Dogs of the Realms

By: Frank Penca (castdie@aol.com) Learned men who are aware of such thing have noted that there are a number of differences between the ty es of dogs seen in the !ealms and those seen on other worlds. "ertain breeds# such as the $almatian# Pomeranian# "hihuahua# and the dachshund# which are revalent in other s heres# are unknown on Faerun. %ther breeds# such as the ug# husky# and the oodle# are few and far between. &erman 'he herds are known as (lsatians# while )rish 'etters are sim ly known as 'etters. *here are several breeds of dogs which are unknown elsewhere. ( descri tion of the most noteworthy of these breeds follows. (hrnhand: *he (hrnhand ( ronounced (!+,and# both -.s are silent)# or the !oyal $og# is a western canine that has its origins in what is today the Pur le /arches of *ethyr. )t has been a very o ular breed throughout that shattered nation.s history# and has maintained its o ularity with common citi0ens even though it is seen as a dog of the nobility. *hey are rarely seen outside *ethyr.s borders. (hrnhands are very docile# known for their good,natures# e1cellent with children# and seldom bark. )t stands about two and a half feet high# and is about three feet long. )t is short,haired# bigger in girth than a greyhound# and not as fast. )ts slender head su orts ears which naturally stand u right at three inches. *hough fur color varies through all shades of gray# the lighter the color of the fur# the more e1 ensive the dog. ( ure white litter of u ies was given to 2ing +earal as a birthday gift# and outshone all of his other gifts that year. *here have been two re orted births of black ahrnhands# and both were owned by 'harrans who were favored by their goddess. Daeraman: *he $aeraman ( ronounced $33!,eh,men by everyone but the dwarves# who ronounce it da,ere,(, man) is also known as the $warven $og# for many reasons# though not because of its si0e. *he name itself is likely a synthesis between two dwarven words: daern# meaning familiar or known# and samman# meaning a trusted friend through battle. )t stands about three and a half feet high# and its burly frame can often reach u to two,hundred fifty ounds. *heir fur is often mottled brown and black# though all manner of earth tones may be found. *hey have a fantastically tough hide# and have been known to walk across hot coals without noticing# and to survive for many days in ermafrost environments. 4arious body arts of the daeraman are re uted to be useful in eli1irs involving hardiness and stamina. $aeraman seem e5ually comfortable with all the ma6or civili0ed races# but dwarves seem to have a s ecial fondness for them. *hey will let dwarven children ride on their backs# and they can (sometimes) carry u to fifty ounds of su lies by dwarven mining teams. $aeraman seem very comfortable underground# and do not a ear to be affected by lack of e1 osure to sunlight. -owever# daeraman have never been a truly o ular breed of et# for one reason: as they age# they seem to lose any emotional attachment they may have once had to humanoids. /any will wander off after the age of ten or eleven# to live out their final years away from civili0ation. *his seems less likely to ha en if the owner of the daeraman is also a cat owner# as the two animals will often get along very well. Darovoi: $arovoi ( ronounced dar,eh,4%)) is both the singular and lural of this vicious breed. *hese dogs stand between four and four and a half feet high# and are always 6et back. *heir owerful legs are ca able of great bursts of s eeds# and they can kee u with horses for a mile or two if in their eak conditions. *hey learn commands easily if taught within the first year7 beyond that# they are unable to learn any tricks# disci line# or restraint. *hey are insatiable killers# and relish in hunting game both large and small. 8nless ordered to sto # they will continue to bear down on animals until well after their rey has died. 8ntil ten years ago# they were common as sentinels in /alarite tem les and shrines. -owever# this use has declined recently as they have gained in o ularity by 9vimites# as many of these dogs naturally have green eyes (though some s eculate more now than a generation ago).$aravoi will kill for leasure# and will kill with a ruthless efficiency. ( ack of three (they are utterly fearless in acks) was once res onsible for bringing down a mother cave bear who was rotecting her cubs. *hese dogs# no matter how well trained# should not be left alone with children under the age of eight. *hey will often kill anything smaller than them (read: halfling si0e or smaller) if they believe their masters aren.t watching. For reasons unknown# daravoi a ear inca able of contracting rabies. *his is robably for the best. Femmari: *hese la dogs are a short,haired breed that can be seen throughout the regions north of :aterdee . Femmari (F3/,air,ee) were likely a cross between corgi and beagles# but the hybrids have become so o ular as to become a breed unto themselves. *heir fur tends to be a dark chocolate brown# with the tans and whites of normal beagle colored fur seen in atterns throughout. *hey are often less than a foot high and about a foot and a half long. *heir legs are only about two and a half inches at the stifle# about the si0e of their ears in length. *hey are a good natured breed# and love to lay with children. *hey are unusual for two reasons# besides their astounding o ularity in the +orth as a short,haired dog. First# they often have a life s an of over fifty years. *here is a story of one femmari living to be over eighty. (s neither of their

su osed arent breeds are known for their longevity# s eculation abounds of magical rocesses involved in their creation. *his is furthered by the femmari.s second outstanding feature. *hey are the only true breed of dog to have infravision. )n fact# few breeds of dog have any sort of night vision beyond the sco e of normal humans. *here a ears to be no known natural reason for this. $es ite these odd facts# they often sell for the rice of normal dogs. Garygan: )t is said that golden retrievers are the only dogs that actually can laugh. )t is likewise said that the garygan is the only dog that sheds tears. *he garygan (gare,3,gann) is a rare dog which were re ortedly first seen in -alruaa# but over the ast two centuries have become recogni0able in the +orth as well. *he garygan is a muscular# short,coated# s5uare,headed dog with tight skin and a docked tail# much akin to the bo1er. /ales stand ;;.<,;< inches at the withers and weigh about => ounds. Females are a bit smaller at ;?,;@.< inches and about A> ounds. Fur color for males is a distinctive soft blue# while female.s fur may be any shade of blue from nearly white to dee electric# but tends towards a sky blue. &arygans are often friendly dogs# though they tend not to be very active considering their build# and are often good com anions for sedentary owners. )f the dog ever loses an owner or com anion# some members of the breed will go into a eriod of mourning which will include fasting and occasionally silently crying. *hese dogs rarely have health roblems# and their low maintenance and relative rarity increases their rices. )n -alruaa# they usually will fetch =< gold. )n the rest of the 'outh# they can go for u to <>> gold# and in the +orth# they can fetch u to ;>>> gold if the fur is of a dark enough color. For some unknown reason# &arygans are not cross,fertile with other breeds of dogs. Itago: *he itago (eye,*(,go) are a miniature breed of dogs which are used throughout the 3ast by merchants and caravan masters. *hey are fine boned but long,haired# with fur usually either all white or all gray# though some dogs with mi1ed colors e1ist. *hey stand between B,??C tall at the shoulder# and weigh @,D ounds. *hey do not share the re utation of many other toy dogs as being hy eractive or high,strung# at least not in the traditional sense. *he )tago are often called -oly -ounds in the east. (ccording to legend# in the wastes north of !ashesmen# there was a small farming community who lost many men each year to raiding nomadic barbarians. %ne s ring# the village lost most of its men to the barbarians# and threats were made that they would return. *he small community re ared its remaining men to defend it# but because no one knew the barbarians location# they could only wait. *he men could not be ke t in a state of constant readiness# so sentinels were ut into osition to alert the town at a moment.s notice. %ne such guard was Perranis# a good,natured man with an alcohol roblem. %ne night# Perranis was ke t com any by his ten year old daughter# )tago. *he oor man drank too much and fell aslee on the 6ob# and )tago# who was accustomed to her father.s roblems# ke t vigil in his lace. )t was she who noticed the distant sha es in the night sky# and after failing to wake her father# it was she who woke the entire village and saved many lives. (fter the battle# -elm himself a eared to )tago# and told the girl that he would grant one re5uest from her. *he girl# in her innocence# asked for -elm to give her a u y that would not only be fun to lay with# but would also hel her father watch for trouble# because# as the girl said# she didn.t like staying u too late. )t has been said that in that moment# -elm came close to smiling. -e created the )tago# which has since roved itself to be the most su reme watchdog in the !ealms# and though children do like its unusual a earance# they re ort it is not very much fun to lay with. *he village and its name are long since lost to time# though several sites still received ilgrimages by -elmites as recently as fifty years ago. 'ome have doubted the truth behind the story# but the fact remains that )tago were unheard of in A>> $! and were commonly used by guards as Cback,u sC by =>> $!. *he )tago itself does e1hibit several unusual characteristics. *he most noticeable of these is the amount it slee s. )tago only slee about fifteen to twenty hours a week# and even then only for one or two hours at a time. :hen they do slee # their eyes remain o en# even though they do have eyelids. :hile awake# they constantly ace# eyes scanning the hori0on for trouble. $ue to their si0e# they are constantly 6um ing u on surfaces to gain a better view# then 6um ing back down to# as if to see if they have missed anything. )tago are virtually unknown west of the 4ast. Mot: *he mot (/(-*) may have originated in "hult# or it may be an im ort from another crystal s here. *his dog is nearly hairless# save for several whiskers on its head# but it stands closer to three feet tall and weighs about a hundred ounds. *hey are dogs of a definite tro ical nature# and are very uncomfortable in weather less than si1ty degrees. )n the coastal regions of "hult# where they are most often found (their un rotected skin makes them eschew the actual 6ungle)# and more rarely on the shores of the Lake of 'team# they are considered trackers of the highest order. )t is wise advice not to hire a guide in the region who does not em loy a mot. *hey have relatively weak 6aws# and so they are inca able of actual fighting# even of small game# but it is said that a mot could track a swallow in a thunderstorm. 8nlike many other dogs# mots have a oor sense of hearing. *heir inch high ears are small in ro ortion to the rest of their bodies# and about one out of every twenty has hearing so oor that they may be considered deaf. *heir intelligence is on ar with other dogs# though# so a ca able trainer may be able to teach them to erform tricks and tasks using hand signals.

Ruckushound: ( ruckushound (ruh,28'',hound) is not a true breed of dog. !ather# it is a term used to describe dogs which have develo ed a certain malady. !uckushounds are always mongrels7 true breeds of dogs do not become ruckushounds. %n the few days rior to and directly after a full moon# ruckushounds will bark constantly. )f they are given food# they will be 5uiet for u to a half an hour# but then will begin to bark again. *hey dogs will not eat if they are not hungry# and will only slee when they have barked themselves sore# so it becomes im ossible to 5uiet them. /any such of these dogs are eventually ut to slee # as they resist even the most owerful of magical cures. )f this unfortunate ailment occurs in one u in a litter# then it is certain that all will have it. )t is believed by some that while he was insane (or more so# de ending on who is asked)# "yric allowed his riests to make a dog into a ruckushound by merely meeting its ga0e# with no s ell casting involved. Vayferr: *he 4ayferr (4(E,fehr) is a breed of dog seldom seen outside the region of 4ar the &olden and the surrounding territories. *his smaller breed stands about a foot and a half high (females average an inch or two less) and weigh about forty ounds. *heir fur tends to be white# though o ular custom in the region sees s alshes of color added through dyes in order to make them stand out. *hese dogs are very o ular# and almost certainly any other dog seen within the borders of 4ar the &olden were brought there by visiting dignitaries. 4ayferr are seen in all walks of life in 4ar. *he most o ular of traveling carnival side shows are those which feature a wi0ard using a ventrilo5uism s ell and a vayferr# while a huckster trades 5ui s with the dogs. !ecently# more skilled wi0ards are conducting short scenes com osed entirely of vayferr actors. *hese are always comedic in nature. 4ayferr are oor hunters# but may learn almost any trick# and never sto learning. *his allows them to learn and com rehend the meaning of almost fifteen hundred words in their lifetimes# about five times that of other dogs.