Skinchangers

The Skinchangers, also commonly known as Werebeasts by other supernaturals, are a collection of supernatural beings capable of changing between human and animal form, thanks to the Wyldling spirits, known as Soulkin, who they share their bodies with. The history of Skinchangers harkens back to the days before history, when men of the primordial wilds made pacts with mighty animal spirits, known as Forebears, allowing their bodies to be inhabited by lesser animal spirits in exchange for their power.

## The Nations

The Wyldborn are separated into different breeds, based upon which animal spirit they are connected to, with all members of a breed being collectively known as a Nation. The patron of a nation, the mightiest spirit of their particular animal, responsible for the pacts with the first members of a Nation is known as a Forebear.

* Weresharks
	+ Forebear: Deep Hunger
* Werespiders
	+ Forebear: Grandmother Weaver
* Werelizards
	+ Forebear: Old Man Scaleback
* Wereserpents
	+ Forebear: Lady Bloodsong
* Wereeagles
	+ Forebear: Highwing
* Wereowls
	+ Forebear: The Silent Flier
* Wereravens
	+ Forebear: Nightbeak
* Werebats
	+ Forebear: Darkfang
* Werebears
	+ Forebear: Fierce Mother
* Werewolves
	+ Forebear: The Great Alpha
* Werefoxes:
	+ Forebear: Quick Tail
* Werecoyotes
	+ Forebear: Laughing Howl

* Werelions
	+ Forebear: Brightmane

* Weretigers
	+ Forebear: Allstalker

* Werejaguars
	+ Forebear: Eyes of Night
* Werecougars
	+ Forebear: Coldfang

* Werecheetahs
	+ Forebear: Swift Claw

* Wererats
	+ Forebear: The Underqueen

* Wereboars
	+ Forebear: Sharp Tusk

## Soulkin

*"Man and beast. Two spirits, one flesh."*

Every one of the Werebeasts is born with two spirits; the primary human spirit, called the Mansoul, and the Soulkin, the animal spirit granted to their breed by its Forebear. Soulkin provide a Skinchanger with their animal instincts, and their connection with the spirit world, and allow them to change their Skin. Those with stronger connections to their Soulkin find the act of Changing easier, and move about in their bestial forms with greater ease, while those with a more antagonistic relationship with their Soulkin struggle to make use of their natural gifts. The Soulkin is separate from the Mansoul, yet also a part of it, and the greatest challenge of most Skinchanger's lives is the act of balancing their two halves.

### States of Balance

The way in which a Skinchanger interacts with and feels towards their Soulkin shapes its influence on their life. Depending on how the Mansoul treats its Soulkin, the Skinchanger's ability to transform and use their powers is affected, along with how well they are able to control the Urges that the Soulkin transmits. In certain extreme situations, the Soulkin might completely take over the body, forcing the Mansoul into submission while they act out on their impulses. Such a state is often referred to as "Eclipsing".

* Repression: Skinchangers in the state known as Repression enter it as a result of hating and fearing their inner beast, and therefore attempting to quash it down. They restrain their Urges at every opportunity, and seek to keep their transformations to a minimum. Their Soulkin, as a result, tends to become wild and violent, seeking to take control and lash out whenever it can, which always occurs at least once during a transformation cycle. Inevitably, these occasions result in Full Eclipses, and the Soulkin will seek to act on its Urges by whatever means necessary. One of the more common occurrences during these Eclipses is that a Soulkin will try to hunt down and kill anyone who has made the Skinchanger unhappy, in a twisted way of protecting itself.
* Leashed: Some Skinchangers maintain a tight control over their Soulkin, resisting their Urges most of the time, then unleashing their inner beasts at chosen moments. Such individuals are often referred to as "Leashed". Leashed Skinchangers usually result not from dislike of one's bestial nature in and of itself, but rather disliking the loss of control the Soulkin causes. Usually, the Leashed will engage in periodic transformations in order to let their Soulkin feel less constrained, and try to systematically indulge their Urges in a controlled manner. The benefits of such discipline usually allow Skinchangers to avoid Esclipsing at all in human form, at the cost of struggling more to control themselves when transformed, as the Soulkin attempts to indulge in its Urges in the limited time it is "let off the leash".
* Revelling: Those who enjoy the thrill, freedom, and power that comes with being a Skinchanger are said to be in a state of Revelling. This mindset invigorates a Soulkin, and strengthens its bond with the Mansoul. Revellers Change frequently, learning to do so with speed and ease, and maintain a large degree of control when they do, rarely suffering any sort of Eclipse due to how well in tune they are with their Soulkin. At the same time, however, they often act more animalistically in human form, frequently succumbing to the Soulkin's Urges, which can sometimes have disastrous effects.
* Savagery: A rare and dangerous state to enter, Savagery entails that for whatever reason, due to fear of their other half or becoming lost in the violent power they possess, a Skinchanger gives in completely to their Soulkin's will. Over a course of time, they continually fail to resist the Soulkin's Urges, and eventually reach a state where the Soulkin is the dominant consciousness, and the Mansoul secondary. Such unfortunates who have "gone savage" spend most of their time in one of their bestial shapes, ruled by the Soulkin's primal intelligence, with the Mansoul only rarely asserting itself, usually to give a spur of cunning and intellect that a Soulkin lacks. Rehabilitation from Savagery is rare, and most of the time, other Skinchangers or supernaturals will simply seek to try and put such an individual out of their misery.

### Urges

The Soulkin's thought processes are not the same as that of the human Mansoul. Though the two halves share the same fears, wants, and desires, the Soulkin acts on them in a more simple and primal manner. When the Mansoul is annoyed at a waiter for spilling a drink on them, the Soulkin might try to knock the waiter to the ground. A Mansoul has a crush on her classmate, and she might smile nervously as he walks by, but the Soulkin will pin him against a locker and start making out forcefully. The term used to refer to the primal instincts that Skinchangers are sometimes driven to act on is "Urges". How often and how forcefully a Soulkin acts on its Urges depends on the state of balance they exist in with the Mansoul.

Though opinions vary from group to group, many Skinchangers have attempted to categorize the common Urges that the Soulkin impresses onto its more rational half. These are some of the more commonly accepted ones.

* Rage: The Urge of Rage is accepted near universally among Skinchangers, and is the reason why they are often known for having short tempers. Rage encompasses any instance where a Soulkin attempts to express anger through violence. Rage can manifest in anything as tame is crushing a glass in one's hand, to flipping over a table, to bashing someone's face into a curb. In any Skin with claws or teeth, the manifestations of Rage are often far bloodier.
* Fear: Another commonly accepted Urge is that of Fear, which is usually applied to times when the Soulkin's instincts push a Skinchanger to flee from some source of terror or pain. Often, Fear leads to Rage, if it cannot be satisfied.
* Hunger: The Hunger Urge is applied to any situation where a Soulkin drives a Skinchanger to satisfy its appetite with food and drink. The Hunger Urge manifesting often sees reserved and cordial Skinchangers devouring entire haunches of meat or knocking back ten mugs of beer. Sometimes, the Hunger Urge can manifest more darkly, especially in a bestial shape, as it drives a Skinchanger to consume enemies alive.
* Hunting: The Hunting Urge is believed to be brought on by the presence of creatures that show fear or vulnerability. Most commonly it results in Skinchangers desiring to down and kill animals, reveling in the thrill of the chase and the kill. Sometimes, when the Urge takes over, it can lead to people being chosen as prey.
* Dominance: More socially oriented Skinchangers often cite the Dominance Urge when they engage in behavior where they attempt to assert themselves over other creatures. Such instances can range from scaring off a deer in the woods to intimidating a bouncer at a nightclub. Many claim this Urge is fictitious, and is simply used by assholes to justify them being assholes.
* Mating: The Mating Urge is one of the most controversial in many circles, and focuses on physical attraction and the acts that usually result. Sometimes, it leads to a fixation on an attractive individual, or gives a Skinchanger the impetus to make their move on a crush. On rare and horrible occasions, some Skinchangers claim that their Soulkin has driven them to claim their desires by force. Others refute such claims as cowards attempting to justify the unjustifiable.
* Marking: Supposedly, the Marking Urge involves a Soulkin driving a Skinchanger to assert their possession of either people, places or objects. Making it clear that one owns a certain bit of territory, or forcefully interceding on interactions between one's boyfriend and another woman are examples of behavior that might occur under this Urge.

### Eclipsing

*"Happens to all of us every now and then. When the beast takes over, and everything goes dark."*

Eclipsing, also known as "going dark", is a phenomenon that Skinchangers experience when their Soulkin usurps control, forcing the default human consciousness, the Mansoul, into submission for a brief period. There are two degrees of Eclipsing, known as a "Partial Eclipse" and "Full Eclipse". As its name implies, a Partial Eclipse is more moderate, usually only lasting a few moments to a few minutes. A Skinchanger usually has some sort of recollection as to what transpired during a Partial Eclipse, though their memories tend to be quite hazy. A Full Eclipse, by contrast, is far more serious, and involves the Skinchanger completely blacking out for several hours at least. When they return to consciousness, they have no memory of what transpired during the Full Eclipse.

## Skins

The primary commonality between all Skinchanger nations is their ability to change their shape, taking on various beast forms which correspond to their soulkin. Each Skinchanger species has a variety of Skins that they can assume, their natural Manskin, a full Beastskin, where they transform completely into the chosen animal, and usually several Skins in between.

### Changing Skins

The act of Skinchanging is a painful, violent process, wherein the Soukin spirit inhabiting a Skinchangers body forcibly reshapes it from one form to another. The speed and efficacy of this transformation is dependent on the Skinchanger's relation with their Soulkin; those who are in harmony with their other half transform quicker and with less pain. Those who fight and repress their Soulkin, however, will have to battle their other to keep them caged, and will be wracked by anguish every time the Soulkin attempts to assert itself. At least once per transformation cycle, they will be forced to endure a brutal and agonizing transformation that can last for many minutes or even hours (depending on how hard they resist), during which they will Fully Eclipse.

The most common transformations usually take several long moments to elapse, sometimes even a minute or two depending on which Skin one is changing into. More distant Skins take longer, for instance, transforming from the shape of a man into a full bear takes longer than a form between man and bear.

The transformation itself usually carries several physical cues, when it is initiated. The Skinchanger begins to breathe heavily. They break out in sweat, their heartbeats quickening, and they often feel a tingling sensation run across them. Body temperature spikes, and the Skinchanger begins to experience head and stomachaches, and dizziness. Their pupils dilate, and the previous tingling sensation progresses to cramps, then to agonizing pain as their body begins to reshape itself. Many Skinchangers experience symptoms similar to panic attacks, and vomiting is not uncommon, especially for the inexperienced. Briefly passing out is also known to occur, though it usually lasts for no more than a few moments.

Experienced Skinchangers, in a healthy state of Balance with their Soulkin can often mitigate many of these symptoms, and transform faster. Being able to Skinchange in under ten seconds is a hugely impressive feat among most Skinchanger breeds.

### Common Skins

While individual Skinchanger breeds possess disparate forms, all variants do possess some shapes in common, though they vary depending on the animal breed of their Soulkin.

* The Manskin: The Manskin is universally possessed by all Skinchangers, and is the form that all of them are born in. Physically, Skinchangers are indistinguishable from ordinary humans in this form, though most have a tendency to have very athletic physiques, as well as above average body temperatures. While wearing their Manskin, most Skinchangers have inhuman physical prowess, though not to a huge degree.
* Warskin: All Skinchangers have a form known as a Warskin, and as its name implies, this is the shape most physically powerful and suited to combat. Most Warskins take the form of a monstrous, semihumanoid form of a Skinchanger's animal species.
* The Beastskin: Another Skin present in all Skinchangers, though different to each type, is the Beastskin, that being a perfect representation of that Skinchanger's animal species, such as a wolf, bear, or crocodile.

## Common Abilities

While the specific abilities of different Skinchangers vary considerably, based on their nation and spiritual mastery, they do share a number of common abilities.

* Skinchanging: Each and every Skinchanger has the ability to change their Skin, using the power of the Soulkin animal spirit within them to reshape their physical form.
	+ Partial Transformation: With practice, Skinchangers are able to partially transform portions of their body, without wholly changing Skins. This might entail transforming only their eyes for superior night vision, or sprouting claws from their fingers in order to manifest a set of naturally weaponry without a complete transformation.
* Supernatural Vitality: Thanks to their magical nature, Skinchangers tend to be far more healthy and robust than ordinary humans or animals in the relevant skins. They find it much easier to build muscle and keep off fat, have higher pain tolerances, can operate on less sleep, and are more fertile on average.
	+ Delayed Aging: Skinchangers tend to age more slowly than mundane beings. While they are far from immortal, a middle aged Skinchanger often appears youthful, while the elderly remain limber and spry when humans of similar age are feeble and frail. If they do not meet death by violent means, Skinchangers can frequently live to be over one hundred, sometimes even by a few decades.
	+ Disease Resistance: A Skinchanger is almost completely immune to all mundane forms of common diseases, and highly resistant to even the deadliest of natural plagues. Only mystical pestilences are able to have a strong negative effect upon them.
* Realmwalking: Though the individual means may vary from Nation to Nation, all Skinchangers are capable of entering the Arboreal, an Ethereal realm inhabited by various natural spirits.

## Charms

Skinchangers are able to use the mystical powers of Numinous spirits, known as Charms.

## Common Weaknesses

Bane Metal: Each Skinchanger breed is possessed of a bane metal, which symbolizes the blood of one of the celestial spirits their Forebear pays homage to, with silver, the Bane Metal to those who submit to the Moon, being the most common. Bane Metals are least damaging in human form, where their touch causes discomfort, but not outright pain. In other shapes, they are painful to the touch, causing a reaction similar to an acid burn. More importantly, Bane Metals, whether worm in a bracelet against their skin, or lodged in their flesh as a bullet, prevents a Skinchanger from shifting forms. Due to the corrosive effects of the Bane Metal, wounds inflicted by it cause tremendous pain. Moreover, their regenerative abilities are also weakened so long as the Bane Metal remains lodged in their flesh.