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Greater Smilohound — VESSELBORN Codex

Greater Smilohound

Ursocyon Smiloides

Origin: Ngorrhal, Kela, Ukhaalstaag (northern regions)

Height (Rear): 3.2 to 5.1 meters

Weight: 1.8 to 4.2 tonnes

Lifespan: 50 to 80 years

Related: Lesser Smilohound · Plains Smilohound · Sentinelhound

The Greater Smilohound is a massive canid-line predator of northern Ngorrhal, Kela, and Ukhaalstaag, standing 3.2 to 5.1 meters at the rear and weighing 1.8 to 4.2 tonnes. Its powerful jaws and robust frame absorb small arms fire as it roams open plains, frozen tundras, and cliff sides with pack dominance and predatory speed. Living 50 to 80 years and maturing slowly, it thrives in cold ecosystems where thick fur insulates against snowstorms and icy winds, with seismic activity rousing packs into heightened aggression.

Trainable but nonviable in urban regions due to its size and aggressive nature, the Greater Smilohound was heavily used in the Ngorrhali civil war for mounted scouting and front-line combat. Revered by Frost Sentinels as a symbol of strength and loyalty, its leather is among the most valued exotic materials on the planet, appearing in luxury fashion markets alongside Crystal Horn accessories and ice bear fur. Though vulnerable to fire as a tactical exploit, its presence complicates any ground exploration in the northern regions it dominates.

VESSELBORN Codex — Greater Smilohound

About Vesselborn

Vesselborn is the story of Geba, a world that has carried an empire for six thousand years.

It begins with Vaer'karesh, who unites five nations into the first empire and fixes a common language and law. Across the ages, the empire fights and finally breaks Thazvaar, welcomes Jeyrha through engineering and diplomacy, and liberates Berinu by choice. In Ngorrhal, the greatest warriors of the mountain passes become the Frost Sentinels, whose strength helps secure imperial rule. The Haavu cannon systems cement that dominance.

At its height, the empire spans continents and raises relay towers that bind cities, coasts, and passes into one network. The last emperor is assassinated and the throne shatters. Civil wars consume the planet. But the answer is not collapse. The Shadow Rule forms from what the empire left behind, ends the warlord broadcasts, and holds the world together without a crown. They are the empire made quiet: continuity without ceremony.

Today, the Shadow Rulers still govern from the background while the Energy Wars decide who controls grids, relays, vehicles, and culture. Nine faiths compete for how the world understands itself. Tour racing draws audiences as large as the Yuvaar Hunting Games. Relaymen carry broadcast rigs into corridors and criminal networks to capture what the governed world is never meant to see. Contractors move through contested territory for manufactory interests. Syndicates operate trafficking networks through grey zones the empire tolerates rather than confronts. The Engineered, once created as instruments of war, now live as citizens, athletes, engineers, and parents.

Stories range from relay field defenses and inland recoveries to city governance and frontier resettlement; from airship crews racing through volcanic caverns to truth seekers embedding in syndicate operations; from arena fighters practicing an ancient faith through combat to families choosing the safety of hub clearings or the risk beyond the grid.

This is Geba.
It began in silence.
It has not yet ended.