[AstroCat]

𝑯𝑶𝑾𝑳
Hounds of the Wastelands
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Main Page - Founders - MYOs/Customs - NPCs - Scavenging - Class Leveling/Prompts - Artist Search - Shop - Discord

The time of humans is over. The two-legged Shapers who raised the cities of concrete and steel, who named every road and lit the night with their strange fires. They are gone and the world they built has fallen. Their towers stand hollow, and their roads crack and split under roots. Green things grow in the places they kept barren, and the wild moves through their ruins. When the Shapers fell, their best friend rose.

It did not happen quickly. Generations passed in hunger and chaos before the change took hold. Paws grew deft, nimble enough to grip and carve and build. Minds sharpened, hungry enough to learn from the Old World: planting and harvesting, healing and crafting. The dogs of the new world farm and trade, keep records and keep faith, raise pups inside walls their own paws repair. They call this age the Greening: the long, slow return of life to a land the Shapers nearly used up.

But beneath every settlement, every code of law, every careful peace, they are still dogs. The old instincts didn't die when the new minds woke; they just went dormant (for most).

Howl is a post apocalyptic canine arpg that focuses on worldbuilding and encouraging creativity. While there are preexisting breeds and bases, artists and users are encouraged to heavily edit lines or make custom lined dogs.

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STAFF
AstroCat
chromatic.
doodledoggy

𝑹𝑼𝑳𝑬𝑺
General ➤
>follow all CS rules
>treat everyone with kindness and respect

HOWL Guidelines ➤
>coat colors must be at least semi-realistic (natural colors, but markings don't need to be natural or realistic)
>>a dog can have dyed fur, but they must also have a ref with their natural fur color
>artists are free edit the lineart/background in any way, create custom lined adopts, and add accessories/companions
>you can own as many dogs as you'd like
>official lore is completely optional, you do not have to participate/follow it if you don't want to
>adopts cannot be sold unless they are a custom that was paid for, free adopts can only traded or given away
>you can structure your group however you want/have more than one group
>you can request to be added to your dogs image to make changes without needing approval, NOT including editing the dog lineart/design
>you can freely change the background, add accessories/items or companions without needing approval (can be done off oekaki)
>to add scars and lineart changes such as missing limbs etc, you must complete a prompt and have it approved

Staff/Artist Guidelines ➤
>if a staff member has been inactive/unresponsive for over a month, they are subject for removal from staff
>artists may set their own prices for customs and open as many custom slots as they can handle
>all staff members will receive a free myo every month (rare and below edits)
>satff are expected to judge competitions within 30 days of the end date
>artists can assign a class/origin trait to a dog, or allow the adopter to choose

𝑮𝑬𝑻𝑻𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑻𝑬𝑫
Everyone is allowed to create one free founder. Your founder can have edits ranging from Non-Rarity to Uncommon. You may use/edit one of the bases or draw your founder yourself. If your founder is not one of the preexisting breeds, it will be classified as a Pariah. You can choose your founder's class and an origin trait, but both are optional.

[AstroCat]

𝑬𝑫𝑰𝑻𝑺
Non-Rarity [NR] Lineart edits/custom lineart, scarring, missing limbs, cropped ears/docked tail, blind/deaf
Common [C] Accessories/weapons, companion, unnatural eye color, painted/dyed fur
Uncommon [UC] Overgrown teeth/claws, munchkinism, chimerism, vitiligo, albinism, melanism
Rare [R] Hybrid (wolfdog, coydog, etc), Feral, extra limbs
Mythic [M] Unnatural mutations

𝑩𝑹𝑬𝑬𝑫𝑺
The breeds of Howl are the results of several Old World breeds being crossed.

Pariah (any dog)
The Pariah has no fixed form, and is used to classify any dog that is not one of the listed breeds.

Arbalest (Dalmatian / Labrador)
Lean and long-legged, built for distance, with a short coat. A tireless mover, an Arbalest can cover ground from dawn to dusk and arrive ready to do it again. From the Labrador it inherits an even, good-natured temperament and a fondness for water. From the Dalmatian, it inherits stamina and independence.


Duster (Corgi / Dachshund)
The Duster sweeps along the earth on short, powerful legs. Big ears, a fox-sharp face, and a body that fits where almost no other dog can. The Duster carries the Dachshund's badger-hunting fearlessness and the Corgi's bold, herd-driving nerve. Stubborn, vocal, and brave to the point of foolishness.


Glaive (Doberman / Great Dane)
A polearm of a dog; elegant and imposing in equal measure. The Great Dane lends height and a surprisingly gentle, steady heart, while the Doberman lends the sleek build, the sharp alertness, and a cunning edge.


Khvostov (German Shepherd / Malinois)
The Khvostov is athletic and intensely intelligent, with the working breeds' need for purpose. Hardy and loyal, sometimes to the point of obsession. Give one a job and it will outwork anything on four legs; leave one idle and it will unravel.


Malpais (Akita / Chihuahua)
A strange and striking pairing: the dignified, reserved bulk of the Akita with the Chihuahua's enormous, unkillable attitude. Named for the badlands, the Malpais is built for harsh, dry country and harsher company. Aloof and wary with strangers, it reserves a loyalty for its chosen few.


Rivule (Golden Retriever / German Pointer)
Athletic and warm, with the friendliness of the Golden mixed with the lean, versatile athleticism of the Pointer. The name comes from the water it loves: Rivules are drawn to rivers and rain. They are strong swimmers with keen noses and an eagerness that makes them easy to love and easier to rely on.


Terros (Jack Russell / Rat Terrier)
The Terros is quick, clever, and fearless. Descended from vermin-hunters, it has an instinct for pursuit that never fully switches off and an energy reserve that never seems to run out.


Theran (Livestock Guardian / Saint Bernard)
Massive, calm, and immovable. A mountain of muscle under a thick weather-proof coat, with the guardian breeds' deep instinct to stand between the vulnerable and whatever means them harm. From the Saint Bernard comes a gentleness and from the livestock guardians, the independence and the willingness to face down any threat.


Verglas (Husky / Malamute)
Built for the cold and the long haul. The Verglas wears a dense double coat over a powerful frame. Verglas are endurance itself: tireless haulers and runners, and deeply pack-bonded. Friendly and strong-willed in equal measure.


Whiff (Greyhound / Saluki)
The Whiff is lean to the point of looking fragile, and over open ground there is almost nothing in the new world that catches it. Both ancestors were sighthounds, hunters who run their prey down by pure speed and agility. Off the chase they are quiet, sensitive, almost delicate creatures.


Zorro (Foxhound / Basset Hound)
The Zorro carries one of the finest senses of smell of any breed: give it a trail and it will follow that trail to the ends of the earth. The Foxhound lends endurance and a friendly pack-going nature; the Basset lends the dropped ears that sweep scent up from the ground, as well as stubbornness.

[AstroCat]

𝑪𝑳𝑨𝑺𝑺𝑬𝑺
Each class has progression levels with unique scenarios. There are several different archetypes to choose from; the lawless (Bandit, Outlaw), the dutiful (Deputy, Medic, Bishop, Keeper), the self-sufficient (Wanderer, Hunter, Misfit), and the more esoteric roles (Alchemist, Ghost, Exo, Artisan). A dog does not need to have a class.

A dog can change their class with an item or a prompt. When a dog reaches the maximum level of one class, they may be able to level one additional class, either with an item or through prompts. Additional classes/subclasses may be added at any time.

𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑳𝑨𝑾𝑳𝑬𝑺𝑺

BANDIT
"One who makes their living taking from others."
Most Bandits didn't start out taking. They started out losing, and at some point decided they were done with that. Bandits tend to be adept at reading the room: what a settlement has and what it can defend, the moment a stranger's guard slips, the difference between a bluff and a real threat.
>Level 1 Pickpocket - Fresh to the life. Quick paws and a quick mind. A pickpocket hasn't built a reputation yet, but they're working on it.
>Level 2 Scoundrel - The Scoundrel has a face that gets remembered in the wrong places, and a knack for making it out anyway. They've developed their methods and their instincts.
>Level 3 Kingpin - The Kingpin doesn't need to take anymore, they have others bring things to them. They've built something, either a network, a reputation, or a business.

OUTLAW
"One who has decided to forgo law and order, by any means necessary."
There's a philosophical distinction between a bandit and an outlaw, even if the outcomes sometimes look the same from the outside. They've made the choice to exist outside every justice system or honor code they’ve been taught. Some Outlaws are genuinely dangerous, while others just want to live without anyone else telling them what they are and aren't allowed to do. There is a wildness to an outlaw that doesn't exist anywhere else.
>Level 1 Drifter - They don't have a destination yet
>Level 2 Renegade - The Renegade has a reputation now, whether they wanted one or not. They've made enough noise that some dogs they've never even met know their name
>Level 3 Legend - Other dogs talk about them across territories; the things they did, the rules they broke, the times they should have been caught and weren't. A legend that is feared or celebrated, depending on who's telling it.

𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑫𝑼𝑻𝑰𝑭𝑼𝑳

BISHOP
"One who has dedicated themselves to a higher power."
The world is full of things that don't have explanations. Some follow something ancient and unnamed, some have pieced together fragments of human faith from old texts they can't fully read, some simply believe in something bigger than themselves and call that enough. A Bishop serves, and that service might look like comfort, ritual, sacrifice, or even like war.
>Level 1 Seeker - The Seeker hasn't found the full shape of their faith yet, they've only felt the pull of it
>Level 2 Devoted - Their faith has a shape now
>Level 3 Oracle - Whether they are prophet, priest, or something the old world didn't have a word for, they carry their faith like a torch, and others gather around it

DEPUTY
"One who has dedicated themselves to upholding justice."
What they call justice varies; some follow a strict code inherited from a pack or settlement, some have built their own from scratch, some operate pure instinct. Often serve as a group's anchor or moral compass. They're not interested in being liked; they're interested in things being right, or at least what they consider to be right.
>Level 1 Rookie - The Rookie believes in something, and has the conviction to act on it
>Level 2 Officer - has made enough hard calls to know that justice isn't always clean
>Level 3 Marshal - They've become a well known bastion of justice, one that holds the line

KEEPER
"One who tends to the land and its creatures."
Keepers are the backbone of any permanent settlement, and in unfamiliar territory, their knowledge of what's edible, what's medicinal, and what livestock can survive local conditions is worth more than most realize. They tend to crops and decorative plants, as well as care for livestock.
>Level 1 Tender - learning what the land is willing to give. They're patient with failure
>Level 2 Steward - land or herd is recognizably healthy, their animals trust them, and the settlement is better for their presence
>Level 3 Groundskeeper - sustains life, reliably and deliberately, Dogs travel to trade with them, to learn from them

MEDIC
"One who has learned to heal bodies and minds."
The Medic learned something most dogs figure out eventually and try to forget: everything breaks, and someone needs to be able to mend what has been broken.
>Level 1 Field Hand - Their knowledge is patchwork but they make it work
>Level 2 Surgeon - The Surgeon has developed real, reliable skill
>Level 3 Doctor - Their knowledge of body and mind runs deep enough now that they teach it

𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑺𝑬𝑳𝑭-𝑺𝑼𝑭𝑭𝑰𝑪𝑰𝑬𝑵𝑻

HUNTER
"One who has the patience and skill to provide."
Hunters believe the world is not impressed by effort, only results. They are providers in the truest sense. They learn the terrain, the weather, and the behavior of their prey.
>Level 1 Tracker - still learning what the land is telling them. They can follow a trail, read the weather, and sit still longer than most dogs can manage.
>Level 2 Stalker - has learned to disappear before the prey knows they're there
>Level 3 Apex - the top of the food chain, can keep whole settlements alive

MISFIT
"One who makes their own fate."
Creative, adaptive, deeply individualistic, with a fierce belief that they get to decide who they are. Misfits are best known for their unconventional problem-solving and having a strong sense of personal identity; a wildcard.
>Level 1 Stray - They haven't found the shape of themselves yet, but they're looking
>Level 2 Wildcard - Others can't predict them, and the Wildcard has learned to use that
>Level 3 Free Agent - They built a name for themselves, and what others think about that is not their concern

WANDERER
"One who chooses to drift from place to place, self-reliant."
Solitude doesn't always equate to loneliness. Wanderers tend to carry a patchwork of knowledge picked up from everywhere they've been, and are able to be mostly self sufficient as they wander the lands.
>Level 1 Traveler - They've left something behind and aren't sure what they're heading toward, every new place is a lesson
>Level 2 Wayfarer - They carry knowledge from all the places they've been, and are welcome almost anywhere
>Level 3 Pathfinder - has walked enough of the world to carry a map of it in their head.

𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑬𝑺𝑶𝑻𝑬𝑹𝑰𝑪

ALCHEMIST
"One who creates and experiments with unknown forces."
Unpredictable allies and dangerous enemies, what they produce ranges from the genuinely useful to the deeply unsettling. The old world is a laboratory and the Alchemists are running experiments.
>Level 1 Student - Figuring out how things work. Not everything they produce is useful, but is still fascinating
>Level 2 Brewer - what they make works, but what it does isn't always what they intended
>Level 3 Catalyst - They work at the edge of what is possible and keep pushing it further

ARTISIAN
"One who carries the living memory of the world in story, song, and art."
They are the storytellers and the singers, the painters and the carvers, the crafters who turn salvaged scraps into something worth looking at, and the recordkeepers who make sure the things worth remembering don't get forgotten by time.
>Level 1 Apprentice - is still finding their medium
>Level 2 Craftsdog - Others recognize their work
>Level 3 Master - They've created things that get referenced, repeated, remembered

EXO
"Those who have salvaged and reconfigured tech remnants."
Other dogs find them eccentric or unsettling, especially those who have complicated feelings about what humans left behind. What they build is rarely what the humans intended and is usually stranger, more improvised, and more suited for a canine's needs rather than a human's. They have a deep patience for attempting to solve complex problems with whatever remnants of technology they can find.
>Level 1 Salvager - is still figuring out what everything is. They go into old places and bring back things they can't fully identify yet
>Level 2 Engineer - makes things work that shouldn't anymore
>Level 3 Architect - builds things that last; inventions, architecture. problem solvers

GHOST
"One who moves unseen and unheard."
Ghosts possess the ability to be nowhere anyone is looking, to slip through spaces without disturbing them, to know everything about a situation without ever becoming part of it. They have an unsettling ability to appear in places without warning. Their skills are often requested by others to aid in scouting and intelligence gathering, or other, more nefarious reasons.
>Level 1 Shadow - learning the art of disappearing
>Level 2 Spector - They've learned that invisibility is only half the skill, and that the other half is knowing exactly what to do with what you learn while no one's watching.
>Level 3 Phantom - something close to myth. Dogs whisper that they were there, that something was known that shouldn't have been

[AstroCat]

𝑴𝑨𝑷

Howl takes places in the remnants of the United States

Gray Lakes
main city: Old Chicago
Named for the gray water and the gray sky that meets it, the Gray Lakes are the workshop of the new world. Old Chicago rises from the bones of a great industrial city. The salvage of the Shapers is dragged in and reborn as tools no human ever imagined. Winters off the lakes are brutal and dangerous.
Origin Traits
Cold Forged — strong tolerance for harsh winters
Trade Sense — shrewd eye for value; hard to cheat in a barter
Industrious — uncomfortable when idle; works through hardship

The Crown
main city: York
The greatest standing remnant of the Old World. It is called the Crown because from a distance, the broken skyline looks like one. York is a forest of towers, now reclaimed by nature. Along the water's edge, dogs catch fish from the bay. The old tunnels beneath the streets are practically it's own city; lawless and dangerous.
Origin Traits
Surepawed — comfortable at height, on ledges, and in vertical movement
Crowd Hardened — sharp situational awareness in dense, busy places
Tunnelwise — strong navigation and direction-sense, even in the dark

Appalachia
main city: Blue Ridge
The oldest mountains in the land, and the most haunted. This is where the Old World legends live: tales of the time of the Shapers told and retold until they've become something closer to myth. Blue Ridge is less a city than a scattering of settlements strung along the ridgelines. Many Bishops find their calling here, in a land that feels full of things older than memory. Outsiders are usually treated with hostility.
Origin Traits
Ridgefooted — excellent endurance on steep, uneven mountain terrain
Fog Adjusted — heightened scent and hearing to compensate for low visibility
Old World Mythical — strong pull toward belief, ritual, and omen

The Carro
main city: Flora
There is no place more wild than the Carro, with the swamps and dangerous weather. Flora endures at the heart of it, a city that has made peace with the water by half-becoming it: walkways over water, dens built high against the floods. The wildlife has grown bold in the long absence of the Shapers. A beautiful country that will kill you if you stop respecting it.
Origin Traits
Heatborn — thrives in humidity and high temperatures
Storm Sense — instinct for incoming weather before it hits
Wetlander — strong swimmer, comfortable in swamp and mud

Heartlands
main city: Saint Louizze
Open prairie under an enormous sky, the most stable and settled country in the new world. An ideal place for farming and livestock. Saint Louizze sits at the great river crossing, a trade hub where east meets west and the goods of every region pass through. The peace is real, but the openness is a weakness too; there's nowhere to hide on the prairie, and those who make a dishonest living know it.
Origin Traits
Long Wind — built for distance and stamina across open ground
Greenpawed — instinct for soil, crops, and animal husbandry
Even Keel — steady, dependable, slow to panic

New South
main cities: Wako, Tesca
Outlaws and Bandits drift here for the freedom; Deputies and Marshals follow for the work. Wako and Tesca are frontier towns in the truest sense; dust and big sky, and opportunity for those with determination to make something of themselves. A land of standoffs and second chances. Tesca is a relatively safe settlement, while Wako is a place for the lawless and exiles.
Origin Traits
Quickdraw — fast reactions; sharp in a standoff or sudden confrontation
Dust Hardened — endures dry heat, scarcity, and rough living
Polarized — runs to extremes, either fierce personal justice or fierce lawlessness

The Divide
main city: Boiz
Rugged, cold, and mostly unsettled. The Divide is mountain country, the high passes covered with snow half the year and crossed by only the hardiest, and the dogs who live here are fiercely independent. Boiz sits a high valley, small and self-sufficient. A place for dogs that like the cold, or those that don't like the company of other dogs.
Origin Traits
Snow Coated — superior endurance against cold and high-altitude conditions
Loner — self-reliant and content in solitude; needs little company
Sherpa — surefooted and powerful on rugged mountain terrain

Vada
main city: Vega
Caught between the easy coast and the lawless south, Vada is where fortune calls. Vega glitters alone in the desert, a city of strange salvage and stranger luck. The desert crossing to reach it is a killer, which only makes the arrival that much sweeter. Fortune favors the bold here, and buries the rest in the sand.
Origin Traits
Silver Tongued — persuasive, charismatic, a natural talker
Sun Cured — water efficient; endures heat and thirst that would cause death to others
Gambler's Nerve — high tolerance for risk and danger; drawn to the gamble

Gold Coast
main coast: Anjlees
The Gold Coast is mild where the rest of the world is harsh; sun glittering off the water, gentle seasons, a sprawling coastal warmth that lets dogs do more than just survive. Anjlees stretches along the shore, a city where story, song, art, and grand ideas flourish. Easy weather and easy living.
Origin Traits
Spark — strong aptitude for art, story, and craft
Goldhearted — social, welcoming, low-guard with strangers
Far Sighted — idealistic and forward-thinking; dreams big

Cascadia
main city: Salem
Gray skies, towering pines, and the deep green hush of the rain country. Salem rests among the firs, a quiet and contemplative settlement. There's a comfort to the gray that the dogs of Cascadia wouldn't trade for all the sun on the Gold Coast. It is a good place to heal, to think, and to disappear into the trees if that's what a dog needs.
Origin Traits
Rain Shed — thrives in cool, wet climates; weather-resistant coat
Woodlander — moves softly through dense woodland; keen tracker among the trees
Still Nerves — composed and clear-headed under pressure

[AstroCat]

𝑶𝑭𝑭𝑰𝑪𝑰𝑨𝑳 𝑳𝑶𝑹𝑬

Dictionary
Shapers - the dog word for "humans"
Old World - term used to describe the pre-apocalyptic world
the Greening - the current age, the return of the wild
Feral - a dog that has reverted to its primal instincts or was born that way, "unawakened". Dogs that are feral look wild/unkempt, and cannot have a class or regional trait.

Class - a dog's chosen style of life
Origin traits - dogs can have unique traits based off where they were born

CURRENCY - CAPS
Old World bottle caps, can be earned in various ways such as exploring, leveling classes, and passively just by participating in the arpg.
Can be "passively" earned by:
Fully filling out an adopt tryout form (even raffles) - 1 Cap
Submitting any written or drawn prompt - 1 Cap

Items found while exploring may be kept or traded to a merchant for Caps
Common items - 2 Caps
Uncommon items - 4 Caps
Rare items - 5 Caps
Very rare items - 10 Caps

_________________________

Common custom ticket - a custom with uncommon and below edits - 50 Caps
Rare custom ticket - a custom with rare and below edits - 70 Caps
Mythic custom ticket - a custom with mythic and below edits - 100 Caps
Storkfeather - Used to breed two dogs - 10 Caps

[Vyntage.]

MARK 👀

[Nanorat]

Mark!

[alphanea]

mark!

[.Margo.]

Mark!

[old man]

mark!