Post by Alea Dracoslovic on Apr 2, 2013 8:16:54 GMT -8
Please note, that lycanthropy is specific to wolves. The state of being a were lion would be leothropy; a tiger would be tigrisothropy; a panther would be pardum (or pardus meaning either panther or leopard) othropy, and so on and so forth. To refer to a lion, panther, tiger, rat, bear, or any other animal as a lycan would be incorrect.
That being said, the words lycan, lycanthropy, lycanthrope/s are used throughout this text synonymously to indicate all as a means of not having to list each and every type, wherever they are referred to.
Note:
Werefelines are NOT common; a likely reason for this phenomenon is the relatively low virulence in contagion characteristics of cat-based lycanthropy. Most are born, as opposed to infected.
Lycanthropes are either born integrated as such or were humans inflicted with a supernatural virus which allows them to take on the power and appearance of a specific species of animal.
A lycanthropes power increases relative to their life, the longer they live the more powerful they become as a general rule as with most other relevant preternatural races. Unless otherwise stipulated or specified related to powers it is to be presumed that generally, the older a lycanthrope is the more powerful it is though there are potentially many other variables aside age.
Innate (ALL) Lycanthrope Powers:
Arrested Aging - While a lycanthrope is not “immortal” like a vampire is, some could be confused for being so. A born lycanthrope will age as fast as a normal human being, and will eventually “peak” in their early twenties to thirties most commonly, where apparent aging will arrest. This is subjective lycanthrope to lycanthrope, but most stop in the process of apparent aging somewhere in that range. MOST Infected Lycanthropes (Except the RARE breeds) will have their aging process likewise arrested at the time of their first shift; those that might not arrest in age upon their first shift will continue to age for several years after but generally no more than 10.
Longevity – Most live upwards in the realm of up to three hundred years of age, whether naturally born or infected.
Communication - For instance in the case of Werewolves; As with more intelligent canines, in werewolf form and human alike have an uncanny ability to interpret the body language, posturing, and general vibe of others and each other that borders on empathy. They communicate with each other like any other animal when they are in the form of an animal. (Lycanthropes in this SL are not in possession of telepathic abilities, the exception being blood bonded to or the animal servant of a vampire, and then only with that vampire. Lycanthropes cannot speak in the human sense, while in bestial form. They communicate, with each other like their respective animal subtypes.)
Enhanced Senses - Lycanthropes have exceptionally enhanced senses of sight, scent, smell, and sound even when in human form well beyond that of humans. A lycanthrope can see perfectly in the dark allowing them to see and focus in almost total darkness. Lycanthropes have an especially advanced sense of smell, especially true for the wolves. Most lycanthropes can easily track prey for miles based on a scent. The same goes for hearing. A lycanthrope has exceptional hearing abilities. The only arena in which the vampire’s senses trump a lycanthrope's, aside from the power to age proportional ratio, is sight. Lycanthropes have extremely acute senses, even in human form. To an extent they can "smell" emotions or lies in of human beings, though may not realize without experience WHAT it is they smell; sometimes humans becoming anxious changes the smell of a person and perhaps that is what the lycanthropes smell.
Disease Immunity - All Lycanthropes are immune to diseases. They do not get sick.
Body Temperature - (Applies to all Lycanthropes except serpents.) The blood and body temperature of the lycanthrope traditionally runs hotter than that of a human being. They are uncharacteristically warm to the touch, and so much so that IF an ordinary unassuming human picked up on it they would wonder if the individual in question was running a fever. (In most circumstances they would, within reason.) They can withstand extremely low temperatures that would cause a human being to go into hypothermia, even naked. Being near one is like having your own personal space heater.
Note: Wereserpents do not have this. Their blood and body temperature runs cold. Not as cold as that of a vampire, as they are still alive, but reptiles and these lycanthropic counterparts crave, seek, and NEED heat.
Healing - Extraordinary regenerative abilities, which let them heal very quickly from wounds inflicted by most conventional wounds caused by conventional weapons. The lycanthrope will regenerate or heal any type of superficial flesh wounds near instantaneously. Most acts that would kill a human simply will not kill a lycanthrope. Unless dispatched in a very particular fashion, they will live on to spread their disease, hunt, kill, and reproduce for several centuries. The older a lycanthrope is the more damage they can take, and survive, heal, and recover from. Werewolves for instance, as with all Lycanthropes, recover from wounds faster when in wolf form.
Regeneration - They can regenerate amputated or otherwise, removed, limbs by shifting into their bestial shapes. If they have the ability and knowledge to induce their own whole or partial shifts, this is both exhaustive and painful, but immediate. If they DO NOT have the ability or knowledge? They will regenerate their lost appendage DURING the passing of their first transformation of the next phase of the full moon.
Supernatural Strength – Lycanthropes are physically stronger than even the strongest human beings. They can physically overpower newer vampires in their human shapes, and are a grave threat to even older vampires less than 300 years old in their wolven forms on their own. A pack of them could bring down a single powerful vampire, etc.
Supernatural Agility and Speed – Lycanthropes are innately agile, more so than the most agile human beings. However they are not as agile, or as fast, as vampires.
Command of Animals - Lycanthropes appear able to communicate with, on an animal level, and command animals of their species. Establishing of dominance or maintaining it, may be an issue.
Reproduction - Lycanthropes CAN reproduce sexually, like most other beings. When a werewolf mates with another of its kind, the offspring will 100% of the time carry the virus. (Lycanthropes cannot interbreed between other types of Lycanthropes not their own in this SL, and produce any sort of chimera offspring.) Werewolves are for instance, able to produce offspring with the animals they resemble of their sub-type, wolves; such offspring are usually smarter and larger than normal wolves. On occasion a werewolf is born this way, though it is rare. There is a potential for sexual reproduction with a normal human. Responsible lycanthropes generally opt not to breed with humans, the potential transmission of the virus as a sexually transmitted disease is as virulent as any other via other bodily fluids, but rather with other lycanthropes as well due to the potential for uncontrolled shift during/triggered by intense arousal during intercourse.
Social Animal - Lycanthropes are primal, yet social creatures. Many Lycanthropes will in human form be guided by their underlying animal instincts to form social groups more a family among their own kind and hierarchy’s within those groups. (Ex. Werewolves will be led by their natural wolf instincts to seek out and join a werewolf pack.) Lycanthropes prefer to roam the lands and wilderness, hunting and hiding from humanity traditionally but form urban communities in modern times. Packs generally establish their own internal laws, and enforce them, in the effort to conceal themselves among other matters. Secrecy is almost always paramount. Werewolves will be led by their wolf instincts to seek out and join a werewolf pack for instance. Rouges are chastised, even hunted. Werewolves can distinguish fellow pack, from prey, work and hunt as a pack, and recognize pack structure as wolves would, but for all their bestial strength they are limited in that they cannot retain all their humanity while in the form of a beast.
Developed – Special – and Bestowed Lycanthrope Abilities:
Animal Servant – If a lycanthrope becomes the animal servant of a capable master vampire; where a naturally lived lycanthrope will age, peak, and die after several centuries up to three… an animal servant’s development and power becomes relative to the age of its vampire and continues to develop exponentially as the lycanthrope continues to ‘age’ into eternity. The lycanthrope becomes as immortal as their vampire, for as long as that vampire shall exist.
Note on Animal Servants: Capable Vampires tend to be HIGHLY selective when it comes to the assessment, selection, and taking of an Animal Servant. After all… its only forever, and the bond between vampire master and lycanthrope servant is often more profound or develops thusly, than a marriage in human terms of such contract. Every vampire capable of taking one, if they decide to take one at all, will select his or her servant based on their own criteria.
Resist The Call - Some Vampires have the ability to ‘call’ a particular animal type to them in a form of a metaphysical mental summons, and the ability to command them to an extent and can even force them to shift in part or whole. Adequately powerful Lycanthropes will be able to resist this to some degree. Born lycanthropes have a higher affinity for resisting the call of a vampire, as the ‘animal’ in their blood is more ‘pure’ than that of the infected. Infected typically do not manifest this trait, if at all, until later in their condition.
Born Lycanthropes – Manifests after their first shift, IF it does or is going to but must be honed with instruction from capable lycanthropes of their breed to fully develop and be exploited. Without such instruction and capable honing, it may be YEARS before through trial and error that they get it completely right. Immunity from the call of all vampires under 400. Resistance to elder vampires under 1000. If Animal Servant; immune to the call of all vampires except their own.
Infected Lycanthropes – Manifests in infected lycanthropes subjectively, though usually AFTER the what CAN be a traumatic event of being so ‘called’ by a vampire something MIGHT awaken in their blood and begin to stir, IF it does IF it does it must be honed with instruction from capable lycanthropes of their breed to fully develop and be exploited. Without such instruction and capable honing, it may be YEARS before through trial and error that they get it completely right. Resistance to the call of all vampires under 700. If Animal Servant; immune to the call of vampires under 1000, resistance to the call of vampires over 2500.
Partial / Full Immunity from Compulsion: The Ability of a lycanthrope to resist being compelled by a master or otherwise vampire to an extent, or possessing partial immunity to certain aspects of compulsion, or full immunity to compulsion.
Born Lycanthropes – Immunity from the compulsory effects of vampires less than an elder, 300 years old, from BIRTH. Resistance to the compulsory effects of vampires, relative to the vampire’s age vs. the born lycanthropes. IF the inflicting vampire is less than 1000 years old, but older than 300 – an elder – the lycanthrope has resistance to the compulsion. If the inflicting vampire is more than 1000 years old, there is zero resistance unless the lycanthrope is an Animal Servant. If the lycanthrope is an Animal Servant, it is immune to the compulsory effects of ALL vampires INCLUDING their own.
Infected Lycanthropes – Can be learned, developed, and honed through play. Otherwise manifests in SOME lycanthropes after living with their infection for between 10-20 years. Immunity to the compulsory effects of vampires younger in ACTUAL age than the lycanthrope. Resistance to the compulsory effects of vampires, relative to the years of its condition vs. the associated power level and age of the inflicting vampire. Resistance if the inflicting vampire is under 300 years in age. The lycanthrope has NO resistance to compulsion to a vampire that exceeds 300 years in age. UNLESS it is an Animal Servant. IF an Animal Servant, the lycanthrope is immune to the compulsory effects of vampires EXCEPT their own.
Shift Control – Having survived their condition over the course of several years, on up to several decades depending on the individual, a Lycanthrope achieves the ability to fight the urge and pull to shift when the full moon beckons, buying an hour at best for the eldest, but at a severely decreased rate, slowly prolonging the changes until he or she inevitably gives in. Can also RESIST, not stop, the shift caused by other triggers. Can ALSO induce a shift at will, without the aid of the full moon. Can also shift at will BACK into human form after feeding and spending at least 2 hours in wolf form. Can also resist the pull of a relevant vampires call to induce their shift, though like the beckoning of the moon will inevitably shift.
Born Lycanthropes – Subjective. Most tend to begin develop this ability between the ages of 16 and 18 years of age, and tend to master it between the ages of 21 and 30 years of age AFTER/WITH having had instruction from their parents and or pack. Those that DO NOT receive the mentoring and practice might NOT discover and develop it on their own through trial and error into their 30’s. Some master it. Some don’t.
Infected Lycanthropes – Subjective. Most tend to develop this ability between 20 and 30 of INFECTION that is life with their condition on their own OUTSIDE a pack setting through trial and error. Inside the proper pack environment, or species relevant group, with the proper mentoring and instruction such control can be developed in as few as 5 years and as many as 14 years. Some master it. Some don’t.
Bearable Shift - The older a lycanthrope gets, he or she slowly will get acclimated or “used” to the agony of the transformation. Which is not to say that many or most might ever find it pleasant, but more often, bearable rather than crippling.
Born Lycanthropes – Subjective. Because a born lycanthrope was born with the virus, their body has had the time since it formed, through birth, and up unto the time of the lycanthropes first shift to prepare for that moment. The virus is less something that has forcibly taken over, but was rather integrated from the start. Their first shifts will be, usually during puberty - even without the support of pack in the instance of wolves – the knowing – the teaching – and preparations, nowhere near as agonizing as those first shifts for the infected and because of their lifelong co-existence with the virus their shifts will always be relatively faster and more bearable. Most that come to find their shifts ‘bearable’, do so between the ages of 20 and 30 years of age. Some may never find it bearable.
Infected Lycanthropes – Subjective. Most that come to find their shifts ‘bearable’, do so between 10 and 20 years of INFECTION, that is life with their condition. Some may never find it bearable.
Full Mental Retention – Retain all human memory and logic, reasoning, in bestial form. Their shape may be different, but they are themselves. Though they are always in conflict with the instinct and impulses of the beast, however aware and though ultimately in control.
Born Lycanthropes – Subjective. Because a born lycanthrope was born with the virus, they are integrated with the beasts they will become more perfectly. While at the onset of their first change, even a born lycanthrope will succumb completely to the impulses, instincts, and otherwise whims of their beast… they will at some point between the ages of 18 and 30, subjectively, achieve full mental retention while shifted.
Infected Lycanthropes – Subjective. Some will. Some might never. For those that achieve this ability, it is only for those who never break and always fight to maintain their awareness and ‘self’ no matter the pull and torture, will typically after 5 and 10 years of INFECTION, that is life with their condition, develop such mental retention as to remain ‘themselves’ while not themselves.
Painless Shift - The older a lycanthrope gets, he or she slowly will get acclimated or “used” to the agony of the transformation. Which is not to say that many or most might ever find it pleasant, but more often, bearable rather than crippling. After a time, born are more likely than infected, the lycanthrope becomes either numb to the agony of the shift or even begins to relish in it.
Born Lycanthropes – Subjective. Because a born lycanthrope was born with the virus, their body has had the time since it formed, through birth, and up unto the time of the lycanthropes first shift to prepare for that moment. The virus is less something that has forcibly taken over, but was rather integrated from the start. Their first shifts will be, usually during puberty - even without the support of pack in the instance of wolves – the knowing – the teaching – and preparations, nowhere near as agonizing as those first shifts for the infected and because of their lifelong co-existence with the virus their shifts will always be relatively faster and more bearable. Most that come to find their shifts painless or even enjoyed do so between the ages of 30 and 40 years of age. Some may never find it bearable.
Infected Lycanthropes – Subjective. Most that come to find their shifts painless or even enjoyed do so between 50 and 70 years of INFECTION, that is life with their condition. Some may never find it bearable.
Partial Shift – Shifting selectively, at will, individual body parts or areas of their body at any time. (Such as forming paws/claws, etc.)
Born Lycanthropes – Subjective. Most tend to begin to develop this ability between the ages of 20 and 30 years of age. Some master it. Some don’t. If they develop this before they do shift control, then once shifted the individual body part or area shifted will remain in that shifted shape for several hours before reverting back to human shape involuntarily. If they develop shift control before or concurrently, they can shift the individual parts or areas back and forth at will but at cost to their energy levels. It will make them ravenous if prolonged.
Infected Lycanthropes – Subjective. Most tend to begin to develop this ability between 15 and 25 years of INFECTION, that is life with their condition. Some Master it. Some Don’t. If they develop this before they do shift control, then once shifted the individual body part or area shifted will remain in that shifted shape for several hours before reverting back to human shape involuntarily. If they develop shift control before or concurrently, they can shift the individual parts or areas back and forth at will but at cost to their energy levels. It will make them ravenous if prolonged.
Hybrid Shift – (Must also have shift control, partial shift, bearable shift or painless shift) Only the older, more experienced lycanthropes have learned to properly and absolutely channel their beast, in order to be able to take the alternate form of a bipedal, digitigrade human/wolf hybrid (For instance in the case of werewolves) which can depending on the individual werewolf range in height on up to nine feet in height, and weighing several hundred pounds of raw killing machine. For those that can do this, they can shift into this form selectively as opposed to their regular wolf form under the call of the full moon or any other trigger (Except in the instance a vampire capable of calling is forcing it) AND at will with or without the aid of the full moon. Can also shift at will BACK into human form after feeding and spending at least 2 hours in wolf form.
Born Lycanthropes – Subjective. Most tend to begin develop this ability between the ages of 25 and 35 years of age.
Infected Lycanthropes – Subjective. Most tend to develop this ability between 35 and 45 years of INFECTION - that is life with their condition. Some achieve and master it. Some don’t.
Sexual Restraint – Through extensive teaching and experience a lycanthrope learns how to negate the associated full on shift triggered by engaging in intercourse in defiance of their born or otherwise ingrained instinct responsible for such a trigger. Even then, most lycanthrope communities frown on their kind having relations with humans; even when the otherwise obvious concerns for the safety of a human partner, the chief concern becomes that lycanthropy is still an STD. However that even with such learned restraint, the virus in the blood and bodily fluids in a lycanthrope will activate regardless of the lack of full blown shift resulting.
Born Lycanthropes – Subjective. MOST responsibly lycanthrope communities, packs or what have you in some which way shape or form will include such relevant teachings usually after the onset of the lycanthropes first shift. Some, such as wolf packs, go so far as having assigned positions within the pack known as the Eros and Eranthe; who are members of the pack designated and entrusted with the teaching of their brood how to control their strength and beasts during sexual intercourse. Eros being the male, and Eranthe being the female. Most tend to begin develop this ability WITH the right instruction in knowledge from before their first shift and in/and as result of physical practice between the ages of 18 and 20 years of age. Some master it. Some Don’t.
Infected Lycanthropes – Subjective. See above concerning packs, Eros, and Eranthe; Rogues, for instance would not have that benefit. Most tend to develop this ability, with/after the proper instruction between 5 and 10 years of INFECTION - that is life with their condition. WITHOUT the proper instruction and support from relevant and capable pack etc., it could be a very heinous and problematic affair of trial and error. Between 10-20 years of it in living with their condition, or possibly NEVER. Some achieve and master it. Some don’t.
Lycanthrope Weaknesses: (UNLESS countered by a specific and relevant above mentioned Ability MOST Apply)
The Shift: All Lycanthropes will transform into their respective bestial forms under the influence of the full moon, visible or not and regardless of shift control as an ability this will inevitably happen. (For Example, a newer werewolf, upon completion of shift, will resemble an un-naturally large Wolf generally the size of a small pony.) The transformation is particularly excruciating, graphic and can take anywhere from several minutes for most after a few years, to an hour in order to complete first time transformations. As if surviving the bite, or infection, wasn’t problematic enough. Some infected, do not survive their first shift. The bones, ligaments, muscle tissues and organs all shift beneath the skin and reform, the flesh becomes superheated as if some otherwise beyond deadly fever, etc. (We don’t do the Anita Blake clear goo here.) Without Shift Control ALL lycanthropes will transform under a variety of triggers, chiefly the Full Moon, whether they want to or not. Triggers can include otherwise, extreme emotional response to stimuli, circumstances etc. and usually negative. Fear, Rage, Etc. for instance and in some circumstances lust. Some extremely traumatic event and or injury is also very likely to induce the shift.
"Cries, moans, the popping of bones, a curious sliding sound like a knife drawing out of flesh”…
“He should be dead within 30 seconds. The werewolf heart is about two thirds the size of a humans. But in order to shrink, first it has to stop. In other words, he has a heart attack. All the internal organs are smaller, so while he’s having his heart attack, he’s having liver and kidney failure too. And if he stops screaming, it’s not because the pain has dulled. His throat, gullet and vocal chords are tearing and reforming. He literally can’t make a sound. By now the pituitary gland should be working overtime, flooding his body with endorphins to ease some of the pain, but that too has shut down. Anyone else would have died of shock long ago, but it won’t let him. And that’s the thing I find most remarkable. It drags him through the fire and keeps him alive and conscious to endure every second. Nothing like this could just evolve. This is the fingerprint of God. An impossible lethal curse, spread by tooth and claw. Victim begets victim, begets victim. It’s so cruel, it’s…perfect.”
Intimate Shift (Voluntary or Involuntary) - Sexual intercourse will almost always trigger the shift, as to not shift is instinctively ingrained in Lycanthropes as holding back even when against the will of the lycanthrope. Not shifting during sex among lycanthropes is considered holding back and is almost like saying it wasn't THAT good. With shift control it is possible to resist, though the most restrained and practiced, experienced sorts will be able to resist the involuntary shift successfully in this case. It is why most lycanthrope communities frown on their kind having relations with humans; aside for the obvious concerns for the safety of a human partner, as sex with humans can result in their death when the lycanthrope shifts and probably tears their partner apart. The other chief concern is that lycanthropy is an STD.
Blood of the Beast - All Lycanthropes, in human form, as the full moon draws nearer by the day, will become increasingly volatile emotionally, impulsive, aggressive, animalistic and largely unpredictable with tendencies closer to that of their respective animals than human. Extreme emotional reactions to any given number of causes could trigger an early transformation, however rare in all but the youngest lycanthropes or the newly infected. For those born, this comes subjectively at some point during maturity at the onset of puberty and even before their first shift. For the newly infected it is immediate.
Disease Carrier – When shifted, even in ANY state of becoming, in whole or in part the strain of lycanthropy in the lycanthrope goes ‘hot’. By bite, by claw, by bodily fluids, in such a state is highly virulent / communicable. The werewolf strain of lycanthropy, for instance (the first known) is the most virulent of all the variants. Humans infected have a 40% chance of not surviving the infection, assuming they survive the encountered werewolf/wolves at all. The virus will either kill its new host, within a matter of a few days within that percentage, or slowly begin converting the host cell by cell, preparing him or her for their real torture, the transformation ahead that they may or may not survive. Again, 40% of those infected, that survive, typically do not survive the excruciating transformation process. The bite of a werewolf will 99% of the time, transmit the virus successfully to a human. The claws of a werewolf, about 90% of the time, transmit the virus successfully to a human. Blood on blood contact, or with other bodily fluids in the above mentioned states as applicable, will 100% of the time transmit the virus successfully to a human. Yes. Lycanthropy is also a STD. Those BORN as lycanthropes are indeed just as any other carriers, but the Virus will not ‘activate’ in them or pose the risk of becoming transmittable by any means until the time of their first shift and thereafter.
Mind of the Beast – Once shifted, lycanthropes do not retain the full aspects of their human logic or reasoning. Born lycanthropes will have less of a problem with this generally. Infected lycanthropes will have less of a problem with this after five to ten years of living with their condition on average. They are extremely impulsive ruled by that of their beast, with the mostly mind of one however more intelligent than one in nature. Older, more experienced lycanthropes can retain their minds, retain themselves, when fully transformed, but even then they are always in conflict with the instinct and impulses of the beast.
Shift “Coma” - Changing between forms consumes a great deal of energy; most lycanthropes must feed immediately after changing to animal form and collapse into a comatose state for several hours after returning to human form. Stronger lycanthropes do not need to feed immediately or collapse, but are extremely tired. All are subject to it in one way or the other.
Dietary Requirements - Lycanthropes, despite their dietary habits when in human form, are carnivores at heart due to the fact that they are apex predators, and have a seriously enhanced metabolism requiring massive amounts of flesh, and the animals they have become are typically carnivores. Never mind the fact that they are driven by the thrill of the hunt, and a hunger for flesh which rivals that of the thirst of a really thirsty Vampire. The energy expended during a transformation requires significant replenishment afterwards, the need for the hunt is absolute.
Blackout Shift - Newly infected or transitioning lycanthropes might not recollect the fact that they had undergone such transformation, or have not much more than brief glimpses into memories of what transpired after the fact as it is such a traumatic experience. Generally this lasts for the first 5 to 8 shifts on average for those it afflicts.
Decapitation – By any means. If the head is severed from the body, they die.
Fire - They heal burns like any other injury, though can be overcome by fire and immolated.
Poison - They are not immune to poisons, as they are disease. However the poison MUST be of the type or potency that would immediately incapacitate and kill a human being. Slow acting poisons, however lethal to humans that they might be, will burn out of a lycanthropes system and only make them sick. Relative. The stronger the poison, less that lethal to a lycanthrope based on the above mentioned criteria, the more violently ill they will become.
Oxygen Deprivation - Lycanthropes are ALIVE. They NEED to breathe. Without an air supply they will die.
Severe Silver Allergy - All Lycanthropes are extremely allergic to silver. Contact with silver causes immediate redness to a lycanthropes’ skin, in the area of contact. Contact for any longer than a second or two at most will cause even more irritation, and excruciating blistering of the skin in which the flesh will actually sizzle. Any weapon made of silver, or projectiles made of silver, will inflict serious life threatening trauma to a lycanthrope that will defeat their advanced regenerative and healing properties. They will heal at a human rate for non-life threatening wounds. If silver gets into their bloodstream in particulate or liquid form, they die. Werewolves cannot regenerate wounds caused by silver, as long as the silver remains imbedded or otherwise in their body. Assuming the silver is removed, regeneration of the wound(s) will occur at a human rate of speed. Vital organ strikes, with silver weapons are almost always as lethal as vital organ strikes with conventional weapons are to humans.
Old Age - A lycanthrope can die from old age, though most can live on up to three hundred years of age. The exception being in becoming the animal servant of a vampire, which will convey their vampire masters immortality upon them. For those that are not animal servants, they begin to wane in power at around 280 years in their powers and typically take up to ‘educational’ roles and grooming of their replacements depending on the pack or beast group type. Some cherish their old farts. Some kill them the very second they stop being value add.
Animal Servant – If a lycanthrope IS an animal servant, their immortality is tied to that of their vampire. If the vampire whom is their master dies so shall they.
Rouge – This lycanthrope is a rogue. Despite the established territory or presence of a pack (in the case of wolves), or any other relevant social group for their kind, they are rouge. Rouges are generally given reasonable time to decide whether to join a pack, for instance, or to leave the territory. If they refuse they are typically hunted, and killed, as security threats.
Lycanthrope Social Structure:
Werewolf:
Dominance: is a key element in werewolf social organization. The pack is structured in a clear hierarchy, and pack members move up or down by winning or losing challenges against other pack members. The fittest, and the more aggressive, are usually the leaders here.
Although most dominance battles end when one participant backs down, leadership of the pack is only transferred by a battle to the death.
A dominant pack member may issue any order to submissive member, provided that the dominant does not order the submissive to do anything illegal.
A pack member may offer or receive "protection" to or from another member. A pack member must accept all challenges on behalf of any person to whom he or she has offered protection.
Pack standing is established by being dominant over other wolves. Dominance is established by challenging and either fighting or backing down other pack members. Dominance fights are rarely to the death and sometimes are psychological battles. If the werewolf being challenged does not wish to fight, they simply acknowledge the challenger's dominance and the confrontation is over. The victor rises in rank and assumes the spot vacated by the defeated.
To ask for protection, a wolf can petition a dominant by brushing up against the dominant. If it is granted, the dominant will touch the submissive which then signals to any other lycanthropes in the area that he or she will protect that petitioner from their enemies/pursuers. When a werewolf asks someone for protection they are admitting the other is dominant to them. If the wolf is given this protection, they are in effect fully under the command of the person giving the protection. All other wolves will either simply acknowledge this protection and move on, or challenge the protection.
Packs usually appoint sponsors to new wolves to teach them about the change, control, and how to walk successfully in the two cultures. Normally the sponsor will teach new wolves about sex as a Lukoi. In some cases if the sponsor is unable or unwilling, the Eros or Eranthe may be assigned to act as sexual surrogates.
Official Pack Positions:
Ulfric: The ultimate alpha male of the pack. The Ulfric will be replaced by whoever defeats him in combat. In theory it does not have to be a death fight, and the Ulfric can in fact step down, but the new Ulfric will usually kill the old one to prevent a dominance split. Theoretically, female werewolves may become Ulfric, but female Ulfrics are rare because the strongest males normally have a significant strength advantage over even the strongest females. The term is a derivative of the Norse "ulfr," meaning "wolf."
Lupa: Named for Lupa, the mother of Romulus and Remus. The position is reserved for the Ulfric's chosen mate. Although the lupa need not fight for her/his position, the position of most dominant Alpha female (or male in the case of male Lupas) is determined by conflict. The term is Latin for "she-wolf" and "prostitute."
• An Ulfric may choose not to take a mate, but if so the chosen mate is almost always another Alpha. The Ulfric and Lupa almost always proceed to marry as humans, in normal human traditions thereafter as well.
Freyja: A lupa who declares herself independent of the Ulfric and challenges the Ulfric to reclaim her. Any male wolf may win her by having sex with her. The male wolves will do anything, including kill each other, to win her.
Freki and Geri: The Ulfric's second and third in command.
Bolverk: The Bolverk is the enforcer of the Ulfric. The Bolverk carries out punishments or performs duties the Ulfric does not want to do him/herself, or if he/she is not available to do so. Generally the tasks assigned to the Bolverk are the most unsavory in terms of "normal" acceptance, i.e. having to kill a rogue member. Often at times the Bolverk is used as almost as a bogeyman to keep other wolves in line.
Fenrir: An official challenger to the Ulfric, intent of claiming his/her position as replacement Ulfric.
Eros/Eranthe: These are the members of a pack (wolf) designated or entrusted with the teaching newly infected wolves how to control their strength and beasts during sexual intercourse. Eros being the male and Eranthes being the female.
Wereleopards:
The social rituals of the leopard pard is more difficult to discern in comparison to the wolf pack. There could be many reasons for this difficulty. The principle social characteristic of the pard members is a need for physical contact as a source of emotional reassurance. Pard members frequently rub against one another as if they were cats.
An interesting and notable characteristic in wereleopard terminology is the existence of three different titles for their leaders: Nimir-Raj/Nimir-Ra, leoparde lionne, leopard passant. The titles do not affect the functional, internal authority of the leader, but they do describe the type of leader currently in power.
Weretigers:
One of the rarest forms of lycanthropes. There are only four clans of tigers within the United States. They all keep to themselves. Their culture is also divided about purebloods, inherited lycanthropes, and attacked. Being given tiger lycanthropy is seen as a reward for a job well done. They think it is a sin to give it to someone not worthy. Tiger lycanthropy is one of the harder-to-catch strains. Tigers tend not to announce they are infected and entire families may stay in "the closet." Tigers have forced their clan members to marry other clan members, sometimes to keep the strain amongst themselves. Most have arranged marriages; they have been known to abduct known tigers, if an arranged marriage cannot be done. They are also a matriarchal (led by a woman/queen) society, unlike most of the other lycanthrope societies which are patriarchal (Led by a male/king).
Werelions:
Werelions are one of the cat lycanthropy strains. They are a few prides in the United States.
Pride - A group of werelions.
Rex - King of a pride.
Regina - Queen of a pride.
Werejaguars:
N/A
Werebears:
The queen of this group is called an Ursa.
Weresnakes:
Encountered are werecobras and (perhaps more indirectly) wereanacondas.
Of the werecobras, the leaders are called Kadra (female) and Kashyapa (male). They have the ability to have offspring like mammals or like reptiles.
Wererats:
Rom - King/Leader
Rodere - the term the wererat use to refer to the group
That being said, the words lycan, lycanthropy, lycanthrope/s are used throughout this text synonymously to indicate all as a means of not having to list each and every type, wherever they are referred to.
Note:
Werefelines are NOT common; a likely reason for this phenomenon is the relatively low virulence in contagion characteristics of cat-based lycanthropy. Most are born, as opposed to infected.
Lycanthropes are either born integrated as such or were humans inflicted with a supernatural virus which allows them to take on the power and appearance of a specific species of animal.
A lycanthropes power increases relative to their life, the longer they live the more powerful they become as a general rule as with most other relevant preternatural races. Unless otherwise stipulated or specified related to powers it is to be presumed that generally, the older a lycanthrope is the more powerful it is though there are potentially many other variables aside age.
Innate (ALL) Lycanthrope Powers:
Arrested Aging - While a lycanthrope is not “immortal” like a vampire is, some could be confused for being so. A born lycanthrope will age as fast as a normal human being, and will eventually “peak” in their early twenties to thirties most commonly, where apparent aging will arrest. This is subjective lycanthrope to lycanthrope, but most stop in the process of apparent aging somewhere in that range. MOST Infected Lycanthropes (Except the RARE breeds) will have their aging process likewise arrested at the time of their first shift; those that might not arrest in age upon their first shift will continue to age for several years after but generally no more than 10.
Longevity – Most live upwards in the realm of up to three hundred years of age, whether naturally born or infected.
Communication - For instance in the case of Werewolves; As with more intelligent canines, in werewolf form and human alike have an uncanny ability to interpret the body language, posturing, and general vibe of others and each other that borders on empathy. They communicate with each other like any other animal when they are in the form of an animal. (Lycanthropes in this SL are not in possession of telepathic abilities, the exception being blood bonded to or the animal servant of a vampire, and then only with that vampire. Lycanthropes cannot speak in the human sense, while in bestial form. They communicate, with each other like their respective animal subtypes.)
Enhanced Senses - Lycanthropes have exceptionally enhanced senses of sight, scent, smell, and sound even when in human form well beyond that of humans. A lycanthrope can see perfectly in the dark allowing them to see and focus in almost total darkness. Lycanthropes have an especially advanced sense of smell, especially true for the wolves. Most lycanthropes can easily track prey for miles based on a scent. The same goes for hearing. A lycanthrope has exceptional hearing abilities. The only arena in which the vampire’s senses trump a lycanthrope's, aside from the power to age proportional ratio, is sight. Lycanthropes have extremely acute senses, even in human form. To an extent they can "smell" emotions or lies in of human beings, though may not realize without experience WHAT it is they smell; sometimes humans becoming anxious changes the smell of a person and perhaps that is what the lycanthropes smell.
Disease Immunity - All Lycanthropes are immune to diseases. They do not get sick.
Body Temperature - (Applies to all Lycanthropes except serpents.) The blood and body temperature of the lycanthrope traditionally runs hotter than that of a human being. They are uncharacteristically warm to the touch, and so much so that IF an ordinary unassuming human picked up on it they would wonder if the individual in question was running a fever. (In most circumstances they would, within reason.) They can withstand extremely low temperatures that would cause a human being to go into hypothermia, even naked. Being near one is like having your own personal space heater.
Note: Wereserpents do not have this. Their blood and body temperature runs cold. Not as cold as that of a vampire, as they are still alive, but reptiles and these lycanthropic counterparts crave, seek, and NEED heat.
Healing - Extraordinary regenerative abilities, which let them heal very quickly from wounds inflicted by most conventional wounds caused by conventional weapons. The lycanthrope will regenerate or heal any type of superficial flesh wounds near instantaneously. Most acts that would kill a human simply will not kill a lycanthrope. Unless dispatched in a very particular fashion, they will live on to spread their disease, hunt, kill, and reproduce for several centuries. The older a lycanthrope is the more damage they can take, and survive, heal, and recover from. Werewolves for instance, as with all Lycanthropes, recover from wounds faster when in wolf form.
Regeneration - They can regenerate amputated or otherwise, removed, limbs by shifting into their bestial shapes. If they have the ability and knowledge to induce their own whole or partial shifts, this is both exhaustive and painful, but immediate. If they DO NOT have the ability or knowledge? They will regenerate their lost appendage DURING the passing of their first transformation of the next phase of the full moon.
Supernatural Strength – Lycanthropes are physically stronger than even the strongest human beings. They can physically overpower newer vampires in their human shapes, and are a grave threat to even older vampires less than 300 years old in their wolven forms on their own. A pack of them could bring down a single powerful vampire, etc.
Supernatural Agility and Speed – Lycanthropes are innately agile, more so than the most agile human beings. However they are not as agile, or as fast, as vampires.
Command of Animals - Lycanthropes appear able to communicate with, on an animal level, and command animals of their species. Establishing of dominance or maintaining it, may be an issue.
Reproduction - Lycanthropes CAN reproduce sexually, like most other beings. When a werewolf mates with another of its kind, the offspring will 100% of the time carry the virus. (Lycanthropes cannot interbreed between other types of Lycanthropes not their own in this SL, and produce any sort of chimera offspring.) Werewolves are for instance, able to produce offspring with the animals they resemble of their sub-type, wolves; such offspring are usually smarter and larger than normal wolves. On occasion a werewolf is born this way, though it is rare. There is a potential for sexual reproduction with a normal human. Responsible lycanthropes generally opt not to breed with humans, the potential transmission of the virus as a sexually transmitted disease is as virulent as any other via other bodily fluids, but rather with other lycanthropes as well due to the potential for uncontrolled shift during/triggered by intense arousal during intercourse.
Social Animal - Lycanthropes are primal, yet social creatures. Many Lycanthropes will in human form be guided by their underlying animal instincts to form social groups more a family among their own kind and hierarchy’s within those groups. (Ex. Werewolves will be led by their natural wolf instincts to seek out and join a werewolf pack.) Lycanthropes prefer to roam the lands and wilderness, hunting and hiding from humanity traditionally but form urban communities in modern times. Packs generally establish their own internal laws, and enforce them, in the effort to conceal themselves among other matters. Secrecy is almost always paramount. Werewolves will be led by their wolf instincts to seek out and join a werewolf pack for instance. Rouges are chastised, even hunted. Werewolves can distinguish fellow pack, from prey, work and hunt as a pack, and recognize pack structure as wolves would, but for all their bestial strength they are limited in that they cannot retain all their humanity while in the form of a beast.
Developed – Special – and Bestowed Lycanthrope Abilities:
Animal Servant – If a lycanthrope becomes the animal servant of a capable master vampire; where a naturally lived lycanthrope will age, peak, and die after several centuries up to three… an animal servant’s development and power becomes relative to the age of its vampire and continues to develop exponentially as the lycanthrope continues to ‘age’ into eternity. The lycanthrope becomes as immortal as their vampire, for as long as that vampire shall exist.
Note on Animal Servants: Capable Vampires tend to be HIGHLY selective when it comes to the assessment, selection, and taking of an Animal Servant. After all… its only forever, and the bond between vampire master and lycanthrope servant is often more profound or develops thusly, than a marriage in human terms of such contract. Every vampire capable of taking one, if they decide to take one at all, will select his or her servant based on their own criteria.
Resist The Call - Some Vampires have the ability to ‘call’ a particular animal type to them in a form of a metaphysical mental summons, and the ability to command them to an extent and can even force them to shift in part or whole. Adequately powerful Lycanthropes will be able to resist this to some degree. Born lycanthropes have a higher affinity for resisting the call of a vampire, as the ‘animal’ in their blood is more ‘pure’ than that of the infected. Infected typically do not manifest this trait, if at all, until later in their condition.
Born Lycanthropes – Manifests after their first shift, IF it does or is going to but must be honed with instruction from capable lycanthropes of their breed to fully develop and be exploited. Without such instruction and capable honing, it may be YEARS before through trial and error that they get it completely right. Immunity from the call of all vampires under 400. Resistance to elder vampires under 1000. If Animal Servant; immune to the call of all vampires except their own.
Infected Lycanthropes – Manifests in infected lycanthropes subjectively, though usually AFTER the what CAN be a traumatic event of being so ‘called’ by a vampire something MIGHT awaken in their blood and begin to stir, IF it does IF it does it must be honed with instruction from capable lycanthropes of their breed to fully develop and be exploited. Without such instruction and capable honing, it may be YEARS before through trial and error that they get it completely right. Resistance to the call of all vampires under 700. If Animal Servant; immune to the call of vampires under 1000, resistance to the call of vampires over 2500.
Partial / Full Immunity from Compulsion: The Ability of a lycanthrope to resist being compelled by a master or otherwise vampire to an extent, or possessing partial immunity to certain aspects of compulsion, or full immunity to compulsion.
Born Lycanthropes – Immunity from the compulsory effects of vampires less than an elder, 300 years old, from BIRTH. Resistance to the compulsory effects of vampires, relative to the vampire’s age vs. the born lycanthropes. IF the inflicting vampire is less than 1000 years old, but older than 300 – an elder – the lycanthrope has resistance to the compulsion. If the inflicting vampire is more than 1000 years old, there is zero resistance unless the lycanthrope is an Animal Servant. If the lycanthrope is an Animal Servant, it is immune to the compulsory effects of ALL vampires INCLUDING their own.
Infected Lycanthropes – Can be learned, developed, and honed through play. Otherwise manifests in SOME lycanthropes after living with their infection for between 10-20 years. Immunity to the compulsory effects of vampires younger in ACTUAL age than the lycanthrope. Resistance to the compulsory effects of vampires, relative to the years of its condition vs. the associated power level and age of the inflicting vampire. Resistance if the inflicting vampire is under 300 years in age. The lycanthrope has NO resistance to compulsion to a vampire that exceeds 300 years in age. UNLESS it is an Animal Servant. IF an Animal Servant, the lycanthrope is immune to the compulsory effects of vampires EXCEPT their own.
Shift Control – Having survived their condition over the course of several years, on up to several decades depending on the individual, a Lycanthrope achieves the ability to fight the urge and pull to shift when the full moon beckons, buying an hour at best for the eldest, but at a severely decreased rate, slowly prolonging the changes until he or she inevitably gives in. Can also RESIST, not stop, the shift caused by other triggers. Can ALSO induce a shift at will, without the aid of the full moon. Can also shift at will BACK into human form after feeding and spending at least 2 hours in wolf form. Can also resist the pull of a relevant vampires call to induce their shift, though like the beckoning of the moon will inevitably shift.
Born Lycanthropes – Subjective. Most tend to begin develop this ability between the ages of 16 and 18 years of age, and tend to master it between the ages of 21 and 30 years of age AFTER/WITH having had instruction from their parents and or pack. Those that DO NOT receive the mentoring and practice might NOT discover and develop it on their own through trial and error into their 30’s. Some master it. Some don’t.
Infected Lycanthropes – Subjective. Most tend to develop this ability between 20 and 30 of INFECTION that is life with their condition on their own OUTSIDE a pack setting through trial and error. Inside the proper pack environment, or species relevant group, with the proper mentoring and instruction such control can be developed in as few as 5 years and as many as 14 years. Some master it. Some don’t.
Bearable Shift - The older a lycanthrope gets, he or she slowly will get acclimated or “used” to the agony of the transformation. Which is not to say that many or most might ever find it pleasant, but more often, bearable rather than crippling.
Born Lycanthropes – Subjective. Because a born lycanthrope was born with the virus, their body has had the time since it formed, through birth, and up unto the time of the lycanthropes first shift to prepare for that moment. The virus is less something that has forcibly taken over, but was rather integrated from the start. Their first shifts will be, usually during puberty - even without the support of pack in the instance of wolves – the knowing – the teaching – and preparations, nowhere near as agonizing as those first shifts for the infected and because of their lifelong co-existence with the virus their shifts will always be relatively faster and more bearable. Most that come to find their shifts ‘bearable’, do so between the ages of 20 and 30 years of age. Some may never find it bearable.
Infected Lycanthropes – Subjective. Most that come to find their shifts ‘bearable’, do so between 10 and 20 years of INFECTION, that is life with their condition. Some may never find it bearable.
Full Mental Retention – Retain all human memory and logic, reasoning, in bestial form. Their shape may be different, but they are themselves. Though they are always in conflict with the instinct and impulses of the beast, however aware and though ultimately in control.
Born Lycanthropes – Subjective. Because a born lycanthrope was born with the virus, they are integrated with the beasts they will become more perfectly. While at the onset of their first change, even a born lycanthrope will succumb completely to the impulses, instincts, and otherwise whims of their beast… they will at some point between the ages of 18 and 30, subjectively, achieve full mental retention while shifted.
Infected Lycanthropes – Subjective. Some will. Some might never. For those that achieve this ability, it is only for those who never break and always fight to maintain their awareness and ‘self’ no matter the pull and torture, will typically after 5 and 10 years of INFECTION, that is life with their condition, develop such mental retention as to remain ‘themselves’ while not themselves.
Painless Shift - The older a lycanthrope gets, he or she slowly will get acclimated or “used” to the agony of the transformation. Which is not to say that many or most might ever find it pleasant, but more often, bearable rather than crippling. After a time, born are more likely than infected, the lycanthrope becomes either numb to the agony of the shift or even begins to relish in it.
Born Lycanthropes – Subjective. Because a born lycanthrope was born with the virus, their body has had the time since it formed, through birth, and up unto the time of the lycanthropes first shift to prepare for that moment. The virus is less something that has forcibly taken over, but was rather integrated from the start. Their first shifts will be, usually during puberty - even without the support of pack in the instance of wolves – the knowing – the teaching – and preparations, nowhere near as agonizing as those first shifts for the infected and because of their lifelong co-existence with the virus their shifts will always be relatively faster and more bearable. Most that come to find their shifts painless or even enjoyed do so between the ages of 30 and 40 years of age. Some may never find it bearable.
Infected Lycanthropes – Subjective. Most that come to find their shifts painless or even enjoyed do so between 50 and 70 years of INFECTION, that is life with their condition. Some may never find it bearable.
Partial Shift – Shifting selectively, at will, individual body parts or areas of their body at any time. (Such as forming paws/claws, etc.)
Born Lycanthropes – Subjective. Most tend to begin to develop this ability between the ages of 20 and 30 years of age. Some master it. Some don’t. If they develop this before they do shift control, then once shifted the individual body part or area shifted will remain in that shifted shape for several hours before reverting back to human shape involuntarily. If they develop shift control before or concurrently, they can shift the individual parts or areas back and forth at will but at cost to their energy levels. It will make them ravenous if prolonged.
Infected Lycanthropes – Subjective. Most tend to begin to develop this ability between 15 and 25 years of INFECTION, that is life with their condition. Some Master it. Some Don’t. If they develop this before they do shift control, then once shifted the individual body part or area shifted will remain in that shifted shape for several hours before reverting back to human shape involuntarily. If they develop shift control before or concurrently, they can shift the individual parts or areas back and forth at will but at cost to their energy levels. It will make them ravenous if prolonged.
Hybrid Shift – (Must also have shift control, partial shift, bearable shift or painless shift) Only the older, more experienced lycanthropes have learned to properly and absolutely channel their beast, in order to be able to take the alternate form of a bipedal, digitigrade human/wolf hybrid (For instance in the case of werewolves) which can depending on the individual werewolf range in height on up to nine feet in height, and weighing several hundred pounds of raw killing machine. For those that can do this, they can shift into this form selectively as opposed to their regular wolf form under the call of the full moon or any other trigger (Except in the instance a vampire capable of calling is forcing it) AND at will with or without the aid of the full moon. Can also shift at will BACK into human form after feeding and spending at least 2 hours in wolf form.
Born Lycanthropes – Subjective. Most tend to begin develop this ability between the ages of 25 and 35 years of age.
Infected Lycanthropes – Subjective. Most tend to develop this ability between 35 and 45 years of INFECTION - that is life with their condition. Some achieve and master it. Some don’t.
Sexual Restraint – Through extensive teaching and experience a lycanthrope learns how to negate the associated full on shift triggered by engaging in intercourse in defiance of their born or otherwise ingrained instinct responsible for such a trigger. Even then, most lycanthrope communities frown on their kind having relations with humans; even when the otherwise obvious concerns for the safety of a human partner, the chief concern becomes that lycanthropy is still an STD. However that even with such learned restraint, the virus in the blood and bodily fluids in a lycanthrope will activate regardless of the lack of full blown shift resulting.
Born Lycanthropes – Subjective. MOST responsibly lycanthrope communities, packs or what have you in some which way shape or form will include such relevant teachings usually after the onset of the lycanthropes first shift. Some, such as wolf packs, go so far as having assigned positions within the pack known as the Eros and Eranthe; who are members of the pack designated and entrusted with the teaching of their brood how to control their strength and beasts during sexual intercourse. Eros being the male, and Eranthe being the female. Most tend to begin develop this ability WITH the right instruction in knowledge from before their first shift and in/and as result of physical practice between the ages of 18 and 20 years of age. Some master it. Some Don’t.
Infected Lycanthropes – Subjective. See above concerning packs, Eros, and Eranthe; Rogues, for instance would not have that benefit. Most tend to develop this ability, with/after the proper instruction between 5 and 10 years of INFECTION - that is life with their condition. WITHOUT the proper instruction and support from relevant and capable pack etc., it could be a very heinous and problematic affair of trial and error. Between 10-20 years of it in living with their condition, or possibly NEVER. Some achieve and master it. Some don’t.
Lycanthrope Weaknesses: (UNLESS countered by a specific and relevant above mentioned Ability MOST Apply)
The Shift: All Lycanthropes will transform into their respective bestial forms under the influence of the full moon, visible or not and regardless of shift control as an ability this will inevitably happen. (For Example, a newer werewolf, upon completion of shift, will resemble an un-naturally large Wolf generally the size of a small pony.) The transformation is particularly excruciating, graphic and can take anywhere from several minutes for most after a few years, to an hour in order to complete first time transformations. As if surviving the bite, or infection, wasn’t problematic enough. Some infected, do not survive their first shift. The bones, ligaments, muscle tissues and organs all shift beneath the skin and reform, the flesh becomes superheated as if some otherwise beyond deadly fever, etc. (We don’t do the Anita Blake clear goo here.) Without Shift Control ALL lycanthropes will transform under a variety of triggers, chiefly the Full Moon, whether they want to or not. Triggers can include otherwise, extreme emotional response to stimuli, circumstances etc. and usually negative. Fear, Rage, Etc. for instance and in some circumstances lust. Some extremely traumatic event and or injury is also very likely to induce the shift.
"Cries, moans, the popping of bones, a curious sliding sound like a knife drawing out of flesh”…
“He should be dead within 30 seconds. The werewolf heart is about two thirds the size of a humans. But in order to shrink, first it has to stop. In other words, he has a heart attack. All the internal organs are smaller, so while he’s having his heart attack, he’s having liver and kidney failure too. And if he stops screaming, it’s not because the pain has dulled. His throat, gullet and vocal chords are tearing and reforming. He literally can’t make a sound. By now the pituitary gland should be working overtime, flooding his body with endorphins to ease some of the pain, but that too has shut down. Anyone else would have died of shock long ago, but it won’t let him. And that’s the thing I find most remarkable. It drags him through the fire and keeps him alive and conscious to endure every second. Nothing like this could just evolve. This is the fingerprint of God. An impossible lethal curse, spread by tooth and claw. Victim begets victim, begets victim. It’s so cruel, it’s…perfect.”
Intimate Shift (Voluntary or Involuntary) - Sexual intercourse will almost always trigger the shift, as to not shift is instinctively ingrained in Lycanthropes as holding back even when against the will of the lycanthrope. Not shifting during sex among lycanthropes is considered holding back and is almost like saying it wasn't THAT good. With shift control it is possible to resist, though the most restrained and practiced, experienced sorts will be able to resist the involuntary shift successfully in this case. It is why most lycanthrope communities frown on their kind having relations with humans; aside for the obvious concerns for the safety of a human partner, as sex with humans can result in their death when the lycanthrope shifts and probably tears their partner apart. The other chief concern is that lycanthropy is an STD.
Blood of the Beast - All Lycanthropes, in human form, as the full moon draws nearer by the day, will become increasingly volatile emotionally, impulsive, aggressive, animalistic and largely unpredictable with tendencies closer to that of their respective animals than human. Extreme emotional reactions to any given number of causes could trigger an early transformation, however rare in all but the youngest lycanthropes or the newly infected. For those born, this comes subjectively at some point during maturity at the onset of puberty and even before their first shift. For the newly infected it is immediate.
Disease Carrier – When shifted, even in ANY state of becoming, in whole or in part the strain of lycanthropy in the lycanthrope goes ‘hot’. By bite, by claw, by bodily fluids, in such a state is highly virulent / communicable. The werewolf strain of lycanthropy, for instance (the first known) is the most virulent of all the variants. Humans infected have a 40% chance of not surviving the infection, assuming they survive the encountered werewolf/wolves at all. The virus will either kill its new host, within a matter of a few days within that percentage, or slowly begin converting the host cell by cell, preparing him or her for their real torture, the transformation ahead that they may or may not survive. Again, 40% of those infected, that survive, typically do not survive the excruciating transformation process. The bite of a werewolf will 99% of the time, transmit the virus successfully to a human. The claws of a werewolf, about 90% of the time, transmit the virus successfully to a human. Blood on blood contact, or with other bodily fluids in the above mentioned states as applicable, will 100% of the time transmit the virus successfully to a human. Yes. Lycanthropy is also a STD. Those BORN as lycanthropes are indeed just as any other carriers, but the Virus will not ‘activate’ in them or pose the risk of becoming transmittable by any means until the time of their first shift and thereafter.
Mind of the Beast – Once shifted, lycanthropes do not retain the full aspects of their human logic or reasoning. Born lycanthropes will have less of a problem with this generally. Infected lycanthropes will have less of a problem with this after five to ten years of living with their condition on average. They are extremely impulsive ruled by that of their beast, with the mostly mind of one however more intelligent than one in nature. Older, more experienced lycanthropes can retain their minds, retain themselves, when fully transformed, but even then they are always in conflict with the instinct and impulses of the beast.
Shift “Coma” - Changing between forms consumes a great deal of energy; most lycanthropes must feed immediately after changing to animal form and collapse into a comatose state for several hours after returning to human form. Stronger lycanthropes do not need to feed immediately or collapse, but are extremely tired. All are subject to it in one way or the other.
Dietary Requirements - Lycanthropes, despite their dietary habits when in human form, are carnivores at heart due to the fact that they are apex predators, and have a seriously enhanced metabolism requiring massive amounts of flesh, and the animals they have become are typically carnivores. Never mind the fact that they are driven by the thrill of the hunt, and a hunger for flesh which rivals that of the thirst of a really thirsty Vampire. The energy expended during a transformation requires significant replenishment afterwards, the need for the hunt is absolute.
Blackout Shift - Newly infected or transitioning lycanthropes might not recollect the fact that they had undergone such transformation, or have not much more than brief glimpses into memories of what transpired after the fact as it is such a traumatic experience. Generally this lasts for the first 5 to 8 shifts on average for those it afflicts.
Decapitation – By any means. If the head is severed from the body, they die.
Fire - They heal burns like any other injury, though can be overcome by fire and immolated.
Poison - They are not immune to poisons, as they are disease. However the poison MUST be of the type or potency that would immediately incapacitate and kill a human being. Slow acting poisons, however lethal to humans that they might be, will burn out of a lycanthropes system and only make them sick. Relative. The stronger the poison, less that lethal to a lycanthrope based on the above mentioned criteria, the more violently ill they will become.
Oxygen Deprivation - Lycanthropes are ALIVE. They NEED to breathe. Without an air supply they will die.
Severe Silver Allergy - All Lycanthropes are extremely allergic to silver. Contact with silver causes immediate redness to a lycanthropes’ skin, in the area of contact. Contact for any longer than a second or two at most will cause even more irritation, and excruciating blistering of the skin in which the flesh will actually sizzle. Any weapon made of silver, or projectiles made of silver, will inflict serious life threatening trauma to a lycanthrope that will defeat their advanced regenerative and healing properties. They will heal at a human rate for non-life threatening wounds. If silver gets into their bloodstream in particulate or liquid form, they die. Werewolves cannot regenerate wounds caused by silver, as long as the silver remains imbedded or otherwise in their body. Assuming the silver is removed, regeneration of the wound(s) will occur at a human rate of speed. Vital organ strikes, with silver weapons are almost always as lethal as vital organ strikes with conventional weapons are to humans.
Old Age - A lycanthrope can die from old age, though most can live on up to three hundred years of age. The exception being in becoming the animal servant of a vampire, which will convey their vampire masters immortality upon them. For those that are not animal servants, they begin to wane in power at around 280 years in their powers and typically take up to ‘educational’ roles and grooming of their replacements depending on the pack or beast group type. Some cherish their old farts. Some kill them the very second they stop being value add.
Animal Servant – If a lycanthrope IS an animal servant, their immortality is tied to that of their vampire. If the vampire whom is their master dies so shall they.
Rouge – This lycanthrope is a rogue. Despite the established territory or presence of a pack (in the case of wolves), or any other relevant social group for their kind, they are rouge. Rouges are generally given reasonable time to decide whether to join a pack, for instance, or to leave the territory. If they refuse they are typically hunted, and killed, as security threats.
Lycanthrope Social Structure:
Werewolf:
Dominance: is a key element in werewolf social organization. The pack is structured in a clear hierarchy, and pack members move up or down by winning or losing challenges against other pack members. The fittest, and the more aggressive, are usually the leaders here.
Although most dominance battles end when one participant backs down, leadership of the pack is only transferred by a battle to the death.
A dominant pack member may issue any order to submissive member, provided that the dominant does not order the submissive to do anything illegal.
A pack member may offer or receive "protection" to or from another member. A pack member must accept all challenges on behalf of any person to whom he or she has offered protection.
Pack standing is established by being dominant over other wolves. Dominance is established by challenging and either fighting or backing down other pack members. Dominance fights are rarely to the death and sometimes are psychological battles. If the werewolf being challenged does not wish to fight, they simply acknowledge the challenger's dominance and the confrontation is over. The victor rises in rank and assumes the spot vacated by the defeated.
To ask for protection, a wolf can petition a dominant by brushing up against the dominant. If it is granted, the dominant will touch the submissive which then signals to any other lycanthropes in the area that he or she will protect that petitioner from their enemies/pursuers. When a werewolf asks someone for protection they are admitting the other is dominant to them. If the wolf is given this protection, they are in effect fully under the command of the person giving the protection. All other wolves will either simply acknowledge this protection and move on, or challenge the protection.
Packs usually appoint sponsors to new wolves to teach them about the change, control, and how to walk successfully in the two cultures. Normally the sponsor will teach new wolves about sex as a Lukoi. In some cases if the sponsor is unable or unwilling, the Eros or Eranthe may be assigned to act as sexual surrogates.
Official Pack Positions:
Ulfric: The ultimate alpha male of the pack. The Ulfric will be replaced by whoever defeats him in combat. In theory it does not have to be a death fight, and the Ulfric can in fact step down, but the new Ulfric will usually kill the old one to prevent a dominance split. Theoretically, female werewolves may become Ulfric, but female Ulfrics are rare because the strongest males normally have a significant strength advantage over even the strongest females. The term is a derivative of the Norse "ulfr," meaning "wolf."
Lupa: Named for Lupa, the mother of Romulus and Remus. The position is reserved for the Ulfric's chosen mate. Although the lupa need not fight for her/his position, the position of most dominant Alpha female (or male in the case of male Lupas) is determined by conflict. The term is Latin for "she-wolf" and "prostitute."
• An Ulfric may choose not to take a mate, but if so the chosen mate is almost always another Alpha. The Ulfric and Lupa almost always proceed to marry as humans, in normal human traditions thereafter as well.
Freyja: A lupa who declares herself independent of the Ulfric and challenges the Ulfric to reclaim her. Any male wolf may win her by having sex with her. The male wolves will do anything, including kill each other, to win her.
Freki and Geri: The Ulfric's second and third in command.
Bolverk: The Bolverk is the enforcer of the Ulfric. The Bolverk carries out punishments or performs duties the Ulfric does not want to do him/herself, or if he/she is not available to do so. Generally the tasks assigned to the Bolverk are the most unsavory in terms of "normal" acceptance, i.e. having to kill a rogue member. Often at times the Bolverk is used as almost as a bogeyman to keep other wolves in line.
Fenrir: An official challenger to the Ulfric, intent of claiming his/her position as replacement Ulfric.
Eros/Eranthe: These are the members of a pack (wolf) designated or entrusted with the teaching newly infected wolves how to control their strength and beasts during sexual intercourse. Eros being the male and Eranthes being the female.
Wereleopards:
The social rituals of the leopard pard is more difficult to discern in comparison to the wolf pack. There could be many reasons for this difficulty. The principle social characteristic of the pard members is a need for physical contact as a source of emotional reassurance. Pard members frequently rub against one another as if they were cats.
An interesting and notable characteristic in wereleopard terminology is the existence of three different titles for their leaders: Nimir-Raj/Nimir-Ra, leoparde lionne, leopard passant. The titles do not affect the functional, internal authority of the leader, but they do describe the type of leader currently in power.
Weretigers:
One of the rarest forms of lycanthropes. There are only four clans of tigers within the United States. They all keep to themselves. Their culture is also divided about purebloods, inherited lycanthropes, and attacked. Being given tiger lycanthropy is seen as a reward for a job well done. They think it is a sin to give it to someone not worthy. Tiger lycanthropy is one of the harder-to-catch strains. Tigers tend not to announce they are infected and entire families may stay in "the closet." Tigers have forced their clan members to marry other clan members, sometimes to keep the strain amongst themselves. Most have arranged marriages; they have been known to abduct known tigers, if an arranged marriage cannot be done. They are also a matriarchal (led by a woman/queen) society, unlike most of the other lycanthrope societies which are patriarchal (Led by a male/king).
Werelions:
Werelions are one of the cat lycanthropy strains. They are a few prides in the United States.
Pride - A group of werelions.
Rex - King of a pride.
Regina - Queen of a pride.
Werejaguars:
N/A
Werebears:
The queen of this group is called an Ursa.
Weresnakes:
Encountered are werecobras and (perhaps more indirectly) wereanacondas.
Of the werecobras, the leaders are called Kadra (female) and Kashyapa (male). They have the ability to have offspring like mammals or like reptiles.
Wererats:
Rom - King/Leader
Rodere - the term the wererat use to refer to the group