Lycanthropy

Lycanthropy is primarily a hereditary condition passed down to the descendants of King Lycaon of Arcadia. The condition can be transmitted when werewolf blook, saliva, or other bodily fluids is introduced into the human bloodstream, but such cases are rare because most victims of werewolf attacks die long before they can manifest the condition themselves.

If you weren't born a werewolf, the first symptom of the condition is surviving an attack by a horde of heavily-muscled killing machines with razor-sharp fangs. This pre-requisite explains why most lycanthropes are of the hereditary variety. Research suggests that the victim's first transformation does not usually take place until the victim has recovered from the injuries of the original attack. Once they're back up on their feet, the victim will begin to experience lost time, symptoms of sleepwalking, injuries they don't remember getting, and other low-key strangeness during nights of the full moon. Those who don't put the puzzle pieces together will eventually discover their new affliction when they wake up naked in a field covered in blood and surrounded by half-eaten corpses. This is one of the single most traumatic ways for a victim to discover they have lycanthropy, especially if they recognize any of the corpses. Even a werewolf who is aware of their affliction rarely remembers the details of their predations while in wolf form.

There are quite a few stories about lycanthropes finding a way to cast off the curse, but so far none of the purported treatments has proven reliable.

Werewolves who wish to participate in society and avoid criminal charges are expected to securely lock themselves down on nights of the full moon. Many states and local governments have "werewolf registration" laws on the books that require lycanthropes to make their condition known to local authorities before taking up residence in the area. The Constitutionality of these laws has been challenged on numerous occasions, but so far they have been upheld every time.

Hereditary lycanthropy is slightly more common in people of Greek, Armenian, Macedonian, and Serbian descent than in other populations. Like wolves, werewolves tend to travel and hunt in packs. In America, such packs are typically nomadic, often taking on the guise of biker gangs, carnies, rodeo performers, and similar travelers.

Avoid contact with large wolves on nights when the moon is full.

There are many stories from around the world that claim to detail that origin of werewolves. The vast majority of lycanghropes, however, seem to believe that they are the descendants of King Lycaon of Arcadia, whose bloodline was cursed by Zeus when Lycaon fed the god sacrificial meat mixed with human flesh. DNA tests on people suffering from hereditary lycanthropy tend to suggest that this story at least gets the birthplace of lycanthropy correct even if the cause of the condition is less fantastical.