of the Gauntlet. Being creatures of the Weaver, they find this much easier in areas of high Weaver influence, such as in large cities with a high concentration of technology. They are considered bizarre and alien at best by the other changing breeds; in return, the Ananasi consider the other Fera beneath their notice. Perhaps because they are not Gaian offspring, Ananasi possess no vulnerability or allergy to silver, nor to any other substance as a breed. They often point this out as proof of their superiority to the other Shifters.

History

The Ananasi claim to be one of the oldest Fera, older than humans. Their original form in ancient time was the Pithus form before they learned how to shape shift. They exterminated the Insect Races in the Insect Wars, to the dismay of the Weaver who felt that the Ananasi had betrayed it. As revenge for being trapped by the Weaver, the Wyrm captured Queen Ananasa, and forced the Ananasi to work for it. The Ananasi eventually found her and tricked the Garou to crack her prison. She was still trapped, but could communicate with her children, and she ordered them to keep serving all three parts of the Triat, but not as they are, but as they were meant to be.

Forms

Ananasi forms from Players Guide to the Changing Breeds. Art by Ron Spencer.

The Ananasi may change into many different forms:

• Homid - An Ananasi in her human form is said to be wearing her Homid skin. The Ananasi cannot completely hide their true natures, even when they mask themselves in human skin. Their X-rays aren’t quite normal, pedipalps hide behind their human teeth, and their organs are never quite where they should be. While she appears to be human at first glance, her Homid form does not hold up under scrutiny, revealing a strange anatomy. The Ananasi are incapable of appearing perfectly human.
  
  
• Araneid - When an Ananasi shifts into her Araneid form, her skin ripples, as though something is pushing underneath it to be set free. The Ananasi grows half a foot in height, her features elongating and eyes filling black.
  
  
• Lilian - The Lilian form differs for every Ananasi—it may feature anything from extra arms to spiky armaments. When assuming this form, an Ananasi doubles in mass, growing up to 10 feet in height, her abdomen distending and becoming rounded. Those in Lilian form are prepared for war; nightmares and terror are a part of their arsenal.
  
  
• Pithus - In Pithus form, an Ananasi becomes a pit spider, with the height and bulk of a small car. Since this form lacks opposable digits, Ananasi in Pithus form cannot use weapons or most technological devices.
  
  
• Crawlerling - The Ananasi are unique in that they break down into a hundred different spiders when they assume their Crawlering form. The swarm stays within a five-step radius of itself, moving as a unit. Killing one spider won’t affect the Ananasi, granting her greater flexibility in escaping a foe. Since this form lacks opposable digits, Ananasi in Crawlerling cannot use weapons or most technological devices.

Breeds

Ananasi only have two Breeds; Homid (born of one human parent) and Arachnid (born of one spider parent). Ananasi do not have "true" metis, instead a creature born to two Ananasi parents is a separate breed called Atahsaia, which are kept deep in the umbra. The Atahsaia only communicate with Queen Ananasa herself and are involved in the Apocalypse. Metis do exist among the Kumo - rare, horrid beings who eat their way out of their mother's body.

Aspects

From Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition. Art by Dan Brereton.

Damhàn also do not possess Tribes, nor Auspices. Instead, they have three aspects, and the factions within each of them. Each aspect seeks to balance the forces of the Triat member it champions; the factions approach this task in different ways. They do not however serve the Weaver, Wyld, or Wyrm as they are, but rather try to fulfill what they originally represented. The three aspects are together known as the Triumvirate.

Shortly after an Ananasi's Metamorphosis, she manifests physical changes that denote her aspect. These markings manifest as changes in pore patterns in homid forms, but as overt coloration and texture changes in other forms. These pore patterns are too subtle for those who are not looking for them to notice, but Damhàn can recognize each other by sight alone, instantly inferring aspect and rank.

• Tenere (Weaver-dedicated) - of all Damhàn, Tenere have the best control over their emotions and pat the most attention to order and pattern. They aim to restore the Weaver to her original aspect, not the mad-out-of-control creature she has become. Tenere value neatness in their personal lives, order in their relationships, and pattern in their day-to-day activities. Logical, calculating, and precise, they strive to maintain stability in the Great Web, and to embody the Weaver in everything they do.
  
  
• Hatar (Wyrm-servants) - like the Tenere, the Hatar are dedicated to the original aspect of their facet of the Triat - the Destroyer Wyrm, rather than the Corrupter. They believe that the Wyrm, itself, has been corrupted by its imprisonment by the Weaver, and that in order to fulfill its true place in the Triat, it must be freed and returned to its original role. Living embodiments of the tenet that the "center cannot hold", Hatar are the the Unweavers of the Ananasi. Whether physical or esoteric, their duties focus on breaking down that which stands in the way of Symmetry, under the command of the Queen Mother.
  
  
• Hatar (Wyld-born) - creative and dynamic, Kumoti emulate the Wyld as it should be, rather than as it is. Through subtle changes and manipulations, they fight stagnation and entropy, encouraging growth and development where it might not otherwise flourish. Some claim the Kumoti are more chaotic than calculating, but to the Wyld-born, any change carries with it the potential for transition in the right direction to achieve the Great Mother's goals.

Factions

While there are overarching goals and duties for each Ananasi aspect, even within each group, distinct roles exist. These subdivisions, known as factions, ensure that every part of an aspect's responsibility receives proper focus and attention. For each of the part of the triumvirate, there are three factions, defining the individual Ananasi's duties to Queen Ananasa succinctly. An Ananasi's destined faction becomes clear during her initial period of Umbral instruction. The word Faction both denominate the three roles and the specific combination of the nine combinations of aspects and roles.

Ananasi cannot change their aspects or factions; there is no Rite of Renunciation for the werespiders. It is both their blessing and their curse that they are what they are, from the moment of their making until they are welcomed back into the Great Mother's silken embrace.

• Myrmidon - the Warrior aspect. They engage in martial combat when necessary, and guerilla tactics when that suits their Queen's needs. They understand the subtleties of diplomacy and the value of shock maneuvers, alike.
  
  
• Viskr - Judges and mystics. Specializing in hidden knowledge, arcane magics, and secret mysteries, they are the most likely to seek interaction with other Changing Breeds, or at least obtain their powers, to fulfill the Great Mother's goals.
  
  
• Wyrsta - Questioners. Wyrsta look beyond how reality presently exists and ask not only why it is so, but how it could be manipulated to better serve the Queen Mother's objective. They also test the rest of the Damhàn, personally and as a whole, to ensure they do not weaken the perfection of the Great Web through laziness, ignorance, or incompetence.

Cabals

There are a total of nine different combinations of aspect and faction. They are properly called "cabals", though they are often also referred to as roles, or factions.

	Myrmidon (Warriors)	Viskr (Mystics)	Wyrsta (Questioners)
Tenere	Secean: Warriors of the Weaver, they seek to understand the universe's pattern by analyzing the details around them.	Plicare: Shamans of the Weaver, they use powers to exert a perfect control of their life, and to bring precise order to the world around them.	Gaderin: Counter-spinners and challengers of order, they question the interconnectedness of things by amassing extensive collections of subjects.
Hatar	Agere: Warriors of the Wyrm, they eliminate targets that threaten to upset the balance of the triumvirate.	Anomia: Balancers of the Wyrm, they fulfill the Wyrm's role of destroyer by manipulating mortals into doing their work for them.	Malum: Questioners of the Wyrm, they anguish in pursuit of pure undiluted destruction and entropy.
Kumoti	Kar: Warriors of the Wyld, they manipulate their environment by working changes on the smallest levels.	Amari Aliquid: Sorcerers of chaos and creativity, they fulfill the Wyld's mandate of constant change with persistent motion and action.	Chymos: Counter-dancers in the Wyld's name, they undercut and fight against the minions of each Triatic spirit as necessary to further their plans for the Wyld.

Characters

• Natalia Leone