The Origins of Lycanthropy
Few of those living today ever wonder where the dreaded curse of Lycanthropy came from, and fewer still know the truth. Even those who carry this disease know little more than what it does to them. The Shifters, in whom the curse has fully bonded with the base creature, are largely unaware of the legacy flowing through their veins. It is only a chosen few among the Black Spiral Order and select carriers of the curses who are privy to the following information.
During the Age of Demons, the Rajah Nyarlathotep (who may or may not be related to the Traveler) gathered beasts to himself; Thirteen creature types that would become the precursors of Shifters. From them he fashioned twisted beasts as his servants, creating the first Dire Creatures.
When the Demon War erupted, Nyarlathotep bound his creations into a single body for each type. From this, the resulting beasts of War gained sentience, drawing on the skills of their heritage to battle the Couatls and Dragons for their master. Wielding the power of countless lives, these nigh-immortal beasts wrought destruction wherever they went, and were rightfully considered one of the greatest threats outside of the Rajah's themselves.
In the end, they were defeated along with the Rajahs. While the Rajah's were bound within the Flame and Khyber, these beasts were bound body and soul within Syberis shards. For ages untold, they slept within their prisons beneath the soil of Xendric, unable to escape, unable to move, unable to communicate. All went mad, though they could do little while bound.
It was the Giants who first uncovered them as they rose out of the mists of savagery. As they gained wisdom in the Arcane arts, the first of the mortal civilized races grew to realize the enormous potential of these prisons, as they radiated incredible magical energy. Utilizing the prisons as giant batteries, they were able to fuel their astounding growth, becoming strong enough to dominate the entire continent, as well as the newly emerging Elves, for centuries.
The Quori War marked the beginning of the end for the Giants. Once they had expelled the invaders, the Elves rose up against their masters. Wary of using the same devistating magics they had used to repel the Quori, the Giants called upon the power of the Syberis shards that had served them for so long. Unfortuantely for them, it was the final straw. The prisons shattered under the strain, releasing their contents.
Fortunately for all of existance, the insane Children of Nyarlathotep did not emerge intact. Bound to the shards, they shattered along side them. The soul fragments survival instincts drove them to seek out hosts, which they found within the Elves. Overtaken by the fractured spirits of various corrupted animals, the first Lycanthropes were born. From them, as the centuries wore on, the Shifters were born.
The Children of Nyarlathotep have various levels of consciousness, fully dependant on the number of hosts they have. The Vulpes and Longstrider clan of Shifters are down to their last members. Thelia's inner Werefox has awakened as her Spirit Guide, but Marie's will not manifest until after maturity.
As a side note, Werecreature Lords and Natural Lycanthropes have the potential to contact the consciousness of the animal they contain, though the creature will likely have little to no knowledge of their past.
