I want to play as a werewolf very badly... but the way my character is laid out, I have no idea how I would ever justify my character joining the Companions and becoming a werewolf. He's a worshipper of the Divines, Arch-mage of the College of Winterhold, and he just finished up the Dawnguard questline as... well, a member of the Dawnguard.

The Companions don't like magic, they're mainly involved in Atmoran lore (which wouldn't exclude my character by any means, I know), but I just have such a problem with defying Aetherius (same as with a Vampire Lord) by being a werewolf, and being strictly a warrior, as the Companions don't even seem to like enchanted weapons (though they have no qualms about poison).

It's tricky -- how would I justify my character joining a strict warrior thing for honor and glory with such a history? I plan on having him side with the imperials after I finish the MQ, as well, so that adds fuel to the fire... compromising their neutrality. I don't know. Halp.

Don't look for a justification, just create a new character.

You could start a new character? Flesh out a new story and create a BA warrior..? (I guess that wasn't very helpful)

Yeah, do like ladyonthemoon says. There's a lot of stuff to go through in order to get to the contracting-lycanthropy point in the quest, why compromise your character?

Make a new character. He won't have the limitations of the old one.

This. You don't have to cram every quest on to one character.

I know, but I've made so many different characters already. It becomes such a chore to go through everything again (and I literally go through -everything- that I can justify, including chopping wood for any npc that buys wood just to increase their disposition). I'm not a total completionist, but I want to experience as much as I can on one character without spreading out all over the place. Then there's all the Daedric stuff that usually makes me want to delete a character since I prefer to only bind my soul to one Daedric lord or one deity, which means limiting the stuff I join and... meh.

This would be complicated, but you could always split one character into two by going two different directions from the same save point. Just have to remember what save is what "alternate universe." Just a thought.