The Hounds of Baskerville

For generations the Baskerville family have resided in their ancestral lands in Dartmoor and (apart from inspiring Arthur Conan Doyle to write a certain book due to a local family legend involving a hellhound) they were a mostly unknown branch of the British aristocracy.

They preferred this anonymity since the family curse of the hellhound actually masked a more shocking secret, the Baskerville family where Werewolves! Using the legend of the hellhound to cover up any sightings they never made a difference in the public eye, allowing this small pack to live in relative peace.

However WWII changed this, when news of the Third Reich using the supernatural in the war reached their ears, the senior Sir Henry Baskerville III himself revealed the family secret to the Allies when he demanded he and his family be allowed to enlist and fight this new threat.

When an incredulous officer asked why monsters such as him would wish to do so he replied “Because we may be monsters sir, but By Thunder we’re British monsters!”

Following that statement, members of the Baskerville family & their retainers have worked with the Guild ever since, earning the nickname ‘The Hounds of Baskerville” from a guild bureaucrat from with delusions of wit,

Using their lycanthropic heritage and sense of noblesse oblige to serve the Guild, Queen & Country, even if they can be somewhat…quirky (although they prefer the term eccentric).

Current Family Members

Hugo Baskerville - One of the earlier members of the family known to be a Werewolf and the one who first came up with the idea of creating the legend of a cursed hellhound to explain the families ‘little indiscretions’. While the legends portrayed him as a villainous and wicked figure, this was due to his being a cavalier loyal to King Charles so the roundhead propaganda co-opted the legend to include his being a wicked man who met his death at the hands of the hellhound. The fact he was the hellhound who supposedly killed himself caused him no end of amusement till his final days following the restoration.

Henry Baskerville III – A member of the family who found himself inheriting the family rulership in the late 19^th century following time out in the wilds of Canada (living amongst a clan of Wendigoes who they shared ancestry with). He returned to find he had become embroiled in a succession crisis/conflict that became know as the ‘Vandeleur affair’ that caused a resurgence in the hellhound myth and inspired Arthur Conan Doyle to write his book, however Sir Henry emerged victorious and lived on to a ripe old age and was responsible for his families enlistment in the Guild.

Rodger Vandeleur– The member of the family responsible for the succession crisis that led to Sir Henry inheriting the title, little is known as it has been a closely guarded family secret and only regered to as ‘The Vandeleur Affair’ – all that is known is that he had spent time in south America and was the unknown heir of a member of the family who had designs on claiming the title of pack alpha.

Bertram Baskerville – A minor member of the family from the days of the ‘Vandeleur affair’, born human and joined the clergy, but set out to act as the family chronicler, passing the notes to his friend Sir Conan-Doyle and inadvertently changing literary history and the deerstalker hats reputation.

Hubert Baskerville – The eldest son of Henry Baskerville IVth, the next in line for the baronet and the one who does most of the administration/looking after the lands in Dartmoor, a distant figure rarely seen in public due to his time being spent working.

Herbert Baskerville – Distant cousin, tragically lost during Operation Belgium.

Virginia Baskerville – Mother of Hubert and Henry, appears to be a sweet doting grandmother but can always keep her grandchildren in line with threats of the ‘something nasty in the woodshed’ (actualy her wolfed out self)

Henry Baskerville IV – Father of Hubert & Henry, current Baronet but getting on in years, leaves his elder son to do the actual day to day running of things while he sits around reminiscing of the old days – served with the Guild with distinction in his time.

Beryl Baskerville – wife of Sir Henry from South America, married after the ‘Vandeleur Affair’ and introduced the Therian streak into the bloodline.