Why Lycanthropes didn't take over the ancient world...

[Happygun]

I was responding to a post on my deviant-art account regarding werewolves in my Lycanthrope Club series, explaining why lycanthropes were at a disadvantage against humans in medieval Europe despite being physically superior in nearly every way and having the ability to transform humans. I realized there were a few points that paralleled with the PitW universe, so I thought I'd post them here.

"As for the Inquisition and their extraordinary success in exterminating lycanthropes, there were a number of factors working in their favor that are no longer the case. First of all, there was a strong cultural bias among early lycanthropes against converting humans, particularly outsiders. Putting aside the fact that it could empower their enemies, it would mean creating competitors for food, which brings us to the second factor. Anyone acquainted with European history will tell you that starvation was a HUGE problem during the Dark Ages and well beyond. Even preternaturally good hunters like lycanthropes, who, incidentally, have to eat two to three times as much as humans to survive, struggled to feed themselves during this period, keeping the population low. Thirdly, because of their primarily carnivorous diet, lycanthrope did not develop much in the way of agriculture. Instead they adapted a nomadic lifestyle, following herds of animals for food. Because of this they never developed any strong organizations or governments. Fourth, even when compelled to convert humans in order to survive (say, the last member of a tribe) the low population density in Europe coupled with the prevalent xenophobia meant lycanthropes could have a hard time finding humans to convert in the first place. Finally, lycanthropes had a low birth rate compared to humans. Thus, faced with numerous, well-armed, well-organized, and well-fed humans during the early Renaissance, the tiny population of lycanthropes in Europe didn't stand a chance."