S.Petersen's Field Guide to Lovecraftian Horrors

Page 42

Hound of Tindalos

Chien de Tindalos

No one need wonder at the existence of a literature of cosmic fear. It has always existed, and always will exist; and no better evidence of its tenacious vigour can be cited than the impulse which now and then drives writers of totally opposite leanings to try their hands at it in isolated tales, as if to discharge from their minds certain phantasmal shapes which would otherwise haunt them.

H

— H. P. Lovecraft A Hound of Tindalos is a horrendous quadruped which manifests itself through the corner angles of rooms in Earthly structures, sending itself through time and space to attack the being on which it wishes to feed. A typical Hound has a long, sinuous tongue and drips a putrid substance like blue pus. Frankly, the Hound of Tindalos is beyond normal human comprehension and evaluation. Though it appears so, a Hound is not an organic creature. It is a manifestation of the principle of perceptive being known to humans as “foulness”. Foulness is a hypergeometrical organizational axis shared by many of the entities described in this field guide; as a concept, foulness is uncomfortably difficult to summarize, because as humans we identify states of being as definitional elements rather than as polyclusters. But, following Isinwyll (1987), we are not the poorer in merely nominating the Hound as a singularity of loathsomeness and terrifying hunger, considering what humanity would be like if our understanding of the Hound was more precise, more empathetic! Habitat : the angles of time in the extremely distant past; inconclusive evidence of pre-galactic existence has been advanced (Hike, 1983).

Distribution : the distant past. But a Hound can visit any time and almost any place, if impelled by hunger or other malign purpose. Life and habits : some psychic factor or inherent trait within humans and certain other life forms appeals to a Hound, from which it gets evident nourishment. If this unknown factor is not necessary to the Hounds survival, the species may not be truly predacious. A Hound of Tindalos can manifest only through an angle of 90° or less. Whether this angle is formed by a room’s corner, a crack in a rock formation, or a bent leaf is immaterial. A Hounds appearance is signified by clouds of vapor steaming from the chosen angle, swiftly followed by the coalescence of the Hound. Nothing of the Hounds life cycle, if it has one, is known, nor have significant physical evidences been accumulated from the several dozen recorded attacks (Wailing, 1982). Distinguishing Hounds of Tindalos : •

Dimensional Shamblers do not necessarily form from corners, and are bipedal.

ive Comparat t r a h c t h heig

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Bibliography

8min
pages 128-131

Zoog

2min
pages 124-125

Nightgaunt

2min
pages 118-119

Moon Beast

2min
pages 116-117

Voonith

2min
pages 120-121

Wamp

2min
pages 122-123

Minion of Karakal

2min
pages 114-115

Magah Bird

2min
pages 110-111

Men of Leng

2min
pages 112-113

Leng Spider

2min
pages 108-109

Gug

2min
pages 100-101

Larva of the Outer Gods

2min
pages 106-107

Lamp-eft

2min
pages 104-105

Haemophore

2min
pages 102-103

Great Ones

2min
pages 98-99

Gnor

2min
pages 96-97

Fireworm of Parg

2min
pages 94-95

Cloudbeast

2min
pages 92-93

Butterfly Dragon

2min
pages 88-89

Buopoth

2min
pages 86-87

Cat from Saturn

2min
pages 90-91

Blupe

2min
pages 82-83

Being of Ib

2min
pages 80-81

Bokrug

2min
pages 84-85

Atlach-Nacha

2min
pages 76-77

Basilisk

2min
pages 78-79

Abhoth

2min
pages 74-75

Foreword on Creatures of the Dreamlands

3min
pages 70-71

Star Vampire

2min
pages 62-63

Tsathoggua

2min
pages 64-65

Yog-Sothoth

2min
pages 66-67

Star Spawn of Cthulhu

2min
pages 60-61

Shub-Niggurath

2min
pages 58-59

Shoggoth

2min
pages 56-57

Shantak

2min
pages 54-55

Servitor of the Outer Gods

2min
pages 52-53

Ithaqua

2min
pages 46-47

Nyarlathotep

2min
pages 48-49

Serpent People

2min
pages 50-51

Hound of Tindalos

2min
pages 42-43

Hunting Horror

2min
pages 44-45

Great Race of Yith

2min
pages 40-41

Flying Polyp

2min
pages 30-31

Formless Spawn

2min
pages 32-33

Ghast

2min
pages 36-37

Fungi from Yuggoth

2min
pages 34-35

Ghoul

2min
pages 38-39

Elder Thing

2min
pages 28-29

Dimensional Shambler

2min
pages 26-27

Foreword

1min
pages 7-8

Byakhee

2min
pages 16-17

Chthonian

2min
pages 18-19

Dhole

2min
pages 24-25

Azathoth

2min
pages 14-15

Deep One

2min
pages 22-23

Dark Young

2min
pages 20-21

Introduction

2min
page 11
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