Werebadger (werbɐd͡ʒɹ)
Werebadgers are Werebeasts and Literomancers with a totemic relationship to Badger, Honey Badger, or Wolverine. They are most commonly associated with House Meles.
Basic Information
Anatomy
In human form, werebadgers are indistinguishable from normal humans, though some possess features that reflect their animal side, such as striped hair, a turned up nose or broad and thick features that remind one of badgers. In badger form, they are only distinguishable from normal badgers by their superior intellect. In either form, there is no scientific way to distinguish them from normal members of the species, as the therianthropic ability is totemic, not scientific.
Some werebadgers, just like other werebeasts, can partially shapeshift, adapting elements of one form while in another form. For instance, a werebadger in badger form might shift a paw to a hand or partial hand in order to manipulate objects, or a werebadger in human form might shapeshift only their nose, to benefit from a badger's amazing sense of smell, or their fingernails to long, powerful claws for digging or natural weaponry. Totemically, all werebeasts can sense one another with their normal senses.
Some werebadgers, just like other werebeasts, can partially shapeshift, adapting elements of one form while in another form. For instance, a werebadger in badger form might shift a paw to a hand or partial hand in order to manipulate objects, or a werebadger in human form might shapeshift only their nose, to benefit from a badger's amazing sense of smell, or their fingernails to long, powerful claws for digging or natural weaponry. Totemically, all werebeasts can sense one another with their normal senses.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Badgers are omnivores, so eating habits do not vary much between forms.
Behaviour
Werebadgers have a tendency to be... well, stubborn; or perhaps, determined. When they have made up their minds about something, they tend to stick with that view, and their approach to solving problems is to take them on directly and just keep pressing against the problem until it comes apart or goes away. They are often masters of hyperfocus and just keep pressing on at whatever they have decided to do. "Badgering through the breaks" has become a trope among literomancers.
Badgers are nocturnal, and werebadgers tend to be most active in the dark hours of the day. They have a reputation for staying up and getting up late, and being impossible to wake up (and growly once disturbed.)
Let sleeping Badgers lie.
Additional Information
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Badgers are found in much of North America, Great Britain, Ireland and most of the rest of Europe as far north as southern Scandinavia. They live as far east as Japan and China. The Javan ferret-badger lives in Indonesia, and the Bornean ferret-badger lives in Malaysia. The honey badger is found in most of sub-Saharan Africa, the Arabian Desert, southern Levant, Turkmenistan, Pakistan and India. Wolverines live primarily in isolated arctic, boreal, and alpine regions of northern Canada, Alaska, Siberia, and Fennoscandia; they are also native to European Russia, the Baltic countries, the Russian Far East, northeast China and Mongolia. They have been sighted as far south as Utah and Yosemite in North America.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Werebadgers have an incredible sense of smell in their badger and half-badger forms.
Civilization and Culture
Culture and Cultural Heritage
The Badger language has no word for "problem." Instead, it calls them "solutions that are not yet realized."
Like wererabbits, werebadgers prefer to dwell underground when possible.
History
Werebadgers have been known to be shapeshifters in many cultures for a very long time. Indeed, this trait is intrinsically associated with badgers, from Indigenous American folklore, to Celtic folklore, to African and Japanese folklore.
This article is a work in progress, and may be subject to changes.
This article is part of a series related to streaming the Game of Tomes. For more information, see Streaming Game of Tomes.
Werebadger by Sable Aradia with Artbreeder
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Scientific Name
Homo belua meles
Conservation Status
Werebadgers are an endangered species. Since the animal a therianthrope turns into is totemic and may even change in a werebeast's lifetime, many simply do not have a badger's disposition. Thus, few therianthropes choose the path of the badger and even some of the cubs are turning to other totem spirits. And for their part, the badgers aren't exactly "calling out" for help, or even admitting there's a problem. A few of the Meles boars have begun reaching out, quietly, as not to disturb the rest of the cete, to sows...err, women of the other clans to aid them (see The Mother of Badgers plotline)
Geographic Distribution
Related Organizations
Related Ethnicities
Erin Meles by Sable Aradia with Artbreeder
King Darth Nikolas by Sable Aradia with Artbreeder
Comments