The global werewolf (Lycanthropes) population is making a comeback after a long period of decline. It's estimated there are approximately 5,000 remaining in America alone; some living in packs; and others have gone rogue, preferring to live apart from the pack. In the 1690s, the Lycans fought to survive their eradication during the Salem Witch Hunt. Bombarded with propaganda; the people came to fear those who could transform into the beast; to believe they were cursed by a dangerous cult of witches and warlocks. This fear grew into mass hysteria.
To protect their families from their perceived enemy, the people organized into mobs, hunting down the Lycans, Werewolves, and anyone else they believed to bear the curse of the witch. They burned them; alive at the stake; their screams of terror traveling the wind for miles.
This time of great fear and the slaughter of the weird and different, forever devastated the families of those who survived. In the end, just over one hundred werewolves remained. The elder wolves vowed to never again allow such devastation to bring harm to their families. They made a great promise to replenish the numbers of their population by turning fresh blood.
The transformation of a human into a Lycan is not always successful. Some reject their new bodies and die before reaching their first full moon. Nobody knows the reason behind the rejections; they happen at random. In some cases, a person may lose their mind during their transformation. They call these beasts "Vargulf". They're ugly and stand on two legs. They are nightmarish with half-furred bodies and disfigured faces. These monsters are highly aggressive and mentally unstable; often leading to them killing their prey without eating it and attacking other wolves. The local pack is responsible for killing it before it becomes a threat.