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Sapient Species - Psi-wolves Largest Populations: World #33221 - Sanctuary Psi-wolves are the result of an ancient tampering by a sorcerer hoping to utilize the lycanthrope curse for his own gains. He created a race of werewolves that carried a high level of psychic power and were thus capable of remarkable acts of coordination with one another, among other gifts. Needless to say this sorcerer did not survive the attempted enslavement of his new creations. The first Psi-wolf in Sanctuary was Kargo, a close friend of Krepta's who she rescued from a life in the bloodsands of a distant world. Kargo spent many years after his freedom searching for others of his kind, which had become scattered and disconnected from one another. He achieved his goals, and there is a small, but growing population of psi-wolves that dwell in and around Sanctuary. Unfortunately, Kargo himself was lost in a cave-in several years ago. His people continuously hope that his spirit will return to them to be reborn soon. The psi-wolves are a secretive lot, and though there are many in Sanctuary, they often go unseen until they wish to be seen. The psi-wolves often prefer to stick to the forests and wilds, returning to the village only to seek safe shelter from the storms. But many adventurers who thought themselves done-for at the teeth of a storm or a hungry predator have reported being saved by a massive wolf, or several of these wolves, who seem to come suddenly from nowhere at all and vanish again just as quickly. As a result, the psi-wolves have become somewhat of a campfire legend in Sanctuary, despite their private tendencies. Appearance (Select to Learn More)
Being born from the Lycanthrope curse, psi-wolves while in their unshifted states can look like almost anyone. The curse can only be passed onto warm blooded, mammal or mammal-like species. You will never see one of the sunbirds or a reptile with the curse. Psi-wolves do tend to have very intense eyes, a singular trait that sets them apart in any form. They’re not unusual necessarily in color or in shape, but in a strange, unquantifiable way that draws and holds the attention of others. While shifted, psi-wolves are not bi-pedal. They are simply larger than average wolves with varying natural hues and strange eyes. Some could pass for particularly wild looking dogs. But these are usually the younger psi-wolves, and psi-wolves can live for hundreds of years and never stop growing, though they do slow in later years. The oldest, and thus biggest among them can grow up to the size of a draft horse. As a psi-wolf cannot control the size of its shifted form, this increased size can be a drawback as much as it is a boon. It's hard to hide a horse sized wolf after all. Diet (Select to Learn More)
Like many canines, Psi-wolves have trouble metabolizing both caffeine and theobromine, which is found in chocolate. Thanks to their regenerative abilities, neither will kill a psi-wolf, but it does work through their systems much slower than any other substance they might ingest. Both will cause hyperactivity, high heart rate, and a tingling or numbness in the lips and limbs, as well as occasional headaches, tremors, and digestive upset. Chocolate and any other substance containing theobromine hits psi-wolves harder than caffeine. A single cup of tea or coffee probably won't cause enough discomfort for the wolf to worry about unless they're particularly sensitive. In contrast, one full, 70% dark chocolate bar will cause severe jitters and an upset stomach for up to an hour. So while death by chocolate is unlikely where psi-wolves are concerned, most of them still avoid the stuff because it makes them feel nasty. Psi-wolf Abilities (Select to Learn More)
Lycanthrope Physiology Psi-wolves are capable of transforming at will into wolf-shape. Younger wolves are smaller, often no larger than average wolves, and are not bipedal. However, psi-wolves can live for a very long time and never stop growing. The oldest psi-wolves are often around the size of horses. Psi-wolves reach about half that size at around fifty. Their transformations are not governed by the lunar cycle, but this is a myth that psi-wolves have no trouble perpetuating if it is seen to their advantage. Psi-wolves are stronger than the normal specimens of their species, both in and out of wolf form by about twice over. This strength and endurance factor depends on the host species of the psi-wolf. They are not faster than average wolves, but they do gain a wolf's speed advantage when unshifted if they were not already of a species capable of moving faster than that. All senses are sharpened to a wolf's average while unshifted, which again, only applies to those who don't already have keener senses than this. Telepathy All psi-wolves are telepathic, but the range and strength of their telepathy depends on the wolf. Some wolves can only communicate with others of their kind, and only while shifted, while others can not only communicate with those outside of their species, but read minds, influence thoughts, and change memories at will. Psi-wolves are not typically long range telepaths, however, and even the most powerful among them must be in physical contact with a being in order to work their abilities on those outside of their species. Those with long range abilities do exist, but they are exceedingly rare. Luckily for their hunting efforts, communicating with other psi-wolves is much easier. Some many need to be shifted in order to be able to do it, but generally the range between fellow wolves is about a mile and a half in any given direction. The older a psi-wolf gets, the stronger their telepathic gifts get in turn. Other Psychic Abilities Most psi-wolves are born with only their telepathic gifts and their more natural lycanthropic abilities. Some psi-wolves are born with additional gifts as well. Such wolves are thought to have a special task to do in life which their gift is meant to aid them with. These additional gifts are often very weak when a psi-wolf is first born or 'gifted' with lycanthropy, and often do not show up right away. As time goes on they strengthen, and the wolf's urge to use them grows stronger. It should be noted that there are no psi-wolves who have been known to gain more than one of these added abilities in a lifetime. Psychic gifts that have been seen to materialize in psi-wolves are: pyrokinesis, astral projection/dream-walking, various levels of mediumship, dowsing talents, healing talents, precognition or post-cognition, varying levels of telekinesis, psychometry, empathy, animal speech, and possession abilities. All gifts have their drawbacks however, and as with lycanthropy itself, these gifts can be a curse as well as a blessing. Accelerated Healing It is incredibly hard to kill a psi-wolf with conventional weapons alone, as their capacity to heal and regenerate themselves is immense. A psi-wolf can take so much abuse that as long as ordinary weapons are used and the head is not removed from the body, they can heal from literally any injury. Psi-wolves also almost never get sick. Healing does cost energy of course, and if a wolf was already in poor health when injured, such as suffering from starvation, healing from injuries may take longer than usual. A psi-wolf may return from the brink of death looking skeletal and behaving lethargically for months after, having burned up their fat reserves and well of psychic energy, but they eventually will return to full health, none the worse for wear. Smaller injuries tend to heal almost instantly. Returning to the Pack Psi-wolves are long lived and durable, not immortal, but they do experience re-incarnation in a very tangible way. Born psi-wolves are never new souls. The only way a 'new' psi-wolf is ever created is by turning an outsider. Once you have become a psi-wolf, you are always a psi-wolf, in this life and any other from there on out. When a psi-wolf dies, they either move on to whatever lays beyond or they return to the pack as a new life. Born psi-wolves don't return with their memories fully intact, but they do carry bits and pieces of those memories and their previous personalities until these memories are 'unlocked' by an older, more experienced wolf. Some choose to remember, others don't. It is always considered the choice of the individual, given when they are old enough to truly understand the concept. Forcing one's past life memories upon another is considered very wrong. Psi-wolf Drawbacks (Select to Learn More)
Pack Hunger Psi-wolves are meant to be with others of their own kind, or barring that, other telepathic species. They often grow depressed and withdrawn if they cannot connect with other minds, and the more the better. If a psi-wolf cannot find other psi-wolves, they often seek out others who are gifted in telepathy and empathy, or those who have minds open enough to feel close. A psi-wolf can get by with non-wolves who possess telepathic gifts, but a psi-wolf who can't connect for too long stands the risk of giving into the instinct to make more of its kind by infecting those with latent psychic abilities. Considering the high mortality rates of those turned by psi-wolves and the psi-wolf's own empathic tendencies, this behavior often results in the eventual madness or self destruction of the psi-wolf who falls prey to it. One in Thirty One in Thirty is the number of those infected by psi-wolves who survive the turning process. First, the bite of the wolf must be deep enough to allow the curse to penetrate far into the muscular system. If the curse doesn't take, then there is always the chance of death from blood-loss or more mundane infections like tetanus. The infected must possess at least some latent psychic potential in order for the curse to take hold. The stronger the ability, the higher the chances of survival. If the curse takes, the infected individual can expect high fevers, hallucinations, muscle tremors, and even sometimes seizures that gradually worsen for a period of a week before the infected falls into a death-like sleep while their body and soul rewrites itself. During this time it is best to keep the infected individual locked away somewhere safe, as both mania and emerging gifts can cause them to be a danger to themselves and others. Pacifistic or Sadistic One will find that psi-wolves as a whole are often very gentle, especially around other sapient beings. This is less because of some inherent goodness and more because all psi-wolves are touch telepaths. While some psi-wolves with weaker abilities struggle to communicate telepathically with those outside of their species, the reception of raw and powerful emotions like intense joy or pain are difficult to block out when in physical contact with another, even in these individuals. The non-sapient animals that psi-wolves hunt are no exception, but are often not self aware enough to suffer in a way that sapient beings do while dying. Psi-wolf hunts are deadly, quick, and clean, and it isn't unusual for a group of them to lull prey to sleep before striking. They still feel the animal's death, but to a far more bearable amount. Killing a being who is sapient is far more agonizing, and often only when the psi-wolf is acting in self defense or there is something very wrong with them are enacted on others. Wolfsbane Monkshood, a plant that is otherwise highly toxic to other individuals, affects psi-wolves somewhat differently. They can ingest it without harm, but when exposed to it in any way, they are forced into their wolf forms and find themselves cut off from their psychic gifts until it leaves their systems or they have otherwise rid themselves of the plant. Inhaling or consuming wolfsbane in notable amounts results in a state of weakness and confusion, resulting in disorientation and vulnerability for the psi-wolf. Because of this, most psi-wolves actively fear and avoid this plant. Quicksilver - [OOC Knowledge Only] Traditional silver will do you very little good against a psi-wolf, but quicksilver, otherwise known as mercury, is one of the few substances that can actively harm a psi-wolf. Injection of the substance can result in anything from acute sickness to a horrible and painful death as the quicksilver burns the wolf from the inside out, depending on the amount used. Even if the mercury doesn't kill them, a psi-wolf will often go mad from the pain alone. Weapons coated in mercury can result in wounds that will not heal until completely flushed of the substance, and touching mercury in any amount results in acid-like burns for a psi-wolf. It's a terrible way to go, and this weakness is a closely guarded secret among psi-wolves, particularly since it was once used to hunt them. Sensitive Senses Heightened senses can be both a blessing and a curse. Psi-wolves are not fond of high, sharp noises or overly strong smells like perfumes or industrial fumes. They can be easily, if temporarily blinded while using their night sight with a sudden introduction of a bright light. If these weaknesses are weaponized, such as with pepper spray or flash-bangs, the effects are sure to both momentarily disable a psi-wolf, and very likely royally piss it off. Anti-Magic & Magic As both psi-wolves psychic gifts and transformative abilities are a result of magic, anti-magic materials such as Nth metal or magical constructions such as certain types of binding circles can affect psi-wolves as equally as any other highly magical being. The effectiveness of these things depends on the quality of the materials themselves of course, or the skills and spells of the caster. |
Pack Law & Privacy Those who elect to be part of a pack must adhere to the pack's laws, and even those outside of the pack may still sometimes fall under the sway of the pack's will if the actions of the individual are deemed a threat to the pack. Being in a pack can be both comfort and protection. On one hand, you are never alone. On the other hand, you are never alone. Psi-wolves are highly social, and while affairs don't extend quite into hive-mind territory, they sometimes come close. The privacy of another's thoughts are respected, and it is considered the highest crime to force your mind upon another unless you have absolutely no other choice, and even more so when it's another psi-wolf. But refusing to share your thoughts with your pack is also seen as unusual and a sign of depression or sickness, and other wolves may poke or pry, and express concern over an individual in non-telepathic ways if they close themselves off to the pack. Because of this, it's often very hard to go against what one's pack considers law. Admittedly, most transgressions are considered fairly forgivable. Being such an open and giving community, it's hard to steal from a psi-wolf, or cheat, or any number of things that might be considered more troublesome in other social structures. However, a psi-wolf who uses their powers to willingly invade others' minds for destructive and harmful reasons may find themselves at the mercy of the whole pack. Punishment ranges from having your gifts psychically burned out to even death, a harsh and rare sentence in psi-wolf culture, which tells you just how seriously they take this crime. Psi-wolves who are killed for this reason and are reborn to the pack may have their memories of their past lives withheld from them to prevent repeat events. Children Newborn psi-wolves and newly infected wolves alike are considered children to the pack, the former until they reach physical adult-hood for their species, and both groups until they have properly learned to control their abilities. Children born to psi-wolves may be reincarnated spirits of other psi-wolves, but it is considered unlucky to give them any of the same names that they bore in their previous lives. These ghost-names are also very private, and usually only known to those closest to the psi-wolf. Outside of these traditions, because psi-wolves often come from so many species and cultures, young are often reared in whatever way their parent's cultures deem fit. Religion Like the rearing of their young, a psi-wolf's spiritual beliefs often depend heavily on their host species' own cultures and life experiences. Despite the spirits of their dead returning to be reborn into their ranks, psi-wolves rarely if ever remember what it was like to be dead. Even the experiences of those with mediumistic gifts tend to be very subjective. One belief that psi-wolves do seem to hold as a majority is in the taking in of a dying individual's memories in order to preserve them, and they will sometimes even do this for prey animals they may have a deep respect for. Social Structure Psi-wolves do not have 'alphas' or any other similar, dominance based leadership structures. They often vote as a group on what is to be done in any situation, particularly if the stakes are dire. Elder psi-wolves do sometimes have more pull in a group, but this is often simply because of extra experience rather than age itself, and an elder generally considered foolish by the pack will be ignored just as much as any other. When situations arise that require an individual to speak for the pack, that individual is often selected by the group as a whole based on who has the most experience with the subject at hand, as well as what diplomatic skills may be needed. 
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Kargo - (NPC) Kargo was the first Psi-Wolf in Sanctuary. Already a latent but powerful empath, he was turned purposefully by an elder vampire who ran a pit fighting ring in the hopes of creating the perfect warrior for his matches. Though Kargo survived the process, and the strength of his abilities proved to be powerful indeed, the awakening of his empathic gifts caused him to reject the idea of violence, even for self defense. Refusing to fight enraged his vampiric master, and Kargo was made into a bait dog for the other fighters instead, always refusing to strike back, no matter how much they damaged him. Eventually the vampire's greed proved to be his downfall, and a slave uprising resulted in the monster's demise. Some of the slaves got away, while others were recaptured and sold off by the vampire's circling rivals. Kargo was not fortunate enough to get away, and floated from captor to captor until he wound up in the same pens that Krepta had once been chained in. Like an angry ghost haunting an old home, Krepta would sometimes prowl the island where she had once been captured, for reasons not even she fully understands. Unable to destroy the place alone, she saves who she can, when she can, which is how Krepta came across Kargo. Krepta offered Kargo a place in Sanctuary, and the two adventured together for a long while in the hopes of finding more of his people. A few scant months before his death, his dream was realized, but a cave-in deep in the mountains cut that victory short. The body was never able to be recovered from the rubble, but there is a small monument on the cliffside near the remains of Krepta's old home in Sanctuary. Krepta doesn't like talking about the incident much, and the psi-wolves still actively mourn their lost family member. OOC Info & Rules of Play (Select to Learn More)
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History
Pre-Sanctuary
Many, many centuries ago, a powerful sorcerer sought to create an army of powerful shapeshifters with terrible mind powers. He succeeded in creating the shapeshifters, beings whose origins lay in the wolf-curse. An army, however, was not to be his. The sorcerer's creations turned on him and escaped into the world.
The first few decades were bloody and ugly. Unable to cope with both their wolf-selves and the telepathic abilities the sorcerer had forced onto them, the first psi-wolves were responsible for some of the worst monster attacks in the history of their world.
Many continued to exist in a haze of madness and death until a wolf with powerful empathic abilities was born to the pack named Harrow. Harrow's life was a difficult and painful one, as his gifts were the only thing that could keep his brethren's murderous instincts in check. Eventually though, the pack as a whole learned to lean on one another in order to keep themselves sane and under control.
Harrow was the first to craft the pack laws, which evolved as the pack did and they still exist in various forms today, varying only slightly from pack to pack.
But even those times were simpler times, because while the psi-wolves enjoyed a few more centuries of peace, eventually the hungers of the world around them grew. Despite their many gifts and remarkable regenerative abilities, the psi-wolves once more found themselves the victims of predatory magic users who had read the sorcerer's texts and sought to harness the power of the legendary psi-wolves for themselves.
Many wolves were caught, with wolfsbane, with magic snares, and with ransoms using vulnerable pups. Most were carted off to personal menageries, to arenas for blood-sport, and even used by foolish mages hoping to make their own armies, who had not learned from the mistakes of the psi-wolf's creator. The rest became highly secretive and scattered to the secret, remote places of the world.
Kargo & Sanctuary
Eventually Kargo and Krepta came into the picture. Krepta rescued Kargo, the first psi-wolf of Sanctuary, from a slaver intending to sell him to a fighting arena. She returned with him to Sanctuary and he made it his home.
But instinct demanded that he find, or make others of his kind or go mad trying, so the two searched wherever they went for more of Kargo's kind. It took long enough that Krepta began to notice troubling signs in Kargo, but eventually they found several more psi-wolves and freed them from their bondage as well. Others came later, gathered from shrinking packs in isolated wildernesses or freed from fates similar to Kargo's.
Safe from those who would hunt them, the growing pack remained in Sanctuary. Many used to live within the village itself, but have grown distant since Kargo's death. Most reside now in the woods and wilds surrounding Sanctuary, but they seem to have a keen sense of when a crackle storm is about to hit, enabling them to retreat back into the safety of the shields beforehand.
In fact, the eerie howls of the psi-wolves often act as an early warning system for Sanctuary's less attuned residents, and often save lives if heeded.
Current
The Psi-Wolves have a home for themselves hidden in the forest outside of Sanctuary, and are known as the Switchback Forest Pack. They spend most of their time there, but do venture into town during Crackle Storms. Recently, they have been petitioning for a hearthstone of their own.
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