<strong>Mokole Info</strong><br/><span class="bbc_u">Sanctuary Zoo Wallow</span><br/>Size: 1<br/>Gauntlet: 4<br/>Population: 4-10 Mokole<br/>Totem: Finch<br/>Bawn: <200 acres<br/>Type: Visions<br/>Elders<br/>- Charlene (Rank 3 Mbembe, Gathering)<br/>- John Smithson (Rank 2, Mbembe, Warding)<br/>- Ozidi (Rank 2, Mbembe, Concealing)<br/>- Sharon Lin (Rank 3, Zhong, Judge)<br/><br/>Nests: Crowning Nest (rule the Wallow, no Crowning Suns)<br/><br/>Notes: This is a relatively new wallow, founded around the 1880s or slightly earlier.<br/><br/>Site/Appearance: This small wallow comprises the whole Sanctuary public zoo.  The focal point, as expected, is the reptile house, where nearly all of the animal kin live.  Most of the elders, other Mokole, and Human kin work at the zoo in one capacity or another.  The elders pool their financial resources, and the proceeds from the zoo, to find homes for all of their kin, either in the zoo or nearby.  Given the local climate, the wallow is necessarily small due to a low population.  In fact, unless they are working or otherwise occupied, the members tend to stick close to the reptile house.  There is a building across the street from the main gate that has a tunnel connecting it to a back room of the house so that kin and outside Mokole can get to the wallow after hours.  This opens to an “employees only” door to which only wallow members have keys.<br/><br/>Umbral Appearance: In the Umbra, a river runs through the middle of the Reptile House.  On either bank stand a pair of mud brick houses with thatched roofs.  The area, for a few hundred yards in any direction, is filled with reptile and bird spirits.  Nearly every variety of finch is represented and most common, followed by crocodiles, alligators, Gila monsters, and the like.  Some able to reach this realm have even spotted a few cobras and, once, an Asian dragon, but these are unconfirmed.  Sadly, few, if any, of the wallow’s inhabitants have been able to see this aspect of their spiritual home.  One or two that have seen it have been sorely tempted to stay.<br/><br/>Relations with Other Breeds: As a group, the wallow does not associate with the other breeds.  To the best of their knowledge, only the Garou are in the city.  The wallow also avoids the Leeches and Magi, unless forced to defend their small territory.<br/><br/>Kinfolk: The wallow is home to some twenty or thirty kinfolk around the zoo.  Most are animals living in the zoo.  The third or so that are human live nearby, most of them work as feeders, tour guides, and security.<br/><br/>Security: Externally, the zoo’s security consists of cameras, fence alarms, and normal security officers.  Most of the later are led by kinfolk and Mokole.  The reptile house has added measures, including spirits and ritual wards.  This part, unbeknownst to outsiders, is as secure as some military bases or depositories.<br/><br/><span class="bbc_u">Aviatrix’ Clutch</span><br/>Size: 4-10 Mokole<br/>Totem: Finch<br/>Tribes: Mokole-mbembe (most common), Makara and Zhong Lung (newer arrivals)<br/><br/>Purpose:<br/>1) Maintain Gaia’s Memory, by any means<br/>2) Protect the remnants of the breed, such as they are.<br/>3) Provide guidance for the Children of the Sun.<br/><br/>Internal Relations: Since this is a small clutch, most internal relations boil down to personal relationships.  As one would expect, these vary widely.  However, in the last couple years, as more non-Mbembe come into the clutch, some issues regarding traditions have arisen.  Some go back to the time of the first Zhong Lung joining in, but most are relatively recent due to an influx of young Makara mingling with Zhong Lung and Mbembe.<br/><br/>External Relations: Because of the level of supernatural activity in Sanctuary, the clutch is painfully aware of its need to protect its wallow.  Especially since members do not know the number of Garou, magi, and thieving Ratkin in the city.  Therefore, collectively, they try to err on the side of secrecy in order to preserve their sacred site.  Exceptions have been made, in the past, as anyone with an ounce of mnesis can tell.<br/><br/>History: The clutch was founded in the mid1880s, a year or two before the wallow was dedicated.  Back then, the membership consisted solely of freed slaves and some of their caucasian, mostly Floridian, French, and western kin.  Only a small handful of Mokole were in Sanctuary at the time, so they did their best to keep out of sight.  By the turn of the century, the first family of Zhong Lung and her kin arrived and petitioned to join the clutch.  The Mokole continued to keep quiet and aid in vision/mnesis quests well into the 20th century.  Over the next six or seven decades the population remained stable, both in size and ratio.  This changed in the 1970s, when Indian and Pakistani families and students came to the area.  The 1980s also saw an influx of Asian families.  Because of these shifts, the clutch is now about half Mbembe with the other half split between Zhong Lung and Makara.  Despite age, the clutch has remained stable in size, the better to remain in hiding and protect their wallow.<br/><br/>Totem Motives: Finch has decided to watch over this clutch primarily because of the nature of their wallow.  As a totem of cunning, the bird-spirit is interested in guiding the Children of Dragon and Sun.  Additionally, the spirit admires the clutch’s skill and canniness in hiding itself well over the last century and more.<br/><br/>Other Notes: Because the wallow is so small, there is only one clutch so far.  However, the elders can create temporary clutches to deal with specific problems as necessary.  For example, back in the 1950-1960s, they created a special clutch to infiltrate and guide the Black Panthers and another to monitor Sanctuary State College student organizations.<br/><br/><strong>Ratkin Info</strong><br/><span class="bbc_u">City Center Colony</span><br/>Rating: 3<br/># of Ratkin: 11-25<br/>Concealment: 3<br/># of Kin: 220-500<br/>Rat Mother: Skree (Rodens Engineer, Rank 3)<br/>Scout: Tommy King (Rodens Runner, Rank 3)<br/>Warlord: Arwen (Metis Warrior, Rank 3)<br/>Mystic: Rotigern (Rodens Shadow Seer, Rank 3)<br/><br/>Description: The City Center Colony exists in secret near the downtown area of Sanctuary.  There are three parts to the colony: surface, tunnels, and core.  At the surface, the colony controls a pair of tenements, renting the top floors while pawn shops and related businesses take the first floors.  Most of the homids and Human kin live here.  Just beneath the surface are the tunnels which range in size from Human to rat, getting smaller as one moves toward the core.  Down there, the colony is a maze of rat-sized tunnels and nests inaccessible to non-rats.  This is where the elders make their homes with many rat kinfolk.<br/><br/>Relations with Other Breeds: Because of their connections and contacts, the colony knows where the other breeds hang out in the city.  However, as an entity, the colony leaves the others alone.  They know where Werner’s Park Caern is, but avoid it as much as possible, except when they wish to steal the odd Garou fetish.  That’s the colony’s choice.  Individuals are, obviously, free to do as they wish regarding the others so long as they don’t compromise the Colony.<br/><br/>Relations with Non-Bete: There are only a few outsiders that the colony deals with as a collective entity.  A truce exists between the colony and all of the local Nosferatu.  It delineates the territory controlled by each of the three groups and provides for neutral meeting grounds between them.  Supposedly, some high level Ratkin have recently approached some Magi (probably Hollow Ones or Euthanatos) about striking a deal, though the details are pure speculation.  All other supernaturals are fair game for avoidance, or other activities.<br/><br/>History: The oldest and largest colony in Sanctuary, the City Center Colony was founded in the mid-1930s.  Early in the decade, a rat pack moved into the growing city and staked out territory in the local sewer system.  A few years later, the population doubled, leading to a brief war with the local Leeches.  Since the conflict took place beneath the streets, most of the others knew nothing about it.  The advent of WWII brought a truce which stands to this day.  There have been crises, in terms of the truce, but it hasn’t quite been broken by either side yet.  Until the mid-1990s, the colony grew quickly and carried out sniping attacks against the tentative incursions of Pentex and Shinzui.  They became a pest, albeit a hidden one, for the Garou as well.  When the current crop of elders came to power in 1996, they instituted a program of creating smaller colonies in the city to keep this one at a stable population, for security and safety purposes.  It also limits the local Nosferatu in the suburbs.<br/><br/>Rat Packs:<br/>- Cat Baiters – explorers and shock troops<br/>- Chosen, The – Defense of the colony<br/>- Wolf Watchers – keep tabs on the Garou<br/>- Gaia’s Ears – keep tabs on the Leeches<br/>- Lawyers, The – maintain the colony and expand its territory (get around the truce)