Lycantropy

Contributer: Bumbles

OVERVIEW
Lycanthropy is a wide-ranging disease that causes periodic dramatic changes in the physical make-up of those affected. AKA: SOMETHING HAPPENS TO TRIGGER THE TRANSFORMATION AND BOOM WEREWOLF In addition, lycanthropy can also result in permanent alteration of the psychological profile of those afflicted as well.

This disease has been known to be magically inflicted as well as by the normal lycanthropic disease. Which means that you can get cursed with this shit. This also makes it harder to cure so watch yer butts and don’t piss off witches and mages.

COMMON SYMPTOMS
Those afflicted with lycanthropy undergo regular transformations in to one or more of a wide range of possible secondary forms. These forms usually are high up predators such as wolves and bears, but rats and boars are also well documented, as well as otters.

The transformations usually occur as a result of some Trigger Event* outside the afflicted’s control, but can occur due to the willful desire of those infected. The exact number and rate of transformations is not known but seldom occur more than once a day. Once the change is triggered, the infected change into their lycanthropic form and stay that way for a period of up to eight hours.

At the end of that time, they revert back to their normal humanoid form. Usually their clothes are trashed by this point, unless they willed themselves to transform and it’s the curse form of lycanthropy, in which case the clothes just magic themselves into fur and skin and whatnot.

*Trigger Event example: Full moon. Others can be memories arising, other environmental conditions, magical spells, whatever you can make work really.

Secondary physical symptoms can include a number of subtle changes to the infected’s physical form, such as a greater amount of hair growth on their body, lengthened middle fingers and toes, pronounced canine teeth, and general robustness. To hide these effects, some will wear gloves and just cover their body in clothes. Those who naturally need to wear heavy clothes often go unnoticed.

Those who are in advanced stages of lycanthropy find these changes are more dramatic as the disease progresses.

Primary psychological changes can include:
These psychological symptoms most commonly appear in end stage Lycanthropy, but can appear at any stage. Bear in mind that the changes are gradual at first, but quickly will pick up speed if transformations are frequent.
 * A heightened desire for a particular type of food, usually meat, though it really depends on the type of beast. Herons, raccoons, and otters would prefer fish.
 * Aberrant social behavior ranging from harmless eccentricity to homicidal mania. Some simply become more excitable and energetic depending on the animal. Rats may become more on edge and sleep a lot, while boars may become highly territorial.
 * General rebelliousness and a distrust of authority, though these changes may not surface until much later.
 * Animal-like mannerisms such as growling
 * Extreme psychosis

Stages
There are three stages, each making the disease more difficult to cure and remove. Once the last stage is reached, some might just opt for a mercy kill.

FIRST STAGE
Once someone becomes infected, they enter the first stage of the disease. This stage lasts until the first transformation. During this stage, there are few if any symptoms. The victim will always become ill with flu-like symptoms, and this is caused by the virus itself. Once the virus disguises its chemical makeup, the flu stops.

Infected individuals may begin to exhibit some psychological symptoms, but this varies from case to case.

SECOND STAGE
First transformation usually occurs within 1 Lunar Cycle of the initial infection, but can occur as soon as the first few hours. Once again, the species plays a key role in this. Some transformations will take nearly a sweep to happen, but all the psychological changes will still occur.

At this point, all transformations occur as the result of some Trigger Event. The trigger for a particular individual can vary widely, but since we’re focusing on werewolves, we’re going with the moon descriptions and examples.

Whatever the Trigger Event, those infected cannot control their changes, it occurs whether they wish it to or not. Silver can dampen the effects slightly, but it is extremely painful and often traumatic for the victim to come into contact with it during this time period. The change takes anywhere from 10 seconds to two minutes.

The subject will usually remain in their lycanthropic form for a period between four and eight hours, but shorter time periods are possible.

The psychological makeup of the lycanthropic form of the infected can vary a great deal from that of the person’s normal personality; just how much depends on the individual and the type of lycanthropy they are inflicted with. Blood castes play a key role in this as well. A purpleblood who’s a weretiger? Probably will be more beast than troll.

At a minimum, subjects in their second form exhibit a high degree of animal like behavior and are difficult to reason with in any fashion. More extreme changes can result in a lycanthropic personality, which is thoroughly more monstrous and homicidal. The afflicted will revert to their original personality as they returns to their true form. Many are often able to talk in their native tongue while transformed, however.

Transformations especially in early second stage lycanthropy are quite painful. However, as the body adapts to the regular changes, the transformations become less and less so, eventually even becoming pleasurable to a certain degree in most cases.

During the course of the second stage, the infected’s body adapts to the disease within itself. Transformations become less painful and the subject slowly gains the conscious ability to initiate transformations.

However they are still at the mercy of any transformation brought about by their Trigger Event.

As consequence of the body’s acceptance of the disease, the subject begins to show more and more permanent physical and psychological changes. These changes can often be quite subtle and can be missed by the subject’s quadrants and friends. However, to an acute observer, the changes soon become readily apparent.

It seems the psychological profiles of the subject in their normal and lycanthropic forms come closer and closer together, eventually merging.

THIRD AND FINAL STAGE
At this stage the subject has gained the ability to change form at will, although they are still susceptible to their unique Trigger Event.

All of the physical and psychological changes, which will take place, have done so by this time. At this point lycanthropy can no longer be thought of as a disease, but more as a symbiotic partner of the subject. The disease offers many benefits, such as rapid healing of physical wounds, increased stamina and durability, more hand eye coordination, faster reaction speed, increased senses, and an incredible immune system capable of fighting off Ebola, Polio, and Smallpox within the span of a few hours to a few days, with a week being the most.

DISEASE TRANSMISSION
Lycanthropy is usually transmitted through the bite of an infected individual. However, it can also be passed along through exposure to infected blood and some types of magics.

There are even rare cases where the disease becomes pneumonic and can be contracted merely by close proximity to someone infected although this is very rare and has only been documented a handful of times.

However, in all forms save it’s pneumatic, lycanthropy is not very contagious. the chance of infection from a single bite is very low. A mauling however would almost guarantee infection.

VARIETIES OF THE DISEASE
There are a number of different varieties of lycanthropy, each exhibiting unique symptoms and effects. The most obvious difference is that different types produce different secondary forms. The most common types of secondary forms include: Wolf, Tiger, Panther, Bear, Snake, Hawk, Seal, Otter, Rat, Boar, or Fox. However, there are many, much rarer forms as well. There are cases where an individual can change into multiple forms, or even a different form each transformation. However there are only 2 or 3 documented cases of this happening. Beyond that simple distinction, the types of lycanthropy can be split into two groups: Benign and malignant. Benign lycanthropy results in a secondary form (and ultimately the entire individual) whose psychological outlook is still healthy and relatively normal, despite possible non-destructive changes to their personality.

Malignant lycanthropy results in an individual, which is thoroughly “evil and hateful” no matter their form.

The reason for this wide different between types is not fully understood, but it may be because of the source of the magic fueling the changes.

For example, if the power is channeled through a evil deity, that could result in malignant lycanthropy. Curses will almost always result in malignant lycanthropy.

CURING THE DISEASE
First off, you better know a damn good witch, mage, or druid. Otherwise, mercy killing might be your only option, unfortunately.

Caught early, Lycanthropy can be easy to cure.

First Stage lycanthropy can be cured through the administration of proper herbal treatments and/or a combination of simple spells cast by a witch, mage, or druid.

As the disease progresses, a cure becomes more and more difficult to obtain.

Final Stage lycanthropy is very difficult to cure, and will take rare ingredients and rituals to stand any chance of curing the individual. There exists some skills and spells that can help with this, but these are known only to a few well educated individuals. Once again, mercy killing may be the only option by this point if you do not have access to the proper resources.

The cure can also be made much more difficult if the infected individual does not wish to be healed.

LYCANTHROPY CURE
A side note: This procedure will not always work, and should never be halfassed (for lack of better words) because you will only hurt the victim and cause them further distress. Check your morals, and make sure that you can stand to go through with the entire cure to the very end. Stopping halfway through can and will be extremely dangerous, and the victim and those wishing to cure them will both be hurt.
 * One 9-ft circle with two posts grounded in the middle with silver chains
 * restraining the werebeast.
 * In the north section of the circle a wooden altar is placed.
 * In the southern section a small fire is made with a pot over it.
 * Candles laced with silver are placed at equal intervals around the circle,
 * actually making/outlining the circle.
 * Ritual is to be presided over by a competent witch/mage/druid

==== In the pot over the fire combine: ====
 * 2 pinches of camphor
 * 3 pinches of Ammonia
 * 2 pinches of Hypericum
 * 2 pinches of castorium
 * 1 pinch of sulphur
 * 3 pinches of asafoetida
 * Mix those together in 2 pints of pure water.
 * Then add a portion of mandrake root
 * 1 live snake
 * 2 live toads in a linen bag,
 * A piece of Amanita muscara (a fungus)
 * At the altar bind together 3 sprigs (ash, birch, white popular) with a red ribbon.
 * Using the sprigs dipped in the potion, whip the werebeast making sure to eventually break the skin, continuing to douse the werebeast in the potion using the sprigs.

==== Once the skin has been prepared the priest/druid then takes a prepared potion of ====
 * Wolfbane
 * Arsenic,
 * Henbane

To be ingested by the werebeast.

Nightshade that has been prepared separately in fats/oils to be rubbed on the body as the potion is drunk

DETECTING LYCANTHROPY
The physical and psychological similarities between most lycanthropes have already been mentioned.

However some lycanthropes will not display even one of these symptoms. (Or the symptoms will be masked and nearly impossible to detect)

Sometimes entirely normal individuals may display lycanthropic type symptoms as well, making the detection of real lycanthropes tricky at best.

Without the aid of magic the best method for detecting who may be a lycanthrope is acute observation only.

Silver: the bane of all lycanthropes. Usually if a werebeast is wounded by any normal weapon, the wound will heal almost immediately, and therefore it is impossible to kill an infected creature by normal means. The only weapons that can affect them are those, which have been forged from silver or are magical in nature. Silver can be worn by werebeasts on their clothes to dampen the urge to transform at will. If they are cut or stabbed or damaged in any way by silver weapons, the wound will heal at the same speed it would normall take for their bloodcaste, if not longer.

It has been observed that the werewolf will not attack anyone carrying wolfsbane, they will go for someone who proves less of a problem, unless of course if everybody is carrying the flowers and hunger necessitates. If however the lycanthrope does attack then it will be sickened and not at its most fierce.