Lycanthropy

When Feywild blood enters a non fey creature, it ruptures their humanity splitting them in two. Turning the being in to a Lycan, a beast hidden behind the veil of a human, threatening to tear away what little humanity he victim may have left.

Transmission & Vectors

If someone with Lycanthropy bites someone who isn't related to the fey, they may gain the disease. However, if the victim is connected to the fey already (the Elf is an example of a fey connected race) they are immune.

Causes

Any powerful Fey can start a new chain of Lycans if they curse someone who could be infected with Lycanthropy.

Symptoms

Unnatural hair growth, Transformation into a beast, split personalities.

Treatment

It's permanent. Or at least that's what the Fey claim.

Prognosis

The victim will slowly begin to transform into their Lycan form, with the split personality trying to take over. Eventually the Lycan form and personality will take over completely.

Sequela

Transforming into a Lycan becomes more and more common as the disease remains in the body.

Affected Groups

Any creatures that aren't related by the Fey.

Hosts & Carriers

Lycans are the only people who carry the disease.

Prevention

Silver in the system as well as being touched by a benevolent Fey can prevent the disease.

Epidemiology

It's slow due to spreading being difficult (Lycans don't generally let their victims live if they bite them). However there have been cases where it spreads rapidly in a population due to cultural factors, like the Wererat gangs in Waterdeep. It seems to never spread in frozen areas like in Deadsnows .

History

(Transcription from Sir Fearthforth’s 8th annual Lycanthropy lecture) So, I’m glad to see you all this year. I see mostly new faces, but a couple old... Yes, I see you there Remus and Idris. Anyways, I’m here to tell the tale of Lycanthropy and how it came to be with Dr. Cheney, a human none the less, in the Golden Elven Empire. During his time in service to the Elven nobles he became a renowned doctor, but one operation is told to have sealed his fate. In order to reverse an assassination attempt on a Corellon priestess by performing surgery in her own temple he was cursed by Corellon himself, and was infused with the blood of a fey. From there he slowly developed a disease that we now call Lycanthropy, and over the years he became more and more animalistic no matter how hard he tries to reverse it’s course. He finally decided to go into hiding, but that plan only backfired. You see, when one is in solitude the mind wanders and becomes crazed, and for an animal it magnifies the insanity. What would happen to our dear doctor was horrific. By the time he finally left his solitude his sanity and mentality were gone. All that was left was his animal side. So he roamed day and night, spreading his infectious disease across the land to any foolish enough to raise arms against him. At first, this were-beast disease was just that, no defined form until generations later after the clans were formed. Notably the Arcuns, the Shires, the Litagry, and the Falns (all of which were nobility before this). You see, were-folk have a higher evolution speed than humans, but still less than a goblin’s, and over only two generations each clan had completely adapted for ideal survival. The famous of those are the wererats, wereboars, and werewolf’s.

Cultural Reception

Treated with fear by the general populace. The carriers will be killed and hunted if discovered.

Type

Supernatural

Origin

Magical

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired

Rarity

Extremely Rare

Affected Species

• Human