The Howls
Not quite dead, not quite human, the Howls and their hungers are as unique as the Sphere that was drained to create them. They burn with only one desire: to feed.
In the end, it’s hard to decide what is worst…becoming a Howl, or becoming their food.
Kraven
Fierce and brainless, a kraven is a beast born from the Sphere of Earth. While most Howls are humanoid in appearance, Earth viciously destroys the host’s body in the transformation process. Bones snap and reform, talons jut, and jaws elongate to allow for quicker consumption. They are quick and feral, eternally hungering for flesh–dead, or alive. Only fear of the necromancers can keep their attentions trained on anything beyond feeding.
Given the speed with which the Sphere of Earth drains, kravens are the backbones of the Dark Lady’s army. One is dangerous to a trained Hunter. But a throng spells death.
incubus
Birthed from the Sphere of Fire, Incubi and their female counterparts, Succubi, crave human heat. And, given that Fire is linked to hatred and sexuality, they prefer to draw heat from their victims using more…lascivious…means. Their fierce beauty and charisma can arouse desire from anyone, leaving their prey senseless and ensnared.
And, once the incubus has had their way, their victim is left frozen in the throes of their final embrace.
BLOODLINGS
Born from the Sphere of Water, these humanoid Howls are acutely attuned to the Sphere’s darker desires. Although their sustenance comes from blood, these creatures are nothing like the vampires of modern myth. Beautiful, yes. Deadly, of course. But Water gifts these Howls a sadistic temperament–to a bloodling, the emotional and physical agony they inflict on their victims is nearly as fulfilling as the bloody payoff. They are the masters of torture, and many fearsome stories abound of humans held in pain for years as their captor slowly bleeds them dry. And these stories–like the creatures that spawned them–don’t fade in daylight.
BREATHLESS
As the name implies, the Breathless Ones are created by draining the Sphere of Air, a process which takes ages to complete. Because of this, they are rare indeed. Which is good, because the Breathless are perhaps the most dangerous of the Howls. They can go for months without feeding and are devilishly coercive, and thus pass as human, infiltrating the most well-guarded Hunter compounds. To them, secrets are a type of currency. And once they have what they need, a single inhalation can drain the breath from every human in sight.
WRAITH
Wraiths are born from the Sphere of Maya. At least, they are in theory–none have been successfully created, and for that we should count ourselves blessed. A wraith would be immune to all magic and feed off the souls and energy of humans. A monster that terrible would surely spell the end of mankind.
Howls by Jess Fox