Lycanthropy

Transmission & Vectors

It is known that lycanthropes transmit the curse through blood and saliva and reports of lycans licking their weapons or cutting themselves to spread their blood are widespread.
Someone killed by a lycan does not return as a lycan. If wounded by a lycan (and subjected to saliva or blood), the subject is often able to heal the wound very quickly and avoid death and from that point on, avoid all disease also.

Causes

The cause of lycanthropy is often varied, but is thought to relate to an very powerful and ancient curse.
Certain factors are known to directly affect the change in lycans, the most primary being that of the silver moon, for when it becomes full, no lycan can resist the change.
Other instigators include the Black Lotus, whose scent or pollen in high enough doses may instigate the change from the original form into the beast form.

Symptoms

As there are many lycans that relate to many beasts, such as bears, wolves, boars, badgers, cats, bats and rats, each have their own symptoms, although all are subtle when in their non-beast form. All, however, cannot resist the draw of the full silver moon, and may often change in the days waxing and also waning therof.
It is known that during the initial phases of a new lycan, that their memory of the transformation is unable to be remembered, perhaps due to the intense pain of the transformation itself, however, as the lycan becomes more used to the transformations over years, pain seems to become negligible, not only of the change, but to all pain in general, save that of silver, quicksilver and fire, which do permanent damage to the creature.
A lycan of sufficient age can change at will, regardless of the moon phase. They are also able to regenerate faster as they age.

Type

Supernatural