Post by Lerochelle De La Fae on Mar 1, 2010 6:29:15 GMT -5
The following information and note cards are everything you need to know if you want to come into the Wood Bourne RP and RP as a shifter.
Here in Wood Bourne we have a few rules about RPing as a shifter.
1) If you can prove by your Character Card and talking with the proper admin that you have read the Anita Blake series then the process will move a lot more smoothly.
2) If you haven’t read the books but still want to be a shifter then we ask that you start out as a human and roleplay for a period of one to two months of solid roleplay while you read over the information in these cards then resubmit your card as a lycanthrope and how you plan to go about your transformation.
3) Once you become a shifter, if you have questions, FIRST look and see if your question can be answered by one of the note cards. If it can not, then you can IM the proper admin with your question.
4) If you want to gain any further abilities with your shifter then you need to speak with the proper admin stating to them the abilities you want and the reason why. They will then tell you the necessary steps you MUST take in order to gain those abilities. If you do everything the admin asks of you only then will you gain the abilities you want.
General Shifter
Lycanthropes are stronger and faster than humans. -Guilty Pleasures Pg. 51
In the Anita Blake world, there are numerous types of shifters. In this world shifters are also called lycanthropes as a general name. These following note cards will explain how the lycanthrope world differs from what you would normally find elsewhere.
Types of Lycanthropy
Common types
-Wolves = their group is called a Pack.
Moderately Common types
-Bears
-Rats = their group is called the Rodere.
Uncommon types
-Dogs
-Foxes
-Hyenas
-Lamias/Nagas
-Leopards = their group is called a Pard.
-Lions = their group is called a Pride.
-Panweres = two or more types of lycanthropy within one person and they can change into
all of the types inside of them. This is rare.
-Snakes
-Swans = a prey animal.
-Tigers = their group is called a Streak.
Infection
-This happens to a person only when the Lycanthrope is in a shifted form be it a full animal form OR a hybrid form that’s half human half animal OR hands shifted into claws.
-If a person is infected by a lycanthrope, then they can be treated with a vaccination from a hospital or clinic. However, the inoculations sometimes will give the person lycanthropy. –Guilty Pleasures Pg. 52
-Different forms of lycanthropy appear in the bloodstream at different times. (find quote)
-Some forms of lycanthropy are easier to catch than others. The wolf lycanthropy is the easiest to catch but there are no born werewolves, the same goes for leopards, cheetahs, rats, lions etc. The only ones who are known to be natural born are cobras and tigers (these to be discussed within their individual note cards). Tiger lycanthropy is normally one of the hardest to be infected with.
= However, sometimes the lycanthropy viruses do not act in the expected manner.
I knew a man who survived a werewolf attack, nearly died, and didn’t become a werewolf. I know another man who was barely scratched and became a weretiger.
–Guilty Pleasures Pg. 48
Mating
-Lycanthropes are more prone and suggested to mate with a lycanthrope of their own kind. However, there have been known to have lycanthropes that date other species or humans. In dating other species, there is no chance of having a child even though the only known groups to be able to have children are werecobras and weretigers.
Mating with Humans
-When mating with a human a lycanthrope can have a child in this fashion however there are risks involved and differences from a normal pregnancy.
-One of the issues that can arise with the pregnancy in a human/lycanthrope relationship is the syndrome called Mowgli Syndrome that the baby can have when the mother had sex with a lycanthrope in animal form. If the baby has this disease then an immediate abortion is necessary because the baby’s gestation period in the womb is cut in half to three months and will eat their way out of the mother’s womb.
Mating with a Shifter
-In mating with a shifter, the majority of the mating is typical but as mentioned above they will typically not be able to have children unless they are werecobras or weretigers (this will be explained in the individual note cards).
-However, in rare cases there is a true mating between the pair.
You are a Nimir-Ra, and I am the first Nimir-Raj that you’ve ever met. Our power, our beasts are attracted to each other. We’re meant to be attracted to each other. […] “You don’t understand yet how rare it is for two lycanthropes to share their beasts as we did.” […] “They flowed in and out of our bodies.” […] “They were like two great cats, rubbing their furred sides against each other.”
–Narcissus in Chains Pg. 154
Lycanthrope Energy
-All lycanthropes, over time, learn to control their beasts and learn to put up “shields”. These shields are the visualization in the lycanthrope’s mind. Sometimes it’s a forest and other times it’s a barrier to keep the inner beasts at bay. However, the newest lycanthropes up through those who have been around for few years have less power to hold the energy of the beasts at bay.
There was an energy to Stephen as if the air boiled invisibly around him. A shapeshifter. Some lycanthropes are better than others at hiding what they are. -Circus of the Damned Pg. 33.
=However, only other lycanthropes/shapeshifters, certain humans and vampires can feel the energy that another lycanthrope puts off.
-If a person/lycanthrope/vampire who is sensitive to lycanthrope energy then they would feel the weight of all of the lycanthropes in the room.
I looked out over the room, and realized why it felt so tight. It wasn’t just the crowd. A majority of the happy, smiling people were shapeshifters. Their energy burned in the air like a weight of a thunderstorm. I had thought the crowd was boisterous, too loud, but it was the shapeshifters. Their energy boiled and filled the room, masquerading as the energy of any crowd. –The Lunatic Cafe Pg. 78
On Full Moons
-The day before the full moon, all shifters run much hotter to the touch than other humans which marks the nearing of their transformation.
-When a new lycanthrope shifts on a full moon, they go IMMEADIATELY into a full animal form (i.e. wolf, tiger, lion etc.) This period can last for many months or years depending on the environment the lycanthrope lives. Usually a shape shifter stays in animal form for eight to ten hours, then collapses into a coma like sleep and changes back to human form –Circus of the Damned Pg. 69. For new lycanthropes, they typically will not remember their first few shifts for the first 3-4 full moons.
**Our rule of thumb in Wood Bourne is that the eight to ten hours in the Anita Blake books is shortened to four to six hours instead. However, if you want to skip this process you must IM an Admin and ask permission FIRST before merely RPing out you were sleeping for your four to six hours.**
Blue Moons
-This is an occurrence that comes about every three years or so. This is a time where there will be a second full moon in a month and the lycanthropes will all shift a second time.
Controlling the Beast
-The beast of a lycanthrope when it is new has to be controlled by the person who has the beast. The type or flavor the lycanthrope is is the ones that help the new lycanthrope control their new beast.
“I taught her to control the beast during anger, sadness, fear, pain, every extreme emotion, but not sex.” Narcissus in Chains Pg. 429
-The person must be taught to control the beast in every extreme emotion because those extremes are what will make a new lycanthrope shift outside of a full moon. Those who are not trained in controlling their beast during sex have been known to either crush their lover’s pelvis or kill them when they shift.
-Another way to control the beast is by eating food regularly.
“You mean there’s a reason that all the lycanthrope men I’ve dated have been domestically talented?”
He nodded. “We need to eat a nice balanced diet, heavy on protein. It helps keep the beast at bay.” –Incubus Dreams Pg. 274
Beast in Heat
-Just like in the wild, there will be times when a woman’s beast is in heat. The majority of the time is when the female of a particular group has either been picky in choosing a mate or has gone many years without picking a mate when choices are available.
- “…the moment enough of his body touched mine with no cloth, no gloves in between, the power flared between us like a hot wind.
I expected him to pull back, but he didn’t, he sort of collapsed around me, hugging me to him with my own gun in his hand. Everywhere he touched the power grew, as if we’d burn if we touched too long. But the fire wasn’t the right analogy, because it didn’t hurt. It felt good.” –Flirt Pg. 74
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Lycanthrope Abilities
Typical Lycanthrope Abilities
-All shifters have a more heightened sense of vision, smell, speed, and strength over humans based on their species. I.E. Dogs have a better sense of smell than cats but cats have better vision than dogs especially at night.
-Lycanthropes can also smell/taste the nervousness or fear on any human or lycanthrope. If a human or lycanthrope is nervous or scared, once the lycanthrope takes a breath, the lycanthrope can smell the sweat and hear the racing of the heart and the blood pumping faster through the veins. Once this occurs, the combination of it all will appeal to the beast inside the person because it is the same feelings and scents that excite the beast when they are hunting prey on a full moon. Many times in the books it is mentioned that when a person is afraid that they smell like prey.
-Catching the scent of a lycanthrope is an in depth process. To catch the scent of another lycanthrope in the same room, the other lycanthrope must literally place their nose nearly against the others skin to catch their scent. Even then, the lycanthrope has to give over to their beast slightly to be able to work through the smell of the person’s sweat, cologne/perfume, shampoo/soap etc to reach the faint scent of what the lycanthrope under the surface of the person is. However, unless the lycanthrope doing the smelling knows the difference between the other lycanthrope scents then they would only be able to tell that the person is a lycanthrope just not what kind.
-Healing is a process that is faster among lycanthropes than with humans. Any wounds caused by another shifter (teeth or claws) or silver heal human slow. A lycanthrope can heal nearly any wound save for killing wounds like severe gutting, shot to the head or hear with silver ammo. This process can be sped up by a pile of the same type of shifter cuddling in a pile of three or more together. After the healing, the joints and such tend to be tighter from the quick healing process and only massaging will loosen it back up.
Command of animals~
Some heads of the lycanthropes appear able to command animals of their species. (For example, wererats can command rats).
Lycanthrope Shifting
-This is an example from the Anita Blake book Circus of the Damned about what it is to shift as a Lycanthrope.
Pg 242 There was something on the floor. It writhed and moved. Grey fur flowed over like water. A hand reached skyward, then shrank like a dying flower, bones glistening, shoving upward through flesh. The fingers shrank, flesh rolling over the nubs of raw flesh. All that raw meat and no blood. The bones slid in and out with wet, sucking noises. Drops of clear fluid splattered the black rug. But no blood. (continued on Pg. 243). The thing on the floor rose on four shaky legs and shook itself like a dog after a bath. It was a huge wolf. Thick grey-brown fur covered the animal, fluffy and dry as if the wolf had been freshly washed and blow-dried. Liquid formed a thick puddle on the carpet. Bits of clothing were scattered around.
Advanced Lycanthrope Shifting
-As lycanthropes gain control of their beasts over time by training themselves daily to hold back their beasts’ energy, they will gain further shifting abilities.
Half and half or Hybrid Form (standing on two feet)
-This is the form which lycanthropes obtain enough control over their beast over a period of time.
**In the Wood Bourne Roleplay, this form will be allowed to new shifters ONLY if they RP one month of total animal form and one month of training to control the beast (this is the total number of days RPed. If you only RP five times in two months that will not count). At the end of the month, they can apply to the admins to gain the half and half/hybrid form OR if the person applying to the RP to have this ability informs the admin they are applying to that they have read all the books and agree to one month of RP proving their knowledge of the books and of our rules. The only way this month is void is if while talking to the appropriate admin that they allow you from day one to have this ability.
-Here is an example from the books:
One figure stood, legs half bent. It was man size, with a narrow rat like face […] The voice sounded thick, almost furry, with an edge of a whine to it. Each word precise and a little wrong. Rats’ lips are not made for talking. -Guilty Pleasures Pg. 48
**Changing between forms takes a great deal of energy for most; most lycanthropes must feed immediately after changing to animal form and collapse into a comatose state for several hours after returning to human form early. (Our time frame for normal time in shifted form is 3 RP hours. If you want to time skip for this, you must ask an Admin.) Stronger lycanthropes do not need to feed immediately or collapse, but are groggy/ sleepy.**
Lycanthropes that spend too much time in animal form may not be able to shift back completely. As a result, some of the lycanthropes may have fangs, voices, or eyes resembling their animal form, even when in human shape.
Other shape shifters may have different forms available, and may experience different effects. For example, born shifters or inherited shifters sometimes are not connected to the full moon or any of its phases.
Moderate Shifter Abilities
Partial Shifting
-This is an ability that a moderate level of lycanthrope can have, namely the leaders of a group or those considered a second or third in rank. This shifting is mainly the shifting of hands into claws.
His fingers elongated, stretching impossibly long and thin. The nails grew into heavy claws. It wasn’t a wolf hand, rather his own grown into a claw. –The Killing Dance Pg. 91
Giving One’s Beast to Another
-Giving another person of the same species/flavor of shifter is something that only shifters of a moderate level can achieve. This act is not actively done among the majority of the lycanthrope groups. The only group that actively uses it is the weretigers.
The taste of fresh blood, of meat, and the feel of Jason’s mouth on mine, brought the beast like heat against my skin. I could feel my body cooking with the heat of it, as if my skin was a container for something hotter then human flesh. […] It rose up the line of my spine like heat. It spilled out my mouth and into Jason’s in a scalding, burning wave of power. -Incubus Dreams Pg. 481 and 482.
Lycanthrope Leader Abilities
Sharing Power (Leader Ability Only)
-A leader that is powerful enough can share their power with anyone in their group. This is a very rare ability.
-To share this ability, the leader of the group allows another of their group to feed on the blood from an open wound while the leader forces their power into the one feeding from them. Once the feeding is over, the person who fed off the blood from the leader has a sensation of being drunk. They typically stumble around or fall as they giggle since the feeling is akin to being drunk while having a warm blanket of power covering them. Eventually, the feeling fades but they are no longer weak from any previous wounds given to them.
Calling Flesh (Leader Ability Only)
-This power allows the person through the licking and touching of their body to the injured person to heal even serious wounds in minutes.
Example from Narcissus in Chains Pg 115
Micah stayed kneeling, but leaned back on the balls of his feet, hands open on his thighs, eyes closed, and I left him open himself. His energy swirled over me like a thread of hot air that closed my throat, made it hard to breathe. […] He pressed his mouth to my neck and forced that swirling living power into me. […] “Mouth tongue, some hands, but it is body, my hands alone won’t be enough.” […] …he breathed power against my skin, and it was suddenly hard to breathe. But the power hovered over my skin like a cloth. Then the tip of his tongue slid along my skin, licking a hot wet line, sinking under my skin as he licked me. But it was when his mouth pressed over my skin, sealing him against me, sucking me into his mouth, between his teeth, that I felt the power shoved into me, forced into the scars. He literally breathed, bit, ate, the healing into me.
Bonding (Leader Ability Only)
-This ability is when the metaphysical connection for a lycanthrope group forms and truly connects a group.
-When the leader of a group looks from one member to the next the connection is made until the entire group is connected to the feeling. Once the group is connected, the group shares bits of memories to the others in the group as they unite completely together.
The power burst over us all in a wave of skin-rushing nerve-caressing contentment, as if we’d all walked into a strange room and suddenly realized that everything in it was familiar, every corner of the room was a key to our hearts, and the word that washed over me was home. -Narcissus in Chains Pg. 311-312
Calling a Lycanthrope’s Beast (Leader Ability Only)
-There are two ways that a leader of a lycanthrope group can pull another’s beast. The calling of the beast can be done as a punishment or to force a lycanthrope to shift who has been badly injured nearly to the point of death.
-The leader can forcefully yank the person’s beast. When done this way it is usually meant as a punishment because it causes the person pain and disorientation and the usually calm flow of clear liquid is replaced by a near explosion of clear liquid and bits of flesh.
-The leader can also gently call out the person’s beast. In this way, it is more natural and the clear liquid flows out of the person instead of spraying outward.
Smooth/Early Shifting (Leader Ability Only)
-This is an ability that only the most controlled and powerful shifters can obtain. The shifting at this level is very fluid and the lycanthrope can shift back only moments later with only mild disorientation. -Narcissus in Chains Pg 468.
Directing Lycanthrope Energy
-When directing their energy it typically comes at the times of anger towards another lycanthrope or when the leader of a particular group is asserting their dominance over another of their group.
Richard strode through the door, and his energy flung across the room like hot sparks from a fire. It hurt where it touched my skin, like small biting insects. […] Richard’s power filled the room like scalding water. Nathaniel rolled off the bed, and I wondered if the air was as heavy and hard for him to breathe as it was for me. The thought was enough. I knew he felt Richard’s power like something you had to fight to walk through, like Richard’s power was some sort of storm, a blizzard, or a sandstorm. –Incubus Dreams Pg. 488
Forcing a Lycanthrope to Swallow their Beast
-The reasons for making a lycanthrope swallow their beast are numerous. However, it is typically something done by the leader to a member of their group.
He called his beast. His power hit mine, and it felt like my blood was boiling. I shrieked, tried to tell him to stop. He leaned in to kiss me, while his power combined with mine to boil me alive. I tried to give him my wolf, but I couldn’t. It couldn’t get past the weight of his power.
His power began to push my beast back like boiling water pushing a forest fire back. It worked, but it felt like my skin was singeing and smoking as he forced my beast back. He drove it back to that place deep inside me. He drove it back, and it went whimpering. I whimpered with it, because it felt as if my body had been burned with power. I tried to look down at my body, and the world swam in streamers of color and nausea. I’d seen Richard force people to swallow their beasts before, but I’d never known that it hurt. –The Harlequin Pg 117
Cosmetic Shifting (Ulfric/Lupa/Alpha)
-This type of shifting is rarely done save for a vain lycanthrope. This is the shifting of bones or flesh to alter ones appearance.
Lycanthrope Etiquette
Abasement
This is a form of apology from a member of a lycanthrope group to their leader. There are different forms of abasement. The following quote highlights a few of them used together.
Sylvie abased herself even lower, and the other wolves came crowding around, crawling on the floor, abasing themselves in front of him. Some of them licked his hands, touched his body. –The Killing Dance Pg. 106
-The act of crawling on hands and knees and lowering ones face to the ground,
-Staying on hands and knees while licking the hands or gently touching the leader,
OR
-The licking of the lower lip is all forms in which a member of a group can abase themselves when they have done something wrong to their leader.
Dominance Battles – The Killing Dance Pg. 109
These battles always come with a set of rules between the pair fighting for dominance. The rules are set up by the people involved and a group of people stay to witness the fight and declare a winner. The well known rules are: first blood – whoever makes the other person bleed first wins; simply fighting till one submits to the other; or if one of the lycanthropes can “pull” the others beast meaning that they can make the other person shift. When the fight is over, the loser kneels before the winner and announces that the one they are kneeling before is their dominant.
Offering and Accepting Protection – Blue Moon Pg. 113
“When Zane moved in close to you, he was asking for your protection, but you didn’t touch him. That’s seen as a rejection of his petition for protection.”
-When a lycanthrope asks for protection from another, they move up behind the person they are asking protection from. The person giving the protection then touches the other person somewhere. Typically, this is done in a secret fashion by hugging the person, holding their hand, or kissing them.
-Once the protection is given, the one giving the protection will have to defend the one they are giving protection to from anyone who seeks to harm them.
Touching – Blue Moon Pg. 341
-Touching within any lycanthrope group is a key component. The touching is a way for the group to bond closer together. This touch is never taken as sexual.
“It is like building your relationship with a newborn baby. Every touch, every time you feed him when he’s hungry, change him when he’s wet, comfort him when he’s frightened – the everyday intimacies forge a bond between you. True parenthood is built over years of interdependency. The bond between the pack is built much the same way.”
Entering the Territory Run by a Leader
-For any lycanthropes that either enter the city from another city or are made one within the city limits, they MUST meet with the leader of their lycanthrope group within the city and join their pard, pack, streak, pride etc. If there is no leader, then they are free to roam the area. If the lycanthrope does not join with the leader of the appropriate group in a territory then it is within the leader’s right to declare them as a rogue to be hunted and killed on sight.
-If it is a lycanthrope leader that wishes to enter the territory of another leader, then they must meet FIRST with that leader and offer them a tribute of blood, meat, or magic (lycanthrope abilities).
Reaction to a Master Vampire's Call ~
Lycanthropes can be "called" and commanded by a master vampire with the ability to call their species of animal. Sufficiently powerful lycanthropes can resist a vampire's call, or even interfere with the call, preventing the vampire from calling other lycanthropes or animals.
Similarly, sufficiently powerful shapeshifters, such as an Ulfric or other head of a faction, are able to look vampires in the eyes without being affected by their mental powers, though, this takes a lot of concentration and energy.
Copyright © 2010 by Nikki Robbins for the Anita Blake Roleplay in Wood Bourne
Here in Wood Bourne we have a few rules about RPing as a shifter.
1) If you can prove by your Character Card and talking with the proper admin that you have read the Anita Blake series then the process will move a lot more smoothly.
2) If you haven’t read the books but still want to be a shifter then we ask that you start out as a human and roleplay for a period of one to two months of solid roleplay while you read over the information in these cards then resubmit your card as a lycanthrope and how you plan to go about your transformation.
3) Once you become a shifter, if you have questions, FIRST look and see if your question can be answered by one of the note cards. If it can not, then you can IM the proper admin with your question.
4) If you want to gain any further abilities with your shifter then you need to speak with the proper admin stating to them the abilities you want and the reason why. They will then tell you the necessary steps you MUST take in order to gain those abilities. If you do everything the admin asks of you only then will you gain the abilities you want.
General Shifter
Lycanthropes are stronger and faster than humans. -Guilty Pleasures Pg. 51
In the Anita Blake world, there are numerous types of shifters. In this world shifters are also called lycanthropes as a general name. These following note cards will explain how the lycanthrope world differs from what you would normally find elsewhere.
Types of Lycanthropy
Common types
-Wolves = their group is called a Pack.
Moderately Common types
-Bears
-Rats = their group is called the Rodere.
Uncommon types
-Dogs
-Foxes
-Hyenas
-Lamias/Nagas
-Leopards = their group is called a Pard.
-Lions = their group is called a Pride.
-Panweres = two or more types of lycanthropy within one person and they can change into
all of the types inside of them. This is rare.
-Snakes
-Swans = a prey animal.
-Tigers = their group is called a Streak.
Infection
-This happens to a person only when the Lycanthrope is in a shifted form be it a full animal form OR a hybrid form that’s half human half animal OR hands shifted into claws.
-If a person is infected by a lycanthrope, then they can be treated with a vaccination from a hospital or clinic. However, the inoculations sometimes will give the person lycanthropy. –Guilty Pleasures Pg. 52
-Different forms of lycanthropy appear in the bloodstream at different times. (find quote)
-Some forms of lycanthropy are easier to catch than others. The wolf lycanthropy is the easiest to catch but there are no born werewolves, the same goes for leopards, cheetahs, rats, lions etc. The only ones who are known to be natural born are cobras and tigers (these to be discussed within their individual note cards). Tiger lycanthropy is normally one of the hardest to be infected with.
= However, sometimes the lycanthropy viruses do not act in the expected manner.
I knew a man who survived a werewolf attack, nearly died, and didn’t become a werewolf. I know another man who was barely scratched and became a weretiger.
–Guilty Pleasures Pg. 48
Mating
-Lycanthropes are more prone and suggested to mate with a lycanthrope of their own kind. However, there have been known to have lycanthropes that date other species or humans. In dating other species, there is no chance of having a child even though the only known groups to be able to have children are werecobras and weretigers.
Mating with Humans
-When mating with a human a lycanthrope can have a child in this fashion however there are risks involved and differences from a normal pregnancy.
-One of the issues that can arise with the pregnancy in a human/lycanthrope relationship is the syndrome called Mowgli Syndrome that the baby can have when the mother had sex with a lycanthrope in animal form. If the baby has this disease then an immediate abortion is necessary because the baby’s gestation period in the womb is cut in half to three months and will eat their way out of the mother’s womb.
Mating with a Shifter
-In mating with a shifter, the majority of the mating is typical but as mentioned above they will typically not be able to have children unless they are werecobras or weretigers (this will be explained in the individual note cards).
-However, in rare cases there is a true mating between the pair.
You are a Nimir-Ra, and I am the first Nimir-Raj that you’ve ever met. Our power, our beasts are attracted to each other. We’re meant to be attracted to each other. […] “You don’t understand yet how rare it is for two lycanthropes to share their beasts as we did.” […] “They flowed in and out of our bodies.” […] “They were like two great cats, rubbing their furred sides against each other.”
–Narcissus in Chains Pg. 154
Lycanthrope Energy
-All lycanthropes, over time, learn to control their beasts and learn to put up “shields”. These shields are the visualization in the lycanthrope’s mind. Sometimes it’s a forest and other times it’s a barrier to keep the inner beasts at bay. However, the newest lycanthropes up through those who have been around for few years have less power to hold the energy of the beasts at bay.
There was an energy to Stephen as if the air boiled invisibly around him. A shapeshifter. Some lycanthropes are better than others at hiding what they are. -Circus of the Damned Pg. 33.
=However, only other lycanthropes/shapeshifters, certain humans and vampires can feel the energy that another lycanthrope puts off.
-If a person/lycanthrope/vampire who is sensitive to lycanthrope energy then they would feel the weight of all of the lycanthropes in the room.
I looked out over the room, and realized why it felt so tight. It wasn’t just the crowd. A majority of the happy, smiling people were shapeshifters. Their energy burned in the air like a weight of a thunderstorm. I had thought the crowd was boisterous, too loud, but it was the shapeshifters. Their energy boiled and filled the room, masquerading as the energy of any crowd. –The Lunatic Cafe Pg. 78
On Full Moons
-The day before the full moon, all shifters run much hotter to the touch than other humans which marks the nearing of their transformation.
-When a new lycanthrope shifts on a full moon, they go IMMEADIATELY into a full animal form (i.e. wolf, tiger, lion etc.) This period can last for many months or years depending on the environment the lycanthrope lives. Usually a shape shifter stays in animal form for eight to ten hours, then collapses into a coma like sleep and changes back to human form –Circus of the Damned Pg. 69. For new lycanthropes, they typically will not remember their first few shifts for the first 3-4 full moons.
**Our rule of thumb in Wood Bourne is that the eight to ten hours in the Anita Blake books is shortened to four to six hours instead. However, if you want to skip this process you must IM an Admin and ask permission FIRST before merely RPing out you were sleeping for your four to six hours.**
Blue Moons
-This is an occurrence that comes about every three years or so. This is a time where there will be a second full moon in a month and the lycanthropes will all shift a second time.
Controlling the Beast
-The beast of a lycanthrope when it is new has to be controlled by the person who has the beast. The type or flavor the lycanthrope is is the ones that help the new lycanthrope control their new beast.
“I taught her to control the beast during anger, sadness, fear, pain, every extreme emotion, but not sex.” Narcissus in Chains Pg. 429
-The person must be taught to control the beast in every extreme emotion because those extremes are what will make a new lycanthrope shift outside of a full moon. Those who are not trained in controlling their beast during sex have been known to either crush their lover’s pelvis or kill them when they shift.
-Another way to control the beast is by eating food regularly.
“You mean there’s a reason that all the lycanthrope men I’ve dated have been domestically talented?”
He nodded. “We need to eat a nice balanced diet, heavy on protein. It helps keep the beast at bay.” –Incubus Dreams Pg. 274
Beast in Heat
-Just like in the wild, there will be times when a woman’s beast is in heat. The majority of the time is when the female of a particular group has either been picky in choosing a mate or has gone many years without picking a mate when choices are available.
- “…the moment enough of his body touched mine with no cloth, no gloves in between, the power flared between us like a hot wind.
I expected him to pull back, but he didn’t, he sort of collapsed around me, hugging me to him with my own gun in his hand. Everywhere he touched the power grew, as if we’d burn if we touched too long. But the fire wasn’t the right analogy, because it didn’t hurt. It felt good.” –Flirt Pg. 74
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Lycanthrope Abilities
Typical Lycanthrope Abilities
-All shifters have a more heightened sense of vision, smell, speed, and strength over humans based on their species. I.E. Dogs have a better sense of smell than cats but cats have better vision than dogs especially at night.
-Lycanthropes can also smell/taste the nervousness or fear on any human or lycanthrope. If a human or lycanthrope is nervous or scared, once the lycanthrope takes a breath, the lycanthrope can smell the sweat and hear the racing of the heart and the blood pumping faster through the veins. Once this occurs, the combination of it all will appeal to the beast inside the person because it is the same feelings and scents that excite the beast when they are hunting prey on a full moon. Many times in the books it is mentioned that when a person is afraid that they smell like prey.
-Catching the scent of a lycanthrope is an in depth process. To catch the scent of another lycanthrope in the same room, the other lycanthrope must literally place their nose nearly against the others skin to catch their scent. Even then, the lycanthrope has to give over to their beast slightly to be able to work through the smell of the person’s sweat, cologne/perfume, shampoo/soap etc to reach the faint scent of what the lycanthrope under the surface of the person is. However, unless the lycanthrope doing the smelling knows the difference between the other lycanthrope scents then they would only be able to tell that the person is a lycanthrope just not what kind.
-Healing is a process that is faster among lycanthropes than with humans. Any wounds caused by another shifter (teeth or claws) or silver heal human slow. A lycanthrope can heal nearly any wound save for killing wounds like severe gutting, shot to the head or hear with silver ammo. This process can be sped up by a pile of the same type of shifter cuddling in a pile of three or more together. After the healing, the joints and such tend to be tighter from the quick healing process and only massaging will loosen it back up.
Command of animals~
Some heads of the lycanthropes appear able to command animals of their species. (For example, wererats can command rats).
Lycanthrope Shifting
-This is an example from the Anita Blake book Circus of the Damned about what it is to shift as a Lycanthrope.
Pg 242 There was something on the floor. It writhed and moved. Grey fur flowed over like water. A hand reached skyward, then shrank like a dying flower, bones glistening, shoving upward through flesh. The fingers shrank, flesh rolling over the nubs of raw flesh. All that raw meat and no blood. The bones slid in and out with wet, sucking noises. Drops of clear fluid splattered the black rug. But no blood. (continued on Pg. 243). The thing on the floor rose on four shaky legs and shook itself like a dog after a bath. It was a huge wolf. Thick grey-brown fur covered the animal, fluffy and dry as if the wolf had been freshly washed and blow-dried. Liquid formed a thick puddle on the carpet. Bits of clothing were scattered around.
Advanced Lycanthrope Shifting
-As lycanthropes gain control of their beasts over time by training themselves daily to hold back their beasts’ energy, they will gain further shifting abilities.
Half and half or Hybrid Form (standing on two feet)
-This is the form which lycanthropes obtain enough control over their beast over a period of time.
**In the Wood Bourne Roleplay, this form will be allowed to new shifters ONLY if they RP one month of total animal form and one month of training to control the beast (this is the total number of days RPed. If you only RP five times in two months that will not count). At the end of the month, they can apply to the admins to gain the half and half/hybrid form OR if the person applying to the RP to have this ability informs the admin they are applying to that they have read all the books and agree to one month of RP proving their knowledge of the books and of our rules. The only way this month is void is if while talking to the appropriate admin that they allow you from day one to have this ability.
-Here is an example from the books:
One figure stood, legs half bent. It was man size, with a narrow rat like face […] The voice sounded thick, almost furry, with an edge of a whine to it. Each word precise and a little wrong. Rats’ lips are not made for talking. -Guilty Pleasures Pg. 48
**Changing between forms takes a great deal of energy for most; most lycanthropes must feed immediately after changing to animal form and collapse into a comatose state for several hours after returning to human form early. (Our time frame for normal time in shifted form is 3 RP hours. If you want to time skip for this, you must ask an Admin.) Stronger lycanthropes do not need to feed immediately or collapse, but are groggy/ sleepy.**
Lycanthropes that spend too much time in animal form may not be able to shift back completely. As a result, some of the lycanthropes may have fangs, voices, or eyes resembling their animal form, even when in human shape.
Other shape shifters may have different forms available, and may experience different effects. For example, born shifters or inherited shifters sometimes are not connected to the full moon or any of its phases.
Moderate Shifter Abilities
Partial Shifting
-This is an ability that a moderate level of lycanthrope can have, namely the leaders of a group or those considered a second or third in rank. This shifting is mainly the shifting of hands into claws.
His fingers elongated, stretching impossibly long and thin. The nails grew into heavy claws. It wasn’t a wolf hand, rather his own grown into a claw. –The Killing Dance Pg. 91
Giving One’s Beast to Another
-Giving another person of the same species/flavor of shifter is something that only shifters of a moderate level can achieve. This act is not actively done among the majority of the lycanthrope groups. The only group that actively uses it is the weretigers.
The taste of fresh blood, of meat, and the feel of Jason’s mouth on mine, brought the beast like heat against my skin. I could feel my body cooking with the heat of it, as if my skin was a container for something hotter then human flesh. […] It rose up the line of my spine like heat. It spilled out my mouth and into Jason’s in a scalding, burning wave of power. -Incubus Dreams Pg. 481 and 482.
Lycanthrope Leader Abilities
Sharing Power (Leader Ability Only)
-A leader that is powerful enough can share their power with anyone in their group. This is a very rare ability.
-To share this ability, the leader of the group allows another of their group to feed on the blood from an open wound while the leader forces their power into the one feeding from them. Once the feeding is over, the person who fed off the blood from the leader has a sensation of being drunk. They typically stumble around or fall as they giggle since the feeling is akin to being drunk while having a warm blanket of power covering them. Eventually, the feeling fades but they are no longer weak from any previous wounds given to them.
Calling Flesh (Leader Ability Only)
-This power allows the person through the licking and touching of their body to the injured person to heal even serious wounds in minutes.
Example from Narcissus in Chains Pg 115
Micah stayed kneeling, but leaned back on the balls of his feet, hands open on his thighs, eyes closed, and I left him open himself. His energy swirled over me like a thread of hot air that closed my throat, made it hard to breathe. […] He pressed his mouth to my neck and forced that swirling living power into me. […] “Mouth tongue, some hands, but it is body, my hands alone won’t be enough.” […] …he breathed power against my skin, and it was suddenly hard to breathe. But the power hovered over my skin like a cloth. Then the tip of his tongue slid along my skin, licking a hot wet line, sinking under my skin as he licked me. But it was when his mouth pressed over my skin, sealing him against me, sucking me into his mouth, between his teeth, that I felt the power shoved into me, forced into the scars. He literally breathed, bit, ate, the healing into me.
Bonding (Leader Ability Only)
-This ability is when the metaphysical connection for a lycanthrope group forms and truly connects a group.
-When the leader of a group looks from one member to the next the connection is made until the entire group is connected to the feeling. Once the group is connected, the group shares bits of memories to the others in the group as they unite completely together.
The power burst over us all in a wave of skin-rushing nerve-caressing contentment, as if we’d all walked into a strange room and suddenly realized that everything in it was familiar, every corner of the room was a key to our hearts, and the word that washed over me was home. -Narcissus in Chains Pg. 311-312
Calling a Lycanthrope’s Beast (Leader Ability Only)
-There are two ways that a leader of a lycanthrope group can pull another’s beast. The calling of the beast can be done as a punishment or to force a lycanthrope to shift who has been badly injured nearly to the point of death.
-The leader can forcefully yank the person’s beast. When done this way it is usually meant as a punishment because it causes the person pain and disorientation and the usually calm flow of clear liquid is replaced by a near explosion of clear liquid and bits of flesh.
-The leader can also gently call out the person’s beast. In this way, it is more natural and the clear liquid flows out of the person instead of spraying outward.
Smooth/Early Shifting (Leader Ability Only)
-This is an ability that only the most controlled and powerful shifters can obtain. The shifting at this level is very fluid and the lycanthrope can shift back only moments later with only mild disorientation. -Narcissus in Chains Pg 468.
Directing Lycanthrope Energy
-When directing their energy it typically comes at the times of anger towards another lycanthrope or when the leader of a particular group is asserting their dominance over another of their group.
Richard strode through the door, and his energy flung across the room like hot sparks from a fire. It hurt where it touched my skin, like small biting insects. […] Richard’s power filled the room like scalding water. Nathaniel rolled off the bed, and I wondered if the air was as heavy and hard for him to breathe as it was for me. The thought was enough. I knew he felt Richard’s power like something you had to fight to walk through, like Richard’s power was some sort of storm, a blizzard, or a sandstorm. –Incubus Dreams Pg. 488
Forcing a Lycanthrope to Swallow their Beast
-The reasons for making a lycanthrope swallow their beast are numerous. However, it is typically something done by the leader to a member of their group.
He called his beast. His power hit mine, and it felt like my blood was boiling. I shrieked, tried to tell him to stop. He leaned in to kiss me, while his power combined with mine to boil me alive. I tried to give him my wolf, but I couldn’t. It couldn’t get past the weight of his power.
His power began to push my beast back like boiling water pushing a forest fire back. It worked, but it felt like my skin was singeing and smoking as he forced my beast back. He drove it back to that place deep inside me. He drove it back, and it went whimpering. I whimpered with it, because it felt as if my body had been burned with power. I tried to look down at my body, and the world swam in streamers of color and nausea. I’d seen Richard force people to swallow their beasts before, but I’d never known that it hurt. –The Harlequin Pg 117
Cosmetic Shifting (Ulfric/Lupa/Alpha)
-This type of shifting is rarely done save for a vain lycanthrope. This is the shifting of bones or flesh to alter ones appearance.
Lycanthrope Etiquette
Abasement
This is a form of apology from a member of a lycanthrope group to their leader. There are different forms of abasement. The following quote highlights a few of them used together.
Sylvie abased herself even lower, and the other wolves came crowding around, crawling on the floor, abasing themselves in front of him. Some of them licked his hands, touched his body. –The Killing Dance Pg. 106
-The act of crawling on hands and knees and lowering ones face to the ground,
-Staying on hands and knees while licking the hands or gently touching the leader,
OR
-The licking of the lower lip is all forms in which a member of a group can abase themselves when they have done something wrong to their leader.
Dominance Battles – The Killing Dance Pg. 109
These battles always come with a set of rules between the pair fighting for dominance. The rules are set up by the people involved and a group of people stay to witness the fight and declare a winner. The well known rules are: first blood – whoever makes the other person bleed first wins; simply fighting till one submits to the other; or if one of the lycanthropes can “pull” the others beast meaning that they can make the other person shift. When the fight is over, the loser kneels before the winner and announces that the one they are kneeling before is their dominant.
Offering and Accepting Protection – Blue Moon Pg. 113
“When Zane moved in close to you, he was asking for your protection, but you didn’t touch him. That’s seen as a rejection of his petition for protection.”
-When a lycanthrope asks for protection from another, they move up behind the person they are asking protection from. The person giving the protection then touches the other person somewhere. Typically, this is done in a secret fashion by hugging the person, holding their hand, or kissing them.
-Once the protection is given, the one giving the protection will have to defend the one they are giving protection to from anyone who seeks to harm them.
Touching – Blue Moon Pg. 341
-Touching within any lycanthrope group is a key component. The touching is a way for the group to bond closer together. This touch is never taken as sexual.
“It is like building your relationship with a newborn baby. Every touch, every time you feed him when he’s hungry, change him when he’s wet, comfort him when he’s frightened – the everyday intimacies forge a bond between you. True parenthood is built over years of interdependency. The bond between the pack is built much the same way.”
Entering the Territory Run by a Leader
-For any lycanthropes that either enter the city from another city or are made one within the city limits, they MUST meet with the leader of their lycanthrope group within the city and join their pard, pack, streak, pride etc. If there is no leader, then they are free to roam the area. If the lycanthrope does not join with the leader of the appropriate group in a territory then it is within the leader’s right to declare them as a rogue to be hunted and killed on sight.
-If it is a lycanthrope leader that wishes to enter the territory of another leader, then they must meet FIRST with that leader and offer them a tribute of blood, meat, or magic (lycanthrope abilities).
Reaction to a Master Vampire's Call ~
Lycanthropes can be "called" and commanded by a master vampire with the ability to call their species of animal. Sufficiently powerful lycanthropes can resist a vampire's call, or even interfere with the call, preventing the vampire from calling other lycanthropes or animals.
Similarly, sufficiently powerful shapeshifters, such as an Ulfric or other head of a faction, are able to look vampires in the eyes without being affected by their mental powers, though, this takes a lot of concentration and energy.
Copyright © 2010 by Nikki Robbins for the Anita Blake Roleplay in Wood Bourne