Approved Lore The Hounds

[Mellifluous Magenta]

A Hound of the Phantasmagoria Covenant.​

• Intent: To expand on a formal order of the Reach of the Dark Lord, initially created by Darth Carnifex.
• Image Credit:
  
  • Darth Carnifex - Logo
  • Priestess - Real-Time
• Canon: N/A
• Permissions: N/A
  
  • Description (X)
• Links: N/A

• Tradition Name: The Hounds
• Tradition Type: Formal Order
• Tradition Focus:
  
  • Psychic
  • Spiritual
• Influence: Minor–Interplanetary
• Orientation: Dark
• Influence Area:
  
  • Malsheem
  • Dromund Kaas
  • Ziost
• Symbol:
  
• Description: The Hounds are a secretive and psychically formidable order of Force-sensitive assassins and hunters that serve the Kainate, operating at the fringes of both space and sanity. Unlike conventional Sith agents, they do not stalk their prey through physical pursuit. Instead, the Hounds project their minds across vast interstellar distances, reaching across the void to infiltrate and hunt their targets wherever they may hide.
  
  Their work is not done with lightsabers or blasters, but through mental intrusion, spiritual corruption, and psychic warfare. They are trained to pierce the veil between minds and realities, walking in dreams, disturbing meditations, and seizing control of weaker wills. A Force-sensitive marked by the Hounds may experience visions of red-eyed beasts stalking them in mirrors, feel themselves watched while alone, or suffer fits of terror without cause. These are the signs that the Hounds are on the hunt.
  
  This terrifying method is made possible through a dark discipline known as Transplanar Projection, an esoteric fusion of ancient Sith sorcery and alchemical enhancement. Hounds undergo brutal initiations involving the shattering of their original identity—often involving death and rebirth in Sith alchemical crucibles—which reforge their souls into sharpened astral weapons. Their physical bodies are held in deep meditation vaults, submerged in nutrient vats or suspended in obsidian cradles, while their minds are set loose upon the galaxy.
  
  The Hounds are led by the Alpha, a being who has long since ceased to be a discrete consciousness and instead exists as a gestalt predator-mind made up of all former Alphas. This composite entity binds the Hounds together psychically and coordinates their hunts across space, whispering through the blood-soaked currents of the Force.
  
  Those hunted by the Hounds rarely see their killers coming. Sometimes, they are found dead in locked rooms, eyes wide in terror, minds burned out. Other times, they vanish entirely, believed to have been consumed by the astral predators that stalked their dreams.
  
  The Hounds are not revered even among the Sith. They are feared. Even among the Dark Side, they are seen as abominations of will and identity, reminders that in the Kainate, individuality is a weapon—and sometimes, it must be unmade.

• Hierarchy:
  
  • Hound Hierarchy
    
    • Alpha
      
      • The collective consciousness of all previous Alphas, the Alpha is a gestalt predator entity that directs the Hounds’ hunts. Responsible for the overarching direction of the order, the Alpha rarely intervenes directly. Instead, its will is enforced by the Dream Lords below it in the hierarchy.
    • Dream Lord
      
      • The Dream Lords are generally the oldest and most powerful Hounds, each overseeing a Dream Covenant (a group of Hounds and their retinues).
    • Hound
      
      • Fully initiated Hounds, capable of executing independent Transplanar hunts. Each has at least three senior Attendants and may have several Understudies.
    • Leashed
      
      • The Leashed are Hounds-in-training. Although they have survived the initiations and the shattering of their original identity, they are only allowed to hunt under supervision of a True Hound or Pack-Lord. Only after they complete a successful solo hunt and receive the sponsorship of a Dream Lord may they ascend to full independence. However, failure—too often and too flagrant—will see their minds unmade.
  • Attendant Hierarchy
    
    • Prime Attendant
      
      • The highest-ranking mortal (non-Hound) in a Hound’s retinue. The Prime Attendant speaks for the Hound when their body is unable, effectively representing them in realspace.
      • Leads the secret rituals to recall a Hound from the hunt. However, if the Hound dies, the Prime is expected to either take their place or die trying.
    • Devoted
      
      • The Devoted are highly trained Attendants who perform specific roles in a Hound’s retinue. Most serve in these roles for life and never ascend to become Hounds. Many Devoted are non-Force-sensitive, recruited for their skills, knowledge, and capability. As servants, they provide indispensable services to the Hound in both physical and metaphysical matters.
        
        • Physiomancer
          
          • A doctor, healer, medic, or Sith alchemist-biologist who maintains the Hound’s body, ensuring that it does not succumb to decay.
        • Ritualist
          
          • Conducts the ceremonies that send the Hound hunting within the astral planes. Ritualists are highly trained and must have strong mental shields to avoid being consumed by the Hound’s psyche. They are often the first to blame if a Hound’s mind is lost to the void.
        • Proxy
          
          • If the Hound is indisposed, the Proxy is responsible for serving as their mouthpiece, delivering their words (or threats) in the material world.
        • Guardian
          
          • Responsible for protecting the Hound’s physical form from realspace threats. Often recruited from the ranks of the Immortal Legion or the Eclipse Sect.
  • Understudy Hierarchy
    
    • Marked
      
      • Understudies selected for potential Hound ascension. The Marked undergo frequent mental fracturing rituals and trials to prepare for Transplanar projection, honing their souls into astral weapons. Many lose themselves before the completion of their training.
      • The Marked perform menial, but vital tasks: preparing alchemical baths, memorizing incantations, guarding the Hound’s chamber, and yet more.
    • Forgotten
      
      • The Forgotten encompass those Marked who washed out of training, but were not killed. So long as their only crime is failure, they are spared from being relegated as ritual, training, or experimental fodder, instead utilized as menials and servants.
  • Unranked
    
    • Offered
      
      • Prisoners used for alchemical experiments or as test prey for young Hounds.
    • Consumed
      
      • Prisoners used as psychic fuel to power certain astral projection rituals.
• Membership: Ascension into the formal order of the Hounds comes through two distinct paths—the Attendant's Path and the Marked’s Path. The former path—the Attendant’s Path—is slower, but more stable. Candidates on this path work their way up from the ranks of the Marked to become Ritualists, Guardians, or Proxies, before eventually rising to the position of Prime Attendant. When the sitting Hound dies or is irreparably broken in the course of a hunt, the Prime is expected to take over the position, often absorbing the memories of the broken Hound in the process. In contrast, the latter path—the Marked’s Path—generally produces less stable and controlled Hounds. The Marked skip the Attendant’s phase entirely, instead undergoing direct mental unmasking via Sith alchemy and torture. This path is far more lethal—most Marked die or lose their minds during initiation. Those who survive are often feral, requiring heavy conditioning from Dream Lords. Nevertheless, the Kainate authorizes the direct ascension of the Marked for when lethal, disposable Hounds are required for high-risk missions.
  
  In the Understudy hierarchy, the Marked—the rank from which all Hounds are drawn—are typically recruited from Sith Academies, newly created strand-casts, or direct recruitment of young Force-sensitives from the population. The Forgotten are those Marked who faltered and ultimately failed in their training, but were not killed.
  
  No matter the path, initiates typically undergo three stages to become Hounds. The first stage encompasses the mental fracturing rites, during which the initiate's identity is broken down and rebuilt with the instincts of an astral predator. Although initiates do not explicitly lose their identities during this stage, memories of their lives prior to the rites are often warped. As part of this process, initiates receive new names, which are awarded upon completion of the rites.
  
  In the second stage—the Dreamwalking Trials—initiates are trained to stalk prey across astral planes and navigate the spaces between minds. Here, they learn the fundamentals of Transplanar Projection. They may be sent to hunt illusory prey (often "simulations" of a past hunt's victims), in which they must track, corner, and "kill" these phantoms using only their mind. Additional trials come in engagements with live prisoners who have been designated as training fodder— psychically tagged as prey. The initiate must haunt them—invading dreams, inducing paranoia, and finally, burning out their mind. In these trials, speed matters less than artistry; a candidate's skill is measured by their ability to prolong the hunt, drawing out the prey's suffering.
  
  The final stage is the first solo hunt, which Hounds-in-training (Leashed) sometimes spend years preparing for. Tasked with hunting a low-profile target, the candidate must demonstrate the ability to independently and successfully execute all four stages of a hunt. These are the Marking (the target is identified and a psychic link is forged), the Crossing (the Leashed's mind is hurled across the astral planes, often arriving as a half-seen horror), the Haunting (the target is subjected to escalating despair, encompassing nightmares, phantom whispers, and waking hallucinations), and finally the Kill (the candidate must sever their target's connection to the Force, burn out their mind, and/or drive them to self-terminate). Upon success, the Leashed is bathed in the target's dying terror, then ritually anointed as a Hound.
  
  The Attendants are not considered to be part of the formal order of the Hounds. For those individuals who rose from the Understudy hierarchy (by taking the Attendant's Path), the Attendant hierarchy is generally regarded as a transitional phase in their career. However, many Attendants do not fall under this category. Instead, their recruitment into the Attendant hierarchy comes directly, encompassing many different backgrounds. For example, Physiomancers are typically drawn from non-Force-sensitive doctors, medics, and surgeons, though Dark Side healers and Sith alchemist-biologists are also recruited to serve more powerful, senior Hounds. Guardians are recruited from elite soldiers in the Immortal Legions, Adepts from the Eclipse Sect, or other sources (including mercenaries and combat-optimized droids). Given their status as an organization under the direct purview of the Dark Lord of the Sith, the Hounds enjoy special dispensation to draw select personnel and individuals from the Immortal Legions and the Eclipse Sect, with few restrictions. Recruitment for other (rarer) Attendant specializations comes from a wide range of sources, through formal and informal arrangements. In general, Hounds are authorized to bring individuals into their retinue for any reason.
  
  Of particular note, some Forgotten may rise from the Understudy hierarchy to join the Devoted (typically as Ritualists or Proxies), thus joining the Attendant hierarchy. However, due to their previous failure to pass the psychic conditionings, trials, and rituals of the Marked, they are barred from becoming Prime Attendants.
  
  Finally, the Unranked encompass prisoners, criminals, traitors, and deviants. In general, failure alone does not see individuals relegated to this status.
• Motives: As agents of Darth Carnifex’s Eclipsing Mission, the Hounds serve in the capacity as the Sith’ari’s unseen extraplanar enforcers. Their actions are driven by a fusion of fanaticism, predatory instinct, and transcendent malice. Thus, the Hounds’ motivations are as much philosophical as they are visceral, shaped by Eternal Rule and their connection to the gestalt predator-mind of the Alpha.
  
  • Devotion to the Sith’ari
    
    • The Hounds view Carnifex as the absolute apex of existence. He is the perfect hunter, the undying will, and the Dark Side incarnate. Thus, their loyalty to Him encompasses not just obedience, but worship. Every mind they break, every soul they shatter, is treated as an offering to Him.
  • The Hunger for the Hunt
    
    • The Hounds are addicted to the kill, not for bloodshed, but for the psychic euphoria of dominance. Transplanar Projection is their rapture—a state where they are closest to the Dark Side, unshackled by the limits of the flesh.
    • The more powerful the prey, the greater the ecstasy of their terror.
  • Transcension
    
    • The Hounds almost universally despise the limits of the flesh, sometimes regarding their bodies as little more than prisons. Their greatest fear is being permanently trapped in flesh, reduced to a brute swinging a blade.
  • The Alpha’s Will
    
    • For the Hounds, the Alpha’s voice is their tether and their chains—they cannot disobey it, nor do they wish to. In this, individual Hounds often regard themselves as fragments of a greater predator. To defy the Alpha is to cease being a Hound, and thus, to cease existing.
    • A Hound that is severed from the Alpha risks losing themself to the endless void.
• Rules and Teachings: In addition to their adherence to the dogma of Eternal Rule, the Hounds have several distinct core doctrines that guide their practice:
  
  • The Unmaking of Self
    
    • The Hounds believe that individuality is an illusion. Although a Hound’s singularity as an individual is not explicitly purged (although some eventually go on to take this step), all initiates undergo psychic dissolution during their mental fracturing rites. Their memories, emotions, and identities are stripped away and ultimately reforged into astral weapons. The Alpha is viewed as the embodiment of this doctrine: a gestalt consciousness, where all former selves are consumed into a single, predatory will.
  • Darth Carnifex as the Sith’ari
    
    • The Hounds worship Darth Carnifex as the living Dark Side incarnate, the apex predator of all planar dimensions. They believe that his rule is inevitable, their hunts weaving his dominion into the fabric of fate to further the Eclipsing Mission.
  • The Flesh is a Vessel
    
    • The physical form is ultimately a temporary vessel for the mind. In this, the flesh is one-dimensional—limited to only a single plane of existence. The true self is the astral killer, which when honed, is capable of traversing planes via Transplanar Projection.
    • Attendants are blessed, for they serve the Hounds’ true selves (the projected mind).
  • Fear is the Only Truth
    
    • The Hounds do not kill for its own sake. They haunt, driving prey to madness before the end. Their victims must know despair before death, so that their fear might feed the Dark Side. As such, a quick kill is commonly regarded as wasted potential.
  • Purity of the Unbound
    
    • Transplanar Projection is regarded as a sacred act, viewed as an expression of purity and power of which only the worthy may partake. In the same vein, the Hounds view physical combat as beastly and debased. True power is manifested in the ability to strike from planes beyond perception, leaving prey to drown in despair before death.
• Reputation: As a secretive psychic order, the Hounds do not carry a public reputation. Their existence is effectively classified to all but the highest echelons of the Kainate. However, by those individuals that are aware of their existence, they are viewed with a mix of suspicion and fear. Although they are not technically Sith, their position as direct agents of the Dark Lord affords them immense privilege not normally afforded to Sanctioned Heathens.
• Openness: Individual Hounds generally maintain a cloistered existence, seldom venturing beyond their temples and meditation vaults. However, on select occasions, a Hound may relocate their meditation cells to other areas, often starships and forward operating bases, in order to facilitate coordination with non-Hound allies. In such instances, they will have additional Guardians in their retinue to ensure the security of their person.
  
  Although a Hound's tolerance to outsiders varies by individual, they will generally avoid interaction with those unconnected to their mission. If compelled to engage, they will typically identify themselves in deliberately vague terms—often as "Agents of the Sith'ari's Reach".
  
  Finally, a Hound will not share their teachings with outsiders under any circumstances.

• Characteristic Equipment: The Hounds disdain conventional weapons, relying instead on psychic implements, alchemical relics, and trophies of their hunts. Their tools are extensions of their transcendent predation, designed to facilitate their extraplanar activities.
  
  • Sigil of the Hounds
    
    • A burned brand that depicts the symbol of the Hounds on a Hound’s flesh, marking them as a sanctioned hunter. The sigil is branded to the Hound’s skin upon the successful completion of their first solo hunt. It emanates a faint luminescence while the Hound is engaged in Transplanar Projection and for a short period after. The glow is known to be particularly radiant after a successful hunt, in which case it is informally referred to as “the glow of a predator well-fed”.
  • Trophy Eyes
    
    • Glass orbs containing the last memories of a Hound’s most notable prey. Hounds typically have these orbs created to mark the victim of their first successful hunt, and for hunts of any particularly notable or resilient targets thereafter. The orbs are often studied by Understudies as a means to learn hunting techniques.
  • Book of the Howling Void
    
    • A living grimoire that contains a record of every successful hunt. Copies are limited in number and are kept under heavy guard in the archives of the Hounds’ temples.
  • Voidhook
    
    • A barbed, needle-like implant driven into the base of a Hound’s skull. It acts as a psychic anchor, intended to prevent the Hound’s mind from being lost to the void.
• Notable Force Skills: Masters of Transplanar Projection, the Hounds specialize in illusions, mind control, dream manipulation, phantom projection, and mind projection. They can manifest these powers across vast, unfathomable distances, so long as they have a viable psychic link to their target.
  
  • Force Phantom
  • Dark Illusion
  • Dreamscape
  • Force Projection
  • Dream-Walking
  • Force Shadow
  • Summon Fear
  • Alter Mind
  • Mind Control
    
    • Mind Twist
    • Suppress Thought
    • Force Fear
    • Force Illusion
    • Force Corruption
    • Force Persuasion
    • Force Confusion
  • Sever Force
  • Drain Knowledge
• Notable Force Limitations: The Hounds wholly eschew the physical aspects of the Force. Lightsaber combat, telekinesis, body enhancement, and elemental manipulation are rejected. Naturally, this makes them rather unsuited to direct combat, which they leave to the Guardians and other divisions of the Kainate.

• N/A

Born out of of Darth Carnifex’s vision, the Hounds emerged as blades from the dark, unseen until they had already struck. Their origins are not chronicled in grand decrees or celebrated in Sith annals, for they were never meant to be known. Formed out of necessity, the Hounds were a response to the limitations of flesh-bound assassins and the vulnerabilities of mortal agents. Where blades and blasters failed, where spies and saboteurs were too easily caught, the Hounds were crafted to be the answer—a force that could not be stopped because it could not be perceived.

Their creation was not a singular event but a slow, deliberate formation. The first Hounds were drawn from the ranks of the broken—failed Sith, captured Jedi, and those rare few whose minds were already half-lost to the void. They were reshaped in alchemical crucibles, their identities shattered and reforged into something sharper, hungrier. The Alpha came later, a gestalt entity born from the devoured consciousnesses of the first masters, forming a chorus of predator-minds bound by Carnifex’s will. Under its guidance, the Hounds grew from a scattered few into a silent number, their influence spreading like a stain across the Kainate territories and beyond

Their first hunts were experiments, testing the limits of the Hounds powers in Transplanar Projection. Heretic Sith awoke screaming, their sanities unraveled. Rebel leaders vanished from locked chambers, their bodies left hollow. Soon, the Hounds became the Dark Lord’s preferred instrument for targets who required not just death, but erasure—proof that no one, no matter how hidden, was beyond the Reach of the Sith’ari.

However, the Hounds were never meant to be celebrated. Even among the Kainate, they are spoken of in hushed tones, if at all. They are the nightmare the Sith pretend that they do not wield, the abomination they rely upon but refuse to name. Their temples are hidden, their rituals unrecorded, their existence a rumor even to the high-ranking individuals occupying the Kainate Grand Council. To be hunted by them is to vanish from history; to become one is to surrender to the Dark Side entirely.

They leave no monuments, no records of glory—only the echoes of screams in the minds of those who survive their passing. And in the end, that is all they need. The Hounds do not seek remembrance. They are the teeth of the Sith’ari, and their only history is written in the terror of the fallen.

 

[Judah Lesan]

Mellifluous Magenta

[APPROVED]