Werecreatures

Of all the abominations created by the necromantic powers, few are as tragic as that of the werebeast.

It is a misconception that necromancy pertains only to the dead. Necromancy is the art of perverting the natural world in all forms, the antithesis to nature magic. The making of the werecreature more than demonstrates this.

Symbolic of life’s evolutionary processes and nature’s gifts of metamorphosis and ever constant change, werebeasts are victims of ****, uncontrollable change. It is also a twisted parody of most nature magic practitioners’ ability to shape shift at will.

An ancient Lich from ages past spent most of its time studying the world around him, gaining immortality so that he may learn forever. However, common with lichdom is the lose of humanity and boundaries. The Lich had witnessed a Druid on one of its expeditions and saw her transform into all manner of creatures, borrowing their strengths that she otherwise would not have been able to use.

And as all necromancers do, this Lich wanted to harness this power. The strength of the natural world would join the ranks of its guard. That was when the **** and the experimenting began. And from this Lich, the curse of werecreatures began.

The process in which this Lich created the werecreatures is unknown, but many strains of this curse exist today as this Lich was allowed to experiment with this new creature for centuries before it was eventually destroyed by a mighty hero.

The curse is widespread throughout all of Aesyr and afflict many different races. No known cure has been developed, only that when one dies will the transformations stop.

One could find themselves able to transform into all sorts of creatures, although you can only transform into one creature and one creature only. That creature will be whatever it was that affected you. These creatures can be sharks, alligators, lions, and so forth. So long as they have a predatory nature, then it is a strain of werecreature.

However, there are no strains as prominent or successful as the werewolf and the werebear.

It is unknown as to why the werewolf is so successful to the point that it is synonymous with the werecreature blight, the one most commoners truly really know about, but the werebear is easy enough to explain. After all, there is a whole nation that worships a cult of werebears as holy prophets and guardians. Couple that and absurd strength, endurance, and regeneration rates significantly higher than most werecreatures typically have, then it is no surprise how successful the werebear is. Comparatively, the werewolf is almost as strong as the werebear.

However, it is typical that the werecreatures adopt the traits of the animal they are cursed into becoming. It is theorized that despite how superior the werebear is, the werewolf is much more iconic because wolves tend to travel, while bears are typically sedentary. This, while werebears only affect a small pool of people localized in hotspots, the werewolf is everywhere.

The abilities of a werecreature are rather typical. They adopt the traits similar to that of their cursed animal, whether this be keen senses, fast swimming, sturdiness, and so forth. But they also boost superhuman strength and endurance, near bottomless stamina, and a regeneration rate that heals most wounds in no time.

If there is a downside to being a werecreature, it would be the unfortunate nature of their transformation. That being they have little to no control of it. Under certain conditions, they will be forcibly transformed into their cursed beast. The timing of this transformation does differ depending on the creature.

The only documented times are that of the werewolf (every full moon) and the werebear (the first week of spring). Who knows the timing of the vast plethora of other werecreatures.

And when they are forcibly transformed like this, the being they were black out, ceasing to exist. All that remains is the beast they become. And this beast is filled with blind rage and an insatiable hunger, unable to differentiate friend from foe, loved one from stranger. They will kill all within sight and devour their flesh to fuel their beastly strength.

Paradoxically, those with enough experience with the transformation and of strong willpower can tame the beast a little bit. Able to transform at will and can be aware of their actions in the beast form. Though they are still under the effects of the curse of forcible transformation, unable to control themselves when **** to transform against their will.

It is thanks to this, most werecreatures are exiles and hermits, trying to live away from the civilized world and live in the outskirts. Some even forsake humanity entirely. They become wild ravenous beasts they are cursed to being, or find themselves in the lower rungs of the Beastmen Warbands, being slaves until their transformations where they are used for sport or as wild card shock troopers.

Stuck between the lines of civilization and nature, but rejected by both...cursed to be neither man nor beast. **** into isolation least they savagely **** and consume all around them. There is few beings in this world more pitiful, yet dangerous, than that of the werecreature.