Do you ever struggle to create realistic creatures for your fantasy worlds? Ever struggle to understand how to create different breeds or sub species of animal? Then today is your lucky day, as we begin our exploration into building a fantasy bestiary.

Now there is probably some logical starting point for this sort of thing, such as microorganisms or insects, but I personally enjoy writing what currently piques my interest. So today we will begin with the animal commonly referred to as man’s best friend; the dog. Whether this accolade is truly accurate in today’s society is highly debatable due to the vast amounts of other pets now owned by mankind. But looking back through history, the dog certainly has a commendable record of service to humanity.

Let us now dive into the interesting history of the dog and explore how it was used, and indeed can be used in both the real world and our own creations. I will, as always weave in fantastical interpretations and ramblings as we go and may give some examples from my world to hopefully inspire your own creations. Enjoy!

Continue reading “Bestiary Builder: Using dogs in Fantasy” →