Tyvian Hounds



"I am from Meya. There, the howls of the hounds start as soon as the sun dips below the horizon."

- Dasha Katko, Hunter, Fur Trader.

Tyvian hounds are a breed of dogs native to Tyvia. They inhabit the frozen tundra of the island, and are said to be very cunning and ferocious. Their howls can be frequently heard in Tyvia which usually means they are hunting something or someone. At some point in history, the Tyvian hounds were domesticated, creating the modern day wolfhound breed.

They are hunted, along with bears and rabbits, for their furs which are used to make the iconic Tyvian greatcoats. According to an account of a hunter, it takes a group of people with considerable skill and experience to hunt these animals, and even then it is a dangerous job. Some people in Meya believe that the hounds were once human who are lost to the wilderness, hungry for warmth and flesh, and it is a kindness to kill a hound to release the person trapped within.

The Tyvian hounds are one of the reasons why some prison camps in the tundra don't have walls. In fact, prisoners are not chained or shackled, and are free to leave whenever they want because if the cold doesn't kill them, the hounds surely will. In this frozen wasteland, food is scarce and so the hound packs are always on the hunt.

Trivia

 * In the novel Dishonored: The Corroded Man, Tyvian hounds are sometimes called 'wolves'.