Diamond Dog sketches and characters By JesterOfDestiny Watch

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{Excerpt from a sapientologist's presentation}



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Diamond dogs (possibly not final name) are one of the lesser known sapient races of the world, which belong to the canine family. They live most of their lives underground, digging tunnels in search of minerals, useful materials, shiny rocks and whatever else they can find. They have thick skin, a tail covered in fur that has stuck together to form spikes, a nose that can smell the differences between minerals, slit pupils that allow them to see in the dark and strong muscular arms they can use for walking.



Diamond dogs are a rather elusive race; Not only are they underground for most of their lives, they also actively avoid going near humans, due to a rather turbulent history. You see at some point history, diamond dogs were used as slaves by the human kingdom. As tough creatures evolved to an underground lifestyle, they are the best miners one could ask for. But since they are nomadic and are independent by nature, they need some "extra persuasion" to work for someone else.



During my travels, I managed to meet a few diamond dogs myself, like Bokko here, whose people remains to be untouched by humanity. He was very friendly and welcoming to me, which is very different to what we'd usually expect with all the news about violent diamond dogs attacking miners, and ravaging farms and treasuries. As you can see Bokko also looks very different to what we're told about diamond dogs. But truth of the matter is, that the diamond dogs we know are the ones who look different. And that difference can be traced back to their history of enslavement.



Here is a perfect example of what humans have done to diamond dogs, in order to make them more compliant. This diamond dog here is called Ooboo. She is the property of a lord and the mascot of his mining company. The reason she looks this way, is breeding. When diamond dogs were enslaved, they underwent a cruel process of breeding, which often lead to inbreeding and to individuals like Ooboo. The goal was to create a strong, compliant, but disposable worker. These newly bred "workers" have been dubbed "doggos" and "puppers", which may sound like a cute nickname to most of you, but I don't recommend using them anywhere near a diamond dog, because to them it's an insult. You're essentially calling them a deformed, brain-dead slave.



Not to say that diamond dogs' run-in with humanity was an entirely tragic one. Some diamond dogs decided to live among humans instead. An example of that can be seen here. His name is Chobak and he's a self-described liar for hire. If you need someone to infiltrate a group and sniff out some information, I have his number. Seriously, he lived with a kobold family for almost a decade without anyone noticing. Unfortunately, people like Chobak no longer follow old diamond dog traditions, as their culture have been bastardized as well.



But as you already know, not all diamond dogs are as friendly to humans. In fact, quite a good portion of them have a violent hatred of humanity. All of which is perfectly exemplified by Kifru here, who has attacked me during my travels and sent me to work in his mines, as a sort of racial revenge. And yes, I got out okay, but not easily. At some point, Kifru was found by the authorities and cornered inside his mines. He ordered us to dig deeper underground, but failed to plan ahead and the mines have gotten overrun by goblins. You know you've got a story to tell, when it's goblins who end up saving you.



Another interesting diamond dog I've met is Bulbul, whom I would most definitely describe as a gentle giant. Quite possibly the largest diamond dog I have ever seen. She was a very soft-spoken person and a loving mother of four puppies. She is also a poet. I'd like to read a rough translation of one of her poems, which she wrote during her years in the mines. It's titled "Dirt is dirt."



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Second year of digging dirt.

Stripes on my back from the quirt.

The words the jerks blurt.

Foulmouthed pert.

Memories that make me hurt.

Digging for chert to fill the yurt.

Now we dig for dirt, not chert.

The jerks argue about its worth.

But I gotta be curt.



Dirt is just dirt.



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Quite different from the "diamond dog poetry" we have been exposed to. Fact of the matter is, diamond dog culture has also taken a very hard hit during the years of slavery and the poetry that we are lead to believe to be traditional poems, like "I Like the Bread" are in fact the bastardization of diamond dog literature. Sure, the simple rhymes and the straight-forward delivery is very characteristic of diamond dog poetry. But poems like that usually come from people who write "cute" poems, as an easy way to make money. But be aware, that those aren't written by diamond dogs and are a product of a history of unimaginable cruelty.



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Now to address the elephant in the room... Or rather... The canine in the room. I have, in fact, met Keokz the hideous and she is just as scary as she is often described. Even more so, because you can't see her pupils, until she's looking directly at you. Seeing those slit pupils emerge from her milky blue and red eyes is an experience that haunts me to this day. Now, she does look like someone who has lived far longer than they were supposed to. And the way she just talked to herself... I'm not sure if she was really talking or just making noises due to not being able to close her mouth... I suspect that she has been taken over by demonic magic. Maybe she was communicating with a force beyond my comprehension.



And yes, I did meet her. The thing that saved me from her wrath, is the fact that I do in fact speak the diamond dog language. I had to, because she doesn't speak common tongue. Although she speaks a very old dialect of her own language, so she didn't make my situation much easier. Not to mention all the howling in her territory... Honestly I should have turned back at that point. But then I wouldn't have this experience to talk about.



Now, I might be describing her as a very frightening person and let's be honest here, she is. But to the diamond dogs she is a hero. A scary deformed hero.



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