Temple Dog

You came to the Tengoku Monastery in search of enlightenment. You have said nine-hundred and ninety-nine prayers and are quickly approaching the final shrine: a modest stone house no larger than a hen. As you step overcome the final step of the mountain you drop to your knees in prayer, sinking waist-deep into the snow. Once the words leave your mouth the hair on your neck raises; you turn swiftly to find a mass of fur and teeth eyeing you from a stone's throw away. Some myths are simply history retold.

Basic Information

Anatomy

They have large bodies that are heavily muscled and covered in dense fur. Their posture is aggressive and they cut an intimidating figure, even when mostly relaxed. Temple dogs have wide, square heads with an exceptionally large muzzle.

Growth Rate & Stages

Considered to be mature by the age of one or two, depending on the specimen. A temple dog can continue to grow throughout its lifetime and some accounts say that the oldest temple dogs were large enough to ride.

Ecology and Habitats

The temple dog is native to the mountains surrounding Shi-tō no Yama and the Tengoku Monastery. They are adapted to the cold climate and mountainous region, able to survive harsh weather and have incredible reserves of energy. This makes them excellent guardians and guides, but unsuitable for warmer climates and domestic life.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Temple dogs consume large amounts of food, primarily red meat, but are also able to enter a stasis not-unlike hibernation should a food shortage occur. While in this stasis the dog is lethargic, but unlike most hibernating animals they are able to expend minimal energy to search for a source of food.

Biological Cycle

Once per year, when the weather turns warmer, a temple dog will shed a large amount of its fur. This is called the time of renewal by the monks of the Tengoku Monastery and is celebrated with a festival where the monks clean the temple and rid themselves of any possessions they deem frivolous.

Additional Information

Domestication

As an observer, the temple dog appears to be domesticated. This is simply untrue. The temple dog makes its life along-side the denizens of their monastery, working towards common goals and protecting it from outside forces who look to do its residents harm.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Temple dogs are almost exclusively found in the Tengoku Monastery and its surrounding mountainous region.

Average Intelligence

Temple dogs are by no means as intelligent as the average humanoid, but are vastly more intelligent than their canine kin.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Can see in complete darkness, magical or not, and are able to sense an individual's true nature.

Lifespan

30 years

Conservation Status

Traditionally the temple dog is cared for and bred by the monks of the Tengoku Monastery, though some exceptions have occurred and occasional half-breeds have been found.

Average Height

Male: 38 to 42 inches
Female: 34 to 38 inches

Average Weight

Male: 200 to 260 lbs
Female: 175 to 220 lbs

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Typically temple dogs are a mixture of grays and blacks, but occasionally light browns emerge in their coats.