Some facts about wereleopards (from the Anita Blake Wiki):
- The cat lycanthropy virus is difficult to catch. That is one of the reasons that the groups are so small.
- In-Game, it (and all the other types) are just weaker than the wolf-type.
- Silver is very harmful to them and can cause permanent injury and death.
- When in full leopard form, they are considerably larger than their feline counterpart in nature.
- Fur colors in shifted form match those of the animal their strain is from with a slight adjustment relative to their natural human hair-coloration (EG: Someone of African descent will turn into a panther, while an albino will turn into an albino leopard).
- They can talk when in ‘cat-man’ form.
- The principle social characteristic of the pard members is a common use of physical contact as a source of emotional reassurance.
- Cat lycanthropies are typically the type they use in the anti-lycanthrope treatment.
NOTE: Technically, a were-leopard pack is comprised of just were-leopards. Snow leopards, clouded leopards, etc.. are not actually leopards. Never the less, much like how were-wolf packs have been known to 'adopt' were-dogs and other were-canines into their pack, some were-leopard packs have been known to break from tradition and allow were-things that aren't leopards (like snow leopards) into their pack.
Note, that although there may be male or female versions of a title, the male versions may be used by females.
- Alpha - A word used to describe the naturally selected stronger individuals of the Pard. They usually hold higher positions within the Pard.
- Beta – A word used to describe the naturally common group of wereleopards. This term is used to describe the group of leopards that aren't Alphas, but also aren't weak either.
- Enforcer - Title given to an Alpha by the Pard leader for a bodyguard or protector of the Pard.
- Léoparde lionné – refers to a rampant leopard — an alpha who is a brave protector or avenger
- lion passant – refers to a sleeping lion — an alpha that leads but does not protect.
- Nimir Ra – Generally female (ruler) of the Pard.
- Nimir Raj – Male (ruler) of the Pard.
- Omega – A word not often used in the Pard. It is a word that is used to describe a very weak and very low ranked member of the Pard. This is the equivalent of calling someone a 'grunt' or something that can't protect itself. Being an Omega is thought to be the lowest one might get to being on the totem pole of the Pard.
- Pard – term for a pack of leopard-based lycanthropes who inhabit an area (equivalent to a pack for werewolves and a plague for rats). This is the term the Chicago wereleopards use.
- Pardanar – The monthly gathering of local wereleopards on the full moon. NOTE: This is actually an OOCly made-up term since there was no term canonically introduced nor have any of the were-leopard characters in-game used a name that has stuck.
- Second - Title given to the second in command of the Pard, an Alpha that is highly respected by the Pard.
A non-local wereleopard entering the Chicago city limits should introduce themselves as soon as feasibly possible to the Nimir Raj/Ra. OOCly, this is best handled via an @mail to the current leopards leader on the +leaders board. You can then arrange an IC meeting or an OOC agreement on having met if schedules do not mesh. If you are able to arrange to run into another local leopard in RP first, they can provide you the means to contact the leader. The urgency of this meeting and what transpires after is dependent on your current situation as follows.
Newly made local wereleopard
A brand new wereleopard is in a very dangerous situation. They do not have control of their shifting, and they need to be taught control and the rules and traditions of the Chicago Pard. They need to contact the Pard as soon as possible for help and training.
Visiting wereleopard
Any visiting leopard must report to the Nimir for proper acceptance into the city under their order. They will be given any rules they must follow while in the city. Any discovered individuals that are avoiding introducing themselves to the Nimir are subject to punishment which will be decided upon at the Nimir's discretion.
New Arrivals Moving Permanently to Chicago
Any new arrivals are expected to pay a visit to the Nimir as soon as possible and are required by order to ask for full admittance to the Pard. They either need to be accepted by the Pard forthright or seek acceptance in the Indy pack. If neither are met, they are subject to the Nimir's punishment.
Here are some things which all leopards would be trained in over the first 6 months to a year of being infected. Training is handled by Alphas in possession of Dominate and Shapeshift Other when it requires control of shifting, or any experienced leopard otherwise. In most cases, it's great if you can RP these things out? But if you haven't by the time noted for each, you can assume they've been done "off camera" with an NPC.
First Shift (First Moon) - If a newly infected leopard comes to the Pard before their first moon, an Alpha with the Shapeshift Other and Dominate abilities will assist them in their first few shifts. They will call the new leopard's beast forth to make the change smoother for them the first few times. Please note a new leopard will not remember anything about their initial shifts. +shifter/memory will tell you how much your leopard remembers, and this will improve over time.
Stress Shifting (After First Moon until control is established) - Newly infected leopards have very little control to resist shifting when under stress. +moon/stress will show the likelihood of shifting against your will on a given day, modified by willpower, shapeshift power, the nearness to the full moon, and whether the moon is waxing or waning. The scent of fresh blood tends to trigger stress shifts in new shifters as well. Training will begin to learn to control these shifts (Building Shapeshifting power and/or Willpower levels) after the new leopard's first moon. An Alpha with Dominate is required to keep someone from shifting, and Shapeshift Other is required to force someone to shift. There are NPCs available to teach these things.
Pleasure Shifting (After First Moon until control is established) - The stress caused by extreme pleasure is vastly different from that caused by pain, fear, or anger. This is a tricky situation which the AB books expressed training was necessary in to prevent mauling/infecting/or killing a lover during sexual intimacy. In one instance in the books, a shifter refusing training with an Eros/Eranthe (because he was engaged to be married) ended up shifting during his honeymoon night and killing his new bride. Due to the intimate nature of this sort of thing, a player should feel free to handwave it and just note to their faction leader that they would be taking the training with an NPC or appropriate PC without needing to play it out. Basically, an Alpha leopard with a compatible sexual preference and the Dominate ability will have intercourse with the new leopard until they are able to reach sexual fulfillment under different sorts of duress without shifting during it. If, for some reason, your character would NOT agree to this training, there may be consequences IC. This may require the Pard to banish you from their protection and declare you rogue in order to protect the group from your future actions (You might seek the independents to remove this stigma if they will accept you without this training and take on the burden of the possible consequences). This may also include staff enforcing a stress shift on you if you become sexually active which might result in the injury, infection, or death of your partner (Which, as a shifter, is an automatic execution offense). So think carefully about this.
Physiology (Within first 2 weeks) - New leopards learn the following about their new selves.
- Boosts - The first thing you will learn on your own is that your muscle, fitness, reflexes, willpower, and senses all leap in power. This will likely cause some initial disorientation, recalibrating, and instances of being fascinated by mundane things. When your senses are superhuman, imagine how detailed food tastes or how many fine details you can suddenly notice in the world. Further, those nice insulated walls might no longer keep you from hearing your neighbors conversing while you're trying to sleep. If you are a physical combatant (martial artist, bouncer) you may have to take some time off until you learn to gauge and curb your own strength or else you might end up seriously injuring or killing someone by accident.
- Healing - You will heal extremely quickly and can handle a lot more damage than you did as a human being. Some lucky leopards might also be able to actively regenerate lost limbs, and all leopards are immune to diseases. Things you had before being turned (such as poor eyesight or balding) will remain afterwards, but they will not get any worse.
- Forms - Your leopard form, depending on species, will be a very large version of the natural animal, and your +size will increase by a the weight of the animal (Leopards/Panthers: M|82-200 lbs. F|62-130 lbs., Snow Leopards: M|100-120 lbs. F|77-88 lbs., Clouded Leopards: M|40-44 lbs. F|22-26 lbs., Jaguars: M|198-265 lbs. F|138-198 lbs., Cougars: M|115-198 lbs. F64-141 lbs.) . Your leopardman (half and half form) will be about 1/3 taller than your human size (so I 5’5’’ man will become a 7’2’’ leopardman) and will increase in +size by ½ the weight of your animal. You can speak in your half and half form, though it will be filtered through a mouth not meant for it which alters some annunciation.
- Hunger - After Shifting you will be ravenously hungry and must eat. Also, you will eat more as your metabolism will be higher. Ignoring this need will contribute to uncontrolled shifts.
- Temperature - All shifters have a body temperature notably higher than a human's. It may seem like they are constantly running a low grade fever. They also are not as sharply affected by cooler temperatures. You might find a wereleopard walking around in winter with no coat on if they aren't hiding what they are. In general, consider them to feel as if the air is 10-20 degrees warmer than it is. They are not immune to the effects of extreme cold though, you can still die of hypothermia.
Danger (Within first 2 weeks) - New leopards learn the following about what can and cannot do them harm.
- Silver - You will be instructed about how silver is very harmful to you, can kill you if ingested or used as a weapon, and is uncomfortable even when skin comes in contact with it. If injured by silver, you will heal at a human rate.
- Fire - You will learn that fire is bad. It can cause permanent injury and in all ways will harm you the same as it does a standard human, and you will heal it as if you were human.
- Holy Objects - You will learn that holy objects do not negatively affect you and church foundations don't shake if you attend mass.
- Vampires - The claws and fangs of vampires heal at a normal human rate instead of with accelerated healing. There are vampires with the ability to call specific types of animals and their shifter counterparts. If you encounter any that are not known allies of the Pard, the Nimir Raj/Ra should be immediately notified.
The Beast (Within first week) - Even before your first shift, you will feel like there is a secondary presence inside your body, a sort of metaphysical version of a leopard. In the AB books, Anita could feel her individual animals as themselves and could visualize them vividly, so you will likely be able to "see" the metaphysical leopard inside of you. When rising to the surface it has been described as running up a dark tunnel and trying to leap out of you, often through your mouth, or trying to claw its way out if you are resisting. It is also described a few times as being a metaphysical, almost ghostly energy rising outside of you and mingling with that of other shifters, even in forms of attack (Likely the Dominate ability) or to comfort.
NOTE: In-Game, 'the beast' is played down as an actual entity. Instead, it is considered a metaphorical construct for use of Dominate and +flashing your Power around.
Protocols (Within first week) - Your leopard will be instructed on the following common protocols.
- Nudity - Nudity is not a sexual thing with shifters. Looking upon another naked leopard with sexual intent is not welcome without prior invitation. The modesty may not drop instantly, but over time it should become comfortable.
- Comfort Touching - All shifters often physical touch as a source of comfort and bonding. This is not a sexual thing. Again, sexual contact is not welcome without prior invitation.
- Registering - Although the Pard will not force you to register as a shapeshifter with the police, they will explain the pros and cons of it. The pros consist of having the law fully protecting you as a citizen against hate crimes and the like, and because, well, it’s the law. The cons mean you have to be careful using your abilities against other citizens, you might be locatable by hate groups, and you may find yourself turned down for jobs for reasons that say something else but are truly (but not provable) because you are a shifter.
Like all the shifter groups, the Pard establishes a pecking order via dominance. Dominance is not used in sexual terms, but in simple “I’m the boss of you” terms, like managers and employees in a business. The Chicago Pard are currently grouped under Forest, but dominance pecking orders are simple instinct as well. Dominance is shown in several ways.
- Dominance Fights - Rules to be made and posted soon.
- Deference - Like in any pecking order, you don’t walk up to your boss and tell him to go take a long walk off a short pier unless you’re looking for a fight. Deferring to a dominant shifter does not mean you are a doormat or can’t argue or disagree with them. It does, however, mean that you should try to express your differences politely, like you might bring a grievance to your boss in a large business. And it’s expected that if you do act impolitely or aggressively to a superior at work (or a more dominant leopard in the Pard) that there will be consequences. Depending on the whims of the dominant and the Nimir Raj/Ra they might be a physical beat down, restrictions, duties, or even banishment/death if the overstep was severe enough.
- Cheek Rubbing - An inclination to greet one another by a rubbing of cheeks. This is the easiest way to show deference to a more dominant wereleopard in public, because it can be passed for kissing cheeks with little effort. The less dominant wereleopard typically greets the more dominant wereleopard, and greets multiple wereleopards in the order of most dominant to least dominant. In private the cheek rub is often taken a bit further, with the pushing of the nose back into the hair of the other to take in their scent.
- Lip Licking - The submissive might crouch, nuzzling and licking at the dominant's chin, lips, nose, and muzzle while the dominant looks ahead to accept the display. Generally reserved for flattering an alpha to avoid disfavour. In the books, this is used only in a formal situations or one where dominance is an issue - either to demonstrate the one as dominant or to offer submission. It could trigger a challenge.
- Bearing Bellys/Throat - Alternatively, to avoid disfavour or to apologise, submission can be shown by the subordinate wereleopard rolling onto the back to present the belly or throat to the other wereleopard.
- Petitioning for Protection - A submissive wereleopard can petition for protection by touching a dominant wereleopard lightly. If granted the dominant will return the touch - a hug, embrace - which informs any shifter watching that he or she will protect the submissive from their enemies. By asking for protection, the submissive is admitting the other wereleopard is dominant to them.
- Apologies / Sealing a Word of Honour - Word of honour is very important to the pard, and offering your neck to someone indicates an act of trust that they will not tear it out. The deeper the bite that is made, the less the trust is or the more dominant the biter perceives themselves to be. (New Moon)
NOTE: The neck stuff, lip stuff, and cheek stuff and all aren't behavioral patters one picks up with the lycanthropy. As such, it varies from person to person (and from were-leopard pack to were-leopard pack) just where they land on the 'creepy vs natural' scale.
Deferring to a dominant shifter does not mean you are a doormat or can’t argue or disagree with them. It does, however, mean that you should try to express your differences politely, like you might bring a grievance to your boss in a large business. And it’s expected that if you do act impolitely or aggressively to a superior at work (or a more dominant wereleopard in the pard) that there will be consequences. Depending on the whims of the dominant and the Nimir they might be a physical beat down, restrictions, duties, or even banishment/death if the overstep was severe enough.
- Pardanar - Attendance is mandatory, ICly. If you have OOC reasons for not being there, just let the Nimir know and you will be considered to be there in the background. If you are ICly not going to be there let the Nimir know OOCly so that it can be dealt with ICly.
- Vampires - If a vampire wishes to feed from any member of the Pard, it is the current rule for the vampire to talk to the Nimir and get permission first. The only exception to this is Memory, she won't be allowed to feed on any of the Pard.
These are the rules explained to all regarding the properties the Pard owns, or members of the Pard own, that have specific restrictions.
The Survivalist Compound
This is our hunting grounds. Absolutely no one who is not pard is allowed here. This includes regular mundane humans, vampires, fae. No one is allowed here aside from Pard. In extremely rare circumstances and exception /might/ be made, but only the Raj has the power to make that decision. Never assume that it will be ok. Any damage done to the property should be summed up and sent in an @mail to Zack as he is currently the person 'running the show'.
The Pard has many more members than we have PCs. These are some NPCs who fill it out. All Pard members should know of these characters and what they do, by virtue of being part of the pard.
Note: These NPCs may be used "off camera" for training, be emitted by faction leader when needed, or emitted by others with faction leader permission. If you need one of them for a scene, let Zack know via @mail.
- Randy Fitzsimmons – Eros (female preference). Randy is a male Alpha wereleopard who helps female leopards with learning control during sex.
- Shannon Morse – Eranthe (no preference). Shannon is a female Alpha wereleopard who helps male and female leopards with learning control during sex.
- Percy Whitmore – Eros (male preference). Percy is a male Alpha wereleopard who helps male leopards with learning control during sex.
