I’m glad you could travel with me through this forest path under the light of the full
moon.
Awwooooo
What type of creature was that?
Probably a wolf, off in the distance.
Listen close though, I believe something large is rushing towards us, large as a bear.
You’ve heard the rumors of monsters that change, becoming aggressive under the light
of the full moon.
Almost human in appearance these animals hunger for meat.
Not to consume though.
These “wolves” want only to kill.
Lycanthropy is a curse, a disease, and sometimes a gift..
Once infected a person will shapechange between their humanoid appearance to that of a particular
kind of animal.
Their normal appearance will be no different than others of their race, except for minor
details.
Perhaps longer nails, sharper teeth, more back hair.
Under certain conditions they can transform into an animal and be indistinguishable from
others of that species.
However there is a third form that invokes fear in the victims, the hybrid form resembling
a humanoid with the head and other traits of its animal counterpart.
There are many types of were-creatures.
Werewolves are best known in the forests of Faerun.
In more modern cities wererats are a common problem.
The werebears protect forests and the splendors of nature.
Weresharks, werecats, werebats, wereboars, weretigers, and werecrocodiles are all curses
that could be passed on with a simple bite.
There are rumors of even more were-animals but that’s from an earlier time.
You may be bitten, and in a months time change under the light of the full moon as your lycanthropy
takes over.
However in the world of Dungeons and Dragons there are other ways were-creatures can be
created.
You could be born with this affliction, or gift, however you see it.
Lycanthropes who contracted their condition as party of a hereditary trait.
If two lycanthropes breed with one another a true form is born.
Two werewolf parents could have a true werewolf child.
Sadly this condition is incurable, it is no longer a curse or a disease but written into
the fabric of your being.
You can no more remove lycanthropy from yourself than you can remove the color of your eyes.
Then there are the afflicted victims of Lycanthropy.
A true lycanthrope that bites another can pass on the condition.
This method isn’t truly understood.
Something in their saliva, or blood that mingles with yours can pass on this trait to you.
It’s not guaranteed either, you may be bitten by a wereshark, live to tell the tail and
never shapeshift into a wereshark.
Some believe there is power in lycanthropy.
These people want to be infected, but there are other ways to obtain this power.
You need not seek out a werewolf to maul you.
Magical items exist in Faerun that can change you.
In this form of lycanthropy you won’t be able to transfer the condition to others through
bites or scratches.
But, perhaps, it will be something you have more control over, changing into a hybrid
form at will.
Unless it’s a cursed item, which transfers an undesirable effect onto the recipient.
Under this condition you may not have control of how and when you transform.
Despite this most lycanthropes view their transformation as a gift, even when it is
clearly a curse.
Most were-creatures were humans or elves, but some orcs and goblins lycanthropes existed
in Faerun.
Most all affected by lycanthropy hide this condition from others.
It’s always better to play dumb when farmer Henry’s cattle goes missing.
Killed by a hulking werewolf.
Never admit it was you that did the killing…
There are those that try to cure the condition, which is possible if you aren’t a true were-creature.
Belladonna, or wolfsbane is a poisonous herb known to cure lycanthropy if taken early.
After being bitten you have little more than an hour to ingest Belladonna to not contract
the disease.
If under a curse the remove curse spell might free you of being a were-creature.
If you’re a true lycanthrope and looking to be free of your heritage, well nothing
short of a wish spell will free you from that.
It is said that the god Malar created were-creatures.
Barbaric human tribes that worshiped this evil deity were blessed by him, if you can
call it that.
They became animalistic, predatory, much like the animals they admired.
Malar, the deity of the hunt, bestial savagery and bloodlust became the god of evil-lycanthropes
everywhere.
Encouraging them to spread the disease to others, as a blow to civilization.
The People of the Black Blood were a pack of werewolves living in various forests of
Faerun.
Although a loose group it was rumored they were three thousand individuals strong.
Worshiping Malar, living in packs not un-similar to wolves.
Of course good aligned lycanthropes believe their abilities came from the moon goddess
Selune.
Bestowing this gift to a group of young human orphans to help them survive in the dangerous
wild.
Werebears are commonly good, with werewolves and werebors being more of an evil alignment.
Were-creatures can regenerate from most wounds, but are vulnerable to silver or magical weapons.
Werewolves are the most common of lycanthropes found in Faerun.
It should be noted that not all shapechangers are were-creatures.
Doppelgangers, Yuan-ti, and even vampires can change at will but they are under no curse
of Lycanthropy.
Of course this information won’t help you.
See the creatures that have been circling us are my kin.
We’d like to expand our pack, and once cursed you’ll no longer be welcome in Daggerford.
I do apologize, I lose control as the bloodlust sets in; and from what others tell me this
will hurt, a lot.