Other A Taxonomy of the Demon Realm

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The original kerberoi of the Fourth Circle were akin to hyena, with hides spotted by burning eyes. A Bladesworn aspirant to the Duchess Shaukur dan Tacticus wiped them from existence in an effort to please her. Now a rare few persist in private menageries.

Hell abhors a vacuum, however. Where precisely the new kerberoi originated is unclear, but they are among the rare kinds of Demon which reproduce sexually. Litters are usually of six pups, but half eat the others in utero (some Demons consider the muffled barking coming from a pregnant kerberos' squirming belly cute). As a result, most litters are functionally of three, two-headed pups. Unlike their namesakes, modern kerberoi (often called Hellhounds by mortals) have mottled hides under a variable pattern of scales and dense fur. The eldest breeding pair of a pack tend to have three heads, growing the third rapidly as they take their role as pack leaders. Sturdy, muscular beasts that most resemble of mortal fighting dogs, they are fiercely loyal to their pack or master and will fight to the very last against aggressors. More than one arrogant hunter has died drowning in the molten blood of an angry mother hound.

This combination of loyalty, tenacity, and a panoramic field of vision make them popular guardian beasts. The heads rarely diverge significantly in personality, but a few breeders have noted different food preferences between the heads on a single kerberos, or that one head takes training less easily.

Brute kennelmasters take kerberoi pups and focus intensely on raising and training them. This ensures the eldest hound in their kennel is utterly loyal to them, and by consequence so too will all its spawn. While wild kerberoi are dangerous, those trained for war are downright deadly, and kennelmasters can earn considerable wealth and respect from Nobles eager to hire them.
Some Demons keep a single kerberos as a pet and companion. Frequently these Hounds are larger than even their bred-for-war kin, and often develop a third head despite being subordinate to their owner. Forgemaster Kilnak's prized Hound Naster is twice the height of any mortal at the shoulder, and has been discorporated three times while guarding its master. The trespassers did not survive the experience either.

The Black Dog of Coldmoor is a not unheard of but strange variation of the kind - a single-headed kerberos of great size and power, terrorizing the border territories of the Bitter Seas and seemingly a death sentence for any would-be hunter.

 

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Hounds of the Great Beast, Dopplers in their ‘natural’ form are inchoate heaps of flesh, studded with eyes and mouths, dripping with corrosive digestive fluids. They are normally encountered in one of three shapes – something desirable, something they like, or another Demon.

Dopplers have an intuitive sense for what, in their immediate environment, would be desirable. The smallest Dopplers mimic nearby currency or valuables; larger Dopplers at rest stops might take the shape of chairs or beds. Unfortunately, they’re not especially bright creatures – once, a Doppler crawled into a Pandemonium hotel through an open window, and disguised itself as a bed. Over the next two days, seven more Dopplers found their way in. By the time someone tried to occupy the room it was wall-to-wall beds and the door was wedged shut (a problem solved by strapping a few ampoules of neurotoxin to an imp, sending it through the window, and letting unnature take its course). This is less of a problem when they get into vaults and treasuries, but when one finds oneself in possession of three additional crystal skulls for no clear reason, it’s probably Dopplers.

While Dopplers rely on things around them they can mimic, some become fixated on specific objects that they find somehow beautiful or entrancing. The Doppler in question will puddle nearby, manifest dozens of eyes, and simply stare at the object in question. Items they mimic in this fashion are forms they can always remember and take, although rarely with much regard for their surroundings.

A rare few Dopplers are cunning and clever enough to convincingly mimic mortals, imps, or other beasts of Hell. The most infamous case is Count Ilustrin, who was devoured by an especially large Doppler. The Doppler then assumed his identity so perfectly, it didn’t know it wasn’t Illustrin. The situation later resolved itself as the Doppler succeeded so thoroughly, it worked its way up to Earl and transformed entirely into a true Devil.

The WanderInn is a very large Doppler in Pandemonium that takes the shape of a pub, shambling into empty spaces between buildings and luring in customers, and moving to a new location once recognized. Still, it has become well known enough that Demons dare each other to go in for a drink, and an infection of Pustules has taken to staffing it.

Dopplers are most often used as security for treasuries or similar locations, assassination tools, decoration, or even ammunition (some very small Dopplers make horribly, hilarious effective bullets).

 

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Harvester Crabs are Sixth Circle Hounds; the smallest centimeters across, the largest known over a mile wide. Analogous to crustaceans, these semi-translucent monsters come in a variety of shades, with dextrous, flexible, almost gelid claws. As they continually grow over their long lifespans, the more obvious features of Harvesters are their elaborate, mechanized shells.

Solitary and territorial creatures, Harvesters emerge spontaneously from their first shell - spent bullet casings.
With a supernatural, savant-like facilty for engineering, they scavenge spare parts to build and expand their shell as they grow. The shells are often festooned with guns and strange armaments, frequently home to parasites and Gremlin infestations. When they cross paths, they'll often engage in violent clashes like walking fortresses to steal materials from each other, and larger Harvesters are often harried by packs of smaller ones using superior agility to try and plunder the titan. The big ones, in turn, make an effort to eat their tormentors.
The result is many parts of the Sixth Circle have one large Harvester in residence, and they will not hesitate to disassemble other Demons for components.

Some exceptional beastmasters can train Harvesters, but more often Demons will simply try to steal precious materials and weapons from their shells. A few Nobles keep penned Harvesters, provided with a steady stream of parts, so they can later sever and collect the fruits of their industry. At least one small town is built onto a massive Harvester, with control pylons sunk deep into it's brain for steering. Cranial shunts are the preferred way to 'tame' them, after all.

A few Harvesters have been noted to build humanoid, animal, or tank-like shells which they pilot like vehicles.

The Zardos Brood is an unusual case - five abormally intelligent, medium-sized Harvesters who, even more strangely, work together. Each one has built a shell in the shape of a different Hound from another Circle, and when threatened or on the hunt, they can lock their shells together into a single war machine shaped like a long-forgotten Demon.