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occult lore: the century conflict

There's a lot of lore about the war between vampires/werewolves/spellcasters in the Werewolves GP. I needed to reference what happened, so I compiled it into one! I tried to keep things more or less chronological. These come mostly from in-game books, artifacts with a little Greg.

Lunar epiphany: "They tell the tale of Spellcasters long ago who explored the limits of their power. They experimented by creating duplicates of themselves, but quickly became frustrated that these duplicates required sustenance to survive. In an effort to be efficient, they fed them potions... they created monsters.”

Lunar epiphany: "It's a tale of betrayal, of duplication spells gone wrong. After an overloaded spell turned a mutated group of Spellcaster mimics permanent, they turned on their creators and sank their fangs into them. They feasted on these Spellcasters and their magical plasma, which enhanced their strength, despite never sating their thirst.”

Book: "Glowing, magical moon glyphs along the edge of this page detail a hundred-year conflict called "Operation Eternal Flame." Beset by their own thirst and an innate distrust, the first Vampires hunted Spellcasters, raiding their small communities to drink their magical plasma. This was how Vampires first developed a small degree of magic within themselves. It eventually led to them being capable of turning Sims into what they themselves now were.

"Near the painting of a wolf's tail, this shard is engraved with some vague text describing what appears to be steps of an adapted ritual, likely dating back to ancient Myshupotatmian tradition. The language, however, is consistent with the era of the Mooncasters, suggesting the pot was used to transport the glowing waters of Lake Lunvik to perform certain power-harnessing ceremonies atop the Howling Point cliff in Moonwood Mill. The waters of the lake must have been crucial to their efforts of attuning to the moon...”

"In your readings, you learned that many moons ago, the land we now know as Moonwood Mill was actually the home of a small ancient Myshupotamian city. Interestingly enough, Myshupotamians believed that the greatest minds of their society were reborn as wolves that stored their wisdom in the moon via howl. As the cycle progressed towards a full moon, the growing light represented more and more stored wisdom. On full moon nights, Myshupotamians would sport wolf-like masks and ceremonially draw upon the moon's stored wisdom. As the cycle then progressed to a new moon, the light leaving the moon each night represented the stored wisdom slowly dispersing to the Myshupotamian people. As the first modern werewolves, Moonwood Mill's Mooncasters likely gleaned much of their information on harnessing the moon's power from studying the Myshupotamians...”

“All along this page are magical moon glyphs. With {M0.his}{F0.her} Lunar Epiphany, {0.SimFirstName} is able to read about a group of Spellcasters who communed with their dog familiars to learn about the untapped magical potential found in moonlight. They declared themselves Mooncasters and experimented with unstable transformation magic from the Untamed School.”

Greg: "I was a spellcaster hundreds of years ago, a master of the Untamed school. I stood atop that mountain, back when this area was simply called Moonwood, and with a group of other powerful spellcasters, we channeled the most powerful Moon Infusion spell that has ever been cast. The results were explosive... but effective. The Moonlight infused both us and the land around us. Why do you think the Moonpetal only grows atop that mountain? Where do you think the Luna Fish comes from? We made them. I made them.”

I’m not sure Greg was technically a sage because I’m not sure sages as a concept existed until the Realm was destroyed - there was no need to balance the Realm before that. I think they probably had a different leadership structure at the time. It's also possible he means he was master-ranked, not a virtuoso, but given everything that doesn't strike me as realistic. He also could've just meant that he was really good with untamed magic

Wolfgang: "Did you know that the very first Werewolves were Spellcasters? It's true. There were many ways Spellcasters attempted to fight back against the Vampires, and Werewolves were the most successful attempt. It's fascinating stuff if you can find ways to read up on it!”

Moonwood Wand: "Long ago, a group of spellcasters caused an overload while practicing a powerful, moon-infused, untamed spell. The resulting explosion imbued the surrounding area with lunar energy. Because of this, the wood from trees surrounding Lake Lunvik are eagerly sought after by the spellcasting community. This wand was one of the first ever crafted. “

Book: "An extensive tunnel network runs below Moonwood Mill. There are various entrance points around town, though even the locals find it difficult to navigate. Many speculate these tunnels were originally created during a regional time of strife, though records of such an event are lost to time. Perhaps the dark tunnels themselves might contain clues?”

Greg: "During the Century Conflict, we captured Vlad and took him down into the tunnels. We figured we'd use him as leverage, end the conflict. But even in his youth, he was already too powerful. We couldn't hold him and he escaped.“

"At the end of one of the tunnels is an old metal door that's been peeled open. The solid metal bends outward like a banana peel, as if something strong and determined forced its way out and ran off into the tunnel {0.SimFirstName} just came from. Past the broken door is a single room, coated in metal paneling. Judging by the gouges lining the walls, someone - or something - really didn't want to be in here...”

Lily: "After I arrived in Moonwood Mill, Kristopher told me that Forgotten Hollow was once under Werewolf control — back before Vlad moved in. He arrived with a mob and manipulated them into driving the Werewolves out. They, of course, didn't know he was a Vampire. They even put up a statue in his honor! Then, they all disappeared, one by one…"

"...Another often forgotten aspect of Myshupotamian culture was taming Cowplants as stationary sentinels of defense, and sometimes cross-breeding them to be mobile attack units (though it was quite difficult to safely reproduce mobile cowplants, for obvious reasons...) In modern times, it turns out the Moooncasters were not the only group seeking unorthodox answers to the vampire problem during Operation Eternal Flame. The Moocasters (who 100% came up with their name first, total coincidence) attempted to adapt Myshupotamian cowplant taming practices to their needs. It was an initial success, and they had a prosperous alliance with the Mooncasters. Needless to say, it didn't last long after one of the "tamed" cowplants feasted upon Yina Kia, an original Mooncaster... and Greggorius and Avelina Lunvik's dearest friend.”

"Based on its age, this skull belonged to one of the tamed cowplants used by the Moocasters, a Spellcaster group that served as a counterpart to the Mooncasters (werewolves). Both groups formed in response to the vampires' Operation Eternal Flame - a covert operation attempting to turn all remaining spellcasters into vampires. They simply differed in their methods. Rather than harnessing the power of the moon to become Werewolves, the Moocasters instead tamed cowplants to use as (somewhat) loyal companions in battle. There appears to be a carving leading towards the jawbone, though the writing is hard to deciper. It currently reads "I will..."”

The rest of the line is “avenge you”

Book: “It seems that towards the end of Operation Eternal Flame, the near-extinct Spellcasters grew desperate and struggled with a variety of magic types to try and turn the tide of their conflict with the Vampires. Some sought a cure for Vampirism, though the spell proved too powerful and caused a tear in the very fabric of the Magic Realm itself.”

Greg’s diary: "After the Vampire uprising, every one of us Spellcasters grew increasingly desperate. One group tried to create a spell that could simultaneously “cure” every Vampire in existence. A single spell to end the conflict. Of course, they were blinded by hubris and hurried by desperation. The spell was too powerful for the group to handle. It caused a massive fracture in the fabric of the Realm itself.”

"Magical moon symbols glow around the edge of the page from {0.SimFirstName}'s Lunar Epiphany, offering an explanation on Operation High Fang. After the end of Operation Eternal Flame, a group of Vampires came out of hiding to start the initiative. Through a successful propaganda campaign, they branded Vampires as refined and classy, boasting of what they offer through their historical knowledge and charismatic ways. At the same time, they smeared Werewolves as dirty and dangerous monsters, lacking in control. The results were catastrophic for the new Werewolf communities who were still maturing as an occult.”

"A Lunar Epiphany comes over {0.SimFirstName} as {M0.he}{F0.she} stares at the moon scribbles at the bottom of the page. These books were written in an attempt to undo the damage caused by Operation High Fang, a Vampire-led propaganda initiative.”

Wolfgang: "After losing the war, the Vampires launched "Operation High Fang" with the intent of using propaganda to turn general sentiment against Werewolves. My books do the opposite. They encourage readers to view Werewolves in a new, more favorable light - one that I feel is more authentic to who we are as an occult.”

Here's what I don't understand - how did vampires manage to lose the war after spellcasters destroyed their own Realm? I think the best explanation here is that werewolves eventually finished the job, based on what Wolfgang said about werewolves being the most successful attempt to fight back. The fact that vampires lashed out against specifically werewolves after losing also supports that idea.

also lmao the entire moral of this story is that untamed spellcasters cannot be trusted not to literally tear their own realm apart. i've got my eye on u morgyn