Werelion (Art by Taran Fiddler)
| “ | They were the greatest of all the werekin. Surpassing many and rivaled by very few. I'd even dare go as far as to say that they were the kings of the werebeasts just as the actual lion is traditionally known as the "king of beasts". I also find it ironic. Considering their characteristics revolve around pride and how they were put on pedestals, I'm surprised it wasn't them who instigated the Beast Wars. Wisdom and maturity has it perks, I guess. | „ |
| ~ Raze |
Sibuor, commonly known as Werelions, were a species of werecat and one of the werekin. They are therianthropes that assume the form of anthropomorphic lions. Purportedly extinct, they were among the greatest of all the werekin for their majesty and power on par with the Khan.
Description[]
Like all werecreatures, werelions have two or more forms - a humanoid form and a hybrid form. Afflicted werelions in humanoid form retain their appearance from before becoming cursed but gain an impressive muscle mass. They also seem to have markings or tattoos around parts of their body. Humans afflicted with the curse or beasts that are naturally born as werelions are muscular and attractive. Male werelions have messy cascading hair which range from light brown to black. Although female Sibuor have no manes, their hair grows wild and thick in human form and like the males are impressively fit. Another way of recognizing a werelion in its human form is their eye color; much like how werewolves can be identified via their brilliant amber eyes, werelions have eyes that are colored with shades of copper, orange, or yellow.
Like actual lions, werelions gather and function as a social group which is referred to as a Pride. A pride is central to a werelion's kinship, unity, and brotherhood. A pride normally consists of one dominant male, three or four lower males, several females and young hunters. The dominant male coordinates the attack and the females execute the hunting strategy led by the First Huntress while being backed by the young hunters. Every pride contains more females than males and is usually mixed with feline and/or human kin to ensure a healthy progeny. Advancement in the pride is by combat, and only three adult males are allowed to remain in a pride. Most have only one. Females fight to be First Huntress and First Wife, though few can be both.
Overview[]
From what little can be dug up from the Sibuor's culture, they were believed to have been created by the African lion god Apedemak to quell or stabilize the growing greed and voraciousness of the Ajaba or Werehyenas, developing a fierce rivalry. Among the werekin, the Sibuor were among the greatest, reknowned for their regality, pride, and wisdom while possessing power beyond compare, only rivaled by the Khan. Aside from the Ajaba they were also known have slain harmful spirits and creatures spoken of in African folklore. Because of their majesty and power, Sibuor looked upon themselves as the 'rulers' of the werekin though such an idealog was present in arrogant werelions which was reviled by their rational elders. They ruled the Dark Continent for centuries unchallenged and have even shared their domain with fellow werekin like the Mokolé and Nzahu.
Unfortunately, it was not until the War of Beasts that the Sibuor found themselves on the edge of extinction. When a tyrannical werewolf named Azog set to elevate his kin's status among the therianthropic pyramid his conquest reached over to the Dark Continent. However, even Azog knew that fighting the werelions was suicidal considering how much stronger they are than werewolves. This led to Azog creating an uneasy alliance with the Ajaba who sought vengeance for the near eradication of their clans to overwhelm the Sibuor with two armies on each side. During the war, the lions suffered tremendous losses and in the wake of the flood sent forth by Zeus and Poseidon were believed to have been all but extinct.
There have been rumors of lone Sibuor still lurking the dead zones of Africa and even populated cities away from Africa. If those rumors are true then it also serves as a warning for any werewolf that inadvertently comes across them for they deeply loathe the lycans for their role in reducing their numbers to near zero because of Azog. Only two known recorded cases of werelions have been documented by hunters. The first were the Tsavo Man-Eaters, an infamous pair of man-eating Sibuor that terrorized a construction site at the Tsavo river in Uganda during the 19th century. The second and perhaps more prolific were the Man-Eaters of Njombe, a pride of lions that had killed and devoured over 1500 people, reputedly under the influence of a witch doctor named Matamula Mangera with the latter dubbing them as "Simba ya Mutu", basically werelions in Swahili.
Capabilities[]
Werelions are among the most powerful werebeasts that ever roamed the Earth with their strength and power only rivaled by the Khan and Werebears. They have been acknowledged by other werekin as the greatest of their kind even well after their supposed extinction in the aftermath of the flood sent by Zeus. Their power is such that even the likes of Azog who is a highly powerful werewolf in his own right deemed it suicidal to combat them in their own domain even with an army of werewolves at his beck and call. But despite their enormous power, they are vulnerable to gold and cursed oils and are the second known werebeast to display a vulnerability to gold with the other being the Mokolé.
As with all other werekin, Sibuor possess unique abilities exclusive to their kind. They have to ability to harness and wield fire and can manipulate it for a variety of uses in a similar manner to dragons and fire genasi. Similarly to a werewolf's Munin Howl, this ability of fire can only be wielded by only the most talented generations within the Prides. Normally, the dominant male of the Pride can possess these fires but it depends on the age and experience of the lion. In order to use it to its full potential, specific markings are required, which are stored within their tattoos that they have around parts of their bodies similarly to rune magic that is utilized by werebears when performing their own great attacks. However, inexperienced werelions can cause harm to themselves if they brand a marking that allows them to wield a volume of fire too much for their bodies to maintain and can even be lethal.
They can take this power a step further when they reach their peak and is noted to be their most powerful move. After assimilating the fire magic within them for a prolonged period of time, the user fully transforms their body into spiritual fire which takes on a whitish gold coloration mixed with yellow hues. Moreover, they actually summon the spirits of their ancestors and fallen kin with these resurrected Sibuor retaining their personalities and memories and can act independently of the user. When achieving this form, the user and their kin's abilities are enhanced to extraordinary levels with each lion strengthening the next and can also be shared among the user's Pride.
Another prominent ability is the "Great Lion's Roar" or the "Warcry of Sekhmet" which is a powerful roar that can destroy the surrounding area the Sibuor is targeting. It can be enhanced with their pyrokinetic abilities for even greater destructive power. Aside from their special abilities, Sibuor also naturally possess immense strength, speed, and durability. They also have an accelerated healing process that enables them to regenerate most (if not all) damaged or destroyed areas of their anatomy with far greater efficiency than an ordinary human. Their strength and speed allows them to contend with all but the strongest of werebeasts; at one point Leander mentioned that even with the Ajaba aiding him, Azog still suffered great losses when warring with the werelions in Africa during the War of Beasts. They are also naturally one of the most capable fighters on Earth and due to their lifestyle are implied to be more efficient combatants than most other Fera. Offensively, their attack methods are basic but efficient, quickly decimating their foes with sheer force.
