Basic Werewolf Characteristics and Information
Names: Lupine, Were-wolf, Wolfman, Lycanthrope
When speaking about werewolves one of the most important things to keep in mind is that werewolves, just like humans, come in all shapes and sizes, all colors and creeds. It would be impossible to point to any one werewolf and say "There, that is what a werewolf is like." Werewolves come from all different cultures and peoples. Thier beliefs and thier personalities are just as varied and as beautiful as mortal ones. The only way to speak of werewolves in a more general term is to illustrate things that most werewolves share as common ground. Thus said we get into...
Common Characteristics: Not all Werewolves will have these attributes, Weres just like people are all different. These suggestions are part of a partial list of characteristics that a large number of were-wolves may have in common.
Heightened Senses - A were-wolf may have extra sharp hearing, or unusually clear vision, or an exceptional sense of smell. Most of them while in thier wolf and Crinos forms have these senses just as you would expect. However some may posess one or more of them when in thier Human forms as well.
Super Speed - Once again the were in question may have an unsually fast movement speed. Generally faster when in wolf and Crinos form but sometimes just as evident in Human form.
Stages of Development and Shape Changing:
A child born with the Lyncathrope gene will not necessarily know that he or she has this gene. It is not necessary that the parents have been weres. The Lycanthrope gene tends to be recessive and may skip generations and manifest itself somewhere wholly unexpected.
The first shifting usually occurs during late puberty or towards the end of the Lupine's teenage years. Though it is not unheard of for it to occur much earlier, though it is unusual except in cases of extreme trauma/abuse/or tragedy. The first time it happens it can be both very painful and very confusing for the person. It helps if there is an older Lycanthrope to assist in both the physical and psychological aspects. If there is no family member aware of, or willing to accept this trait in the young Initiate (common name for a newly emerged Were-wolf) then often times another Were-wolf will find them and adopt them into a pack.
Shape Shifting
The most basic form is the Human form, in which the Were looks just like any other normal human being. They tend to be on the stronger side than an average mortal and sometimes are taller. Though it is not unheard of to have a petit person be a were-wolf either. It's been a stero-type that Were are brooding and bad tempered as mortals. However this was only a stereotype and has been disproven many times over.
The next form (between Human and Crinos) is a form where the were becomes a humanoid wolf. Human hands with claw like fingernails, fangs and often the hair becomes thicker and more like fur. The were gains the advantages of some of the strength and hardiness of Crinos, but cannot draw his strength from the moon.
The most commonly thought of form is the Crinos, frightening wolf-man form. Crinos is arguably the most powerful and most terrifying form of the were-wolf. When in full Crinos the were-wolf draws power from the moon. They have the ability to shrug off some kinds of damage in Crinos and have serious advantages over most opponents who would have to fight off the natural urge to flee screaming or to pass out from fear.
The parallel of the humanoid wolf form. The second form, is the wolf-like human. Ocurring as an intermediary between Crinos and normal wolf forms. This would be your typical furry. They lose the power of speech in this form just as they do in the wolf form, while in Crinos a were may speak but must articulate around large canines which can make them hard to understand.
The last of the forms is the simple wolf form. The were loses its ability to speak in any way save for telepathic means and in communication with other wolves. In this form the Were is subject to the whims of a traditional wolf and may often seek out a pack to run with if it does not belong to a pack of its own. It is often faster and more intelligent than natural wolves in this last stage.
Traditionally wolves must pass through the stages in order, however, in extreme cases the Were may have enough adrenaline to shift directly into Crinos or out of it. It is by far easier to shift out of Crinos form than it is to shift into it.
When a were-wolf sustains too much damage, reguardless of what form they are in, and they lose consciousness they revert to whatever form is thier natural form. One problem with this reversion is that, in shifting into Crinos, the were drastically alters sizes. Were wolves can be as much as ten to twelve feet tall in Full Crinos. Massive claws and jaws with grips to rival the jaws of life are famous features of the Crinos werewolf. Nine feet tall is about the average height for a Crinos were-wolf, six feet being considered short for a Crinos. Since the size change is so drastic, any clothes the Human may have been wearing are inevitably destroyed, leaving the were wolf naked when they shift back into thier human form. This can lead to all kinds of awkward social situations and some rather comical jokes at thier expense.
Pack Behavior
Most were-wolves that can find others of thier own kind, and almost all of them can, barring extenuating circumstances werewolves will locate a local pack, will join a pack.
A pack has one leader and he or she will defend this leadership to the death or until such time comes as a younger or stronger member can defeat them. A pack leader is called the Alpha.
Family/pack loyalty is considered extremely important. Although much of the time the members of the pack may not 'get along' with one another or agree on things, when any member of the pack is threatened they will defend thier own. To threaten a werewolf is insane to begin with, but to threaten a werewolf who belongs to a pack is nothing short of suicidal unless you have an army to back you up.
The Alpha must look after the younger/lower pack members and he is the representative of them all. His decisions are final and as such it is extremely important to have a good Alpha leading your pack.
The Alpha may be replaced only by another werewolf who can defeat the Alpha in combat. Such battles in which an Alpha is defeated often tend to end in the death of the old leader. Though this varies from case to case.
The Gather - When a werewolf pack gathers all together formally. The leader may call a Gather for any reason he or she chooses, but a leader generally must have a good reason for summoning everyone together. Common reasons for a Gather can be; to discuss appropriate action when the pack is face with a problem or challenge (such as the arrival of a new pack in thier territory), to recognize a new arrival or member of the pack, to discipline an errant member, to celebrate a First Battle's Scar, or to mourn the passing of one of thier own.
A Gather may be structured in many different ways, it all depends on the customs and culture of the pack. Some Gathers take place in conference centers in suit and tie, some take place deep in the forests at night around wild bonfires with lots of drinking.
First Battle's Scar - This can be known by any variety of names, First Blood, Rite of Passage, Rite of Warriors. It is a common theme with many packs, though not all. When a young werewolf wishes to prove itself an adult he or she seeks to prove him or herself by defending the pack. When they are wounded in some form of combat, be it against vampires, werewolf hunters, or some other natural enemy, when they are wounded in thier first battle some substance is rubbed into the wound, ash, sand, or some other irritant, to ensure that it leaves a permanent scar when it heals over. When the scar has formed the young initiate is presented before the pack leader or a group of elders and a Gather is held to honor the First Battle's Scar and the young one is accepted as an adult of the pack.
Some of the more modern packs scorn this practice as barbaric and do away with it entirely. Although there are some modern groups who carry out this rite as a symbolic action and still do bear physical scars, generally taken on in a special ceremony with an elder or family member.
Gaia - Werewolves in the earliest years of thier existance were the mightiest warriors for Gaia. Gaia is a figure found commonly in virtually every single early religion. The spirit of the Earth, the Great Mother, The Force, whatever you wish to call it, all werewolves share a common link with the planet. They are pulled by its natural forces and are drawn to the wild, with varying degrees of strength depending on the werewolf.
In the more modern age, fewer and fewer werewolves know of thier great heritage. They still have The Connection, as those who understand its nature call it, but many are ignorant of its implications.
Werewolves, like in popular mythology, are strongest during full moons, though they are not forced to change forms as many believe. The spirit embodied by the moon is that of the lover of Gaia and so the werewolves celebrate the consummation of Gaia and her lover at each Full Moon. The likewise mourn the separation at each New Moon. The effects of these lunar activities vary by werewolf. Common effects for the New Moon may include: restlessness, irritability, the desire to be outside, depression, lack of creativity or writer's block, and sometimes even physical symptoms. Common Effects of a full moon can be: hyper activity, excessive agressiveness, heightened sexual urges, restlessness, or being overly argumentative.
A were wolf may also be affected by the phase of the moon they were born under, some werewolves are wholly unaffected by this, and some claim to have extremely intense urges, compulsions, or dreams during these times.
Lost Ones - Legends from long ago speak of a group of werewolves who allowed themselves to be seduced by vampires. In traditional werewolf mythology vampires are the physical manifestation of the taint that falls upon the Earth, on Gaia. This group fell under the spell of these creatures and lay with them. It is said that from this illicit union was born a pack of offspring that were neither werewolf nor vampire. These offspring were sometimes malformed, sometimes hauntingly beautiful. Some died within hours and some lived on for thousands of years. Neither accepted by thier werewolf parents nor thier vampires ones these creatures were forced to wander alone and without a guide. Some of them chose to live as vampires, and some as werewolves. They were unilaterally tainted by this corruption that slowly but surely gnawed away at them. Many went mad in a very short time while others were able to live normally for a startlingly long time before the succumbed to the madness that the taint brought onto them.
Many hunter groups arose to slay these abominations to both the vampire and werewolf worlds and many were killed. So many that the Lost Ones, as they had become known, faded largely into the stuff of legends. Living in secret as the only way to preserve thier existance.
Today it is thought impossible to mix werewolves with vampires and most modern scholars write these legends off as fictions made up surrounding some kind of genetic mutation that occurred primarily in countries of the far north. Precious little information to either validate or negate this claim can be found, and what little is found tends to get written off as forgery. Much like the study of extra terrestrials and its mortal following.
Miscellaneous
Werewolves, during the last month of a pregnancy are unable to change their forms and must keep whichever form is thier natural one.
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