Organization: University of Illinois at Chicago
Date: Thursday, 19 Nov 1992 12:44:11 CST
From: <U16244@uicvm.uic.edu>
Newsgroups: alt.horror.werewolves
Subject: Re: The ideal werewolf

In terms of an ideal werewolf, I'd say one of the most ideal points was
the ability to change at will, coupled with the urge to change at
a full moon (uncontrollable- must change- as it is a hunter's moon).

Although I myself am a member of one of the many vampire tribes
(each having its origins in various parts of the world), my long experience
with my brethren has shown me that there are as many different types of
lycanthrop based on origins and abilities as there are different animal
species.

One specie is the Cursed, as is known in the parley of my species.
They are ones who have had the misfortune to survive a werewolf attack by
another Cursed, and thus received the unholy infection.  They tend to have
regenerative abilities that do not operate when they are wounded by materials
that tend to leave large amounts of inorganic residue.  IE: they are vulnerable
to soft metals, of which silver is the most effective as it is one of the
softest precious metals, although lead, with an extremely low hardness will
cause similar, excrutiating pain.

Then, there are the Crafted: Beings who willingly undergo Druidic
or so-called Satanic rituals which enable them to transform into a wolf.
The various spells require different components, from leopard skins and
improvized claws in the case of the Leopard-men, to the use of the pentagram
in certain European cultures.  It is these weres which do bear the cursed mark
of the Pentagram, as a symbol of their pact with an otherworldly intelligence.

Then there are the Born.  They are a species which is naturally lycanthropic.
They are beings who have evolved alongside mankind as a Predator of the
species.  Whitley Strieber came extremely close to this legend in his
novel, Wolfen.  They cannot breed except with members of their own specie,
as they are their own specific race.  The reason, however, no skeletons have
been found of this specie is the fact that they rarely die in their
transitional forms, and any transitional skeletons are destroyed due to
cultural law.

Actually, I myself, and my specie of Vampire, quite admire the rest of
your race, as we ourselves have the ability to transform into wolf form,
and sometimes choose the halfway transitional form in times of intense combat.
It is quite an invigorating experience, most enjoyable, and travelling
on all fours at full speed is by far more satisfying than batform.

That, and you lucky buggers don't have to worry about walking around in
daylight without worrying about being thrown into a state of skeletal
hybernation (heh-heh-heh.  My specie has only two fatal weaknesses.  One
is mortal combat with another member of the specie, or another creature of
metaphysical nature- ie: other vampiric species, were beings, true dragons,
and the other... oh hell.  Most of my species are bastards, and I've dodged
this one hundreds of times- running water).  Still, sunlight is a real
bitch, as is silver and wood and salt crystals (not the saline solution
itself, unless it is in ocean water).

That's what I have from my experience.  And yes, the Cursed are immortal,
much like vampires, but the natural species is mortal, if only extremely
long lived (usually killed off in inner pack combat after around 4-600
years, but truly tough loners, or  powerfull pack leaders often make it to
1000 years).  The Crafted occasionally place immortality runes in their
transformation spells, but these annoying creatures are ridiculously easy
to eliminate when in their human forms, and are disgustingly slow in their
transformations.  Indeed, those who are not genetic werewolves are the
weakest of the lot.  They're more annoying than dangerous to my race,
mainly because they'd rather use their transformations than truly effective
runes and spells against us.

Terrence Wilcze, (Wolf-Cub to those who do not speak Polish)  Kindred.
writing through the account of
Douglas P. Wojtowicz, u16244@uicvm.edu

Organization: Sophomore, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA