Shifter

Created as a byproduct of the Taming, which created the first Blood Hunters, Shifters are a Pactborn race with a fairly different origin. The exact reason for their origin is unknown but it is believed by Blood Hunters that they are created by a lack of willpower in initiates, who succumb partially to the lycanthropic disease. Having only existed for five-hundred years on Tevian, Shifters are among the youngest races.

Description
Shifters do not have a standard appearance, although those born after generations of breeding have gravitated towards certain features. New Shifters vary greatly in the degree of their form with some nearly resembling a walking animal and others appearing as hairy, muscular, and animalistic versions of their original species. Whatever the transformation, it typically depends on the composition of the tincture used on them during the Taming.

Otherwise, Shifters are not dramatically different from their origin race except in a mildly more animalistic nature. In truth, Shifters are a people of remarkable self-control in later life, taming their inner bestial nature in order to blend into the highly structured Shifter society.

Shifters are capable of reproducing and many have chosen to do so in their five-hundred years on Tevian. However, few have reproduced outside of Shifter pairs as few other races fully trust Shifters in that way. The biggest reason is Shifters, in general, being viewed as cursed. The fact that any pairing with a Shifter will produce a Shifter is seen as proof of this.

History
Having only existed for the past five-hundred years, Shifter history is fairly concise and well-recorded. Beginning around 450DS when Joshua Sorrows, the first Blood Hunter initiated his followers into the Order of the Lycan. This would produce many of the first Shifters who would continue to serve in the early Order.

Later, betrayal by the power-hungry Lucas Janiss would divide the original Shifters and eventually lead to the creation of Gnolls when Lucas and his followers made a pact with the Demon-God Yeaga. In the ensuing war, it was believed that Lucas and his followers were killed, a fact that would be later disproven. Now, a perpetual war between the two races is waged.

Shifters would continue to expand, eventually forming Clans and discovering other methods of Blood Hunting. Many carry on this tradition today while a scant few make their living in other ways. Many of these others, however, are deeply tied to the Clans and history of Blood Hunting.

Society
Given time to develop their own society and a reason for existing, most Shifters exist within the Clans, a hierarchical structure originating with Clan Sorrows and following a chain of descent to smaller, more recent Clans. At the top of this hierarchy is Clan Sorrows, followed by the First Clans, then the Hunters Clans, and the New Clans. Clans are led by one who is considered to be the most senior and experienced member, typically a Blood Hunter, and a small council of elders and other experienced clan members. Membership is more strict than Dragonborn and Dvati Clans, requiring that once you have joined a Clan you remain loyal to it. However, many do violate this, striking out on their own or forming new Clans. Despite the Clans being known as "Shifter Clans," they commonly contain members of many races who have taken to the practice of Blood Hunting.

Clan Sorrows
The first of the Shifter Clans, Clan Sorrows is led by the descendants of Joshua Sorrows with the current leader being Martin Sorrows II and the current heir-apparent being Joshua Sorrows III. Clan Sorrows wields a great deal of power among the Clans with their leaders being the most respected and adhered to among the Clans. A common nickname used to refer to the leaders of Clan Sorrows is, "Lord of the Hunt," referring to Joshua Sorrow's history as the first and most devout Blood Hunter.

First Clans
The First Clans constitute the oldest of the Shifter Clans, most adhere to the Order of the Lycan, although they have since become open to other practices. Membership to these Clans is prestigious and often viewed as a mark of excellence. Among the Clans, they are also the most loyal to Clan Sorrows.

Hunters Clans
Ranking somewhere between the First Clans and the New Clans, the Hunters Clans are denoted by being the first to pioneer a new practice in Blood Hunting. Compared to the First Clans, they act fairly independent of the authority of Clan Sorrows.

New Clans
Split in their loyalties, the New Clans are either descended from the other Clans or entirely new creations in an age where Shifters are spreading far and wide. While some of these Clans practice multiple forms of Blood Hunting, most adhere to a specific Order and as such, follow the authority of either Clan Sorrows or one of the Hunters Clans.