Among the shadows of Oblivion, in the places where the light can never penetrate, stalk the race of beings known as Daemon Hounds. Savage, violent, feared by the darkest monsters of the Pit, they roam in murderous packs, galloping through the darkness in search of prey. No creature can stand against them when they attack in numbers, and even a lone Daemon Hound is a force to be reckoned with. Unleashing horrific attacks with blinding speed, they strike with spiked tail, tear flesh from bone with serrated black teeth, rend throats and gizzards with cruel hooked claws, and crush armoured hide with hoofed kicks. When summoned to the ethereal plane by the bravest of Necromancers, they leave only a mutilated trail of human bodies, sometimes including that of their summoner, behind. They are wild and masterless, their violent nature controlled or directed only by the strongest members of their pack.

Among the many packs of the Daemon Hounds, there is a twisted creature called Vrethaal, who stands apart from all others. Not because of strength or violent nature, which they all hunger after, but because of comparative weakness, and because of fear. Fear is Vrethaals weapon, a crippling, paralysing gaze of terror that seems to radiate from the bleached, ram-horned skull that sits atop his Daemon Hound shoulders. From within its eyeless sockets, a red glow emanates fear and horror, crippling all who meet his gaze. To even look upon his skull-topped form, even without meeting his gaze, causes fear to overtake the viewer! For this reason, Vrethaal is shunned by the Daemon Hounds, and he travels between different packs, only staying a short time to participate in the larger hunting parties that scour the darkness. Few Daemon Hounds ever meet his gaze, and many cannot stand his presence at all. It is true that they fear him, but they also loathe him, because compared to their high standards of strength, violence and raw killing power he is comparatively weak. As strong as a Hound just entering adulthood, Vrethaal could never match a fully grown Daemon Hound in single combat; however his crippling Red Gaze makes him useful in the hunt for stronger prey, and also means that few Hounds would ever challenge him.

Whatever ‘truth’ that may be left to Vrethaals history is as twisted as his form, for his skull-topped visage has existed in the packs as far back as even the oldest Daemon Hounds can remember. He never seems to age, or to change, and he may appear out of the darkness to join a pack at any time without warning. Some believe that there is more than one Vrethaal, or that he is some kind of wraith, a spirit of terror brought to life in the world of Oblivion, bringing fear to the darkness, but also bring fortune to the packs in the hunt. He is a curse to all but the Daemon Hounds, and he is what makes many creatures paralysed by fear of the dark, by the thought alone of his glowing, red eyed skull charging at them out of the shadows! He is Vrethaal, the Dread Daemon Hound!