Stanoje/HoundsOfTheFallen

Hounds of the fallen

Hounds of the fallen are wood elementals that appear in the aftermath of battles where large amounts of Essence were spent to plant magical seeds in the bodies of the fallen. Over the next month, these seeds grow into large trees that prevent the site from becoming a shadowland.

Their appearance varies but is generally similar to large dogs and wolves. They stand between three and four feet high at the shoulders and have messy fur of dark green or brown color.

The hounds are sluggish beings but eager in their work and often attempt to bury even those who are merely wounded or unconscious. Experiences battlefield commanders set up patrols that keep them busy by loading a few bodies into a cart and circling the battlefield until all the survivors are located. The hounds, instinctual beings that they are, follow the cart at a slow pace. They only catch up to it once if it stops. Should the cart move more than a quarter mile away from the outskirts of the battlefield, the hounds lost interest in it and walk back to where the other bodies are.

Shadowland battlefields aren't visited by the hounds of the fallen, as the death taint is inimical to their nature. They harbor an intense hatred for necromancers, undead, Abyssals and similar beings and will attack them on sight, surprising their targets with their agility and ferocity. These are the only circumstances under which the hounds move quickly.

Sanctum: When not performing their duties, hounds of the fallen reside either at the court of a forest king or in the hollow but still living tree at the center of a lush forest clearing.