De'Mira - Werebeasts

[Bunhash]

Race: De'Mira (Werebeasts)

Lifespan: About 400 years

Physical Descriptions: During most the time of the month, the De'mira look like any other human in Terrastra though are not human at all. Those created as De'Mira by their maker Tibbit Duril are a completely different race. They have tan skin, dark hair and have slanted, dark eyes. They vary in height from 5 feet to 6 feet tall on average. Only a pureblood is called a De'Mira as it is their race name. Those who are bitten or infected or those known as halfbreeds are referred to as werebeasts (werewolves, werebears, etc).

Each person born into the De'Mira race is infected with a disease called Anthrotitis. This disease can be transferred by an exchange of bodily liquids such as blood, mucus, saliva or semen. Any person can be infected by the disease no matter the race they came from.

Normally, the infected, either by birth or infection, changes into the likeness of a predatory beast once a month at the full moon and only after the sun has retired from the sky. During this time, the person will lose control of one's mind and actions and act as the feral beast they appear to be. Usually the transformations take the form of mammals, most commonly a wolf, fox or bear. As far as history shows however, there is no limitation to the type of creature one can become though a person will only ever take the form of one kind of beast and no others. Some of the less common changes include badgers, gaters and bulls.

The bodies of the infected will take on these beastly attributes as mentioned above but this isn't to be confused that any transformation makes someone with Antrotitis shift completely into a full beast shape. Most commonly, the arms and legs will elongate, usable for bi-pedal or quadrupedal movement. Many grow in height ranging from a few inches to a few feet more. With age and by the more pure of blood, meaning those who were not infected but who were born as De'Mira, the transformations may lapse into enormous sizes. The largest De'Mira to date was Braizen the Bear who shifted into a mighty black furred bear-beast during the full moon and reached the height of 14 feet tall (It was legend that Braizen swam from the Meiaja island to the mainland where he killed a small city of dwarves in one night.). The rest of the body will take on more attributes such as fur, claws and fangs.

There are limitations and difficulties that go along with the disease. Firstly, all werebeasts change during the full moon.The young however, infant through adolescence, are effected by the disease most harshly. During their changes they become hostile, uncontrollable and much like the whole race is rumored to be; feral and wild. What's worse is the death rate of the young. Those born with the disease, pure or halfblooded have a 25% chance of death during infancy to adulthood by exhaustion or injury. Those between the ages of newborn and five are at the highest risk and at a 50% death rate. Those who are infected before adolescence almost all die, being unable to handle the transformations the first time they encounter it and there have been no records of a single person making it through their first transformation if infected before the age of 8.

Socially: On an individual basis, the De'Mira generally feel connected with nature. With their sad beginnings, many of the purebloods have cast away their loyalties to their creator choosing atheism. Most who do remain religious have turned their beliefs toward Genna, the Goddess of Nature.

On a whole, when left to themselves, the De'Mira are peaceful people; strong people and caring people. They live on the Meiaja Island. Those who are born there rarely leave it. The only outside influences come from those who contract the disease by the few wild roaming De'Mira in the mainlands and come to the island by either exile or in search of sanctuary.

Despite their reputations which claim them as mindless beasts, most De'Mira are good people. They live in harmony with each other and little fighting exists. It's common for families to combine through close friendships, even taking on the same family names without the ties of marriage or children though its even more common for those not blood related to find partners within their own communes for marriage. Many of those people who are infected and come to Meiaja find homes within these families and are welcomed in without disdain.

The people often live in small tribes of large groups and without much advancement. They don't live in stone made buildings like the elves or men of the world, rather, they live in huts of straw or in dwellings made directly into the land itself. There is no currency amongst the people of Meiaja only trade for skills or goods. Each person is expected to fend for himself or for his family but in need, many others will help if that time comes. The young care for the old and the old offer wisdom and knowledge.

Few rituals or traditions exist between the De'Mira. With no love of gods, there are no sacrifices or journeys to shrines made and they have no established holidays. There are a few exceptions such as death. When a person of Meiaja dies, the others in his/her tribe hold a ceremony of sorrow and rejoicing. It's a common belief that through their exile and hardships, the infected go to paradise after they die. The death ceremony calls for a night of fires, dance and singing. It is also custom for one's family to cook and eat the flesh of the deceased before dawn, freeing their souls from their confines and giving back to their loved ones in a way that makes them live on forever in their hearts, to become one with their most loved. The bones are often buried in marked places.

There is no established government amongst the De'Mira or those of Meiaja. The strongest and most wise member of each tribe generally acts as the leader and protector.

Estimated Population: 19,000 De'Mira but the number of bitten werebeasts is unknown. It is assumed to be in the thousands.

Standing Army: Yes. But it is very primitive. Each small tribe on the island has a small militia to defend itself but they are unorganized and feral.

Size: Small. Even if they all could ally for more than a day their numbers would barely breach 1,000.

Brief list of Names: The leader of the northern tribe has a group of De'Mira called the, "Savage Teeth". They are considered to be some of the most lethal men/beast on the planet.

Breeding/Relationships: A pureblood is a person born with the disease Anthrotitis and descended from the original De'Mira. This person always has two De'Mira parents and the conceived child is always born with the disease. To note, the pureblood De'Mira are highly fertile by nature and can produce children more easily than other races.

There are also some known as halfbreeds who are ingrained into their society. Many are considered De'Mira but they are not pure. A Halfbreed has one De'Mira or Halfbreed parent and one uninfected parent.

A halfbreed child has a chance to not be born with the disease though this chance is very slim and depends on the coupling. If the male is a De'Mira or Halfbreed and the female is uninfected, the child has an 95% chance of being born with the disease. This 5% chance comes from an unexplained inconsistency within the male's seed. If the male is uninfected and the female is infected, the child will be born with the disease, no exceptions.

An infected werebeast (a person who became infected through a transfer of the disease) is sterile and completely unable to have children and can only make new werebeasts through further infection.

In addition, any non-infected person has a 95% chance of becoming infected through intercourse with an infected person.

On an emotional level, the De'Mira vary much like humans do when coming to relations. While family is usually close, partnership may or may not be close and depends entirely on the joined parties. There is no real standard on treatment but there is little abuse or mistreatment heard of between partners.

Magik: Moderate
Speed: Average but Very High while Transformed.
Strength: Average but Very High while Transformed.
Skill: Moderate

Weaknesses:
Pureblood Weaknesses

• Silver (Fatal)
  
• Holy Water (Fatal if consumed)
  
• Bitten by a Vampire (Fatal)
  
• Pyromancy
  

Halfbreed or Infected

• Silver (Fatal)
  
• Bitten by a Vampire (fatal)
  
• Pyromancy
  

General Abilities:

All De'Mira, Halfbloods or Infected Werebeasts change with the full moon. Only the strongest can retain some of their minds and control during that time. The day after varies between the types. A pureblood will feel tired and lethargic but overall alright. A Halfblood or a Bitten will be exhausted for days afterwards.

All three types need to eat and drink immediately afterwards or they can sometimes die. They transformations burn up so much of their fat stores and water.

Special Abilities:

De'Mira Only:
Controlled Changes: After maturity a pureblood may learn through training to control his/her transformations during the off times or when a full moon is not present and can maintain mental control of their actions during the transformations. They can utilize their gifts enough to shift forms at any time and for any purpose but the shift leaves the De'Mira weakened and exhausted for a range of hours to days later.

Full Changes: A rare talent of the purebloods is one of full changes. The full change is one step past the werebeast stage where the person shifts entirely to an enormous version of the animal they had likeness to in their werebeast state. This full change gives the person twice the strength and speed as he/she had in the normal transformations. Using the full change takes years to master and causes the user to be so exhausted afterward they often pass out and remain so for days or even to go into a coma if the person exerted too much of themselves while in full form.

All:

Eating: If an infected kills and eats a person or any race during a full moon change, he/she won't feel the effects of the transformations the next day.

Rejuvenation: An infected person, bitten, half or pure, will look 20 - 25 until they die. (That is if they were bitten while youthful in the case of bitten ones. If they were older they will slowly seem to grow younger in appearance but not by much.) Their bodies constantly heal, causing them to resist the look of aging and causes most cuts and scratches to heal swiftly. Deeper wounds may still scar. When an infected reaches the age of 390, 400, he or she will start to die. Their bodies will just begin to fail on them and within a few short years, they perish.

Export/Craft: N/A

Territory: Meiaja

Leader: Tribal Leaders, (NPC)

Alignment: Good, Neutral, Evil

Creator: Tibbit Duril

Rp Notes: First of all a De'Mira is a banished race. On a whole they only live on Meiaja and are not permitted to leave. But for Rp purposes you are allowed to play either a pure, half, or even infected werewolf anywhere in the world aside from the Rhun Isle. But if you have decided to be one who lives outside of the island then please, in your history, have a good reason or history about how they got off the island without being caught and why they did it.

During the time when werewolves are transformed, they rival the fastest and the strongest races for that single night. However, in your human form, you are no more talented than any normal race.