Name: Whispering Wolves, Whispering Hounds, (Both formerly known as Barghest)

Race: Beast

Sub-race: Wolves/Dogs respectively

Place on the Pyramid of Power (PPP): Whispering Wolves: Predator to Forces of Nature

Whispering Hounds: Predators

World: Xentos

Habitat: Whispering Wolves: Jungles, Forests, very few dead-zones in the Underground, and the plains of the kingdom of Fire. They prefer warmer weather

Whispering Hounds: Wherever there are settlements and a race willing to domesticate them.

Biology: Whispering Wolves:

Oswald did a really good job of describing these beasts. From the sleek arrow-like heads to the burly chests and their digestive system. It's really detailed stuff. It kind of makes the biology section redundant. That said, I will clarify a few misconceptions that he leads people towards.

All whisper wolves have pitch-black fur. It can be called shade fur, and other names depending on the local dialect. This is one of the main differences between whisper wolves and hounds. All whisper wolves start with yellow-tipped ears. The fur on the tips of those ears is a sort of status symbol among them. It also serves as a very simple warning for those that know what they mean.

The paws of these creatures are sharp, but they really aren't powerful. Sure it could kill someone by scratching if it got enough in, but the tongue is and will always be its main method of attacking. That aside, that Oswald journal was probably the best I ever put together. Which kind of makes it hard to pick apart. It must be done, and so here we go.

Whisper wolves are pack hunters, making it very unlikely to just encounter one. They outright refuse to attack unless they are in pairs, which makes taming them one at a time very easy. The weakest are of course the yellow tips, and I'll explain more about them as the tiers develop. Since they all build up from what was below them.

All whisper wolves (simply going to call them wolves from now on) have special muscles that allow them to build up pressure and release it. Almost like a spring made out of organs that launches the tongue. These same tongues are segmented with more fine-tuned organs that make it function like a snake. They have barbs at the tip and are hollow with those same organs creating a suction force to drink blood through it like a straw. If a wolf loses its tongue it will die for obvious reasons, meaning they very rarely will ever lash anyone with them.

In fact, they only use their tongues to lash each other or perform a sort of mating dance. These wolves mate for life, forming a monogamous relationship with each other. They will of course move on if they discover their mate is dead, but they are creatures with simple intelligence. They are clever, but not sapient. They can plan an ambush, but that stems more from their pack and how they hunt. They are weaker creatures, so they need to be ready to work together to take on the bigger stuff.

A pack isn't really a pack until there are eight or more members. Every pack needs an alpha, a leader to guide them. As Oswald mentioned the yellow tip will become red. The alpha is bigger and stronger than the others. The muscles are more developed in its tongue, the tongue itself is sharper, just like its wit. What Oswald didn't mention was that the pack mates become 'smarter' as well. The death of the alpha will result in another taking its place a week or two after it has passed.

When the pack grows to twenty-plus members, it will develop a purple-tipped alpha. The muscles become denser, and no bulk is gained, though it is much stronger. That's right, the alphas sort of evolve with the number of pack mates under their control. Not only that, the others in the pack will start to develop red tips. Since redundancy is a thing, and if the alpha falls one of the reds will become the new alpha. It was mentioned that the tongues of the purple tips could punch through all but the best armor. Meaning the metal itself, and did not take runes into account.

If five packs of twenty meet, then something magical happens. The alphas will fight for dominance, and the true alpha will develop silver tips. (This was a plot point for the first story where Oswald's journal came from.) At this point, the silver-tipped alpha will hear words from their goddess (their one true master). The tongue will grow thicker with more barbs. The muscles will develop, even more, allowing it to lash and tear through heavy armor. Red tips will turn purple, and it will be a proper horde by that point. The tongue of the silver tip is able to pierce through runic walls and good armor with decent runes.

The tongue itself will take on a metallic tint, and parasites will develop inside it. Causing those to be grazed to suddenly find themselves having their hearts attacked by silver worms. To make it worse, they also gain regeneration and their pack is even more intelligent. The silver wolf now has the intelligence of a child, and will most often do whatever the goddess tells them to do.

Once the numbers grow to three hundred, all silver tips will fight once again. If they do not submit, they will die and be replaced. There can be only one blue tip after all. The blue tip's size swells making them twice as big as the others in their army. The tongue becomes cobalt, and the fur begins to develop shadows that fall off its frame. It is finally revealed what the whisper wolves were before they turned into what they are now.

Four orange eyes open along the snout, the chest bearing the crest of their goddess. A creature spoke of in ancient legends, a monster thought to be extinct. The blue tip becomes a Barghest, and can now use magic. It now has black blood and can drink from any creature it needs to. The tongue itself splits and becomes two while it is capable of speech and has intellect matching that of a genius human. These creatures were few, but their thirst for knowledge always led them to the most dangerous places.

You may be wondering where all of this suddenly came from, but I had plans to hint at it for a long time. I'll explain the lore in the proper section, so bear with me. After all, there is one final step.

After the conditions are met, the Barghest may develop white-tipped ears. These become the true servants of their goddess (an actual god). They will have the other silver tips rise to blue, and lead an actual army under their goddess' orders. They will simply be called 'Jack' instead of Barghest. Naturally, they are much stronger than the blue tips and are the true final form of whispering wolves.

Whispering Hounds: All hounds are born with completely gray fur and white ear tips. Though recently domesticated wolves will develop those streaks as Oswald mentioned before. Should enough hounds be gathered under one tamer, those tips will turn blue. Many people consider it a strange occurrence, but it has its purpose.

You may have noticed that we're going backwards from the whispering wolves' evolution, and you are correct. Except, the hounds don't actually get stronger until after the silver stage. Even at the silver stage they only get to be as strong as red tips found in the wild, which is considered to be unimpressive. It kind of makes the hounds only good for hunting, and guarding places. An event that was foreseen and they were made to be that way.

Very rarely has anyone ever gotten a tamed hound to the silver stage, most often thinking the creature was simply getting old. The hounds need half the amount of each other compared to the wolves, but they also need the tamers to help elevate them. So far, no one on Xentos has managed to get the silver hounds to the next stage.

If a hound were to be elevated to purple tips, then it would suddenly find its mind expanded to that of a Barghest. While unable to use magic, it will be able to perform miracles on par with bishops in the Golden Circle. Their connection to their goddess is stronger than their wild counterparts. Both they and their tamer will be tested along the paths.

Should they endure the trials, and the goddess accepts the tamer, based on what path was taken the hound will actually evolve to a red tip of different forms. (More on that in the lore/concept)

The different forms should get their own entries, but do know that the final step is the gold tip. It requires certain conditions to be met, and it's something I see myself doing in Ivory Wings. Hope it makes you guys curious and hungry for more.

Diet: Both: Small bits of raw meat, but mostly blood that doesn't come from monsters.

Concept: Whispering Wolves: Clever, sneaky, cowardly. These wolves tend to avoid fights unless they are certain they can win. They are more likely to attack a sleeping group or caravan guards while they are by themselves than linger around and fight groups or even pairs. I'd highly recommend using them if you have one person in your party that always wants to wander off.

The main concept behind these predators is that they are glass cannons. A sort of 'spot check' that teaches players the value of their armor. They are supposed to be easily defeated (hence their main attack being their tongue and how they'll run away if that is cut). Loud sounds are supposed to scare them off, opening new ways for the game to be played and showing that the players themselves can be clever.

Not every battle needs to end with the death of the enemy, and not every battle needs to be life or death. They really are supposed to be warm-up beasts. They are supposed to be creepy, and become guerilla bastards using hit and run tactics. Though that changes as they get stronger, with the silver tips able to just shred through most armor. The fact that the silver tips are supposed to be connected to their goddess/god might drive the stakes higher in a campaign. What cults want the party dead? Why are they using such weak creatures to carry such out? How did they make these formerly pathetic creatures so strong?

There is a lot of playroom for these beasts. Plus at the end of the day, the Barghest just sounds scary as heck. The overall idea behind these guys in the story is that they are just natural predators that appear weird at first. A kind of shock to let people know things are different in this strange world.

They also serve as a good reason for caravans to travel in large groups and have walls around every village. After all, who would want such things to come in the middle of the night and quietly drink the blood of all the cattle?

Whispering Hounds: Clever, sneaky, loyal. They are largely considered the best beasts for a tamer to bond with, initially. Any tamer with coin will buy a whispering hound or two. Even hunters will purchase them since you don't really need to be a tamer to train these creatures. They are effectively the dogs of Xentos while being slightly more clever than real-world dogs. A few can even be trained to play games like chess, and other such stuff.

Sadly they are also regarded as something only people with low status have. The worker's beast, just barely better than a farmer taming their Bew. They are known for herding and protecting farmlands in the Kingdom of Fire. They tend to see their masters as their alpha and go the extra mile to actually learn phrases to better fulfill their duty.

In game terms, that means these guys make excellent companions if one is trained up. Plus they are supposed to look really cool, even if the tongue kind of makes them creepy. Damage wise they'd be on par with the yellow-tipped wolves until they hit silver. Then they'd be on par with reds. Something that prevents them from being too game-breaking, and if people really want, the paths make excellent character arcs.

They are blind dogs with long ears. Go the extra mile and have them act silly. They are supposed to be the good boys, as opposed to the wolves being the bad ones. They'll die so the party might live, and they'll die so that their master's flock is safe. They are everything good about dogs, in a weird alien body.

Relationships: Whispering Wolves: Whispering wolves are tolerated for the most part since they do keep worse things away. Typically it's more about population control.

Eclipse: Yellow and Red tips are easy to defeat and serve as a very good reminder that one should always be aware of their surroundings. The forests tend to have a lot of different packs, and their movements are tracked to know when something bigger is coming. As far as the Underground is concerned, there aren't really any that aren't domesticated. They have been used in the Arena for fights against gladiators, though generally, such things are rather cruel.

Kingdom of Light: The elves of the East prefer Fukuma over whisper wolves. It is a point of tension between the nobles of the two kingdoms. It also doesn't help that the wolf tribes of the Underground are not fond of the elves either. Whisper wolves can be found here, but only among the poorest or most feral of the elf tribes. In the cities, it's all about the strongest most unique beastmen. (Their loss really)

Kingdom of Dark Fell: No hounds or wolves tread within these borders. The blood does not agree with them, and the monsters are much too dangerous. The Monster King himself doesn't like these creatures, often considering them to be ugly. It doesn't help that they don't have a monster form, no matter how many records he looks through. Utterly useless to him.

Kingdom of Fire: Tolerated by the kingdom of Fire, with the majority of their numbers on the Western landbridge. Mainly considered to be protectors, since the packs in the whispering valleys alert the kingdom if the Monster King is making any moves towards their lands.

Northern Kingdom: Dwarves are too loud, and the tunnels are too cramped for the packs. Most of them never go North because of the cold, so it just isn't a place they enjoy going to. Few wolves actually manage to make it there, but for the most part, the dwarves think they are neat oddities.

Whispering Hounds: Rather neutral, given that most realize they are great creatures to practice taming for the first time.

Eclipse: The king is more of a hound person than a Fukuma person. This can make some gatherings a little awkward considering there are Cheshire nobles that are very aware of this fact. The sentiment is largely shared with the population since the tamers on the Guard happily breed these hounds to take on patrols with them. Typically the tamers scout an area out before the new recruits get to do their patrols.

It is not uncommon to see children walking the streets with their family hound making sure they are safe. Which only serves to endear them more into the hearts of the people.

The Underground is a contrast to that however since most hounds are put in cage matches with the results being gambled on. The Raven had a large amount of them, that he used for his plan to enter the Hole. After that was done and he left, there were too many, and not enough tamers to take care of them all. Which led to a lot of bad things happening.

The hounds of the Underground have it rough, but they endure. Who knows what will happen?

Kingdom of Light: The hounds represent everything wrong with 'civilization.' They are outright slaughtered and eaten by the tribes, while the more civilized places regard them as too weak to be worth protecting. It is extremely rare to see a hound in this kingdom, which makes the wolves more common to see outside. For the most part, the wolves are left alone to let nature run its course.

Kingdom of Dark Fell: Just like the wolves these beasts do not turn into monsters. They can die to black blood, but not a single one he has captured has changed. What he doesn't understand is why so many gather in the Whispering Plains and attack his monsters. They flee with the wolves, but they seem to be united by some force.

To that end, the monster king has experiments being run on these creatures in particular since they are weaker than their wolfkin. He doesn't particularly hate them, since they only manage to slow down the hordes he sends through their lands, and they serve as food for such. Though he doesn't like them. Especially with how defiantly they all snarl at him in particular.

Kingdom of Fire: Adored by the Fire Lord, and beloved by the people. The nobles aren't too fond of them, but the general population really likes them. Most tamers in the kingdom typically keep a couple of hounds in their group, regardless of what other creatures they have with them. Cities tend to have one in four families with a hound so long as they aren't going through a famine.

The hounds are very common to find in the plains of this kingdom. Just as the wolves are very common to run into along the roads. They are seen as guardians, with a few churches even dedicated to the hounds and wolves.

Northern Kingdom: Hounds don't last long in the kingdom of dwarves. The constant noise of iron striking stone, or more iron, makes it very hard for them. It tends to result in them going deaf sooner than later. Not only that, but they are one cave in away from becoming emergency rations. The dwarves want to like them, but they just aren't compatible as a species.

Romance: Whispering Wolves: Really ask yourself if you want to contemplate it. They aren't sapient, and they are walking on four to six legs. I suggest not pursuing this unless you want to be ostracized. Keep the thoughts to yourself, unless you really want to stick a talent on them that makes them humanoid and sapient.

Even if they turn into a Barghest, they aren't exactly much better. Though hey at that point they are smart enough to understand consent and give it. Still weird, but hey, I won't judge you.

Whispering Hounds: Just like the above, though depending on the path chosen it gets a lot better.

Creation: Whispering Wolves: Barghests were made by the mad god, and then one got a talent that allowed them to become a goddess. This goddess moved to the kingdom of Fire to record their history (as many Barghests do), where she met a person named Jack. Things got romantic between them, and different ideas were laid out before them.

Thing is, Jack got around and had a lot of kids. There was some jealousy, which led to some tense moments between the two. In the end, the father of Charles (now King of Eclipse) sacrificed himself when the monster king came to be. He led an army of whisper wolves, with a grin on his face. The time he bought allowed the goddess to turn all other Barghests into such wolves so that they may live and not be forced to fulfill the monster king's terrible command.

One day the time will come when the Barghests may once again record the history of the world, but until then they are trapped in slumber they cannot comprehend.

Whispering Hounds: The hounds were made after the whisper wolves, after the goddess managed to set her grief over Jack's loss aside. She then set out these varients to search for the children of her beloved. Through the decades she found that his bloodline was thinning. She could feel them dying. Some kind of tragedy was playing out and she didn't know the cause.

The hounds were meant to find the bloodline, but she didn't know the scents of Jack's children. She could no longer visit the world of Xentos, lest she brings all the Barghests with her. The goddess watches, in despair, caught between saving the last of her beloved's bloodline and fulfilling the original mission she assigned to herself.

Purpose: Whispering Wolves: Given the reason they came about, they have a few purposes to fulfill. The first is that they should not die. Their total population cannot fall below the number of Barghests waiting to return to Xentos. That is the main goal of their existence. The second purpose is to prevent the monster armies from finding the final remaining member of Jack's bloodline. Jack was born in the Kingdom of Fire, so it makes the most sense that the last of his kin is more than likely going to be there.

It is all one huge conspiracy that nobody really knows about. Gods are able to prevent the use of magic from scrying their future or even determining their goals. Many can't even agree on where these beasts came from exactly.

Whispering Hounds: These were made in place of the children she could never have with her beloved. The hounds are living well, and yet their purpose is to find that last remaining member of the bloodline. The Wolves protect and mislead, while the hounds search to find. The goddess just needs them to find a single drop, and taste it. That is what she is waiting on.

Beyond the goal of finding where the last child of Jack's kin might be, they are meant to bond with their masters. This makes it extra sad, that the highest any of these hounds ever got was silver-tipped. The goddess wants to elevate one to a herald of her own to more directly influence the world. Yet, through circumstance, no one has ever gotten farther. Typically accidents happen, or promising tamers are tempted by a more powerful beast before the hound has a chance to bloom.

Lore: Whispering Wolves: The creation section gave most of this away. So here are some fun little facts. Whispering wolves can be called laughing Jacks. They are commonly referred to as such due to how they laugh quietly to communicate, at least within the Kingdom of Fire. The tribe of beastmen that came from these creatures are able to commune with their goddess. Though the requirements haven't been met for any of them to become a herald. Which through the intention of the goddess, just means they need to get really close to a human.

Sadly the whispering wolf tribe isn't guided by the goddess very well and is largely ignored. As for lore stuff, well the wolves to guard the Western landbridge. It's going to sound like I'm repeating myself by saying they are regarded as guardians, so I won't.

It is worth noting that wolves and hounds despise Fukuma and Cheshire. Mainly because the Cheshire are the ones leading monster hordes through the Whispering Plains, and into the Kingdom of Fire. You know, standard cats vs. dogs stuff.

Whispering Hounds: I spoke of the paths the hounds could take to evolve. Much like the wolves repeating what has already been written would be silly. So here are the paths tamers and the hounds can follow. If any of them manage to get that far. Do keep in mind that these trials don't start immediately after a silver tip becomes purple. Both the tamer and the hound need to want to move forward.

Once the silvertip turns purple, one of three trials will eventually come. Often during a dream where the hound and the tamer are separated. Both are judged by Barghests and asked questions accordingly. Less a trail, but the start of the path that they will take. There are three starts, that lead to three different ends.

The path of Power, which is offered first by the Barghests. One that is accepted when either the hound or tamer accepts it. It is to be offered thrice with better benefits added to each one. Hinting at the potential that is to come in a potentially misleading way. This path locks both parties into it. (Path of Cerberus)

The second of the first paths comes after the offer of power has been declined three times. It is the path of knowledge. In the beginning, it must be stated by the Barghests that there are two paths. This is the second one, and both paths are now open. Both the tamer and the hound must ask if there is a third path to have a chance at that. Both parties must agree to pursue this path. (Path of Barghest)

The final starting path and the one that can only be reached if both ask the right questions. It will be revealed to them both and offered with the other two until one is chosen. It is the path of loyalty. Both parties must agree to pursue this path as well. (Path of Adlet)

Every journey starts with a single step, and both parties may decline any of the three paths. Though they may change their minds when they are ready to begin such a thing. Once they are on a specific path they cannot leave it and are locked in until death. Any path chosen will 'ascend' the hound into a monster. All of them will have long ears with purple tips at this stage, despite what monster they end up becoming.

The path of power molds them into a hellhound, which is why it is called the path of Cerberus. The path of Barghest turns them into a Barghest at this stage. The path of loyalty turns them into an Adlet (basically a beastman, but stronger than the ones found in tribes.) Each of these paths has three answers in how they will end. I'll type out more since they do deserve their own entry.

Fun Ideas: Whispering Wolves: A lot of ideas were already given earlier. Though I do recommend providing your own nuance to these guys. They are clearly alien in appearance and might be considered very strange. Which makes them perfect for most genres. The best part is they have a reason to be smart and get stronger as the party grows. So they can always be a good soft check to help your party consider where they stand in terms of defense.

Where they really shine is horror, of course. Just imagine venturing into an abandoned lab and hearing whispers and laughter. Then you see a dark vaguely shaped dog creature dart around one corner. Then the party sees another run down the halls behind them. Never lingering, but letting the players know they are there. Probably the best way to start a dungeon delve with these guys just being hungry enough to start hunting a party. They got the body horror down, and their hit-and-run mentality will really get players unnerved for whatever else you plan on throwing at them.

On the other end, you could have the party's druid talk to one of these creatures out in the wild. They are smart enough to explain they want to see their pack. If they are led to such, safely, then perhaps the pack might pop up later and help the party escape a bad situation with goblins or something. Making them misunderstood creatures, that look strange, but are nice. Which leads to them getting tamed and becoming hounds.

Whispering Hounds: Who doesn't love companions in their group? These guys can make things more interesting, as well as round out the average damage that can be done. I'd say that two of them probably make a player member and you can add more to keep their damage on par with the party. How you choose to have them interact with the party will define how well received they are. If you can't find a good way to use the goodest boys in your campaign to help your party succeed, then you might be struggling with campaign ideas. Just take a step back and think of what you really want from your story. Then remember that any story you make will be gutted by the party.

Being a storyteller for any group involves a lot of improvs, being able to gauge those you are interacting with. If you aren't playing to have fun, then why are you there? The players dictate where the story will go, and it's up to you to determine the overall arc and keep them on some kind of track. I've seen people have more fun with playing this huge character, who then proceeds to sneak behind chickens and snatch them up. Just the idea alone of this huge looming figure failing to sneak behind these small birds, and just picking them up and carrying them in their arms is all it takes sometimes.

Embrace the silly, communicate with those you are telling a story to, and come to some agreements. Without your players, there is no campaign, and without you, there is no story. Negotiate, and treat them as friends. Don't be afraid to ask them where they think the story should go and build upon that. I just can't think of a party that wouldn't want these goodest boys running around with them.