It’s time we take a closer look at a fan favorite creature, the faithful and fearless Tamarrin hound.
Physical Characteristics
Each hound was long and muscular. The smallest among them was at least four feet at the shoulder, and each one sported a distinctive, feathery tail.
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These bestial dogs have been selectively bred for speed, endurance, and strength. Their feathery tails and flowing red-tipped ears add a touch of grace to their formidable physiques. Their coats range from a tawny yellow to deep, rich ruddy browns.
Habitat
Tamarrin hounds are fully domesticated beasts that were first encountered in warmer climates but have been introduced into a variety of civilized nations. Countries with long histories of hound training include Krendaria, Erania, and Larigos. In fact, it was the successful breeding programs in the Tamarrin Mountains in Larigos that gave this beast its name.
Behavior
Tamarrin hounds have been trained to track, run down, and keep beasts at bay for their trainers. While hounds may be able to bring down some types of beasts on their own, their primary purpose is to find and control a beast until it can be finished by the human hunter. This could include anything from intimidating its quarry with barking and signs of aggression to holding it in place with their strong jaws.
A fully-trained hound is like a well-crafted tool in its trainer’s hands. Trainers use traditional commands for their hounds taken from an archaic form of Larigossian.
Hounds show remarkable intelligence and empathy for people that they know and trust. While Tamarrin hounds are too large and dangerous to be considered pets, they are nonetheless faithful and true companions who will not hesitate to risk their lives for their loved ones.
Legends and Lore
The most famous folk tales among hound trainers focus on a legendary hound known as Big Tum, the largest hound ever to live. The stories say that Big Tum was as large as a draft horse and could pull a wagon like an ox for days without tiring. Big Tum’s exploits range from the revered to the ridiculous, but no story is as well known as the tale of how he finally died.
One day, Big Tum and his master came upon a beast that neither of them had seen before. It was a giant creature with three tusks that stood as tall as a house. While the human hunter was quickly laid low, Big Tum fought the beast for two full days without stopping until they were both so tired that the beast died of a burst heart. Big Tum–more dead than alive–then carried his master all the way back to civilization, waiting until the man was safely returned to his family before falling down and dying curled around his master’s house. It took ten men half a day to dig a grave large enough for Bug Tum, and when the last shovelful of dirt was placed over him, every hound in the world howled at the sky, mourning the largest and greatest hound that ever lived.
