A Brief History of Lycanthropy, and

an Examination of its Largest

Concentration

Index
Chapter I: A Brief History of Lycanthropy
Chapter II: Lycanthropes of the Forest of Howls
Chapter IIa: The Kutonescu, or Shattered Ones
Chapter IIb: The Innumescu, or Demonbloods
Chapter IIc: The Lunamescu, or Imperials
Chapter IId: The Vilmanescu, or the Princely
Chapter IIe: The Arumescu, or the Primals

Chapter I: A Brief History of Lycanthropy

In the first age, long before the time of the Meracydian Emperors, the walls between the
planes were a lot thinner. The primordial chaos of the Maelstrom, the plane of Limbo, had
yet to be contained, and the laws of the universe were yet to be codified. It was a time
where beast, demon and devil reigned, and the mortal races, barely out of wedlock, were
fighting for their lives.

It is said that the first Lycanthrope was once a champion of good. A hunter of evil, whose
name is long forgotten. A devout follower of the Gods of Good, he made the land of what
was to become the Forest of Howls safe, his base of operations a grand temple dedicated to
a pantheon of Gods. Chief among them Ulfrik, God of Wolves, Companionship, and the Hunt,
his symbol a wolf’s head.

There are many theories surrounding his fall, but this is the most accepted: One day, as he
returned from a hunt, the Champion was unwittingly influenced by a fledgling demon known
as Xanaltha. When he returned to the temple grounds, he saw it overrun by demons.
Enraged, he quickly slaughtered them one by one, and it was only after felling the last one
that Xanaltha’s spell was broken and he saw what he had done.

The temple was painted red by the blood of the innocents. Clergy, men, women and
children; none were spared his wrath. And when he saw what he had done, the Champion
fell to his knees, and weeping he begged the gods for forgiveness.
Instead, the gods cursed him: If it was rage that damned him, then let him never know peace
from it, unable to control it, cursed to lose all he held dear to it.

This punishment drove him mad with guilt. And it was during this moment of his greatest
weakness, that Xanaltha appeared before him under the guise of a fairy, and told him: If it
was an act of great evil upon these grounds that cursed him, then an act of great good
would have to serve as atonement. Let him gather demons and devils here, as many as the
innocent he had murdered. Kill them, rid the land of their evil, and show the gods he still
was worthy of their favour.

In his desperation, and thinking the fairy to be a messenger of the Gods, the Champion
believed its words. Over the course of the following days, he fought and captured demons
and devils. Finally, after days of toll, at night, under the light of the full moon, he began his
terrible work. One by one, he cut down the demons he had captured, their blood spraying
on the ground and on him. The once holy landmark had been desecrated by the blood of the
demons, and the Champion, lost in his rage and desperation at them, had lost his humanity,
transforming as he slaughtered them into something not man, but not completely beast
either: The First Lycanthrope. a twisted mockery of the very god he once believed in.

Having lost what shred of humanity he still had, the First Lycanthrope embraced his
damnation, and set out to commit acts of unknowable brutality and savagery. He passed his
“gift” to willing and unwilling mortals alike, and soon he had created an army of his progeny,
ready to unleash unto the world, until it all burned, and what was left was part of the pack.
To the east lay the lands of the First Vampire Lord, also known as the First of the Fallen. He
had carved a kingdom for himself, and that kingdom was to be the first target of the
Lycanthrope’s attack.

A great war followed, costing both sides dearly. The lycanthrope’s savage power was more
than match for the armies of undead under the First of the Fallen’s command, but with
necromancy, his armies were quick to replenish. Eventually, what tipped the scales was
simple: Despite the Lycanthrope’s clear superiority when it came to brute strength, they
acted as little more than rabid beasts on the loose. Despite considerable losses at the start,
the First of the Fallen was able to devise tactics and strategies to defeat the wolves, and
soon drove them back into the forest. But that was not enough for him, for he knew that if
he let the First Lycanthrope to lick his wounds, history would repeat itself. So he marched his
armies into the woods, ready to end the scourge of the beast, but was met with much
resistance. Being their home territory, the wolves used the terrain to their advantage,
staging ambushes, hit and run attacks, misdirections and blitzes. The First of the Fallen’s
army suffered great casualties, but it marched on, and soon besieged the walls of the First
Lycanthrope’s fortress, the repurposed once-holy temple of the gods he once served. The
First of the Fallen lead his army from the front, and within the temple he came to blows with
the First Lycanthrope himself. Despite his savagery, the First of the Fallen was able to strike
the great wolf, and the First Lycanthrope fell dead on the very grounds that birthed him.
 Chapter II: Lycanthropes of the Forest of
Howls

Since the death of the First Lycanthrope and the defeat of his armies, Lycanthropes have
scattered across the continent and spread their taint. The Forest of Howls, however, remains
the place with the largest concentration of them, and is thus the major point of research on
them.

The werewolves form packs that act as “clans”. Each pack is different from the other, from
culture and worldview down to the hair of their fur. However, all have some universal laws
that they follow. For a start, the wolf that has devoured the heart of the First is the
Packmaster of all the packs, regardless of his pack of origin. This practice goes back all the
way to the death of the First, where it said that the first Packmaster tore his chest open and
devoured the First’s heart. When that packmaster died, the next did the same for him, and
so on. It is Lycanthrope superstition that whoever devours the heart gets his replaced with
their progenitor’s, and that it gives him part of the power of the First.

The Packmaster then acts mostly as moderator of the clans, who settles their disputes and
organizes hunts within and outside the forest for food and fresh blood. As such, it could be
said that the forest is in a period of cold war while a Packmaster is alive, which erupts into a
war of supremacy when the times comes for a new one to be chosen. The Packmaster
themselves, after being chosen, cannot act against one of the packs unless that pack breaks
the laws first. In essence, this helps calm tensions down upon the rise of a new Packmaster,
as if they broke the law, all the other clans would unite against them, and then fight over
their remains.

Below is a primer of the major packs of the Forest of Howls:

Chapter IIa: The Kutonescu, or Shattered Ones

The Kutonescu are the least organized of the packs. They are known to settle in remote or
isolated territories, building small communities near the forest’s edge. Cunning, they are
known to pose as farmers or trappers, and on occasions travel outside the woods under the
guise of merchants. They hunt in packs, targeting lone travelers or small groups that wander
into their communities. The Kutonescu transform into red wolves, and are the smallest of in
stature of the packs. Their pack structure is matriarchal, and their current leader is Cyrilla
Kutonescu.
Chapter IIb: The Innumescu, or Demonbloods

The Demonbloods are an oddity in that their pack formation consists largely of newly
afflicted lycanthropes, and for that they are scorned by most natural lycanthropes. They use
this pariah status to their advantage, however, as they allow anyone to join their pack, even
exiles of other packs, as long as they willingly give themselves to the worship of Xanaltha,
who has grown to become a dreaded Demon Prince. Their current pack leader is called
Nicolae Innumescu, a once-human follower of Xanaltha that willingly afflicted himself with
the curse of lycanthropy, and whose devotion drove Xanaltha to “gift” him with natural
lycanthropy. The color of their fur is black.

Chapter IIc: The Lunamescu, or Imperials

The Lunamescu, also known as the Imperials due to being the pack that traces its lineage
back to the first Packmaster, are the most aggressive of the werewolves, yet also possess the
most composure. The Lunamescu rarely form communities, preferring to wander on their
own as lone wolves. Only during times of need do they gather together and form a unified
offensive. More than any other pack, the Lunamescu are the most successful at blending in
with normal humans and blending in with their communities, with some of them even living
in major cities. Their current leader is Marcus Lunamescu, also known as “Silverhide” due to
the more pronounced color of his fur. The color of their fur is white, and they are the most
physically imposing of the packs.

Chapter IId: The Vilmanescu, or the Princely

The Vilmanescu are the youngest of the packs in the Forest of Howls, being notable for being
formed by outsiders. Centuries ago, a Count by the name of Andrian Vorhees bred this clan
in secret, as a secret weapon to be used in an insurgency against the Whispering Tyrant. The
insurrection failed, and the lycanthropes that survived made their way into the Forest,
where they now make their homes. The tightest of the packs, but also the most rigidly
structured, the Vilmanescu are known for their discipline in battle. Their fur colour is dark
gray.

Chapter IIe: The Arumescu, or the Primals

The smallest of the packs, the Arumescu are also the most traditionalist, with the most
detailed rites and pack myths. Unlike other packs, they Arumescu are migratory, going
around the Forest as the seasons change. Despite their small numbers, the Arumescu’s
ability to transform into large dire wolves makes them an influencial force in Forest. Their
leader is Caiaphas Arumescu, who also is the current Packmaster. Their fur color is brown.