Lobishomen

3 feet (walking on its hind legs)
2 and a half feet (walks on all fours)

* (Lortan)

5 feet (walking on its hind legs)
3 and a half feet (walks on all fours)

## Ecology

### Lifespan

Several centuries if it can survive at which point it evolves into a Lortan, which can live indefinitely if given the chance

### Intelligence

(Lobishomen) Low maybe the level of a human child, fully incapable of speech, but they can be seen wear coverings to protect itself from sunlight or disguise itself to get close to prey but tend to hunt in packs(Lortan) Quite intelligent able to learn speech and develop tactics

### Range

* The World
	+ Found mostly in the lands of the Western Continent

### Prey

* Animals
	+ Cats
	+ Dogs
	+ Rats
* Humans
	+ Unarmed Humans of any age
	+ Children

### Predators

Witchers?

**Lobishomen** or **Lobisomem** are a remarkably dull species of small dog-like or rather goblin-like hybrid creatures. Lobishomen get stronger as they age, with an old one capable of metamorphizing into a stronger sub-race called a **Lortan**. When its just a **Lobishomen** as long as there's just one and it doesn't catch them by surprise the average human should be able to fight off or if they have some kind of weapon even kill a **Lobishomen**, though there is rarely just one of them. Things turn really dangerous for a village or city, when no one discovers the infestation long enough for a **Lortan** to emerge however, usually requiring a witcher to handle it and its gang at that point.

## Physiology

A **Lobishomen** appears usually as a 3-foot-tall monkey or goblin-like species.
They have black colored teeth and fangs, their skin is a pale yellowish color though their skin is rarely seen as they usually wear a makeshift cloak of some kind with the hood pulled down over the head to hide their eyes which are mostly black with a yellow pupil.
They possess lengthened canine fangs for piercing the skin to suck blood from the veins of their victims.
They have short but sharp retractable claws in their forepaws.
After a feed or when in a frightened or agitated state their eyes can glow red.
A **Lortan** is a rare occurrence of **Lobishomen** that has managed to live for a couple of decades of successful feedings.
The **Lobishomen** will retreat to a dark safe location and grow a large pair of leathery bat-like wings, which it will wrap around its body coating the inside of the space with regurgitated blood and mucus which helps with the metamorphosis which usually takes a month after which the **Lortan** will unfurl its wings and emerge, it will have grown a full two feet taller, its claws while still retractable are now longer, the **Lortan** will drink up the fluid from its transformation to renew its strength then make itself a larger cloak to accommodate its new size (it still is weakened by sunlight) and seek out other **Lobishomen** that will act as its underlings forming something akin to a gang, the **Lobishomen** will receive mental commands from the much more intelligent **Lortan** enabling their performances as 'children' to be more believable and to coordinate attacks with the others in the gang.
After a feed or when in a frightened or agitated state their eyes can glow red.

## Abilities

* **Vampiric Canid Physiology**: The **Lobishomen** is a canid with abilities similar to that of a lesser vampire as such it has some abilities that are similar to a vampire's.
	+ **Blood Consumption**: **Lobishomen** have the power to gain power from blood usually by ingestion.
		- **Blood Absorption**: **Lobishomen** have the power to absorb blood to temporarily increase their abilities.
		- **Blood Empowerment**: **Lobishomen** possess the power to gain strength from the ingestion of blood.
	+ **Limited Shapeshifting**: The **Lobishomen** have two forms a humanoid form that they disguise themselves in while casing a village or hamlet for a meal and their true monstrous form. A **Lobishomen** can also partially transform parts of their body while disguised resulting in the following abilities.
		- **Enhanced Hearing**: Large canid-like ears for superhuman hearing.
		- **Enhanced Smell**: A canid-like nose for smelling blood and chemicals.
		- **Enhanced Vision**: A set of eyes allowing the **Lobishomen** to see in the dark. These eyes glow when used.
		- **Wallcrawling**: Using their claws and supernatural brute strength a **Lobishomen** is able to cling to walls and ceilings in both their human and hybrid-vampire forms.
	+ **Longevity**: The **Lobishomen** possess an extended lifespan, allowing them to live longer than a normal human; as a result of their species.
	+ **Natural Weaponry**: As a highly advanced predatory species the **Lobishomen** have the power to utilize weapons that are a natural part of one's own body.
		- **Claw Retraction**: The **Lobishomen** possess claws, which are capable of piercing flesh but not leather or armor.
		- **Fang Retraction**: The **Lobishomen** possess long and sharp retractable fangs for biting and feeding.
* **Lortan Physiology**: The evolved form of a **Lobishomen** has all the abilities of one and new powers as well.
	+ **Enhanced Intelligence**: A **Lortan** are far more intelligent than most of their species, being able to use their brain more efficiently and effectively
		- **Speech Mimicry**: A **Lortan** is able to learn words by listening and observing able to bridge the gap between speech and meaning, unlike its less intelligent comrades. It can use this ability to lure someone to it or away from its comrades by pretending to call for help.
	+ **Mind Control**: A **Lortan** is capable of controlling the minds of the **Lobishomen** of its gang all simultaneously allowing for coordinated attacks and ambushes.
		- **Hive Mind**: The **Lobishomen** still have separate brains, mindsets, personalities, and individuality. All members of the gang work as one, they can all see, hear, and know what the others do. All work as one, each thinks with the same "mind", not as a sum of its parts. This only lasts as long as the **Lortan** lives, however.
	+ **Wing Manifestation**: Unlike a **Lobishomen**, a **Lortan** has a large pair of functional wings allowing it to fly silently through the air to surprise prey.

## Weaknesses

* **Sunlight**: Sunlight physically burns a **Lobishomen** so if they have to go out while the sun is still out they will wear a makeshift cloak of some kind. They can be severely weakened at this time just by removing the cloak and making sure they can't get out of the light.
* **Hybrid Oil**: Like all hybrid, **Lobishomen** are weakened by blades covered in Hybrid Oil, even a steel sword covered in it could kill them.

## Signs of a Lobishomen and/or Lortan infestation

1. Rats appear less and less.
2. Missing cats and dogs.
3. Sightings of bands of small cloaked children darting between the shadows.
4. Children going missing.
5. Attacks on lone adults, usually drunks or beggers.

## Behaviors

### Lairing

**Lobishomen** typically live in packs ranging in size from three to nine members which are referred to as 'Gangs'.

Most gangs consist only of **Lobishomen** with a fairly high death rate happening for the less careful of the gang. **Lobishomen** may nest in abandoned buildings if available but may also choose to dig themselves burrows or live in sewers since they are capable diggers with small bodies allowing them to fit places where humans cannot follow them easily.

### Predation

**Lobishomen** are not much of a threat to ordinary humans by themselves so they have learned to cover themselves in makeshift cloaks and hunt in packs, they have also learned how to lure away children by pretending to be their friends and 'play' with them.

Under a **Lortan**, the **Lobishomen** are much more dangerous capable of assailing armed men and ambushing trackers via a shared hive mind with the more intelligent **Lortan**.

## Trivia

* **Lobishomen** and Battered Wife infestations are commonly mistaken for one another, it usually takes a practiced hand like a witcher to identify that the disappearances are caused by monsters and to correctly identify which type.
* Originally the **Lobishomen** and **Lortan** were intended to be Lesser Vampires but the suggestion was put forth to make them more 'chupacabra-like'.

### EAPEU Trivia

If a **Lobishomen** were to gain the blessing of Huses, it would evolve into a **Lortan**

## Notes

* **Lobishomen** as well as **Lortan** are free to use in stories and articles, all I ask is that you honor the lore present and if you make one add their name and a link to this page.
* The hybrid species known as the **Lobishomen** and the **Lortan** are a purely fanon creations as such there is no official proof of their existence in the Witcher works outside the fanon community.