Raul Hasdrubal

Written by Chrundle_the_Great

Raul Hasdrubal was a legendary hunter and trapper who balked as old age made him weak. Accepting help from a mysterious benefactor, he was transformed into a grotesque machine-beast hybrid. Abandoned by the stranger, a bitter Raul terrorized Coldmore's forest to attract more powerful prey; by harvesting them, the Bloodhound could finish the experiments and become a more perfect being.
The Order of the Stone Gauntlet, with help from hunters Franklin Shelley and Old Man Salty, was ultimately able to put down the monster Raul had chosen to become.

Description

The Bloodhound held no trace of Raul's former humanity. Hunched over and wrapped in a shadowy cloak, the hybrid was rail-thin but imposing, its eaxct features difficult to see. Nothing could be seen but haunting crimson eyes from beneath a tattered hood.
When injured, an enraged Raul shredded his claok, revealing his true form: an imitation of a werewolf with metal limbs and dagger-like claws. As more blood was spilt, he changed, sprouting more teeth and red-feathered wings from his hunched back.

Personality

Even as a man, Raul's brilliance as a hunter was stained by his bloodthirst. He was said to bleed his prey, preferring when they struggled and prolonging their deaths for as long as possible. His cruelty was not lost with his transformation; instead, it was coupled with a bestial rage and a genuine disbelief that anyone could seriously injure what he had now become.

Powers

His knowledge of hunting and trapping were not lost when he changed. Raul's sharp intellect was evident from the various potions hanging from his belt. His weapons, knives, crossbows, and guns, remained at his side, but he fought with a renewed fury and speed.
He was proficient with enough magic to stalk his prey, stepping between shadows with alarming speed, summoning darkness and walls of thorns, and calling frenzied animals to harass and herd his prey into his traps. However, if seriously wounded, the Bloodhound would forego his many tools to instead savage his prey with his serrated claws.
His new form was weak to fire, and Raul would avoid bright light if he was able.

History

A young Raul made a name for himself as a renowned, if sadistic, hunter. Growing embittered as old age made him slower and weaker, he was approached by a stranger with a possible cure. Accepting their help, Raul was infused with a mote of the divine and transformed. However, the stranger was not impressed and branded him a "failed experiment." Annoyed, Raul believed he could still perfect his form and stalked Coldmore's forest as the mysterious Bloodhound.
Sometime after the strange killings started near Coldmore, Franklin led a team of hunters into the forest to investigate. The Bloodhound killed most of the team, and none of them returned.
When Kapital passed through town, Old Man Salty invited himself along to search for the missing hunters. When they found Franklin, he was badly, badly injured, having narrowly escaped an attack from a shadowy figure. He joined the group to help them put an end to the killer once and for all.
During the battle in the Bloodhound's hollow, the group were outmatched by the killer's strange alchemies. Old Man Salty gambled with an explosive crossbow bolt, grievously wounding the killer, but incinerating Franklin in the process. Ultimately, Bruswick and the bulette Dougbrad worked in concert to put an end to the Bloodhound.
The guild's blacksmith Mizzryn Ironheart worked with Bruswick to fashion two magic items from Raul's body: serrated claws and a hat allowing the user to summon hunting animals.

The hunter's aversion to fire

Species

Human

Circumstances of Death

Killed by Bruswick and Dougbrad

Place of Death

Outside Whitefang's lair

The Bloodhound used various tools