Infercanis

Basic Information

Anatomy

Humanoid

Biological Traits

Infercanis are known for being humanoids combining both traits of human and the hell hounds. Their infernal heritage leads them to having a resistance to fire, and can even imbue their bite with fire, helping both heat up meat and also do more damage in a pinch. Known for typically being strong and or intimidating, they have found a niche as body guards and sellswords even given the prejiduce that falls on them. As well as their cannine like senses, they are known as infernal and yet almost noble like people.

Genetics and Reproduction

While originally created, reproduction is the same as baseline humans, being sexual reproduction with gestation lasting about 9 months.

Growth Rate & Stages

About the same as a human

Additional Information

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Like tieflings, they are effectively spread across the planet.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

While they do not have an enhanced ability to see in the dark, the Infercanis people have enhanced sense of sight and smell

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Demi Hellhounds largely embrace the predominant naming culture of the society around them, but typically have infernal or more "gutteral" sounding names or inspirations in their naming structure.

Major Organizations

No specific orginization for their kind exists, however there are unsubstantiated rumors of some sort of "queen" that none have seen before. There is no evidence to back this up, but either way the rumors still are whispered in hushed tones.

Gender Ideals

Largely an egallitarian people

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Infernal

Culture and Cultural Heritage

While Demi-Hellhounds typically adopt the dominant culture they live around, they are known as being surprisngly loyal, almost noble in many instances. Even with the unfortunate reality of demon marked kin having prejudice against them from the ignorant and hateful, they seem to have an innate burning flame of passion and good in their hearts. This has led some to question their origins at all, and some even believe its possible they could be from the elemental plane of fire instead of hell, their name of hell hound simply being an unforunate misunderstanding. Either way, many have found a niche as adventuerers and sellswords, and these types of professions are where they are found the vast majority of the time.

History

Hell is a place of evil and doom, where horror is the norm. Unfathomable horrors and creatures shriek and gurgle unholy tongues and chants for the damned and sinful. Yet hell seeminly has existed since the dawn of time, even more then the church claims it has. We still do not understand hell, and frankly we shouldn't try to understand too fully, but some who come from hell are not as dark and hostile as the demonic hordes. Tieflings are one such group, but its believed that an offshoot of tieflings has taken the form of the Infercanis people, also known as the Demi-Hellhounds, or simply Helhounds.
Their origin is confusing, as it effectively invalidates centuries of written scholarly works and several citilizations and cultures have diffrent ideas of where these strange people come from. In Kanto, they are known as Okuri-inu and are believed to be the result of a curse placed by a demonic overlord. The people of Catai call them Huodou, and believe them to be the result of dragons descendning into the abyss and leaving guardians, and the island of Red Ravens Rock tells of strange spectral hound people creeping around the treelines of swamps, and stalking prey in the misty isles. These diffrent tales and accounts make it impossible to accurately pin down an origin story, or at least thought impossible. There has been some similarities in the stories. What is largely agreed upon is that these creatures started as traditional hellhounds, and seemingly represent a sort of ecosystem that predates total demonic influence of the realm. They guarded the land (this does raise the question of if they truly were the first lifeforms to be in the hells than what exactly were they guarding?) until demons began to inhabit the hells en masee. Some accounts tell of ressitance, others of subserviance, whatever the case the wolf like creatures become the corrupted form of hellhound we know today that patrol hell, seeminngly acting as guardians yet still.
However, sometime after this corrupting, apparently some of these wolves began to be born....diffrent. Supposedly their souls were not as dark as their kin, with the first being of a woman whos name is lost to time, and it is not known if she yet lives or has long passed. This woman apparnetly began collecting her fellow bright souled hounds before they were seemingly thrown out of hell, the magical energies infusing them as they were thrown roughly from the plains, resulting in their humanoid like apperance. Since then they have largely scatterted across the world, intergrating into society where they can, and have found a common kinship with the tieflings of the world.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Sharing a similar origin to tieflings, their infernal herritage brings the unforunate reality of stigma and bigotry from the ignorant masses. However, those that are above such simple minded hatred know that the loyalty of a Infercanis is a bond that is stronger than steel. It is ironicly said that they will charge into the hells themselves if it meant saving their friends, or even if it meant something to their friends. As stated previously, this species can largely be found as brave and bold adventuerers, exploring the world and fighting all manner of beasts and monsters. They ignite their own paths, and follow them with baying cheers and defiant shouts.

Origin/Ancestry

Demi-Hellhound

Lifespan

Unkown, as records and claims can vary wildly, potentially immortal

Average Height

Very between 5-6 or even 7ft tall