OOC: Expanded Notes
In case anyone feels like torturing themselves and reading through most of my expanded notes on the world.
It's long. Mostly random bits of information strung together, most of which I don't expect will ever come up.
Little details may be tweaked if they haven't come up, and new parts may be added, but the general idea will always hold.
(Last updated: July 3rd)
Instead of fighting a war, the Black Order hunts down and contains supernatural creatures -- not to turn them into soldiers, but to protect the outside world from them (and ideally to provide a sanctuary for them from the outside world).
Their werewolves are trained to try to control themselves and to get along. Experiments have been done in the past to try to "cure" the "afflicted," as well as just to study them.
In the past, their werewolves were also trained to be a personal secret army, sent out under strict supervision to achieve specific goals (to kill or capture enemies, or to commit atrocities to blame on those enemies). Officially, this isn't the line anymore, but they are still trained under the pretense of discipline. Secretly, the training is mandated by the Vatican, in case it sees need for a supernatural army again.
The official line is that any werewolf that can't be controlled must be killed.
Werewolves housed at the Order are encouraged to remain in human form when not training or in specific, warded areas.
The layout of the Order does not match the layout of the first HQ in canon. There is a huge main building with numerous floor above and below ground, and a couple small ones on the grounds (for gardening and security purposes).
The Order operates on a nocturnal sleep-wake schedule. This is because werewolves that have to change on the full moon are often forced to do it at night, and everyone needs to be awake to properly deal with that. Instead of disrupting everyone's sleep patterns near that time of the month, it's easier to have everyone adjust to spending most of their time awake at night. Werewolves have a little less freedom in schedules than support staff.
Because it's not a matter of finding new ways to help wage war and save the world, the scientists have it somewhat better off than in canon. Although there's no room for slacking off, they definitely don't have to work until they pass out or anything.
Finders are stronger, better-trained, and better-equipped than in canon; they're essentially cooperative werewolf hunters, after all. They still have more or less redshirt status, and sometimes they'll be taken for experiments themselves (for exposure to altered strains), but they're more formidable. They used to be called Hunters outright -- but when persuading someone to join your secret werewolf sanctuary, sending Finders sounds better than sending Hunters.
The Black Order is located on its own island between Ireland and England (although much closer to the English coast), in the Celtic Sea. It remains unmapped, to make it harder for outsiders to locate -- although, with its huge tower, it stands out when in physical sight. Normals living (relatively) nearby simply don't speak of it. (Some are compensated for their silence.)
Headquarters tries to be as self-sufficient as possible, but it still needs regular contact with the outside world for supplies and recruitment and such.
There are branches in other places throughout the world, but they are not equipped to house werewolves. They are more for housing a few scientists and Finders, focused on analyzing data sent from the sanctuary and keeping an eye out for any werewolf sightings in the area.
If a werewolf is spotted, Branch Finders try to confirm the sighting, then wait for back-up. HQ Finders are sent to boost numbers and take in the werewolf. The usual idea is to avoid fighting the werewolf in wolf form whenever possible, but to have numbers on your side if necessary. They try to find the werewolf in human form, and often bring people in for suspicion of lycanthropy. Very few people return from that, despite promises to the contrary. (They are often kept and experimented on.)
If the wolf is engaged, the idea is to herd it into an area where it can't easily escape but will also do the least damage, and try to hold it there until whenever the werewolf changes back to human. If the werewolf is actually subdued in wolf form, it is still not hauled off unless it's dead. (Werewolf corpses are recovered and taken to the nearest branch for dissection (with the results sent back to the Order) or preservation (in which case the corpse itself will be sent to the Order).)
If the wolf escapes, the Finders are trained to give chase on horseback if at all possible. The werewolf is chased until either the Finders have to give up and wait for another night (or for their investigation to pan out, as in the cases of people being injured the same way as the wolf the next day) or the wolf is too exhausted.
Confirmed werewolves, once back in human form, are first reasoned with. The Finders explain a little about the Order, and try to get the werewolf to come willingly. This works particularly well in infectious cases, since the werewolf is more likely to confused and frightened by their condition than if there was a family history. If persuasion doesn't work, the werewolf is strong-armed into it. This can range from blackmail to sedation and kidnapping. If that fails, and the werewolf is deemed a threat, then Finders are instructed to kill. Finders often can't bring themselves to go that last step, and in those cases, one of the Crow is called in to do it for them.
The Crow are also called in if Finders find themselves unable to handle the werewolf in the initial confrontations. This usually means the death of the werewolf.
Suspected werewolf are never killed, but are persuaded to join the Order. (Children may be kidnapped, or may have their guardians blackmailed.) Suspected werewolves left behind still have a file on them started and an eye kept on them. The same happens to the families of suspected and confirmed werewolves alike.
The Order, as part of their mission to bring in rogue werewolves, are considering sending well-trained werewolves out on missions with Finders. If a werewolf can be sufficiently controlled, then not only would the werewolf be excellent for reasoning with potential newbies ("hey, look, they helped keep the wolf under control"), but they could be used to confront rogue werewolves in wolf form.
They also want an army to stop and fend off attacks by Noah.
(They had been unprepared for the mid-1700's attacks, and trying to train their werewolves then and rapidly deploy them resulted in many deaths and great setbacks, even though the Noah vanished into the woodwork again. Attacks in the 1820s were the last of them seen for a while; although the Order took a heavy hit again, it seemed that the Noah vanished of their own accord this time. Eventually, the Order relaxed, and the training was reduced again. (Without a confirmed threat, they don't want to arm the werewolves too much. No good making them more deadly than they already are!) The training was only ramped up again within the past ten years, when rumours started up of stranger wolves and someone upstairs remembered the old threat.)
The contained werewolves are still being told that their training is for discipline and self-defense (in case they find themselves facing one another), but fewer and fewer people are convinced. They don't know what the ultimate plan is, but they aren't so convinced.
The Order grew out of the Inquisition. In 1233, the Inquisition began as a serious attempt by the Vatican to root out werewolves and the like for the purpose of eradicating them.
Many people, werewolves or not, were tortured for confessions and killed. Actual werewolves were sometimes better off in the short-term, in that they could better fend off Inquisitors in werewolf form, even though it gave them away.
The Vatican later saw the need to better know its enemy, and although the searching and torturing continued, accused shapeshifters were more often to be captured and studied. (Public trials and executions still continued for any accused not considered to be valuable as subjects.) The Order was officially established as an offshoot of the Inquisition, as an organization responsible for this area of study.
Eventually, true shapeshifters -- now simply refered to as lycanthropes (despite exceedingly rare mutations causing other forms) -- were seen as worthy of help and "saving" (instead of immediate destruction all the time), and the Order both eased some of the more obvious cruelties and took over the capture/control of all shapeshifters.
The Order in its current form has only existed for the past century or two.
After the accidental creation of the Lost Flock, the Order focused more on balancing its role as a haven with balancing its mission to study werewolves.
There are more werewolves and suspected werewolves at the Order than there are Exorcists in canon. A suspected werewolf or carrier can still take a job within the Order, or keep a job they already had, as long as they agree to be monitored.
If someone is suspected to have been exposed to lycanthropy while working at a branch, they are reassigned to the Order. Usually, under monitoring, they are allowed to take up an equivalent job there. If they are confirmed to at least not be infectious, they may be transferred back to their original branch.
Confirmed werewolves, infectious or otherwise, are prevented from taking jobs of to high a rank -- or, really, anything other than a desk job or menial labor. Werewolves are encouraged to help out with things like cleaning or gardening, partly to keep them from getting too bored, but only if they're under control. Werewolves may be encouraged to help out with cooking, but only confirmed HLs with a history of agreeable obedience (so they aren't likely to accidentally infect someone or intentionally poison the food).
(See the section on pregnancy for how the Order deals with that.)
The moon does have an effect, but it's not always compulsory to change on a full moon. Almost always -- think 98% of the time? -- but not always.
The more time a person spends in wolf form, the easier it is to not lose control or have to change on a full moon. (It's sort of like it builds up and whatever's left must be released or fought at the full moon. It takes a lot of time spent as a wolf to not have to change at all; more often, a werewolf changes, doesn't go wild, and settles down somewhere while the urge to stay changed passes much more quickly for them than for others.) However, it is easier to slip into animalistic characteristics the more time one spends in wolf form (though that's more of a psychological thing).
The full moon change happens an hour or two after sundown and lasts until an hour or so before sunrise. For some, the natural cycle is set at wherever they were when they first changed; yet others have it set at wherever they were born. Most werewolves' timing depends on where they currently are. "Set" cycles will also shift to match any location the werewolf has been staying in for a long time (think 6 month or more), or to synch up to any group of werewolves they've been around long enough.
Aside from the full moon, change is usually voluntary.
Some things can trigger change or the urge to change. When it's really bad, this is the only time someone can start to change without really going "halfway" (see later). Nails might grow stronger, eyesight and sense of smell might improve -- but in this stage, people also tend to lose it, acting animal-like.
In general, when making a complete change on or close to a new moon, the werewolf will have little to no urge to express wolfish behavior. The closer to the full moon it is, the more likely it is a werewolf will express wolfish behavior, although it is uncommon for a werewolf to go "completely wolfish" without some other reason (e.g. has not transformed at all that month and is under great stress).
When done right, the change is quick (blink-and-you-miss-it) and painless. The body kicks in a major rush of endorphins seconds before the change; the exhiliarting effect seems magnified as a wolf, when combined with the sensory flood (from better sight/smell/hearing), making it easy to lose control for the first half-minute.
Constant changing is rough on the body. Changing too often can cause an individual to collapse from exhaustion, be stuck in a single form for an indefinite amount of time (with attempts to change either being painful or just not working), or be caught "halfway".
Being caught halfway can either result in benign but embarrassing alterations (along the lines of human-shaped with wolf ears and a tail, for example), or horrific malformations (e.g. mixed-and-matched bones, rearraged organs).
Changing itself is tiring. After a full moon spent running as a wolf, a werewolf can be stuck in bed all day, too tired to move much. If they survive being caught halfway, they can be in bed for days. Regular changes are a matter of knowing one's limits and giving the body a break.
For rest, the human form is better. Although changing takes more energy than simply staying in one form or another, being in wolf form definitely saps energy more quickly; the reason is unknown.
Werewolves have two basic varieties of (changed) forms. One looks like a regular wolf except larger. The other is a huge humanlike animal -- a sometimes-bipedal wolf monster -- that usually prefers to walk and lope on all fours but can walk on two and use the front as hands.
Any werewolf can take either form, and both forms actually exist along a continuum. Not all werewolves can choose which form they take, and some are (for all intents and purposes) "locked" to one form when changed.
Otherwise, the change is almost randomized; even when choosing to change, a werewolf may exert some influence over the end result, but can't completely decide what they'll look like.
If a werewolf wears tight clothing, sometimes that clothing can be changed with them instead of torn; no one knows quite how it works. Some werewolves who are aware of this just wear tight clothing in the hope it's tight enough to change, so they don't turn back naked or in rags; some wear tight clothing underneath regular clothes; some prefer to wear baggy clothes in the hope the clothes are loose enough to not be too terribly damaged; some simply wear baggy clothes, accepting they'll be left bare if they change, possibly not planning to change unless compelled.
In any state, active werewolves have a heightened ability to read body language, although this is stronger the more "wild" they are.
Werewolves have accelerated healing and powerful immune systems, but this is reduced in human form. Lycanthropy alone won't let a werewolf regrow a lost limb in either form, but they can shrug off noncritical gunshot wounds (no arteries severed, heart still intact, and so on) in wolf form and soundly trounce most common forms of the flu in human form.
(On the other hand, if an infection breaks out in Headquarters that werewolves can catch, it will spread like wildfire and is a serious medical concern for both werewolves and non-werewolves (since it would certainly be deadly to non-werewolves).)
All werewolves have voracious appetites in any form, because of the energy used in changing and maintaining their immune systems. A werewolf that has not eaten enough can potentially be caught halfway.
Sometimes starvation can subdue the urge to change, but other times it just results in a wild, ravenous, starving wolf-monster.
Some werewolves develop an allergy to chocolate after their first change. Other werewolves are simply more sensitive to chocolate in wolf form; eating a modest amount will just give them a stomach ache, and only a large amount is truly toxic.
Some werewolves also develop allergies to folklore "remedies," such as mistletoe or mountain ash.
Werewolves-in-wolf-form have a decreased ability to distinguished reds and greens, but aren't completely colorblind. This colorblindness disappears in human form (provided they weren't colorblind to start with).
The tapetum lucidum is also only present in wolf form, for almost all werewolves. A werewolf from a long werewolf-only line is more likely to present with wolf traits in human form, such as the tapetum or red-green colorblindness.
Werewolves in wolf form have better motion tracking.
Most werewolves just tend to have better-than-average night vision.
Werewolves have an incredible sense of smell in wolf form. In human form, they have a better-than-average sense of smell near the full moon.
Werewolves don't naturally gravitate toward pack structure anymore than non-werewolves do. If a group forms, it is usually for the same reasons any outcasts would band together. A pack of werewolves may or may not be modeled after their perception of pack dynamics.
There have been rumors of past packs living primarily as wolves and mimicking them closely, but this is not confirmed or approved of by the Order. The destruction of wilderness in favor of farmland and urbanization also makes it harder to pull off all-wolf living.
Pregnancy in werewolves is risky and complicated.
The menstrual cycles of active female werewolves vary, as changing can play havoc with hormones -- but they tend to ovulate maybe half as often as normal human females do.
Female werewolves can get pregnant (provided there aren't any other problems), but it is uncommon for any baby to survive to full-term, let alone long-term. Changing from human to wolf (or vice-versa) causes a miscarriage if the baby is normal.
The child of two active werewolves is more likely to survive than if only the mother is an active werewolf, particularly if the mother constantly stays in wolf form during that time (so there is no overwhelming urge to change), but the child's only reasonable chance of survival is if 1) it's a werewolf and 2) its lycanthropy is active in the womb.
To say the child's lycanthropy is "active" is a little misleading, as lycanthropy isn't fully expressed until near-birth; until then, the child's development is a mix of human and wolf milestones
Werewolf children whose lycanthropy is active from the womb tend to die within a few months, as their lycanthropy can run down their bodies and cause a failure to thrive. Sometimes, the remnants of the mother's immune system can suppress changes in the child for up to several months.
Children who survive their first few years are in the clear, but tend to have psychological problems (from the stress of the change at such a young age). The problems aren't a given, though.
Children of werewolves, if the pregnancy lasts, tend to be born a little prematurely.
The most rare cases -- only one or two ever confirmed -- involve active HL-IL mothers and their active werewolf children remaining human during the pregnancy. The mother's immune system ramps itself up so strongly that it not only suppresses the baby's expression, but the mother's as well. The effect wears off after birth, and is very taxing on the mother. Attempts to induce the effect artificially have failed.
Female werewolves pregnant with normal children always miscarry (unless the rare case above occurs; it's slightly more likely (as far as "likely" goes with that!)for the child to have dormant lycanthropy).
Children of two carriers are often (but not always) carriers themselves. In genetic cases, this can remain unexpressed their whole lives. In infectious cases, the mother either miscarries (because the infection killed the child) or the infection remains dormant. Like hereditary cases, the infection could remain dormant, unless something else (like a second exposure) ramps it up.
The most common situations, expressed as definite ends:
If a female normal gets pregnant with a dormant werewolf child, everything proceeds as normal.
If a female normal gets pregnant with an active werewolf child (by either strain remaining unexpressed in her but not the child), she will suffer a miscarriage. This can either happen early on as her immune system recognizes and tries to expell a dangerous foreign body, or near the due date when the lycanthropy is fully developed. (Or, well. any time in-between, really.)
If a female werewolf is pregnant with an active werewolf child, she will either suffer a miscarriage because of her changing or give birth only to watch the child die from an overtaxed body.
If a female werewolf is pregnant with a normal or dormant werewolf child, she will miscarry.
The Order tries to let its werewolves have some kind of life and doesn't discourage relationships, but forbids pregnancy (outside of the breeding experiments done by the Order in the past). Couples are heavily discouraged from engaging in any kind of sexual activity that could result in pregnancy (and less-heavily-but-still discouraged from having sex at all). If a couple convinces the Order to let them marry, they may or may not still have separate rooms.
Forbidding pregnancy is meant to prevent the spread of the disease (to the children) and spare those hypothetical children from possibly having to grow up in the Order and never see the outside world, which is both unfortunate for them and a preventable drain on Order resources.
Of course, pregnancy still happens both intentionally and by accident. Even the higher-ups in the Order don't think they have that much control that it would never happen. If the pregnancy comes to term, then there are three general outcomes:
1. If the baby shows no signs of lycanthropy, and neither biological parent is an active werewolf (just suspected), the baby will be taken from its parents shortly after birth and placed with a guardian on the outside as soon as possible. The guardian is a supporter of the Order and knows to keep an eye out for signs of lycanthropy; if the child ever shows signs, the guardian will send them back to the Order. The guardian is given a stipend while raising the child. Unless the child develops lycanthropy, the parents will never see their child again, and the child will never be told about the Order.
A few guardians are people who had been Finders, but were too badly injured to continue doing their jobs at the time (but not so much that they couldn't take care of themselves) and were offered this "outside" job instead of staying within the Order. This is a little unusual, though, and the closest thing to a retirement plan the Order has.
2. The baby will be raised within the Order, but the mother and baby will be watched closely, and the child may be removed as soon as it is old enough to be left in a room by itself through the day. If there are enough young children at the Order of similar status, rooms may be arranged so that the children are raised as a group in a Children's Ward. This is really only a possibility if the mother is not IL, and the only strong chance the parents have of seeing their child again.
3. The baby, especially if there is strong suspicion of it having contracted lycanthropy (e.g. the mother or both parents is IL), may be removed immediately for testing, lone observation, and possibly experimentation. The long-term survival of the child is not paramount, although there have been no confirmed cases of anyone trying to kill it. (Over the years, there have been a few cases where one or more scientists have been suspected of mercy-killing children in these situations.) The parents are likely to never see their child again; even if the child is eventually introduced to the general population, the parents will not be told the child is theirs (and the child will not be told who their parents are).
In no case do the parents have any particular rights over the child; the Order sees it as both a For Their Own Good thing and as a punitive measure, since the child wasn't "supposed" to be born anyway.
In practice, unless pregnancy occurs, a blind eye is turned to any relationships, sexual or otherwise.
Mood disturbances are more common among werewolves.
Some werewolves are "split" -- that is, their minds are split between the times they are "human" and the times they are "wolves". They are normal on one end and mostly animalistic on the other, though they often retain human mental capabilities and the ability to understand limited speech (but are incapable of speaking) in wolf form. They often remember little to nothing of their time as wolves.
Some werewolves can be "split" for the odd transformation here and there, usually under stress or because of a specific stimulus, but true "split" werewolves have it happen more often than not.
The more stressed a werewolf is when changing, the more likely it is the werewolf will be "split". A split werewolf in wolf form is "wild," or "running wild."
Possible Sources they would have investigated:
- Curse (possibly hereditary)
- Infection (possibly hereditary)
- Demon (another kind of infection)
----- a wild or malevolent spirit that resides within, that no one has been able to exorcise. Explains occasions of wildness.
- Genetics
----- Not always expressed -- just a quirk carried by a good chunk of the world's population that only shows up in a few individuals
---------- Can be triggered by environmental changes / other changes to DNA (radiation, age, etc), but once triggered, cannot be suppressed for unknown reasons
----- It's common enough to secretly "tag" (not literal tagging) possible werewolves based on blood relation, to keep an eye on them and drag them in if they ever start showing signs.
Mechanics of Lycanthropy
There are two kinds of Lycanthropy (Hereditary and Infectious) that closely mimic each other, and only differ in probabilities and certain outcomes.
Infectious Lycanthropy, or IL
----- Infectious Lycanthropy can be passed on either by a) the bite of a werewolf in werewolf-form with infectious lycanthropy, or b) via the bodily fluids of a carrier under a full moon (with reduced chances of active infection within a two days of the full moon).
---------- ILs are much more likely to lose control and succumb to bloodlust, and also have a much harder time resisting change in the first place, although they can gain control quickly enough with practice. They are more strongly tied to the moon than HLs.
--------------- They tend to have shorter-than-average lifespans than even HLs due to the strain on their bodies and increased rates of 1) murder (being killed while wild) and 2) suicide (because of the stress).
---------- The IL virus kills anyone who doesn't become infected or turn out to be a carrier.
--------------- Human carriers can completely eradicate the disease from their bodies after seven years. The chances of spreading the infection are reduced with every year that passes.
Hereditary Lycanthropy, or HL
----- Hereditary Lycanthropy is passed on from parent-to-child. It is not sex-linked, so anyone can get it.
---------- HL can become active at any age, although it is most rough on young children and the elderly. Children born with active HL often die within a couple of months.
---------- Although HLs are given no hope of finding a cure, it is often slightly more manageable than IL. There is no trauma of an attack combined with the first change, and a lycanthrope family could hypothetically prepare a child for a future change, making the transition slightly easier on the mind.
On both
----- The majority of the human population are either carriers (of both lines) or are immune (to IL). No one has managed to figure out what causes one person to be immune or simply a carrier, and what causes another to be susceptible.
----- HL can "look" like IL and vice-versa; the diagnosis is made based on identifying either a source of infection or a lycanthrope relative. In the absence of a specific diagnosis, all lycanthropes are treated as ILs.
---------- There is no reliable test for either HL or IL. Positives are usually correct, but rare; false negatives, on the other hand, are extremely common.
----- Carriers are people with a genetic immunity to IL.
---------- For all intents and purposes, anyone with HL is immune to IL. Any infected HLs become temporary carriers.
--------------- The disease lies mostly dormant within HLs, although it can be transmitted under the same circumstances as other carriers. The bite of an IL-HL transformed at a time other than the full moon will not spread the infection, but the bodily fluids of an untransformed IL-HL under the full moon will.
--------------- Given enough time and a strong enough immune system, an IL-HL's body can eradicate the disease from itself within months (instead of the years it would take for a normal human carrier).
--------------- There has only been one known case of an HL contracting a completely active strain of IL. The patient lost its mind and tore at itself and anyone else it could reach. The body basically tried to transform twice over. A later autopsy confirmed the patient eventually died of both exhaustion and internal complications (including organs giving out). Although the tissue collected for testing disappeared before any tests could be done, the hypothesis was that a genetic anomaly prevented that werewolf from having the immunity of the rest.
---------- Normal human carriers are hardly ever aware they're carrying it.
--------------- A few individuals may exhibit some mental and behavioral changes near the full moon. (Don't expect them to howl in the back yard, but they might become somewhat more shy or more aggressive, and might even crave meat). This partial expression is thought to occur in cases of susceptibility, or if the individual carries an unexpressed or incomplete HL gene.
--------------- HL carriers are more likely to go wild near the full moon if they are infected with IL but their immune system has been unable to destroy it.
The Church maintains that both forms of Lycanthropy are the remnants of old curses and the influence of demons, which is one reason why it takes an interest. It also considers it sufficiently unnatural that they need to be controlled or eradicated.
Because it has no major war to fight, the Church is less hands-on and (overtly) militant in funding and maintaining the Order.
The Church also believes they can use the werewolves as Hounds of God, by training them to do their bidding.
Occasionally, a would-be HL may suffer a genetic quirk that turns them into an animal-like creature other than a wolf, but this is exceedingly rare. They fall under the more general therianthrope category.
Attempts to induce this subcondition in HLs and relatives of HLs have produced mixed results, none quite what they wanted, and often negative for the patient.
Possible (experimental) methods of control:
- A collar that can be constricted
----- Lined with iron or silver
- A solid collar made of iron and silver that is loose enough not to cause problems in human form but tight enough that it would strangle in werewolf form
----- Permanent; metal welded together on the neck
----- Variant: iron and silver chain around the neck; again, loose enough to be relatively comfortable in human form, but tight enough to strangle in wolf form
---------- more low-key than collar, less dehumanizing; however, easier for werewolf to break
- Iron or silver piercings
----- Won't kill and could be ripped out, but subdues the urge to change / makes it more difficult to change
- Iron nails driven through the palms/paws
- Routine feedings of (non-lethal) amounts of wolfsbane and mistletoe.
- Embedding silver beneath the skin
- Exhaustion (too tired to change, or too tired to do anything once changed)
- Starvation (can be too weak to change)
- Sedation
There is no surefire way of killing or controlling all werewolves; what works against one may not work against another. This is because of slight mutations between strains.
Holy water has never had an effect, though.
Attempts have been made to tame werewolves with split minds, but it doesn't always stick from one session to another.
Heavily sedating a werewolf in human form can prevent them from changing -- until the full moon, which just results in an angry, groggy werewolf likely to hurt itself as well as others. This method increases the likelihood of a werewolf shifting "wild" or "split"; one theory suggests this is because the human mind is unconcious at the time, so all that's left to take over is the wolflike part.
The amount of sedative required to knock out a werewolf in wolf form would very likely kill a human, and this holds true for werewolves in human form. Curiously, if a werewolf sedated in wolf form reverts to human form before the drug has worn off, it isn't deadly (but still somewhat dangerous).
There is a group of therianthropes with a second kind of HL.
These werewolves are affected in both forms and have a different kind of split mind. Their human mind still exists, but once their lycanthropy activates, they gain a second, inhuman mind. Given enough time or not enough willpower, this second mind will overtake the human mind.
These HLs are extremely rare, and only a handful ever exist at once. They tend to be stronger than and have abilities beyond those of normal HLs.
For many years, these werewolves appeared in isolated incidents. Left to their own devices, they would be mysteriously drawn to each other -- even crossing oceans to find one another -- and then the trouble would really start.
They tend to see humans as beneath them and have no problems with (or even enjoy) hunting them for food and fun. Having more than one of these werewolves together at once tends to encourage them to act out.
There is an unusual sense of kinship that draws them together, and they seem to be able to identify members of their own group even outside of wolf form.
These werewolves did not actively organize or engage in widespread trouble until one particular werewolf came along. This werewolf, only known as Adam, set himself up as their leader -- and some instinct told the rest that this was right.
Adam reaffirmed their belief that humans are beneath them and should be treated as such.
HL-2s were primarily responsible for the unusual upswing in wolf attacks on humans in mid-18th century France. They were driven off and killed by the werewolves still working as the Order's army at the time, although many -- if not most -- of them died in the struggle.
There is an ability unique to Adam and the other HLs of his strain. Adam carries a transmittable virus that creates Revenants. He and the other HLs are able to control them with their minds.
Revenants are dead, but appear to be the normal, living humans they were -- at first. They are compelled to kill, and each kill makes them grow in strength. The stronger they get, the more they change, until they are completely unrecognizable monsters.
The souls of Revenants are trapped inside the body, preventing it from decaying, but it is torn apart as the Revenant grows stronger. The Revenant virus also slowly replaces the organic body with a metallic substance unknown to man.
It has been hypothesised that HL-2 is not a mutation of the normal HL strains, but the other way around, and that HL-2 is an ancient strain that may lay dormant in the greater part of the world's population. This theory is dismissed by the Order -- at least, officially.
It's long. Mostly random bits of information strung together, most of which I don't expect will ever come up.
Little details may be tweaked if they haven't come up, and new parts may be added, but the general idea will always hold.
(Last updated: July 3rd)
Instead of fighting a war, the Black Order hunts down and contains supernatural creatures -- not to turn them into soldiers, but to protect the outside world from them (and ideally to provide a sanctuary for them from the outside world).
Their werewolves are trained to try to control themselves and to get along. Experiments have been done in the past to try to "cure" the "afflicted," as well as just to study them.
In the past, their werewolves were also trained to be a personal secret army, sent out under strict supervision to achieve specific goals (to kill or capture enemies, or to commit atrocities to blame on those enemies). Officially, this isn't the line anymore, but they are still trained under the pretense of discipline. Secretly, the training is mandated by the Vatican, in case it sees need for a supernatural army again.
The official line is that any werewolf that can't be controlled must be killed.
Werewolves housed at the Order are encouraged to remain in human form when not training or in specific, warded areas.
The layout of the Order does not match the layout of the first HQ in canon. There is a huge main building with numerous floor above and below ground, and a couple small ones on the grounds (for gardening and security purposes).
The Order operates on a nocturnal sleep-wake schedule. This is because werewolves that have to change on the full moon are often forced to do it at night, and everyone needs to be awake to properly deal with that. Instead of disrupting everyone's sleep patterns near that time of the month, it's easier to have everyone adjust to spending most of their time awake at night. Werewolves have a little less freedom in schedules than support staff.
Because it's not a matter of finding new ways to help wage war and save the world, the scientists have it somewhat better off than in canon. Although there's no room for slacking off, they definitely don't have to work until they pass out or anything.
Finders are stronger, better-trained, and better-equipped than in canon; they're essentially cooperative werewolf hunters, after all. They still have more or less redshirt status, and sometimes they'll be taken for experiments themselves (for exposure to altered strains), but they're more formidable. They used to be called Hunters outright -- but when persuading someone to join your secret werewolf sanctuary, sending Finders sounds better than sending Hunters.
The Black Order is located on its own island between Ireland and England (although much closer to the English coast), in the Celtic Sea. It remains unmapped, to make it harder for outsiders to locate -- although, with its huge tower, it stands out when in physical sight. Normals living (relatively) nearby simply don't speak of it. (Some are compensated for their silence.)
Headquarters tries to be as self-sufficient as possible, but it still needs regular contact with the outside world for supplies and recruitment and such.
There are branches in other places throughout the world, but they are not equipped to house werewolves. They are more for housing a few scientists and Finders, focused on analyzing data sent from the sanctuary and keeping an eye out for any werewolf sightings in the area.
If a werewolf is spotted, Branch Finders try to confirm the sighting, then wait for back-up. HQ Finders are sent to boost numbers and take in the werewolf. The usual idea is to avoid fighting the werewolf in wolf form whenever possible, but to have numbers on your side if necessary. They try to find the werewolf in human form, and often bring people in for suspicion of lycanthropy. Very few people return from that, despite promises to the contrary. (They are often kept and experimented on.)
If the wolf is engaged, the idea is to herd it into an area where it can't easily escape but will also do the least damage, and try to hold it there until whenever the werewolf changes back to human. If the werewolf is actually subdued in wolf form, it is still not hauled off unless it's dead. (Werewolf corpses are recovered and taken to the nearest branch for dissection (with the results sent back to the Order) or preservation (in which case the corpse itself will be sent to the Order).)
If the wolf escapes, the Finders are trained to give chase on horseback if at all possible. The werewolf is chased until either the Finders have to give up and wait for another night (or for their investigation to pan out, as in the cases of people being injured the same way as the wolf the next day) or the wolf is too exhausted.
Confirmed werewolves, once back in human form, are first reasoned with. The Finders explain a little about the Order, and try to get the werewolf to come willingly. This works particularly well in infectious cases, since the werewolf is more likely to confused and frightened by their condition than if there was a family history. If persuasion doesn't work, the werewolf is strong-armed into it. This can range from blackmail to sedation and kidnapping. If that fails, and the werewolf is deemed a threat, then Finders are instructed to kill. Finders often can't bring themselves to go that last step, and in those cases, one of the Crow is called in to do it for them.
The Crow are also called in if Finders find themselves unable to handle the werewolf in the initial confrontations. This usually means the death of the werewolf.
Suspected werewolf are never killed, but are persuaded to join the Order. (Children may be kidnapped, or may have their guardians blackmailed.) Suspected werewolves left behind still have a file on them started and an eye kept on them. The same happens to the families of suspected and confirmed werewolves alike.
The Order, as part of their mission to bring in rogue werewolves, are considering sending well-trained werewolves out on missions with Finders. If a werewolf can be sufficiently controlled, then not only would the werewolf be excellent for reasoning with potential newbies ("hey, look, they helped keep the wolf under control"), but they could be used to confront rogue werewolves in wolf form.
They also want an army to stop and fend off attacks by Noah.
(They had been unprepared for the mid-1700's attacks, and trying to train their werewolves then and rapidly deploy them resulted in many deaths and great setbacks, even though the Noah vanished into the woodwork again. Attacks in the 1820s were the last of them seen for a while; although the Order took a heavy hit again, it seemed that the Noah vanished of their own accord this time. Eventually, the Order relaxed, and the training was reduced again. (Without a confirmed threat, they don't want to arm the werewolves too much. No good making them more deadly than they already are!) The training was only ramped up again within the past ten years, when rumours started up of stranger wolves and someone upstairs remembered the old threat.)
The contained werewolves are still being told that their training is for discipline and self-defense (in case they find themselves facing one another), but fewer and fewer people are convinced. They don't know what the ultimate plan is, but they aren't so convinced.
The Order grew out of the Inquisition. In 1233, the Inquisition began as a serious attempt by the Vatican to root out werewolves and the like for the purpose of eradicating them.
Many people, werewolves or not, were tortured for confessions and killed. Actual werewolves were sometimes better off in the short-term, in that they could better fend off Inquisitors in werewolf form, even though it gave them away.
The Vatican later saw the need to better know its enemy, and although the searching and torturing continued, accused shapeshifters were more often to be captured and studied. (Public trials and executions still continued for any accused not considered to be valuable as subjects.) The Order was officially established as an offshoot of the Inquisition, as an organization responsible for this area of study.
Eventually, true shapeshifters -- now simply refered to as lycanthropes (despite exceedingly rare mutations causing other forms) -- were seen as worthy of help and "saving" (instead of immediate destruction all the time), and the Order both eased some of the more obvious cruelties and took over the capture/control of all shapeshifters.
The Order in its current form has only existed for the past century or two.
After the accidental creation of the Lost Flock, the Order focused more on balancing its role as a haven with balancing its mission to study werewolves.
There are more werewolves and suspected werewolves at the Order than there are Exorcists in canon. A suspected werewolf or carrier can still take a job within the Order, or keep a job they already had, as long as they agree to be monitored.
If someone is suspected to have been exposed to lycanthropy while working at a branch, they are reassigned to the Order. Usually, under monitoring, they are allowed to take up an equivalent job there. If they are confirmed to at least not be infectious, they may be transferred back to their original branch.
Confirmed werewolves, infectious or otherwise, are prevented from taking jobs of to high a rank -- or, really, anything other than a desk job or menial labor. Werewolves are encouraged to help out with things like cleaning or gardening, partly to keep them from getting too bored, but only if they're under control. Werewolves may be encouraged to help out with cooking, but only confirmed HLs with a history of agreeable obedience (so they aren't likely to accidentally infect someone or intentionally poison the food).
(See the section on pregnancy for how the Order deals with that.)
The moon does have an effect, but it's not always compulsory to change on a full moon. Almost always -- think 98% of the time? -- but not always.
The more time a person spends in wolf form, the easier it is to not lose control or have to change on a full moon. (It's sort of like it builds up and whatever's left must be released or fought at the full moon. It takes a lot of time spent as a wolf to not have to change at all; more often, a werewolf changes, doesn't go wild, and settles down somewhere while the urge to stay changed passes much more quickly for them than for others.) However, it is easier to slip into animalistic characteristics the more time one spends in wolf form (though that's more of a psychological thing).
The full moon change happens an hour or two after sundown and lasts until an hour or so before sunrise. For some, the natural cycle is set at wherever they were when they first changed; yet others have it set at wherever they were born. Most werewolves' timing depends on where they currently are. "Set" cycles will also shift to match any location the werewolf has been staying in for a long time (think 6 month or more), or to synch up to any group of werewolves they've been around long enough.
Aside from the full moon, change is usually voluntary.
Some things can trigger change or the urge to change. When it's really bad, this is the only time someone can start to change without really going "halfway" (see later). Nails might grow stronger, eyesight and sense of smell might improve -- but in this stage, people also tend to lose it, acting animal-like.
In general, when making a complete change on or close to a new moon, the werewolf will have little to no urge to express wolfish behavior. The closer to the full moon it is, the more likely it is a werewolf will express wolfish behavior, although it is uncommon for a werewolf to go "completely wolfish" without some other reason (e.g. has not transformed at all that month and is under great stress).
When done right, the change is quick (blink-and-you-miss-it) and painless. The body kicks in a major rush of endorphins seconds before the change; the exhiliarting effect seems magnified as a wolf, when combined with the sensory flood (from better sight/smell/hearing), making it easy to lose control for the first half-minute.
Constant changing is rough on the body. Changing too often can cause an individual to collapse from exhaustion, be stuck in a single form for an indefinite amount of time (with attempts to change either being painful or just not working), or be caught "halfway".
Being caught halfway can either result in benign but embarrassing alterations (along the lines of human-shaped with wolf ears and a tail, for example), or horrific malformations (e.g. mixed-and-matched bones, rearraged organs).
Changing itself is tiring. After a full moon spent running as a wolf, a werewolf can be stuck in bed all day, too tired to move much. If they survive being caught halfway, they can be in bed for days. Regular changes are a matter of knowing one's limits and giving the body a break.
For rest, the human form is better. Although changing takes more energy than simply staying in one form or another, being in wolf form definitely saps energy more quickly; the reason is unknown.
Werewolves have two basic varieties of (changed) forms. One looks like a regular wolf except larger. The other is a huge humanlike animal -- a sometimes-bipedal wolf monster -- that usually prefers to walk and lope on all fours but can walk on two and use the front as hands.
Any werewolf can take either form, and both forms actually exist along a continuum. Not all werewolves can choose which form they take, and some are (for all intents and purposes) "locked" to one form when changed.
Otherwise, the change is almost randomized; even when choosing to change, a werewolf may exert some influence over the end result, but can't completely decide what they'll look like.
If a werewolf wears tight clothing, sometimes that clothing can be changed with them instead of torn; no one knows quite how it works. Some werewolves who are aware of this just wear tight clothing in the hope it's tight enough to change, so they don't turn back naked or in rags; some wear tight clothing underneath regular clothes; some prefer to wear baggy clothes in the hope the clothes are loose enough to not be too terribly damaged; some simply wear baggy clothes, accepting they'll be left bare if they change, possibly not planning to change unless compelled.
In any state, active werewolves have a heightened ability to read body language, although this is stronger the more "wild" they are.
Werewolves have accelerated healing and powerful immune systems, but this is reduced in human form. Lycanthropy alone won't let a werewolf regrow a lost limb in either form, but they can shrug off noncritical gunshot wounds (no arteries severed, heart still intact, and so on) in wolf form and soundly trounce most common forms of the flu in human form.
(On the other hand, if an infection breaks out in Headquarters that werewolves can catch, it will spread like wildfire and is a serious medical concern for both werewolves and non-werewolves (since it would certainly be deadly to non-werewolves).)
All werewolves have voracious appetites in any form, because of the energy used in changing and maintaining their immune systems. A werewolf that has not eaten enough can potentially be caught halfway.
Sometimes starvation can subdue the urge to change, but other times it just results in a wild, ravenous, starving wolf-monster.
Some werewolves develop an allergy to chocolate after their first change. Other werewolves are simply more sensitive to chocolate in wolf form; eating a modest amount will just give them a stomach ache, and only a large amount is truly toxic.
Some werewolves also develop allergies to folklore "remedies," such as mistletoe or mountain ash.
Werewolves-in-wolf-form have a decreased ability to distinguished reds and greens, but aren't completely colorblind. This colorblindness disappears in human form (provided they weren't colorblind to start with).
The tapetum lucidum is also only present in wolf form, for almost all werewolves. A werewolf from a long werewolf-only line is more likely to present with wolf traits in human form, such as the tapetum or red-green colorblindness.
Werewolves in wolf form have better motion tracking.
Most werewolves just tend to have better-than-average night vision.
Werewolves have an incredible sense of smell in wolf form. In human form, they have a better-than-average sense of smell near the full moon.
Werewolves don't naturally gravitate toward pack structure anymore than non-werewolves do. If a group forms, it is usually for the same reasons any outcasts would band together. A pack of werewolves may or may not be modeled after their perception of pack dynamics.
There have been rumors of past packs living primarily as wolves and mimicking them closely, but this is not confirmed or approved of by the Order. The destruction of wilderness in favor of farmland and urbanization also makes it harder to pull off all-wolf living.
Pregnancy in werewolves is risky and complicated.
The menstrual cycles of active female werewolves vary, as changing can play havoc with hormones -- but they tend to ovulate maybe half as often as normal human females do.
Female werewolves can get pregnant (provided there aren't any other problems), but it is uncommon for any baby to survive to full-term, let alone long-term. Changing from human to wolf (or vice-versa) causes a miscarriage if the baby is normal.
The child of two active werewolves is more likely to survive than if only the mother is an active werewolf, particularly if the mother constantly stays in wolf form during that time (so there is no overwhelming urge to change), but the child's only reasonable chance of survival is if 1) it's a werewolf and 2) its lycanthropy is active in the womb.
To say the child's lycanthropy is "active" is a little misleading, as lycanthropy isn't fully expressed until near-birth; until then, the child's development is a mix of human and wolf milestones
Werewolf children whose lycanthropy is active from the womb tend to die within a few months, as their lycanthropy can run down their bodies and cause a failure to thrive. Sometimes, the remnants of the mother's immune system can suppress changes in the child for up to several months.
Children who survive their first few years are in the clear, but tend to have psychological problems (from the stress of the change at such a young age). The problems aren't a given, though.
Children of werewolves, if the pregnancy lasts, tend to be born a little prematurely.
The most rare cases -- only one or two ever confirmed -- involve active HL-IL mothers and their active werewolf children remaining human during the pregnancy. The mother's immune system ramps itself up so strongly that it not only suppresses the baby's expression, but the mother's as well. The effect wears off after birth, and is very taxing on the mother. Attempts to induce the effect artificially have failed.
Female werewolves pregnant with normal children always miscarry (unless the rare case above occurs; it's slightly more likely (as far as "likely" goes with that!)for the child to have dormant lycanthropy).
Children of two carriers are often (but not always) carriers themselves. In genetic cases, this can remain unexpressed their whole lives. In infectious cases, the mother either miscarries (because the infection killed the child) or the infection remains dormant. Like hereditary cases, the infection could remain dormant, unless something else (like a second exposure) ramps it up.
The most common situations, expressed as definite ends:
If a female normal gets pregnant with a dormant werewolf child, everything proceeds as normal.
If a female normal gets pregnant with an active werewolf child (by either strain remaining unexpressed in her but not the child), she will suffer a miscarriage. This can either happen early on as her immune system recognizes and tries to expell a dangerous foreign body, or near the due date when the lycanthropy is fully developed. (Or, well. any time in-between, really.)
If a female werewolf is pregnant with an active werewolf child, she will either suffer a miscarriage because of her changing or give birth only to watch the child die from an overtaxed body.
If a female werewolf is pregnant with a normal or dormant werewolf child, she will miscarry.
The Order tries to let its werewolves have some kind of life and doesn't discourage relationships, but forbids pregnancy (outside of the breeding experiments done by the Order in the past). Couples are heavily discouraged from engaging in any kind of sexual activity that could result in pregnancy (and less-heavily-but-still discouraged from having sex at all). If a couple convinces the Order to let them marry, they may or may not still have separate rooms.
Forbidding pregnancy is meant to prevent the spread of the disease (to the children) and spare those hypothetical children from possibly having to grow up in the Order and never see the outside world, which is both unfortunate for them and a preventable drain on Order resources.
Of course, pregnancy still happens both intentionally and by accident. Even the higher-ups in the Order don't think they have that much control that it would never happen. If the pregnancy comes to term, then there are three general outcomes:
1. If the baby shows no signs of lycanthropy, and neither biological parent is an active werewolf (just suspected), the baby will be taken from its parents shortly after birth and placed with a guardian on the outside as soon as possible. The guardian is a supporter of the Order and knows to keep an eye out for signs of lycanthropy; if the child ever shows signs, the guardian will send them back to the Order. The guardian is given a stipend while raising the child. Unless the child develops lycanthropy, the parents will never see their child again, and the child will never be told about the Order.
A few guardians are people who had been Finders, but were too badly injured to continue doing their jobs at the time (but not so much that they couldn't take care of themselves) and were offered this "outside" job instead of staying within the Order. This is a little unusual, though, and the closest thing to a retirement plan the Order has.
2. The baby will be raised within the Order, but the mother and baby will be watched closely, and the child may be removed as soon as it is old enough to be left in a room by itself through the day. If there are enough young children at the Order of similar status, rooms may be arranged so that the children are raised as a group in a Children's Ward. This is really only a possibility if the mother is not IL, and the only strong chance the parents have of seeing their child again.
3. The baby, especially if there is strong suspicion of it having contracted lycanthropy (e.g. the mother or both parents is IL), may be removed immediately for testing, lone observation, and possibly experimentation. The long-term survival of the child is not paramount, although there have been no confirmed cases of anyone trying to kill it. (Over the years, there have been a few cases where one or more scientists have been suspected of mercy-killing children in these situations.) The parents are likely to never see their child again; even if the child is eventually introduced to the general population, the parents will not be told the child is theirs (and the child will not be told who their parents are).
In no case do the parents have any particular rights over the child; the Order sees it as both a For Their Own Good thing and as a punitive measure, since the child wasn't "supposed" to be born anyway.
In practice, unless pregnancy occurs, a blind eye is turned to any relationships, sexual or otherwise.
Mood disturbances are more common among werewolves.
Some werewolves are "split" -- that is, their minds are split between the times they are "human" and the times they are "wolves". They are normal on one end and mostly animalistic on the other, though they often retain human mental capabilities and the ability to understand limited speech (but are incapable of speaking) in wolf form. They often remember little to nothing of their time as wolves.
Some werewolves can be "split" for the odd transformation here and there, usually under stress or because of a specific stimulus, but true "split" werewolves have it happen more often than not.
The more stressed a werewolf is when changing, the more likely it is the werewolf will be "split". A split werewolf in wolf form is "wild," or "running wild."
Possible Sources they would have investigated:
- Curse (possibly hereditary)
- Infection (possibly hereditary)
- Demon (another kind of infection)
----- a wild or malevolent spirit that resides within, that no one has been able to exorcise. Explains occasions of wildness.
- Genetics
----- Not always expressed -- just a quirk carried by a good chunk of the world's population that only shows up in a few individuals
---------- Can be triggered by environmental changes / other changes to DNA (radiation, age, etc), but once triggered, cannot be suppressed for unknown reasons
----- It's common enough to secretly "tag" (not literal tagging) possible werewolves based on blood relation, to keep an eye on them and drag them in if they ever start showing signs.
Mechanics of Lycanthropy
There are two kinds of Lycanthropy (Hereditary and Infectious) that closely mimic each other, and only differ in probabilities and certain outcomes.
Infectious Lycanthropy, or IL
----- Infectious Lycanthropy can be passed on either by a) the bite of a werewolf in werewolf-form with infectious lycanthropy, or b) via the bodily fluids of a carrier under a full moon (with reduced chances of active infection within a two days of the full moon).
---------- ILs are much more likely to lose control and succumb to bloodlust, and also have a much harder time resisting change in the first place, although they can gain control quickly enough with practice. They are more strongly tied to the moon than HLs.
--------------- They tend to have shorter-than-average lifespans than even HLs due to the strain on their bodies and increased rates of 1) murder (being killed while wild) and 2) suicide (because of the stress).
---------- The IL virus kills anyone who doesn't become infected or turn out to be a carrier.
--------------- Human carriers can completely eradicate the disease from their bodies after seven years. The chances of spreading the infection are reduced with every year that passes.
Hereditary Lycanthropy, or HL
----- Hereditary Lycanthropy is passed on from parent-to-child. It is not sex-linked, so anyone can get it.
---------- HL can become active at any age, although it is most rough on young children and the elderly. Children born with active HL often die within a couple of months.
---------- Although HLs are given no hope of finding a cure, it is often slightly more manageable than IL. There is no trauma of an attack combined with the first change, and a lycanthrope family could hypothetically prepare a child for a future change, making the transition slightly easier on the mind.
On both
----- The majority of the human population are either carriers (of both lines) or are immune (to IL). No one has managed to figure out what causes one person to be immune or simply a carrier, and what causes another to be susceptible.
----- HL can "look" like IL and vice-versa; the diagnosis is made based on identifying either a source of infection or a lycanthrope relative. In the absence of a specific diagnosis, all lycanthropes are treated as ILs.
---------- There is no reliable test for either HL or IL. Positives are usually correct, but rare; false negatives, on the other hand, are extremely common.
----- Carriers are people with a genetic immunity to IL.
---------- For all intents and purposes, anyone with HL is immune to IL. Any infected HLs become temporary carriers.
--------------- The disease lies mostly dormant within HLs, although it can be transmitted under the same circumstances as other carriers. The bite of an IL-HL transformed at a time other than the full moon will not spread the infection, but the bodily fluids of an untransformed IL-HL under the full moon will.
--------------- Given enough time and a strong enough immune system, an IL-HL's body can eradicate the disease from itself within months (instead of the years it would take for a normal human carrier).
--------------- There has only been one known case of an HL contracting a completely active strain of IL. The patient lost its mind and tore at itself and anyone else it could reach. The body basically tried to transform twice over. A later autopsy confirmed the patient eventually died of both exhaustion and internal complications (including organs giving out). Although the tissue collected for testing disappeared before any tests could be done, the hypothesis was that a genetic anomaly prevented that werewolf from having the immunity of the rest.
---------- Normal human carriers are hardly ever aware they're carrying it.
--------------- A few individuals may exhibit some mental and behavioral changes near the full moon. (Don't expect them to howl in the back yard, but they might become somewhat more shy or more aggressive, and might even crave meat). This partial expression is thought to occur in cases of susceptibility, or if the individual carries an unexpressed or incomplete HL gene.
--------------- HL carriers are more likely to go wild near the full moon if they are infected with IL but their immune system has been unable to destroy it.
The Church maintains that both forms of Lycanthropy are the remnants of old curses and the influence of demons, which is one reason why it takes an interest. It also considers it sufficiently unnatural that they need to be controlled or eradicated.
Because it has no major war to fight, the Church is less hands-on and (overtly) militant in funding and maintaining the Order.
The Church also believes they can use the werewolves as Hounds of God, by training them to do their bidding.
Occasionally, a would-be HL may suffer a genetic quirk that turns them into an animal-like creature other than a wolf, but this is exceedingly rare. They fall under the more general therianthrope category.
Attempts to induce this subcondition in HLs and relatives of HLs have produced mixed results, none quite what they wanted, and often negative for the patient.
Possible (experimental) methods of control:
- A collar that can be constricted
----- Lined with iron or silver
- A solid collar made of iron and silver that is loose enough not to cause problems in human form but tight enough that it would strangle in werewolf form
----- Permanent; metal welded together on the neck
----- Variant: iron and silver chain around the neck; again, loose enough to be relatively comfortable in human form, but tight enough to strangle in wolf form
---------- more low-key than collar, less dehumanizing; however, easier for werewolf to break
- Iron or silver piercings
----- Won't kill and could be ripped out, but subdues the urge to change / makes it more difficult to change
- Iron nails driven through the palms/paws
- Routine feedings of (non-lethal) amounts of wolfsbane and mistletoe.
- Embedding silver beneath the skin
- Exhaustion (too tired to change, or too tired to do anything once changed)
- Starvation (can be too weak to change)
- Sedation
There is no surefire way of killing or controlling all werewolves; what works against one may not work against another. This is because of slight mutations between strains.
Holy water has never had an effect, though.
Attempts have been made to tame werewolves with split minds, but it doesn't always stick from one session to another.
Heavily sedating a werewolf in human form can prevent them from changing -- until the full moon, which just results in an angry, groggy werewolf likely to hurt itself as well as others. This method increases the likelihood of a werewolf shifting "wild" or "split"; one theory suggests this is because the human mind is unconcious at the time, so all that's left to take over is the wolflike part.
The amount of sedative required to knock out a werewolf in wolf form would very likely kill a human, and this holds true for werewolves in human form. Curiously, if a werewolf sedated in wolf form reverts to human form before the drug has worn off, it isn't deadly (but still somewhat dangerous).
There is a group of therianthropes with a second kind of HL.
These werewolves are affected in both forms and have a different kind of split mind. Their human mind still exists, but once their lycanthropy activates, they gain a second, inhuman mind. Given enough time or not enough willpower, this second mind will overtake the human mind.
These HLs are extremely rare, and only a handful ever exist at once. They tend to be stronger than and have abilities beyond those of normal HLs.
For many years, these werewolves appeared in isolated incidents. Left to their own devices, they would be mysteriously drawn to each other -- even crossing oceans to find one another -- and then the trouble would really start.
They tend to see humans as beneath them and have no problems with (or even enjoy) hunting them for food and fun. Having more than one of these werewolves together at once tends to encourage them to act out.
There is an unusual sense of kinship that draws them together, and they seem to be able to identify members of their own group even outside of wolf form.
These werewolves did not actively organize or engage in widespread trouble until one particular werewolf came along. This werewolf, only known as Adam, set himself up as their leader -- and some instinct told the rest that this was right.
Adam reaffirmed their belief that humans are beneath them and should be treated as such.
HL-2s were primarily responsible for the unusual upswing in wolf attacks on humans in mid-18th century France. They were driven off and killed by the werewolves still working as the Order's army at the time, although many -- if not most -- of them died in the struggle.
There is an ability unique to Adam and the other HLs of his strain. Adam carries a transmittable virus that creates Revenants. He and the other HLs are able to control them with their minds.
Revenants are dead, but appear to be the normal, living humans they were -- at first. They are compelled to kill, and each kill makes them grow in strength. The stronger they get, the more they change, until they are completely unrecognizable monsters.
The souls of Revenants are trapped inside the body, preventing it from decaying, but it is torn apart as the Revenant grows stronger. The Revenant virus also slowly replaces the organic body with a metallic substance unknown to man.
It has been hypothesised that HL-2 is not a mutation of the normal HL strains, but the other way around, and that HL-2 is an ancient strain that may lay dormant in the greater part of the world's population. This theory is dismissed by the Order -- at least, officially.