Werewolves by Shadow

Basic traits / powers:

Age: Unlike a vampire or even a wizard, werewolves do not get any stronger or more powerful with age. In fact, once a werewolf reaches the age of 50, their chances for survival drop dramatically. A natural life span for a werewolf is about 100 years. They age more gracefully than muggles, but their constant transformations take their toll. Consequently, most werewolves never make it to old age.

Infectious Bite: Despite popular rumors and theories, the only way to become a werewolf is be BITTEN by a werewolf during a full moon. Mixing a werewolves blood with your own will not make a you are werewolf, and neither will sexual relations or any known curses. The curse seems to exist solely in the saliva of a infected individual. There is only one way to become a werewolf, but a person can become infected during other periods. This is explained in detail below.

Able to use magic: If a werewolf is a wizard when they are infect, they can use their abilities when not changed into a werewolf or under the effects of infection (explained below). If a werewolf is a muggle, they cannot suddenly use magic because they were bitten. A werewolf under the full moon seems incapable of using magic due to the individual being under the control of the Wolf. There are no documented cases of wand-wielding werewolves at this point.

Weaknesses: The Wolf’s Bane Potion has been proven to keep an Infected from changing into a full-blown werewolf, or even displaying wolfish characteristics. Instead, the infect turns into a normal wolf. For other infected, the wolf like traits are greatly lessened. The potion is, however, quite hard to make, and taking the potion regularly proves to be almost as tiring as transformation. Unlike strictly in need of complete control, most St. Mungo’s Healer suggest the Infected take breaks from the potion to regain strength and keep the full effectiveness of the potion at all times.

Normal Wolf’s Bane can work as a deterrent for Infected. A single specimen will not keep an someone safe from an enraged fully transformed werewolf, but planting fields of Wolf’s Bane, or changing the petals into a gas- like weapon have shown positive results.

Damage from normal weapons has been shown to kill a fully transformed werewolf. However, severe infections (see below) as well as full moon werewolves have high thresholds for both pain and bodily damage. The Avada Kedavra curse is proven to work, but this is useless for all but the most determined wizard. Decapitation is suggested for a sure, quick kill. Fire also works will. Many infected have met their end to a gallon of gasoline and a lighter.

The infected appear to take no special damage for silver weapons. This seems to be a huge muggle myth.

Strength and speed: A werewolf is about as fast a normal wolf, able to catch pretty with relative ease. Werewolves are able to run for hours without tiring. A fully transformed specimen has been able to rip open a heavy wooden door when angered. Lifting capabilities are estimated at 500 to 700 lbs. Of course, such tests have never been conducted by Ministry-approved scientists.

Relationship to wizards: At best, the Infected are seen as victims in wizard culture. At worst, werewolves are scapegoats and monsters to hunters and the Ministry. Before the invention of the Wolf’s Bane Potion in the late 19th century, werewolves and suspected Infected were killed on sight. Harboring a infected individual was akin attempted murder. As modern Healing techniques have halted the danger somewhat, werewolves are allowed to exist with wizards–mostly. Of course, legally a werewolf is allowed to do whatever a wizard is. However, the truth is much different. Schools, hospitals, and heavy people-related jobs are off limits for known werewolves. If they applied, they are denied employment due to “undisclosed reasons.” If someone is suspected of infection, they are usually terminated from their jobs.

This hypocrisy has led many Infected to live outside wizard society–either in self-contained communities, or in the wilderness by themselves. These outcasts were the first to receive Voldemort’s open invitations. Sadly, many have joined up either because of anger or fear of people like Fenrir Greyback.

Relationship to muggles: As a normal person, you hear stories. Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster. Even space aliens come to the forefront now and then. Werewolves are just another silly monster on tabloid newspapers. And the Ministry of Magic intends to keep it that way. Werewolf attacks are savage things, and the muggle government always writes these things off as serial killers or random animal attacks. Any living, infected victims are sent off to St. Mungo’s for help.

For now, the werewolf is a silly movie or cartoon for muggles, but as werewolf attacks increase in the coming war, the Ministry will be hard pressed to keep it all quiet.

History: Werewolves and their curse as at least as old as Egyptian culture. Ministry official have seen pictographs of werewolves attacking slaves, and translations have uncovered wizards trying to control half-man beasts. Theories to the origin of the curse are at all as varied as the individuals suggesting them–a wizards spell going horribly wrong, a dark creature that infected humanity somehow, or even something either human nor animal stepping it to create the Infected.

There have been many notable figures in history that were also infected. Alexander the Great is perhaps the most well known werewolf in ancient history. While he seems to be the greatest military mind of the ancient world, his suffered from the curse like all other Infected. It is unknown whether or not Alexander ever entered battle fully transformed, but given his importance, it’s doubtful. As far as a mass accomplishment, the Infected are far too spread apart and distressed to form the sort of organization of the Goblin or Vampire nations. A mass exodus has been suggested by many leaders, but no one seems to get the whole group to do anything other than survive.

Werewolf society: Those Infected living within muggle or Wizard culture behave much like everyone else–except those special three days a week. Often this people have a large supply of Wolf’s Bane Potion, and a wolf-sized cage hidden somewhere in their flat.

Outcasts behave much like any other refugee’s–trying to survive and plotting some sort of comeback. Some dream of fairer laws and a miracle cure, while others plot revolution or assassination. Some Outcasts simply band together and create their own communities. There are only a handful of large communities exist in Europe, but there are dozens of smaller communities of three or four Infected. The communities are as diverse as hippie commune to dictatorship.

The werewolf look: As a person or a normal wolf, an Infected can look like any human or wolf on earth. From Timber to gray wolf, from Irish Catholic to African shaman. All infected tend to look exhausted and haunted. As a fully transformed werewolf, the individual is a cross between a huge wolf and a biped. A werewolf is able to run quickly on all four legs, or attack and interaction on two. Their front limbs end in claw like paws that are able to grab and swipe like a bear.

“The Wolf”: All Infected understand when the inner animal is released upon them as a result of their curse. That feeling, as well as the curse, is usually called the Wolf. The Wolf is the bestial nature all humans possess. The only difference between normal folks and the Infected is that the Wolf is able to get out. Whenever an Infected is feeling those animalistic instincts, he is either fighting or falling prey to the Wolf. Someone like Fenrir Greyback is a slave to this instinct, while Remus Lupin fights the Wolf everyday.

Major and Minor Infections: 85% of all werewolves have a normal, or baseline, infection. They are “normal” most of the month, but they will transform into Werewolves without the use of the Wolf’s Bane potion. They usually only have to deal with the Wolf if they are stressed out, in danger, or the moon is full.

About 10% of this population are Severe Infections. Like Fenrir Greyback, the Wolf is constantly affecting their judgment. They are after to infect others with their bite even while they are in human form, and they are much more likely to attack like werewolves when they are in normal, human form. It takes a higher, more dangerous dose of the Wolf’s Bane potion to keep their werewolf transformation at bay. The benefits of this infection are increased speed and strength, enhanced senses in human form, and a greater stamina. Obviously the consequences of this infection are increased danger of attacking those close to you, and public outcry.

Note: not all Severe Infections create evil people. Some people live completely moral lives with this more aggressive strain of curse. However, those individuals have to work very hard to keep themselves in line.

About 5% of the remaining population has a Minor Infection. One of the few reported cases of Minor Infected is Bill Weasley. These people can live completely normal lives. They do not change into werewolves in the full moon. At worst, they display increased aggression and senses during the full moon. However, threat of attack can be controlled with Wolf’s Bane potion. The benefits of a minor infection are never having to worry about infection, but the consequences are the same public attack a regular Infected faces.