Suchanan Snakehounds

Trust me, that rattle means he likes you.

-My brother, to me as children

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Suchana, known as the opal serpent, is a nation isolated by its geography, though overall welcoming to those that make the journey to its shores. Part of that welcome is the introduction of the Snakehounds.
As popular as canines and growing in popularity across the world, Suchanan Snakehounds were created by a northern witch coven during the Wheel of Apostasy to protect their homes and children from their rival covens, and those that would attempt to pray on their isolation. The story has it that all snakehounds descend from an original creation, created from two familiars the original creator had.
Now they're just standard animals, not inherently magical, and over time many separate breeds have come into their own being, bred for the purposes of many jobs that need a special hound, to trying to cultivate specific looks and colorations. Some of the most popular breeds have existed almost unchanged since their initial founding and classification.
Now the Snakehounds can be found in every other household, for work and for not. They're as loyal as any friend of many though, and sometimes a scratch beneath the scales is the least one can do to pay them back.

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There was once a time when those who made lots of money in Suchana would have purebred pets in the form of racehorses and canines, but the truly powerful would have Snakehounds and many of them. The class distinction has largely vanished, but many of the elite hold onto the tradition.

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Most breeds of Snakehound are only mildly venomous, a side effect of their selective breeding, resulting in a bite that disorients instead of kills. There's a select few breeds, however, that maintain a deadly venom, which can cause death in short order when exposed. I likely goes without saying that this breed is monitored closely when and wherever they are.