#aelvsbyn lore

[bellamy-ifs]

For Ardeal, do the mates mark each other? Do they have a permit mark? And if so, do they have a favorite spot that they like to mark? For example, bitting the neck/collarbone

Aaaah shadowkisschy <3 This ask plays perfectly into something I wanted to talk about, so let me do a lore drop for you (this one is extra long)!

The difference between "mates" and "partners", and how werewolves react to their partner's smell.

So, what are partners and what are mates?

Mates are essentially the "married werewolf version" of partners. Mates are like a mixture between soulmates and a married couple (which, of course, could very well be soulmates). They become even closer to one another, being able to sense the other's emotional state, if they are in danger and similar small benefits. Being apart from a mate for too long can cause immense psychological and even physical pain for someone. To become mates, werewolves have to go through a ritual together - a ritual that has to be repeated consensually every year. Failure to repeat the ritual can potentially cause the same kind of harm to the mates as being apart for too long.

Alphas have to have mates, for other werewolves it's an optional ritual that isn't necessary.

What does that ritual look like?

There are two ways to experience the ritual, both of which end in a bite mark on a spot near the mate's collarbone/upper shoulder.

The first possible way is purely a ritual, made to heighten the participant's senses and stir the urge to mark the person they love. It mostly uses a variety of herbs used in different manners.

The other way is through rather carnal means.

Now to their sense of smell regarding their partners and mates.

As you already had guessed before here, they enjoy their partner's smell just as much as they enjoy their partner slightly smelling like them. For werewolves the smell of their partners and mates are pleasant, depending on the situation they can also be comforting or even arousing.

If mated, they will find their mate's scent even more prominent in comparison to other smells - meaning they will never lose track of their mate.

[bellamy-ifs]

A few questions that I thought of while I was falling asleep:

This is for the Ardeal cast in general, including MC and all werewolves. Do werewolves leave their natal packs to join and create new ones for reproduction like regular wolves do? If so, how common is this occurrence? Can other werewolves in a pack reproduce/mate or is only the alpha couple allowed to?

I feel like this is just a roundabout way to ask how much romantic and sexual experience do the ROs have LOL, which I am also curious about :3

I’m so excited to nerd out about your werewolf lore!!

Aaaah Evan, thank you for all the asks! <3

My inbox has been very empty, especially so since I turned off anon asks. So receiving your asks is an absolute delight :) (Btw I will turn on anon asks again for the 2k follower special but we are like 60 follows away)

Now to your questions. Let me slightly hijack them to make an actual lore drop :D (It also just reminded me that I still have one lore drop that I forgot about regarding their sense of smell in combination with their mates/partners and generally more about the differences between mates and partners)

Warning, long lore drop below!

I took quite some inspiration from "regular" wolf packs with my designing of the werewolves. Naturally, the ones who are assigned to become the next alphas will always stick to their natal pack, preferably looking for a partner in the area. Some werewolf packs are better connected to other packs than others are, making it easier for them to find potential partners. The other members of a pack are more loosely connected to their alphas and can choose to look elsewhere or leave the pack and possibly join a different pack; lone wolves normally don't stay alone for a long time. Those that stay alone for longer than a few months are very rare (and normally those aren't werewolves that grew up in packs as mentioned here!). It's technically also possible for them to find a human partner - this is weirdly enough a more complicated option because at some point the werewolf partner will have to come clean about their true nature, and if the human doesn't even know magic exists (which is more common than you'd think)... this can become quite messy. So human - werewolf relationships tend to be a rather "doomed" relationship, yet not impossible. And if things work out, the human partner will have to compromise and adjust to their werewolf partner's way of life, however that may look. There are very large packs of werewolves living in communes; because technically, the larger the pack, the better their defense against intruders. So unless a werewolf really can't seem to find a partner close by or they strongly dislike their pack, they'll normally stick with them or return to them with a mate if possible (or stick with their mate's pack).

Other werewolves are absolutely allowed to reproduce inside of a pack, and the entire pack will take care of the young ones together like one big family.

[bellamy-ifs]

How do Werewolves work in the world of Älvsbyn and Ardeal? - Part 3

This is the third of five posts about the lore I created considering werewolves in my books. I will post one part per day for the next few days - until the Ardeal release on February 1st. Part 1 is here, Part 2 is here.

Part 3 - Werewolf forms, fur colours and eye colours

Werewolves have a human form, a wolf form and a bipedal werewolf form (or were form) that looks a lot like their wolf form, but more muscular, heavier set, much larger, with shorter snouts and hand-like long claws.

Fur colours as well as eye colours in both feral forms are the same and can be influenced by the human looks of the werewolf, especially if they have been transformed by magic means; but generally, they are possible to have differing fur colours and eye colours.

Additionally, only actual real life fur and eye colours of different wolf species and dog-wolf hybrids are possible for their wolf and werewolf forms. Blue is for example an extremely rare eye colour that only hybrids could have.

Looks of the feral forms can also be influenced depending on the wolf species that live where the werewolf is from. In most cases this will simply be a grey wolf, but it could for example also be an Indian wolf, a red wolf, an Arabian wolf, a Mexican wolf, an Arctic wolf or others.

[bellamy-ifs]

How do Werewolves work in the world of Älvsbyn and Ardeal? - Part 2

This is the second of five posts about the lore I created considering werewolves in my books. I will post one part per day for the next few days - until the Ardeal release on February 1st. Here is Part 1.

Part 2 - How do werewolves live?

Most lone werewolves are those made by rituals or curses. Those that were born into packs normally seek to stay in packs. And even those that have been bitten are more prone to seek out packs to stay with - imagine them to become afflicted with very similar or even the same thoughts and urges as a werewolf that grew up as one.

Contrary to that, those that were transformed by a ritual or curse have been transformed by magic that has very little to do with werewolves that grew up as one or were bitten, which is why they stay solitary most of the time.

[bellamy-ifs]

How do Werewolves work in the world of Älvsbyn and Ardeal? - Part 1

This is the first of five posts about the lore I created considering werewolves in my books. I will post one part per day for the next few days - until the Ardeal release on February 1st.

Part 1 - How to become a werewolf?

There are a total of four ways to become a werewolf.

First, by choice - the rarest way to become a werewolf. It's normally not chosen, but a witch, a warlock or a demon has the capabilities to perform a ritual and make someone willing a werewolf.

Second, through a curse - similar to the ritual, a different ritual that does not need the person to be present and/or willing can be used to curse someone. It takes more energy and is more complicated to perform than the ritual for the willing, but an experienced magic user can perform it without issues. Don't piss off witches and warlocks, and especially not devils.

Third, via werewolf bite on a blood moon. Also a very rare method, but depending on where you live... if there are several werewolf packs around, you might want to stay inside for the night. And don't forget to lock your doors.

Lastly, through genetics - but only if the werewolf parent(s) were not transformed via ritual/curse. Offspring where both parents are werewolves will always be werewolves, offspring with one human parent have a 50/50 chance to be a werewolf, offspring from a human parent with werewolf genes and a werewolf have a 25-33% chance to be a werewolf. Hybrids between werewolves and other supernatural creatures - for example vampires - are impossible and will die in the womb.

[bellamy-ifs]

Do werewolves have surnames? Especially since Alex and eventually Mirel are going to be attending a school for human kids did the pack make up a surname to give to people so they don’t get weird looks from humans? 🤔

Evan! <3

They do have surnames. If they were human at some point they of course keep their own surname, and the pack has their own surname through Sorin and Conny. It'll be revealed at some point (it's slightly cringy, please forgive me lmao)

[bellamy-ifs]

ANOTHER QUESTION IM SORRY

Can werewolves speak human languages when in there were forms or wolf forms? Do they have methods to communicate to each other when in these forms if not? Or is it more body language reading when in those forms…

I am just a humble lycanthrophist gathering data 🧎

Thank you, Evan <3 Never be sorry for sending in asks!!

In their were form they can somewhat talk but it's more primitively, slower and sounds more guttural, more like growls and the like.

In their wolf form they can't talk but they still understand languages, and communication exclusively happens through body language and similar ways (for example, pointing with the nose and barking at something, soft and quiet barks, growls, whimpers, tapping with feet/paws etc.)

[bellamy-ifs]

Very silly ask for the Ardeal cast/werewolves in general based off of seeing a cute cat on my walk today:

Do werewolves have any like, ingrained instincts? Like for example since wolves are kind of dog coded do they have a dislike for cats? If they see animals who are prey animals to wolves do they feel a desire to hunt them? Things like that… I think the idea of the cast going into town and feeling very uncomfortable feeling a cat rubbing against their legs is funny XD (I doubt our cast would be directly antagonistic towards any animal tho of course!)

Thank you for the sweet ask, Evan <3

Because their minds generally are a little more feral in both wolf and were forms, they can display dislikes for cats or hunting instincts in those forms, but only when they're already agitated/distracted or similar.

But in their human form not at all, no :)