Mythic Origins

It is widely believed that the werewolves originated somewhere in the region that would eventually be known as Scandinavia. Tied closely to the mythos of the Old Norse, conflicting stories speak of the Lukoi serving as the first examples of the Úlfhéðna, the wolf warriors of Odin. Since lycanthropy predates the Prose Saga or even most written history, it is entirely more likely that the Úlfhéðnar are warriors who sought to emulate the Lukoi and followed them into battle along with the Berserkrs.

The fact remains that the Werewolves are found around the globe, but almost all of them are located in the temperate and subarctic climates, and the closer one comes to the equator the fewer wolves there are.

Leadership & Social Structure

A group of Werewolves is called a Pack and the leader of a werewolf pack is called the Ulfric. The Ulfric's mate is the Lupa. Werewolves refer to themselves as Lukoi, although this name is not often used by others. Packs have a number of different roles and positions within their hierarchy, being one of the most status-conscious of the lycanthrope breeds.

Other noteworthy roles include:

• Bolverk - Designated by the Ulfric as his punisher when he does not wish to meet out the punishments himself, although it can be seen as a sign of weakness to avoid doing one's own dirty work.
• Baugi, Suttung, and Guunlod - Title for the three helpers that a Bolverk is allowed.
• Vargamor - Name for the outdated and semi-obsolete role of a wise man/woman who serves as a neutral party in challenges, oversees rituals, and maintains the ancient wisdoms and stories of the Lukoi.
• Eros/Eranthe - A male/female pair tasked with teaching newly-infected wolves self-control during sexual intercourse so that the student can have sex with others without shifting into beast form at the moment of orgasm and risk tearing their partner open.
• This postion requires absolute maturity in the teacher and respect on the part of the student, meaning that they must forge a relationship and get to know each other before engaging in sex together. Once a bond has been established, the lessons can begin.

• Fenrir - Name given to the pack's second-in-command who has announced their intent to challenge the Ulfric in a fight to the death to take leadership of the pack. Without issuing this intent, the second-in-command is called the Geri
• Freki - Pack's third-in-command.
• Skoll - Primary bodyguard of the Ulfric and enforcer of his will over the pack.
• Hati - Secondary bodyguard of the Ulfric and enforcer of his will over the pack.
• Freyja - Name given to a Lupa who has decided she no longer wants to share her bed or body with the Ulfric and makes a ritual challenge to him that severs their bond.

DOMINANCE, SUBMISSION, & STATUS CHALLENGES

Werewolves have a strictly structured hierarchy based purely upon dominance and submission. Rank is established through challenges, save for Omegas who tend not feel the need for elevated status within the pack they are part of. From the top down, werewolves can issue a direct order to anyone beneath them as long as those above have not expressly forbidden the command.

Pack standing is established by being dominant over other wolves, either from fighting or backing down other pack members, sometimes being purely psychological battles. If the werewolf being challenged does not wish to fight, they simply acknowledge the challenger's dominance and the confrontation is over. The victor rises in rank and assumes the spot vacated by the defeated.

To ask for protection, a wolf can petition a dominant by brushing up against the dominant. If it is granted, the dominant will touch the submissive which then signals to any other lycanthropes in the area that he or she will protect that petitioner from their enemies/pursuers. When a werewolf asks someone for protection, they are admitting the other is dominant to them. If the wolf is given this protection, they are in effect fully under the command of the person giving the protection. All other wolves will either simply acknowledge this protection and move on or challenge the protection.

Certain challenges for rank within the pack are of a nature to be formal affairs, but do not necessarily need to end in death, except when the Ulfric is challenged.

• Non-Ulfric Challenges - One member makes a challenge to another. They engage in combat without the interference of the other pack members. The fight lasts until one is dead, incapacitated, or yields. The one left standing is the winner and attains rank above the defeated member and all those beneath him.
• Ulfric Challenges - When the Ulfric's position is challenged, the challenger must have completed several other challenges to prove his worth. First, he must rise to the rank of Freki. If the werewolf is strong enough, he may achieve this from natural power or through combat. Once he has become Freki, he must issue and win a formal challenge against the current Geri. Only when reaching second-in-command, can the Geri declare his intent to challenge the Ulfric, thus becoming Fenrir.
• Freya-Ulfric Challenges - Within the Lunapar, the Ulfric's mate cuts wounds over her heart and his, proclaiming "Your heart to mine, mine to yours. Lupa to your Ulfric. But not to your bed, nor you to mine." The knife is throw hilt-up into the ground which releases a wave of arousal and pheromones in the Lupa that attracts all suitable members of the pack. She then seals the ritual by saying "Claim me again if you can, my Ulfric." Doing so sends the rest of the pack into a frenzy, creating a free-for-all, the winner of which gets to couple with the Lupa. For the Ulfric who fails to win this contest and reclaim his mate, it is likely that he can expect additional challenges to his authority.

One of the most contagious and prevalent strains of lycanthropy, werewolves are considerably more common than most other kinds of Lycanthropes. In the largest cities it is not uncommon to have two packs, each operating in their own well-defined territories and independent of one another.

In the case of multiple packs in the same city, the odds of conflict between the two increase if members leave their own territories. Despite the human intellect that guides lycanthropes, the animal instincts are just as strong, and trespassers can expect to be chased away from another pack's territory or possibly killed for repeat offenders.

PACK LIFE & LIVING ARRANGEMENTS

Werewolves tend to live as a pack in the same house or in a few houses on the same property which has a common space called the Lupanar. Although it is a sacred place where succession battles, formal challenges, rituals, and ceremonial traditions occur, it is also used as a communal meeting ground.

The death of a pack member is a solemn occasion beyond normal sorrows as the Lukoi partake in a ceremonial consumption of parts the deceased's body which is believed to aid the dead in joining their ancestors and continuing to feed their power into the pack from the beyond. Spirits of the Lukoi dead, called Munin, are as much a part of the pack as are the living members.

General Traits & Abilities

To werewolves, the pack is everything. This unity allows them to work as a cohesive unit when hunting, fighting, or defending their territory. They are adept predators who are able to track their prey across long distances and cripple their targets with sweeping blows. With a touch of magic, their bites become even more deadly and their claws become fire, all the better to tear flesh and eliminate threats. Add in their ability to take damage and heal faster, a werewolf alone is formidable and a pack is nearly insurmountable.

Living With Wolves

A documentary by Jim and Jamie Dutcher details the life of a pack of wolves in the Idaho mountains, and highlights how wolves interacts.