Wendigo sperg

Biology: Think an omnivore, like we humans are, forcing itself to be an obligate carnivore.
- The digestive system is malformed, with a thinner stomach and shorter digestive tract. It can still take nutrients from plant matter, but demands extensive amounts of protein.
- Part of the hypothalamus referring to feeding is grossly swollen. It is hard-wired to crave meat - human flesh especially. This manifests in the Wendigo as nervous salivation, muscular shakes and dilated pupils.
- The skeleton is overall thinner and longer than in a typical human. Dentition is biased towards a meat-eating diet, with teeth ill-suited for grinding or crushing, making consuming plant matter difficult. Antlers also grow annually from the skull - see below to know more about this.
- The muscles are wiry, but supernaturally strong. In a fight, Wendigoes casually snap trees in half and crack boulders, and can rip their prey limb from limb without even trying.
- Wendigoes have much keener senses than humans, especially considering scent.
- Unique to the Wendigo brain is a special gland. Theories abound that it may help them control their ice magic, but debate still rages about this.
- Wendigoes are sterile and cannot breed in the usual way. The venom of a Wendigo, however, carries hormonal compounds that can turn bitten humans into Wendigoes by modifying their physiology and biology. This experience is apparently extremely painful, and also occurs if a human eats meat from an animal killed by a Wendigo.
- Wendigoes have very weak livers. As a result, they get drunk very easily.

Society/Culture: Tribe or clan-based.
- A Wendigo tribe is made up of unrelated members, with only a few distinct family members. Tribes are constantly moving to keep themselves fed.
- Wendigo females are less common than males. Nobody knows why this is. On a similar note, the males are more solitary and inclined to wandering solo.
- A Wendigo's antlers are mostly seen in the Autumn and Winter months, dropping out during spring. Summer is the time when all Wendigoes retreat into communal lairs and begin a celebration known as the Frozen Prayer. This is to ensure that the coming winters are harsh, thus providing them with plentiful food.
- Wendigoes all know a little ice magic. The most basic form is the driving blizzard that traditionally announces their approach - in reality, the Wendigo is trying to hide itself in order to sneak up on prey. The most skilled members traditionally become shamans or doctors.
- The hunt means everything to the Wendigo. Because they can only satisfy themselves with meat, they go to great pains to prepare their hunting trips, stalking prey for many days or even longer. A successful hunt is a time of silent celebration, and the act of eating a form of worship. Anything that disrupts their plan is an ill omen.
- A Wendigo will not touch rotten meat, or meat from an animal that has died of cold or disease. This is an offense to their gods, who have claimed the meat for their own purposes. Indeed, to call a Wendigo an "eater of old meat" is as bad as calling a man a cannibal.
- Cooking meat is a touchy subject. Some tribes do it to "cure" the meat of evil spirits, others see it as an offense to the god of ice and thus do not do it.
- Despite the carnivorous bias, Wendigoes can and do eat plant matter. Sometimes it forms a garnish to their meat, but in the majority of cases it is for medicinal value.
- Wendigoes do not touch alcohol of any kind, to avoid impairing their judgement. A drunken Wendigo is a dangerous, unpredictable being.

Religion: Based around two gods - one of ice, one of darkness.
- The Sun God created the world, but ruled it harshly, with no night or day. All things began to die because there was no balance.
- Ice and Darkness were born from a cave hidden from the Sun God. Between them, Ice and Darkness created Winter, the night and the Wendigo Race.
- The Sun God grew angry with them, and thus they challenged the Sun God and battled him, cutting off a piece of him until he was unrecognizable. At last, the Sun God conceded and gave half his kingdom to the twins.