Lycanis-Simensis

Lycanis-Simensis are a rare sub species of Lycanthrope only found in sub Saharan Africa. Lycanis-Simensis are fiercely territorial and will not hesitate to descend upon any aggressive intruders of their land. It is not uncommon to hear stories of famed Victorian explorers never returning from the Savannah after coming across a pack of Lycanis-Simensis. Unlike other sub species Lycanis-Simensis seem to only use their form to defend their land, with instances practicing their faith and day to day activities in their human form. It is incredibly rare to see a Lyanis-Simensis outside of Africa though this is by their own choice, ideals such as reverence of ancestors and protection of family ground are of great importance.

Lycanis-Simensis have often been used to defend from colonial invaders, this is displayed no where better than the battle of Islawanda in which Lycanis-Simensis instances were instrumental in deciding the fate of the battle. This is almost a biological imperative form Lycanis-Simensis with many individuals citing invaders have an almost magnetism that draws Lycanis-Simensis from all over the area. This has lead to large groups of Lycanis-Simensis packs descending on marching columns of invading colonists that almost always end in slaughter.

### Lycanis-Simensis Appearance and Attributes

Lycanis-Simensis most strongly resemble the Ethiopian wolf whilst in their canine form, they are also slightly taller than other Lycan sub species with their longer legs giving them a distinct appearance. It’s for this long stride that in the English speaking world Lycanis-Simensis have been nick named Striders due to accounts by British Soldiers during the Anglo-Zulu wars. This increased leg length does allow Lycanis-Simensis instances to run faster and perform feet’s of agility more proficiently than their cousins. This makes even small groups of Striders dangerous as they will quickly reposition around their prey in order to get an optimal angle of attack. This also makes the Striders that dwell within mountainous high lands incredibly deadly whilst in their home territory.

Lycanis-Simensis are often considered to be magic users in African Folklore this is understandable however as among many Strider packs there exits a dedicated cadre of Thaumaturge. This willingness to work alongside and with humans is contrary to the disproportionate populations of rural Strider packs. It is highly unlikely that one would come across a Lycanis-Simensis within the confines of an Urban area. Lycanis-Simensis are also strongly define by their dislike of mortal humans, with many avoiding humans at all cost. In Strider cultures humans are often considered to be violent, filthy, and disease spreading, with whiter skin equating to being more dirty in many. This is understandable given the historical implications of the continent upon which they reside though this near blatant racism has prevented many Anomalous security agencies from being able to truly research and understand Strider packs. This distrust of those different to them even extends to other species of Lycanthrope, with stories of Lycans on Arcadian conversion missions being slain by local Striders.

### Lycanis-Simensis Origins

There is no information of the origins of Lycanis-Simensis though there is a large amount of theories. The most predominant and widely believed theory is the “Africas Guardian Theory”. This theory suggests that Lycanis-Simensis is occasionally gifted to tribes who would otherwise be wiped out by invading powers. This theory does explain this disproportionate amount of Lycanis-Simensis incidents during foreign interventions in Africa though does not explain the lack of population density. With so many tribes being transformed during European colonisation there should be more Lycanis-Simensis in the modern day though instead there is a distinct lack of instances. Another theory is that a Pan African Lycan deity simply chooses souls it wishes to have within its ranks, which does explain how some great hero’s become Lycanis-Simensis during their stories.

### Lycanis-Simensis Cultural and Religious Demigraphics

Unlike other sub species that practice recognised and well documented Lycan religions Lycanis-Simensis more often then not practice traditional local beliefs. Many of these traditional practices and beliefs have remained undocumented, with Striders rarely trusting outsiders only faint details have been uncovered. It is believed this may be due to fear of having their cultures wiped out by disease, war, or famine. Though this distrust of outsiders has hampered Lycanis-Simensis from gaining a larger population it has effectively rendered their sub species as the only Lycans practicing their original beliefs. The majority of these Striders still live on the same ground that their ancestors once did, leaving to the disproportionate rural population density.

It is rare to see Striders in towns or cities though when one does it is sure to be a member of the Arcadian faith. As people spread their religions so did Lycans, this conversion mission was considerd a failure but die successfully convert around 11% of the worlds Lycanis-Simensis population. These Arcadian Striders are often found as part of a far larger pack or living in urbanised areas, this often flies in the face of their original packs cultural values leading to excommunication. It may be this threat of exile that has kept so many Striders within their same packs as the threat of exile is virtually a death sentence if one was to return.

### Lycanis-Simensis Common Form

Lycanis-Simensis is one of the most diverse sub species in terms of how users obtain their power. Though the two most common are undoubtably Serkik Lycanthropy and True Lycanthropy. Though this does changed based on the current state of affairs of Africa as times of immense hardship are often graced by a large resurgence in Serkik Lycanthropes. It is known that this is due to Lycanis-Simensis packs rallying aid to defend larger areas of land though it is unknown as to what happens to the Serkik Lycanthropes after these hardships are over. Many have been left bewildered by the abundance of Serkik Lycanthropes during times of great civil unrest only for them to seemingly all vanish once more the hardship is resolved.