Lawrence Lockier

• Born in 2017 to William Lockier and Celia Astley, the former pack leaders of the Lockier pack.
• In 2027, Lawrence manifested his werewolf form at a mere 10 years old, the youngest of any Lockier thus far. He quickly became favored in his family as a prodigy. After being Bloodsworn to Lady Carmilla, he began to train to be an elite member of her personal guard.
• In 2050, the Lockier Pack's leader, William Lockier, was killed by the Alliance. To the surprise of all, William gave the right of succession of Pack leadership to Lawrence, his youngest son. Isaac, the third-born son, refused to acknowledge Lawrence as the new Pack leader and began a bloody conflict that resulted in the deaths of the oldest Lockier sibling, Sebastian, his mate Arabelle, and many other Lockier Pack champions. Simon plotted to save Lawrence by substituting Lawrence with his 'cousin' Alec Lockier while Isaac was a barely sane enraged state, and sent Lawrence to a contact of his, who then arranged Lawrence's transport to a secret safe house. He went into hiding to continue his training in the hopes that he would one day become strong enough to challenge Isaac and Isabelle.
• In March 2081, Simon was apprehended by the Alliance. One month later, Lawrence discovered this had happened, he travelled to Mexico City to reach Simon's contact in the hopes of finding information or accomplices that would be willing and able to help him storm the Alliance HQ. He stumbled across two Alliance HQ agents in a major Black Market bust and used their transport to sneak into the Alliance HQ. He single-handedly assaulted the HQ, taking out many agents along the way, until he was stopped by the new Carmen League Leader, Keiko.

Origin of Lycanthropy

Though there are many similar were-creatures and supernatural/shapeshifters that transform into canids, the term werewolf as used in this document is used specifically to refer to those with true lycanthropy, a curse originating in ancient Greece.

In the third century BC, under an unknown influence, cults began to appear in the Greek providence of Arcadia that participated in ritual human sacrifice. It has been theorized that these people were influenced by nomadic Neuri cult shamans, but there is not much physical evidence to support this. It is said that any who afterwards ate the entrails of the sacrifice would then become transformed into a wolf. Only after abstaining from eating the flesh of humans for nine years could these proto-werewolves return to a human form, but should they partake once more, they would become as wolves again.

It is said that one of these proto-werewolves, King Lycaoen, who was transformed into a wolf after trying to trick Zeus into eating the entrails of a child, went on to challenge and steal a relic from a cult of Artemis. After absorbing the relic’s power, he gained abilities allowing him to transform between a wolf and a human form and have incredible strength and regenerative abilities (and as a side effect of the regenerative abilities, longevity). In retaliation, Artemis cursed him to be inexorably impulsed to go mad with the rise of every full moon, and transform into a wild, bloodthirsty beast. Though he had gained longevity through his newfound power, Artemis cursed him to lose a little bit of his sanity each time the moon rose, until his humanity would be forever lost to the wilds.

The curse of lycanthropy can be passed down through familial lineage, or by being bitten by a werewolf on the full moon. Lycaoen’s curse was passed on and spread throughout Europe, eventually reaching every corner of the world. In ancient times, werewolves were compelled to hunt during the full moon, so they thrived best in regions with large land mammals to prey upon. Their spread to the south was penned in by the difficulty of passing the Sahara Desert, and the prevalence of yao and other powerful supernaturals in the East stunted true lycanthropy’s spread to the East Asian countries. They found great success in the colonialism of foreign countries, and in particular, the North Americas. There is a significant community of lycanthropes in the Americans, who tend to be more benevolent than their European relatives. Werewolves in modern times are found all around the world, but because of the curse’s point of origin, Europe remains the region with the highest concentration of werewolves.

There is no known cure to the curse.

Physical Description

A true lycanthrope has several forms.

Most werewolves spend most of the time in a human form. Their human form can be any human ethnicity, and so encompass all natural human variations. Born lycanthropes’ human forms tend to be on the taller end of the spectrum of human racial heights. They have oversized canines comparative to natural humans, but unlike vampires, have long canines on both the top and bottom row of teeth.

Their half shift form, as they call it, involves them only shifting a part of their body. Most commonly, this is seen in an augmented human form with canine ears and occasionally a tail. In combat, half shift might be observed as transforming their hands into furred claws, or their head into a wolven head, with a muzzle full of carnivorous teeth.

A werewolf’s fullshift, or moonshift, form is neither wolf nor human, but something in between, and greater than the sum of both. This is their largest form. In fullshift, most werewolves stand at approximately 9-10 feet, and approximately 5-6 feet at the withers when on all fours. However, lycanthropes can attain far greater sizes (see: Purebloods). This is the form they are compelled to shift into during the full moon, and until sunrise, they cannot shift out of this form. The full shift is often described as a wolf with a humanoid body.

The werewolf’s head is fully wolfish, albeit far larger than any natural wolf, with large triangular ears and a broad muzzle with a full set of canid teeth, proportionate to their size. Unlike wolves, they have 32 teeth like a human, rather than 42 like a natural wolf. This is the way a werewolf’s skull can be differentiated from a wolf’s skull (other than the usual size difference).

Their necks are long and covered in a shaggy mane of fur. From there their torso begins to resemble that of a humanoid, with a broad, wide torso and distinctly muscular shoulders and arms. Each arm looks like an oversized human arm with claw-like hands and long, sharp talons. They have a long tail like a wolf. Like wolves, their legs are digitigrade. They have five fingers on their hands, but the appearance of only four toes, having a small (relatively) dewclaw as their fifth phalange.

They are furred all over their body except their pawpads. Their pelage is usually of an unusually (for wolves) solid color the same color as their human hair. Their arms and legs are so proportionate and so positioned that they can stand on either their hind legs or on all fours. They are much faster on all fours, but have no trouble standing or running on two legs.

There is some clinal variation in the fullshift form form of werewolves across regions, with their wolven forms tending to have regional canid adaptations, such as lankier builds and large, thin ears in desert lycanthropes, and smaller sizes and thicker fur in polar lycanthropes.

The average lifespan of a werewolf is approximately 2-5 times that of a human, and they age at a decreased factor comparative to humans. A born lycanthrope ages at a human rate until their first moon shift, after which their aging slows by factor depending on the potency of their curse. However, the compounding moon’s madness is such that werewolves rarely retain their human sanity beyond ~60 years of age. Without their sanity, they become as feral beasts, and become permanently unable to shift out of their fullshift forms. Though they are bloodmad, their lack of human cunning makes them easier to hunt.

Werewolves have enhanced senses compared to humans, having a canine’s keen sense of smell and hearing. In all forms they possess supernatural strength and speed. They have incredible regenerative abilities, with most being able to heal the most grievous injuries, such as amputations, within a day or two. Their regenerative abilities can be slowed by exposure to pure silver, and as such, silver is the preferred metal for creating slayer’s weaponry. They cannot recover from decapitation or cardiac trauma inflicted by silver weapons.

Purebloods

For unknown reasons, the curse of lycanthropy strengthens when two lycanthropes mate and produce offspring. Lycanthropes with dual lycanthrope parentage tend to be bigger, stronger, and more resilient than general werewolves. Their regenerative abilities are enhanced, and purebloods are even more long lived. There seems to be no upper limit to this cultivation, as lycanthropes of successive generations get stronger and stronger with each generation. A lycanthrope of three successive generations is known as a Pureblood. These Purebloods have an elitist mentality, and are known to call others Weakbloods. In addition to being stronger, however, Purebloods succumb to the moon’s madness with much greater severity, and deterioration of mental stability is far faster.

The curse’s potency for someone who is bitten by a lycanthrope is significantly weaker than a pureblooded lycanthrope, but one who is turned by a powerful werewolf tends to be stronger than most werewolves.

Several lineages of lycanthropes have developed since King Lycaoen’s time, and they became accustomed to interbreeding to develop the strength of the curse. In the medieval times, these bloodlines became so overwhelmingly powerful it became a plague upon the land. It became imperative for werewolf hunters to exsanguinate these powerful bloodlines. With the Alliance’s help, King Lycaoen’s direct lineage, as well as several other bloodlines were severed, weakening the potency of the curse, and fear of these beasts diminished over time.

Dedicated Orders and families of hunters have endeavored to keep the number of true lycanthropes down ever since, to discourage the return of ancient lycanthrope bloodlines. A hotly debated ethical topic is the Lycanthrope Integration Provision treaty agreement constructed between hunters and non hostile werewolves that states that pardoned lycanthropes are not permitted to procreate with other lycanthropes if they are more than second generation lycanthropes. On this day, there are only a few lineages that have reached and maintained Pureblood status over five generations, the most infamously elusive of which is the Lockier lineage, which is estimated to be in its twelfth generation.

Bloodsworn

The 10th century is the first known instance of the Bloodsworn ritual. It is a ritual developed by vampire sorcerers of the Sangê Order, which binds a werewolf to lifelong vassal status to an entity. This ritual negates the building madness of the curse of lycanthropy by giving the werewolf a purpose in serving their master. The patron of the Bloodsworn gains control of the lycanthrope and gains the ability to command the lycanthrope to do their bidding, which they cannot defy. Lycanthropes consider this a small price to pay to maintain their sanity.

The Bloodsworn pact is a pact for life, which only terminates upon the death of the patron or the werewolf. In Europe, most true lycanthropes, being mortal themselves, become Bloodsworn to immortal vampires, who agree to become the patron of their lineage, so long as it endures. The Bloodsworn ritual can bind a werewolf to any entity, not just vampire, but the ritual is a closely guarded secret inside of the upper echelon of the ancient vampire orders, who consider it a status symbol to be a patron to a lycanthrope lineage.

Independent communes have attempted to develop their own form of the Bloodsworn, but none are as successful and practitioners invariably find themselves at the mercy of Artemis’s wrath. If a werewolf is not Bloodsworn (as most are not), the moon’s madness can be mitigated for some time by modern anti-psychotics, which is the general populace of werewolves’ solution. Outside of the Bloodsworn, however, the loss of human sanity is absolutely inevitable.

The Lockier Family

The Lockier Pack is led by members of the Lockier family, who have maintained control of the pack since 1455. Their lineage is the long-running lineage of lycanthropes in Europe. Their ancestors are knights of Norman nobility from the kingdom of England, disgraced after gaining the curse of true lycanthropy. After the first Lockier werewolf, Cedrick Lockyer, fell from grace, he swore fealty to Lady Carmilla, of the Sangê Order, becoming one of the first instances of the Bloodsworn. To this day, she has remained as the patron of his lineage. They serve as her elite guard, and their pack spearheads a vast trafficking network to source quality and exotic prey for the Sangê Order.

With the help of their powerful associates, the Lockiers have proven to be extremely elusive. Though many attempts have been made by the Alliance to sever the bloodline, the Lockiers have always escaped complete exsanguination. Their primary area of activity is Northern and Baltic Europe. It is rare to come across a Lockier, but their werewolf forms are singularly distinct. Their human and wolven forms are generally dark haired, with eyes of a pale blue color. Due to their enduring lineage, they are exceptionally large compared to standard werewolves, and extremely powerful. The current generation of Lockiers is believed to currently be the largest werewolves on the globe by a significant margin, rivaling even the ancient medieval champions of the now extinct founding bloodlines. The protection of the Sangê Order and their own extraordinary abilities make them difficult targets to track down and kill.

The leadership of their pack has traditionally been passed down to the eldest child of the current heir, but historically, there have been many bloody internal conflicts caused by challengers of the primogeniture system. They are singularly obsessed with maintaining the purity of their Pureblood lineage, and their heirs are only permitted to marry and produce heirs with another werewolf, preferably of Pureblood status. In such a way, their bloodline has strengthened enormously over the centuries. It is estimated that they are in at least their twelfth generation, but their exponentially growing lifespans make it difficult to be certain.

The Lockier lineage are the unchallenged leaders of a vast coalition of Bloodsworn werewolves who serve the Sangê Order called the Lockier Pack, although the actual number of Lockier lineage wolves in the Lockier Pack account for only about 10% of the pack's numbers. As of 2080, the current leader of the Lockier Pack is confirmed to be Isaac Lockier.

Origin of the Lockier Lineage

A Norman noble, Cedrick Lockyer (1101-1216) was a Knight in the Order of the Nightguard (founded 1095), an order of knights dedicated to the extermination of monstrous creatures, such as werewolves and vampires, that threatened the sanctity of the Kingdom of England.

During one hunt, Cedrick was bitten by a werewolf. Though he survived, he became infected with the were curse and became a werewolf himself. The Order he was a part of at the time required that those infected honorably commit suicide to prevent themselves from becoming monsters. Instead, Cedrick hid his infection, intending to hide himself away during the full moons. However, he was unable to get away when an army of werewolves, intent on destroying the Order dedicated to hunting them, attacked the church that served as their sanctum.

Though Cedrick knew he would not be able to resist turning into a werewolf on the full moon, he was honorbound to defend the innocents who were there seeking safe harbor, and he joined the defenses there with the hopes that he would be able to control his consciousness and use his powerful transmuted form for good.

The Order of the Nightguard were fast becoming overrun with the rising moon when Cedrick himself became impulsed to transform. He leapt into the pack of werewolves and, with his newfound strength and ferocity as a werewolf, was able to turn the tide against the werewolves at last. Though initially his Order hesitated between being unsure whether they should kill him or join him, they eventually joined him in battle and the Order and Cedrick were able to rout the werewolf pack.

Unfortunately, the smell of blood that so saturated the battlegrounds overwhelmed Cedrick, causing him to lose his sense of self. He turned on his once compatriots.

Cedrick awoke the next morning to the massacre he had unleashed against his Order. In his berserk state he had decimated what remained of the Order of the Nightguard, and slaughtered all who had sought shelter at the church. Horrified and shamed, Cedrick fled the scene and sojourned in guilt for some time.

The true story of what had happened that night to the Order of the Nightguard was obscured, and it was believed that the Order had been wiped out by an unknown hostile group. Unbeknownst to most, the story was doctored by Alliance members who had found a group of survivors who had managed to hide away in a cellar.

Cedrick became a major target wanted by the Alliance, but was able to evade them for many years until he attracted the attention of a vampire of the Sangê Order, who offered to keep his sanity and protect him against the Alliance in exchange for his services as a vassal warrior.

Though it disgusted him to serve the creatures he had once hunted, Cedrick ultimately did not wish to lose his sanity and he acquiesced to his new life. It is said that Cedrick loathed his curse until the end of his days. That apparently never stopped him from having a family whose descendants have survived to this day.

Under the protection of their vampire, they thrived and the bloodline strengthened with each successive generation, going on to become the purest and longest running bloodline of werewolves in Europe.

(Digitized journal entry of Alban Edelgard, 1873.)

Lockier Pack Leadership Conflict (2050)

There are two conflicting accounts on the events of the Lockier Pack Leadership Conflict given by Simon Lockier and Lawrence Lockier. After Lawrence was revealed to be still alive, Simon has recanted his account and claims that Lawrence's account is the true one. Lawrence's testimony, given in April 2081, is currently assumed to be the accurate account of events of the 2050 Lockier Pack Leadership Conflict, however, there is no way to verify it.

Lawrence's Account

Interviewed by Vincent Russell, April 2081.

Though the leadership of the pack is traditionally passed down to the firstborn, William willed his youngest son, Lawrence, whom he believed to have the most potential, to take on the mantle of Lockier Pack Leader. William believed Lawrence would be ready for the role by the time he stepped down. Instead, William's tenure as Pack Leader was unexpectedly cut short when he was assassinated by the Alliance in 2050 while Lawrence was only 33 years of age.

Though some of the Pack, including William's first two sons, Sebastian and Simon, believed that with guidance, Lawrence could still effectively manage the Pack, the majority of the Pack believed that Lawrence was simply too young to be the Pack's Leader yet. The latter faction rallied behind Lawrence's strongest opposition, his brother Isaac, a formidable lycanthrope and the most powerful in the Lockier Pack at the time. This disagreement quickly turned into a bloody conflict.

From the start, the side that supported Lawrence against's Isaac's challenge faced insurmountable odds against the combined might of Isaac, his twin sister Isabelle, and the majority of the lesser Lockier Pack. As the war swelled to a devasting climax, the two factions agreed to a parley to negotiate a descalation.

During the parley, negotiations quickly broke down. Isaac and Isa engaged Sebastian and his mate Arabella in battle, which culminated in the deaths of both Sebastian and Arabella. Isaac, Isa, and their mother Celia Astley became feral and temporarily insane with rage at Sebastian's death, and entrenched both sides in a desperate killing frenzy.

Simon was able to escape the bloodbath back to the stronghold where Lawrence had been kept back. There he urged Lawrence to use a wolfsbane potion to conceal his scent, fake his death, and escape the conflict altogether. Lawrence deduced that the bloodbath at the parley had been machinated by Simon and Sebastian to bait Isaac into an insane state to create the opportunity for his escape. Burdened by the guilt of all the lives lost for this endeavor, strongwilled Lawrence reluctantly allowed himself to be escorted to a secret transport while a body double fought, and was slain, by Isaac.

The transport took him to an associate of Simon, who then ferried him to several more safehouses. Over the years, Lawrence has lived and trained in secrecy across several countries, most notably New Zealand, preparing for the day he is strong enough to challenge Isaac and Isabelle.

As of 2081, the only surviving member of the Lockier Pack aware of Lawrence's survival is his brother, Simon.

Simon's Account (Rescinded)

Thirty years ago, the Lockier pack was thrown into a period of turmoil when their leader, William Lockier was slain by the Alliance, along with many of the older generations of the Lockier pack. Sebastian Lockier, the eldest son of William, the previous pack leader, became the new pack leader.

His younger brother, Isaac, disapproved of him inheriting the leadership and believed he was stronger and more deserving. Together with his twin sister, Isabelle, better known as Isa, he began a violent internal conflict for the pack leadership.

Though Sebastian still had the support of his secondborn brother, Simon, as well as the support of his youngest brother, Lawrence, a young prodigy, they were no match for the combined might of Isaac and Isa. Simon ceded to his younger sister Isa and was spared, but his siblings were not so fortunate. The conflict culminated with the deaths of Sebastian, his mate Arabelle, Lawrence, and several other cousins who also sided with Sebastian. Isaac became the new pack leader of the Lockier pack, and has remained unchallenged in this position to this day. He is one of the ancient vampiress Lady Carmilla's most loyal and powerful vassals.