Anazinyo Empindiselo
By Fang and Claw
Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, provides a unique opportunity for the changing children of Gaia. The city itself does not interest most of these savage beasts. But the wilderness that surrounds the city is lush and vibrant. Though farms and small towns cut into the savannah and scrublands that reach to the Drakensberg Mountains, beyond expands the legendary Bushveld. Shapeshifters inhabit and command all of these lands. Indeed, in much of South Africa, the real supernatural power are the Changing Breeds.
But that power is not united. Age-old rivalries abound. Garou fiercely contest land against the dominant Bastet. And among the Bastet rise the ferocious and indomitable Spear of the Storm, a pride of Simba loyal to Black Tooth himself—an extension of the terrifying Endless Storm. Mokolé also dwell in these lands along the mighty Umgeni River and other places. And off the shores in the effervescent Indian Ocean, mighty Rokea endlessly swim.
It should be noted that territories below are assigned based on human-established national parks and reserves. No such borders are honored by the Changing Breeds and they rarely refer to their homes as parks or reserves, even though they often use the human-given names. Feline and Lupus-breed shifters are especially likely to simply refer to their territory as “the Bush”. Bearing that in mind, with Durban as the center, simply put: the Garou control the West Bush, the Bastet (Simba) control the North Bush, and the Mokolé control the South Bush. There is no “East Bush” since that’s simply the ocean, though some Mokolé jokingly refer to it that way—as the turf of the Rokea. Beyond the Garou’s territory is sometimes known as the Far Bush (the bulk of Zululand, which is heavily rural), and it extends as far as the Drakensberg Mountains (which serve as the natural western border of the province of KwaZulu-Natal). No great septs or prides claim the Far Bush at whole, and it is often hotly contested for potential caerns. Beyond the mountains lie the vast Bushveld, which is an entirely different set of territories.
Rules
The Changing Breeds all possess their own Litanies and follow them closely. However, how close the Black Tooth-aligned Simba truly follow the Bastet Litany is up for debate.
Other Shapeshifters
In addition to Garou, Bastet (and not only Simba but also Bagheera and Swara) roam the area, and the Simba are considered the most powerful group of shapeshifters here. A Rook of the Corax unique Africa, and most common in southern Africa, are the Makunguru, who mate with the white-necked raven (corvus albicollis). Mokolé-mbembe of the Entoban sub-Stream also command a powerful Clutch. Ananasi may be found in small numbers; their bitter and old rivalry with the Bastet keeps them from forming a significant Colony, however. Ajaba also inhabit the area, often keeping a low profile from their brutal and sworn foes, the Simba of the Storm. Rokea maintain powerful slews in the ocean, rarely coming ashore for any reason except perhaps to hunt down Betweeners (which clashes them sometimes with the Beast-Court of hengeyokai located in the city).
Sept of the Teeth of Vengeance
The Teeth of Vengeance Sept, also called Anazinyo Empindiselo in Zulu, stands as a testament to both the power and arrogance of the often-imperial Garou. Get of Fenris, who first came with their Dutch Kin two hundred years ago, seized this caern from native Red Talons whom they beat into submission. Later, Black Furies and Fianna arrived, along with other Tribes. Even before the European Garou arrived, the Red Talons employed the caern as an outpost for further incursions into traditional Bastet territory. They had not met with much success. Even centuries before the birth of Black Tooth, the Simba and other great cat-shifters controlled Zululand and the Bushveld with implacable force and dignity.
Location
The Garou claim the entire Krantzkloof Nature Reserve, some 668 hectares large, which lies just northwest of Durban proper. A small municipality called Pinetown lays nearby, where bed many of their human Kinfolk. The reserve itself contains two great river gorges full of coastal scarp forest and sourveld scrub. The Molweni and Nkutu Rivers run through these lands, converging into the Umgeni beyond the gorges. A rich variety of animals inhabit the brush, including game animals that the Garou prey on.
Bawn
The bawn expands all the way up the surrounding cliffs of the two gorges. The Molweni Gorge contains most of the forested land, and therein lies the caern and the heart of the Sept. No part of the reserve is open to the public for camping or accommodations, though hiking trails and tours do exist. Waterfalls stream over the cliff faces, providing spectacular views for those willing to brave the steep and rugged terrain.
Caern
Within the Molweni Gorge, the river dips shallow through the roots of old, strong trees. This wet forest floor contains a circle of ancient granite boulders. The stones both provide shelter for the Garou and their lupine Kin, and for pedestals to stand upon during moots. In the midst of these encircling rocks, the more elevated earth contains a layer of heavy and soft grasses. Here stands the heart of the caern, serene and lush. Both the sun and the moon penetrate the canopy here, bathing the mound with warm or cool light, restoring spirits and souls.
Other Landmarks
The Graves of Hallowed Heroes actually expands all over the caern proper. It is tradition to bury the dead under the exposed roots of the marula trees. The Pathstone for this caern lies buried deep under that central mound. Many Garou and their wolf Kin lair under the encircling boulders, each of which has largely been claimed by one pack or another.
Tribal Structure
The Get of Fenris and Red Talons of the Sept came to terms generations ago. They now share power, trading key roles fairly (if still often brutishly). Fianna and Black Furies also fill the ranks. A scattering of other Tribes may be found here, too, at least those who can tolerate the egos and attitudes of the two dominant Tribes.
Guardians
Englings serve not only as willing participants in seasonal rituals but as scouts and spies, taking the form most often of bushbucks and springboks (antelope species). The Red Talons long agreed to restrain their genocidal urges against humans—at least designated human Kinfolk. The Get of Fenris enforce this agreement, at least for their own Kin’s sake. Consequently, wolf Kin (Red Talon or not) tend to restrain themselves, the better to avoid tipping off humans that wolves have taken up in this nature reserve. That restraint does not extend to the caern heart, of course. There also do dwell the Ixwa, who appear to be ancestral Zulu spirits equipped with spears and shields, and who guard the caern heart from interlopers. They appear only when the caern is truly threatened; the Sept’s leaders seem to have no control over them.
Den-Realms of Umkhonto Wesiphepho
The Umkhonto Wesiphepho—the name strikes fear into the hearts of shapeshifters and any other supernatural creatures with their wits in the entire region. The Spear of the Storm is the pride of Simba that serves Black Tooth himself, and flexes its muscles as an extension of his mighty Serengeti home-pride, the Endless Storm. The Spear of the Storm commands numerous powerful Simba warriors, mostly of Zulu descent. It also contains a great number of Kinfolk, both lion and human. No one messes with them and survives. Not Garou, not other Simba, not vampires, not Pentex, not criminals or gangs, not even spirits. When tourists die on safari, chances are it was a Spear Simba having a bit of fun.
Locations
The Storm’s Den-Realms expand across the entire Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, which lies 170 miles north/northwest of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal. Though it stretches almost 1000 square kilometers, every inch is accounted for in one Den-Realm or another by the pride’s members. That means new members don’t get a Den-Realm, or have to wrest it from one of their seniors (such a Hanshii invariably leads to death of a werelion—usually the young would-be usurper). Two rivers (the Black Umfolozi and the White Umfolozi) cut through the park. Grasslands and acacia savannah dominate the Hluhluwe half of the park, while hills and forests occupy Imfolozi.
This is the only park in KwaZulu-Natal where lions can be found, as well as all other typical savannah game and predators. The pride includes a few Swara and Bagheera vassals but they are always submissive to the Simba lords. The only serious challenge came from the Garou some 30 years ago, but the Red Talon-led effort was crushed.
Without serious challenge since, many assume the pride grows fat and content. But the constant challenges put to one another denies this assumption. Any further invasions will be met with the same crushing force.
Guardians
The spirits of the land are obsequious to the Simba but do not act as guardians, save some loyal Lion-spirits. The main defense is the lions themselves, both Simba and their ferocious Kin.
Umgeni Phupha Wallow
The name Umgeni Phupha means “Entrance to the River of Dreams”. The Mokolé-mbembe Entoban have basked along these green shores for centuries, long before white men came to Africa. They remember the Bush long before the Zulu rose to power under King Shaka. They remember: it is what they do, what they are supposed to do. But no one told them how to deal with how those memories make them feel.
Angry. The rage against the arrogance of humans that they remember so clearly, the greed of the minions and champions of corruption and greed, infuses this clutch of Mokolé. They temper it with the joy of nursing their young, cultivating new generations, while guarding their nests against the genocidal depredations of Garou and Simba alike.
The dominant Varna are Champsa. Though the species is known as the “Nile crocodile”, it is widespread all over Africa. Karna (salties) are also represented here and keep the aggressive Rokea in check. Ora (monitor lizards) are uncommon. South Africa has no native species of these reptiles, which are found more in Middle and West Africa.
Location
The Ilanda Wilds, located 20 miles south of Durban, surrounds the short Amanzimtoti River (“River of Sweet Waters”) with lush trees and vegetation. An abandoned quarry site, now largely grown over, establishes the beginning of this particular nature reserve. The Mokolé are focused on the river, though also claim the river’s mouth (the Amanzimtoti Lagoon), which connects them to the Indian Ocean.
Wallow
The wallow proper is well-hidden in a rocky neck of the Amanzimtoti that commands ample tree and bush cover. It boasts stony ledges to bask on or nest under. The gradation of silt build-up leaves a great deal of sediment behind. That sediment is naturally rich with riverine minerals that infuse the Mokolé inhabitants with vigor and health. This provides a Level 3 Wallow. However, the very nature of the wallow’s power means it is also very vulnerable to pollution. The sediment build-up could easily become contaminants and foul chemical loam instead. Consequently, the Mokolé are very active in keeping pollution out of the Amanzimtoti. They actually work hand in hand with the local Nagah to this end.
Guardians
The Mokolé do not rely on unusual guardians. They and their crocodile Kinfolk are sufficient enough. Combined with their alliance with the Nagah and a general understanding with the Rokea, they have a strong defense against most interlopers.
Grottos of Haaihuis
Haaihuis means “Sharkhome” in Afrikaans and it describes the grottos off the shore of South Africa quite accurately. It’s located in the Protea Banks, two reef pinnacles five miles off-shore from Margate. In turn, Margate is located on the very southeastern coast of KwaZulu-Natal. The beach resort was founded at the mouth of the Nhkongweni River (“River of Entreaty”). The Protea Banks host great numbers of game fish, especially tuna and sardine. As a consequence, the Protea Banks are also home to numerous sharks of all kinds, especially bull sharks (Lexcha), tiger sharks (Galchurva), and hammerheads (Spynha).
The grottos themselves are tucked deep into sea caves under reef ridges, teeming with life and aery (heady) oxygen. The North Pinnacle Grotto is predominantly full of Spynha while the South Pinnacle Grotto is dominated by Lexcha. Both Grottos are Level 3.
The Haaihuis is infamous especially for the multiple Black December shark attacks off the coast in the 1957 (many more than reported to the human authorities, who only reported those who were merely bitten, not devoured entirely and “disappeared”). Motivations for the Rokea’s part in this event are still unknown; the elders do not speak of it. The Lexcha are continuously notorious for their fearless tendency to swim up the rivers and occasionally lash out at humans who irritate or confuse them.
The Ahadi
Ahadi is Swahili for “promise” and it is the name given to the coalition of Changing Breeds in Africa united to defend Africa from all threats, foreign and domestic. Or rather, it will be such an organization: the Ahadi are just getting started. Durban turns out to be one of its breeding grounds, so to speak. The Ajaba push for it from their small territory located in the Empisini Nature Reserve, located south of the city near the small coastal town of Umkomaas. Empisini in Zulu means “Place of the Hyena”. So far, the Ahadi in Durban involves the Ajaba, the Mokolé at Umgeni Phupha, the Ratkin in the city (more or less, as deals with Knife Skulkers can go), and the Makunguru Corax. The Durban Beast-Court, which contains hengeyokai largely of a South Asian heritage, has also agreed to work with (but not as subordinate to) the Ahadi.
The coalition’s first concern is Black Tooth and the Endless Storm. However, despite the bitter Rage of the Ajaba, there is a strong belief that the Simba of the Spear of the Storm, the local pride that owes Black Tooth allegiance, is not nearly as dark and corrupt as their distant ruler. The Ahadi hope to flip those Simba to the cause. The Ajaba are dubious…
Special Events
Special events are annual (or more frequent) holidays or special ritual days that the main group or groups observe as a whole community. Attendance and participation are often expected of all members, and sometimes required.
Umkhosi Wokweshwama
Observed around the Winter Solstice in December, this celebration honors the current Sept Leader with the best hunt of the season. It is a Level 3 Moot Rite, in which all participants feel emboldened and their loyalty to the Sept, regardless of the Tribe of its current leader, is strengthened. The Garou tell tales and feast together as one.
UMvelinqangi
This Nguni word means “divine consciousness” and it is not a festival or entity so much as it is a state of mind. The Simba of the Storm of the Spear take the Summer Solstice as a day of reflection. They reflect upon their roles as kings and kingmakers, as lords of the wild, and predators unmatched. It is for this reason that the Ahadi believe they can reach these Simba, for they act more like Mayi than Amadu—at least on this day.
Rite of Sunreturn
Another seasonal festival, the Entoban of the Wallow of Umgeni Phupha celebrate the Rite of Sunreturn on the Spring Equinox. As the winter ends and the occasionally chilly days give way to dryer heat, the Mokolé rejoice at their nest with a series of barking chants and saurian calls: echoes of a primeval past before humans dominated the earth. Through such calls, the Mokolé symbolically summon Helios to shine back brightly upon them.
“How many more generations must suffer before we speak as one voice and act as one hand?”
-- Velile Gola, Ajaba Aktu & Mjumbe wa Ahadi
