Werewolves
Basic Information
Anatomy
Werewolves are bipedal humanoids, covered in thick, dense fur. They have the heads of wolves, large paw-like hands, and stiff claws.
Biological Traits
Werewolves are quite distinct from the majority of other races with their distinctly canine appearance. Compared to others, werewolves are also typically much more bulky with a high amount of muscle mass and typically are not lithe. Werewolves also have very little sexual dimorphism; although male werewolves do typically have more muscle and may be taller than females, they have few outward sexual markers.
Genetics and Reproduction
Werewolves reproduce similarly to most humanoids, although giving birth to multiples is incredibly common, most usually between 2 and 4 children born per pregnancy, and generally pregnancy will last for a period of 10 months. Werewolf children are much more developed than other humanoids, able to walk within a matter of weeks rather than years. Werewolf infants are born blind and deaf, developing their vision and hearing after a few weeks after being born.
Growth Rate & Stages
As werewolves grow quickly, most will reach their full adult height by the age of 13 or 14 years. As their muscles grow in, there is a period of time where teenaged werewolves are quite lanky and awkward looking, almost gangly. During growth, werewolves have a ravenous appetite and are prone to malnutrition if not eating properly.
Ecology and Habitats
Werewolves are found all over Terra, and are equally at home in urban environments as they are rural ones provided that architecture supports and accommodates their larger bodies. Due to their thick fur and tendency to grow a denser coat in wintertime, it's more common to find werewolves in colder regions than around the equator. Tundra and alpine regions typically have a much higher population of werewolves, especially those that are especially hard to grow crops, as the race is not dependent on them for food.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Werewolves are obligate carnivores, needing to consume large quantities of red meat regularly to stay healthy. Other meats can be used as supplementary meals, such as pork, fowl, and fish, but cannot make up the majority of their diet without becoming ill. They can consume limited amounts of plants and processed foods such as bread and liquor, but not in large quantities unless specially made for werewolf consumption. Werewolves can also digest bone, with bone marrow stew being a very common and traditional dish. Their cuisine often more focuses on much more simple seasoning with salt, pepper, and mild spices and the cooking method itself, with most dishes being fairly simple and easy to make. Raw dishes are incredibly common in their culture, but not exclusive to the group.
Like many canines, werewolves become very ill after eating chocolate.
Additional Information
Social Structure
There is a strong emphasis on familial groups among werewolves, with 'clans' made up of families. Most individuals will maintain close ties with their parents their entire lives, and the nuclear family is almost unheard of in werewolf culture. Multiple generations will live together often for their entire lives. This allows for all members of a family to have a strong social bond, and a support system readily available should they hit a rough patch financially. There is also a strong pressure to have children in their culture throughout their lives, with most having a great many of siblings of different ages.
The myth of 'lone werewolves' is very loosely based in fact. When a clan grows too large to sustain itself, adult individuals will often move to new areas, often quite far from their birthplace, in order to start a new life and a clan of their own. As werewolves are very social, they are not 'lone' for very long, and will quickly form relationships with others and seek to start a family or have familial bonds.
Facial characteristics
All werewolves have the face of a wolf, with long snouts, heavily furred ears, and forward facing eyes. They have very strong necks and jaws, able to bite through bone if necessary.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Global
Average Intelligence
Human intelligence
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Perhaps their best known traits are their hearing and smell- Werewolves are particularly sensitive in these areas, making them valuable trackers and hunters. However there is a downside, as particularly in urban environments, werewolves can become overwhelmed by the abundant scents and sounds around them.
Civilization and Culture
Gender Ideals
There is not much pressure to enforce different ideals between genders in werewolves as a whole. Men and women equally share duties in raising children and there is a rather even ratio between men and women sharing other duties, such as cleaning, working, and cooking. Rather than a difference in gender roles, it is more often that in couples, one will take on duties for one aspect of life and the other will handle others, without much rhyme or reason as to why other than experience or personal preference.
Culture and Cultural Heritage
Werewolf culture often surrounds ideals of one's own hard work and contributions to society or social circles relevant to them. Often, it is known for werewolves to be incredibly driven to please and see the physical results of that work, such as repairing and maintaining infrastructure around them, providing food or goods for their community, enforcing laws and cultural norms of their area, or keeping living areas maintained. As such, most werewolves typically go into careers surrounding these ideals and are known to not only be dedicated to the jobs but almost always seeking to improve upon them. Loyalty is also a strong concept within werewolf culture, to both individuals and ideals held as a group. They are known to take their duties extremely seriously, viewing laziness and bad habits such as uncleanliness as deeply and personally offensive.
The concept of striving to do what is right for the group over that of the individual is strong within werewolf culture, and those seen as selfish and self serving often found to be social outcasts until their behavior has changed.
Religion is deeply rooted in werewolf culture as well, to be expected of a group descended from a singular god. Ferventi is the most common patron god among werewolves, seen as a literal and spiritual father to them. Ferventi is not the sole god found in werewolf culture, however, as many other gods are also commonly worshipped such as both Shia and Mora in tandem, Lapi, Appylon, Hikaru, and Ma'ii in specific. Gods whose aspects include agriculture, family, loyalty, and personal relationships at the forefront are also common in their personal pantheons.
Burial and Death Rites
Werewolf society favors natural burials in unmarked graves far outside of living spaces. Bodies are disposed of quickly, generally at most two to three days after death, before major decomposition can occur. Among werewolves, more importance is placed on the personal remembrance of an individual than physical tombs, graves, or markers, which are often viewed as excessive, wasteful, and as worshipping a person's corpse. It is important in werewolf culture that bodies are not treated with chemicals or altered after death and should be allowed to return to nature- if a body is dug up by scavenging animals, then it should be allowed to remain as such.Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals
The Dead of Winter Feast, although a holiday from a god at odds with most werewolves' patron is a commonly observed holiday.
Father's day is also one of the biggest holidays of the year among werewolves, though not only in honoring one's father and grandfathers, but also for their deep religious connection to Ferventi. It is considered a day to honor one's lineage and the ideals common to their culture and typically used as a large celebration centered around togetherness, honor, personal growth, and generally celebrated with hunting trips and feasts.
History
Originally, werewolves were a race that was not descended from but a cousin species to humans and lived alongside them, although with many conflicts. Humans often were fearful of them and despised werewolves, viewing them as a danger to livestock and people alike. Due to these conflicts, werewolves had a very low population in the human era, mostly restricted isolated populations in northern Europe, northern Asia, Canada, and some populations in the United States.
It is unknown what truly happened to this population, but the prevalent theory is that most died out during the wars with the dragons, and that werewolves were among those subjugated by the dragons just like humans. When Ferventi, God of Wolves came into power, whatever was left of their population became a part of the wolf god's original cult and due to sexual relationships with the wolf god, were able to restore their population. This theory is based in some truth, as the entirety of the modern population of werewolves are descendants of Ferventi himself, although most are distant relatives and quite far removed from him. Genetic evidence has been unable so far to determine when the change in population occurred, mainly due to Ferventi being many thousands of years old, hundreds of children, and having tens of thousands of descendants.
Historical Figures
Ferventi, God of Wolves is the literal and spiritual father of their race, with all of the modern population being at least distantly descended from him and his children.
Common Myths and Legends
Werewolves are well known for their reverence of the legend, The Rage of Ferventi as a common childhood tale about their beginnings and culture.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Werewolves are a race known for being fierce allies and even fiercer enemies.
Due to mainly religious and cultural differences, werewolves and Angels are often hated enemies of one another, having a vast degree of conflicts across history. Werewolves often view the angels as having a society built on vicious cults and zealotry, and the angels in turn regard them as simple and too rustic.
Demons and Vampires, two races who also shared many conflicts with humans for similar reasons, surprisingly have not gotten along well with werewolves. Historically, these races often blamed each other for their own conflicts with humans, and would aggravate conflicts further due to their bad relations.
Werewolves as a whole have gotten along well with Arachne, Harpies, and Mages, however, being long time allies of one another historically.
Origin/Ancestry
Divine Beings- Direct descendants of Ferventi, God of Wolves
Lifespan
100 years
Conservation Status
Lower Population
Average Height
10-12 feet
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Most often, their fur is white, brown, grey, or black. Reddish tones are less common, but not considered rare. Patterns on the face and stomach in the form of white or pale patches is very common, and often runs between the legs and along the underside of their tails as well.
As the entirety of the modern population is descended from Ferventi, the wolf god, many werewolves will change fur color depending on the season- in late fall, they will shed their previous coat for a new warmer one, that is often paler in color if not completely white. This coat is shed again in the spring, returning to a more saturated and darker coloration.
Related Myths
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