“Research Notes: Runehounds--

I love my dogs. I really do.  Until I broke out of the monotony of the Dalaran actually met people, my entire social life consisted of Perdita and Hotspur-- and a few short encounters with individuals who were interested in them. Note for posterity: walking dogs is a great way to meet men. It’s absolutely astounding at how extensive a Runehound’s intelligence is. Within the first few months I began to train them, they absorbed verbal commands to the point where I was almost certain they understood the Common language entirely. We’re going to start working on Thalassian, soon. Dwarvish might be next. Surpassing their intelligence is their loyalty. Though loyalty is a shared trait among canines to their masters, I find myself wondering how much of it is genuine and how much of it is because they are compelled to obey.

Runes have near endless applications. An infamous, and unfortunately frequently used application robs the will of whomever it’s placed upon. From dragons to stone elementals, runes etched upon the skin would bind an individual to the will of the imbuer and they are essentially ensorcelled slaves at that point.  I don’t recognize many of the runes on my dogs, but I at least identify none of them to be this type. Out of uncertainty, though, I am left wondering about it... Either I can be a cruel master and bind the runes, myself, or someone else might do it.

Most of the runes I can identify would accommodate the Runehound’s initial purpose. Perhaps inspired by the felhounds of the Legion, these Runehounds are created with the same principle in mind: Kill mages. These hounds are highly impervious to magic and their teeth and claws seem to be capable of disrupting a mage’s ability to cast, not just from the pain of an attack. The runic flow creates a severely warped arcane layer upon them, lacking any substantial effect and merely flowing without purpose. Thusly, when in contact with a Spellcaster, it causes a magical interference and prevents a successful cast. A Runehound’s altered senses can track magic and Spellcasters, and it is rarely fooled by flashy tricks and sensory illusions. Clearly, their tailoring for mage hunting shows. The difference that separates them from felhounds is that they were also constructed to obey mages, specifically the ones serving the Blue Dragonflight at the time. Mage Hunters that were created to obey Mages. Stupid. 

Perdita and Hotspur were from a few litters that I found while doing some ground work. Puppies, already bred and carved with runes. Animal abuse, by the way. I had to get special permission and training in order to foster these pups. I found that they would bond with mage owners a lot faster than the average individual. Further proving this theory-- As I have taken up residence in Sir Lloyd’s property, the dogs seem to have taken a pleasant interest in him, which surprises me as he has constantly vocalized that he is not a dog person and it shows. This either means that his presence as a mage is unique enough that it intrigues the dogs or that he smells like beef on a regular basis. It’s probably the former.”

Image by Julie Dillon, © Paizo Publishing. Accessed at Julie Dillon’s deviantArt page here

[The runehound feels like a Pathfinder monster already, what with its combination of body horror and psychic powers, plus the word “rune”. James Jacobs was a designer on Monster Manual III, so I wonder if this is one of his creations.]

Runehound This creature has the build of a wolf or large dog, but its head is an eyeless maw, rising from a flexible stalk growing from the creature’s back. Its body is hairless and covered in vaguely letter-like patterns.

Runehounds are strange, vaguely dog-like monsters that perceive the world through mental vibrations. A runehound is an expert dowser, and can track its quarry for miles using psychic impressions alone. They are ferocious predators who hunt cooperatively with each other, working in packs to isolate targets and destroy them with their acidic bile and savage jaws. Their rubbery necks are capable of stretching and contorting, allowing them to strike at surprising range. 

Runehounds are often submissive to other aberrant creatures, and they believe that they were created by some other race as servitors in the distant past. As such, they will serve as trackers and assassins for monsters or spellcasters of many types, as long as they are suitably paid for their efforts. A runehound will also not hesitate to turn on a master that strikes it as weak or foolish. They are carnivorous, but supplement their diet with chemicals and poisons of all kinds. Some runehounds have variant ranged attacks instead of their acid spew and vile globs, capable of spraying poison, hallucinogens or slippery grease.

Here is Eoni. She is my Fursona, matches me in every way. Except for the peircing, and the tattoo. x3. So those are optional. Hehe. She's a mutt of course. With mostly corgie in her. [Gonna have to switch information around.]