Therian Thirty

A ‘black’ project (in the same vein as Project Nightbreed) that was originally conceived as a part of a Department of Magical Affairs (DOMA) collaboration with the Wizarding World-affiliated group known as the Werewolf Liberation Front (WLF), Therian Thirty was the specific effort of Major General Robert Bakeson to create his own legion of metahuman commandoes tasked to serve his wishes. Having knowledge of the activities of Project Nightbreed, Bakeson realized that something in the same vein would serve his own purposes well; after doing his research, he concluded that the original parameters of Nightbreed were appropriate, yet conservative for his goals. He concluded that with modern nanotechnology available for military and medical purposes (to DELPHI) to be used for control and enhancement, that lycanthropes (werewolves) and lupine-based metahumans would provide a significant advancement. (Possibilities of loss of control was one of the primary reasons why lupines were passed over in the original research phases that begot Project Nightbreed in favor of vampiric-variants.) The project name comes from the Greek word ‘Therian’, meaning ‘wild animal’ or ‘beast’, and for the thirty-day cycle of the Moon.

Agents of 'Therian Thirty' possess a number of metahuman abilities, granted to them by a solution that incorporates elements of the Wolfsbane Potion and the alien-based, reverse-engineered nanite formula known as ‘Bio-Spackle’. Those abilities are:

Shapeshifting: The signature ability of Therian Thirty, each Agent has the ability to transform into two forms; a lupine-humanoid form and a bestial, lycanthropic form. In all forms, the Agent is capable of bipedal locomotion, hand-to-hand combat, has access to their full mental facilities and is capable of speech. In lupine-humanoid form, Agents are capable of performing all normal human functions and activities, and of wearing any normal outfits, gear, protective outs, etc, as they would in normal form. All Agents have a unique shading and/or patterning to their fur which makes them recognizable to others.

Enhanced Physical Abilities: Agents can lift up to two tons in human form, and between five to ten tons in their other forms. They are also supremly agile (able to land on their feet even from great heights or run at full speed on wires), and possess endurance far beyond any muman or most metahumans.

Enhanced Senses: An Agent’s five senses are superior to normal humans, and have far more sensitive olfactory sences than a Nightbreed. Only a supreme effort at erasing the trail can evade an Agent’s attempt to track a person he/she has the scent of. Enhanced Speed: In all forms, Therian Agents can move at up to seventy MPH until they choose to rest.

Hyper-Leaping: Agents can leap up to 300 feet up or across an area (from a standing position), or down from heights of up to 500 feet without injury.

Fangs and Claws: Agents can extend their incisors, toenails and fingernails; they can use them to do slashing damage, can climb walls and other surfaces, or hang from ceilings and trees.

‘Death-Slash’: In any of their forms, Theiran Agents can, by an act of concentration, reduce the thickness of the edges of their extended fingernails/claws to effectively monofilament levels. While in this state (which only lasts as long as they concentrate), an Agent can slice through any known solid substances below the strength of Secondary Adamantium.

Emotion Control: While in lupine- and lycanthrope-form, Agents have the ability to generate a specific frequency modulation in their howling that specifically acts upon the fear centers in the brain of all other creatures, causing them to experience fear, terror, and an overwhelming desire to flee. The power, however, is absolutely useless against anyone with protected senses, above-normal (but still human) or enhanced intelligence, or any form of psionic power (in short, anything that alters the brain from baseline-normal standing).

‘Shadow-cloaking’: Therian Agents have the limited ability to ‘blend’ into their surroundings to avoid visual or thermal detection. This ability is particularly effective at night, and in wooded or urban areas.

Acclerated Healing: Therian Agents can heal with a frightening speed from almost any injury that is not immediately fatal. An injured Agent will be fully healed of even the most grievious injury within twenty-four hours, and can actually regenerate missing limbs or instantly heal damage even on the celluar level (as from radiation exposure).

Pheromones: Therian Agents have the ability to emit a pheromone scent that acts as a very potent anti-inhibition drug upon anyone exposed to it, causing them to act in ways without regard for safety or modesty. These pheromones can be released by touch or through the air, can be released whether in human or lupine form, and have an immediate effect upon others that lasts for up to six hours. Most Therian Agents release their pheromones in order to make their opposition fight without regard for strategy or their own safety, as many will keep fighting until killed or restrained. Therian Agents are immune to the effects of their own pheromones, and are moderately aroused by the effects of another Agent’s emissions (additional emissions increase the arousal effect). Protected senses, and wearing breathing protection, will protect from the effect.

Power Creation: While Therian Agents possess an ability similar to Nightbreed in that they can secrete a serum that allows them to transform others into Therians, only the method used to transform Beta Nightbreed (the organic solution passed through a blood transfusion) can safely allow the creation of a Therian Agent.

Therians created by simply being bitten by an Agent while in either lupine form will become a ‘free-ranger’ – possessing the abilities of a Therian Agent ONLY in lupine form, with no control over the transformation and with no human intelligence during the period of transformation (being six to twelve hours per transformation). Free-range Therians are almost identical in appearance and attitude to the ‘werewolves’ of legend (and the medical condition known in the Wizarding World). There is no reversing the condition; free-range Therians cannot be rid of their abilities, as the nanotech assimilation within their bodies is permanent. However, they CAN totally supress their abilities and transformations by the use of the substance known as Delmitrium-157 (or also by its street name of ‘flush’.)

At present, very little is known of Therian Thirty, as the project went into hibernation with the death of Bakeson. There are, however, Therian Agents working with the WLF, and providing sigificant funding, access to government materials and facilities, and needed samples of various products (including research-grade supplies of ‘flush’, and pure samples of required mystical pharmaceuticals). It is assumed that they are simply acting under orders given before Bakeson’s demise, or have begun to operate as a rogue agency.