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| On Norrath there are two types of Lycanthropes. One is the kind all the people of Norrath know…the Cursed Ones. Those creatures who are bound to evil through the curse they carry in their blood. For some we may find pity as their curse is not of their own doing but the result of being hunted and bitten by one of the cursed. This is but one way the Cursed Ones spread their evil. Some however have chosen the path of evil and bound themselves to their evil gods by accepting the curse willingly for with it comes great strength and regeneration. But all of Norrath knows of these creatures.
The second kind while an old race is relatively unknown to most of the people of Norrath and I am one such being. But it is not my story I look to tell you but that of my people. We are a race of shape changers. We not the phase of the moon control our shapes. Silver will not harm us any more then it would harm a human or an elf. We share many similar traits as the Cursed Ones, which often makes folks fear us when there is no need. We can change shapes at will, our ability to regenerate our bodies from wounds inflicted upon it is unsurpassed by any race. Like the elves and dragons we are long lived, old age is not something we fear as we grow more powerful with the passing decades. No, no, no please I do not say these things to make your tremble in fear. We are neither gods nor even immortals though we may seem that way to some. We can be killed with certain weapons and strong enough magic. Pardon my laughter but no I will not tell you what they are that would indeed be foolish, would it not? You wonder why you have not known of us before now. As you know the history of Norrath is not completely clear. There have been wars that tore our world apart.: wars that separated us from the gods; wars that separated us from our brethren on the moon, Luclin; cataclysmic events in the history of our world that shredded our past and locked much of it away. The Vah Shir from Luclin know this well. So too do the Lycans. Many hundreds of years ago the Lycanthrope Empire was vast, but a time of war came. Our history is fragmented and much is not known of the cause of this war or the before time. But two things are known. The first is that this war all but destroyed the Lycan people. Our children were orphaned and the clans of the Lycan Empire were scattered. Many of us thought ourselves to be the only surviving Lycans. The second thing that is known is that some of escaped the world of Norrath to other worlds. What you think Norrath is the only world that the Gods created. Oh no, this is not so my friend. There are many worlds and many races that inhabit them. Do not ask me how to find them or how to reach them for this knowledge is long lost, even to the Lycans. Why do I tell you these stories? Over the last couple of decades the Lycans have found each other again and formed a working community once more. We have become known as the Lycans of Legend Guild. Slowly we find more and more of our orphans. This shocks you? Oh heh, my apologies, I forgot to mention that the Lycanthrope race is the one race other then humans that can breed with all the other races. Some might say that is because we are a sub-race of the other races. However that is not so, human some of us may look but human we are not. It is our likeness to the other races that have allowed us to survive in a world that labeled us all Were-creatures. …The Cursed Ones. Unlike the other races we breed true. You do not understand? What I mean is that the offspring of a Lycan and any other race is always a Lycan. It matters not if that race is Human, Dwarf, High Elf, Troll, Vah Shir, Barbarian, Halfling, Gnome, Froglok, Ogre, Dark Elf, Erudite, Iksar, Wood Elf or Half Elf. There are no half breeds with Lycananthropes. Every child with one parent as Lycanthrope will have the physical form of their non-Lycan parent however that child is a Lycanthrope with all the racial abilities that Lycans carry. For example a Lycanthrope born of a human mother and a Lycan father will appear human. Whereas one born of a dark elf father and Lycan mother will appear dark elf. Which parent is Lycan matters not at all. This is why the Lycans have survived every cataclysm of this world and of the others we inhabit I am sure. But on this world we are often confused with The Cursed Ones and thus we are often hunted and our children orphaned. Why? Well because the other races of Norrath fear The Cursed Ones, understandably since they can be cursed themselves merely by being bitten by a Cursed One. When a Lycan child starts to change shapes when threatened everyone near them assumes that they are cursed. Children are stoned, burned alive, drowned, heads are chopped off. This is all done before a Lycan child has learned to use their abilities, to control their power, to defend themselves. Those that survive do so by hiding first themselves from the world and latter as they become adults they learn to control their shape changing and to hide it from the world. Many do so without ever knowing what they are and that there are others out there like themselves. When these Lycans mate they watch their children closely, trying to teach them to hide what they are in order to survive. To hide even from their own families for fear the child and thus they them selves will be discovered and banished from their homes or worse killed out right. I tell you this because we wish to find those of our kind still out in the world alone. To spread the word amongst the other people of Norrath that these children are not to be feared, they are not cursed. They have a rich and powerful culture behind them and it is one of which they can be proud. Every Lycan that has found his or her way home to the Lycans of Legend is educated and trained in their racial abilities and in whatever class skill for which they have a talent. They need never fear to be themselves ever again. Each of us that adventure out into the world of Norrath is on the lookout for others of our kind that as yet know not what they are. We look for them and bring them home. We spread this story to all who will listen in the hope that our missing children will hear the tale and come looking for us at our guild hall in the Plane of Knowledge. Are we all were-wolves? Have you not been listening? We are not WERE-CREATURES of any kind! We are NOT part of the Cursed Ones!!! …… Oh you mean do we all change into wolves when we shape change? The answer to that is both yes and no. Again I am sorry for my laughter, I know that may sound confusing but let me explain. The Lycans are divided into five clans, raven, bear, wolf, tiger, and jaguar. There were once more but the wars wiped out whole clans. We hope there are still survivors of the other clans but only these five are known to survive. Lycans are inheritantly magical, even those who choose not to use it in their livelihood such as warriors. As such we can choose to change into any of the clan shapes. However each of has a …well lets call it an instinctive shape. This is the easiest form for us to take and the clans are loosely based on these shapes. I myself am Clan Raven. This means that the first time I changed my shape it was to that of giant raven. How big? Hehe, HUGE. Think of it this way. Can you imagine me shrinking my form to the size of a normal raven and being able to have any power of attack at all? No? Good answer. Instead my raven form is as big as I am now….Well actually it’s a good deal bigger but that has something to do with my age and the power I have grown into with that age. I am sorry that is not something that is easily explained. You will just have to take me at my word….. NO I will not give you a demonstration. By the gods that is a bit insulting, think you not? Besides it would send three quarters of the people in this tavern into a full blown panic even though they have heard this story. I am afraid that one night of story telling will not change ages of fear caused by the Cursed Ones. No I know that a true adventurer such as your self would not panic but most of these people are simple town folk. They are here for a mug of ale and a tall tale or two and thus is my story regarded by most. Tell me friend, adventurer have you not seen any of my kind on your adventures? Someone who in the thick of battle changed into a being half animal half humanoid? No, no I do not mean a were-creature. Understand that not only can we change completely into our animal forms, wolf, bear, raven, tiger, or jaguar; we can also change into what some call our hunting form. It is a form that looks as though we didn’t finish the change into our animal form but somewhere in between our humanoid form and our animal form. It is indeed a very powerful shape and when we are threatened the most this is the form we tend to take as it is the most powerful of our three forms. In this form we are at our most dangerous to our foes. Fear not we are still aware of who are friends and allies are, we do not loose control of our minds as some fear. Have you not in your travels come across such adventurers? No? Pity I had heard tales that… oh well never mind. I will trouble you no more. But I would ask one thing of you. Should you happen to come across such an adventurer please tell them of the Lycans of Legend. Tell them they would most welcome to come home. They need not fear that they are alone for indeed they are not. By Jadell NightSong |
| Lycans of Legend The EQ Story |