The Crossroads

Since this world came into existence, the walls surrounding it have been thin, allowing rifts to other worlds open seemingly at random. The people of this world originally feared these rifts. So, every couple every generations, they gave one the task of guarding everyone from the rifts. That person came to be known as the Protector.

As time passed, people from other worlds began to come from these rifts. The role of the Protector changed drastically. The Protector is now tasked with guiding and helping everyone who passes through, as well as protecting this world.

Three times during history rifts did not open. These times brought great change to the world itself. The first time brought the Lycans, or Werewolves. The second, Dragons. And finally, the Kitsune. Each one also brought a time of chaos with them; A great enemy that only the Protector was able to deal with. The rifts only opened again after the threat was dealt with.

Now, the year is 2XXX, and the newest threat is that of the Slayers, a faction opposed to anyone that is not a Human. And the question on the minds of most is if the current Protector can deal with this new threat. It does not help that the rifts still open, even with the looming threat of the Slayers.

No organization simply appears from no where in the hundreds and the Slayers are no different.

The Slayers began decades before the current Protector was even born, but they didn't seem like they would've posed any sort of threat to the world. The Slayers first emerged in small, backwards villages where the people still fear those who are not Human. They went from village to village, gathering those who where willing to fight. Suddenly, they began to appear in towns and cities around the world, saying that anyone who wasn't Human was pure evil.

No one bought into the propaganda, so the Slayers switched tactics.

They began to develop ways to cause Lycans to attack people unprovoked, mainly through formulas that where injected. By the time anyone realized what the Slayers where doing, it was too late. They had built up a huge gathering of supporters; Their underhanded tactics had worked, and the Slayers had become a force to be reckoned with.

Now, with their numbers in the hundreds of thousands, they have become the main focus of concern for the current Protector.

Mention of Protectors go as far back as the beginning of recorded history. For as long as this world has been alive, there has been a Protector guarding it from danger. A Protector is chosen every couple of generations or so, whenever the previous one has passed.

The first of the Protectors would guard people from the rifts that would appear all over the known world. It was a simple task for the Protector; they simply had to observe the rifts as they opened and closed. When the first travelers began to come from the rifts was when the Protector's task became complicated. Suddenly, the Protector was helping these travelers as well as their own people.

The task of the Protector changed drastically three times in history, the times the rifts did not open. These times brought great change to the world, but the Protector endured, and was able to bring peace(usually at the cost of their life.)

To prepare for the task that lies before them, Protectors undergo training from the moment they can hold a weapon or cast a spell. The training is usually harsh, and the Protector loses out on a normal childhood because of it. The Protector's duties officially begin when they turn 16, though their training usually does not end until they are in their 20's. In most cases, the Protector tries to make up for their lost childhood once they finish their training, leading to days, sometimes weeks, where they are not present for duty. In emergencies, the Protector is always the first to charge into battle, usually leading to a shorter lifespan for them as many have been killed during battle.

Until now, Protectors only specialized in one form of combat. But the current Protector breaks the mold by specializing in swordsmanship and magic.

The Lycans go back nearly as far as Humans in terms of recorded history. One of the first Lycans was actually a Protector, some would argue that Protector was THE very first Lycan.

Lycans can take on two different forms. They have a Human form and a wolf(beast) form.

While in Human form, it's nearly impossible to distinguish a Lycan from a Human. The only telltale sign that a person is a Lycan is a wolf paw-shaped mark somewhere on their body.

A Lycan looks closer to a wolf than a Human when they are in their beast form. Though they look more like wolves, they are able to stand on their hind legs and use their front paws like normal hands. Also, Lycans who where once Human will still wear clothing, even when in beast form. Lycans are still capable of speech when in beast form as well.

These days, a person is either born a Lycan(wolf-born) or was turned into one(Human-born), though it is possible for a Human to be born from a Lycan-Lycan relationship. A wolf-born Lycan tends to grow up in their beast form and is closer to their instincts then a Human-born Lycan. A Human-born Lycan is, like the name implies, born a Human but chooses to become a Lycan later in life.

A Human can become a Lycan by two different means. One is to be bitten by a Lycan(this option is usually the norm.) The other option is to come in physical contact with a special rock known as the Lunastone.

The Lunastone was a gift from the Goddess Luna herself, as the Lycans say. It fell from the sky around the same time as the Lycans began to first appear, and it's charged with a strange energy that can turn a Human into a Lycan. That same energy also grants Lycans extra strength, so every Lycan carries around a piece. Oddly enough, the Lunastone is no smaller today than it was when it first crashed into the earth.

When a Human is bitten by a Lycan, the Human does not instantly become a Lycan themselves. They instead go through a sort of 'incubation' period, in which one can still reverse the decision with the correct herbs. The 'incubation' ends the next night of a full moon(which led to many misconceptions early in the Lycan's history.) The now Human-born Lycan goes through what's known as the 'First Change'. The new Lycan's conscience mind goes dormant, and instincts take control until sunrise. In this state, it is extremely dangerous to approach the Lycan without taking proper precautions first.

[To be worked on. Please be patient, as it takes a lot of work for me to flesh out this kind of stuff. With a return to this group, I hope to finish up the lore and history bits in due time. -SilverSlayer21]

[To be worked on. Please be patient, as it takes a lot of work for me to flesh out this kind of stuff. With a return to this group, I hope to finish up the lore and history bits in due time. -SilverSlayer21]