Lycanthropes

'''Note: While there are many kinds of lycanthropes, weres, and cursed animal-shifters in Evanwyn, this covers the most common kind (which are still, by all accounts, uncommon, magically diseased beings...). Players should feel free to include their own branches at the end.'''

What is Lycanthropy?
Lycanthropy is a curse, some consider it a magical disease. Regardless, most of Evanwyn looks upon them with fear or loathing, as either way it is not a natural condition or gene. Those afflicted with it are changed into an animal form three days out of the month, following the phases of the moon. The first day they become a hybrid form, the second a full form, the third hybrid again.

The curse influences the personality of those it affects. Some change more than others. The curse itself seems personally, subjectively malevolent. Most often, the days before the change involve less impulse control, less ability to control their temper. For example, in wolves, rages are common. During intense rages, small changes can occur, such as longer teeth or claws, yellow lupine eyes, etc. The change itself is often very painful, beginning as mere pinpricks (think a limb waking up from being numb) to agony as though the afflicted’s very bones are melting.

During the change, the lycanthrope retains their intelligence, but it is mixed with the instincts of the animal they change into. Coupled with their impaired impulse control, when around people during the change, they have a tendency to harm others, especially if the others have wronged them in any way. Most do not remember what occured during their changes.

Strengths: Lycanthrope’s regenerative capabilities are very impressive. They can live centuries before their age begins to show. Even in their human form they have enhanced senses, though they are nothing compared to what they have during their time under the moon’s grip.

Most lycanthropes don’t live centuries, however. Their existence is almost always ends with a violent death.

Weaknesses: Silver. Violently allergic to silver. A lycanthrope cannot even touch silver without feeling its adverse affects. On bare skin it feels like vicious pricks with sharp needles. If a lycanthrope is wounded by any kind of silver weapon, their wounds will heal very slowly, slower than a human’s would if inflicted with the same weapon.

Types of Weres:
Lycanthropes can be referred to as Lycans, but that is rare. While "lycan" properly refers to were-wolves, most commoners don't know any better and might use the term to describe all weres. Mostly the afflicted are referred to as a prefix of Were and whatever animal they happen to turn into. Were-wolves are the most common, big cats the next.

Were-creatures can be both bitten and born into their curse. The former have a chance to be cured, but the latter is doomed to keep the curse for their life.

Removing the Curse:
Lycanthropy (scholars and magi will refer to it therianthropy, the term for any were-creature) as is not a natural disease, and so cannot be cured by conventional means. Even though it is magical, it cannot be cured by a dispel magic type of spell.

The only fairly certain cure known is tenuous at best.

An Alpha Were is the original holder of the curse. Any Were that has been bitten by an Alpha is a Beta. A Beta can be cured if they kill the Alpha who made them, thus removing the curse entirely. Alphas, primarily due to their age, are often the only weres that can exert any amount of control over their rages and changes.

Unfortunately, if a Beta creates another Were, they are not considered the Alpha. If the new were wishes to cure their curse, they must find the original Alpha, the start of the tainted magical bloodline.

Any born-Were is considered an Alpha, a source of a new tainted bloodline.

There have been other rumors of cures, such as intervention by the gods or demigods but such information is scarce and unproven.

The most readily available information available about Weres and their curse is held in the archives of the Council of Nine. Those seeking a cure or more information should check with the mages in the school of creation, who work tirelessly to find cures.

Passing on the Curse:
It is a common belief that werewolf’s souls are tainted and damned to hell for eternity. It is not known if this is true or not, just as there is no certain cure.

The curse is often called a disease because the most common way for it to be passed on is after a violent attack, where the victim is bit or clawed. Not every victim of a were attack becomes a were themselves, however. The curse is a mystical (many individuals argue evil) force and works in mysterious ways, infecting its victims to their very core.

OOC: Basically player’s call for infection.

Player Variants
''Below are player-created variants, clans,alpha-lines, or were-breeds. Please feel free to add your own!''