Order of the Lycan Chain

Structure and Membership

• Bound (Initiates
• Chainbearers (Full Members
• Wardens (Those have survived loss of control and returned

 

Initiation - The Binding of the Howl

The Order of the Lycan Chain does not infect its initiates. It only imprisons the beast within them.  

Preparation

Before the rite, the initiate undergoes a period of isolation lasting seven nights. where there are noo weapons are permitted, no hemocraft is practiced and the initiate is fed only bitter roots, ash-water, and raw grain.   This deprivation weakens the body and sharpens the mind, ensuring the beast, when awakened, cannot be mistaken for strength alone.  

The Infliction

At the heart of the Order’s stronghold lies a Chain-Circle, a ritual ground etched with sigils of binding and reinforced with alchemical iron. The initiate is bound upright with heavy, rune-etched chains, forged specifically for this rite. Each link bears the mark of a previous member who endured the Binding. A senior Warden of the Chain performs the Taming Cut, which is a deliberate, precise wound that introduces the lycanthropic essence into the initiate’s blood. No frenzy is allowed. If the initiate loses consciousness, the rite is ended and the candidate is deemed unworthy.  

The Howl

As the curse takes hold, the initiate is expected to transform, or begin to. During the test, pain is inevitable and fear is expected. What is forbidden is: surrender.   During the transformation, members of the Order chant the Litany of the Chain, a low, rhythmic cadence designed to anchor the initiate’s identity. The initiate must speak their name aloud, repeatedly, throughout the ordeal. Those who fall silent are restrained further. Those who attack are put down.  

The Choice

At the height of the transformation, the initiate is offered a single option: Break the chains and fully succumb, proving physical dominance but forfeiting the Order or remain bound, mastering the beast without release.   Only those who choose restraint are accepted.  

Completion

At dawn, the initiate is released. A new scar, distinctive and permanent, marks the site of the Taming Cut. This is known as the Chainmark, unique to each member. The initiate is then given their first chained token, often worn at the wrist or throat, symbolizing that the beast is never gone, only held.   The Wardens then declares: “You are not the beast. You are the chain”.  

Failure

Those who lose control are executed immediately, those who survive but refuse restraint are exiled and those who endure but falter are allowed to live, never to attempt the rite again.  

Training and Practices

Martial Discipline

They employ heavy weapons, two-handed blades, crushing arms and use endurance warfare and brutal attrition.  

Hemocraft

They use blood rites that stabilize transformation and use it to have controlled surges of feral power.  

Alchemy

Their alchemy is volatile and personal, crafted to reinforce bone, temper rage, and stave off madness. Each member’s formula is unique.

View of Blood Magic

Blood Magic is inseparable from the Lycan Chain’s existence. IIt is the lock, the key, and the wound. They accept hemocraft as necessary pain, but strictly regulate its use to maintain control.   Uncontrolled transformation is grounds for execution.   The Order maintains a tense respect with the Order of the Black Griffon as they both walk the edge of damnation. They recognize one another as kindred burdens, though neither fully trusts the other’s restraint.

Their creed

The beast is not evil. Surrender is.

The Order was founded when blood hunters realized that lycanthropy, properly mastered, could be disciplined rather than feared. Rather than eradicating the curse, they chose to chain it.   Feared almost universally. Villages accept their protection but bar their gates at night.