Homo Lycanthropus

Werewolf – Greek Sub-Species

Origin

Greece – 10 AD

Lycaon, king of Arcadia, and his 49 sons were gifted the ability to shift into the form of a wolf as protection when the kingdom murdered on of his sons and tricked him into serving it to the gods. They were cursed by Hera, who hated all that her husband loved, and made them servants to the full moon.

Culture

Each individual pack has their own hierarchy, in which an Alpha needs at least three Betas to have a full pack. There is no known supreme pack that rules over all lesser packs.

Alpha – the leader of a pack of werewolves. It is the strongest, most powerful and so far the most lethal variety of Werewolf. Only an Alpha can give the bite that enacts the Change. A transformed Alpha can take on the appearance of an actual wolf – though its size is larger than average – or a large beast-like wolf. The Alpha rank can be inherited through family, achieved by killing an Alpha, or grown into by generating one’s own pack.

Beta – can be born or bitten. Beta transformations are less complete than the Alphas in that they retain a mostly human appearance but grow fangs, claws, and fur. Involuntary Beta transformations can be triggered by strong emotions. Pain or an anchor to humanity can reverse the transformation. Bitten Betas (as opposed to born werewolves) have a mental link with their creators and can be ‘called’ against their will.

Omega – a “lone wolf” without a pack. Since being with a pack makes werewolves physically stronger, Omegas are not as powerful as their peers within packs.

Appearance

There are no defining characteristics of a werewolf in human form. Werewolves usually appear in human form and can shift to varying degrees into a bipedal wolf-like creature with increased body hair, fangs and glowing eyes. When partially or fully shifted, Alphas’ eyes are red in color. Betas’ eyes become a luminescent variation of yellow, orange, or amber, though cases of blue-eyed Betas have been recorded. Blue eyes indicate the Beta has taken an innocent life.

Abilities

• Enhanced strength, speed, and agility
• Accelerated healing
• Heightened Senses – the ability to smell, see and hear far better than humans. The ability to see more clearly in the dark is also a faction of heightened sight.
• Pain transference – the ability to absorb and alleviate pain from other people/creatures
• Memory transference – the ability to transfer and/or take memories by inserting claws into nape of an individual's neck
• Blood bonds – bonds created by the used of using a werewolf blood to heal a siren or vice versa

Weaknesses

• Wolfsbane in all forms
• Mountain ash - Exhibits control over werewolves and other supernatural creatures.
• Full moon – though it is the time when a werewolf is strongest, the full moon is a time when a werewolf is least likely to be in control unless he/she has practiced anchoring himself/herself to humanity and it is possible they may kill someone they care about.
• Psychological faults – when a human is Turned, they may experience some negative personality changed such as increased risk taking, aberrant social behavior, homicidal tendencies, and rebelliousness and distrust of authority. Younger werewolves with these tendencies are often more detrimental than beneficial as they are more likely to draw attention to themselves.