Darkwolves Legacy
mostly submitted by t.
There are 45 darkwolves, each with a different number. 40 are Warriors, 4 are Generals, and 1 to rule them all.
DARKWOLVES: THE NEPHILIM
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Each and every Darkwolf (WITHOUT EXCEPTION) is black-furred and red-eyed. Because they all look exactly the same, this leads to a strange quest for individuality amidst each of them. Outlandish hairstyles, strange trinkets, multiple piercings and even human artifacts work their way into most Darkwolves' attire as they endlessly search to assert their uniqueness among the horde. NB. Due to inter-breeding with commoners (non-Darkwolves), some 'half-Darkwolves' (such as Kalabash) look completely different to 'pure' Darkwolves, and are generally reviled because of this.
HAIR is particularly significant in Darkwolf society. Mature females who earn the respect and admiration of their peers have their locks magnificently braided. Likewise, males of similar standing have their hair dreadlocked.
Darkwolves are also known as 'Nephilim', a term coined by a group of treasure hunters who first encountered them deep within the bowels of the earth. These explorers gradually began to violently turn on one another as their immense avarice surfaced under the claustraphobic confines, and it is thought by some that these emotions mingled with the darkest shadows of the cavernous undergound - creating the Darkwolf race as we know it today.
Darkwolves are not 'warriors' in the truest sense of the word. Rather, combatants are trained as Assassins, warriors whom strike from the shadows - usually in the back. They make use of nefarious combat aids, such as poison and the cover of nightfall, to ensure their victories. Very rarely will Darkwolves openly march to war, as they are far too few in number and each individual death is costly to their entire race.
Darkwolf Clans are organised with less attention to detail than most regular packs. There is an Alpha, and sometimes an Alphess, a Master Assassin (effectively an independent Beta), and the Clan's 'Pugna' (Cagefighting champion; respected warrior). That is all. During the Annual Cagefighting (see below), the Master Assassin will choose two to four young apprentices from the most skilled combatants of this ferocious contest, whom he will train as 'Night Runners' - elite Assassins, made use of in much more demanding and secretive Clan machinations.
Each year the Darkwolves hold a Cagefighting contest, an event which is open to each and every Darkwolf, excepting pups. A giant cage, constructed from strong bamboo and creepers, is erected at the centre of Freedom Forest and competitors are randomly drawn to face each other in single combat. There are no rules to the fighting, and even unfair advantages such as weapons or magic are lauded - Darkwolves see underhandedness as the highest virtue, and reward it thusly. Death is a common occurrence for any losers, but the victor may choose to show mercy. By this way, the Clan's Master Assassin will gauge the combatants (sometimes he will even compete) and choose who will be his 'Night Runners' for the following seasons. The ultimate victor in the Cagefighting is crowned the 'Pugna', an honourary title that raises social status within the Clan astronomically.
Darkwolves have an ingrained, composite fear/hatred of Dragons. No Darkwolf will ever have a Dragon as an ally - although traditionally, each Darkwolf Clan is guarded by one of these bad-tempered beasts, and only one.
No Darkwolf has wings, for they exist where angels fear to tread. The only winged Darkwolf in the history of the Nephilim was the mythical Darkwolfess ruler of centuries past, Queen Nildro.
Under the most unusual of circumstances, the most senior of Darkwolves may perform an incredibly exhausting and largely forbidden ritual known only as 'The Darkening'. It involves a transferance of essence - the Darkwolf will, by means which are not entirely understood even by the Darkwolves themselves, gift a part of his or herself over to the commoner, which in turn permanently 'darkens' their soul. They will essentially become a Darkwolf themselves, and their appearance, behaviour and allegiance will gradually alter to reflect this. If they are winged, their wings will eventually decay and disappear. The process is irreversible, and Darkened Ones are generally accepted as true Nephilim, although many purists are still uncomfortable with this method of induction into the Clan. LIGHTWOLVES are immune to The Darkening ritual.
Darkwolves are Evil distilled and given life - there is NOTHING 'Good' about them. They are your inky black emotions come to life to spread their influence further. Remember this if you RP one of them.
DARKWOLVES OF THE PAST: IMPORTANT FIGURES
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AZRAEL. Former right-hand man to Bodom, the ageless ruler and First Father of the malignant sub-species of wolf known arcanely as the 'Nephilim', or 'Darkwolves.' When Bodom was miraculously slain by invading animals of the Valley during the Darkwolf Wars, Azrael barely escaped capture to eventually become the next officially recognised leader of the small number of Darkwolves which remained alive. Eventually, they were granted asylum from persecution as Iliad deemed their now-dwindled numbers to be a threat no longer, and retreated to a vast labyrinth lair in the deepest reaches of the Valley where they live today. Azrael eventually took a mate; a commoner wolfess, named Mountain Song - the Mother of Grey, and leader of the Crimson Innocence pack. It caused immense division within the Darkwolf Clan, whom alternately saw Azrael as a harbinger of doom or a courageous pioneer. Seika's (Mountain Song's Nephilim title) influence was far-reaching and impactful - her thorough ideals of equality and strict neutral leanings began to infuse traditional Darkwolf culture to the point where uprisings began to dismantle it from within. During a time when the Darkwolf Clan was at its most fragile, Azrael disappeared, along with Gwar - the pair reappearing months later in the midst of the Lightwolves' pack, land of the Firsin; the Darkwolves' existential opposite. Once again confounding all expectations, Azrael proceeded to abandon Mountain Song in favour of a bizarre tryst with Crucifix. It was this completely unforeseen movement which was thought to have initiated a war which sealed Cloud Wolf Valley for years to come. Azrael's final fate is unknown.
GWAR. A young Darkwolf driven perpetually insane by the murder of his life-mate (Quinella) and children (Raggas, Swii, and Donovan) by the invading forces from the Valley. Permanently unhinged, Gwar styled himself in the most outlandish way possible; a long white mohawk adorning his head, a multitude of thick chains clinking around his neck, a myriad of tiny bones shot through his ears. Taken under the watchful eye of Azrael, whom deftly subdued his inner frenzy - drawing upon it to suit his own nefarious whims. Throughout Darkwolf history, Gwar was alternately reviled and revered for his bouts of uncontrollable violence, often comedic inability to think clearly, his penchant for the human substance known as 'alcohol', and his thick, barely intelligeble Cockney accent. During a particularly ferocious Darkwolf assault on Tifa's Sunset pack, Gwar was estimated to be responsible for nearly twenty fatalities, and took advantage of the confusing melee in order to attack Seika (Mountain Song). Finally at the very end of his tether, and beyond even the support of Azrael nor the soothing, motherly Kyuss, Gwar was mercifully drowned by Azrael in the Lake as eternal madness set in.
KYUSS. It is said that Darkwolves exist because of the presence of Evil in all creatures, not matter how slight - they are the living incarnation of Darkness, given form by hateful thoughts and malevolent desires, raised paws and gnashing teeth. Tall and slim, with an unusual ruff of stark white fur running up the length of her chest, Mother Kyuss defied this ideal. During the time of Bodom's rule, she was accused of having an affair with a common wolf from the Valley, and summarily ordered to break off her relationship. She fiercely refused, and for her love, Bodom had her tongue forcibly removed so that she would never be able express true affection nor be able to groom herself properly, thereby becoming emotionally isolated and physically unattractive. No longer able to speak, Kyuss retreated into herself, becoming stone-faced and stoic - unwilling or unable to smile ever again. As Bodom's rule collapsed, Kyuss was spared by the great stag Orestes and released, escaping alongside Azrael and Gwar. Long regarded as the sole non-combatant within the Darkwolf Clan, Kyuss used her gift of healing to aid her kin in battle whilst never directly participating herself. Later, with the arrival of the common wolfess Mountain Song, Kyuss immediately took her under her wing, inducting her in the ways of the Darkwolfess and braiding her hair in the traditional style of an upper-echelon female. In return, Seika gave her the gift of telepathy, so that she could communicate with her adopted son, Firun. As the Valley drew to a close, Kyuss became unable to reconcile her feelings towards her fellow Darkwolves and Mountain Song, whom she had come to love as a daughter. She headed south, taking Firun with her. Their fate is unknown.
PAGODA. If Kyuss epitomised the idea that a Darkwolf could rail against its darkened birthright and become something more than a savage beast intent on manipulation and destruction, then the vicious Pagoda stood at the other end of the spectrum. One of the Darkwolf Clan's most senior Assassin Masters (second only to his eternal rival and brother-in-arms, Azrael), he was steeped in infamy due to his immense ego, abhorrently quick temper, and unrelenting savagery - never has a Darkwolf embraced the legacy of the Nephilim so stringently, or with such unabashed enthusiasm. Sporting a long mess of intricately dreadlocked hair held back in place by a blue bandana tied about his forehead, Pagoda struck fear into the hearts of his opponents (of which there were no shortage) by way of his unusual claws - he had gone to the strange extent of barbing them, so that they hooked into his prey and remained so, tearing at their insides. A highly-feared and idolised warrior, Pagoda led many a Darkwolf attack at the forefront of battle, although his fellow kin remained reluctant to follow his charge as he was known to become less discriminate about who should fall under his onslaught once the bloodlust of battle was upon him. During the fall of the Valley, Pagoda became embroiled in an epic one-on-one battle with Iliad's dragon, the titanic Odyssey. It was his first, and last, defeat in combat. Odyssey bore his heavily wounded form back to the Darkwolves, indifferently giving him over to Azrael. Pagoda died soon afterwards by the Lakeside, leaving behind his only daughter, Rei, to fend for herself.
MESHUGGAH. A Cursed Fiery Red Dragon, appropriated by Gwar quite by accident as he wandered the Forest in a drunken haze. Meshuggah was raised around the Darkwolf Clan, an item of extreme fascination and misguided terror to his lupine counterparts. But Gwar refused to let him be executed by the more fearful of his brethren, and Azrael granted that the Dragon be allowed to live amongst them. Years passed, and Meshuggah soon grew into a particularly fearsome, short-tempered and spectacularly huge fire-breathing Fiery Red. None could stand before him, and he was entrusted with guarding the Darkwolf Clan - endlessly circling the crow-littered skies above their subterranean labyrinth. When the Valley descended into ruin, Meshuggah was nowhere to be found. It is thought that, to this day, he sleeps in eternal slumber beneath the earth, somewhere...