From the personal journal of Tanner, Argent Moon Loremaster
CASE OF THE SLAUGHTERED STOCK
It was supposed to be a simple mission.
A trio of competing farms had reported the loss of livestock—calves and sheep mostly—to some sort of animal attack. The only thing the farmers agreed on was that something needed to be done. There was a monster in the woods. And it needed killing, before it decided to eat something other than livestock.
The Argent Moon happened to be in the area, investigating rumors of the vampire assassin Tuck in the vicinity. As loremaster, I accompanied the rest of the hunters. We only lost one while tracking the undead menace. Always a tragedy, losing one of our own. Not that I would miss him. He was a little too clever, putting together certain dots that would have proven problematic for me.
That, and he tasted of garlic.
The farmers found us packing to leave and hired us to investigate the attacks. I would have preferred to move on, but Galt, the oversized goliath, was bored. If he couldn’t put his axe through Tuck’s head…not that it would have worked.. an unknown horror would have to do.
Thus, we set off.
BLOOD BY MOONLIGHT
We traveled to Ryder’s farmstead, the site of the most recent attack. The lamb lay torn open in the dirt.
As expected, my compatriots turned to me with questioning gazes. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and began taking notes.
- The lamb had been torn open, but that was not the cause of death. Massive trauma to the torso was evident. The ribs were shattered, likely struck by something large and very strong.
- There were gashes on the body, but not claw marks as one would expect from a typical predator. The largest feline in the region would be a bobcat, and these slashes were far too wide. So were the bite marks.
- The amount of blood pooling on the ground was… intoxicating. It also indicated that the predator was not of the bloodsucking variety.
- Hoof marks surrounded the body, trailing off into the woods. Porcine. Large. But the gait suggested the creature did not walk on four legs.
Hypothesis: Wild boar attack. Exceptionally large specimen. Boars are known to attack livestock when available.
I presented my findings to the group. They prepared for a boar hunt, with all the enthusiasm and noise one expects from humans.
Problem: While the farms were relatively close together, it made little sense for a wild boar to strike three separate locations.
MOONLIT METHODOLOGY
When you ask most people about lycanthropy, you may be surprised how few even know the word. The smarter ones might, but they will simply say werewolves and think the matter settled.
It is not.
Lycanthropy is a bloodborne curse, or gift, depending on who you ask. While werewolves are the most common manifestation, there are countless others. In theory, any animal may serve as the other half of the equation. Most are predatory, so while I doubt there are any were-rabbits roaming the countryside, I would not wager my life on it.
Gnaw me sideways… I have seen stranger things survive.
MOONLIT HYPOTHESIS: WEREBOAR
CLUE #1: Hoof Prints
Porcine, yes. But no boar I have ever encountered could turn on a copper coin, much less pivot in place. I enjoy lamb as much as the next predator, but dancing a jig at the kill site is a reliable way to draw attention. This suggests inexperience. A newly afflicted lycanthrope.
CLUE #2: Three Sites
A boar is cunning, but brutish. If it found vulnerable livestock, it would return repeatedly until driven off. Striking three locations implies planning, poor planning, but planning nonetheless. An amateur burglar’s logic: If I spread it out, no one will notice.
Of course, this is nonsense. Multiple attack sites put everyone on alert. One angry farmer is unfortunate. Three angry farmers is a militia.
CLUE #3: Bloody Handprint
None of the Argent Moon hunters, fairly unseasoned themselves, noticed the handprint smeared along the lamb’s flank. The attacker held the animal while feeding.
When was the last time you saw a boar hold anything?
THE CURSE OF LYCANTHROPY
It does not matter which strain you hunt: werewolf, wereboar, or wereshark, bite me sideways, that’s a horror I do not wish to meet. If you do not understand your predator, then you are the prey.
Lycanthropy manifests in two primary forms: true and afflicted.
A true lycanthrope is born to the curse. One or both parents carry it. Rarely, a pregnant woman attacked by a lycanthrope may give birth to a true one, though such cases are mercifully uncommon.
An afflicted lycanthrope acquires the curse through injury or magic. Surviving an attack from a lycanthrope is the most common vector. Hags and certain fey are also fond of bestowing it as punishment.
The difference is control.
A true lycanthrope governs their transformations.
An afflicted one does not.
Trauma triggers the change. Hunger drives the behavior. Memory becomes… negotiable.
Afflicted lycanthropes are most influenced by the full moons. During the seven nights of full light, transformation is inevitable. Many construct bunkers or chains. Some rely on trusted companions to feed them and release them once daylight returns.
When both moons—Kal’Cett and Mal’Cett—are full, the effects intensify.
Afflicted lycanthropes temporarily behave as true ones.
True lycanthropes grow stronger.
Gnaw me sideways… if you intend to hunt during such a convergence, reconsider.
And if Mal’Cett should pass before Kal’Cett while both are full, an event some call the Eye of Night, then best stay indoors entirely. That night does not create monsters.
It reveals them.
CLOSING NOTE
These observations remain incomplete but promising.
Further entries will address misaligned transformations, non-canid strains, and the behavioral markers preceding first manifestation.
This material is to be compiled and edited for inclusion in:
The Argent Moon Hunter’s Guide to Lycanthropes
Field Edition – Pending Review
Until then, these notes remain personal.
— Tanner, Loremaster of the Argent Moon
A Darkness Rising 