In-Depth Information;

Appearance Hellwolves are great, demonic wolves ranging from the size of a normal Vystrian wolf to as large as a middling horse. All hellwolves fall into four distinct Kingdoms: War, Famine, Pestilence, Death, depending on which one they were born into. These 'wolves are further split into kingwolves, outcasts, and loners if they are not a part of their Kingdom's packs.

Death: Death hellwolves are larger than their Pestilence cousins, but smaller than an average War 'wolf, though they tend to be somewhat heavier. Many have straight horns behind the ears, and all have spikes running down their spines, though how these appear differs from individual to individual. These 'wolves often have scales of some assortment, though whether these are visible differs from hellwolf to hellwolf. These scales often grow beneath the fur, hidden from sight, but may also manifest in plates, scutes, or visible scales anywhere on the body - and it is because of this that their hides are thick and tough, granting them great defense. Their eyes are varying shades of red; they may or may not have wings.

Famine: Famine hellwolves are lithe and lean, the smallest of the variants by far - though many have plumage and fluffy fur coats that may obscure this fact. All have wings, either feathered, webbed, or a combination of the two, and some may have feathered (sometimes webbed) crests or fanned tails that lay over the top of their traditional lupine ones. Other mutations, like scales, horns, plates, and serpentine tails are very, very rare. All Famine hellwolves may be found in any color, though brighter hues are very common, as is bioluminescent markings on both feathers and fur. Famine 'wolves are gifted with eyes that shine in shades of green.

Pestilence: Pestilence hellwolves are lupines of medium height, known to have lighter colors in their pelts as commonly as darker and brighter hues. Most commonly, Pestilence 'wolves have long, venomous fangs and claws, and envenomed spikes, spines, and frills are not uncommon. Aside from their fangs and claws, some of these hellwolves may appear the least threatening of the variants, and many have mistaken them as the easiest to kill (much to their dismay, after being confronted with a Pestilence 'wolf's more dangerous qualities). All have eyes in shades of gold.

War: War hellwolves are the largest of the 'wolf variants, commonly reaching the size of a middle-height horse. They are muscular and often heavily built, with long claws and fangs. All War hellwolves have shades of blue for their eyes, and all have some variation of curling ram horns in any color. The horns grow throughout their lives; 'wolves of a higher hank in the packs tend to have larger horns than those of lower rank. Their pelts range widely in hues, though darker colors are most common. Only a few have wings.

Kingwolves consist of any Kingdom, and always have their usual traits. However, these are generally the largest and strongest of the packs, sometimes towering over their fellows. They retain all of their usual coloration, but their natural eye color will change permanently to shades of silver or grey upon being chosen by the King. Even after a King is killed or ousted, these silver eyes remain.

Outcasts are those hellwolves unlucky enough to be driven from their packs or exiled by their Lords have very few physical changes, save for the scars left by their escape - and the strange fact that their eyes turn to shades of violet and purple. This change is permanent unless a Lord offers them forgiveness, done through a particular ritual to reinstate them within the Kingdom's good graces.

Loners have little to no physical difference than the birth packs they came from. It is common that a loner will be smaller than most of its kind, having left due to an inability to compete within the pack, but this is not a hard-set rule. However, older loners that have spent hundreds of years away from Kurai will have their eye color noticeably fade, though the hue never turns completely colorless.

Culture Crafted by the Kuraian Four to serve the demons from which they were created, hellwolves traditionally guard the territories of the four Kingdoms in dozens of small, tightly-knit packs. Each hellwolf variant also has a single royal pack that usually dwells either in or close to the Castle or Fortress of that particular Kingdom, under direct control and supervision of their reigning Lord. Hellwolves have their own unique, strict code of behaviors and such among packs; lawbreakers are treated mercilessly and driven out of the packs to become outcasts, marked with scars and violet eyes.

Each smaller pack is governed by a single alpha, usually the strongest, and often numbers anywhere from three to ten individuals. These small packs often dwell outside of demon settlements, patrolling the territories where there are no large groups to interfere. The much larger Royal packs each have their own unique hierarchy and culture very different from the hellwolves that do not live in the direct service to their Lord.

However, all packs - royal or not - have some common cultural differences to one another. These are listed below.

Death: Many Death hellwolf packs are far more violent towards non-hellwolves than others, and kill far more than their fellows. However, Death hellwolves often have a very strict code of honor that differs from pack to pack, and breaking this code often leads to the offending member's death. Exiles from Death packs are relatively rare, as most law-breakers are outright killed. Infighting, because of this, is a rare occurrence.

Famine: Perhaps the most mellow of the types of hellwolves, Famine is seen as weak by its neighboring Kingdoms - both for their physical lack of strength and their propensity towards kindness in its members and to those of other races. These packs are led by a single alpha and the alpha's mate, as well as a beta, sub-alpha, and sub-beta. This is the only hellwolf pack that does not actively cull weak 'wolves or pups.

Pestilence: Pestilence packs are feared not only for their above-average size, but the lethal toxicity of both their venoms and their poisons. They are led by a single alpha or alphess, generally the most cunning among them, one who guides with intelligence rather than rules with fear. However, those that break the law are converted into Machin-shin, or 'weapon wolves' - hellwolf individuals filled with a cocktail of venoms, toxins, acids, and diseases, and released towards their enemies, whereupon they charge headlong into the thick of their foes before their bodies abruptly explode in a cloud of poison.

War: Brutal and savage have often been used to describe War packs; however, these 'wolves also often hold great loyalty to their alphas and betas, and would do anything to protect those they care for. Hellwolves that have not gained the loyalty and trust of their packmates, however, are fair game to be rid of for the pack's sake. However, weak pups are still culled - and sometimes may even be eaten by the adult members.

Kingwolves, as they are known, hail from all four Kingdoms, and only gather together when there is a reigning King on the Silver Throne. They are intensely loyal to their King and other kingwolves, and this loyalty often remains in part when the Throne is left empty and the 'wolves return to their regular packs. Kingwolves have a reputation for being haughty and arrogant, treating those that do not share their silver eyes with some disdain.

Outcasts rarely have set cultures; they come from an assortment of differing backgrounds and packs, with a variety of reasons why they may have been outcast. Most are evasive and defensive, wary of strangers and sometimes fearful of others of their own kind. These outcasts rarely find solace with other hellwolves, even off of Kurai; however, some may be welcomed into other canid packs, so long as they are able to adapt readily.

Loners are instilled with a longing for their home Realm, and may become melancholy and distant as years go by. Though packs led by a lone hellwolf, or consisting of several hellwolves outside of Kurai, trend towards being small they also may develop other differences that may not be found in traditional packs, and most disband after a handful of years. These differences vary widely, as subtle or extravagant as one might think. For those few who decide to take up permanent residence with another group will generally fit in well due to their adaptability.

Abilities Hellwolves are gifted with abilities that are not commonly found in similar creatures, such as Vystrian wolves or kamine. While they may have any magical abilities aside from these, including but not limited to the elements, all have Kingdom-specific abilities that no hellwolf of that variant is without.

Death: Death 'wolves are renowned, or perhaps infamous, for their enormous resilience, which more than makes up for their lack of great strength, speed, or stamina, due to the scales and thick fur that protects their bodies. It's not uncommon for Death hellwolves to be gifted in magical defenses to augment their physical protection. Few have wings, and even those that do prefer to fight on the ground. Many of them will wait patiently for their enemies to attack before striking, sinking their teeth into whatever they can and holding on, relying in their immense durability to protect them while they wait for their enemies to tire, or slip and expose a more vulnerable target.

Some Death hellwolves are rumored to have a gaze that causes petrification or immediate death, but this has proven to be unfounded. However, very few of these 'wolves are capable of having a somewhat hypnotic effect on those that meet their eyes, rarely 'freezing' them in place.

Famine: Famine 'wolves are the smallest in stature of Kurai's hellwolves, but are the fastest and most agile of all four variants. All of Famine's 'wolves have wings, and they are devilishly clever at engaging foes equally well in the air or on the ground. They excel at hit and run tactics, and their magics tend to reinforce this skill. They tend to try to drop right atop their enemies and inflict what injuries they can in a few seconds before flying off, only to return later to repeat the process.

It is in this Kingdom alone that renders some hellwolves that may become true mages, able to call a level of magic most other 'wolves cannot. However, this also renders some capable of magics they cannot wholly control, leading to many deaths via overtax.

Pestilence: Pestilence 'wolves are well-known for their physical stamina, allowing them to run their prey to exhaustion before striking, or in leading their foes on a long chase, then turning back upon them when their pursuers tire. They are also feared for the various venoms and toxins present in fangs, claws, and spikes. Magics that can be used to further the spread of their poisons are most common among them. They often inflict venomous wounds upon their enemies and draw back to allow time for their foes to begin to succumb.

In general, Pestilence 'wolves also have some level of toxicity in their blood; some may be poisonous, while others may have somewhat acidic levels that can burn on contact. For this reason, those who battle Pestilence 'wolves must beware that they don't get the lupine blood on them.

War: War's hellwolves are massive beasts, the largest and strongest of all hellwolves. In battle, they are brutal, ferocious, and unrelenting, working together to overwhelm their foes with sheer brute strength, and are equally loathe to leave a fight unfinished as they are to allow their foes to escape once battle has been joined. Their magics tend to be offensive-oriented, and are most often used in the initial stages of a fight to soften up their foes.

As all War hellwolves are gifted with curling ram horns, it is often common for them to charge and ram their opponents with their heads. These attacks are strong enough to break bone in many cases, and their skulls are somewhat thicker and stronger than those of other hellwolves as an evolutionary trait.

Kingwolves are prime physical examples of whichever Kingdom they hail from. They are exceptionally deadly in a pack as they combine the greatest strengths of the various hellwolf packs into one group. Aside from their immense loyalty to their King and to each other, they are often much more perceptive than other hellwolves due to always being on alert for any threats that may endanger their king. All are renowned for their great courage, bordering on recklessness, in battle.

Outcasts are by necessity expert scavengers due to the lives they've been forced into, and great at being evasive. It has become second nature for them to always have several ways out of whatever lairs they might temporarily take up residence in, as they are nomadic by nature. They tend to play to their strengths in where they choose to wander.

Loners are often shrewd negotiators and skilled scroungers, often saving things they find that may have a use to somebody that they can then use as a bargaining chip. They are fluid in their ways and though have little in abilities that differentiates them from their common variants, may learn to use their traits and magics differently than in Kurai. However, from dwelling in other Realms, lone hellwolves' night sight is often depleted or nearly completely eradicated; they can no longer see as well in the dark.

subspecies;

Barghest
Classification: ghostly hellwolf. Location: originates in Hell and Kurai, but found wherever fear is rampant.

When a hellwolf or hellhound dies with insurmountable attachment to the world of the living, their spirit may manifest a new physical form; that of the barghest, a massive canine that can appear in the form of a twisted wolf, most often a canine of terrible ferocity. They may lose any and all physical qualities they had from when they were alive, and traditionally gain a shaggy - and sometimes unkempt - black coat, armed with huge teeth and claws. Their eyes glow brightly with inner fire, and sometimes their pelt seems to burn with a fell black flame. If old enough, they may gain the ability to move invisibly in the world of the living as ghosts, appearing to savage any who may see them, and the one they seek to kill. However, they are soul-bound to the Lord of their previous life, and cannot attack him under any circumstance. They hold a hatred of everything that lives, and may be set upon others at the order of their Lord. Legend goes that only a royal from the Kingdom they originated from may free them of their bonds and set their spirit to rest, though this has never been tested.

Dawnwolf
Classification: god-blessed, powerful hellwolves with good souls. Location: mostly Kurai.

Dawnwolves are those hellwolves blessed by the god of their Kingdom with unique abilities and a special, alternate form called the Akarui. These hellwolves were chosen by their god to perform a specific task, and were transformed into dawnwolves because of the goodness in their hearts. All dawnwolves are sworn to their god over their Lord, and may disobey the reigning Lord if conflicting orders arise. Dawnwolves will look indistinguishable from their original hellwolf form until they transform into the Akarui, though some may choose to remain in the Akarui form full time.

Death dawnwolves' Akarui forms exhibit wispy, glowing, ethereal bodies; their bodies are corporeal to the touch, but do not appear as such. They will leave afterimages in their wake, and may be difficult to look at directly - a Death Akarui is very hard, if not impossible, to focus on if one does not want to be seen. Their spikes, horns, claws, and skull masks glow the brightest, and their eyes glow intensely red. These dawnwolves are masters of stealth, and have the ability to siphon spiritual energy without pain from a victim. Their most powerful ability, however, is that they may heal fatal injuries that would kill most normal healers.

Famine dawnwolves' Akarui forms have soft and silky fur, multiple wings, and feathers growing over the majority of their bodies. Most gain flowing tendrils and trailing feathers, as well as brightly-glowing markings; longer feathers glow brightest, where shorter feathers may have very little light. Some Famine dawnwolves may gain leonine traits, such as a lion mane, slender tufted tail, large paws, and other similar features. Their eyes glow intensely green. Famine dawnwolves are lighting fast and possessed of extreme magical ability; they can withstand great heat and cold, due to their protective feathers and fur. Most are possessed of the Sight.

Pestilence dawnwolves' Akarui forms trail gold light wherever they walk or move, and are covered in brightly glowing golden markings. They emit an aura of light that may heal those of good heart, and poison those that are wicked. Pestilence Akarui may gain avian traits such as feathered wings, beaked faces, and scaled legs, and their eyes glow intensely gold. All may be able to suck away and cure illness easily, without the dangers regular healers face.

War dawnwolves' Akarui forms have multiple twisted horns, thick fur, tufted ears and very long tails. Many War dawnwolves may gain draconic traits such as a reptilian muzzle, serpentine tail, batlike (or birdlike) wings, scales, talons, and many other attributes besides. Their eyes glow intensely blue. War Akarui are very strong, very fast, and are possessed of sonic abilities utilized through destructive roars and ear-shattering howls.

Dawnwolves' offspring cannot inherit any traits, and will appear to be bred from a normal hellwolf.

Doomwolf
Classification: god-blessed, powerful hellwolves with evil souls. Location: mostly Kurai.

Doomwolves are those hellwolves blessed by the god of their Kingdom with unique abilities and a special, alternate form called the Kurosa. These hellwolves were chosen by their god to perform a specific task, and were transformed into doomwolves because of the darkness in their hearts. All doomwolves are sworn to their god over their Lord, and may disobey the reigning Lord if conflicting orders arise. Doomwolves will look indistinguishable from their original hellwolf form until they transform into the Kurosa, though some may choose to remain in the Kurosa form full time.

Death doomwolves' Kurosa forms feature complete bone armor that covers much of their body, appearing to wear a second skeleton adhered to their flesh. Bone spikes protrude from multiple places, commonly joints; most Death Kurosa often have extravagant skull masks, and their eyes glow startlingly red. Other common features include their hellwolf form's normal spikes, long claws, scales and plates. Death doomwolves have an enhanced ability of petrification through eye contact that is significantly more severe, deadly, and harder to resist. Wounds heal very quickly, and their hides are difficult to penetrate with anything but silver.

Famine doomwolves' Kurosa forms often consist of feathered crests, double (or more) wings, feathered tail-fans, feathers in the fur or sometimes completely feathered bodies. These feathers are very strong, and may be very sharp along the tips and leading edges. They are very, very thin in build (almost starved in appearance), almost delicate, and their eyes glow startlingly green. Famine Kurosa are lightning fast, may go for months without food, and have great stamina both in the air and on the ground. Many may use their blade-sharp feathers to slice at foes, and hold extreme magical abilities.

Pestilence doomwolves' Kurosa forms have a visible aura of disease; they can cause sickness simply by proximity. Across their bodies are glowing vents that exude this aura, and some may also excrete a liquid poison, somewhat acidic to the touch. They hold venomous double saber fangs, long venomous talons, and have startlingly glowing yellow eyes. Their blood is acidic and can melt what it falls upon; they may also breathe poison gasses, and their fangs and claws contain potent venom.

War doomwolves' Kurosa forms have great curving ram horns; they are exceptionally muscular, very strong, and have thick fur with multiple spikes growing underneath. All have startlingly glowing blue eyes, and may have blue rune-marks in different places on their bodies that may shine with the same brightness. War Kurosa are utterly massive, exceptionally muscular, very strong. They have crushing jaws with savage fangs and claws.

Doomwolves' offspring cannot inherit any traits, and will appear to be bred from a normal hellwolf.

Hellhounds
Classification: hellwolf cousins. Location: Hell.

The hellhound originated from rogue hellwolves outcasted and exiled from Kurai; a few of these formed packs in Hell, and were taken in by the current Lord thousands of years ago. Through breeding and adaptation, they survived Hell's merciless lands - the aura of the Realm itself changed them, making them rangy and more muscular, with bigger jaws and longer tails. Each individual began to lose their hellwolf traits, intermingled breeding and Hell's own influence changing them into twisted creatures reminiscent of a mixture of many.

Long-legged, shorter-furred and quite powerful, they hold still Death's scales beneath the fur down their backs, and a brief hallucination-inducing toxin secreted from the tips of their claws. Their large jaws have longer teeth, and the sabres of such often protrude from beneath their lips - some may also be born sporting wings, often flightless, or jagged horns curling behind their ears. Most are dark variations on color, with few markings; the majority are black or dark grey, but there are always exceptions to the rule. Each individual has an ever-present aura around them, appearing as flickering flame - the color depends on whatever reiatsu they might have, and the volume of such varies from hound to hound. Some might be seen as sparks in the dark; others small tongues of flame here and there; still others appear completely engulfed in their own visible aura. This also appears to be the only magic they are able to use; elemental abilities are weak at best, and few may harness anything but their own reiatsu. Thus, they primarily resort to their physical traits alone.

Structured packs of these creatures roam Hell here and there, few in number and hard to control; their allegiance isn't easily won, though they will aid Hell's master grudgingly at times of great need. All answer without question to Linath's authority, however - something they share in common with their creator, the long-dead Master of time's bygone flow.