Silver is a metallic element, symbol "Ag" atomic number 47. While commonly valued as a precious metal like gold, it's also used as primary means to kill Lycans in the Underworld universe, who are extremely allergic to it.
In the past, the Vampires would demand gifts of silver from their human vassals, as reparations for the Vampires' aid in shielding the humans from the ravages of the local Werewolves.
Usage[]
Lycans are vulnerable to weapons edged with silver, due to the fact that as long as a Lycan is in contact with silver, it cannot heal its wounds and will be severely weakened, nor can it transform. In past centuries, this meant that silver-tipped arrows and silver throwing stars were used against Lycans by the Vampires. In modern centuries, this means that Vampires predominantly rely on using silver-tipped bullets.
So long as silver bullets are in a Lycan, it cannot heal, and must remove them first to do so. A direct hit to vital organs with silver bullets will result in almost instant death. Certain powerful Lycans are able to push silver bullets out of their body through muscle pressure, which is a faster way to remove them than digging them out, albeit quite painful. Only the Lycan Elder Lucian has been observed doing this.
Back during their enslavement by the Vampires, Lycans wore Moon Collars, which kept them from transforming, despite the full moon.
Vampire Weapons Master Kahn developed a new advance in silver-based weapons based on the Lycans' ultraviolet ammunition: bullets containing a suspension of silver nitrate solution (AgNO3). On impact, silver nitrate liquid is directly absorbed into the bloodstream, making it impossible for even a powerful and experienced Lycan to remove. The same weapons master created grenades filled with the same solution.
When Lucian is shot with a bullet containing silver nitrate, his body appears to turn stiff while making his veins clear and silvery in appearance. This may indicate that rather than an actual allergic reaction, Lycans react to silver by bonding directly to it, destroying the function of the surrounding tissue. This would also explain why it is particularly deadly when silver penetrates Lycan organs.
During the Purges, the Infected Persons Unit used Silver Nitrate Spray at their checkpoints to identify Lycans.
Trivia[]
- During the time of Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, silver is the primary currency of Viktor's Coven.
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