Lycus

**Lycus**, also known as **the** **Moon Fury**, is one of the dreadlords. Lycus is the demon lord of deception, lies, rage, wilderness, hunger, and shapeshifters. He is the creator of lycanthropy, berserkers, and other shapeshifters such as doppelgangers. His avatar is the total chimera. The moon he usurped bears his name as does one of the months of autumn. His name is often spelled with many variations including: Lykos, Lychus, and Lykus.

## Lycus

A pencil and ink sketch of Lycus in his true form, the total chimera, by Alex.

### Type

* Dreadlord
* Fiend (demon)

### Titles & names

* the Moon Fury
* the Total Chimera
* Father of Lycanthropes

### Symbols

* a Snarling Wolf, especially with the skull exposed
* A red, crescent moon
* Total Chimera (avatar)

### Home Plane

* the Abyss
* Lycus (Moon)

## Worship

### Associated domains

* Deception
* Fury
* the Moon
* Shapeshifters
* Wilderness

## Description

### Appearance

Being a shapeshifter like the creatures he created, Lycus' form can shift between that of any beast of his choice as well as humanoids. As a humanoid, Lycus prefers to appear as a silver-maned tiefling with red eyes. In his true form, Lycus takes the form of a total chimera, a terrible, shapeshifting demon representing a strange amalgamation of animal features wearing its own hide as a cloak. As the total chimera, Lycus bears a wolf's face with the skin pulled back to show an exposed skull. A massive rack of jagged antlers rests as a thorny crown atop his head. His body is gaunt and skeletal, flames seeping out from the ribcage. He wears a cloak made of hide that seems to be attached to his skeleton. His elongated arms end in long, sharp claws, and for feet, they have the talons of a hawk. The total chimera has a stinger-tipped tail like a scorpion.

Like his berserker children, Lycus can erupt into flames of fury. In battle, if he is not enjoying rending his opponents with tooth and nail, Lycus will summon a cursed sword known in the legends as 'Scorched Earth.'

### Personality

Many of the stories about the demon lord tell that he preferred to keep to himself. Lycus preferred to corrupt the natural world and to turn folk into beasts with his curses and enjoys utilizing deception to sow distrust and anger amongst folk. His curses often revolve around heightened emotional states as he takes joy in the burning blood of those who experience fury. It is noted in tales that he was fled the battle that ended the Sunless Era, suggesting that he is either cowardly or that his loyalty to his demonic kin does not run deep. Of all the dreadlords, Lycus is possibly the widest worshipped by folk who choose Diabloism as their faith, often being seen as a vengeful force of nature and as a reminder of needing to care for the natural world in an industrializing society.

## History

### Background

Like the other dread lords and demons, Lycus was born of the dreams of It That Slumbers after its defeat. Born of the negative psionic resonance of mortals in the Abyss, Lycus worked with his demonic kin to escape the Abyss and come into the material plane. As is the case with the other dreadlords, Lycus was one of the progenitors of the tiefling people with his tieflings bearing many animal-like and natural features.

After the the Dreadlords descended upon Evarencia, they took control of the realm with an iron fist, blotted out the sun and started the Sunless Era. It is during this time that Lycus created the curse that would bear his name and continue to affect the realm into the modern day; lycanthropy. He created other curses, and according to legend, he is responsible for chimeras. He also brought into being many shapeshifting creatures such as doppelgangers, changelings, inari, and berserkers. During the Sunless Era, Lycus had usurped the moon Searc by hunting the Moonlit King and consuming him. The blood moon still bears his name and is the satellite that affects lycanthropic curses; due to the moon’s orbit reaching closest to Evarencia during the autumn months, his influence often increases during this time of year.

He turned the region that would become the Silver Mist and the territory of the Silver Blade Nomads into his personal hunting grounds. Lycus was the only one of the arch-demons not present at the Battle of New Dawn with legend stating he fled to the moon that bears his name during the battle.

### *SteamSpell*

Maus Ponyhosen was a tiefling that bore Lycus' heritage, explaining their deer-like features. They were investigating a cult of Lycus led by the doppelganger Shen Capgra when they joined the Star-Touched. Maus defeated their quarry after the events of *SteamSpell.*

### Campaign

The Emerald Caravan has encountered numerous lycanthropic enemies as well as others bearing a curse born of Lycus. Belial, as Oinksbane, led multiple assaults against the Caravan with werebears, were-mountain screamers, a repli-ganger, and a berserker. The investigation in Shiverdelve led to the Caravan battling against Banehowl, an eldritch werewolf creature. They came into conflict with the reincarnation of one of Lycus' wolf-priests, Gorgoth.

Fenris Amarak, as a tiefling, bears the heritage of Lycus. So great is this connection that the tiefling naturally developed lycanthropy when his clairvoyance awakened. It appears Lycus has been waiting for centuries for a clairvoyant child with his heritage for some nefarious scheme. Lycus has contacted Fenris, via the moon, offering him great power in exchange for control. Fenirs momentarily accepted this offer to become a suped-up werewolf when the Moonlit King fled the Emerald Caravan in S2E8 'the Crescent Dome.'

Since traversing to Hex, Fenris' curse has advanced after exposure to the strange moon, which causes/allows him to take on a berserker state when his emotions reach certain thresholds. While in Hex, Fenris was ambushed by the ill-fated silver-mained werewolf, Vilemaw, who wants to claim Lycus' heritage for himself.

## Relationships

### Allies

It is assumed that Lycus is allies with his fellow demons, but his fleeing from the Battle of New Dawn suggests a potential for that to not be true.

### Enemies

The rivalry between Lycus and the Moonlit King is legendary with the Moonlit King, now resurrected, constantly scheming to earn his moon back.

Oberon Eversummer, swearing to retake the moon of his namesake, has made an enemy of Lycus. When it was revealed to the audience and realms that Ezara is actually the descendent of Oberon Eversummer and has divine heritage, she also became a target of the demon's ire. This has made the Emerald Caravan become sworn enemies of the Moon Fury.

Lycus despises Marlfax, who he sees as a direct competitor. Okku and Lycus quickly became enemies as the dreadlord enjoys corrupting animals and nature. Azrael and Megaera seek out the flames of fury which the total chimera stole. Alux often finds himself in conflict with the dreadlord, as both are affiliated with autumn.

The Silver Blade Nomads, as a culture, consider themselves to be enemies of Lycus.

## Known Worshippers

* Gorgoth, the Wolf of Eden
* Banehowl, Gorgoth's Alpha
* Vilemaw
* Shen Capgra

## Notable tieflings bearing heritage

* Fenris Amarak
* Maus Ponyhosen

## Trivia

* The name Lycus is taken from the Greek word for wolf; 'Lykos.' The Greek word itself became the basis for the word 'lycanthropy.' This was intentionally done to make it sound like, in setting, that the curse of werewolves and their ilk bears his name.
* Lycus' avatar, the Total Chimera, is inspired by spirits and creatures featured in various Native American folklore.
* Tiefling characters bearing Lycus' heritage have appeared in both *SteamSpell* (Maus) and *WovenRealm* (Fenris).
* The Total Chimera is named in part by the fact that Lycus can manifest features from any beast, much like the chimera myth.