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"Art is the expression of a dream. And dreams, my friend, are what we are at heart."
Bastet Breedbook pg.#56
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Ring Dancers
Known as the hidden tribe of the Bastet, the Ceilican originated in Northern Europe. They have grown closer and danced with the fae over the years, a mercurial breed, as their other cousins died out. Known to be wanderers, they have bred with other leopards, cougars, and wildcats, giving them an easier time to hide in plain sight.
These fae cats have adapted best to the modern world. Favoring sports, music, the media, and even psychology, they find anything that stirs up emotions and passions draws them like a bee to honey. They keep in contact through what they call "the Silent Way" which is a musical code. What began with bards, now demo tapes and concerts carry their messages via song. Hidden within lyrics or even chord structures. Secrecy is serious with them.
Of all the Bastets, the Ceilican look the most like a domestic house cat, although they are much bigger. Similar to the size of a small panther, these fierce cats can have patterned fur, stripes and patches being most common, with typically black or white as a predominant color. In homid the clothe themselves in a flamboyant fashion, like the rebels they are, such like punk and pseudo-medieval fashion.
** Pictures and Title all taken from Bastet Breedbook pg.# 54-56 **
Celican Gifts
Bastet 110-111
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Level 1
- Mother's Blessing/Curse
- Satyr's Wisdom
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Level 2
- Banish Burning
- Sorcerer's Blade
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Level 3
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Level 4
- Monkey's Uncle
- Small Cousin
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Level 5
- Chariot of Lions
- The Madness of Crowds
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| Celican Gift Details
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Rank 1
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Mother's Blessing/Curse - Folklore hods that a cat had the ability to either bless or curse a pregnant woman. In the case of the Ceilican, this legend is true. A kind Bastet can offer a boon to a mother, while a spiteful one can harm her in some minor but memorable way.
System: This Gift's effects are more psychological that physical, and get an extra boost from the way the Ceilican acts towards the mother while offering his wishes. Setting things in motion demands a Gnosis point and a roll of Manipulation + Occult (difficulty 7). While touching the mother's belly, the cat either wishes her well or ill, usually in some poetic rhyme. After that, some good or bad event befalls the woman or her child. Although the event itself is outside the character's control, the number of successes he rolls should reflect the power of the Blessing or Curse. Blessings can include an easy delivery, unusual good looks or great health. Curses include breech birth, minor disability or poor constitution. Once the event has occurred, the Gift is discharged.
(Bastet BB p110)
Satyr's Wisdom - By calling upon the talents of his tribe's fae allies, a Ceilican can play any musical instrument as if he'd been reared with it in his hands. Although this talent is fleeting, it can make one hell of an impression.
System: With a Manipulation + Occult roll (difficulty 7), the cat gains a few temporary points in Expression, Performance, or the optional Singing secondary Skill. For each success, he adds one dot to the chosen trait. This lasts for as long as the Ceilican plays; afterward, the skill fades from his fingers until he either learns it for good or uses the Gift again.
(Bastet BB p110)
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Rank 2
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Banish Burning - This Gift became necessary during the Madness, when sorcerers and witch-hunters both tossed cats on the pyre to please demons and God. With it, the Ceilican may protect herself or a companion from normal fire. While the Moon Mother and Mistress of Catkind originated this Gift, Burning Cat teaches it as well.
System: Before the Bastet meets the flames, the player must roll Gnosis (difficulty 7) and spend one Willpower point to protect the Bastet. If she succeeds, no non-magical fire will burn the Bastet for the Gift's duration. Magical fires can reduce their effects by one health level for every success. Banish Burning lasts one scene, and does nothing to protect the cat from smoke inhalation, oxygen deprivation or falling debris.
(Bastet BB p110)
Sorcerer's Blade - By casting this Gift on a weapon, a cat can enchant a blade so that it harms supernatural beings. A favorite trick of swashbuckling Ceilican who wandered the open roads in bygon eras, this Gift often comes from the King of Cats, or Mistress of Catkind.
System: The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Manipulation + Occult while the cat cradles the weapon in her hands. The blade then inflicts aggravated damage until the next sunrise. Although this Gift allows the cat to enchant missile weapons, each bullet or arrow must be Gifted separately. Although the arrows may be reused, bullets cannot be.
(Bastet BB p110)
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Rank 3
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Data Flow - As the Garou Glass Walkers Gift.
(Bastet BB p110)
Phantasm - Twisting the fibers of illusion, the Ceilican creates majestic nonsense the baffle and entertain their companions - or horrors to torment their enemies. This secret obviously comes from forbidden faerie Lore, and can be quite powerful in the hands of a cat with an active imagination.
System: To cast a Phantasm, the player rolls Manipulation + Subterfuge and spends a Willpower point. The resulting illusion lasts for one scene unless the cat chooses to dismiss it, and can extend through an area roughly 10 feet square. Simple illusions are easy; the more complex the trick, the harder it is to perform. Although the illusions have no solid form, a casual witness might be fooled into believing that a Phantasm was real.
| Illusion
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Complexity
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| 1 success
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Minor lights/noises
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| 2 successes
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Recognizable images or sounds
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| 3 successes
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Complex, interweaving images/sounds
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| 4 successes
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Vivid multi-sensory hallucinations
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| 5 successes
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Indistinguishable from the real thing without examination
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| Difficulty
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Illusion
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| 6
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Single sound or flash of image
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| 7
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Complex patter of light or sound (object or conversation)
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| 8
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Complex moving pattern (person speaking)
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| 9
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Complex active pattern (person walking/talking/responding)
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| 10
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Complex active multi-pattern (group of people walking/talking/responding)
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(Bastet BB p110)
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Rank 4
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Monkey's Uncle - As the Bastet Homid Gift.
(Bastet BB p102)
Small Cousin - Some Ceilican over-steeped in human culture call this Gift Blofeld's Cat after James Bond's nemesis (who, they insist, was the white cat, not the man). This Gift allows a Bastet to physically become a house cat. While this form can be limiting, it's very unobtrusive. Best of all, it doesn't hamper cat magic in any way, and screens out routine mystic senses. Unless the victim subjects his house cat to a rigorous magical appraisal, the Bastet is free to enter and observe whatever he likes.
System: The Ceilican's player spends a Gnosis point and rolls her Gnosis against difficulty 8; for each success, the Ceilican can retain her feline form for one hour. During this time, her Physical Attributes become those of a domestic cat, though her Social and Mental Attributes remain the same. She cannot speak, but can use any Gift that her feline form will allow. Although a person who makes a successful Perception + Awareness roll (difficulty 8) might realize that "there's something weird about the cat", her true nature remains hidden unless someone penetrates her disguise magically (with Disciplines or True Magic, for instance. Attempts to do so add 3 to their difficulty. It should be noted that few vampires or wizards bother to check ever passing cat with magical sight unless they have some compelling reason to be so paranoid (over and above their usual paranoia).
(Bastet BB p110)
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Rank 5
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Chariot of Lions - This less than subtle Gift lets a Ceilican conjure a chariot drawn by huge cats. Like the craft of the goddess Freyja, this chariot is made of coarse-cut wood and covered in Nordic designs. The two huge cats that pull it run as fast as the average car and can, in a pinch, carry the Ceilican and one passenger into the air for a few moments. Only the Mistress of Catkind teaches this Gift, learning it without her blessing is a grave insult.
System: the player rolls Gnosis against difficulty 8 and spends three Gnosis points. The chariot appears from thin air and lasts for one scene, or for an hour - long enough to make a quick getaway, but not long enough to use as regular transportation. By spending a Willpower point, the Bastet's player may urge the chariot into the air for two turns; each additional turn costs another Willpower point.
(Bastet BB p111)
The Madness of Crowds - As tales from the witch-craze demonstrate, some Ceilican indulge their darker appetites after sundown. The more sadistic of these games involve bystanders whipped into a frenzy by this nasty secret, then set loose. By capering around a room or clearing, the Ceilican can stir up the wild side of everyone nearby, causing an orgy or riot unless her "subjects" are unusually stubborn or controlled. The same Gift can take an angry mob, although it's generally easier to start trouble than to end it.
System: The fae cat's player rolls Manipulation + Empathy to turn the mood of a crowd her way. By adding a Willpower point to the mix, she seizes control of their collective will. The difficulty of the task depends on the size of the mob, and on how inclined it is to follow her suggestion. A packed nightclub is more likely to be led into an orgy than a Baptist congregation (though the results of the latter might be more disturbing...). All targets must be within 700 feet when the cat begins to use the Gift. Circumstances and surroundings may add or subtract from the overall difficulty; calming a disturbance raises that difficulty by 2. A person caught up in the Gift can attempt to resist with a Willpower roll (difficulty 7). The Madness lasts for one scene, and leaves the werecat's control once in motion.
| Difficulty
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Group size
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| 6
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Small group (2-20 people)
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| 7
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Medium group (20-50 people)
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| 8
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Crowd (50-100 people)
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| 9
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Mob (100-300 people)
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| 10
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Riot (300-500 people)
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(Bastet BB p111)
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Helpful Sources
