Few names are more respected amongst hunters, foresters and soldiers than Richterstall. For over five centuries the family has bred, trained and supplied some of the finest hunting beasts in Warlderia. Their animals serve as trackers, guardians, scouts, messengers and war companions in kingdoms across the continent, and a certified Richterstall Hound commands a price that only the wealthiest nobles, merchants and military commanders can afford. Yet the origins of the kennels lie not in commerce, but in war.
The Founding
During the closing years of the Higher Wars, the Dwarves of the Towers of Moradin faced an increasingly frustrating problem. Small bands of Orc raiders repeatedly crossed the valley beneath the Towers, using the surrounding forests to avoid the Dwarven patrols before striking isolated farms, caravans and mining settlements. Although the Dwarves possessed formidable fortifications, they lacked the ability to detect swift-moving enemies hidden amongst the trees. The answer came from an unlikely source.
For generations the neighbouring Wood Elves had used specially bred hunting hounds to patrol their forests. These intelligent beasts ranged far ahead of Elven warbands, locating intruders and allowing their masters to concentrate their forces long before an enemy could strike. The Dwarves sought to purchase breeding stock. The Elves politely refused. Denied access to the finest hunting bloodlines in the world, the Dwarven Council entrusted one of their lesser noble human families, the Richterstalls, with solving the problem themselves.
The Breeding Program
The Richterstall family established a fortified manor upon the plains below the Towers, constructing extensive kennels, training grounds and enclosed breeding parks unlike anything previously seen amongst the Dwarves. Unable to acquire Elven stock, they turned elsewhere. Across the following decades the family purchased, captured and, in some cases, commissioned the summoning of almost every breed of hunting animal they could obtain. Wolves, mountain hounds, giant mastiffs, worg descendants, magical beasts and creatures from distant lands all found their way into the breeding programme. Success came slowly.
Generations of careful selection eventually produced hardy, intelligent hunting beasts capable of tracking Orcs across broken ground, detecting hidden enemies and remaining utterly loyal to their handlers. Watchtowers were soon constructed throughout the valley, each supplied with Richterstall hounds and trained handlers. Orc raids declined dramatically. The experiment had succeeded.
From Duty to Commerce
Following Kaegor's Liberation Wars, the political landscape of Warlderia changed forever. Recognising that peace would reduce the demand for military patrols, the Richterstalls transformed their expertise into one of the continent's most unusual commercial enterprises. Their breeding programmes expanded enormously. Rather than producing only military scouts, they began developing specialised bloodlines suited to different roles. Guardians for noble estates. Trackers for bounty hunters. War beasts for armies. Shepherds for remote farms. Messenger animals capable of travelling immense distances. Even companion animals for wealthy patrons. Within a few generations the name Richterstall had become synonymous with quality. Today no reputable lord purchases military hunting beasts without first consulting the Richterstall catalogues.
The Richterstall Hounds
The term "Richterstall Hound" is something of a misnomer. Many of the creatures produced by the family bear only a passing resemblance to ordinary dogs. Some are massive enough to carry armoured riders. Others possess extraordinary senses capable of following a scent days old across running water. Certain breeds are almost silent whilst hunting. Others have been developed specifically to combat magical creatures or survive the harshest climates. Each breeding line is maintained with meticulous records stretching back centuries. Every certified Richterstall beast carries documentation proving its ancestry, temperament and abilities. Counterfeit bloodlines are common. Authentic Richterstall animals are not.
Rumours and Secrets
The Richterstall family guards its breeding methods with almost obsessive secrecy. Few outsiders are permitted beyond the inner kennels, and those who work there swear lifelong oaths never to reveal what they have witnessed. Rumours have surrounded the family for generations. Some claim they have introduced celestial blood into certain guardian breeds. Others insist infernal creatures have contributed to the more aggressive war hounds. There are whispers of Fey hunting beasts, summoned outsiders and even lycanthropic bloodlines hidden within the oldest breeding records. The Richterstalls deny everything. They simply state that centuries of careful breeding have achieved what others believe impossible. Few entirely believe them.
The Valley Wardens
Despite their commercial success, the Richterstalls have never abandoned their original purpose. Their ancestral watchtowers still overlook the valley approaches to the Towers of Moradin, where generations of handlers continue to patrol alongside their hounds. Orc raiding parties have learned to fear these silent hunters. More than one chieftain has remarked that escaping a Richterstall pack is considerably harder than defeating the Dwarves themselves.