Ancardia's Greatest Monstrosities--The Qiqirn, or Keelut
Classification: Monstrosity (canine)
Habitat: Known largely to dwell in Sostuniland as part of various cultural practices, but may be spotted in the Surscalds, southern Nechola, or southern Hazarit.
The Qiqirn is a monstrosity, but a much maligned one. The earliest known qiqirn were created as intelligent, arcanely-charged companions for Sostunian and neighboring mages, very similar to the folk-practice of a “familiar beast”, which is often religious only and involves no real ability to command or communicate with the animal in question. These mages were generally benevolent to their local areas, usually using their qiqirn companions to guide allied people to safety, to spy upon more destructive unnatural beings in the world, and to retrieve materials for the mages’ rituals. Only later did the qiqirn become a demonized creature—after a slew of Sostunian and Surscald native mages used their qiqirn as a means of assassination—sending it to attack rival mages, shamans, and chieftains. While it remains possible for mages to command their qiqirn in such a way, it is no more a moral denouncement of the whole of qiqirn than admitting violent attack dogs exist.
Qiqirn strongly resemble hairless dogs in many ways, though their skin is noticeably thicker, wrinklier, and more endowed with underlying fatty tissue than with most dogs. They are usually about the size of an average sled dog, and lack much hair except for bristles on their face and neck, though always have some level of extra bristles and hair covering on the paws and between the toes. The qiqirn is thought to have been originally magically derived from dogs or wolves in the Surscald region—and retains the reputation of loyalty of a hound of this type. They are intelligent and hardworking, and generally behave very domestically. Very rarely are stray or feral qiqirn reported, and most of those reports are incorrect and interpreting tame qiqirn as wild creatures by their determined, independent movements on behalf of their master.
The creation of a qiqirn is a highly-guarded secret: While a great many sensationalist claims about this practice are told outside of the magical community who partake of the practice, it is generally assumed by circumstantial evidence that it requires little more than newborn puppies of domestic dogs, a warm area, and the mage involved. It is unknown if qiqirn are capable of breeding on their own, or if they can crossbreed with dogs, wolves, or other canines.
