Werewolves (SC'20)

Written by Steve Tremblay

In a world where a person can step out of their home and be mauled by any number of beasts or be bathed in flame by a massive dragon, few creatures inspire fear on Ellara quite like the Werewolf.

“These wolves aren’t like most of the monsters I’ve faced before. They hunt in packs. They attack one enemy at a time until that enemy is down and bleeding, and then they move on to the next target, and the next, until your whole party is gone.” - Khoury Forestkeeper

Werewolves are smart, stealthy and deadly. They also carry an element of surprise in that they can lie dormant in a creature's skin and erupt due to injury or stress. When this occurs, a physical change happens: thick fur grows, the body elongates and claws and teeth become a main focus. When the beast comes forth, logic and reason are thrown away and the werewolf will attack whatever is closest and feast on their flesh.
The hunt: Werewolves sometimes hunt as solitary creatures but more often hunt in packs of 4 or more. A frequent tactic is to knock an opponent to the ground where others will join in mauling the downed target with teeth and claws until they stop moving. One may begin feasting on the fallen but the rest of the pack will turn on anything else in the area, continuing until there is enough food for all or everyone has fled from the battle.
Side note: Werewolves are ferocious and hard to kill even without their secret biological advantage. It is known, but hard to prepare for, that werewolves have a regeneration ability that can be paused momentarily when they are struck by a silver weapon. Silver, being very uncommon is part of the problem, being close enough to hit with it is far more dangerous.
History: While the origins of the curse are not commonly known, the impact has been felt most strongly in the Fire Isles and near the Silver Glade. Near these locations, anyone could have the beast within and any traveler would be well advised to avoid those areas altogether.
In the year 1263 AEC the town of Lochfort was attacked by werewolves and almost 100% of the residents were slaughtered. Nearly a week later, reinforcements from a nearby town came to the rescue and drove the beasts out. Many of them were tracked and hunted but the likelihood that all of them were killed is very slim.

Basic Information

Genetics and Reproduction

The unfortunate survivor of a werewolf attack normally ends up carrying the curse themselves. The circle continues as long as any single werewolf survives to potentially infect others.

Ecology and Habitats

Lycanthropes can live virtually anywhere that there is food. As they are (most of the time) normal humanoids, they can live in towns but the odd being can find themselves completely lost to the beast leaving them to live in the wilds.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Werewolves are known to have keen eyesight at night and a superior sense of smell. They still carry their humanoid intelligence which makes them formidable but the lack of control when prey is in the area can also make them unpredictable.

Werewolf by Jamieson Alcorn, colored by Arthur Hesli

For more information on the Therian werewolves, see the NOW AVAILABLE! book The Adventurers Guide to Theria vol. 1: Ellara