Lycanthrope

Lycanthrope; Lycan for short.

Life Expectancy: Ageless

While commonly mistaken for werewolves, Lycanthropes have three distinctive features that separate the two species.

The first, is that while a werewolf may only be able to transform on the night of the full moon, a Lycan can transform to and from their wolf form at will. The other, is that while werewolves may be weak to silver, and will die from a silver stake or bullet to the head or heart, a Lycan does not share this weakness, to properly kill a Lycan, one must completely sever their spine from the rest of their body, otherwise they will regenerate over time.

The last detail, and this is the most defining feature on whether another being can distinguish if it’s a Lycan or not, is the snout. Lycan’s tend to have a much shorter snout than a Werewolf, giving them a more humanlike face when transformed.

Now, Lycan’s as a race, tend to be very secluded from the rest of the world. They work in a clan system, each clan with their own respective areas that are not to be intruded upon by other Lycanthrope without the proper approval. This is due to their difference in beliefs; Lycan’s are a religious people, some clans worship a god, while others worship nature or the world around them. When the clans do meet, it is either under the premise of trading, or the start of a bloody, vicious war.

Lycan’s, while transformed, are similar in strength and agility to the werewolf, the largest difference is a Lycan’s intelligence. Lycan’s are extremely intelligent, often leading them to stop wars in the realization it benefits no one, which to some may be baffling, to see a race of such power and finesse, to also possess intelligence above that of most other forms of life. Due to their intelligence though, Lycan’s also view themselves above all other beings. It is not uncommon for a Lycan to tear the head off of a human on sight, not out of rage or hate, but because they believe that humans are like a parasitic insect that does not belong.

While some races have managed relations with the Lycan’s, it has only been through large amounts of vigorous effort and the promise that no one of their kind shall intrude on their territory. Their territory, by the way. Is within the mountains, where they can use their strength and agility to the fullest, constantly hunting and constantly watching. Here any adventurer should be careful, for if they wander into the wrong clearing, the wrong cave, if they drink from the wrong river; They will die. A quick and swift death, and the last thing they will see is a pair of glowing eyes, bright and full of thought, and then darkness, as their neck is snapped within seconds.