Shift Fantasy AU - Teufort's Weres

Werewolves have a tendency to seek out companionship - this is not particularly different to human beings, although those who might have earlier been more inclined to hermit-like behaviour will instead find that they do, in fact, require some companion in their presence, even if said companion is an actual real-life dog/cat/goldfish who really doesn't talk that much. Depending on the precise type of werewolf, some will also exhibit a strong drive to turn those around them; this drive requires discipline to manage, but is not entirely insurmountable.

Teufort's "pack" - this being the colloquial term, although considering the structure of the mercenary group such a term would likely be considered inaccurate within werewolf culture - consists of four members. These are Scout, Soldier, Sniper, and Spy. It should be noted that Scout was considered part and parcel under the group even before turning fully. To unaccustomed outsiders, Scout and Spy are identifiably connected, although whether through turning or half-were parentage isn't easily determinable (it is, in fact, technically both, although the former has trace contamination from Soldier and Sniper).

Scout

Backstory

Raised in an entirely mundane family, Scout is the youngest of eight children. His many brothers' jobs vary, from clerical work to construction to crime to running small businesses - while his contacts might not necessarily be the most impressive, he's certainly got a lot of them. Adventuring work - the polite term for mercenaries, as it is - is just the next in the family's long line of ventures, and nobody really expected it to take off as hard as it did. Still, nobody's going to complain about the fact that Scout's finally found an outlet for all that murderous energy; keeping that contained while doing clerical work is an absolute nightmare.

Scout's father was a small-time adventurer for hire who stopped off, had a short fling with the family matriarch, and left long before he could become a strong fixture in the family. Still, he left his mark. The lingering sense of magic, for one. And the inexplicable quantity of dog hair.

Magic

Scout is a fairly ordinary class of werewolf, with no unusual power or strength. Originally half-were, the latent werewolf magic kicked into gear after Medic had to resurrect him from an unfortunate accident, after which point his body interpreted him as narrowly surviving death and acted accordingly. Scout is not aware that he had any latent predisposition towards becoming a werewolf, and thus has come to the not-entirely-unfair conclusion that he probably picked it up roughhousing with Soldier and Sniper.

As an ordinary werewolf, Scout transforms into a creature something like a wolf-sized, greyhound-esque creature upon the Full Moon. Notably, his legs are still plantigrade in this form, and he has an upsetting tendency to pop up on his hind legs and wander around like that. Werewolves are always hungry upon transformation; while they prefer mundane humans for sustenance, Scout is often found rooting through the base's trash and/or breaking into closed fried chicken places, because his werewolf brain has learned that these are good sources of meat and sugar.

Scout's aconite intolerance manifests as a rash characterised by small raised lumps that become pus-filled with prolonged exposure. He does not, however, encounter any GIT or respiratory symptoms.

Role

Small(ish), fast and nimble, Scout is an ideal rushdown or kiting attacker in both his forms. He is also semi-resistant to silver due to constant exposure, allowing him to consume small amounts as a stimulant drug when such a practice, for any other werewolf, would likely be a game of roulette as to whether or not they'd put themself in hospital with severe internal bleeding. When not dosed on silver, this also makes him one of the few mercenaries capable of handling silver weapons.

While in no way equipped to take on higher beings alone, Scout is a fair bet against non-higher magicals and most mundane humans. His distractability makes him a bad bet against the Fair, but his close familiarity with mundane fighting styles and scrapping makes him especially good for dealing with rogue weres or sorcerers.

Soldier

Backstory

Born to a family from suburban America, Soldier got bitten feeding jellied shrimp to wild animals and has given the adventuring scene no peace ever since. Infamous for his patriotism, recklessness, and propensity for delivering slightly more than the brief entails, he's picked up at least one nemesis (to whom he seems half-oblivious) and left a trail of destruction across not just America but parts of Europe too. Banned from adventuring guilds in four countries and the state of Kentucky, he nevertheless continues to explode and bite his way through whatever gets in his way, much to the delight of his proud parents.

Magic

Soldier is a class of werewolf commonly referred to simply as a "shifter". This is characterised by progressive adoption of wolfish traits during the gibbous phase of the cycle, and the ability to shift at will during said phase. However, Shifters tend to experience nightmares, fever, and exhaustion during the new moon, which can incapacitate or at least severely hinder them. Shifters are born when aconite and Siren blood mix within the body of an ordinary werewolf; in Soldier's case, this was the result of cocktail night with Demo and his lack of knowledge with regards to flower identification.

Soldier spends most of the gibbous phase of the moon looking a bit like what the kids call a "furry". While fully transformed with the full moon, he resembles a grey wolf of fairly ordinary looks, except for pale blue eyes (which are generally not seen in fully-grown wolves) and an unusually bulky form. This wolf generally displays unusual degrees of intelligence, which is primarily used to harass Teufort residents and break into people's fridges. Shifters do not deal well with isolation; if left alone for significant periods, Soldier's wolf form becomes significantly more aggressive towards both mundane humans and passing cars. Off the full moon, Soldier's transformed self is much less animalistic and more comparable in size to a large dog, although he naturally falls into more wolfish mannerisms such as relying on his nose.

Soldier's aconite intolerance, lowered by its continual presence in his bloodstream, manifests as minor skin irritation and some gastric distress. He does not experience any strictly allergic symptoms.

Role

Reckless even as a human, Soldier's modus operandi is to hit things with as much force as possible, and if that doesn't work, employ artificial means of hitting them harder. Thus, he is both an ideal tank, and an ideal candidate for hitting someone with a car. He has a fondness for mundane improvised explosives, which allows him to sometimes fill a role something like that of a wizard or witch. His lingering wolf traits also make him ideal as a passive intel gatherer - although he sticks out like a sore thumb and thus makes an awful spy.

While theoretically able to go up against higher beings, care must be taken to ensure Soldier does not bite off more than he can chew. His tendency to get close to his target and take collateral damage in the process makes him ideal against witches but unideal against sorcerers, and his confidence makes him ideal against lower vampires.

Sniper

Backstory

Werewolves generally aren't common in the outback. Sniper never expected to get bitten, least of all while on a job that required him to be hundreds of meters away from the target. At least that's where he thought the target was, until he got attacked by an angry dog the size of a horse. It's been a long road, since then; he's had more than his fair share of slip ups and perhaps a few more intentional incidents than he'd care to admit. Still, so long as he can fit in his childhood bedroom, everything's going to be just fine.

Magic

Sniper is a class of werewolf commonly referred to as a "dire". Dires are born from the deaths of mundane humans - specifically, the successful kill and ingestion (partial or otherwise) of ten separate humans. Social but territorial, Dires experience a strong turning drive towards any mundane humans they might become attached to, most prominently while transformed but also to some extent while in a human form.

Sniper transforms on the full moon, appearing much like a unkempt, bloodshot-eyed dingo the size of a small horse (or a large pony). His ears and tail are unusually "sharp" as well. Like shifters, dires display unusual intelligence, although Sniper mostly uses his to trap prey; he is also significantly more aggressive than the average werewolf, with a tendency to pursue humans, cars, and even trucks/lorries even when sated.

Sniper breaks out in hives and sweats when consuming aconite, and would likely have a more significant reaction if he consumed a large quantity.

Role

Off-moon, Sniper specialises in killing things from a distance. Dabbling in earthen magics enough to be considered a weak sorcerer, this allows him to act both as a quiet way to chip off - or pick off - more powerful enemies, but also a risk-free way to eliminate mundane targets without obvious magical influence. On moon, Sniper excels as a tracker, able to both chase down targets that may have left weeks ago, and figure out how to corner them.

Off moon, Sniper is best utilised against mundane targets or those in need of softening, such as annoying werewolf hunters or stronger Fair. He is, however, quite weak against higher beings and anything capable of wielding silver. On-moon, while still weak against silver-wielders, he can essentially be set against anything within or slightly above his magic class with little issue.

Spy

Backstory

Embarassing, is how Spy sees it. A slip-up in his youth that got him scratched

Magic

Spy is a class of werewolf commonly referred to as a "lycan". Lycans are born not from the deaths of mundane humans, but of the consumption of higher beings - the fingers of gods are the most stereotypical source, but sirens, dragons, some shifters, other lycans, elves, and powerful Fair are also viable. They are social but often intimidating - although the manner of intimidation varies - with a weaker turning drive than Dires.

Spy transforms on the full moon into an exceedingly aggressive but barely controllable form, much like an unusually feral fox terrier but more comparable in size to a horse. He also possesses an extra row of teeth, and unusually small irises which serve to expose bloodshot sclerae. Off-moon he is capable of transforming with no significant changes to size or behaviour. Notably, he has a visible tapetum lucidum both on and off-moon, as a human or a wolf.

Spy is extremely allergic to aconite, and cannot consume it without life-threatening anaphylactic symptoms; touching it causes hives and itching. He can, however, be in its presence with minimal symptoms.

Role

Spy runs a dual role; first, as a quiet, sneaky assassin, and second, as a very unpleasant surprise wrapped in a skinny box. Most of all, he excels as a way to leave nothing behind - either because he leaves no trace due to his efficiency, or because he leaves nothing identifiable as the target. In addition, his tight control of his demeanor and wolfish traits make him easy to hide in plain sight, as he can pass acceptably as half-were, Finger, or even (to the untrained eye) as Fair.

Spy's weaknesses are less to do with the type of being he's fighting and more to do with who else is around him; in human form he excels in busy situations, and in were form he is a hazard to any onlooker due to the risk of him losing control and turning them into sandwich filling. He is generally a bad bet against the Fair, who recognise him as Lycan easily, but is otherwise generally competent in the right situations.