Post by With on Dec 30, 2012 11:57:20 GMT -7
WEREWOLVES - A STUDY[/i][/size][/color]
You may feel free to modify almost anything I have put here - but please, keep it generally within what has been provided. No huge vampiric werewolves, no werewolves with just a feral form, etc. This is not meant to RESTRICT you, it is meant to EQUALIZE what everyone thinks about werewolves in this role play.[/color]
GENERAL
A werewolf is a human that has the ability to transform into several different canine-based forms. One is a feral form, just larger than a dog, one is a were form, a bipedal canine larger than a human, and an argentum form, larger than a wild beast. The change itself is quick and painless unless provoked into argentum form.
The werewolf can look similar to almost any canine, be it a type of dog breed or wolf, and it is usually hereditary. They appear to be human when in human form, only revealing the wolf when they shift.
Their senses are enhanced, they can develop special abilities, and they heal extraordinarily fast.
However, their numbers are few. Only around 10k werewolves currently exist in the world, but Waymoor is a city that tolerates them and has no local groups of hunters.
Werewolves burn more calories than most humans, and are almost never overweight or out of shape. They must consume a large quantity of food to be able to maintain any form - werewolves on average eat ~3.5kcal per day at minimum. When shifting or fighting or using an ability, that number increases exponentially. When hungry, afraid, angered, injured, or any other severe emotion, they are prone to partial shifting and bloodlust. They tend to lose their human selves, and attack anything that is near out of desperation and lack of control.
Every werewolf if shifted or partially shifted has extraordinary eyes. They can be any color that does not normally occur in humans - legend has it, human witches cursed the druidic werewolf ancestors with this so they would know if wolves were nearby. The eyes can be colors like orange, green, bright blue, red - anything in the spectrum.
Werewolves live in large packs that they are close with and rely upon, following the lead of one alpha. Packs always shift together on the night of the full moon, and are close even in human form.
FORMS
A note about language - a werewolf can speak and understand another werewolf in any form. There is no word or name for this language, and to a human it sounds like normal dog/wolf noises. Translates to wolves as their own native language. Ex., a wolf in human form can understand a wolf speaking in feral. A wolf from Russia can understand a wolf from America, despite not speaking the same language.
FERAL
The feral form is like that of a large dog or a wolf, weighing around 150lbs, standing around 3.5ft at the shoulder. Usually lankier than the average dog as well, and has more fur around the head and neck where hair might have been. Can run at speeds of around 40mph for extended periods of time, sprinting at upwards of 60mph. Does not require much energy to maintain. Werewolves in their feral form are almost never mistaken for real dogs or wolves - they do not act like them, and look quite a bit different.
WERE
The were form is the most commonly thought of 'werewolf'. It is partially bipedal, partially quadruped. It stands at about 7.5-8ft on average, and weighs around 600lbs. It can walk on its hind legs, but usually runs on all fours, exceeding sometimes even 100mph in a sprint.
It has longer, more pointed ears than its feral form, and more fur on the neck - occasionally even longer locks form, like hair.
The were form may also change a bit in coloration or markings - the feral form is designed to look natural, whereas the were form is designed to be the form the werewolf spends most of its time in.
ARGENTUM
This is the largest, most fierce form. They increase in size, getting to be upwards of 10ft tall, and weighing upwards of 900lbs. It is very costly, burning a lot of calories just due to sheer size.
It amplifies everything - every sense, every ability, even the wolf's powers. However, it can only be shifted into during very, very desperate times, and always by accident. As a result, it is the most dangerous form, and the wolf's 'true' form, allowing it to have total reign.
Many werewolves will go their entire life not experiencing their Argentum form. Not much is known about it, but it is feared by humans and wolves alike.
PARTIAL SHIFTING
A werewolf can also shift partially into feral or were form, or partially feral and were. It is much easier for borns to do, and does require quite a bit of practice.
For instance, as a human, one could shift the claws and canines of their were form, the tail of their feral form, ears of their were form, and any sort of combination like that.
When partially shifted beyond one body part (ex. claws), a werewolf's eyes always change to their wolf's color.
FULL MOON
Nobody knows why, but werewolves are intrinsically connected to the full moon. The moon has no other effects other than on the night of the full moon.
On the night of the full moon, wolves end up changing at around when the sun goes down, give or take about an hour. They can suppress it to some degree, but no wolf has ever spent the full moon in human form. When the sun rises, they are given back the ability to shift.
All wolves, bitten or born, must change on the full moon.
It is a night of revelry, supposed to be fun and spent with the pack. Often times, packs will hunt together, sleep together, run together, and do all sorts of things on the full moon to bond.
It is a night that sets the 'wolf' free, and so thus is a very dangerous night. Born werewolves have more control over their animalistic desires, but bitten werewolves often times go and try to kill humans, fight with the pack, and more.
BORN & BITTEN
There are two kinds of werewolves.
Those that are born, and those that are bitten.
A born werewolf is one that has two parents who are also werewolves. Children of humans and werewolves are rare, and are almost immediately slaughtered by both parties. Even if they were allowed to survive, it is doubtful that they would for very long. It does not matter if a born werewolf's parents were also born, or if they were bitten - the child will receive all the benefits of a born werewolf no matter what. A born will change for the first time once they start puberty - so around 12-13, but not before then.
Borns are considered mildly 'superior' to bittens, because they have more control over the wolf side of them. It has been with them all of their life, so it is one with them. As a result, they are less likely to partially shift due to emotions, or lose control. They appear to keep much of their 'humanity' with them when they shift.
A bitten werewolf must be a person past puberty, who has been bitten by an alpha on the night of the full moon. They must survive the bite, and the change on the next full moon, to be a full werewolf. The first change is incredibly painful, as their body is doing all of that growing for the first time. They are then consumed with such hunger after expending so much energy, that they go off and seek whatever food is available.
The alpha that bit the newly changed wolf is considered 'responsible' for them. The bittens have less control over their wolf, and are more prone to accidentally shifting when angered, and lose control during the full moon more. However, they are also almost always stronger and faster on average than a born werewolf. Most suspect that it is because they are unnatural - werewolves were meant to be born, and biting people to transform them was the only thing that stopped werewolves from going extinct.
SOCIETY
Werewolf society is a curious mixture of wolf and human. To most wolves, pack is everything. Pack is family, and must be protected. Alpha's word is law. The desire to run free with the pack almost overwhelms werewolves.
There is a set hierarchy - every pack has one alpha, and every alpha has one to a few betas that they put in charge when they're not around. Other than that, the pack tends to work things out by themselves. Fighting is not the only way to assure rank over another wolf. Of course, dominating one in a fight would, but mind games and playing politics is also viable in werewolf society.
In any form, the howl of a werewolf can be heard for miles and miles around. If that werewolf is in your pack, and sounds injured, almost every wolf will respond to the call. Wolves do not have to agree with teach other or even be that cohesive to be in a pack. However, the wolf still respects pack as family, and family should be protected.
Other than that, werewolves function like humans - they agree, they disagree. They may be united under one alpha, but schisms and rivalry can form too, about anything.
Interestingly enough, every werewolf has a different name when not in human form. They develop this name fairly soon after their first shift, but it can also change over time because of an event or something. The pack decides the new name, and it isn't ever a true 'ritual', but feels 'right' to the pack and the wolf itself. It can be a real word, something fabricated, or anything else.
Nobody knows really why this is, but assigning a human name to someone in a wolf form feels wrong, so they started doing this.
POWERS
Perhaps the most mystical thing about werewolves, other than the whole... werewolf... thing, is the fact that almost every one of them has some sort of unique ability, or power.
For the most part, they are rather simple things, like some can sprint very fast, or run tirelessly, or perhaps be extraordinarily strong. These have no real drawbacks, and usually affect the way the wolf is built. For instance, a wolf gifted with speed will be more lithe and small, and perhaps not as strong as a larger counterpart.
Others however, have developed rather unique abilities that have huge drawbacks, or are in some other way detrimental.
Powers are a gift, and also a curse in some instances. Generally, as powers go up in 'uniqueness', they also become more and more harmful. For instance, a fire-breathing werewolf might himself catch on fire, or scald the inside of his mouth so that he can barely eat. A werewolf that can blend into the shadows might have a hard time being noticed socially as a member of the pack.
Generally, werewolves will have only one ability, although some, like a rather unique power + speed or strength, has been noted without the werewolf being an alpha.
ALPHAS
The alpha is basically a more powerful version of a werewolf. They are stronger, faster, more agile, bigger - everything is better, because they have to be. There is one alpha per pack, and their word is absolutely law. Males and females can be alphas, but there are no 'alpha male and alpha female' for a pack. Only one.
Alphas are approximately 15-25% 'better' than the average werewolf in the aforementioned characteristics, but they may also develop one extra 'power', but not immediately, usually comes with time if it comes at all.
An alpha is identified by the fact that it is quite a bit larger than an average werewolf, and any wolf will intrinsically 'sense' the alpha within that being, whether they be shifted or not.
In times of need, if a pack is slowly becoming divided, or if supplies are scarce and a split is needed, a wolf may suddenly transform into an alpha werewolf. It is not a painful process, simply rejuvenating and empowering, healing them entirely as they transform - usually when they are asleep.
If an alpha dies of natural causes, the alpha-ship is passed down to the next dominant wolf, usually appointed by the dead alpha. The transformation process is the same, except it happens at the exact moment when the old alpha gasps his last breath.
A wolf may also challenge an alpha. The alpha ALWAYS accepts this challenge, and then they fight to the death. If the alpha is killed, then the victor gains the powers and all of his wounds are healed.
WITH OTHERS
Almost everything treats a werewolf as what it is -the apex predator. Most animals can intrinsically sense the wolf, and if they are a prey animal, are slightly more fearful. For example, a tame deer would be more skittish around a werewolf than a human, but would probably not just outright run away - just a sense of wariness.
However, dogs are another story completely. Dogs bond even easier with werewolves, understanding the wolf within them and seeing it as a pack member even more so than they would with a human. Werewolves often favor dogs as pets for this reason.
Humans do not sense the wolf within werewolves. They are almost completely blind to it, and cannot visually or sensually detect werewolves from their fellow humans. The current theory is that it is a werewolf's defense mechanism, knowing that humans are the only other predator that could rival them.
In history, werewolves have been hunted, and worshipped. Nowadays, they are allowed to integrate into society. There is a list of all known werewolves, but most wolves choose to try not to get onto the list, out of fear. Some humans are indifferent, but most are slightly wary or fearful. There are also groups that wish to exterminate wolves entirely.
Werewolves tend to go about their day to day lives like humans do, holding jobs, having a family, and etc., but they must always be there to answer the call of the pack, and on the night of the full moon, the call of the wolf.
It is entirely dependent upon the werewolf what they think of humans, and it is there that the line is drawn...
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