Were-Beast

### Main Abilities

Heightened senses, physical strength, otherwise depends on strain (flight, aquatic travel, venom, etc.)

## Common Knowledge

There are some people who are more beast than mortal, who under the glow of the full moon transform into terrifying monsters.

## Location

Were-beasts are found primarily in the Material Plane, though it would not be unreasonable to think that some could be found in the Faewilds of the Phantasmal Plane.

Were-beasts can be found in abundance in the Wolven Forest.

## Biology

A were-beast is a humanoid afflicted with the curse of lycanthropy. Under normal circumstances, a were-beast looks like a normal mortal, but perhaps with some subtle animal-like features (extra ears, prehensile tail, etc) where they might not be expected. Such people might be a little stronger or more resilient than they were before becoming cursed, but otherwise behave much like a normal mortal might.

Under the light of a full moon, however, these people transform into a terrifying, large monster that makes a mockery of some mundane animal. Their animalistic features become more pronounced, and they grow in physical size to appear more bestial. Fingernails can transform into claws, spines can extend into tails, arms can grow feathers, faces and jaws can morph into snouts, the list goes on. During this time, they are ruled by instincts similar to those of the creature they represent, and very often this means that they are driven to hunt both beast and mortal. This transformation lasts until the sun rises.

While transformed, a were-beast cannot cast magic, wield most weapons, or speak coherently. In this state most were-beasts are either carnivorous or omnivorous, depending on the strain of lycanthropy they possess.

Were-beasts tend to fall into one of two categories: hidden or public. Hidden were-beasts live among normal mortals, keep their true nature secret, and either lock themselves in secure bindings when they transform to protect themselves or their colleagues, or attempt to cover up their trail when they return to normal. Public were-beasts are groups or communities of were-beasts who live and hunt together, revelling in the primal joys that lycanthropy can bring. When they travel in groups, were-beasts will often defer to the strongest among them, usually called an “alpha”.

## Rarity/Power Level

Were-beasts are uncommon, but not so uncommon that one could not live in a random village undetected.

Different strains of were-beast are rarer than others, depending on the region. A were-shark, for example, might be hard to find inland, but be more common closer to bodies of water. Were-bears and were-wolves are the most common species of were-beast.

## History

Lycanthropy and its various strains have no known origin, but may have first appeared long before the fall of Old Binturia.

### Known Strains

The following is a list of all known species of were-beast, in no particular order.

* Were-wolf
	+ Some were-wolves may be connected to a more specific breed of canine, such as the were-pomeranians.
* Were-bear
* Were-shark
* Were-boar
* Were-hare
* Were-monkey

## Further/Related Information

* Lycanthropy
* Wolven Forest