Post by Kenaz on Feb 14, 2010 15:09:21 GMT -7
Thanks to Twilight, werewolves have been shown in an over-glamorous light: depicted as big, fluffy puppies with benevolent, happy personalities. We're here to set the record straight.
Description
Common Traits - Werewolves in their human forms are almost indistinguishable from normal humans. Some may have protruding canines or longer fingernails, but not to an extremely noticeable degree. The wolf form of a werewolf is a complete wolf. They change to a quadrupedal form with no tail, and retaining human eyes and the ability to speak. Transformations are not controlled by moonlight or the phase of the moon. A pure werewolf can transform at will, and a pseudo-were's transformations are triggered by an extreme negative emotion such as rage or fear. Werewolves transform at night mostly because their main prey is active at night.
Becoming a Werewolf - There are two ways to become a full werewolf. One way is to be bitten by a werewolf in its wolf form. Weres' fangs contain a fast-acting retrovirus intended to paralyze and kill their prey. As the virus quickly reproduces in the prey's body, it kills the animal and the new generation of viruses is ingested by the were. When injected into a human, the virus incorporates itself into the host's DNA where it lies in wait for an extreme emotional trigger. If (somehow) a human could keep themselves calm their entire lives, they would never exhibit symptoms of lycanthropy. These are often referred to as "pseudo-weres" because of their inability to control their transformations. The second way to become a werewolf is to the be the offspring of two pure werewolves. Wereism is a sex-linked trait - the genes that control wereism are located on the X chromosome. X-linked inherited lycanthropy occurs far more frequently in males because they only have one X chromosome. Females must receive a copy of the gene from both parents to have such a recessive disease. If a male werewolf mates with a female of a different species, the resulting offspring is a half-breed.
Vulnerabilities - Werewolves are a fairly resilient species, appearing to be unharmed by religious artifacts. Silver bullets will kill them, but then again, a silver bullet will kill anything. Werewolves are not susceptible to anything else silver, though they do enjoy staring at shiny objects. Vampire venom will slow down a werewolf, and bring it near death, but most times it will not outright kill one.
Diet and Feeding - The favorite prey of werewolves are vampires. Considering vampires put up the biggest fight, the total vampire deaths from werewolf predation remain relatively low. Werewolves are skilled enough they can sustain themselves on the other game the Nightmare Realm has to offer. Wolves have a lot of slow-twitch muscle which operates more efficiently at slower, but consistent speeds. This fact makes them great endurance hunters. They will chase their prey at a steady pace until it gives up or collapses from exhaustion.
Social Structure Packs are extremely rare for werewolves. Their volatile tempers cause fighting among the ranks and lead to a poor sense of community. Werewolves are also, by nature, loners and don't appreciate company. Sometimes a mated pair will roam together, or a pair of close siblings. Because of their lack of anger management, and distrust of other races, werewolves don't fit in to society very well. They are often stereotyped as poor, violent, and somewhat unintelligent outsiders. A lower class.
Breeding One of the few races in the Nightmare Realm that aren't undead, werewolves place a high importance on the pleasures of the flesh. They engage in recreational sex often. The high amounts of testosterone that weresim causes the body to produce makes the female weres somewhat infertile, however. Coupled with the fact that more males end up weres than females, the population of "true-breed" werewolves is dwindling.
Physiology
Description
Common Traits - Werewolves in their human forms are almost indistinguishable from normal humans. Some may have protruding canines or longer fingernails, but not to an extremely noticeable degree. The wolf form of a werewolf is a complete wolf. They change to a quadrupedal form with no tail, and retaining human eyes and the ability to speak. Transformations are not controlled by moonlight or the phase of the moon. A pure werewolf can transform at will, and a pseudo-were's transformations are triggered by an extreme negative emotion such as rage or fear. Werewolves transform at night mostly because their main prey is active at night.
Becoming a Werewolf - There are two ways to become a full werewolf. One way is to be bitten by a werewolf in its wolf form. Weres' fangs contain a fast-acting retrovirus intended to paralyze and kill their prey. As the virus quickly reproduces in the prey's body, it kills the animal and the new generation of viruses is ingested by the were. When injected into a human, the virus incorporates itself into the host's DNA where it lies in wait for an extreme emotional trigger. If (somehow) a human could keep themselves calm their entire lives, they would never exhibit symptoms of lycanthropy. These are often referred to as "pseudo-weres" because of their inability to control their transformations. The second way to become a werewolf is to the be the offspring of two pure werewolves. Wereism is a sex-linked trait - the genes that control wereism are located on the X chromosome. X-linked inherited lycanthropy occurs far more frequently in males because they only have one X chromosome. Females must receive a copy of the gene from both parents to have such a recessive disease. If a male werewolf mates with a female of a different species, the resulting offspring is a half-breed.
Vulnerabilities - Werewolves are a fairly resilient species, appearing to be unharmed by religious artifacts. Silver bullets will kill them, but then again, a silver bullet will kill anything. Werewolves are not susceptible to anything else silver, though they do enjoy staring at shiny objects. Vampire venom will slow down a werewolf, and bring it near death, but most times it will not outright kill one.
Behavior
Diet and Feeding - The favorite prey of werewolves are vampires. Considering vampires put up the biggest fight, the total vampire deaths from werewolf predation remain relatively low. Werewolves are skilled enough they can sustain themselves on the other game the Nightmare Realm has to offer. Wolves have a lot of slow-twitch muscle which operates more efficiently at slower, but consistent speeds. This fact makes them great endurance hunters. They will chase their prey at a steady pace until it gives up or collapses from exhaustion.
Social Structure Packs are extremely rare for werewolves. Their volatile tempers cause fighting among the ranks and lead to a poor sense of community. Werewolves are also, by nature, loners and don't appreciate company. Sometimes a mated pair will roam together, or a pair of close siblings. Because of their lack of anger management, and distrust of other races, werewolves don't fit in to society very well. They are often stereotyped as poor, violent, and somewhat unintelligent outsiders. A lower class.
Breeding One of the few races in the Nightmare Realm that aren't undead, werewolves place a high importance on the pleasures of the flesh. They engage in recreational sex often. The high amounts of testosterone that weresim causes the body to produce makes the female weres somewhat infertile, however. Coupled with the fact that more males end up weres than females, the population of "true-breed" werewolves is dwindling.