Becoming the Beast Characters and Monsters
Here are the character profiles of the main characters and monsters from Becoming the Beast. These should give you a better idea of whom the characters are and tell you more about the monsters.
WARNING!!!
Story spoilers ahead!
Professor Victor Godfried
“That is why I, Dr. Victor Godfried, have taken up residence in the Michigan backcountry: I am seeking to make known that which has been regarded as mere legend for far too long.“
Age: 40s
Date of Birth: circa 1980
Location: Michigan
Life: Growing up in a small, country town somewhere in Colorado, Victor was surrounded by wildlife and the wild. Deciding to make a career out of it, he went to school to become a zoologist, earning his Ph.D. and focusing on studying wolves. While his interest was rewarded by his friends and neighbors and lauded as impressive, while at college, he learned that “impressive” is actually very common. And, unfortunately, being a wolf biologist ended up being a humbling career. But after a chance encounter with the creature known as the Dogman at the Land Between the Lakes state park in Kentucky, he would accept the mysterious R’s offer to spearhead the task of researching the creature.
Pamela Reclit
“Like I said, I live down the road. Been in the area quite a while. I live alone–my husband died some time ago.“
Age: 60s
Date of Birth: circa 1960
Location: Michigan
Life: Pamela is a Michigan native who married young. At the time, she had no second thoughts about it as it was the fashion at the time. At some point, she and her husband would move close to the town of Oak Grove somewhere out in the Michigan wilderness. Here, they would live in peace and share a pleasant married life. Sometime before the start of the story, Pamela would lose her husband and become desperately lonely. Not knowing anyone in town, she would keep to herself and become something of a recluse. She tried to befriend the hunter that lived in the house Victor resides at the start of BTB, but no meaningful relationship was established and the hunter soon moved away. But when Victor moved in, she would take a liking to the newcomer, even forming an attraction for him and nursing what would seem like a harmless crush.
The Beast
“I had a feeling that now that I had seen it and that it had possessed me that it would never go away.“
Description: A manifestation of a person’s inner darkness born by consuming the meat of Dogmen. Everyone’s beast is different, with some beasts not actually being sinister or dark.
Lore: To my knowledge, no such thing actually exists.
In the Book: Perhaps the book’s main antagonist…
The Dogman
“The time is now near at hand which will prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the ‘mythical’ creature known as the ‘Michigan Dogman’ definitely exists.“
Description: Although various descriptions are given for Dogmen, most report seeing a creature that they can only describe as a “werewolf”. That is to say, a large and muscular creature, lupine or canine in appearance, and walking around on its hind legs. Stories differ on how dangerous it is.
Lore: The Michigan Dogman, or oftentimes the Dogman, is a cryptid (a creature unknown to science) of some renown. Although stories of the Dogman can be found just about anywhere in the world and all across the United States, as well as all throughout time including dating back to per-colonialism, the creature is most famous in the Midwest, having been brought to the public’s attention thanks to reporter Linda Godfrey in her story “The Beast of Bray Road”. Since then, the Dogman’s popularity has exploded and is almost as recognizable as Bigfoot, the Mothman, or el chupacabra. Shows like Monsters and Mysteries in America as well as Monsterquest have both done episodes devoted to the Dogman, and numerous podcasts exist where eyewitnesses and researchers can share their encounters with the public.
In the Becoming the Beast: The Dogman was the creature that launched the RE: Encounter series. As a result, it plays an essential role in the story being one of the main focuses, and many Dogmen characters play pivotal roles, even as mere research materials for Victor. But the most mysterious thing about the Dogmen is where they come from, why they’re in our world, and what that means for the rest us. Questions that Victor and his financier R are searching for the answers to.
Specimen 05
“A marvel of motion! An incredible display of the power of nature. Absolutely beautiful. The unopposed mistress of her domain.“
Description: An all white, female Dogman. And like some of her male counterparts, completely intact biologically, resembling a woman with a wolf’s head, claws, paws, and tail.
Lore: Female Dogmen are known to exist, however, like their male counterparts, their descriptions vary greatly. Some report seeing female Dogmen that resemble dogs more closely, and some report seeing females that more closely resemble human females. Dogmen have been seen with both human-like breasts and dog-like teats. Although, I’ve never heard of a white one.
In the Book: 05 serves as the peak of what a female Dogman is or can be. Victor is taken with her almost immediately, even struggling to suppress his physical attraction for her. Hence why he initially chooses her meat for Pamela to consume.
Jimmy
“Well, things have certainly become interesting around here. And a lot of it is due in no small part to Jimmy.“
Age: Late 20 to mid 30s
Date of Birth: circa 1990
Location: Michigan
Life: Not much is known about Jimmy before the events of the story, and no one of import or influence would care to know anyway. He was a bottom-feeder, the runt of the litter of life, the world’s biggest loser, only born to be a tool of those smarter and stronger than himself. But upon meeting his Beast, the plot turns. Or does it? Does he now have the power to exact his will or is he simply another pawn in a different game?
Dogman Army
“Well, the Dogmen came back, and as a veritable army.“
Description: A group of fearsome Dogmen all measuring 8 feet tall, well-organized, well-disciplined, and experienced at combat.
Lore: Although I have no knowledge of “Dogmen warriors” per se, Dogmen are sometimes said to live in packs. Little is known about them, but they usually seem to be organized with either an alpha male or female leading them, and are generally considered the least threatening to humans. In fact, they actually seem to be the most friendly as stories involving packs usually entail the pack working together to protect humans from even worse creatures, like the Rake.
In the Book: The Dogman Army shows up toward the end of the book. They are an invading force intent on destroying Jimmy and his forces, and restoring the natural order of the universe.
The Alpha
“But as impressive as all these Dogmen were, they were nothing compared to the one that led them.“
Description: A monster among monsters with powers and a story of ascendancy greater than the normal mind can imagine.
Lore: Regarding stories that mention Dogmen living in packs, alpha males aren’t an uncommon phenomenon. However, as terrifying as Dogmen are, alpha males are twice as terrifying and impressive. One story I heard involved a Texas rancher having an issue with his cows being killed. He thought it was pack of Dogmen known to roam near his ranch. That was until one day a gigantic Dogman left the treeline and threw down a strange, thin, and pale creature that bore appendages fit for the sort of injuries the cows had suffered. The rancher took that as a sign that this was the actual creature attacking his cattle and that the Dogmen had taken care of it. Anyway, the Dogman that showed him the odd creature was described as standing at least 10 feet tall on its hind legs. Most stories claim Dogmen are only 8 feet tall at their tallest.
In the Book: The Alpha, also known as the Tyrannobestia Rex, leads the Dogman Army in BTB and seeks justice for those Dogmen felled by Victor.
The Beast of Oak Grove
“I had become the Beast.”
Description: An experiment either gone horribly wrong or astoundingly successful, the Beast of Oak Grove is the result of unhindered scientific research.
Buy Becoming the Beast here.
