Umbral Domains: Changeling Lycanthrops

Lycanthropes

Lycanthropes include were-creatures of all sorts, though typically wolves are the most common. Lycanthropes are a type of Gallain, similar to the Adhene, who live largely in the Dreaming. Unlike the Adhene, however, Lycanthropes were not heavily involved in the Tessarakonta. This was in part due to the fact that they are a less common and less unified group than any of the Kiths or Adhene, but also to the fact that it didn't matter much to them which side won the conflict.

Historically, Lycanthropes were the embodiment of dreams concerning the terrifying brutality and sheer relentlessness of nature. However recently as humans begin to realize the consequences of their impact on the environment the lycanthrops begin more frequently to be associated with the imbalanced natural world struggling to right it's self and wreaking havoc on it's antagonists in the process.

Lycanthrops living in the Dreaming typically inhabit communities of humanoid chimera which live near forrests or other large wild areas. In most dreaming societies they blend into the local population without much notice, although at least one town composed entirely of Lycanthrops is known to exist, and in a few less civilized realms there are free ranging tribes of Lycanthrops.

It's also known that chimeral wolf packs will occasionally spontaneously generate a lycanthropic member as will humanoid chimeral societies. A few tribes of neolithic humanoid chimera even seem to have a sort of ritual or Art (perhaps akin to Primal or Naming) which they use to alternately reward their warriors or curse their outcasts by turning them into Lycanthrops.

While Lycanthrops typically live in the far and deep dreaming, some few find themselves drawn to the autumn world along the various paths of Balor. There they frequently end up posessing humans (or occasionally other animals), causing terror and wreaking revenge particularly when the moon is full.

It's rumored that a few of these fearsome creatures even underwent the Changeling Way ritual in the ancient past and have bound themselves to particular mortal bloodlines cropping up every few generations to trouble the world again. The mortal offspring of such families are very frequently Kinain with telltale signs of their lycanthropic ancestry, which in the past had caused them to be shunned in human society. In modern days though few of their neighbors bother to think about the possabilities of werewolves in their midst.

Recently a few groups of more conscientious Lycanthrops have begun appearing in the Autumn World. These tend to be more focused on restoring nature's balance and place in the world than in causing humans terror for the sheer love of it. While fierce and deadly warriors, these Lycanthrops champion a utopian dream where-in nature and humanity support each other, rather than fighting each other. Some even claim to be guided in this by a powerful "goddess" referred to as "Gaia", who is likely a Deep Dreaming Archtypal archetypal chimera of nature.

Typical enemies of these "Gaian" Lycanthrops include:

Nunnehi - Seelie Nunnehi are frequently allies with Lycanthrops. However, those who gain Medicine (Glamour) through Raiding too frequently quickly get on the Lycanthrops shit list. Raiding steals Medicine from the spirits of a natural place. This causes the spirits of that place to deteriorate which in turn causes the autumn world reflection of that place to deteriorate.

Nockers - While Nockers are not dire enemies of Lycanthrops there will always be some distrust there. Nockers tend to champion the dreams of technological creation and industry. When these dreams inspire humans they tend to go a little overboard in implimenting them, clearing land for materials and space to build, discarding the waste products of their creativity to despoil the land.

Still, it is generally recognized that not all Nockers are so unconscientious. One particular workshop of Nockers, referring to themselves as "The Nausicaan Front", appears to have actually worked closely with a local Lycanthrop tribe toward mutually beneficial forms of Musing.

Miasma - Perhaps the most frequent enemy that Lycanthrops encounter are a variety of Chimera they term "Miasma". Chimera defined by the Lycanthrops as Miasma tend to have at least a few of the following qualities:

• The Redes for Wyrd, Enchantment, or (most frequently) Posession. These allow the chimera to interact with the Autumn World directly and give it a chance to coax dreamers to do it's will and spread it's dream.
• Association with dreams of ambition or personal comfort without regard for reprocussions in the world at large.
• Association with dreams of a world where all things are controlled.
• Association with dreams wherein the natural world would be done away with or corrupted in some way.
• Association with any dreams which have the previous three categories as side effects.

Miasmal Chimera have apparently been more numerous of late and as a result Gaian Lycanthrops are pretty constantly at war with the things.

Glamour gathering

In the Dreaming of course Lycanthrops gain glamour largely by eating Chimeral prey. In the Autumn world however, where chimera are more scarce, they use an unusual combination of techniques:

Harvesting - This works similarly to the Nunnehi method for gaining "medicine" from natural surroundings. It is a benefit of the Lycanthrop's strong connection to the natural world.

Ravaging - As creatures of fear the Lycanthrop can gain glamour from most methods of dashing hope.

Reaping - With a method similar to other Dark Kin the Lycanthrops are particularly adept at sucking the last ounce of glamour out of a mortal as they terrify him to the point of death.

Character creation

Lycanthrops are typically created in the same manner as Adhene, although the Changeling method of character creation may be used for those who have undergone the Changeling Way ritual. There are a few qualities Lycanthrops almost never have however, including Court or House affiliation and ranks in the Dreamers or Title Backgrounds.

Realm: Nature (of course)

Birthrights

Shapechanging - As per the Pooka Birthright, but may incude human, beast, and intermediate shapes.

Titan Power - As per the Troll Birthright.†

Animal Nature - As per Fuath Birthright.†

† - Titan's Power and Animal Nature are only available when the Lycanthrop takes on it's intermediate shape.

Frailties

Bloodthirst - Similar to the Firbolg Frailty Eochaid's Hunger, but always includes a craving for large quantities of raw meat, not excluding human flesh, and occurs once every month when the moon is full.

Rage - Similar to Fuath Frailty "Maenad's Madness".

Lunar Cycle - The Lycanthrop's intermediate shape is only available at while the moon is in the sky. A strange property of the Dreaming is that the moon is always in the sky when there are Lycanthrops around, however in the Autumn World the moon is only in the sky at certain times of the day or month.

--Peter K. 18:08, 11 June 2006 (PDT)