A morph is a were-creature, that is,
a human being that can draw power from a totem animal,
often by acquiring its physical characteristics
either partially or totally.
Spirit-morphs usually take on the intellectual aspects of their animal.
A shaman connecting to his totem hawk will become
more insightful and keen in judgment.
A shaman connecting to his totem wolf will act more industrious,
be more cunning and demand more social interaction.
Priests throwing their souls into an animal
do so mainly to gain the wisdom of that animal.
It would be difficult to list all of the types of Alpha-Morphs known
since they make up the majority of the Morph Community.
There are the typical were-wolves, and were-cats,
but all come from different tribes, clans, and families.
In fact there are as many diverse Alpha-Morphs as there are civilizations on earth.
However there are some oddities out there.
Within morph clans and families, the animal species remains the same.
A family of were-wolves won’t suddenly have a child who is a were-rat among them.
This is actually a pretty strict rule.
Species can mate outside their own kind,
but as in the real world they would bear no offspring.
A were-wolf and a were-panther coming together would yield nothing.
However, a were-leopard and a were-jaguar might;
the animals’ genetics are close enough that they could have offspring: a were-mutt.
Although most morphs can be killed like anything else,
this doesn’t mean they are easy prey.
Hardly.
Most Alpha-Morphs stand a good foot (30 cm) taller than when in human form.
They are extremely strong and take on, to the nth degree sometimes,
the abilities of their totem animal.
Add to this the capabilities of a human reason and manipulation
and you start seeing a rather formidable package.
Types of Morphs
“Species” of Morphs
| Were-Wolves | The typical were-wolf has the
cunning, speed, agility, endurance, diligence, and constitution
of a wolf and the rationality, imagination, talent, and opposable thumb of a human.
Alone, a single were-wolf is not very daunting. They are actually fairly low on the totem pole. However, when were-wolves hunt or stalk an enemy, they do so in packs. In packs they are some of the most formidable of all morphs. Were-wolves are not generally aggressive, unless there is a dispute over territory. They are also the prima donnas of the morph community with their “escapades” the stuff of legends. It should be noted that most morphs still retain a portion of human reason. However, if the animal were extremely aggressive or primal, the instincts would be hard to overcome. |
|---|---|
| Were-Foxes | It seems that these morphs like Japan for some reason. The greatest percentage come from that area, where they are generally known as kitsune. They are not generally very aggresive and they have been known to dally with humans, especially practitioners. |
| Were-Coyotes | These morphs are typically loners. They are almost cat-like in their demeanour and act very odd in both their morph and human form. They love to howl and are typically seen in the Southwestern United States. They are one of the least aggressive of all the canine morphs. |
| Were-Cats (Lions, Leopards, Tigers, Jaguars) | These Morphs are usually lone stalkers,
except for were-lions who stalk in prides.
While the were-tiger is the strongest of all were-cats,
it is the were-jaguar that is the most daunting.
Were-jaguars are always strong with magick.
The were-cat is a strong morph. They have unspeakable cunning and agility. Their claws and fangs are extremely lethal. The main problem with were-cats is they are generally aloof and have little to do even with their own kind. Needless to say, they are not very friendly with other animal morphs either. Were-cats generally like to be left alone and if they are, no problems will arise. |
| Were-Boars | These morphs are either extremely aggressive, do not associate with any other of the animal morphs, and either they are disturbed to the point of insanity or they are completely docile and civilised. The reasons for this split is that during the Portal Wars were-boars were used as weapons and killed many other morphs, witches, and even vampires. The Wizard Timon (the First) cast a spell that would bring back the humanity of all the were-boars. It succeeded, but it also later spawned a different breed of were-boar. Unfortunately these morphs are cursed with self-loathing. |
| Were-Bears | Undoubtedly the most formidable of all the singular morphs is the were-bear. Its pure brute strength makes it a king among the morphs. Oddly enough most were-bears are not aggressive. They attack only when provoked and seem to get along with most other morphs. |
| Were-Reptiles (Crocodiles, Lizards, Snakes) | These morphs share the general tendencies of their animal types. Many are not aggressive until you bother them. Generally speaking, they do not suffer from the torpor that troubles chilly reptiles. The exception would be Purebloods in their animal forms. |
| Were-Tarantulas | Imagine a nine-foot (three-metre) tarantula with the head of a human...well, sort of human. Were-tarantulas are actually not that lethal or aggressive. They are simply terrifying to see. |
There are three ways to become a morph.
Morphs can “shift” at any time, unless they are cursed.
Then the shift depends on the conditions of the curse.
Some curses have the morph shifting only when he or she is happy, sad, angry, and so forth.
Some curses also work by the cycle of the full moon.
For many morphs, the only magick they ever possess is the ability to transform.
Therefore, sometimes morphs will align themselves with a witch or wizard.
This way morphs can learn from the practitioner and develop his or her skills.
Of course, some morphs leave all magick to the practitioner,
believing that doing magick themselves disturbs the balance of nature.
(This seems to be a somewhat minority view.)
In the Great War,
Deus Lupus used wizards as weapons against the rebellious morphs.
Warring clans of morphs have often used wizards against their enemies,
a practice dating from the Portal Wars.
Morphs separated from their clans or packs
can usually find refuge with a practitioner,
due to an ancient custom that demands that wizards
mentor morphs in magick for their involvement in the Portal Wars.
(If you ask whether it’s the morphs’ involvement or the wizards’,
then the simplest answer is “Yes. Both.”)
Morphs who do study the Craft as if a practitioner
progress through different magickal stages,
based on how well s/he can perform spells
and how magickally depleted the morph becomes by changing form.
These stages apply to all morphs.
For the purposes of general magickal ability, a morph has the same
direct connection to magick that a born-witch does;
however, for a morph, the magick channels first
into the transformation rather than into spell-casting ability.
Therefore, morphs have to exert extra effort to channeling
their magickal energies into the effect they want.
Of course, some morphs are also born-witches,
which makes their magickal abilities more powerful and perhaps less arduous.
A morph who does not study the Craft remains an early morph.
Some morphs may never make it past early or medium morph stage.
The reasons for not advancing further are varied
and depend on many factors, including the morph’s desire to learn.
For the most part, morphs can meet their demise just like any human.
Being a morph does not constitute any particular susceptibility
or immunity to anything...with two exceptions.
Purebloods and some cursed morphs can only be killed in certain ways.
A pureblood-morph can only be killed by another pureblood.
No one really knows why this is so.
Some theorise that purebloods are protected by magick
because their connection to magick is so intense.
However, a sword was made
that can kill a pureblood.
It’s the only known weapon that can kill one.
The sword is now in the possession of
Corrine Melpomene Chattan.
It is told that some cursed morphs can only be killed with certain items.
This may be where the “legend” of the silver bullet came from.
Mostly these curses incorporate an item that has been blessed by a priest, witch, or wizard.
In one case it is told that the morph can only die by her own hand
or by another morph within her own family.
What happens if a pureblood-morph mates with the non-magickal animal?
The result is a morph-child.
Such a person is likely to be unable to change out of animal form,
but will possess more intelligence than the usual animal.
One example of this is the black leopard Othello.
A well-practiced wizard morph would find it a relatively simple
exercise to transform into a creature other than his or her totem animal.
With the basics already there, it’s just a matter of adjusting parameters.
Morphing into a creature that is much larger than one’s usual mass
expends large amounts of magickal energy and can make one vulnerable to attack.
Practitioners have spells for morphological transformation of oneself or some other person.
These activities have no relationship to morph magick.
See also:
Were-boars:
Were-coyotes:
Were-foxes:
Were-leopards:
Were-wolves:
Morphs and the Craft
How to Kill a Morph
Other Notes
People
References
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