MUSCULUS

By Mike Showel (showeljm@cc.emu.edu) (24 April 1996)

Introduction

Gabriel walked to the bow of his yacht and studies the rock formations that would interfere with his smooth sailing. Taking the yacht out on a little excursion didn't seem like such a great idea anymore. He hadn't planned on taking enough fuel, or others to help. One of the flaws of being spoiled rich and young and foolish. He hit the rocks, unable to turn in time, and the yacht began taking on water. It was then when he noticed the most beautiful creature his eyes ever had befallen upon. She was magnificant. A Mermaid, he was sure. Her hair was scarlet red and long past her waist. He was so entranced with her that he sunk along with the boat. It was then that he felt hands gently pulling him above the water, and towards the rocks. He was stranded with no other land in sight.

She grew legs and stood naked upon the rocks over him with a conkshell raised to her lips. She blew it twice in two short bursts and then within a minute arose a huge whale, the greatest he'd ever seen, larger even than the ones in picture books. It was close to two hundred feet long and it had massive teeth. It appeared, in every other way, as a blue whale, but it was so big! It balanced the Yacht on its back and came close to the rocks. The beautiful red head pointed towards the whale and Gabriel faithfuly climbed upon its back. A spout of steam shot forth forty feet into the air as the whale took to the sea. He watched the mermaid grow back her tail while diving into the water, and he was sure he was in love. She swam up close to the Whale and sprung out of the water like a flying fish, landing behind high on the whales back.

"What is your name." She spoke. Her voice was full of hypnotic glory. He couldn't avoid thinking about her. He wanted to be with her forever. She smiled at him and he found that he could no longer gaze at her without feeling sleapy, but he couldn't help it As he fell into slumber he whispered, "My name is Gabriel."

He awoke on the shore of a private beach on the California shore. His yacht wasjust where he remembered crashing it, right on the shore, near him. He checked to see if his wife was okay. He panicked when he couldn't find her, then he noticed a lock of scarlet red hair from underneath a plank of wood. He heaved it aside swiftly, and Gabriel took his wife in his arms. It was strange how he couldn't remember being with her before this point, but he was sure she was his wife. They both wore wedding rings, and he at least knew her name. It was Alexis, his wife.

Description

Out of all the species of shapeshifting children of Gaia, the Musculus, or the were whale, was one of the few that was not touched nor harmed by the Garou. They had a simple reason for this fact. First of all, the garou don't live in the oceans, and second, the garou aren't foolish enough to take on something large enough to swallow an entire pack and still be hungry for more. They are the dominant shapeshifters of the oceans, even the were sharks pay them respect for with but a single bite they could devour the shark in hispo, whole. Gaia created the Musculus as her final strong card of the Bete tribes. If the others were losing ground and dire times were to arise, then the Musculus were to announce themselves as the cavalry and add a second wind to the battle. That time is at hand now as the oceans cry out for mercy from the polution. Gaia had given them the signal to strike back, and may the humans forever more fear the oceans.

Almost all Musculus are whale, not homid. This is simply because the majority of humans choose to live on land, as if they could live by sea anyway. They are affected by silver in the same way that the garou are, but have different health levels for their different forms. In Crinos form they have three extra health levels due to their immense size. In Hispo form they have an added ten health levels, and in whale form an extra six. These extra levels are bruised, and only when they are gone do the other levels take place. In effect great size gives extra body mass and thus more ability to take damage.

In some forms, the Musculus has a thick rubbery skin, which must burn away first before the Musculus can begin to take damage from fire. Homid and Glabro take normal fire damage. Crinos has a two three inch thick skin which will soak 7 points of fire damage before the living skin and flesh underneath can take aggravated damage. The Hispo form has 6 inch thick skin which will soak 13 points of fire damage before the living flesh and skin beneath can take aggravated damage. The Whale form has a 4 inch thick skin that will soak 9 points of fire damage before the living skin and flesh beneath take aggravated damage. For the later two, this means very little sense as they can not be burned while sumberged in water as water doesn't burn. The rating is given for incidents then that caue water to burn such as a spilled oil tanker set a fire, and if the Musculus swims beneath the suface of the water the fire goes out. None of these adjustments count for phosphorous guns which blast through the blubbery layers.

Forms

	Str	Sta	Dex	App	Man	Diff.
Homid	+0	+0	+0	+0	+0	6
Glabro	+2	+2	+0	+1	+1	7
Crinos	+7	+6	+4	0	0	6
Hispo	+18	+13	+4	0	0	7
Whale	+12	+10	+3	0	0	6

In homid form almost all the females have red hair, and almost all the males are dark haired. They have full heads of hair, that never grows grey in old age, but the rest of their body, such as arms legs, etcetera are smooth, firm, and hairless, thus the head is the only part of their body with hair. In human form, they do not regenerate, but may carry silver items without harm. In all other forms, they can hold their breath under water at deep depths for a minute per stamina point they have, plus 3.

In Glabro, they change into a form similar to the mythological mermaid. They are half whale half person. At the waist the change takes the start of a V shape, pointing downward. A few inches below the waste and it is completely whale. They have the tail portion of a whale, meaning the tail fin and small dorsal fin near the back. They also firm up even more and become more attractive. In this form they take on a special type of delirium. All attracted to the gender of the Musculus are hypnotised by its form with a sort of awe. It resembles love at first sight, however when the Glabro has left their sight, they forget the entire event. While the glabro is in their sight, they will do whatever they can without hurting themselves to make the glabro attracted to them. The Glabro is where the mythological mermaid, and merman come from, and why there are so many rumors of underwater cities of merpeople. This rumor isn't completely true as the musculus can't breath water. They add 50% body weight.

Crinos is the form that cause the garou not to mess with a Musculus on land. In this form the body takes on a massiveness unlike any other shapeshifter. They are smooth, and bulky. They have a huge mouth full of sharp teeth, and they stand 40 feet tall. They have no claws, and the rest of their body is smooth as well. They are totally hairless, and have a hide of thick blubber which provides an armor rating of 2 for soaking purpouses. Their feet have no toes, though are proportioned properly for walking. Their weight increases to 60 tons an they are terrible to battle. They do not do aggravated damage when they punch, but their bites do four points of damage, plus strength (all aggravated). If this sounds a little far fetched, think about it first. A mouth of a forty foot man-whale has just bitten down on little ole you. How much damage do you think you're going to take, one health level? I think not. This form has a blow hole at the top of its head, and can spout steam ten feet up in the air. It can also attempt a ground stomp. This does no aggravated damage, but it does strength plus 1 point of damage, plus damage for being squished by 40 tons of weight. This is up to the storyteller to give; be creative, but be somewhat realistic. The only speech they can muster in this form is their whale language. To humans and other creatures it simply sounds like a whales call. Delerium is as caused by a garou. Sonar can be used in this form.

In Hispo, the Musculus now weighs 300 tons and is around 280 feet long. It has a huge mouth of rowed teeth that go back in four rows. It's blow hole shoots steam up to sixty feet with enough pressure to rip the skin off a normal person. They have super rubbery hides that has an armor rating of three for soaking purposes. This form can only move in water. It essentially looks like a giant blue whale. Fighting sea monsters is the primary need for this form, and they normally don't take it other wise, unless they feel a need. This form can use sonar. It can capsize huge aircraft carriers as a bluewhale, only with more finesse. It's bite is itss only aggravated damage attack, though it can ram for forty point of damage plus strength, tail slap for ten points of damage plus strength, and belly flop for incapacitation, or boat destruction. It's bite does thirty points of aggravated damage plus strength, and it chews before swallowing most of the time. This form is a terror to all other sea going creatures, and all other creatures will flee in fear. Boaters who have seen this form has dubbed it a sea monster, or floating island. Those who have gotten too close to escape, have never returned a report.

In whale form the musculus becomes a normal blue whale. It has a small row of teeth however rather than the normal blue whale 80 to 100 furrows that filter food from water. It is 106 feet long at adult, and it is the natural form of those Musculus born in the water as whales, and it weighs 150 tons. It can spout steam 20 feet in the air. Its bite does four plus strength aggravated damage. (Yes the teeth are small for its size.) It can ram for 15 points of damage plus strength, and tail slap for 5points of damage plus strength. It has a natural armor rating of 3 due to its thick tough rubbery hide. Babies born as whales are 52 feet long at 7 months of age, and are born after a year of gestation. (Use this for the Simo's Leviathon form as well.) Keep in mind that a normal blue whale such as this already weighs more than the heaviest dinosaur. Sonar can be used in this form. Musculous can not do partial transformations, and if they could they wouldn't want to, because of the aspect ratio thing.

Musculus can learn the level 4 gift leviathan. The Musculus have no auspices, and they are each unique in their mannerisms with no signs governing their personality archetypes. All gifts are available to them, as they have no auspices, and the like and are very versatile. They have 3 initial rage points and an initial gnosis of 2 if homid born, and 6 if whale born. Their Metis have an inital gnosis of 4, and they are monstrous to behold.

All Musculus have the Kojin Kyu-ho (from Caerns) in Glabro. Musculus enter the Umbra instantly, by force. They roll a gnosis and enter. If they succeed once they enter instantly. If they fail or botch they don't enter, or they get stuck. They have one main flaw; they can not enact the rite of dedication, nor can it be succesfully enacted upon them, thus when ever they change, they lose their clothing unless they remove it.

The Musculus are an arrogant race, with good reason. They know their might. They also have a lot of knowledge as the oceans were never a divider for them; the entire world has always been theirs ro walk as like the other Bete. They have met some of the were dinosuars in the Amazon, and have found them to be the only other race who can match them in size and power, and thus they respect them as equals. The musculous have no taboos about nudity as the majority are not homid and Whales don't wear clothes. This also may be in part with their inability to dedicate clothing. They enjoy music however and it is a common trait. A few learn songs of the human voice and use it to lure humans near whom have been targeted for devouring for committing crimes against the ocean, for devouring.

Musculus do not much care if the veil is broken, and if not for the delerium, they would be known by the humans. In fact many have spread legends about sea monstaers, which do exist to get the humans to stay out of the water.

Each Musculus is an indvidual who likes to find her own way. They may live in group communities in the hearts of the oceans, but when on land they tend to go their own ways. There is no fear of harm from the mundane world to them as they know they could go crinos and slay any opponent they would face. Many Musculus have heard about the existence of an outspreading population of vampires. They had thought it less severe than the garou, and don't see the harm in the little beasts. As far as they are conscerned, the vampires are fulfiling an ecological niche in the Gaia's plan. The vampires are preying on the humans. The humans are destroying Gaia. Who do you think they like better? They think the Garou animosity towards them is ridiculous, as the vampires perform a service of removing humans. This is not to say that the Musculus are genocidal towards humans, as humans fill an ecological niche as well, but they feel that there are too many humans and the humans are making too much waste. It's really starting to piss them off. . .

They are travelers by their very natures, as you can't claim a piece of ocean as your own. Thus being the case they usually opt to learn many languages across the world to aid their travels. All Musculus automatically frenzy if they encouter whalers, in the oceans as well as on lands. There is no roll, and it cannot be prevented. The whaler simply must die for his/her crimes against the Bete tribes, and the whales of the world.

The Musculus view the wyrm as a neutral force as it always was. They find that humans and the Weaver are the ones causing Gaia the most harm. They see the handy work of the Weavers constructs everywhere. The Weaver's technology pollutes, the Weaver causes the Wyrm to rage, the Weaver and the humans plot to kill Gaia. This view is partially the reason that they view the Vampires as part of Gaias plan. The vampires are only bad when they have been corrupted by the Wyrm, and leave their duties of feeding off of humans to destroy Gaia. They don't blame the Wyrm's corruption on the Wyrm, but on the Weaver, and though the Wyrm must be fought, it must be spared until the Weaver is dead and the Wyrm can again act as it once was supposed to. They are particularly angry at the Garou glasswalkers who not only work with the Weaver, but blame it all on the Wyrm. The Glasswalkers have sold their souls and must be made to see the light.

As with the other shape shifters the Musculus are powerful. They may even be more powerful than most, but they have their weaknesses as well. For instance their inability to do aggravated damage other than by biting, which is really hard when your mouth is soo high up in the air. They can't hold anything meant for human sized hands because their hands are just too big. They can't use two of their forms on land; they can be slain by slver as any other shapeshifter of Gaia. Remember these weaknesses for Musculus charecters.

They are not fond of thge Avian shapeshifters such as the corax, and the Boyar. They are not fond of the garou in general for their transactions against their brethren shapeshifting races whom they drove into hiding, and killed off. The garou even kill themselves, something that denotes just how little respect they have for themselves.

Resources cannot be taken as a background. Neither can alliess, contacts, or past life. They may each have any totem they want. There should never be more than one Musculus in a role playing group. Musculus are very fond of mages. They admire a mage's use of magic to accomplish tasks rather than using the Weaver constructs like other humans. They do not like the Technocracy however for its foolish use of the Weaver when it already has magic to use.