lands of monsters

[marycatelli]

I think -- that some monsters have to be regional.

In fact, in the next scene, I think some young noblemen are going to be lectured about how the woods and mild hills hold woodwoses and hags and ghastly wolves -- occasionally even drakes -- but only as they pushed farther north and east did they get into the mountains and rough hills, and that's where they first met the etins and dwarrows. Possibly even the trow.  (Or maybe the trow live to the north and west, on the islands.)

Whereupon I can have him interrogate the boys and establish they know that the first are gigantic, the second are dwarfish and good at metal-work, and the third are ugly, strong, and somewhat larger than human. The small problem with using esoteric terminology. 0:)

Not quite so hard as another story in the same setting where I have to convey that werewolves are evil warlocks that use wolf skins to transform themselves, they have no connection with the moon, and they can (fortunately) be harm by things other than silver. (And are all guys. And not just because a woman would be a wifwolf.)

Comments

[vakkotaur]

I suppose that does make sense. But the occasional "out of territory" creature will happen - though such is infrequent. And information regarding boundaries can be... dated.

[marycatelli]

Depends on why the author introduces the restriction. 0:)