Lunemires and The Lunar Conspiracy:

As mentioned in the prior entry on the Vilru and the Vampiric Scourge, there are diseases that affect a multitude of species, including the genetic virus known as vampirism.  One other such genetic virus is the Luniis originating from the eternal enemy species of the Vilru, the warrior species known as the Lunemire.  Unlike vampirism which causes specific aggressive traits being added to a species or enacting and enhancing those already present, the Luniis infection specifically reactivates dormant genes in a species being infected, and the Lunemire warriors intentionally spread this after having already successfully defeated a planet's token resistance and feeling a need to strengthen those they defeated to improve them for their next battle, or if they mate with someone of another species and bear offspring having some of their genetics.  Planets that have long ago had their populous tested and found worth trying to improve fall under The Lunar Conspiracy.  The Lunemires are able to activate their own genetic throwbacks and those of other species they inject into themselves as added junk dna.  In order to test out this junk dna, Lunemire warriors long ago altered the Luniis infection to trigger on the conditions of extreme stress, or once the neurohormones accentuate sharply from the strongest pull of gravity that a body's biological systems subconsciously feels, such as the full moon.  This has led to the myth that Luniis infected individuals, such as the common werewolves, are only able to change during a full moon.  This is false, though it is harder to not change during this period of time.  Additionally, there are other types of characters who alter themselves with transformations intentionally or are cursed by another to be changed, but this is completely separate from the Luniis infection.

Individuals newly infected with Luniis typically become infected with the same strain as the one that infected them if they are the same species, though if their blood is extracted and nanites or magic are used to separate the virus from genetic sample to allow other types of atavism to come forth.  Those with the Luniis infection can spread it to those that share blood or genetic reproductive material as per their type, though it is slower to spread with the secondary type, potentially letting one build up an immunity to that particular strain while still being a carrier.  Offspring of two infected with the same strain retain that strain, offspring between one that is immune and one that is not have a small chance to retain the infection though most resist it and become carriers or remove it from their blood entirely.  Offspring between two different types rarely survive and if they do take on traits of one or another.  Offspring between two carriers of the same strain that cannot activate it become either offspring without it or offspring with it active.  Offspring between two carries of different types become immune, don't survive, become one strain or the other, or in extremely rare cases become a merger of the two strains.  All of these strains are capable of shifting without magic in the region, as the viral strains are not magical in nature.  There are, however, rituals that some infected with Luniis utilize to try to keep their other side at bay, or at least retain more control over it.  There are a number of different potential strains, some of them commonly known by other names, others so uncommon as to be unnamed except by the few that have encountered individuals with that strain. The more commonly known ones are listed below.

A Werewolf is a human infected with Luniis that takes on the traits of a wolf.  They do not turn into full wolves, instead becoming stuck in-between during their time in that form, stronger, muscular and more bulky, but still able to run at a pace faster than normal humans.  Silver agitates the magic of the werewolf and angers them, making it harder for them to focus, becoming much more desperate and dangerous.

A Weretiger is a human infected with Luniis that takes on the traits of a tiger.  They also turn half-way like the werewolf, but instead halfway toward becoming a tiger.  They become muscular but lean, being far more agile and faster than a werewolf, but not as strong.  They do make up for this in retaining more of their human mentality after a shift.  Silver does not agitate their magic, but mercury does, making them weaker and ill.

A Wendigo is a human infected with Luniis that takes on the traits of prehistoric humanoids and apes, having a small prehensile tail, slouched spine, large forehead, wide shoulders, sharper teeth, fur over most of the back, upper arms and lower legs, and extreme strength at a deficit of intelligence, with the exception of their uncanny ability to mimic voices, but without context.  They are almost skeletal in nature due to how thin their bodies look in human form, but in their other form they are extremely toned despite the breastplate and ribs standing out.  They are stronger than werewolves, and have longer reach, but they do not have their speed, nor the agility of weretigers.  Due to their unusual nature, they tend to have a craving for human flesh even with other food available, and rarely can push down their bestial side.  They do not have any magic in Wendigo form that they can cast, but their bodies do have heightened self-healing powers.

A Bogen is a human infected with Luniis that has amphibious and reptilian junk genes activated, their skin becoming more leathery, a long tail like that of an alligator coming out of their back, gills on their neck, claws from their hands, and their heart alters in this form and their normal one to have fewer chambers and become more flexible more like a snake heart.  Bogen are the slowest of Luniis-infected humans, but their adaptability and cunning makes them extremely dangerous.  They prefer marshes, swamps and slow-moving rivers to live near, but are easily able to adapt to living in the underground caverns, the ocean or even in desert environments so long as they have a water supply to keep from completely dehydrating.  Their strength is on par with a werewolf, but they retain more intelligence like weretigers, and their tail can be used as a club unlike that which a werewolf has.  Their magic is affected most strongly by nickel, causing their hearts to race faster than normal, potentially causing a heart attack.

A Felinae infected with Luniis can become more feral, shifting to be even more cat-like and running on all fours.  They also could morph to become a humanoid colored and patterned like a previously bred-out strain of house-cat.  Rarely, they can become more like Miacids, an ancient carnivore ancestor.  This makes them even more agile, quick and have even more heightened sense of danger awareness.  They are also less able to use magic if affected by mercury.

A Cubi infected with Luniis may grow more brutish and have its horns lengthen, its body engulfed in small flames, becoming known as Cubikus.  They are more efficient with fire magic, more brutish and muscular, their skin hardening and they become less charming, their mouths misshapen and widened as four new teeth come in.  Their magic is unaffected by metals, but extreme decreases in temperature can slow or stall them, even force a reversion to their normal form.

Another Cubi Luniis infection strain is that which is known as Chibu, which spreads the cold from the cubi's genitalia through the rest of their body, increasing their affinity for cold magic and fluctuating their emotional responses.  They are thinner than normal Cubi and more agile, but no stronger than normal, and their tongues lengthen an additional three inches from that of a normal Cubi.  Their magic is unaffected by metals, but extreme increases in temperature can slow or stall them, even force a reversion to their normal form.

A Draconis Dragon-Kin infected with Luniis becomes either more like a young adult Draconis Dragon of its type--regardless of the age of the Draconis Dragon-Kin--in its shape and half-way to its size, being more bestial though than the dragon would be, more feral.  They may also instead be shifting to be closer to that of their non-dragon lineage, usually more human in form as most Draconis Dragon-Kin are more frequently half-human and half-dragon than any other genetic combination.  They may also find themselves growing bony protrusions along their body in strange places as defensive protection, their heads growing larger crests with a larger dome on the top of their head, and that their wings grow larger in size.  Those infected with this third strain are given the name Guljer, and all three have a weakness magically toward gold in their obsession for it making it harder to focus.

A Goblin infected with Luniis becomes a Hobgoblin, unable to shift between forms without some manner of assistance or curing of the infection.  They are larger, stronger, more versed in fire magic, crueler, more aggressive and more intelligent than normal Goblins.  They are harder to keep in line, and are usually exiled by Goblins, unlike Trolls.  Their magics are weakened by nickel.

A Pixie afflicted with Luniis becomes a Nixie during their shift.  They sprout two small tails, become semi-translucent, grow scales on their legs, gills, and become vicious, stronger and faster during their shift, but needing to stay near water.  Their magic is strongly affected by silver or steel.

 A Naiad that gets infected with Luniis becomes more powerful during strong tides regardless of their water source, and some have a strain that brings forth the ancestral lineage beyond the water elemental and pixie known ancestors all the way back toward the chaotic beings that created the pixies.  Naiads with this strain grow tentacles, clawed hands and body segmentation as a hard exoskeleton forms around them, their form blending their liquid form with that of a giant water bug and with tentacles and the like.  These type of Naiads are collectively known as Anodinas, and they are weakened by mercury.

A Centaur infected with Luniis becomes one of two things depending on their gender.  A male Centaur will lose most of their humanoid waist, and their forelegs and arms will merge in form.  Their back hair will grow tremendously and their skin will take on a blue or green hue as they permanently become Kelpies unless cured.  A female centaur will have their hands and hooves shift to become claws, both their humanoid and equine waists morphing to become more similar to each other and more flexible.  They will take on either an ashen tone with white or black hair or one pure black with red or white hair.  Once they have permanently changed, they are known as Oichemarre, or Night Mares.  Both Kelpies and Oichemarre become demented and cruel, trying to drown or trample other individuals respectively, usually first trying to tempt them to come close by using magic to take a more pleasing illusion appearance.

A Gitwerg infected with Luniis has hair grow everywhere except their neck and face, which has it fall out, including on the top of their head.  They become driven to the surface, still liking to live in rocks, usually making their homes in cliff sides instead of deep underground.  The Tulerg, as they are known, lose the ability to speak the proper Gitwerg languages and dialects, instead having their tongue split into three, each with a sharp barb at the tip that is able to be fired out like that of a frog.  The Tulerg are relatively peaceful unless disturbed and if enough of them make a settlement they find other ways to communicate, such as their own form of crude sign language.  They are most affected by gold, which burns at the touch.