Distribution: Rare and scattered
Game Rules: Use standard Shifter ancestry rules
Shifters are rare mortal lineages that express stable animalistic traits without undergoing the uncontrolled transformation associated with true lycanthropy. They occur in scattered families and small communities rather than in a single homeland, and different lineages can display markedly different physical and supernatural characteristics.
Their earliest origin is uncertain. Proposed explanations include ancient magical alteration, descent from people whose lycanthropic afflictions changed over generations, and prolonged influence from strongly transformative realms such as Caelra. Known lineages are old enough and varied enough that scholars have not demonstrated a single origin for all Shifters.
Shifter traits are hereditary and stable enough to constitute an ancestry rather than an active curse. Most Shifters are raised within the cultures of the surrounding population, while some families preserve private traditions about the origin and meaning of their particular traits.