Between is a neo-Appalachian horror-mystery about survival, secrecy, and the thin line between myth and memory. The town’s magic runs deep—but it’s watching who you let in.
This blood-borne pathogen is not so different from Vampirism, but where Vampirism must kill the host to complete the transformation, Lycanthropy does the exact opposite. Lycanthropy is anguish from the moment of attack (because it’s hardly ever just a bite) to the moment of rebirth and then once a month for the rest of their life the Lycan will know the torment of transformation.
The closer an attack occurs to a full moon the more likely it is the human will survive. There is an 89.99% chance an attack will result in the person accepting the pathogen and going through a rebirth into Lycanthropy. If they survive without transforming they are often left with lifelong wounds and gnarly disfigurement. One sign of the pathogen taking hold is the healing process that begins – healing attack wounds that should take much longer to heal. Their first shift on the next full moon is when they will have to come to terms with all the changes – bad, good, and gory – that comes with being a Lycan.
Born Lycans tend to have an easier time shifting, accepting their wolf, and moving through the seasons of their life. After all, born Lycans have parents that have been through this themselves to guide them through their lives on top of the fact that they’ve never known what it was like to be human. This is all they’ve ever known.
Bitten wolves can either fully embrace the change and have an easier time with the transformation. Some hate it, loath the fact that they’ve lost their normal lives and as such have a difficult time accepting their wolves.
The closer an attack occurs to a full moon the more likely it is the human will survive. There is an 89.99% chance an attack will result in the person accepting the pathogen and going through a rebirth into Lycanthropy. If they survive without transforming they are often left with lifelong wounds and gnarly disfigurement. One sign of the pathogen taking hold is the healing process that begins – healing attack wounds that should take much longer to heal. Their first shift on the next full moon is when they will have to come to terms with all the changes – bad, good, and gory – that comes with being a Lycan.
Born Lycans tend to have an easier time shifting, accepting their wolf, and moving through the seasons of their life. After all, born Lycans have parents that have been through this themselves to guide them through their lives on top of the fact that they’ve never known what it was like to be human. This is all they’ve ever known.
Bitten wolves can either fully embrace the change and have an easier time with the transformation. Some hate it, loath the fact that they’ve lost their normal lives and as such have a difficult time accepting their wolves.
In both human and wolf shape, Lycans have enhanced durability, speed, strength, and each of their five senses are enhanced. Born Lycans tend to live their life based on smell, hearing, and sight whereas bitten Lycans fluctuate between their senses as they’re used to relying on their eyes first and foremost. The learning curve can be dizzying.
Lycanthropes are built to absorb blunt force and piercing damage. To touch a Lycanthrope in human form would give nothing away, their skin feels human if not just hotter to the touch (as their temperatures do run above 105°F (40.5556°C) on average), but it takes more strength to rip into a Lycan’s skin. Bullets and knives will pierce them, but not as deeply as they would with a human.
These creatures have a heightened metabolism which has created a heightened healing factor. Cuts, abrasions, muscle tears all heal extremely fast. A broken bone can mend in days. Life threatening wounds to a human may just be unpleasantly painful for a Lycanthrope (as long as silver or wolfsbane aren't involved). Because of this heightened healing factor Lycanthropes (Born or Bitten) do not experience normal stimulants (caffein or nicotine) the same way others might. The effect is short lived and hardly worth the effort usually. Alcohol and weed (or other drugs) do nothing for Lycans. Yes, that means your born lycanthrope has never been drunk or high.
This also means born lycanthropes don't have piercings, unless they were pierced with a silver needle. Some will wear silver jewelry to keep a piercing open, but they feel a small irritation from it daily. Some like that kind of thing though. Tattoos fade between a week and a couple months depending on size. Bitten Lycans maintain scars, piercings, and tattoos from their previous life, but fall under the laws of Lycan healing once they've shifted.
Lycanthropes are built to absorb blunt force and piercing damage. To touch a Lycanthrope in human form would give nothing away, their skin feels human if not just hotter to the touch (as their temperatures do run above 105°F (40.5556°C) on average), but it takes more strength to rip into a Lycan’s skin. Bullets and knives will pierce them, but not as deeply as they would with a human.
These creatures have a heightened metabolism which has created a heightened healing factor. Cuts, abrasions, muscle tears all heal extremely fast. A broken bone can mend in days. Life threatening wounds to a human may just be unpleasantly painful for a Lycanthrope (as long as silver or wolfsbane aren't involved). Because of this heightened healing factor Lycanthropes (Born or Bitten) do not experience normal stimulants (caffein or nicotine) the same way others might. The effect is short lived and hardly worth the effort usually. Alcohol and weed (or other drugs) do nothing for Lycans. Yes, that means your born lycanthrope has never been drunk or high.
This also means born lycanthropes don't have piercings, unless they were pierced with a silver needle. Some will wear silver jewelry to keep a piercing open, but they feel a small irritation from it daily. Some like that kind of thing though. Tattoos fade between a week and a couple months depending on size. Bitten Lycans maintain scars, piercings, and tattoos from their previous life, but fall under the laws of Lycan healing once they've shifted.
Wolfsbane: Since ancient times Wolfsbane has been used to hunt wolves. Aconitine, a toxin in the plant, can cause anything from respiratory paralysis, breathing problems, nausea, vomiting, to weakened pulse and heart rate. It will cause immense pain in the Lycan and end in death if there is no Alpha that can help force a shift that purges the toxins from the body. Larger toxin intakes may need an Alpha induced coma.
Silver: is the one metal that will pierce or slash the skin of a Lycan with ease, causing intense wounds that can deal fatal damage. A wolf may be unable to heal from injuries caused by silver if they cannot get to Pack, force shift, or have an Alpha that can force a shift.
Other Lycans: Damage from another Lycan will heal 50% slower than average wounds. A Lycan's claws and teeth can rip through another Lycan as if they did not have enhanced durability. A forced shift can help heal wounds, but the rougher the attack the longer they’ll have to stay in wolf form where they’ll fall into an Alpha induced coma.
Decapitation: Beheading a Lycan is the quickest way of ending a Lycan’s life.
Emotions: Without training, Lycans are practically slaves to their emotions for better or worse. Heightened emotions like anger are dangerous as they may force, especially younger (bitten or born) Lycans, to shift unexpectedly. Unexpected shifts tend to be when accidents happen and more bites occur. Learning emotional control is very important for Lycans.
Day Before: The day before the full moon when the moon is 99% full wolves can be in an irritated state, quick to anger, highly sexual, and extremely hungry. Younger or less experienced wolves can go through a cycle of these emotions and some choose to shift on this day because they know this is as human as they'll feel until after the full moon.
Day Of: Every wolf is compelled to shift into their wolf. Those that try to fight it always lose and go through one of the most painful types of shifts. Not even an Alpha can help with this pain. Wolves in a true pack with a true Alpha tend to have a system in place on where hunting takes place, where running takes place, and the general routine of the night. This keeps attacks on humans down and people accountable for specific wolves. Because wolves are crepuscular they are very active during dusk and dawn meaning after a hunt, run, and song at night - they actually tend to find comfort with one another in piles to sleep until dawn. Some will shift back to human at dawn while others frolic in their wolf shape until hours after sunrise.
Day After: A lot like the day before, the day after the full moon can leave some wolves in a hyper emotional state. There isn’t a draw to shift, but there are other emotions that tend to be high. They may feel itchy or is if their skin is too tight, but this will fade throughout the oncoming week.
Not all wolves will find a true mate in their lifetime. There are two types of mate bonds, a chosen bond and a true bond.
- Chosen bonds are a lot like deciding that the relationship you have is important enough to marry the person you love. It is choosing to make a commitment to another person, to honor and love them. There isn’t anything truly mystical about this bond outside of the Pack making a unanimous choice to accept the bonded partner as part of the Pack. Chosen Bond can be between a wolf and any other species.
- A True Mate Bond is mystical, metaphysical, and can only be between two wolves. A TMB does not care about sexuality, gender, Pack, or politics. There are old Pack stories about how TMBs are a single soul that was split into two and blessed by the Moon Goddess to meet and feel true love through reuniting as physical beings.
These bonds can be instantaneous, snapping into place like a missing piece. It can be a confusing situation that takes months or years to figure out. There is no time limit on a TMB being recognized - it is when the two wolves are ready to recognize and act.
This bond comes with other abilities. Some wolves grow an empathetic bond with their partner while others may have a telepathic connection. Some wolves grow clairvoyant abilities to specifically see their partner if they are in need while others may grow premonition type gifts. As bonds grow these gifts will grow.
Physical contact becomes an almost need, it may even seem obsessive to outsiders (not other wolves, usually). Due to all of these ties True Mate’s grow a metaphysical tether where if one is hurt the other may feel that pain or go through it themselves as if it is happening to them. If one dies the other may as well. For this reason rejection or ending the relationship comes with a price that may also put the wolves at risk of death. However, deciding to not enter a TMB with a wolf at the start or before the tether grows will allow the wolves to part ways. The heartbreak will last for an extended period of time, but they will heal and carry the knowledge of what they may have lost.
Having a mate bond does not change personality. If someone is a cheater, having a mate bond would not stop that from happening. They may think twice, especially if the tether has grown. Just know that having a mate bond doesn't make someone with commitment issues suddenly, easily, accept being with someone.
- The undead (zombies, ghouls, revenants, lich, vampires, etc.) are considered unnatural creatures and therefore enemies that can bring on unease, fear, disgust or a mix of these emotions. It really boils down to the scent of rot and decay (even when perfumed by a vampire's top notes).
- If a Supernatural creature were to survive an attack by a Lycanthrope they would no longer retain their previous abilities. There may be lingering, passive, effects but that will be case by case. The inherited Lycan condition is physical enhancements, not magical.
- Magic smells different depending on the species. Witches tend to smell like natural forces trying to be contained by a humanoid's figure. Fae are sweet, delicate, spun sugar and popping candy. Gifted humans are like the fizz of a fresh cream soda pour. It tickles the nose and leaves a trace of vanilla mixed into their natural scent, but it's mostly just that itchy (sometimes delightful) fizz. On top of their natural scent, all Lycans can pick up the unique musk of another wolf.
- Common attributes of Lycanthropes: Enjoy physical contact, tend to dislike clothing on some level, very little to no shame around nudity, enjoy platonic cuddling. These attributes can vary for bitten wolves and of course the history of the Lycanthrope. These are just common, but not the rule.
The process of shifting from human to wolf is one of agony as skin rips, bones break, and muscle tears. Human teeth fall out as canine teeth push down as the skull compacts and elongates. Nails push free as claws shred out - even the process of the spine elongating into a tail will bring a wolf into an arch of pain. This shift is easier for born Lycans and for those that simply don’t fight against it.
In human form those that are close to their inner wolf can feel the beast like roiling heated liquid within them, sometimes even under the surface of their skin. This feeling ‘breaks free’ when the human shifts to wolf.
Wolf: This form is the most common. Wolves are roughly 5’ and a couple of inches tall, between 9 and 10’ long and reach between 770 - 1300 lbs. Physiques are determined if the wolf is a fighter, tank, or built for speed which often translates into their human stature as well. Eyes can range from gold, amber, orange, hazel, or gray. Mabel Walker had glowing copper eyes - True Alphas tend to have a copper or brass tone.
Werewolf: The human-wolf hybrid figure is only attained by those who are in perfect balance between wolf and human. Most bitten wolves do not obtain the ability or skill to shift into this form.
Misc: Often during heightened emotions parts of the wolf can start to break through the human figure. That heated flood can be felt flowing under their skin and canine teeth may sharpen, claws may break free, hair may become more fur-like in texture, the most common is when wolf eyes bleed through the human eyes. If they catch this quickly they can shake it off. These features may stick in human bodies if the human spends months or more in wolf form.
Because sex with a human or humanoid species can be dangerous - wolves tend to start the topic around puberty with born wolves and as soon as possible with bitten wolves. It is more likely to pass the Lycan pathogen during sex because untrained wolves may partially or fully shift and in that process rip and tear apart their partner. Lycanthropes must maintain some sense of control while engaging in sexual intimacy with human or humanoid partners.
Though there may be some deep clawing, biting, and the loss of strength control with another Lycan - their partner can survive, heal, and more importantly often enjoy the encounter. There are some metaphysical parts to having sex between two wolves. The beast within can be felt under the skin bonding with their partner’s wolf. The lack of needing to control oneself is often considered liberating.
Sex in general, for those who experience sexual desire, is gratifying. Wolves just have to remember it can also be dangerous with humans and humanoids.
When it comes to pregnancy the female Lycanthrope’s body is made to carry and protect the fetus during shifting, however it is common practice for the Lycan to choose to stay in her wolf shape until she gives birth (two months gestation). The baby will be born a wolf cub and mature as wolf cubs do. The mother will often spend at least another eight weeks in wolf form to feed and teach their child. Often other Packmates will help protect, teach, and watch over the pup so that mom can shift and stretch her human limbs.
Pups are encouraged to shift into their human forms for the first time after two month, the equivalent of a two year old human child. The pup will have a natural curiosity and may randomly shift back into their wolf shape without warning. Keeping them human is the hardest part, but growing up with the Pack and having a close connection to their peers helps them feel safe and confident to grow with their fellow pups in human and wolf forms alike. They learn to accept their duality faster and embrace their human as well as their wolf.
Humans that become pregnant with a Lycan’s pup are likely to miscarry in the first three months, go through agonizing pain if they can carry the pregnancy to term and have a 99.99% chance of dying during birth. Most born Lycans come from a family of Lycans for this reason.
Across the world, lycans follow a familiar hierarchy—Alpha, Beta, Omega, and Packmates—but how that hierarchy functions depends entirely on the culture, geography, and ethics of the Pack. The structure is universal. The behavior within it is not. Every Pack interprets these roles through its own worldview, survival needs, and history.
The Alpha: Leadership Shaped by Culture
The Alpha is the Pack’s central authority, but leadership styles vary wildly. Some Alphas guide with steadiness, empathy, and mutual respect; others rule through intimidation, violence, or rigid doctrine. A healthy Alpha protects, organizes, and stabilizes the Pack. A corrupt Alpha may hoard power, punish disobedience brutally, or shape the Pack into a cult or crime family. Geography also plays a role—mountain Packs often value endurance and tight community; city Packs might operate more like syndicates, gangs, or political machines. What unites all Alphas is this: they set the tone, and the Pack follows.
The Beta: The Enforcer, Steward, or Shadow Hand
Betas are always the Alpha’s chosen right hand, but their function is shaped by the Pack’s identity. In nurturing Packs, the Beta handles logistics, conflict mediation, and emotional support. In militant Packs, they act as drill sergeants or tacticians. In corrupt or criminal Packs, Betas may become enforcers, interrogators, or the Alpha’s political weapon. Regardless of culture, Betas maintain the Pack’s internal order and serve as the Alpha’s primary executor of will.
The Omega: The Emotional Center—or the Scapegoat
Omegas emerge naturally, not by appointment, but Packs treat them very differently. Balanced Packs cherish Omegas for their calming aura and ability to resolve tension. More aggressive Packs may minimize or ignore them. Abusive Packs may exploit them—or blame them for internal strife. A wolf playing an Omega must understand the culture they come from: the same role can be a position of honor, neutrality, vulnerability, or emotional servitude depending on the Pack’s values.
The Packmates: The Culture-Bearers
Most wolves are Packmates—hunters, scouts, den keepers, urban operatives, or whatever their environment shapes them into. In rural Packs, community roles like foraging, childcare, and land stewardship define everyday life. In city Packs, hierarchy may blend with criminal economics, territory disputes, or political alliances. The Packmates reflect the true culture of the group: they are the backbone, the lifeblood, and the ones who pass down rituals, prejudices, traditions, and survival habits.
A Universal System—Endless Expressions
While the hierarchy remains structurally consistent across all lycans, the tone of that hierarchy ranges from loving to tyrannical, from communal to paramilitary, from spiritual to predatory. Some Packs seek harmony; others seek dominance. Some integrate with human society; others hide in the deep woods or live in plain sight among skyscrapers.
For players, this means any wolf you create will carry the imprint of the Pack that shaped them. Their understanding of leadership, obedience, conflict, and loyalty depends on where they came from—and whether that Pack was nurturing, fractured, dangerous, disciplined, spiritual, or corrupted. The hierarchy defines the roles. The culture defines the wolves.
The Alpha is the Pack’s central authority, but leadership styles vary wildly. Some Alphas guide with steadiness, empathy, and mutual respect; others rule through intimidation, violence, or rigid doctrine. A healthy Alpha protects, organizes, and stabilizes the Pack. A corrupt Alpha may hoard power, punish disobedience brutally, or shape the Pack into a cult or crime family. Geography also plays a role—mountain Packs often value endurance and tight community; city Packs might operate more like syndicates, gangs, or political machines. What unites all Alphas is this: they set the tone, and the Pack follows.
Betas are always the Alpha’s chosen right hand, but their function is shaped by the Pack’s identity. In nurturing Packs, the Beta handles logistics, conflict mediation, and emotional support. In militant Packs, they act as drill sergeants or tacticians. In corrupt or criminal Packs, Betas may become enforcers, interrogators, or the Alpha’s political weapon. Regardless of culture, Betas maintain the Pack’s internal order and serve as the Alpha’s primary executor of will.
Omegas emerge naturally, not by appointment, but Packs treat them very differently. Balanced Packs cherish Omegas for their calming aura and ability to resolve tension. More aggressive Packs may minimize or ignore them. Abusive Packs may exploit them—or blame them for internal strife. A wolf playing an Omega must understand the culture they come from: the same role can be a position of honor, neutrality, vulnerability, or emotional servitude depending on the Pack’s values.
While the hierarchy remains structurally consistent across all lycans, the tone of that hierarchy ranges from loving to tyrannical, from communal to paramilitary, from spiritual to predatory. Some Packs seek harmony; others seek dominance. Some integrate with human society; others hide in the deep woods or live in plain sight among skyscrapers.
For players, this means any wolf you create will carry the imprint of the Pack that shaped them. Their understanding of leadership, obedience, conflict, and loyalty depends on where they came from—and whether that Pack was nurturing, fractured, dangerous, disciplined, spiritual, or corrupted. The hierarchy defines the roles. The culture defines the wolves.
Lycanthropes in the world of Ruin are more than claws and moonlight — they’re people shaped by lineage, instinct, the land and water itself. The four aspects exist to help you create a wolf who feels real: someone with history, contradictions, strengths, and wounds.
Think of each aspect not as a category to fill, but as a lens that reveals another side of who your wolf is. Once you choose your aspects you'll be able to combine everything into an cohesive person.
The four aspects aren’t meant to be isolated traits. Together, they form the full arc of who your wolf is:
Build shows how the world sees your body.
Temper shows how you see your own nature.
Instinct shows what drives you when your heart races.
Mark shows the trace of magic you can’t hide.
When used together, they become a story:
A Tank with a Steadfast heart, driven to Guard, whose eyes reflect the moonlight even at noon
→ is someone who stands between danger and their loved ones, steady as the mountain, shining with a hint of old wild magic.
A Scout with a Restrained temper, born from Curiosity, whose shadow moves like a living thing
→ is someone wrestling with their own need to know, afraid of losing control, yet drawn deeper into mysteries.
A Common Pack wolf with a Feral spark, driven to Brood, who smells of warm pine
→ is someone who laughs hard, loves too much, gets into trouble, and would die for their family.
Think of the four aspects as four points on a map. Your wolf lives somewhere in the middle — shaped by:
Culture, experiences, trauma, family, spillways and the Appalachian land itself.
The aspects give structure — the player gives soul.
Think of each aspect not as a category to fill, but as a lens that reveals another side of who your wolf is. Once you choose your aspects you'll be able to combine everything into an cohesive person.
The four aspects aren’t meant to be isolated traits. Together, they form the full arc of who your wolf is:
Build shows how the world sees your body.
Temper shows how you see your own nature.
Instinct shows what drives you when your heart races.
Mark shows the trace of magic you can’t hide.
When used together, they become a story:
→ is someone who stands between danger and their loved ones, steady as the mountain, shining with a hint of old wild magic.
→ is someone wrestling with their own need to know, afraid of losing control, yet drawn deeper into mysteries.
→ is someone who laughs hard, loves too much, gets into trouble, and would die for their family.
Think of the four aspects as four points on a map. Your wolf lives somewhere in the middle — shaped by:
Culture, experiences, trauma, family, spillways and the Appalachian land itself.
The aspects give structure — the player gives soul.
What your body says about your purpose. Your Build determines how the wolf sits in your bones. It’s the physical story your body tells.
When you choose a Build, you’re choosing how you take up space, how you move, how others instinctively read you.
Ask yourself:
What has this body survived? What has it been used for? What do others expect from it?
Ask yourself:
What has this body survived? What has it been used for? What do others expect from it?
How you live with the wolf within. Your Temper is your emotional relationship to the beast inside you — not whether you’re “good” or “bad,” but how you carry the duality.
Temper helps you decide how your wolf reacts when pushed, frightened, excited, or hurt. It’s the difference between a wolf who growls before they bite and one who bites before they breathe.
Ask yourself:
What’s easier for me to control — my emotions, or my instincts? Which one wins when it’s close?
Ask yourself:
What’s easier for me to control — my emotions, or my instincts? Which one wins when it’s close?
What drives you when thought falls away. Instinct is the heartbeat of your animal nature. It’s the answer to the question:
“Why does your wolf run?”
Instinct gives you a direction. It helps you understand what your wolf chases, what they defend, what they can’t walk away from.
Ask yourself:
When everything falls apart, what do I cling to? What always pulls me forward?
Ask yourself:
When everything falls apart, what do I cling to? What always pulls me forward?
What the world sees when the wolf stirs. Mark is the visible or sensory sign of your wolf — the thing that betrays the animal beneath the skin.
Mark helps you roleplay how your wolf feels to others — uncanny, comforting, dangerous, or ancient.
Ask yourself:
What crawls out from under my skin when I’m not paying attention? What do the waters or woods recognize in me?
Ask yourself:
What crawls out from under my skin when I’m not paying attention? What do the waters or woods recognize in me?
The Alpha will always be Mod controlled. Beta and Omega roles can either be worked into during gameplay or players can let the Mod know they want to come in as one of those roles. These roles will be dictated by player activity AND engagement because these roles need to be taken by characters that are highly involved in The Pack.