Order of the Lycan

Of the many terrible curses that plague the realm, few are as ancient or as feared as Lycanthropy. Passed through blood, this affliction seeds a host with the savage strength and hunger for violence of a wicked beast. The Order of the Lycan is a proud order of blood hunters who undergo “The Taming,” a ceremonial inflicting of lycanthropy from a senior member. These hunters then use their abilities to harness the power of the monster they harbor without losing themselves to it. Through intense honing of one’s own willpower, combined with the secrets of the order’s blood magic rituals, members learn to control and unleash their hybrid form for short periods of time. Enhanced physical prowess, unnatural resilience, and razor sharp claws make these warriors a terrible foe to any evil that crosses their path. Yet, no training is perfect, and without care and complete focus, even the greatest of blood hunters can temporarily lose themselves to the bloodlust.
Those inducted into the Order of the Lycan choose this path with conviction, understanding the terrible burden it is and the challenges it brings. Where most who embrace this curse grow wicked, mad, even murderous, these blood hunters accept the gifts of the beast while maintaining control through intense training and blood magic. These factors enable a member of the Order of the Lycan to prevent the spread of their curse through blood, should they wish to. One of the most sacred oaths of this order is to never infect another without the order’s sanction.
Should a member of the Order of the Lycan be cured of the lycanthropic curse, it is a terrible shame on their name, the order, and those who carry the curse still. There have been passages written about members being cleansed against their will, but those brothers and sisters readily return to the order to undergo a renewed initiation of The Taming, reintroducing the curse to their bodies and restoring their honor.
Lycanthropy comes in many forms. Each version of the curse is bound to a specific beast: wolf, bear, tiger, boar, and rat are a few of the more well-known variations. The strain of the curse defines the beast a hybrid form will share, but the features the curse bestows remain relatively uniform across strains.

Type

Guild, Fighter / Mercenary

Parent Organization

Blood Hunters