Höllenhund

Höllenhund
A fully grown Höllenhund.
Abode	The State of Southern Forelis.
Symbol	Glowing wolf fur, tails, blood, wolves.
Translation	Höllenhund [Hellen-hund], is literally translated into 'Hell Hound' in english.
Affiliation	Bösepenst, Hölle
Mantra	"Bury it under the temple or shrine and wait. Dig up and perform the ritual evocation. The Höllenhund, god of grudges and vengeance."
Weapon	Possession, claws, teeth.

The Höllenhund, often referred to as the 'Fluch der Höllenhund' (Curse of the Hell Hound), is a distinguished and prevalent malevolent animal type Bösepenst species that originates in Southern Forelis, TECT. A Höllenhund's birth is unique because they are created from a curse that was developed by ancients during the early 1st century; this curse, when done correctly or incorrectly, evokes a resurrected wolf spirit - otherwise known as a Höllenhund. The practice of the curse spread quickly to other regions in Royals including the capital and to recently acquired provinces - colonies also saw the use of Höllenhund curses. The main purpose of these curses were to kill, kidnap, or perform other brutal acts against a targeted person or persons; often the Höllenhund would attack its target or posses its target to cause him/her to kill themselves, otherwise Höllenhund were known to cause terminal illnesses or erratic, often suicidal/homicidal, tendencies in its target. It is said that these curses were often used for the purpose of attaining vengeance against others for wrongs done to them, or, practitioners used said curses for the purpose of committing murders for various reasons. Ecgberht Leifr is portrayed as the original user of this curse, which he used to kill a wealthy land owner for evicting his family and causing their untimely demises; Leifr, a figure who is still the subject of discussion if he was real or total fiction, apparently wrote the original manual on how to conduct the curse after he experimented methods of cursing. Höllenhunds, when they outlive their curses or when the casting the curse fails, often become malevolent Bösepenst live out their lives targeting anything that was the root of its original rage - this could include their original target such as wealthy people when they were originally created to kill a wealthy land owner, or, they could target anyone/anything that reminds them of their caster, which is often the case if the ritual failed and backfires on the practitioner. Höllenhund are characterized in TECT Mythology for being full of enormous amounts of rage and anger, making them incredibly dangerous.

A Höllenhund Curse (often labeled the Leifr Curse) is performed in three steps: the supplies, burial method, and ritual. For the supplies, a wolf is needed to create the spirit; some stories/rituals add that practitioners would/could often use more than one wolf in order to increase the curse's power - the wolf spirits would combine to form a single powerful entity, or so says the myth. Once the wolf (or wolves) is collected, they must be buried alive at least twelve feet (about 3.6 meters) underground on holy land - such as a shrine, temple, or other sacred holy lands. For the last stage, practitioners must wait a year for every wolf buried; once done, the practitioner returns and performs the evocation ritual. The ritual, which is a combination of incantations and sacrifices, is performed over the grave of the wolf/wolves; the incantation begins with the beast's motto and then is finished with a passage from the Höllenhund's origin story in the book of "Hölle". Once done correctly, the practitioner must sacrifice "drops of blood from thy hand" and "sack of salt" over the grave; the more wolves buried the larger the sacrifice needed, so larger sacrifices required lengthy blood loss and large quantities of salt (salt was an expensive commodity and represented wealth in ancient times). If all done correctly, the Höllenhund will rise and abide to the contract it makes with the practitioner. Although Höllenhund obeyed, they do so because the curse constricts their control like a leash for a dog - Höllenhund also seek to rest so performing their requested task as soon as possible means they can finally rest in piece. There are many cases written in the past where Höllenhund either broke free of their constraints or wished to continue living because their hate was so great, however.

The Höllenhund Curse was often a double edged sword in many stories. Höllenhund could turn on its evoker or could go into a rage that backfires. The largest reasons for this are either a failed evocation or failure on the part of the practitioner. Höllenhund curses were often portrayed as a wild card and was used only by seasoned practitioners, such as anti-Bösepenst monks who used them as partners or as tools to an end, and inexperienced people who desired vengeance or murder. Höllenhunds were said to be extremely dangerous, especially to its evoker because of its own desire for vengance against it for murdering and turning the wolf(ves) into a curse; its insatiable rage often made it more dangerous and more powerful. Rage is an attribute Höllenhunds are infamous for - the larger its hatred grows the more powerful it will become. Höllenhund were also said to grow stronger over time or with a larger sacrifice (blood, salt, or wolves) depending on what specific myth that's read. A practitioner had to successfully summon the Höllenhund and maintain control in order for the curse to work successfully - though their other primary task was to survive their own curse. Failing to perform the evocation properly more then often caused the Höllenhund to emerge and kill its evoker instead of the practitioner's target; failure or not, a Höllenhund is born once wolves are buried and await the time length required. Failure is often a result of failing to recite passages correctly, having too weak a will, incorrectly burring the wolf(ves), or not offering the correct amount of sacrifice. Blood and salt are not required for the birth of a Höllenhund, they are actually payments for a binding contract between the caster and Höllenhund; the contract sets the Höllenhund's mission and protects the caster so long they maintain their willpower. Losing control over the Höllenhund, whether it's caused by the practitioner or the Höllenhund itself going out of control, will immediately cause it to target its evoker since they are the origin of its hatred. Höllenhund will also attack its evoker if it senses weakness or low willpower; if the evoker fails to maintain the contract's obligations (such as canceling a curse or changing the Höllenhund's goal) then the Höllenhund will also attack its evoker is it is provoked enough to. Additionally, multiple Höllenhund can be evoked at one time so long as they are buried in separate graves. The best example of this was done so by Eadric Winfrith in the "Cursed Practitioner", a light novel written around the 4th century. Winfrith, a fictional character, was a well educated spell master who researched curses, magic, and myths ranging from mythological beasts to the existence of gods. In one chapter he performed several Höllenhund summoning rituals on the grounds of an abandoned shrine; his willpower and knowledge were so strong that he summoned said creatures and had full control over the pack, using them to kill a nearby mercenary camp to test the curse's power.

A Höllenhund's power is said to be measured by the amount of tails it has and by its size; one such example was said to posses forty-two tails and be twenty times the size of a human, though most stories say a Höllenhund can only grow nine tails and reach the size of a modern pick-up truck. Glowing fur and odd fur color patterns are also said to exist on Höllenhund - these designs are unique to the creature as it often portrays its power or hatred. Höllenhund are fueled by their rage, both towards their target and by vengeance for its evoker; the more strong the emotions, the stronger it will become. Once a Höllenhund escapes a contract, or survives one more appropriately, it will continue to grow more powerful and dangerous; its rage and craving for vengeance against humans often blind and fuel the creatures destructive and dangerous personality. Ancients often feared how simple this curse could be done; laws were often created to combat the practice of cursing, including the Höllenhund curse. Monks and other guards of holy lands also began protecting property more extensively making sure burials were proper and secret graves were not created on grounds. Stories also rarely told of victims surviving the Höllenhund curse, even those who were only maimed rarely survived. The Höllenhund myth was fueled by the fear of said creature and hatred of the misuse of a creature revered in Commoner culture. If a Höllenhund curse was successful, its three stages done perfectly, then the Höllenhund will evaporate into dust and the spirit will move on to the afterlife; unlucky ones or failed curses are doomed to live forever until either killed or its rage quelled.