Lycanthropes

Whilst the term 'lycanthrope' translates to and originally means 'wolf man', the term is used to refer to any person that undergoes a change into a half-mortal half-beast form when exposed to moonlight or extreme stress. Some lycanthropes embrace the curse and are able to change form whenever they please, though these are rare and much more dangerous, referred to as True Lycanthropes. The original lycanthropes are werewolves, hence the name, however over the years Durza has created more and more similar curses to spread amongst the mortals, the ultimate perversion of the Gods creations. Once afflicted with lycanthropy, that persons soul belongs to Durza, as all monsters souls do, whether willing or unwilling.

Lycanthropy can be cured by divine magic, either from a God or Spirit, or even an experienced @[Cleric](profession:dbc8f01c-ef88-498f-bb82-69557f831214 with the right tools. A person bears no symptoms of lycanthropy until they change, and in some cases people may not even know they have it as the monster and mortal minds are separate, meaning a lycanthrope has no memory or control over their other form, with the exception of True Lycanthropes who share on consciousness. Lycanthropy is spread through the blood, by ingesting lycanthrope blood or, more commonly, being bitten or scratched by a lycanthrope in its monstrous form. All lycanthropes are bloodthirsty monsters that rarely leave survivors, so thankfully the spread of the curse is rare.

All lycanthropes are much sturdier and stronger than their mortal counterparts, with arrows barely sinking in to their skin and swords struggling to wound them. They also seem to have some resistance to magic, or perhaps they're just hardier and more easily able to shrug off magical effects and damage. They are not without weakness however, as all lycanthropes have some adversity to purity. The most commonly used and potent example of this is silver, a pure metal, or holy water, though any pure or holy substnce would work.