Wulvers Revisited

Since my original post on Wulvers I've been thinking more on how they interact with the world and how the race as a whole functions, chiefly ideas on how to improve them in my mind.

Going with the idea that they are savage beasts, very dangerous foes to fight in combat and generally to be avoided at all costs. These would be what would be considered 'pureblood' Wulvers, they are beasts born and breed. Their bite carries an infectious disease, which is for all intent and purpose rabies.

Then there are the 'half-casts'.

The half-casts are those unlucky few who were 'infected' (for a lack of a better term) when their mother was bitten whilst they were still in the womb and survived to be born, the lucky ones were the ones that didn't survive. For some reason the Wulvers' bite has a peculiar effect on an unborn child, the infection remains dormant in the child's body until said child reaches puberty when the infection goes active. The person then becomes part-Wulver, able to 'Hulk out' and become a savage beast but also able to return to their normal human form. Such 'Wulftouched' persons are rare, often the mother will not survive the Wulver bite or if she does the child is cast out into the wilderness usually to perish....if the parents are aware of the child's nature.

If a Wulftouched survives to adulthood then they have the choice of trying to make a life for themselves in the dregs of human society where they can find work as pit fighters or with the criminal underworld. There is also the option of seeking out a Wulver pack to attempt to join...if the pack accepts them that is. One or two have managed to do both, setting up so-called 'Wulf Cults' to try and overthrow the Commonwealth. This makes Wulftouched dangerous foes, able to hide amongst humanity undetected and able to hatch their plans in secret.

Thankfully a Wulftouched cannot infect another person and it is doubtful that they can reproduce by themselves, least there is no record of such a thing happening. The only way known to produce more Wulftouched is to have a pregnant woman be bitten by a Wulver, though this method is unreliable at best.