Werewolves, and Lycanthropes

Lycanthropy basics, and creation
Werewolves are one of the more well-known creatures, and as a result, one of the ones that the society must constantly work to maintain the illusion that they're entirely fake. Despite being so well known, however, the public conception of Werewolves, and indeed other forms of Lycanthrope are very far from the truth. Tales of men, and women that transform into half human, half beast monstrosities at the sight of the full moon are hardly the extent of these creatures.

Despite common belief that lycanthropy is a disease spread by scratches, and bites from a transformed individual, this couldn't be farther from the truth. A Lycanthrope is in truth the result of a human being who has been merged with a creature from a yet to be identified plane of existence. These creatures are not entirely physical, or magical in form, but rather a system of physical particles suspended in magical energies. Upon contact with a human being, the magical energies are absorbed by the body, and the physical components of the creature merge with the human, becoming indistinguishable from their standard anatomy.

Most commonly, Lycanthropes are created through a ritual, in which the lycanthropic entity is pulled from its own plane of existence into our own, and placed into the body of a living human subject. It is worth noting, however, that the ritual must be performed under a full moon, as the entities draw magic from the moon, which is used to strengthen themselves. Only under a full moon will the entity be strong enough to survive being pulled into our world.

The result is an individual who must constantly battle with the entity inhabiting their body. Fortunately, the beast is ill-suited for life in our world, and in combination with the struggle against the human host, this results in the beast being unable to maintain control for extended periods in most cases. Due to their ability to draw magic from the moon, however, the beast is able to strengthen itself, significantly increasing the difficulty of resisting its control. Should the human be unable to hold it back, they will be forcibly transformed into the half-beast state commonly known to lycanthropes, and the beast will gain full control over their shared body's actions.

These artificial creations however, while common, are not true lycanthropes. They are a severely weakened form of lycanthrope known as lesser lycanthropes, which while inherently more dangerous than proper lycanthropes due to their violent, and unpredictable behaviors, bare far less potential for harm.

True Lycanthropes
While lesser lycanthropes are created artificially, true lycanthropes are the result of an individual born with one or more parents who were lycanthropes themselves. Whether one, or both parents had been infected with lycanthropy has no effect on the child, who will always be born a true lycanthrope regardless. This is due to the fact that the child is born with both the lycanthropic entity, and human body, rather than genetic traits being past on. It is impossible for an individual to be a partial lycanthrope, due to the two halves being separate entities.

In the case of a true lycanthrope, the relationship between the human, and lycanthropic entity is entirely different. While a lesser lycanthrope shares a parasitic relationship, in which the beast attempts to assert control over their body, a true lycanthrope shares a symbiotic relationship. The human, and beast halves exist in harmony from birth, and being born to this world, the lycanthropic entity is fully accustomed to surviving in it.

True lycanthropes are able to transform at will, and with great precision, shifting specific portions of their body to human, wolf, or anything inbetween. They also possess greater strength than their lesser counterparts, even being capable of transforming fully into their given animal form if they so choose. Unlike their lesser counterparts, they also inherit some lycanthropic abilities even in human form. This is because the two beings are perfectly in sync, with most not even recognizing their other half as being something other than a part of their being.

Common triggers for transformations in true lycanthropes during youth are stress, and extreme emotions. In some cases, they may not be aware of their ability to do so, or they may lack control over it, leading to further stress that could prolong the transformation. If one of your classmates shows signs of transformation, attempt to calm them down, and immediately report the incident to the nearest adult. Do NOT under any circumstances attempt to provoke the individual, such actions are likely to result in bodily harm to you, and any others in the nearby area.

Most true lycanthropes do not present any outward signs of lycanthropy, though in rare cases some traits may be inherited from the beast side, such as hair, or eye colour, and the level of body-hair. More extreme traits such as permanent animal ears, or tails are not unheard of, but are extremely rare.

Werewolves
Werewolves are the most commonly known form of Lycanthrope. Their defining traits are their wolf-like appearance, formidable strength, speed, and potent senses. While not the fastest, or strongest form of lycanthrope, they carry a nice middle-ground allowing them to be dangerous foes in nearly any situation.

Their potent senses are nearly unmatched by other lycanthropes, with a sense of smell capable of picking up even on subtle chemical changes in the human body, leading to the common misconception that they can smell fear. Their other senses, while not quite as strong as the sense of smell are still extremely refined. They can hear frequencies above, and below human hearing, as well as sounds far quieter than an average human. Their sense of taste is more sensitive, and can more easily distinguish between flavors. They also have increased nightvision, though not to the same degree as some other creatures.

Silver
Lycanthropes share common weaknesses, in addition to species-specific weaknesses, of which there are two notable weaknesses that all lycanthropes share. The first is silver, which is known to weaken the lycanthropic entity, without effecting the human. This results in weakened supernatural abilities, as well as suppressed transformations. It's even possible to for a lesser lycanthrope to keep their transformations at bay, though the lycanthropic entity is able to gain strength fighting to take control, and gradually increase the amount of silver required to suppress them.

Wolfsbane
Wolfsbane, unlike silver is inherently more dangerous to both parts of the lycanthrope. Despite the name, wolfsbane is effective against all types of lycanthrope, not only werewolves. Contact with the plant causes symptoms akin to a severe allergic reaction. Symptoms worsen with continued exposure, and can eventually become fatal. As a result, wolfsbane is strictly prohibited within the society's educational centers.