History: When Gaia was talking with her children and assigning each of her special children roles, they all took them happily. However, once they had all left to set out their appointed tasks, one small voice came from behind the Mother.
"What about me, kind Mother?"
Gaia saw little Rabbit, flustered and out of breath.
"And where have you been hiding, my child?
"I was .. preoccupied elsewhere Mother, but now I wish to help you however I can."
Gaia smiled down on little Rabbit and looked around slowly to see that everyone else was gone. She then leaned down and told Rabbit that he had an important role.
"You, my little Rabbit will be the healer of my other Children. When they become wounded or start to stray from the path, you will nurture them and help them find me once more."
Rabbit jumped for elation then hurried back to his warren to beget children to help in his task as Mother Gaia’s nurse. The only problem is that the other of Gaia’s protectors didn’t believe little Rabbit. They did not hear their Mother bestowing such an important task and thought that the wily little Rabbit was making it up for a laugh at their expense. And since then, they have all despised little Rabbit, some even taking it up to personally abuse them.
Since then, Rabbit has only been able to heal each other, bringing them to the path and allowing them to understand Gaia’s real meaning for them. For all the abuse given them, when another shifter comes to a Lagos, they still will help them.
Background: These careful animals are little known and even less seen. They are a mystery to most and to the more corrupted changers, a fine delicacy. These finicky and flighty little creatures have not known a human born Lagos in centuries. They were bred out long ago and since then, the rabbit born Lagos are few and far between.
Whenever a Kinfolk rabbit bears a true Lagos, it takes some time before the shapeshifting ability comes out. Therefore, there is a good chance these frail little things will be eaten before they can even realize their true potential. This has also hurt them in recent times when they are hunted more and more by humans, Black Spiral Dancers and a few deranged Beté.
Even if a Lagos manages to come to age so that it can change into it’s own Crinos form, the resulting shock is usually enough to send a wererabbit off a cliff or into the maws of one of its predators.
If a Lagos manages to live through it’s First Change and is found by an elder wererabbit, then the training begins. They are taught the basic tenets of their own Litany, which include such things as to remain hidden for their true form is not hidden by a shroud of lies and never to harm any creature that is defenseless. The Lagos live a life of quiet observation and harmonious existence. They remain in the woods mostly, defending dens from predators of all sorts and fornicating as much as possible to help ensure they continuae of the line.
A very few, however, will venture into the cities, using their various combat skills which are tailored for their unique frames. These rogue Lagos are normally destroyed quickly, for they must hide all traces of their existence. If they are lucky, they can work a truce with the untrusting Garou and stay with them. The septs who have Rabbit as a totem will find themselves without the favor of their totem if they turn away one of the quiet Lagos.
The Lagos worship Rabbit with a passion, and their only request to their totem is that they remain a secret to the others. For, as long as they are unknown, they are in much less danger. They have no interest in the coming Apocalypse, and only care to tend to the health of Gaia and try to nurse their dying Mother back to health. In the end, these creatures will die in the Armageddon, but hopefully they will have served their purpose by then. That is their only wish, that they can help Gaia survive through the hell that is to come.
Appearance: As rabbits, they are very similar to their normal cousins. The only difference, however, is that the Lagos is a fine specimen of the species. Their hind legs are well developed, their ears are large and firm and their teeth are solid and healthy looking. This is another reason why they are so desperately hunted, they are the most prized of the species. However, this also helps in mating and allows them to be picked over others more often.
When in their Crinos, they become an interesting crossbreed of human and rabbit. Their hind legs adapt to upright walking, but are still powerful and thick, ready to thrash out against people. Their arms are not as developed, but still firm and able to aid in defense or attack. Their body is sleek and covered in healthy fur, the head is elongated and slimmed some. The eyes move away from the center of the head just enough to allow better perception, the teeth do not grow any larger, they merely grow to accommodate the new size. The body will increase one and a half times from their homid form, and gain about twice their body weight, due to the drastic muscle increase in the legs and back.
The glabro form of the Lagos is unappealing and rather silly to those wererabbits who know what normal humans look like regularly and have seen themselves in this form. The legs become those of a weightlifter with a glandular problem, large and powerful. The eyes become wider and doe-like, while the ears start to show signs of extended hair and elongation. The nails grow slightly, becoming harder and longer while the teeth gain a characteristic commonly known as "bucktoothed."
The hispo form is merely a rabbit doubled in size. The Lagos becomes quicker, stronger, and more alert. The only problem is they become more cautious. The instincts inside them are still strong and if they sense any sort of danger, they normally run in terror. This form is normally used for escape and quick strikes to incapacitate a stronger foe.
The interesting aspect of the Lagos is the homid form. Due to the centuries of lacking a homid born half to the species, the Lagos’ human form has become a mere adaptation to the rabbit one. The human form has a cute appearance, although slightly harrier than a normal person. The legs are almost always better built than the arms and the eyes always carry an innocent quality in them.
Stats (base creation on Lagos):
| Homid: | same as Lagos |
| Glabro: | +2 Dex, +1 Sta, +1 Per, -1 diff on Alertness rolls |
| Crinos: | +1 Str, +4 Dex, +2 Sta, +2 Per |
| Hispo: | +1 Str, +2 Dex, +2 Sta, +1 Per, -1 diff on Alertness rolls, -2 diff on Primal rolls |
| Lagos: | n/a |
Gifts
The Lagos can take any gift from anyone, a blessing from Gaia for their punishment from her other children. The only problem, is that they usually only learn ones from rabbits and other lagomorph spirits. Most Shifters would just as soon kill them out of suspicion than teach a gift to them. They also have one special gift, at level 2.
Gaia’s Kiss, Level 2
This blessing from Gaia is another apologize for her other children’s behavior. When in trouble and badly wounded, a Lagos may evoke it’s Mother’s kiss. This healing, spiritual energy bleeds away the powers that make an aggravated one such. They become normal wounds, healing at such a rate.
System The Lagos rolls Stamina+Primal Urge, diff 8, for every 2 successes the power lasts a scene. If only one success is scored, then the power will heal one level of aggravated wounds. If the roll is botched, the power backlashes and raises the Lagos’ soak roll difficulties by 1 for a scene. This power costs 2 Gnosis or 3 Rage, depending on the mental state of the Lagos(I.E. Storyteller’s discretion).