[Shelved][✓] Vargr Clarifications, Amendments and Additions

[Child Neglecter 2134]

THE WEREBEAST - AMENDMENTS AND ADDITIONS

 

 

 

This is an overdue lorepiece. It seeks to clarify and establish limits on Vargr and Sigilled plaguecrafting, which was too vaguely incorporated into the original lore, and make certain amendments and mechanic clarifications that we feel generally help root Vargr to server standards.

 

Original Disease Lore:

 

The sickness that comes with the gashing mark may be made manifest in countless forms, and in ways that are appropriate to each individual. They range broadly from vomiting, tearless cries, grave cases of madness and diseases previously thought to be gone (akin to the Dancing Plague), or in even graver cases, leprosy and other such fatal ailments. [Under The Wretch’s Sigil]

 

A werbeast is highly prone to illnesses and carnal disease, found commonly to be coughing strange blood and grit. They are also highly susceptible to common bouts of hysteria and hallucination. [under Compendium - Weaknesses]

 

(New) The Plaguecraft of the Werbeast (Disease)

(non-combative / short-range)

Spoiler

Within the very blood and bile of every werbeast is the potency to spawn a plethora of diseases, yet this cannot be truly manifested without a sacrificial ritual. In so doing, the ritualist invokes blights, mundane and supernatural, upon items sanctified through incanting and mixing fluids, transmorgifying them into nexuses for disease and vectors of infectivity. A bejeweled goblet can be, for instance,  made to quickly rot its contents and act as the festering grounds for the empowered, ritualised forms of the diseases Vargr live unendingly assailed by.

 

For the coherent still, being inflicted with the Wretch’s Sigil is a tragic thing characterized by the loss of sanity and a persistent state of sickness, though within such broils of madness, the Sigilled is made a witness to forlorn plagues only them and their werbeast counterparts are capable of spreading and come to yearn to wake them from dormancy to infect others. Though the Sigil makes its victim a host to an assortment of vicious, vile parasites and mundane illnesses, the usually asymptomatic harboring of three ancient ailments by the Sigilled, and Vargr, usurps their reason and reveals to them the gelded boons the Sigil grants them in exchange for their suffering: the ability to inflict three peculiar conditions upon victims; mere pantomimes of the original plagues of the Wretch of Laria, once marinated and ultimately perfected in the jaundiced bone marrows of the Wretch’s first children. The Three Made Manifest are these revered acts of plaguecraft mistakenly deemed by the Sigilled and Vargr alike to be holy expressions of a divine will… and through enough exploration and dissection of their own spit, bile and blood, the werebeasts may harness the fundamentals of plaguecrafting and concoct new illnesses altogether, should these not already suit their or the needs of their flock.

 

Redlines:

 

• Vargr and Sigilled of the Wretch may infect others by following the contagion rules explained under each sickness of The Three Made Manifest.

• The rituals that may be used to craft the MArt-requiring diseases are generally freeform, to allow for aesthetic purposes befitting to that of the disease's purpose; however, bearing caveats in that they require some form of human sacrifice, of at least one person, as well as an animal sacrifice, and the ritual itself must take a minimum of 18 emotes from start to completion. They must also utilise the blood of the Vargyr, or multiple Vargr, conducting the ritual, to some extent, but this remains freeform for aesthetic purposes. This necessitates an approved MArt to officialize where items of transmission (or methods of biological contagion) and the illness itself are described.

• All diseases must be spread via some form of consumption of blood kept within the item harbouring the disease; whether it be that of the blood of an animal, the blood of a specific race, or the blood of the Vargyr itself, it is only blood that can spread these diseases, and only through consumption via means of the MArt.  

• Both the Three Made Manifest and Plaguecrafted MArts can be cured by Fervor Concentrate, or St. Amyas' Draught.

• Neither Sigilled of the Wretch nor Vargr explicitly endure these conditions, harboring them in dormant states and only constantly sick with mundane disorders, but they may roleplay being infected by them themselves nonetheless should they wish to.

• Both The Three Made Manifest and any diseases created via use of MArt are considered magical, and therefore, those who do not have resistances to magical diseases are affected, whilst those with immunity are unaffected. 

• The Three Made Manifest diseases are unable to infect and affect spectral and necrotic undead, including Siliti.

• Both the Three Made Manifest and Plaguecrafted MArt diseases are able to infect and affect Azdrazi, Afflicted, Corcitura, Frost Witches, Orcs, Ologs, Kharajyr, and Musin, due to the magical, and soul-affecting nature of the diseases. Anything that remains unincluded on this list is automatically said to not be able to be infected, unless clarified in a future amendment or listed within their lore.

• Any diseases submitted as MArts can only be spawned by Vargr unless a Sigil is explicitly taught how to spread them, given they are not instinctually learned to harness like the default illnesses. Seeing a Vargr infect another with a MArt disease will not give a Sigilled enough information as to how to infect others with it themselves. 

 

 

(New) The Plaguecraft of the Sigilled - The Three Made Manifest (Disease)

(non-combative / short-range)

Spoiler

I.  The Luperian Crout

 

A band of infected polluting the streets of their hamlet, found and subsequently dispatched by Owynist Lectors for disturbing what little peace there was.

 

A wicked plague, whispered to have beeen born when the Wretch of Laria tired from the lies and sycophantry of his courtly peers and impulsively tried to curse them with dry callousses and warts atop their tongues, such that they might feel the same pain in speaking that he felt in listening; a crude spellweaving that was eventually repurposed in ideology to become the Luperian Crout when the Wretch’s ire against politics subsided. This disease is spread via fluids and droplets of blood, which can be done directly via drinking their blood or by tainting a drink with that blood, and is characterised by increasingly nonsensical speech and writing patterns, as well as an obsessive insistence on repeating statements made prior out of context, similar to echolalia. Furthermore, physical symptoms include joint and muscle pains, insomnia, sensitivity to light, a rising fever and the slow degradation of the infected's vision over time, making them see black and white, eventually, until the disease is cured or has passed its course.

 

The increasingly nonsensical speech and writing patterns, as well as obsessive compulsions to shift the context of conversation to the corrupted thoughts of theirs that they will continue to repeat out of context, will continue to build up to a point of near-insanity over the course of the illness. The infected will struggle to fulfil their responsibilities as they grow more delirious, and relationships between them and their peers might become more and more strained as their words become strained and confusing, scaling proportionately with a steadily rising fever; a coy ploy to alienate the victim from society, deprive them of the respect of their colleagues and further entice them into the fold of accursed folk promising cures. An admittedly simple plague, respected for its effectiveness.

 

Among the few cures for the Luperian Crout lies the almost apocryphal cure of sage. Any who becomes infected with the Luperian Crout will not feel drawn toward sage and the smell of the smoking sage until they smell it for one reason or another whilst infected - say for example they were to enter a Church and smell a censer of burning sage, they would then be drawn to that smoke. When in the same room presence of burning sage, those afflicted by the disease will feel their symptoms abating, providing them a sense of peace. However, if in the presence of burning sage smoke for longer than 10 emotes, they are overcome with burning pain, and their symptoms return in full force. Those who continue to attempt to remain in the same room as the sage burns within begin to experience a rapid descent into madness as their symptoms accelerate to the point of temporary, agonising madness, coupled with the continuous burning pain. However, after a period of 6 narrative hours, they will no longer bear the disease, the burning sage having accelerated the disease to it's endpoint, leaving them rewarded in the end; however, the mental impacts are far-stretching, and will likely leave a great impact upon the individual.

 

Mechanics: Both Vargr and Sigilled of the Wretch are able to afflict individuals with this disease via infection through their blood, such as a tainted wine that has been supplemented with their blood, requiring at least 20ml of blood in order for it to be able to take effect upon the person. However, it must be spread directly to them, by means of a direct interaction. It cannot be spread by, for example, tainting wine and leaving it in a cupboard for one to later consume unawares. The blood-tainted fluid must be provided by the Sigilled or the Vargr for direct consumption by the victim. For instance, if a Vargyr or Sigilled were to taint wine by bleeding directly into it, whilst within a roleplay encounter, whether it be out of sight or not, and within that same roleplay encounter offer it to an individual for consumption, if that individual were to consume some of that tainted wine, they would then be infected.

 

Redlines: 

• Symptoms of the Luperian Crout will build up over a period of 2 OOC weeks. 

  • It will take 3 OOC days for the moderate joint and muscle pain to become prominent, as well as sensitivity to light. 

  • It will take 1 OOC week for insomnia, fevers and the depigmentation to take full effect, rendering one’s eyesight black and white.

  • Nonsensical speech and writing patterns, as well as the obsessive compulsions to shift contexts to better suit the ill’s flawed logic, will begin from the day that the victim becomes diseased, continuing to grow to a point of madness at the end of the 2 OOC weeks.

  • This madness produced by The Luperian Crout does not compel one to suicide unless they would like to OOCly, leaving that up to the player.  

• A player can OOCly opt to keep the disease for longer than 2 OOC weeks, or even permanently. 

• If in the same room as burning sage, an infected will feel alleviated of their symptoms for 10 emotes, but if in the presence of burning sage for any time after this, they'll begin to feel a burning pain, and their symptoms will return. This will continue for 6 narrative hours. The disease will progressively worsen over the course of this time, until the infected is finally cured.

• Both the Three Made Manifest and Plaguecrafted MArts can be cured by Fervor Concentrate, or St. Amyas' Draught.

• The Three Made Manifest can be purged from an infected via the usage of a Lightstone with 2 Paladins of Xan.

• The Three Made Manifest can be partially purged from an infected via a Spirit Walk to Scorthuz. The infected person will need to battle the curse upon their soul, as the disease is not so easily purged. This does not result in a total purging of the disease itself, but a shortening of the disease's time length by an OOC week, and over this time the disease will slowly begin to be alleviated and weaken.

• Both The Three Made Manifest and any diseases created via use of MArt are considered magical, and therefore, those who do not have resistances to magical diseases are affected, whilst those with immunity are unaffected.

• The Three Made Manifest diseases are unable to infect and affect spectral and necrotic undead, including Siliti.

• Both the Three Made Manifest and Plaguecrafted MArt diseases are able to infect and affect Azdrazi, Afflicted, Corcitura, Frost Witches, Orcs, Ologs, Kharajyr, and Musin, due to the magical, and soul-affecting nature of the diseases. Anything that remains unincluded on this list is automatically said to not be able to be infected, unless clarified in a future amendment or listed within their lore.

• This Luperian Crout cannot be spread by the Luperian, only by this Sigilled of the Wretch and Vargr. 

• The Luperian Crout will be administered in the form of an item signed by the Sigilled or Vargr. The item itself will bear a description listing the date at which the disease began for the person and when it will end (after 2 OOC weeks), to keep track of which Sigiled of the Wretch or Vargr infected the victim.

 

 

II. The Pilgrim’s Dance

 

A band of recently infected Dancers being brought to a pit to be buried alive, to prevent others from contracting the illness.

 

Truly, a most unholy of plagues; the Pilgrim’s Dance is a manifestation of the Wretch’s own frolicking and howling by his gardens during nights of sorcery, inflicted upon others during his final days. An event of mania, knowledge of which is lost to time, previously struck the residents of a particular village in Aeldin; wherein people were said to dance until they fell flat on the ground, dead … though the plaguecrafters that came thereafter found utility in things past its lethality. The reference to the disease being known as "The Pilgrim's Dance" is a metaphorical sense of the afflictions of the mind and body culminating into abhorrent madness showcased to the public, and does not constitute actual dancing in any way, shape or form. 

 

The Dance is physically distinguished by dry patches of skin, as well as frequent scabs, or even boils; these progressively worsen over the course of 2 OOC weeks, inflicting severe pain on the surface of the skin wherever these blemishes occur. These can be abated by through use of sage-soaked aqua vitae, rubbed on the sites of infection, but this is only temporary, and they will invariably soon return with an immunity to prior remedies. As adaptive to its host as the host is to the grounds he dances upon, the malady is not content with afflicting its victim physically; mentally, the Dance spawns delusions.

 

Though the nature of their insanity vary in foreground as much as people infected by the Pilgrim’s Dance do, delusions often revolve around deception, scepticism, or extreme paranoia - and, over the course of the 2 OOC weeks, these progress to a state where those who are afflicted become convinced that they are the embodiment of some form of holy figure - a prophet, martyr or saint, or, that they are being contacted by some form of higher being.  However, the final symptom is perhaps the most cruel; a sudden, uncharacteristic plunge into sin. This may come in the form of unrestricted addiction, jealousy, anger, or zealousness to the point which it becomes wrath, an unsatiated avarice, or pride mistaken to be valour, facets reflected in the infected’s personality. It is possible for the victim to become aware of their own sin and scramble to rid themselves of this, perhaps via prayer, for example - but this will not remedy the intensity of their urges.

 

Mechanics: The Dance is contracted and passed along through physical touch from the Sigilled or Vargr. This can be done by hand, but only when the skin of the person infecting the victim is coated in the blood of the Vargyr or the Sigilled themselves, such as by cutting their finger or hand before touching the victim's orifices. The recipient of the disease must spread the germs into an opening orifice in the body, such as the mouth, eyes or nostrils. It cannot be transmitted through fabric or armour, unless directly applied to the eyes through crevices such as the visor.

 

Redlines: 

• Symptoms of the Pilgrim’s Dance will build up over a period of 2 OOC weeks. 

  • The physical symptoms will progress, first from dry patches of skin at 2 OOC days, to frequent scabs at 5 OOC days, and finally, boils at 7 OOC days.

  • Any physical maladies can be temporarily alleviated using aqua vitae soaked in sage, but they will return after 1 OOC day and will be immune to this form of medicine.

  • It will take 1 OOC week for the sudden plunge into sin to occur, progressively worsening over the course of the final 1 OOC week. 

  • The delusions of deception, scepticism, and extreme paranoia, will begin from the day that the victim becomes diseased, continuing to grow to a point of madness at the end of the 2 OOC weeks.

• A player can OOCly opt to keep the Pilgrim’s Dance for longer than 2 OOC weeks, or even permanently.

• Both The Three Made Manifest and any diseases created via use of MArt are considered magical, and therefore, those who do not have resistances to magical diseases are affected, whilst those with immunity are unaffected.

• The Three Made Manifest diseases are unable to infect and affect spectral and necrotic undead, including Siliti.

• Both the Three Made Manifest and Plaguecrafted MArt diseases are able to infect and affect Azdrazi, Afflicted, Corcitura, Frost Witches, Orcs, Ologs, Kharajyr, and Musin, due to the magical, and soul-affecting nature of the diseases. Anything that remains unincluded on this list is automatically said to not be able to be infected, unless clarified in a future amendment or listed within their lore.

• Both the Three Made Manifest and Plaguecrafted MArts can be cured by Fervor Concentrate, or St. Amyas' Draught.

• The Three Made Manifest can be purged from an infected via the usage of a Lightstone with 2 Paladins of Xan.

• The Three Made Manifest can be partially purged from an infected via a Spirit Walk to Scorthuz. The infected person will need to battle the curse upon their soul, as the disease is not so easily purged. This does not result in a total purging of the disease itself, but a shortening of the disease's time length by an OOC week, and over this time the disease will slowly begin to be alleviated and weaken.

• This Pilgrim’s Dance cannot be spread by the Dancers, only by this Sigilled of the Wretch and Vargr. 

• The Pilgrim’s Dance will be administered in the form of an item signed by the Sigilled or Vargr. The item itself will bear a description listing the date at which the disease began for the person and when it will end (after 2 OOC weeks), to keep track of which Sigiled of the Wretch or Vargr infected the victim.

 

III. The Idlehands

 

An Idlehand, overlooking a cemetary – making mental note of where the soil is pliable still for gravedigging.

 

Originating in the inadvertent crossing of the Wretch of Laria’s black sorcery with the proverbial divine hierarchy that surrounded him, his craft sought to impose the workings of the true and knowing Church through forces it could not exert. In the souls of Vargr, he saw cardinals; in the spirits of the peasantry, the grunts subject to their judgement. The Vargr already ripped the tether between body and soul, but there was not yet anybody to pave the path of the purged into the Seven Skies properly.

 

Idlehandedness is contracted through a Sigilled of the Wretch or Vargr’s sickly coughing during, though curiously, conversations about death and the afterlife prompts an increase in infectivity. These topics agitate the latent plague and entice it to adhere to plaguecrafter’s bile. The greater the depth of the conversation for all sides of the discussion, the more sharply contagiousness spikes. The onset of Idlehandedness is characterised by the growth of grey, itchy, rootlike rashes along the extremities in the same vein as Lichtenburg scars that can often be covered or flanked by mundane illnesses, like rosacea or eczemas. 

Medical illustrations depicting the early onset of Idlehandedness, found in a booklet in the entombed remains of a young apothecarian. 

 

Should OOC consent not be given by the infected player for the illness to progress past the physical, the rashes fade at a rate of the player’s choosing – including, never. Otherwise, upon giving OOC consent, the rashes climb the neck and weave around the jaw and temples, prompting various urges: the first of which being a need to hide their condition. The Idlehanded will seek out modest cloth, rags or other such full-body garments and bandaging to mask their illness from judging eyes. Enkindled thereafter is an attraction to hallowed grounds; battlefields, cemeteries and tombs become of particular interest to the Idlehanded. Upon selecting their favoured grounds, the Idlehanded will recede into a period of hermeticism where they ponder it and dissolve in the arts. In all artistic practises they study, the Idlehanded have a sort of knack for quickly developing techniques and putting them to work. Wood-working, masonry, poetry, dramaturgy, painting and other such practises might envelop their concentration, and though specialisations vary across the ill, a common thread binds them all to their esoteric roots: their works always involve the dead. The woodworker might spend hours practising the creation of wooden statuettes of lost saints to lay by unmarked graves; the mason might make a habit of finding those burial grounds and chiselling tombstones for them; the dramaturg and poet might excel in writing epitaphs to mark the blank works of those who came before him. Graves themselves become fixations for the Idlehanded, as each feels compelled to carry shovels and their artisan tools to further the hallowing of favoured and foreign grounds alike. 

 

Whether they blindly follow these urges until they come to their realisation, or they come to witness their delirium the moment rashes dye their limbs, all Idlehanded suffer the same epiphany: the end is nigh, and nobody is prepared; only the Idlehanded can orchestrate the bridging between the mortal realm and the afterlife. Be it as suave, pious politicians occupying offices and fueling the ire for war to accelerate the returning of bodies to the earth or rabid, screaming doomsayers calling for torches and pitchforks against those who might deny the end of times, the Idlehanded emerge from the quiet plying of their trade and become extraverted recipients and dispensers of their truth – with a curious penchant for commerce, particularly in the realm of their aforementioned practice of choice. They are frequently found bartering at marketplaces – often in caravans – for the supplies they need to build tombs, create idols, prepare grounds and conduct funerary rites. Friends and close peers of the Idlehanded might be asked what items of theirs are of sentimental importance, followed promptly by their favored funerary rites … perhaps, the Idlehanded might meet with his colleagues to guarantee their friend enters the afterlife exactly as they would like to, before the world caves in on itself. It is the least they could do.

 

Mechanics: Both Vargr and Sigilled of the Wretch are able to afflict individuals with this disease via coughing near a victim, a maximum of 3 blocks away, allowing blood-speckled droplets to be inhaled and enter their airways. Doing so during conversations about death and the afterlife the victim is engaged with will sharply raise the chances they will contract Idlehandedness. Speaking of these things before a victim without their attention and engagement will not harbor any effect on Idlehandedness’ infectivity. The Idlehanded can be expected to be prodigals in their craft of choice, but only in their mundane facets. An Idlehanded mason with a golemancy MA would not, for instance, be any more talented at golemancy than another golemancer of his same mechanical tier. The rashes do not cause any weakness on the infected past itchiness and ugliness, imposing no limits on the lifespan or strength of the Idlehand they do not already have unless willingly roleplayed as such by the infected player.

 

Redlines: 

• Symptoms of the Idlehands will build up over a period of 2 OOC weeks.

  • Black rashes and mundane illnesses outside the temples and neck will develop anytime across 1 OOC week. 

  • A player must OOCly consent to their epiphany eventually ocurring if the disease is to progress to the point rashes climb up the neck and temples. Otherwise, the sickness dissolves after 2 OOC weeks.

  • Rashes reaching the neck and temple can be roleplayed at any point after the infected player OOCly consents to suffering their epiphany, but always after black rashes and mundane illnesses have manifested at other parts of the body. 

• An Idlehand’s talent in any given art cannot be used to advance tier progression in any magic at any rate greater than the rate established in its lore.

• To be able to spread the disease to the individual, you must cough in a vicinity of a maximum of 3 blocks from them. The effectiveness of this is constituted by a roll, where you must then roll a d20. If you are not engaging in conversation regarding death and the afterlife with the individual, then when rolling, you must land between 1 and 8, including 8, in the roll, in order to be successful in spreading it to them

• If, however, you are engaging in conversation with the victim regarding death and the afterlife, then you must land between 1 and 13, including 13, in the d20 roll, in order to be successful in spreading it to them.

• The Three Made Manifest can be purged from an infected via the usage of a Lightstone with 2 Paladins of Xan.

• The Three Made Manifest can be partially purged from an infected via a Spirit Walk to Scorthuz. The infected person will need to battle the curse upon their soul, as the disease is not so easily purged. This does not result in a total purging of the disease itself, but a shortening of the disease's time length by an OOC week, and over this time the disease will slowly begin to be alleviated and weaken.

• Attempts to infect an individual with the Idlehands disease can only be done once per roleplay encounter. If you fail, you cannot attempt to do it again until the next you see them in roleplay, constituting a separate, new roleplay encounter.

• Affliction via Idlehands does not provide the person with any actual form of talent or advantage whatsoever.

• Both The Three Made Manifest and any diseases created via use of MArt are considered magical, and therefore, those who do not have resistances to magical diseases are affected, whilst those with immunity are unaffected.

• The Three Made Manifest diseases are unable to infect and affect spectral and necrotic undead, including Siliti.

• Both the Three Made Manifest and Plaguecrafted MArt diseases are able to infect and affect Azdrazi, Afflicted, Corcitura, Frost Witches, Orcs, Ologs, Kharajyr, and Musin, due to the magical, and soul-affecting nature of the diseases. Anything that remains unincluded on this list is automatically said to not be able to be infected, unless clarified in a future amendment or listed within their lore.

• An Idlehand’s talents for any given art, should they be cured, do not erode unless the player once infected with the disease would like them to.

• A player can OOCly opt to keep the disease for longer than 2 OOC weeks, or even permanently. 

• Both the Three Made Manifest and Plaguecrafted MArts can be cured by Fervor Concentrate, or St. Amyas' Draught.

• This disease cannot be spread by the Idlehanded, only by this Sigilled of the Wretch and Vargr. 

• The Idlehands will be administered in the form of an item signed by the Sigilled or Vargr. The item itself will bear a description listing the date at which the disease began for the person and when it will end (after 2 OOC weeks), to keep track of which Sigiled of the Wretch or Vargr infected the victim.

 

(New Addition) Doetistic Liturgy (Ritual)

(non-combative / short-range)

Spoiler

Vargr are able to enter a trancelike state over the course of three (3) emotes, wherein they might sit, perform somatic gestures or even murmur out hymns to further submerge themselves into their dogmatic states of mind.. Projecting their consciousness and yet serving as a tool of self-reflection, the Varg turns to face the beast that dwells within and the host of mental and psychological issues that riddle them - and instead of fighting and containing these intrusive thoughts, visions, and nightmares, they willingly heighten them. The result of this is a brutal procedure that often lasts multiple days where the Varg loses themselves in the reflection of their very soul - awash by cascades of dreadful imagery. This also has the potential of being used in a form of circling - where a party of Varg, including those branded with a Sigil, can all partake.

 

The Doetistic Liturgy may only begin through a Varg. Circling occurs when another Sigilled or Varg are extended a form of link by the leading Varg, which can be extended through the use of two (2) emotes - this creates a prickling sensation, driving one’s attention immediately to the Varg. The Varg must then fall into a meditative trance of three (3) emotes which then connects the consciousness of the collective to the Liturgy: the Varg’s inner turmoil. 

 

Curiously enough, the Liturgy may be performed both within and outside of the beastlike form, the latter of which is known to invoke much more terrifying imagery than the former in the minds of the encircled. Additionally, small, purely aesthetic elements may occur while performing the Liturgy - such as light pooling from the mouth and eyes, streaks of blood dangling in the air, candles and flames flickering with blue light, and dust or ash rising in a 3x3 radius about them. Additionally, any mirror, ordinarily crafted from glass or crystal, within a 5x5 radius of the Liturgy will be seized by a strange phenomena, wherein whatever they reflect becomes warped and disembodied, pale light seizing the reflection as if beneath moonlight. It is not curious then how the Varg have an almost intrinsic fascination with mirrors and might spend hours pensively looking over their own reflection - looking for contours missing in their features. 

 

Redlines:

• Circling may not be forced onto any individual - it is always performed willingly, with IRP and OOC consent needing to be provided.

• The Liturgy’s visions are, by nature, terrifying. While a Varg may find a sort of chilly comfort in the midst of the ensuing visions, mortal descendants, the Sigilled, are likely to suffer lasting psychological torment. However, this is purely optional, and is up to the Sigilled in question OOCly as to whether or not they'd like to have this psychological torment and trauma as a result of the Doetistic Liturgy.

• The Liturgy cannot be done whilst in a Combat Encounter, and thus this is an entirely non-combative ritual. 

 

Original Leap Lore:

 

• A werbeast bears no more muscle than his mortal counterpart, yet the terrifying outbursts of speed from leaps and quadrupedal running can take even the most trained warrior off guard.

 

(New) The Leap [under Abilities]

(Combative / long-range)

Spoiler

Vargr, when ascended to their truest beastial form, are capable of exceeding the capability of men in the speed and power of their leaps, allowing them to bound at a length of six meters (six [6] blocks) continuously. This can be done in quick succession for up to two (2) emotes before the Varg tires, resulting in their requiring two (2) emotes of rest where they cannot leap before they can renew their hunt. The Varg is still capable of other actions that hold no bearing on their exhaustion during this time like screeching or prowling, but leaping is excised from the skillset until they regain their energy. Within these two emotes of tiredness, they are only able to move at a half-pace, only able to move 2 meters (2 blocks) per emote, for 2 emotes, before regaining their energy to be able to leap once more. Whilst leaping, Vargyr cannot leap upward more than 2 meters (2 blocks), though this cannot be used to enter or escape anywhere where you could not otherwise MCly, strictly being for the purpose of combat.

 

Redlines:
 

• A fully transformed Varg is able to leap only six (6) meters per emote. This can be done up to two times before they tire for two (2) emotes, during which they cannot continue a pursuit by virtue of their exhaustion.

• Within these two emotes where they are tired, they are only capable of moving 2 blocks per emote, for two emotes, before being able to leap again.

• Leaping cannot be used to MCly enter or escape anywhere that you could not otherwise exit or enter MCly, say, for example, scaling a tower that could not be scaled in game.

 

 

 

(New Addition) Cold Resistance [within Abilities - Heightened Skills]

(non-combative / short-range)

Spoiler

Vargr, when excised of their flesh in their complete transformation, harbor an inherent resistance to the mundane cold of the winters and tundras. This does not afford them any extra resistance against the magicks of the Fjarriauga nor to the cold of Rokodra, being inhuman chills. Their internal body temperature is fluid, able to withstand the cold without quivering, though this does not give them any protection against the threat of frostbite. The Cold Resistance is entirely mundane, and does not affect the magical or alchemical.

 

Redlines:
 

• Within the bestial form, Vargr are able to reliably withstand cold temperatures.

• This is entirely mundane, meaning that their cold resistance does not affect the magical or alchemical, and can only be used within their bestial form, leaving them as susceptible to cold temperatures in their human form as much as any descendant.

• This does not provide them any defense when using Rokodra or when battling a Fjarriauga, given these are unnatural mediums of cold.

• Unless sufficiently protected against it by not exposing the skin, Vargr in any of their forms are still susceptible to frostbite. 

 

(New) Mimicry [under Abilities]

(inherently combative / short range)

Spoiler

Vargyr, excised of their flesh, whilst in their true form, are capable of, utilising muscle memory, adapting their vocal cords to be able to imperfectly mimic those who they have devoured the vocal cords of - though, only able to use this for a fleeting amount of time. This can be done within combat and outside of it; however, within combat, this is limited to once per combat encounter.

 

The abomination of carnal, everlasting flesh is capable of performing this mimicry the moment they have devoured the vocal cords of the person they wish to mimic.

 

Over 3 OOC emotes, Vargs are able to imperfectly mimic the voice of a specific individual:

 

• In the first emote, the voice is nigh-indistinguishable, and cannot be told apart from the voice of the individual mimicked.
• In the second emote, those who hear the voice will recognise it as that of the person. A chill will go down their spine, but they are not yet able to truly tell the difference; though, their basic instinct as that of prey would lead them to believe something about the voice is .. off.
• In the third emote, the voice, mimicked to its limit, sounds wrong; sounding as though the voice has been strangled, their vocal cords torn apart. The true nature of that which lies beneath shines through; revealing an intruder, an imposter. Those who hear it can tell it is a weak imitation - and something truly inhuman lies beneath.

 

Redlines:

• Vargyr are only able to mimic the voices of those who they have devoured the vocal cords of.
• After 2 OOC weeks, Vargyr lose the ability to mimic the voice of the specific individual they had devoured the vocal cords of.
• They are able to, within the same combat encounter, eat someone and mimic them.
• Whilst mimicking, they are restricted to short phrases, or cries of help; they are unable to converse as the individual as though they were them themselves.
• Within combat encounters, their ability to mimic is restricted to 1 attempt.
• Other than mimicry, Vargyr are not able to speak within their werbeast form; they are restricted to grunts and growls, howls and screeches, just as they are typically.

 

Original Strength Lore: 

 

The Werbeasts of old, should chance and ill-fortune impel them mould into beasts, are no trivial foes. Though their strength in human form is negligible and may be compared to that of a man in their late seventies, their ferocity in strength within the bestial form is more comparative to lesser beasts (or orcs) of equal size. And though unable to easily pierce steel, they are still as capably apt to catch their opponents off guard in ambush or secretive onslaughts. Tales are not uncommon of such stray wolves who travel from one land to another in the trench of night-time, boasting an endurance greater than that of the average man. This, however, comes not without its physical deterrents, for it is generally known that the more one strains themselves in bestial hide, the greater the weakness and pain they shall incur on returning to their “natural” forms, wherein they return vulnerable.

 

(New) Strength [within Abilities - Heightened Skills]

(Combative / short-range)

Spoiler

The strength of the werbeast is surpasses that of the men they tend to predate upon, equaling an Uruk in vigor and power. The werbeast’s leathery hide tries to promise the accursed a resistance to wounds, making deep slashes difficult to impose upon their flesh. Victims would be wise to wear plates that could ward the ripping and tearing the claws of a Varg are capable of at the cost of deep dents and possible, but improbable piercing. A capable werbeast however, given the opportunity, could grapple onto the seams of the plate with their claws, grip and sunder it with brawn alone - reason for which even knights and men-at-arms should be wary of combatting werebeasts recklessly. Bursts of speed [see The Leap, under abilities] from the werbeasts allow for swift ambushes and cunning disengages at the cost of a quickly following exhaustion that werbeasts would be wise to avoid, given the need to be still and defenseless during their period of recovery, much like mundane beasts of their caliber. Wolf’s ears guarantee that should their prey press bootsole upon twig, the werebeast will hear it and further hone on the location of its meal. 

 

Though the boons of a transformed Varg are many, their human frame is admittedly far too meek to hold its own. With strength reduced to that of middle-age, those accursed with Vargdom hiding behind their veil of human flesh will further degrade to that of a downright elderly member of their original race unless they maintain themselves through consistent, disciplined efforts to consume the flesh of the living and wage war against a weakness they can never surpass, the prospect of regaining their vitality in full merely a fever dream.

 

Redlines:
 

• A fully transformed Varg can equal an Uruk in strength. 

• In human form, a Varg has the strength of a middle aged man given they routinely feed on the flesh. They will be further enfeebled over time, ultimately becoming as weak as an elderly person should they not feed every two (2) OOC weeks.

  • To clarify what this means: middle aged refers to a person in their fifties and sixties; elderly, to a person in their eighties and nineties. 

• The bursts of speed described within the paragraphs above refer to The Leaping ability, listed within the lore itself under The Leap, in Abilities. They are always followed by a period of exhaustion, also listed within the ability's lore itself.

 

Original Regeneration Lore

 

A most crucial element construed within the distorted physicality of a werbeast is this strange, occultic regeneration that takes ahold of their bodies over time. This is a slow, tiresome regeneration, in which minor (and never crucial) wounds may seal up in a matter of minutes or hours, although never to the point of completion, it being practically an insignificant impediment to bar the werbeast from taking his own life. Substantial wounds, however, may take weeks or months in time, and lost limbs many years to completely grow out. The complete extermination of a werbeast (cremation, dicing into chunks) may not be recovered from independently however, (in actuality wounds may regenerate over such time as five-hundred years that it is practically ruled incurable within one’s lifetime) without the aid of risky rituals that may end in grave failure and final destruction of the werbeast (in reality, again, there is no death for the werbeast, but an eternal existence of agony).

 

(New) Regeneration

(Inherently combative / short-range)

Spoiler

Vargyr are subject to slow, arduous regeneration, which can only occur outside of combat. The severity of the wound does not dictate the amount of time it will take to heal; meaning that even the smallest of wounds will take the same amount of time to heal as the gravest of wounds. All wounds take roughly the same amount of time to heal, being 5-6 emotes depending upon the graveness of the wound - cuts, bruises and moderate wounds would take 5 emotes, whereas the gravest of wounds would take 6 emotes. However, this regeneration is incomplete; and it may take further days until the wound is entirely healed over without sign of damage. Lost limbs may take many months or even years to fully regrow; a lost finger will take perhaps two or three months to reform whereas a lost arm may take up to three years to fully heal, during which a Varg risks exposing the unnatural nation of their condition to the world. However - attempts to completely exterminate a Vargr, such as dicing them into chunks or cremating them, may not be recovered from independently. Instead, the Revival Ritual is to be relied upon. The Varg will continue to suffer in agony all the while they are in this state eternally, lest eventually revived by their kindred.

 

Furthermore, wounds inflicted with the infused power of a Paladin, or Aurum, will take far longer to regenerate over the course of time - instead of taking 5 to 6 emotes, it will take 10 to 12 emotes to truly heal over, once again dependant upon the graveness of the wounds; small wounds and cuts taking 10, moderate wounds taking 11, and grave wounds taking 12. This makes for a great risk to the Vargyr if they were to engage any in combat with these tools; perhaps, depending upon the situation, requiring the imminent escape of the Vargyr, lest they risk "death" outright.

 

Redlines: 

 

• Regeneration can only be done outside of combat.

• Normal wounds, ranging from small cuts and bruises, to grave, deep stab wounds that would typically be a risk to life, will all take between 5 to 6 emotes to heal (5 emotes for first and second degree burns, cuts, bruises, slashes. 6 for third degree burns, stabs, and generally mortal wounds), but can only be done outside of combat.

• Mundane greater wounds that have been allowed to regenerate to the extent of mundane lesser wounds outside of combat require medical attention via alchemical methods to prevent succumbing to them in the coming days.

• Wounds inflicted by gold and Paladinism will take double the time to regenerate, between 10 to 12 emotes, but only outside of combat..

• Wounds gained in combat as a transformed Varg will heal without trace when given time, but can only regenerate outside of combat. Wounds garnered while untransformed do not benefit from this, scarring and blotting just like any other wound.

 

CREDITS AND EXTRA NOTES:

 

Spoiler

This has been a long time in the making. A thank you goes out to all of the people who I consulted when it came to this, you had a significant role in ensuring this was as good as possible. Sorry for bad formatting, I'll fix that later, just wanted to get this out honestly. 

 

Thanks to Sluggobuggo and Nozoa for their roles in writing two of the three diseases, as well as Jentos for Doetistic Liturgy and Soul Digestion, as he wrote these. 

 

Changelog:

 

- Removed Digestion of the Soul. After some feedback from fellow players, I decided to do this as I felt that it was a bit iffy that they had such a broad interaction with souls in this way. I've taken the liberty of removing it and something relating to how Vargyr digest specific souls when relating to if they're Dark Mages, Paladins, so on and so forth, etc, will probably be put in a future Amendment for the Vargyr.

 

- 10/02/2022: Added Mimicry as an ability to the Vargyr. Myself and the other players within the group felt as though this was an incredibly unique addition that could add a lot of flavour to the lore atop pre-existing flavour and serve to make the experience that one may have when encountering a Vargyr in their true form something truly horrific.

[exanimated 1360]

woof woof bark bark

[Valannor 6344]

It's about god damn time.

[Axelu 3691]

now that's a good amendment.. +1 Glad to see this boat movin' again

[Twinny 1617]

vargs dont exist...

[Epistile 856]

walkies when

[Jentos 6813]

godposting hours 😎

[Security_ 1073]

Yiff yiff hotfixes

[christman 2221]

thats so cool and epic

[King_Kunuk 888]

Awwooooa

[Benjikhei 696]

kibble munchers

[warlord of filth 7713]

lol? post is blank? is this a forum bug? 

[Child Neglecter 2134]

Just now, space warlord organ trader said:

lol? post is blank? is this a forum bug? 

 

HOW ARE YOU COMMENTING NOTHING EVEN EXISTS

[femurlord 2317]

Rougaroux exists, don't know about Vargs tho

[Unwillingly 11109]