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Merci d'Rue
Guest
Nightfall, the land is still; the creatures that roam here hide in their dwellings, afraid to show their faces to the moonless night. No star dare shine a friendly face here, hidden by the heavy shrine of nights cover. He moved with speed, he moved with agility, he moved with strength. His arms and legs were thick and banded with muscles like steel. His eyes glowing red with intensity that pierced thru the darkest places and into the darkest souls. He could hear every sound for miles echoing in his head like a cacophony of song. He could smell their blood, their flesh and it called to him. This was no man, nor animal, thy name is Lycan.
Lycanthropy is a subject that is highly open for interpretation. Not a commonly role-played creature, Lycans are slowly coming to the forefront in many role-play communities across UO. The elusive struggle between, that which makes us human and the side of us that is animal is an alluring prospect to consider. To get to understand and fully appreciate our animalistic qualities while understanding what makes us human is something that we struggle to understand yet today. This makes role-playing a Lycan, have a side to it, which we did not foresee or expect in a realistic capacity.
Lycanthropes aren’t just Werewolves?
Lycanthropes, while predominantly Wolf in variety are not limited to only Wolves. A common mistake that people make is assuming that Lycan means werewolf. While the word does have the roots meaning wolf as said above, it actually is used commonly as a general term for all Lycan species, be they cheetah, bear, or even raven. So when deciding to play a lycanthrope give special thought to the type of animal you wish to play, as it is not limited to only wolf.
To bite or not to bite, that is the question.
There are alternating theories on what makes a Lycan. In ancient times, they were superstitiously believed to be a form of magic, purported by witches and wizards. People that were accused of such were put to death. A second commonly accepted belief, centers around a form of curse or disease, transferred by the Lycan’s bite. The disease then takes over the beings blood converting what was once human into a mutated form. Once bitten, it is often times believed, there is no going back, and no cure exists, although in some lore it does allow a three day window for reversal. Sometimes becoming a Lycan is viewed by some as a gift to only be bestowed upon the worthy.
(art by Luis Royo)
The Moon, the Myths and Legends.
There is much lore, and many movies surrounding the different weaknesses and abilities of the Lycan. Surprisingly, the Moons power to transform a Lycan is a much more modern movie lore and not as prevalent in the beginning tales of Lycanthropy. One thing to take into consideration when considering whether to role-play a Lycan is the game you are role-playing it in. I always stress weaving ultima into your role-play. We must consider the fact that Sosarian time is not the same as our earth time several days of Sosarian time to just one earth day This would mean that it is conceivable that the moon would appear and reappear several times in one earth day thusly making it more difficult role-play wise to follow. While it is not mpossible to do, as you can ignore this factor, again this is your own personal preference. You must also consider where in Sosaria you live. Malas is known to have no moon nor sun. Thusly if your Lycan lived in Malas this to may factor into your Lycans moon based transformations. A common alternative in lore and role-play to the moons dictation of transformation are transformations based on to much emotional duress, good or bad. Emotional transformations deal more with the highly wild side of Lycans and emotions like rage causing a full transformation. This adds some fun in trying to keep ones emotions on an even keel, not even allowing high spikes of pleasure or anger. However again, neither way is wrong, whether you role-play you are transformed by the moon or by an inability to control your emotions. It is up to the Lycan at hand.
A Few Weaknesses Found in Lore
Possibly , the funnest, and most important part of playing a Lycan revolves around their weaknesses. Due to the incredible strengths that Lycans possess, they must also be balanced by quite a few weaknesses. Often times, the number one weakness for a Lycan is something that many don’t give thought to, their wild side. Lycans can be to bold, to confident in their healing powers and unable to control themselves. They often attempt to take on more than they can possibly manage, sustaining injuries that even their superb regenerative powers cannot keep up with. There are some things, like beheading, that that could destroy a Lycan. Silver often like in movies is portrayed in its ability to seriously injure or kill a Lycan as well as vampires. Another more herbal substance is wolfs bane as it is believed to slow down the Lycans ability to heal thusly slowing down their regenerative abilities. Keep in mind that normally in Lycan lore it has had to be more than a simple slash or cut via silver dagger or wolfsbane laced weapon. Aiming for the heart or neck, a more deadly shot, to bring them down. (For all you Lycan hunters out there.)
And of course the Strengths…
Lycans contain an incredible amount of Strength. Between a vampire and a Lycan, it is commonly accepted that while the vampire has great powers of mental manipulation, that Lycans exude a wild and pure strength that out matches vampires. Always keep in mind though, the age of the Vampire vs. the age of the Lycan, or any other creature that a Lycan is dealing with. Roleplay is often a case by case basis with no guideline fitting into every situation. Lycans are also known to be highly flexible, and have supernatural hearing and vision. The regenerative powers of a Lycan are also renowned in their ability to heal at unheard of rates. Often times, their wounds seal away in just mere seconds. This also makes them unsusceptible to Illness usually.
A few things to remember:
Each Lycan clan has its own unique rules and role-play, often centering on the Lycanthrope who plays the alpha male, the leader of the clan. In ultima not much is given for the Lore or understanding of Lycans as only a few references and one very easy quest is given in reference to them. Misericord, a wolf slayer (keep in mind not all lycans are wolves) is handed out by a man in the Lycaeum. (The quest is called gentle blade.) However, while underscoring that there are lycans in ultima, this leaves much up to personal interpretation in role-play allowing you to play a lycan as you feel fits best within Sosaria.
Reporters Note: If you want to read more about Lycans, a few places I went to for references on this article are listed below.
Lycanthropy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
lycanthropy Facts, information, pictures | Encyclopedia.com articles about lycanthropy
Werewolf: The Forsaken - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garou_Tribes_(Werewolf:_The_Apocalypse)
