Hound archon

Hound archons were celestial beings that lived primarily on the slopes of Celestia.

Description
Hound archons appeared powerfully built, red-skinned humanoids with canine heads. They were quite intelligent and very protective, seeking to defend the innocent and helpless against evil.

Combat
Hound archons were able combatants in melee, thanks to their musculature and meaty fists. They preferred their natural weapons, but were also known to wield greatswords to great effect.

Powers
Hound archons could transform at will into any canine (fox, dog, wolf, and others) ranging from small to large size; this had the advantage of improving the archon's stealth. While on the mortal world, these archons often assumed a canine form to subtly help good mortals as a "clever pet".

Society
Many hound archons were known to develop paladin powers, in which case they generally preferred their holy greatswords to their teeth and fists. Hound archon paladins often befriended bronze dragons and rode them into battle; the bond between archon and dragon was, if anything, even deeper than the bond between a mortal paladin and his mount.

Hound archons were the well-disciplined soldiers and sentinels of their heavenly realm. They were well-trained in the fight against evil and showed no mercy to fiends. Against mortals, however, they were loath to use lethal force, even against those dedicated to evil. They believed that mortals should be the judges of their own kind while on the mortal world.