Werfelhuenden (Werfel Hounds)

They are magical creatures created hundreds of years ago by a German wizard named Karl Werfel. His methods for creating them have been lost over time. Attempts to duplicate them have generally failed. Even so, due to the way they are made, it would violate the Laws of Magic in the modern world.

They were bound to serve his family as enhanced servants. At one time, there were over 100 of them. The characteristics varied depending on the tasks that they were needed for them. They are more physically capable than a natural human, being created mostly as soldiers, hunters, and bodyguards. The family became famous for these loyal and powerful servants, who were dubbed “Werfelhuenden”. They were the envy of others in the circles that Karl and his family moved in.

Over time, the number of the hounds has been reduced greatly due to deaths. They are tough and resilient, but the bodies can be damaged past the ability for self-repair. They are also very susceptible to spells that attack the soul, as their soul is not bound as tightly to the body as a human's would be. The bodies do not recover from damages inflicted by spells at the rate they recover from mundane harm.

The clan split up to go into hiding just before the Nazis started to gain great power in Germany. It was well known that Hitler was looking for supernatural assistance in his war effort, and the Werfel family wanted no part of it. The remaining Hounds were split up with the family groups, and they all went underground. Few have been seen by the wizard community since then.

It is not well known, but there are three parts to the spell that binds them. There is a human soul, a body, and a key. It is not clearly known what the key is, but the hounds themselves have a good idea for what their key is. A strong aspect in the spell is the link to the bloodline of Karl Werfel's descendents. The hounds are bound to the point of a geas to the commands of a Werfel descendent.