Dorzhanevs or Broken Ones: These lycanthropes settle
in remote or isolated territories, building small provincial
communities near the wood’s edge. For the most part, they
pose as simple farmers or trappers, occasionally traveling
to larger communities to sell or trade for goods. They live
and hunt in small packs, targeting lone travelers or those
who stray from larger groups. Physically smaller than the
other tribes, the Broken Ones transform into red wolves.
Their pack structure is matriarchal, and their current
tribe leader is the druid Cybrisa Dorzhanev.
Jezeldans or Demon Wolves: The smallest and most
recently formed pack in the Shudderwood, the Demon
Wolves are an amalgam of newly aff licted werewolves,
whose pitiful existence is typically scorned by most
natural lycanthropes, and exiles from other tribes, all
worshipers of the demon lord Jezelda, Mistress of the
Hungry Moon. Their current tribe leader, an antipaladin
named Adimarus Ionacu, was once in fact an aff licted
werewolf who willingly contracted the disease in devotion
to his demonic patron. As a boon, Jezelda transformed him
into a natural lycanthrope, and bade him convert more
werewolves to her worship. To date, Adimarus’s missionary
zeal has been quite successful; the black-furred Jezeldans
are one of the fastest-growing tribes in the region, and
may soon rise as the new lords of the wood.
Mordrinacht or Silverhides: The Mordrinacht, colloquially
known as the Silverhides for their gray-white fur, are more
aggressive than the Broken Ones, yet possess more composure
and subtlety than the other tribes. The Mordrinacht
rarely form standard packs, instead living much of their
lives as solitary individuals or lone wolves. Only in times
of great importance do they unite and form organized
packs. More so than all the others, the Mordrinacht have
been successful at blending in with normal humans and
living secretly within their communities, with a few bold
individuals even settling in some of Ustalav’s major cities.
Descended from those afflicted with lycanthropy by the
ancient high priest of Desna, the Mordrinacht have long
gathered at the Stairs of the Moon to pay homage to the
spirit of their ancestor, the vilkacis. It is no secret that the
Silverhides’ current leader, Mathus Mordrinacht, has had
designs on the position of packlord over all the packs of the
Shudderwood for some time.
Prince’s Wolves: Varisian werewolves with ties to the
Sczarni crime family, the Prince’s Wolves were created as part
of Prince Andriadus Virholt’s efforts to rid his lands of the
agents of the Whispering Tyrant centuries ago. The Prince’s
Wolves maintain a tight pack structure and spend much of
their time traveling in small family groups, performing or
pickpocketing to support themselves before moving on to
do it again somewhere else. The Prince’s Wolves transform
into wolves with brown or gray fur, and their current tribe
leader is a roguish scoundrel named Rhakis Szadro.
Vollensag or Primals: The smallest of the Shudderwood’s
tribes, the Vollensag are also the most homogenous, as they
are all descended from the ancient Kellid tribes who once
inhabited these lands before they were driven out by the
invading Varisians. At present, less than 30 Vollensag remain,
settled deep in the woods and traveling in small migratory
hunting packs, living as much as their ancestors did. Despite
their declining numbers, the Primals’ ability to transform
into large gray dire wolves makes them an influential force
among the wolves of the wood. Until recently, the Vollensag
tribe leader, Kvalca Sain, was packlord over all the wolves of
the Shudderwood. Her recent assassination at the hands of
Mathus Mordrinacht and the Whispering Way has thrown
all of the tribes of the Shudderwood into disarray, not just
the Vollensag themselves.
