Werewolves

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Werewolves

Powers ♦ Relations with other species ♦ Roles Werewolves may be considered a class of shapeshifter, except for one crucial thing: they cannot control their transformations. Instead, they are cursed to transform every full moon and in their wolf form they cannot control their actions. They revert to the state of a predator in the wild, and they will hunt down and kill any people nearby. For this reason, werewolves tend to either travel to remote locations in order to transform, or they chain themselves up. In wolf form, werewolves are indistinguishable from ordinary wolves except for their glowing eyes and often larger than usual size. Werewolves live in packs, ruled by an alpha. They have a strong sense of community and family ties. Even when transformed, the wolves will follow their alpha. Becoming a werewolf All werewolves start off as human, but are marked with the werewolf curse which must then be activated. The children of werewolves are born with a birthmark that indicates their heritage. Humans who are bitten by a werewolf in wolf form are also marked with this curse. For humans who are bitten, the curse can be removed by magic as long as it has not been activated. Humans, meta humans, and witches can all be bitten by a werewolf and thus marked with the werewolf curse. Ghosts by their nature cannot be bitten, fae and shapeshifters are immune, and vampires are poisoned by a werewolf bite. Those marked with the curse must kill a living human being (witches, shapeshifters, meta humans and other werewolves all count here) in order to activate the curse. They will then transform into a wolf at the next full moon, and every full moon after that for the rest of their lives. Before the curse is activated, the character is only a potential werewolf, not an actual werewolf, and they have none of the powers of a werewolf except for an increased bad temper. At this stage, they can still be turned into vampires. After they become a werewolf, they can no longer be turned into a vampire. In principle, there is no difference between a natural-born werewolf and a bitten werewolf. Bitten werewolves are not considered lesser in any sense, as long as they are brought into the pack and are willing to integrate. However, it is likely that they will not have the same sort of status as, say, a werewolf family that has been around for generations and has a well-established status in the community. This means they often have to work harder to earn the respect of the pack. Werewolf children (nb: this section talks about pregnancy and miscarriage) The werewolf curse is passed down the generations, whether or not it has been activated. The children of werewolves or potential werewolves will also be born with the werewolf curse. This can be seen in the form of a birthmark that varies in shape between different werewolf families. It is not possible to remove an inherited curse. Although werewolves can reproduce, a woman who has activated her werewolf curse and becomes pregnant will invariably miscarry due to her monthly transformation early on in her pregnancy. For this reason, historically it has been the case that only the men in the family will choose to activate their curse. Nowadays with the advent of modern science and the creation of magical objects that allow werewolves to turn at will (e.g. moonlight jewellery), female werewolves have more options when it comes to having children. There are still fewer female werewolves than male, however, and they are discouraged from activating their curse. Powers Strength: 2-7 in human form, 3-8 in wolf form | Magic: 0-1 The strength of a werewolf waxes and wanes with the moon. During a new moon, they are at their most human and therefore weakest. During a total lunar eclipse, they lose their powers altogether. As the full moon approaches, their strength increases along with their temper. Just before the full moon rises, they are at their peak strength in human form and their animal instincts are heightened. Anger, fear and other high emotions can all provoke a fight rather than flight response. They are also at their most sexually aggressive during this time. In wolf form, they are strong, fast and keen hunters. They will instinctively target vampires first, followed by other varieties of human. They will never attack other werewolves or humans who have been marked with the werewolf curse. The exception to this is if they come into contact with a rival pack, in which case the alphas may initiate a fight. Alphas draw strength from their pack. The more loyal followers an alpha has, the greater their strength will be. In contrast, an alpha who loses the trust of their pack becomes vulnerable and may lose their alpha status if challenged by another member of the pack. Strengths All werewolves have the following abilities: • Enhanced strength, agility and fast reflexes in human form, although this varies according to the moon cycle. • Enhanced senses in human form, especially sense of smell. • Can detect vampires, shapeshifters and other werewolves by scent. This includes identifying potential werewolves, but they'd have to get up close. • Transform into a wolf as the full moon reaches its apex. The transformation lasts until the moon has set, and the werewolf will likely wake up in their human form around sunrise. • Increased strength and speed in wolf form, beyond that of an ordinary wolf in the wild. • Can heal quickly from all injuries. • Bite in wolf form poisons and kills vampires. • Bite in wolf form marks humans, meta humans and witches with the werewolf curse. • Natural influence over real wolves and dogs, who recognize them as superiors. • Can become a familiar, if not a member of a pack. Werewolves can gain the following additional abilities: • Can recognize all supernatural types by scent. • Retain wolf strength in human form. • Retain intelligence and will in wolf form. • Retain full strength throughout the month. • Can temporarily lend their strength to other members of their pack. (All of them during a full moon, one during a new moon.) • Can control and direct their pack in wolf form. • Can communicate telepathically with their pack in wolf form. • Can transform at any time. • Transform into a two-legged "wolf man" form. • Complete immunity to vampire mind control. Weaknesses • Weakened by wolfsbane. • Usually cannot control their wolf forms. • Strength declines as the moon wanes. • Anger management issues. Relations with other species Fae: Werewolves tend to have little contact with fae, despite the fact that fae are capable of magic that could help a wolf in controlling their form. This is mostly because fae don't much like werewolves and aren't interested in helping them. Ghosts: Werewolves are not especially attuned to the dead, but they can see and communicate with a manifested ghost. Their animal senses also make them a little more sensitive to ghostly activity. Occasionally an individual werewolf might find themselves with a spirit guide, but for the most part werewolves have little to do with ghosts. Humans: Werewolves who choose to live with humans must be conscious of the fact that they pose a great danger every month. These wolves are the ones who tend to chain or lock themselves up during the full moon. As long as they keep their monthly "problem" secret, they can function in human society. Meta Humans: Meta humans may be more capable of defending themselves and of understanding the werewolf curse so it is possible for them to get on with werewolves. Others would rather avoid the risk that comes with living in close proximity to someone who wants to kill you every month. Shapeshifters: They would seem to be natural allies, but unlike shapeshifters werewolves cannot control their transformations. Sometimes feuding occurs as a result of wolves killing shapeshifters or rivalries spring up due to the werewolves' numerical and physical superiority. But these differences are always forgotten in the face of a common enemy such as vampires. Shapeshifters and werewolves can become good friends, especially in a mixed group of meta humans where everyone is expected to support each other. It's possible for the presence of a transformed shapeshifter to calm a wolf, especially if they have a strong bond. Vampires: While in wolf form, their bite is fatal to a vampire. It will kill young vampires instantly and infect older vampires, driving them insane before finally killing them. A werewolf cannot be turned into a vampire. Unsurprisingly, werewolves and vampires are mortal enemies and have feuded for centuries. It is not uncommon to find werewolves who are also vampire hunters. Werewolves: Werewolves are highly insular and tend to prefer the company of their own to any other supernatural species. They live in packs ruled by an alpha, and they have a strong sense of community and family spirit. A wolf is highly loyal to their pack and will die defending it. If a werewolf chose to reject being a member of any pack, they would be considered outcast and fair game for hunters. Witches: Witches can create potions to help regulate and subdue werewolves on a full moon, which makes them highly valuable to werewolves who want their help. This doesn't mean that witches particularly like them: they are considered cursed creatures and often looked down upon. Despite that, they can and do work together, as alliances between witches and werewolves are often mutually beneficial with the wolves providing the brute force that witches lack. Roles A werewolf pack is tightly knit and has a strict hierarchical structure. They are also highly territorial and will patrol the boundaries of their territory to deter intruders, including other wolves. Alphas, the pack leaders, remain strong as long as they retain the loyalty of their pack. If they lose in battle to a challenger, the alpha also loses their status within the pack. Level 1 Beta (inexperienced) Regular members of the pack. Usually newbie wolves who have recently joined the pack or have just become werewolves. Level 2 Beta (experienced) Senior members of the pack. Level 3 Second-in-Command Leads the pack in the absence of the alpha, and will take over if the alpha dies. If there is no level 4 alpha, then this role will become the alpha instead. Level 4 Alpha The undisputed leader of the pack. Can be a pair if they are a couple. Numbers make a pack strong, and alphas may choose to increase the strength of their pack by initiating werewolves who have not yet activated their curse, and biting humans to give them the werewolf curse. By doing this they can form a pack that is several hundred strong, but of course larger packs are also more difficult to manage. Level 5 King | Queen The King or Queen of the werewolves is something of a legend: the Alpha of Alphas, the one who will unite numerous packs into a single formidable force. They must have the vision and the capacity to bring their people together. A truly rare occurrence. back to navigation

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