D the Voidhound

Champion of the Anastilian

Written by J. L. Gryphon

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Click Here for Audio Version

Ambient sounds courtesy of tosha73 and EminYILDIRIM

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Greetings to those below. I am Death, though you may know me as Azrael. Is sweet little D who I am discussing today? I do admit, I have a soft spot for her, and not just because she is the prize-winning voidhound of my greatest fan. She has been a loyal companion to Helios Sulissurn, and while my feelings on him are mixed because he is my greatest fan, I appreciate she has been able to bring him some happiness and companionship.

He needs that in his life, however much he might refuse to admit it. According to Helios, the name D is a nickname, and the voidhound’s full name is Death (named after me however, Tymeo Dusett, upon reading Helios’s mind, discovered this was a lie. I can confirm, though I can’t tell you much beyond that. He wouldn’t want me to.

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Physical Description

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by J. L. Gryphon in Watercolor

But, with a name like voidhound, you must be curious what D looks like. Well, D looks like most voidhounds, jet-black with long pointed ears and horns that stretch straight back along her skull before curving slightly up at the tips. I will say, though, she is an elegant creature, almost royal in her bearing, with ice-blue eyes and a long narrow head that cuts through the wind like an arrow. With her lean and slender body, she glides across the ground more akin to a feline than a dog. Her tail is also long and bears a poisoned barb at the end that she uses as a whip capable of paralyzing her prey.
She can be identified from other voidhounds by the orange collar and silver tag hanging around her neck. The color orange is a well-known symbol on the island of Rhye. You see, Helios’s eyes are orange, and they have gained something of a fearsome reputation. “Beware the orange-eyed king of assassins,” the undine scribes will say. Hmph. If only they knew how special those eyes really are. And what they mean . . .

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Special Abilities

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by Andrew Leinster from Pixabay

D is exceptionally fast, even above that of other voidhounds. But it wasn’t until she set the speed record in her racing debut at the 14986 Anastilian that even Helios recognized exactly how fast she was, a realization that would later lead him to train her not only as a racer, but as an assassin hunting companion capable of matching even his own legendary speed. The cause of her exceptional speed is not directly known since D comes from no noteworthy bloodline and is therefore considered a mutt; however, it is speculated that D’s parents, either one or both of them, may have been wild voidhounds rather than the tamed voidhound stock largely bred today. Seeing as how wild voidhounds are the equivalent to feral cats or wolves (in comparison to dogs), it is possible this wild spark gave D her edge. It is just a theory, though, since not even Helios knows her complete parentage or even where she came from beyond the house where he discovered her. I can’t tell you, either. My nature makes me much better with endings than beginnings.

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Personal History

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Meeting Helios

“Her name is D, by the way. Short for Death.”

—Helios Sulissurn

by J. L. Gryphon via Artbreeder

It is somewhat tragic how Helios found D, but don’t worry. It has a happy ending for once. On a hunt for Sithuwaye elves, Helios and two other assassins came upon an old house where the Sithuwaye were hiding. The resulting attack caused the house to collapse. While checking the rubble for survivors, Helios found a tiny voidhound puppy that had survived the wreckage. A bit more exploring unearthed the voidhound mother and the rest of the litter, all killed by the collapse. I collected them gently; don’t worry. Taking pity on the surviving puppy, Helios secretly slipped her inside his pocket and brought her home to Castle Wolfsbane. He named her D, which he claimed was short for Death, but this was revealed to be a lie when Tymeo Dusett managed a single glimpse inside his mind and learned of D’s true namesake.

Becoming a Champion

“I do appreciate animals. I even think they are better than people in a lot of ways. They never bite without having a reason.”

—Helios Sulissurn

by J. L. Gryphon via Artbreeder

Helios initially planned on keeping D as a pet since she was a mutt and not from any noteworthy breeding line; but Helios’s wife, Eris Sulissurn, scoffed at the idea of keeping an animal only for pleasure, saying if D was going to stay, then she might as well be good for something. Helios took a chance and began training D as a racer. I don’t personally see anything wrong with keeping animals just for the sake of enjoying them so long as they are treated well, but don’t be too hard on Eris. She’s been through more than you might think.
Two years later, in the year 14986 NS, the next Anastilian came around, the last one having taken place five years prior. Since D came from no noteworthy bloodline, her status as a mutt was mocked by most of the onlookers; however, two-year-old D triumphed against the defending champion owned by Ajayzil Jaxinar and set a new speed record that has yet to be broken even up to the present day. It was a thrilling race, I must say, though I missed part of it on account of an old butcher having a heart attack. I heard later it was a major upset in the betting, which only added to D’s stunning debut. So the rivalry between House Sulissurn and House Jaxinar’s voidhound racers was born, a rivalry that would continue until the year 15001 NS. Five years later during the next Anastilian, D placed first again, then again another five years later, until with her third victory in a row, she was declared unbeatable.
In total, D was reigning champion of the Anastilian three times in a row. To this day, she still holds the speed record despite her recent retirement. Good girl.

Retirement from Racing

“Finally you have beaten me, old friend. Congratulations.”

—Helios Sulissurn to Ajayzil Jaxinar

by Vizetelly from Pixabay

In the year 15001 NS, D suffered the first loss of her career (and I lost a bet, annoyingly however, she was seventeen years old at the time, which is close to the typical age a voidhound retires from racing. A fine achievement to only lose once and only because of time rather than a loss of skill. Taking this loss as an indication it was time, Helios retired D from racing and made her available for breeding. She was bred to one of Ajayzil Jaxinar’s prized voidhound studs and produced a litter of puppies later that year, right in time for the dreaded arrival of Anāriel Anastil the Black Unicorn. More on her later.

An Assassin's Companion

“Liar. D doesn’t stand for Death. Who’s Denesian?”

—Tymeo Dusett

by J. L. Gryphon via Artbreeder

Separate from her racing career, to this day, D serves at Helios’s side as a companion assassin. Since she is privately owned by Helios, she has never been considered an official Sicarius voidhound, but she certainly acts in that capacity. Her incredible speed allows her to match her master’s wraith-step, making her a valuable addition to many of his hunts.
A notable example was the capture of Tymeo Dusett. While Helios was handling the remaining Sithuwaye in Stonewood Tavern, he whistled for D to chase and corner the fleeing Tymeo. Heeding her master’s call, she chased the boy into a back alley and held him at bay until Helios was able to catch up and apprehend the child. Were it not for D, Tymeo may have been able to escape. Fortunately, he didn’t, though Tymeo was not aware of his good fortune at the time.
And that brings us up to the present day. I suppose at this point you are curious to hear about Helios himself, and . . . I will get to it. Like Jezryn, it’s difficult for me to find the words. They both have, well . . . I’ll explain someday. I promise.

Signed your hopeful narrator,
Azrael the Star of Death

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Book Information

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To learn more, hop on over to the books page OR hop on over to the teaser and get a sneak peek of Chapter 1! For more articles like this one, have a peek at my Worldbuilding Journal and explore Orosta.

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Related Articles

Image by J. L. Gryphon in Watercolor

Current Location

Castle Wolfsbane

Species

Voidhound

Ethnicity

Rhyonian

Honorary & Occupational Titles

• Champion of the Anastilian
• The King's Hound
• Death's Hound
• Helios's Prize
• The Wild One
• The Mutt

Year of Birth

14984 17 Years old

Birthplace

The Dragon Pits District in Atheliona

Family

House Sulissurn

Current Residence

Castle Wolfsbane

Gender

Female

Eyes

Blue

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Black

Aligned Organization

House Sulissurn

Other Affiliations

• House Anastil
• Sicarius

Related Myths

• Death - Me

Known Languages

• Zishlyn (1st - many commands)
• Orostian (2nd - many commands)