Werewolf
As in the past, werewolves remain among the most powerful types of Shifter-kin, though they now bear a unique and horrifying curse ("lycanthropy"), which is spread by bite. They cannot control their transformation, shifting to a man-wolf form at the whim of the moon or at times of extreme emotion. They are among the most powerful and feared monsters in all the mortal realms.
Curse
When the Shifters fell, werewolves - formerly the lords of their domain - were given a unique curse among all others. Instead of merely being stuck in a beast-man form, they lost control of their transformation by having their man and wolf spirits split asunder, with each one vying for control.
Shifting and the Moon
The greatest god of the ancient wolf shifters was a lunar deity, and thus the gods apparently saw fit to enslave werewolves to the influence of the moon. If the moon is weak or hidden, werewolves may be able - in some cases, with some difficulty - to control the beast within, but if the moonlight touches them, their urge to transform increases. On nights of the full moon, the transformation is impossible to resist, even if the moon is not visible. Some very unstable werewolves will even give into the beast even during the day, usually in times of extreme emotional stress, such as rage. All werewolf transformations are extremely painful, and many say that witnessing - or even just hearing - a werewolf undergo the transformation from man to beast can be very traumatic.
Memory
When a werewolf returns to his human form, the man has little or no memory of what he did while in werewolf form the night before. Werewolves remember nothing of their transformations, and many can go their entire lives without even realizing that they are werewolves. Some might recall very vague visions and sensations from when they were transformed, but these are strange and difficult to understand, and they fade quickly after they awaken, as if it was all a dream.
After Death
A deceased werewolf will transform back to his human form come daybreak and remain that way as long as the body exists. Any dismembered body parts also shift back to human shape. For instance, fur skinned from a werewolf becomes mere human flesh, and a werewolf body part taken for a trophy will transform into a human part by sunrise the next day. It is, in a sense, true that the only real cure for lycanthropy is death.
Infection/Reproduction
Bite
A werewolf's curse is spread by bite. Any human bitten by a werewolf who manages to live through the attack will become a werewolf on the next night of the full moon unless some action is taken to cure them (other races, such as elves and dwarves, are immune to the curse). After an infected individual transforms for the first time, they can no longer be cured of lycanthropy.
Offspring
If a werewolf has a child with another infected individual, that child will be a born werewolf and will begin transforming upon reaching puberty. All born werewolves have heightened senses even while in human form, as well as improved strength and speed beyond that of an ordinary human, even more so than do bitten werewolves. Rumors claim that half-werewolves exist, but any truth behind this - as well as any properties of half-werewolves themselves, including whether or not they ever transform - remains a mystery.
Biting in Human Form
Although werewolves in human form have no special desire or instinct to bite others, if another human was for some reason bitten by a werewolf in human form, the bitten individual would suffer from odd blackouts and mood swings at night, as well as slightly heightened senses after sundown. These effects are temporary and can last anywhere from a few nights to several months, depending on the power of the werewolf and the severity of the bite. However, the full extent of effects from a werewolf in human form biting another human remain largely unknown, particularly as it may vary depending on the power of the werewolf itself. Some individuals may even contract lycanthropy and begin transforming.
Berserkers
A far more mysterious way in which a person can become a werewolf is through berserkergang. The warriors who bond their soul to that of a wolf can become werewolves if they give in to their berserk rage too often and lose themselves to their animal spirit.
Behavior
Werewolves are beings of a split personality: man and beast. These two personalities are separate entities sharing the same (transforming) body, and may even hate each other, depending on various factors. One personality has no control over the other.
Werewolf Form
Despite common belief, werewolves are not all inherently angry and violent creatures. Ultimately, werewolves vary in personality depending on the individual, just as humans do; some werewolves may be aggressive, while others behave more as ordinary wolves and prefer to be left alone. Whatever their personality, werewolves - although just as intelligent as humans - are driven by their animal instincts. They are neither good nor evil, but unpredictable and extremely dangerous beasts, and the human has no control over their werewolf side. Also, it is noteworthy that werewolves will never eat another werewolf, no matter how hungry they may be. Like wolves, werewolves communicate with various sounds, the most famous of which is their howl. Unlike wolves, however, werewolves are capable of roaring; also, werewolves do not bark. Some werewolves live in packs, but lone werewolves are more common; werewolves that manage to find one another while in werewolf form will often hunt together, rallying around the strongest werewolf in the group, but since their human and werewolf personalities are split, the humans generally have disagreements, and packs often disband after daybreak.
Human Form
A man becoming a werewolf will have no bearing on the human's personality, besides how they react to the fact that they are a werewolf. Just as a werewolf's human side is dormant and has no control over his actions in werewolf form, the werewolf's beast side has no control over the man's actions while in human form. In spite of some tales, a werewolf in human form is no angrier or more violent than anyone else, whether he was born or bitten: their temperament depends entirely on the person in question. However, an individual who is emotionally unstable will be more likely to give in to his transformations, regardless of the moon phase.
Types and Appearance
Werewolves are extremely mysterious creatures. No one knows exactly how their transformations work or what results in a more or less dramatic transformation, save for the fact that the most dramatic werewolf transformations will always occur on the full moon. Their transformations vary in degree: sometimes a werewolf will undergo an extensive transformation and become enormous beastmen with the head, legs, and tail of a wolf. However, they will also often shapeshift less dramatically, gaining only a few wolfish features, including wolf eyes, fur, sharp teeth, pointed ears, and claws. Whatever degree to which a werewolf transforms at any given time, all werewolves are referred to as "werewolves," "wolfmen," or "lycanthropes." Though not a separate "type" of werewolf, per se, there also exists the Six, who retain full control over the degree to which they transform.
Every lycanthrope’s werewolf form bears some resemblance to their human form, including relative height, facial features, and hair styles such as braids and beards that may still be visible in the werewolf's fur. The coloration of the werewolf's eyes remains the same, though they turn far brighter than in their human form. Some eyes, such as shades of brown, will turn golden, orange, or even red. Though some eye colors undergo stranger and more dramatic changes, this similarity is one of the most certain methods to determine a werewolf’s identity. Even in human form, a werewolf is said to have brighter eyes than a normal human.
Powers
All werewolves share these various abilities; however, as with most creatures, the level of a werewolf's power varies from individual to individual.
Physical Superiority
All werewolves have strength, agility, and senses far superior to an ordinary man's. Even in human form, werewolves are physically "better" than humans in these respects.
Regeneration
Werewolves heal exceptionally fast in both forms, and they are legendary in their ability to shrug off most all wounds, though the latter applies doubly to their werewolf form. They can quickly recover from nearly all types of injuries, including those that would be fatal to an ordinary man, which has helped them earn their place among the most feared of all monsters. However, a wound inflicted by silver inhibits all of these healing abilities. The only way to be certain a werewolf will not recover from a mortal wound, short of decapitation, is to use a silver weapon.
Intelligence
It is noteworthy that werewolves remain highly intelligent in their werewolf form. Although they do not speak, they are not mindless monsters, and they will not foolishly walk into traps or overstep their own incredible abilities.
Howls and Other
Werewolves also have the ability to summon wolves to their aid with a howl, and it is said that the Six themselves can summon vargs and other werewolves in the same way. There are many other abilities that men have claimed werewolves possess in both or either form, but many of the specifics remain a mystery. Werewolves may have far more abilities than it seems, as most people who encounter a werewolf do not live to tell the tale.
In spite of the claim made by some legends, however, werewolves cannot instantly sense whether or not another individual is also a werewolf.
Weaknesses
Like all descendants of the Shifters, werewolves are sensitive to silver. Anyone infected with lycanthropy or bearing lycanthropic blood will recoil from the touch of silver and become burned if it is pressed against their skin for too long. Wounds caused by silver take longer to heal, are far more painful, and are capable of being truly mortal wounds, whereas wounds inflicted with any other type of weaponry will eventually regenerate. Other than silver, werewolves bear no particular weaknesses. Rumors about werewolf sensitivity to plants like belladonna and wolfsbane are largely untrue, although it is claimed that plants may be used to mix potions that can help a werewolf control his lycanthropy for short periods of time. Whether or not these potions exist remains largely unknown, save by a select few very knowledgeable individuals.
