Silver dogs were extraordinarily rare canine-like creatures that were said to look more like something out of a dream than something real.[1]
Description[]
Silver dogs appeared to be canines some 5 feet (1.5 meters) long with a slim, elegant build, a regal face, and piercing eyes. They were shadowy and shimmered; the coloring of their long, flowing fur was often compared to molten silver or quicksilver. They had a "mantle" of fur around the neck and shoulders, akin to a lion's mane.[1]
Behavior[]
Silver dogs were incredibly shy, retiring, and elusive creatures; they invariably ran from people. They were true neutral.[1]
Abilities[]
Silver dogs were unusual creatures, for despite their obviously magical natures, they displayed few magical abilities. They were extraordinarily fast, and radiated no heat that could be seen by infravision. Their nocturnal habits and preferred sylvan habitat made them unlikely to be seen. Moreover, only a few enchantment and and charm spells were capable of effecting them:
- The priestly spells of command, remove fear, charm person or mammal, hold person, quest, and confusion.
- The wizardly spells of friends, hypnotism, sleep, suggestion, charm monster. confusion, emotion, domination, hold monster, binding, and demand.
To all other such spells they were immune, and to magic in general they were highly (90%) resistant.[1]
Unfortunately, any intelligent creature that saw one was frequently overcome by its grace and beauty and seized by a single-minded desire to pursue and capture (but not harm) the creature. The silver dog always fled deeper into the forest, and many people found themselves hopelessly lost and separated from their party after the effect wore off.[1]
Sometimes a silver dog was captured with either nets or spells. In such cases, if the pursuer was true neutral and had no intention of harming the silver dog, then the beast would grant a wish and a boon of power before vanishing. If the pursuer was not true neutral and/or intended to harm the dog, it disintegrated and the person suffered a curse of weakness. Likewise, if a silver dog was cornered and slain, the same curse of weakness fell upon its killer.[1]
Combat[]
These rare creatures had never been recorded to engage in combat, not even in self-defense.[1]
Ecology[]
Silver dogs were exclusively nocturnal and had never been seen during the day. They were said to make their dens in the deepest, darkest parts of the forests they dwelt in. They were also completely solitary; no silver dog had ever been seen in the company of another, nor had silver dog pups ever been recorded.[1]
Due to a lack of droppings or remains of prey, it was thought that silver dogs subsisted on moonlight and clean water. As evidence for the former, they were sometimes seen outside of their home forest, standing upon a raised ridge or cliff looking at the moon as if to howl, but no sound was ever heard. This was, admittedly, an unlikely diet but no-one had evidence of anything different.[1]
Druids considered silver dogs guardian spirits of their forests, and thought that when a silver dog was seen once a year, the forest was thriving, but if one was seen only once a decade, then it was threatened and might decrease in size. In druidic lore, silver dogs were also vital to the balance of predators and prey in the forest. When a druid successfully caught a silver dog, they often wished that a silver dog be seen by a druid of that forest once every season for a decade.[1]
Silver dogs were known to serve the deities Eilistraee, Corellon, Rillifane Rallathil, Sehanine Moonbow, and Solonor Thelandira.[2]
Appendix[]
See Also[]
Appearances[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 David Cook (December 1991). Monstrous Compendium Forgotten Realms Appendix (MC11). (TSR, Inc), p. 57. ISBN l-56076-111-3.
- ↑ Eric L. Boyd (November 1998). Demihuman Deities. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 14, 101, 122, 126, 133. ISBN 0-7869-1239-1.