Mokole Nation

The 3 Forms

Duties

How is it we understand each other, you ask. Listen to yourself, hatchling, you're not speaking English. We speak in the Dragon's Tongue, the language of the Kings. You recall it through your Memory. When I awoke your Memory to show you the past, you heard the Dragon's Tongue again after many years. With Memory jogged, you find it easy to take up again. Yest like riding a bicycle. I spoke of responsibiliry earlier. It's more than just having Memory. We have a responsibility to use that Memory wisely. Further, we have responsi- bility in how we live and work so that our wallows can thrive and our race can survive. These are the important things, hatchling. Even if you listen to nothing else, listen now. Each of us has duties that are named to us by Lord Sun, but we must all follow them, not just pick and choose what suits us. Failing these is a sure ticket to reprimands, loss of status, even punishment.

The Rising Sun says Cull the Fallen, those who have turned away ftom Mother Cow and Sun. This can mean vampires, fomori, Dissolver-creatures, humans who wreck Gaia with their machines or Mokole who have fallen to the Dissolver. We must also avoid unlawful prey, to make sure we don't overhunt an area, or provoke attack by hunting other shapeshifters. These days, we cannot kill every human who sins against Gaia, or we'll lose a dozen reptile Kin for every dead human. So many of us were killed by the Garou that we don't have the manpower for big Dissolver-hunts these days.

The Noonday Sun says Let No Shade Accuse You. Be fair and balanced in your judgements and avoid wasteful killing, whether that's in war or duels. We don't have enough of our own to waste in useless fighting. Above all, avoid mating with another Mokole and creating misshapen offspring; these help neither Dragon nor us. We have enough rites to ensure that you can find a suitable mating partner.

The Setting Sun says Guard the Wallow. I am of this auspice, and this is my Duty, first and foremost. I must be sure that our children, our Kin, our aged and sick, and our sacred things are protected from any harm. I must shelter those who need help, especially a female who is with child, and respect the territory of our relatives like the Corax. It used to be that clutches would get into rivalries and scraps, and then there'd be killing. It's not that way anymore, thankfully, mostly because it's been drilled into everyone's heads that we're too few to waste. Unfortunately, there are still some Mokole who go insane or fall to the Dissolver or who knows what else and kill a clutchmate. Be assured that they'll find punishment later, and it's almost always death. Guarding the wallow once simply meant fighting and foraging, but nowadays, I spend my time on the phone making sure that our wallow's land stays ours and that our reptile Kin are protected.

The Shrouded Sun says The Veil Must Not Be Lifted. This is common sense, child. Don't show your Dragon-form to those who don't need to see it, or they'll be hunting us before sundown! Rumors of dragons bring the hunters, whether they're crackpot humans or crackpot Garou. Perhaps it's for the best that the other Changers think we're just as extinct as the Kings.

Test the Clutch, says the Midnight Sun. The tricksters make sure that we're always on our toes; complacency is the enemy. It also ensures that we're ready for any challenge, and that we consider many paths and solutions, from traditional to unconventional. I suppose they're helpful in their way, but some of their pranks have nearly turned my scutes white.

The Decorated Sun says All are of Gaia. This sounds like a simple principle, but you'd be amazed how complex it can be. Everyone and everything on Gaia is of Her, and just you respect Mother Cow, you must respect Her creations. Everything has a purpose and is here for a reason, from the Kinfolk who help us survive to the humans to the other Awakened creatures. Respect your leaders and listen when someone has something to tell you. If someone needs help, help them or find someone who can, whether they're sick, troubled, wounded or dying. I think that much of our modem attitude comes from the very lack of true Mokole. Many clutches don't have Crowned, and some of ours have a "clutch" of Kinfolk who maintain the wallow and wait decades for the true ones to be born. Many of the places where our Kin are found - Africa, the Deep South, Central America, China, India - are stricken with deep poverty, and the social inequalities make it worse. Some Mokole might be disinclined to follow this, except that Mnesis pricks them to remember their Kin by that which they themselves have lived. I have very vivid memories of being lashed by an overseer's whip, of being hungry. Since Mnesis doesn't distinguish between genders, males may have Memory of childbirth and females have Memory of genocide. I t ensures that we cannot claim not to see the other person's side of things. I can't ignore my Kin's suffering, not when I've experienced what they have.

The Eclipsed Sun says Remember. Sun and Gaia made us Mokole for a reason. We must practice this, or it's all for nothing. While we're often fighting for our lives, we still follow this Duty without too much trouble.