Lycanthropy
In the early days of civilization, Humans spread stories of what some of them had seen in the woods: men that could turn into feral beasts under the light of the full moon, and knew no mercy, only violence. Some said they were demons from beyond the mortal plane, others believed they were tampering with dark powers. These fearful debates lasted all of three months, and ended when the Lycans showed up in person to clear up the matter. Afterwards, everyone had a good laugh and a few drinks, but the legend of Werewolves lived on, if only for the humor value.
The story did not end there, however. A certain group of necromancers toyed with Lycan genes, and from them crafted a virus that could transform its victims under the full moon, turning them into wolves that were vicious, strong enough to bite through steel, and, most importantly, enslaved to their necromantic masters. Victims of lycanthropy have no control over their bodies during the full moon, and their minds are linked to the neromancer who crafted the virus, allowed their master to see through their eyes, hear through their ears, and command them directly. Lycanthropy remained undiscovered for many years, as the Society was very careful to make sure their canine minions acted like a normal Lycan on the town. However, their presence was discovered after a particularly bold necromancer decided to try and infect a Lycan with it. All that this ended up doing, however, was make the victim really itchy and, because most of the mental effects were directly caused by the physical ones, gave them the power to see where their infector was. This lead to the discovery of the Society's true intentions, and the subsequent war against them. Despite the affliction's long history, there still remain two races that are unaffected by it: the Lycans, by virtue of immunity, and the Genetaur, who the Society have actively prevented from getting it. The reason for this is that the condition affects half-animal races in bizarre enough ways, having Lycan genes intermingle and modify a countless number of other genes is an experiment no one wants to try. A society member once asked what the worst that could happen in the event of such was, and in response, a committee was formed that started a list, and hasn't stopped since. Theorized effects range from an unusually furry rash to Cthulhu.Transmission & Vectors
Symptoms
- Dragonborn become Hellhounds, a horned canine with dragon claws, fiery breath, and a black and red coat of fur that is similar to a bloodhound's.
- Fairies become Kitsune, a nine-tailed fox with the power to generate man-sized illusions.
- Merfolk become Seawolves, a type of wolf with webbed paws in front, and seal-like flippers in the back that can breath underwater and swim extremely fast.
- Naga become Serpandogs, a strange creature with the upper body of a wolf, and the lower body of a snake. They have a venomous bite and extremely high land speed.
Treatment
History
Cultural Reception
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" It should be remember, however, that these "benefits" come at the cost of the" remembered or kept in mind. :) other than that i found nothing else. I like the article for the kost part. There was some unexpected humor that genuinely made me laugh. Particularly the furry rash to Cthulhu comment. I am a little confused about the necromancer side and i feel thst the connection victims and necromancers have should be explored a bit further. I do have another question though. Why a full moon and not a new moon, what about silver and if silver works why not gold?
Thank you for your feedback, I'll fix that typo when I can. I'll probably explore the connection to necromancers a bit further in gameplay, and you did remind me that I need to figure what happens to werewolves on a moon. I don't really know how I'm going to handle weaknesses to other metals, to be honest.