Skinchangers

Skinchangers are beings of Sognian lore. The Scholars' Guild has found no evidence of their existence, and even the Sognian legends say little about them other than that they were created in The Long Night of the World by the Lightbearers. There is no mention of these beings after the victory of the Lightbearers and the end of the Long Night. 
When they took the shape of men, they are said to have been of a giant stature. In their animal appearance, they transformed into the form of a large cave bear. 
These beings are separate from Sognian practitioners of magic who use their abilities to transform into animals.