Lupins of Glantri

These breeds were already living in the Highlands when the Flaems first arrived. They are the only lupins recognized as native of Glantri, and they are uncommon outside the Principalities.

This breed lives in the Glantrian Alps. The Mountaineer villages generally fall within Caurenzan territories, but these lupins don't mix much with the humans, and they police their mountains by themselves. Most of these lupins are so fond of their own mountains that they are not willing to leave them even for a short time. For this reason, this breed is rare in other regions of the Principalities, and extremely rare outside Glantri.

The hairless dwells along the Ethengar-Glantri border, mostly in the area controlled by the Boldavian nobles. They usually inhabit cave complexes, either natural or artificial (mostly abandoned salt mines), since they are vulnerable to sunlight. They are not very popular in Glantri, as most Glantrians don't even know of their existence, save for the superstitious Boldavians, who believe them to be in league with their vampire rulers.

This is seldom true about the Hairless, since the vampire rulers can easily obtain servants and pawns much stronger and less fearful of sunrays, something that a masquerading vampire would value highly. Also, due to the high intelligence rates (14-20!) of most Hairless, and their unusual aptness for magic, they tend to be less prone to blind obedience than most other minions, reducing their value to the prospective master.

As the name says, the Hound hails from the Klantyre, but many "scotties" also live in Boldavia and in Glantri City. They are often employed to keep the waterways of the city free from vermin (The Belcadizan elves hunt the larger monsters once a year, but the day-to-day hard work falls on these lupins), but the most skilled invariably end up as undead hunters. This explains why they are not liked by most nobles of northeastern Glantri. On the other hand, they are very popular among the commoners.

This breed is diffused is northwestern Glantri, especially in the Principalities of Bergdhoven, Nouvelle Averoigne and Aalban. It has existed since the arrival of Flaems in the Highlands, and they are believed to bring a genetic strain coming from Old Alphatia.

Sire André-David de Forêt, in his treatise "Histoire naturelle des Hauteterres", published before the disappearance of the d'Ambreville Family in AC 896, suggests that the Flaemish Shepherd are in fact the descendants of a clan of Heldann shepherds who interbred with a now extinct breed of intelligent canine hailing from the Flaems' home world.

Many Flaemish Shepherds left the Principalities after the disappearance of Château d'Ambreville, leaded by the greatest wizard of their kin, Clébard de Clairvault, a close friend of Sire Claude d'Ambreville. The descendants of those lupins now live in Renardy.

These breeds are not native to Glantri, but arrived as immigrants from other lands in recent times. They are still uncommon in the Principalities, but they mix with humans more than some of the native breeds, so they are the lupins most commonly encountered in Glantri City and in the other major towns.

Some of these Shepherd left the Heldann Freeholds after the conquest by the Heldannic Knights due to religious differences. Most of them now live in the free territories around Glantri City or along the Isoile river.

The Drachenfels family and the other Aalbanese nobles often keep doggerman guards from Hattia, so small doggerman communities are present in most Hattian fiefs. This lupins where brought to Glantri by Jaggar's ancestors, when they first came to the Highlands.

This breed first came to Glantri as spies in the employ of Hattian noblemen, but they are now commonly used by most Houses. They are common in Glantri City, but quite rare everywhere else, since they are too easily detected outside the crowded town. The first to employ these spies was Georg von Drachenfels, during the reign of Prinz Johann of Aalban.

The wolvenfolk necromancers have been attracted by their powerful Glantrian colleagues. But due to philosophical disagreements, few Lupins necromancers have ever joined the Secret Craft of Necromancy. Since the wolvenfolk receive their powers from Saimpt Loup, they are sometimes actively hunted by the Glantrian Censors.

These breeds first came to Glantri during the lycanthropic wars. Some still arrive, in pursuit of werecreatures who have sought refuge in Morlay-Malinbois, though the lupins rarely achieve their goals, due to the protection their quarries receive from the local nobility.

While the Borzoi single-minded hatred for the lycanthropes rarely allows them to avoid the enmity of powerful Glantrian nobles, so that they are forced to leave the Principalities (more often dead than alive). Some Bloodhounds have managed to settle in Glantri, and—before the enfeoffment of Morlay-Malinbois and the legalization of lycanthropes—some joined the Glantrian constabulary, specializing in crimes involving their racial enemies.

This spotted lupins were invited officially to Glantri by Prince Étienne d'Ambreville and the Chancellor, Prince Volospin Aendyr, to man the Fire Brigade of Glantri City. This raised the anger of the Flaemish nobles, who saw the strengthening of the Fire Brigade was an insult to their ability to control their element.

After the presumed demise of the sponsoring Princes, Flaemish lobbyists obtained the firing of all the lupins from the Fire Brigade. Currently, the only Zvorniski Gonich living in Glantri keep themselves far from Flaemish territories, where they are considered criminals. Most of them are helping the people of Blackhill to recover from the Great Meteor.

Ability Scores

Features:

Alignment: Any non-chaotic; most are non-evil.

Allowed classes and level limits:

Notes:

* Even if psionics are used, lupins of this breed cannot be psionicists, and have only 1/2 standard chances of being wild talents)

* Clerics and druids exist in Renardy, but not in Glantri. Most clerics are actually priests of Saimpt Clébard or Saimpt Malinois.

* Wizards can be mages, fire elementalist, conjurer, enchanter, illusionist, or transmuter specialists.

References: "Campaign Classics: Lupins of the Mystara Setting" by Bruce Heard Dragon Magazine #237.