Therianthropes

Therianthropes, also called werelings, are Sympatics who become afflicted with the Curse of Teb. This curse displaces the divine spark in their soul with a primal force drawn from the power of the twin moons, suppressing their sympatic nature and also allowing them to access a transformation into an animal form. They are often mistaken for Wildlings, which is always to the wildlings' detriment, but are actually very different. Wildlings always display clearly animalistic traits, but their shift is more a matter of energy than physical transformation. Shapeshifters bear only traces of their bestial nature most of the time, but can choose to adopt a fully animal form. While they retain self-control in this animal form, they can also access a powerful hybrid form in which their impulse control is limited and their capacity to recognise friend from foe reduced. Moreover, once a month they are compelled to take this form and lose themselves to an overriding impulse to hunt and kill. known as the Tide.   Therianthropes are loosely divided into social and solitary types. In addition, each therianthrope's tide is linked to either the dark moon or the light. While their linked moon is full and visible in the sky - whether by day or night - they are compelled to take their hybrid form and seek out living prey, hunting sympatic creatures as a preference. Tides driven by Li, the light moon, take the form of uncontrolled bloodlust, lashing out at any that come close. Those driven by Du, the dark moon, are less destructive, but more deliberate, with the shapeshifter stalking a specific target, usually someone important to them when the Tide is not on them.   Some werelings choose to indulge the Tide, while others seek to mitigate or avoid it by drugging or restraining themselves, or simply putting themselves among those they deem enemies. Social theiranthropes are never driven to harm those who are part of their chosen family unit, and where a group contains both dark and light tides they often work to control each other's urges. Regardless of their attempts, therianthropes are rarely welcome neighbours.   Social therianthropes include werewolves, werelions, werebears, wererats, wererats and wereravens. The solitary curse takes its victims as wereboars, weretigers and werepanthers.