Werewolf

[The Maker]

"And Dane he stood his ground,
The fanged beast approached.
He saw the rage within its eyes,
The wolf that once was there.
The sword he raised,
Merciful death be praised,
To the maker went his prayer."

--From the popular telling of Dane and the Werewolf, a legend of Ferelden circa 4:50 Black.

Fereldan lore is full of instances where these creatures have plagued the countryside: wolves possessed by rage demons and transformed into humanoid monsters with incredible speed and strength, able to spread a curse to those they bit that would drive them mad with unthinking fury. When in this enraged state, a human host can likewise become possessed and be transformed into a feral, wolf-like beast. Tales differ on these werewolves of human origin, some claiming that their transformation into a bestial form happens uncontrollably. Some claim the transformation is irreversible. As is often the case with demonic tales, both versions were most likely true at some point.

The ability of normal dogs to detect a werewolf even when it is in a human guise is what first led Fereldans to adopt dogs as indispensable companions in every farmhold. The alliance between humans and regular wolves is the subject of the popular Fereldan folk tale "Dane and the Werewolf."

The actual hero Dane led a crusade to eliminate the werewolf threat during the early Black Age, and while werewolves have never assumed the same prominence since, there have still been reports of individual packs lurking in remote forests. In recent years, some have even been reported to have developed an uncanny willpower and intelligence... though why this is so is still unknown.


Werewolves: In Body And Battle
Werewolves either lack the opposable thumbs to wield weapons or refuse to do so, instead engaging opponents with nothing but claw and fang. A werewolf is taller than humans and elves, although their strength far outmatches that of the race's. They lose all resemblance to themselves upon transformation, growing taller and gaining fur, a snout and claws. But perhaps worst of all that gets changed is the mind; the Werewolves have little. They become truly like a beast. Hunting, surviving and mating are the only things in their primitive minds. However, werewolves can regain, at least partially, their minds, although it is always a challenge to keep from killing. A beast's true nature is hard to change.

Werewolves strike with their claws to cut deep into the flesh, and deliver a final bite to the throat. This would be the ideal battle for a werewolf, but, unfortunately (or fortunately, as the case may be) very few humans, elves or dwarves will let themselves be hunted like a common rabbit. Werewolves wear no armor, except for thick skin, which can still be pierced easily by blade or bow. With no means of defense, a werewolf will usually try to strike swiftly and hard, rather then wait for the opponent to make the first move. Their hides serve no defense against magic, making that as good an option as any.