Barghest
| Name | Barghest |
| Race | Monster |
| Type | Quadrupedal |
| Faction | Independent |
| Premiere | Desideratum: Blood Bonds |
| Relative(s) | None Applicable |
Barghests or ‘Barguests’ are black-furred, fiery-eyed mammalian monsters. Resembling a strange hybrid of canine and feline features, these creatures use sharp claws and mighty jaws lined with keen teeth. They are completely carnivorous. Their claws produce natural oils, an anticoagulant. Since they use their claws like a feline, these wounds cut deeply- but cannot heal or close, meaning that their prey will likely eventually bleed out. They are all wild and untamed creatures, though goblins and kobolds will train the beasts as best they are able and use them as mounts or guardians. Trolls occasionally keep them as pets, the troll regeneration being a direct counter to the barghest claw oil.
These creatures have been spotted for centuries, generally lurking near caves. There was a barghest known to frequent a remote gorge named Troller's Gill in the Yorkshire Dales, Yorkshire, England. A ballad entitled “The Legend of the Troller's Gill” can be found in William Hone's Everyday Book (1830). It recounts the tale of a man who ventures forth “to the horrid gill of the limestone hill” in order to summon and confront a barghest. Soon after, the man's lifeless body is discovered covered in the horrid wounds of an animal. There is also an account of a barghest entering the city of York occasionally where, according to legend, it preys on lone travelers in the city's narrow Snickelways. Whitby is also associated with the creatures.
In folklore, the Barghest often serves as an omen of death. At the passing of a notable person a barghest may appear, followed by all the dogs of the local area in a kind of funeral procession, heralding the person's death with howling and barking. In reality, they almost universally remain underground. They hunt in packs like wolves, but the hierarchies and social structure outside of hunts resembles a lion pride. Absinthe Van Gothen encountered several of these beasts in the Marble Halls, a cavern system outside Portland, Oregon. Upon the defeat of the troll, Stenhållare, Son of Dovregubben, a massive section of the caverns collapsed, leaving only a small number of the local creatures to survive.
