Charhounds were small, four-legged creatures native to Elphrona. They were fast and could run long distances as quickly as a steelee. They had high internal body temperatures, and the amount of heat they emanated varied across the creature's coloration. When provoked, they could shoot yellow flame from their mouth. The internal heat of the charhound's mouth was hot enough to burn or melt most materials, with only some materials, such as the crystals throughout Elphrona, being resistant to the heat. Even the charhound's urine was of a high enough temperature that it could light objects on fire.
Charhounds were social animals that could form bonds with other creatures and would fight to protect them. Despite their fiery breath, Charhounds were friendly, being willing to play games like fetch with strangers. They could communicate with purring noises, barks, and coughs.
The charhound Ember accompanied the Jedi Bell Zettifar.
An undernourished charhound appeared at the Jedi Outpost on Elphrona with an infected wound. The Jedi in residence—Porter Engle, Indeera Stokes, Loden Greatstorm, and his Padawan Bell Zettifar—cared for her and allowed her to stay. Zettifar named her Ember.
She accompanied the Jedi in a Vanguard on a mission to rescue members of the Blythe family. The Nihil attacked the colonists at their homestead and kidnapped them. The Jedi chased the marauders on steelees after mole mines destroyed the Vanguard. Porter Engle broke away from the others to deal with ambushing Nihil snipers. Ember killed one of the marauders at an opportune moment by spitting a gout of yellow flame from her mouth and saved Engle's life.
Zettifar brought Ember to the ceremony that marked the opening of the Starlight Beacon in 232 BBY. It was unusual for a Jedi to have an animal companion, but it was overlooked given Zettifar's connection with the charhound and the recent loss of his master to the Nihil.
The charhound was created for the Star Wars: The High Republic multimedia project, and was first revealed in an article on StarWars.com, which showed concept art of Ember the charhound with Bell Zettifar. They first appeared in the 2021 novel The High Republic: Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule.