Lukka, the beast-men
by Giampaolo AgostaDuring the XXII century BC, several Taymoran Necromancer Kings concentrated their research efforts into the creation of new races that would fit the roles of soldiers in their armies and servants in their palace. In doing so, they followed the will of Nyx, their patroness, an Immortal creator of new nocturnal races.
The greatest accomplishment in the first field was certainly obtained through the creation of the dread disease, Lycanthropy. According to the most recent sources1, these first lycanthropes were mostly stuck in a hybrid animal-human form, and were created to match the animal species that the Nosferatu could summon and control.
The first, and most successful, lycanthropes were therefore the Werewolves, powerful warriors who would end up in the shock troops companies. Wererats and Werebats followed shortly, but they were not as successful as their more powerful cousins. Werebat were employed as scout troops and raiders, and Wererats as underground shock troops or as scouts in the swamplands in western Taymora.
Mortality rate were exceedingly high, both for the violent occupations of most lycanthropes and, more importantly, for the debilitating effects of the disease itself.
A few more phenotypes were later devised by Nosferatu and Vampire Kings endowed with the ability to conjure different species of animals, and a few even appeared from random mutations.
When the end of Taymora grew near, the Lukka, the lycanthropic people, formed a major part of the Taymoran armies in the cities of Tarshiz, in the Northern Taymoran Frontier forested lands, and Tzur.
Massive use of Lukka troops was indeed the cause of Tarshiz' success as one of the few borderland city-states to become a powerful force in the political scene of Taymora.
The Necromancer King of Tzur, on the other hand, devoted much effort to the creation of Wererats, which he employed for warfare in the swamps in order to wrestle control of the river trade from his rivals, the Kings of Amarshish and Darqis.
A number of the most resilient individuals had been able to survive longer than the few months most would live as beast-men. These Lycanthropes started resenting their vampiric masters, and formed a secret society devoted to overthrowing them. A previously unknown Immortal manifested to them, calling himself Lykaion2, and offered them help against their masters for their worship.
Statistics
These statistics are thought for an AD&D 2nd edition game, but are easily adapted to OD&D.
A Taymoran Lycanthrope has usually a single, hybrid form. It gains the HD, AC, immunities and any bite attack of the standard lycanthrope, plus it retains the ability to use simple weapons (maces, clubs, daggers, and axes). All others statistics remain as the standard form, but the character receives a bonus to Strength and Dexterity as do lycanthropes of his phenotype in "Beast at Heart"3, and has the same dietary requirements.
In general, Lukka characters (including player characters) can appear anywhere in the Taymoran lands between the XXI century and the fall of Taymora. These characters have a serious disadvantage in that they are extremely vulnerable to the Necromancer Kings' magic and vampiric powers4.
Notes
1: See "A Treatise on Lycanthropy" by J. Calvin.
2: This is thought to be an identity of Loki. Whatever plan he might have been for his werewolf followers, it likely folded when Taymora sunk.
3: See the Book of Souls, at the Kargatane website.
4: See Mystaros' Lycanthropic Magic (not available).