Warg

Wargs, also called vargs or more properly vargar, are giant, magical wolves known for their intelligence and power. Though Imperials and other cultures see them as "evil," and there are many malevolent wargs of divine power, there are some wargs revered by the cultures of Northrim.

The following passages are quoted from Midgard's Noblest Beasts, written by an anonymous monk of Astra Aeterna.

Appearance

Wargs take on the appearance of enormous wolves, nearing, reaching, or even greatly exceeding the size of horses. Other than their great size, the primary difference in appearance between a warg and an ordinary wolf is their eyes. The eyes of a warg are incredibly bright and can be a wide variety of colors. Some say that the eyes of a warg lack pupils, solid in color and glowing with magic.

Culture

It is unknown whether wargs truly have a "culture," but they are highly intelligent and capable of speech. Whether they have what one can consider a civilization and society remains unknown. The language of wargs is difficult, if not impossible, for creatures such as Men to master. However, wargs easily learn and speak other languages, such as those of Men and elves.

Legends and Allegiances

Wargs are known throughout Northrim and are mentioned in numerous legends, occasionally used as mounts by some gods and jotnar. Despite this, it would seem most wargs do not take kindly to being used as mounts, and it has all but never been seen outside of legend. Though wargs are rarely seen at all, it is not unheard of for some warg packs to befriend wood elves, while others may align themselves with some of the Chaos races, such as goblins, though they have never been seen as mounts.

The greatest of the wargs include the terrible monster-gods Fenrir, Hati, and Sköll, who according to prophecy will side with the forces of Chaos at the coming of Ragnarok. Because of this, wargs are generally thought of as evil creatures, though not all are inherently so. Odin's wolves Geri and Freki might also be wargs, and they are considered forces of good.

Wolves and Werewolves

It is unknown how much relation - if any - wargs have to werewolves, or even to wolves, in spite of sharing their general appearance. Indeed, werewolves and wargs may very well be related in some way, or some wargs may even be werewolves, themselves. Some say that werewolves and wargs are naturally drawn to each other and that wargs can command wolves, but none of this is known. However, like any other wolf-kin, all wargs will immediately answer the call of the Six.

Abilities

The true range of abilities of wargs is unknown. Some say they swallow men whole and alive, like werewolves are claimed to do at times. Likewise, it is said of wargs and all wolfish creatures that they may possess the ability to temporarily silence a man's voice with a glance. Some wargs may even bear magic. Even one warg is an impossibly dangerous foe, and no man should attempt to face one. Instead, such work should be left in the capable hands of expert monster hunters, such as the Venatori. Claims remain, however, that wargs are often noble in nature. Thus, perhaps they should simply be avoided.