### The Culture of Werewolves
The **werewolves** of Lymbus are a primal, pack-driven society of **moon-bound fury**, **territorial instinct**, and **blood-oath loyalty**. They roam the Redlands’ crimson canyons, Rebmosian forests, and forgotten frontier trails, hiding behind the human myth of “rabid outlaws.”
**Daily Rhythm**
Days are **solar exile**; true life begins at **moonrise**. The pack gathers when the **howl-chain** begins—one alpha’s cry answered by every throat in sequence. Werewolves shed human clothes, shift to **half-wolf form** (clawed, furred, eyes glowing amber), and share a **raw haunch** torn from the night’s kill. Breakfast is **communal, bloody, and silent**.
**Hierarchy and Appearance**
Status is **earned in tooth and claw**.
- **Alphas** (one per pack) bear **silver scars** from ritual challenges; their manes are **jet-black** or **blood-red**.
- **Betas** wear **bone necklaces**—one bead per confirmed hunt.
- **Omegas** keep **shaved patches** on their flanks until they prove themselves.
- **Pups** (turned or born) are born human, shift at puberty; until then, they wear **wolf-pelt cloaks**.
**Education and Labor**
Children learn by **shadowing the hunt**. At age ten they track scent-blindfolded. By fifteen they **run the full moon** without losing control. Labor is **pack survival**:
- Patrolling borders with **urine-marks** and **claw-notches**.
- Raiding Rebmosian caravans for **silver-free weapons**.
- Tending **moon-caches** (buried meat aged to perfection).
Dominance earns a **Moon Mark**—a branded crescent on the chest, glowing under lunar light.
**Art and Leisure**
Art is **scar and song**. **Howl-Chants** recount pack history, each verse ending in a synchronized roar. Tattoos are **claw-carved**—ink rubbed into wounds that never fully heal. Leisure is **pack-bonding**:
- **Moon-Runs** across dunes, racing the wind.
- **Bone-Dice Games** wagered with enemy fingers.
- **Story-Fights** where the loser submits belly-up.
**Law and Punishment**
Justice is **instinctual and brutal**. Breaches (betraying the pack, sparing prey) are settled in the **Circle of Fang**: the accused faces the alpha in **full-wolf form**. Loser is **exiled with a silver brand**—a crescent burned into the snout, dooming them to lone madness.
**Death and Remembrance**
Funerals are **The Last Hunt**. The body is **laid on a cairn of enemy bones**, doused in **cactus-fire**, and left for the moon. The pack howls until dawn; ashes are **scattered on the wind** to guide future hunts. Mourners **shave one ear** for one moon cycle; silence is forbidden—grief is roared.
**Holidays**
- **Night of the Blood Moon**: the longest full moon; packs merge for **mass hunts**, painting canyons red.
- **Feast of the First Change**: a week of **pup initiations**; the strongest earns the **Alpha’s Fang** (a necklace tooth).
- **Day of Broken Silver**: once a year, all silver is melted and buried; a test of raw strength.
**Language and Etiquette**
Speech is **growl and gesture**. Greetings: *“Moon guide your hunt.”* Farewells: *“Run swift.”* Insults are **physical**: “Your howl’s weaker than a pup’s,” “You smell of coward.” Physical touch is **constant**—**nips, head-butts, shared kills**. Eye contact is **dominance**; looking away means submission.
**Gender and Family**
Roles are **equal in the hunt**. Alphas can be male or female; strength decides. Pups are raised by the **whole pack**—no individual parents, only **pack-mothers** and **pack-fathers**. Pairings are **moon-oaths** sworn by biting the same prey; broken by **mutual scar-tearing**.
**Attitude Toward Outsiders**
Humans are **prey or pack-fodder**. The Legion are **“silver devils”**—hunted on sight. The Covenant are **“stink of violet lies”**—avoided unless cursed. Vampires are **“blood-thieves”**—natural enemies. Angels and demons are **ignored**; their tallies mean nothing to the beast.
In every snarl of werewolf culture, **pack is life, moon is law, and survival is a hunt under crimson skies**. To live is to run with the pack, one kill at a time.