History of the Lupins

by Hausman Santos

In this article, we aim at providing an expanded view of the history of the lupin race. We also introduce five new lupin breeds, two of which are extinct in the Outer World but survive in the Hollow World or on the Hollow Moon, and discuss the relation between lupins, hutaakans and goblinoids.


Lupin Timeline


Before 5000 BC Stone Age

The ancestors of the lupins evolved from an early species of so-called "Cave Lupin" (Canis Habilis), which went extinct at some point during the first Stone Age. The first three breeds, the Aardovai, Coyotl and Wolvenfolk, originally lived in the area that would later become the Yazak Steppes.


5000-3000 BC Blackmoor Age

During Age of Blackmoor the three breeds remained mostly primitive, still living in the Yazak region.


The main exceptions were the Coyotl tribes that crossed the Black Mountains and met Oltec human groups in the area where now lies the Great Waste. At that time, the region was much colder and wetter than in the modern era, and hosted rising civilizations. In particular, the Mictec people enslaved the technologically less advanced Coyotl in great numbers, to the point that there were more Coyotl than humans in the Mictec cities, especially in their main city, Mictlán. Eventually, the Coyotl rebelled and created the Chochomec civilization, which allied with the rising Azcan Empire.


Legend:

Red: Lupin ancestral lands, at the Yazak Steppes, up the Great Escarpment; Canis Sapiens Canus (Wolvenfolk), Canis Sapiens Oltecus (Coyotl), Canis Sapiens Yazakensis (Aardovai), some hybrids;

Yellow: Chochomec civilization, SW modern Sind; Canis Sapiens Oltecus (Coyotl);


3000-2500 BC The Great Rain of Fire and the Second Stone Age

After the Great Rain of Fire destroyed the Blackmoor civilization and caused the planetary axis to change, the Immortals preserved the Oltec civilizations by removing them to the Hollow World. Among the nations and tribes saved were the Chochomecs.


Only a few Chochomecs remained in the Outer World, and moved with some surviving Azcans into the Nithian basin. There the Azcans mingled with local Neathar tribes, forming a new ethnic group that would give rise, a millennium later, to the Nithian civilization. The Chochomec Coyotl also became part of this new civilization. The Immortals known as Wepwawet/Upuaut/Ophois and Duamutef, the son of Horon/Horus/Orisis were their patrons.


Meanwhile, a new Aardovai offshoot breed, hardier folk with Coyotl and Wolvenfolk blood, was created: the Gnomish Crested.


Aardovai, Wolvenfolk and Gnomish Crested tribes migrating from the Yazak Steppes moved into the Black Mountains and then, the Known World, mainly the plain of the Streel River and the Northern Reaches. Some Wolvenfolk tribes went further close to the North Pole, settling in the cold Norwold and Heldann regions, while some Gnomish Crested remained at the Black Mountains. Most of the Coyotl, Aardovai and Wolvenfolk tribes, however, remained in the Yazak Steppes, where they mingled and lost their tribal identity.


Legend:

Red: Lupin ancestral lands, at the Yazak Steppes, up the Great Escarpment; Canis Sapiens Canus (Wolvenfolk), Canis Sapiens Oltecus (Coyotl), Canis Sapiens Yazakensis (Aardovai), many hybrids;

Yellow: Survivors of the Chochomec civilization, Valley of Nithia; Canis Sapiens Oltecus (Coyotl);

Blue: Taymoran border, modern Darokin and Northern Reaches; Canis Sapiens Canus (Wolvenfolk), Canis Sapiens Yazakensis (Aardovai), Canis Sapiens Proteles (Gnomish Crested);


2500-1700 BC Taymoran Age

During this time, lupin tribes in the southern Streel Plain fell under the control of the rising Taymoran Empire. Earlier during their history, the Nosferatu Kings of Taymor had created servant races that merged human intelligence with animalistic ferocity and a weak will that made them easy to control, the Mythic Lycanthropes; they did so by engineering a magical disease. Those Necromancer Kings who were not willing to become undead themselves tried to defend themselves from their powerful neighbours by employing the lupin tribes as guards and lycanthrope hunters. They used their own powerful magics to instill useful abilities in the lupins - a special ability to recognize werewolves, and a racial hatred of these creatures. This changed the lupins to the point that Aardovai, Coyotl and Wolvenfolk traits were supplanted by the new traits, giving rise to the Taymoran Hairless, Taymoran Runner and Taymoran Hound breeds.


1700-1500 BC First Goblinoid Invasion

The Glantrian Cataclysm forced the elves of Glantri to take shelter in the Shadowdeep, as well as forcing the humanoid hordes to split and flee in different directions, including south to the Streel Plain and west to the Yazak Steppes. With the fall of Taymor, these goblinoid tribes displaced the lupins living in what is now southern Darokin and Karameikos.


Taymoran Hairless tribes living closer to Glantri fled from the effects of the Glantrian Cataclysm, entering the caverns under the Broken Lands. These lupins, the ancestor of the modern Cimarron Hairless, fell under the shadow of Atzanteotl, and became his temple guards among the Shadow Elves.


Southern lupin tribes of both Taymoran Hairless and Hound breeds fled to Ochalea, evolving into the Ochalean Houndling and the High Shar-Pei breeds during the following centuries.


The Taymoran Runner tribes mostly fled west, some taking cover under the shade of the Black Mountains, some moving even further, back into the Yazak Steppes, their ancestral lands. These lupins would return to their nomadic origins, abandoning the Taymoran civilized ways, and become the Borzoi and Long Runners respectively.


In the Yazak Steppes, goblinoids overrun the Rakasta civilization, forcing the native Aardovai, Coyotl and Wolvenfolk to move away from their path, to the south, down the Great Escarpment, towards the central Savage Coast. These lupins became the ancestors of the "renardensis" group.


The original Aardovai tribes - weakened and dispersed - collapsed to the brink of extinction, being replaced or absorbed by the hardier Gnomish Crested in the Northern Reaches and the Black Mountains, and other breeds elsewhere. The last few pure Aardovai tribes were moved by the Immortals to the Hollow Moon, where a suitable environment for their survival was created.


By this time the first Kobolds and Carrasquito Lupins appeared in the Known World and in the Yazak Steppes respectively, descending from enslaved lupins (Taymoran Hairless and Aardovai) and goblinoids.


1500-1100 BC Nithian Golden Age

During the peak of the Nithian Empire, Pflarr magically changed the last known group of pure Coyotl, the descendants of the Chochomecs living in Nithia. They became the Hutaakans.


In Kavkaz, the Gnomish Crested began interbreeding with Wolvenfolk; eventually, they would become the Kavkazan Painted breed. Their Northern Reaches cousins allied with neighboring gnomes in order to survive. This alliance explains the modern name of the Gnomish Crested breed.


Meanwhile, a group of Norwold Wolvenfolk migrated south, entering the Adri Varma Plateau. There, they slowly changed, becoming the Senjabi breed.


Kobolds migrated with other goblinoids as part of Wogars Horde. After reaching Hule, the horde then migrated to Atruaghin, conquering and enslaving the natives. Even after the horde split in three, the kobolds stayed in Atruaghin lands.


As Atzanteotls followers took over Azca, the Chochomecs of the Hollow World deserted Atacalpa, migrating to Oltec lands in the east.


Legend:

Red: Yazak Steppes, down the Great Escarpment; Hybrid subspecies: proto-Canis Sapiens Renardensis;

Yellow: Hutaakan Nithian civilization, Valley of Nithia; Canis Sapiens Hutaakanus (Hutaakan);

Blue: Darokin, the Northern Reaches, Heldann, Norwold, Adri Varma and Kavkaz; Canis Sapiens Canus, Canis Sapiens Colossus (Taymoran Hound), Canis Sapiens Proteles (Gnomish Crested, Northern Reaches and Kavkaz only);

White: The steppes; Canis Sapiens Macer (Taymoran Runner);

Green: Ochalea; Canis Sapiens Colossus (Taymoran Hound), Canis Sapiens Parvus (Taymoran Hairless);


1100-900 BC Gnoll Invasion

By this time, the Gnomish Crested breed had declined significantly, with only a few clans surviving near Nithia. In the XII century BC, Nithian wizards and researchers tried to emulate the creation of the Hutaakan race by the Immortal Pflarr, by magically crossing goblinoids with the Gnomish Crested. Since the goal was to produce a more viable and stronger race than the Gnomish Crested, the powerful trolls, a very vital race with high regenerative qualities, were chosen. Several attempts were conducted, with different subject sets and mixtures. None of them proved to match the wizards' expectations, as most of them resulted in strong but savage and rebellious humanoids, resembling the Hutaakans only in their general physical features. The results were deemed unsatisfactory, and the newly created humanoids, the gnolls, either rebelled and fled or were released into the wilds west and north of Nithia.


The first gnoll breed created, the Striped Gnolls, was only a marginal success. This strong breed was shipped to would-be masters in the main colonies in the Serpent Peninsula and the Gulf of Hule. The Striped Gnolls, after a few years of servitude, were released into the wilderness, where their population grew uncontrolled, leading to mass migrations.


Meanwhile, the second breed created by Nithian mages, the Brown Gnolls, entered the Northern Reaches and rapidly spread there and north to Heldann. The last breed, the Spotted Gnolls, followed in the wake just a few years later, displacing both Brown Gnolls and lupin tribes further north.


Crossbreeding between lupins (mainly the Taymoran Hound) and gnolls in the Northern Reaches and the Savage Coast led to the ancestors of several large breeds of lupins, such as the Pit-bulls and Great Dogge. The existence of these hybrids originated the common misconception that lupins descended from Gnolls.


A few Gnomish Crested tribes that escaped Nithian experiments, hid in gnomish burrows with their allies. The last Taymoran Hairless pure breed groups that still existed in the Known World also entered the Northern Reaches, joining the Gnomish Crested. Both breeds began evolving into the mystax group.


Just like the other ancestral breeds, the Aardovai and the Coyotl, the Wolvenfolk breed is no more - all remaining Wolvenfolk-descended lupins are actually crossbreeds with varying degrees of Coyotl, Aardovai and/or gnoll blood. Their direct descendants are the Norwold Malamute and the Heldann Shepherd. The lupin Immortal, Saimpt Loup started recreating the Wolvenfolk, giving them a new, magical bloodline that would prevent dilution through the normal process of crossbreeding.


During this time, Atzanteotl betrayed the Cimarron Hairless, forcing them to flee from Aengmor and settle in what is now eastern Boldavia or within shadow elf territory.


Legend:

Red: Yazak Steppes, down the Great Escarpment; Hybrid subspecies: proto-Canis Sapiens Renardensis;

Yellow: Hutaakan Nithian civilization, Valley of Nithia; Canis Sapiens Hutaakanus (Hutaakan);

Blue: Northern Reaches and Heldann; Canis Sapiens Canus (Heldann Shepherd), proto-Canis Sapiens Mystax, Canis Sapiens Colossus (Taymoran Hound);

Green: Ochalea; Canis Sapiens Colossus (Taymoran Hound), Canis Sapiens Parvus (Taymoran Hairless);

Black: Traldar lands, Northern Reaches, Plains of Fire (Graakhalia) and El Grande Carrascal; Canis Erectus Meridionum (Striped), Canis Erectus Septentrionum (Brown), Canis Erectus Hilaris (Spotted);

Cyan: Kavkaz; Canis Sapiens Pictus (Kavkazan Painted);


900-500 BC Alphatian Expansion and Nithian Decadence

In Ochalea, miscegenation between the Taymoran breeds (Hairless and Hounds) created the Ochalean Houndling and High Shar-Pei breeds. The Foo Dogs interacted with pure Taymoran Hairless, resulting in the birth of the Ochalean Crested, and the Ogre Magi bred the Chow-Chow from Houndling and Shar-Pei slaves. The Ochalean culture, an original mix of Cypric, rakastan and lupin culture was also created at this time, also under the supervision of the benevolent Foo Dogs.


The Rajahstan of Sarna, one of the many Sindhi petty kingdoms west of Atruaghin, began to depend on goblinoid mercenaries, mainly Grey Kobolds, in order to keep its independence. When the Red Orcs were expelled from Atruaghin lands, many Grey Kobolds found their way into Sarna. Wizards of Sarna, studying the Nithian creation of the gnolls, developed a new variant of the kobold breed: the winged Urd.


Sarna grew overpopulated with both Urds and kobolds. Eventually they went out of control, attacked and sacked Sarna, then spilled into the neighbouring lands. The petty Sindhi kingdoms and the tribes of Atruaghin made a brief truce to counter the kobold and Urd threat. A combined Sindhi-Atruaghin force hunted down and killed most of the goblinoids. Some Urds fled into the mountains north and west of Sind, while others hid with Grey Kobolds deep in Atruaghin lands. As they briefly came close to extinction, some Urds were moved into the Hollow World.


500-100 BC Fall of Nithia

During the Fall of Nithia, some hutaakans were involved in Thanatos-worship: as punishment, Pflarr withdrew their hutaakan bloodlines, leading them to a centuries-long quest for expiation or revenge. These lupins became known as the Nithian Ramblers.


Pflarr also sent some hutaakans to the western colonies of Nithia, in order to preserve them from Nithian corruption. While some kept their traditional ways, others got involved with the colonial rebels, being the ancestors of the Foxfolk (Niedegard and Black Mountains).


Kobold clans were driven into the uplands of the Northern Reaches from the west. They overran and exterminate the gnomes, and occupied their subterranean kingdoms. The Mystax Lupins were either enslaved and thus absorbed by the kobolds, or migrated north (into other parts of the Northern Reaches and as far as Norworld; these are the Gnomish Snoutzer ancestors) or west (into Glantri, where they split into two groups: Blue Bandit and Hound of Klantyre).


100 BC-0 AC Goblinoid Invasion of the Yazak Steppes

A new wave of goblinoids from the Yazak Steppes forced many lupins to move south from the Yazak Steppes to the Savage Baronies and City-States area. Others migrated further west, getting close to the Herathian border; shortly after that, "lupin" mages started appearing in Herath.


The first permanent settlements were established by five tribes of Renardensis Lupins, which later became the Five Tribes that founded Renardy. It was over one of these sites, Louvines, that the Renardois capital was built at a later date.


Lupin tribes from the Northern Reaches and Heldann migrated south, especially Colossus Lupins, entering Glantri (some migrating further west, entering the Savage Coast) and Thyatis (some going as far as Ochalea, adding to the local Chow Chow and High Shar-Pei blood).


0-400 AC Rise of Thyatis

In Ochalea and Thyatis, lupins became citizens of the Thyatian Empire after Empress Valeria's proclamation.


New breeds also emerged as the tribes of Renardy adapted to their environment. Most modern breeds of Renardy trace their bloodlines to this time.


Legend:

Red: Savage Coast; Canis Sapiens Renardensis (Maremma, Doggerman, Zvornikian Sentinel, Golden Retriever, Renardois Folk, Basset Hound, Beagle, Slagovich Herder, Ispan Pistolero, Water Lupin, Das Hund, Burrow Bandit, Bouchon, and Papillon), Canis Sapiens Parvus (Carrasquito), Canis Sapiens Macer (Borzoi and Long Runner), Canis Sapiens Colossus (Eusdrian Bulldog);

Yellow: Hutaakan last colonies, Altan Tepes, Black Peak, Black Mountains, Niedegard Mountains; Canis Sapiens Hutaakanus (Hutaakan), Canis Sapiens Goupilus (Foxfolk and Fennec);

Blue: Northern Reaches and Heldann; Canis Sapiens Canus (Heldann Shepherd and Norwold Malamute further north), Canis Sapiens Mystax (Gnomish Snoutzer), Canis Sapiens Colossus (Great Dogge);

Green: Ochalea; Canis Sapiens Colossus (Chow Chow and High Shar-Pei), Canis Sapiens Parvus (Ochalean Crested and Houndling);

Black: Broken Lands, Northern Reaches, Plains of Fire (Graakhalia) and El Grande Carrascal; Canis Erectus Meridionum (Striped), Canis Erectus Septentrionum (Brown), Canis Erectus Hilaris (Spotted);

Violet: Thyatis and Glantri; Canis Sapiens Parvus (Cimarron Hairless, Glantri and underground),  Canis Sapiens Mystax (Blue Bandit and Hound of Klantyre, both in Glantri), Canis Sapiens Colossus (King Mastiff and Torreóner Pit-Bull in Thyatis; Glantri Mountaineer and Bloodhound in Glantri), Canis Sapiens Canus (Flaemish Shepherd in Glantri);

Cyan: Kavkaz; Canis Sapiens Pictus (Kavkazan Painted);


400-500 AC Lycanthropic Wars

At this time, the Five Tribes finally united. King Loows (Louis I) was chosen by the tribal chiefs as the first king of Renardy.


Groups of Striped Gnolls migrated west, joining with native Foxfolk. These proto-Guará tribes soon journeyed together further west, finally reaching the Arm of the Immortals.


The Alphatian Lycanthropy outbreak began and lupins joined the fight against werewolves in Brun, utterly purging the Savage Coast of the lycanthropic threat. Some breeds (mainly Doggerman and Das Hund) left the Savage Coast, entering the Known World in order to keep their fight against the lycanthropic plague.


Senjabi tribes migrated south again, entering Sind. They were welcomed since they were strong allies against the lycanthropes that invaded the land. A group of Flaemish Shepherds, led by a capable tribal leader (that would become the Immortal known as Saimpt Malinois), allied with the Senjabi against the lycanthropic threat.


The Senjabi Lupins were rewarded with the opportunity to join the lowest part of the Himaya caste as merchants. Many were insulted and refused the offer, becoming Pariah Lupins. A large group of Pariah Lupins, led by Rez, entered the Atruaghin lands to keep their fight against were-creatures.


Shortly thereafter, Saimpt Malinois and Saimpt Mâtin became Immortals.


Legend:

Red: Renardy and the Savage Coast; Canis Sapiens Renardensis (Maremma, Zvornikian Sentinel, Golden Retriever, Renardois Folk, Basset Hound, Beagle, Slagovich Herder, Ispan Pistolero, Water Lupin, Burrow Bandit, Bouchon, and Papillon), Canis Sapiens Parvus (Carrasquito), Canis Sapiens Macer (Borzoi and Long Runner), Canis Sapiens Colossus (Eusdrian Bulldog), Canis Sapiens Goupilus (red Foxfolk);

Blue: Northern Reaches and Heldann; Canis Sapiens Canus (Heldann Shepherd and Norwold Malamute further north), Canis Sapiens Mystax (Gnomish Snoutzer), Canis Sapiens Colossus (Great Dogge), Canis Sapiens Goupilus (white Foxfolk further north);

Green: Ochalea; Canis Sapiens Colossus (Chow Chow and High Shar-Pei), Canis Sapiens Parvus (Ochalean Crested and Houndling);

Black: Broken Lands, Northern Reaches, Plains of Fire (Graakhalia) and El Grande Carrascal; Canis Erectus Meridionum (Striped), Canis Erectus Septentrionum (Brown), Canis Erectus Hilaris (Spotted);

Violet: Thyatis and Glantri; Canis Sapiens Renardensis (Doggerman and Das Hund in Hattias), Canis Sapiens Parvus (Cimarron Hairless, Glantri and underground), Canis Sapiens Mystax (Blue Bandit and Hound of Klantyre, both in Glantri), Canis Sapiens Colossus (King Mastiff and Torreóner Pit-Bull in Thyatis; Glantri Mountaineer and Bloodhound in Glantri), Canis Sapiens Goupilus (Fennec in Ylaruam), Canis Sapiens Canus (Flaemish Shepherd in Glantri);

White: Sind and Atruaghin; Canis Sapiens Canus (Senjabi , Shunka Warakin and a few Flaemish Shepherds);

Yellow: Arm of the Immortals; Canis Sapiens Ruber (Guará);

Cyan: Kavkaz; Canis Sapiens Pictus (Kavkazan Painted);


500-900 AC Modern Era

During these centuries, several colonization attempts were performed, more or less officially, by the Thyatian Empire. Thyatian lupins, mostly belonging to the Pit Bull and Das Hund breeds, followed the human migrations to Glantri and the Savage Coast.


Local lupins in Averoigne and Linden were approached by Sire Claude d'Ambreville, who obtained the recognition of citizenship for the Glantrian lupins. Many of these lupin followers of Sire Claude d'Ambreville (mainly Flaemish Shepherds and Bloodhounds, but also opportunistic Blue Bandits) were guided by Clébard de Clairvault (a Flaemish Shepherd himself) to Renardy after the sudden disappearance of their leader.


Also, around this time, erect ears (a sign of Carrasquito ancestry) became fashionable among Papillons in Renardy.  Individuals with this trait are called the Neo-Papillons.


900-present AC Renardy and the Clairvault Dynasty

In the last century, Clébard de Clairvault and his descendants Gaston and Louis IV brought Renardy from the Middle Age to the Modern Age. The Renardois lupins acquired the Sylaire culture, with some Ispan influences, from the Glantrian lupins and the Torreóner Pit-Bulls. Clébard married the Renardois Princess Ralon, became King, and initiated several reforms. Both monarchs later became Immortals, and are now part of the established Renardois pantheon.


The Brotherhood of Vintages was also formally established by Queen Ralon, while new trade routes were opened with the Savage Baronies, especially with Torreón.


Meanwhile, the Baronial lupins (Carrasquito, Narvaezan Maremma and Ispan Pistolero) had acquired the Espa culture from Thyatian colonists, both human and lupin (mainly Torreóner Pit-Bulls).


Lupins Today

Nowadays, Renardy is a strong, modern kingdom, cultivating alliances with the Barony of Torreón and the Kingdom of Eusdria, two major military powers of the Savage Coast. The main source of instability in Renardy is the so-called Heresy of Pflarr, the belief that Pflarr should be the only lupin Immortal and that nobility lies in one's ability to prove ties to a hutaakan bloodline.


Thyatis, with Hattian, Thyatian, and Ochalean lupin citizens has the second largest lupin population, followed by Glantri and the Heldann Freeholds. In Thyatis, lupins are recognized as citizens, and many Hattian lupins serve in the Hattian Legions, while in Ochalea, lupins can be found in all strata of the society, including the Mandarinate.


In Glantri, there are no lupin nobles, and most lupins live outside the cities and fiefs. The Cimarron Hairless are basically enslaved by the Boldavian vampire barons, but most other lupin breeds fare much better.


In the Heldannic Territories, lupins are found both among the Hattian conquerors (especially Das Hund and Doggermen) and the Heldanner natives (especially the Heldann Shepherds).


Nations of the Savage Coast also hold significant lupin communities, especially in the Traladaran City-States of Zvornik and Nova-Svoga where lupin noble clans have equal status with the local human aristocracy.


Water lupins sail in Verdan and Minrothaddan ships through the Sea of Dread and the Izondian Deep. They often trade with the Senjabi merchants of Sind.


A small but respected breed, the Fennec (or Fanaq), lives in the Emirates of Ylaruam. Most Fennecs are followers of the Eternal Truth.


Minor lupin communities are found throughout the Northern Reaches and Norwold (Ostland Stövare, White Foxfolk, Norwold Malamutes and Heldann Shepherds), while nomadic lupins travel the less populated areas of central and eastern Brun.


Goblinoids with lupin blood can be found throughout Brun. Together with other goblinoids, they are predominant in the Broken Lands and comprise a significant part of Hulean society and army. Gnolls have advanced societies in Grande Carrascal and Graakhalia. They and kobolds have large strongholds in the Broken Lands and the Northern Reaches.


Lupins can also be found outside the lands of Brun. The Aardovai tribes inhabit the Rilles region of the Hollow Moon, while both the hutaakans and their ancestors, the Coyotl, live close to the World Spine of the Hollow World.

Legend:

Red: Renardy and the Savage Coast; Canis Sapiens Renardensis (Maremma, Zvornikian Sentinel, Golden Retriever, Renardois Folk, Basset Hound, Beagle, Slagovich Herder, Ispan Pistolero, Water Lupin, Burrow Bandit, Bouchon, Neo-Papillon), Canis Sapiens Mystax (Blue Bandit),  Canis Sapiens Parvus (Carrasquito), Canis Sapiens Macer (Borzoi and Long Runner), Canis Sapiens Colossus (Torreóner Pit-Bull, Bloodhound and Eusdrian Bulldog), Canis Sapiens Goupilus (red Foxfolk), Canis Sapiens Canus (Flaemish Shepherd);

Blue: Northern Reaches and Heldann; Canis Sapiens Canus (Heldann Shepherd and Norwold Malamute further north), Canis Sapiens Mystax (Gnomish Snoutzer), Canis Sapiens Colossus (Great Dogge), Canis Sapiens Goupilus (white Foxfolk further north), Canis Sapiens Renardensis (Doggerman and Das Hund with the Heldannic Knights);

Green: Ochalea; Canis Sapiens Colossus (Chow Chow and High Shar-Pei), Canis Sapiens Parvus (Ochalean Crested and Houndling);

Black: Broken Lands, Northern Reaches, Plains of Fire (Graakhalia) and El Grande Carrascal; Canis Erectus Meridionum (Striped), Canis Erectus Septentrionum (Brown), Canis Erectus Hilaris (Spotted);

Violet: Thyatis and Glantri; Canis Sapiens Renardensis (Doggerman and Das Hund in Hattias), Canis Sapiens Parvus (Cimarron Hairless, Glantri and underground),  Canis Sapiens Mystax (Hound of Klantyre, Glantri only), Canis Sapiens Colossus (King Mastiff and Torreóner Pit-Bull in Thyatis; Glantri Mountaineer in Glantri), Canis Sapiens Goupilus (Fennec in Ylaruam);

White: Sind and Atruaghin; Canis Sapiens Canus (Senjabi and Shunka Warakin);

Yellow: Arm of the Immortals; Canis Sapiens Ruber (Guará);

Cyan: Kavkaz; Canis Sapiens Pictus (Kavkazan Painted);

Lupin Breeds


Caption: Lupin Taxonomic Table




Although all the lupin breeds have much in common, they can be classified into different subspecies, and distinguished from related species by using some important characteristics, in particular their keen senses. It is known that Taymoran magic was used to increase the already powerful senses of all lupins. The Taymoran magic, however, does not affect the lupin hybrids and lupin-blooded goblinoids, such as gnolls and kobolds. Such beings simply are not true lupins, and the Taymoran magic does not recognize them as such, or perhaps their diluted bloodlines prevent it. Since beastman blood also affects lupin senses, gnolls and kobolds do not enjoy the acuity of smell and hearing of even the less sensitive true lupin. Thus, gnolls and kobolds, while classed in the Canis genus, do not belong to the Canis Sapiens species, but rather to a separate subspecies, Canis Erectus and Canis Minor respectively.


On the other hand, the ancestor species, Canis Habilis, is also classed separately, due to the great gulf of evolution between it and the oldest Canis Sapiens subspecies.


Lupin breeds with high levels of beastman blood are also separated into different subspecies (mainly some breeds of the Canis Sapiens Parvus and Canis Sapiens Colossus groups, but also Canis Sapiens Ruber and Canis Sapiens Pharaonicus).


Size and other physical characteristics also help to differentiate other subspecies. Canis Sapiens Parvus and Canis Sapiens Mystax breeds are small and have erect or semi-erect ears; Canis Sapiens Macer breeds are slim, medium-sized and have rose ears and longer snouts; Canis Sapiens Canus breeds inherited much of their ancestral Wolvenfolk traits, being larger and having erect ears; Canis Sapiens Hutaakanus and Canis Sapiens Goupilus also have erect ears, but are smaller. Canis Sapiens Colossus groups together the largest breeds, all having smaller snouts. Canis Sapiens Renardensis is the largest group, having breeds of all sizes, but always drop ears.


The Merry Lupin Gallery (continuation)

In this section, we provide an introduction to the new breeds presented in the historical overview - the extinct Aardovai and Coyotl, and the extant Guará, Senjabi, Water Lupin and Kavkazan Painted.

Aardovai

One of the oldest lupin breeds, together with the Coyotl and the Wolvenfolk, this small breed gave origin to all known small modern breeds, although none of them inherited its two distinctive characteristics: fur with black stripes and a mane. The gnolls, on the other hand, preserved these features, even though they are very different in other aspects, such as height. This breed is known for adapting quickly to new environments and situations, learning very fast. The Aardovai are extinct in modern Mystara, although they can be found in the Hollow Moon.

Coyotl

One of the oldest lupin breeds, together with the Aardovai and the Wolvenfolk, the Coyotl breed has much in common with these other two and may be a hybrid breed. The Coyotl were the first to meet humans and the first to have a human-like civilization. That, however, happened because they were enslaved by the Mictec, one of the Oltec peoples, with their will controlled by a powerful concoction, called the Amber Drink (see the Diseases and Magic Substances section for more details). Although quite toxic in the beginning, the Coyotl eventually built up a resistance to it, becoming completely immune to Wolfsbane and to the mind controlling effects of the concoction, allowing them to rebel and establish the Chochomec civilization.


In modern times, the Coyotl are extinct in the Outer World, but preserved in the Hollow World, where the Chochomec tribe survives in Oltec lands.

Guará

This breed is an obvious mix of the Foxfolk Lupin and the Striped Gnoll, as shown by their red fur and fox-like faces, combined with their unusual stature and black mane. It came about when Striped Gnoll tribes moved west from El Grande Carrascal, reaching the woodlands of Robrenn and Eusdria. Here, they were absorbed into the local Foxfolk tribes, and the newly formed tribes continued to migrate west, eventually reaching Jibarú. They remained there long enough to learn the Jibar language; there, they also received the name of their breed, Guará, meaning "red" in Jibar. The Guará did not remain in the Jibarú forests though, but moved further to the Arm of the Immortals, which remains their home in modern times. The Guara migration west was driven by their need to seek out the precious Lobeira fruit shrubs (see the Diseases and Magic Substances section for more details). They only stopped twice, when they encountered druids willing to help them find the shrubs.


Inspired by tales of this legendary breed, Renardois explorers sailed west. The Renardois colony of Preuve was founded on the site where these explorers met for the first time with the Guarás. Prevue soon became a missionary colony, focused on bringing the Guarás to the "rightful lupin faith of the Church of Renardy". That proved to be a hard task, however, since the Guarás, contrary to most other breeds, are a solitary people who prefer to live alone in the forest, and only join with others of their kind when looking for a mate. Guarás do occasionally come to Preuve, but they usually return to the forest after some time. This unusual behaviour causes all kinds of misunderstanding between Guarás and the Renardois lupins.


Some Guarás, on the other hand, became part ofBandeirantesgroups, especially those fighting rakastas or orcs. They make reliable scouts, as they are at home in the forest and with the plants and fungi that can be found there, and know the uses they have. Guarás seldom leave the Arm of the Immortals, since many of them are affected by the Red Curse and depend on a local fruit, the Lobeira, to ward off Affliction.

Senjabi

This Sindhi breed has a wolf-like appearance, although it has short, light-coloured fur. They arrived in Sind during the time it faced its greatest threat, the lycanthropy crisis of the V century AC. The keen senses of the Senjabi (Senjab being the name the Sindhis give to the unclaimed region north of Kadesh, Peshmir and Gunjab, around Lake Hast) were truly helpful for Maga Aditi's revolt against the shapeshifters. However, as opposed to the mages, who were able to establish themselves as an upper caste, the Senjabi were forced into the lowest part of the Himaya caste after the crisis, and had to adapt to a mercantile life. This they excelled at, developing a goodnose for business”.


Those Senjabi who refused their imposed place in Sindhi society became part of the Nantyaj, and are now known as the Pariah Lupins.

Shunka Warakin

This breed, native of the Atruaghin lands, are direct descendants of the Pariah Lupins, the Senjabi who refused to become part of the Himaya caste. A large group of the Pariah Lupins, led by a Lupin called Rez, migrated east in order to continue their fight against the were-creatures. There, they learned that lycanthropes were living among the natives as respected members of the tribes. Knowing that they would need to fight both lycanthropes and normal humans if they kept their old ways, they decided to adopt guerrilla-style tactics, becoming silent assassins.


The name of the breed, Shunka Warakin, was given to them by the natives of Atruaghin, meaningthose who carry off lycanthropes”. In Darokin, they are known as Dingocus. Both names, however, are much older than this breed; when Rez and his lupins arrived in Atruaghin lands, the legend of the Shunka Warakin already existed. It is not certain what the original creature or creatures described by the legend were, but it is likely that it was a tribe of Taymoran Runners that hunted mythic lycanthropes living at this area.

Water Lupin

The Luperco d'Água is a breed of great sailors, well at home among the waters. This breed probably emerged on the islands of the Texeiran colony of Protectorado da Presa. Thanks to their natural propensity for sea travel, Water Lupins can nowadays be found in many ports along the Savage Coast, being especially common in Renardy, Dunwick, and among the sea wolves of Vilaverde and Texeiras. They can also be found in Slagovich and Hojah. Some Water Lupins can also be found in the Known World, especially on Minrothaddan ships. They have a friendly rivalry with the Meditor water elves, since both consider themselves equipped with better navigating senses. They deeply wish to one day create their own Guild in Minrothad, but are yet newcomers there, with neither the numbers nor the political pull for such a move. Water Lupins have curly, white fur much like the Bouchon, which makes them look rather funny, something that may lead someone foolish enough, to underestimate this breed. Despite their looks, they are capable warriors, usually quite skilled with cutlasses and sabres.

Kavkazan Painted

The Kavkazan Painted breed is perhaps the oldest breed still vigorous in the Outer World. Their origins can be traced back to the Aardovai breed (with Coyotl and Wolvenfolk blood) that migrated from the Yazak Steppes to the northeast part of the Black Mountains (Kavkaz). While those that continued their migration to the Known World were the ancestors of the Taymoran breeds and the Gnomish Crested, those who remained in Kavkaz became the Painted breed. The Kavkazan Painted are closely related to the Gnomish Crested breed that reached the Northern Reaches c. 1700 BC and were later employed by Nithian mages to create the gnolls. Both Kavkazan Painted and Gnomish Crested are frequently mistaken for gnolls because of their similarity; the alternative names of these breeds are related to the gnolls: the Pseudo-Gnolls and Proto-Gnolls, respectively.


The Kavkazan Painted took part in the many wars fought in this region against the goblinoids of Hule. They are able to sniff out goblinoids better than any other race, including lupins (or others) with the beastmen bloodline. This gives them a +3 bonus to Tracking and Danger Sense rolls, as well as a +1 bonus to avoid surprise. They also can smell the intentions of the goblinoids and thus anticipate their movements, giving them a +2 to hit rolls.

Hutaakans & Lupins

The Hutaakan people were created from the last pure Coyotl people living in the Outer World. Descendants from the first advanced lupin civilization, they helped the humans living in the valley of the Nithia River to build the Nithian civilization. The Immortal Pflarr blessed this lupin people, teaching them many secrets and making them even wiser. Originally, they were very close to the Nithians, but gradually became more distant and reclusive, moving to the surrounding mountains, as the humans became more power-hungry and ambitious.


They were unused with their new homes however, and had problems doing the necessary hard work at first. That happened at the same time the Traldar people passed through a desperate moment of its history, devolving into a primitive state. The hutaakans helped them, but they also took many Traldars with them as servants, later reducing them to the status of slaves. Eventually they became used to this, growing more and more dependent on these slaves.


Meanwhile, inspired by the success of the hutaakans, the Nithians attempt to create their own hutaakan-like people as a servant race, capturing Aardovai lupins and magically blending them with trolls. They, however, proved to be too savage (especially the Spotted Gnolls), and soon they rebelled, fleeing Nithia and entering the lands of the Doulakki and the Traldar. There, gnolls and Traldars almost annihilated one another and the hutaakans retreated once more into a reclusive life.


Some hutaakans had followed the Nithians to the colonies in the Gulf of Hule and helped in the missionary attempts against the Temple of Chaos. When the Nithian Pharaohs turned to the worship of Thanatos, they became actively involved with the rebel groups that held power in the colonies and planned to overturn the corrupt Pharaohs and restore the Nithian Empire to its old glory. These hutaakans were involved in the creation of Cinnabryl and the Legacies, weapons for the rebellion against the corrupt last Pharaoh. They, however, never truly had a chance to use these weapons since the Immortals intervened, erasing all recordings about the Nithian Empire on the Outer World and, after purifying it of entropic corruption, sent the few uncorrupted survivors into the Hollow World.


At the same time however, some power-hungry hutaakans who lived in Nithia embraced the cause of the Entropic Immortals, Thanatos and Ranivorous. These traitors started an interbreeding program with gnolls, with the aim of creating aperfect breed”, which would combine the gnollsphysical prowess with the hutaakan acuity of senses and mind. When the Immortal Pflarr learned of these plans, he withdrew his blessing from those fallen hutaakans, which became the Nithian Rambler breed.


The hutaakans involved with the rebellion also lost their memories about it and about their previous lives. They forgot about Pflarr and his teachings, and his bloodline eventually started to fade away. Some of them kept fighting against entropic forces, such as the goblinoid tribes of the Yazak Steppes, leading local lupin tribes against them and eventually mingling with them, becoming part of those breeds and giving them some of the hutaakan Bloodline, which became strongly associated with leadership. Many others retreated to mountain valleys west and east of the Gulf of Hule, and reverted to a reclusive lifestyle. They still mingled with local lupin natives, and developed a nature-oriented philosophy, possibly as a result of contact with druidic or elven teachings. They eventually became the Foxfolk Lupin breed - red furred Foxfolk in the Niedegard Mountains region and white furred Foxfolk in the Black Mountains. After the rise of evil in Bielagul, the White Foxfolk left the Black Mountains, bound to the east. One group reached the Norwold region, while another ended their journey at the Northern Reaches and Ylaruam, where they became the Fennec breed.


Hutaakans in the Known World who remained true to the way of Pflarr were preserved. Those who lived in doomed Nithia were taken to the Hollow World, while those who lived in the Valley of hutaaka were left there, as they had no contact with or knowledge of the Nithian corruption, having remained isolated in the secret valley after the gnoll invasion of Traldar lands.

Lupin-blooded Goblinoids

Two of the goblinoid races have more than a passing resemblance to lupins, hinting at some cross-breeding in the past.


The brutish gnoll race emerged when Nithian mages mixed Gnomish Crested lupins with the beastmen blood from trolls. Despite appearing similar to lupins, they are as tough and furious as their goblinoid ancestors. Three gnoll breeds were created, the Striped, Brown, and Spotted Gnolls.


The relation between kobolds and lupins, on the other hand, is less understood, due to physical features of the kobolds, such as horns and scales, which lupins lack.

Striped Gnoll

The first breed created, the Striped Gnolls were perhaps the only truly successful Nithian creation. Smaller and less aggressive than other gnolls, but still quite strong, they were soon taken to (and thereafter created at) Great Waste/Savage Coast colonies as slaves, being vital to the quick success of those settlements. Sometime later, after a few years of servitude, they were released into the wilderness, where their population grew uncontrolled, leading to mass migrations. They settled the caves of Graakhalia and El Grande Carrascal; living in such difficult places taught them the necessary survival skills.


These gnolls usually have light brown fur and black snouts; mature Striped Gnolls have a black mane that resembles a mohawk. Usually they have black stripes on their legs, torso, head and back, but in Graakhalia some individuals have black spots, instead. They usually have a Neutral alignment instead of Evil, despite their beastman blood, and are the closest gnoll breed to their lupin cousins.  This is due to more extensive interbreeding that happened after the fall of Nithia, and the smaller amounts of beastmen blood used to create them.

Brown Gnoll

Slightly larger than the Striped breed, the Brown Gnolls are also more aggressive and bloodthirsty. Instead of slaves, they were created as guardians and thus received larger amounts of beastman blood. They, however, hardly fit their guardian roles, since they were simply too impatient to stand still guarding anything. They fled their Nithian masters soon enough, without ever being exported to colonies, and entered the Northern Reaches. Eventually, they were pushed farther north by their cousins, the Spotted Gnolls, who took the best lands for themselves.


Their settlement of rougher regions made the Brown Gnolls somewhat used to difficult terrains (though not as well adapted as the Striped Gnolls), and their beastman blood makes them naturally aggressive (although, like other goblinoids, they are not necessarily evil).  Their fur is darker brown and they have a white mane and black snouts. Some individuals have reddish spots, while others show strips at their legs and arms.

Spotted Gnoll

The most common breed in the Known World, and the most infamous as well, is the Spotted Gnoll. These gnolls are vicious and almost always evil, to the point of a mindless thirst for destruction, much to the delight of their Immortal Patron, Ranivorous, who champions madness and death. After the failure of the Brown breed as guardians, the Nithian mages noticed that these beings were nevertheless highly effective warriors, thus, they attempted the creation of a breed with even more beastman blood, making it even stronger and more ferocious with additional magic. This, however, poisoned and twisted the Spotted Gnoll minds, causing an increased rate of insanity. Spotted Gnolls were very quick to rebel, and caused significant destruction in the Nithian Empire, thanks to the effects of shock and surprise. In the end, the Nithians managed to drive them out, forcing them north, where they displaced the Brown Gnolls, and west, into the lands of the Doulakki and the Traldar.


Spotted Gnolls are the tallest breed, although that may not always be perceived, due to their hunched posture. They have light brown hair with black spots and snouts. Occasionally they have a tan mane. They tend to be very aggressive and often suffer from insanity, giggling before and while attacking.

Kobold

While there are many lupin breeds with goblinoid blood, kobolds are, like gnolls, goblinoids with lupin blood. Kobolds bear a striking resemblance to some of the smallest lupin breeds, such as the Carrasquito and the Xoloitzcuintli (or Cimarron Hairless).  At the same time, kobolds have unique features, such as scaled skin and a pair of small horns. These features are actually a product of an allergic disease that every kobold is born with, called the Kobolds Rot (see the Diseases and Magic Substances section for more details).


There are three known kobold breeds: the Brown Kobolds (Canis Minor Militaris), the Black Kobolds (Canis Minor Rapidus), and the Grey Kobold (Canis Minor Numerus). The colors that name these breeds are, respectively, the same colors of their scales, although Grey Kobolds also have brown splotches. While the Brown and Grey Kobolds resemble the Carrasquito breed, the Black ones looks like the Hairless breeds, including their white manes.


Kobolds, much like Carrasquitos, are known for theirclannishbehavior. By goblinoid standards, kobolds (especially the Brown ones) are very organized and have a strict hierarchy. They tend to cooperate with their kin and will also cooperate, to a lesser degree, with other races that they perceive as related (first gnolls, then other goblinoids and lupins). Kobolds are known to cooperate with Brown Gnolls in the Northern Reaches and even the Kobolds of Kol cooperate with the lunatic followers of Ranivorous, the Spotted Gnolls of South Gnollistan.

Urd

The Urd breed is the oddest of all lupin-kind, being the only one to have wings. Like a bat, they have very long fingers with their hands and arms forming webbed wings. Since most of the time they need their arms free for flying, they use their feet to pick up and carry things, and even to wield weapons. Urds are more comfortable in mountainous environments, where they can use their natural abilities to their advantage and where they can easily find caves to settle. They can usually be found in the Khurish Massif, north of Sind, and around the south and southwest faces of the Atruaghin plateau; its known, though, that they made their way to the Black Mountains as well, and they were taken to the Hollow World, infesting the World Spine close to Oltec, Azcan and Schattenalfen borders.


Urds were created c. 800 BC close to the modern Sind/Atruaghin border, where there was an independent rajahstan called Sarna, whose domains included part of modern Jalawar. Fearing the threat of invasion by more powerful Sindhi kingdoms, Sarna enlarged its army by recruiting goblinoids, mainly Grey Kobolds, formerly part of Wogars Horde that had conquered Atruaghin lands. Since Grey Kobolds are a rather weak breed, their greatest (and perhaps only) strength being their speed to reproduce, wizards of Sarna attempted to improve this breed through magic. They studied the way Nithian mages manipulated lupins and trolls in order to create the gnolls and took advantage of the easily mutable beastmen blood. The Grey Kobolds of Sarna thus gained wings and became the Urds.


When the Red Orcs were defeated by the Children of Atruaghin, many of them ended up in Sindhi lands, especially the Grey Kobolds. Sarna offered them a safe haven in exchange for mercenary services. Soon Sarna was overpopulated by both Grey Kobolds and Urds, and they took this opportunity to seize power. Sarna was sacked and converted into a goblinoid state and soon they began raiding their neighbours. Sarna became a threat to all its neighbours and they made a temporary truce in order to deal with the goblinoids.


Sindhi and Atruaghin troops defeated the goblinoids and came close to completely exterminate the Urd breed. A few escaped north, to the Khurish Massif, while others entered Atruaghin, living between the plateau and the Singing Forest. Urds were also taken into the Hollow World.

The nameUrdis a derivation from Urduk. Since the Urduk independent tribes are predominantly nomads, the wordurdgained the meaning ofbarbarian”. This word was applied especially to goblinoids and, in Sarna, it became synonymous to kobold, until gaining its modern sense.

Lupin Bloodlines

In this section, we revise and extend the list of lupin bloodlines. All bloodlines grant magical abilities that are inherited from ones ancestors. They never occur naturally, being granted by powerful magic spells or Immortals, being transmitted to descendants afterwards. These effects listed below are for strong bloodlines; weak bloodlines grant no special abilities.


Hutaakan Bloodline

+1 Wis, -1 Cha. Hutaakans automatically receive this.



Beastman Bloodline

Darkvision as a dwarf, less susceptible to Wolfsbane (like any non-lupin race), lupin senses reduced in one step, rage as barbarian once per day. Kobolds and gnolls automatically receive this.


Foo Dog Bloodline

Can cast protection from evil once per day as a 1st-level caster or a caster of his class levels, whichever is higher. Also, receives +2 racial bonus on all saving throws.


Blink Dog Bloodline

Can cast blink once per day as a 1st-level caster or a caster of his class levels, whichever is higher.


Shadow Mastiff Bloodline

Can cast darkness once per day as a 1st-level caster or a caster of his class levels, whichever is higher. Also, he receives darkvision, as a dwarf, which will also work on any magical darkness, as long as the character created it.


Hell Hound Bloodline

Can cast burning hands once per day as a 1st-level caster or a caster of his class levels, whichever is higher. Also, resistant to fire as a Zvornik Gonic.


Taymoran Bloodline

Includes all special abilities of the Borzoi breed. Borzoi automatically receive it.


Wolvenfolk Bloodline

Includes all special abilities of the Wolvenfolk breed. Wolvenfolk automatically receive it.

Lupin Diseases and Magical Substances

The diseases and magical substances presented here can also affect other races. However, they either affect lupins more intensely or have been associated with lupins since the beginning of recorded history.


Kobolds Rot

The features Kobolds have, unique both among lupin-kind and goblinoid-kind (i.e. their scaly skin and small horn or horns), are actually the product of an allergic disease that every Kobold is born with. In the Known World, it is often called the Hystrix (Thyatis), Pange or its complete form Pangolia (Glantri and Renardy), or even simply the Rot or Kobolds Rot. In Sind and the Savage Coast (especially in the Savage Baronies), the Sindhi name Sarna is used instead.


Those affected by it begin losing their hair or fur, while their skin progressively becomes scaly. If not treated, the Rot affects the whole body except for the face, palms and soles. There is also a chance (+1% per month) that one or two small horns will grow on the head. In Sindhi beliefs, a growing horn over a lupins head can be used to create luck charms, called Seear Singhi or Narric-Comboo. The longer the exposure to infected individuals, the greater the chance to catch the Rot, especially for lupins (+5% per hour for lupins or lupin-blooded goblinoids, +1% per hour for other humanoids). Gnolls are naturally resistant to the Kobolds Rot; although they catch it as easily as any other breed, they can cure themselves within days (+5% per day chance to get rid of the disease).


The Wrath

The rare disease known as the Wrath (translated as Ira in Thyatian and Thyatian-descendant languages) is a curse spread by priests of Ranivorous in order to reward some of that Immortals greatest gnoll champions. Any character infected with the Wrath has a +5% chance per 2 HP lost to go berserk (which means 100% chance to go berserk after 40 HP lost). Treat the character as a barbarian using his rage ability. The character loses control of their actions, first foaming at the mouth and then attacking the closest target that they perceive as a threat. They will drop any weapons being carried and attack only with their mouth. If it is a hit, 15 or better means that they lock their jaws in a terrible bite. Treat each round they maintain their bite as an automatic hit. They will not let go until knocked unconscious, reduced to 0 HP or less, or doing either to their victim. There is a +10% per HP lost chance for someone bitten to also get infected by the Wrath. One famous bearer of this disease is Zar (a.k.a. Titus Titonius), Generalíssimo of Kol.


Lobeira Fruit

When grown in any region outside the Haze, the Lobeira Fruit looks much like a green tomato. When grown within the Haze, its red with green stripes. These red Lobeira fruits work exactly as one ounce of Cinnabryl to ward off the effects of the Red Curse. For one week, someone that eats the fruit, including its seeds, will be protected from detrimental effects of the Curse. Fortunately, the Lobeira fruit does not cause thered blighteffect that Cinnabryl can cause.


Anyone within the Haze who is under the effect of the Lobeira fruit for at least one full month will suffer the same effects of the Red Curse, even if outside the cursed lands. This means that leaving the cursed lands wont stop the Time of Grace, Time of Loss, and Time of Change process and the character will need to wear Cinnabryl or consume Lobeira fruits to ward off the curse. If the character is within cursed lands, choose normally his legacy; if hes not, choose randomly one of the four areas and then choose normally his legacy.


The Lobeira shrub can be used to make a concoction that gives an extra legacy for anyone who consumes it for one week. Choose this new legacy randomly as indicated before. One entire shrub, wood and leaves, are necessary for the creation of a single vial of this concoction. Because of this, the Lobeira became extinct in the entire Savage Coast, except for the area between the colonies of Preuve and Porto Maldição, on the Arm of the Immortals. Thats the reason for the migration of the Guarás ancestors from El Grande Carrascal to Robrenn, then Jibarú, and finally to the Arm of the Immortals. Believing thats the last haven of the Lobeira, the Guarás swore to protect its secrets from outsiders.


Amber Drink

The Amber Drink is a concoction created by the priests of Hel of the Mictec, one of the Oltec peoples that once lived in Brun before the Great Rain of Fire. The Amber Drink is a powerful mind control drug that will work for a whole day (or three days if larger doses are used). Made of Amber Lotus and Wolfsbane, it is poisonous for anyone who drinks it, but lupins are especially vulnerable, as they are vulnerable to Wolfsbane. If dealt in small doses, there is just a small chance (10% per day for lupins, 5% for anyone else) that the victim will suffer the effects of the poison after an hour. For a more potent effect, though, larger doses are needed, and thus the chances for poisoning increases (20% per day for lupins, 10% for anyone else).


Anyone who gets poisoned will not only suffer the appropriate penalties, but will also apparently fall into a deep slumber as long as the poison keeps its effect or, at least, for a whole day. The most disturbing part of this effect, however, is that its victim remains conscious (but still under mind control) the whole time. If not adequately treated, the victim will die and might return as an easily controllable, mindless zombie.


The Coyotl breed was controlled by the priests of Hel in Mictlán for a long time thanks to the use of this potion. However, the Coyotl started to get used to it, becoming partially immune to its properties. They no longer would suffer from the poison and occasionally the mind control would not work. That resulted in an unexpected, frightening side effect: they could still fall into the deep slumber and, if not under mind control, were now truly conscious and, yet, helpless. Only a few escaped this effect with life, though, since the priests of Hel sacrificed anyone they found in this state. Sometimes the consciousness continued even after death and these few returned as intelligent undead, mummies. Eventually, the Coyotl became completely immune to Wolfsbane and the Amber Drink, allowing them to rebel from their Mictec masters.


Caption: Lupin/Dog breed correspondance table

Guardian:



Doggerman

Doberman Pinscher

Hattias

Narvaezan Maremma

Maremma Sheepdog

Narvaez

King Mastiff

Mastiff (or any Molosser)

Thyatis

Torreoner Pitbull

Pitbull

Thyatis, Torreón

High Shar-Pei

Shar-Pei

Ochalea

Wolvenfolk

Wolf

(any)

Ye Great Dogge

Great Dane

Ostland

Taymoran Hound

Boxer

[extinct]







Worker:



Eusdrian Bulldog

English Bulldog

Eusdria

Glantri Mountaineer

St. Bernard

Glantrian Alps

Gnomish Snoutzer

Schnauzer, Miniature

Norwold, Northern Reaches

Norwold Malamute

Alaskan Malamute

Norwold (arctic only), Hyborea

Zvornikian Sentinel

Dalmatian

Zvornik




Shepherd:



Flaemish/Heldann Shepherd

German Shepherd

Heldann, Renardy, Glantri (before 900 AC)

Shag-head

Old English Sheepdog

(gypsy-like wanderers)

Slagovich Herder

Komondor

Slagovich




Hunter:



Basset Hound

Basset Hound

Renardy (also other regions)

Beagle

Beagle

Renardy (also other regions)

Bloodhound

Bloodhound

Renardy (recently Alphatia)

Chow Chow

Chow Chow

Ochalea

Coyotl

Coyote

Azcan/Oltec lands (Hollow World)

Foxfolk

Fox

Norwold, Robrenn

Golden Retriever

Golden Retriever

Renardy (also other regions)

Guará

Maned Wolf

Between Preuve and Porto Maldição (Arm of the Immortals)

Hutaakan

Jackal

Hutaaka Valley (Hollow World)

Ispan Pistolero

Cocker Spaniel

Savage Baronies, Renardy

Nithian Rambler

Pharaoh dog

(wanderers)

Renardois Folk

Français Tricolore

Renardy

Senjabi

Basenji

Sind

Shunka Warakin

Dingo / Rez dogs

Atruaghin lands

Water Lupin

Poodle

Any litoranean area (mainly the Savage Coast and Minrothad)




Vermin Hunter:



Aardovai

Aardwolf (c. septentrionalis)

Hollow Moon

Gnomish Crested (Proto-Gnoll)

Aardwolf (c. cristatus)

[extinct]

Blue Bandit

Kerry Blue Terrier

Renardy (possibly other locales of Brun)

Burrow Bandit

Working Terrier

Renardy (also other regions)

Das Hund

Dachshund

Hattia

Fennec

Fennec

Ylaruam

Hound of Klantyre

Scottish Terrier

Klantyre (Glantri)




Wee Folk:



Bouchon

Bichon Frisé

Renardy

Carrasquito

Chihuahua

El Grande Carrascal

Cimarron Hairless

Mexican Hairless

Schattenalfen, Boldavia

Taymoran Hairless

Peruvian Hairless

[extinct]

Ochalean Houndling

Pekingese

Ochalea

Ochalean Crested

Chinese Hairless

Ochalea

Neo-Papillon

Papillon

Renardy




Nomad:



Long Runner

Longdog

Yazak Steppes

Borzoi

Borzoi

Nova Svoga

Kavkazan Painted (Pseudo-Gnoll)

African Wild Dog

Kavkaz

Taymoran Runner

Saluki

[extinct]







Feral [Gnoll & Kobolds]:



Spotted Gnoll

Spotted Hyena

Broken Lands, Ylaruam, Northern Reaches, Sind, Black Mountains, Hills of Kavaja

Brown Gnoll

Brown Hyena

Northern Reaches, Norwold

Striped Gnoll

Striped Hyena

Graakhalia, El Grande Carrascal

Kobold (Brown and Grey)

Chihuahua with Mange

Known World (Greys mainly in Atruaghin)

Kobold (Black)

Peruvian Hairless with Mange

Known World

Urd



Dog-faced Bat or Flying Fox Bat

World Spine (Hollow World), Black Mountains, Khurish Massif (Sind), Atruaghin

Mongrel:



Random Breeds

any Mongrel or hybrid




References

Tom Moldvay, X2 Castle Amber. TSR Inc., 1981

Ken Rolston, The Northern Reaches, Gazetteer 7. TSR Inc., 1988

Bruce A. Heard, The Orcs of Thar, Gazetteer 10. TSR Inc., 1988

Aaron Allston, The Hollow World. TSR Inc., 1990

Ann Dupuis and Bruce A. Heard, Champions of Mystara. TSR Inc., 1993

Bruce A. Heard, “A glass of wine and a shaggy dog story”, Voyages of the Princess Ark 26. Dragon Magazine, (179)

Bruce A. Heard, “Campaign Classics: Lupins of the Mystara Setting'”, Dragon Magazine (237)

Tim Beach and Bruce A. Heard, Savage Coast Campaign. TSR Inc., 1996

Giampaolo Agosta, “History of the Lupins’’, http://www.pandius.com/lupnhist.html

John Calvin, A Treatise on Lycanthropy

John Calvin, The Aardovai Rilles, http://www.pandius.com/a_rilles.html

Christian Constantin, Hulean timeline

Sharon Dornhoff, Hollow Moon Planetology: Blue Moon - Animal Life, http://www.pandius.com/anmllife.html

Atila Pires dos Santos, Lupin Breeds, http://www.pandius.com/lupnbred.html


Images:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BxbFl59TcUwLM0dCNlJwa2RDaWc/edit?usp=sharing, Threshold_2_Aardovai (by I. Calvin) Used by permission of the artist.


https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BxbFl59TcUwLdUtMSHkwcUd3NHM/edit?usp=sharing, Threshold_2_Guara (by I. Calvin) Used by permission of the artist.


https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxbFl59TcUwLQXBhUVl5YWR2RTA/edit?usp=sharing

Threshold_2_Coyotl (by I. Calvin)  Used by permission of the artist.


https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxbFl59TcUwLcEFHME9zTkczYjA/edit?usp=sharing

Threshold_2_Senjabi (by I. Calvin)  Used by permission of the artist.


https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxbFl59TcUwLbGdWWkhnUWl1MEE/edit?usp=sharing

Threshold_2_Poodle (by I. Calvin)  Used by permission of the artist.


https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BxbFl59TcUwLZnJlZE1Hay1hUUk/edit?usp=sharing, Threshold_2_Wolvenfolk (by John Calvin) Used by permission of the artist.