Lycanthropy

Lycanthropy is a magical curse, thought to be inflicted as a punishment on the mortal races by the Wild God Devrais for mocking the brutal, animalistic aspects of his influence. Those affected by the curse, known as lycanthropes, periodically transform into monstrous animal-humanoid hybrids called werebeasts, which brutally hunt and maim whatever or whoever they come across and transferring their curse to any humanoid they bite.

Transmission & Vectors

While transformed, werebeasts spread their lycanthropy through their bite - the mingling of even a little of the werebeasts saliva with the humanoids blood is enough to transfer the curse from one individual to another.

Causes

Initially, the wound will appear similar to any other bite, though the cursed nature of the wound will make it considerably slower to heal. However, within a week the curse will have spread throughout the entire body, turning the bitten humanoid into a new lycanthrope.

Symptoms

Most of the time, those with lycanthropy are completely normal individuals, with the curse lying dormant within them. On the night of a full moon, however, the curse emerges in full, transforming the affected into a werebeast. Many different forms of werebeast are known, including werewolves, wererats, werebears and weretigers. For all these forms, the werebeasts mind is overtaken entirely by pure, bestial brutality, seeking out whatever prey they can find to hunt and devour. Once the night ends, the curse becomes dormant once more, restoring the werebeast to its normal form and leaving them with the memories of all they did while transformed.

Treatment

Sadly, no known cure can prevent or reverse a lycanthropes transformations, nor remove the affliction following the initial bite. Given the nature of lycanthropy as a divine curse, some afflicted have been known to seek out shrines or priests of Devrais to beg the god to remove the curse - however, given the remote nature of such shrines, none have yet returned successfully from such a trip. As such, the most common treatment for lycanthropy is often to kill the affected individual before they spread the curse yet further.

Prognosis

While it is possible for a lycanthrope to gain control of their transformations, becoming able to transform at will and gaining a modicum of control as a werebeast, they can only do this by fully embracing the werebeasts nature and letting that savage, bestial element become part of their normal self. In doing so, they are essentially submitting to the will of Devrais, granting the Wild God the respect he feels due to him and thus repaying the insult responsible for the curse in the first place. Such individuals become noticeably more brutal and aggressive, drawing concern from friends and family and attention from those who hunt werebeasts.

Cultural Reception

While the mortal races long ago learned to properly respect the Wild God, lycanthropy remains a constant threat among them, with many having either lost family and friends at a werebeasts claws or had to kill them to prevent them from suffering the curse themselves. As such, although many are sympathetic to the lycanthropes plight, knowing that their actions under the curse are not normally by choice, they remain fearful of what the afflicted will do come the next full moon. Meanwhile, several orders have dedicated themselves to eradicating the curse entirely, tracking down lycanthropes in their ordinary forms and killing them to 'put them out of their misery', as they see it. Finally, this threat of lycanthropy can lead to distrust or fear of other shapeshifters, such as druids, selkies or other fey, in areas where the curse has taken its toll.

Type

Supernatural

Origin

Divine

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired

Rarity

Rare