Cŵn Annwn/Ki Du

Basic Information

Anatomy

Cŵn Annwn are large dogs the size of calves. largely resembling their mundane counterparts in general anatomy. These creatures come in two varieties. The Seelie Cŵn Annwn resemble lean wolves or greyhounds with white fur, red ears and narrow white tails. The Unseelie Ki Du resemble large mastiffs or wolves with dark black fur and glowing red eyes, wreathed in constantly moving shadows. Both varieties are difficult to make out at a distance, obfuscated by glamour that gives them an aura of haze around their forms, save for the piercing red eyes of the Ki Du.

Biological Traits

Neither Ki Du nor Cŵn Annwn leave footprints, even on soft earth or snow.

Genetics and Reproduction

Cŵn Annwn reproduce in a manner identical to their mundane cousins, with females producing litters of pups and rearing them until they are old enough to survive on their own. As Fae, their reproductive cycle is extremely slow, keeping the population lower than mundane canines.

Growth Rate & Stages

Cŵn Annwn puppies typically are born during Summerrule (Seelie) or Winterrule (Unseelie), maturing over the course of a full cycle. Once they reach maturity, development arrests.

Ecology and Habitats

Cŵn Annwn and Ki Du are often found in Faerie-lands at the courts of their masters, but solitary creatures can be found throughout Bedouar as well, usually guarding areas within a bleed, such as desolate moors, mountain roads, ruined castles, graveyards and cromlechs. Nocturnal creatures, they rarely are seen in the mortal realms during the day, appearing only when the sun has completely vanished over the horizon.
Often, without direction, Ki Du will take to guarding sacred ponds, fountains and graveyards.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Cŵn Annwn are carnivorous, with diets similar to wolves, hunting and killing their prey, ranging from small rodents and birds to deer and elk. Where possible, they hunt in packs, taking down large prey and devouring it on the spot. The strongest individuals eat first, following a strict internal hierachy. What they do not eat, they leave for scavengers.
While Cŵn Annwn do not hunt Bediz in general, there are many exceptions and very little preventing this from happening, especially when a territorial guard dog kills an intruder or is directed to do so by its master.

Biological Cycle

Cŵn Annwn draw strength from their respective Faerule, with Ki Du becoming more active during Winterrule, Cŵn Annwn during Summerule.

Additional Information

Social Structure

The Cŵn Annwn attach themselves to a master, usually a Sidhe, although some keep company with Formorian or Bediz masters, choosing them at an early age and dedicating themselves fully to their chosen ward. The Cŵn Annwn will steadfastly align themselves with their master, following their orders with a single-minded dedication. It is impossible to force loyal service, however, and a Cŵn Annwn will quickly turn on a false master who tries to rule through force, rather than the will of the Cŵn Annwn.
Among themselves, the Seelie Cŵn Annwn are almost always part of a pack, establishing a strict social hierarchy based on strength, size or intelligence. Ki Du are significantly more independent, only joining packs if their master wills it. In the wild, they will attach themselves to a master and dedicate themselves to perceived orders. For the most part, Seelie mirror Trouping Fae, while Ki Du are their solitary counterparts.

Domestication

The domestication of the Cŵn Annwn is a strange concept, as the creatures exclusively align themselves with a chosen master, but this is done via their own choice and action, rather than any specific action of their "master." They cannot be transferred (if ordered to serve another, they will do so following the order of their chosen master, and any new orders from that individual override any their new ward gives them with very little question or hesitation. Their offspring are not bound to their parent's master and will often strike out on their own. A full kennel of Cŵn Annwn is exceptionally rare, with only high ranking Sidhe, notably Hellequin, Lord of the Hunt controlling significant numbers.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

The single minded devotion of the Cŵn Annwn and their supernatural abilities makes them ideal as guards or hunters, capable of carrying out the task with precision and dedication. More intelligent ones also serve as confidants, spies, assassins and bodyguards, escaping the notice of many.

Facial characteristics

The Seelie variant of the Cŵn Annwn have elongated muzzles, resembling a gaunt wolf or greyhound, with pointed ears. Their eyes tend to be relfective dark black pools, like those of a shark. The Ki Du are more muscular, their faces resembling the muzzles of large wolves or mastiffs. Their eyes glow red like the embers of a fire.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Cŵn Annwn are found throughout the north of the Western Realms and their equivalents in Faerie, especially on the Armorican and Contentin Peninsulas, and the Southern Ar Mor of Albia. Prowling coastal plains, moors and forests, they have a wide range of habitats, capable of "burrowing" into Faerie to escape detection in the mortal realms.
Ki Du are exceptionally prevalent in the Penn-ar-Bed, Western Letha, with the majority found on the Kernev Plateau. The largest packs are found in the Yeun-Elez swamp in the Meneziou Are and on the slopes of the Menez-Hom, the Westernmost peak of the Meneziou Du.

Average Intelligence

The intelligence of the Cŵn Annwn ranges dramatically from that of an average hunting dog to that of a human, with some even capable of human speech and generally accepted sapience. The appearance of these more intelligent individuals is difficult to predict or create artificially. These tend to ascend to positions of power among their peers and even become confidants and personal allies of their masters. For the most part, however, the species operates on the level of the more intelligent mundane canine breeds.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

The baying of the Cŵn Annwn is loudest at a distance, becoming softer and lower as they draw near, with complete silence foretelling the imminent death of their prey.
Both varieties of Cŵn Annwn have exceptional senses of smell and hearing, far beyond the most adept of their mortal cousins, capable of tracking prey kilometers away and across the Great Veil. They are extremely adept at understanding commands from their master, both spoken and nonverbal, and execute their orders with single-minded determination. A very small percentage are capable of human speech.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

The Cŵn Annwn have names that they typically give themselves, sharing only with their master, if capable of doing so. Those who can speak generally refer to themselves and their kin as "this one" or "that one", rather than more individualized monikers.

Gender Ideals

The Cŵn Annwn typically adopt lupine and canine social structures regarding gender, with females raising pups. However, either gender can ascend to positions of dominance in a pack, and they make little differentiation concerning the genders of their masters.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

The consent or willingness of the master is not necessary or particularly considered by the creature to form a contract of service, and there have even been cases of Unseelie Cŵn Annwn aligning themselves to more abstract "masters", such as settlements, regions or the inscriptions of funerary statues. For example, a Cŵn Annwn adopted the town of Montroulez as its "master", taking the town's motto "S'ils te mordent, mords les! (If they bite you, bite them back)" as its command, carrying out brutal reprisals on pirate raiders, enemy soldiers or bandits who threaten its home. This is not dependent on notions of human morality and these reprisals are carried out against any who threaten an inhabitant of the city, whether the aggression is coming from a bandit against a Montroulez merchant or a lawman against a criminal from the town.
Wild Ki Du seem to take great pleasure in knocking passerby into rivers, either by ramming them or moving as a pack to trip them up. Reports of this behaviour have spread from Kemper to Fougeres. Unlike some creatures, the Ki Du do not seem particularly interested in the fate of the individual after they fall into the river, simply moving along to their next activity.

History

Since the Tearing of the Great Veil and the First Bleed, the Cŵn Annwn have been recorded, arriving in Bedouar with the first Wild Hunt. Since that time, they have spread throughout the Northwest, guarding places of power or hunting across the Bleed. Over the centuries, Cŵn Annwn have attached themselves to Bediz masters, such as Conomor the Cursed and Konstanza the Great.

Common Myths and Legends

Folk tradition believes that the Ki Du are the Anaon of cruel individuals, such as murderers or swindlers. Others contend that they are exorcised spirits trapped between worlds, having escaped before being fully cast out.

The largest pack, living near the Yeun Elez Swamp, is led by a great Ki Du twice the size of the others, said to be the cursed anoan of the tyrant Rivod I.

Lifespan

Ageless

Conservation Status

The Cŵn Annwn are common among the Sidhe, serving as hunting hounds and guard dogs. Some Sidhe Lords possess small packs of them, while others are bound to individual creatures. They are actively bred in Faerie and highly prized.

Average Height

0.6 - 1.53 m (Shoulder)

Average Weight

80 - 363 kg

Average Length

1.52 - 2.74 m

Average Physique

The Cŵn Annwn are built to hunt, existing in similar conditions to well bred hunting dogs or wolves.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Seelie Cŵn Annwn have solid white fur, with the exception of their red ears. Kid Du are monochromatic, with solid black coats with little variation to break the solid mass of dark fur. Ki Du have burning red eyes.