Lycanthropy

Lycanthropy is an ancient and very rare, gene-altering curse that causes humanoids to turn into beasts; lycanthropes, more commonly known as werewolves or werebeasts. Lycanthropy is uncommon and becoming rarer as the years pass. Lycanthropy is passed through saliva making its way into the bloodstream through a bite, and has various forms and variations.

History

Lycanthropy was once thought to be a disease of purely biological origin, though science could never pinpoint a pathological cause. In modern times, the condition is understood to be magical in nature and part of a powerful and ancient divine curse by the goddess Eluvias. While the origin story of the curse is sometimes debated, substantial evidence points to the ruins of Ohwlwae as the birthplace of the curse. While its reasoning and origin is still debated Eluvias undoubtedly caused the curse and does not deny doing so. Today, Eluvias offers faithful lycanthropes assistance in controlling the curse.

The Ohwlwae Ruins

Ohwlwae is a ruined church that was uncovered in the deserts of Rellikan in 7,022 SA. An ancient and long-destroyed shrine and house of worship to Eluvias, the goddess of the moon. The ruin held an archaeological wealth of texts, inscriptions and information about the worship of Eluvias in the First Age. Eluvias is known to be a sometimes spiteful, vengeful goddess when provoked and it is believed that the priests and priestesses of Ohwlwae are one of the various reasons for this. Once a generous but slow and deliberate goddess, Eluvias was known to grant great boons to her worshippers who were patient enough. The ruins tell a now-cautionary tale of priests and priestesses who seem to have turned to powerful magic to take advantage of the power of the moon. The coven sacrificed 5 different young animals in this ritual on her sacred lunar floor, one for each of the coven members. It is said that this sacrifice infuriated Eluvias. Frustrated by the coven's blindness and ignorance, Eluvias fused the souls of the young creatures with the bodies of the priests and priestesses. The grotesque forms they would take each month under the light of the full moon would teach them and all those they met to know her power, and respect her rules and laws. She made the coven into the first lycanthropes, and this divine curse would spread throughout the world as a reminder of the wrath of Eluvias, should her power be misused.

Types and Variations

Inherited Lycanthropy

The curse of lycanthropy can infect a lineage, as there is a roughly 25%-50% chance a child with a lycanthrope parent will inherit the condition. When two parents are lycanthropes, this change is increased significantly. Lycanthrope parents can prevent their children from inheriting the condition by utilising protective magic and herbs during a pregnancy or conception, and curse removal treatment by clerics can assist in the process. Even so, this process is not 100% effective and sometimes the cursed line is so strong there is little to no preventing the condition from being carried across.

Transmitted Lycanthropy

With every bite a lycanthrope makes, there is a chance of the condition being spread through saliva. It is not easily spread with small nicks or cuts; most people who obtain the curse receive it from a large laceration or mauling. In lycanthropes with controlled lycanthropy, this process is said to be controllable also, though this topic is hotly debated.

Haemoarcane Lycanthropy

The magic of lycanthropy is stored in the cells and blood of the host, and many who deal with it have found that utilising blood magic can be an effective way of managing and controlling their curse. This is thought to be a process supported by Eluvias, a Goddess well known to be open to spiritual enlightenment and magic in all its forms. This theory is supported by the fact that blood mage lycanthropes that are reserved with the use of their powers seem to be very stable and well-adjusted compared to other forms of blood mages. Lycanthropes who utilise blood magic to help control and manage their condition find they are able to control their change, enjoy a longer lifespan, and can access haemoarcane magic through their lycanthrope-enhanced blood.

Lycanthropic Sorcery

Some lycanthropes find they slowly gain access to sorcery-type magic as their curse progresses. This sorcery is similar to that which a chaos sorcerer may be able to access and can come with similar outbursts and side effects. This aspect of lycanthropy is rare on top of an already rare curse, and is therefore very poorly understood and understudied.

Enlightened Lycanthropes

Enlightened lycanthropes are lycanthropes that have gone through the process of learning to control their powers. This involves rehabilitation and spiritual learning through a church of Eluvias, Ervian, Liesiel or sometimes Irasil. The entity or deity that an individual chooses to go through is personal, and different deities are going to be right for different individuals. Sometimes, more obscure deities or figures, such as devils or fae, are contacted for assistance in enlightenment. Most lycanthropes choose to submit themselves to Eluvias for obvious reasons, and she is usually the most gracious and supportive in their process.

Symptoms

Passive

Lycanthropy carries many passive symptoms that are not part of a change, and may be experienced in everyday life once the condition has been contracted. These can include

• Excessive body hair, thickened body hair, rapidly-growing hair on the head or face
• Increased fertility and libido
• Increased aggression and anger
• Reduced sense of fear
• Increased alertness and reaction times
• Obsession with the moon
• Affinity with dogs
• Cats are repulsed by you
• Sensitive hearing and sense of smell
• A dislike of water and swimming
• Curved fingernails
• Deepening of the voice
• Increased muscle mass
• Increased appetite
• Emotional disturbances following the cycle of the moon

The change

For hereditary lycanthropes, the first changes are usually associated with puberty. In transmitted lycanthropy, the curse can be carried in the body for months to years after a bite before a host experiences their first change. The first change is usually followed by a migraine-like aura a day or two before the full moon, accompanied by headaches and an urge to be outside. The change occurs usually a few hours after sunset on the night of a full moon, and following the first change it will occur every lunar month. The begins with unstable emotions and the presence of anger and hunger, restlessness, and an extreme desire to witness the moon and be outside beneath it. This is followed by tremors, a spike in fever and extreme muscle pain. The process is agonising, as bones magically stretch and muscles rearrange to accommodate them. Most natural changes are over within a few minutes, and the following beast form will be present until the sun rises the next day. The change can be exhausting and sometimes quite dangerous. It is very physically taxing on the body, requiring a huge amount of energy and a well-supported diet to fuel it correctly. Many lycanthropes are chronically malnourished. During the change, objects carried or worn by the beast are usually "absorbed" into the body, reappearing when their form reverets to a humanoid one. This poorly understood process is known as lycanotransmutation, and is an exciting research prospect for many in the arcane field of transmutation and alchemy.

Beast Forms

The different beast forms seen in lycanthropes can be traced back to a member of the coven of Ohwlwae and the animal they were cursed with. These forms are named after the coven member who originally harboured the curse, and are known as lycanthropic "lineages".

• The Wolf
• The Dog
• The Bear
• The Boar
• The Owl The owl lineage is thought to have died out during the late stages of the First Age 

Vulnerabilities and invulnerability

Lycanthropes have various vulnerabilities that come as part of Eluvias' curse. However, what is poorly understood is the lycanthropes additional invulnerability to almost all kinds of normal damage. Though the hides of werebeasts are usually very thick and resistant to bumps and cuts, this invulnerability is not a physical one. Lycanthropes in their beast form have a magical resistance and protection to any damage by weapons or objects that are not magical. Of their vulnerabilities, The most well-known is silver. Silver is indeed incredibly effective for weaponry designed to confront a lycanthrope. The apparent repulsion to silver was once thought to be because of Eluvias' fondness of the metal, but this is not the case. Silver's power comes from its inherent magic stored in the metal. A theoretical weapon made up of flux crystal or O'lessi bone would be equally useful, but these materials are rarer to come by and therefore less practical. The magic within magical objects can "cancel" out the lycanthrope's protective field, making them much more effective.
Other herbs and items are known to ward off werebeasts. Wolfsbane is known to be highly effective and is often hung by doors and windows on a full moon in rural areas across the world. Tinctures of wolfsbane and various other ingredients have been reportedly used to "suppress" a lycanthrope's change on a full moon, but these tinctures are difficult and expensive to formulate. Obsidian worn as jewellery is another supposed measure to ward off werebeast attacks, but there is little to no evidence supporting its effectiveness.

Prevention

Magical items enchanted with immunity to lycanthropy can be purchased across the world, with varying levels of effectiveness. In 8,990 SA Sedian Crown put forward a program to fund research toward developing a magical "immunisation" to prevent the spread of lycanthropy. Lycanthropy is illegal to transmit in Sedia, and carries a great level of stigma. This program was unsuccessful, and charms, enchanted items and spells are still the most reliable form of protection against the curse.

Cure

Lycanthropy can be cured, but the cures available are rarely widely accessible. Divine magic can remove the curse of lycanthropy like any other curse, however, a simple curse removal will not be sufficient for treating lycanthropy. Specialised rituals by talented practitioners are required to treat or remove lycanthropy.

A werewolf in their beast form by spooktacular