Baxterverse Background 01

Res Lycanthropi ("On the Matter of Weres")

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This is background information for the 'Baxterverse,' the series of stories begun by lilgirlsix. She and I now write them together. Though I wrote this and am posting it under my own name, know that lilgirlsix has approved its content. (In our partnership, Weres fall under her jurisdiction. ^^) If there is a discrepancy between what I write here and the stories posted under lil's name, the stories are correct.

Disclaimer: This has nothing whatsoever to do with reality in any way. The people, organizations, and 'facts' given are valid only for the continuity of the 'Baxterverse,' and bear little if any resemblance to their real-life counterparts, where applicable. If anything in here gives offense to your religion, favorite fantasy book, or whatever... I honestly don't care. This is entertainment, and if you can't treat it as such, please go read something else. Thank you. :)

NB: This monograph does not cover Were culture or history.

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Weres are also called "Lycanthropes" by those of a scholarly disposition. Wolves are by far the most common subspecies of Were, but there are also panthers, foxes, and bears. Interestingly, Weres' animal forms do not correspond to specific natural species. Instead, they might be considered an amalgam of a particular group of species. Their pelts usually correspond to the hair color of their human forms.

Weres are thought by arcane scholars to have been created, rather than arising through the normal processes of evolution; their nature is simply too different from other parahuman species. It is possible that their creation was the work of some ancient mage (see Res Magicae), but the consensus is that it was more likely done by a deity. Which deity is a matter of endless scholarly speculation.

All Weres are classified as a single species, Homo lycanthropus. (The reason will become clear upon explanation of their spiritual nature.) The difference between subspecies lies in which form the Were's animal-self takes. Werewolves, for instance, are scientifically designated Homo lycanthropus lupus. Werepanthers are Homo lycanthropus panthera, Werefoxes are Homo lycanthropus vulpes, and Werebears are Homo lycanthropus ursa.

The defining physical characteristic of Weres is a very specialized "magical contagion," a collection of self-sustaining enchantments that functions like a virus and permeates every cell of their bodies. This 'virus' results in an intensely magical nature, which makes Weres very resistant to most magic. However, there are a handful of specific magical vectors to which Weres are extremely vulnerable, if they are properly exploited. Finally, their magical nature prevents Weres from performing any magic not related to that nature. In short, it is impossible for a Were to become a mage.

A Were's shift is technically a spell that the Were casts upon him or herself, enabled by the contagion. This is done instinctively, and the shift is painless because the Were's body is actually changing wholesale, not rearranging itself. Similarly, the remarkable telepathic (exchange of thoughts) and empathic (exchange of emotions) bonds that Weres form with their alphas, immediate family, and mates are actually permanent telepathic dwoemers (again, see Res Magicae) made possible by the contagion. Like the shift, these links are formed instinctively, and are astonishing in terms of the sheer magical power required to create them. Other dwoemers within the contagion rapidly heal any damage to the Were's body and keep it in a state of extreme physical fitness.

On the spiritual level, all Weres share the same type of soul, which is completely distinct from a human's soul. A human soul (and the souls of most other creatures) are singular in aspect—that is, they contain only one mind (consciousness). Were souls are binary in aspect, meaning that they contain two minds, separate in thought but united in form. The two halves are known as the "human-self" and the "animal-self," and are often likened to conjoined twins. Though the two halves of a Were's soul have separate awareness, they cannot be parted from one another any more than a human soul can be split in half. (Attempting to do so either does nothing or destroys the soul.)

(For the sake of the foolish, the author wishes to make it absolutely clear that both halves of a Were soul are fully sapient, and that there is no scientific ground whatsoever for considering Weres to be animals—quite the opposite, in fact. By every measure known, they are on the same level of existence as human beings. In short, Weres are people. Case closed.)

The most fascinating spiritual aspect of Weres is that a child with a Were soul can be born to human parents. This is rare, but well-documented. Such children may sometimes feel a powerful affinity for animals or an extreme fondness for the outdoors, but are, by any test known, completely human. Their animal-selves are completely dormant, and will remain that way forever unless 'awakened' by mating with another Were. Most such individuals are found to have direct Were ancestry.

When a Were's human-self does something unspeakably shameful, his or her animal-self may "stop speaking to" him or her. The binary nature of the individual's soul does not change, but the animal-self adopts a fully dormant state. The affected individual will become, for all intents and purposes, a human—no shifting, mental bonds, accelerated healing, et cetera. This extreme conflict between the two halves of a soul is so traumatic that most such incidents end in suicide or catatonia. Incidents of this sort are very rare.

In extreme situations, Weres' animal-selves may choose to become or remain dormant as a survival mechanism; if dormant from birth, the individual can live his or her entire life as a human, unaware of his or her Were nature. This kind of dormancy is not traumatic; there is no conflict between the two halves of the soul.

Before discussing mating, it should be explained that the quantity of Were souls in existence is fixed. The exact number is unknown, but it appears to be quite large. Were lore and magical observation both indicate that, when a Were dies, his or her soul returns to a part of the Upper Planes (i.e. Heaven) known as the Endless Forest. There, the animal-selves of dead Weres live and hunt, while their human-selves return to tabula rasa, preparing to be born anew. (What happens to human souls after death is far beyond the scope of this monograph.)

Thus, unlike human souls, Were souls cycle endlessly between Earth and the Endless Forest. The number of Weres alive on Earth isn't constant, of course, but the sum of the number of Were souls on Earth and in the Endless Forest remains constant. A particular Were may be born or turned as a different Were subspecies with each new incarnation—or even change subspecies during a single incarnation—but the Were's sex and the appearance of his or her human form remain identical across multiple lifetimes.

Mating is perhaps the most misunderstood aspect of the Were condition. All available evidence indicates that each Were soul is permanently paired with one other Were soul, male and female. This mating link persists across all lifetimes, and a Were soul will always know when it encounters its mate. Somehow, circumstance always seems to bring the mates together, though it may take quite some time. Though rare, there are documented cases where mates' animal-selves will hold back knowledge of their mates' identities from their human-selves until they deem circumstances suitable. Lastly, it is believed that no more than one of a mated pair will ever be born human at a time. In other words, one or both mates will always be 'awakened.'

When the mating 'pull' makes itself known, the two Weres are powerfully compelled by their animal-selves to physical union. At the height of this first sex act, one Were (usually the male) bites the other near the base of the neck. This produces a distinctive scar, declaring the mating to the world, and the act of biting itself serves as a catalyst for creating the set of telepathic links known as the mating bond. The creation of this bond is actually powered by the empathic (emotional) energy of the mating couple. Emotions run highest at the climax of a couple's first sexual union, and the pain of the bite amplifies the empathic energy generated by the couple's orgasms even further. The second bite is not necessary to establish the bond, but is invariably performed for the purpose of marking.

Recent evidence suggests that a Were can be 'pulled' to and mate with another Were of the opposite sex who is not his or her 'true' mate. Mating bonds form as normal, and are just as permanent as a normal mating. This has been demonstrated by rare cases after a Were has found a second mate upon the first one's death, the proof being that the second mate could not possibly be the reincarnation of the first mate. (Relative birth- and death-dates and the mates' physical appearance are the major aspects of this determination.)

It has also been historically demonstrated that mating can occur without a 'pull,' though such matings are invariably the result of force. Evidently, love is not the only emotion that can power the establishment of a mating bond; any emotion will do, so long as it is powerful enough. However, the use of any other emotion besides love is not advisable, as it appears to have an extremely negative impact on the mental health of both partners.

If one of the members of a mating couple was born human, the lycanthropic contagion will be transmitted through the mating bite, and will permeate his or her body. The contagion will awaken the Were's animal-self and transform his or her physical body over the next 10 to 16 days. The mental bonds form immediately in a 'turned' Were, but only the mating bond is immediately active. The pack bond and family bond (if any) usually become active within 12 hours. The newly turned Were must usually wait until the next full lunar cycle before shifting for the first time, but extreme emotions can facilitate a premature first shift. [Any meaningful discussion of the relationship between the Were contagion and the Terra-Luna Ley Fields would need to be conducted in Latin.]

A female Were can only conceive children from her 'true' mate; all 'untrue' matings on record have been barren, pull or no. Once mated, females enter estrus at the next full moon, and approximately every six months afterwards. Females typically remain fertile for over 300 years once mated. The gestation period is 9 months, just as in humans. Females can shift while pregnant, but avoid doing so during their third trimester.

Were children are referred to as "cubs" across all subspecies. Twins, and triplets occur at a higher statistical rate than in the human population, but more than three cubs at a time is extremely rare. Cubs are born in their human form, and are physically indistinguishable from human infants. (Further evidence that Weres are parahumans, not animals.) Cubs are typically unable to shift until the age of 4 or 5, and their parents must usually coach them through their first few shifts.

Barring trauma or accident, Weres have extremely long lifespans, averaging 500 years or more. The oldest verified Were is over 1,300 years old and still very much alive.

The untimely death of a Were's mate is an indescribably traumatic experience. Some 35 percent of survivors die within 30 days. Common symptoms among surviving mates include extreme depression, catatonia, self-destructive behavior, and suicide attempts. Love, care, and close monitoring by family, pack, and friends is critical to assisting the surviving mate through his or her grief and enabling the healing process. Having children or other dependents has a significant positive impact on recovery. The emotional healing process rarely begins before the 24-month mark. Interestingly, there are several recorded instances of a deceased mate being reincarnated within the surviving mate's lifetime. In such cases, the couple will, of course, mate (or mate again, depending on one's point of view).

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I hope you found this both interesting and informative, gentle reader! :)

If you have a question:

1. Please reread carefully to see if it was answered in the text.

2. Please read the public comments to see if someone already asked the same question.

3. Please post your question as a public comment, and either lilgirlsix or I will answer ASAP.

—AA