Wilders

*"I fought beside one today. Thought I was dead. That monster had trapped us all, and he was circling me, drool dripping off his fangs. Had my knife with me, but I knew it wasn't going to do much. Just preparing for my end is all I could think, but then he can bounding out of the bush, screaming like a wild man. Surprised the monster just as much as me! He was so fast, I could barely track him. He lept up high, like a deer jumping, and in his hand he held a huge club looking like it was carved out of a femur bone. He brought it down on top of the monster's skull before it could even think to get away, and before I could even move my feet had already struck it three more times. He crushed its skull like I could crush this berry. Terrifying. Just glad they are on our side."*

Wilders were once people who became possessed by The Wild. Now they are something more than human, their bodies having been mutated by the powers of magic. Their bodies have transformed to become stronger, faster, and heartier. They often have grown animal features such as claws, fangs, fur, animal eyes, tails, and even horns. Wilders also lose some small part of the humanity due to the transformation, causing their minds to adopt some of the wildness that their bodies also physically adopt. Wilders are the manifestation of The Wild within the body of a human who refused to complete the transformation into a full monster of the forest. They are people who have some small ability to detect and control magic but not enough to fully control it or even understand what it is that they have.

## Wilders

Touched by The Wild, Wilders lose some of their humanity in favor of a demeanor and outlook that can sometimes resemble a wild, pack animal. They interact with the world in a subtly different way than a normal person, one which can make them seem a bit erratic or distant at times. Their heightened senses can cause them to be twitchy, as if expecting danger at any moment. They can be very sensitive to loud noises and typically jittery in nature. Some have a habit of constantly scanning their surroundings, their eyes moving quickly and repeatedly over the area. For Wilders that were barely able to control the transformation, their body movements and demeanor can, in a rare event or excited state, resemble that more closely of a wild animal than a person. All of these traits and more are possible for a Wilder, and although they act in most cases as any human would, these quirks about them are a tell-tale sign that they are not completely normal.

Wilders are drawn to live in the Great Forest, typically in packs. The feel the urge to mostly stay away from Tribal villages not only because they do not belong but because the subtle pull of magic energy on their body simply makes them feel more comfortable the closer they are to it. This is not unlike magic users in that they can detect and feel the pull of magic, but their ability to detect and harness it is far inferior thus leaving them more with a sensation than an understanding and control. As a result, although Wilders may be welcome in their home villages, after all, they were once a part of them, the urge to be in the Great Forest over time whittles away at their familial ties and friendships to the point that they often become ghosts to those that once knew them. Wilders therefore consider their packs to be their new family, and after many years may forget about their home village completely.

Wilders also have a unique ability to communicate with each other using body language. This can be through long glances, fierce facial expressions, or simply posture. Akin to some social animals, communication can be done largely through body movements rather than sound as making too much sound within the Great Forest can be dangerous. When they do make noises for communication, it can just as often be low grunts or growls rather than spoken language. When traveling together as a pack, they may move completely silently for hours, simply communicating through body language, and this can be unnerving for anyone who might be traveling with them.

Wilders do stay in touch with the happenings of the Tribes, most often coming upon hunters or travelers in the Great Forest and stopping to rest with them. Such conversations always have an air of unease. Tribesfolk do not fear the Wilders for there is nothing to be afraid of, but the idea that Wilders represent people who have been possessed by The Wild still makes one feel a bit uneasy. Further, the heightened senses of Wilders allows them to be more keen on smells, noises, and posture. They therefore are excellent at detecting when a person is uneasy, lying, or otherwise distracted. As such, they can often detect the unease in others which therefore makes them nervous or feel like outcasts. Communication therefore is usually fairly rough between the Tribesfolk and the Wilder Packs, and it takes a lot of time and some consideration on the part of a Tribe before they can truly build a relationship and understanding with Wilders.

Wilders form packs in the Great Forest. They are drawn to each other in the same way that magic users are drawn to each other. This pack structure, known as Wilder Packs, creates a home for a Wilder and a sense of family and belonging. Wilders understand other Wilders, and this natural bond is lasting and strong between them. Wilder Packs are nomadic, travelling the Great Forest mostly on the trail of food. When Wilder Packs meet each other, they often rest together, exchanging information, goods, or simply camaraderie, but such meet-ups do not typically last long as the individualistic nature of packs and their alphas causes them to go their separate ways.

On some occasions, Wilders will visit a nearby village in order to trade and pick up supplies. Since they are nomadic, Wilders do not have a need for most material things, but they do have a need for clothing, crafted goods, weapons, and other things they can carry. Often, they bring food, bones, or teeth to trade with from animals they have killed in the forest. Unless the people of a village are used to seeing Wilders, such visits would be an uneasy affair, and they are often handled by the Chieftain or Elders within the Tribe. Wilders are respected, especially for their more than humans abilities, but this respect never reaches farther than simple civility for most Tribesfolk as they do not want people possessed by The Wild around them for too long. Albeit an awkward affair, Wilders do enjoy the company of the Tribesfolk for the most part as they remind them of their past. For a particularly progressive Tribe, Wilders may be outright welcomed in the village, and they can visit often, staying up long into the nights recounting stories of the Great Forest and the monsters within.

## Body of a Wilder

The bodies of Wilders have been transformed by The Wild. Wilders often have enhanced muscular structures, and are much stronger than a human. Their bones also grow denser and their skin tougher to the touch. Their senses grow heightened, with greater abilities of sight, hearing, and smell. Their physiology is also more robust, and they bodies are more resistant to disease and poison. In almost all ways, a Wilder is a super human, possessing traits that most people could only dream of. Wilders are shaped by The Wild to survive the dangers of the Great Forest, and there is no mistaking that their bodies are different.

Some Wilders even grow features that are reflective of animals. They may grow fangs or elongated or sharpened teeth. They may sprout horns or tails. Many grow fur around their faces or on their arms or legs. They can grow claws where they had finger nails. Many have eyes that look similar to wolves or cats with eye shine to match. Some can exhibit skin discolorations in dramatic colors. Some may rarely even exhibit deeper transformations with their legs or arms twisting to take the shape of haunches or of paws. These transformations may cause them to adopt more animalistic movements such as walking on all fours or ability to scurry up trees. Such dramatic mutations are much rarer, though. Most Wilders simply look as humans do but with the addition of some extra features that make them visibly not so.

The effects on their body can also be of a magic nature. Some Wilders harbor more magic capability than others, but none can fully control or understand it. As a result, many Wilders can manifest magical abilities in a natural way. The most common example of this is the Howler who can can shriek or bay with a magically empowered voice that can shatter ears if in a group. These abilities are not directly controlled and simply stem from a natural use of the body.

## Life of a Wilder

Once the possession occurs, people who will become Wilders will wander into the Great Forest, drawn there by their connection to magic energy. The process of the mutation happens quickly, and it can often be painful. However, in just a few short days, it will be complete, and the person will be transformed fully. From there, many Wilders may at first attempt to revisit their village, but they will quickly find that the people they once knew are uneasy around them, not only physically but also in fear of The Wild that now possess them. This combined with the urge to return to the Great Forest put upon them by their draw to magic energy will eventually see them disappear from the village altogether.

Like all people who can detect magic, it is easy for a Wilder to find other Wilders. This is further aided as they begin to get familiar with their new heightened senses which allow them to track more easily. All Tribes know of Wilders, and as such, the Wilder is not really confused by what has happened to him. However, the emotions can run especially raw as it will inevitably dawn on them that their old life in a Tribe has come to a close. They know that Wilders travel in packs, and equipped with this knowledge, they seek them out. It is through connection to a pack that a Wilder will receive the emotional support he needs to carry on with his new life as he will find others like him and who can understand him.

Becoming a member of a pack is not difficult as most who are apart of a pack also remember what it was like to undergo the transformation. When a Wilder finds a pack, the most common result is that the pack accepts him into it readily. The older members of the pack will teach the new Wilder about the pack, introduce themselves, and begin the process of making him part of their family. With a pack, a Wilder will travel under the leadership of the pack alpha for what will likely be the rest of his life. He will hunt with the pack, fight with the pack, and most likely as his body gets older and weaker over time, die for the pack.

Wilders build strong bonds of friendship within their pack, and they are fiercely loyal to the alpha. A Wilder who is particularly adept at some skill or feat such as strength, cunning, leadership, or inventiveness will often find himself rising to a position of leadership within the pack. This may result in him becoming a trusted adviser to the alpha and further maybe becoming the alpha one day as the existing alpha grows old. Packs do not typically squabble over leadership. It is simply the natural order of things that those with ability rise to the top, and it is also the natural order that as they age and grow weaker that they pass that leadership on to those who are younger in body and more capable.

Wilders do not typically grow very old. The effects of the mutation on their body causes their life strand to burn very brightly for a while, but life in the Great Forest is hard and dangerous. They can become maimed or injured during battles with animals in the forest or simply through accidental missteps. Their bodies also age at a higher rate than a normal human, causing them to reach an elderly state a bit earlier in life. As weakness gets you killed while in the forest, the end of a Wilder is usually violent.

Wilders can build a full lifetime experience while traveling the Great Forest. They develop true friendships with their pack mates, and some fall in love, even having children. They can also build lasting relationships with members of the Tribes or even maintain some connections with their homes. Wilders are sought out by Shamans, Rangers, and Tribes often for their help in dealing with particularly nasty situations involving creatures of the forest, and some Wilders even go to war for Chieftains if called upon by a very friendly Tribe. Thus, although clearly outside of society, Wilders still lead rich and full lives. Often more barbaric than most would prefer, Wilders are still very much human and therefore still very much lead human lives. Often the experience of such a life is greatly heightened as the senses of a Wilder allow them a more enriched experience of life than a human.

## True Wilders

It is not uncommon for Wilders to have loving relationships, but it is rarer for a Wilder to have a child that can survive for long periods of time in the Great Forest. When they do however, those children grow up to be what is known as a True Wilder. True Wilders do not have the same memories of a life lost in a Tribe, and as such, the pack and the way of the Wilder is all they know. They are therefore often more distant and even feral than other Wilders having a much more difficult time interacting socially with the Tribesfolk. They greatly feel the sense that they are something different than human, and often, True Wilders simply won't go into villages unless directed so by an alpha.

For a child to survive in the Great Forest, their body must be extremely strong. Further, because they grow up with that body rather than transforming into it, they are much more attuned to their abilities. True Wilders are therefore often stronger, faster, and have keener senses than other Wilders. Their personalities are also often fiercer, more independent, and more akin to a social, pack animal than as a human. True Wilders have been witnessed to perform incredible feats of strength and agility. Their heightened senses also make them impossibly good at tracking and detecting creatures in the Great Forest. Some of the latent magic abilities can also manifest to a much greater degree in a True Wilder, causing them to adopt higher degrees of control of magic energy.

Unfortunately, though, True Wilders are also often more greatly touched by The Wild than their parents. This has led to many stories where a True Wilder has gone completely feral, sometimes even drawn away from their pack. Once completely feral, a True Wilder can become dangerous and must be put down. However, this is not always the fate of a True Wilder. Some have even become pack alphas, their enhanced bodies and senses providing them a natural strength which can be useful as leadership in a pack

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--Neil (talk) 17:56, 25 October 2016 (AST)