The legends of the Ajaba say that they are the African counterparts of the Garou, created to be Gaia's warriors in a continent without wolves. However, in part due to the division of roles among their genders, the Ajaba have spent much of their history bickering amongst each other.

This led to conflict with the Bastet, and eventually war with the Simba, specifically those led by Black Tooth, who nearly succeeded in wiping out the Ajaba. Since their near destruction, the Ajaba have had to rebuild their society, and much about them has changed. In the 7th Age, the Ajaba have seen a major resurgence in the Kingdom of Diamond which has many ties to Appalachia, and the Middle Kingdom. Few have been known to travel to Dischordia and begin a new life here. Though they have no natural kinfolk in Dischordia, they tend to bring their families along with them as Ajaba rarely travel alone.

The most notable trait of the Ajaba is that they are strongly divided along gender lines: female Ajaba are warriors, with generally high Rage and lower Gnosis; males are mystics, with opposite tendencies. Some small number of Ajaba are born with inverted traits for their gender, and are seen as omens of great good or ill. All Ajaba begin with 3 Willpower.

Forms

Ajaba forms are analogous to those of the Garou:

• Homid: Human form. (no stat changes)
• Anthros: Near-man form (Bonus - Brawny, Robust, Tough Tireless, Neg. - Bestial, Feral, Repugnant).
• Crinos: War form; slightly smaller and less powerful than that of Garou, but also a little tougher (Bonus - Brawny, Ferocious, Quick, Rugged x2, Tireless x 2, Tough, Neg. - Bestial x 2, Feral x 2, Repugnant x 2; no Appearance or Manipulation related Social Traits unless against other Shifters, It’s the natural form of metis breed Ajaba; homid and hyaena Ajaba are allergic to silver and can regenerate while in Crinos, but metis cannot. Bite and claw attacks inflict aggravated damage).
• Crocas: Near-hyena form. An enormous hyena the size of a small bear (Bonus - Brawny, Enduring, Ferocious, Lithe, Quick, Rugged, Tireless,Tough, Neg. - Bestial x 2, Feral; no Manipulation-related Traits unless against other Shifters, Bite deals +1 Health Lvl of Agg. Dmg, The Ajaba gains a one-Trait bonus to all Perception-related challenges while in Crocas form. On the other hand, the Crocas form has no hands and can only hold objects by biting them and hanging on with his teeth).
• Hyaenid: hyena form (Bonus - Lithe, Quick, Rugged, Tireless, Tough, Neg. - Bestial x 2, Feral x 2; no Manipulation-related Traits, bite attacks inflict agg. Dmg., The Ajaba can run twice as fast as homid form, The Ajaba gains a two-Trait bonus to all Perception-related challenges).

Renown

Politicking among the Ajaba is fierce, and social status is very important. Reigning females must always defend their position against challenges from their underlings, and these challenges are often quite a bit bloodier than similar affairs among Garou. As such, it is not uncommon for Ajaba in power to have numerous allies, among them both warriors and mystics that can help to legitimize their position. This is where the power of the males in Ajaba society reveals itself: males that enter a pack do so with no preset social rank, which allows them to ally themselves with any females who will have them. This means that Ajaba mystics wield considerable power, as they alone often determine the fate of the entire clan simply by choosing whom they wish to support in the numerous ritual challenges that plague the typical pack.

 Like all Changing Breeds, the society of Ajaba is highly stratified into rigid Rank ladders that require great deeds to ascend. However, the Ajaba do not recognize all the same virtues in their Folk that the Garou or even Bastet do. The Ajaba have always recognised Cunning (Wisdom) and Ferocity (Glory) as forms of renown, but they have realized that their downfall was in part due to their recognition of Infamy. As part of their reformation, the Ajaba now recognize a form of renown called Obligation (Honor), which rewards their duty to Gaia and their own kind in a less formal way than the Honor known to other Fera. It is by these that Ajaba honor their fellows and thereby increase Rank.

An Ajab begins with 3 Renown in any of the three categories (Ferocity, Obligation, and Cunning). Like all Shifters in 7th Age, the Ajaba may choose the Rank Background at a 1 for 1 point cost at character creation and can begin no higher than Rank 5. They follow the same Gift and Rite access as a Garou of their rank. However, their rank retest, bomb, and ties rank powers work for Stamina related challenges, like Gurahl.

Ferocity

Ajaba hail the most fierce and vicious werehyenas as the heroes of their race. The Ferocious Ajaba tears into his enemy with abandon and terrible force. The Ferocious Ajaba does not hesitate to summon his packmates to bring down a larger foe. The Ferocious Ajaba does not flee battle unless it’s a suicide fight. The Ferocious Ajaba does not turn down the opportunity to hunt and help feed his pack.             

The Warrior’s Creed
I will fight with the strength of many.
I will survive and bring prosperity.
I will devour my enemies and leave only dust.

Obligation

Honor by all normal accounts is non-existent among the Ajaba. The Rainmakers view codes of conduct to be silly restraints, moral ambiguities artificially enforced on an amoral world. Honor, in short, is very human, not lycanthrope. While the Changing Breeds come from humanity in some ways, the Ajaba interpret this connection not with lofty noble beliefs, but stronger filial connections. To the Ajaba, the only people to whom you owe anything to are your fellow Ajaba, and by extension the network of Kinfolk. The Filial Ajaba does not shirk from pack or Court-directed duties. The Filial Ajaba does not hesitate to protect fellow Ajaba from outsiders, or Kinfolk from anyone. The Filial Ajaba treats his Folk with obligation and pride, even if he scorns and regularly deceives the rest of the world.

The Prayer of Fidelity
I will observe the Spoken Laws.
I will protect the family.
I will remember the ancient ways and honor my makers.

Cunning

The wisdom of calm meditation and deep ephemeral comprehension, or the cleverness of witty escapes and riddle-solving, is what Ajaba respect most of all. As a primal race with basic ways of life and beliefs, the Children of Seb-at-Al revere cunning ambushes, deadly trap-setting, keen spiritual savvy, and prudent fetish use. The Cunning Ajaba has no problem lying (at least to outsiders) when it can make the best of the situation. The Cunning Ajaba helps defeat his enemies through misdirection and masterful ambushes rather than direct confrontation. The Cunning Ajaba learns the ways of the chaya, gaining their aid through new pacts and new fetishes.

The Cunning Chant
I will help my enemies destroy themselves.
I will learn the ancient spells.
I will see through the mirror and know my spirit-sisters.

Rank, Title, & Renown Cost

• Rank 1 (Mwana) - 3
• Rank 2 (Damu) - 8
• Rank 3 (Kiwanja) - 15
• Rank 4 (Fedha) - 20
• Rank 5 (Mlfame) - 25
• Rank 6 (Bora-Mlfame) - 30

Gifts and Rituals - Use MET rules for all gifts

As befits their task as Gaia's warriors, Ajaba know much the same range of gifts as Garou. They lost the knowledge of any unique rites during their destruction, however. See above for links to available gifts for Breed, and Auspice. Ajaba also have access to Bastet General Gifts.

Breeds

The Ajaba Breeds are Homid (born of humans), Hyaena (born of hyenas) and Metis (born of two Ajaba - 3 Rage, 3 Gnosis). Unlike Garou Metis, those among the Ajaba are hermaphroditic. They have correspondingly moderate Rage and Gnosis, falling in between the norms for male and female Ajaba, and receive some reverence because of this.

Aspects

Before their fall, and despite their warrior roots, all Ajaba resembled the Garou Ragabash Auspice. Since rebuilding their society, however, they recognise two Aspects, each of which encompasses two roles differentiated by gender:

• Dawn
  • Female warriors (akin to Garou Ahroun - 5 Rage, Gnosis 1)
  • Male storytellers (similar to a Galliard - 2 Rage, Gnosis 4)
• Dusk
  • Female assassins (a more violent version of Ragabash - 4 Rage, Gnosis 2)
  • Male mystics (like a highly talented Theurge - 1 Rage, Gnosis 5)

Relationships with Others

It was the Ajaba Kisasi who founded the Ahadi, and the Ajaba maintain generally cordial relations with the other changers of Africa, though these relations are coloured by their history with Black Tooth's tribe. They hold the Mokolé in particularly high regard for their role in destroying the corrupted Simba, and still give at best a grudging respect for the Bastet of other tribes. Their only contact with Garou is through the Silent Striders, whom they respect for their martial prowess.
The Ajaba are unfamiliar with Fera not native to Africa and, like most Fera, they find it hard to understand the Ananasi.

In the 7th Age the Kingdom of Diamond has a numerous amount of Ajaba, as well as the Middle Kingdom. Many fought in Tore’s army, but few knew of the corruption of their ancestors at Tore’s hands. When the Ajaba met as rivals on the battlefield during the war between the Middle Kingdom and the Kingdom of Diamond, many from the Diamond were surprised to learn of what their rival families had told them of Tore’s deceit. Reminded of the past betrayals of Black Tooth, the Rainmakers of each kingdom met in secret. Once revealed that Tore had imprisoned their ancestors, along with the ancestors of others, in the Blood Diamonds, the plan was hatched to free the spirits in conjunction with those from the Middle Kingdom.

On the day of the final battle, the ritual was enacted and the ancestors released from all of the Blood Diamonds in the Kingdom of Diamond. Tore’s army, in ruins, was no match for the forces against them. Tore was torn asunder by Set and the tribal elders of the Kingdom of Diamond kneeled to him for freeing their ancestors. For a time, Diamond was part of the Middle Kingdom. Due to the in-fighting and Dischordia’s role in the understanding of what the Blood Diamonds truly were, some Ajaba have sought their fortunes outside of Africa in Dischordia seeking their own fortune in a foreign land under High King Balor.